Eastern Notes: Webster, Heat, McDaniels
Martell Webster doesn’t envision himself playing basketball for much longer thanks to chronic back pain, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post writes. Webster is still in the process of rehabbing from his third back surgery in four years, and says he’ll most likely retire when his contract with the Wizards runs out in 2017. “I’ve always wanted to retire young,” Webster said. “I love this game and I respect this game, but I only want to be in it as long as I can be effective and as long as I can feel comfortable.”
Here’s the latest happenings in the Eastern Conference:
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra isn’t necessarily looking for his new players to replace the departed LeBron James, Ray Allen, and James Jones, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. “Number one,” Spoelstra said, “we have to look at this team differently. It’s in a different lens. So we might not have to fill in the same boxes that we’ve had in the past. I think that might be a dangerous way to look at it. It’s open to where to this group can go. We felt, secondly, that we have enough shooting, and we’re encouraged by the guys that, one, either have a resume for it, or, two, have really been working on it.“
- The Hornets and Hawks might live to regret only inking Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap respectively, to shorter deals than they could have, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders opines. While he believes the idea of short-term deals is a sound one, Jefferson is all but assured to exercise his player option next summer, and both are expected to test out the free agent market. Both franchises will face competition to re-sign their players, and the new deals might prove more costly than if both players had simply been signed to longer deals in the first place.
- Kyler also weighed in on K.J. McDaniels‘ deal with the Sixers. According to Kyler, McDaniels did the smart thing in rejecting Philly’s original four-year offer with very little in guaranteed money. McDaniels has an excellent chance at seeing significant playing time this season, and could easily parlay a decent season into a three or four year deal worth $4MM or $5MM, which would in essence double what the Sixers offered him, notes Kyler. By signing a one-year arrangement McDaniels will become a restricted free agent at season’s end.
Southeast Notes: Millsap, Heat, Pierce
The Hawks expect to have competition for Paul Millsap‘s services next summer when the player hits free agency, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. But Atlanta intends to try and keep the power forward on their roster, notes Vivlamore. “We want to keep him,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He is someone who is really important to us. He fits us very well. We’ve communicated that with him on a regular basis.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Chris Andersen‘s decision to re-sign with the Heat never depended on what LeBron James ultimately decided to do, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post writes (Twitter link). Andersen told Lieser that he knew he wanted to return to Miami prior to the free agent signing period beginning.
- A businessman named Haider Zafar might have directly contributed to LeBron leaving the Heat, Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald writes. Zafar, who allegedly conned Mike Miller, James Jones and Rashard Lewis out of millions in 2013, is expected to plead guilty to multiple wire fraud charges. Goodman details Zafar’s saga, and how the organization’s treatment of Miller in the wake of the fraud, including amnestying him, and refusing to reach a settlement that would return a portion of the swindled funds that went towards purchasing tickets to Heat games, left a lingering bad feeling between James and the Heat organization.
- Paul Pierce chose the Wizards this offseason in free agency after discussions with then-Wizards assistant coach Sam Cassell and former Washington forward Al Harrington convinced him that it was the right place to continue and possibly finish off his career, Adi Joseph of USA Today writes. “I asked them at first what the guys were like to work with, you know, Bradley Beal and all these guys,” Pierce said. “I asked them about the culture, ‘Are there good guys in the locker room?’ And they kept on saying, ‘You’re really gonna like these guys. You’re really gonna like these guys’.“
Cavs Sign Stephen Holt To Camp Deal
WEDNESDAY, 9:52am: The deal is official, the team announced.
SATURDAY, 3:21pm: Holt had cut ties to Ludwigsburg and had been receiving interest from some Euroleague teams, Pick tweets.
3:11pm: The Cavs and guard Stephen Holt have reached an agreement on a training camp deal, David Pick of Eurobasket reports (Twitter link). Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s likely a standard minimum salary arrangement with little or no guaranteed money included. This would bring the Cavs preseason roster count to 16 players, with 11 fully guaranteed and two partially guaranteed deals included in that number. Holt had reportedly turned down a training camp invite from the Hawks to sign with a German team, so it’s unclear if he reached a buyout arrangement or was let go by that team if the signing occurred.
The Cavs have been busy today, trading the recently acquired Keith Bogans to the Sixers in addition to completing their first training camp practice. Cleveland is still setting their training camp roster, and Holt will compete for the final roster spot, though he’s an extreme longshot to make it to opening night. The other roster wildcard involved is Ray Allen, who the Cavs have pursued despite Allen being non-committal on returning for another season. His signing would change a number of roster plans.
The 6’4″, 23 year-old Holt went undrafted out of Saint Mary’s back in 2012, after averaging 10.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 2.4 APG for his career. His shooting numbers were .443/.381/.808.
Southeast Notes: Andersen, Hawks, Taylor
Chris Andersen said he was never close to leaving the Heat in free agency this summer and wants to remain in Miami even after he finishes his playing career, as Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post chronicles. Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Hawks players were unified in expressing their disappointment in the racist language revealed over the summer from owner Bruce Levenson’s email and GM Danny Ferry‘s scouting conference call, but maintained optimism for both the team and Ferry’s future. Paul Millsap says he’s met with the embattled Ferry and forgives him for his racially derogatory remarks about Luol Deng, while DeMarre Carroll insists Ferry is not a racist, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays. Elton Brand said he spoke with Deng before deciding to re-sign with the Hawks, and Al Horford also vouched for Ferry.
- The Hawks have named Dominique Wilkins a special adviser to CEO Steve Koonin, the team announced (Twitter link). Wilkins, who was already a part of the front office as vice president of basketball, inked a long-term contract, as Vivlamore notes, though it’s unclear how the move affects his desire to buy the team.
- The Hornets will continue to pay Jeff Taylor while he’s on leave from the team as he faces domestic violence charges, GM Rich Cho told reporters, including Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
Hawks Sign Jarell Eddie For Camp
SEPTEMBER 29TH: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
SEPTEMBER 19TH: The Hawks and Jarell Eddie have agreed to a training camp deal, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The contract is likely non-guaranteed according to Charania. This signing brings Atlanta’s preseason roster count to 16, with 14 of those players being signed to fully-guaranteed contracts. The other player, Mike Muscala, has his contract partially guaranteed for $408,241, which makes Eddie a longshot to make the opening night roster.
The 6’6″ forward went undrafted this year out of Virginia Tech after averaging 13.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 1.1 APG his Senior year. His slash line was .358/.376/.776.
Eddie will compete John Jenkins, Kyle Korver, and DeMarre Carroll for minutes at small forward, with Korver the likely starter.
Dexter Pittman Signs With Hawks
SEPTEMBER 29TH: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
SEPTEMBER 24TH: Free agent Dexter Pittman has agreed to a deal with the Hawks, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). Terms of the deal weren’t revealed, but it’s likely a minimum salary camp deal with a nominal guarantee at best. This signing gives Atlanta a total of 17 players on their preseason roster, with 14 of those being fully-guaranteed and one other player who has a partial guarantee.
The 6’11” 26-year-old out of Texas appeared in two games for the Hawks last season while on a 10-day contract that was cut short when Pittman was released in order to make room on the roster for Mike Muscala. In 50 career games, including six starts, Pittman has averaged 2.3 PPG and 1.8 RPG. His career field goal percentage is 45%.
Pittman will compete with Muscala and Pero Antic for a spot backing up Al Horford at center, though he’s unlikely to stick on the roster until opening night without an especially strong training camp. Pittman had also worked out for the Lakers back in August, but it’s unlikely that L.A. made any contract offer.
Heat Notes: McRoberts, Deng, Haslem
The Heat enter next season without the talents of LeBron James who returned to Cleveland this summer. But Miami isn’t giving up on contending this season, and with a core of Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and Luol Deng, GM Pat Riley hopes his offseason moves will pay off with a return to the playoffs. Here are some notes from Miami’s media day:
- Josh McRoberts said that he was drawn to Miami because the team pursued him so hard, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post tweets. McRoberts also added that the deal now gives him multi-year stability.
- In keeping with the theme of being pursued, McRoberts said that he felt wanted in Miami, tweets Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. Goodman wasn’t sure if the statement by McRoberts was a dig at the Hornets, his former team, but he believes it was notable given the context.
- When asked about sacrificing money for the sake of the team’s cap flexibility, Udonis Haslem said, “I never had that money. It was never in my bank account. It’s not about that. I don’t regret it,” Lieser tweets.
- The Pacers tried to entice Danny Granger to return this offseason, tweets Lieser, but Granger said, “It didn’t work out.”
- Deng told Lieser that he forgives Danny Ferry for the comments that he made (Twitter link). “It’s not something I want to hold onto… I believe he’s really sorry for what he said,” Deng relayed.
- Deng also said that he believes Ferry’s remorse is genuine, and added, “I do not think Danny is racist,” tweets Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
- The veteran small forward said that he was actually close to signing with the Hawks, notes Jackson (Twitter link). Deng also noted that Ferry should have read the offensive comments allegedly contained in the scouting report to himself before saying them out loud.
- Deng confirmed to Lieser that he was close to joining Atlanta and that he never got any sense of prejudice from them. Deng also said that he was totally surprised by what he heard when the story was made public, Lieser notes.
Southeast Notes: LeBron, Bosh, Hornets
LeBron James says it would have been more difficult for him to leave the Heat if they’d beaten the Spurs in the Finals this year and that he hadn’t envisioned returning to play in Cleveland until the end of his career. James made his comments to CNN’s Rachel Nichols, who released a preview of the full interview, which airs Friday (video link).
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- With LeBron gone Chris Bosh will become the focal point of the Heat‘s offense, something the player is greatly looking forward to, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report writes. Bosh’s former coach Sam Mitchell believes his former player will answer the bell, saying “Pat Riley gave him the contract that said, ‘You’re going to be the guy. People think Chris is not that guy. When the offense is running through him, they’re going to find out, I guarantee you. One of those Big Three in Miami had to take a backseat and check his ego at the door. If Chris hadn’t done it, they may not have two championships. Now, I think Chris is going to play even better than he did in Toronto. I really do, because now he has something to prove all over again.”
- Hornets GM Rich Cho said there have been some initial discussions between the franchise and Kemba Walker about a possible extension, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports (Twitter link). Walker can become a restricted free agent next summer.
- The Wizards enter the new season with higher expectations than usual, Joseph White of USA Today writes. Coach Randy Wittman embraces the pressure that comes with those expectations, saying, “Listen, as a coach, you want to have these expectations. I’d much rather be sitting here talking about high expectations than you so-called experts thinking we might win 15-16 games. Last year doesn’t mean nothing. Last year we’ve got to use. Are we going to use it as a stepping stone to this year? When I say we’re back to ground zero, everybody’s 0-0 right now.”
- Embattled Hawks GM Danny Ferry is slowly gathering supporters around the league, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. But this support may not ultimately help Ferry keep his job, notes Vivlamore, and the executive’s fate most likely rests with whomever the new controlling owner of the franchise is.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Mike Budenholzer On GM Duties, Roster, East
Mike Budenholzer probably didn’t bank on adding responsibility over Atlanta’s basketball operations to his coaching duties after just one season as an NBA head coach, but the controversy surrounding the team has left him with a dual capacity. He’s serving as an interim GM while Danny Ferry is on an indefinite leave of absence, but in his comments today to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Budenholzer suggested the most difficult part has been seeing Ferry, whom he calls a friend, suffer under the harsh light of scrutiny. The coach/executive called Ferry’s racially derogatory statements about Luol Deng “out of character,” and dished on his new job and more in his conversation with Vivlamore. The entire interview is worth a read, but we’ll pull out three highlights here:
On how he’ll handle two jobs at once:
“We have an incredible group here with our management and our basketball operations, scouts, assistant coaches and medical staff. I think it’s what we feel is the best solution in a tough time. I’m excited to continue to fight for our guy, protect our guys and protect what we have been building and continue to move us forward. We have done everything collaboratively since I arrived. So in a lot of ways as much as possible we are going to continue to work and continue to do business. In a tough time, this is the best solution.”
On the battle for roster spots in camp:
“I think there is still competition. Guys come to camp and they come to make the team. I think we are in a situation where salary-wise and cap-wise we have some flexibility. I think we want to leave ourselves open to competition, most importantly, in putting together the best team we can. I think fortunately for us there is still opportunity for us, there is still flexibility in all ways, shapes and forms.”
On the team’s place in the Eastern Conference hierarchy:
“It’s strange. I don’t really pay that close attention to the rest of the East or the entire NBA. We are in such that building mode and that beginning phase mode that I’m really focused on our guys. I genuinely mean that. I think there are fans out there that know more about the East than I do. Hopefully I know more about the Hawks than they do. I know LeBron is in Cleveland now and Chicago has made some good additions, mostly Derrick Rose coming back healthy. I think you can go down the list of how the teams have improved. To whatever degree, I am aware of all that. I’m significantly more focused on what we are doing and hope that we can have that daily approach and be worried about ourselves. We’ll find our spot in that mix of teams.”
Eastern Notes: Ferry, Antetokounmpo, Raptors
With the racism scandal still fresh in Atlanta, Hawks GM Danny Ferry‘s former teammate Tim Duncan came to his defense, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes. Duncan acknowledged during a radio interview that Ferry made a mistake in his comments regarding Luol Deng, but denied Ferry had an issue with race. Duncan said, “Knowing Danny, he’s not what everybody’s saying about him. He’s not a racist.”
Here’s more from the east:
- Bucks second-year player Giannis Antetokounmpo is embracing the team’s experiment of moving him to point guard, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. On Milwaukee asking him to change positions, Antetokounmpo said, “I’m not going to say I was shocked by it. It’s something that I feel comfortable with and I’ll play wherever Coach wants me to play, especially when it’s Coach Kidd who thinks that I can play point guard. That makes me feel like, ‘I can play it. I can play point guard.’ I’m going to try my best and just listen to Coach. I’ll do whatever Coach says to do and I’ll get more comfortable.”
- During an interview with Reggie Miller regarding injured Pacers swingman Paul George, team president Larry Bird said that despite his star player’s horrific injury, he would still like George to return to Team USA, Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star relays. “I hope so. That’s one of his goals,” Bird said. “He wants to play for Team USA. I think that any kid that gets the opportunity to do that and they want to play for their country, they should have that opportunity. And I think Paul will be there in Brazil (Olympics).”
- In their season preview the staff at HoopsHype predict that the Raptors will repeat as champs in the Atlantic Division.
- Despite last season ending with his potential game-winning shot being blocked by Paul Pierce in the playoffs, the Raptors‘ Kyle Lowry showed significant growth on and off the court, writes Jonathan Abrams of Grantland in his profile of the player and his career.