Hawks Links: Millsap, Nogueira, Schroder
The forgotten suitor in July's Dwight Howard sweepstakes, the Hawks didn't have a splashy offseason, but the team re-signed a couple of its own key contributors in Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver, and brought in players such as Paul Millsap and Elton Brand to replace outgoing free agents like Josh Smith. As the retooled Hawks look to return to the postseason for the seventh straight year, let's check in on a few items out of Atlanta….
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld spoke to Teague, GM Danny Ferry, coach Mike Budenholzer, and Millsap himself about the Hawks' signing of the former Utah big man. Millsap is optimistic about the club's new pieces fitting together, as he tells Kennedy: "Because we have smart and intelligent guys, hopefully it won’t take that long [for the group to jell]. We’ve already been going through some things and we’re getting a feel for what we’re going to do. It’s been working out."
- The Hawks and first-round pick Lucas Nogueira have filed the paperwork to remove Nogueira's cap hold from their books, reports Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (via Twitter). As Deeks notes in a second tweet, that means Atlanta can't sign their 2013 first-rounder until next July, and it creates a little more cap flexibility for the team.
- Lang Greene of HoopsWorld takes a look at Dennis Schroder, the Hawks' other first-round pick this past June, who projects to be a long-term piece in the club's backcourt.
Southeast Notes: Beasley, Mason, Wiggins
Erik Spoelstra was scheduled to hit the open market after the 2013/14 season, but the Heat realized that he would have a red-hot market if that were to happen. Today, Miami locked the coach up with a contract extension that will keep him in place for years to come, even if the future of the Big Three isn’t certain at this juncture. Here’s the latest out of the Southeast..
- In today’s mailbag, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel was asked by a reader which “longshots” have the best chance of hooking on with the Heat. Michael Beasley seems pretty likely to get the 14th spot on the roster and Winderman likes Roger Mason Jr.’s chances of getting the final one, if the heat are willing to carry 15. It’s not a great year for non-guaranteed guys in Miami with 13 guaranteed contracts already on the payroll.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel previews the season ahead for the Magic. Schmitz stops short of rooting for the team to tank, but he implores Orlando not to win too many games and hurt their chances of landing Andrew Wiggins in June.
- Guard Jeff Teague is excited about the new-look Hawks in 2013/14, writes HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy. Teague was left in limbo for a little while by Atlanta but ultimately re-signed on a four-year, $32MM deal. “I’m definitely glad [free agency] is over with,” Teague added. “I really didn’t think about it much last year, but during the summer it was a difficult time. I learned the whole business of basketball basically. I’m excited to have that done though.”
- There’s been a lot of change in Atlanta, but Al Horford is still a part of the Hawks after their makeover, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Southeast Rumors: Porter, Williams, Wizards
The No. 2 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Otto Porter, suffered a right hip flexor injury, reports the Associated Press, and was limited in practice. Fortunately for Wizards fans, Nene Hilario and John Wall are healthy, but as Michael Lee of the Washington Post points out on Twitter, Trevor Booker was also limited in practice with a sore right knee.
Here's more on the Wizards and Hawks…
- As J. Michael of CSN Washington summarizes, the Wizards have been suffering from the injury bug as training camps open around the league. Emeka Okafor (herniated disk) and Chris Singleton (left foot/toe surgery) are already out and now Booker and Porter are limited.
- Wall added to Lee's piece that after watching footage from the 2012/13 season, he's confident of the team's success this coming year. "We know what we're capable of as a team," Wall told him. "We just got to play like we did last year, be a great defensive team, be a faster team, get out in the open court," said Wall.
- On the injury front, the Hawks scoring guard (Lou) Louis Williams has no timetable on a return from the ACL tear he suffered last season, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution [subscription only].
- Vivlamore adds that former Hawk Damien Wilkins is liable to make the team if Williams isn't able to go right away. After suffering the torn ACL in his right knee in January, the recovery period is 9-12 months and Williams has yet to participate in any scrimmaging with the team before training camp opens.
- Vivlamore goes on to include that a new coach, Mike Budenholzer, means there will be a new system in place for even the veteran Hawks to learn in this month's training camp.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes that Kemba Walker, after two years of losing in Charlotte, led a "jump-start" on the Bobcats' training camp.
Eastern Notes: Bulls, Wizards, Hawks
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune discusses the health of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, Luol Deng's uncertain long-term future with the franchise, how Mike Dunleavy Jr. will look to mesh with the roster, and how Jimmy Butler will handle a move to starting shooting guard as five things to look at for the Bulls going into fall. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago (via Twitter) says that Chicago's official training camp roster is expected to be released tomorrow but doesn't expect Malcolm Thomas or Chris Wright to be on the list.
- Michael Lee of CSN Washington wonders if John Wall is ready to lead the Wizards to the playoffs, who will step up in the absence of Emeka Okafor, if Bradley Beal is primed for a breakout season, what to expect from Otto Porter, and the health of Nene as the team's top storylines heading into training camp.
- Hawks GM Danny Ferry wouldn't set a timeline for the return of Louis Williams (who is still recovering from reconstructive knee surgery), though he did say that the eighth-year guard has been playing one-on-one games and has had no restrictions in doing so. Ferry also appeared encouraged about what Dennis Schröder can contribute to the team now as a promising prospect and said that Lucas Nogueira and Mike Muscala still need to continue their development overseas (USA Today via the Associated Press).
- As Tom Layman of the Boston Herald points out, Celtics coach Brad Stevens will look toward Avery Bradley to be the team's floor general while they wait for the return of Rajon Rondo. In another piece, a handful of college coaches had positive comments for Stevens regarding how they believe he'll be able to transition to the NBA game (NBA.com via the Associated Press).
- With Steve Mills in place as the Knicks' newest GM, Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld thinks that it will be important for Mills to start forming a strong relationship with Carmelo Anthony now, especially with the possibility that he could become a free agent this upcoming summer.
- Since arriving in New York City, Anthony has been able to build his brand and explore plenty of business opportunities, writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. From the sound of it, Zwerling doesn't think that Anthony will be leaving New York anytime soon, even with an opt-out clause at the end of the season.
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York examines the orange and blue's current situation at small forward.
- With the rest of the NBA's power elite growing tired of the Heat's dominance, Sam Amick of USA Today delves into why the 2013/14 season could be Miami's toughest campaign for a title yet. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that the Bulls are especially eager to put a halt to the Heat's reign as the NBA's top dog.
Hawks To Bring Adonis Thomas To Camp
Undrafted rookie Adonis Thomas will join the Hawks for training camp, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). Vivlamore had reported earlier in September that the team would likely add Thomas to its camp roster.
Thomas, 20, left Memphis this spring after his sophomore year, a decision that was questioned at the time by Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Goodman's ESPN colleague Chad Ford ranked Thomas 65th among 2013's prospects, so it wasn't a surprise when no team called his name on draft night. Still, the 6'6" forward should get the chance to compete with a handful of other players for a regular-season roster spot in Atlanta.
As Vivlamore points out, the addition of Thomas will increase Atlanta's camp roster to 20 players, making the Hawks the first team to reach the offseason limit. However, only 12 of those players are on fully guaranteed deals, which means the regular-season roster isn't set in stone yet. Eric Dawson, Royal Ivey, James Johnson, David Lighty, Shelvin Mack, and Damien Wilkins are also on non-guaranteed contracts, while Mike Scott has a $100K guarantee.
Odds & Ends: Jazz, Hawks, Nuggets, Grizzlies
The league and the NBPA are still far apart on a testing policy for human growth hormone (HGH), sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Stern wanted something in place before the start of the 2013/14 season, but that doesn't seem terribly likely at this point. Officials from the league office and the union met earlier this month to continue discussions on the matter, but a person familiar with the talks told Berger, "Nothing is anywhere near being agreed to." Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- Forward Joe Trapani is working out with the Jazz this week, a source told Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (on Twitter). The 25-year-old Boston College product has been playing in Italy for the last few years.
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sat down with Al Horford of the Hawks for a wide-ranging interview. Atlanta is in a rebuilding phase, but the big man says that he trusts GM Danny Ferry.
- Andre Iguodala feels that he deserves a good amount of credit for the Nuggets' improved defense last season, writes Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post.
- The Grizzlies have officially finalized their coaching staff, announcing the hirings of four assistants, including Elston Turner.
Odds & Ends: Nets, Johnson, Nedovic
- Serbian rookie Nemanja Nedovic, the 30th overall pick by the Warriors in last summer's draft, is excited for his first NBA training camp, and says he's committed to entering Golden State's rotation right away, according to EuroHoops.net's Niki Bakouli.
- According to the New York Post's Tim Bontemps, Nets point guard Deron Williams says the addition of Andrei Kirilenko was just as important as the trade that brought in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
- James Johnson's contract with the Hawks is a non-guaranteed training camp invite, and not a guaranteed deal, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Chris Vivlamore.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Wilkins, Bobcats, Oden
- There's no timetable for Lou Williams' return from a torn ACL, and he's unlikely to be ready to fill his sixth-man role for the Hawks at the start of the regular season. That's probably why the team is bringing Damien Wilkins to camp, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. If the team fills its 15th opening-night roster spot, it would probably be with a swingman like Wilkins, Vivlamore adds. That could also be an auspicious sign for David Lighty, another camp invitee.
- New Bobcats head coach Steve Clifford talks to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer about integrating offseason additions Al Jefferson and Cody Zeller, as well as several other 'Cats related items.
- HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy chronicles Greg Oden's journey from near-retirement to the cusp of training camp with the Heat. Oden is seeing a familiar face in Miami, as former Blazers teammate Juwan Howard remains unsigned but is still hanging around the Heat. organization, as Kennedy notes.
Hawks Sign James Johnson
According to a congratulatory tweet from sports agency firm Priority Sports, James Johnson has signed a contract with the Hawks. Though the terms of the deal were not mentioned, the pact could likely be a training camp invitation or a partially guaranteed deal. In 54 games and 11 starts for the Kings last season, the 6'9 power forward averaged 5.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and shot 41.3% from the field in 16.3 MPG. With the addition of Johnson, Atlanta currently has a total of 19 players heading into training camp.
Drafted 16th overall by the Bulls in 2009, Johnson hasn't lasted more than two seasons with an NBA team since then, splitting his first four years in the league between Chicago and Toronto before landing with Sacramento in 2012/13. To date, the Wake Forest product's best season was arguably with the Raptors in 2011/12, where he played a total of 62 games with 40 starts, averaging 9.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.4 BPG in 25.2 MPG.
Eastern Notes: World Peace, Bucks, Rose, Hawks
So far this morning, we've passed along word of Nerlens Noel's contract with the Sixers, and heard confirmation from the Raptors that they've signed three players to training camp deals. Here are a few more items from around the Eastern Conference:
- Metta World Peace tells Dan Duggan of Newsday that he "got calls from Oklahoma and the Clippers and all these teams" when he was amnestied by the Lakers, but he's happy with his decision to sign with the Knicks.
- Speaking at the Bucks Partner Summit in Milwaukee yesterday, future NBA commissioner Adam Silver made it clear that the city is in need of a new arena, writes Rich Kirchen of The Business Journal. "At the end of the day compared to other modern arenas in the league, this arena is a few hundred thousand square feet too small," Silver said. "It doesn’t have the sort of back-of-house space you need, doesn’t have the kinds of amenities we need."
- Derrick Rose has said in the past that he has little interest in actively recruiting other players to the Bulls, and as he prepares to return from an ACL injury, he's sticking to that stance. "I don't recruit. If anyone wants to play with me, I don't mind playing with, it could be anyone in the NBA, but as far as recruiting, I never did and never will," Rose told Rappler.com (link via ESPNChicago.com).
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld examines the Hawks' signing of Paul Millsap, which he views as one of the more underappreciated moves of the summer.