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NBA GMs Weigh In On 2012/13 Season

October 22nd, 2012 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

The results are in on NBA.com's annual survey of the league's general managers, with all 30 NBA GMs weighing in on dozens of questions about the 2012/13 season and the 2012 offseason. We won't round up all of their answers here, so feel free to check out the full results at NBA.com, but here are a few of the more notable responses:

  • 70% of respondents believe the Heat will repeat as NBA champs, while 96.7% think Miami will win the Eastern Conference. Since GMs aren't allowed to vote for their own teams, that means the rest of the league's 29 GMs picked the Heat to come out of the East.
  • The Lakers are the favorites to come out of the West, earning 60% of the votes. The Thunder (36.7%) and Nuggets (3.3%) were the only other teams mentioned.
  • LeBron James is the player most GMs would start a franchise with, earning 80% of the votes.
  • 86.2% of GMs believe the Lakers made the best offseason moves, with Dwight Howard (70%) and Steve Nash (20%) earning the most votes for the summer addition who will make the biggest impact. Los Angeles' sign-and-trade for Nash was also voted the summer's most surprising move.
  • Besides the Lakers, the other teams receiving votes for the best offseason roster moves were the Nets, Hawks, and Warriors.
  • The Nets (62.1%) ran away with the votes on which team will be most improved, while Andre Iguodala (16.7%) topped the choices for most underrated acquisition — the Celtics' duo of Jason Terry and Courtney Lee also received support in that category.
  • Anthony Davis (76.7%) and Gregg Popovich (80%) were the runaway picks for rookie of the year and the NBA's best coach, respectively.
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Eastern Notes: Barbosa, Raptors, Pistons,Wilkins

October 21st, 2012 at 4:01pm CST by Michael Pina

Here's a look around the Eastern Conference on this Sunday afternoon. 

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Eastern Notes: Hawks, Allen, Fields, Ilyasova

October 19th, 2012 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

In this morning's round-up of Celtics items, we linked to ESPN The Magazine's 2012/13 NBA projections, which included the Celtics as a No. 4 seed in the East, behind the Knicks (No. 3). While those ranks are somewhat surprising, the team that ESPN and Basketball Prospectus placed directly behind the top-seeded Heat is even more of a shock: The Hawks will be the East's second-best team, according to the magazine's predictions. We've got updates on Atlanta and a few other Eastern Conference clubs, so let's check them out….

  • If and when John Jenkins and Mike Scott officially earn spots on the Hawks' roster, they'll be the team's only draft picks in the last five years besides Jeff Teague to do so, says Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • It's been over three months since Ray Allen officially left the Celtics for the Heat, but the veteran's free agent decision is still a hot topic in both Boston and Miami. Allen appeared on WMEN in Miami recently and said he felt the Celtics put him in a position where he had to leave (link via Sports Radio Interviews). Celtics coach Doc Rivers, meanwhile, says he's over Allen's departure but is still "disappointed" with the way it played out (link via the Boston Herald).
  • Landry Fields told reporters, including Al Iannazzone of Newsday (Twitter link) that he lost some of his confidence and comfort level after the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony and needed a change of scenery.
  • It appears Ersan Ilyasova's new long-term contract with the Bucks has him feeling more comfortable in Milwaukee, writes NBA.com's Steve Aschburner.
  • The Cavaliers aren't expected to make their final roster cuts for a few days yet, but it appears one of Donald Sloan or Jeremy Pargo has the upper hand in the backup point guard battle — coach Byron Scott just won't say which, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Sulia).
  • Sam Smith fields Bulls questions on Nate Robinson, Kirk Hinrich, and others in his latest mailbag at Bulls.com.
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Hawks Waive Carldell Johnson

October 17th, 2012 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have waived camp invitee Carldell Johnson, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). The move reduces Atlanta's roster count to 16 players.

Johnson, 29, has played over 200 D-League games for the Austin Toros since going undrafted in 2006. The 5'10" point guard known as Squeaky finally made his NBA debut last season for the Hornets, appearing in 15 contests for New Orleans.

The Hawks have now cut Johnson, Keith Benson, and Isma'il Muhammad from camp, meaning Damion James and James Anderson are the only two non-guaranteed players left on the roster. If the Hawks decide to carry 15 players to open the season, James and Anderson are the candidates to earn that 15th spot, while the other player figures to be waived before opening night.

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Stein On Extension Candidates, Boozer, Paul

October 17th, 2012 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, TNT's David Aldridge shared the latest rumors and rumblings he'd heard about this year's fourth-year extension candidates. ESPN.com's Marc Stein follows suit today, and while much of what he's hearing is along the same lines as Aldridge's updates, there's still enough new info that it's worth rounding up the highlights….

  • Despite chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's apparent aversion to early extensions, it's still likely that the Bulls and Taj Gibson work something out this month, and that the team will eventually release Carlos Boozer using the amensty clause.
  • An extension for Ty Lawson remains more a question of "when" than "if," sources tells Stein.
  • The Raptors seem to "want to be wowed" by DeMar DeRozan in the 2012/13 season before committing to him long-term.
  • The Bobcats aren't expected to lock Gerald Henderson up to an extension unless the terms are very team-friendly.
  • Although the Hawks like Jeff Teague, they'll likely hold off on committing future cap space to a point guard until they're 100% sure they can't lure Chris Paul to Atlanta.
  • Extensions for Darren Collison and Rodrigue Beaubois can safely be ruled out as the Mavericks attempt to preserve next summer's cap room.
  • Stein also believes Stephen Curry and James Harden are likely to be extended, and that a new deal for Jrue Holiday is possible. However, he classifies the rest of this offseason's extension candidates as unlikely to receive long-term contracts by Halloween.
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Pacific Notes: Suns, D12, Paul, Lakers, Fredette

October 16th, 2012 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's head to the west coast and round up a few of Tuesday's items out of the Pacific Division….

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Aldridge On Extension Candidates

October 15th, 2012 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

The latest Morning Tip piece from TNT's David Aldridge is up at NBA.com, and focuses on the first round of the 2009 draft class, most of whom are eligible for contract extensions this month. However, Aldridge doesn't expect many new deals to be inked, since the new CBA doesn't give players a ton of incentive to sign early.

"Now (that) you can only give the same amount of years that they can get next summer, the player isn't as interested," one team executive told Aldridge. "Now, you have no advantage. I used to be able to say 'I can give you a year more today than you can get next year. So let's talk about a deal and maybe the number is more realistic.' But they've taken that away."

Here's what Aldridge has heard on a number of extension candidates:

  • The Kings will "probably not" be offering Tyreke Evans an extension, Aldridge hears from a source.
  • Things are "pretty quiet" on the Brandon Jennings front, and Aldridge isn't expecting him to work out a long-term extension with the Bucks.
  • DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors aren't close to a deal, but have been talking for weeks. Aldridge cautions not to rule out the possibility of the two sides reaching an agreement.
  • Aldridge does, however, essentially rule out extensions for Austin Daye (Pistons) and James Johnson (Kings).
  • Jrue Holiday's agent will touch base with the 76ers later this week about a possible extension.
  • Ty Lawson of the Nuggets is the one player that everyone around the league believes will sign a long-term deal by Halloween.
  • The Hawks are talking to Jeff Teague about a new deal, but Aldridge thinks it's unlikely the team commits to anything yet when it could have so much cap space available next summer.
  • Agent Mark Bartelstein on Taj Gibson and the Bulls: "They've made it clear they'd like to sign Taj. They're making an effort, and so are we… if we can get something done that everybody feels good about, great. If not, I'm sure he'll have a great year."
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Lawrence On Josh Smith, White, Lin, Nets, Cuban

October 13th, 2012 at 4:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News shares tidbits from around the league in his Saturday roundup, and this time several of them have to do with the Hawks and Rockets. We'll hit the highlights here.

  • Josh Smith has informed the Hawks he isn't going to sign an extension during the season, according to Lawrence. That's in line with a report last month from Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Smith and the team were unlikely to agree to an extension. Smith's stance makes sense, considering he could get five years if he re-signs with Atlanta next summer and only three if he signs an extension. In that same report, Vivlamore said Smith is open to a long-term future with the Hawks.
  • The Hawks were one of several teams that weren't considering drafting Royce White because of his psychological disorders, Lawrence says, predicting the Rockets will look to trade White if fellow rookie Jeremy Lamb continues to impress.
  • Lawrence argues that Jeremy Lin's knee, which has been slow to recover, is just another sign that the Rockets overpaid for the point guard with a three-year, $25.124MM offer sheet the Knicks declined to match.
  • When Avery Johnson interviewed for the Hawks head coaching job in 2010, he said he'd only take the gig if the team intended to re-sign Joe Johnson. The pair, who aren't related, are now together with the Nets.
  • Nearly a year after a sign-and-trade that sent him to the Knicks, Tyson Chandler still has hard feelings for Mavs owner Mark Cuban, as Lawrence notes. "He never called to thank me for helping his team win the title, or wish me luck, after I decided to sign here," Chandler said. "I thought he would call me, but he never did."
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Odds & Ends: Hinrich, Williams, Heat, Hansbrough

October 13th, 2012 at 12:02pm CST by Zachary Links

While some have said that Kirk Hinrich has lost a step, the guard says that he is as healthy as he has been in years.  That could make all the difference this season for the Bulls, who need as much as they can get out of the backcourt while Derrick Rose rehabs his knee injury, writes Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld.  The point guard has spent the last few years with the Hawks and Wizards while battling injuries and was brought back to be a stabilizing force in Chicago.  Hinrich, who is set to earn $8MM over the next two seasons, may not be the player he was five years ago, but could still prove to a strong pickup for the Bulls.  Here's more from around the league..

  • Atlanta native Lou Williams says that he always envisioned himself playing for his hometown team, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  Williams said that there were "three or four teams" in heavy pursuit of him this summer, but he quickly gave the edge to the Hawks once it became clear that they would offer him a fair deal.
  • In today's Q-and-A column, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat would be better off with a traditional point guard such as Jose Calderon over Mario Chalmers.  Winderman doesn't agree, arguing that a typical one-guard isn't needed when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade like to handle the ball as much as they do.
  • Undrafted rookie Ben Hansbrough has an uphill battle as he looks to make the Pacers roster, but he is certainly giving the front office something to think about, writes Mark Montieth of Pacers.com.  Hansbrough is trying to hook on as a one-guard behind two true point guards in George Hill and D.J. Augustin and combo guard Lance Stephenson.
  • Justin Holiday will also have a tough time making the final 15 with the Trail Blazers, but the forward has never been afraid of working hard to reach his goal, writes Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside.
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Southeast Links: Sessions, Hawks, Vaughn, Magic

October 12th, 2012 at 9:55pm CST by Alex Lee

There are seven preseason games around the NBA tonight, and not one of them involves a team from the Southeast Division.  But that doesn't mean their aren't links coming surrounding the division that houses the current NBA champs.  Let's keep track of them here:

  • Ramon Sessions talked with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo!, explaining why he decided to opt out of his contract with the Lakers to sign a 2-year deal with the Bobcats.  Sessions, who has bounced between teams throughout his career, was concerned that the Lakers may move him and was looking for some destination certainty, which he found in Charlotte. 
  • Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that should the Hawks stick to the 15 player roster limit, the last two spots will come down to James Anderson, Damion James and Anthony Tolliver.  Point guard Carldell Johnson is still with the club, but will almost definitely miss the cut.  Vivlamore adds that it is no guarantee the Hawks keep a roster of 15, but they need to get down to at least that by October 29.
  • New Magic coach Jacque Vaughn says that, despite the loss of Dwight Howard, he intends to instill his own defensive philosophy this year which revolves around protecting the paint, says Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.  Robbins is skeptical is they have the personnel to do it, but Vaughn says, “The way we’re playing defensively is definitely geared toward the personnel that we have right now, for sure.  It is a team defense based around five guys being in the right position at the right time."
  • Brian Schmitz of the Sentinel writes that the Magic have essentially had a superstar in 19 of 20 years of the franchise's existence if you don't count the first three.  Without Howard, Schmitz opines that the team's history tells us that it is only a matter of time before they find the next one.  The question is, how long can they keep him once he arrives, whoever he is.
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