Free Agent Notes: Mayo, Kaman, Bynum, Howard
We're still a long way from the NBA offseason, but as teams are eliminated from playoff contention (and eventually the playoffs), we should start to hear more and more about their free agents. Here are a few links on some of the players that will be part of this summer's free agent crop:
- In his Tuesday chat session, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News says that O.J. Mayo can be the third best player on a legitimate title contender and that the Mavericks need to bring him back if they can get him at the right price. For Sefko, that price is somewhere under $10MM per year. He recommends something in the ballpark of a four-year, $30-35MM pact, though he admits that may not get it done for Mayo.
- Sefko also opines that Chris Kaman, a free agent at season's end, will likely sign elsewhere this offseason. One option to replace Kaman at center would be Andrew Bynum, who Sefko calls "double-damaged-goods" because of his balky knees. However, Sefko says the Mavs should still consider offering Bynum their mid-level exception because should he return to health, at his age, he could be then be the NBA's biggest bargain.
- With news of his knee surgeries, Moke Hamilton of Sheridan Hoops has dropped Bynum to 13th on Free Agency Rankings. According to Hamilton, Bynum's talent makes him worthy of a multi-year deal, but anything more than three years is unlikely.
- Dwight Howard has fired his business manager and cousin, Kevin Samples, after nine years of service, Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports. Ding suggests that this move is another step in Howard's transformation into his "own man". Without Samples, who moved to Los Angeles when Howard joined the Lakers, Howard will presumably head into free agency looking elsewhere for advice.
Poll: Does John Wall Deserve A Max Deal?
We already know John Wall thinks he is worthy of a maximum-salary contract. As of today, it sounds like we know that the Wizards think he is worthy of a maximum-salary contract. But do you think he is?
While he has certainly shown plenty of potential in his first three years in the league, the Wizards surely expected Wall to blossom into a star more quickly, similar to how Kyrie Irving has this year in Cleveland. As Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld points out, Washington has gone 18-15 since Wall returned and the lightning quick point guard has looked incredible in March, averaging 20.1 points, 7.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals while shooting 52.4 percent from the field.
But Kennedy also notes that some people in NBA circles still have reservations about his jump shot and feel for the game – both of which were questions on Wall when he was at Kentucky. While his recent performance suggests he may be improving on those opportunity areas, he will need to do it consistently to convince everyone that is headed for stardom.
It sounds like Wall will get a max deal. But what do you think – is he worth it? Feel free to elaborate on your answer in the comments section.
Odds & Ends: Wall, Mitchell, Brooks
There are only four games on the NBA schedule tonight. With anticipation for the NCAA Tournament ramping up, we should expect the NBA draft updates to pour in. Here are a few links from around the league and the college ranks:
- Whether John Wall is worthy of a max deal is still up for debate, writes HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy. It was reported earlier today that all signs point to the Wizards offering Wall a max contract. Kennedy indicates that while Wall and the Wizards have been stellar since his return, plenty of evaluators still have their doubts that Wall can take the jump to legitimate stardom. Wall will become a restricted free agent after next season, but says he would prefer to sign an extension before that happens.
- We heard earlier today that North Texas forward Tony Mitchell intends to enter this June's NBA draft. Our Luke Adams noted that Mitchell seemed to take a step back this year in his sophomore season. CBS College Basketball Insider Gary Parrish agrees, writing that Mitchell projected as a mid-to-late first rounder last year and that his sophomore season undoubtedly hurt his draft stock and could cost him millions.
- While his playing time has been drastically reduced in his second season, Nets guard MarShon Brooks has made the most of a recent uptick in minutes, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Assuming the Nets will continue to be aggressive in their pursuit of a title, Brooks, currently fifth in the team's guard rotation, could be a value trading chip down the line given the ability he showed as a rookie.
- If you ever have the urge to check in on your favorite retired player, Sham Sports has a recently updated (and very entertaining) compilation of the whereabouts of former NBAers.
Odds & Ends: Blazers, Williams, Sampson
Miami's win streak has reached 20 after they survived a spirited effort from the 76ers in Philly. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant is out "indefinitely" after he suffered a severe left ankle sprain late in the Lakers loss in Atlanta. With Carmelo Anthony's return to Denver nearing halftime, let's round up the final links from around the league on Wednesday night here:
- The Blazers, who have a top-12 protected first round pick, are in a conflicting position at 3.5 games out of a playoff spot, writes Jason Quick of the Oregonian. If the season ended today they would retain their selection, and Blazers scouts are spread across the country accordingly, taking in the NCAA conference tournaments. Portland GM Neil Olshey implemented a new draft strategy in Portland, which consists of each scout watching a targeted group of 15 to 18 college players at least three times. The Blazers would currently pick 12th.
- Blazers guard Elliot Williams plans on using the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas as an audition this summer to prove his health, writes Chris Haynes of CSN Northwest. Williams tore his left Achilles in September in a voluntary team workout, but claims to be nearing a full recovery. Portland declined the fourth-year option on Williams in October, making him an unrestricted free agent come summer.
- St. John's freshman Jakarr Sampson, who is considering entering June's NBA draft, had a tough night against Villanova in the Big East Tournament on Wednesday, going 5-of-18 from the field. The performance prompted Jonathan Givony of Draft Express to hope, via Twitter, that Sampson stays in school, opining that there is no guarantee that the 6-foot-8 swingman would even be drafted. Maurice Harkless left St. John's after his freshman season just under a year ago, before being drafted 15th by the Sixers and moved to the Magic in the Andrew Bynum deal.
Knicks Eyeing Another Point Guard
Citing a source close to the team, ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling reports that the Knicks are considering adding a veteran point guard to supplement Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni. While injuries have decimated their frontcourt, Zwerling says a lack of free agent options has led the Knicks to consider opting for guard help.
Zwerling indicates that the Knicks are ideally looking for a point guard that has some speed and quickness, in contrast to the wisdom and decision making of the older Kidd and Prigioni. The source points to Delonte West, Sundiata Gaines and Jannero Pargo as options, with West being the most likely. While West has some issues – as evidenced by his absence from the NBA this year – the Saint Joseph's product would join a veteran roster in New York. Meanwhile, all signs point towards Pargo signing a 10-day contract with Charlotte tomorrow. So unless that deal falls through, the Knicks would have to hope the Bobcats let him walk once his contract expires if they want to pursue him.
Two of those veterans are injured big men Amare Stoudemire and Rasheed Wallace, both out for the remainder of the regular season. Zwerling says Mike Woodson remains committed to Wallace, probably making James White the odd man out should the team decide it needs a roster spot.
Should the Knicks decide their need for frontcourt help is too pressing to consider anything else, Zwerling lists Henry Sims, Tony Battie, Josh Boone, Brian Cook, Dan Gadzuric, Troy Murphy, Ben Wallace, Hassan Whiteside and Sean Williams as potential targets. While Sims provides the most intrigue of the bunch, Zwerling says the Knicks would prefer a veteran.
Rod Thorn Talks Andrew Bynum
As we heard earlier, Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com was able to track down Sixers President Rod Thorn for some answers on the Andrew Bynum situation in Philadelphia. It appears Thorn answered more than just a few questions, as Jason Wolf from the Wilmington News Journal reports that the Sixers front man also addressed the insurance issue with regard to the $16.9MM salary that Bynum is in the process of collecting in 2012-13.
Prior to Wednesday's 76ers matchup with the Heat, Thorn said, “There is a league-wide insurance that he’s under that gives you some relief along those lines. It’s the same league-wide program that every player’s under. Unless you have a pre-existing condition – and he didn’t – so he’s on the same one as everybody else."
Wolf says that this news supports the 76ers' claim that four doctors inspected Bynum's health, and in effect approved the trade. Thorn wouldn't, however, go as far as to divulge the percentage of Bynum's salary that insurance would cover. According to Thorn, it sounds like Bynum will be the one deciding whether or not he will address his knee problems with surgery in the near future.
“He’s had problems," Thorn said. "He’s worked very hard. As you can see when you see him, he’s huge. His upper body, he works in the weight room, he works hard, he just hasn’t been able to play. It’s been very tough for him and obviously it’s been very tough for us.”
As we outlined in Bynum's Free Agent Stock Watch post, the seven-footer's future is one of the more unpredictable in recent NBA memory. Thorn, as well as new general manager Tony DiLeo, have a near-impossible decision on their hands. The Sixers gave up a ton for Bynum and expected him to elevate them into legitimate contention. Nearly everything has gone wrong since, leading to widespread speculation about what will happen next.
“Obviously, to have a player of that ilk, a player who can make such a difference, any time you don’t have that kind of player it’s tough,” Thorn said. “Who knows what’s going to happen when the season’s over?”
Odds & Ends: Arenas, McGrady, Sixers, Kings
It's a Wednesday night full of storylines in the NBA, as LeBron James and the Heat go for their 20th consecutive win in Philly and Carmelo Anthony returns to Denver for the first time since he was traded to the Knicks. Let's round up all the other Wednesday links from around the league here:
- An NBA executive told Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen, via text, that he would be "shocked" if any team picked up Gilbert Arenas or Tracy McGrady in the final month of the season. Both former NBA stars have spent this season playing in China.
- Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com caught up with 76ers president Rod Thorn on what has become an intriguing organizational situation in Philadelphia due to Andrew Bynum. While Thorn initially refused to comment on Bynum, he eventually said, "It's a little bizarre, no doubt about it." (Twitter links)
- With regard to Nikola Vucevic, who the Sixers gave up for Bynum and is now averaging a double-double at 22-years-old, Thorn said, "Nik is a very skilled player with great hands. You could tell he had a very good future ahead of him." (via Twitter)
- Sacramento city officials have given themselves an eight day window to construct a financing plan for a new downtown arena, writes Ryan Lillis, Tony Bizjak and Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee. With that timeline, the plan would be complete five days before the city council voted on the plan on March 26. Cementing the terms of an arena deal is vital in the city's claim to keep the Kings.
- The Bee's Marcos Breton writes that many knowledgable businessmen in the Sacramento area and beyond consider the city's last-ditch effort to keep the Kings a fool's errand. Breton spoke with a leading authority on arena financing who describes the offer from the Seattle group "considerably stronger."
Free Agent Stock Watch: Andrew Bynum
Who better to kick off our 2013 Free Agent Stock Watch series with than the enigmatic Andrew Bynum? By all accounts, Bynum is one of the most intriguing free agent cases in recent memory. Because of his chronic knees, Bynum hasn't played since last May and we recently learned may not play at all this season. But he is only 25 and as a natural center, a rare commodity in today's NBA. Combine that with the fact that he already played a large role in two Lakers championship runs and it isn't totally far fetched to think that some team, desperate for a star, may give him a max deal.
But will that team be the 76ers? Nearly 70% of our readers say the Sixers should not re-sign Bynum at all, much less to a max deal. The Sixers have maintained that Bynum is still their "Plan A" and David Aldridge reported that they are "intoxicated" by his potential. But Bynum hasn't touched the court as a Sixer and to make matters worse, Nikola Vucevic and Maurice Harkless are blossoming in Orlando. This is a tricky situation for the Sixers – one that involves health, PR and cost commitment variables atypical of regular star free-agent-to-be scenarios.
The Bynum case is nearly impossible to predict. As our Luke Adams outlined yesterday, should the Sixers give Bynum a max deal, it will be for five years and just south of $102MM. That is a lot of money for a guy who, come opening night in 2013, will likely not have played in 18 months. They could, of course, come to terms on a more reasonable contract should the rest of the NBA be scared off by the risk of a near-max deal. But should they even bother?
Some in Philly see Bynum as a sunk cost. Beyond his absence on the court, Bynum's casual attitude has turned the fanbase against him. A healthy return next season, by itself, would not be enough to bring the fans around — something that may matter to a franchise struggling to sell tickets. On the other hand, the Sixers took this risk in the first place because they had to. Without any stars, they were stuck in NBA purgatory – too good to land a top five draft pick, not good enough to be legitimate contenders and not an attractive enough NBA location to lure the elite players it takes to win championships via free agency. They will, at the very least, consider re-signing Bynum for the same reason. For first-year general manager Tony DiLeo, it's an impossible decision and one that, depending on the results, will undoubtedly dictate the success or failure of the franchise in the short and long term.
Should the Sixers decide to pass on Bynum, they could try to work out a sign-and-trade or just part ways with the seven-footer. As Luke notes, a max deal for Bynum, should he hit the open market, would be for four years and just less than $76MM. At a glance, any team willing to spend on Bynum at any amount would have to display a handful of qualifications: a desperation for superstar talent, a comfort level with (significant) risk, an ability to contend and, of course, a boatload of cap space. In the West, as Luke also touched on today, Dallas and Houston both fit the bill. In the East, Atlanta makes a lot of sense as does Cleveland to a lesser degree, should the Cavs want to pair Kyrie Irving with another dominant player.
It's no surprise that many of these teams are also said to be popular destinations for Dwight Howard, should he leave Los Angeles. Injury-prone centers with questions about their attitudes, Howard and Bynum are somewhat similar, as Eddie Sefko pointed out today. There figures to be no shortage of suitors for Howard. Bynum could certainly benefit from that, as teams that strike out on Howard, their pockets still filled with cash, could become desperately risk-inclined and eager for a consolation prize.
When healthy, Bynum is the second best center in the NBA. His skills and upside are not the problem. He scores, he rebounds, he guards the rim and at times, appears dominant enough to be the best center in the NBA. But outside of two seasons — 2006-07 and 2011-12 — Bynum has never really shown he can be consistently healthy for an entire season. Couple that with a perceived attitude problem, and you get the most unpredictable free agent stock in recent memory.
Mavericks Notes: Free Agents, Bynum, Burke
The Mavericks, losers of four of their last five, will try to avenge Sunday's loss in Houston tomorrow night when they take on the Rockets in Dallas in the second half of a home-and-home. Let's round up all thing Mavs here on Tuesday:
- The Mavericks could head into this offseason with an incredible 10 players in the final year of their contracts, reports Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. While the team is a little short on talent — at least compared to their recent history — the Mavs have flirted with playoff contention throughout the year largely due to the increased effort and efficiency of players auditioning for jobs.
- Per Price's story, Darren Collison and Rodrigue Beaubois can be retained via qualifying offer. O.J. Mayo has a player option for 2013-14 which he will almost certainly not pick up given his performance this season. Finally, Chris Kaman, Elton Brand, Bernard James, Mike James, Dominique Jones, Anthony Morrow and Brandan Wright will all be unrestricted free agents unless they are re-signed. Despite Price's assessment, it appears that Bernard James has a non-guaranteed deal with Dallas next season, which still leaves the Mavs with nine players in the last year of their contracts. Should the team let James go, however, he would also become a free agent.
- Kaman, who confessed to frustration with his situation within Price's story, also expressed an admiration for the organization's professionalism. Presumably following up on his story, Price tweets that Kaman said Tuesday that he hopes to have the option to return to Dallas in 2013-14. "Hopefully I'll have the option to come back here next year," Kaman said.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News took Mavericks questions from readers, hitting on several roster-related topics. Sefko compares Andrew Bynum to Dwight Howard in terms of risk, implying that if the Mavs are willing to give big money to one enigmatic and injury-prone center (Howard), they may be willing to do the same for another (Bynum).
- Sefko sees Michigan's Trey Burke as a possible fit in Dallas, mainly because the NCAA Player of the Year candidate figures to be able to contribute right away. The Mavs currently hold the 12th pick in June's draft, which as of now, is likely high enough to have a good shot at Burke.
- Sefko says that if the Mavs make a "big splash" this summer, it will likely be via sign-and-trade as opposed to a traditional free agent signing. In today's NBA, Sefko writes, superstars either stay put or are moved in a sign-and-trade to maximize contract dollars.
Odds & Ends: Kings, Dentmon, Howard
With only three games on the schedule, Tuesday is a slow NBA night in terms of quantity. However, with the Lakers in Oklahoma City looking to eclipse the .500 mark for the first time since November, there is plenty of quality. Let's round up any odds and ends from around the league here:
- Sacramento officials, led by Kevin Johnson, released a report today that provided statistical support for why Sacramento is a better market for the NBA than Seattle, reports Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee. According to the report, the Kings benefit from a pro sports monopoly in Sacramento, as evidenced by the fact that, when compared to Seattle, the Kings had higher attendance in 20 of the 23 seasons in which both cities had an NBA team. With the Sacramento bid in, the NBA Board of Governors will decide whether or not to approve the Seattle deal in mid-April.
- In his Hang Time Blog, Sekou Smith takes a look at the tough decisions and disapointment that can come with being a D-Leaguer through Justin Dentmon of the Texas Legends. Despite currently leading the D-League in scoring and being last year's league MVP, Dentmon is in danger of going the entire 2012-13 season without an NBA look. Last year Dentmon received 10-day contracts with the Spurs and Raptors.
- Moke Hamilton of Sheridan Hoops ranks the top 15 free agents come the offseason – both restricted and unrestricted – a list that is headed by Dwight Howard.
- Speaking of Howard, the former Magic star ripped into his old squad in a recent interview with an Los Angeles television station, saying the team was "full of people nobody wanted," reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Howard makes his return to Orlando on March 12, as if that fire needed any more fuel.