Pacers Unlikely To Add Veteran?
With Danny Granger on the shelf for up to three months, the Pacers have been linked to Mickael Pietrus. With championship expectations, most expected Indiana to make a move to bolster their lineup in hopes of staying afloat without their star forward. Not so fast, says Andrew Perna of RealGM, who has heard that the team is not expected to add anyone in the immediate future.
The Pacers are 2-3 headed into Friday night's matchup in Minnesota. While Granger was the subject of some trade speculation earlier in the year, it was quickly quashed by the team. If the Pacers would be better off without Granger, as some executives had hinted, the next three months will go a long way to helping them determine that. Sam Young and Gerald Green may receive the biggest uptick in playing time, but expect the emerging Paul George to have the biggest opportunity to shine in Granger's absence.
Poll: Did Mark Cuban Cost Himself A Ring?
It has been nearly 18 months since the Mavericks beat the Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals, but if you take a look at their current roster, it sure seems longer than that. Forced to change their offseason approach after missing out on Dwight Howard and Deron Williams, the Mavs overhauled their roster by adding much cheaper veteran alternatives like Elton Brand, Darren Collison, O.J. Mayo and Chris Kaman. At 4-1 through their first 5 games, their strategy looks like a stroke of genius so far.
However, accoring to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Tyson Chandler said today that he thinks that by blowing up the 2011 title team, Mark Cuban cost himself a second championship. With Jason Kidd now also in New York, Chandler addressed Cuban's post-title decision-making:
"I'm glad because I'm here. It's a great situation. I'm very happy with the situation. I definitely think we had an opportunity to win back-to-back. Unfortunately things were blown up. That's the business side of it."
So what do you think? Had Cuban opted to retain Chandler and Jose Barea, among others, would the Mavericks have won a second title?
Grizzlies Hire Jason Levien As CEO
MONDAY, 12:44pm: In addition to officially introducing Levien as the team's CEO, the Grizzlies have unveiled their list of limited partners involved in Pera's ownership group. The complete list, which can be found here, includes Penny Hardaway, Justin Timberlake, and Peyton Manning's wife Ashley.
SUNDAY, 7:09pm: According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Grizzlies will announce tomorrow that Jason Levien, until recently a minor 76ers shareholder, will join the Memphis franchise as CEO and managing partner. Levien, a player agent turned front-office executive, will head up the team's basketball operations, working with general manager Chris Wallace, but having final say on personnel.
Levien was reportedly crucial in assembling the high-powered ownership group led by billionaire Robert Pera and also including Justin Timberlake, Peyton Manning and Penny Hardaway. Levien, who also helped set up the Sixers deal before last season, worked previously in the Kings front office and is a general partner of the MLS team DC United.
Via the team's press release:
“Jason and I share a vision for building a world-class team on and off-the-court,” Pera said. “He has my complete trust, confidence and support in how best to lead our organization's efforts."
“I’m honored to be part of such a dynamic and potential-filled opportunity here in Memphis,” Levien said. “I appreciate what a special role the Grizzlies and FedExForum play in the Memphis community and I know that we will build successfully on the foundation already in place.”
Odds & Ends: Warriors, Spurs, Allen, Flynn
At 2-1, the Warriors have started off what many believe to be a promising season on the right foot, despite losing Brandon Rush to a torn ACL on Friday night. Because it is so early in the season, the Warriors have the good fortune of having some options if they want to replace him, writes Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area.
One reason they may not need personnel reinforcements has the been the surprising play of Carl Landry, who has provided scoring (20 points per game) and toughness off the bench in the team’s first three games, writes Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group.
Let’s take a look at what else is going on in the NBA on the first Sunday night of November:
- As the veteran core of the Spurs ages, the roles of Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard will continue to grow. Mike Monroe of Spurs Nation writes that right now, Gregg Popovich has told the two youngsters to “bring the energy.”
- Couper Moorhead of Heat.com provides a detailed analysis of the developing offensive dynamic between Ray Allen and LeBron James. Between James’ ability to score efficiently at the hoops and Allen’s lethal stroke from the corner, defenses are forced to make an impossible decision against the Heat, Moorhead says.
- The staff of writers at HoopsWorld goes around the horn to discuss which player was the most underrated offseason acquisition. The results: Jamal Crawford, Jason Terry, Carl Landry, Antawn Jamison, Andrei Kirilenko, O.J. Mayo, Gerald Green and Nikola Vucevic.
- Jonny Flynn, waived by Pistons in October, has agreed to sign with the Melbourne Tigers, an Australian team, says Daniel Eade of the Back Page Lead. The contract with the Tigers is reported to have an out clause should Flynn get an NBA offer.
Kenyon Martin Yet To Get NBA Offer
Kenyon Martin has yet to receive even an non-guaranteed offer from an NBA team after playing last season with the Clippers, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. The 12-year veteran spoke with Yahoo, expressing confusion over the lack interest for his services. Martin says that there is a misconception within NBA circles that he is difficult that is a result of his notoriously emotional and competitive play.
Martin told Spears, “There is a notion about me that is not accurate at all – I don’t know who started it or where it came from – that people can’t control me. I don’t understand. Have I had my issues like a lot of other people? Yeah. But I’m getting back that people think they can’t control me, that if I don’t play I’m going to explode, or I can turn a locker room.”
Martin also said that he was hoping to latch on with a contender, but now a week into the season, he will sign with the next NBA team that gives him an offer. After playing a portion of last season in China, Martin signed with the Clippers in February and averaged 5.2 points and 4.3 boards in 22.4 minutes per game as Blake Griffin‘s backup.
Blazers general manager Neil Olshey, who was with the Clippers last year, had nothing but good things to say about Martin, making it even more puzzling as to why the Cincinnati product has been unable to find a home.
Olshey said: “We don’t win the Memphis series [without Martin] and we certainly wouldn’t have finished as high as fifth in the Western Conference without Martin. His ability to impact the game by guarding multiple positions, switching pick-and-rolls, blocking shots and protecting the rim was an element we really didn’t have and it made us unique. I was thrilled with Kenyon in Los Angeles. He was a good teammate.”
Expect interest in Martin to pick up as teams have a better idea of their needs or have injury issues. Spears says that the Knicks, Lakers, Mavericks, Nets, Hawks and Spurs all checked in on Martin this offseason.
Atlantic Notes: Defense, Melo, Smith, Garnett
Through two games, it sure looks like multitude of veteran additions that the Knicks made this offseason have made them a more complete team. In the Atlantic division's only contest today, the Knicks stayed unbeaten in impressive fashion with a 100-84 win over the rival 76ers. They are now 2-0 for the first time since 1999.
Let's round up some other Sunday night links from around the Atlantic divsion here:
- ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg breaks down first round pick Jared Sullinger's night on Saturday, a game in which he was thrust into the Celtics starting lineup in his third game as a pro. Sullinger responded admirably, grabbing 7 boards in more than 30 minutes of action.
- 76ers head coach Doug Collins is still hopeful that he can help "unlock" third-year swing man Evan Turner, and thinks it could be just one breakout game away, writes John Finger of CSN Philly. Turner, the second pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, has showed stellar rebounding skills but the rest of his game has yet to develop as planned.
- Brook Lopez spent much of the offseason in the weight room in an effort to improve his rebounding abilities, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday, but the Nets big man has yet to see the results of his hard work translate on the court.
Earlier updates:
- The Knicks have held their first two opponents to 84 points or less for the first time in 60 years, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York. Carmelo Anthony seems to be buying into Mike Woodson's defensive philosophy, and his teammates have noticed and followed suit.
- One of those teammates is Knicks guard J.R. Smith, who was told to shoot on Sunday by Woodson and responded with 20 points off the bench, writes Ian Begley of ESPN New York. Smith, who is normally prone to jacking up too many bad shots, joined the Knicks last season after returning from China and reupped with the team on a two-year deal in July.
- The rebuilt Celtics may take longer to mesh than originally expected, opines Sherrod Blakely. Blakely says that Kevin Garnett's defensive abilities make him uniquely critical as all the new pieces try to find their place on the team.
Knicks Notes: Amare, Copeland, Point, Prigioni
Carmelo Anthony makes his return to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse tomorrow night when they take on the Sixers in their fifth preseason game. The Knicks currently stand at 2-2, but announced today that Amare Stoudemire will miss two to three weeks with a ruptured cyst behind his left knee. While the time period isn't devastating, it is another medical issue for the oft-injured Stoudemire. Here are some other notes from the Knicks preseason:
- Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York posts his reaction to the Stoudemire news, reiterating that it is not a serious injury and the time off may help a knee that was still recovering from a bone bruise on October 10. Zwerling also says to expect Kurt Thomas to start and Chris Copeland to make the team.
- Keith Schlosser of KnicksJournal.com mentions Copeland and Steve Novak as two candidates to step up in Stoudemire's absence. On Saturday night, Copeland exploded for 34 points in Boston on 11-for-18 shooting and has impressed throughout the preseason.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld takes a look at the Knicks point guard situation, where the team has replaced Jeremy Lin with a trio of veteran guards that have 42 combined years of pro hoops experience in Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni.
- Speaking of Prigioni, Nate Taylor from the New York Times writes that Suns big man and fellow Argentinian Luis Scola gave him the final push that he needed to come over from the Euroleague and join the Knicks. Prigioni, at 35, is the oldest rookie to enter the NBA in the last 40 years.
Celtics Notes: Offseason, Allen, Barbosa, Bradley
It seems hard to steal the NBA's offseason headlines without landing a star these days. While the Celtics didn't do that, the team had an extremely effective offseason, adding Jeff Green, Jason Terry, Courtney Lee, Leandro Barbosa and drafting Jared Sullinger, Fab Melo and Kris Joseph. Chuck Myron posted some Celtic-specific links this morning, and here are a couple more:
- Doc Rivers said the Celtics will carry 15 players and that the team will announce the final cuts soon, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely. Blakely also says that Kris Joseph will get the 15th spot, meaning Rob Kurz and Micah Downs will be cut. We will keep an eye out for official word from the C's in the coming days.
- Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald tweets that he doesn't think that Kurz and Downs will be on the Celtics roster for much longer. The signing of Leandro Barbosa seems to have closed the door on their roster hopes.
- In this CSN New England video, former NBAer turned
Celtics analyst Donny Marshall addresses Ray Allen's comments over the weekend
that the Celtics put him in a position where he had to leave.
Marshall, who played 119 games for the Cavs and Nets, said it is easy to blame
the player, but many times the teams are just as much at fault in situations like this one. - We heard earlier that Barbosa talked to the
Lakers before joining the Celtics. While the newly-signed Barbosa won't be
playing for the team until his visa issues are resolved, the veteran guard has said all the right things since arriving in
Boston, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston. - Jimmy Toscano of CSN New England caught up with Avery Bradley, who is now shooting every other day to work his way back from two offseason shoulder surgeries. Bradley is on track to come back in mid-December and while the team is deeper than they were last year, Bradley is hoping to come back stronger than ever: "I just have to be ready for my team. If I'm starting, I'm starting. If I'm not, I'm not. I just have to be prepared for what Doc wants me to do, and I'm going to. Like I tell everybody, I'm going to come back stronger than last year."
Northwest Notes: Kirilenko, Carroll, Faried, Kanter
While the Thunder's 108-101 win over the Nuggets in Oklahoma City was the only Northwest game action tonight, that doesn't mean there isn't plenty going on within the division. Here are some other things happening in the Northwest:
- Blazers coach Terry Stotts said that the team's final roster decisions will not be made until next week, tweets Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge. The Blazers haven't made any cuts of late, and their roster still stands at 21. They need to get to 15 by October 31.
- David Harkins of the Winnipeg Sun writes that Andrei Kirilenko has begun to get comfortable in Minnesota, and the 6'9" Russian is extremely excited for the upcoming Timberwolves' season.
- DeMarre Carroll and his improved jump shot are vying for a spot in the Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin's regular rotation, says Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune. "Last year, Utah gave me a chance and I took advantage of my opportunity," Carroll said. "This year, coach has me in the rotation and I want to keep giving him faith that he can put me in the game — at any time of the game."
- The play of Enes Kanter has been a pleasant surprise for the Jazz this preseason, and at least some of it can be attributed to the mentorship of fellow big man Al Jefferson, writes Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune. Oram adds that with Jefferson set to be a free agent after the season, Kanter's development will be a major factor in what the team decides to do.
- After a successful rookie season, it is apparent that Nuggets power forward Kenneth Faried has the tools and attitude to become one of the NBA's best rebounders, writes Benjamin Hockman of the Denver Post. Faried averaged 7.7 rebounds in only 22.5 minutes per game, but figures to get increased playing time this season. In seven playoff games, he averaged 10.0 rebounds in 27.4 minutes.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Ellis, Barnes, Sleepers
The news of the night is that Dwight Howard will make his Lakers debut tonight at the Staples Center against the Kings, tweets Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski. The offseason's biggest storyline was rumored to be on track to play tonight, but it is now official. Tip off is just over a half hour away. Here are some other odds and ends from around the league:
- Monta Ellis, who was traded to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut this past season, has a new outlook in Milwaukee, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. Ellis is through worrying about personal accolades, he says, and is concentrated only on winning with his new team. Charania says that Ellis and Brandon Jennings are building chemistry, while adding that Ellis is expected to opt out of his deal after the year and Jennings could be a restricted free agent.
- Given the Clippers roster, Matt Barnes didn't seem like the best fit when he signed with the team in September. But Barnes has been raising eyebrows in training camp and preseason, Broderick Turner of the LA Times writes.
- The team of writers at HoopsWorld looks at which NBA team will be this years' biggest sleeper. Believe it or not, all five guys chose different teams. Here is the list: Raptors, Bucks, Nuggets, Warriors and Wizards.