Odds & Ends: Lakers, Young, Heat, Beyer
It has been a busy day and night for the Lakers on this early-September Friday, which is certainly nothing new considering the influx of material since they landed Dwight Howard. Today they signed their second round pick, finalized their offseason coaching staff overhaul and their GM, Mitch Kupchak, spoke with SI.com's Sam Amick about all things Lakers. In addition to the earlier stories, Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles gives his take on three of the small, but meaningful issues facing the team.
But there are 29 other teams in the NBA, so let us round up some of the odds and ends from around the Association here tonight:
- Chauncey Billups is way ahead of schedule in his recovery from a left Achilles injury, writes Helene Elliot of the L.A. Times. Billups hasn't set a target return date yet, but said, "When my body feels right, that's when I'll be back. That being said, I'm far ahead of schedule. It's not even like I had a summer. I've been on the whole time, doing rehabbing and other work every day. I'm looking forward to getting back to playing and being with the guys and resuming my normal life as a player."
- Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld, via USA Today, writes that with the moves that the Knicks made – getting older and wiser – the team should be better equipped to compete and that the window to win is now. One interested tidbit from Beer – there are only five active NBA players over the age of 38 and the Knicks acquired three of them this offseason in Marcus Camby, Jason Kidd and Kurt Thomas.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News evaluates the chances of the Mavericks ending up with Kevin Martin and/or Josh Smith next summer, both of whom are free agents. After striking out this summer in free agency, the Mavericks should be in position to try again in a year with a similar level of financial flexibility.
- Dei Lynam of CSN Philly is doing a player by player breakdown of the revamped 76ers roster, and today she tackles swingman Thaddeus Young. The small forward position is much less crowded in Philadelphia after the departure of Andre Iguodala, and Young has made it an offseason goal to slide into that position as a starter.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside says that while the D-League has been increasingly effective as an NBA farm system, there is additional room for growth. He uses Andre Drummond as an example of a guy who would never be a D-League candidate, but for his development's sake, should be.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel addresses a few questions about the world champion Heat, including his thoughts on what roles of Rashard Lewis and Udonis Haslem may play on the Miami bench.
- The NBA coaching carousel continues as the Warriors have reportedly hired Bob Beyer as an assistant coach, who spent the last five years in Orlando on Stan Van Gundy's staff, says Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area. Beyer will replace Wes Unseld Jr., who joined Jacque Vaughn's staff in Orlando.
Poll: Who Will Dallas Land Next Summer?
The Heat are the champs and the Lakers are sure to be a popular pick to challenge them next June. What do those two teams have in common? They are absolutely loaded with superstar, franchise-changing talent. In today's NBA, where star players seem to be able to dictate their destination at will, collecting that level of talent is what it takes to build a legitimate contender and teams are desperate to do it.
The Mavericks are perhaps the best example. A year after winning it all, some say the Dallas front office sacrificed their title defense for an opportunity to hit it big in free agency this past summer. But they swung and missed. Deron Williams re-upped in Brooklyn and they couldn't figure out a way to land Dwight Howard. And now, they're already looking to next offseason, when they should again have ample cap room to sign at least one big-time free agent.
Eddie Sefko at the Dallas Morning News has put together a five-part preview of next summer's free agent crop, including analysis of what it will take for Dallas to sign each player(s). His targets include Dwight Howard (link), Chris Paul (link), Andrew Bynum (link), Al Jefferson (link) and a package of Kevin Martin and Josh Smith (link). It is highly unlikely that all of these guys hit free agency, but several of them should. That said, which free agent(s) will Dallas end up with next summer?
Lakers Sign Robert Sacre
The Lakers have announced that they have signed second-round pick Robert Sacre, reports Mike Trudell of Lakers.com via Twitter. As we detailed earlier this week, Sacre was one of six players taken in the second round that remained unsigned. Sacre averaged 9.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG on the Lakers summer league squad, raising some front office eyebrows in the process.
Dave McMenamin from ESPN Los Angeles tweets that because the Lakers view Earl Clark as more of a small or power forward, that Sacre stands a decent chance at making the opening roster as big man insurance. The 7-foot Canadian center was the 60th and final pick in June's draft, after averaging 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in his senior year at Gonzaga. He was the WCC Defensive Player of the Year. The terms of the contract are not yet known.
Lakers Finalize Coaching Staff Overhaul
We heard several weeks ago that Mike Brown and the Lakers planned to bring Eddie Jordan, Bernie Bickerstaff and Steve Clifford on board as assistant coaches this season. Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets that the team made it official today. Here is the press release from the Lakers, who also announced that former assistant John Kuester has been reassigned as an Advanced NBA Scout based on the East Coast.
According to Trudell, Kuester worked extensively with the offense last year, which was his first with the Lakers after coaching the Pistons for two seasons. Trudell fully expects those responsibilities to now fall to Jordan, who is known for his expertise with the Princeton offense. He also says Chuck Person and Darvin Ham are expected to remain on staff as assistants. In addition to the reassignment of Kuester, the new trio will also be replacing Quin Snyder and Ettore Messina who left the team this summer to coach for CSKA Moscow.
Scalabrine Turns Down Bulls Coaching Job
SEPTEMBER 6TH: Scalabrine has turned down an offer to coach on the Bulls' staff, instead opting to call Celtics games for Comcast Sports New England this season, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Scalabrine tells Wojnarowski that he hasn't officially retired as a player, but admits he received "zero" interest from NBA teams this summer. The 34-year-old also hasn't ruled out the possibility of playing overseas later in the season (Twitter links).
AUGUST 28TH: We heard earlier this month that 34-year-old free agent Brian Scalabrine, who spent the last two seasons with the Bulls, was desperate to continue his NBA playing career. It would appear that he has not received the type of interest he was hoping for, as CSN Chicago's Aggrey Sam is reporting (via Twitter) that Scalabrine is close to returning to the Bulls as a coach.
Scalabrine had opportunities to play in Europe and an offer to do some TV work for the Celtics, but the 11-year veteran appears to prefer a chance to get into coaching, something he has expressed interest in before. Scalabrine saw his playing time drop drastically as a member of the Bulls, where he averaged less than five minutes per game. It would appear, however, that Scalabrine's veteran prensence was enough to convince head coach Tom Thibodeau to bring him aboard.
Scalabrine would take the place of Rick Brunson on Thibodeau's staff. Brunson joined the Bobcats bench earlier this offseason.
Poll: How Many Games Will The Sixers Win?
In what was the summer of reconstruction around the NBA, perhaps no team will enter the 2012-13 season with a fresher look than the Sixers. Of the 13 players under contract, eight are new to Philadelphia, the biggest of which, of course, is Andrew Bynum. Joining Bynum are newcomers Jason Richardson and Dorell Wright, both acquired by trade, along with free agents Nick Young, Kwame Brown, Royal Ivey and Maalik Wayns. Philadelphia also drafted Maurice Harkless and Arnett Moultrie, before moving Harkless in the Bynum deal.
What is most important for Philadelphia, outside of the acquisition of Bynum, is that these newcomers will be joining a solid young core of Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner. Should any of those youngsters make the leap into stardom, it's conceivable that Philly, an NBA afterthought for nearly a decade, could rise into a legitimate title contender once again.
The Sixers came within a win of the Eastern Conference finals last season, but the offseason flurry of moves suggests that the front office didn't buy into what many considered a fluky run. With eight new faces on board, what will Philly's win total be this season?
Odds & Ends: Nuggets, Harrellson, Playoffs
Here is the latest news and notes from around the NBA on Monday night:
- With Andre Iguodala on board, the new-look Nuggets are drawing plenty of attentions from the fans in Denver. Aaron Lopez of Nuggets.com addresses expectations, the projected starting lineup and more in a summer mailbag.
- According to his agent, free agent big man Josh Harrellson will visit three more teams in the next week or two, tweets Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports. His agent wouldn't disclose the teams. Harrellson worked out for the Heat last week, but hadn't received an offer from the team as of Friday.
- Chris Bernucca from Sheridan Hoops gives his take on how the Eastern Conference will shake out this season, and puts the Hawks, Bulls, Bucks and Raptors on the playoff bubble. Bernucca provided his Western Conference analysis over the weekend.
Lakers Notes: Howard, Gasol, Bryant, Preseason
It has only been about 24 hours, but as of now over 57 percent of Hoops Rumors readers think that the Lakers will have more wins next season than the reigning Western Conference champion Thunder. We know what Kevin Durant had to say, and as we have learned with the Heat, it takes some time for new pieces to translate into a championship caliber club. Titles are not won on paper. Nevertheless, the Lakers are the talk of the NBA for a reason. Let's round up all the Lakers links on this Monday night:
- Dwight Howard coming to Los Angeles is just one of a number of moves that has transformed the L.A. sports scene into something special, says Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times. The cache of Los Angeles has always drawn elite NBA talent, and it appears that effect has begun to overflow outside of just the Lakers.
- Pau Gasol checked in with Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles on a wide variety of topics, including his performance in the Olympics as well as the Dwight Howard trade. Asked what to expect from the Lakers offense this year, he said, "We have to understand that there’s only one basketball to play with and we have a lot of players that can put the ball in the hole, and I’ll try to do my best to be assertive, to be active and be aggressive."
- According to HoopsWorld, Durant claims that Kobe Bryant was extremely confident that the Lakers would end up with Howard a month before the trade went down.
- Mike Trudell, who covers the Lakers for NBA.com, checked in at the new-look Lakers practice facility to see what players have already shown up to work out. According to the team's strength and conditioning coach, Devin Ebanks, Andrew Goudelock, Jordan Hill, Darius Morris and Metta World Peace have all frequented the facility.
Odds & Ends: Iguodala, Smith, Gunning, Moser
To get an idea of the size and signficance of last week's blockbuster, consider the notion that Andre Iguodala heading to the Nuggets was probably the least publicized leg of the deal. Iguodala was not only an All-Star last season, but he was one of 12 members of a Team USA that has been fawned over by sports fans around the globe for the past month. According to Aaron Lopez of Nuggets.com, some of Iguodala's post-trade quotes were misconstrued and the veteran wing is, in fact, very excited to join what should be an ultra-athletic team in Denver. Let's round up some of the other links and happenings from around the Association on this Tuesday night:
- New Celtics sixth man Jason Terry spoke with Molly McGrath from Celtics.com and stated Boston's case for legitimate title contention in the 2012-13 season. Greg Payne from ESPN Boston transcribed the interview.
- Mark Medina from the L.A. Times spoke with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who sees a lot of similarities between his situation with the Lakers in 1975 and the one Dwight Howard is about to enter.
- Power forward Craig Smith, who saw less than 10 minutes per game with the Blazers last year, explained to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com why he passed up NBA offers to play in Israel in the upcoming season. Smith was tired of being an NBA "roster filler" and was willing to take less money for an opportunity to show what he can do with consistent playing time.
- The Magic have hired Brett Gunning as an assistant coach, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Gunning, who spent the last four seasons in various roles in the Rockets organization, will join first-time head coach Jacque Vaughn on the Orlando bench.
- According to UNLV head coach Dave Rice, Rebels swingman Mike Moser is preparing for what will likely be his last season in Las Vegas, reports Mike Youmans at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Moser is a rising junior, but Rice says he essentially considers him a senior. Moser averaged 14 points and more than 10 rebounds as a sophomore last season for the Rebels and briefly flirted with the 2012 draft. He projects as a late first-round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
- Tom Moore of Phillyburbs.com writes that the Sixers, a franchise that has historically gotten burned in trades involving superstars, finally got the best player in a mega-deal in Andrew Bynum. Moore is only referring to what the team directly gave up and received, which eliminates Dwight Howard from consideration.
Steve Clifford To Follow Howard To Lakers
Former Magic assistant coach and defensive guru Steve Clifford will accept an invitation from Lakers head coach Mike Brown to join his coaching staff in Los Angeles, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Previously this offseason, Clifford was under consideration for the Magic and the Blazers head coach openings before both organizations went in different directions. Clifford was still in the mix for an assistant position in Portland before deciding to join the Lakers.
His decision comes in the wake of last week's blockbuster that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers, effectively "reuniting" Clifford with the anchor of his defenses in Orlando. With Howard at center and Clifford on the bench, the Magic never finished worse than 11th in the NBA in team defense spanning five seasons. According to Haynes, Clifford considers the Van Gundy brothers his mentors and models himself after Tom Thibodeau. It should be interesting to see how Clifford's expertise supplements the already defensive-minded Mike Brown in the Lakers quest for their 17th title.