Poll: How Will Brandon Roy Fare In Minnesota?
The return of Brandon Roy in Minnesota, after what he termed a "pause" in his career, is something intriguing to keep an eye on in the 2012-13 NBA season. Roy officially signed with the Timberwolves on July 31 and addressed the unique nature of his situation at a press conference that same day. Earlier this month, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com took a detailed and comprehensive look at all the scenarios that could play out with Roy this season, including the impact of those possibilities on the franchises and fans in Portland and Minnesota.
In his prime, Roy was a 20-plus points-per-game scorer and All-Star caliber shooting guard. He averaged over 35 minutes-per-game over his first four seasons before his knee issues limited him to 12.2 points and 27.9 minutes per-game in the 2010-11 season. With over a year of rest, how do you think that Roy will fare this season in Minnesota, where he is the team's only real option at shooting guard?
Southwest Notes: Wright, Grizzlies, Jordan
When the "Dwightmare" was in full swing, perhaps no division in the NBA seemed a more likely landing spot for Dwight Howard than the Southwest. The Rockets made no secret about their relentless pursuit of the former Defensive Player of the Year, a position that general manager Daryl Morey has continued to embrace even with Howard now in purple and gold. The Mavericks were in the same boat, clearing out cap space last offseason in preparation of their pursuit of multiple free agent superstars. Both teams struck out and for now, the only team in the division that appears to have significantly improved is the Hornets. Lets take a look at some other links from the Southwest division:
- Last week we took a look at some of the issues holding up the Grizzlies' ownership transition from current owner Michael Heisley to tech industry billionaire Robert Pera. Matt Moore hits on many of the same points in a post today, pulling out several quotes from a piece in the Sporting News. It looks like there may be more than just stock price obstacles in this deal for Pera.
- Jeff Caplan from ESPN Dallas analyzes how Brandan Wright will fit in with the Mavericks this season in what is a contract year for the center. Caplan said that Wright's athleticism was an asset on offense for Dallas, but that wiry 7-footer was a liability on the defensive end. With a salary less than $1MM, the Mavericks will live with his ups and downs, but Wright is only 24 and it will be interesting to see how he performs approaching free agency and with veteran Chris Kaman eating up most of the minutes in the middle in Dallas.
- After being shipped from New York to Houston in the Marcus Camby deal, Jerome Jordan was promptly cut by the Rockets. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld caught up with Jordan, now an unrestricted free agent, in Los Angeles where the Tulsa product is working out in hopes of landing a back-up role.
Odds & Ends: Kobe, Thibodeau, Suns, Sixers
With every NBA reporter alive seemingly grabbing each player, coach or executive they can get their hands on and asking them about the Dwight Howard trade, Kobe Bryant actually offered some helpful and interesting insight. Bryant, soon to be 34, said that he will probably play "two, three more years" with the Lakers and once he is done "the team is his," undoubtedly referring to Howard (via Sean Deveney on Twitter). While hardly definitive, it's notable that Bryant has a retirement time in mind. As the reactions, analysis and quotes regarding the big trade pour in, lets look at them as well as some of the other stuff going on in the NBA:
- Per ESPN Chicago, Doc Rivers said today that he is pulling for his former assistant and now successful Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau to receive a lucrative contract extension from the team. Although "Thibs" has been relatively quiet regarding the contract situation, Rivers said he knows from experience that coaching on a one-year deal can be tough.
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic takes a look at what options the Suns have for their final roster spot, which will likely go to a center. While Coro puts together a sizeable list, the pickings are pretty slim.
- Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com takes an inside look at how the Andrew Bynum deal came to fruition for the 76ers, who got involved in the talks with a phone call to Orlando about the availability of Howard. Moore also clarifies, via Twitter, that Philadelphia owes the Heat a first round pick from a draft day trade before they can send one to Orlando. Both future picks are lottery protected.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel says that Magic fans shouldn't be piling on new general manager Rob Hennigan for the final outcome of the Howard situation. Schmitz says the ire of the Magic faithful should be rightfully pointed towards Howard for creating the situation in the first place.
- Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets gives his take on where the Rockets went wrong in their D12 pursuit, and where the franchise should go from here.
Sixers Confident They Can Keep Bynum
The relationship between Andre Iguodala, the Sixers and the fans of Philadelphia has been increasingly unique over the past five or so years. While he was clearly the best player on a team that made several playoff appearances, the organization seemed lodged in NBA mediocrity and the fans and new ownership group noticed. The Iguodala rumor mill churned for years, and on Thursday night it seems many in Philadelphia got their wish. Now the question is, can they keep their prized return, Andrew Bynum, for the long term?
We already heard that the Sixers moved onto Bynum only after learning that Howard had no long-term interest in Philly. CSNPhilly's Dei Lynam confirms that report and also offers insight into Bynum's future in Philadelphia from Sixers president and general manager Rod Thorn:
"Our feeling is that we will have a very good chance to sign Bynum for several reasons. Andrew was very happy about being traded to us. He thinks we have a good team. Secondly, he is from New Jersey and he is more of an East Cost guy than a West Coast type of guy and we think he will be very happy here. You never know until it happens, but I feel he'll like it here and want to continue his career here," Thorn said in a conference call with reporters on Friday.
When it comes to the NBA, Philadelphia is a strange case. A sports-crazed major city, it is seen as a top-flight destination when it comes to the three other major sports. But for whatever reason, that seemed to no longer be the case in the NBA. The Sixers are young, talented with ample cap space and trade assets, yet before this blockbuster were never mentioned as a possibility for any of the multitude of superstars who have changed teams of late.
Thorn went on to sing Bynum's praises, making it clear that the organization will have interest in locking up the New Jersey native. With Bynum comes his Bird Rights, so the Sixers will have the ability to offer him one more year than potential suitors can, assuming Philly will wait until next summer to negotiate a deal. With that said, do you think the Sixers can re-sign Bynum? Feel free to offer your opinion in the comments section.
Poll: With Howard Trade, Who Is The NBA Favorite?
Everything always seems to just work out for the Lakers, doesn't it? Landing Dwight Howard gives them a dreamworthy starting five that will undoubtedly cause many pundits to pick them as the favorite to win the upcoming season's NBA title. But the West was loaded before they landed Howard and is now even more so with the Nuggets adding Andre Iguodala in the same deal. No one is going to hand the Lakers the conference title, and the last time I checked the Miami Heat looked pretty incredible in the NBA Finals.
Asked for his thoughts on the Howard deal after the United States defeated Argentina in the Olympic semifinal, LeBron James didn't take the bait, predictably stating, "I don't have a thought. My mindset is now on Spain" (via Sen Deveney on Twitter). Kevin Durant gave a more entertaining quote, simply responding, "I really don't care" (via Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter). While his intentions are unknown, it doesn't make it any less entertaining – especially considering the elongated circumstances of Howard's trade.
So what do you think? With Howard in purple and gold, who is the favorite to win the NBA title? Feel free to make your case in the comments section.
Magic GM Defends Dwight Howard Trade
We've already posted some of the reactions to the Dwight Howard trade from earlier today as well as last night once deal looked like it was official. The overwhelming consensus is that the trade is a coup for the Lakers, very helpful to the Nuggets and 76ers, and an absolute disaster for the Magic. So far, it looks like our readers agree, as only a small percentage of you think that the Magic got the best end of the deal.
Orlando general manager Rob Hennigan, presumably under fire from all angles today, spoke with the press today and offered his defense of the move, as told by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Hennigan worked with two very successful organizations in the Spurs and Thunder, which was part of the reason he was brought in to run the show in Orlando. Most of the quotes are expected, but here are some interesting tidbits:
"Our goals remained consistent throughout. We wanted to put ourselves in a position to create some long-term sustainability over time, and doing that with a mixture of young players, young veterans, draft players and some other assets to use to build going forward."
To the second-guessers and the laundry lists of rumored offers that seem like better packages for Howard than the one the Magic came away with, Hennigan said:
"At the end of the day you look at what's available in theory and what's available in reality. Sometimes those two things aren't always the same. We felt with all of the options we did explore, this was the best one for us."
One of those packages was the one offereed by the Rockets, in which Houston was rumored to be willing to deal draft picks and/or young players as well as eat some of Orlando's bad contracts. According to John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com (via Twitter), Hennigan essentially admitted that the offer sheets to Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik "limited some of the avenues" to a completed deal that would have sent Howard to Houston.
Again from Denton, Hennigan offered a rather ominous quote when asked why the Magic weren't angling to receive Andrew Bynum in the deal:
"One thing we always do is our research. We're very comfortable with the research we've done."
Odds & Ends: Wizards, Smith, Christmas, Brooks
Matt Moore and CBS Sports continued their offseason report series today by taking a look at the Washington Wizards. The Wizards haven't made the playoffs since 2008 and have been relatively irrelevant over that time period, but they raised some eyebrows in the offseason with a series of moves that should put them in position to contend for the playoffs this coming season.
Here are some other links and rumblings from this Sunday evening…
- Josh Cohen from NBA.com addresses the Orlando Magic offseason by evaluating the importance of superstars in today's NBA, specifically mentioning how the Orlando franchise has thrived in recent history.
- J.R. Smith, who signed a two year extension with the Knicks in July, said the team has the pieces in place to win it all in an interview with ESPN New York, Ian Begley writes. Smith also conveyed his pleasure on hearing the news that the Knicks signed his younger brother, Chris Smith on August 1.
- Former Temple guard Dionte Christmas landed a partially guaranteed deal with the Celtics earlier this week. Greg Payne of ESPN Boston analyzed Christmas' prospects for the upcoming season with Boston and detailed his European journey that ended with his first NBA deal.
- Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman writes that with the Thunder going cheap in free agency, the growth and development of head coach Scott Brooks will be of increased importance.
Poll: Will Kobe Bryant Ever Play In Europe?
As I posted earlier, Kobe Bryant expressed his interest in potentially finishing his basketball career in Europe. Bryant grew up in Italy, where his father played professionally, before returning to the States and settling in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion in time for high school.
Bryant has never made a secret of his European flavor, always expressing an affinity for soccer and a knowledge of the basketball landscape overseas. But is that enough of a draw to make this latest claim credible? What do you think – will Kobe ever play professional basketball in Europe?
Kobe Bryant Interested In Ending Career in Europe
Adrian Wojnarowski, who is across the pond covering Team USA in London, writes that Kobe Bryant is intrigued by the idea of finishing his basketball career in Europe. It is well documented that Bryant speaks Italian and Spanish from growing up in Europe when his father was playing overseas. It seems only natural for the thought to cross his mind, and inevitable that he is being asked about it while in London. But is his interest legitimate?
"It would be natural for me to go do it. It wouldn't be a stretch at all. I grew up here," Bryant said.
Bryant has two seasons left on his deal with the Lakers, and Wojnarowski says that if he were to actually do it, that would be the time. During the lockout, Bryant considered signing in both China and the Italian League. Bryant said the following when asked about where he could see himself:
"You'd have to look at the market and what's going on in terms of the level of basketball being played. I understand there's a high level of competitive basketball in Turkey now. They might have the best league in Europe. Spain has obviously been one of the top leagues for a long time."
"And Italy is a place that's dear in my heart, I grew up there, but the level is not where it used to be. When I was growing up over there, that was the best league in Europe."
This isn't the first time we have heard comments like this from Kobe. And while it certainly seems far-fetched and unlikely to happen, these comments do seem to imply a little more genuineness.
Odds & Ends: Calderon, Suns, Magic, Howard
Ever since the Raptors' acquisition of Kyle Lowry, there has been a steady flow of rumors revolving around Jose Calderon's future, or lack thereof, in Toronto. Calderon, who will run the point for Spain's Olympic team later this month in London, has already expressed his discontent with the thought of being relegated to back up duties, but according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, he may not have a choice.
Wolstat caught up with Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo who said, “We have had a few more trade inquiries regarding Jose (but) the scenario doesn’t seem to present itself to a trade today, but we’ll continue to monitor that and just try to determine whether it’s going to work in the long run.” Colangelo also implied that amnestying Calderon is not in the plans.
Here are some more updates from around the league on Sunday night: