Cavs Still Hope To Sign Ray Allen
The Cavs’ roster reached the training camp maximum size of 20 players when they came to terms on deal with A.J. Price this weekend, but the club’s front office is still holding out hope that it can find a way to land the heavily targeted Ray Allen, reports Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal. Allen is contemplating retirement, but Lloyd hears the Cavs still privately believe he’ll return to action and sign with Cleveland.
“I don’t think we’d ever give up on (Allen),” said Cleveland GM David Griffin on Monday. “Until he signs, that’s going to be a target for everybody.”
Allen, 39, is coming off his worst year statistically, but he still shot an impressive 37.5% from beyond the arc. He’s received interest from a variety of teams this summer, including the Spurs, Wizards, and Bulls. While he isn’t likely to put up numbers close to those from the prime of his career, he could still be a valuable bench piece for a Cavs team with title aspirations.
In addition to their continued pursuit of Allen, Lloyd hears Cleveland wants to bring aboard a big man to supplement their frontcourt. The team recently inked Lou Amundson to a minimum-salary deal, and Lloyd hears the the UNLV product is likely to make the opening night roster. Although Griffin said he’s optimistic about center Brendan Haywood‘s progress coming off of injury, Lloyd writes that the Cavs are still “aggressively” seeking to add another rim protector to their squad.
Just 12 of the 20 contracts on Cleveland’s books are fully guaranteed, meaning the Cavs can easily make a move to accommodate Allen or a free agent big man if they’ can strike a deal that both sides see fit. The Cavs are limited to paying any free agent no more than the minimum.
Pacific Notes: Bledsoe, Lakers, Griffin, Redick
When the Suns made it clear they weren’t interested in working out a sign-and-trade that would send Eric Bledsoe to the Wolves, teams around the league started presenting Phoenix with offers of their own for the restricted free agent, writes David Aldridge of NBA.com. Bledsoe and the Suns have until October 1st to work out a new deal, or else the talented young guard is reportedly poised to sign the team’s qualifying offer which would otherwise expire that day. Here’s more from the Pacific Division..
- The Lakers would be a logical destination for Bledsoe, writes Aldridge in the same piece. Steve Nash‘s old age and the club’s cap flexibility next summer help make Los Angeles a realistic landing spot for the 24-year-old, opines Aldridge.
- Blake Griffin opposed the idea that he and his Clippers teammates should mount a protest last spring in the immediate wake of the Donald Sterling controversy, believing that any such action would lend undue influence to Sterling, as Griffin explains to Zach Baron of GQ. Griffin added that he’s satisfied with the league’s response.
- J.J. Redick never foresaw a boycott taking place, either, as he tells Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. “I always felt we were going to play,” Redick said. “Doc’s [coach Doc Rivers] leadership during the entire situation was outstanding. We followed his lead. He felt we should play. I also was confident that [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver would take the correct course of action before any sort of league-wide protest took place. And Adam did.”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Hornets Seeking Frontcourt Help
Noah Vonleh’s injury leaves the Hornets’ frontcourt with less depth than coach Steve Clifford would like, and as a result, the team is planning on adding a player to help supplement their cast of bigs, as Clifford tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Vonleh, the ninth overall pick in June’s draft, likely wasn’t in line to receive major minutes in the upcoming season, but any player signed or acquired will probably take on his load in the rotation until he’s healthy enough to return.
The Hornets’ frontcourt is currently set to feature Marvin Williams, Cody Zeller, Al Jefferson, and Bismack Biyombo. The team has 14 guaranteed deals on their books as well as Dallas Lauderdale‘s likely non- or partially guaranteed pact. Lauderdale is a big man himself, but Charlotte might not feel comfortable giving him a spot in their rotation, since he lacks any NBA regular season experience. It’s possible that he could impress Clifford and GM Rich Cho enough in camp to the point that they don’t feel compelled to ink another player, but given Clifford’s admission they were looking to add someone, it seems safe to assume Lauderdale isn’t the solution the team is after.
There are several veteran bigs available on the market, as our list of 2014 free agents shows. I’d speculate that the recently waived Hasheem Thabeet might make sense if the team is looking for a center, but Dante Cunningham could be a more appealing option if they’re leaning toward bringing in a power forward. No players have been identified as potential targets yet, but that could change in the days ahead.
Charlotte can offer free agents a deal worth up to $2,732,000 using the room exception. They might not need to use that full amount, as many available players would likely settle for the minimum at this late stage of free agency, but the ability to make an offer greater than that could help them win a player who’s also being pursued by a team limited to paying the minimum.
Melvin Ely Signs With Japanese Team
Former Pelicans big man Melvin Ely has signed a deal that will have him playing with the Gunma Crane Thunders in Japan next season, the team announced. He still needs to pass a physical before the contract can be finalized, passes along Ed Odeven of the Japan Times (hat tip to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando).
Ely wasn’t a frequent topic of discussion this offseason, as the meager amount of recent activity on his rumor page shows. The former lottery pick’s non-guaranteed pact was waived by the Wizards in July after a three team swap sent him from New Orleans to Washington. The Relativity Sports client appeared in just two games for the Pelicans last season, spending most of his time in the D-League.
Terms of the new deal aren’t immediately clear, and it remains to be seen whether or not the 36-year-old’s contract will feature an escape clause allowing him to return to the NBA if a stateside club wants to sign him. Given his age and the sparse amount of NBA playing time he’s seen in recent years, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see Ely wrap up his basketball career overseas.
Poll: Is Chauncey Billups A Hall-Of-Famer?
News broke tonight that the 37-year-old Chauncey Billups has decided to throw in the towel, announcing his retirement after 17 seasons in the league. The story was a bit surprising, given the Cavs’ reported interest in the veteran guard, but recent health woes led the former third overall pick to make the decision to retire, even amid interest from a potential title contender in Cleveland.
A five-time All-Star and one-time champion, Billups has already been pegged as a potential Hall of Fame candidate by some analysts around the league. Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News thinks it’s a conversation worth having on whether or not the now-retired combo guard should get into the Hall, given his complete resume encompassing college, NBA, and FIBA play (Twitter links).
While he made stops with seven different teams in his lengthy career, Billups’ arguably finest years were spent in Detroit. “Mr. Big Shot” played a critical role in the Pistons’ 2004 title, earning Finals MVP and helping bring the Motor City its first championship since the 1989/90 season. Over his career, Billups averaged marks of 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists each night. He drained 41.5% of shots from the floor and put down an impressive 38.7% of his treys. His 89.4% free throw percentage ranks fourth all-time.
Unfortunately, injuries limited Billups to appearing in an average of just over 61 games per season, and he was never able to recover from tearing his Achilles as a member of the Clippers during the 2011/12 campaign. Still, Billups was largely effective while on the floor during his career, as his his 18.8 PER helps demonstrate.
What do you think? Does Billups have the credentials to put him in the Hall of Fame? His career was definitely impacted by injuries, but he proved to be a top flight guard when he was healthy enough to stay on the floor. Vote below and let us know how you came to your decision by posting in the comments section!
Chauncey Billups Retires
Chauncey Billups confirmed that he won’t be returning to the hardwood next season, telling Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he’s retiring after 17 seasons in the NBA. The Pistons turned down a team option earlier this summer that would have paid the 37 year old $2.5MM to return to Detroit. He worked out for the Cavs in August, and although he was reportedly interested in teaming up with LeBron James in Cleveland, the veteran point guard has decided to hang up his jersey and move on from playing in the NBA.
While Billups acknowledged that he still had “a couple opportunities to play” if he had opted not to retire, the 2004 Finals MVP said he couldn’t ignore his deteriorating health that has limited him to appearing in only 49 games over the past three seasons. “It’s just time. I know when it’s time,” Billups said. “My mind and my desire is still strong. I just can’t ignore the fact that I haven’t been healthy for three years. I can try again and get to a point where I think I can go, but I just can’t sustain. Me not being able to play the way that I can play, that’s when you kind of know it’s that time.”
Billups expressed interest in taking a front office role at some point, but he told Spears nothing is imminent for the time being. The Timberwolves were reportedly likely to target Billups earlier this summer for an assistant coaching role, but the former Pistons stud indicated he’d be more interested in taking a television position or a job in a front office.
Over his career, Billups averaged 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per night in 1043 games. He shot 41.5% from the floor and an impressive 38.7% from beyond the arc. The former third overall pick took home the NBA championship with the Pistons in 2004 and appeared in five All-Star games. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Billups earned $107,227,720 during his time in the NBA, having spent time with seven different clubs.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
And-Ones: Ferry, Hawks, Monroe, D-League
Danny Ferry‘s controversial remarks have sparked a series of strong reactions, but at least two prominent African-American NBA figures have stepped forward and shown support for the Hawks GM, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst details. Wayne Embry, the NBA’s first African-American GM, and Bill Duffy, an agent to some of the league’s most notable players, both spoke out defending Ferry’s character. As more continues to surface about the scandal in Atlanta, let’s round up the latest from around the Association..
- Bobby Samini, an attorney for Donald Sterling, thinks the latest trouble surrounding the Hawks is only the beginning of controversial dialogue surfacing around the league, Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today writes. “There’s not a single owner in the league who doesn’t have an e-mail, a conversation, a conference call comment, that by this standard that’s been established by Adam Silver, that wouldn’t completely taint them,” said Samini. “But my sense is that it’s the beginning. It’s not going to be a one-off.”
- Greg Monroe will serve his two-game suspension in late October, reveals Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. The 24-year-old big man will be withheld from the Pistons’ game against Denver on October 29th as well as their matchup versus Minnesota on October 30th.
- A new rule allows NBA teams to retain the D-League rights to one player they waive during the regular season, reports Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. Previously, an NBA team couldn’t guarantee that anyone it waived during the regular season would end up on its affiliate if he signed a D-League contract.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Poll: Which Free Agent Is Most Likely To Sign?
On Wednesday morning, Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors ran down a list of players who spent time as starters in 2013/14 but don’t have NBA contracts in place for the upcoming season. Of the 12 players identified on the list, two had signed overseas (James Anderson and Toney Douglas), one had retired (Shane Battier), one has since agreed to a deal with a new team (Greg Stiemsma, Raptors), and one has signed a qualifying offer to remain with his team for another year (Greg Monroe, Pistons). That leaves seven players with legitimate starting experience sitting without contracts.
One remaining name on the list, Eric Bledsoe, is without a deal mostly because of his status as a restricted free agent. Bledsoe wants more than Phoenix is willing to offer, so seeing the stud point guard moved in some sort of sign-and-trade wouldn’t be shocking. However, given the lack of financial flexibility most teams around the league have at this point in the offseason, it’s highly unlikely he signs outright with a new team before the start of the season.
Taking a look at the six players still on the list, which one do you see as the most likely to sign a new contract first? Some, like Ramon Sessions and Earl Clark, have been linked to teams this summer in one way or another. Others, like Kenyon Martin, haven’t been part of many rumors since the conclusion of the previous season. Let us know which remaining player on Chuck’s list you think will be the first player to ink a new deal by voting in the poll below.
Warriors, GM Bob Myers Agree To Extension
The Warriors and GM Bob Myers have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension, a source tells Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News (Twitter link). The new deal will keep the 39-year-old Myers at the helm of Golden State’s basketball operations through at least the 2017/18 campaign, since his current pact with the club spans through the completion of the upcoming season.
Myers took control of the Warriors’ basketball activities in late of April of 2012, as Kawakami details in his full piece. Along with co-owner Joe Lacob, Myers was an 
instrumental part of the decision to dismiss Mark Jackson in favor of bringing in neophyte coach Steve Kerr. The second-year GM’s reluctance to include Klay Thompson in a deal for Kevin Love kept the W’s from obtaining the All-Star forward, a decision illustrating on the how highly Myers values Thompson.
No mention has been made regarding the financial terms of the deal, but it’s reasonable to speculate a price tag somewhere closer to the $3MM average annual value Raptors GM Masai Ujiri earns rather than the $12MM annual salary Knicks boss Phil Jackson gets. The latter is a record number for an executive, so I would be surprised to see Myers approach such a figure.
In Myers’ first two full years heading the Warriors, the team complied a record of 98-66. He was responsible for drafting Harrison Barnes in 2012 and signing Stephen Curry to a very team friendly extension worth $44MM over four seasons later that year. Kawakami downplays any reports suggesting there was tension in the front office during the heavily drawn out Love-saga and insists Myers was on good terms with ownership throughout the process. Whether or not there were ever any hard feelings, the new deal will have the two sides working together going forward.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Atlantic Rumors: ‘Melo, Durant, Raptors, Nets
Carmelo Anthony‘s new contract worth $124.065MM is the most lucrative deal signed this offseason, and although ‘Melo will have the chance to opt out and enter free agency before entering its fifth and final year, the All-Star forward says he intends to end his career as a member of the Knicks, according to Fred Kerber of the New York Post. A lot can change between now and then, but for the time being, it seems Anthony is happy working toward a title with Phil Jackson and company. More on from the Atlantic..
- Kevin Durant will likely be the biggest name to hit the free agent market in two years, as our list of 2016 free agent shows. The reigning MVP is sure to have no shortage of suitors, and Brian Keefe’s presence as an assistant on Derek Fisher‘s coaching staff certainly will help the Knicks’ chances at landing him, as Marc Berman of the New York Post details.
- Raptors assistant Bill Bayno spoke to Jorge Sierra of Hoopshype and called the trade that sent Rudy Gay to the Kings “unbelievable,” explaining that the move was key in bolstering the club’s struggling bench.
- Untimely injuries to Brook Lopez and Kevin Garnett gave Mason Plumlee a chance to put his skills on display for the Nets, and A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com puts the Duke product among a group of big men he expects to have a breakout season.