Odds & Ends: Kirilenko, Draft, Mavs, Anderson
It's one of the busiest nights of the year on the hardwood in the Association, with a slate of 14 games before the league takes a one-day hiatus for Thanksgiving. There's plenty of off-court news as well, and we've got that covered here.
- Mike D'Antoni will keep all the existing Lakers assistant coaches through the season, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. It looks like D'Antoni won't hire Nate McMillan, as he indicated he would do, Shelburne adds.
- Nuggets coach George Karl believes the Wolves' signing of Andrei Kirilenko was a smart move, as Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune notes.
- Jeremy Bauman of SheridanHoops.com breaks down the top 10 draft prospects from this week's Legends Classic tournament.
- Dirk Nowitzki hopes when he comes back that he and O.J. Mayo can develop the same rhythm he had with Jason Terry, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details.
- James Anderson, brought back by the Spurs today, wants to copy Danny Green's ability to take advantage of a second chance, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News documents.
- Jim Owczarski of OnMilwaukee.com checks in with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis as the pair tries to answer questions about their ability to play together for the Bucks.
- Sean Williams, who was waived by the Rockets over the summer, lasted just one preseason game with the Foshan Long Lions of the Chinese league after signing this week, tweets Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall, who translated a Weibo report. The team picked up Shavlik Randolph, a Wizards training-camp invitee this year, to replace him.
Atlantic Notes: Evans, Celtics, Kidd, Nets
Nets big man Reggie Evans today became the first, and assuredly not the last, player to draw a fine under the league's new anti-flopping measures, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported and the league confirmed with a link to the video of Evans' violation (hat tip to Howard Beck of The New York Times). If the league's video review catches Evans flopping four more times this season, he'll be suspended for a game, but it's not as if the Nets are in any danger of losing his services soon. We'll round up the rest of the night's items from the Atlantic Division here.
- We heard on separate occasions before the Celtics waived Darko Milicic that they weren't looking to immediately fill his roster spot should he leave, and now that the big man's gone, Celtics coach Doc Rivers reiterated that there have been no discussions about a replacement, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Rivers hasn't spoken to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge on the matter. "Danny’s out looking at college players, so that tells you how much of an urgency (filling the roster spot is) for us right now," Rivers said. "We’re not thinking about it at all; we haven’t talked about it at all."
- Jason Kidd picked the Knicks over the Mavs because he thought New York had a better chance to win, and the veteran's presence betters the Knicks chances, writes Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
- Kidd was looking forward to mentoring Jeremy Lin, but is just as pleased about the chance to do so with Raymond Felton, as Iannazzone documents.
- Nets Daily shares Mikhail Prokorov's comments about his Nets on Russian radio station Echo Moskvy.
Offseason In Review: Detroit Pistons
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Kyle Singler: Three years, $3.14MM. Signed via mid-level exception.
- Vyacheslav Kravtsov: Two years, $3MM. Signed via mid-level exception. Second year is partially guaranteed.
Trades and Claims
- Acquired Corey Maggette from the Bobcats in exchange for Ben Gordon and protected 2013 first-round pick.
Draft Picks
- Andre Drummond (Round 1, 9th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
- Khris Middleton (Round 2, 39th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
- Kim English (Round 2, 44th overall). Signed via minimum salary exception.
Camp Invitees
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Brandon Knight, $2.79MM: Exercised
- Greg Monroe, $4.09MM: Exercised
There are few quick fixes for perennial lottery teams, and this past offseason for the Pistons serves as primary evidence. The team's most significant move was probably the trade that sent Ben Gordon's contract, which includes a $13.2MM player option for 2013/14 he will almost certainly pick up, to the Bobcats for Corey Maggette, who'll be off the books by next summer. Still, it's a deal that isn't likely to do much for the Pistons this season, when it amounts to swapping one overpriced wing player for another.
The drafting of Andre Drummond was also done with an eye cast beyond the horizon. Drummond, who turned 19 in August, is a raw talent, and the team has displayed restraint against the urge to rush his development despite their immediate need for more production, limiting him to 15.4 minutes per game despite his 23.6 PER. Teams at the top of the draft were scared off by Drummond's lack of production at Connecticut, but the Pistons snatched him up at No. 9, content to wait for him to continue to learn and, they hope, eventually fulfill his potential as the perfect complement to Greg Monroe inside, giving the team a rare combination of talented big men in a small-ball era.
If Drummond pans out, the Pistons will have come away remarkably well from a stretch of three consecutive seasons in the no man's land of the middle of the lottery, where they've picked seventh, eighth and ninth the last three years, respectively. That would soothe the sting of parting with the protected first-round pick in the Gordon/Maggette trade, one that seems likely to head to Charlotte in either 2014 or 2015. The inclusion of the pick in that deal suggests that president of basketball operations Joe Dumars and company expect by the team to have improved by then. The protection only covers the top pick in 2015, and it becomes unprotected in 2016, so a downturn in fortunes could be extra painful.
The team is getting surprising play from Kyle Singler, the 33rd pick in the 2011 draft who spent last season in Europe. Vyacheslav Kravtsov, an undrafted signee from the Ukraine, hasn't seen the floor in the regular season, but the Pistons were reportedly pleased with his work in camp. The onus is on coach Lawrence Frank and his staff to develop a hidden gem or two to compensate for the lack of high lottery picks and established stars.
The Pistons also took no-risk fliers on a pair of wayward lottery picks, inviting Jonny Flynn and Terrence Williams to camp on non-guaranteed deals. The team already had 15 guaranteed contracts, forcing Flynn and Williams to be especially impressive to earn a spot on the regular season roster. They weren't, and wound up getting cut, but the moves demonstrated one more avenue Dumars is pursuing to try to bring talent aboard.
The bittersweet backstory to the offseason was the closed door the team showed to center Ben Wallace, one of the last remaining links to the 2004 championship team. He said he wanted to retire last season and changed his mind over the summer. With 15 guaranteed deals, the Pistons no longer had room for the 38-year-old, and the Pistons reportedly didn't extend him a training camp invite to avoid the indignity of having to cut him. Wallace hasn't latched on with anyone else.
The final judgment on the offseason won't come anytime this season. Handcuffed by their regrettable signings of Gordon and Charlie Villanueva three years ago, there wasn't much more they could do this summer. The Pistons see this year as one of development for its young players, and aren't panicking after a slow start. The Gordon/Maggette deal was a step in the right direction, since it will give the team more than $10MM in cap room a year sooner than it would have otherwise freed up. As long as the first-round pick in that trade doesn't come back to bite them, this verdict on offseason will likely come down to Drummond's eventual impact, and the Pistons can only hope the early returns are indicative of the final result.
Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors contributed to this post.
Western Rumors: Wolves, Lakers, Lillard, Barnes
Fans in Minnesota will have something extra to be thankful for on the holiday tomorrow, after John Krawczynski of The Associated Press broke the news of Kevin Love's surprise return to the lineup for the Timberwolves tonight, between two and four weeks ahead of schedule (Twitter links). It seemed like the Wolves were close to becoming eligible for a hardship exemption that would allow them to sign a 16th player to their roster, when Brandon Roy joined Love, Ricky Rubio and Chase Budinger on the list of those expected to miss significant time. Now it appears Minnesota will have to make do with the standard 15, a trade-off the team will surely take if it means having Love back in action. Here's more from the West, with 14 of the conference's 15 teams in action.
- Speaking on Jim Rome's program on Showtime, Kobe Bryant defended Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss, saying it's up to the team's players to validate the hiring of coach Mike D'Antoni, notes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Damian Lillard's instant impact is speeding up the rebuilding process for the Blazers, writes Sam Amick of USA Today.
- Harrison Barnes learned how to win in college at North Carolina, and he's bringing some of those principles to the Warriors, observes HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram.
- It's no shock to Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau that Omer Asik, whose offer sheet with the Rockets wasn't matched by Chicago, has blossomed in a starting role, as Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times documents.
- We rounded up more on the Rockets and their Texas rivals earlier tonight.
Texas Notes: Kidd, Pietrus, Spurs, McHale
There's plenty of news coming out of the Lonestar State tonight, where the Spurs, Mavs and Rockets have begun to cool off, to varying degrees, after their hot starts. Here's the latest:
- Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News argues that Jason Kidd had every right to leave the Mavericks this summer, and scolds owner Mark Cuban for giving him the cold shoulder.
- The Spurs made an offer to Mickael Pietrus that included a "one month" guarantee, but Pietrus wasn't interested, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
- According to the French newspaper Le Parisien (translation via Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News), Pietrus never received an offer from the Spurs. That's in contrast to Charania's information, as well as an earlier report from Marc Stein of ESPN.com suggesting Pietrus' demand for more than the minimum is what kept him from the team. Le Parisien attributes Stein's report to misinformation from Pietrus' "entourage," according to McCarney.
- Interim Rockets coach Kelvin Sampson, who's subbing for Kevin McHale, said the situation surrounding McHale is improving, but, "It's not out of the woods yet," reports David Barron of the Houston Chronicle. The team has not specified the reason for McHale's absence, but he's believed to be tending to his ailing daughter.
Jazz Rumors: Millsap, Jefferson, Favors
In an age of small-ball, the Jazz have been going the opposite direction, fielding a starting lineup of three big men in their last two games. Coach Tyrone Corbin has shifted Paul Millsap to small forward to accomodate Derrick Favors at the four spot, and though Millsap and Favors struggled offensively in a close win against the Wizards, the Jazz have won both games since making the change. When asked whether he likes playing small forward, Millsap said, "I don't have a problem with it," and Ian Thomson of SI.com interprets that to mean next summer's free agent isn't willing to sign with a team that envisions him as a three for the long term. Thomson has much more on the Jazz, and we'll break it down here.
- Given the team's frontcourt logjam, GM Dennis Lindsey is non-committal about the idea of retaining both Millsap and Al Jefferson in free agency. "The possibilities are always there," he said. "Is it realistic? We'll find out in time."
- The Jazz won't deal Millsap at the deadline unless they get "an explosive perimeter scorer" or a "dynamic young point guard," Thomson opines, speculating that they will let Jefferson walk this summer.
- It would be mutually beneficial for Millsap to re-sign the Jazz, Thomson believes, adding that he could see the 6'10" Favors blossoming at center, based on his work ethic.
Western Rumors: Dwight, Morris, Lakers, Blazers
Dwight Howard, who preferred Phil Jackson, might not have been thrilled when the Lakers hired Mike D'Antoni as coach, but D'Antoni has won Howard's affection, according to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times. Elliott also notes that Howard has overcome his objection to following Shaquille O'Neal's path to L.A. "But then once I got here, I just felt like there was no need to worry about people saying I'm following somebody else, but I could blaze my own trail while I'm here, and that's what I plan on doing," Howard said. We rounded up a few D12 items earlier this evening, and now we have more on Howard's team and their Western Conference rivals.
- By signing a one-year deal last season instead of a two-year pact that wasn't fully guaranteed, Darius Morris took a risk that paid off when he signed his qualifying offer this summer, as Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times details. The point guard, pressed into starting duty for the Lakers, said he'd love to stay in L.A., but left the door open for another outcome when he hits restricted free agency next summer.
- Mark Heisler of HoopsHype lays out an agenda for the Lakers in the coming years, one that starts with re-signing Howard.
- Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge provides a transcript of new Blazers president and CEO Chris McGowan's interview with announcers Mike Barrett and Mike Rice on Blazers Courtside. McGowan reiterated that he's staying out of the team's basketball operations.
- Facing the stress of an impending tug-of-war in restricted free agency over the summer, Nicolas Batum gained perspective from a visit to his ancestral home country of Cameroon last spring, as he told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
- HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy runs down players who've been pleasant surprises so far. A third of the list is composed of newcomers to Western Conference teams.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Turner, McGuire, Darko
None of the Atlantic Division teams are in action tonight, which might come as a relief to the rest of the league. Four of the five clubs are over .500, while the fifth team, the 3-7 Raptors, is coming off a win last night, albeit against the lowly Magic. Nonetheless, teams making an East Coast road trip this year don't figure to have an easy time of it. Here's more from what might be the NBA's toughest division.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com goes in depth on the Knicks' top-ranked defense, noting the contributions of offseason signees J.R. Smith, Ronnie Brewer, Pablo Prigioni and Rasheed Wallace.
- CSN Philly's Dei Lynam details how consistency is the key for Evan Turner, who's averaging a career-high 32.9 minutes per game this season, the last before the Sixers must decide whether to extend his rookie contract.
- The Raptors' decision to bring Dominic McGuire in on a minimum-salary deal is paying off for both player and team, observes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- Rich Levine of CSNNE.com had much higher hopes for Darko Milicic, who may leave the Celtics to care for his ill mother after just five minutes of action this season.
Stephen Jackson Out Four To Six Weeks
We normally don't cover injuries here at Hoops Rumors, but when a star player goes down or there's an absence that could prompt a roster move, we're on it. After news earlier today that Brandon Roy, Kyrie Irving and Tyrus Thomas will miss significant time, Stephen Jackson has become the latest injury victim, as he'll miss four to six weeks with a fractured pinky finger, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman notes that it's a non-displaced fracture to his right pinky (Twitter link).
The timing is unfortunate for the Spurs, who are already without Kawhi Leonard for several more days. Jackson had been filling in for Leonard at small forward. The Spurs have limited options at the three with both out, though they could use Danny Green and Manu Ginobili, both 6'6", at the position. They have 14 players on the roster, so there's an open spot if they want to sign someone. It probably has to be a minimum-salary deal, since they're over the salary cap and have only $500K left on their mid-level exception. The Spurs are also about $1MM below the tax line.
Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News suggests Derrick Brown, one of the team's training camp invitees, could get a look (Twitter link). Wesley Witherspoon, who was also with the team in camp, is on the roster of the Spurs' D-League affiliate and may also receive consideration, though I'm only speculating. The biggest name on the Hoops Rumors list of remaining free agent small forwards is probably Mickael Pietrus, but he may not want to sign for the minimum. As I explained when news of Irving's injury broke, the trade market isn't a likely path, since most teams aren't looking to deal at this point in the season, and the Spurs might not want to tinker too much with their roster just to solve a short-term problem.
Was It A Mistake For The Wolves To Sign Roy?
Brandon Roy's comeback attempt is off to an inauspicious start. He's out for a month after undergoing right-knee surgery today, having already missed the last four games for the Wolves. In the five contests in which he has appeared, he didn't look like his old self, averaging just 5.8 points on 31.4% shooting in 24.4 minutes per game.
He signed a two-year, $10.43MM contract this summer, but only the first year is guaranteed. The second year can become guaranteed if Roy hits at least one of two benchmarks this season: playing 1,400 or more minutes or appearing on the active list for 65 or more games this season. Both will be tall orders for him now. Roy could also have triggered a guarantee for 2013/14 if he were sidelined for any ailment other than his knees, but alas, that's already by the boards.
So, in light of Roy's latest surgery, what do you think of the decision of GM David Kahn and Wolves management to take a flier on Roy this season? Vote below, and if you have other ideas about Roy's deal, let us know in the comments.
Was It A Mistake For The Wolves To Sign Roy?
-
Maybe, the Wolves were smart to give themselves an out after one year 63% (677)
-
Yes, he'll never be productive again 27% (292)
-
No, he'll come back strong and justify the entire deal 10% (106)
Total votes: 1,075