Bucks, Blazers, Hornets, Bulls Eyeing Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry is trying to resurrect his career in training camp with the Spurs, but if he doesn't make the team, it appears he'll plenty of other options. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears the Bucks, Trail Blazers, Hornets and Bulls all could have interest in the 29-year-old 7-footer if the Spurs cut him loose (Sulia link).
Curry was a surprise addition to San Antonio's roster as training camp began last week, and he was reportedly looking fit after having dropped 15 pounds over the summer. The Spurs only have 12 players on fully guaranteed deals, but DeJuan Blair, who has a partial guarantee, and Gary Neal seem destined to make the team, likely leaving just one spot for Curry and four other hopefuls. The early returns indicate that fellow camp invitee Josh Powell is ahead of Curry for that spot, though three weeks still remain before the regular season.
Wherever Curry winds up, he'll likely be getting the minimum salary, which he made last year on a one-year deal with the Heat. He appeared in only 14 games for Miami, averaging 2.1 points and 0.9 rebounds in 5.9 minutes, and didn't play in the postseason. He's only played 21 games total since his last significant action, which came in 2007/08 when he started 58 games for the Knicks amidst a six-year, $56MM deal.
If he winds up with the Bulls, it probably wouldn't be until late November, when the minimum salary pro-rates down to a figure that would fit under their $70.307MM hard cap. Chicago would have to waive or trade one of its guaranteed contracts to put Curry on the regular season roster before then.
Central Rumors: Walton, Jaric, Pistons
The Bulls have had the best record in the NBA for two consecutive seasons, but with Derrick Rose out, they could have a tough time simply recording the best record in the Central Division this year, with the Pacers waiting to pounce. The Bucks, Cavs and Pistons probably aren't division title contenders this year, but they're all arguably improved from last season, meaning the Central figures to be more competitive than it has been in recent years. We'll round up the latest from the division here:
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that playing without Rose will not be an unprecedented situation for the Bulls. The 2011 MVP missed 27 games in the 2011/12 season.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer tweets that there is a 50-50 chance Cavs coach Byron Scott will begin to cut players from the training camp roster after Cleveland's Tuesday preseason game.
- Luke Walton said this week the Cavs haven't approached him about a buyout, but Bob Finnan of the News-Herald believes it isn't out of the question that the team would let him go. Walton is due $6.091MM this year in the final season of a six-year, $30MM contract.
- Scott is impressed with Walton's conditioning, and the 32-year-old forward says he's in better shape than he's been in the past four years, reports Schmitt Boyer. "Can he make the team? Yeah, I think he can make the team, to be honest with you," Scott said. "We’ve got some other tough decisions that I have to make in the next couple of weeks, but right now I’m enjoying the fact that these guys are making it hard on me, which is good."
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune checks in with Marko Jaric as he tries to return to the NBA with the Bulls. Chicago doesn't have enough money under its $70.307MM hard cap to put Jaric on the regular season roster for opening day, but the Bulls would be able to add him in late November, when the veteran's minimum pro-rates down to a figure that will fit.
- MLive's David Mayo chronicles the struggles that Pistons rookies are having in camp, and says big man Slava Kravtsov appears to be the farthest along of any of them right now.
Nikola Pekovic Wants To Stay With Wolves
Nikola Pekovic is entering the final season of his three-year, $11.858MM contract, and though he could be a sought-after commodity as a restricted free agent next summer if he continues the improvement he showed last season, the 6'11" center wants to remain with the Timberwolves, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune reports.
"I would like to stay here because of everything," Pekovic said. "I just like everything. I like the area. I like the team. I like all the stuff. Now I got some friends here. Now it's real easy. It's just nice, nice people, nice town. I would like to be here."
Pekovic's agent is Jeff Schwartz, who has a history of netting substantial deals for big men in Minnesota. He helped Al Jefferson get a five-year, $65MM extention in 2007 and Kevin Love to his $60.826MM extension last season. Former GM Kevin McHale was still in place when Jefferson signed his deal, however, and Schwartz fell short of obtaining the maximum five years for Love, instead negotiating a player option that will allow Love to become an unrestricted free agent in 2015. Pekovic said he's aware of his agent's history with the team, but isn't thinking about money right now.
Zgoda observes that Pekovic looks fit and much leaner in training camp this year after summer surgery to remove bone spurs on his ankles that caused him to miss time last season. He played in pain because of the bone spurs, but still managed to put up 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 26.9 minutes per game with a 21.4 PER, wresting the starting center job away from Darko Milicic and planting himself in the conversation for the Most Improved Player award.
It's a long way until next offseason, and much could change between now and then, including Pekovic's stance on remaining with the Wolves. Still, Zgoda believes he's in line for a significant payday, pointing to this summer's maximum-salary deals for Brook Lopez and Roy Hibbert and Omer Asik's contract worth $8MM a season. Pekovic seems in line for a yearly salary of something in between $8MM and the maximum, likely worth $15MM next summer, depending on his play this season.
Juwan Howard Joining Heat In Advisory Role
Veteran big man Juwan Howard isn't on the Heat's roster, but is traveling with the team in an "advisory role," according to Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Goodman believes he's being kept around as an insurance policy in case Miami wants to let go of one of its training camp invitees. The Heat have a full complement of 20 players in camp, so they don't have room to add Howard as a player without waiving someone.
Howard and agent David Falk have maintained optimism in recent weeks that the 39-year-old will eventually return in a playing capacity to the Heat, with whom he's spent the last two seasons. Falk said his client strongly prefers the Heat over other NBA clubs and isn't considering retirement. The Heat reportedly wasn't ruling out the possibility of signing him as of last month, and Dwyane Wade has expressed his support for bringing Howard back on board. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel spotted Howard wearing Heat warmup gear as he joined the team today in Atlanta in advance of a preseason game against the Hawks (Twitter link), and Goodman tweets that Howard will accompany the team on its upcoming trip to China as well.
Howard has appeared in 85 regular season games for the Heat the last two seasons, averaging 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per contest. His last significant playing time came for the Blazers in 2009/10, when he saw 22.4 MPG and started 27 games. The Heat only have 13 players with guaranteed contracts, so Howard could wind up getting the nod over Robert Dozier, Mickell Gladness, Josh Harrellson or Jarvis Varnado, the big men in camp on non-guaranteed deals. If the Heat do sign Howard, it would almost certainly be for the minimum salary.
Southwest Rumors: Powell, De Colo, Machado
The Mavericks were the first Southwest Division team to begin preseason play, doing so overseas yesterday with an 89-84 win over Alba Berlin in Dirk Nowitzki's native Germany. Before the game, commissioner David Stern said the league's revamped competition committee was cool to his idea of adopting the FIBA more liberal goaltending rules, noted Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. Stern has pushed for changes to the way basket interference is called, so it's interesting to note that the commissioner apparently didn't get his way despite a new competition committee that some believe was restructured to give Stern more influence. Here's the latest from around the Southwest Division:
- It's still a long way until the Spurs have to make a decision, but Josh Powell appears to have an early lead on Eddy Curry and Derrick Brown for a spot on the regular season roster, according to Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News. The competition was thinned a bit Friday when the Spurs waived Sherron Collins, taking their camp roster down to 19 players.
- In the same piece, McCarney cautions readers not to get too caught up in what they saw from rookie Nando De Colo in the Spurs' victory Saturday over Italian club Montepaschi Siena, a slick passing performance that prompted teammate Stephen Jackson to call him "another Manu Ginobili."
- Jason Friedman of Rockets.com shares some observations from Rockets camp, and says rookie guard Scott Machado, with the team on a minimum-salary deal that's partially guaranteed for $237K, is making a strong impression.
- Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune chronicles the unlikely journey of Anthony Davis from a 5'9" eighth-grader in Chicago to the 6'10" Olympic gold medalist and No. 1 overall pick he is today, as he embarks on his first training camp with the Hornets.
Marcus Camby Surprised By Knicks Contract
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News hears that Marcus Camby wasn't expecting to land a contract worth quite as much as the three-year, $13.151MM deal he got from the Knicks as part of a sign-and-trade with Houston this summer. The 38-year-old center reportedly also had talks with the Nets and drew interest from the Heat over the offseason, and considered the Spurs, Celtics and Mavericks as well as the Rockets, with whom he ended the 2011/12 after coming over in a trade at the deadline in March.
The Knicks initially appeared hesitant to use their $3.09MM mini mid-level on Camby, but wound up exceeding that amount by an average of more than $1MM per season to land the veteran big man. New York also gave up Toney Douglas, Josh Harrellson, Jerome Jordan and a pair of second-round draft choices in the sign-and-trade, and agreed to pay Douglas' $2.1MM salary for the Rockets.
Camby is out of the Knicks lineup for a week to 10 days with a strained left calf, and Lawrence points to a history of injuries that kept him from playing any more than 63 games in a season during his previous four-year stint in New York that ran from 1999 to 2002. More recently, though, Camby appeared in 59 out of 66 games this past season, and hasn't missed more than 20 games in a season since 2005/06.
Unlike most contracts that escalate in value from year to year, Camby is set to receive $4.59MM this season and $4.384MM in 2013/14, while his $4.177MM salary in the final year of the deal is only guaranteed for $1.026MM.
Sixers, Jrue Holiday Negotiating Extension
John Finger of CSNPhilly.com hears the Sixers and representatives for Jrue Holiday have had contact about an extension for the point guard. Yesterday, we passed along a report from Marc Stein of ESPN.com that Holiday was likely to land an extension before the October 30th deadline. A couple weeks ago, Holiday clarified an earlier report that indicated he was seeking a maximum extension, saying instead that he simply has a goal of someday becoming a player worthy of a max deal.
The 22-year-old Holiday would become a restricted free agent next summer if he and the Sixers can't reach an agreement by the end of the month. The market for restricted free agent point guards in 2013 could also include Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague, Darren Collison and others, and the competition could drive down Holiday's price. When Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors took a look at Holiday's extension candidacy in August, he estimated that a four-year, $40MM deal would be a fit for Holiday and the Sixers. He also said he wouldn't be surprised if the UCLA product passed on an extension and banked on continued improvement during the season to help him get a better deal next summer. A maximum contract would give him 25% of the salary cap, or about $15MM a year depending on how high next year's cap is set.
GM Tony DiLeo wouldn't confirm the talks, according to Finger's report. DiLeo was promoted to the GM job on September 21st, taking over day-to-day negotiations from team president Rod Thorn. It's unclear what effect, if any, the front office move has had on negotiations with Holiday.
Southeast Notes: Afflalo, Haywood, Wade
All five Southeast Division teams open preseason play tomorrow, with four of the teams squaring off against each other. The Wizards will play the Bobcats in Charlotte, while the defending champion Heat travel to take on the Hawks. The Magic will be in Mexico City to face the Hornets. That's a matchup of Mexican center Gustavo Ayon's current and former teams, and we heard last night that while Ayon is drawing interest from overseas, he'll remain with the Magic this season. Here's today's Southeast Division scuttlebutt:
- Arron Afflalo wasn't expecting a trade when the Nuggets shipped him to Orlando in the Dwight Howard/Andrew Bynum mega-deal, but is looking forward to the chance to become the Magic's No. 1 option on offense, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer believes the Bobcats got a fair deal on their amnesty waiver claim of Brendan Haywood, who brings experience and a high basketball IQ to the center position in Charlotte. Haywood will make an average of $2.05MM over the next three seasons.
- Dwyane Wade was among the players featured in a video the NBA released to demonstrate what will draw fines under the new anti-flopping policy this year, but with no in-game penalties, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel thinks the Heat star shouldn't stop trying to fool the refs.
Kevin Martin Hints At Having Made Trade Request
Kevin Martin enters the final season of his five-year, $53MM contract as a trade candidate, and after a year that began with his name a part of the failed Chris Paul-to-the-Lakers deal and a continued presence in trade talks, he admitted he's surprised to still be with the Rockets. The high-scoring guard was coy when asked in training camp this year whether he requested a trade after last season, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
"You always go through mixed emotions," Martin said in response to the question. "The organization goes through mixed emotions. Things like that we’ll keep behind closed doors. I’m happy now. We’re good."
Martin is coming off a disappointing season in which he missed time with a strained right shoulder and saw his role in the offense decrease. He scored 17.1 points per game, breaking a string of six consecutive seasons of 20.0 PPG or better. Still, the 29-year-old retains high value as a trade chip, in large measure because his $12.44MM salary this season gives his team a chance to clear significant cap room next summer.
Feigen notes that coach Kevin McHale's praise of Martin in this year's camp seems out of place after a season in which there was apparent friction between player and coach. A pair of reports at different points during the 2011/12 campaign indicated Martin's displeasure in Houston, and while Martin is embracing the Rockets' rebuilding effort this year, he says it's "not ideal," as Feigen writes.
While the Rockets seem as anxious as any team to clear cap space, which keeping Martin around this year would allow them to do next summer, I think they'd be willing to listen to offers, especially if Martin and McHale's relationship turns sour again. They'd surely love to get a marquee player in return, as they tried to do last year in trading Martin for Pau Gasol, but they'd probably be willing to settle for draft picks and prospects if it came to that.
Atlantic Notes: Milicic, Sixers, Brooks, ‘Sheed
The Celtics opened up preseason play with a thud on Friday, losing 97-91 to Turkish team Fenerbahce Ulker in Istanbul. It's tough to draw much from the first preseason game for an NBA team when they're going against an overseas squad with greater motivation to win, and despite the loss, the C's had to be encouraged by the play of Jeff Green and rookie Jared Sullinger, who led the team with 16 points apiece. Romain Sato, a 2004 second-round pick by the Spurs, led Fenerbache with 24 points, while Ilkan Karaman, whom the Nets took 57th overall in this year's draft, was held to just four. Here's the latest on the Celtics, as they continue their European tour, and the rest of the Atlantic:
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe passes along a couple of comments from Celtics coach Doc Rivers about the team's management of Darko Milicic's psyche, well-worn from the expectations of being a No. 2 overall pick and an up-and-down NBA career (Sulia link).
- Newcomers Jason Richardson, Dorell Wright and Nick Young give the Sixers a significant boost from three-point territory, points out Bob Cooney of the the Philadelphia Daily News. John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tackles the same issue, noting that coach Doug Collins expects the team to average seven or eight made three-pointers a game.
- MarShon Brooks figures to come off the bench this season for the Nets, a year after serving as the team's second option on offense behind Deron Williams. Tim Bontemps of the New York Post examines his adjustment.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson says Rasheed Wallace is still working his way back into shape, as Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. "He's not ready yet. He's just not there where we want him to be," Woodson said. "But he'll get there."