Northwest Rumors: Williams, Stotts, Roy, Conroy
The Blazers caught a tough break today, as guard Elliot Williams tore his left ACL during a voluntary workout, The Oregonian's Joe Freeman reports. He'll have surgery, but there's no date set for that and no timetable for his recovery (Twitter links). Williams missed his entire rookie year because of surgery on both knees, and this past season ended prematurely for him because of a dislocated left shoulder. He's played in only 24 games since the team drafted him 22nd overall in 2010, and though the $1.443MM he'll receive on his rookie scale contract this year is guaranteed, the Blazers have until October 31st to decide whether to pick up their option on his $2.374MM for 2013/14. There's more out of Portland tonight, along with news on other Northwest Division clubs:
- Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge speculates that the Blazers could choose to waive Williams now and pay his guarantee anyway, as they did with Jeff Pendergraph in 2010 (Sulia link).
- New Blazers coach Terry Stotts spoke with the team's broadcasters and had plenty to say about LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard and the transition into his new job, and Golliver has a transcript of the video that's on TrailBlazers.TV.
- Mark Remme of Timberwolves.com checks in on Brandon Roy, who's begun workouts with Wolves coaches.
- Will Conroy, Roy's close friend and former college teammate, tweeted about his excitement to join Roy in Minnesota, perhaps indicating that a training camp invite from the Wolves is in the offing (hat tip to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News). Conroy briefly spent time with the Grizzlies, Clippers and Rockets, but only has 12 career NBA games and hasn't appeared in the league since 2009/10.
- The Idaho Stampede, the Blazers' D-League affiliate, has hired Michael Peck, a high school coach at Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada, as its new coach, Golliver reports (Twitter link). He beat out former Blazers assistant coach Dan Dickau, who was also reportedly a candidate for the post.
- Thunder GM Sam Presti shared his thoughts on an extension for James Harden, as we noted earlier today.
Leandro Barbosa Talking To Suns, Nets, Lakers
8:17pm: Howard Beck of the New York Times hears that the Nets are unlikely to sign Barbosa, given their depth at both guard spots (Twitter links).
6:19pm: Leandro Barbosa is one of the most prominent free agents still on the market, and the Brazilian guard recently told Fábio Balassiano of UOL Esporte that he's in talks with the Suns, Nets and Lakers (Portuguese link; translation via HoopsHype). Barbosa added that former Suns teammate Steve Nash has been sending text messages his way to try to recruit him to L.A.
The Lakers were close to signing him during the Olympics, but the team's deal with Jodie Meeks caused them to back off, Barbosa said. It's hard to put too much weight on comments he made in another language, but Barbosa appeared to indicate he's willing to take the minimum salary from the Lakers or another contending club. The Lakers still have $1.59MM of their taxpayer's mid-level exception remaining after using $1.5MM of it on Meeks, which is a little more than the $1.229MM that Barbosa, as a nine-year veteran, would receive at the minimum-salary level.
The Nets probably fit the profile of a contending club as well. They could offer the biannual exception of $1.957MM, but that would cause them to be hard-capped this season, something they've sought to avoid. The Suns still have more than $8MM in cap space, so they could simply overwhelm the other clubs with the amount of money in their offer if they chose to do so.
Barbosa said in the report that he would go back to Brazil if he can't find a deal in the NBA, but that seems unlikely. Hoops Rumors readers tabbed Barbosa as the best remaining free agent by a wide margin a few days ago.
New York Rumors: Brewer, Shumpert, Blatche
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork provides updates on a pair of Knicks recovering from left knee surgery who attended a Wall Street fundraiser today in remembrance of the September 11th attacks. Ronnie Brewer says he'll be back by opening night from surgery to correct a medial meniscus tear, while Iman Shumpert, who tore his ACL in the playoffs, won't be back until December at the earliest. The Knicks, finalized four signings today, appear to have plenty of options in the meantime, and we've got more on them and their crosstown rivals here:
- The four players the Knicks signed, along with Chris Smith, are all likely to wind up with the team's D-League affiliate, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com says (Twitter link). The team is still combing the free agent market for someone to fill their 15th roster spot in the regular season, and it's likely to be a big man, according to Zwerling. A report last week said the Knicks were considering Sean Williams, though Zwerling says there's nothing new on that front.
- Andray Blatche and Josh Childress are on non-guaranteed deals, but they're both expected to make the Nets, reports Howard Beck of The New York Times. That would bring Brooklyn's roster to the 15-player limit, but they'll likely sign more players for training camp, Beck adds, since teams can carry up to 20 in the preseason.
- Former Nets small forward Damion James and the Hawks agreed to terms today, but was gracious in his exit from Brooklyn, thanking the Nets and their fans via Twitter (hat tip to Ben Couch).
Van Gundy On Howard, Magic, Press Conference
On a Grantland.com podcast with Dan LeBatard and Jon Sciambi, Stan Van Gundy opened up about his tumultuous final season as coach of the Magic, and in particular addressed the awkward April 5th press conference in which an unwitting Dwight Howard put his arm Van Gundy moments after the coach told reporters Howard wanted him fired. In the podcast, Van Gundy praised Howard's effort to play despite his injured back before he was finally shut down last season. He said the press conference put Howard in a tough spot, but said he hoped getting everything out in the open would bring speculation to an end and allow the story to run its course, a strategy that fell apart when the injury ended Howard's season. Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com provides a transcript of some of Van Gundy's notable comments from the podcast, and we'll hit a few highlights here:
On his thoughts as the press conference took place:
"It was already a big deal before he put his arm around me. You knew the question was coming, so I had time to prepare for it. It's not like it came out of the blue [and] I just [answered] off the top of my head … I gave some thought to whether I was going to answer this honestly, or no comment or just lie. I thought it through, but I knew it would be a big deal. I didn't really know what happened with Dwight and I would become a bigger deal."
On his response to the question, "Does Dwight want you fired?"
"That in particular was calculated. What you're calculating is not what the media response is going to be or anything else. You're making your decision on what my team needs. I didn't break a story there. That story had been out all year. All I did, basically, was confirm it, get it done hopefully, and try in our locker room to get rid of the BS. Saying, look, 'I know what's going on. I'm not afraid of what's going on. We're going to go play basketball now and get it done.' That's what the calculation came down to."
On the Magic front office's reaction to Howard wanting him out:
"I knew the best approach was our management needed to resolve the situation one way or another. Fire me, extend me, or make some sort of statement. Our management chose not to do that. My choice then became, are we going to just let this go on? … Or are we at least going to bring some closure to it?"
On Howard:
"I don't have a problem with Dwight in the situation. He was given a forum by management to express his opinions. They decided to do that and he did it. I just had to deal with it as a coach, that's all. He's entitled to his opinion and management asked him what he thought at some point. Dwight always played hard."
On the rest of the team's reaction following the press conference:
"You could poll everybody. I think it actually played out the way I would have wanted it, with everyone. Dwight was obviously pissed off about it. The rest of them, I thought it played out the way everybody wanted it to… I think they got a respect. I think they had respect for me, anyway, but I think they got a respect of, basically, he doesn't give a damn. Dwight wants him out of here. He knows it, number one. He's not in the dark wondering what's going on. He's not naive, he knows what's going on. He wants to just stay focused."
Latest On Raja Bell, Jazz Buyout
Since a report July 9th that Raja Bell had agreed to a buyout with the Jazz, negotiations hit a snag and the two sides still haven't finalized any parting of ways. Buyout discussions are continuing, Bell's agent Herb Rudoy recently told Shams Charania of RealGM.com, saying that reports that his client had rejected a proposal from the team are untrue.
Bell is set to make $3.48MM in the last year of a three-year contract this season, but he has clashed with Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin, whom he referred to as "unprofessional." Bell requested a trade back in May. Though he started 33 of the 34 contests in which he appeared, the veteran shooting guard saw just 23.4 minutes per game this past season, his fewest since 2002/03. He put up 6.4 points and 1.1 assists per game, also his lowest numbers since 2002/03.
We heard in July that six other teams were interested in Bell, who turns 36 next week, but most of those clubs have probably moved on since then. It's unlikely he'd make nearly as much as he would in the final season of his contract with the Jazz, so it behooves Bell to get as much out of the buyout as he can. He expressed his admiration for former GM Kevin O'Connor earlier this summer, but O'Connor has since been promoted to executive vice president of basketball operations, with Dennis Lindsey taking his place as GM. Rudoy's comments to Charania indicate that Lindsey is now the person negotiating the buyout for the Jazz.
Which New Executive Has Done The Best Job?
Today we detailed the significant moves that a half-dozen new NBA executives made in their first summer on the job. It's been an offseason of change for NBA front offices, as seven clubs have replaced the man in charge of player personnel since the end of the regular season. We haven't had much of a chance to evaluate Dennis Lindsey, who became Jazz GM just over a month ago, but all the other new hires have already made several significant decisions. That includes Gary Sacks, who didn't formally take over as Clippers GM until this week, but was part of a three-man committee with team president Andy Roeser and coach Vinny Del Negro starting in June.
Vote below to let us know which executive you think is off to the best start.
Which New Executive Has Done The Best Job?
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Danny Ferry, Hawks 37% (158)
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Gary Sacks (with Andy Roeser and Vinny Del Negro), Clippers 22% (94)
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Bob Myers, Warriors 15% (65)
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Donnie Walsh, Pacers 15% (64)
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Neil Olshey, Blazers 6% (26)
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Rob Hennigan, Magic 6% (25)
Total votes: 432
Odds & Ends: Shaq, Howard, Gladness, Harrellson
Shaquille O'Neal, speaking with Rachel Whittaker of The Times-Picayune, refuted reports that he would play a couple of games for a team in the Mexican league next month while still leaving the door open for such a cameo to take place, saying "we could talk, but nobody has contacted me." While the future Hall of Famer ponders a cameo south of the border, he said he's had little time to consider the implications of Dwight Howard with the Lakers. Shaq is "flattered" that D12 followed his footsteps from the Magic to the L.A., but he said, "I don't have a reaction. You have to care to have a reaction. I've got businesses to run. I always tell people that in order to step in my shoes you have big shoes to fill. For him, he's going to have to at least win three to get people's respect."
Here's more news from around the Association:
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside takes a close look at Mickell Gladness, who returned to the Heat on Friday with a non-guaranteed contract.
- Despite the additions of Gladness and Jarvis Varnado, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says the Heat are still thinking of signing Josh Harrellson, who worked out for the team last month and is expected to take part in a Heat "pre camp" the next couple of weeks with other free agents looking to earn an invitation the club's formal training camp.
- Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio says that he's targeting December for his return from knee surgery, Sergio Vera of the Spanish website Sport.es reports (translation via Joan Niesen of FoxSportsNorth.com). Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune adds a word of caution, noting that Rubio hasn't yet been cleared to run (Twitter link).
- Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com breaks down Hakeem Olajuwon's recent comments to Yannis Koutroupis and Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld, and disagrees with the Hall of Famer, arguing that elite talent doesn't need to be more evenly distributed throughout the league.
Washburn On Grant Hill, Ben Wallace, Yi Jianlian
Grant Hill is telling new Clippers teammate Blake Griffin not to rush back from the medial meniscus tear he suffered in his knee over the summer, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Hill reflected on the surgeries that threatened his life and career, and said he'll spread the knowledge he's gained about preserving his body to his new teammates. “Blake’s a great kid, and I said, ‘Look man, take your time. If I learned anything, take your time,’ ” said Hill, who turns 40 on October 5th. “He wants to get back so fast. “I said, ‘I need you in June, I don’t need you in October.’ So he’s a great kid and got a great career ahead of him, and hopefully I can share a little about the highs and the lows and the things that I’ve gone though.’’
Washburn has more on Hill, and toward the end of his lengthy piece that rounds up news from the last week or so, he has a couple of noteworthy tidbits:
- Hill compared the Clippers' rivalry with the Lakers to the dynamic between Duke and North Carolina, and marveled at his own longevity. “To be turning 40 and having teams that are contenders trying to get me to play for them, it is humbling," he said. "It’s a great feeling and I’m glad that I am blessed and fortunate to continue to do it.”
- Washburn says Ben Wallace is looking for a new deal, but if he gets one, it's unlikely to come from the Pistons. Wallace has been waffling about his retirement this summer, and if he returns, it's been widely assumed he would do so with Detroit.
- Scouts were "spooked" by Yi Jianlian's up-and-down performance for China in the Olympics, Washburn hears. They believe the 7'0" free agent lacks a true position and isn't tough enough to play in the paint.
How New Front Office Executives Have Fared
The front office carousel has been spinning quickly since the end of the regular season, as seven teams have come up with someone new in charge of player personnel. The Pacers, Clippers, Magic, Trail Blazers, Hawks, Warriors and Jazz have all undergone front-office reshufflings, and the Sixers appear poised to do so as well. There could have been even more movement. The Knicks removed the interim tag from GM Glen Grunwald's title, while the Wizards ended doubts that Ernie Grunfeld would return by extending his contract. There were rumors that the Bucks could make a change, with GM John Hammond a candidate for Portland's opening, and a report cited Kings GM Geoff Petrie was also in the running for the Blazers job.
With the offseason nearing its completion, here's a look at what each new front office executive has done this summer. We'll leave out Dennis Lindsey of the Jazz, who took over the GM role from Kevin O'Connor just a month ago, after most of the player movement had already taken place.
- Pacers: Donnie Walsh replaced Larry Bird as president of basketball operations on June 27th, the same day Kevin Pritchard took over as GM for David Morway. The Walsh-Pritchard team, with Walsh having the final say, was able to keep a couple of the cornerstones of the team built by the previous regime, re-signing restricted free agents Roy Hibbert to a maximum contract and George Hill for five years and $40MM. Both deals were finalized on July 13th. The most significant changes new management undertook were the signing of Gerald Green to a three-year, $10.5MM deal and the trade of Darren Collison for Ian Mahinmi, who got a new four-year, $16MM contract.
- Clippers: GM Neil Olshey agreed to stay on with the team on June 1st, but abruptly reversed course and bolted for Portland three days later. That left team president Andy Roeser, coach Vinny Del Negro and director of player personnel Gary Sacks to jointly run the team's basketball operations in his stead. The team promoted Sacks to vice president of basketball operations exactly three months later, putting him solely in charge. The triumvirate of Roeser, Del Negro and Sacks had a busy summer, beginning June 29th with the acquisition of Lamar Odom in a four-team trade that sent away Mo Williams. They gave Blake Griffin a five-year maximum contract extension on July 11th. They inked Jamal Crawford the same day, and re-signed Chauncey Billups on the 13th. The team amnestied Ryan Gomes on July 17th, the day before Grant Hill came aboard.
- Magic: Orlando parted ways with Otis Smith on May 21st and hired Rob Hennigan as his replacement on June 20th. Hennigan oversaw the biggest move of the summer, pulling off the Dwight Howard blockbuster on August 10th, giving the team cap room and draft picks in the future. Hennigan also sent Ryan Anderson away to the Hornets in a sign-and-trade on July 11th, but made a long-term commitment to one veteran holdover, signing Jameer Nelson on July 16th to a three-year, $25.2MM contract. The new GM also inherited a coaching vacancy, and filled it with Jacque Vaughn on July 30th.
- Blazers: Olshey jumped from the Clippers on June 4th, replacing interim GM Chad Buchanan. The June 28th draft was his first major test, and Olshey spent the Blazers' pair of lottery picks on Damian Lillard, who went sixth overall, and Meyers Leonard, the 11th overall selection. Restricted free agent Roy Hibbert agreed to sign a maximum-salary offer sheet on July 1st, but when it became clear the Pacers would match, the deal fell through, and the signing never took place. Olshey signed one of his own big men instead, inking J.J. Hickson on July 13th to a one-year, $4MM deal, several days after failing to tender Hickson a qualifying offer of approximately the same value, thus making him an unrestricted free agent. The Blazers did make a qualifying offer to Nicolas Batum, but still had more trouble retaining him than they had with Hickson, getting in a bitter tug-of-war with the Timberwolves until July 20th, when they finally matched the four-year, $46.122MM offer sheet Batum signed with Minnesota. Olshey also sent Raymond Felton packing on July 16th in a sign-and-trade with the Knicks.
- Hawks: Danny Ferry became president of basketball operations and GM for the Hawks on June 25th, replacing former GM Rick Sund. It didn't take Ferry long to make his mark, as he agreed to trade Joe Johnson to the Nets on July 2nd, the same day he OK'd a swap of Marvin Williams for Devin Harris with the Jazz. Both moves were finalized on July 11th, and they gave the Hawks cap space and flexibility for the future. With an eye toward the present, Ferry used the mid-level exception to sign Lou Williams to a three-year, $15.675MM contract on July 12th, and traded for Kyle Korver on July 16th.
- Warriors: The team promoted assistant GM Bob Myers to GM on April 24th, replacing Larry Riley, who was reassigned as Golden State's director of scouting. He addressed the team's need for a new starting small forward through the draft, taking Harrison Barnes with the seventh overall pick, and spent free agency tinkering with the bench. He finalized a three-way trade on July 11th that brought in backup guard Jarrett Jack from the Hornets and sent Dorell Wright, the incumbent starter at the three, to the Sixers. Myers added more depth on August 1st, the day he finalized identical two-year, $8MM deals for Carl Landry and Brandon Rush.
Andre Iguodala On Trade, George Karl, Andre Miller
Andre Iguodala spoke at length about his Olympic experience to Ryan Mahan of The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Illinois, where Iguodala was born and raised. The Nuggets swingman talked about finding his role on a star-studded Team USA and what it was like to win the gold medal, but his comments to the newspaper about the blockbuster trade that sent him to Denver were perhaps most significant. Iguodala's initial reaction to the deal seemed to indicate he wasn't pleased with the thought of playing for the Nuggets, but at his introductory press conference, he hinted that he'd like to stay in Denver long-term. Here's the latest from the former Sixer:
On finding out about the trade, which went down two days before the gold medal game:
“I heard some rumors the day before. I’ve been in a lot trade rumors in the past so that didn’t faze me. When the trigger was pulled, at that time, it kind of caught me off guard. I wasn’t shocked, but it caught me off guard because the timing was weird, you know, I’m trying to focus on Team USA and trying to help those guys win any way possible.’’
On fitting in with the Nuggets:
“I think I have a really great coach in George Karl. I think he’s one of the best coaches in the NBA right now. And I played with Andre Miller before and I had my best years with him. I’m looking forward to that situation and helping the team get further than they’ve ever been before."
About Denver's playing style:
“We’ll score a lot of points. We’ll have home-court advantage, and that will be great. It’s going to be really exciting. We’ll jet up and down the court, (having) pass-first point guards, and the way they pass it to the wings.”