Knicks Rumors: Isiah, Camby, Giddens
Knicks owner James Dolan would like to have former coach and executive Isiah Thomas formally rejoin the organization in some capacity, but Thomas is reluctant come back, reports Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Thomas might fear media backlash if he is rehired, and he has lingering resentment of some MSG executives from his previous tenure with the team, Isola writes. Thomas, who was college teammates with GM Glen Grunwald and coach Mike Woodson, is serving as an unofficial adviser to the team, according to Isola's report, and an eventual return in a official capacity seems likely. Here's more from the Big Apple:
- We passed along an item about Marcus Camby's enthusiasm for the Knicks roster last night, and in the piece Keldy Ortiz wrote for Newsday, Camby also talked about how close he came to signing with the Heat. Camby said it was a phone call from former teammate and current Knicks assistant GM Allan Houston that persuaded him to come to New York. "I knew that it would have been very hard for me to put on that Miami Heat uniform, especially all the battles we used to have back in the days with Houston and those guys," Camby said. "I'm happy things worked out."
- Camby also spoke about reuniting with some of his old Nuggets and Blazers teammates who are now with him on the Knicks, and adjusting to a bench role after starting for so long, as Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post writes.
- Former Knicks guard J.R. Giddens, who the Celtics took with the final pick of the first round in the 2008 draft, could be headed to the Italian league to play for Centrale del Latte Brescia, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Who Is The Best Remaining Free Agent?
There are several serviceable NBA players who remain on the free agent market with just weeks to go before training camp begins. Most of them are trying to pry more than the minimum salary from teams with limited cap space and exceptions remaining. Who do you think is the best free agent yet to sign?
Perhaps it's Alonzo Gee, a restricted free agent who seems destined to return to the Cavs. Leandro Barbosa, a double-figure scorer six of the last seven seasons, is an intriguing candidate. It could also be veteran swingman Mickael Pietrus, who has averaged double-figure points only once in his nine-year career but has consistently been a part of the rotation for playoff teams. Kenyon Martin is a season and a half removed from being a fixture in the Nuggets starting lineup, and helped the Clippers to the playoffs last year. Maybe it's Derek Fisher, who possesses five championship rings and more postseason experience than any remaining free agent. Mehmet Okur has a rare combination of size, at 6'11", and an outside shooting touch. Matt Barnes could shore up a team's perimeter defense on the second unit. Maybe it's someone else.
In any case, let us know who you think is best, and feel free to look over our comprehensive list of free agents before you cast your vote.
Who Is The Best Remaining Free Agent?
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Leandro Barbosa 43% (300)
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Kenyon Martin 13% (93)
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Mickael Pietrus 12% (82)
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Alonzo Gee 11% (75)
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Derek Fisher 7% (52)
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Matt Barnes 5% (37)
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Mehmet Okur 5% (35)
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Someone Else 4% (25)
Total votes: 699
Remaining Preps-To-Pros Players In The NBA
The 2005 draft was the last to feature players jumping directly from high school to the NBA, and as time goes by, there are fewer of those players remaining in the league. The NBA, since 2006, has required high schoolers to wait at least a year after their class graduates before entering the draft, sending would-be draftees to the college ranks and a few, like Brandon Jennings, to professional leagues oversees.
There are still about two dozen players currently on NBA rosters who had no college or international experience prior to being drafted. That contingent includes the man who started a decade-long influx of high school players, Kevin Garnett, the fifth overall pick out of Farragut Career Academy in 1995. Most of these players are doing well financially, though the list obviously doesn't include those who washed out of the league early in their careers. All the remaining preps-to-pros are listed by team below, along with the draft statuses and their 2012/13 salaries in parentheses.
Bobcats
DeSagana Diop, drafted eighth overall in 2001 ($7.372MM)
Bucks
Monta Ellis, drafted 40th overall in 2005 ($11MM)
Cavaliers
C.J. Miles, drafted 34th overall in 2005 ($2.225MM)
Celtics
Kevin Garnett, drafted fifth overall in 1995 ($11.566MM)
Hawks
Josh Smith, drafted 17th overall in 2004 ($13.2MM)
DeShawn Stevenson, drafted 23rd overall in 2000 ($2.240MM)
Lou Williams, drafted 45th overall in 2005 ($5MM)
Heat
LeBron James, drafted first overall in 2003 ($17.545MM)
Rashard Lewis, drafted 32nd overall in 1998 ($1.352MM)
Jazz
Al Jefferson, drafted 15th overall in 2004 ($15MM)
Kings
Travis Outlaw, drafted 23rd overall in 2003 ($3MM)
Lakers
Kobe Bryant, drafted 13th overall in 1996 ($27.849MM)
Dwight Howard, drafted first overall in 2004 ($19.536MM)
Magic
Al Harrington, drafted 25th overall in 1998 ($6.687MM)
Knicks
Tyson Chandler, drafted second overall in 2001 ($13.604MM)
Pacers
Gerald Green, drafted 18th overall in 2005 ($3.5MM)
Raptors
Amir Johnson, drafted 56th overall in 2005 ($6.05MM)
Rockets
Shaun Livingston, drafted fourth overall in 2004 ($3.5MM)
Sixers
Andrew Bynum, drafted 10th overall in 2005 ($16.889MM)
Kwame Brown, drafted first overall in 2001 ($2.819MM)
Dorell Wright, drafted 19th overall in 2004 ($4.106MM)
Suns
Jermaine O'Neal, drafted 17th overall in 1996 ($1.352MM)
Sebastian Telfair, drafted 13th overall in 2004 ($1.568MM)
Thunder
Kendrick Perkins, drafted 27th overall in 2003 ($8.301MM)
Wizards
Martell Webster, drafted sixth overall in 2005 ($1.75MM)
Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.
International Notes: Ubiles, Ayon, Pistons
Many overseas leagues start earlier than the NBA does, so the international tipoff of the 2012/13 season is drawing near. That means plenty of player movement, so we'll round up the day's news from around the world here:
- The French club Cholet announced that it has signed former Wizards guard Edwin Ubiles, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando notes. Ubiles was with Washington briefly on a 10-day contract last year, but spent most of 2011/12 with the D-League's Dakota Wizards, averaging 19.6 points per game and winning the D-League Rookie of the Year award.
- Gustavo Ayon has a guaranteed contract with the Magic this season, and his deal includes another non-guaranteed season next year. Still, as he tells Marca.com (Spanish link), the 27-year-old big man won't rule out a return at some point to the Spanish league, where he played before his NBA debut last season.
- Brian Manzullo of the Detroit Free Press provides an update on Slava Kravtsov and Jonas Jerebko of the Pistons, both of whom are participating in the Eurobasket 2013 qualifying tournament. Earlier today we passed along a piece from David Mayo of MLive.com, who identified Kravtsov, a 6'11" Ukrainian big man who signed with Detroit for three years and $4.5MM this summer, as a gamble.
Rockets To Sign Scott Machado
SATURDAY, 11:36am: The contract is structured as a two-year deal with a team option in year three, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.
TUESDAY, 6:58pm: The Rockets will sign undrafted point guard Scott Machado, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Machado was a part of Houston's summer league team in Las Vegas after going undrafted out of Iona this June. The deal will be partially guaranteed and cover three years, and probably won't be for much more than the minimum.
Machado will join a crowded Rockets roster that will include 20 players once the signing becomes official, which most likely will take place on Thursday, Feigen says. The team waived Sean Williams last week, but Houston will have to make more moves before the regular season starts to get down to the 15-player limit. Since Machado's contract includes at least a partial guarantee, he's unlikely to be waived, and by rule he can't be traded until December 15th. He'll compete with Courtney Fortson, Toney Douglas and Shaun Livingston for minutes behind starting point guard Jeremy Lin.
Machado averaged 13.6 points and 9.9 assists for Iona this year, beating out Kendall Marshall's average of 9.7 to lead the nation in assists per game. In five summer league contests for the Rockets, he notched 8.0 PPG and 5.6 PPG, including 20 points in one game and 10 assists in another. Last week, a report indicated he was drawing overseas interest, but it looks like Machado will remain stateside for 2012/13.
Which Second Round Pick Will Break Out?
Last night we asked you which 2012 first round pick who fell out of the lottery would contribute this season, and earlier tonight we went over the contract status for all 30 of the second round picks. There always seems to be a steal from late in the draft, and last year was no exception, with Isaiah Thomas and Lavoy Allen becoming important parts of their teams. So, let us know which 2012 second-rounder has the best chance to emerge as a productive player either this year or down the road.
Choose from any of the second round picks who've signed with their NBA team so far. If you think the gem of this draft class is overseas or still awaiting a contract, choose the option at the bottom.
Which Second Round Pick Will Break Out?
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Jae Crowder, Mavs 14% (141)
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Draymond Green, Warriors 13% (131)
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Doron Lamb, Bucks 12% (124)
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Quincy Acy, Raptors 11% (106)
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Tyshawn Taylor, Nets 8% (83)
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Will Barton, Trail Blazers 8% (78)
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Kris Joseph, Celtics 8% (78)
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Jeff Taylor, Bobcats 6% (60)
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Kyle O'Quinn, Magic 5% (51)
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Kim English, Pistons 4% (38)
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Someone Who Hasn't Signed Yet 4% (36)
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Darius Miller, Hornets 2% (22)
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Orlando Johnson, Pacers 2% (21)
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Tornike Shengelia, Nets 2% (17)
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Bernard James, Mavs 1% (14)
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Khris Middleton, Pistons 1% (9)
Total votes: 1,009
Free Agents With The Most Playoff Experience
At this point in NBA free agency, intangibles can go a long way toward determining who gets one of the final available spots. Playoff experience is a commodity, and several players remaining on the market possess a wealth of it, led by Derek Fisher and his five NBA championship rings. He's played in 229 playoff games, more than any other current free agent.
We've broken down the top five free agents at each position with the most playoff experience, and ranked them by the number of career postseason games played. If a player has won at least one championship, we've noted that here as well.
Point Guards
Derek Fisher: 229 — NBA champion in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010
Mike Bibby: 105
Baron Davis: 50
Jannero Pargo: 40
Anthony Carter: 39
Shooting Guards
Leandro Barbosa: 75
Eddie House: 66 — NBA champion in 2008
Marquis Daniels: 62
Maurice Evans: 56
Larry Hughes: 49
Small Forwards
Mickael Pietrus: 69
Josh Howard: 66
James Posey: 65 — NBA champion in 2006, 2008
Matt Barnes: 46
Tracy McGrady: 44
Power Forwards
Kenyon Martin: 100
Juwan Howard: 49 — NBA champion in 2012
Chris Andersen: 31
Brian Cook: 31
Louis Amundson: 29
Centers
Ben Wallace: 130 — NBA champion in 2004
Mehmet Okur: 71 — NBA champion in 2004
Tony Battie: 56
Jamaal Magloire: 46
Francisco Elson: 30 — NBA champion in 2007
Update On 2012 Second-Rounders
Training camps open in just a few weeks, and while all 30 first-round picks have been signed, the same is not the case for this year's second-rounders. It's common practice for teams to allow players from overseas to continue playing international ball for years after they're drafted, while most others at least earn a shot in training camp. Some have already signed deals with at least a partial guarantee, and while there's no rookie scale as there is with first-rounders, the contracts follow a similar pattern. They're usually either for the minimum or slightly more in the first year, followed by a second or third non-guaranteed season at the minimum.
Here's an update on each of this year's second-round picks, in the order in which they were drafted:
- Charlotte Bobcats: Jeff Taylor (SF, Vanderbilt) — Signed for three years, $2.279MM. The third year is not guaranteed.
- Washington Wizards: Tomas Satoransky (SG, Czech Republic) — Remains unsigned. He's likely to play overseas this year, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post reported in July.
- Dallas Mavericks: Bernard James (C, Florida St.) — Signed for two years at the minimum salary. The second year is not guaranteed.
- Dallas Mavericks: Jae Crowder (SF, Marquette) — Signed for three years, $2.305MM. The third year is a team option.
- Golden State Warriors: Draymond Green (SF, Michigan St.) — Signed for three years, $2.641MM. The third year is a team option partially guaranteed for $250K.
- Indiana Pacers: Orlando Johnson (SG, UC Santa Barbara) — Signed for three years, $2.254MM. The third year is not guaranteed.
- Toronto Raptors: Quincy Acy (SF, Baylor) — Signed for three years, $2.369MM. The third year is not guaranteed.
- Denver Nuggets: Quincy Miller (SF, Baylor) — Remains unsigned. Averaged 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for Denver's summer league team. Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri indicated earlier this summer he'd have a hard time beating out Jordan Hamilton in the depth chart, so it seems unlikely he'll be on Denver's roster this year.
- Detroit Pistons: Khris Middleton (SF, Texas A&M) — Signed for three years at the minimum. The third year is not guaranteed.
- Portland Trail Blazers: Will Barton (SG, Memphis) — Signed for three years, $2.254MM. The third year is not guaranteed.
- Brooklyn Nets: Tyshawn Taylor (PG, Kansas) — Signed for two years at the minimum.
- Milwaukee Bucks: Doron Lamb (SG, Kentucky) — Signed for three years, $2.354MM. The third year is not guaranteed.
- Atlanta Hawks: Mike Scott (PF, Virginia) — Remains unsigned. Averaged 10.0 PPG and 6.8 RPG for Atlanta's summer league team.
- Detroit Pistons: Kim English (SG, Missouri) — Signed for two years at the minimum. The second year is not guaranteed.
- Miami Heat: Justin Hamilton (C, LSU) — Signed with Cibona Zagreb in Croatia.
- New Orleans Hornets: Darius Miller (SF, Kentucky) — Signed for two years at the minimum. The second year is not guaranteed.
- Utah Jazz: Kevin Murphy (SF, Tennessee Tech) — The Jazz and Murphy were making progress in contract talks as of last month, and the team was hopeful to have him in camp, Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
- New York Knicks: Kostas Papanikolaou (SF, Greece) — Rights traded to the Blazers in July as part of the Raymond Felton sign-and-trade deal. A report by Sorush Kavoosian of Sportando indicates he'll play with Olympiacos Piraeus in Greece.
- Orlando Magic: Kyle O'Quinn (C, Norfolk St.) — Signed for three years, $2.493MM. The second and third years are not guaranteed.
- Denver Nuggets: Izzet Turkyilmaz (C, Turkey) — Remains unsigned. Likely headed overseas, and a report by Can Pelister of Sportando indicates he'll play for Banvit in Turkey next season.
- Boston Celtics: Kris Joseph (SF, Syracuse) — Signed for two years at the minimum. Neither year is guaranteed.
- Golden State Warriors: Ognjen Kuzmic (C, Bosnia) — A report, via Sportando, notes that he'll play with FIATC Joventut Badalona of Spain, on loan from Unicaja Malaga, another Spanish club. Warriors GM Bob Myers said in July he expects Kuzmic to play overseas this season.
- Los Angeles Clippers: Furkan Aldemir (PF, Turkey) — Rights traded the day after the draft to the Rockets in the four-team swap that sent Lamar Odom to the Clippers. Aldemir signed a four-year deal with Galatasaray Medical Park in Turkey last year, and Can Pelister of Sportando lists him on the Galatasaray roster for this season.
- Brooklyn Nets: Tornike Shengelia (SF, Georgia) — Signed with the Nets, though contract details remain unconfirmed. It appears to be a two-year deal, likely for the minimum.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Darius Johnson-Odom (SF, Marquette) — Remains unsigned. Averaged 3.8 points and 3.4 rebounds for L.A.'s summer league team.
- Toronto Raptors: Tomislav Zubcic (SF, Croatia) — Zubcic is in the middle of a deal with KK Cibona in Croatia that runs through 2014.
- Brooklyn Nets: Ilkan Karaman (PF, Turkey) — Signed with Fenerbache Ulker Istanbul in Turkey.
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Robbie Hummel (SF, Purdue) — Signed with Obradoiro in Spain.
- San Antonio Spurs: Marcus Denmon (SG, Missouri) — Signed with Elan Chalon in France.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Robert Sacre (C, Gonzaga) — Remains unsigned. Averaged 9.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG for L.A's summer league team, and has reportedly made a favorable impression on owner Jerry Buss.
Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.
Avery Johnson On Mavs, Deron Williams, Brooklyn
Nets coach Avery Johnson was direct in his assessment of the Mavs' retooling following their championship a little more than a year ago, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. The former Mavs coach and player said simply, "It had to happen." The Mavs' retooling would have taken on quite a different look had Deron Williams signed with Dallas instead of returning to the Nets, but Johnson is glad to have kept his star point guard, as his more expansive comments about the Nets indicate. Johnson was in Fort Worth, Texas, today to deliver a motivational speech to area high schoolers, and when not at the podium, he spoke about the Williams re-signing and the other flashy moves the Nets have made in advance of their Brooklyn debut.
On his feelings before Williams spurned the Mavs and re-upped with the Nets:
“We were never over-confident. (GM) Billy King and I, we felt we were going to be able to re-sign Deron. We felt it was 80 or 90 percent. But it was that 10 percent that you worry about. That was the whole key. I’m glad that’s all behind us.’’
About the importance of the Williams signing:
“Deron was a big key to the whole puzzle. To be able to acquire some other talent through free agency or trades or re-signing some of our own guys, it’s pretty exciting for us. We’re not there yet. We’re not a championship team. We got a lot of work to do. But at the same time, we have a much better talent pool than we’ve had the last two years."
On the move from New Jersey to Brooklyn:
“We’ve been planning this for two years. We’ve always had our eyes on Brooklyn. We pretty much played the last two years all road games because we didn’t have any type of home court advantage because we were in a temporary building. Now to be at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn with sellouts every night, and our roster has been significantly upgraded, it’s exciting.’’
About the new roster and his plans for it:
“We’re much more versatile than we’ve ever been. Right now, we look good on paper. Now we got to take it from looking good on paper and apply the work to go (forward).’’
Heat Notes: Wade, Spoelstra, Allen, Point Guards
One of the reasons the Ray Allen signing was such a coup for the Heat is concern about Dwyane Wade's left knee, which required arthroscopic surgery July 9th and forced him out of the Olympics. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel rounded up Wade's comments about his recovery as he makes the rounds to promote his book, "A Father First: How my life became bigger than basketball." Winderman also has a few more tidbits from the defending champs today, and we'll pass them along here:
- Wade was optimistic during his appearance on "The View," saying, "I'm doing great. I'm ahead of schedule. The knee's OK, so I'm ahead of schedule," as Winderman notes. Wade was more cautious in his remarks to a Houston radio station, and indicated it could be a while before he's 100%. "That's my goal, to be full strength," Wade said. "Obviously, coming off surgery, even in the beginning of the year, [the goal is] to continue to work your way into things and hopeful hit your stride some point midseason, where you feel your best."
- Coach Erik Spoelstra, who turned up the tempo last season, spoke on WQAM's Jorge Sedano Show today and said he'll try to get the team to play even faster this year, as Winderman notes. Spoelstra also shared his excitement about adding Allen to the mix. "He's a Hall of Fame-type catch-and-shoot player," the coach said. "We haven't had that element before in our offense. So it's been a lot of fun, trying to X-and-O and come up with new ways to get him open. I don't want to overthink it. I don't want to totally change what we do, but that's a great element to have, that type of weapon."
- In the same interview, Spoelstra also gave his take on the moves that the Lakers and other teams took to try to knock the Heat from the top of the mountain. "We knew this would be a big summer, one way or another, that there were a lot of teams out there with money, that had an opportunity to make big moves, and some teams did, some teams did improve," Spoelstra said. "The Lakers certainly did, and that's going to make it all the more fun."
- A third point guard would provide insurance in case either Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole misses any time this season, but the Heat seem willing to experiment with Terrel Harris in that role if the need arises, Winderman says in his mailbag column. Harris remains unsigned, but he's in talks with the Heat about a return.