Latest On Kings, Potential Move
SUNDAY, 10:15am: Mike Gruss of The Virginian-Pilot examines how five highly sought-after retail stores are an indicator of whether a market is likely to be suitable for the NBA. His research shows that the fewer Apple, Ikea, Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel and Brooks Brothers stores located in a market reflects an area less likely to be able to support an NBA franchise.
Simply put, these particular companies avoid areas where they believe consumers do not have enough money to spend at their stores. Gruss contends that if these stores won't come to a particular market due to financial concerns, then it is even less likely that a professional franchise would make such a move.
FRIDAY, 6:42pm: The Kings don't appear to be heading to Virginia Beach anytime soon, despite a local report last week that suggested otherwise. Still, an executive from another team told Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com that the general sentiment around the league is that chances are "more and more remote" that the Kings will remain in Sacramento (Twitter link). Howard-Cooper isn't sold on that idea, and says Sacramento may still win out in the end since the Maloof brothers, who own the Kings, face roadblocks between them and any new destination (Twitter link).
Josh Kerns of MyNorthwest.com yesterday passed along a report from Sacramento radio host Carmichael Dave that the Maloofs rejected a recent bid by investor Chris Hansen of upwards of $400MM to buy the Kings. Hansen, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been the primary force behind an effort to attract an NBA team and build a new arena in Seattle. Earlier this week Hansen purchased an $8MM piece of land in Seattle that he plans to use for the arena. That gives him all the land he's said he'd need for the project, according to Nick Eaton of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Howard-Cooper believes Anaheim, where the Kings almost moved in 2011, is still in play, and says the 20-year local TV deal between the Lakers and Time Warner Cable that kicks in for the Lakers this season could help Anaheim's case. Former Lakers broadcasters Fox Sports West and KCAL-TV could use the Kings as replacement programming (Twitter links).
Update On Overseas Players With NBA Ties
The Olympics naturally drew plenty of attention this summer, but there's another international competition going on that includes NBA players, as well as pros from overseas whose draft rights are held by NBA teams. AJ Mitnick of SheridanHoops.com looks at the Eurobasket qualification tournament and ranks the top 25 players at the event. Marcin Gortat of the Suns is No. 1, but Mitnick shares some notable observations about others on the list. Here are a few:
- Cavs small forward Omri Casspi, entering the final year of his rookie deal, is the No. 3 player on the list, and Mitnick writes that he appears more comfortable with his body after struggling to adjust to the weight he added after his rookie year.
- The buyout for Bojan Bogdanovic, who checks in at No. 7, becomes more palatable next summer, meaning the Nets, who hold his rights, could bring him aboard then. If they do, they'll be getting a gifted perimeter scorer who could be equivalent to a lottery pick, opines Mitnick.
- Like Bogdanovic, Lior Eliyahu's buyout will be easier for the Wolves to handle next summer, too, but while he's No. 10 on the list, Mitnick says he has some defensive flaws, and sees him only as an effective bench player in the NBA.
- Milan Macvan, the 54th pick in 2011, could make the Cavs' roster right now, says Mitnick, who adds that he's been one of Europe's most improved big men over the past year. Ranked No. 12 on the list, he nonetheless lacks the mobility to play power forward and the length to play center.
- Mitnick thinks Tornike Shengelia, picked No. 54 this June and No. 14 on this list, could be a steal for the Nets, especially considering the NBA game suits his style more than European play.
- Vyacheslav Kravtsov, at No. 20, is raw, lacks a feel for the game and severely limited shooting range, but his length and timing as a shot blocker could help him contribute down the road for the Pistons, Mitnick says.
Spurs Hire Scott Layden As Assistant GM
The Spurs have brought Jazz assistant coach and former Knicks president and GM Scott Layden aboard as assistant GM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Layden also served as GM of the Jazz from 1992-99. Wojnarowski says the Spurs were also considering Gersson Rosas, vice president of player personnel for the Rockets.
One of Layden's tasks will be to administer the Spurs' scouting department. San Antonio has been renowned for its scouting over the years, finding hidden gems to help the franchise win four championships and annually compete at a high level. Dennis Lindsey, who left the post this summer to become GM of the Jazz, is the latest in a long line of Spurs assistant GMs who later became top executives with other clubs. Danny Ferry, Sam Presti and Dell Demps have all held the job in the past.
Layden helped the Jazz supplement Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone in the '90s, as Utah made back-to-back appearances in the Finals in 1997 and 1998. Layden had much less success with the Knicks from 1999 to 2003, as the team declined from perennial contender to lottery regular.
Notable Recent September Transactions
Teams will begin training camps at the end of the month, meaning there are only a few weeks left before offseason becomes preseason in the NBA. Traditionally, that's led to more player movement in September than in August, and some significant deals have gone down in Septembers past. That wasn't the case in 2011 because of the lockout, but here are some of the transactions from years past that can give you an idea of what to expect over the next 30 days.
2010
- September 30th: Joakim Noah agrees to a five-year, $60MM extension with the Bulls — Chicago ended an active offseason by locking up their young defensive stalwart at center long-term and keeping him from restricted free agency in 2011. The deal likely saved the Bulls quite a bit, considering Marc Gasol signed for four years and $57.5MM and DeAndre Jordan got four years and $43.04MM as restricted free agents last year.
- September 24th: Andray Blatche signs a five-year, $35.73MM extension with the Wizards — Career highs of 16.8 points and 8.2 rebounds seemed to justify the move in 2010/11, but last year's drastic regression to 8.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG led the Wizards to use the amnesty clause to waive Blatche this summer, less than halfway into the extension. Blatche seems likely to be a part of another September transaction this year, as he's drawing interest from a handful of teams, including the Nets, as we heard today.
2009
- September 22nd: Raymond Felton signs a one-year, $5.5MM qualifying offer from the Bobcats — Felton helped the Bobcats to the only playoff appearance in franchise history that year, but the team's inability to get him to sign long-term allowed him to bolt to the Knicks the following summer for a two-year, $14.56MM deal.
- September 4th: Ramon Sessions signs a four-year, $16.445MM offer sheet from the Timberwolves. The Bucks decline to match — His departure cleared the way for Brandon Jennings in Milwaukee, while the Timberwolves seemed to quickly develop buyer's remorse, shipping Sessions to the Cavs after just one season. The final year of the contract was a player option worth $4.552MM, though Sessions might regret his decision not to opt in and stay with the contending Lakers this summer, as he'll wind up making only slightly more money this season with the woeful Bobcats.
2008
- September 29th: Francisco Garcia signs a five-year, $29.6MM extension with the Kings — Sacramento shackled itself long-term to a player whose scoring, rebounding and assists-per-game averages have declined each season of the extension, which kicked in with the 2009/10 season. He's put up only 7.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 1.1 APG in 20.9 MPG over the life of the extension, which still has one more season left on it plus a $6.4MM team option that the Kings will almost certainly not exercise.
- September 22nd: Goran Dragic signs a four year, $7.616MM deal with the Suns — The Suns brought aboard the Slovenian point guard whose rights they had acquired from the Spurs after San Antonio took him 45th overall in the 2008 draft. Dragic quickly established himself as a solid backup to Steve Nash, and when the Suns withdrew their qualifying offer to Aaron Brooks this summer to clear the way for Dragic to return, they more or less acknowledged the mistake they made when they traded Dragic for Brooks in 2011.
Winderman On Heat, Blatche, Draft, Free Agents
The success of the small-ball lineup during the Heat's run through the playoffs last season has changed the organization's philosophy toward big men, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. They're still likely to add a big man to the roster before training camp, but they don't feel obligated to give heavy minutes to a traditional center. Instead, they'll look for post-up opportunities from others on the floor, as former All-Star center and current Heat front office executive Alonzo Mourning says. Winderman believes they can make up for not having a 7-footer close to the boards by gang rebounding and having LeBron James and Dwyane Wade rebound at better rates than you would expect at their positions. Here's the rest of Winderman's South Beach chronicles:
- While Andray Blatche may be reluctant to sign with the Heat, who wouldn't guarantee him the playing time he'd need to show whether he's improved from last season, Winderman believes the 6'11" former Wizards big man "certainly would make some sense" for Miami (Twitter link). We heard earlier today the Nets are meeting with Blatche this weekend, while the Heat, Spurs and Timberwolves have also been linked to him.
- The value of the first-round draft pick the Sixers owe the Heat took a hit when Philadelphia acquired Andrew Bynum, Winderman notes. The Sixers were barely a playoff team and drafted 15th this June, but if Bynum helps lift the Sixers' record higher this season, it could push the pick that goes to the Heat into the 20s. The Heat traded the 27th pick this June for the lottery-protected 2013 first-rounder, as well as the 45th pick this year, which Miami used to take Croatia-bound Justin Hamilton.
- Winderman is surprised that Matt Barnes, Kenyon Martin and Josh Childress remain on the market, and expects them to sign soon after Labor Day (Sulia link). Last night we heard Barnes is talking to multiple teams.
Harden On Extension, Thunder, Kobe, LeBron, KD
James Harden is in the midst of a remarkable few months. He reached his first NBA Finals in June, and won an Olympic gold medal a few weeks ago. Soon he'll have to decide whether to sign a long-term extension with the Thunder, but this week he's been in Spain promoting the NBA 3x Tour, a series of streetball and three-on-three events sponsored by Spanish bank and NBA partner BBVA. He spoke with Marca.com earlier about his desire to remain with the Thunder, and he reiterates those comments in a video posted on YouTube by basket4us.com (hat tip to Royce Young of DailyThunder.com). The narration is in Spanish, but all of Harden's comments are in English, and he had plenty to say about the Thunder, his game, and the preeminent stars of the league.
On whether he'll remain with the Thunder after this season:
"It's decisions, but I love the Thunder. I'm excited to be here. I think we've definitely grown a brotherhood, so hopefully I'll definitely want to be in Oklahoma."
On the appeal of the Thunder:
"We're young, and we're exciting. I think that's why everybody likes us a lot, because we're exciting and we get the job done. We've got to just keep doing it and win games."
On his continued development:
"I've got to improve. I improve every single year. That's my mindset. You've got to be better every single year, because there's some very good, talented guys in this league. This summer was a very good summer for me, and I've got to go into training camp improved and ready to go."
On Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant:
"I've been watching (Bryant) since I was young. I'm from L.A., so I've been growing up watching him. Obviously, LeBron is very versatile, basically can do a lot of things, but I've been watching Kobe since I was little. Obviously, Kevin is my favorite player as well. He's on my team."
Odds & Ends: Nuggets, Colangelo, Spurs, Celtics
The Nuggets participated in the biggest trade of the offseason, getting Andre Iguodala in the four-team swap that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers, and Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com speculates that GM Masai Ujiri might not be done dealing. Howard-Cooper, replying to a fan question on Twitter, says he thinks the team will look to move a wing player or a power forward to alleviate logjams at those positions, but cautions that Iguodala, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, each of whom is owed more than $30MM, are not likely trade candidates. Here's the rest of the news from the Association with less than a month to go before the start of training camp:
- Jerry Colangelo wants to remain as chairman of USA Basketball at least through the 2016 Olympics, USA Today reports. He's likely to receive formal approval to stay in early 2013, and says he's spoken to Mike Krzyzewski in hopes of luring him back as coach.
- Agent Keith Kreiter of Edge Sports says via Twitter that the Spurs will bring in Brian Butch and Warren Carter for workouts next week, while the Celtics will audition Darryl Partin (hat tip to Michael A. De Leon of Project Spurs). Butch, a former University of Wisconsin center, was in camp with the Hornets before last season, while Carter, a forward from Illinois, got a look from the Knicks in camp in 2009. Partin, a guard, went undrafted this June out of Boston University.
- A shoulder injury forced Channing Frye to miss the Suns' de facto postseason play-in game at the end of last season with the Jazz, and while he's been cleared for contact, he might not be ready in time for opening night, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports.
Players Who Signed After Missing 2011/12
The impression a player makes in the season before free agency is often of utmost importance, but NBA teams nonetheless handed out a total of $84.5MM this summer to seven NBA veterans who didn't play a single game in the league last year. That's less than the $119.192MM going to Brook Lopez and Eric Gordon, who combined to play in 14 games in 2011/12, but in their limited court time they at least showed glimpses of their star potential. Some players required teams to go back to 2010/11, or even farther, to see what they could do against NBA competition.
- Jeff Green, Celtics (four years, $36MM): Concerns about his health may have prompted a six-week delay in the official announcement of the signing, but the Celtics clearly have little doubt about Green's recovery from heart surgery and his ability to deliver on the promise that made him the fifth overall pick in 2007. It appeared the opposite was true when his aortic aneurysm was discovered in December, and the C's not only voided their one-year, $9MM pact with Green, but withdrew their qualifying offer to him as well, making him an unrestricted free agent. Remarkably, the Celtics wound up giving Green a contract that's four times as long at the same annual salary he would have made on the initial deal.
- Andrei Kirilenko, Timberwolves (two years, $20MM): The 10-year NBA veteran played in 2011/12, but he did so against European competition for CSKA Moscow. His numbers of 12.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game weren't eye-popping, but he won Euroleague MVP and Best Defender honors, and that was enough to convince Wolves GM David Kahn to bring him back stateside. After the two sides finalized the deal, Kirilenko averaged 17.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG to help lead Russia to the Olympic bronze medal.
- Brandon Roy, Timberwolves (two years, $10.4MM): It looked like chronic knee problems had cut short the career of the three-time All-Star when he retired last year, and the Blazers seemed convinced that was the case when they used the amnesty clause to waive him and remove the remaining $68.699MM of his contract from their books. Roy then began to drop hints about a comeback, and wound up making it happen with the Wolves. It's unclear just how his knees will handle the rigors of an 82-game season, but simply by returning to the court, he'll cost the Blazers $17MM they would have gotten on an insurance payout if he had been "permanently disabled."
- Aaron Brooks, Kings (two years, $6.6MM): One of a handful of players to sign in China during the lockout, Brooks never reached an agreement to return to the NBA with the Suns, who held exclusive negotiating rights with him through June. Phoenix extended a $2.97MM qualifying offer to Brooks for 2012/13, but pulled the offer when Goran Dragic came on board. Brooks fared somewhat better in unrestricted free agency, drawing a two-year, $6.6MM contract from the Kings. Brooks served mostly as a backup in 2010/11, but started all 82 games in 2009/10, averaging 19.6 PPG and 5.3 APG with a 16.0 PER, significantly better numbers than in any other season of his four-year NBA career.
- P.J. Tucker, Suns (two years, $1.646MM): No free agent signing from this summer has been out of the league longer than Tucker, who was drafted 35th overall in 2006 by the Raptors and disappeared after just 17 games in 2006/07. He signed a two-year minimum-salary deal that's partially guaranteed for this season, but it's worth less than half of what he could have made overseas.
- James White, Knicks (one year, $854K): White is another 2006 second-round draftee who inked a minimum-salary contract this summer. He played six games with the Spurs in 2006/07 and another four with the Rockets in 2008/09, but has otherwise been relegated to D-League and international ball.
Darius Songaila Could Return To NBA This Season
Wednesday we heard that eight-year NBA veteran Darius Songaila signed with the Ukrainian team BC Donetsk, but apparently that doesn't mean he won't play in the Association this year. He told Lina Motužytė of the Lithuanian website Irytas.lt (translation via LithuaniaBasketball.com) that his contract includes an out in case an opportunity to play in the NBA arises. It's unclear how much his deal is worth, but Motužytė reports that Songaila passed up more lucrative offers from elsewhere in Europe for the flexbility BC Donetsk offered.
“I don’t want to spend the whole year somewhere in Europe far away from my daughter. It would be much better if I could live in the States, where I could visit her without too much effort,” Songaila said.
The 6'9" forward averaged 7.1 minutes per game over a 10-game stint with the Sixers in 2010/11, his last NBA action. Before that, he averaged double-figure minutes in each of his first seven seasons, and has career numbers of 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game with a 13.3 PER. Songaila split last season between Galatasaray Istanbul in Turkey and the Spanish team Blancos de Rueda Valladolid, averaging a combined 8.8 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 16.6 MPG.
Matt Barnes In Talks With Multiple Teams
Matt Barnes hasn't exactly had an ideal summer, but the unrestricted free agent swingman indicated to TMZ.com that he and his agent are making progress toward an NBA contract. His minutes with the Lakers dwindled in the playoffs this year, and he was arrested for allegedly threatening a police officer who stopped him with a warrant for driving on a suspended license. Days later, Barnes was sued for allegedly rear-ending a car on an L.A. freeway. Still, a return to the Lakers remains a possibility.
"They are one of the teams we're talking to," Barnes said. "There's a couple other teams, so hopefully we'll get this arrest situation out of the way, so I can go ahead and move forward with my career."
The Lakers hold Barnes' Early Bird rights, so even though they're well over the tax apron, they could give him a deal worth as much as $5.276MM next season. It's unlikely he'd get nearly that much, though, and since an Early Bird contract must be for at least two years, the Lakers might be reluctant to give him any more than the minimum, which would require only a one-year commitment. Writing for CBSSports.com, Ben Golliver says the Lakers wouldn't have much room Barnes since they go two-deep at every position, but I think Barnes could beat out Devin Ebanks as the backup small forward, and Dwight Howard's lingering back injury could force coach Mike Brown to do some lineup shuffling that might open up a few more minutes.
There haven't been any legitimate rumors linking Barnes to any other team this offseason, even though some of his numbers from last season suggest the 32-year-old still has a lot left. He averaged 7.8 points and tied a career high with 5.5 rebounds. His PER of 15.5 and rate of 0.8 blocks per game were the best marks of his nine-year career.