Odds & Ends: O.J. Mayo, Kyrie Irving, Nuggets
The value Andre Iguodala brings to the Nuggets goes beyond the swingman's stat line, writes Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post. Thanks to his strong defense and myriad intangibles, Iguodala made the All-Star team during the 2011/12 season even though he averaged just 12.4 PPG. Here's the latest news and headlines from around the NBA…
- Mavs shooting guard O.J. Mayo seems excited about taking his talents to Dallas and is poised for a breakout year, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld. “I felt like Dallas was the best situation for me,” Mayo said. "They have a good team, they have a great player in Dirk Nowitzki, they have a terrific owner with Mark Cuban."
- Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving has been warning rookies about the rigors of head coach Byron Scott's training camp nicknamed "Camp Scott," says Bob Finnan of The News-Herald. "All the warnings don't amount to much until you experience Camp Scott for yourself," Irving said. "You have to deal with it. He's a hard-nosed coach, and he's trying to get the most out of you."
- Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops examines the Nuggets' offseason and analyzes the moves the team made and how the roster looks heading in the 2012/13 season. He predicts Denver will make the playoffs but is not ready to compete for a championship as it doesn't have enough talent at this point.
Olympics Notes: Kevin Love, Coach K, FIBA
Team USA will attempt to make it two gold medals in a row on Sunday when it takes on Spain in the Olympic men's basketball final. The team has looked strong throughout the Olympics but will face a challenge from Spain, who features arguably the strongest frontcourt thanks to Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol. Before Team USA and Spain do battle, let's catch up with the latest news and headlines from around the Olympics.
- Chris Palmer of ESPN The Magazine has the story of how Kevin Love met Tyson Chandler when he was a pudgy middle schooler and Chandler was months away from being taken second overall in the 2001 NBA Draft. "I’m gonna be in the NBA one day," Love told Chandler. "You’ll want my autograph someday. You’ll see."
- Mike Krzyzewski has had quite the run as the head coach of the USA Basketball team as he's set to call it an Olympic career after Sunday's game, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. With a victory over Spain, Coach K will run his record to 62-1.
- FIBA chief Patrick Baumann says that the three-point line for international play will be moved to the NBA distance at some point in the future, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. "We think probably we should have gone sooner to the NBA distance from Day One," said Baumann.
Poll: How Many Games Will Lakers Win This Year?
The Lakers made a series of offseason moves with hopes of improving upon their performance during the 2011/12 season. With key additions including Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Antawn Jamison, the Lakers' roster appears loaded with the start of the upcoming season less than three months away. The question becomes how many games will Los Angeles win during the 2012/13 regular season after winning 41 out of 66 contests last year.
Eastern Notes: Green, Deng, Howard
Nene found himself on the bench in London as Brazil beat Spain in Olympic basketball play this afternoon. The Wizards big man doesn't plan on playing again until the semifinals as he rests his left foot, currently feeling the effects of plantar fasciitis. Here's the latest news and headlines from around the Eastern Conference…
- The Celtics have yet to make their agreement with Jeff Green official, but A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com notes that Green's recent comments indicate he's looking forward to returning to action with Boston after missing last season with a heart ailment. "I actually feel a lot better than I did prior to the surgery. It was a blessing, and I'm doing better now," said Green.
- Luol Deng may not be missing any time this upcoming season as his performance during the Olympics has him thinking he won't need immediate surgery on his wrist, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The Bulls forward plans to be ready to play in eight weeks when training camp opens and may elect to have the surgery after the 2012/13 season.
- Dwight Howard will not be attending his summer youth basketball camp later this month for undisclosed reasons, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter). The Magic big man will send teammate Andrew Nicholson to the camp as his replacement.
Western Notes: Jazz, DeMarre Carroll, Suns
- Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor is moving into a new role with Utah as a top executive within the organization and will no longer serve as GM, writes Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune. O'Connor will oversee the process of hiring his replacement, which has already begun, as the 2012/13 season quickly draws closer. Troy Weaver of the Thunder and Cavs assistant GM David Griffin were both tied to the job but will remain with their respective organizations, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links).
- Jazz small forward DeMarre Carroll welcomes the challenge of competing with the glut of forwards currently on the Utah roster, tweets Smith. Head coach Tyrone Corbin told Carroll that starting positions are up for grabs heading into the season as the former Missouri star plans to stake his claim to one of the spots. Carroll, 26, averaged 4.5 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 24 contests with the Nuggets and Jazz.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com takes an optimistic view of the Suns as they move forward without Steve Nash. While the organization may have lost its backbone from nearly the past decade, the team isn't in shambles as they enter the season sans Nash for the first time since 2003, which Howard-Cooper considers to be a good thing. "Eventually there was going to have to be closure," coach Alvin Gentry said. "The organization decided to do it right now, so it's just a matter of us taking that transition and moving into another phase of Suns basketball."
Southwest Notes: Collison, Crowder, Benson
Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.com tots up the off-court endorsement earnings for Team USA, noting that everyone on the team except Kevin Love has a deal with Nike. The absences of Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard leave Adidas without a representative, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Before USA Basketball takes on Argentina later this afternoon, let's catch up on the latest news and notes out of the Southwest Division…
- Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com looks at how the Mavs point guards line up behind presumptive starter Darren Collison. Delonte West should serve as a solid backup to Collison as Rodrigue Beaubois continues to learn the position.
- Jae Crowder, the 34th overall pick in this year's draft, isn't guaranteed a roster spot with the Mavs, even though he's already signed to a deal, as Earl K. Sneed writes on Mavs.com. Nonetheless, his impressive summer league stint gives him hope of cracking the rotation at either forward spot.
- The Hornets have cut ties with numerous members of their respective broadcast teams as new owner Tom Benson wants to take the franchise in a new direction, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune. The latest to go include longtime television play-by-play announcer Bob Licht and analyst Gil McGregor.
Odds & Ends: Pacers, Stoudemire, Williams
Happy birthday to Knicks legend Patrick Ewing as he turns 50 today. New York has won exactly one playoff game (2012 against the Heat) since the Hoya Destroya's 38th birthday. Here's the latest news and headlines from around the league…
- With an eye on building stronger team chemistry, the Pacers will be getting together for a workout later this month in Los Angeles, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. They'll meet up again three weeks before training camp to do the same thing.
- Amare Stoudemire begins training today in Houston with Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon to work on his game, says Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). The value of working with Olajuwon can be seen in the play of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, who have had the opportunity to work with the big man in the past.
- Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams has done all the right things this summer by losing 15 pounds and playing relatively well during the NBA Summer League, but Minnesota isn't convinced that the former Arizona star can effectively play small forward this season, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov believes his investment in the organization has at least doubled since he purchased a majority stake in the team in 2010, writes Daniel Massey of Crain's New York.
Poll: Which NYC Team Will Win More Games?
The Knicks and Nets will begin their battle for ownership of New York City on opening night of the 2012/13 season at the Barclays Center. With the Nets adding and retaining key pieces like Joe Johnson and Deron Williams to their roster, the team looks to be more formidable heading into the season.
The Knicks weren't quiet either during the offseason as they strengthened their bench in a series of different moves that netted Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby, among others. The question becomes which team will finish the season with the most wins and be able stake claim to the title of best team in New York City.
Celtics Sign Jason Collins
JULY 31ST: The Celtics have officially signed Collins, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 21ST: The Celtics have agreed to terms with center Jason Collins on a one-year, veteran minimum deal, reports Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). Collins, 33, appeared in 30 games for the Hawks during the 2012/13 season where he averaged 1.3 PPG and 1.6 RPG in just over 10 minutes per contest.
By signing Collins, Boston has added a legitimate seven-footer to provide depth off the bench in place of Greg Stiemsma, who is headed to Minnesota after reaching a deal earlier on Saturday. Collins' best season came in 2004/05 with the Nets as he started in 80 games and averaged 6.4 PPG along with 6.1 RPG. Beyond the stat sheet, Collins remains a strong defender and brings 95 games of playoff experience to Boston.
Timberwolves Sign Brandon Roy
JULY 31ST: The Timberwolves have officially signed Roy, the team's PR Twitter feed announced today. The Wolves are currently introducing the former Blazer at a press conference.
JULY 27TH: With most of their other roster moves finalized, the T-Wolves are finally set to make Roy's contract official early next week. According to the team's PR Twitter feed, Minnesota will introduce Roy next Tuesday at a press conference.
JULY 5TH: Brandon Roy has reached a verbal agreement with the Timberwolves, reports Jason Quick of The Oregonian (via Twitter). Roy will receive a two-year, $10.4MM deal from the Timberwolves, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. The former Trail Blazers star retired just prior to the start of the 2011/12 season due to a degenerative condition in his knees. Roy, soon to be 28, announced in June that he would make a comeback in the NBA as his health had improved enough to attempt a return. Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com correctly predicted the deal to be for two years with protection in case Roy's knees impede his ability to play (on Twitter).
The former Washington star had recently narrowed down his list of potential teams to include the Mavs, Warriors, Timberwolves, Pacers and Cavs. Roy had met with the Warriors over the weekend and sought a second meeting with the guard even though they had concerns about his health and asking price. Similarly, the Mavs planned to make a big push for the former All-Star but seemingly never came to fruition given the team's attention to more pressing needs over the past few days. As a result of Roy signing with another team, the Trail Blazers will receive a set-off amount that will reduce their financial obligation to the guard. The set-off amount figures to total a little more than $2MM in 2012/13.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld credits Timberwolves assistant Billy Bayno for attracting Roy to Minnesota as the two worked together in Portland and built a strong relationship. Look for the veteran shooting guard to be able to contribute 20 minutes per night as Roy adjusts to the grind of playing at the NBA level. During his final season with the Trail Blazers, Roy averaged 12.2 PPG, 2.7 APG and 2.6 RPG in 47 games.