Texas Notes: D-League, Mitchell, Dorsey, Spurs
The Spurs have officially announced that they have renamed their D-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. The team was formerly known as the Austin Toros. “The rebranding of the Austin franchise is a terrific opportunity to capitalize on the substantial equity of the Spurs brand,” said Spurs Sports & Entertainment President of Business Operations, Rick Pych. “The name change creates an instantly recognizable link between the two franchises and is a natural progression based on the important role the Austin team plays in the development of young players, general managers and coaches who are on their way to reaching their dream of making it to the NBA.”
Here’s more from the “Lone Star” state:
- Akil Mitchell and Robert Covington have not been with the Rockets for several days, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes. It was previously noted that Houston intended to part ways with Convington, and was exploring possible trade options for the player. Feigen also speculates that Houston intends to send both Covington and Mitchell to their D-League affiliate. Teams can retain the D-League rights for up to four players that they waive, and the Rockets preseason roster count currently sits at 20.
- Joey Dorsey is still working his way back from foot and ankle issues that have caused him to miss extended time during Houston’s training camp, Feigen writes. “I have just been trying to figure out the guys on the team and not look for my shot,” Dorsey said. “One of the coaches told me, ‘Joey, just go out there and play. Do what you do. Do what you did in Europe.’ I was like, ‘OK, forget it. I am going to look to score. If I look to score and they double-team me, then I will kick it out for a shot.’ That is the biggest thing. He told me to just go out there and stop trying to worry about playing perfect and just go out and play.”
- Despite their sustained run of excellence, one thing the Spurs have never accomplished is winning back-to-back titles. Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) breaks down San Antonio’s anticipated regular season roster as the team sets out to defend its crown.
- The Spurs have remained contenders for so many years thanks to their ability as a franchise to turn players no one anticipated into stars, such as Kawhi Leonard, opines Kevin Spain of USA Today.
Wizards Pick Up Options On Beal, Porter
The Wizards have announced that they have exercised their options on Bradley Beal and Otto Porter, which will keep them under their rookie scale contracts for 2015/16, the team announced in a press release. “Bradley and Otto are both big pieces of the core group of players that we will build around as we continue to improve our team,” said team president Ernie Grunfeld. “We look forward to them playing significant roles in our success both now and in the future.”
The moves are not unexpected, as Beal is an integral part of Washington’s offense and one of the team’s building blocks moving forward, despite suffering a broken wrist that will sideline him for a minimum of six to eight weeks. Porter is also part of the Wizards’ future, and is only one season removed from being a lottery pick. The team option was for the fourth year of Beal’s deal, and he is slotted to make $5,694,674 in 2015/16. Porter’s option was a third-year one, and Porter is on the books for $4,662,960 next season.
Beal ended last season second on the team in scoring at 17.5 PPG, and added 3.7 RPG, and 3.3 APG. He shot 41.9% overall, and 40% from long range Beal was selected third overall by Washington back in the 2012 NBA Draft. The team is expected to try to work out a long-term extension with Beal next summer, and with the new TV deal on the horizon it will be interesting to see how much he commands.
Porter was selected third overall by Washington in the 2013 NBA Draft. He was a disappointment in his first year, averaging 2.1PPG and 1.5 RPG in 37 games contests last season. Porter showed some flashes this summer when he was named to the 2014 All-NBA Summer League First Team after logging 19.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 1.8 APG. With the arrival of Paul Pierce, Porter won’t see huge minutes this season, but he has the opportunity to be a rotation contributor.
Suns Waive Jackson, Prather, Wilson
The Suns have waived Joe Jackson, Casey Prather and Jamil Wilson, the team announced in a press release. All three players were in camp on non-guaranteed deals, so Phoenix isn’t on the hook for any salary as they begin paring down their roster in anticipation of opening night. The three rookies initially signed with the Suns at the end of September, and all were longshots to make the regular season roster. These moves leave the Suns’ preseason roster count at 16, with Earl Barron being the lone player left whose deal isn’t fully guaranteed.
Prather played in the summer league for the Hawks before catching Phoenix’s eye after a predraft workout. The small forward out of Florida averaged 13.8 points in 27.9 minutes per game represented the first double-digit scoring average of his college career.
The 6’7″ Wilson went undrafted this year out of Marquette despite being projected as a possible late second-round pick by some. His college numbers, which include his freshman season at Oregon, are 8.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.6 APG. His college shooting statistics were .447/.336/.708.
Jackson worked out for the Wolves, Kings, Suns, Knicks, Rockets, Mavs, Grizzlies, and the Jazz prior to the 2014 Draft, but didn’t hear his name called that evening. He was able to catch the Suns’ eye during a June workout, which led to him joining Phoenix for training camp.
John Holland Signs With Turkish Team
TUESDAY, 8:20am: Holland has indeed signed his contract with Besiktas, the team announced on Twitter (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Holland still needs to clear NBA waivers before he can play for the Turkish team, but that’s likely only a formality.
MONDAY, 4:10pm: The deal with Besiktas is for one year and doesn’t include an NBA escape clause, Holland’s agent tells Sportando’s David Pick (Twitter link). The agent says that Holland has put pen to paper, though the pact can’t become official until Holland clears waivers from the Spurs in two days.
SUNDAY, 8:36am: John Holland is close to signing a deal with Besiktas Integral Forex of the Turkish Basketball League, Klasspor reports (translation by Enea Trapani of Sportando). Holland is currently in training camp with the Spurs on a two-year arrangement that has a $20K guarantee for the first season. San Antonio would need to waive Holland before he could ink any deal overseas. No announcement from the Spurs has been made in regards to Holland’s status as of yet.
Holland spent his last three years as a pro playing in Europe after NBA teams passed on him in the 2011 draft, and saw action in France and Spain last season. He’s been a member of three NBA summer league teams in the past two years, joining the Thunder and Heat in 2012 and the Timberwolves last summer. The 25-year-old scored 10.6 points in 27.4 minutes per game for Gravelines in France this past season, making 33.3% of his three-point attempts.
San Antonio currently has 19 players on their preseason roster, and with 15 of those contracts being fully guaranteed, Holland has been a longshot to stick on the roster through opening night. He’s been competing with Bryce Cotton, Josh Davis and JaMychal Green for a shot at the final regular season roster spot.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Knicks, Blatt
While some may chide the Sixers for their rebuilding through the draft lottery strategy, the team could most certainly get the last laugh, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. In comparing the Sixers and the Celtics, Bulpett favors the Sixers situation because they have more actual NBA prospects on the roster, rather than having to gamble solely on future first-round picks working out favorably.
Here’s more from the east:
- The Knicks were one of the teams that attended Kentucky’s weekend scouting combine, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reports (Twitter link). New York possesses a first-rounder in next year’s NBA Draft, a rare occurrence for the franchise in recent years, and the Wildcats are expected to field a number of lottery prospects this season.
- New Cavs head coach David Blatt is transitioning from Europe to the NBA, and Jordan Brenner of ESPN.com chronicles his journey. Brenner traces Blatt’s steps back the the U.S., and opines that establishing a rapport with the game’s best and most powerful player, LeBron James, will be his most crucial task.
- New Knicks point guard Jose Calderon is destined to become a fan favorite, mainly because Calderon is replacing the departed Raymond Felton, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes. “Well, I want to be better,” Calderon said of replacing Felton. “I don’t know if it’s going to be because of me. I’m going to try to do my best for this team to do the best we can do, go as far as we can go. It’s not only one thing. I think we are a team, too many things to say only one position, one weakness. Last year, I don’t know how many wins they had — 30-something — don’t think it’s only one guy.”
Chris Crouse contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Durant, Mullens, Varejao
Thunder star Kevin Durant has a fracture in his right foot, the team announced in a press release. The injury typically requires surgery and Durant is expected to miss a minimum of six to eight weeks before he can resume basketball activities. No procedure has been scheduled as of yet, and the team and Durant’s representatives are still weighing all treatment options. “We are in the process of collaboratively evaluating the most appropriate next steps with Kevin, his representatives, and Thunder medical personnel,” GM Sam Presti said in a statement. “Until a course of action is determined, we are unable to provide a timeline specific to Kevin’s case.” The “Slim Reaper” joins Bradley Beal, Rajon Rondo, and Nick Young, who also sustained injuries that will cause them to miss the beginning of the regular season.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Shanxi Zhongyu of the Chinese Basketball Association is considering waiving former NBA player Byron Mullens, Sports Sohu is reporting (translation by Enea Trapani of Sportando). Mullens appeared in 45 games split between the Sixers and Clippers last season, averaging 4.6 PPG and 2.2 RPG.
- With the new NBA TV deal already creating rumblings from the NBPA, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel believes the best course of action from the league would be to raise the minimum salary level. Winderman’s logic is that since more players than ever are signing for the minimum, obtaining a majority players vote in the next CBA would be much easier, regardless of what other restrictions the league would impose, such as a hard cap or non-guaranteed deals.
- Last season, the Lakers had expressed interest in an Anderson Varejao for Pau Gasol trade with the Cavs, Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com notes (Twitter link). After Varejao’s strong preseason showing in Brazil yesterday against the Heat, where he scored 14 points on 70% shooting, McMenamin opines that you can see why Los Angeles tried to acquire the veteran big man.
- While Coach John Calipari says the Kentucky combine may become an annual event, not everyone is on board with the idea of it, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Kansas head coach Bill Self is among the skeptics. “That would certainly not be anything we would do,” Self explains. “That doesn’t mean its wrong. It just means it wouldn’t be for us.”
Chris Crouse contributed to this post.
And-Ones: TV Deal, Shved, Mavs, Rondo
The NBA’s new TV deal will bring the league $24.4 billion over the next nine years, but may also usher in a new labor fight, notes Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders. After the deal with ESPN and Turner was announced Monday, several of the league’s top players made it clear that they expect their fair share of the money. “The whole thing that went on with the last negotiation process was the owners [were] telling us that they were losing money.” said the Cavaliers‘ LeBron James. “There’s no way they can sit in front of us and tell us that right now after we continue to see teams selling for billions of dollars, being purchased for $200 million, [selling] for $550 [million], $750 [million], $2 billion.” While the players want to eliminate maximum contracts, owners like the Mavericks‘ Mark Cuban say the trade-off may be the end of guaranteed deals. Both the owners and players can opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement in 2017.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Alexey Shved expects a greater opportunity to prove himself in Philadelphia, reports Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Shved, who came to the Sixers from the Timberwolves in the three-team Kevin Love deal in August, hopes to rebound from a subpar 2013/14 season, notes Greder. “For me, it’s much better because I can show my potential in the game,” Shved said. Sixers coach Brett Brown called Shved a “skilled guard” and said the team is challenging him defensively and on his shot selection.
- The new TV deal will have an impact on free agents beginning next summer, writes Brian Robb of Boston.com. He says a potential $80MM salary cap by 2016/17 could make the Celtics more agreeable to Rajon Rondo‘s contract demands. The free agent is seeking a five-year max deal in excess of $100MM. He adds that other teams could be similarly motivated if Boston declines to meet Rondo’s demands.
- Offseason additions have made the Mavs a legitimate contender in the Western Conference, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes in his season preview. Amico says that while Dallas didn’t bring in any superstars, the under-the-radar deals that landed Chandler Parsons, Jameer Nelson, Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton and Al-Farouq Aminu will provide nice complements for Dirk Nowitzki. Although Amico has concerns about the Mavericks’ defense and bench scoring, he sees hope for “something special” this season in Dallas.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Poll: Who Will Win The Southeast Division?
The 2014/15 NBA regular season doesn’t officially begin until Tuesday October 28th, when the will Spurs raise another Championship banner to the rafters, and host the rival Mavericks. This is the time of year when most fans can still have hope, and every team is still undefeated. It’s also the time of year for predictions to start rolling in on how the upcoming season will play out. We’ve already gotten your input on the Atlantic and Southwest Divisions. Today we’ll be seeing who you folks think will win the Southeast Division. Let’s take a quick look at the possible contenders…
Note: All projected starters taken from the respective team pages at ESPN.com.
Orlando Magic
The Magic finished in the cellar of the Southeast Division last season, notching a record of 23-59. Orlando wasn’t expected to contend, and instead was focusing on rebuilding the franchise through the draft.
That focus continues into the 2014/15 campaign, when the team will break in its two first-round draft picks — Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon. Gordon has a higher upside than Payton, and with his off-the-charts athleticism, he’ll be a crowd-pleaser once he cracks the rotation. But it’s Payton who is more vital to any success the Magic hope to achieve this year.
If Payton can handle starting point guard duties, it would free up Victor Oladipo to return to his more natural shooting guard position. With Oladipo being able to focus more on his offense instead of being the primary distributor, it might help the second-year player take the next step toward stardom and keep him fresher by not making him chase around opposing teams’ point guards on defense.
Orlando is a franchise heading in the right direction, but it’s doubtful that this is the season they will break through in the Southeast Division. The Magic need Payton to be able to handle running the show, or else they will really feel the loss of Arron Afflalo, who was traded this summer in part for Evan Fournier. It will most likely be a few seasons before Orlando will be in the hunt for a division title. For now, player development is the main focus.
Projected Starters:
- PG: Elfrid Payton
- SG: Victor Oladipo
- SF: Maurice Harkless
- PF: Tobias Harris
- C: Nikola Vucevic
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks should have a chance to improve on their 38-44 record of a season ago. Atlanta made the playoffs because it has the good fortune to play in the Eastern Conference, though a lottery pick would have been more helpful in the long run than their first round playoff exit was.
Working in Atlanta’s favor is the fact that it still plays in the east, though the conference will be tougher this year with the strides the Hornets, Wizards, and Cavs made this offseason. Even more important to the Hawks’ fortunes will be the return of Al Horford, who missed all but 29 games last year. With the return of the big man, along with the arrival of Thabo Sefolosha, the Hawks defense should be improved over last season.
It does looks like another middle-of-the-pack season is in the cards for Atlanta, with the future direction of the franchise a bit in doubt. Paul Millsap is in the final year of his team-friendly deal, and his pending free agency might make him a trade candidate. It wouldn’t improve the team’s chances of snagging a division crown if he is dealt. But if the trio of Millsap, Horford, and Jeff Teague remain intact and healthy, another playoff berth isn’t too far of a stretch.
Projected Starters:
- PG: Jeff Teague
- SG: Kyle Korver
- SF: Thabo Sefolosha
- PF: Paul Millsap
- C: Al Horford
Washington Wizards
The Wizards are on the brink of taking the next step forward in the East, and are one of the five most talented teams in the conference on paper. The backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal is one of the most talented in the conference, though Beal’s wrist injury that occurred last night bears watching. Wall seems poised to take the next step toward greatness this year, and if Beal remains healthy, he is an excellent complement whose outside prowess will open up the paint for his teammates.
It’s the arrival of Paul Pierce that has the biggest game-changing potential. While he’s no longer the dominant star of his Celtics’ days, Pierce is a leader who knows how to play the game, and more importantly, how to win. This will prove invaluable to his younger teammates as they attempt to take the division crown away from the Heat. If Pierce can provide stability and 14 to 17 points per game, the Wizards will be a dangerous team, and could wind up at the top of the division standings.
Projected Starters:
- PG: John Wall
- SG: Bradley Beal
- SF: Paul Pierce
- PF: Nene
- C: Marcin Gortat
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are another up-and-coming team in the division. They surprised quite a few folks last year by snagging the seventh seed in the playoffs. Another trip to the postseason looks to be in the cards as the franchise made a number of notable upgrades this summer.
With the arrival of Lance Stephenson and Marvin Williams, Charlotte addressed its biggest weakness of a season ago — outside shooting. Williams replaces the departed Josh McRoberts, who migrated south to Miami this summer to join the Heat. Williams should match McRoberts’ production while adding some veteran leadership to the mix.
But this season will depend on how well Stephenson adjusts to his new surroundings, and how well head coach Steve Clifford is able to contain the guard’s eccentricities. One of the primary factors in Charlotte’s breakthrough season was the team’s superior locker room chemistry, something that Stephenson is quite capable of disrupting. It also remains to be seen how he will adjust to being a primary scoring option instead of a supporting player like he was with the Pacers.
The outlook is bright in Charlotte, though I predict the team takes a step back this season. The playoffs are a possibility, but the Hornets will have a more difficult time sneaking up on teams this year.
Projected Starters:
- PG: Kemba Walker
- SG: Lance Stephenson
- SF: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
- PF: Marvin Williams
- C: Al Jefferson
Miami Heat
It’s a new era in Miami now that LeBron James‘ talents are back in Ohio. The cupboard is hardly bare, but the Heat aren’t likely to win 54 games again this season. The division will be tougher with the Wizards looking to break through, and the Hornets a possibility to overtake Miami in the standings as well.
Chris Bosh will now be the team’s primary scoring option. Bosh handled those duties during his years in Toronto, but now he’ll be dealing with higher expectations, a much larger contract to live up to, and struggling to make the Heat Nation forget about LeBron. Not an easy task, but Bosh has the talent to carry a team when he’s motivated.
The health and stamina of Dwyane Wade will also be a major storyline in South Beach this year. With LeBron around, Wade could take games off to rest for the postseason. But making the playoffs will not be a given this year, and the team will need a full season out of Wade. The hope is that with LeBron gone, Wade will no longer need to defer, and will re-emerge as an upper-tier scorer. That might not be so easy, given the mileage that Wade has on his body. He can still take over a game at times, but he will never be the player that he was earlier in his career.
Miami added enough talent this summer to stay in the playoff hunt, but it’s no longer the team to beat in its own division, much less in the Eastern Conference. Team president Pat Riley did the best he could in the wake of LeBron’s departure, and adding Luol Deng and Josh McRoberts to the mix will help defuse that loss. But teams seldom improve after losing the best player in the league.
Projected Starters:
- PG: Mario Chalmers
- SG: Dwyane Wade
- SF: Luol Deng
- PF: Josh McRoberts
- C: Chris Bosh
Eastern Notes: Powell, Young, Humphries
The Celtics have 16 players with guaranteed contracts on their preseason roster, and Dwight Powell is determined to be one of the 15 players on the regular season roster, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. Powell, a second round pick in the 2014 draft, said that he is willing to do whatever is needed to make the team. Powell told Blakely, “For every young guy, your first niche is defense and find a way to stop guys and not be a liability on the court. That’s my focus now; be active and try to prevent them from scoring.” Powell is in camp on a two year deal, with the first year fully-guaranteed. Blakely also notes that Boston coach Brad Stevens has been impressed with Powell’s performance in camp.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Also in Boston, James Young scoffs at the suggestion that he might be sent to the D-League. The 17th pick in this year’s draft told Ben Rohrbach of WEEI 93.7 that he plans to make an immediate impact on the Celtics, and Young said of his goals, “Coming in and being the best team player I can be. If that means scoring, I can definitely do anything to score. And then just getting on the defensive end and bringing a lot of energy and just getting the crowd involved and everything.” Coach Stevens praised Young’s play in practice, saying the rookie “picks things up really quickly” and has made hardly any defensive mistakes.
- Kris Humphries underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair nerve damage in his right small finger, the Wizards announced. The forward is expected to miss three to four weeks before being cleared to resume basketball activities.
- At age 33, the Sixers‘ Jason Richardson is contemplating life after his playing days are officially over, Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com writes. With his on-court role diminished, the 14-year veteran may look to stay in the league in another capacity after this season, notes Kaskey-Blomain. Richardson said, “[Not being able to play] has been challenging, but it has opened my eyes up to a lot of things. To study the film, to actually break down the film and look at it, help the guys out when they were doing something wrong. It just gave me a different perspective of basketball that I hadn’t seen before. It has given me a look at what the future beholds. Maybe some coaching, maybe a front office job, you never know, but I definitely want to continue to be involved with the basketball aspect, definitely in the NBA.”
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Stephenson, Kapono, Lee
Lance Stephenson entered free agency anticipating the NBA signing a new TV deal, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report writes. Stephenson was looking for a shorter deal that would allow him to have a shot at an even bigger payday down the line. The Pacers weren’t willing to agree to those terms, but the Mavericks were, notes Zwerling. Alberto Ebanks, Stephenson’s agent, confirmed reports that both sides had verbally committed to a two-year contract worth $20MM, but it was Dallas’ negotiations with Chandler Parsons that prevented the deal from being completed, Zwerling writes. “It was a domino effect,” Ebanks said. “Dallas did not think that Houston was going to let Parsons walk. Lance was very close to being a member of the Mavericks. When you’re a little further along into free agency, people are more in the position to pull the trigger when they see what they’re looking for.” It wound up being Charlotte that pulled the trigger on a deal.
Here’s more from out west:
- Jason Kapono is performing well in training camp and is in the running for the Warriors‘ final regular season roster spot, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group reports. “He’s in great shape,” head coach Steve Kerr said of Kapono. “I’m convinced he has a place in this league. Whether it’s with us or not, we’ll see.”
- During a media day interview posted on NBA.com, David Lee was asked about the Warriors slow offseason that saw the team’s only notable additions be Shaun Livingston and Brandon Rush. Lee believes the roster continuity is good, adding, “I think it’s huge, yeah. I think first of all it’s a sign of things getting better. If you’re winning 25-30 games there’s going to be constant change. We’ve finally been very consistent these last couple years in winning games and I think that’s how players stick around and how teams stick around. I think using San Antonio as a model, when you have those core guys together year in and year out, I think the familiarity can really help, especially in pressure situations and close games.”
- Jamel McLean scored the game winning basket in Alba Berlin’s 94-93 victory over the Spurs Wednesday. This might not be the last the NBA hears from McLean, Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders opines. McLean worked out for the Kings last summer, and should warrant more attention from the league next offseason, Koutroupis notes.