Western Notes: Jackson, Barea, Kings
The Thunder believe Reggie Jackson, who’s eligible for an extension until October 31st, has what it takes to become a key part of the team in the long run, and the team’s executives privately gush about his ability, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. GM Sam Presti seems confident that his team will strike a deal with Jackson, Tramel observes.
Here’s more from out west:
- Coach/executive Flip Saunders says there’s still a role on the Wolves for J.J. Barea, despite reports indicating that the team has Barea on the trade block, pointing to the performance that Barea put on a year ago in camp as the team’s best as he spoke with Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Saunders also insisted to Zgoda that he can balance the demands of coaching and front office work at the same time and not prioritize the present over the future, and vice versa.
- Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is feeling much better about his team’s direction this season, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. “I still have a lot to learn, I’m sure,” Ranadive said. “Last year, when the season started, I said it wasn’t going to be about wins and losses. When I came here and we bought the team, there was dysfunction in the locker room, there wasn’t mutual respect, the arena was literally falling apart, the roof was falling down. So we brought in a new team, we restored stability, restored respect, we put in a strong culture. But this year, let’s be clear, it is about wins and losses.”
- Speaking about the team’s new roster additions, GM Pete D’Alessandro added, “We’re not trying to be patient anymore, we’re not. We want to win more, we want to be more exciting. Last year, there was just so much turnover. This year, we’re all kind of settled into our roles. We feel our team has grown, and we had two guys coming back from Spain, so we do have a lot of talent; it’s how we use it, and that’s what we’re striving to figure out.”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Butler, Rondo, Deng
All things being equal, the Bulls would prefer to reach an extension with Jimmy Butler rather than let him hit restricted free agency next summer, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune notes. Of course, finding an amenable price point is the challenge, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined as he wrote about Butler as an extension candidate.
Here’s more from the east:
- Prior to breaking his hand, Rajon Rondo was the subject of trade talk around the league. While this latest setback certainly harms Rondo’s trade value, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com thinks there’s still time for it to be rebuilt and the Celtics to determine if they want to re-sign Rondo long-term or deal him.
- During the Heat‘s media day Luol Deng spoke with Surya Fernandez of FoxSports.com. When asked about replacing LeBron James at small forward, Deng said, “I would never try to replace anybody, whether somebody is better than me or if I’m better than somebody. I think that we all bring different things. The biggest mistake I would make is to try to be LeBron. I’m not LeBron. My whole life — I’m 29 years old — I’ve never been able to be somebody I’m not. So I just got to be myself, work hard and try to do my best. My ultimate focus is what can I bring to this team and that’s it.”
- Deng also was asked about Danny Ferry‘s comments and he said, “It’s been behind me, honestly. I think that it just came back to the surface (in Media Day) because it’s the first time I’m seeing everybody but honestly I think that after I made my statement it was over with. I can’t control what everyone thinks or how everyone feels. My position is I really forgive Danny Ferry and people make mistakes. I’m ready to move on. Whatever it is or whatever it came from, let’s just make sure it doesn’t happen again to someone else and make sure we just improve as human beings and how we view other people. That’s really about it.“
- After a breakthrough campaign last season the Wizards look to take the next step towards being a contender in the east. Adi Joseph of USA Today previews Washington’s 2014/15 season and projects they will snag the No. 3 playoff seed.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Pacers, Vogel Discussing Extension
Frank Vogel and the Pacers have had talks about an extension, the coach said to Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. No deal has been worked out just yet, and when asked if he would like to have an agreement in place prior to the season beginning, Vogel said, “We just have to see how it goes. I want to be here forever. That’s my thing. I’m interested in being here long-term and when the right time comes, hopefully we can achieve that.”
Vogel is entering the last season of his deal, and one would think that a 167-100 record over four seasons, including four trips to the playoffs and two consecutive conference finals would be enough to guarantee job security. But last year’s Indiana squad that began 25-5 limped into the playoffs and the Pacers seemed badly overmatched by the Heat despite extending them to six games.
A big point of contention involving Vogel during the playoffs was his use of center Roy Hibbert. The big man didn’t match up well with the Pacers’ first round opponent, the Hawks, nor with the Heat in the conference finals. Both teams employed smaller lineups which made Hibbert a liability on defense when trying to match him up with smaller, quicker centers and stretch-fours. Vogel received quite a bit of criticism for not figuring out a way to use Hibbert’s size to his team’s advantage, and allowing their opponents to dictate the style of play that Indiana used.
The concern for the future is if Indiana’s collapse was a fluke, or if there are deeper concerns in the Pacers’ locker room. Vogel has always been considered a player’s coach, and is not a staunch disciplinarian. This was a role that was filled by former assistant Brian Shaw, who left prior to last season to become the head coach of the Nuggets. Chris Huberty of SI.com points out that Shaw frequently played “bad cop” with the Pacers players when it was required, and that new assistants Nate McMillan and Popeye Jones didn’t assist Vogel in that capacity.
If the Pacers and Vogel aren’t able to hammer out an extension prior to the season, it could only add to what looks to be a difficult year ahead for the franchise. They will be without the services of Paul George for what is likely the entire season after he broke his leg during a Team USA scrimmage. The Pacers will also be without Lance Stephenson, who signed a free agent deal with the Hornets this summer.
The Eastern Conference will be extremely top heavy this season with the Cavs, Bulls, and Wizards all looking extremely formidable as training camps begin. The Pacers aren’t in the discussion as a title contender without George, but still should have enough talent to compete for a playoff spot, even without their best player. But if being 4 for 4 in playoff appearances wasn’t necessarily enough to garner long-term job security, it will be interesting to see what the sentiments of Indiana’s front office are regarding Vogel if the Pacers struggle mightily without George and Stephenson this season.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Rondo, Raptors
With the injury to Rajon Rondo, Celtics rookies Marcus Smart and James Young will see significant action sooner than anticipated. Julian Edlow of WEEI 93.7 FM breaks down what to expect from each of Boston’s first-rounders this season.
Here’s the latest out of the Eastern Conference:
- The contracts of Kim English, Solomon Jones,and Ben Hansbrough with the Bulls are non-guaranteed camp deals that cover one season at the minimum salary, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link).
- While appearing on Arbella Early Edition, Kirk Minihane and Gary Tanguay of WEEI.com said that Rajon Rondo‘s broken hand will destroy any trade value the Celtics‘ point guard had. Minihane was quoted as saying, “Now you’re talking about a guy with a bad knee, he’s had back issues, now he has a broken hand…They’re not gonna be able to trade this guy.”
- In his training camp preview for the Raptors, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun looks at Toronto’s roster and a number of questions the team faces heading into the new season.
- Former NBA player Julian Wright has agreed to a deal with Panathinaikos of the Greek League, the team announced on their website (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Wright last saw action during the 2010/11 season when he appeared in 52 games for the Raptors. David Pick of Eurobasket.com originally reported the deal (Twitter link).
Western Notes: Rockets, Kerr, Nuggets
The Rockets had quite a difficult offseason. From being spurned by Chris Bosh, losing Chandler Parsons to the Mavs in free agency, and dealing away Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik for essentially nothing in return, as far as the current roster is concerned, it’s been a rough few months in Houston. In his training camp preview, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle looks at the main questions facing the franchise.
Here’s more from out west:
- Steve Kerr spent time over the summer building relationships with his Warriors players, and he says he isn’t concerned that the widespread support for Mark Jackson within the locker room last year will be a factor, as he tells Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
- Kenneth Faried, J.J. Hickson, and Darrell Arthur will all play major roles in any success the Nuggets have this season. Demetrius Jacobs of NBA.com breaks down the power forwards on Denver’s roster and what each brings to the court. Jacobs also looks at the Nuggets’ centers in a separate article.
- In a subscriber’s only piece, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal breaks down the Grizzlies‘ power forwards, and believes Jon Leuer‘s production as Zach Randolph‘s backup will be a key factor this season.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Cavs Trade Keith Bogans To Sixers
2:07pm: The trade is official, the Cavs announced. The terms of the deal are that the Cavs send Bogans and their 2018 second round pick to the Sixers for Philly’s 2015 second-rounder (protected for picks 31-50 and 56-60), though Cleveland won’t see the pick if the Sixers have to give it to the Celtics to satisfy an existing debt from previous trades. Cleveland also announced the creation of a traded player exception worth approximately $5.3MM. It’ll be precisely $5,285,817, equivalent to the value of Bogans’ salary.
1:52pm: The second-rounder headed to Philadelphia is Cleveland’s 2018 pick, Lloyd writes. There is no mention of any protections being attached, though the second round pick headed the Cavs most likely will have heavy enough protections that Cleveland is unlikely to ever make that pick.
1:11pm: The Cavs will receive a future second-rounder from the Sixers with protections attached, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reports (Twitter link).
12:50pm: The Cavaliers have reached an agreement to trade newly acquired Keith Bogans to the Sixers, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. The deal will send Bogans along with a future second-rounder to Philly and create a $5.3MM trade exception for the Cavs in the process. It’s unclear what Cleveland will receive in return, and it may just be the exception that they essentially net from this deal.
Cavs GM David Griffin had said yesterday that acquiring Bogans was about “contract flexibility,” and it didn’t take long for him to cash in the chip that Bogans’ non-guaranteed deal provided him. On Thursday Cleveland had traded the non-guaranteed contracts of Erik Murphy, John Lucas III and Malcolm Thomas, along with Cavs’ 2016 and 2017 second round picks, for Bogans and the Kings’ 2015 and 2017 second-rounders, both of which are top-55 protected.
Assuming the Cavs don’t have to take back a player from the Sixers in order to close the deal, this will leave Cleveland with 15 players on their roster, with 11 carrying full guarantees, and two with partials. Ray Allen is still a possibility to end up with the Cavaliers, though he has numerous other opportunities for work, and hasn’t stated whether or not he intends to play this coming season yet.
As for the Sixers, they get a veteran shooting guard who is capable of starting for them, along with more draft picks, something Philly places high value on. Since Bogans is on a non-guaranteed deal there is little to no risk at giving him a shot at a rotation spot this season. He shouldn’t complicate the Sixers’ quest to nab the top pick in next year’s draft. This move will max out Philadelphia’s roster count at 20.
Cavs Notes: Bogans, Irving, Waiters
The trade for Keith Bogans and his non-guaranteed contract has opened up some possibilities for the Cavs next Summer, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders opines. By stockpiling all the non-guaranteed deals that they have, Cleveland could trade for a star-level player and the team trading away the star wouldn’t have to take back any guaranteed contracts, which is important for sign-and-trade scenarios. This gives the Cavs an excellent opportunity to add to their core of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, notes Kennedy.
Here’s more from Cleveland:
- All of the Cavs’ offseason moves were felt by Irving, who went from being the team’s most notable player to more of a complementary piece despite signing a max contract extension in July, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. “I was in the locker room and looking around, and somehow I’ve become the youngest on the team again,” Irving said. “It’s a weird feeling, but I’m truly appreciative of what management did this summer and all the pieces they added because it’s just going to make my job that much easier.”
- During the Cavs’ media day, Dion Waiters expressed his desire to be used at point guard and to help facilitate the offense, Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. Waiters said, “I’d love to play point guard. I would love the opportunity if coach gave me a shot at that, I would love to take on the full commitment to that because I think I could play the one also.”
- When asked about the status of extension talks with the Cavaliers, Tristan Thompson told George Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal, “Right now, I’m not focused on that. My whole goal is getting training camp started and that’s where my head’s at right now. How can I help this team take the next step and how I can help this team and be an asset to this team.”
Southeast Notes: Taylor, Wizards, Heat
The Hornets have announced that Jeff Taylor won’t be participating in any team activities while the NBA investigates his part in an alleged domestic violence incident, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports (Twitter links). The team has spoken with Taylor about their decision and he accepts it, Bonnell notes.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards have one roster spot up for grabs with six players on non-guaranteed deals competing for it. J. Michael of CSNWashington.com analyzes the players and what each can bring to the court for Washington.
- The Heat have placed a priority on maintaining cap flexibility for the 2016 free agent class, which essentially makes this year’s squad a rental team, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel opines. The only two players on Miami’s current roster that are sure to be on the 2016/17 team are Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts, Winderman notes.
- John Denton of NBA.com breaks down the point guards on the Magic‘s roster, and what to watch for from each as training camps are set to begin.
Suns, Jamil Wilson Reach Deal
SATURDAY, 11:17am: The signing is official, the Suns announced via a press release.
WEDNESDAY, 9:25pm: The Suns have reached agreement with Jamil Wilson, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The exact length and terms of the deal are unknown for the Relativity Sports client who is represented by Steve McCaskill. Odds are this is a minimum salary camp deal, with little-to-no salary guaranteed, but that’s just my speculation.
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 are .447/.336/.708.
This signing brings Phoenix’s preseason roster count to 18 players. Out of those 18, 14 players have fully-guaranteed deals on the books. Wilson is a longhshot to make the team, and will compete with Marcus Morris, T.J. Warren, and P.J. Tucker for minutes.
Pacific Notes: Randle, Kerr, Kings
At a news conference on Friday, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak tried to temper the expectations for Los Angeles’ first round draftee Julius Randle, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times reports. “Julius is still 19 years old,” Kupchak said. “You wouldn’t know that by looking at him, because he’s really a well-developed, big, strong, athletic kid. Over the years, I’ve never looked at a rookie and said, ‘Hey, this guy’s gonna bring us to the top.’ It doesn’t do any good to have high expectations.” Kupchak also said Randle would have to earn the starting job from Carlos Boozer, Pincus relays.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- When asked if Randle could see time at small forward, Kupchak said, “He can defend small forwards. Do I see him right now as the prototypical small forward? Probably not. But I could see him bringing the ball up the court. I could see him seeing a gap, getting a step on a guy and making a play — whether it’s finishing or finding somebody that’s open. Those are ball-handling skills that you wouldn’t see power forwards have very often.”
- Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro said the team specifically targeted Ramon Sessions early in free agency, and that their summer dealings were designed to free up money to sign him, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports (Twitter link).
- D’Alessandro also spoke about new addition Ryan Hollins, and how his presence could allow Sacramento to play DeMarcus Cousins at power forward at times, tweets Jones. This possibility might keep a few stretch-fours up at night wondering how they will defend Cousins in the post.
- Rookie Warriors head coach Steve Kerr doesn’t have time on his side, Marcus Thompson II of the San Jose Mercury News writes. Thompson doesn’t believe that Kerr is in danger of being fired if Golden State has an off year, but notes that another shakeup is coming unless he takes the Warriors to a height his employers have never been to: the conference finals and beyond.