Knicks Notes: Durant, Udrih, Buycks
The Knicks didn’t pull off a deadline trade, so they will need to look to the future in their quest to surround Carmelo Anthony with other star caliber players. This is assuming of course that ‘Melo decides to return to New York next season. If the Knicks re-sign Anthony for the maximum salary this summer and ink another maximum-salary free agent in 2015, they probably won’t be able to afford Kevin Durant in 2016, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com explains.
More on the Knicks:
- The Knicks and two other clubs showed interest in Raptors guard Dwight Buycks before the deadline but Toronto showed no interest, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter).
- Sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com that the Clippers were negotiating with the Knicks about Iman Shumpert just to keep the swingman away from the Thunder, who also reportedly had interest (Twitter Link).
- It’s unlikely the Knicks and Beno Udrih will come to a buyout agreement, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. The Knicks were close to a deal to trade the point guard to the Nuggets before the deadline. Udrih though, hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a buyout yet, tweets Berman.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Chris Duhon Breaks Deal With Italian Team
WEDNESDAY, 8:01am: Duhon has decided to back out of his contract with Juve Caserta, Carchia reports. Since the deal had already gone official, it’s unclear what repercussions the guard will face.
3:44pm: Atripaldi, Caserta’s GM, puts the chances of Duhon playing with the team at 30% in an interview with Prima Rete (transcription via La Reggia Del Basket; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).
TUESDAY, 12:06pm: The deal may come apart because of family matters for Duhon, according to Carchia, who says resolution about whether the guard will indeed play in Italy should come within the next few hours (Twitter links).
7:15pm: Juve Caserta has officially announced the Duhon signing, Carchia reports. The team’s GM Marco Atripaldi stated, “We have a deal with Chris Duhon. He will land in Italy next week.”
1:40pm: Duhon’s deal is now official, Carchia reports. Caserta will announce the signing later today, and Duhon will likely join his new club next week sometime.
SATURDAY, 9:11am: Duhon has not yet signed a contract with Caserta but is expected to do so today, a source close to the team tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
FRIDAY, 11:18pm: Chris Duhon has reached an agreement to play with Caserta in Italy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Duhon last played in the NBA for the Lakers during the 2012/2013 season. He averaged 2.9 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 2.9 APG last year over 46 games. Duhon was originally drafted out of Duke in 2004 by the Bulls. He was taken as the ninth pick in the second round. His career averages over nine NBA seasons are 6.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 4.4 APG. He spent his first four years with the Bulls, then spent time with the Knicks and Magic before ending up with the Lakers.
During his last season in L.A., back issues related to a herniated disk slowed him down until he was finally waived by the Lakers. Then in October of 2013 he was involved in a bizarre accident, where a motorist intentionally hit Duhon with his car after the two men had had a verbal altercation. He hit his head on the windshield, and sustained both head and body injuries from the incident.
His agent, Ray Bradbury of BDA Sports was quoted as saying, “Chris is ready to play again and wants to show everyone he’s healthy. This is a great opportunity.”
Eastern Notes: Heat, Nelson, Sixers
This Thursday’s trade deadline is an important date for many teams in the league. The right moves can not only help a franchise in their quest to make the playoffs this season, but also influence what a team can do in the off-season personnel wise. But it’s nine days later that is a potentially even more significant date for the Heat, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. March 1st is the date that players have to be waived by in order to be eligible for another team’s playoff roster, a date informally known as the buyout deadline. Winderman believes that since the Heat don’t have much to offer other teams in potential deals, the team will be more active in looking to pick up a player who has been waived, similar to them picking up Chris Andersen last year. Winderman also opines that any deadline moves the Heat might make would be salary dumps with avoiding luxury tax penalties in mind. Potential waiver candidates to keep an eye on are Caron Butler, Keith Bogans, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, and Chris Kaman, according to the article.
More from the east:
- Despite the team being in re-building mode, veteran guard Jameer Nelson remains committed to the team, and wants to be a member of the Magic for his entire career, writes Jared Zwerling of The Bleacher Report. Nelson, who is a free-agent after the season says his first choice is to re-sign with Orlando.
- The Sixers‘ focus leading up to the trade deadline is to acquire as many draft picks as they can, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The franchise wants to move Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, and Thaddeus Young for future compensation, but that’s not a given, since the team has been impressed with how the trio have developed this season. With the most cap space in the league, Pompey says that the Sixers would consider adding an expiring contract from a team looking to dump salary, but that would only be if a draft pick was included. The holdup is that the team wants first-rounders, preferably lottery picks, which teams are reluctant to part with. According to the article, the Sixers should be one of the most active teams this week, but will probably have to wait until the final hours before the deadline to accomplish anything.
- Knicks fans are already talking about the summer of 2015 and the team’s potential free agent targets. One of those mentioned was LaMarcus Aldridge, but he might not be a fit if the team holds onto Carmelo Anthony, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Anthony and the Knicks have been much more effective when ‘Melo is at power forward, which would make the pairing difficult. Anthony could switch back to small forward, but he has expressed that his preference is to stay at the four.
Western Notes: McGee, Westbrook, McDonough
Nuggets center JaVale McGee has been out of action since November with a stress fracture in his left tibia. The team’s original plan was to allow McGee to take time to let his injury heal without having surgery. But now, with little progress having been made, the 7-footer has to decide whether or not to undergo season-ending surgery. A resolution on whether he will play again this season is expected by March 1st, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. His mother, Pamela McGee stated, “By March 1, we’ll know exactly what strategy to use and when he’ll be definitely be back, or not back.” McGee has been able to start doing lower-body activity such as light work on the elliptical machine, but the leg has not healed enough for McGee, or the Nuggets, to be confident the efforts will work to get him back on the court this season. McGee only appeared in five games this season and had averages of 7.0 PPG and 3.4 RPG.
More from the west:
- The Thunder might be getting Russell Westbrook back this week, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The team had announced back on December 27th that Westbrook had surgery on his right knee for the second time since late October. He was projected to be out until after the All-Star break without a specific return date. According to the article, Westbrook will be re-evaluated on Tuesday in Oklahoma City, which could open the door for a return against the visiting Heat this Thursday. Before his injury Westbrook averaged 21.3 PPG, 7.0 APG, and 6 RPG in 25 appearances. The Thunder are 22-8 without Westbrook, mainly due to the stellar play of Kevin Durant and his 31.5 PPG.
- Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald takes a look at the job GM Ryan McDonough has done in his first year with the Suns. He has the team in the enviable position of having the assets and picks for long-range planning, as well as fielding a team that can compete in the short term, writes Murphy.
Cavs GM David Griffin On His New Position
Many believe that acting Cavs GM David Griffin has a 30-game audition to show majority owner Dan Gilbert he has what it takes to earn the job full time. Meanwhile, Gilbert has reportedly reached out to prominent agent Mark Bartelstein to gauge his interest in becoming the team’s new GM. Bartelstein is the kingpin of Priority Sports in Chicago. Bob Finnan of The News-Herald sat down to chat with Griffin about his new position, and here are some of the highlights:
On replacing his friend as the GM:
“On a personal level, this is bittersweet, obviously. Chris (Grant) is somebody I had a great deal of respect for and had a personal relationship with. I’m very much looking forward to tackling this opportunity at the same time.”
On what he has to do in his new position:
“It’s time to capitalize on all of the benefits we have and, more than anything else, I think it’s time to really bring this to a place where everybody wants to be, bring it to an environment and have the sort of symbiotic relationship with each other, where we believe in each other enough and trust each other enough to tell each other what they need to do here and to do it on the court. I think we have a group of kids that want to do that. I know we have a coaching staff that comes to work each day with the spirit of finding a way. We will find a way, and this team will succeed.”
On if he believes this is a 30-game audition:
“The indication I have is I’m here right now. Dan has shown a great deal of faith in me, and he and his ownership group have put me in a position to be very successful right now. I have full latitude to do this job. I have their support to do this job. I will not be taking calls as a secretary. I will be the general manager of the team. What that means moving forward, candidly, is very irrelevant to me. If I’m going to be successful in this position, it’s because we as a group have results. And if we have those results, then you tend to get to stay. If you don’t, you go away. That’s the nature of this beast. Dan doesn’t need to say anything to me. We need to produce. That’s how I know I’m going to be there.”
On if the team will be buyers or sellers at this year’s deadline:
“I don’t see how you get better and win more games selling. We’re going to buy to the extent that it makes us better for the long haul. I don’t think we’re going to do anything that’s an act of desperation. I think we’re going to be willing to buy the right asset at the right price. We are dedicated 100 percent from top to bottom to getting better and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Knicks Notes: Anthony, Deadline, Frazier
Carmelo Anthony fully intends to opt out of his contract at the end of the year, but he might just be stuck in New York, writes Mitch Lawrence of The New York Daily News. The Lakers are shooting for Kevin Love when he is a free agent in the summer of 2015 and maybe another star in 2016. The Clippers are seeing Blake Griffin evolve into a complete player and probably wouldn’t be willing to trade him, even for a player of Anthony’s caliber. Los Angeles is one of very few markets outside New York where ‘Melo would be willing to take his considerable scoring prowess, opines Lawrence, and neither L.A. team seems like a fit. The Bulls don’t seem to have their eyes on Anthony either, according to the article, so there isn’t another major market in the NBA for Anthony to go to, so that leaves him “stuck” at the Garden.
More on Anthony:
- ‘Melo has very low expectations for what the Knicks will be able to do before the trade deadline, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Anthony stated, “I don’t know man, I don’t know who’s tradeable, who’s on the block. Not many people that I think can come right now in February and change our whole season around. This is a difficult time.”
- Anthony takes losing extremely hard, and Al Iannazzone of Newsday wonders if the team can do enough by the trade deadline to give him a reason to re-sign. Whatever the Knicks do will likely be to help a playoff run this season and put them in position to make future moves. But if the team can’t unload the big salaries of Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler and Andrea Bargnani, who are all signed through 2014/2015, then it won’t matter if ‘Melo takes a pay cut next season. They would have to hope he would be willing to hang in until 2015, when Rajon Rondo, Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge can become free agents.
- Knicks great Walt Frazier thinks Anthony will stay with the Knicks, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Frazier stated, “Why would Melo leave New York? Where would he go? Where would he go to reach the same fame and acclaim that he’s reached here?” Frazier also mentioned that Anthony was a good businessman, and since the Knicks can pay him the most, it makes sense for ‘Melo to stay in New York.
- If ‘Melo wants to take less money, then he should do it for a team that knows what it is doing, writes Mike Lupica of The New York Daily News. Lupica believes that if Anthony is serious about winning, he should take a pay cut to go to a team with a more competent front office.
Odds & Ends: Silver, Warriors, Lakers
New NBA commissioner Adam Silver gave his first official State of the Union address this evening. He touched on a number of different topics, and you can check out the full range of them in this article by Ben Golliver of SI.com. Silver spoke on the subject of tanking, which in light of this season’s talented draft class, has been a prime source of discussion around the league. Silver stated, “There’s absolutely no evidence that any team in the NBA has ever lost a single game, or certainly in any time that I’ve been in the league, on purpose.” Silver also addressed the NBPA’s lack of an executive director. He said, “I would love to have a partner across the table from me that had the backing of the entire Players Association and with whom we could do business with.” The commissioner also stated that he would like to alter the current “one-and-done” system that requires players to be at least one year removed from high school before they are draft eligible. His goal would be to change the rule and require incoming players to be at least 20 years old.
More from around the league:
- Former D-League coach Eric Musselman stressed the importance of that league for helping to prepare players for the pros, and runs down a number of the league’s success stories who made an impact in the NBA in this article from Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside.
- The Warriors still seem to be trying to put some sort of deal together before next Thursday, tweets Steve Kyler of Baskeball Insiders. There have been reports that Golden State is seeking depth at the point guard position.
- A group of supporters for the new Kings arena went to court with Sacramento city officials on Friday to fight back against the lawsuit demanding a public vote on the proposed project. Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee has the full story.
- Mark Heisler of The Orange County Register takes a look at how Kobe Bryant‘s extension came about, as well as the long-term impact it will have on the Lakers future cap flexibility.
Charlie Adams contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Magic, Grant
Former Cavs GM Chris Grant has been taking a lot of heat for the state of the franchise. The team has underachieved and not all of his moves worked out, but Grant did a much better job than he’s getting credit for, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Grant walked into one of the worst situations in professional sports, opines Lloyd. Shortly after he was named GM, LeBron James departed and the rest of the roster was in shambles. The team had no pick in that summer’s draft and no players of real value left to trade away and begin the rebuilding process. According to Lloyd, Grant restocked an organization bereft of young talent and future draft picks and he never lost a trade. Grant isn’t employed anymore because the Cavs played terribly for most of this season given the preseason expectations, but those expectations existed thanks to the remarkable work he did for the past three years.
More from around the east:
- The Sixers have been rumored to be actively shopping Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, and Spencer Hawes. The team isn’t expected to retain Turner and Hawes past this summer, and would like to get something in return for them. Tom Moore of The Bucks County Courier Times examines how likely GM Sam Hinkie is to make a trade before Thursday’s deadline.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com has a different opinion on the possibility of the Sixers moving Turner. He tweeted that Turner wasn’t very likely to be moved by the deadline. The team is trying to get a first-round pick for him, and the Sixers are going to have trouble wrangling one in a trade.
- The Magic aren’t expected to be players at the trade deadline, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Kyler says they will listen to offers, but aren’t pushing to make any deals.
- Kyler also tweets that Arron Afflalo isn’t likely to be going anywhere. The Magic view him as a piece that fits their big picture plan, and his age and reasonable contract are a plus. Afflalo is averaging 19.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.7 APG, in 36.5 MPG. Chuck Myron had profiled him as a trade candidate earlier this month.
Miller Doesn’t Want To Return To Nuggets
Despite reports that Andre Miller worked out for the Nuggets this week, it doesn’t appear that the embattled guard will be returning to the team anytime soon, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Nuggets were reportedly attempting to bring back the veteran but the relationship is beyond repair, according to Spears’ source. “The vibe is delusional. It’s a burned bridge. No reconciliation. He’s waiting by the door with his bag already packed. The relationship is irreparable. Under no circumstances does he want to come back to Denver“, the source said. Spears says that Miller hasn’t spoken publicly about the situation out of good will.
Spears also writes that coach Brian Shaw also has no interest in bringing back Miller and the two have not spoken with one another about a possible return. Miller was suspended for two games back in January for yelling at Shaw during a game. Miller has been working out daily at the Nuggets practice facility, but mostly at night, and away from the team. Nuggets GM Tim Connelly has attended some of those workouts, according to Spears.
There have been rumors of potential suitors for Miller, but nothing has materialized yet. The Nuggets may find it difficult to get any value for Miller now, especially if other teams are aware that they have to move the veteran. Last month, Chuck Myron took a look at Miller as a trade candidate. In 30 games this season, Miller has averaged 5.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 3.3 APG.
Dan Gilbert On Future Of Cavs
It’s been a tumultuous season in Cleveland. The team hasn’t lived up to expectations by posting a 20-33 record. The Andrew Bynum experiment was a failure. The team has had chemistry issues. The big trade for Luol Deng hasn’t paid off the way they hoped, and their first-overall draft pick Anthony Bennett is averaging 3.8 PPG. All these issues resulted in the firing of GM Chris Grant two weeks ago, and has coach Mike Brown on the hot seat. Things might be starting to look up for the team, as they entered the break riding a four-game win streak, and the players’ outlook seems to be improving. Team owner Dan Gilbert recently sat down with Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. The whole interview is worth a look, but here are some of the highlights from the piece:
On why the season has been such a disappointment:
“Up until the last week and maybe the road trip before that, the season overall has not hit our expectations. It’s hard to pinpoint the reason. We needed to figure out who we are. Who we are as a team and as a franchise and make sure we’re all headed in the same direction. I think it has taken a little bit longer to gel from a chemistry standpoint. Some of that is non-tangible, but to me not just basketball but all organizations, there has to be a chemistry where people trust each other, believe in each other from the front office to the coaching staff to the players. There was a lot of static this year. A lot of that is expected as normal growing pains from a young team, but I think there was more than people expected.”
On if he regrets saying the team wouldn’t be back in the lottery:
“I think that was in response to questions. Obviously when a reporter asks you a question when you’ve been at the lottery three years in a row, I don’t think it shows much confidence to your fan base or anything that you’re not going to feel pretty good about not being there for the fourth year in a row. We didn’t go pump our hands and say, ‘We’re winning the NBA championship this year!’ I think it’s a good goal to say we’re going to make the playoffs. No one said make the playoffs, do or die. I think it’s a reasonable goal, so no, I don’t regret it.”
On why it’s important to make the playoffs this year, in spite of what is deemed to be such a strong draft:
“It appears to be a rich class at the top, but nobody knows for sure. It’s not just being in the lottery. Most likely you’re going to have to be among the worst five to seven teams in the league to have a significant chance. We didn’t view it as, ‘You’re either going to get one of the top five guys or be in the playoffs.’ We didn’t think we’d be anywhere near the worst five to seven teams, so we think it’s a good goal to make the playoffs. Plus for these young guys, it’s going to be an important step to take to feel the organization is on the right path to feel confident about where we’re going and they’re going.”
On what he’s looking for in his next GM:
“We’re looking for somebody besides the basketball knowledge, who understands the human equation. Understands and feels the importance of culture and chemistry and connectivity and openness, is open to ideas from anywhere and anyone, from all places, and can connect with people and can understand how important it is. Someone who will turn over every possible stone and be open to every possible innovation, creativity, idea from anywhere to give us that edge that we’ll need.”
On if their four-game winning streak has changed their trade deadline approach:
“It’s hard to know for sure because you can’t live it two different ways. I don’t know if we’d lost four more what we’d be thinking now. Everyone thinks there’s long periods of time to think about the trade deadline, but you really don’t have that. Things are so fluid and changing and those other teams don’t show their hands until a day or two before. You can only have as good of a trade as your options or opportunities.”
On how important it is to re-sign Deng:
“We love Luol for a lot of reasons, which everybody knows. Besides the kind of player he is, the kind of person he is and the kind of leader he is by example. But you can’t make these decisions in a vacuum. You have to look at all the pieces and see where you’re going to be.”