Warriors Favoring Dedmon?
Warriors head coach Mark Jackson said that it was safe to say that center DeWayne Dedmon is the favorite to land Golden State’s final roster spot, tweets Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. The undrafted center out of USC is currently on a partially guaranteed contract, and has been in the mix with Seth Curry and Joe Alexander to earn a spot on the team.
Golden State currently has 13 guaranteed contracts and a total of 17 on their training camp roster. Three of the remaining players are on partially guaranteed deals (Kent Bazemore, Dedmon, Curry), while Alexander had been playing on a non-guaranteed contract. I think it’s reasonable to assume that Bazemore – who had an impressive summer league run for the team this year – takes up the penultimate roster spot, so it appears that Curry and Alexander may be the odd men out.
Through four pre-season contests, Dedmon is averaging 4.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in 10.8 MPG.
Hammond On Offseason, Roster, Expectations
Bucks general manager John Hammond took part in a phone interview with Hoopsworld to talk about what the team had aimed to do during the offseason, shared thoughts on some of their acquisitions, and what he’ll be looking for in 2013/14. You can read a few highlights from the transcript below (Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld):
On their approach during the offseason and changing the team atmosphere:
“Our approach was two-fold; we wanted to stay competitive and yet build with young players as we move forward…One of the most important things is that the young players continue to improve. Guys like Larry Sanders, John Henson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brandon Knight and all of our young players, that at the end of the season they’re better than what they were at the start of the season.”
“One thing we felt like we really needed to do was change the culture, so to speak, and I really feel like we were able to do that…The kind of people we brought in, guys like Zaza Pachulia, Luke Ridnour, Carlos Delfino and, of course, Caron Butler, those guys are great pieces to have on your roster. They’re going to represent the organization well. They’re going to represent the community well. We’re excited about having them. We needed those veteran pieces to kind of help stabilize us, on the floor and off the floor.”
On the sign-and-trade deal with Detroit that brought Brandon Knight to Milwaukee:
“At the end of the day, from a roster standpoint, we felt like it was the right decision for us and we were happy to be able to acquire Brandon…We’ve been very impressed with him. He’s only 21 years old so he’s another very young piece, but he has two years of experience under his belt. He’s another guy who I feel is going to continue to improve and get better. We’re looking forward to having him as a keeper piece in the backcourt.
On Larry Sanders:
“He’s a difference maker on the floor…He’s a difference maker, a game changer, whatever you want to call it because of his defensive presence and his ability to block shots. Any time you can be identified as one of the best in the league at a particular aspect of the game, I think you do have a chance to be a [franchise] player. We’re hoping that Larry can continue to be that. All he has to do is continue to be what he has been – someone who is a rim protector, runs the floor and rebounds on both ends of the floor. And his game is going to continue to grow, I feel very confident about that.”
Taking a chance on Giannis Antentokounmpo:
“We didn’t know exactly how soon he was going to be able to get on floor or how soon we’d be able to play him when we drafted him and going into training camp, we still had no idea…But through training camp and through the exhibition season thus far, I think we do feel confident that we can put him on the floor and that he can play. There’s no greater experience than being on the floor and learning in live action. We’re expecting that to happen for him. As far as what his ceiling his, I really don’t know what his ceiling is. I think he has a chance to be – and I say this in a very guarded manner – he has a chance to be a special player. I do think he has a chance to be a special player in this league.”
The expectations for the upcoming season and thoughts on the draft:
“We hope to continue to improve as the season progresses and hope that our guys play unselfish, play hard every night and represent this organization and community…With that being said, the wins and losses will take care of themselves. We’re planning on winning and hopefully being a very competitive team throughout the season. But for us, as we move forward, we want to continue to build with the young pieces, continue to draft wisely and have good cap management.”
“(2014) seems like a great class, but I’m saying that today before the college season even starts…I’m kind of excited about this draft, but then again we always find out more and learn more throughout the season.”
Odds & Ends: Hayward, Kobe, Nelson
As we inch closer to the start of the regular season, here are some miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight:
- Gordon Hayward would love to remain on the Jazz for the rest of his career, reports Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld.
- Kobe Bryant says that he’s scaled back on his activities in order to allow his injured left achilles tendon to heal from the added pressure he felt last week. The Lakers’ superstar had been doing some light jogging and shooting drills last week while the team was in China for exhibition games (Mark Medina of InsideSoCal.com)
- While discussing how much he enjoys his leadership role on the Magic as the team’s most seasoned veteran, Jameer Nelson knows that with a major rebuilding process underway, he’s still a prime candidate to be traded (Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel).
- Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune makes a strong case for why the Jazz should trade for Kings guard Jimmer Fredette, who he believes would not only contribute with his shooting ability, but also help tickets sales by drawing the innumerable ‘Jimmermania’ fanatics that followed him at BYU.
- Mike D’Antoni admitted that last year’s Lakers roster made it difficult to define roles, especially when “everybody thinks they’re the 1 or 2 guy” (Bill Oram of the OC Register via Twitter).
- Pelicans coach Monty Williams admittedly didn’t find the type of production he was looking for from the center position during the pre-season, writes John Reid of NOLA.com.
Raptors Exercise Team Options On Valanciunas, Ross
As per the team’s official PR Twitter account, the Raptors have exercised their third-year team options on center Jonas Valanciunas and swingman Terrence Ross, essentially guaranteeing their contracts through 2014/15. Though the terms of the deal were not officially released, Valanciunas and Ross are expected to earn roughly $3.7MM and $2.8MM respectively during that season.
The 6’11 Valanciunas, who averaged 8.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.3 BPG, and shooting 55.7% from the field in 24 minutes per contest in 2012/13, is arguably primed for a breakout season after winning the MVP award of the Las Vegas Summer League this year and some strong public support given by head coach Dwane Casey back in July:
“(The offense) will change quite a bit because (Jonas) has developed into the type of player that we can go to on a consistent basis far more than we did last year…He’s done a good job this summer not only scoring out of the low post, but of reading defences, understanding when to pass, when to score, when to attack…He’s going to get his big portion of the offence run through him, around him, not only just to score out of the low post, but to quarterback” (Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun).
As for Ross, who averaged 6.4 PPG in 17.0 MPG last year, there should be ample opportunities to continue to develop and see floor time, as he eventually became a trusted crunch-time defender in coach Casey’s rotation midway through last season. Through 7 pre-season games, Ross has come off the bench and emerged as the team’s third leading scorer, averaging 12,0 PPG in 21.0 MPG. The next step, according to Casey, is consistency:
“(He’s shown) that he can score the basketball, he can defend, but his key thing, like I’ve always said, is consistency, doing it over a long period of time…Youth is part of that, understanding what it takes to be an NBA player each and every night. It’s a grind, it’s a marathon — not a sprint. It’s not what you did on the last play, it’s what you do on the next play. He’s got to learn.”
Both Ross and Valanciunas will be eligible for fourth-year team options in 2015/16, and considering how much the Raptors appear to be committed to their development, it probably wasn’t likely that the two would have made it past this year’s deadline without having their options picked up.
Celtics Links: Rondo, Roster, Bradley
Danny Ainge tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe that Rajon Rondo is “absolutely” the centerpiece to the Celtics’ rebuilding project. Also, just as we had heard yesterday, Ainge confirmed that the team plans to keep the roster to 14 guaranteed contracts in order to stay under the luxury tax (Twitter links). Here are a few more noteworthy links to share out of Boston tonight:
- When asked about the approaching deadline regarding a potential contract extension for Avery Bradley, Ainge told Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston that he’s currently in negotiations with the 6’2 guard, which suggests that a new deal could still be reached before October 31st (Twitter links). Forsberg notes that this is a considerable change in stance compared to earlier this summer, when Ainge said he planned to curb contract talks until Bradley hit restricted free agency during the 2014 offseason.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (via Twitter) notes that Ainge admitted to being in contract talks with Bradley’s camp but chose not to elaborate on where those discussions currently stand.
Odds & Ends: Rivers, Stan Van Gundy, Jazz
Clippers coach Doc Rivers sits down with Harvey Araton of the New York Times to discuss the scrutiny that accompanied his exit from Boston and his willingness to accept the responsibility if things don’t go well in Los Angeles: “But when (the opportunity to coach the Clippers) presented itself, I thought, ‘Wow, this would be a unique situation for me…If there’s a mistake, it’s my fault. I don’t want to blame someone else. I want to blame me.”
Rivers also commented on how the free throw shooting struggles of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin has been somewhat of an achilles’ heel for the team in the past: “Blake and D. J., they missed a couple, and their whole game changed…Blake would stop driving, stop attacking, because he didn’t want to get fouled. D. J. didn’t even want to touch the ball. Then he would take all that defensive energy he had and throw it out of the game.”
Here are the rest of tonight’s miscellaneous links:
- Despite the tumultuous way in which their working relationship ended in Orlando, former coach Stan Van Gundy still thinks that the Magic should retire Dwight Howard‘s number, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel (Subscribers only).
- Jazz camp hopeful Lester Hudson values his opportunity to stick in the NBA after being a career journeyman since entering the league (Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune). In another Utah-related piece, John Lucas III talks about being fueled to secure his NBA future after his international and D-League experiences: “Every time I step on the court, (I think), ‘I don’t want to go back to Italy. I don’t want to go back to Spain. Don’t want to go back to China (or the) D-League…I feel like I’m at home. I just have that in the back of my head all the time, so when I step on that court I give it everything I have” (Jody Genessy of the Deseret News).
- Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston answered a few questions from his readers in his newest edition of “Celtics Mailbag.”
- Bucks head coach Larry Drew spoke about the importance of having a veteran like Zaza Pachulia around the team, especially with their familiarity together stemming from their history in Atlanta (Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel).
Nets Waive Gary Forbes
According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the Nets have waived swingman Gary Forbes (Twitter link). The 6’7 small forward had signed a non-guaranteed contract with Brooklyn in late September and had drawn interest from the Knicks and Lakers over the summer. Forbes played sparingly in four pre-season games for the Nets, totaling roughly 6.3 PPG in 9.5 MPG.
The move reduces the Nets’ roster to 17 players, which includes 15 fully-guaranteed and two non-guaranteed deals.
Central Links: Cavaliers, Boozer, Snell
As Mary Schmitt-Boyer of The Plain Dealer notes, Cavs coach Mike Brown has been very impressed with rookie first-round pick Sergey Karasev:
“There’s a certain level of confidence that he has about himself and in his game. It rubs off on me the right way as a coach and it makes me have confidence in him and putting him out there. I like Sergey’s demeanor…You like that quiet confidence, quiet toughness that he has. He just plays the game. He can pass. He can shoot. He can dribble. He thinks the game. If you take this away, he’ll go the opposite direction. If you take that away, he’ll go the other way with it. He’s a basketball player. We like that.”
We have a few more notable links to share out of the Central Division tonight, and you can find them below:
- Making cuts and determining the final roster won’t be an easy task for Cavaliers’ coach. After strong performances by many of the team’s camp invites, Brown tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio: “It’s gonna be a tough decision. Everybody’s showing their worth” (Twitter link).
- Though Carlos Boozer isn’t a stranger to neither being under-appreciated nor drawing the ire of Chicago fans when things haven’t gone well for the Bulls, he tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s comfortable regardless knowing that his teammates, coaches, and the team’s ownership are fully supportive of him.
- Following his ubiquitous performance last night against the Pistons that included 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting, four assists, and three steals in 25 minutes, Bulls rookie Tony Snell could potentially be primed as significant reserve contributor this year on what is already a deep bench, opines Sam Smith of Bulls.com. The Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson discusses the focus that Snell has been placing on defense (Subcribers only).
- In another piece, Johnson takes a look at some of Joakim Noah‘s offseason workouts in preparation for the upcoming season (Subscribers only).
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Carmelo, Fields
The New York Post’s Marc Berman (via Twitter) thinks it was a bad sign for C.J. Leslie’s chances of making the Knicks roster after the rookie forward didn’t receive any playing time during tonight’s pre-season game against the Wizards. On the other hand, Berman and Newsday’s Al Iannazzone both made note that Knicks head coach Mike Woodson was particularly pleased with training camp invites Toure Murry and Ike Diogu (Twitter links). It should be noted that Murry and Diogu are playing on non-guaranteed contracts, while Leslie has a partially-guaranteed deal.
Here are some more links to pass along out of the Atlantic Division:
- ESPN New York’s Ian O’Connor writes that unless the Knicks are clearly the best option for a chance to win a ring, Carmelo Anthony would be foolish to not test the waters in free agency next summer. O’Connor argues that opting out would put pressure on GM Steve Mills to come up with a viable championship vision and abandon the idea of relying on J.R. Smith and Andrea Bargnani as the next best options on offense.
- Raptors head coach Dwane Casey tells Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun that he wants the second unit to be able to increase leads or hold serve when they enter the game, and added that Landry Fields‘ ability to knock down shots – in addition to the other intangibles he brings to the table – would be a huge plus for the team.
- Casey also had this to say about training camp hopeful Julyan Stone: “He reminds me of a younger Nate McMillan with that long, lanky body that can defend. He showed that he can play,”
- Though ESPN had originally reported that Allen Iverson plans to officially announce his retirement before the 76ers host the Heat in their home opener, a team spokesperson could not confirm the report (Tom Moore of Bucks County Courier Times).
Odds & Ends: Kidd, Bynum, Bennett
For some, it may be difficult to fathom that 12 years have already gone by since Jason Kidd landed with the Nets through an offseason trade with the Suns, and that tonight, the franchise is honoring him by retiring his No. 5 uniform (video link via USA Today) in the rafters. Once he arrived in New Jersey in 2001, Kidd appeared more than ready for the revitalization process and leadership role on a team that had missed the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons prior to his arrival:
“(He) told the players, ‘I don’t care what went on here before. We will make the playoffs,'” recalled Rod Thorn, the team president who had made the trade. “Guys were looking at Jason like, ‘What the heck are you talking about?” (ESPN New York’s Ian O’Connor).
The team would go on to win 52 games that season en route to two straight Finals appearances and six consecutive playoff berths. Though Kidd would ultimately fall short of leading the Nets to an NBA title as a player, he now takes on the opportunity of coaching a team with championship aspirations. How far he’ll lead Brooklyn this year remains to be seen, but it’s clear that Kidd could be in the midst of his most special chapter with the Nets’ franchise. Here are some of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes:
- Newsday’s Roderick Boone found that Heat superstar LeBron James wouldn’t comment on whether or not the Nets could contend for a title along with the Heat. Dwyane Wade, on the other hand, had this to say: “(Brooklyn) they did what they said they were going to do. They want to compete for a championship” (Twitter links).
- Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com reports that Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum is now near his usual playing weight of 285 lbs and is inching closer to a return to the court.
- Earlier tonight, Cavs coach Mike Brown revealed that first overall pick Anthony Bennett has been dealing with asthma and sleep apnea (ESPN via the Associated Press). Though Brown says that the breathing issues are noticeable, it doesn’t appear that it’ll affect the way he tries to use Bennett in his rotation this season: “It’s been tiring to watch him because every time I watch him he’s (gasping)…It makes me tired, so I try not to look at him. I tell him, `If you need a sub, just tell me. Otherwise I’m not going to look at you.”
- Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum calls Joel Freeland his “training camp MVP,” while head coach Terry Stotts admits that the 6’11 center has had a good training camp thus far. Joe Freeman of the Oregonian writes that Freeman’s quiet transition into a Nick Collison-type of player could produce an opportunity to find a spot in Stotts’ rotation.
- Nuggets coach Brian Shaw likes what he sees in Wilson Chandler, and team GM Tim Connelly was quick to name him as the most likely to have a breakout year: “He got here about two months ago. He’s in great shape. He’s got the right mindset. Playing for a guy like coach Shaw could really allow him to take that next step” (Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com).