Suns Hire Sampson, Rooks To Front Office
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets that the Suns have hired Ralph Sampson as their player development assistant coordinator and Sean Rooks in a supportive role. According to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link), Phoenix GM Lance Blanks said that owner Robert Sarver's commitment of resources will allow the franchise to return to elite status.
Bulls Waive Vance Cooksey
According to an official press release from Bulls.com, Chicago has waived Vance Cooksey. The guard out of Pikeville was signed to the team's training camp roster this past Monday and had played in the D-League last season. The Bulls roster is now at 17.
Lakers Sign Ronnie Aguilar
FRIDAY, 10:41pm: According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter), Aguilar has a half-decent shot at making the roster considering Howard's back complications.
THURSDAY, 7:35pm: According to RealGM, the Lakers have signed 7'1 center Ronnie Aguilar. The 25-year-old big man played collegiately for Colorado State from 2006-2008 and was a member of the Bakersfield Jam during the 2011-2012 season, averaging 2.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 11.2 MPG in six total games.
The team now has 19 players on their roster for training camp, and as Chuck Myron pointed out in assessing the roster sizes of the Western Conference, the Lakers already have 15 players under contracts that are either guaranteed or partially guaranteed. Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles thinks that along with Reeves Nelson and Greg Somogyi, Aguilar is a long shot to make the team.
Odds & Ends: Timberwolves, Nets, Daniels
- In a Q&A with Mike Wells of IndyStar.com, Danny Granger said that he will try to take things slow through training camp after experiencing irritation in his knee this summer. He also mentioned that he would play if the Pacers were currently in the regular season, adding that the team is just being cautionary right now.
- Paul Flannery of WEEI.com provides a comprehensive breakdown of the Celtics' moves this offseason, complete with some input from coach Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge.
- Tyson Chandler told Tim Bontemps that his workouts with Hakeem Olajuwon have been going very well, says Marc Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link).
- After recently signing an extension in Boston, Keyon Dooling talked about his abrupt decision to retire from the NBA (Jessica Camerato of CSNNE reports).
- The Kamenetzky Brothers of 710 ESPN in Los Angeles took to their radio show to discuss Steve Blake's injury and the possible opportunities for Chris Duhon and Darius Morris, Kobe Bryant's ESPN ranking at number six, and Jason Terry's recent comments about the Heat and Lakers.
Western Notes: Warriors, Lakers, Davis
Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group summarized Warriors GM Bob Myers' meeting with the local media today, and writes that the team has very important decisions to make in the near future. Thompson mentions that Golden State has the ability to significantly be under the salary cap in two years, but will also have to deal with the possible contract extensions of Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut in addition to deciding the futures of players that are still on their rookie-scale deals. "The players can stay as long as they want if we win…but if we don't win, maybe some things do get turned over," said Myers.
With that being said, we have a few more links to share with you tonight out of the Western Conference:
- Andrew Bogut is on schedule to play on opening night and possibly in some pre-season games, although the Australian center has not yet been cleared for five-on-five scrimmages yet, writes Rusty Simmons of SF Gate. GM Bob Myers also talked about Festus Ezeli, adding that he is a "team-first" guy who gives multiple efforts make him a quality prospect. Myers chose to remain neutral on Andris Biedrins not showing up for voluntary pre-training camp workouts, but added that he will have the opportunity to compete in camp and that his role will ultimately be left up to head coach Mark Jackson.
- Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles thinks that the last three roster spots on the Lakers will ultimately be decided between Andrew Goudelock, Darius Morris, Darius Johnson-Odom, and Robert Sacre (Twitter link). In another tweet, Markazi says that Goudelock seems to be the odd man out at this point.
- Hornets rookie Anthony Davis spoke about what he took away from his experiences at the Olympics, teaming with Robin Lopez this season, and head coach Monty Williams' expectations (Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune reports).
- Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com spoke with Nuggets assistant coach Melvin Hunt to evaluate Jordan Hamilton's rookie season and what he was told to work on this summer.
Josh Howard In Negotiations With Four Teams
Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune says (via Twitter) that Josh Howard is still negotiating with four NBA teams, listing the Knicks as one of the possible destinations. In another tweet, Smith says that Howard hopes to sign a contract before the start of NBA training camp, and that any move involving the Jazz will be contingent on what the team does with Raja Bell. Yesterday, we relayed a report that intimated New York's continued interest in the 32-year-old swingman.
Heat Sign Carney, Dozier
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reports that the Heat have signed guard Rodney Carney and forward Robert Dozier to their training camp roster, which now stands at the maximum of 20 players (Twitter link).
Dozier had reportedly agreed to terms with Miami earlier this month and was working out with the team, although nothing had been officially announced until today. Carney, a former first round pick of the 76ers, had also drawn interest from the Bucks in recent weeks.
Martin Conditionally Open To Veteran’s Minimum
Yahoo's Marc J. Spears says that according to agent Andy Miller, Kenyon Martin would be open to signing a veteran's minimum deal in a "comfortable team role" although nothing is currently imminent with any NBA team (Twitter link). We recently noted that the 6'9 forward had been among the remaining free agents who have been seeking a contract higher than the minimum.
The former number one overall pick appeared in forty-two games with the Clippers last season, averaging 5.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1 BPG, and 1 SPG in 22.4 minutes per game. Miller made it clear that Martin wants to play in the NBA during the 2012-13 season and has just turned down an offer to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, Spears tweets.
Spoelstra On Juwan, Injuries, Cole
Erik Spoelstra has had a busy summer, consulting with former NBA coach Paul Westhead about his perspective on fast break offenses in addition to meeting with Florida Gators head coach Billy Donavan to talk about the pressures associated with aiming to repeat as national champions (Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes). Now on the cusp of training camp, Spoelstra opened up on a few notable topics regarding the Heat:
- Juwan Howard will not be a member of the team's training camp, but could eventually join the team down the line.
- Dwyane Wade has been recovering from an arthroscopic surgery procedure in July, but is expected to be ready for the season opener on October 30. Spoelstra added Wade is "not 100 percent" and that he will be brought along slowly as training camp begins. Ray Allen has been recovering from offseason ankle surgery in July, and while Spoelstra says that the sharpshooter isn't 100 percent healthy either, it's not noticeable. Mike Miller is well enough to take part in all the training camp drills, but will be limited at times as a precaution. Lastly, Jarvis Varnardo is dealing with a strained hamstring that will sideline him heading into camp.
- Norris Cole appears to be doing well after experiencing some issues with his groin recently, and has had a strong summer considering the team's goal of improving his playmaking and shooting.
- Dexter Pittman has had a productive offseason and will be in the best condition he's been in going into a training camp.
Spurs Sign Josh Powell
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets that the Spurs have added veteran big man Josh Powell to their training camp roster. Powell joins Derrick Brown, Wesley Witherspoon, Tre Kelley and Tyler Wilkerson as recent signings that will compete for a roster spot in San Antonio.
Powell had most recently played in Puerto Rico and was last seen in the NBA with the Hawks during the 2010-11 season. The Spurs' roster currently stands at 18.