Odds & Ends: ‘Melo, LeBron, Popovich, Harrison
Here are some links from around the Association as we come inside 10 days before the regular season starts:
- The New York Daily News’ Mitch Lawrence compares and contrasts the different ways LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have handled their possible impending free agency next summer. That’s when both can opt-out of their current deals with the Heat and Knicks, respectively.
- Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich told the Miami Herald’s Joseph Goodman he dreams about LeBron James and Ray Allen almost every night after the Spurs’ tough loss to the Heat in the Finals last season.
- Austin Daye told the Toronto Sun’s Ryan Wolstat he chose the Raptors this offseason in free agency – despite receiving some interest from the Heat – because he believes in the organization and thought he’d get more playing time.
- Sixers coach Brett Brown will “deal with” Lavoy Allen missing practice today after he claimed to have overslept, writes the Intelligencer’s Thomas Moore.
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter against the Pacers on Friday night and will be out indefinitely.
- Harrison Barnes expects to play in the Warriors season opener against the Lakers on October 30th, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Barnes has missed the last three preseason games with a left foot inflammation, and there’s no word on whether he’ll dress for the remaining two preseason games.
- Ridiculous Upside’s Keith Schlosser reports that D-League players want to be paid more.
- Foreign clubs routinely offer more money than the NBA’s D-League, so the impetus to stay and compete is low unless a certain club expresses direct interest in a player and asks them to play.
- Schlosser suggested individual NBA teams could pay the salaries instead of the NBA itself, but there are only 17 D-League franchises right now with a number of teams sharing the same affiliate, so it’s unclear which team would pay which salaries.
Cavs Waive Michael Lee
The Cavs have waived forward Michael Lee, general manager Chris Grant reports.
The 6’9″ 207 lb. Lee went undrafted out of St. Bonaventure in 2008, and had spent the ensuing years playing internationally in the Ukraine, Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, and France. In three preseason games with the Cavs, Lee averaged 1.7 rebounds in 4.3 minutes per game.
As Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweets, and which Hoops Rumors mentioned earlier tonight, the Cavs roster now stands at 19 players, with four more to be cut before the season opens.
Northwest Notes: Timberwolves, Roberson, Barea
Here are some links from around the Northwest Division tonight:
- Coach Rick Adelman is working with the ‘Wolves on expanding his offensive system, writes the Star Tribune’s Jerry Zgoda.
- Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver previews the Northwest Division and has the Timberwolves finishing fourth behind the (in order from top to bottom) Thunder, Nuggets, and Blazers, but in front of the Jazz.
- Thunder rookie Andre Roberson is making an impression with his defense and rebounding reports the Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater, despite star Kevin Durant admitting he had never heard of him before he was drafted.
- Pioneer Press scribe Bruce Brothers writes that the big challenge next season for Timberwolves guard J.J Barea is to get tougher.
Central Notes: Cavs, Rose, Sanders
According to Cavs coach Mike Brown, he’d like to keep everyone on the training camp roster. But as Jodie Valade writes in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, cuts are coming and can’t be delayed much longer. The Cavs currently have 20 players and need to get down to the league maximum of 15 before the start of the regular season.
The delay is tied to injuries and the Cavs’ D-League affiliate Canton Charge. Neither Andrew Bynum (knee) or Tyler Zeller (appendectomy) have a set return date, and Jarrett Jack and Carrick Felix are also out. Also, the last three training camp cuts go directly to the Cavs’ Canton team if they haven’t previously played in the D-League, as long as they clear waivers and agree to sign D-League contracts. So, the Cavs are trying to be smart and keep those players around to develop.
Valade notes that forward Henry Sims and guard Matthew Dellavedova are expected to make it through the final cut, though.
Here are some more notes from around the Central division tonight:
- Valade and Mary Schmitt Boyer opine, in a tweet, that Alonzo Gee should be the Cavs‘ starting small forward after outplaying Earl Clark all preseason.
- After scoring 32 points in 32 minutes against the Pacers on Friday night, Bulls players tell Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that Derrick Rose is better than ever.
- Bulls Swingman Jimmy Butler said, “I think [Rose is] all the way back and more.”
- Gravelly-voiced coach Tom Thibodeau is amping up the intensity at Bulls‘ practices writes K.C. Johnson at the Chicago Tribune (subscription only) despite an undefeated record in preseason play so far.
- Thibodeau tells Cowley Bulls rookies Tony Snell and Erik Murphy have “a long way to go,” to crack the rotation.
- Larry Sanders tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Charles F. Gardner that he has “spent a lot of quiet time, meditation, listening to classical music or gospel music…” as well as speaking with God in a effort to calm his emotions. Sanders led the NBA with 5 ejections while helming the defensive paint for the Bucks last season.
New York Notes: Stoudemire, Williams, Pierce
Here are some notes tonight on the Nets and Knicks:
- Amar’e Stoudemire has been cleared for contact, coach Mike Woodson told ESPN New York’s Ian Begley (by way of The Knicks Blog’s Adam Zagoria). STAT is hoping to play opening night on October 30th against the Bucks.
- But Stoudemire only participated in 5-on-5 half-court drills and avoided the full-court scrimmage, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News adds.
- It’s still unclear when Deron Williams will return to action one month after the Nets announced he’d sprained his right ankle, writes the New York Post’s Tim Bontemps.
- Bontemps adds that D-Will has ramped up his participation in practice the last two days, and Paul Pierce said he, “Had a chance to see [Williams] get his feet wet a little.”
- But neither coach Jason Kidd nor Williams would talk about whether Williams will appear in any of the Nets‘ final two preseason games, or what his status is for the season opener on October 30th in Cleveland.
- The New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy adds that Kidd’s been largely avoiding most of the questions about Williams’ injured ankle.
- Kidd confirmed to Bontemps that the Nets’ big offseason acquisitions Pierce and Kevin Garnett will not play in their return to Boston for a preseason game against the Celtics on Wednesday night.
- Pierce tells Newsday’s Roderick Boone he’s been seeing a lot of open looks during preseason, but he’s shot poorly and believes it’s the result of being so unused to all the uncontested opportunities.
Western Notes: Leonard, Hamilton, Blazers, Favors
With Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili all carrying a lot of mileage on their legs after multiple years of long playoff runs, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has taken to resting his old stars during back-to-backs while also limiting their game-to-game regular season minutes.
After the excellent play of Kawhi Leonard in last season’s NBA Finals, it might mean an increased role for the “3 & D” wing entering his third year. The San Antonio Express-News’ Jeff MacDonald shares, in a couple different tweets, that Popovich will be increasing Leonard’s responsibility on offense. McDonald thinks his scoring should jump significantly as a result.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference tonight:
- The Timberwolves have expressed interest in unsigned free agent Richard Hamilton, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that there has been no further movement from GM Flip Saunders.
- As noted earlier, the Blazers‘ starting five have yet to appear on the court together this preseason due to multiple injury issues. The lack of time playing together means they haven’t gotten a chance to “gel” as a team, writes the Oregonian’s Mike Tokito.
- Grantland’s Zach Lowe spoke with Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey about the Derrick Favors extension, and mentions in a tweet that Lindsey repeatedly mentioned the Bulls as a model for the Jazz franchise.
- After the Jazz officially confirmed the four-year, $49MM+ extension this morning, everyone’s pretty happy writes the Deseret News’ Mike Sorenson.
- Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune says Favors earned his extension with his defensive prowess for the Jazz.
Eastern Notes: Oden, Caldwell-Pope, Celtics, Gordon
Greg Oden has yet to see any preseason action for the Heat, but the 25-year-old former No. 1 pick told HoopsWorld’s Moke Hamilton his primary goal when he returns to the hardwood is, “To walk on the court and play however many minutes…and to walk off healthy.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says Oden’s “been great,” before adding that his journey from top of the 2007 Draft to the Heat isn’t easily relatable:
“He’s been through a lot; it’s tough for anybody to really relate, to have something you love taken away from you for multiple years, something you can’t control. So, we’re just trying to help him through the process until he can get back on the court.”
Here are some notes from around the Eastern Conference on a slow Saturday night:
- Pistons Rookie Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has struggled with his shot in preseason action, but Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free-Press tweets that Chauncey Billups believes KCP can be a lockdown defender in the vein of Tony Allen.
- Billups tells Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, via Twitter, that he’s been watching tape with Caldwell-Pope and fellow Pistons rookie Peyton Siva.
- Billups tells Langlois that KCP is a good shooter, but “good shooters take good shots” (Twitter). Billups adds that all KCP has proven is he won’t lose his confidence, but that he’s young, too. (Twitter).
- Thanks to a scheduling quirk, the Celtics have played 6 preseason games in 9 days, and only have 2 games remaining before their October 30th opener in Toronto. Coach Brad Stevens, a first-time NBA coach after coming over from Butler, tells Celtics.com’s Marc D’Amico he doesn’t know if Sunday’s preseason game against the ‘Wolves in Montreal will be a dress rehearsal for his regular season rotation, or more tinkering with the minutes.
- Bobcats guard Ben Gordon will miss the rest of the preseason after a procedure on one of his knees to relieve soreness, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Bonnell adds, via Twitter, that coach Steve Clifford will play Ramon Sessions at shooting guard and give Jannero Pargo more run at the point in Gordon’s absence.
Odds & Ends: Burke, Jefferson, NBPA
Jazz rookie Trey Burke fractured his right index finger and will be evaluated on Monday tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Genessy notes, via Twitter, that Scott Machado has been given the most time behind Burke and John Lucas III at point guard this preseason.
Genessy also wonders, in a tweet, whether the Jazz will bring someone else in depending on the severity of Burke’s injury, and mentions Jamaal Tinsley as a possibility. Marc Stein of ESPN tweets that he’s heard of interest from the Jazz about the Bulls’ Marquis Teague, and postulates they may revisit that with Burke going down. The Jazz will find out Monday whether Burke’s fractured finger will require surgery, Stein adds (Twitter).
Here are a smattering of other links from around the league tonight:
- After the Bobcats‘ big free agent, Al Jefferson, severely sprained his ankle, he told the AP in Milwaukee that he’s trying to be back for opening night, tweets the Charlotte Observer’s Rick Bonnell.
- That’s 18 days away, Bonnell adds on Twitter, and he wonders in his next tweet whether the Bobcats might look to add a center in the interim.
- The Mavericks pickup of DeJuan Blair this summer might be huge for them, as we noted earlier tonight. Blair is looking forward to playing his former team, the Mavs intra-state rival Spurs, writes the Star-Telegram’s Dwain Price.
- Blair’s bitterness about his time in San Antonio is evident when he tells Price, “[the Spurs] didn’t give me nothing when I was there. I mean, the fans gave me everything, but everything else, it is what it is. I don’t look at that. I look for us to get a win.”
- Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reports that the NBPA will not pay their new union head the $3MM annually that former executive director Billy Hunter made before he was ousted. Union sources say the annual pay will be around $1.5MM for the new executive director.
- The Knicks lost to the Celtics by 30 tonight in preseason action, but Touré Murry and Ike Diogu both made a case for a roster spot, writes ESPN New York’s Ian Begley.
Atlantic Links: Sixers, ‘Melo, Green, Lopez
Through his first three preseason games, Sixers rookie Michael Carter Williams has 16 assists and just 1 turnover. In Orlando, during summer league action, MCW averaged 4.8 turnovers a game, which was the highest in Orlando.
But Sixers coach Brett Brown wants Carter-Williams to play faster and even more uptempo, he tells the Intelligencer’s Tom Moore: “I actually think we can play faster and he can play faster,” Brown said. “I think we can get it out of the net on makes better. I really feel that’s where we want to place a lot of our focus.”
The risk is MCW’s turnover issues from the summer return if he plays out of control trying to match the uptempo pace Brown is favoring with his young team.
Here are some more links from around the Atlantic division on this Saturday night:
- Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony told Marc Berman of the New York Post that he took a “huge risk” this season by not having surgery on his left shoulder.
- Anthony actually had a torn rotator cuff to go along with a partially torn labrum, but elected not to have the surgery because doctors told him it would be a 4-5 month recovery because of the severity of the tear and he would have missed the beginning of the season.
- But now, ‘Melo says he “feels nothing,” as the twin tears healed themselves.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson says he needs to see more toughness from Cole Aldrich, and that he needs to do the “dirty work,” tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
- Jeff Green has shot just 28.6% from the field (8-for-28) through the Celtics‘ first three preseason games, but coach Brad Stevens says it’s too small a sample size to accurately judge, reports the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy.
- Stevens thinks Green needs more paint points for the C’s, and tells Murphy, “Getting an and-one, an offensive rebound – something that’s a more difficult thing to do but with an easier finish. That can open the floodgates.”
- Brook Lopez came to camp this year at 290 pounds, tweets Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois. That’s 15 pounds heavier than last year’s playing weight for the Nets center, and Langlois says Lopez “looks massive now.”
Central Notes: Rose, Brown, Zeller
After Derrick Rose sat out the Bulls‘ preseason win over the Wizards at HSBC Arena in Brazil, many thought it was the first dint in his road to recovery. But as the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson reports, it was just a precautionary measure by management:
“I’m good,” Rose told reporters in Brazil. “I could’ve played, but the front office made the decision to sit me out. I can’t complain about it. It’s nothing huge. I know that I should be able to go next game.”
GM Gar Foreman was pretty forthright about the decision, but didn’t want to alarm anyone. “If there’s soreness, then we’re going to rest. Any time you’re dealing with any type of injury or soreness you’re concerned. But it’s not a major red flag or huge concern,” he said.
Here’s what else is happening around the Central division including more on Rose:
- Johnson tweets that Rose is trying to stay upbeat after experiencing soreness in the knee on Friday towards the end of practice. But Rose says, “You wouldn’t expect it to happen...I’m trying to stay positive.“
- Cavs coach Mike Brown tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that he’s determined to make the Cavs better on defense this year, something they’ve struggled with since Brown was let go the same summer LeBron James fled south.
- The last year Brown helmed the Cavaliers, 2009/10, they ranked 7th in the league on defense. In the three years after he departed, they’ve finished in the bottom 5 each season, including last year’s woeful 27th place finish.
- Cavs forward Tyler Zeller is out indefinitely after having his appendix removed.