Odds & Ends: Kerr, Bledsoe, Pistons, LeBron
Former Suns GM Steve Kerr is enjoying life behind the microphone, but he still has the itch to get back to the other side. However, if he does transition back to the NBA, it might not be as a General Manager. “I have a lot of thoughts about coaching,” Kerr said. “If I get back in, I think it will be on the coaching side. My favorite part of the GM role in terms of my relationships was just dealing with players down on the court. I’d go to practice every day, and I’d let the coaches coach, but just getting to know the players and dealing with them and talking strategy, that really appealed to me. I think if I get back, which I anticipate, it would be on the coaching side,” Kerr told Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld. Here’s more from around the Association..
- All indications are that even though an extension didn’t get done at the October deadline, Eric Bledsoe wants to stay with the Suns, writes John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports. Gambadoro also opines that it makes sense for both parties to wait things out until after Bledsoe’s first full season as a starter.
- Guards O.J. Mayo and Monta Ellis are playing well after swapping teams in the offseason, and as the Bucks and Mavs prepare to meet tonight, Mayo isn’t too hung up on his time in Dallas, as Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel observes. “I forgot all about it, man,” Mayo said of his Mavs stint. “It’s another year. I’ve got a short memory span. I’m looking forward to (Saturday).“
- In today’s mailbag, David Mayo of MLive.com writes that it’s too early to gauge whether coach Maurice Cheeks is the right man for the Pistons.
- LeBron James‘ wife is opening up her own business in Miami and Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel wonders if that could be a factor in her husband’s free agent decision next offseason.
Poll: Will Danny Granger Stay With The Pacers?
Pacers guard Lance Stephenson says that he’s confident he’ll be staying put, even though his bargain basement ~$1MM deal expires at season’s end. “It’s a long season, I’m not thinking nothing about contracts,” Stephenson said. “I’m going to stay with the Pacers, so I’m not even thinking about the contract.” Meanwhile, team president Larry Bird constantly tells Stephenson that he’s the next one to get a new deal after teammates Roy Hibbert, David West, and George Hill have all received contract extensions over the last two years. Barring something unexpected, it looks like Stephenson will be in Indiana for years to come. However, the same can’t be said for former franchise cornerstone Danny Granger.
After missing the bulk of 2012/13, Granger is in the final year of his contract. The Pacers have about $60.6MM in commitments for next season thanks to Granger and a few others coming off of the books, leaving them about $15MM shy of the luxury tax threshold – which they will not go over – with two notable players eligible for the open market. Stephenson probably won’t see $10MM+ per season, but a deal with an average annual value closer to $8MM would make sense for the 23-year-old. With a big chunk of their breathing room going to Stephenson and at least some of the remainder being allocated elsewhere, there isn’t a ton of space for Granger. Even if he halves his $14MM+ salary for this season, it’s an unlikely squeeze, barring a significant trade.
It stands to reason that Granger’s future rests upon how well he does when he returns to the hardwood in a couple of weeks. If Granger shows that he is still somewhat near his All-Star form, it’s hard to see the Pacers being able to carve out enough space for him. If he appears to still be a work in progress as he rehabs his patellar tendinosis, then the Pacers could conceivably find a way to keep him on a low-risk deal at the end of the season. Of course, there’s another possible outcome: Granger looks sharp over the first half of the season and becomes a strong trade chip for Indiana at the deadline. How will things play out?
Will Danny Granger Re-Sign With The Pacers?
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No, he'll be traded mid-season 58% (312)
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No, he'll sign elsewhere next summer 34% (180)
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Yes 8% (42)
Total votes: 534
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Knicks, Dolan, Raptors
Could this really be the same team that downed Miami on Opening Night in Brooklyn? The Nets are now 2-3 after a lackluster effort against the Wizards last night that ended in a 112-108 loss. “This is our issue right now,” Kevin Garnett said, according to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. “We’re trying to figure it out.“It’s not so simple to hit a button or say, ‘This is it.’ We played a decent team that’s in a decent rhythm, [and] we came up short.” Here’s more from the Atlantic Division..
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson has said that the club won’t add a center because of the scarcity of quality big men, but Marc Berman of the New York Post hears from a source that the Knicks won’t take the plunge because of luxury tax concerns. Because New York is already over the threshold, they’ll be taxed at a 2-to-1 ratio on any new deal.
- For what it’s worth, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter links) doesn’t buy into the notion that Knicks owner James Dolan is too cheap to add a center.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Doug Smith of the Toronto Star if new General Manager Masai Ujiri will push coach Dwane Casey to give big man Jonas Valanciunas serious minutes even though the smaller lineup appears to be doing better. Smith says that Ujiri has been extremely hands-off in that regard and believes that he won’t interfere with Casey’s decisions.
Michael Redd, Dan Gadzuric To Retire From NBA
TUESDAY, 11:43am: Redd will officially announce his retirement from the NBA on Wednesday in Milwaukee, when the Bucks host the Cavaliers, according to a release from the team.
MONDAY, 4:40pm: Former Bucks Michael Redd and Dan Gadzuric are done playing in the NBA, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter links).
While Redd hasn’t announced his retirement, Woelfel hears his NBA career is over. The 34-year-old shooting guard, who was out of the league last season, turned down a camp invite last month, which would indicate that he is ready to transition into a post-basketball life. Redd spent the bulk of his career in Milwaukee, where he averaged 20.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG while shooting 38.3% from downtown over the course of eleven seasons. His final NBA season was spent in Phoenix where he put up a less impressive 8.2 PPG in 15.1 minutes per contest.
Gadzuric, 35, spent his first eight years in Milwaukee where he put up 4.9 PPG and 4.5 RPG. The big man, who has been out of the NBA since his two game stint with the Knicks in 2011/12, is thinking about playing in Puerto Rico, according to Woelfel.
Redd was taken with the 43rd overall pick in the 2000 draft and wound up being one of the top talents to come out of a class that was ripe with disappointments. The Ohio State product was the only player out of that draft to make an All-Star team and an All-NBA team over the course of his career.
Odds & Ends: Perkins, Gay, Walton
With the season barely underway, should teams getting off to a slow start be concerned? HoopsWorld ran down the league’s winless club and assessed their own level of concern. The writing staff isn’t too worried about the Jazz as they’re anxiously awaiting the return of highly touted point guard Trey Burke. The level of concern for the 0-2 Nuggets is at medium since they’re not at full strength at this stage. Meanwhile, it could be time to worry in D.C. as the Wizards are 0-3 and can’t blame a John Wall injury for their slow start. Here’s tonight’s look around the league as the Celtics failed to get in the win column..
- Kendrick Perkins took to Twitter tonight to clear the air on his tweet from earlier today where he said it was “time for a change“. “Let me clear something up. I wasn’t talking about leaving OKC. I was talking to some of my family members. I love playing here,” tweeted the Thunder big man.
- Rudy Gay is working to recapture his budding stardom with the Raptors, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. Meanwhile, the forward refutes any notion that the Grizzlies were a better and more savvy team without him on the court.
- The Los Angeles D-Fenders, the D-League affiliate for the Lakers, announced that Luke Walton will join the team as a player development coach. Walton says that he still hopes to continue his playing career and his arrangement with the D-Fenders will allow him to work out with the team and stay in shape.
- Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo readily admits that he has outpaced his own expectations for his basketball career, writes Sean Deveney of Sporting News. “Let me tell you the truth: No. I did not think I would be in the NBA, it was just a dream. How could I think this would happen? And happen now? But I am here now. So I am happy,” said the rookie.
Hoops Links: Mekel, Jack, Sixers, Koufos, Nets
On this date in 1960, Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain set an NBA record for the most free throw attempts in a game with none made when he missed all ten of his tries against Detroit. Chamberlain’s dubious record would last more than 40 years before another dominant center, Shaquille O’Neal, broke it by missing all eleven free throw attempts against Seattle on December 8, 2000.
Here at Hoops Links, we know the importance of converting at the charity stripe. Got a great basketball blog post that you want featured in next week’s edition? Email it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere..
- Mavs Outsider takes a look at Gal Mekel‘s journey.
- Keep It Cavalier gets us familiarized with Jarrett Jack.
- Hoop76 goes out on a limb for some 76ers predictions.
- 3 Shades Of Blue sat down with Kosta Koufos.
- Gavin’s Sports Columns makes some bold predictions for the 2013/14 season.
- The Brooklyn Game was reminded of the Nets’ N.J. days in last night’s loss.
- Red94 wonders if the first few games of the year are an indicator of what the Rockets will look like.
- Hardwood Paroxysm looks at the hidden meaning behind Hack-A-Dwight.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Knicks Acquire D-League Rights To Jeremy Tyler
Earlier today, the Knicks’ D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, officially acquired the D-League rights to forward Jeremy Tyler in a deal with the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside. In exchange for the big man, Santa Cruz will receive the rights to forward Ryan Evans and a pair of D-League draft choices.
The Knicks were high on the 22-year-old for much of the offseason until an injury took him out of action. After that, the Knicks decided to give their final three roster spots to Toure Murry, Cole Aldrich, and Chris Smith, the younger brother of standout guard J.R. Smith. Tyler is still rehabbing the stress fracture in his right foot, but today’s deal will allow the Knicks to closely monitor his progress. Given their enthusiasm about the once highly-touted prospect, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Knicks sign him later on in the season.
Scott Suggs and Shane Gibson will also be sent from the Warriors’ affiliate to the Knicks’ affiliate.
Heat Release Justin Hamilton, Eric Griffin
SUNDAY, 11:49am: The Heat have officially announced the moves on their website.
SATURDAY, 5:13pm: Miami has also waived Justin Hamilton, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). The subtraction leaves the Heat with 15 players, and it appears Michael Beasley and Roger Mason, the team’s only other players on non-guaranteed deals, have made the opening-night roster.
9:08am: The Heat have released forward Eric Griffin, a league source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (via Twitter). Griffin was in summer league and preseason with Miami this year and was said to have impressed.
Miami probably would have liked to keep Griffin, but the club is facing a serious roster crunch with Greg Oden and Michael Beasley filling the final spots on the roster. Releasing Griffin brings the club down to 16 players and Justin Hamilton will probably be the next to go.
The 23-year-old went undrafted out of Campbell in 2012, after averaging 15.7 PPG and 8.6 RPG in his senior year in college. The 6’8″ forward spent last season in Italy, averaging 17.5 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 28 contests for Fileni BPA Jesi, before earning a spot on the Heat’s Summer League team last month.
Bucks Cut Graham, McKinney Jones, Czyz
1:03pm: The Bucks have also released Stephen Graham and Trey McKinney Jones, taking their roster down to 15, the team announced on Twitter. Both were on non-guaranteed contracts. None of the team’s camp invitees had much of a shot to make the opening-night roster, since the team began preseason with 15 fully guaranteed deals.
9:45am: The Bucks have released Olek Czyz, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter). The Polish forward spent last season with Virtus Roma in Italy and left a guaranteed gig overseas to try and hook on with Milwaukee this offseason.
Czyz played alongside Gigi Datome in Italy and averaged 5.6 PPG and 3.7 RPG in just 14.5 minutes per contest across 48 games. Czyz joined the Bucks at a time when they already had 15 players under guaranteed contracts and was signed at the same time as Junior Cadougan, Trey McKinney Jones, and Stephen Graham, so his chances were never that strong.
The Bucks could theoretically try and steer him to their D-League affiliate, but it could be tough to pry open a spot as they share the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with five other clubs.
Nets Waive Gutierrez, Johnson, Thomas
The Nets announced that they have waived guard Jorge Gutierrez and forwards Chris Johnson and Adonis Thomas. Brooklyn’s roster now stands at the max of 15.
Gutierrez, who was signed to the training camp roster on September 30, appeared in five preseason games, averaging 1.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Johnson, who was also signed to the training camp roster on September 30, played in seven preseason games, averaging 5.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Thomas, who was signed to the training camp roster on October 18, did not appear in any preseason games for the Nets.