Magic Notes: Turkoglu, Osby, Training Camp
Jameer Nelson hasn't had to worry about his starting job in a long, long time, but that changed this summer when the Magic decided to see what Victor Oladipo could offer at the point guard position. It was a move that raised a few eyebrows around the league since the Indiana University product wasn't know for having exceptional ball handling as a two-guard. However, Oladipo impressed during summer league and there could be a position battle brewing in Orlando. Here's more on the Magic, courtesy of Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel..
- The Magic are working on a buyout with Hedo Turkoglu and it sounds as though he'll have a nice opportunity waiting for him if it goes through. According to reports out of Turkey, Fenerbahce Ulker has made an offer to the veteran worth roughly $3.4MM. The Magic are on the hook for $6MM of Hedo's $12MM 2014/15 salary and the full amount becomes guaranteed if he's still on the roster by January 7th. The 34-year-old is coming off of a down season in which he was suspended 20 games for anabolic steroid use.
- Orlando plans to give second-round pick Romero Osby an invite to camp with an opportunity to make the roster this year. The combo forward out of Oklahoma showed promise while playing in games during the Orlando Summer League.
- With Nik Vucevic as the team's only legitimate center, the Magic plan to invite two big men to camp, along with a guard and a wing.
Odds & Ends: Telep, Jefferson, Griffin
The Spurs have always been about innovation in the front office and they made an out-of-the-box hiring today by hiring well-respected prep recruiting analyst Dave Telep, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Telep, who recently left a job at a cable TV outlet, will work in a scouting coordinator role for the NBA draft under GM R.C. Buford.
- It's difficult to be excited about the offseason in the Southeast Division with the most exciting move being the Bobcats signing Al Jefferson to a hefty contract, writes CBSSports.com's Royce Young. However, there is a power shift with the Heat at the top and the Wizards and Bobcats are trending up a bit while the Hawks will probably take a step back.
- Whether or not the Clippers can truly contend in 2013/14 depends on star forward Blake Griffin, opines Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.
- In his weekend mailbag, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes that Landry Fields, who signed a three-year, $18.75MM, deal with the Raptors last offseason, is slowly working to get his shot back while rehabbing his arm/elbow injury.
Northwest Notes: Blazers, Aldridge, Thunder
LaMarcus Aldridge's reps reportedly met with Blazers brass earlier this summer to discuss trade possibilities as the big man was unhappy with the direction of the franchise. However, Aldridge made it known this week that he never asked out of Portland. Here's the latest out on Aldridge and other notes out of the Northwest Division..
- Even though LaMarcus Aldridge says that he didn't demand to be traded from the Blazers, he did converse with GM Neil Olshey about the direction of the club, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo. "I did the whole rebuilding thing. I want to win. I told him let's get better this summer. I think (Olshey's) done that," said the All-Star.
- When asked if he feels like he's wasting the prime of his career with the Blazers, Aldridge said he doesn't and says that he still has "a lot" of years left in his prime (link). The big man added that the Blazers have a chance to make the playoffs, but they'll have to work hard for it (link). Hoops Rumors readers are split 50/50 on whether that's a reality for Portland.
- DeAndre Liggins was already going to have to fight to make the Thunder roster and his arrest only hurts his chances, notes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (on Twitter). Liggins is on a non-guaranteed minimum salary.
Central Notes: Bucks, Pistons, Smith
Here's the latest out of the Central Division..
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld notes that the Bucks and Suns basically swapped trade positions by making the Caron Butler deal. Milwaukee went from about $7.4MM to spend to about $1.9MM after acquiring Butler for Ish Smith and Viacheslav Kravtsov. Meanwhile, the Suns went from no cap room at all to $5.2MM under.
- Sean Corp of Sheridan Hoops has five things to watch for with the Pistons following their whirlwind offseason. First on his list is the shot selection of prized acquisition Josh Smith.
- The Pistons have the luxury of bringing top pick Kentavious Caldwell-Pope along slowly, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Detroit tapped the Georgia product with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2013 draft.
Poll: Nets Vs. Knicks
I'm not sure if you heard, but the Nets made a few changes this summer. After playing to a 49-33 record in the regular season, securing the No. 4 seed in the East, and getting bounced in seven games by the Derrick Rose-less Bulls, interim coach P.J. Carlesimo was canned the next day and Brooklyn refused to stop there. Months later, the Nets pulled a deal straight from the Dodgers' playbook, acquiring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, and a whole lot of luxury tax.
Many see the souped-up Nets as the best team in the Atlantic and possibly one of the league's elite teams in 2013/14, but don't try telling that to Knicks swingman J.R. Smith, who says that the Nets "weren't good" when he returned to the league in February 2012 and took great pains to point out that they're still "not good." What will propel the Knicks ahead of their cross-borough rivals? Take it away J.R..
“I feel comfortable. People ruled us out last year early, too. We added some great pieces. Unfortunately, we got rid of some good pieces. But we added Andrea [Bargnani], Beno [Udrih], Metta [World Peace]. We have to consistently play like we did the first 20 games last year the whole season. We can’t have a middle-of-season lapse. We have to consistently play the same way,” Smith told ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, despite their acquisitions, it looks like they'll be without Smith for at least the first week or two of the season. When they are at full strength, they'll be jockeying for position in the Atlantic against a starting five of Deron Williams, Pierce, Garnett, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez. The Nets also boast an improved second unit, spearheaded by small forward Andrei Kirilenko. The Knicks should still be a playoff team by any measure, but it looks like they'll have their work cut out for them. We know what J.R. thinks, but now we want you to weigh in. Who wins the battle of New York in 2013/14?
Who Will Finish With A Better Record?
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Nets 54% (591)
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Knicks 46% (505)
Total votes: 1,096
Week In Review: 8/26/13 – 9/1/13
There's been quite a bit of change in Milwaukee this summer but the Bucks weren't completely satisfied with their revamped roster. Earlier this week, the Bucks landed Caron Butler from the Suns in exchange for point guard Ish Smith and center Viacheslav Kravtsov. Butler averaged 10.4 points per game last season, his lowest output in nine years, but the two-time All-Star has added the three-point shot to his arsenal in recent years, nailing 38% of his 3.8 long-range attempts per game the past three seasons. Here's the rest of the Hoops Rumors Week In Review..
- The Clippers officially signed Antawn Jamison to a one-year deal.
- Tracy McGrady announced his retirement from the NBA after 16 season and nearly 1,000 total regular season and playoff games.
- LaMarcus Aldridge denied requesting a trade this summer and spoke about the offseason trade rumors.
- The Suns signed No. 5 overall pick Alex Len.
- It appears that Lamar Odom is in a bit of trouble.
- Just two weeks after acquiring him from the Celtics, the Grizzlies waived Fab Melo.
- The Raptors waived Quentin Richardson.
- Sixers GM Sam Hinkie says that he's not looking to trade a vet like Thaddeus Young to clear even more cap space.
- The Pacers, Pelicans, and 76ers like Earl Barron.
- The T'Wolves are expected to hire Milt Newton as GM and Bobby Jackson as a player development coach.
- The Kings signed Trent Lockett to a partially-guaranteed two-year deal.
- Hamed Haddadi worked out for the Pelicans.
- The Cavs and Spurs worked out Josh Childress.
- Luke Babbitt signed with a team in Russia.
- Ivan Johnson signed in China and his deal does not include an NBA out clause.
- The Blazers are expected to cut Terrel Harris.
- Undrafted free agent Kenny Kadji signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Cavs.
- Top prospect Dante Exum isn't sure what his next move will be.
- Chris Smith will be in camp with the Knicks, but don't bank on him making the team.
- E.J. Singler accepted a camp invite from the Blazers.
- Forward Eric Dawson is going to camp with the Hawks.
- Kammron Taylor accepted the Celtics' camp offer.
- Former Iowa State guard Chris Babb will be in camp with the Celtics.
- Ron Howard will camp with the Pacers. Spare us your Opie jokes, please.
- DeShawn Sims is coming to camp with Boston.
Fab Melo Clears Waivers
Big man Fab Melo has cleared waivers after being cut loose by the Grizzlies late last week, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Syracuse product was set to earn $1.31MM in 2013/14.
Melo's stint in Memphis didn't last very long as he came over via trade from the Celtics in mid-August. It's still unclear if the Grizzlies intended all along to waive the center after giving up Donte Greene to get him. Ultimately, the move cost the Grizzlies a little bit of cap flexibility but netted them at least $300K in cash as the C's gave them $1.66MM in the swap.
Melo was the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 draft and only appeared in six NBA games for the Celtics in 2012/13. He spent the bulk of the season with Boston's D-League affiliate, averaging 9.8 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 33 games for the Maine Red Claws. Despite his lack of a real professional resume, it wasn't a given that Melo would clear waivers given his size and athleticism.
Washburn On Bucks, Johnson, Wilcox
In today's column, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes that much of the Bucks success lies on the capable shoulders of Larry Sanders. The big man inked a four-year, $44MM deal with Milwaukee this offseason that will put him at the center of a very different team than the one that went to the playoffs this past season. “He’s one of the key, if not the key, piece for us moving forward,” GM John Hammond said of Sanders. “Larry is one of the top shot-blockers in our business. And I think he’s only going to get better defensively. We’re really excited to have him part of our organization, moving forward long term.”
In an Eastern Conference where the Celtics and Hawks in rebuilding mode, and the Magic, 76ers, and Bobcats are lottery-bound, teams like the Bucks , Cavs , Pistons, Wizards, and Raptors will have an opportunity to take a step forward, in Washburn's estimation. Here's more from today's column..
- The fact that former Hawks forward Ivan Johnson couldn't land a mini mid-level deal despite being a solid 29-year-old rebounder is an indication that it will be a tough market for the remaining free agents looking for more than the minimum. Teams with salary-cap space would much rather invest money in younger players and prospects than veterans while contenders have filled their rosters, leaving only training camp invitations. There's also speculation that teams are wary of the luxury-tax threshold with the increased penalties brought on by the new CBA. The Celtics are one team that has been in the process of shedding salary – like Shavlik Randolph and Terrence Williams – for that reason.
- Former Celtics veteran Chris Wilcox is still without a club as September gets underway and he'll have to find a home rather quickly. While he wants to play in the NBA, he's open to other possibilities. “I am open to going overseas,” Wilcox said. “At the same time, I would love to stay here in the NBA. If it’s something that I have to do, then I’ll do it.”
- Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who was appointed as GM of the Kings' D-League affiliate, could be an NBA GM candidate in the coming years. The retired forward has been in the Sacramento front office the past three seasons and has been considered a rising exec. It's worth noting that Abdur-Rahim stayed in the Sacramento front office in the face of the team’s ownership and coaching change.
Hoops Links: CBA, Horford, Bargnani, Eurobasket
On this week in 1999, we saw one of the largest deals in NBA history go down. Eleven players changed teams as the Grizzlies traded the rights to guard Steve Francis and forward Tony Massenburg to the Rockets for guard Michael Dickerson, forward/center Othella Harrington, forward Antoine Carr, guard Brent Price, a future Houston first round draft pick, and the Magic's 2000 second rounder. Meanwhile, Orlando traded forward Don MacLean to the Rockets, and received guard Lee Mayberry, forward Makhtar Ndiaye, guard Rodrick Rhodes, and forward Michael Smith from Vancouver.
Got a fantastic basketball blog piece that you want featured on Hoops Rumors? Send your submissions to HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the web..
- Yudelytics looked at the effects of the new NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
- Dime Magazine caught up with Hawks big man Al Horford.
- Posting And Toasting wonders what Andrea Bargnani can bring to the table.
- The Basketball Post tells us what to expect from this year's Eurobasket.
- Blog A Bull shows some love for Joakim Noah.
- Hardwood Paroxysm recaps the Suns' summer.
- Liberty Ballers makes the case for tanking.
- Rufus On Fire says the Bobcats have room to improve.
- Indy Cornrows asks if its title or bust for the Pacers.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Here's a look back at the original analysis produced by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- The Hoops Rumors iPhone/iPad app is now available!
- Ryan Raroque checked in on the free agent stock of Earl Barron.
- Luke Adams broke down the fallout from the Caron Butler deal.
- I asked Hoops Rumors readers if the Blazers are playoff bound and opinions were more or less split.
- Chuck Myron gave us an update on declined rookie-scale options.
- Luke brings us an update on ten-day contract signees from 2013.
- Chuck examined the impact of playing experience on coaching.
- A four-year, $40MM deal should get it done for Gordon Hayward, Chuck writes.
- Here's a look at free agent spending by division, courtesy of Luke.
- Most of you don't see the Bucks making the playoffs this year.
- Is Tracy McGrady a Hall of Famer? Looks like we're all on the fence.
- Hoops Rumors readers believe that Jonas Valanciunas and Jeff Green will be the most improved players in the Atlantic Division this year, according to Ryan's poll.
- Alex Lee asked our readers what they expect out of Antawn Jamison in L.A. and most say he'll put up 5-10 points per game.
- How did 2013's restricted free agents fare?