Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Nets, Smith, Wyatt, Celtics
J.R. Smith has never been one to shy away from a microphone and this week he gave Knicks beat writers some solid late-August material. Somewhere in between firing shots across the East River at Paul Pierce and the Nets, Smith was asked about Carmelo Anthony's opt out in the summer of 2014. "I don't see him leaving, but I said the same thing in Denver so it's up to him," said Smith. Here's more out of the Atlantic..
- Smith told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, that he signed with the Knicks rather than the Nets when he returned from China in February 2012 because “the Nets weren’t good. Now they’re still not good.’’ Meanwhile, Berman's colleague Fred Kerber tweets that the Nets never had any interest in the New Jersey native.
- Smith says that he's unsure of whether or not he'll be ready for the Knicks season opener against the Bucks, but Berman (Sulia link) gets the impression that he won't be. Berman expects him to miss a week or two of action.
- Don't be surprised if former Temple standout Khalif Wyatt receives a training camp invitation and spends some time with the Sixers during the regular season, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The guard could fill a void on a team in desperate need of a long-range shooter, Pompey writes. Wyatt averaged a team-best 13.8 PPG for Philadelphia in summer league.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com breaks down the Celtics' training camp invites.
Michael Malone On Ranadive, D’Alessandro, Petrie
It has been a whirlwind year for the Kings, but at long last, it looks like the franchise has found some stability. The tug of war between Sacramento and Seattle is through and the Kings are staying put in California's capital behind recently-minted owner Vivek Ranadive. There are some major changes on the floor, too, with star Tyreke Evans departing for New Orleans and Michael Malone replacing Keith Smart as head coach. Malone took some time to sit down with Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee to discuss his new challenge. Here's a look at some of the highlights..
When the sale to the Ranadive-led group was finalized, did you think you had a chance at the job?
It's funny, but I remember my father telling me, "You are always working for your next job. Somebody is always watching." And unbeknownst to me, here is Vivek these past two years, watching me at practices, watching me at games. But really, it's not like we were talking on the phone all the time. The most time we ever spent together was on draft night (2012). We were sitting in the war room in Oakland, and we talked for a while. We saw things in a very similar way, and we created a bond, a relationship that night, that led to this.
You were more involved with the NBA draft and recent offseason moves than most head coaches. Do you expect to maintain that degree of input?
You've heard Vivek say that a lot of coaches aren't that involved, but that they need to be involved because they're the guys who have to coach. The first couple weeks – and Geoff Petrie and his staff were terrific in a very uncomfortable situation – we didn't have a GM at the time. I felt like I was head coach and GM. So I was very, very happy when we hired Pete [D'Alessandro]. He came in immediately and was asking: "Who did you like during the workout? What do you think?" We had constant communication on the draft and free agency.
How well did you know D'Alessandro before he was hired?
Not much. I had heard about him, being another New York guy. And I heard a lot of good things about him when he was at Golden State and Denver. But that was it. The neat thing about Pete for me … a lot of guys probably look at this job a little differently, because I was hired before the GM, but he was fine with that.
People were talking quite a bit about the head coach being hired before the GM. Was that awkward for you?
The reality is some people would be turned off by that. Is it the norm? No. But it's not like it never happens. The thing I love about Pete … there's no egos here because at the end of the day it's going to be us. We get the job done or we don't. We both know we need each other to get this thing turned around. And we have an owner who believes in us and is giving us everything we need to succeed. If we don't have that, we have no chance.
So what is your approach? Do you have a two-year plan? A five-year plan?
This is going to be a process. We have to change the culture, establish an identity, and while we'll try to win every night, we don't want to skip steps. We don't want short-term success. I'm not sure what year we get into our new arena, but by that year, we want to be a playoff team, and not to just be competing in the playoffs. We've talked about that. We know we have to have patience to do it right. Are our young guys getting better? Are we defending? Gang- rebounding? Running with discipline? The only thing I promised Vivek is that we will no longer be the worst defensive team in the league. So if we do that and change our culture, that will result in more wins and a better product.
Odds & Ends: 76ers, Odom, Waiters, Evans
The 76ers took their time in naming a new head coach and they're still working on filling out the staff. New head man Brett Brown made yet another hire today by hiring former Nuggets assistant Chad Iske, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Iske served under George Karl in Denver and has built a great reputation for player development. Here's more from around the Association..
- We've now reached the point with Lamar Odom where it's pointless to talk about his free agency or immediate future in basketball, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein says that Odom might have been the one NBA player who never wanted the 2011 lockout to end as he was still working to rebound mentally from two personal tragedies.
- Cavs guard Dion Waiters isn't the biggest star in the Cleveland backcourt, but he's confident that he's the league's next great two-guard, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
- Tyreke Evans is already bonding with his new Pelicans teammates, writes John Reid of the Times Picayune.
- Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival runs down the current list of players who have accepted training camp invites with an NBA team this summer.
LaMarcus Aldridge Denies Asking For Trade
Back in July, Blazers fans got a jolt when LaMarcus Aldridge's reps reportedly met with GM Neil Olshey to discuss trade possibilities. While it appeared from the outside that the All-Star forward was entirely unhappy with his situation in Portland, Aldridge tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) that isn't quite the case.
"I wasn't ready to make a move yet. I was just frustrated in the moment. I haven't given Neil (Olshey) a chance yet," Aldridge explained.
At the time of the report, talks apparently got serious between the new GM and a number of clubs. However, the Bulls, Timberwolves, Clippers, Hawks and Pelicans declined to include Joakim Noah, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Al Horford and Anthony Davis, respectively, in any deal for Aldridge. The big man's salary could have something to do with it – he's owed $14.628MM this season and $15.756MM in 2014/15.
Earlier today, we asked Hoops Rumors readers if the Blazers are playoff bound in 2013/14 and opinions were more or less split.
Knicks Notes: Nets, Smith, Bargnani
There has been a war of words going back and forth between Manhattan and Brooklyn this summer and Knicks guard J.R. Smith is the latest to join the fray. "I just look at [Paul Pierce] as a bitter person just getting out of Boston. He doesn't really know what New York is all about. He's been playing in Boston his whole career," Smith told Ian Begley of ESPN New York on Saturday."Here's the latest out of MSG..
- Within the story, Smith also told Begley that doctors have yet to give him an exact timetable for his potential return. He should be back in action for the first Nets-Knicks showdown in early December, but his status for the season opener is still in question. The Knicks signed Smith to a lucrative four-year, $24.7MM deal this summer before the news of his surgery was disclosed.
- Andrea Bargnani told Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport that he'll miss Eurobasket with his national team due to pneumonia, but he wants to be ready for camp with the Knicks, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Bargnani is hoping to turn over a new leaf in New York after coming over via trade from the Raptors.
- Earlier today we learned that Chris Smith, J.R.'s younger brother, will be in camp with the Knicks.
Chris Smith To Join Knicks’ Training Camp
It has been reported for much of the summer that the Knicks planned to bring Chris Smith, younger brother of J.R. Smith, into training camp this year. Whether he would attend was in question earlier this month there was speculation that he was preparing to play in Italy this season. However, as August comes to a close, we have our answer: the younger Smith will be in camp with the orange and blue, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Of course, Smith's training camp invite is far from a guarantee that he will be with the Knicks when the season opens. In fact, the invitation could be more of a courtesy of J.R. than anything else. The Knicks already have a crowded roster and they found their third point guard in Beno Udrih earlier this offseason.
International Notes: Zaid Abbas, John Shurna
Earlier this week, former Blazers forward Luke Babbitt reached a deal with Russia's BC Nizhny Novgorod on a one-year contract that doesn't include an NBA out clause. Agent Bill Duffy explained that his client will benefit from playing 30 minutes per contest and developing his game further before returning stateside. Here's today's look around the globe..
- Jordanian forward Zaid Abbas has signed with Tianjin of China, agent Giovanni Funiciello told HoopsHype (on Twitter). Abbas had a bit of NBA interest, but his new deal means that he'll play a fourth consecutive season in China. The 29-year-old was said to be holding off on a new deal in China over optimism for an NBA deal this month, but it would appear that nothing materialized to his liking.
- Forward John Shurna signed with Spanish club Joventut de Badalona, according to Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival (via Twitter). The Northwestern product was in summer league with the Hawks after going undrafted in 2012 and joined the Bucks' squad this offseason.
Florida Notes: Heat, Magic, Riley, Oladipo, Melo
People close to the Heat told Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld earlier this week that 2014 isn't the year they need to worry about, it's 2015. While the big three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh can all opt out next summer, they essentially hold player options for the summer of 2015 as well. Here's more on the Heat and the Sunshine State's other team..
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel looks at Pat Riley's assertion that he wanted to cannibalize the NBA free agent market in August and September. At this stage, however, the Heat roster seems pretty complete and adding something from the open market no longer seems like a worthwhile or necessary pursuit.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel looks at the position battle at point guard between incumbent Jameer Nelson and rookie Victor Oladipo. The Indiana University product, who some believe is the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, could give Nelson the first serious run for his starting job in nearly seven years.
- In today's mailbag, a reader asks Winderman if the Heat have any interest in adding the recently released Fab Melo. Winderman says that with the league's shift to smallball, there's no longer an urgency to add size just for the sake of it, so Melo doesn't seem like a fit for Miami.
Poll: Will The Blazers Make The Playoffs?
Dorell Wright is one of the newest members of the Blazers and he's understandably excited about his fresh surroundings. How stoked is the 27-year-old sharpshooter? He says that the Blazers can be a playoff team this season in the ulta-competitive Western Conference.
"Yeah, why not?” Wright told Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. “We’ve got the guys. We’ve got a star point guard that can be an All-Star next year. LaMarcus Aldridge was an All-Star last year, and you’ve got guys around them like [Nic] Batum and Wes Matthews that are solid players as well.”
A team headlined by a sophomore Damian Lillard, Aldridge, and Batum can undeniably do some damage. The Blazers also bolstered their second unit – a definite weakness last season – by adding Wright, Mo Williams, No. 10 overall pick C.J. McCollum, Thomas Robinson, Earl Watson, and Allen Crabbe. Wright, who is among the best shooters in the Association, should be a major help to Portland after they finished 20th in three point field goal percentage (35.3%) in 2012/13.
The case against the Blazers, of course, is the rest of the field. The fact of the matter is, there just aren't a lot of openings for a team like Portland – certainly good, but definitely not great – in this year's Western Conference. Barring something unforeseen, one has to imagine that the Spurs, Thunder, Rockets, Clippers, Grizzlies, and Warriors are going to the postseason. That leaves quality teams like the Timberwolves, Nuggets, Mavs, Lakers, (the dramatically improved) Pelicans, and Blazers to duke it out for the final two seeds. Is Dorell delusional or is he Wright on the money?
Will The Blazers Make The Playoffs?
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Yes 53% (247)
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No 47% (223)
Total votes: 470
Clippers Sign Antawn Jamison
WEDNESDAY, 4:08pm: The Clippers have officially signed Jamison, the team announced today in a press release.
MONDAY, 4:44pm: The Clippers have signed Antawn Jamison to a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter links). It was reported that the Clippers were closing in on a deal with the veteran last night, though the Grizzlies and Bulls were also in the mix for his services.
Jamison, 37, spent last season with the Lakers, averaging 9.4 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 21.5 minutes per contest. It was a noticeable step back from the forward's previous career averages of 19.5 PPG and 7.9 RPG in 36.3 minutes per game.
The Clippers were said to be waiting on other options, namely Lamar Odom, before signing Jamison. In fact, they told Jamison as much nearly two weeks ago when he thought he was on the verge of a deal. It appears that Odom is going through some personal troubles right now, though earlier today, agent Jeff Schwartz refuted reports that his client has gone missing. One source told ESPN's Marc Stein that Odom is dealing with a drug problem and his friends are trying to get him help.
The UNC product is represented by the Wasserman Media Group, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.