Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Gay, Celtics, Brooks
Johan Petro landed a three-year, $10MM deal from the rebuilding Nets following the 2010 season but the big man never found his place on either side of the floor. After being shipped to the Hawks in the Joe Johnson deal last year, Petro hit the open market in the summer and apparently didn’t find an NBA deal to his liking. Yesterday, the 27-year-old Frenchman reached agreement with a Chinese team on a deal that somewhat surprisingly doesn’t include an NBA-opt out clause. Here’s more out of the Atlantic..
- Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld runs down the clubs that could potentially be 2014’s new playoff teams, including the Raptors. Toronto was only four games out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture last year and they’ll now have Rudy Gay for a full season with Masai Ujiri at the helm in the front office.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com has another installment of his summer forecast series on the Celtics and this time the focus is on who the club’s biggest underachiever might be. Forsberg compiled votes from C’s bloggers who gave him a whopping 12 potential underachievers. The leading votegetter was Jeff Green, but newcomer MarShon Brooks was also among those receiving significant votes.
- While the Raptors have been known to carry several international players in years past, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star says that it wasn’t a coordinated effort to rope in foreign-born fans.
Heat Notes: Wade, Odom, Riley, LeBron
Here's a look at the latest out of South Beach..
- A rumored meeting with Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley wooing Lamar Odom this summer didn't happen, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Furthermore, Wade said he removed himself from the team's free agent recruitment this offseason. "I left that all to them," Wade said. "I got away, understanding that we have little that we can do. And Pat Riley is the best at what he does, so he's fine. We all understand the nature of the beast, what we're dealing with."
- Winderman also spoke with NBPA treasurer James Jones about LeBron James' decision not to run for union president and his own aspirations within the union. Jones doesn't sound poised to make a run for president after Chris Paul is done with the job and says that he's happy to put his finance degree to use wit his current role.
- In today's mailbag, one reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the acquisition of Greg Oden is overshadowing Chris Andersen. Winderman explains that Oden is not in Miami to replace Birdman by any means, but rather to serve as a complement to him. Last year, Andersen struggled with certain matchups to the point where he had to be held out of two games against the Spurs and Tim Duncan.
- ESPN's J.A. Adande and Bomani Jones debate the contenders for the 2014 title, with particular focus on the Heat (video link). The Pacers and Rockets are also among the teams covered.
Pistons Sign Josh Harrellson
WEDNESDAY, 11:27am: The Pistons have officially signed Harrellson, the team announced today (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 9:04pm: The Pistons have reached agreement on a deal with forward Josh Harrellson, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The deal will be for two-years with a partial guarantee on year one and a club option on year two, Wojnarowski tweets.
Harrellson, 24, saw just six games of action last season with the Heat, averaging 1.7 PPG and 1.2 RPG. The big man had one ten-day contract with Miami but the club opted not to extend him a second ten-day offer. Harrellson saw more burn in his debut NBA season in New York (2011/12) where he averaged 4.4 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 14.6 minutes per contest.
The Pistons have been looking to add another big man to round out their bench behind Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe before the start of the season. The club was giving serious thought to bringing Jason Collins in for a tough, veteran presence but after deciding that he wouldn't be a fit, it seems that the team's final roster spot will go a younger player.
Odds & Ends: Sanders, Nets, Jazz, McCarty
Larry Sanders has a brand new deal with the Bucks that will make him the face of the franchise after the departures of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. However, he'll have to get accustomed to an entirely new system in Milwaukee this season, writes Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld. Many are expecting a drop off from last season based off what the Bucks lost, but if Sanders can take another step forward, they could still be in the mix for a playoff spot. Here's more from around the Association..
- The Nets announced that they have finalized their coaching staff by hiring assistants John Welch, Joe Prunty, and Charles Klask. That brings the total staff count underneath coaching neophyte Jason Kidd to six.
- The Nets also announced that Doug Overton has been appointed as the head coach of their D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor. Overton enjoyed a lengthy playing career that included two stints with the Nets.
- The Jazz announced that Justin Zanik will serve as an assistant GM. Utah GM Dennis Lindsey says that he's excited about being able to draw on the insight of a former agent, tweets Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- Walter McCarty confirmed to Jeff Goodman of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter) that he'll be joining the Celtics staff as an assitant coach under Brad Stevens.
Poll: Which Amnestied Player Would You Rather Sign?
Yesterday, Luke Adams ran down the status of this year's amnesty victims. Only 14 NBA teams came into the summer of 2013 with the ability to use the amnesty provision and just five took advantage of the provision and released a player in July during the '13 amnesty period. Three of those players have already found new homes for the 2013/14 season. Metta World Peace hooked on with the Knicks after intimating for a good while that he would explore opportunities in China. Mike Miller returned to the Grizzlies after being cut loose by the Heat. Linas Kleiza had his $4.6MM deal taken off the books by the Raptors and signed a two-year pact in Turkey. Still left: Drew Gooden and Tyrus Thomas.
Things have been fairly quiet on both players. Thomas was said to have been of interest to the Knicks, but we haven't heard anything on that front in over a month. Meanwhile, we haven't heard any reports on Gooden since he was let go on July 16th.
The Bobcats cut bait with Thomas, the former No. 4 overall pick, in order to give themselves enough breathing room to sign Al Jefferson. Thomas hasn't been able to stay on the floor much in his last three seasons, seeing time in just 121 games. In that stretch, he averaged just 7.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG, not quite the production they would have liked from someone making $17.1MM over the next two seasons.
Gooden, 32 in September, was on the block for a while in Milwaukee, so it wasn't a surprise to see him cut loose last month. He had arguably his best season as pro in Milwaukee in 2011/12, averaging 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game, which added up to a PER of 18.88. However, he was only able to play in 16 games for the Bucks last season.
Both veterans are on the market for any NBA club to pickup – who would you rather have on your team?
Which Amnestied Player Would You Rather Sign?
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Tyrus Thomas 54% (599)
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Drew Gooden 46% (515)
Total votes: 1,114
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Bobcats, Gaddy, Jamison
Former Hawks forward Ivan Johnson is weighing offers from overseas clubs but his preference is to hook on with an NBA team. Today, we learned that he has given his American suitors two more weeks to come up with a suitable offer. If they can't come up with something good enough, the forward is reportedly fine with adding another stamp to his lengthy passport. Here's today's news out of the Southeast Division..
- The Hawks want to use the Rockets' rebuilding plan without ending up like the Mavericks, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “We’re well-positioned for many reasons,” Ferry said. “We have good players who will work hard and will be very competitive this year. We have salary-cap flexibility this year, with some space, but also space going forward. We have all our draft choices going forward as well. We have the opportunity to be competitive, but to continue to build on what we’re doing.”
- Guard Abdul Gaddy told Percy Allen of the Seattle Times that he has a training camp invite from the Bobcats. The Washington product, who went undrafted in June, was also on Charlotte's summer league squad. In his final year with the Huskies, Gaddy averaged 10.9 PPG, 4.6 APG, and 3.2 RPG.
- In today's mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat should go get Antawn Jamison. Winderman feels that they already have a player who offers the same skillset in Rashard Lewis.
Cavs Sign Anthony Bennett
The Cavaliers announced that they have signed No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett. With Sergey Karasev (No. 19) and Carrick Felix (No. 33) also in the fold, Cleveland has now signed all three 2013 Draft selections.
The Cavs surprised everyone with their selection of Bennett on draft night. While most reports had Cleveland zeroing in on Kentucky's Nerlens Noel or Georgetown's Otto Porter, they instead went with Bennett, an undersized forward out of UNLV. Scouts were enthralled with Bennett's athletcism leading up to the draft, but his shoulder issues prevented him from working out, which caused concern for some talent evaluators.
In his freshman year at UNLV, Bennett averaged 16.1 PPG and 8.1 RPG. The youngster has solid range for a power forward but will have to improve defensively.
Odds & Ends: Tolliver, Bennett, Brewer, Price
The Bobcats officially signed Anthony Tolliver to a one-year deal today and the veteran knows exactly what is expected of him in Charlotte, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. “The thing I do that doesn’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet is I space the floor for everybody else,” said the forward. “When I’m out there, (defenders) usually don’t leave me. So that gives the guards larger driving lanes and gives Al [Jefferson] more space under the basket. I take pride in that. I know it’s important to a team.” Here's more from around the Association..
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com conducted a Q&A with No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett about being picked first overall, his role with Team Canada and the Cavs, and his chances of winning the Rookie of the Year award. In a poll earlier today, Victor Oladipo, Kelly Olynyk, and others received more votes than Bennett as the ROY pick of Hoops Rumors readers.
- With today's addition of Ronnie Brewer, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter) notes that the Rockets now have more than 15 players with guaranteed or partially guaranteed deals. They'll have to cut some players between now the start of the season, but one would assume that Brewer is safe.
- Excel Sports would love to steer another client, A.J. Price, over to the T-Wolves, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). However, the front office is reluctant to add a 15th player with a guaranteed deal. If Price doesn't get an NBA deal, he says that he's willing to explore his options overseas.
Luke Adams and Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Blazers Sign Dee Bost
The Trail Blazers have signed Dee Bost to a contract, according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian (via Twitter). Freeman hears from a source that the deal is non-guaranteed and that Bost is expected to ultimately land with the Idaho Stampede.
The point guard graduated from Mississippi State last season and averaged 15.8 points and 5.6 assists as a senior. Bost is the school's all-time assist leader with 633 dimes, good for eighth all-time in the Southeastern Conference.
Bost got a training camp invite from the Blazers at the end of July and made a strong impression on the club early. The 23-year-old went undrafted in 2012 and spent last season overseas with Budućnost Podgorica in Montenegro, averaging 8.3 PPG, 1.8 APG, and 1.3 turnovers in 21.5 minutes per contest.
International Notes: Wright, Aminu
Yesterday, it was reported that Heat big man Jarvis Varnado is nearing agreement with Italian club Sidigas Avellino. Varnado has a non-guaranteed deal with the Heat for 2013/14 and if the club only carries 13 players, he won't have a spot on the roster. Here's today's news from around the globe..
- Former NBA player Antoine Wright has been looking to make an NBA comeback, but he'll instead join Israel's Gilboa Galil, a source tells RealGM's Shams Charania (via Twitter). Back in April, the former No. 15 overall pick hooked on with Venezuelan club Gualqueries de Margarita. The 28-year-old also had a stint in the D-League to attract attention from the Association.
- Raptors summer league forward Alade Aminu has reached agreement on a one-year deal to return to Pinar Karsiyaka of the Eurocup league, a source told Charania. Aminu, the older brother of Al-Farouq Aminu, played with the Turkish club last season and was also pursued by clubs in Spain, Italy and China. The 25-year-old is not expected to accept summer league invitations next year.