Southeast Notes: Harrington, Vesely, Wade
Dwyane Wade and his Big Three cohorts can opt out of their deals with the Heat in the summer of 2014, but the 31-year-old reiterated yesterday that he isn’t going anywhere. The veteran will be able to resume activity this week after undergoing treatment for tendinitis in his knees, which will be critical to his basketball future for this season and beyond. Here’s the latest out of the Southeast..
- The Wizards‘ signing of Al Harrington undoubtedly strengthens the club, but it could also hurt the development of 2011 first-round picks Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton, notes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Vesely could see minutes at center, but he’ll have to jockey with Kevin Seraphin for time. Meanwhile, Singleton could slide down to the three spot, but he’ll need to shoot better than the 38.2% he put up last year.
- Wade hopes that this season will see his role increase, despite his health issues, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).
- More from Winderman, who writes in today’s mailbag that he could see Juwan Howard transition into a coaching or developmental role when his career is through.
Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Holiday, Evans, Mavs
Earlier this week, we learned that the Rockets nearly had Dwight Howard in the bag 15 months before actually signing him. The Rockets reached a tentative agreement to acquire D12 from the Magic at 2012's trade deadline, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, before the deal fell through. The Magic wanted to rid themselves of Howard at the deadline if he didn't waive his ETO and Orlando liked Houston's offer better than the one they had from the Nets. Here's today's notes out of the Southwest Division..
- Shaun Powell of Sports On Earth runs down ten offseason moves that will impact the 2013/14 season. Among them are the culture change (and, name change) that the Pelicans have gone through this summer. Their aggressive gameplan led to them snagging Jrue Holiday from the Sixers and Tyreke Evans from the Kings, which cost them two first-round picks and $84MM altogether. Powell doesn't see a really high ceiling for New Orleans this season, opining that their starting five might be good enough to get bounced by the Clippers in the first round.
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com grades the Pelicans' offseason and gives them a B for their efforts. The grade could be anything from an "A+ to an F" with everything hinging on how well this very unorthodox lineup defends.
- In a press conference yesterday, new Mavericks guard Monta Ellis expressed confidence that he's ready to be the main guy (or, at least, the co-main guy) in Dallas, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas News. “I think I’m ready,” he said. “This is going to be the year, with the work I put in this summer and the relationship with me and Coach that’s building right now. And the relationship I’m going to build with my teammates. I feel great. I’m in a great spot.”
Lakers Notes: Kobe, Paul, Stern, Fisher
Last night, Kobe Bryant sat down for a chat with Jimmy Kimmel in Los Angeles for an AXS TV special titled "Kobe Up Close". Here's a look at Bryant's candid interview from the Nokia Theatre..
- Bryant was asked if he's certain that he'll be a Laker for life and he responded in the affirmative, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Of course, Kobe will be a free agent following the 2014 season, but it doesn't sound as though the Lakers star plans on making a big change next summer.
- Chris Paul personally called Bryant to inform him that the proposed deal to send him to the other Los Angeles team was squashed by the league office, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Paul began the phone call by exclaiming, "Man, you won't believe it!"
- Kimmel asked Kobe if Paul should be a Laker today. Bryant responded, "Legally speaking, yes. David Stern speaking? No," tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- When asked if he could have one former teammate return, Bryant said that it would be Derek Fisher because "that's my guy," tweets McMenamin. The veteran guard re-signed with the Thunder back in July.
- Bryant acknowledged that he might not be ready for the season opener, according to the AP.
- Kimmel asked Bryant if he'd be interested in owning a team after retirement and the guard inferred that he'd like to own a piece of the Lakers, tweets Shelburne.
- Lakers assistant Mark Madsen told Kennedy (Twitter link) that offseason additions Jordan Farmar, Nick Young, and Wesley Johnson have already begun working out in the L.A. gym this summer. The former-player-turned-coach is impressed to see the newest members of the club taking initiative.
Odds & Ends: Union, Lucas, Draft, Brown
With the offseason winding down, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identified who the real contenders will be in 2013/14. The back-to-back champion Heat top the list with some of the other usual suspects, including the Spurs and Thunder. The Bulls should be vaulted back into contention with the long-awaited return of Derrick Rose. The Clippers are a bona fide contender after re-signing Chris Paul, landing Doc Rivers as coach, and adding J.J. Redick. The Nets, who now boast the most expensive roster in the NBA by far, hope to be among the league's elite with first-time coach Jason Kidd at the helm. And of course, the Rockets will be one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on after luring Dwight Howard away from L.A. Here's more from around the Association..
- NBPA executive committee member Jerry Stackhouse told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that LeBron James' comments about the union felt like a "kick in the stomach". "I don't think he's had any dialogue with anybody since the All-Star break, but it is what it is," Stackhouse said. "To make that statement about where we are as a union right now, he was misinformed."
- Point guard John Lucas III was a safe choice for the Jazz, in the sense that he won't threaten Trey Burke or expect to be the main one-guard for the long-term. However, Utah believes they have more than a capable stop-gap and more than a positive locker room influence in the veteran, writes Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) runs down the 2014 NBA Draft and notes that its remarkable depth could make it the best ever. Ford's latest big board has Andrew Wiggins at the top, followed by Kentucky's Julius Randle, Australian Dante Exum, Duke's Jabari Parker, and Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News gives his immediate and long-term outlook for the league's 13 new coaches. The list starts with the latest hire, 76ers coach Brett Brown.
- Jordan Hill's summer assignment is to become the stretch four that the Lakers need, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Hill missed 53 games last year, mostly because of back and hip trouble.
Lou Amundson Hopeful That He’ll Sign Soon
At this stage of the offseason, Lou Amundson finds himself among the top remaining players on the open market. Now, after meeting with two NBA teams last week, the forward is hopeful that he'll reach a decision on his next club, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM.
Amundson has drawn interest from several teams seeking frontcourt depth, including the Knicks. The Heat, Kings, Mavericks, Hawks, and Pacers have also been linked to the 6'9" forward at one point or another.
The 30-year-old averaged 1.9 PPG and 2.7 RPG with the Pelicans (née Hornets), Bulls, and Timberwolves last season. Amundson, who went undrafted in 2006, has played seven seasons in the NBA with career averages of 3.7 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 12.8 minutes per contest.
LeBron James Won’t Run For NBPA Presidency
7:25pm: James might throw his support behind the possible candidacy of Jones, a source told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
6:26pm: After days of "careful consideration and research," LeBron James has decided he will not run for president or first vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, a person familiar with James' decision told Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. James was said to be giving it serious consideration due to concerns about the direction of the union.
Ultimately, James decided that he doesn't have enough time at this point in his career to give a top position in the union attention that it requires. James called Heat teammate and NBPA secretary-treasurer James Jones earlier today to inform him of his decision. The two-time NBA champion has been aware all along that his packed schedule could preclude him from pursuing lead job with the union, despite his interest.
"I'm not sure I have the time to do it, but it's something I'm going to think about with my team and go from there," James said last week. "But I think we all can agree there's been a lot of transition in our union in the last couple of years. If it's not me in that seat then I hope it's someone who is comfortable with it and can do the job."
Yesterday, Hoops Rumors readers correctly predicted that James ultimately wouldn't run for NBPA president. The union will have to pick a successor to Derek Fisher in the near future as well as an executive director to take over for the ousted Billy Hunter.
T-Wolves Want To Sign Pekovic By Start Of Camp
The Timberwolves have said repeatedly that they have every intention of retaining restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic. The saga has now dragged into mid-August without a pact between the two sides, but president of basketball operations Flip Saunders says that he has earmarked the start of training camp as the deadline for a deal, writes Tim Leighton of the Pioneer Press.
"I believe we are the best situation for him,'' Saunders said. "I do believe that Pek knows what we have brought in and that this is a positive place. I think we are moving in the right direction.''
The 6-foot-11, 290-pound big man earned $4.8MM last season and he can expect a sizable pay raise in his next deal. The question for Pekovic, who averaged 16.3 PPG and 8.8 RPG in 62 games, is how much of a bump he will get. The Wolves are dangling a four-year extension worth about $48MM plus incentives while the 27-year-old's agent is said to be seeking something with an average annual value of $15MM.
Week In Review: 8/5/13 – 8/11/13
The Knicks appeared to be a longshot to sign point guard Beno Udrih, but they pulled off a serious coup in landing him on Friday. The 31-year-old appeared to be between the Grizzlies and the Knicks and went with the latter, even though New York can only give him the veteran's minimum. It may not be as big of an addition as Andrei Kirilenko, but both NYC teams have surprised everyone with their bargain shopping this summer. Here's our look back at the week that was..
- The Sixers offered their head coaching job to Spurs assistant Brett Brown on Friday. Here's a look at the many candidates who have been in the mix.
- The Bucks are nearing an extension with Larry Sanders. A new deal would likely pay the Milwaukee standout more than $10MM annually.
- Mo Williams came off the market when he decided to sign with the Trail Blazers.
- After missing out on other free agent point guard targets, the Grizzlies agreed to sign Nick Calathes to a two-year deal worth just under $2MM.
- The Bobcats agreed to re-sign Jannero Pargo.
- Jeremy Tyler looked great in Summer League with the Knicks and he was rewarded with a two-year deal.
- Anthony Tolliver agreed to a one-year pact with the Bobcats.
- The Pistons are talking with Jason Collins.
- Garden State standout Lance Thomas is moving towards a deal with the Pelicans.
- Two Atlantic Division teams are after Chris Duhon.
- The Magic let their huge trade exception expire.
- Kevin Murphy is headed to France.
- Cuttino Mobley dropped his lawsuit against the Knicks as a first step to mounting his comeback.
- Luke Harangody will play in Russia.
- Sean May and others auditioned for the Knicks.
- James Ennis is Australia-bound.
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, T’Wolves, Brown, Curry
Flip Saunders is the leading man in the Timberwolves' front office, but he's searching for two executives to help assist him in day-to-day operations. This morning, we learned that Wizards vice president of player personnel Milt Newton sat down with the T'Wolves to formally interview for the GM position while they could also promote former Raptors GM Rob Babcock from within. Here's the latest out of the Northwest Division..
- The Northwest Division is the best example this offseason of the cyclical nature of the league, writes Royce Young of CBSSports.com. The Nuggets have slipped after losing their GM and failing to re-sign their top offseason target in Andre Iguodala. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves could take the divisional crown after making a few shrewd moves and getting Kevin Love back.
- Bobby Brown has until August 15th to exercise his opt out clause with China's DongGuan Leopards and AJ Mitnick of Sheridan Hoops sees the Jazz as a good fit for the lighting quick point guard. Brown averaged 18.3 PPG in Euroleague last year and improved greatly as a true one-guard.
- Seth Curry says that Timberwolves are among the teams that have extended a training camp invitation to him, writes Mark Berman of The Roanoke Times. The Warriors, Spurs, and Bobcats have also invited the undrafted Duke guard to camp.
- Earlier today, we looked at the latest on the Thunder.
Poll: Will LeBron James Serve As NBPA President?
LeBron James is a pretty busy guy, but it's possible that his schedule is going to get even more crowded in the coming months. In addition to chasing his third NBA title and his fifth MVP trophy, James could make a run at the presidency of the National Basketball Players Association. James wouldn't be the first star player to hold the mantle, but he would be the first since Patrick Ewing was at the helm from September 1997-July 2001. James knows that he would be stretched pretty thin if he goes through with it, but he sounds serious about the idea.
"I'm not sure I have the time to do it, but it's something I'm going to think about with my team and go from there," James said yesterday. "But I think we all can agree there's been a lot of transition in our union in the last couple of years. If it's not me in that seat then I hope it's someone who is comfortable with it and can do the job."
While the likes of Ewing, Isiah Thomas, Buck Williams, Alex English, Bob Lanier, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Cousy have served as the NBPA president, the last three men to spearhead the union (Michael Curry, Antonio Davis, and Derek Fisher) have had lighter workloads. At the same time, the NBPA is still reeling from a serious scandal and a CBA that tilted things back in the favor of the owners. Ultimately, will LeBron go through with it?
Will LeBron James Serve As NBPA Prez?
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No 73% (482)
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Yes 27% (180)
Total votes: 662