Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Rondo, Holiday, Knicks
Several of the league's young stars were able to hammer out extensions prior to the Halloween deadline, including James Harden, Taj Gibson, DeMar DeRozan, Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson, and Jrue Holiday. Where does Rajon Rondo's lucrative extension – inked in 2009 – stack up against the recent deals? More on that, plus other news out of the Atlantic…
- Rich Levine of CSNNE.com writes that the Celtics now look exceptionally smart for locking down Rondo for $55MM over five years. Curry, Lawson, and Holiday all received hefty four-year deals ($44MM, $48MM, $41MM, respectively) that make Rondo's deal look like a bargain. The one-guard is now entering year three of his five-year pact, a contract that has been key to the C's continued success.
- Speaking of Holiday, the Sixers guard was surprised that his agent and the team were able to hammer out an extension seven minutes before the midnight deadline, writes Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. The deal marked a major milestone for Holiday but also for General Manager Tony DiLeo as he completed his first significant deal in his new position.
- The Knicks waived training camp invitees Mychel Thompson, Henry Sims, John Shurna, and Oscar Bellfield, but they'll be able to keep a close eye on three of them in the D-League, writes Keith Schlosser of KnicksJournal. Thompson, Sims, and Bellfield will join the BayHawks affiliate, leaving the sharpshooting Shurna on the outside for the time being. Shurna, who drew attention for having a similar offensive skillset to Steve Novak, will likely be on the Knicks' radar as well.
Paul, Howard Not Planning To Play Together
Just over a year ago, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard hoped to formulate a plan to team up and form one of the NBA’s most formidable cores. While the two are both playing in the same city and in the final year of their respective contracts, both say that they won’t try to pair up as free agents this summer, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.
Starting in 2009, the two began talking regularly and trying to figure out a way to play together. Howard tried to convince Paul to come to the Magic while the guard tried to lure Howard to the Hornets. When they couldn’t come to an agreement, they considered looking for a common destination. Sources close to both players said that destination was Dallas, knowing that owner Mark Cuban could clear cap space for them. The Mavericks tried to trade for both players, but didn’t have enough assets to pull it off.
Paul was willing to opt out of his deal last year with the Clippers in order to join the Mavs, provided that Howard would also commit. When that didn’t happen, Paul chose to stay put in Los Angeles, not unlike fellow star guard Deron Williams in Brooklyn. Whether Paul makes a long-term commitment to his club like Williams remains to be seen, but he doesn’t envision going to a cap-rich club like the Mavs or Hawks with Howard this summer:
“He’s on the other side. I don’t worry about that.“
Eric Gordon Says He’s Committed To Hornets
Hornets fans received some bad news when it was announced that star guard Eric Gordon would be out for an undetermined period of time thanks to damage in his right knee. It also didn't help that GM Dell Demps was somewhat vague about Gordon's condition this week, leading to speculation that Gordon was less-than-thrilled with the organization after a tumultuous summer. However, the diminutive guard made an effort to put those concerns to rest this afternoon, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune.
"This is a great city and a great organization and I definitely want to be a part of it. But being a part of it, for me, is about playing. What's (keeping) me from playing is having this injury. I'll just go on from there," Gordon said.
Over the summer, Gordon inked a four-year, $58MM offer sheet from the Suns and publicly worked to convince New Orleans not to match the offer. Even though the guard felt that "his heart" was with Phoenix at the time, the Hornets predictably matched the offer sheet to avoid losing a marquee player without any return. While Gordon clearly did not want to return to the Hornets this summer, the 23-year-old doesn't sound like a player who is angling for a way out of New Orleans.
Wolves Waive Johnson, Harris
2:48pm: The Wolves have confirmed the cuts via Twitter.
11:26am: The Timberwolves are expected to waive center Chris Johnson and small forward Mike Harris, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Minnesota must shed two players by the Saturday deadline in order to get down to the 15-man maximum.
Johnson, who stands at 6'11", was released by the Trail Blazers last season when trade deadline acquisitions forced the club to trim down the roster. The 27-year-old then hooked on with the Hornets but played in just seven games before suffering a concussion. Harris, 29, last appeared in the Association in 2010/11 in a stint with the Rockets.
Stein On Harden, Gibson, Curry, Bobcats
As we close in on the extension deadline for players out of the draft class of 2009, Bulls forward Taj Gibson insists that he isn't letting his contract situation be a distraction. Of course, Gibson would prefer to have a new contract worked out in advance of the October 31st deadline. Last night, ESPN.com's Marc Stein took to Twitter to look at some the players in line for contract extensions out of the 2009 draft class. Let's take a look..
- Stein believes that the Thunder and James Harden will reach agreement on a contract extension, but there is pessimism surrounding the situation as Oklahoma City is insisting on a deal for less than the max (Twitter link). Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman is among those who are less-than-optimistic about a deal being struck, giving the club a 0.2% chance of working something out.
- Stein (via Twitter) still expects the Warriors to extend Stephen Curry despite his recurring ankle issues. Curry missed time during the preseason, leading many to believe that the guard would not work out a new deal with Golden State. The 24-year-old is set to earn roughly $3.96MM as he enters the fourth and final year of his rookie deal.
- It's a safe bet that the Bulls will extend Gibson by Wednesday's deadline, Stein tweets. Late last week, Gibson said that he hopes to spend the rest of his career in Chicago.
- Gerald Henderson and Byron Mullens both told Stein (via Twitter) that they hope to hammer out extensions with the Bobcats before the Wednesday deadline. The Bobcats have been exploring an extension for the Duke product, but reportedly won't pull the trigger unless the terms are very team-friendly. Mullens took a significant step forward last season as he averaged 9.3 PPG and 5.0 RPG in his first year with Charlotte.
Bucks Waive Tucker, Gill, Farrakhan, Greene
The Bucks have waived Alando Tucker, Eddie Gill, Mustapha Farrakhan, and Orien Greene, according to C.F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter). Milwaukee is now at the regular season roster limit of 15.
Tucker was a former first-round pick of the Suns in the 2007 draft but was never able to live up to expectations. The 6’6″ forward out of Wisconsin has been absent from the league since being cut by the Timberwolves in December of 2009.
Gill, 34, has been out of the Association since his last go-round with the Bucks in 2008/09. Farrakhan played for the Knicks’ summer league squad this season before hooking on with Milwaukee on October 1st. Greene, 30, spent last season in the D-League and averaged 9.2 PPG and 3.4 RPG for the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
Sixers Waive Devin Searcy
The 76ers announced that they have waived forward Devin Searcy, bringing their roster down to 14 players. Searcy appeared in two preseason games for Phildelphia this year.
The 6'10" big man out of Dayton went undrafted in 2011 and spent last season overseas. Searcy hooked on with the club's summer league team in Orlando before inking a non-guaranteed deal in late September. The 76ers were expected to enter the season one shy of the roster maximum and did so by making Dan Gadzuric and Searcy their final two cuts.
Raptors Waive Jamaal Magloire
The Raptors have waived Jamaal Magloire, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star (via Twitter). The club has also confirmed the move via press release.
Smith notes that the club will work to find a place for the big man in the organization when he clears waivers on Monday. There was previously talk of the Raptors offering him a non-playing role over the offseason but Magloire insisted on trying to make the final roster. The Toronto native averaged 7.2 PPG and 6.5 RPG across his 12 year career.
Rockets Waive Reeves Nelson
The Rockets signed forward Reeves Nelson earlier this week but they are expected to waive him later on today, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Houston made the move in order to secure D-League rights on Nelson if he opts to go that route this season.
The UCLA product hooked on with the Lakers in September but was released from his make-good contract last Saturday. Nelson was widely viewed as a first-round talent before things went south for him in college. The Bruins dropped him from the program early last season, leading him to a short stint overseas.
Magic Waive Richardson, Harper, Johnson
The Magic have waived Quentin Richardson, Justin Harper, and Chris Johnson, a team official told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter). Richardson will be owed $5MM over the next two years while Harper is guaranteed $762K for this season. Johnson's deal was non-guaranteed.
Richardson was set to earn $2.627MM this season and held a $2.808MM player option for 2013/14 that now becomes guaranteed after being waived. The guard came to Orlando on a widely panned four-year deal worth more than $10MM in the 2010 offseason. In two years with the club, the 32-year-old averaged 4.4 PPG and 2.9 RPG.
Harper, 23, was taken with the 32nd overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Cavs before being traded to Orlando for two future second-round selections. The big man saw time in 14 games for the Magic last season.