Southeast Notes: Magic, Hawks, Williams, Heat
Here’s a look at the latest out of the Southeast Division..
- The Magic are a prime candidate to experience a significant slide in 2012/13, writes Sam Amico of FOXSportsOhio.com. Newly-acquired players Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga and rookie Moe Harkless will make up most of the team’s core and could result in Orlando finishing dead-last in the league. Amico also sees the Hawks taking a significant step back as they enter a quasi-rebuilding phase, though he believes that they will be better for it in the long run.
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) believes that the recently-waived Jordan Williams will not be out of work for long. I’m inclined to agree as the University of Maryland demonstrated toughness and solid rebounding ability in his limited minutes for the Nets last season. Williams received a buyout from Atlanta on his modest $762K salary for 2012/13.
- Despite the talk of Dexter Pittman‘s spot with the Heat being in jeopardy this season, one teammate told Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter) that he appears to be in better shape than ever before. Earlier today, the Heat officially signed fellow center Josh Harrellson to bring the club’s roster to 18 players.
Hawks Waive Jordan Williams
8:26pm: Atlanta negotiated a buyout of Williams' deal as his $762K salary for the upcoming season was guaranteed, tweets Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. However, his $884K salary for 2013/14 was non-guaranteed.
6:38pm: The Hawks announced that they have waived forward Jordan Williams. Atlanta acquired Williams from the Nets as a part of the Joe Johnson trade earlier this summer.
The 6'10" Maryland grad saw 14.8 minutes per game for the Nets in his rookie season, averaging 4.6 PPG and 3.6 RPG. Williams was set to earn $762K this season and $884K in 2013/14.
New Jersey tabbed Williams with the 46th overall pick in the 2011 draft but the rookie was inches away from playing overseas instead. Williams agreed to a deal with Poland's Zastal Zielona Góra during the lockout but was able to get out of his commitment once the labor dispute was settled.
Blazers Sign Adam Morrison
The Blazers have signed Adam Morrison to a one-year, make-good deal, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Sam Amick of SI.com (via Twitter). The camp invitation was first reported by Joe Freeman of the Oregonian (via Twitter).
The former third-overall pick last appeared in the Association with the Lakers in 2009/10 where he saw 7.8 minutes of action per contest in 31 games. Morrison hooked on with the Nets' summer league team a few months back and made a strong impression on the club, but ultimately could not secure a deal. The former Gonzaga standout then finished out the 2012 summer league period with the Clippers where he averaged 20 PPG and 5 RPG across five games.
Aldridge On Harden, Thunder, Seattle, Williams
In today's column, David Aldridge of NBA.com runs down the particulars of one of the more fascinating off-the-court battles the league has encountered in its history. The Silnas brothers, the former owners of the Spirit of St. Louis, rejected a $3MM flat buyout offer in 1976 from the four ABA teams that got to make the leap to the Association. Instead, they opted for a one-seventh share of the TV money earned by the Nets, Spurs, Pacers, and Nuggets. While the sliver of the pie wasn't worth much 26 years ago, it has now given the Silnas brothers a whopping $250MM+ with no end in sight. Now, the brothers are set for battle with the league as they also demand a cut of international TV money, League Pass, and other broadcast revenue streams. While a good chunk of NBA teams struggle to get in the black, the former Spirit of St. Louis owners have managed to rake in major money for more than a quarter-century. Here's more from Aldridge..
- The Thunder have carved out a tremendously strong and loyal fan base in Oklahoma City, but their financial limitations will make it difficult to keep James Harden long-term. As a small-market club, they do not have a local television on the same scale as a team like the Lakers, who are receiving roughly $200MM more per year under their contract. OKC is also the second-smallest city in the US with a professional team, meaning that they cannot milk their season ticket holders for more money or press corporate sponsors for larger suite and signage deals. However, Aldridge notes that the Thunder can look to the Spurs as inspiration – R.C. Buford & Co. have faced similar circumstances but managed to build a perennial contender by making sacrifices along the way.
- According to a source with knowledge of the negotiations between investor Chris Hansen and the city of Seattle, the NBA has informally indicated that if he is successful in buying a team and moving it to Seattle, the league could live with the team playing temporarily at Key Arena until a new facility is ready. Last week, a major stumbling block was removed in Hansen's effort to get Seattle to approve a new arena for an NBA team and final approval would appear to be a formality.
- Deron Williams says that he opted to re-sign with the Nets in part because things finally appear to be stable for the franchise from top to bottom. After ten years of limbo in New Jersey, the Nets finally ironed things out in Brooklyn and got the Barclays Center ready for the 2012/13 season. The Nets also appear to have stability on the court with a strong core group in place.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Jazz, Bell, Wallace, Heat
Sunday night linkage..
- Andy Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com breaks down Dwight Howard‘s full interview with colleague Ric Bucher. In the interview, Howard says that he doesn’t plan on toning down his jovial behavior with the Lakers and while that has rubbed some the wrong way, Kamenetzky doesn’t think that will hurt his play.
- Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune writes that Raja Bell‘s issues with the Jazz go back to two years ago when he was butting heads with Deron Williams and coach Jerry Sloan. Bell’s buyout theoretically should be a simple one as he is owed $3.5MM for the final year of his deal. The veteran has come close to accepting the buyout offer at several points but talks have now stalled.
- In a piece for the Detroit Free Press, Dan Feldman runs down the five best landing spots for Ben Wallace. The veteran-friendly Celtics and Spurs come in at No. 5 and 4, respectively, with the Clippers at No. 3 as they could use a forward in place of Kenyon Martin. The Pistons are second to the Heat in Feldman’s eyes because Detroit won’t be a contender in 2012/13.
- The Heat are bringing 6’6″ swingman Chamberlain Oguchi in for another workout, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). Oguchi starred for the Nigerian national team this summer and has previous experience in the D-League.
Trade Candidate: DeJuan Blair
DeJuan Blair was a regular in the Spurs rotation last season, averaging 21.3 minutes per contest and starting 62 of 64 games. However, once the Spurs reached the postseason, the forward’s minutes greatly diminished. Blair saw just 7.6 minutes per contest in the Spurs’ ten playoff games and as Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News wrote, he was less-than-thrilled with his reduced playing time.
“I love the Spurs, but they’ve got a lot of ‘bigs,’ and they’re bringing somebody else from overseas, so where am I going to fall at?” Blair said in July. “I was out of the rotation at the end of the season, so imagine next year…. That’s something I really don’t want to go through again, because it tore me down.“
Blair really appeared to be on the outs in San Antonio as Erazem Lorbek was widely rumored to be making the jump to the NBA, but the center wound up re-signing with Spanish club Regal Barcelona. While the 6’11” Slovenian won’t be in the states to take minutes away from Blair, offseason acquistion Boris Diaw should see a good amount of time after inking a two-year, $9MM deal. Matt Bonner will also return in 2012/13 after averaging more than 20 minutes per contest across the last two seasons.
For now, Blair still figures to be a key part of the Spurs’ rotation to open the season. What remains to be seen is if he’ll continue to get major minutes as the season wears on and if he’ll also see the same kind of burn in the postseason. If Blair is not seeing significant time to start the season, the forward will very likely look to force the trade issue again. The former Pitt start will earn just a shade over $1MM in his final year under contract and could be extremely attractive to a team looking to pick up a cheap – and highly motivated – rebounder off the bench.
Odds & Ends: D-League, Cavaliers, Howard
There are still a number of big-name veterans left on the open market as we close in on the 2012/13 season, and Lang Greene of HoopsWorld opines that it is time for some of them – like Kenyon Martin and Mickael Pietrus – to take one of the minimum offers being put in front of them. Others, like Tracy McGrady, are still searching for a team to offer them a guaranteed one-year deal. Here's today's look around the Association as we wait to see where the best of the rest wind up..
- Former Kings guard Pooh Jeter announced via Twitter that he has signed with the Shandong Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association. The 5'11" guard has spent a great deal of time overseas and most recently suited up for Spanish team Joventut Badalona.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if NBA veterans should be allowed to play alongside promising young players in the D-League. Schlosser tips his cap to players like Mike James and Dan Gadzuric who used the D-League as a springboard back to the NBA but is less-than-supportive of vets such as Antoine Walker who have spent more than one year in the D-League without dominating the competition.
- Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer writes that the Cavaliers would still like to pick up a small forward. Alonzo Gee is the likely starter after re-signing on a three-year, $10MM deal and Omri Casspi figures to be his primary backup.
- Dwight Howard told ESPN.com's Ric Bucher that he doesn't have any regrets about moving on from the Magic but does wish that things unfolded differently. The Lakers big man is currently working to rehab from back surgery but will not return in time for the first preseason game of the year.
- Guard Manny Harris chose the right time to make the move overseas, opines Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside. The 22-year-old signed on with BC Azovmash of the Ukranian League earlier this week after shifting between the Cavaliers and the D-League over the last two seasons.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Martin, Celtics
Last night, Knicks guard J.R. Smith weighed in on a wide range of topics including Jeremy Lin, his new contract, and his chemistry with star Carmelo Anthony. Here’s more out of Madison Square Garden and other notes from the Atlantic Division..
- Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal takes a look at the Knicks roster, currently at 19 players, and wonders where rumored free agent target Kenyon Martin would fit in. Martin is reportedly the Knicks’ top target of the remaining free agents but the forward is refusing to play for the veteran’s minimum.
- In a Q&A session conducted by Bob Ryan (video link), Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said that recently-acquired guard Courtney Lee will “probably” be in the starting lineup to kick off the season. Rivers also weighed in on the new-look Lakers and downplayed the advantage that they might have in a Finals showdown.
- Hakeem Olajuwon says that he agreed to help the Knicks this summer as a favor to coach Mike Woodson, writes Nate Taylor of the New York Times. Woodson and Olajuwon were teammates with the Rockets from 1988 to 1990 and the older Woodson helped the center mature.
Grizzlies To Sign Flip Murray, Jerome Jordan
The Grizzlies have received four new verbal commitments from players to participate in training camp on non-guaranteed contracts, including center Jerome Jordan and guard Ronald Murray, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Former University of Oregon center Michael Dunigan and D-League forward/center Jarrid Famous are also set to join the Griz in camp.
Murray, 33, last played in the NBA for the Bulls during the 2009/10 season and has spent the last two years overseas and in the D-League. For his NBA career, the guard has averaged 9.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 2.3 APG.
Jordan, 25, appeared in 22 games for the Knicks last season between stints with the Erie BayHawks of the D-League. The 7-footer was shipped to Houston in July along with Toney Douglas, Josh Harrellson, and two future draft picks in the Marcus Camby deal. Jordan was waived shortly after the trade.
Famous, a 6'11" big man who spent time in the D-League last season, had just one year of eligibility at South Florida as a JUCO transfer but put himself on the NBA map thanks to his athleticism. Dunigan, who stands at 6'10", could be of significant interest to the Grizzlies as they considered taking him with the 49th pick in the 2011 draft before settling on Josh Selby instead.
Earlier this week, the Grizzlies reached agreement with journeyman forward Ronald Dupree on a non-guaranteed deal.
Odds & Ends: Louisville, D-League, Raptors
Earlier this summer, we heard rumblings of Virginia Beach putting the wheels in motion to land an NBA team with an eye on the Kings. Today, Marcus Green and Dan Klepal of The Courier-Journal write that a group of community leaders in Louisville, Kentucky would like to land a team as well. However, one city spokesman says that there is no "active deal" between the city and any team in the Association. Here's this afternoon's look around the league..
- The Maine Red Claws of the D-League are set to hire Mike Taylor as their next head coach, league sources tell Paul Flannery of WEEI.com. Taylor has experience in Europe and the D-League and will now head the Red Claws in their first year under the full control of the Celtics.
- AJ Mitnick of Sheridan Hoops brings us his All-Eurobasket Qualifying team, which features Omri Casspi, Danilo Gallinari, and Marcin Gortat. Finnish guard Petteri Kaponen, whose draft rights are owned by the Mavericks, also turned in a standout performance during the games.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star expects the Raptors to offer Jamaal Magloire an off-the-court role if he does not survive with the club. Magloire's deal hasn't been officially announced yet but it is expected to be a one-year, non-guaranteed pact.
- Jarvis Varnado is hoping to make the Heat on a non-guaranteed deal, but Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel doesn't like his chances. Winderman expects Miami to give the nod to Mickell Gladness rather than the defensive-minded Varnado.
- Last year's D-League call-up record will likely be broken this season, opines Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside. Part of the reason for that is that there will be an all-time high of eleven NBA teams with single affiliates.