Hoops Links: Howard, Batum, Celtics, Lakers
On this week in 1920, legendary Knicks coach Red Holzman was born in Brooklyn, New York. At the tail end of his playing career, Holzman took the role of player-coach with the Milwaukee Hawks before transitioning to the club's head coach. Following that, he returned to his native New York to join the Knicks' assistant coaching staff for a ten year stretch before taking over as head coach in the 1967 season. Of course, Holzman would go on to coach the team to their only two NBA titles in 1970 and 1973.
If you have a great blog piece that you think we should feature in Hoops Links, then send it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the blogosphere..
- Hardwood Paroxysm compares the Dwight Howard saga to classic theater.
- Blazer's Edge broke down Nicolas Batum's last Olympic outing.
- CelticsBlog wonders where the C's rank in the East.
- SLC Dunk looks at the Howard trade from all angles.
- The Basketball Post looks at Regal FC Barcelona.
- Bright Side Of The Sun doesn't see Steve Nash and Howard as a perfect fit.
- A Wolf Among Wolves mourns the passing of Tim Allen.
- Project Spurs wonders if San Antonio can hang with the new look Lakers.
- Fear The Sword laments the Howard deal passing the Cavs by.
- RealGM knows that this is the last go 'round for this generation of Olympic stars.
- NIU BBall sees the silver lining in China missing out on London.
- Red94 has a plan of attack for the Rockets going forward.
- Magic Basketball sees Jacque Vaughn as a low-risk, high-reward hire.
- Basketbawful brings us a special Olympic edition of the worst of the best.
- Brew Hoop examines Monta Ellis' best game in Milwaukee.
- Queen City Hoops wants the Bobcats to improve their frontcourt.
- Nets Are Scorching goes 3-on-3 to look at the fallout of the Howard deal.
- Cowbell Kingdom caught up with Isaiah Thomas.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Najera Drawing Interest, Considering Retirement?
THURSDAY, 8:15am: Peter Vecsey of the New York Post (Twitter link) hears that Najera is planning on retiring to become an assistant coach in the D-League, so it's unclear at the moment exactly what the 36-year-old's future holds.
WEDNESDAY, 7:02pm: The Rockets, Timberwolves, and Nets are among the teams interested in free agent forward Eduardo Najera, sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Najera is now fully recovered from a fractured forehead frontal bone and is back to playing.
Najera, 36, spent the last two seasons with the Bobcats, where he averaged 2.4 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 12.1 minutes per contest. The veteran also spent a season-and-a-half with the Nets before being traded to the Mavericks for Kris Humphries and Shawne Williams in January 2010. In eleven NBA seasons, Najera has averaged 4.9 PPG and 3.7 RPG with his most productive seasons in Dallas and Denver.
Magic Sign Kyle O’Quinn
THURSDAY, 8:10am: O'Quinn's deal with the Magic will pay him a guaranteed $788K in year one, with non-guaranteed salaries in years two and three, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Because he's making more than the rookie minimum, O'Quinn's salary will come out of the Magic's $5MM mid-level exception, which the team had yet to use.
WEDNESDAY, 8:07pm: Kyle O'Quinn has signed a three-year, $2.5MM deal with the Magic, his agent tells Adam Zagoria of SNY TV (via Twitter). Orlando drafted the forward in the second-round with the 49th overall pick. It's not yet known if the contract is partially or fully guaranteed.
O'Quinn, 22, emerged as an NBA prospect beginning in his junior campaign at Norfolk State. As a senior, O'Quinn put up 15.9 PPG and 10.3 RPG for the Spartans as he led them to a remarkable upset over No. 2 Missouri in the first-round of the NCAA tournament. While the power forward was counted on for offensive production in college, he stands out for his strong defensive play and was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year last season.
Blazers Notes: Stotts, Canales, Olshey
Earlier today, the Trail Blazers held a press conference to introduce newly-minted head coach Terry Stotts to the public. The latest out of Portland..
- Stotts hasn't made a decision on if Kaleb Canales will be the lead assistant on his staff and a decision will be made once the entire staff is complete, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
- However, Canales always figured to be a part of the staff as Stotts told him prior to getting the job that he would love to have him on board, tweets Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
- General Manager Neil Olshey said that hiring Canales as assistant was "absolutely not a prerequisite to [Stotts] being hired," according to Tokito (via Twitter).
- Stotts hasn't set a deadline for assembling his staff but contact with assistant coaching candidates has already begun, Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge tweets.
- Stotts says he's waiting to get permission from some teams to speak with certain candidates, tweets Haynes.
- The new head coach says that his primary focus will be on developing the team's young players, according to the Associated Press. At the presser, Olshey said he spoke with every GM and head coach that Stotts has worked for, and also talked to players including Dirk Nowitzki.
Gary Sacks Is Frontrunner For Clippers GM Job
Clippers personnel director Gary Sacks has emerged as the frontrunner for the club's General Manager position, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). In late June it was reported that Sacks was gaining support from within the organization to take over the job.
Sacks now appears to be in position to take over the job vacated by Neil Olshey when he broke his agreement with Los Angeles to take over as the Blazers' GM. Former Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe received an interview for the position back in June and Clippers president Andy Roeser has also had preliminary conversations with Jim Paxson, Larry Harris, Jeff Weltman, and Tony DiLeo.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Nets, Meeks, Blazers
After previously looking at the biggest winners and losers of the NBA offseason, SI.com's Zach Lowe ran down the most intriguing teams of the summer. Among them are the Nets, who have unquestionably upgraded their roster in the short-term, but may have hampered themselves in the long run. The Nets now have roughly $65MM committed annually to four players across the next four years and may not be able to build on their roster if they can't swing a deal for Dwight Howard in January. Here's more from around the Association..
- A source told HoopsHype (via Twitter) that the Lakers are working out Rashad McCants and 2009 second-round pick Patrick Beverley today. Beverley, 24, was named MVP of the Eurocup last season.
- Jodie Meeks' agent, David Bauman, says that his client won't sign for a minimum contract, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times. Bauman added that there are four or five teams looking at Meeks, including the Lakers.
- Even though the Blazers have ushered in a rebuilding period, guard Nolan Smith isn't sold on the perception that Portland will be lottery-bound for the second-straight year, writes Lang Greene of HoopsWorld. Smith also supported Kaleb Canales returning as head coach but expects him to stay on with the organization in an important capacity regardless.
- Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com likes the Jazz's hire of Dennis Lindsey as their next General Manager and tip his cap to the organization for conducting a swift and productive search for Kevin O'Connor's replacement.
Amundson Talking With Bobcats, Knicks
The Bobcats and Knicks are looking at free agent forward Louis Amundson, a source close to the forward told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Tomasson’s source also says that it’s unlikely that he would go to Greece, even though Panathinaikos has been mentioned as a possibility. Amundson’s people are concerned about how playing in Greece would affect his game after Josh Childress‘ dropoff.
Amundson, 29, is said to be in the market for a deal in the vicinity of $3MM, which would either be the $3.09MM taxpayer’s mini-midlevel or the $2.575MM room exception. However, the Knicks can only offer the 6’9″ forward a minimum contract. Yesterday, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com reported that Amundson was in discussions with a number of clubs.
Wizards Notes: Tolliver, Singleton, Blatche
The Wizards are looking to round out their roster with low-cost options and Michael Lee of The Washington Post has the latest on the club's top targets..
- While it's probably a longshot, the Wizards are one of a handful of teams who have expressed interest in Josh Childress, a source told Lee (via Twitter).
- Washington continues to pursue forward Anthony Tolliver but the Wizards so far have only offered him a minimum contract. Tolliver's agent Larry Fox confirmed that the interest is mutual but says that his client isn't “in the minimum game.” The Pacers, Bobcats, and Timberwolves are also said to be in talks with the 27-year-old. Fox is certain that Tolliver will get more than that minimum and says that he is in no rush to sign.
- James Singleton shot down the Wizards' offer of a one-year, minimum contract and now says that he is considering four offers from China. No matter where he signs, the forward plans to make it a two-year deal. While Singleton, 31, enjoyed his time in Washington, he says that he expected a more lucrative offer out of the club.
- The Spurs and Heat have both reportedly expressed exploratory interest in former Wizard Andray Blatche but neither club has made a serious pitch to sign him, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Jazz Hire Dennis Lindsey As GM
The Jazz held a press conference this afternoon to formally announce the promotion of longtime General Manager Kevin O'Connor to Executive Vice President of basketball operations and the hiring of Dennis Lindsey as GM. Lindsey previously served as the assistant GM of the Spurs.
At the presser, Jazz President and CEO Randy Rigby told reporters that Lindsey was the club's top choice for the position, tweets Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune. O'Connor says that he has been pondering the move for some time but wanted to first help guide the club through the lockout-shortened season (Twitter link). The 13-year GM says that he will still have an active role in day-to-day operations but will not be fielding calls from agents, Smith tweets.
Lindsey joined the Spurs in the summer of 2007 after spending the previous eleven years in the Rockets organization. Smith tweets that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gave O'Connor a sterling endorsement on Lindsey, saying that he is the person he'd hypothetically appoint as GM if R.C. Buford were to step away.
Spurs Still Looking To Trade DeJuan Blair
On draft day, the Spurs were reportedly looking to find a new home for forward DeJuan Blair. More than a month later, Blair remains in San Antonio but the big man told Douglas Farmer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he is still being shopped.
“Hopefully, I stay a Spur, but if it doesn’t happen, life moves on,” Blair said. “They’ve got me on the trade market and they’ll do the best to get me in the greatest situation possible.“
Despite seeing more than 20 minutes per regular season game in his time with the Spurs, Blair has hardly seen the same kind of burn in the playoffs. The forward averaged just 7.6 minutes per game in last year’s playoffs, making him largely expendable for the perennial contenders. The Warriors have been said to have interest in Blair but are unwilling to give San Antonio the first-round pick that they seek in return.