Knicks, Bulls, Pacers Interested In Greene
Free agent forward Donte Greene says that the Knicks, Pacers, and Bulls now make up his “top three” list of potential destinations. In an interview with internet radio show TheCDNetworks.com (hat tip to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com) the former Kings big man explained that while he is open to other possibilities, those three clubs are the ones that he is working to get a deal done with.
Greene, 24, averaged 5.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG in just under 15 minutes per contest last season. While the Syracuse product has only suited up for the Kings, he was involved in two trades prior to his first NBA game. Shortly after being drafted by the Grizzlies, Greene was sent to the Rockets as a part of a three-team deal. In August, Houston sent Greene to the Kings in a package to land Metta World Peace.
A little over two weeks ago, Greene said that he hoped to sign with Chicago, but the two sides have yet to hammer out an agreement. The 6’11” forward became an unrestricted free agent on June 27th when the Kings declined to extend him a qualifying offer.
Week In Review: 7/30/12 – 8/5/12
Our look back at the week that was..
- Carl Landry signed a two-year, $8MM deal with the Warriors. The 28-year-old averaged 12.5 PPG with 5.2 RPG per contest last season for the Hornets.
- The Warriors found a way to work Brandon Rush into their plans as they re-signed him to a two-year, $8MM deal, identical to Landry's.
- The Jazz and power forward Paul Millsap talked about an extension this week but a deal seems unlikely.
- The Wizards waived Andray Blatche and the Heat and Spurs are interested.
- The Clippers acquired Willie Green from the Hawks in exchange for the draft rights to Sofoklis Schortsanitis in a sign-and-trade.
- The Thunder picked up big man Daniel Orton.
- Guard Roger Mason hooked on with the Hornets.
- The Jazz and Raja Bell are still looking to finalize a buyout agreement.
- Joey Dorsey plans to re-sign with his team in Greece.
- Darko Milicic, meanwhile, won't be playing overseas.
- Billy Hunter promises that there will be player input on the Olympic age limit.
- The Blazers are in the final stage of their lengthy coaching search.
- After drawing interest from several clubs, C.J. Miles signed with the Cavs.
- The Bucks are eyeing Mickael Pietrus.
- Pat Riley doesn't think the Heat need to add a center.
- The Warriors and Draymond Green agreed to terms on a contract.
- James Singleton passed on Washington's offer.
- The Knicks signed J.R. Smith's younger brother, Chris Smith.
- The 76ers signed Maalik Wayns.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 7/30/12 – 8/5/12
Here's a look back at the original analysis the Hoops Rumors writing team delivered this week..
- Chuck Myron looked at the going rate for 10+ RPG players, 20+ PPG scorers.
- Luke Adams identified potential wing options for the Lakers.
- Opinions were more or less split on which New York team will win more games next year.
- Nearly 500 Hoops Rumors readers tabbed the Pacers as the team most likely to win the Central in Sean Highkin's poll.
- Jrue Holiday might not get a max contract, but he should be in line for a solid deal, Luke writes.
- Chuck examined what it'll take for the Thunder to lock up Serge Ibaka.
- Michael Pina asked which free agent signee is the most underpaid and most felt that J.R. Smith's two-year, $5.739MM deal is the leanest. The most overpaid free agent, according to Hoops Rumors readers, is Omer Asik with his $25.124MM deal with Houston.
- Luke fielded your questions in the weekly Hoops Rumors chat.
- If you haven't done so yet, be sure to check out Hoops Rumors' 2012 Free Agent Tracker.
- Luke updated us on the 2012/13 mid-level exceptions.
- My weekly Hoops Links feature included posts on Nando De Colo, Jeff Green, and Carmelo Anthony.
- Sharpshooter Stephen Curry will be a priority for the Warriors, Michael writes.
- Chuck looked back at notable August transactions in recent years.
- The Magic have had the worst offseason of anyone, according to our readers.
- Luke tackles the complicated matter of Andrew Bynum's next contract.
- Using our tracker, Luke looked at players signing minimum salary contracts this year.
- The Mavericks have a few ways that they can sign Dwight Howard next year, Chuck writes.
Hoops Links: Cavs, Anthony, Nets, Green, De Colo
On this week in 1949, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the NBA. The BAA included the Boston Celtics, Minneapolis Lakers, New York Knicks, Philadelphia Warriors (later Golden State Warriors), and the Rochester Royals (later Sacramento Kings). The NBL, meanwhile, featured the Syracuse Nationals (later Philadelphia 76ers) and the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (later Atlanta Hawks).
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..
- The Basketball Post believes that the Cavs are getting close to playoff contention.
- The Painted Area runs down the 2012 Olympic field.
- Buckets Over Broadway isn't sure what to make of Carmelo Anthony's brilliant game.
- NJNets101 will be looking to draft MarShon Brooks this fall in fantasy.
- Celtics Blog talks Jeff Green and more in this week's mailbag.
- Hot Hot Hoops reviews the 2012 Heat NBA Champions DVD.
- Hardwood Paroxysm introduces us to Nando De Colo.
- Out of Bounds writes why you should be extremely jealous of the Hornets fanbase.
- Bucksketball has ten reasons to like Tobias Harris.
- Bleacher Report: Los Angeles looks at how Chris Paul could wind up in New York next year.
- 82Games.com looks at draft performance by year.
- The NBA Geek lists the ten worst signings of the offseason.
- Canis Hoopus examines the Brandon Roy saga.
- Celtics Green likes Kevin Garnett over Chris Bosh.
- Saving The Skyhook reminisces about the 2011 Mavericks.
- NBA 24 7 365 remembers one of Allen Iverson's finest moments.
- Fear The Sword has noticed Samardo Samules' new look.
- Blazer's Edge has the goods on Trail Blazers in the Olympics.
- Nets Are Scorching looks at how basketball might fit in Brooklyn.
- At The Hive is in favor of Roger Mason Jr. joining the Hornets.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Warriors Sign Carl Landry
WEDNESDAY, 7:04pm: The team announced the signing on its website, making the move official.
MONDAY, 5:30pm: Agent Mark Bartelstein has announced that Carl Landry is set to sign with Golden State, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The forward will receive a two-year deal worth $8MM with a player option in the second season, Stein tweets.
Landry has been the Warriors' top target in recent weeks and was widely considered to be the top player still available on the open market. The 28-year-old averaged 12.5 PPG with 5.2 RPG per contest last season for the Hornets. The Bobcats were also in the mix for Landry and were said to be exploring a sign-and-trade for his services, but those talks didn't get very far.
Golden State is also said to be eyeing another Bartelstein client in restricted free agent Brandon Rush. However, SI's Zach Lowe notes that the Warriors will have a hard time signing both players without surpassing the luxury tax threshold.
After finishing the 2011/12 season with a 23-43 record, the Warriors have made a noticeable effort to shake things up this summer. So far, General Manager Bob Myers has added six new players to the roster in Jarrett Jack, Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli, Draymond Green, Kent Bazemore, and Landry, with more possibly on the way.
Celtics Sign Dionte Christmas
JULY 31ST: The Celtics formally announced Christmas' signing today, via a press release.
JULY 22ND: The Celtics have reached agreement on a deal with guard Dionte Christmas, a team source confirmed to Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com. Terms of the deal are not yet known but Christmas says that the deal will be partially guaranteed.
"I actually got the call before the game started," said Christmas, who has excelled as a member of the C's summer league team. "I don't really know all the details now, but I'm going to go over them with the staff. But I'm just happy, man, emotional. I actually got the call literally two minutes before the game started."
Christmas' representatives have been discussing a potential deal with Boston all week with the guard asking for some form of a guarantee from the team. The Temple product received significant offers to return to Europe but preferred to play in the NBA this year.
Odds & Ends: McGuire, Wafer, Hinrich, Magic
The Metropolitan King County Council took the initial step towards bringing an NBA arena to Seattle, according to the Associated Press. Investor Chris Hansen's $490MM plan calls for nearly $300MM in private funds and $200MM in public contribution. Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- If the Warriors re-sign Brandon Rush, they'll have 15 players on the roster and virtually no wiggle room under the luxury tax threshold. With that in mind, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group looks at moves that Golden State can make to keep Dominic McGuire.
- Von Wafer's deal with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese league will be for one-year at $2MM, a source tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). The Chinese season wraps up much earlier than the NBA season, giving the 27-year-old a chance to sign with a team down the home stretch.
- Kirk Hinrich's new two-year deal with the Bulls is fairly balanced as he will make $3.94MM in year one and $4.06MM in the second season, according to HoopsHype (via Twitter).
- The Magic need to move Dwight Howard in order to give their new coach Jacque Vaughn a fresh slate to work with, opines Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
Southeast Notes: Bobcats, Wizards, Meeks, Jardine
Earlier today we learned that the Bobcats missed out on free agent forward Carl Landry, whom they've been eyeing for quite some time. Ultimately, the player regarded as the best remaining free agent decided to ink a two-year, $8MM deal with the Warriors. A sign-and-trade with the Hornets was a rumored possibility but that proved to be difficult after the club renounced his rights. More from the Southeast division..
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter) says there is no telling if the Bobcats will bring in another power forward after missing out on Landry. It's possible that Charlotte will stand pat and instead go with the bigs that they already have. That strategy would mean that the club is betting heavily on Tyrus Thomas bouncing back after he averaged 5.6 PPG last season.
- The Wizards, along with the Lakers and Bucks, are among the frontrunners for free agent Jodie Meeks, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. “There are five or six teams, but those three are at the forefront right now because I’ve been talking to them the most," said the soon-to-be 25-year-old. Kennedy adds that Meeks seems likely to sign this week.
- Scoop Jardine, who broke his right foot three days before the draft, will likely receive an invitation to training camp with the Bobcats, a source told John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The guard was hardly a lock to be drafted before the injury but was said to have impressed the Sixers.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Hill, Warriors, Howard
The famed "Princeton Offense" has powered a number of NBA teams, most notably Mike Bibby's Kings and Jason Kidd's Nets, in recent years, and Kobe Bryant is now pushing for the Lakers to use it this season, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Bryant hopes that it will help create space for him on the floor by keeping defenses honest. "There's so many threats, so many options, it's very tough to defend. Against the type of defenses that teams play nowadays, they load up on one side and are constantly coming with help from the weak side. The Princeton offense makes it very, very tough to lock in on one particular player," Bryant said. Here's more on the Lakers other items out of the Pacific..
- Jordan Hill's contract with the Lakers will pay him $3.5MM in each of the next two seasons, according to HoopsHype (via Twitter). The big man's deal was initially reported to be in the neighborhood of $8MM.
- Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter) estimates that the Warriors have about $3.15MM below the tax line to sign Brandon Rush if the first year of Draymond Green's deal is pegged at $800K. Green agreed to a three-year, $2.6MM contract with the final year ($900K) partially guaranteed, but the exact breakdown is not known.
- Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com explains why he believes the Lakers should continue their pursuit of Dwight Howard. Lakers fans by-and-large seem to be sick of the prolonged "Dwightmare" but Kamenetzky argues that from a basketball standpoint, there's no reason to close the door on the deal.
- Suns forward Jared Dudley (via Twitter) watched Jermaine O'Neal work out and insists that the free agent will get signed if he has the chance to audition for an NBA team. Recently, we learned that the Bucks had an eye on the veteran.
Magic Hire Jacque Vaughn
MONDAY, 3:43pm: The Magic have officially hired Vaughn, introducing him in a press conference today (link via NBA.com). According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter), Michael Curry was the only other coaching candidate to meet with the DeVos family.
SATURDAY, 9:55am: The Magic are set to hire Jacque Vaughn as their next head coach, a team official told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Orlando has issued a press release confirming the news and will introduce their new coach to the media on Monday afternoon.
Vaughn, 37, has spent the last two years as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. While the former point guard shared responsibilities with the rest of the Spurs assistant coaching staff, he was not technically among the top three to sit on the bench as those spots belonged to Mike Budenholzer, Don Newman, and Brett Brown.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan has history with Vaughn as he was working for the Spurs when the signed the guard in the summer of 2006. Hennigan cast a wide net in his coaching search, also conducting first-round interviews with Michael Curry, Jeff Hornacek, Michael Malone, Lindsey Hunter, and Brian Shaw. Hunter and Curry both made the final three, but Vaughn was reported to be the frontrunner for some time.
Vaughn will become the successor to Stan Van Gundy, a coach who compiled a 259-135 record during his time in Orlando and guided the club to the 2009 NBA Finals. Of course, Van Gundy's breakup with the Magic was anything but smooth as the coach battled with star center Dwight Howard and upper management.
The question now is whether Vaughn will have the opportunity to coach Howard. Earlier this week, Luke Adams ran down the possible destinations for the six-time All-Star.