Pelicans In Talks With Samad Nikkhah Bahrami
The Pelicans are in talks with the representatives for Iranian small forward Mohammad Samad Nikkhah Bahrami (more often referred to as Samad Nikkhah Bahrami), sources tell Enea Trapani of Sportando. Bahrami was on the verge of a deal with French club Limoges Cercle Saint-Pierre, but that’s now on the back burner thanks to the possibility of joining New Orleans.
The 31-year-old has years of experience in international competition and has played for clubs in France, Iran, and China. Most recently, Bahrami played for the Fujian SBS Sturgeons in Chinese Basketball Association. Given his age, lack of NBA experience, and the Pelicans’ 18-man roster, one would assume that the Pelicans are looking at Bahrami as a non-guaranteed training camp possibility. Trapani writes that Bahrami is a consideration for the Pelicans since they’re thin at the three.
New Orleans currently has a dozen fully guaranteed contracts, three partially guaranteed deals, and three non-guaranteed deals on their roster.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Rondo, Nets, Ndiaye
Rebuilding isn’t fun, but Celtics forward Jeff Green is staying upbeat about it, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. “You can’t really put a timetable on the rebuilding process,” said Green. “As long as you continue to get better each day — going to practice and just get better — that’s what it’s going to take for us to get better as a team and to increase wins. I think we ended the season well and this whole summer each guy took it upon themselves to get better, which is going to make our team better.” More from the Atlantic Division..
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (on Twitter) believes a Rajon Rondo trade is possible for the Celtics, but he doesn’t see it happening before training camp.
- The Nets voided Hamady Ndiaye‘s deal after discovering an elbow injury that needs 2-4 weeks of rest, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The former Rutgers center played well through the injury for his native country of Senegal in the World Cup, but he would’ve needed to miss camp (link). The Nets, meanwhile, wanted to use that time to look at him for their third center spot.
- Ndiaye will most likely sign in China once his injury recovers, with several CBA teams in mix, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter).
Miroslav Raduljica To Play In China
Center Miroslav Raduljica has signed a one-year deal with the Shandong Flaming Bulls, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM. Raduljica took to Twitter this morning to relay the news and he sounds rather excited. “Next station in my career is CBA league, I’m looking forward to playing for Shandong!,” the big man wrote.
Raduljica, 26, was waived by the Clippers in late August shortly after he came over in the Jared Dudley trade. The 7-footer spent his lone NBA season with Milwaukee last year but didn’t get a whole lot of burn. Across 48 games, the big man averaged just 9.7 minutes per night and put up 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest.
Earlier this month it was reported that the center was leaning toward signing a lucrative contract with a European team if the NBA offers didn’t improve. The Matt Babcock client didn’t get the NBA deal he was after and presumably found something better in Shandong than in Europe. Teams reportedly called the Bucks last season to inquire on Raduljica and he had interest from several NBA teams this summer, including the Spurs and 76ers, according to Charania.
And-Ones: Pietrus, Sophomores, Crawford
NBA coaches need to be in charge, they need to have the final say on matters, and they need to have the backing of the front office. Of course, that’s not always the way it is and, for the most part, NBA teams wind up getting run by their players, writes Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Smith would be very impressed with a General Manager who would call in a star player and tell him to shape up or ship out, but that rarely happens. Here’s more from around the Association..
- The Kings worked out free agent forward Mickael Pietrus this week in Sacramento, league sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (via Twitter).
- Word of Jordan Crawford‘s deal in China just leaked out today, but the guard tells his followers on Twitter that the deal was actually agreed upon a month ago.
- Being a rookie in the NBA can be hard on most players who have to adjust to the talent level the league offers as well as the grueling schedule. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com takes a look at some second-year players who could be facing career-defining seasons.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Beasley, Hawks
Earlier this week, we learned that the Magic are bringing Seth Curry, younger brother of Stephen Curry, in for training camp. Curry had reportedly been weighing overseas opportunities earlier this summer, but he’ll try to stick in Orlando instead. More out of the Southeast Division..
- In today’s mailbag, a reader suggests to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel that former Heat forward Michael Beasley could become a superstar under Spurs coach Gregg Popovich if he signs in San Antonio. The Spurs have found a way to make things work with guys like Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson that didn’t fit elsewhere, so Winderman could see Beasley enjoying a career renaissance in San Antonio.
- The Hawks have dominated NBA headlines in recent weeks but in-fighting amongst their ownership has been going on for years, as Mike Tierney of the New York Times writes. Tierney noes that a year after the current ownership group took over, managing partner Steve Belkin blocked a trade for Joe Johnson that had been negotiated by GM Billy Knight and was favored by Belkin’s colleagues. The dispute wound up in court and Belkin finally sold his share of the team after five long years of bickering.
- Even though the Heat‘s D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, is still without a head coach, recent hires Chris Quinn and Octavio De La Grana figure to have a hand in the club’s operations, writes Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside.
Grizzlies Sign Hassan Whiteside To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 25TH: The deal is official, the team announced.
SEPTEMBER 18TH: The Grizzlies have signed big man Hassan Whiteside to a non-guaranteed deal for training camp, a source tells Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (on Twitter).
Whiteside spent parts of two seasons with the Kings but has been out of the NBA since 2011/12. Sacramento liked the potential of the 7-footer when they took him with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2010 draft, but he was too raw to stick on the roster.
Since being waived by the Kings in the summer of 2012, Whiteside has had stints in the D-League and with multiple clubs in Lebanon and China. The 25-year-old hooked on with China’s Jiangsu TX earlier this year and finished the season averaging 29.6 points per contest, making him one of the top scorers in the league.
In 19 games for the Kings between 2010/11 and 2011/12, Whiteside averaged 1.5 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 5.8 minutes per contest.
Northwest Notes: Wolves, Bledsoe, Barea
Yesterday, University of Texas quarterback David Ash announced that he will give up football after dealing with concussion symptoms throughout his time in Austin. Thunder star Kevin Durant, who spent a season at UT, took to Twitter to send Ash a supportive message. “Thank you David Ash, you gave your all to the University of Texas. I respect your decision and good luck in the future my brother,” Durant wrote. Here’s today’s look at Durant’s rivals in the Northwest Division..
- Even after the completion of the Kevin Love trade, the Wolves have talked with the Suns about a deal for Eric Bledsoe, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). However, there’s no real match there between the two teams. Bledsoe has been offered a four-year, $48MM deal from the Suns and while there’s currently a stalemate, the Suns may be willing to sweeten that proposal if talks open up again.
- More from Wolfson (link) who is asked by a reader if the Wolves are getting interest in J.J. Barea. No bites yet, he says, as other teams would want another piece in a trade. There’s nothing imminent on that front and the Wolves will wait to see if another team loses a guard to injury in preseason.
- Wolves GM Milt Newton says that he’s hopeful that he can hammer out a new deal with Ricky Rubio, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. “I feel optimistic. Knowing Ricky the person, he wants to be here. Now we just have to deal with his agent,” Milton said.
- In their preview of the Trail Blazers, HoopsHype expresses concern over the state of Portland’s bench. With sixth man Mo Williams gone, few of the remaining reserves can be trusted to give the team much, in their view. They have the Blazers finishing second in the Northwest Division and fifth in the Western Conference.
Jordan Crawford To Play In China
Hoops Rumors (Twitter link) has confirmed that Jordan Crawford has agreed to sign with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. The deal was first reported by Chinese language site Hupu (translation courtesy of Sportando’s Enea Trapani). The Hupu report says that Crawford’s one-year deal could be worth as much as $2MM.
It’s a somewhat surprising outcome for the CAA client who started the season strong with the Celtics, averaging 13.7 PPG and 5.7 APG in 30.7 minutes per contest. The C’s later sent Crawford to the Warriors in a three-team deal that will likely net them a trio of second round selections. Things didn’t work out as planned in Golden State and the Warriors wound up acquiring Steve Blake to fill the role Crawford was ticketed for. They tried to dangle Crawford at the deadline but there were no takers as he was putting up just 6.6 PPG and 2.2 APG in 16.5 minutes per contest for his new team.
The 25-year-old Xavier product reportedly had interest from the Heat, Bulls, Mavericks, Lakers, Knicks, and Nets. Ultimately, most of those teams wound up finding backcourt help elsewhere and it’s possible that Crawford was holding out for more than the minimum salary.
Meanwhile, the Flying Tigers have found another ex-NBA guard to replace the production of Lester Hudson. Hudson is a free agent and has been connected to the rival Liaoning Hunters.
Pacific Notes: Boozer, Kings, Dragic
Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News continued his look at the Lakers‘ depth chart today with a breakdown of offseason acquisition Carlos Boozer. The Lakers have Boozer for a bargain – just $3.25MM – but there are looming questions about his intensity on defense and whether he can handle a possibly fluctuating role. Here’s more out of the Pacific Division..
- Even after an offseason of tinkering, the Kings probably aren’t done making moves, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Between Reggie Evans, Jason Thompson, and Carl Landry, the Kings are paying nearly $14MM for players who don’t fit in their long-range plans. Instead, the Kings would like to find a player who can come in, hold down the power forward position, and allow the team to cut salary.
- If the Suns give a max contract to anyone, it should be to Goran Dragic, not Eric Bledsoe, opines Bob Young of The Arizona Republic. In Young’s view, the Suns’ four-year, $48MM offer to Bledsoe is reasonable and that kind of contract would give them enough breathing room to retain Dragic long-term. If Bledsoe opts to instead sign the qualifying offer, Young wouldn’t mind seeing a future with Dragic as the team leader alongside Isaiah Thomas with Archie Goodwin and draft pick Tyler Ennis in reserve.
- Guard Zoran Dragic likes his current situation overseas but still pines to play in the NBA, where he is being targeted by the Suns and other clubs. “I am here preparing the season with Malaga. But if I have the chance to go the NBA my desire is to go,” said Dragic to La Opinion de Malaga (translation courtesy of Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). “I think that the best option for me is to go the NBA now because I don’t want to lose one year. I think I am ready to play in the NBA but the truth is that I don’t know anything about the NBA at the moment. My heart is with Unicaja.”
Atlantic Notes: Dolan, Knicks, Raptors, Garnett
Knicks owner James Dolan has been taking the credit for bringing Phil Jackson to New York on his latest PR tour without crediting powerful entertainment manager Irving Azoff for his role in the recruitment, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Dolan is enjoying his preseason victory lap but Isola writes that he’s much harder to pin down when things aren’t working out at MSG. Here’s more on the Knicks and the rest of the Atlantic Division..
- Center Jason Smith is positively giddy about joining the Knicks this year, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. “Good energy level, smart, savvy player,” Smith said. “Pick-and-pop jumper, 15-17 foot midrange jumper, really going out there and giving it my all, selfless player, will do anything to help the team win.” Smith averaged 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in 26.8 minutes last season but played in only 31 games thanks to knee troubles. If he can stay healthy, Smith could wind up being a significant contributor for the Knicks.
- The staff at Basketball Insiders previewed the season ahead for the Raptors and Yannis Koutroupis selected rookie forward Bruno Caboclo as their best new addition. General Manager Masai Ujiri was mocked for his shocking first-round pick but after watching Cabocio in summer league, it’s evident that the Brazilian is much more NBA-ready than anyone had predicted.
- Now that we know Kevin Garnett will return to the Nets for the upcoming season, new coach Lionel Hollins sounds committed to giving him a bigger role than last season, writes Robert Windrem of Nets Daily.
- Julian Edlow of WEEI.com looks at what we can expect from Celtics coach Brad Stevens as the club works its way through the rebuilding process.