Poll: Will NYC’s Teams Make The Playoffs?
You can’t walk a block in New York City without seeing an orange-and-blue or black-and-white jersey, but those fans could also be sporting frowns next spring. The Nets and Knicks, for all of their star power both on the court and on the sidelines, aren’t looking all that formidable heading into the 2014/15 season.
The high-priced Nets started to give Mikhail Prokhorov his money’s worth starting in the the second half of last season, but they won’t be bringing the same team back this year. Coach Jason Kidd shocked everyone when he bolted for the Bucks and Paul Pierce quickly followed suit. Pierce was a vocal leader, a solid scoring threat, and the key to the team’s Brook Lopez-less small ball lineup. The Nets get Lopez back this year and while the return of one of the league’s top offensive centers is nothing to sneeze at, it’s worth noting that the team enjoyed greater success with Lopez in a suit and tie. Highly touted draft-and-stash pick Bojan Bogdanovic is finally joining the team, but the Nets will surely miss guard Shaun Livingston, especially with starting one-guard Deron Williams coming off of double ankle surgery.
Meanwhile, the Knicks accomplished their No. 1 goal of retaining Carmelo Anthony but it’s hard to say whether they’ve actually improved from last season. Their biggest transaction of the offseason, aside from re-signing Melo, was trading Tyson Chandler and Ray Felton to the Mavericks for Jose Calderon, Wayne Ellington, Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin, a pair of second round picks (Cleanthony Early and Thanasis Antetokounmpo). Later, in a trade with the Kings, the Knicks turned Ellington and Jeremy Tyler into forwards Quincy Acy and Travis Outlaw. To oversee this tweaked version of the Knicks, new team president Phil Jackson appointed the inexperienced Derek Fisher as head coach. Fisher believes the Knicks can win 8-10 more games as currently constructed, but not everyone agrees with him.
How do you see things playing out for NYC’s teams?
And-Ones: Carroll, Heat, Humphries, Fernandez
A longer All-Star break just might put the fun back in All-Star weekend, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Each team will have a minimum of seven days between games with the new format, with the majority of the league not resuming play until the Friday after the All-Star Game. However, there is one catch for players. Since the season doesn’t begin any sooner or end any later than usual, there are more back-to-backs in this year’s schedule. Here’s more from around the league..
- With some help from Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report Hawks small forward DeMarre Carroll writes that Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce tried to convince the Celtics to sign him in 2011 after a strong summer. “The Celtics got with my agent, Mark Bartelstein, but that didn’t work out. To this day, [Pierce] always tells Danny, ‘I told you DeMarre was going to be good,'” said Carroll.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat could conceivably put together a package for Pacers center Roy Hibbert. Winderman explains that the only players the Heat can put into a trade are Norris Cole, Justin Hamilton, and Shabazz Napier since since every veteran free agent signed this offseason cannot be dealt until December 15th. Of course, there’s no guarantee the two sides could be a match for a deal beyond that date.
- Big man Kris Humphries has become a more efficient player and he’s excited to bring his new game to the Wizards, writes Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. Hump’s 8.6 PPG and 5.9 RPG aren’t the double-double figures he was posting for the Nets during his best season, but he got those points and boards more efficiently with the C’s as he played just 19.9 minutes per game.
- Real Madrid announced that they have extended guard Rudy Fernandez through the 2018 season, according to the ACB League’s official Twitter (translation via Sportando). A report in February indicated that Fernandez had attention from the Thunder and other NBA teams, but Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman recently said that there was nothing between the 29-year-old and OKC.
- Former NBA forward Derrick Byars has signed a two-year deal with ACB Baloncesto Sevilla in Spain, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Byars played in two games for the Spurs in 2011/12 and was in training camp with the Grizzlies last season.
Cavs Seriously Considering Chauncey Billups
Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) continues to hear that Chauncey Billups is a serious consideration for the Cavs. Billups, he notes, has been close with associate head coach Tyronn Lue for years.
The guard met with Cleveland last week and was said to look rusty but still productive in his workout. The audition was sparked by Billups’ interest in playing with the Cavs, but it sounds like the interest is being reciprocated, at least to some degree.
Billups, 37, said in March that multiple NBA teams reached out about a front office role and said he would consider such an opportunity with the Pistons should the team make it available. The Pistons and Cavs were both reportedly high on him for a job in the front office, but it sounds as though he’s not ready to trade in his sneakers for dress shoes just yet. The veteran has openly mused about retirement but still stopped short of ruling out a return to the court. Billups also has media opportunities in front of him, according to Zwerling.
Billups played in just 19 games last season for Detroit and averaged just 3.8 PPG and 2.2 APG in that limited run. Over the course of 17 seasons, Billups averaged 15.2 PPG and 5.4 APG while capturing a championship and earning upwards of $100MM in salary.
Western Notes: Aldridge, Asik, Lakers
Earlier today, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders looked at the best free agents in the 2015 class. Among the top names potentially in the group is Blazers big man LaMarcus Aldridge. Two seasons ago it seemed like a foregone conclusion that LaMarcus would be leaving Portland. Today it seems unlikely that he won’t be back on a new long term deal in July. Here’s more out of the West…
- One might think that Omer Asik has some hard feelings towards the Rockets, but he says that’s not the case at all, writes Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. Asik, now with the Pelicans, was quite vocal about wanting a trade when Houston acquired big man Dwight Howard, relegating him to the bench. “I just really want to thank all the fans and all the support I had in Houston,” he said. “I want to thank everyone in the organization and especially my teammates. I really enjoyed my time in Houston.”
- Eddie Johnson of USA Today Sports (video link) says the Lakers need to stop trying to cover up their holes with band-aids and instead make substantive changes.
- Lakers coach Byron Scott told Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (on Twitter) that he expects to have his coaching staff filled out by the end of the week.
Raptors Eyeing D-League Affiliate
Anyone who has lived with a roommate knows it’s better to have a place of your own. The Raptors, who are currently slated to share the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with a dozen other teams, are looking to do just that. Toronto is in discussions with the Rochester RazorSharks to bring them into the D-League and partner up, according to Time Warner Cable Rochester.
Sources within the RazorSharks front office say that the Raptors are looking to move them from the Premier Basketball League to the NBA’s ever-growing developmental league. The RazorSharks have enjoyed quite a bit of success in the PBL, capturing titles in 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2014. The team was founded in 2005 as a member of the American Basketball Association before later moving to the PBL.
There are currently 17 one-to-one affiliation deals between NBA clubs and D-League teams, so it would only make sense for Toronto to look into one of their own. The Mad Ants are the only team in the D-League without a one-to-one deal after Idaho and Erie secured deals with the Jazz and Magic, respectively.
Nolan Smith To Sign With Turkish Club
Former Duke star Nolan Smith will sign with Turkey’s Galatasaray, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (on Twitter). Smith received partially guaranteed offers from the Bulls and the Thunder for next season but he has apparently chosen to spent the year overseas.
Because Smith had serious interest from at least two NBA clubs, it’s possible that his deal will include an NBA out-clause. Smith played in Croatia last year and averaged 17.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 4.1 APG.
The 26-year-old point guard spent 2011/12 and 2012/13 with the Blazers, averaging 3.3 PPG and 1.2 APG in 9.9 minutes per contest. The former No. 21 overall pick in the draft also had interest from the Hawks back in 2013 and picked up interest from the Celtics and Knicks last summer. One would imagine that he’ll continue to have an in with Oklahoma City as well since head coach Scott Brooks is his godfather.
Earlier today, Galatasaray inked another ex-NBA guard in Carlos Arroyo when they re-signed him to a new contract.
Jason Collins Mulling Retirement
After making history last season as the NBA’s first active openly gay player, Jason Collins is likely through with playing professional basketball, writes Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group. In front of a crowd of ~600 people on Monday night at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, the 35-year-old acknowledged that, athletically, his best years are probably behind him.
“I used to be able to jump and touch the top of the white square behind the rim with ease,” Collins said. “As the years go by, you watch your hand go lower and lower on that square. Father Time is undefeated against us all. … I’m really grateful for my Stanford degree now. On the other hand, I can still dunk.”
Collins began his career with the Nets and experienced success right from the get go, helping New Jersey to back-to-back Eastern Conference Championships in his first two seasons. The big man would start 404 regular season games for the Nets in six-and-a-half seasons and also cashed in on a very lucrative second contract with the club. In total, Collins has earned upwards of $34MM over the course of his career (according to Basketball-Reference) and has appeared in 95 playoff games.
In his stint last season with Brooklyn, Collins averaged 1.1 PPG and 0.9 RPG across 22 late season games. Even though Collins was a consummate teammate and a quality low-post defender during his NBA career, his legacy will extend far beyond what he accomplished on the hardwood.
Carlos Arroyo Re-Signs With Turkish Club
Longtime NBA guard Carlos Arroyo has re-signed with Turkey’s Galatasaray, according to an announcement on the club’s official site (partially translated by Sportando). Arroyo, 35, drew interest from NBA clubs this time last year before opting to instead sign overseas.
When Arroyo turned down training camp invites last season, he noted that he wanted to have a larger role than he would with an NBA club. Indeed, he filled a key role for Galatasaray in 2013/14, playing and starting in 25 games and playing 31.7 minutes per contest, which is more burn that he had ever seen in one NBA season.
Over the course of nine NBA seasons with the Raptors, Nuggets, Jazz, Pistons, Magic, Heat, and Celtics, Arroyo averaged 6.6 PPG and 3.1 APG in 18.7 minutes per contest.
And-Ones: Marion, Rockets, Spurs
With NBA training camp approaching, Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if D-League prospects should sign camp invites or take advantage of offers for guaranteed money overseas. The bigger names, he writes, can probably afford to go through training camp and take a stab at making an NBA team. The lesser-known ones, however, might want to think about going overseas. Here’s more from around the league..
- Free agent forward Shawn Marion had a face-to-face meeting earlier today with Pacers president Larry Bird, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Last week it was reported that Marion was leaning heavily towards the Cavs but the Pacers are hoping that they can sway him.
- Kostas Papanikolaou‘s nearly $4.8MM first-year salary with the Rockets is believed to be the greatest amount any NBA team has ever handed out for the rookie season of a second-round pick, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.
- In the wake of Mark Davis’ whirlwind tour of San Antonio, sources with knowledge of the visit said Spurs Sports & Entertainment would be against the Raiders, as they are currently structured, relocating to South Texas, write Tom Orsborn and Josh Baugh of the San Antonio Express-News. Spurs shareholder Charlie Amato says that the solution would be for the Spurs’ ownership group to have a controlling interest in the Raiders or perhaps any other franchise that wanted to move to San Antonio.
- The recent ruling against the NCAA could help the NBA in its efforts to raise the age limit, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation.com. The Ed O’Bannon ruling grants colleges the right to pay players up to $5K per year and one of the big arguments against an age minimum was that would force prospects to play for free in the NCAA. Now, that’s no longer the case, even if the $5K figure is chump change compared to what many of the top collegiate stars should rightfully earning in relation to the revenue that they draw.
Poll: Should NBA Raise Age Minimum?
Shortly after Adam Silver took over for David Stern as the NBA’s commissioner, it was reported that Silver would seek to bump the NBA’s minimum age from 19 to 20. The league and the union discussed that idea back in 2011 during the last collective bargaining agreement negotiations but the disorganization of the NBPA prevented that from going through. Now that things appear to be settled for the union, the issue of raising the age minimum could go right back to the top of the pile.
There are multiple reasons behind the NBA’s push to raise the age minimum. For starters, teams believe that they will reduce their odds of drafting a bust if the are choosing from a pool of older players who have more high-level basketball experience on their resume. After all, while the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Garnett were ready to go pro straight out of high school, players like Kwame Brown, Robert Swift, and Sebastian Telfair would have either benefitted from some seasoning in college (or, at the very least, they would have had their weaknesses exposed before turning pro). Anecdotally, the idea makes sense, but whether a raised age minimum would actually makes GMs jobs easier is debatable.
Also, boosting the age minimum will keep costs down on stars as players would have to wait an extra year before shedding their rookie contract and the subsequent second contract. Strangely enough, the history of sports labor unions would indicate that the union might actually be on the same page as the league when it comes to this issue. While the union wants to see its stars paid well, there are more players in the lower tiers than at the very top, as Tom Ziller of SB Nation noted earlier this year.
Of course, an age 20 minimum for the NBA wouldn’t necessarily drive everyone to spend two years in college. Players can pursue overseas opportunities as Brandon Jennings did before the 2009 draft and top 2015 prospect Emmanuel Mudiay will do this season. Players might also opt to join the NBA’s ever-growing D-League. While it doesn’t pay well, it’s still something in terms of compensation and would allow players who aren’t all that interested in education to focus solely on playing basketball. The NBA would like to turn the D-League into a full-fledged farm system that can draw significant TV money and adding the nation’s top teenage talent would go a long way towards making it a reality.
The NBA and the NBPA will duke this out down the road, but we want to know what your thoughts on the issue are today.