Atlantic Rumors: World Peace, Fisher, Ainge
The Atlantic Division title race is shaping up to be fairly compelling, with the Raptors just two games up on the Nets as both teams battle the Bulls and Wizards for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Yet most of the off-court chatter around the division involves the three clubs playing out the string or, in the case of the Knicks, trying to pull off a miracle run to the playoffs. Here’s the latest:
- Metta World Peace wouldn’t have agreed to a buyout deal to free himself from the Knicks last month if he knew Phil Jackson would join the franchise, as the former Ron Artest said during his appearance Monday on the “Max & Marcellus Show” on ESPNLA 710 Radio (transcription via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com).
- Sam Amick of USA Today wouldn’t be surprised if the Knicks pursue Derek Fisher to coach the team next season, given the mutual respect between Jackson and the 39-year-old guard, who plans to retire at season’s end (video link).
- The Celtics are in line for a top-five pick this year, as our Reverse Standings show, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge doesn’t think that he’ll draft a franchise player with the selection, as he tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe. “I think it’s maybe a little bit better [than last year’s draft] by comparison, but it’s not even close to one of the best draft classes in the last 10 years,” Ainge said.
- Sixers 10-day signee Casper Ware has a reputation for tough defense, but coach Brett Brown is also high on his scoring ability and calls him a “true point guard,” notes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Kris Humphries
So far in our Free Agent Stock Watch series, we’ve profiled Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James. Today, we look at Celtics forward Kris Humphries. While it’s true that one of these things is not like the other, the 29-year-old big man could get some serious attention when he hits the open market this summer.
Humphries, a late lottery pick of the Jazz in 2004, had a rather unremarkable career until January of 2010 when he was traded by the Mavericks along with Shawne Williams to the Nets for Eduardo Najera. The Nets quickly discarded Williams, but Humphries was given an opportunity to shine in New Jersey and made the most of it, posting 10 PPG and 10.4 RPG in a then career-high ~28 minutes per contest. Over the next two years, he proved that his stint with the Nets was no fluke as he proved to be a reliable low post scoring option and brought the tenacity on the glass that center Brook Lopez seemed to lack.
The move across the Hudson River over to Brooklyn may have been a step forward for the organization, but it was quickly apparent in the 2012/13 season that Hump left his best basketball in the Garden State. While he was supposed to be a fixture in the Nets rotation after inking a two-year, $24MM deal in July, he was bounced from Avery Johnson‘s rotation and couldn’t reclaim his spot under his replacement, P.J. Carlesimo. After a season to forget, Humphries found himself on the less-glamorous end of one of the biggest trades in NBA history.
Once again, Humphries was able to make the most of his situation as he was (eventually) able to get significant playing time with the rebuilding Celtics. In 20.2 minutes per contest, Humphries has averaged 8.5 PPG and 6.1 RPG and put up a PER of 18.5, an even stronger mark than his best years in New Jersey. The veteran has said that he would like to stay in Boston, but he could see lucrative offers come in from multiple suitors. It’s tough to say where Humphries will wind up, but in a league where size and toughness are valued, the big man should be in line for a nice payday.
Atlantic Notes: Brown, Stevens, Thornton, Sims
Sixers coach Brett Brown is a former Spurs assistant, and he has the support of Gregg Popovich and members of the San Antonio roster as Philly endures a 24-game losing streak, observes Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News.
“It’s not easy for Brett,” Tony Parker said. “They’re trading everybody and their first-round pick [Nerlens Noel] didn’t even play, so it’s not a fair situation.”
Brown’s connection to the Spurs coaching tree, a popular source of sideline bosses among league executives lately, is at least one reason why the Sixers seem highly unlikely to cut ties with him after just one season, as the Bobcats did with Mike Dunlap last year. Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Brad Stevens believes that for players, specialization is more valuable than a broad repertoire, as he tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe, who looks at the coach’s plan for his first full offseason with the Celtics.
- Nets trade deadline acquisition Marcus Thornton is experiencing a renaissance in Brooklyn, as Jeff Caplan of NBA.com examines.
- Henry Sims has benefited similarly from a trade last month, transforming from afterthought in Cleveland to a starter for the Sixers. Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News looks at what the big man has shown in his expanded playing time.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson has endured his share of criticism this season, but he deserves more credit than he’s receiving for New York’s recent eight-game winning streak, opines Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
And-Ones: Barkley, Draft, Boeheim
In an article by Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, Charles Barkley opined that this year’s freshman stars will struggle in the NBA. Barkley has long been in favor of players staying in college for a minimum of two years. Barkley was quoted as saying, “I want these kids to stay in school longer because the NBA is as worse as it’s ever been. It’s not good basketball. It’s frustrating for me to watch. These kids aren’t physically or emotionally ready to come and play against grown men. You look at the last two days. We’ve had on paper Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins, they’re supposed to be 1-2, 3 at the latest, they didn’t have very good games. And it’s just one game but if they’re going to struggle against Mercer and Stanford, they’re really going to struggle against grown men.”
More from around the league:
- In a separate article, Zagoria also notes that Jim Boeheim said that none of this year’s freshman are worth tanking for. Boeheim expanded on that by saying, “There’s no player that’s out there on the horizon that’s a Tim Duncan or a LeBron James. I’ve seen all these guys play. I think they’re very talented players. They’re not that kind of player. They’re not transcendent players that are gonna make your franchise into a 10-12-15-year winning franchise because you’re there. I don’t see that.”
- Peter May of Sheridan Hoops analyzes the futures of the Lakers, Knicks, Sixers, and Celtics, and the probabilities of each making a quick turnaround.
- The NCAA tournament plays a big part in NBA scouts making draft assessments. How a player handles the pressure cooker of the one-and-done format shows just as much as analytics in some cases. The crew at Basketball Insiders takes a look at which NBA prospect has the most riding on his tournament performance.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com, in an Insider-only piece, has the latest updates on which underclassmen are declaring for this year’s NBA draft.
Atlantic Notes: Young, Babb, Johnson, Knicks
While Thaddeus Young is focused on finishing the Sixers dismal season on a high note, he admits to Christopher A. Vito of The Delaware County Daily Times that his player option for the 2015/16 season has crossed his mind. “It’s a lot of money to leave on the table. At the end of the day, I’m not a guy that spends a lot of money,” Young said Friday. “Obviously, I want to be winning on a championship team. At the end of the day, like I said, it’s a card that could be played.” Young added that coach Brett Brown and GM Sam Hinkie have done their best to include the power forward on board with the rebuilding process. Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Celtics coach Brad Stevens says that the recently signed duo of Chris Babb and Chris Johnson were brought in to add character to the locker room and enhance practices with their good attitudes, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Babb and Johnson both hooked onto Boston with multi-year deals after each seeing a pair of 10-day contracts.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com examines the likelihood that the Celtics re-sign Jerryd Bayless for next season. Bayless will need to work on his defense if he wants to be in Boston long-term, says Forsberg.
- Steve Mills’ new role in the Knicks organization will likely turn out to be only ceremonial, writes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. Team president Phil Jackson will look to bring in a different GM to handle day-to-day operations for the club, and Lawrence lists Kurt Rambis, Jim Cleamons, Ronnie Lester, and Mike Dunleavy as possible candidates for the job.
- Crafting his front office team is only one of the tasks Jackson will face in the early stages of his new role for the Knicks. Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders discusses the other challenges the Zen Master will deal with in the early stages of his tenure in New York.
- Harvery Araton of the New York Times thinks that the Knicks’ move to bring in Jackson has overshadowed the impressive recovery that the Nets have been able to make over the second half of the season. Brooklyn sits just one game back from third place in the East after an underwhelming start to the 2013/14 campaign.
Cray Allred contributed to this post.
Celtics Re-Sign Chris Babb To Three-Year Deal
2:36pm: It’s a three-year contract that’s non-guaranteed next season and for 2015/16, reports Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. That means Babb received essentially the same deal that the Celtics gave Johnson, as I speculated. Murphy also confirms that it’s a minimum-salary arrangement.
FRIDAY, 9:54am: Boston has made the signing official, the team announced. The statement confirms that it’s a multiyear deal, but it doesn’t provide any further details.
THURSDAY, 1:00pm: The Celtics will re-sign Chris Babb to a deal that covers the rest of the season and beyond, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Babb is on the final day of his second 10-day contract with the team. Babb’s latest pact will likely be non-guaranteed for next season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it also covers 2015/16 with non-guaranteed salary, since that’s the very sort of deal that Chris Johnson got from the team this year following his 10-day contract.
Babb’s new deal will be the 15th guaranteed contract on the books for the Celtics this season, meaning Boston is likely done making moves for 2013/14. The 24-year-old former Iowa State shooting guard hasn’t dazzled in his limited playing time in Boston, averaging 2.2 points on 2.3 field goal attempts in 11.5 minutes per game. Still, coach Brad Stevens has called him a “perfect fit,” and Stevens seems particularly high on Babb’s defensive ability.
The Greg Lawrence client was initially with the Celtics in training camp this fall after going undrafted in June, though he saw time in summer league with the Suns. He failed to make Boston’s opening-night roster, but the Celtics kept his D-League rights and Babb wound up playing for the C’s D-League affiliate, posting 12.0 points and 35.4% three-point shooting in 37.5 minutes per game over 33 appearances. That led to his first 10-day contract, which he signed on the final day of February.
Celtics Notes: Bass, Babb, Bradley
The Celtics visit Brooklyn tonight for a game against Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett‘s team, but the front office will probably be far more plugged in to what happens during this evening’s NCAA tournament action. The C’s are in line for the sixth overall pick, but they’re just a game up on the Jazz, who have the league’s fourth-worst record, as our Reverse Standings show. That means a marquee prospect figures to be wearing green soon. Here’s the latest on the future-focused Celtics:
- Brandon Bass will be a trade candidate again this summer, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The power forward has played well and isn’t pouting, according to Washburn, who says Boston’s frontcourt logjam and its focus on rebuilding could be the impetus for a deal.
- Today’s addition of Chris Babb on a contract that’s non-guaranteed for next season gives the Celtics four players with non-guaranteed deals for 2014/15, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. The Celtics have proven adept at using non-guaranteed contracts as trade ballast the past two summers, and Boston has the chance to do so again in a few months, as Forsberg examines.
- Avery Bradley has suggested that his desire to stay with the Celtics is tied to his enthusiasm for playing with Rajon Rondo. They’ve nonetheless shared the court for a total of just 159 minutes since Rondo made his season debut January 17th, as Forsberg points out in a separate piece. The C’s should pair them together more often before Bradley hits restricted free agency this summer, Forsberg argues.
Atlantic Notes: Stoudemire, Jackson, Livingston
The Knicks are riding the second-longest winning streak in the NBA at seven games, and the resurgence of Amar’e Stoudemire has been instrumental in their recent success. Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report sat down with Stoudemire and spoke about the big man’s tenure in New York. Stoudemire touches on why he was initially excited to play for the Knicks and reveals he’s interested in taking on a front office role for the team someday. Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- In a piece for Basketball Insiders, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times runs down the 2014 cap situation for each team in the Atlantic Division. The Celtics, Knicks, and Nets are likely to remain over the cap this offseason, while the Raptors and Sixers will probably have the chance to slip underneath.
- New Knicks president Phil Jackson is likely to be a big draw for free agents, but Jeanie Buss doesn’t think he’ll be able to match the allure that the Lakers franchise has, write Pincus and fellow LA Times scribe Mike Bresnahan. “I think the Lakers are a legacy franchise,” Buss told ESPN 710. “Players know when they come here this is the ultimate platform… I’m not worried about that in any way, shape or form.”
- Five analysts discuss Jackson’s hiring in a USA Today piece. Most of them don’t think bringing in Jackson will win the Knicks a championship, but the consensus is that it ultimately won’t harm the Zen Master’s legacy.
- Shaun Livingston was able to recover from a gruesome injury and become a key piece in the Nets’ rotation this season. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today elaborates on the point guard’s career.
Eastern Rumors: ‘Melo, Billups, Allen, Heat
Carmelo Anthony is full of optimism about what Phil Jackson can do for the Knicks, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com observes. ‘Melo is similarly enthusiastic about what he can learn from Jackson and is glad that the Zen Master wants him to stick around beyond this season.
“I was hoping that I would be part of the future plans,” Anthony said. “I never once said that I wanted to leave New York or anything like that. The only thing I said was I’m going to dabble and try the free agency out, that I was going to opt out and become a free agent. … I’m excited about the opportunity to hopefully work with Phil.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Chauncey Billups says he won’t necessarily retire at the end of the season, but teams have already gauged his interest in joining their front offices, Billups told reporters, including Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. It’s unclear if the Pistons are one of those clubs, but Billups said he’d consider them if they offered a position. The 37-year-old would like to become a basketball executive at some point, adds Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post, who notes that Billups and Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars are close.
- Ray Allen, a free agent at season’s end, still has affection for Boston, and he’d like to see the Celtics retire his number, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
- The Heat have assigned Justin Hamilton to the D-League, the team announced. The center will play in two games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and return to the Heat after Saturday’s contest, according to Miami’s release.
Avery Bradley, Celtics Maintain Mutual Interest
Avery Bradley reportedly turned down a four-year, $24MM extension offer from the Celtics this past summer, but shortly thereafter, he and Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge made it clear that they want to continue their partnership. Bradley hasn’t altered his position as his restricted free agency draws near, observes Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com, and neither has Ainge, as Rohrbach notes via Twitter. Bradley says he relishes the opportunity to play alongside Rajon Rondo and wants to keep doing so.
“I would love it,” Bradley said. “I would love to play for Boston, and I would love to play with Rondo, so I wouldn’t mind it at all. I’m pretty sure any guard in the NBA would love to play with Rondo.”
Rondo was something of a trade candidate before the deadline this season, though Ainge made it clear that it would take a monumental offer to pry the point guard from Boston. There’s been plenty of speculation that the Celtics could be more inclined to trade Rondo as time goes by, since he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2015. Rondo has nonetheless said he wouldn’t mind spending the next decade in Boston, so he certainly doesn’t appear anxious to leave.
A report before the deadline pegged Bradley as a trade candidate, too, suggesting that the Celtics would send him out if they could only find a taker for him. There was little other chatter indicating the C’s would do so, and the 23-year-old defensive stalwart remains in Boston.
Ainge says now that he has “every intention” of having Bradley with the team in the future. Bradley was apparently seeking $8MM a year when he turned down the extension offer, and Rohrbach believes the $2MM gap in annual salaries shouldn’t be difficult to bridge this summer.
Ainge and company reportedly eyed Iman Shumpert last summer, but they lost interest in him as Bradley continued to develop this season. Several NBA executives believed in December that Bradley would wind up with a four-year deal in the neighborhood of $30MM, which suggests that the Celtics might be the ones who’ll have to budge the most when they resume negotiations with Mitchell Butler, Bradley’s agent. Bradley has continued to help his case since then, having put up a career-high 14.3 points per contest this season as he’s become a significant part of Boston’s offense. The former Texas Longhorn has also pushed his rebounds per game to a new high of 3.8, which isn’t shabby, considering he’s only 6’2″.