Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Robinson, Holmes, Wood
Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony issued a challenge to the team’s coaching staff to hold him accountable for any mistakes he makes on the court, and he hopes that this tactic will help make him a better player, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “Call it out in the film session so everybody can see that and hear that. By them doing that, it kind of forces me to be at the top level of my game on both ends of the court,” Anthony said. “Call it out in the film session so everybody can see that and hear that. By them doing that, it kind of forces me to be at the top level of my game on both ends of the court.”
The veteran scorer also noted that the team is taking more of a group approach to coaching this season, which is a change from last season when coach Derek Fisher was the only one calling players out for their errors, Begley adds. “It’s more of a collective unit,” Anthony continued. “… We’re just sitting down with [members of the coaching staff and video department] and sitting down with players on the team kind of going through different scenarios, different situations and just kind of wanting to be held accountable out there.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Thomas Robinson is hoping to shed the journeyman label that he has acquired and to resurrect his career with the Nets, writes Tim Bontemps of The New York Post. The combo forward also relayed that signing with Brooklyn this offseason was an easy decision for him to make, Bontemps adds. “Because they showed interest from Day One,” Robinson said. “Even at the draft, they showed heavy interest, and then the pick got swapped out. Over the years, I’ve just liked it was a new organization, and they were building something, and it’s New York. … I wanted to be here in New York. I’m glad I’m here a few years down the road, after the stuff I’ve been through. I’m more mature now than I was when I probably wanted to come here. [I want to] take advantage of all of my opportunities. I feel like I’m right back where I was getting drafted again … now it’s just time.”
- Sixers rookies Richaun Holmes and Christian Wood were afterthoughts when the team began training camp, and now both have become key figures for Philly heading into the season thanks to a run of frontcourt injuries, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News writes.
Eastern Notes: Monroe, Robinson, Harrellson
Co-owner Marc Lasry’s confident demeanor and relationship with Jason Kidd sold Greg Monroe and agent David Falk on the Bucks, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com details. Lasry had never pitched a free agent before, but he led Milwaukee’s presentation, assuring Monroe that Kidd would be the team’s coach for the long-term, which helped sway the big man after years of coaching turnover in Detroit, Windhorst writes.
“He was very down to earth, but also passionate, and he connected with Greg,” Falk said of Lasry. “We didn’t need parades or balloons; this was a business decision. Marc treated it that way. What they had already put in place was strong, and he sold that.”
Monroe, who signed with Milwaukee for three years at the max, called his meeting with the Bucks “something I will never forget.” See more from the Eastern Conference:
- Thomas Robinson said the Nets showed “heavy interest” in him before the 2012 draft, when he went fifth overall, and the longstanding connection made it an easy choice for him to sign with Brooklyn this summer, as he told Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. “I’m glad I’m here a few years down the road, after the stuff I’ve been through. I’m more mature now than I was when I probably wanted to come here,” Robinson said in part. “[I want to] take advantage of all of my opportunities. I feel like I’m right back where I was getting drafted again … now it’s just time.”
- The Wizards signed Josh Harrellson because they like his shooting and wanted someone who would help them work on their new, more perimeter-oriented offense in practice, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Harrellson’s contract is non-guaranteed and the Wizards have 15 full guarantees. He’s taking a realistic approach, treating the preseason as a showcase for the 29 other teams while hoping to make a strong impression on the Wizards for another chance in the future, as Castillo explains.
- The Sixers should let go of Furkan Aldemir, who’s ceiling is already apparent, and instead keep undrafted rookie Christian Wood for the regular season because of Wood’s superior upside, opines Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Such a move would entail a financial sacrifice, since Aldemir has a fully guaranteed salary of nearly $2.837MM while Wood is only assured of $50K, as Moore points out. Aldemir also shares agent Misko Raznatovic with Dario Saric, Moore concedes (on Twitter).
Cavs Lead With 16 Free Agent Signings
The Cavaliers have drawn plenty of attention the past few months for a free agent they haven’t signed, but even though Tristan Thompson lingers in free agency, Cleveland has taken care of more free agent business than any other team in the league during the 2015 offseason. They signed 16 free agents, three more than the Spurs, the team that recorded the next most free agent signings. The Cavs just made their latest signing this weekend, replacing Michael Dunigan with Dionte Christmas on the camp roster.
It might be easy to presume a direct correlation between free agent activity and success, given the teams at the very top and bottom of the list below. The Cavs and Spurs are strong bets to win their respective conferences this season, while the Jazz, Timberwolves and Sixers are nowhere near the title picture. The presence of the Warriors and Thunder on the bottom half of the list and the Kings and Nets close to the top debunk that theory, however. It has more to do with the fact that the Cavs had only four players signed for 2015/16 when they ended last season, while the Jazz had 13. Cleveland simply had more jobs to hand out.
Still, other factors are at play, since free agent signings don’t encompass draft picks, draft-and-stash signings, trades or waiver claims. The Trail Blazers made significant changes to their roster, but they did much of their work via trade instead of free agency. The Rockets had 10 players under contract on July 1st, but they still wound up making 11 free agent signings.
Here’s a look at the number of free agent signings for each team. Click the team’s name to see the names of each of their signees via our 2015 Free Agent Tracker.
- Cavaliers, 16
- Mavericks, 13
- Spurs, 13
- Kings, 12
- Knicks, 12
- Nets, 12
- Pelicans, 12
- Rockets, 11
- Clippers, 10
- Grizzlies, 10
- Suns, 10
- Heat, 9
- Pacers, 9
- Raptors, 9
- Bulls, 8
- Hawks, 8
- Magic, 8
- Wizards, 8
- Bucks, 7
- Celtics, 7
- Hornets, 7
- Lakers, 7
- Nuggets, 7
- Warriors, 7
- Pistons, 6
- Thunder, 6
- Trail Blazers, 6
- 76ers, 5
- Timberwolves, 5
- Jazz, 4
Eastern Notes: Oubre, Watson, Sloan, Johnson
Kelly Oubre is off to a rough start in his first preseason action, but despite their status as an upper-tier Eastern Conference team, the Wizards view this year’s No. 15 overall pick as a long-term project, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post.
“He’s a young kid, a rookie, first time out, and he’s learning,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. “And I love his attitude. He hasn’t put his head down. He hasn’t, I’m sure, got off to the start that he would want to get off, in terms of numbers and how he’s playing. But he’s out there fighting. He hasn’t put his head down or anything like that so that’s a good thing. And he’s in here every day. He’ll be in here tomorrow ready to get better.”
See more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Magic had tried multiple times years ago to try to acquire C.J. Watson, and while new coach Scott Skiles wasn’t around for those attempts, recommendations from two of his assistants have him excited about the backup point guard who signed with Orlando this summer, as John Denton of Magic.com chronicles. “We just felt like his ability to shoot the three and play behind Elfrid [Payton] would be good for us because he’s always been a solid, heady player,’’ Skiles said. “A couple of our coaches – Adrian Griffin has had him before and Mario Elie has been around him and they swore by the kind of person that he was. We were able to go and get him and we’re glad to have him.’’
- Judging by their relative performances and playing time so far, Donald Sloan appears to have the edge on Ryan Boatright for the third point guard job on the Nets, observes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Sloan’s partial guarantee is $50K and Boatright’s is $75K.
- Four of the five rookies among those Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders singles out as the most impressive so far in the preseason hail from the Eastern Conference, including Stanley Johnson of the Pistons, who leads all rookies in preseason scoring even though he was a surprise pick at No. 8 overall.
Atlantic Notes: Larkin, Seraphin, Porzingis
Shane Larkin hasn’t lived up to the hype that surrounded him entering the 2013 draft, but the point guard is excited about how his game can progress with the Nets, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes. Larkin believes joining Brooklyn will give him an opportunity to play to his strengths, which are using his speed to push the tempo and running the pick and roll.
“[Those skills are] not the only reason I got here, but that’s a big part of why I got drafted where I got drafted, and why I’m in the league,” Larkin said. “Last year, I obviously wasn’t in the best system for my style of game, but this year I’ve been implemented back into a pick-and-roll [offense], so it’s really good.”
Here are some notes from Brooklyn’s crosstown rival:
- Coach Derek Fisher said he and the Knicks pitched new addition Kevin Seraphin on being able to use him in the post more than he’d been used in Washington, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal passes along via Twitter. Seraphin agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.814MM with New York this offseason.
- Fisher also said the Knicks are not going to get “caught up” in what Kristaps Porzingis does statistically, and instead they are focusing on “his development over time,” Al Iannazzone of Newsday tweets.
- Sasha Vujacic has taken Porzingis under his wing and the veteran believes the fourth overall pick has what it takes to prosper in the league, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. “He’s someone that loves basketball. … He wants to be better every single day,” Vujacic says of Porzingis. “There’s always something he’s improving on — every little thing. If it’s not the offense, it’s that he can run better, improve his body. You don’t see a lot of that in young players anymore because they come in a little bit comfortable and just different. I love that in him.”
Atlantic Notes: Sloan, Fisher, Sixers
Donald Sloan knew at this point last season that his salary was guaranteed, and he went on to put up career-best numbers across for the Pacers, but now he is one of seven on the 20-man Nets roster without a full guarantee. He’s nonetheless confident, and Nets coach Lionel Hollins is high on the point guard’s ability, too, observes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
“I thought Donald Sloan’s athleticism, size and quickness could help us,” Hollins said. “We’re looking for a third guard, and he was a guy that was out there that showed a little bit of tenacity and toughness, as well as athleticism and quickness.”
Bontemps suggests that Sloan, who has a partial guarantee of $50K, is fighting for the third point guard job, and ostensibly a regular season roster spot, with rookie Ryan Boatright, who has a $75K partial guarantee. See more from the Atlantic Division:
- It was a plane issue that kept Knicks coach Derek Fisher from making it back to New York from Los Angeles for Monday’s practice, not his alleged scrap with Matt Barnes, Fisher contended Thursday, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Fisher added that he’s spoken with his boss, team president Phil Jackson, about what happened. The coach drew criticism for his absence from work.
- Nerlens Noel and new addition Jahlil Okafor experienced some growing pains Thursday as they failed to mesh as well as they had two nights before, and Sixers coach Brett Brown admitted, “We’re going to have this conversation for a while, growing these two guys,” observes Tom Moore of Calkins Media.
- Brown expects Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten to miss at least the next month as they continue to recover from their injuries, Moore notes in the same piece, further jumbling the point guard picture for the Sixers, who have six point guards on their preseason roster.
Eastern Notes: Young, Budenholzer, D-League
Thaddeus Young was looking for a change after playing on losing teams with the Sixers and Timberwolves, and while he had a brief taste of success with the Nets late last season, he didn’t hesitate to re-sign with Brooklyn even though the team is taking a step back, as Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com details. Young, who’s endured family hardship the past two years, has long been seeking stability, Mazzeo writes. “It was a smooth transition. The guys on the team, the front office and the coaching staff were so welcoming that it made me want to stay,” Young said of his initial experience in Brooklyn. “Whatever we asked for, they got it done. It’s frustrating when you’re in an environment where you’re not happy with a lot of things that go on. But for the most part, I’m happy here, and we have a great coach in Lionel Hollins. I think he’s done a helluva job putting us in a position where we can be successful, and I think he’s going to continue to do that.”
Here’s more from out of the Eastern Conference:
- Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer says he’s trying to follow Gregg Popovich‘s lead now that he’s joined the longtime Spurs boss among coaches who also oversee basketball operations for their teams, notes Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). Budenholzer added that he has a great deal of trust in new GM Wes Wilcox.
- The Heat have officially added Octavio De La Grana and Corey Belser as assistant coaches on new coach Dan Craig‘s staff for their D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the team announced.
- Nets shooting guard Markel Brown, whose $200K partial guarantee jumped to a full guarantee on his $845,059 minimum salary when he wasn’t waived by his contract’s September 29th guarantee date, will miss the remainder of the preseason, the team announced. Brown is suffering from a strained left oblique muscle.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Raptors, Lopez, Jones
After enduring another year of change, the Sixers are optimistic that they are headed in the right direction, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. With training camp wrapping up today, Philadelphia has just four healthy players on its roster — Nerlens Noel, Hollis Thompson, JaKarr Sampson and Jerami Grant — who participated in the 2014 camp. Even though the turnover has been constant since he took over, third-year coach Brett Brown sees hope. “I think the culture is trumping the talent right now,” he said. “I feel like the system of coaches knowing what we all want, what I want. The system of what we do with recovery, how we travel, how we eat, how we act. I think that is trumping the improved talent that we have.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Frontcourt newcomers Bismack Biyombo and Luis Scola are eager to fit in with the Raptors, according to Eric Koreen of The National Post. Both players signed free agent deals in July, with Biyombo receiving a two-year, $6MM contract and Scola agreeing to one year at about $3MM. “I’ve gone from one coach to another one and this and that,” Biyombo said of his experience in Charlotte. “Those are not excuses. But I think over the past four years, I was able to learn a lot of things within those ups and downs. And that’s helped me to grow as a player, and more than anything as a person. Being here lets me show the other side of me.”
- Brook Lopez is adjusting to a new point guard after the Nets bought out Deron Williams‘ contract over the summer, writes Matt Mazzeo of ESPN.com. Lopez, who enjoyed his first offseason in four years without rehabbing an injury, is trying to develop chemistry with Jarrett Jack. “Each point guard takes getting used to in that regard,” Lopez said. “It’s just seeing what they like to do, what they benefit from doing and let them play to what makes them successful.”
- After three disappointing seasons, Perry Jones hopes to break through with the Celtics, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The former Baylor star never established himself in Oklahoma City and was traded to Boston over the summer. “The biggest benefit is he’s a positionless player in a positionless league,” said coach Brad Stevens. “And so to me, Perry needs to soar with the strengths at the position he’s at.”
Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Smith, Bargnani, Scola
Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony is not known as a vocal leader, which is something that he doesn’t intend to change, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “I lead in my own way,” Anthony told Begley. “I will speak up from time to time, but that’s just not who I am, that’s not my personality.” Anthony’s leadership takes on other forms, like him organizing offseason workouts in Puerto Rico back in August, Begley notes.
“That’s definitely leadership,” teammate Lance Thomas, who participated in those workouts, said. “Him putting us in a position where we can start the season before the season starts is big time. Getting to know everybody on the squad, everybody becoming familiar with each other, it’s important.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers allowed Ish Smith to depart via free agency this summer despite him being the team’s most productive point guard last season, because the franchise wanted to develop its younger players, writes Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News. “It’s hard to deny that Ish was good for us,” coach Brett Brown said. “We decided to go younger and try to uncover somebody that can be with us for a long time, maybe because of the age aspect, and I support the club’s decision to do that. We’ll all be better able to make more accurate assessments in a month or so. Nobody’s really jumped ahead of the pack yet.“
- After missing a total of 191 games over the last five seasons, Nets offseason signee Andrea Bargnani‘s goal is to remain healthy for a full campaign, Roderick Boone of Newsday relays. “The main thing I’m looking for is being healthy, and being on the floor and contributing to the team’s success,” Bargnani told Boone. “I just want to be a part of it. We have a great group of players and I want to be on the court. I want to be able to help them. Sitting out, obviously, was very frustrating and so I really don’t want to do that again. I just want to be healthy and stay on the court. That’s it.“
- Luis Scola is looking to be more than just a mentor to his younger teammates on the Raptors, and he feels that he has plenty left to contribute on the court for his new squad, writes Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun. “I am sure my experience can help but I also believe I can help on the court as well,” Scola said. “To me if I am helping I am happy in whatever aspect of the game. If it’s in the court, outside the court, or both or in the locker room, all those things would be welcome to me.” The 35-year-old inked a one year deal with Toronto back in July.
Top Bloggers: Anthony Puccio On The Nets
Anyone can have a blog about an NBA team, but some set themselves apart from the rest with the dedication and valuable insight they bring to their craft. We’ll be sharing some knowledge from these dialed-in writers on Hoops Rumors in a new feature called Top Bloggers. As with The Beat, our ongoing series of interviews with NBA beat writers, it’s part of an effort to bring Hoops Rumors readers ever closer to the pulse of the teams they follow. Last time, we spoke with Akis Yerocostas of SB Nation’s Sactown Royalty. Click here to see the entire Top Bloggers series.
Next up is Anthony Puccio of SBNation’s Nets Daily. You can follow Anthony on Twitter at @APooch and click here to check out his stories. You can also follow Nets Daily at @NetsDaily.
Hoops Rumors: How did things go so wrong with the Nets and Deron Williams? Do you chalk his struggles up to attitude issues, injuries, or do you wonder if he was never quite as talented as advertised?
Anthony Puccio: There were plenty of legitimate questions and reasons why Deron’s tenure in Brooklyn turned into a disaster. Talent was never one of them. It was more of a “perfect storm” type thing. You only relocate into a city like Brooklyn once. The Nets put all their marbles into Williams’ future with them, making him the first ‘face of the franchise’ in Brooklyn. They acquired certain players, lost picks, notoriously changed coaches several times, and spent a record-setting amount on their roster – all in order for D-Will to lead the franchise to success. Because of this, the expectations were justifiably high, thus meaning any disappointment on Williams’ part was emphasized even more so because of his power inside the organization.
Injuries certainly played a huge role in Williams’ on-court success with the team. But even that wasn’t the main issue. It was more that he couldn’t be the leader they expected him to be; the leader they expected to come when they handed over $100MM to him over the span of five years.
You know there’s something off when a future Hall of Fame player like Paul Pierce comes out and disses you to the public. You know something’s off when Joe Johnson – the epitome of what professional means – is said to have issues with you. You know there’s something off when you hear that the so called ‘face’ of your franchise allegedly tries to physically attack the fourth coach you’ve had in four years; the fourth coach they had all because they wanted to satisfy No. 8.
It was never about talent. It was more the pressure from the media and organization, lack of leadership, negative attitude, and of course – injuries, that put the sour taste in Brooklyn’s mouth. There are so many things that can be said as to why it didn’t work out. But above of all, Paul Pierce probably said it best – He just didn’t seem to want it.
Hoops Rumors: Given his age and salary, what kind of deal do you think the Nets could get for Joe Johnson?
Anthony Puccio: Over the summer, the Nets had talks with a few teams about trading (or dumping) Johnson. The Cavs were one team willing to take on Joe’s contract, but the Nets weren’t getting much in return. It was barely even a salary dump. One trade mentioned was between the Grizzlies and Nets, with the Nets possibly receiving guys like Jeff Green, Tony Allen, Courtney Lee, and/or Vince Carter.
If the Nets are out of playoff contention by the trade deadline, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a deal like this get done. Maybe not the Grizzlies in particular, but a similar situation: Nets looking to dump Johnson’s contract to a contending team looking to add one last piece. They’ll probably look for young pieces and/or picks in return.
Hoops Rumors: If you were put into Billy King‘s position today, what would your first three moves be to get the Nets back on track?
Anthony Puccio: No matter how important it is for the Nets to continue to win right now, I’d be looking out for the future. First, I’d somehow find a way to get some picks back. Then, I’d go out and find a legitimate starting point guard that doesn’t need ten-plus shots in order to be successful. With guys like Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young, and Joe Johnson, the Nets need a pass-first point guard for their first unit. I’m not sure Jarrett Jack fits that role. Lastly, I would try to find some scorers that can log 15-20 minutes off the bench. I’m very unsure the Nets’ second unit can get it done with Andrea Bargnani and Wayne Ellington being the primary scorers off the bench.
Hoops Rumors: Speaking of King, do you think he’s the right man for the job? What’s your assessment of coach Lionel Hollins so far?
Anthony Puccio: King has taken a lot of the heat for moves that ownership wanted. Still, it doesn’t bail him out. Billy was hired to make bold, risky moves in order to transform a rebuilding team into championship contenders. No matter what unfortunate circumstances came about — namely D-Will — he’s failed to do so. And, for that alone, I don’t believe he’s the man for this job anymore.
Hollins, on the other hand, is the right man for this team. He has a bunch of young players with plenty of talent in need of some discipline and direction. His hard-nosed style was definitely tough for players to get used to, namely Brook Lopez, who clearly had a rocky relationship with Hollins at first. But in the end, Hollins made Lopez a tougher and more aggressive player towards the latter portion of the season, and it was just a sample of what Lionel has done his entire career. Just look at what he’s done for guys like Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Allen.
Hoops Rumors: What were some of the things you liked about the Nets’ offseason?
Anthony Puccio: The Nets did plenty of good for their future this offseason. The first thing they did right was getting rid of Deron Williams. With D-Will gone, it gives the Nets a fresh start rather than sulking in his incompetence. They re-signed Lopez and Young, which gives them a nice frontcourt to start building around.
They nabbed two solid first-rounders in Chris McCullough and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, both whom the Nets viewed as lottery picks. The McCullough pick is interesting because they don’t have a first-round pick in 2016 – and being that he’ll be sidelined most of the season with an ACL tear, they’re essentially calling him their substitute pick for 2016.
I like the Bargnani signing only because the risk is extremely low. They paid him the veteran’s minimum to come off the bench and provide a scoring punch. With a happy Bargnani in Brooklyn, he may exceed the low expectations. Don’t let his past two seasons with the Knicks fool you. He’s averaged about 15 points per game during his nine-year career.