Eastern Notes: Allen, Heat, Cavs
Many around the NBA believe Ray Allen will become a member of the Cavs this season and Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio is among the Cleveland optimists. “My gut tells me he’ll join the Cavs,” Amico said. Cleveland is among the many teams with interest in bringing the shooting guard aboard. Amico also notes that he believes Allen has already decided on whether or not he’ll play this season, and where.
Here’s more from Eastern Conference:
- After he struggled last postseason there were doubts the Heat would re-sign Mario Chalmers, but head coach Eric Spoelstra is a firm believer in the point guard, writes Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel. “He’s one of the all-time clutch players in this game,” Spoelstra said. “How many times does he have to prove himself?”
- In a separate piece, Richardson documents how the environment around the Heat is changing post-LeBron James. Dwyane Wade couldn’t be happier about the changes. “It’s more relaxed, more chill, an opportunity we can get some work in,” Wade said. “We can actually make some mistakes and not do things as great and not really be talked about as much. We’re a team that needs time individually to get comfortable with whatever roles we’re going to be in. It’s good it’s quiet.”
- Although Kevin Love‘s neck injury isn’t believed to be too serious, Jeff Caplan of NBA.com wonders if LeBron’s new teammates can stay healthy. Caplan points out the injury history of Love and Kyrie Irving and notes how crucial it is that the new big three get as much time on the court together as possible
- There are Atlantic Division teams that have young players with the potential to improve such as Terrence Ross of the Raptors and Tyler Zeller of the Celtics, writes Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM.com. Mason Plumlee of the Nets, Iman Shumpert of the Knicks and Michael Carter-Williams of the Sixers are also among the players Tjarks lists as internal improvement candidates for the coming season.
Atlantic Notes: Stiemsma, Sixers, Calderon
It’s rare that a Sunday afternoon preseason game draws much attention, but this Sunday’s Celtics–Nets game will be an exception. They’ll play 44 minutes instead of the standard 48 as the NBA experiments with a shorter game time, the league announced. Coaches around the league and the NBA’s competition committee expressed support for the idea, as NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn tells Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Boston and Brooklyn volunteered to try it out, Zillgitt adds. Still, Jared Dudley took to Twitter to express concern about the way a shorter game would affect playing time and contract value for bench players. The league has no plans at this point to have another 44-minute game, and the experiment also includes fewer timeouts, and thus fewer advertising opportunities, so I’m skeptical that all parties will agree to 44-minute games in the future. Still, it’ll be interesting to see how it goes. Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Greg Stiemsma‘s contract with the Raptors is partially guaranteed for $25K, Hoops Rumors has learned. That puts him on equal financial footing with teammates Jordan Hamilton and Will Cherry, who have partial guarantees for the same amount. The three appear to be jockeying for a single opening-night roster spot, since Toronto has 13 full guarantees and a $5MM partial guarantee with Amir Johnson.
- The history of teams that win 20 games or fewer shows that they almost always bounce back into the playoffs within a few years, and that helps explain the Sixers‘ confidence in their radical rebuilding plan, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News examines.
- Dwane Casey continues to be fond of Knicks point guard Jose Calderon, whom he coached on the Raptors, and the feeling is mutual, observes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
Lowe’s Latest: Rondo, Green, Horford, Sixers
Grantland’s Zach Lowe includes a few eye-openers among his annual preseason predictions, including his assertion that the Suns will again miss out on the playoffs. As usual, Lowe’s must-read column isn’t all conjecture, and he shares a few whispers he’s heard from around the league. We’ll pass along the news items here:
- The Celtics have set a remarkably high price for Rajon Rondo as they’ve gauged the trade market for him over the past year, but Boston is also putting out trade feelers about Jeff Green, Lowe writes. People around the league are higher on Green than the forward’s public reputation would suggest, according to Lowe, who adds the Pelicans to the list of teams that have shown interest in Green in the past. It’s unclear if New Orleans still has eyes for Green, however.
- The Hawks brought up Al Horford‘s name in trade talk with a few teams last year, seeking an unprotected 2014 first-rounder in return, sources tell Lowe.
- Michael Carter-Williams found his name in trade rumors around the draft, and the Sixers indeed made a hard push to find a deal, Lowe hears. The Grantland scribe cautions that the team isn’t necessarily dead set on trading him, writing that the Sixers understand there are plenty of quality point guards to go around and that Philadelphia prioritizes deal that would help the team land more high draft picks.
- It would catch no one in the league offices by surprise if Mikhail Prokhorov eventually decides to give up control of the Nets, according to Lowe.
- The Cavs have shown reluctance to surrender the 2015 first-round pick that the Grizzlies owe them, Lowe writes. It’s the only first-rounder other than their own that the Cavs possess.
Atlantic Notes: Calderon, Williams, Nets, Jack
Over 50% of Hoops Rumors readers think that Raptors have the best shot at winning the Atlantic Division this season, and Toronto certainly looked impressive tonight as they bested the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. We’ll round up the latest on the Knicks, Raptors, and Nets below in tonight’s look at the Atlantic..
- Jose Calderon spent his first seven-and-a-half seasons in the NBA as a member of the Raptors, but after a spending a year in Dallas, he’s happy to return to the Atlantic Division and kick off his tenure with the Knicks. “It’s been great,” Calderon told Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, “(Derek Fisher projects the) confidence that he’s been coaching for years now, I like that, I think everybody’s comfortable with him, but now it’s going to be about timing. New (Triangle) system, new game, new players, new coaching staff, so you need some time, but we’re on the right path we’ve got to keep going.”
- David Aldridge of TNT complies a list of 10 under-the-radar players who might be poised for breakout seasons. Among those on the list is recently acquired Raptors guard Lou Williams. The 27-year-old is looking for a bounce back year after struggling to recover from a torn ACL in Atlanta last season.
- Joe Johnson is excited about the Nets’ offseason acquisition of Jarrett Jack, as Robert Windrem of Nets Daily transcribes. “I think Jarrett’s probably going to be one of the biggest X-factors for this team,” said Johnson. “I think he’s very underrated, a guy that can do multiple things, as far as catch and shoot, shooting off the dribble, create, defending, another ball handler who can break down the defense. So I think it’s only a plus for us, man. I was excited when we got him.“
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Anthony, Karasev
The Raptors are strong favorites to repeat as Atlantic Division champs, as Hoops Rumors readers asserted last month, a feat that would be a first in franchise history. It’s easy for forget that a year ago, the team was on the verge of a tear-down as new GM Masai Ujiri was unsure about just what he had on the roster. The Raptors didn’t make any superstar additions in between now and then, and their sudden success story is a model that many other front offices would certainly like to duplicate. While we wait to see if Toronto can keep it up, here’s more on the Raptors and their rivals in the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors aren’t ready to commit to any of the three players seemingly competing for the final spot on the team’s regular season roster, coach Dwane Casey said, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun details. “We’re not in a hurry whatsoever,” Casey said. “All three men have done an excellent job in practice. Will Cherry is as tough a little competitor as you can find. Jordan Hamilton is a great scorer and really fighting on the defensive end and Greg Stiemsma is a solid, solid big man, veteran big man who has done some great things in the post. It may go down to the wire, the last day of camp because those guys have deserved it.”
- Joel Anthony certainly had plenty of financial incentive when he opted into his $3.8MM salary this season, but he maintains that money wasn’t his primary motivation to stick with the Celtics, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald notes. “It was about wanting to get an opportunity to come into camp and get a chance to prove myself and get on the court,” Anthony said. “This was the best opportunity I had. I don’t know what would have happened in free agency or whatnot, but I just felt that coming back to the team after being here the last three months and knowing the coaches and knowing the players and everything like that, this was what was best for me. It just seemed like a better situation for me to come back here.”
- The Nets had the chance to acquire a pair of second-round picks in this summer’s three-team trade with the Cavs and Celtics, but they insisted that they receive Sergey Karasev instead, NetsDaily’s Robert Windrem tweets.
Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Faverani, Nets, 76ers
After the Nets beat the Kings in Shanghai, center Brook Lopez praised the team’s hiring of coach Lionel Hollins, writes Lenn Robbins of NBA.com. “He’s been a successful head coach and he knows what he wants,” said Lopez. “He wants his players to get better. That’s what happened in Memphis and I think that can happen here. Hiring him was the right decision.” More out of the Atlantic Division..
- There are murmurs that the Celtics will cut Vitor Faverani, who has a guaranteed contract, to get down to a 15-man roster, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The big man, owed $2.09MM this season, has yet to practice in camp due to pain in his surgically repaired knee. Meanwhile, Dwight Powell, who is guaranteed ~$507K for the upcoming year, has impressed teammates with his versatility and work ethic.
- After a strong showing in Shanghai, big man Jerome Jordan may have earned a spot on the Nets‘ roster, writes Reed Wallach of Nets Daily. The former Knick, who will lock in a partial guarantee of $100K if he’s on the roster through October 25th, has just 21 NBA games to his credit.
- NBA.com’s Angus Crawford caught up with Sixers draftee Jordan McRae, who’s currently playing professionally abroad for Melbourne United, about life in Australia and his time in summer league. The former Tennessee standout also sat down with Hoops Rumors for a Q&A prior to the June draft.
- Forward Brandon Davies is fighting hard to make the 76ers’ roster. There’s no guarantee that he will, but, at the very least, coach Brett Brown respects his effort, writes Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com.
Eastern Notes: Anthony, Nets Sale, Heat
Carmelo Anthony said that the players and the league should prepare themselves for another lockout in 2017, and if it indeed comes to that, he doesn’t think the owners can complain about losing money this time around, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. “I think we have to prepare for a work stoppage,” Anthony said. “And that’s the worst-case scenario at this point in time. So I think guys should start preparing for that now. I don’t think you really have to focus and think about it at this stage. But just keep in the back of your mind that it is a [possibility].”
Here’s more from the east:
- The Nets are currently reviewing “multiple” proposals from the Guggenheim Group despite the reports that the potential sale of the franchise was in jeopardy, Mitch Abramson of The New York Daily News reports. A source with knowledge of the negotiations told Abramson, “Negotiations are taking a cooling off period since they’ve been played out in the media but there have been proposals to the Nets and they’re still being considered. Because of the amount of media attention, there’s a calming off period that’s going on but interest still remains by both parties and yes there was a proposal – multiple proposals – that were given to the Nets that are still being considered.”
- With the 2014 draft class having been hyped as one of the best in years, the focus will now be on how the rookies perform under the spotlight of the NBA regular season. Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders runs down five “under-the-radar” rookies to watch for, including Nikola Mirotic (Bulls); Cleanthony Early (Knicks); and K.J. McDaniels (Sixers).
- When the Heat face off with LeBron James and the Cavs in Rio tomorrow, the main focus for Miami will be on speeding up the rebuilding process, not on James being in a different uniform, Tales Azzoni of The Associated Press writes. “We are trying to understand that we are behind the eight ball because we’ve got 13 new guys,” Dwyane Wade said. “We’ve only been together for 10 days on the basketball floor. We’ve got to all understand that we’ve got to have patience, because the last two years just happened, we had the same team and it just happened. But now this is not that kind of team, so we all have to have patience and understand that it’s a process.”
Nets, Guggenheim Talks Hit Snag
Talks between Guggenheim investors and Nets executives have stalled, reports Josh Kosman of the New York Post. Kosman hears that the discussion about a merger of assets that would give Guggenheim a share of Nets ownership is unlikely to resume, but sources indicate to Robert Windrem of NetsDaily that negotiations are not necessarily at an end. Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov still wants to cash out part of his majority stake in the franchise, but potential buyers are balking at the idea of shelling out a high price for a portion of a team that Prokhorov would still control, Kosman explains.
The Nets are seeking to sell part of the team based on a $1.8 billion valuation of the entire franchise, according to Kosman. That’s $100MM more than the higher of the two valuations the Nets were reportedly discussing with Guggenheim and $800MM greater than the valuation Brooklyn’s brass was seeking early in the offseason. A source who spoke to Kosman contended that Guggenheim doesn’t have the money available to meet the Nets’ asking price, a claim that’s difficult to believe based on the company’s willingness to spend lavishly on the Dodgers. A Guggenheim spokesperson denied any lack of funds, Kosman notes.
Still, the arm of Guggenheim that’s been involved in the Nets discussion, known as Guggenheim Sports and Entertainment Assets, is different from the one called Guggenheim Baseball Management that owns the Dodgers, a source told Windrem. Kosman, in his story, makes reference to talks that execs from Guggenheim Baseball Management had with the Nets, though it could be that the same officials oversee both corners of the Guggenheim empire.
A Guggenheim spokesperson told Kosman that the Nets never made a proposal and that Dodgers CEO Mark Walter had no interest in securing a stake in the NBA team for his company. However, Walter told Kosman a week ago that he hoped a Guggenheim-Nets merger would take place but hadn’t seen any financial data on the Brooklyn franchise or the Barclays Center arena. Guggenheim president Todd Boehly reportedly met with Prokhorov, Nets minority owner Bruce Ratner and Nets CEO Brett Yormark a couple of weeks ago in Moscow.
New York Notes: Nets, Pierce, Knicks, Executives
The Nets and Knicks will renew their intracity rivalry this season as both teams hope to get off to faster starts than they did in 2013/14. Each club figures to be in the mix for a playoff spot again this season, so while we wait to see if we’ll have a subway series come the postseason, here’s the latest from the Big Apple:
- Nets GM Billy King insists the team is still doggedly pursuing a championship and isn’t focused on making financial cutbacks, telling reporters, including Newsday’s Rod Boone, that he still has permission from owner Mikhail Prokhorov to make expensive acquisitions. King made his remarks in response to Paul Pierce‘s assertion that the team was no longer willing to spend to win. ” . . . We have some younger guys like Mason Plumlee who are under rookie contracts, and that helps your payroll. But [Prokhorov] hasn’t wavered in pursuit of what he wants,” King said.
- That seems to conflict with King’s admission last month that money was a factor in the team’s decision not to re-sign Pierce and that the club doesn’t want to repeat its more than $190MM expenditure on players and luxury taxes last season. Pierce’s representatives with Excel Sports Management asked the Nets for a two-year, $24MM deal this summer, but the Nets didn’t want to pay that much, according to Boone.
- Former Magic GM John Gabriel‘s influence is growing within the Knicks front office, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Gabriel, who holds the title of director of basketball operations, is on the upswing while former Nuggets GM and current Knicks director of player personnel Mark Warkentien is losing sway, and assistant GM Allan Houston doesn’t have the pull that he once had, either, Berman adds.
- The Knicks have hired former D-League assistant and small college head coach Kevin Whitted as head coach of their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Whitted went to college with Houston, who serves as the GM of the Knicks D-League affiliate in addition to his duties with the big club.
Eastern Notes: Nets, Allen, Cavs, Muscala, Wright
Nets GM Billy King took questions from reporters today, including Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. While King originally refused to comment on the Guggenheim ownership talks, he would eventually say Mikhail Prokhorov “isn’t selling” and described the current ownership’s commitment to winning as “unwavering” (Twitter links here). This further confirms the majority of reports over the last week that Prokhorov intends to remain the majority owner.
Let’s take a look at what else is coming out of the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night:
- Jim Tanner, the agent for free agent Ray Allen, shot down any speculation that his client has or is about to sign with the Cavaliers. After speaking with Allen today, Tanner, through the Twitter account of Tandem Sports and Entertainment, indicated that Allen has yet to decide whether or not he will play this season (Twitter links here). Allen was linked to several teams this summer, but as of last month Cleveland still believed they will land the veteran sniper.
- Speaking of the Cavaliers, the team isn’t panicked about their need for rim-protection, writes Grantland’s Zach Lowe, who suggests the Cavs aren’t going to rush to remedy the situation via trade. Instead, they’re more likely to target a wing defender whose salary would fit into their nearly $5.3MM Keith Bogans trade exception, according to Lowe.
- The Hawks are high on the development of Mike Muscala, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta has 14 guaranteed contracts on the books for the upcoming season and Vivlamore’s report is just the latest evidence that they will award the final spot to Muscala, whose contract is partially guaranteed.
- Greek’s Panathinaikos took a pass on Chris Wright, who’s decided to leave the Bucks, and the small forward rejected a $200K offer from Besiktas in Turkey, Sportando’s Orazio Cauchi reports. That seemingly leaves Wright in a limbo of sorts, but the Bucks have yet to formally place his non-guaranteed contract on waivers.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.