Atlantic Rumors: Nets, Celtics, J.R. Smith
Mikhail Prokhorov, in London for today’s Nets-Hawks game, said that he was never close to making changes when the Nets were playing their worst this season, and the owner also expressed confidence in GM Billy King and coach Jason Kidd. Prokhorov added that he has no intention of selling the team anytime soon. Newsday’s Roderick Boone and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News round up his comments via Twitter, and there’s more from Nets ownership suite among the day’s news from the Atlantic Division:
- Gerald Wallace is upset with his role on the Celtics, and also feels the Nets “disrespected” him by trading him to a rebuilding club, observes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. “This season is a slap in the face, having to change my game and fine-tune it,” Wallace said. “First of all, it has to come mentally. You accept your situation, but there’s two sides to your brain. One side is fighting the other side because of the predicament you’re in. You feel you can still perform at the level you always have, but at the same time, you’re doubting yourself.”
- One of Prokhorov’s advisers seems to have overtaken the role of another, with Sergei Kushchenko now exerting more influence on the Nets than Dmitry Razumov has, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post explains.
- There was no chance the Celtics were going to keep soon-to-be restricted free agent Jordan Crawford beyond the season, writes Herald scribe Steve Bulpett, who sees Wednesday’s trade of Crawford and MarShon Brooks as a move made with only the future in mind.
- An Eastern Conference personnel man tells Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News that if Knicks GM Steve Mills finds a taker for J.R. Smith, “he’ll be pulling a fast one” on whatever team ends up with the swingman.
- Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if Mike Woodson‘s public support for Smith has to do with their mutual ties to the Creative Artists Agency. The Knicks would be better off waiving Smith this summer and using the stretch provision to spread out his remaining cap hits, O’Connor believes.
Eastern Notes: Deng, Siva, Garnett, Woodson
With the recent acquisition of Luol Deng revitalizing the Cavaliers, the biggest question remaining is whether or not he is just a short-term rental, or a long-term building block for the franchise. If he does in fact re-sign with Cleveland, would that prohibit the Cavaliers from bringing back LeBron James or another star player? Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal thinks that, theoretically, the team could fit both players in under the salary cap, but it will take some work and creativity on the team’s part.
A few other notes from around the Eastern Conference:
- Petyon Siva may be on his way back to the Pistons from the D-League, according to his Twitter feed. The rookie has been on D-League assignment since December 26th.
- Kevin Garnett of the Nets expressed his unhappiness with being forced to log heavy minutes at center in the wake of the season ending injury to Brook Lopez, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
- With the recent speculation that the Knicks will pursue the still-under-contract Tom Thibodeau, Mike Lupica of The New York Daily News opines that current Knicks coach Mike Woodson is more the solution than the problem.
D-League Notes: Gobert, Clark, Shengelia
Here are a few points pertaining to the NBA’s D-League:
- The Jazz are expected to recall rookies Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark from the D-League this weekend, tweets Jody Genessy of Deseret News. The duo spent time playing for the Bakersfield Jam but should rejoin the Jazz sometime today or tomorrow.
- Tornike Shengelia has been recalled by the Nets, the team announced. Shengelia, who had been playing with the Springfield Armor, has played sparingly throughout his career after being selected late in the 2012 draft by the 76ers. So far for this season, Shengelia has averaged 8.4 MPG in 15 contests for Brooklyn.
- Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times takes a look at how a couple of former D-League players, Jon Leuer and Ed Davis, have been able to be productive for the Grizzlies. With Marc Gasol sidelined, the two big men have gained valuable experience by playing more minutes than they would have otherwise.
- Earlier today, we passed along that the Hawks had officially signed James Nunnally to a 10-day contract. Nunnally caught Atlanta’s attention after a strong showing in this year’s D-League Showcase where he earned a spot as a member of the All-Showcase Second Team.
Berger On Lakers, Love, Spurs, Bulls, Miller
Last month, we heard that the Nets and Rockets discussed the idea of a trade that would have sent Deron Williams to Houston and Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik to Brooklyn. While it’s not clear how serious those talks were, or if they still had any legs at all, they’re probably “dead for good” after D-Will underwent multiple injections in his ankles, says Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Berger’s latest piece includes several other trade tidbits from around the NBA, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights….
- The Lakers are seeking an athletic power forward that would fit Mike D’Antoni‘s system, but league sources tell Berger that it’s unrealistic for the team to expect to land an impact player for Pau Gasol, whose trade value has “plummeted.”
- Rival execs are also skeptical that the Lakers would take on any long-term salary. One Eastern Conference exec even tells Berger that “everyone knows” Kevin Love wants to sign with L.A. in 2015, so if the Lakers believe they have a shot at the star forward, it’s unlikely they’d tie up their ’15 cap space and compromise their chances.
- Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group continues to work hard to try to find deals that would get two of his clients, Asik and Donatas Motiejunas, out of Houston.
- The Spurs have been “unusually aggressive” in pursuing roster upgrades via trades this season, which signals to rival executives that the team recognizes its window may be closing.
- As anticipated, J.R. Smith has generated “zero” trade interest, says Berger.
- The Bulls are receiving interest in guards Kirk Hinrich and Mike Dunleavy, according to Berger, who reiterates that the Warriors are eyeing Hinrich and the Rockets like Dunleavy.
- The Nuggets‘ talks with the Kings about Andre Miller have not gained any further traction, writes Berger. Meanwhile, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities says (via Twitter) that Denver coach Brian Shaw wants the club to land a skilled big man in any Miller deal.
- Team executives around the league are encouraged by a growing perception that new commissioner Adam Silver will be more open-minded than David Stern. Among the ideas gaining traction among front offices that could be considered by Silver: A 16-team playoff bracket that includes the league’s 16 best teams, not sorted by conference.
Odds & Ends: LeBron/Melo, J.R. Smith, Deng
Both Al Iannazzone of Newsday and Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News passed along some of LeBron James‘ comments on Carmelo Anthony with regards to free agency:
“You got to do whatever makes you happy…When you’re happy, the game of basketball is going to be fun for you. Strive to be great every day and live with whatever else happens. So we’ll see.”
Asked further if he’d recommend Anthony leave some money on the table when he signs his next contract, LeBron had this to say:
“I recommend it to me…It doesn’t work for everybody. The way I live my life don’t work for everybody. All I care about is winning. I came to Miami to win. Money didn’t make me happy. Winning made me happy, and it still does. That’s what matters to me.”
We’ve got more links to pass along out of the Association tonight, and you can find them below:
- Not surprisingly, George Karl deplored J.R. Smith‘s recent behavior, telling Michael Kay on 98.7 ESPN radio in New York that his former player is going to wake up one day and realize how much he’s wasted great opportunities because of this “mockery he brings to the game.” In spite of that, Karl added that Smith still has a “skill that championship teams need” and suggested that a team like the Heat or Spurs may be able to corral the erratic shooting guard: “There’s that possibility…I think right now that’s the position if I was J.R.’s agent [I would take]. I would be looking at a culture where there would be more peer pressure…I know San Antonio has always liked (J.R.) and I know they’ve thought about bringing him in…San Antonio doesn’t make a lot of mistakes” (Ian Begley of ESPN New York).
- Although Luol Deng‘s agent Herb Rudoy didn’t expand upon how far apart the numbers were with the Bulls regarding contract extension discussions, he mentioned Andre Iguodala‘s contract with the Warriors (four years, $48MM) as one that would be commensurate with Deng’s ability, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
- When asked about a potential return to Chicago for his client in the near future, Rudoy responded: “Never discussed…I have no idea. We didn’t talk about it.”
- Tom Haberstroh of ESPN explores the topic of whether or not Andrew Bynum would be a good fit with the Heat (Insiders only).
- Ian Begley and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York, Robert Silverman of Knickerblogger, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of TrueHoop, and Brian Windhorst of ESPN have a roundtable discussion on the Knicks and Nets‘ chances of making the playoffs, winning the Atlantic Division, getting to the second round of the playoffs, and which has the brighter future.
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune goes in-depth about how the Deng trade presents an enormous opportunity for Bulls rookie Tony Snell (Subscribers only).
Eastern Notes: Bulls, Brooks, Nets
ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell is joined by fellow ESPN writers Scoop Jackson and Doug Padilla to weigh in on a few questions surrounding the Bulls, particularly the likelihood of using the amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer, who won the Andrew Bynum–Luol Deng swap, and what the team’s next move should be.
Here are a few more miscellaneous links to share out of the Eastern Conference this evening:
- The Celtics have recalled guard MarShon Brooks from the NBDL today, the team announced via press release. Brooks had been lighting up the D-League as of late, averaging 27.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, while shooting 37.5% from long range through five games with the Maine Red Claws.
- While four games appears to be a small sample size, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes about how Jason Kidd may have found the right formula to win with the Nets by opting to utilize smaller lineups. With that being said, Brooklyn is currently riding a four-game winning streak.
- Jared Sullinger has been a starter for the majority of the 2013/14 season, though he began Wednesday night’s game against the Clippers as a reserve because of Kris Humphries‘ standout performance recently. Sullinger doesn’t have an issue with his role change, telling Mark Murphy of BostonHerald.com: “That’s absolutely fine with me…(head coach Brad Stevens) said there may be times when they change things with me coming off the bench.”
- Knicks head coach Mike Woodson wants to move past the topic of J.R. Smith‘s disciplinary issues, telling the media before tonight’s game against the Heat: “I’m not addressing anything else with JR. Just not gonna do it” (Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv via Twitter). During a local radio interview with ESPN yesterday, Woodson was critical of Smith’s recent on-court antics, which earned the nine-year-veteran a $50K fine from the league for “recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct” (Ian Begley of ESPN New York).
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports takes an in-depth look at the Cavaliers’ newest All-Star acquisition, Luol Deng.
Odds & Ends: Kidd, Acy, 2014 Draft, Williams
Because of their similar career paths, Warriors head coach Mark Jackson has been a role model for Jason Kidd, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. In wake of the criticism Kidd has received for his performance as head coach of the Nets, Jackson recently spoke out and defended Kidd:
“He’s been a coach on every team he’s been on. He won a championship being an offensive coordinator [in Dallas], with all due respect to [Dallas coach] Rick Carlisle, but I’m sure Rick will tell you the same thing.”
Here are some miscellaneous tidbits from Wednesday night around the NBA:
- Quincy Acy has been a pleasant surprise for Kings coach Mike Malone, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. “I knew he was talented,” said Malone, “but he’s better than I thought he was.” Acy was obtained in the trade that sent Rudy Gay packing from Toronto.
- Ian Levy of HickoryHigh uses a formula to determine the similarity between the 2014 draft class’s top prospects and current NBA players.
- By waiving Shawne Williams on Tuesday, the Lakers will end up saving about $1.1MM in player salary and tax expenses, reports Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Williams earned about $475K during his stint with the Lakers.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News doesn’t see the Mavericks as a realistic suitor for Andrew Bynum. Sefko notes the Mavs won’t have as much money to offer the recently waived center as the Heat. Beyond that, the addition of Bynum would threaten to affect team chemistry, possibly in a negative way.
Atlantic Notes: Smith, Nets, Sixers, Walker
News broke today that the Knicks are trying to find a trade partner willing to take on the often controversial J.R. Smith. It doesn’t sound like it’ll be easy for the club to find a suitor, but Knicks Journal’s Keith Schlosser writes it would be “addition by subtraction” if the team is able to deal Smith, even if they don’t get any real assets in return. Schlosser notes that Tim Hardaway looks poised to take on a bigger role for the Knicks, and sending out Smith would give the rookie guard more minutes to showcase his impressive skills.
Here’s a look at the rest of tonight’s news from around the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets aren’t expected to use the disabled player exception they were granted yesterday, reports Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Kerber hears from a source that it’s “unlikely” Brooklyn ends up using the exception since for each $1MM the club would spend on adding a player, the team would end up paying $4MM in luxury taxes.
- The 76ers are not going to be relocating to New Jersey, writes Mike Sielski from the Philly Inquirer. Rumors circulated about a potential move earlier this season, and fans became nervous that the rumors may be coming to fruition when the club revealed via press release that it was set to deliver a “major announcement” tomorrow. However, sources tell Sielski that the team won’t be leaving Philadelphia anytime soon, and the announcement will simply introduce a new sponsorship deal.
- Ty Walker of the D-League’s Main Red Claws has drawn interest from a few clubs, including the 76ers. The defensive-minded center went undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2012 and received interest as a possible training camp invitee last summer. Shams Charania of RealGM has the details.
- In his latest piece for the Boston Herald, Steve Bulpett reveals that although Doc Rivers isn’t calling plays for the Celtics anymore, part of the veteran coach will always remain in Boston. “It was just hard for me. I’m not sure anyone can understand,” said Rivers on his departure from the C’s, “I fell in love with where I was at, but after the season I realized I just didn’t want to get into the whole rebuilding thing.“
Eight Teams Interested In Andrew Bynum
2:26pm: The Hawks are unlikely to make a serious play for Bynum, a source tells Broussard. On the other hand, Broussard hears from a league source that Pat Riley and the Heat are expected to “go hard” after the center.
11:12am: Despite some speculation that the Nets may kick the tires in Bynum, a league source tells NetsDaily.com that Brooklyn has “no interest at all” (Twitter link).
11:00am: The Mavericks are among the teams interested in Bynum, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). As Stein notes, Dallas only has the minimum salary exception available to make an offer.
9:46am: There are eight NBA teams interested in signing Andrew Bynum when he clears waivers later this week, reports ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard (via Twitter). As we’ve heard for the last several days, the Heat and Clippers are Bynum’s top choices, but Broussard says that playing time, contending status, and salary will all factor into the big man’s decision.
While Bynum’s injury woes and off-court question marks have significantly diminished his value over the last two seasons, he has managed to stay healthy enough this year to post 8.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and a 15.4 PER in 24 games for Cleveland. If there were no red flags related to health and attitude, the 26-year-old would likely draw interest from just about every NBA team, but it sounds like at least a quarter of the NBA’s 30 clubs are still intrigued enough by his upside to inquire.
Broussard’s mention of money being a factor in Bynum’s decision is worth noting. Virtually all mid-season signings are for the minimum salary, but Bynum could be an exception to that general rule. If he’s seeking offers worth more than the minimum, teams with cap space or exceptions (mid-level and bi-annual) would presumably have an edge over teams with no financial flexibility, such as the Clippers, Knicks, and Nets.
After Bynum was released yesterday, we heard that the Clippers may not be overly interested in him, while the Hawks were said to be in the mix.
NBA Grants Disabled Player Exception To Nets
As if the Nets league-leading $102MM team salary wasn’t enough money spent this season, the NBA has now approved the Nets to spend up to $5.25MM more. The league has approved a disabled player exception for the Nets, according to Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
The disabled player exception allows a team over the cap to replace a player who will be out for the remainder of the season. The Nets’ fall into this category due to Brook Lopez‘s season ending foot injury.
Under the disabled player exception, the Nets are allowed to sign a player for one season for the lesser of 50% of the injured player’s salary or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The 2013/14 non-taxpayer mid-level exception is $5.15MM and Lopez’s 2013/14 salary is $14.69MM.
The disabled player exception also allows the Nets to trade for a player in the last season of their contract if that player is making no more than the lesser of 50% of the injured player’s salary plus $100,000 or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception plus $100,000. Because of Lopez’s large salary, the Nets will be allowed to trade for any player making up to $5.25MM this year.
The Nets had until January 15th to apply for this and the exception will expire by March 10th. Of course, the team will no longer be able to use the exception to acquire a player via trade after the February 20th deadline.