Eastern Notes: Garnett, LeBron, Cavs
Prior to last night’s 111-81 loss to the T’Wolves, Nets forward Kevin Garnett told reporters that he’s not ready to discuss his future beyond this season. “I focus on what’s happening [now],” Garnett said after the Nets’ shootaround. “There is a lot of emotions that come with this building. … But, obviously, different time, different personnel, different times.” Last night, coach Jason Kidd said he wouldn’t be surprised if it was KG’s last time on the hardwood in Minnesota. Here’s more out of the East..
- The other potential summer suitors for Heat star LeBron James aren’t looking so hot right now, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The Cavs have been atrocious to start the year and things aren’t much better with the Knicks, who are perpetually linked to James despite not having the cap flexibility necessary. The Lakers should have the cash needed to make a run at LeBron and the other top free agents in the class, but things are pretty dysfunctional in L.A. as well.
- Nate Duncan of HoopsWorld isn’t sure what to make of the Cavs‘ situation. Nearly everyone on the Cleveland roster has disappointed offensively, including banged-up offseason-acquisition Andrew Bynum and first overall pick Anthony Bennett.
- Pacers center Roy Hibbert is confident that Jeff Green can be the Celtics‘ go-to guy, despite his inconsistencies, writes Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. Hibbert added that with Danny Ainge at the helm, the C’s are sure to put quality talent around Green in the years to come.
- in today’s mailbag, Winderman writes that the Heat are working on grooming Quincy Douby, currently with the Sioux Falls SkyForce, strengthening his point guard skills. The Rutgers product is known for his tremendous range and scoring ability, but has never been much of a passer.
New York Links: Woodson, Calipari, Garnett
The Nets are playing the Timberwolves tonight while the Knicks are off, so Brooklyn can either claim last place in the Atlantic Division all to itself with a loss, or win and let the media sharpen their focus on the struggling Knicks. We rounded up news from New York this morning, but there’s still more to pass along:
- Mike Woodson appreciates owner James Dolan’s comments of support, and he isn’t letting rumors about his job security or the “Fire Woodson!” chants at Madison Square Garden get to him, observes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
- University of Kentucky coach John Calipari says he isn’t paying attention to chatter suggesting he could be the next coach of the Knicks, telling reporters, including Jeff Drummond of Scout.com, that he’s “good where I am” in response to a question about whether he’d ever want to return to the NBA.
- Jason Kidd knows he might not have Kevin Garnett next year, acknowledging that KG might retire as the coach spoke to reporters before Brooklyn’s only game at Minnesota this year. “I wouldn’t doubt that this is the last time he plays on this floor,” Kidd said, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News notes.
- Bondy heard recently from Nets sources that Kidd’s job isn’t in danger, and the coach acknowledged that ownership has been patient with the team’s slow start, as the Daily News Scribe passes along in the same piece.
- Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck lobs out several questions that James Dolan wasn’t asked when he broke his long media blackout.
- Whether or not he has to worry about his job, Kidd doesn’t have to concern himself with any hard feelings from Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who says he’s gotten over the point guard’s decision to spurn Dallas to sign with the Knicks last summer. Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com has the details.
New York Notes: Taylor, Shengelia, Coaches
As if merely playing in New York didn’t get them enough attention, the Nets and Knicks are under increased scrutiny in the early going this season, as both teams are off to 3-8 starts. Considering the Atlantic division leaders are the 5-7 Raptors and 5-8 Sixers, neither New York club is in significant danger yet, but the pressure on each team has certainly intensified. Here’s the latest out of NYC:
- Following up on a piece he wrote yesterday about the long shadow cast by the repeater tax, Mark Deeks of ShamSports suggests (via Twitter) that it makes sense for the Nets to trade away one of their little-used bench players like Tyshawn Taylor or Tornike Shengelia in a straight salary dump.
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News both have new pieces up on rookie head coach Jason Kidd. Wojnarowski writes that Kidd looks overwhelmed so far, but isn’t a lost cause, while Bondy questions whether Kidd’s latest comments are encouraging or delusional.
- A source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that there’s a little friction between Kidd and top Nets assistant Lawrence Frank. “Something has changed between them,” according to Isola’s source.
- Isola also hears that Mike Woodson may have “some trust issues” with his staff in New York. As the Daily News scribe writes: “Every time you turn around, the Knicks hire somebody else to rebound for a player during shooting drills and give that person the title of ‘workout coach.'”
- Earlier today, we passed along a few notable quotes from a rare James Dolan Q&A.
Odds & Ends: New York, Hayward, Ellis, Adrien
It’s been a busy day for New York basketball. Fans of both the Nets and Knicks are concerned about the slow starts of their favorite squads, but despite the rumors, we’ve heard that neither Jason Kidd nor Mike Woodson is in danger of getting fired. Justin Terranova of the New York Post sat down with NBA TV’s Greg Anthony and discussed the state of both teams, and while Anthony believes the Nets are in bigger trouble than the Knicks, there’s still plenty of time for both teams to turn their season around.
Here are some miscellaneous notes from Thursday night:
- An unnamed GM suspects the Suns will do everything in their power to pry Gordon Hayward away from the Jazz this offseason, tweets NBA TV’s Peter Vecsey. Hayward and the Jazz failed to reach a rookie contract extension before the deadline. The fourth year forward currently earns $3.5MM but should see a big pay raise once he hits restricted free agency this summer.
- Dwain Price of the Star Telegram details how the Mavericks’ offseason signing of Monta Ellis has been a critical part of the team’s early season success. Through 12 games, Ellis has been an excellent fit in Dallas’ system, posting a career high 19.5 PER. Coach Rick Carlisle spoke on how impressed he was with the veteran guard: “I thought he was going to be a hard worker and I thought that he was going to be a very talented guy, and he’s been all those things. The thing I really love is how well he continues to adapt to our system and our personnel.“
- Jeff Adrien‘s contract is non-guaranteed, but Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer details how the undersized post player is proving in Al Jefferson‘s absence that he might be worthy of a spot on the Bobcats roster.
- In a league where sharpshooting big men are becoming increasingly valuable, Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com discusses why Spencer Hawes‘ impressive skill set fits the 76ers uptempo offense perfectly. Tom Moore of the Burlington County Times reveals how much Brett Brown values Hawes. The seventh-year center’s contract expires at the end of the season.
- In his nightly roundup of the NBA, Yannis Koutroupis of HOOPSWORLD examines how Terrence Jones‘ experience in the D-League helped the stretch four develop into a Rockets starter this year. Jones is playing 21 MPG and shooting an impressive 53% on 64 attempts this year.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Kidd, Woodson, Noel
Amidst mounting criticism for Nets head coach Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett told reporters, including Brian Lewis of the New York Post that the blame falls on the players’ shoulders and not just on Kidd. Paul Pierce echoed those sentiments, saying that everyone is accountable for the club’s slow start. Here’s this afternoon’s look at the Atlantic..
- There has been some speculation over Mike Woodson‘s job security with the Knicks, but as far as he’s concerned, it “shouldn’t be a discussion,” tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Earlier today, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com spoke with some league execs who speculated that the Knicks could be gearing up to make a run at Kentucky coach John Calipari.
- Sixers coach Brett Brown argues that Spencer Hawes and Nerlens Noel can play together on the floor without any issues, tweets Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Unfortunately for Philly, they won’t know that for sure for quite a while.
- Kidd is preaching patience and reminding reporters that winning is a “process,” but Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record says the Nets have to start racking up the wins in a hurry if they want to contend this season.
- Marc Berman of the New York Post (via Twitter) argues that the Nets and Knicks would be in better shape if Kidd had continued playing and fulfilled the remainder of his three-year contract.
- Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM looks to diagnose why the Knicks are a team in crisis.
Nets Rumors: Kidd, AK47, Favors
After the Knicks retained J.R. Smith and added Andrea Bargnani and the Nets, well, got supercharged, it was supposed to be a tremendous year for basketball in New York CIty. Things haven’t quite worked out that way. After losing to the not-quite-as-glamorous Bobcats, the Nets have now dropped seven of their last eight. Let the finger pointing begin..
- The word from the Nets is that Jason Kidd’s job is not in danger, writes Stefan Bondy of the Daily News. The Nets invested too much into the idea of him as the long-term answer, but it’s worth noting that owner Mikhail Prokhorov hasn’t made a peep since he was in house for the Nets’ victory over Miami on Nov. 1.
- Offseason addition Andrei Kirilenko told Bondy that he had an injection in his back over a week ago that has delayed his return. AK47 has struggled with back spasms over the last few seasons, but was never out this long.
- Here’s a fun fact that will keep Nets fans up at night. Since 2010, the Nets’ list of traded draft picks includes Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Damian Lillard, Darius Morris, Gorgui Dieng, and Shane Larkin, tweets Devin Kharpertian of The Brooklyn Game. Brooklyn has also traded away their first-round picks in 2014, 2016, and 2018.
Odds & Ends: Odom, Clippers, Kidd, Warrick
While there have been conflicting reports on how close the Clippers and Lamar Odom are to reuniting, it sounds like Clippers players are expecting the two sides to get something done. Asked by Sam Amick of USA Today whether he foresees Odom joining the Clips, Jared Dudley replied, “Oh, 100%.”
While Odom continues to work his way back into playing shape and the Clippers prepare for tomorrow night’s game in Minnesota, let’s check out a few odds and ends from around the Association….
- The Nets are still trying to get healthy and to get all their offseason additions working together, but one offseason addition – coach Jason Kidd – hasn’t been impressive so far, a veteran scout tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. “He doesn’t do anything,” said the scout. “John Welch does all the offense. Lawrence [Frank] does all the defense…. I don’t know what Kidd does. I don’t think you can grade him and say he’s bad. You can give him an incomplete.”
- In free agency, players typically like to secure longer-term deals, but that’s not beneficial when later seasons are non-guaranteed, writes Mark Deeks at The Score. As Deeks observes, a player like Omri Casspi could be stuck in no-man’s land next summer, since the Rockets will have until August to decide whether or not to guarantee the second year of his contract.
- Deeks also reports (via Twitter) that free agent forward Hakim Warrick is in China, working out for the Sichuan Blue Whales. If the audition goes well, Warrick is expected to replace former Rutgers big man Herve Lamizana, according to Deeks.
- Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along an Italian report suggesting that Justin Holiday, Jrue Holiday‘s brother, has turned down an offer from Italy’s VL Pesaro. Holiday was in camp with the Jazz after spending last season with the Sixers, and still appears to be searching for an NBA deal.
Eastern Links: Cavs, Nets, Bobcats, Wallace
A 3-7 record is not what the Cavaliers had in mind for a season in which they’re facing owner Dan Gilbert’s mandate to make the playoffs, and the frustration is boiling up to the surface. Cavs players had a heated exchange during a players-only meeting Wednesday, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, and Dion Waiters was one of those involved, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweets. It remains to be seen whether the discord will result in a roster move, but Cleveland will probably be a team to watch when the trade deadline approaches. Here’s more on a few teams the Cavs are trying to overcome in the East:
- The Nets have recalled Tornike Shengelia from the D-League, the team announced. Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Paul Pierce are all out for tonight’s game with the Clippers, so Brooklyn is likely making the move to shore up its depth.
- The Bobcats are hiring Matt Carroll for an apparent non-playing gig, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. The Pennsylvania native had an informal coaching role with the Sixers in training camp, and now he’ll join the team with which he spent most of his 10 seasons as a player.
- Bonnell also checks in with one of Carroll’s former Bobcats teammates in Gerald Wallace, who’s no longer the player he once was, even though his contract with the Celtics pays him as though he were. Wallace played a key mentorship role for Gerald Henderson, who re-signed with the ‘Cats this summer on a three-year, $18MM deal.
California Rumors: Kobe, Pierce, KG, Warriors
It might be awhile before Lamar Odom is back on the court, though it sounds like he’s moving toward a reunion with the Clippers. A much bigger L.A. star is also making progress toward playing again, as we detail here:
- Kobe Bryant returned to practice today with the Lakers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, though there’s still no timetable for when he’ll make it into a game for the first time since tearing his left Achilles tendon in April.
- Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett remain in regular contact with Clippers coach Doc Rivers, but at one point this summer the ex-Celtics figured they’d both be following their coach to L.A., as Pierce and Garnett tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Garnett and Pierce also expressed doubt that they would have been pleased to play in Boston without Rivers around.
- Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have made strides in turning the franchise into a team that didn’t have to make a sales pitch to convince Andre Iguodala to come aboard this summer, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle examines. Lacob and Guber may face their stiffest test yet as they seek to build an arena in San Francisco.
- We covered more Lakers rumors earlier this morning in our roundup from the Pacific Division.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Shumpert, Kidd, Smith
The Nets can’t take anything for granted given the way they’ve been playing so far this year, so they must be happy to have gotten a 100-98 overtime win over the Suns last night. Joe Johnson had a rough evening overall, shooting just 6-of-19 from the floor, but he hit the big shots when they counted. The two-guard’s floater towards the end of regulation sent the game into OT and his teardrop at the final buzzer gave the Nets the W. Here’s more out of the Atlantic..
- The heated exchange between Iman Shumpert and Knicks coach Mike Woodson during Thursday night’s loss to Houston adds another layer of intrigue to the trade rumors swirling around the guard, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. After the loss to Houston, Shumpert said there’s “nothing I can do about it’’ regarding trade talk and said he’s trying to “limit the distractions.’’
- On ESPN’s TrueHoop TV, David Thorpe blasted Nets head coach Jason Kidd, calling him the worst coach in the NBA. “He gets an F. He gets a 0. My wife could coach a team to a 29th ranking for that team. She doesn’t know much about basketball,” Thorpe said.
- Guard J.R. Smith, who will become even more crucial for the Knicks if Shumpert is moved for a forward, was hit with a $25K fine for his threat towards Brandon Jennings via Twitter, writes Berman. As Berman notes, this is far from Smith’s first incident to catch the attention of the league office. The guard inked a new three-year, ~$18MM deal with New York this past summer.