Eastern Notes: Nets, Wizards, Sixers, Gibson
Given the makeup of their roster, the Nets likely won't have a ton of flexibility when it comes to making trades later in the 2013/14 season, as Steve Kyler writes in his latest piece for HoopsWorld. However, Kyler notes that smaller deals to reduce the team's tax bill are possibilities. For instance, if Tornike Shengelia and/or Mirza Teletovic end up not playing a role in Brooklyn's rotation, attempting to move them in salary-dump trades could save the Nets exponentially more money than just those players' salaries.
Here's more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Within the same piece, Kyler examines the Wizards' trade options, pointing out that Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza could become more desirable assets closer to the deadline, when the Wiz have already paid most of their salaries. There's plenty of optimism about the season in Washington though, so any sort of fire sale is unlikely, unless the club gets off to a very poor start.
- The Sixers have yet to sign a veteran free agent this summer, but the team may be exploring the idea of adding Daniel Gibson, a source tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter).
- Three Eastern teams – the Sixers, Bobcats, and Magic – rank among Shlomo Sprung's picks for the top five contenders in the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes (link via Sheridan Hoops).
Jason Kidd Buying Jay Z’s Share Of Nets
10:13am: Jay Z is only selling half of his stake to Kidd, and will sell the other half to a current minority owner, according to Nets Daily, adding that Shawn Carter actually owned one-sixth of one percent of the team. Those numbers would make a little more sense, since the rapper reportedly invested $1MM in the team initially.
9:28am: When Jay Z officially became a certified NBA agent this summer, it became necessary for the rapper and entrepreneur to divest himself of his small stake in the Nets. And according to a New York Post report, the team's new minority owner will be another familiar face: head coach Jason Kidd. Sources inform the Post that Kidd will take over Jay Z's stake in the Nets (just 1/15th of one percent) for about $500K.
"Other owners want to give Jason a part ownership of the team, and urged Jay to sell his shares to him," a source told the Post.
Considering how quickly the Nets moved to bring Kidd back to the franchise following his retirement as a player, it doesn't come as a huge surprise that the club is interested in involving him in the ownership side of things as well. It's certainly a signal that Brooklyn is comfortable investing in the first-time head coach though.
As for Jay Z, he'll focus on his agency, Roc Nation Sports, which reportedly landed Kevin Durant as its first big-name NBA client earlier in the offseason.
Poll: Nets Vs. Knicks
I'm not sure if you heard, but the Nets made a few changes this summer. After playing to a 49-33 record in the regular season, securing the No. 4 seed in the East, and getting bounced in seven games by the Derrick Rose-less Bulls, interim coach P.J. Carlesimo was canned the next day and Brooklyn refused to stop there. Months later, the Nets pulled a deal straight from the Dodgers' playbook, acquiring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, and a whole lot of luxury tax.
Many see the souped-up Nets as the best team in the Atlantic and possibly one of the league's elite teams in 2013/14, but don't try telling that to Knicks swingman J.R. Smith, who says that the Nets "weren't good" when he returned to the league in February 2012 and took great pains to point out that they're still "not good." What will propel the Knicks ahead of their cross-borough rivals? Take it away J.R..
“I feel comfortable. People ruled us out last year early, too. We added some great pieces. Unfortunately, we got rid of some good pieces. But we added Andrea [Bargnani], Beno [Udrih], Metta [World Peace]. We have to consistently play like we did the first 20 games last year the whole season. We can’t have a middle-of-season lapse. We have to consistently play the same way,” Smith told ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, despite their acquisitions, it looks like they'll be without Smith for at least the first week or two of the season. When they are at full strength, they'll be jockeying for position in the Atlantic against a starting five of Deron Williams, Pierce, Garnett, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez. The Nets also boast an improved second unit, spearheaded by small forward Andrei Kirilenko. The Knicks should still be a playoff team by any measure, but it looks like they'll have their work cut out for them. We know what J.R. thinks, but now we want you to weigh in. Who wins the battle of New York in 2013/14?
Who Will Finish With A Better Record?
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Nets 54% (591)
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Knicks 46% (505)
Total votes: 1,096
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Nets, Smith, Wyatt, Celtics
J.R. Smith has never been one to shy away from a microphone and this week he gave Knicks beat writers some solid late-August material. Somewhere in between firing shots across the East River at Paul Pierce and the Nets, Smith was asked about Carmelo Anthony's opt out in the summer of 2014. "I don't see him leaving, but I said the same thing in Denver so it's up to him," said Smith. Here's more out of the Atlantic..
- Smith told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, that he signed with the Knicks rather than the Nets when he returned from China in February 2012 because “the Nets weren’t good. Now they’re still not good.’’ Meanwhile, Berman's colleague Fred Kerber tweets that the Nets never had any interest in the New Jersey native.
- Smith says that he's unsure of whether or not he'll be ready for the Knicks season opener against the Bucks, but Berman (Sulia link) gets the impression that he won't be. Berman expects him to miss a week or two of action.
- Don't be surprised if former Temple standout Khalif Wyatt receives a training camp invitation and spends some time with the Sixers during the regular season, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The guard could fill a void on a team in desperate need of a long-range shooter, Pompey writes. Wyatt averaged a team-best 13.8 PPG for Philadelphia in summer league.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com breaks down the Celtics' training camp invites.
Eastern Links: Heat, Henry Bibby, Pistons, Nets
As we look forward to the Labor Day weekend, let's round up a few end-of-week items out of the Eastern Conference….
- Caron Butler and Lamar Odom are no longer options for the Heat, but neither player was ever a real possibility, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Winderman adds that "there will be other Butler and Odom types that could shake free" over the course of the year for the Heat.
- Former Grizzlies assistant Henry Bibby will join Maurice Cheeks' coaching staff with the Pistons, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Making small adjustments to teams that already have a core in place is Joe Dumars' strength, so the Pistons GM should be well-positioned to handle the next stage of the team's development, writes Dan Feldman of PistonPowered (link via Detroit Free Press).
- Former Queens prep star Kyle Hunt will work out for the Nets in September, reports Joshua Newman of SNY.tv.
- Over at HoopsWorld, Lang Greene's list of potential training-camp logjams includes positional battles for the Celtics, Cavs, Bucks, and Knicks, among other teams.
Odds & Ends: Roster Spots, Hunt, Mavericks
ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter) points out that the Lakers, Bulls, and 76ers are the three teams that still need to sign players in order to reach the league minimum of 13 players by opening night, although it's worth noting that L.A. is still yet to sign second round pick Ryan Kelly and Philadelphia is in the same boat with Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams. Also, as we pointed out a few days ago, Dexter Pittman accepted a training camp invite with Chicago and could fill that 13th roster spot if they end up offering him a guaranteed contract.
Here are more of tonight's news and notes from around the league:
- Jeff Haubner of ESPN.com offers a two part preview of the upcoming FIBA Americas tournament.
- Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel notes that the Bucks/Suns deal keeps Milwaukee about $1.9MM under the salary cap and saves Phoenix around $5.6MM in cap space. Gardner also has more comments from Caron Butler regarding his happiness with the trade.
- Former 76ers star Charles Barkley isn't happy with the way his former team handled their assistant coaching situation, saying that those who were released upon the Brett Brown hiring had worked for the team the entire summer and therefore didn't have the opportunity to look for another job (Michael Kaskey-Blomain of The Philadelphia Inquirer).
- Keith Schlosser of RidiculousUpside.com takes a look at Kyle Hunt, who while eligible for the D-League draft in the fall is also looking to earn an NBA training camp invite.
- Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW suggests Mavericks fans should be happy with 45 wins and a 7th seed in the Western Conference next season.
- Ben Couch of BrooklynNets.com provides a brief breakdown of the Nets' depth at the center position, profiling Brook Lopez, Andray Blatche, and Mason Plumlee.
- Former Knick and now a member of the Canadian men's national basketball team, Andy Rautins tells Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun about how prepared he and his teammates feel heading into the FIBA Americas tournament.
- NBA.com posted an article from Atlanta-based freelance writer Jon Cooper about Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer. Though he stressed the importance of forming good relationships with each player up to the 15th man, Budenholzer specifically mentioned Al Horford and Jeff Teague as two players that he's very much looking forward to working with.
- Suns.com passes along an article from the archives which delves into the mind of the late former Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons.
Vogel On East, Offseason, Granger, Hibbert
Pacers head coach Frank Vogel was a guest on ESPN Radio in Indianapolis today and Scott Agness of Pacers.com transcribed much of the interview for us. Vogel hits on a number of topics, but specifically discussed the offseason developments at the top of the Eastern Conference, including those within his own team. Here are a few key points from Vogel:
- Vogel mentioned the Bulls and Nets as the two teams that have taken big steps forward this offseason; Chicago with the return of Derrick Rose and Brooklyn with their bevy of additions. Vogel lauded the bench additions of Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko in Brooklyn, and said he expects good things from Jason Kidd as an NBA coach.
- The Pacers' addition of Luis Scola will really help the team's bench, Vogel said, adding that Scola is one of smartest and most creative players in the league. Vogel said that Solomon Hill, drafted 23rd by Indiana in June, is "ready to contribute right away" and also mentioned C.J. Watson and Chris Copeland as useful additions to his squad.
- Of course, the piece most likely to elevate the Pacers to the next level is the return of Danny Granger, who missed all but five games last season with knee issues. On Granger, Vogel said, "It’s really exciting. Danny is on schedule, looks really good, he’s making progress each week and we’re hoping that we're going to be having a full-strength Danny Granger this year to add to this team that made a lot of noise last year."
- Roy Hibbert has concentrated on bulking up this summer, according to Vogel. Hibbert, who established himself as an elite physical presence in last season's playoffs, is adding bulk mainly in hopes of improving on the offensive end, Vogel said.
New York Notes: Dolan, Prokhorov, Free Agents
The Knicks didn't exactly break the bank in free agency this summer, as J.R. Smith's new $17.947MM contract represents more than half of the team's approximately $32MM in free agent spending. Still, that total is enough to qualify as the most money that any Atlantic Division club dished out, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors examined today. The crosstown Nets spent only about $12.6MM on free agents, but they absorbed plenty of salary in the blockbuster Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce trade. Here's more on the Big Apple's teams:
- The Knicks and Nets are poised to co-host All-Star Weekend in 2015 and possibly once more a few years later. Yet tension between Knicks owner James Dolan and Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov was such that David Stern arranged a meeting early last season to clear the air, reports Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
- A source told Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that the Knicks may sign someone without NBA experience to be the team's 15th man, but Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal thinks they'll choose a player with a track record instead.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com rounds up a couple of Knicks items, noting that Beno Udrih and Andrea Bargnani are skipping national team play this summer, and pointing to the oft-overlooked positive impact Tracy McGrady had on the franchise.
Odds & Ends: Pierce, Odom, Collins, Cavs
The Sixers took their time in appointing a head coach this summer so it's no surprise to see them making late additions to the staff. Today, Philadelphia plucked Grizzlies assistant Lloyd Pierce to work alongside head coach Brett Brown, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (on Twitter). Here's more from around the Association..
- A close contact of Lamar Odom told Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork (on Twitter) that even though Odom "is going through a lot in his personal life" he wants to join the Lakers.
- Nets coach Jason Kidd acknowledged that Jason Collins was a candidate to join the team this offseason, but there's no longer a place for the center with 15 men on the roster, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “I think he can still play,” Kidd said. “His knowledge as a veteran. There’s always a veteran that can help a young team. I think he’ll find a job at some point here.”
- Contrary to a report back in May, the Cavs don't plan to bring Hungarian center Greg Somogyi in to training camp, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer. The 7'3" big man was with the Lakers, and coach Mike Brown, in training camp last season. The Cavs are still putting together their training camp roster, but they have invited St. Mary's point guard Matthew Dellavedova and are considering former Georgetown forward Henry Sims.
Atlantic Rumors: Wilcox, Blalock, D.J. White, Nets
Dwane Casey might not be on the most solid of footing with the Raptors, but he's the longest tenured coach in the Atlantic Division, where three of the five clubs will debut first-time NBA bench bosses this season. The expectations on Brad Stevens of the Celtics and Brett Brown of the Sixers could probably accomodate a winning percentage similar to the .385 mark Casey has posted in two seasons with Toronto, but Jason Kidd of the Nets will have to do much better than that right away. Here's the latest out of the Atlantic:
- Free agent center Chris Wilcox would like to return to the Celtics, but that's a longshot with Stevens and his staff in place, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, who passes along the news amid an array of topics in his weekly column. The C's attempted to trade Wilcox at the deadline last season before the veteran center vetoed the move, so it appears the team wasn't too high on him even when former coach Doc Rivers was around.
- Will Blalock has just 14 NBA games on his resume, all of them during the 2006/07 season. Still, he maintains hope of making it back to the Association, and he's been working out at the Celtics facility this summer, Washburn notes.
- D.J. White spent time with the Celtics last season after a stint in China, and he's weighing options that include offers to play in China again, the former Indiana Hoosier told The Associated Press.
- Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov will dish out $180MM+ in salary and luxury tax for his team, but Brooklyn is still without someone who can hit clutch end-of-game shots, as HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram opines in his NBA AM piece.