Atlantic Notes: Evans, Celtics, Kidd, Nets
Nets big man Reggie Evans today became the first, and assuredly not the last, player to draw a fine under the league's new anti-flopping measures, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported and the league confirmed with a link to the video of Evans' violation (hat tip to Howard Beck of The New York Times). If the league's video review catches Evans flopping four more times this season, he'll be suspended for a game, but it's not as if the Nets are in any danger of losing his services soon. We'll round up the rest of the night's items from the Atlantic Division here.
- We heard on separate occasions before the Celtics waived Darko Milicic that they weren't looking to immediately fill his roster spot should he leave, and now that the big man's gone, Celtics coach Doc Rivers reiterated that there have been no discussions about a replacement, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Rivers hasn't spoken to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge on the matter. "Danny’s out looking at college players, so that tells you how much of an urgency (filling the roster spot is) for us right now," Rivers said. "We’re not thinking about it at all; we haven’t talked about it at all."
- Jason Kidd picked the Knicks over the Mavs because he thought New York had a better chance to win, and the veteran's presence betters the Knicks chances, writes Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
- Kidd was looking forward to mentoring Jeremy Lin, but is just as pleased about the chance to do so with Raymond Felton, as Iannazzone documents.
- Nets Daily shares Mikhail Prokorov's comments about his Nets on Russian radio station Echo Moskvy.
Dwight Howard Notes: Silver, D-Will, Nets, Magic
The Dwight Howard saga was the dominant storyline of the year 2012, and while he seems content to be a Laker even as free agency looms this summer, a lot of people are taking a look back on more turbulent times as the Nets prepare to play the Lakers tomorrow night. It seemed for much of the year that Howard would end up in Brooklyn, but Deron Williams was convinced otherwise long before most others, as we detail below.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has more on deputy commissioner Adam Silver's comments about the way Howard left the Magic. Silver reiterated that the incentive to keep stars with their original teams is one of the league's aims in CBA negotiations.
Earlier updates:
- While others are looking back, Williams is focused squarely on the present, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. "Dwight was never (an option for the Nets)," Williams said. "I don't think (the Magic) were ever going to trade him to us, so it doesn't matter. When he opted in (to his contract for another season in mid-March), it kind of took that option away."
- Howard seems content to put the Nets, as well as Williams, in his past as well, as Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com documents, and it seems the friendship between the two former Team USA teammates has soured. "That’s my decision," Howard said, presumably referring to his decision to opt in. "My life. If he’s upset because I made a decision for me, then so be it. If he doesn’t want to be friends because I’m on another team, then so be it. There’s no need to smooth things over."
- Deputy commissioner Adam Silver, who will take over for commissioner David Stern in 2014, won't look back fondly on this year's "Dwightmare" for the Magic, reports John Denton of Magic.com (Twitter links). "It's an unfortunate circumstance and I don’t want to sugarcoat it," Silver said, referring to Howard's departure from the Magic. "This is not the way we like to see it happen."
Pacific Notes: D’Antoni, Dwight, Rambis, Barnes
Three Pacific Division teams are in action tonight, including the Lakers, who are expected to have Mike D'Antoni on the sideline for the first time. He'll square off against Jeremy Lin and the Rockets, and Howard Beck of The New York Times revisits the brief pairing of the two in New York, one that was beneficial for both, Beck says. We've got more today on D'Antoni, the Lakers, and other news from the Pacific.
- Dwight Howard, who told Howard Beck of The New York Times earlier this week he waived his early termination option last year with the Magic because he "wanted really to make everybody happy," wouldn't have pouted if the Magic had dealt him to the Rockets, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. "I would've gone there and played. I didn't have a problem with it. At the same time, there were two places that I'd rather go to and I'm here at one of them," said Howard, referring to the Lakers and presumably the Nets. "I'm happy. If I would've gone to Houston, I would've played as hard as I could with the Rockets."
- D'Antoni considered hiring former Phil Jackson aide Kurt Rambis as an assistant coach to address the complaints of Jackson's fans, but Rambis' criticism of D'Antoni on ESPN put the kibosh on that, reports Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link).
- Warriors coach Mark Jackson admits he plays "mind games" to help motivate rookie Harrison Barnes, who has begun to pay dividends, observes Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.
Atlantic Rumors: Bynum, Joe Johnson, Magloire
The latest news on Andrew Bynum provides plenty of reason for worry, writes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and while Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com thinks Bynum could still wrangle a max deal this summer even if he only plays well over the final two months of the season, Moore isn't sure that scenario would leave enough time for the Sixers to mesh as a team this year. Here's more from the Atlantic Division.
- Joe Johnson is feeling less pressure with the Nets because he isn't the No. 1 option on offense that he was with the Hawks, notes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
- The Raptors, who cut Jamaal Magloire in training camp, have hired the Toronto native as a basketball development consultant and community ambassador, the team announced via press release.
- The jury's out how Mike D'Antoni will fit in with the Lakers, but Mike Woodson has already proven successful where D'Antoni wasn't with the Knicks, according to Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
- The Knicks were on the right path during their 6-0 start, but they'll have to do more to become a true contender, opines Stephen A. Smith of ESPN.com.
- Thriving in a Knicks uniform, J.R. Smith has changed his on- and off-court personas from his Nuggets days, observes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
- Benjamin Hoffman of The New York Times says the early returns suggest the Knicks made wise investments in Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni, all of whom combine to make less than Jeremy Lin is earning with the Rockets.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is impressed with the ability of the Knicks to improve by getting older this offseason, not typically a successful path for an NBA team.
- Rasheed Wallace, on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal, has become a part of the Knicks rotation as Marcus Camby stays glued to the bench despite a three-year, $13.1MM contract, as Marc Berman of the New York Post documents.
Nets Notes: Howard, Stackhouse, Celtics
While the Knicks have got much of the Atlantic Division press for being the NBA's last undefeated team, their cross-town rivals are off to an impressive start of their own. The Nets will look to extend their early-season winning streak to five games tomorrow in Sacramento, but in the meantime, let's round up a few items out of Brooklyn….
- It's no secret that Brooklyn was Dwight Howard's preferred destination last year, and that the Nets attempted multiple times to acquire him from the Magic. But Howard tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post that he was nearly positive he'd be headed to Brooklyn at some point, and continued to think so "until I got traded to the Lakers." According to Kerber, there were at least two occasions where the Nets thought they had a deal for Howard done.
- When Jerry Stackhouse signed with the Nets this summer, he expected to assume a sort of player-coach role on the bench, but he's seeing more playing time than expected in Brooklyn, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. Within Bondy's piece, Stackhouse says he might take it as a sign it's time for retirement when he can no longer dunk.
- Although the Nets defeated the Celtics on Thursday night, Brooklyn views the C's culture as something worth emulating, writes Beckley Mason of the New York Times.
- Earlier today, I looked back at a busy Nets offseason that saw the team take on more than $300MM in salary commitments
Offseason In Review: Brooklyn Nets
Throughout the month of November, Hoops Rumors will look back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Deron Williams: Five years, $98.77MM. Signed via Bird rights. Fifth year has early termination option.
- Brook Lopez: Four years, $60.83MM. Signed via Bird rights.
- Gerald Wallace: Four years, $40MM. Signed via Bird rights.
- Kris Humphries: Two years, $24MM. Signed via Bird rights.
- Mirza Teletovic: Three years, $9.69MM. Signed via taxpayer mid-level exception.
- C.J. Watson: Two years, $2.1MM. Signed via minimum salary exception. Second year is player option.
- Jerry Stackhouse: One year, $1.35MM. Signed via minimum salary exception.
- Keith Bogans: One year, $1.23MM. Signed via minimum salary exception.
- Andray Blatche: One year, $1.15MM. Signed via minimum salary exception.
- Josh Childress: One year, $1.07MM. Signed via minimum salary exception.
Trades and Claims
- Acquired 2012 No. 41 overall pick from the Trail Blazers in exchange for cash.
- Acquired 2012 No. 54 overall pick from the 76ers in exchange for cash.
- Acquired Joe Johnson from the Hawks in exchange for Jordan Williams, Johan Petro, Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, DeShawn Stevenson, and the Rockets' protected 2013 first-round pick.
- Acquired Reggie Evans from the Clippers in exchange for the right to swap second-round picks in 2016. Evans was signed-and-traded for three years, $5.09MM.
Draft Picks
- Tyshawn Taylor (Round 2, 41st overall). Signed via minimum salary exception.
- Tornike Shengelia (Round 2, 54th overall). Signed via minimum salary exception.
- Ilkan Karaman (Round 2, 57th overall). Will play overseas.
Camp Invitees
- Stephen Dennis
- James Mays
- Carleton Scott
Departing Players
- Jordan Farmar
- Sundiata Gaines
- Gerald Green
- Damion James
- Armon Johnson
- Anthony Morrow
- Johan Petro
- DeShawn Stevenson
- Jordan Williams
- Shelden Williams
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- MarShon Brooks, $1.21MM: Exercised
Ever since the NBA's new Collective Bargaining Agreement took effect, teams around the league have been preaching cap flexibility, asset-gathering, and the benefits of staying out of luxury-tax territory. The defending Western Conference champions traded a star player to ensured they remained flexibile, picked up a few assets, and avoided amassing a huge tax hit.
But there's something to be said for zigging when others zag. With other teams clearing salaries and ensuring they'll have big chunks of cap space in future offseasons, the Nets came into this summer with both guns blazing, committing a staggering amount of money to free agent contracts and ensuring that they won't have cap space to work with anytime soon.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons why such an approach made sense for the Nets. Owner Mikhail Prokhorov isn't shy about throwing his cash around if it means building a winning team. And with the franchise making its Brooklyn debut this fall, there was a need to make a splash — playing in a new arena in New York City would have only sustained fan interest for so long if the team continued to perform on the court like the Nets have in recent years.
The first step to the team's mammoth offseason was ensuring that Deron Williams chose Brooklyn over Dallas. GM Billy King and the Nets front office undoubtedly had a Plan B in place if D-Will bolted for the Mavericks, but it certainly would have paled in comparison to Plan A. While I always believed the Nets were the favorites for Williams based on how much more guaranteed money they could offer, the team's acquisition of Joe Johnson from the Hawks sealed the deal.
The Nets' trade for Johnson is a perfect example of the team's ability to capitalize on the rest of the league's aversion to cap inflexibility. With the Hawks looking to clear future salary from their books, Johnson's contract was an ideal fit for the Nets. The money and years left on the deal make it something of an albatross, but Johnson is still a very good player, one of the league's best shooting guards. His bad contract meant it wouldn't cost the Nets much in trade assets to acquire him, and the club's willingness to blow past the luxury tax line meant Johnson's exorbitant salary wouldn't hinder the Nets as much as it did the Hawks.
Acquiring Johnson and re-signing Williams ensured that the Nets wouldn't have any cap space to work with in the offseason, which meant the best way to fill out the rest of the roster was by signing the team's own free agents. From this perspective, you could make a case that Brooklyn's in-season trade for Gerald Wallace was necessary, since the team wouldn't have had his Bird rights and wouldn't have been able to sign him without that trade. I still view the deal as something of a disaster for the Nets, who allowed the Trail Blazers to draft a potential superstar in Damian Lillard with that sixth overall pick, but the Nets got what they wanted out of the move, using Wallace's Bird rights to ink him to a long-term contract.
Throw in big new contracts for Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries, along with a handful of smaller additions such as Mirza Teletovic, C.J. Watson, and Andray Blatche, and the Nets' total free agent commitments exceed $235MM. And that doesn't even take into account the $89MM they assumed when they acquired Johnson.
The Nets didn't quite achieve the perfect offseason, having failed to acquire Dwight Howard from the Magic. But when you stack it up against a worst-case scenario that would have included D-Will wearing a Mavericks jersey, the summer has to be considered a huge success. Sure, Brooklyn now has over $70MM committed to team salary every year from now until 2016, but when so many other teams are trying to create cap space to pursue the same few free agents, the Nets did well to spend whatever it took to lock up the talent available to them.
Atlantic Links: Calderon, Felton, Stackhouse
After the Raptors dealt for Kyle Lowry this past summer, the questions surrounding Jose Calderon's future with Toronto were inevitable. Back in July, we even heard rumor that he had requested a trade just one day after Lowry had been acquired (which Calderon would later deny). Now, the Spanish guard finds himself starting for a team riddled with injuries, averaging 30.1 MPG, 10.7 PPG, 7.4 APG, 1.1 steals per game, and shooting 50% from long-range through the team's first eight games. Despite what the future holds for Calderon, who surprisingly is just 19 games away from becoming the franchise's all-time leader in games played, Eric Koreen of the National Post glowingly reflects on his best qualities and contributions as a member of the Raptors. With that aside, you'll find tonight's notables from the Eastern Conference here:
- After looking at how Ray Allen's transition with the Heat has fared, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld highlights how Raymond Felton has surpassed expectations thus far in his second stint with the Knicks after a disappointing, short-lived tenure with the Trail Blazers.
- Nets guard Jerry Stackhouse told ESPN New York that he was disappointed but not surprised that Rasheed Wallace wound up with the Knicks instead of Brooklyn, noting that Wallace was a big Knicks fan while the two played together in college (Jared Zwerling reports)
Odds & Ends: Odom, Duncan, Johnson, Blazers
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday evening:
- Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes that the Clippers still aren't sure what contributions they can expect from Lamar Odom this season.
- Tim Duncan is playing like an MVP candidate this season, says Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News.
- David D'Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledges examines Nets guard Joe Johnson's slow start to the season.
- The Trail Blazers have the least productive bench in the league so far, but Chris Haynes of CSNNW.comthinks the team should give their young reserves more playing time so they can develop and improve.
- Marc Berman of the New York Post writes that the Knicks' J.R. Smith is an early candidate for Sixth Man of the Year.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com has a new mailbag covering various Celtics topics.
- Barry Tramel of the Oklahoman is impressed with new Thunder guard Kevin Martin.
Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, Celtics, Bynum, Sixers
The Lakers coaching search is dominating headlines, but the second most talked about story in the NBA right now might be the fast start of the Knicks, especially given New York's media clout. Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News goes over the many reasons the Knicks are enjoying success, and Marc Berman of the New York Post points to the team's defense, allowing a league-low 87.5 points per game. There's plenty more on the Knicks and their Atlantic Division this morning, as we round up here.
- The 4-0 Knicks are blessed with depth, but coach Mike Woodson won't tolerate anyone complaining about a lack of playing time, Berman observes. "I’m not going to deal with guys with bad egos," Woodson said. "If there’s a problem, they got to go. It’s been great so far and will continue to be great because the guys we have are true pros."
- Paul Flannery of SB Nation dissects the shortcomings of the 3-3 Celtics, concluding the defense of the team's undersized power forwards is the most significant problem.
- Sixers GM Tony DiLeo says Andrew Bynum's injury "could be a blessing in disguise" that prompts the rest of the team to up their games while the big man is out, as Flannery also writes.
- Jrue Holiday's extension was the first deal the Sixers made with the input of basketball analytics director Aaron Barzilai, notes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who discusses Barzilai's role with DiLeo.
- After initially joining the team on a 10-day contract last season, Alan Anderson has settled into the Raptors rotation after spending six years in Europe, Israel and the D-League waiting for another chance in the NBA, recounts Melissa Couto of the Toronto Sun. Playing alongside idol Vince Carter in Toronto would complete Anderson's dream scenario, Couto writes. Carter left the door open to an eventual return in an interview this week.
- Though Nets GM Billy King is touting Gerald Wallace's ability to match up with LeBron James, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News hears the primary reasons the team acquired him from the Blazers last season were to compensate for the failure to land Dwight Howard and persuade Deron Williams to stay.
Odds & Ends: Lazenby, O’Bryant, Hibbert
- There is no timetable for Clippers guard/forward Grant Hill's return to action (he has been out after suffering a bone bruise in his right knee on October 14th), although an MRI on Friday revealed that his condition hadn't worsened (Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports).
- Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune mentions that Timberwolves guard Alexey Shved is starting to become more comfortable playing in the NBA: "It's so different here from Europe, it takes time…I feel pretty good. Now I'm starting to know what I can do."
- Eric Patten of NBA.com makes note of DeAndre Jordan's development and it has been an important cog in the Clippers' offense.
- Greg Stiemsma credits Al Jefferson and Kevin Garnett as two players who have helped with his development as an NBA player, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
- Although Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy was removed from the lineup tonight because of knee soreness, coach Rick Adelman says that he won't be overly concerned for now and hopes that it's just a minor setback (Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago reports).
- Former Warriors lottery-pick Patrick O'Bryant is headed abroad, as Sportando.net reports that he has been officially signed by Tiburones de Vargas of the National Basketball League of Venezuela.