Atlantic Notes: Woodson, Bynum, Celtics
Knicks coach Mike Woodson has the team off to its first 4-0 start since the 1993-94 season, but their promising start hasn't been without some sacrifices from the players. J.R. Smith, who originally wanted to be a starter at the beginning of training camp, had to concede to accepting a sixth man role. Kurt Thomas, who started three of the team's pre-season games, recorded his first DNP-CD last night against the Mavericks. Al Iannazonne of Newsday explores how Woodson resiliency has meshed with his players' desire to win and thus given them early success.
Here's the rest of what we're hearing out of the Atlantic Division tonight:
- Near the end of this article, Mitch Lawrence of the NY Daily News mentions that the 76ersare becoming a little "panicky" about when Andrew Bynum will finally be able to make his debut for the team.
- In a separate article, Lawrence provides an update on the injured Amare Stoudemire, saying that the Knicks forward may not be ready until late December.
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe examines the struggles of the Celtics when Kevin Garnett is on the bench and the need for other players to shoulder the load.
- Kristie Ackert of the NY Daily News writes about Joe Johnson's "inconsistent" transition with the Nets and how he feels that the players still need some time to become acclimated with each other.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York describes some key factors behind the Knicks' efficiency, particularly with Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton as their starting back court.
- Eric Koreen of the National Post details the ripple effect that Kyle Lowry's ankle injury has had on the Raptors thus far.
Odds & Ends: Martin, Blatche, Nets, Lakers, Heat
Here's a look around the NBA as we wait if the Lakers will call upon Phil Jackson to man the sidelines once again..
- Free agent forward Kenyon Martin turned down an offer from Greece's Panthianakos in hopes of landing an NBA job, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (via Twitter). Even though Martin continues to talk with NBA teams about joining mid-season, nothing is imminent (Twitter link). Martin finds himself without a gig largely because of his demand for the mini-mid level exception over the summer.
- Andray Blatche picked up a reputation for wild behavior while with the Wizards, but he finds himself on the straight-and-narrow with the Nets, writes Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld. The athletic big man credited the move with getting him back on the right track and said that he needed a change of scenery in order to start realizing his potential.
- When it came to letting coach Mike Brown go, the Lakers looked into the past for some guidance, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel notes that the man who Udonis Haslem once fired as his agent is now the leader of the team the Heat forward will be facing Sunday. Haslem first chose Jason Levien, now the CEO of the Grizzlies, as his agent when he was coming out of the University of Florida but later fired him. The forward says that the two were never on bad terms and half-jokingly noted that he is glad to have never burnt the bridge with a potential future employer.
Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, Felton, Fields, Howard
The Knicks remained the league's only unbeaten with a win against the Mavs tonight, moving to 4-0 for the first time since 1993/94, when they fell one game short of an NBA title. Sixers coach Doug Collins, whose team was beaten soundly by the Knicks twice this week, is a believer, as Peter May writes for The New York Times. "If Miami is 1, then they’re 1A," Collins said of New York. The Knicks figure prominently among the items out of the Atlantic Division this evening.
- Knicks point guard Raymond Felton, speaking to 660 WFAN radio, insisted he didn't intentionally let his conditioning slip last year as a ploy to get away from the Blazers, notes Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge.
- Mark Cuban shared thoughts on the group of former Mavericks now with the Knicks, as Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News documents. "I like Jason (Kidd). I don’t dislike him or Steve Novak or TC (Tyson Chandler), they’re all great guys. There’s no reason to dislike them," Cuban said. "But I’ll yell at them, just like I yelled at (Brendan) Haywood and just like I yell at lots of guys I know. And I know they (know) my voice, so I know they’re going to hear it.”
- There's no clear solution for the struggles of Raptors offseason signee Landry Fields, concludes Eric Koreen of the National Post.
- The shadow of Dwight Howard still hangs over the Nets, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
Atlantic Notes: Felton, Kidd, Shurna, 76ers, Nets
After losing a pair of games to the Knicks early in the season, the Sixers will continue to square off against Atlantic Division rivals this weekend, playing the Celtics in Boston tonight before heading to Toronto to face the Raptors. As we await those games and others, let's round up a few of the latest items out of the Atlantic, where the Knicks are the league's only remaining undefeated team….
- Raymond Felton told WFAN in New York that he was "hurt" when he was initially traded out of New York in the Carmelo Anthony deal, and "felt like a newborn kid again" when he got the chance to rejoin the Knicks. Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews passes along the quotes.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News believes it's time for Mark Cuban to get over Jason Kidd's departure from the Mavericks to the Knicks.
- John Shurna, who was a Knicks camp invitee last month, is currently weighing his overseas and D-League options, according to Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside.
- With his star player out of action and a number of new additions still adjusting to the team's system, head coach Doug Collins is preaching patience when it comes to the Sixers, writes Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Like the 76ers, the Nets are another team caught between offseason hype and their regular-season results so far, says Howard Beck of the New York Times.
- Appeaing on WEEI in Boston, Rajon Rondo spoke about a number of topics, including wanting to establish chemistry with new Celtics Jason Terry and Courtney Lee in offseason workouts (link via Sports Radio Interviews).
Atlantic Buzz: Lopez, Camby, Amare, Green
No teams in the Atlantic division play on this quiet Thursday night, but the 2-2 76ers will visit the 2-2 Celtics tomorrow night in Boston. If the Knicks are anywhere as good as they've looked through two games, both of these teams will need every win they can get if they want to keep pace. After a grueling seven-game series last spring, Dei Lynam of CSN Philly says that the Sixers are excited to renew the historic rivalry in 2012. Here is what else is going on in the Atlantic:
- The Nets' Brook Lopez said he didn't let the possibility of going to Orlando for Dwight Howard distract him in the offseason, tweets Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports. Said Lopez, "It is what it is. I don't pay attention to sports media every day and watch TV and go on ESPN.com or anything like that. If my name was out there, I didn't really know it too much. I obviously knew of the situation. I didn't let it both me that much."
- Marcus Camby, one of several veterans additions to the Knicks, will make his season debut on Friday, writes Ian Begley of ESPN New York. Like many of the older Knicks, expect Mike Woodson to monitor Camby's minutes closely.
- According to Keith Schlosser of the Knicks Journal, Woodson hinted on a recent radio appearance that once $100MM man Amare Stoudemire is healthy, he will need to be eased back into the Knicks lineup, especially considering the team's early success. Schlosser opines that this could mean coming off the bench while he acclimates to Carmelo Anthony's new role as a post presence.
- Doc Rivers wants more out of Jeff Green, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston. Green is a bit more introverted than many of his teammates, but nevertheless Rivers says he needs to be better and the team needs to figure out a way to unlock his abilities.
New Faces: Lewis, Lin, Landry, Martin, Johnson
Between the Dwight Howard sweepstakes and the implementation of the new CBA, this offseason was one to rememeber. While we are barely a week into the new season, it is only natural for glowing reports to emerge of players who have shined with their new teams. They are premature for sure, but so many players changed teams that keeping tabs on them is always useful:
- Now coming off the bench for the Heat, Rashard Lewis is healthy for the first time in two years, writes Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports. Lewis was hampered by knee injuries the past few seasons, but has looked great so far in Miami, showing more lift in his jumpshot and even throwing down a few dunks last night against the Nets.
- Within the same piece, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld looks at Jeremy Lin and Carl Landry. While James Harden has deservedly gotten the Rockets headlines, Lin has quietly lived up to the hype during his brief time so far in Houston. Meanwhile, Landry, a former Rocket, is proving once again that he is one of the NBA's most underrated players, this time averaging 17 points as a member of the Warriors.
- The man traded for Harden, the Thunder's Kevin Martin, is shooting a ridiculous 62 percent from three point range and averaging over 19 PPG so far in Oklahoma City, writes Chris Sheridan. While Harden is clearly the best piece moved in the deal, it isn't hard to imagine Martin's skills and those draft picks making it look respectable for Sam Presti and the Thunder.
- Averging only 14 PPG, Joe Johnson is still getting acclimated to his new role on the Nets, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday. The mixture in Brooklyn will probably take longer than most to jell, considering that not only is nearly the whole team new, but most of the high profile players have never played on anything close to an elite team before.
- Kosta Koufos hasn't been a member of the Jazz since 2010, but Bill Oram's story about the former Utah draft pick's rise into the Nuggets starting lineup sure makes it feel like it was yesterday. After beating out JaVale McGee for the center spot, Koufos is averaging 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in Denver.
- Shipped to Orlando after being drafted by Philly, Maurice Harkless played more than 22 minutes in his Magic debut on Wednesday, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Harkless didn't participate in preseason while he was recovering from a sports hernia, and still isn't 100 percent, but it sounds like the rookie is on his way.
Odds & Ends: Nets, Knicks, Grizzlies, Waiters
Earlier we passed along Nets GM Billy King's admission that he made roster moves this summer with the idea of taking down the Heat, which surely makes the team's 30-point loss in Miami tonight that much tougher to take. Nets coach Avery Johnson downplayed the idea that his squad is on the Heat's level, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News observes (Sulia link). Bondy juxtaposes Johnson's comments by noting that shooting guard Joe Johnson said earlier that he thinks the Nets can dethrone the champs this season. While Brooklyn's team sorts out its troubles, it's a more upbeat story on the other side of the East River, as we detail among other news on a 13-game night around the Association.
- The moves Knicks GM Glen Grunwald and company made this summer are paying early dividends, even in spite — or perhaps because — of the absence of Amare Stoudemire, as the USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt examines.
- The Grizzlies new ownership group borrowed $125MM from the NBA and another $50MM from a bank to close their deal to buy the team, but that's nothing out of the ordinary, a league executive tells Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Cavs coach Byron Scott encouraged the organization to use the fourth pick this June on Syracuse sixth man Dion Waiters, who's paying early dividends, at least offensively, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News and Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal write.
- Waiters was the choice over Harrison Barnes, who went to the Warriors at No. 7 and hasn't performed as well so far, as Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer chronicles.
- The Lakers are off to a 1-4 start, but Jordan Hill has been a bright spot, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Yesterday, Vince Carter said he wouldn't mind a return to the Raptors someday, but Doug Smith of the Toronto Star doesn't see that happening anytime soon, arguing that Carter's current skill-set isn't a match for the team's needs.
- The Celtics have hired former player Keyon Dooling as a player development coordinator, reports Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The 32-year-old guard abruptly retired in September.
Southeast Notes: Magic, LeBron, Beal, Biyombo
All five Southeast Division teams are in action tonight, including the Magic, who are starting Josh McRoberts at small forward against the Timberwolves. It's a lineup move coach Jacque Vaughn admits isn't ideal, tweets John Denton of Magic.com. The team had been using undrafted rookie DeQuan Jones as the starter at that position since Hedo Turkoglu broke his hand in the season opener. Mickael Pietrus, a former Magic player and current free agent who reportedly expects to sign soon, might be a tempting candidate to fill in, but that's just my speculation. In the meantime, there's more about the Magic and their Southeast Division rivals right here.
- Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports explains how Jones went from being the seventh-leading scorer at the University of Miami last season to starting games for the Magic this year.
- After the Celtics packaged him as part of the Courtney Lee trade this summer, leading to his release by the Rockets, E'Twaun Moore is showing he's more than just an afterthought with his early season play for the Magic, notes Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com.
- Dwyane Wade earlier today revealed his reasons for not signing with the Nets in 2010, and Heat teammate LeBron James, also recruited by New Jersey that summer, said of the Nets that, "It was hard to see where they were at the time," writes Howard Beck of The New York Times. Wade and James were impressed by Brooklyn's offseason moves this year, Beck adds.
- Rob Mahoney of SI.com identifies several players who should be seeing more time on the court, including Wizards rookie Bradley Beal and Bobcats second-year man Bismack Biyombo.
Atlantic Rumors: Nets, Wade, Carter, Knicks
Let's round up the latest updates out of the Atlantic Division, where the 3-0 Knicks are the only team to win more than one game so far….
- Nets GM Billy King admits to Howard Beck of the New York Times that many of the roster moves he's completed over the last few months were made with the Heat in mind.
- In advance of tonight's Nets/Heat contest, Dwyane Wade was asked by the media about his free agent meeting with the Nets in 2010. According to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter links), Wade said his biggest takeaway from the experience was that Jay-Z was in attendance at the Nets' meeting with LeBron James, but not with Wade.
- Appearing on TSN 1050 in Toronto yesterday, Vince Carter reiterated something he's hinted at before, saying that he'd be more than open to a reunion with the Raptors down the road if the team was interested. "If (Toronto) gave me the opportunity, I don't even think I'd let them finish the question. Yes. I'm in," Carter said. "Could I see it? Absolutely. I'd leave that up to the franchise. It all started in Toronto, I'd be a fool to ever forget that."
- With the Knicks heading to Dallas to face the Mavericks later this week, Marc Berman of the New York Post points out that Mark Cuban isn't the most popular guy in the Knicks' locker room. Both Tyson Chandler and Jason Kidd left Dallas for New York under less than ideal circumstances, as Berman writes.
- Having given up several assets to acquire Andrew Bynum in the final year of his contract, the 76ers are taking a major gamble on the young center and his health, writes ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Kirilenko, Knicks, Sixers
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is in Brooklyn tonight as they take on the T'Wolves in the club's second home game of the season. Prokhorov is taking the opportunity to further familiarize himself with some members of the club, including longtime scorekeeper Herb Turetzky, tweets Roderick Boone of Newsday. Turetzky was a staple at the Meadowlands when the Nets were in New Jersey, but the move to the Barclays Center marks a homecoming for the Brooklyn, New York native. Here's more on the Nets and more out of the Atlantic..
- Nets point guard Deron Williams told reporters, including Boone (via Twitter) that the club didn't land Andrei Kirilenko because they "didn't have enough money." The Timberwolves signed the forward this summer for $20MM over the next two seasons.
- Knicks head coach Mike Woodson confessed that he put Rasheed Wallace in against the Heat on Sunday because the crowd was chanting for him, tweets Frank Isola of the Daily News. Wallace inked a non-guaranteed deal with the Knicks in October but it's not yet clear what kind of role the previously retired veteran will play.
- The 76ers used recent analytics hire Aaron Barzilai in the past to help gauge Louis Williams and Andre Iguodala in free agency, General Manager Tony DiLeo told Tom Moore of Calkins Newspapers (via Twitter).