Mavericks Notes: Carlisle, Starters, Mbenga, D-Will
The Mavericks are one of a handful of teams that get to open training camp early today, since they're headed overseas for part of the preseason. It brings to a close an offseason that was all about Plan B after they were spurned by Deron Williams. GM Donnie Nelson instead went about acquiring players on short-term deals that will allow the team to go after marquee free agents again in the future. The team took a step back last year after winning the championship in 2011, but not everyone believes that will be the case again this season.
- The additions of O.J. Mayo, Darren Collison, Chris Kaman and Elton Brand might not be splashy, but coach Rick Carlisle thinks they're still enough to allow Dallas to compete for another championship, as Jan Hubbard of SheridanHoops.com writes. Carlisle notes that the Mavs were an underdog when they won the title in 2011, and draws parallels to wild card teams going on playoff runs in other sports. Whether there's any truth to that, or it's just a coach's motivational ploy, remains to be seen.
- Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that "by all accounts," newcomers Collison, Mayo and Kaman will join Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion in the starting lineup. Price also says Elton Brand, Dahntay Jones and D.J. Mbenga could also find a way into the rotation. In Mbenga's case, that's a bit surprising, considering he has a non-guaranteed deal and the team would have to let go of a guaranteed contract to keep him for the regular season.
- Marion isn't bitter that Williams isn't coming to Dallas, and believes his Nets will challenge the Heat atop the Eastern Conference this year, as Price notes. "It is what it is and I wish him the best," Marion said of his would-be teammate. "They’ve got a hell of a team this year in Brooklyn."
Atlantic Rumors: Celtics, Knicks, Allen, Nets
The Celtics have won the Atlantic Division five straight years, but the Nets and Sixers made changes this offseason that they hope will put them over the top. The Knicks have been active as well, and that's the club that wears the bullseye in the mind of Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, as Peter May writes in the New York Times. "My favorite games in this league are going down to Madison Square Garden and beating those guys," Grousbeck said. "We don’t always do it, but that’s my favorite experience of all — going to New York and beating the Knicks." Coach Doc Rivers acknowledged the division will be tough, but says he's primarily focused on beating the Heat, the team that kept the C's from the Finals last season. There's more from Boston and the rest of the Atlantic Division today, and we'll round it up here:
- Ray Allen spoke about his departure from the Celtics, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes. "You always felt you had one foot in, one foot out," he said, referring to trade rumors he'd been a part of during his time in Boston. Still, he said the decision to leave the Celtics was more difficult than the choice he made to sign with the Heat.
- Allen responded to comments Kevin Garnett made to reporters at Celtics media day, including Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com. Garnett said that he no longer has his former teammate's phone number. "That's a shame," Allen told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com and other reporters following the Heat, saying he still considers Garnett a friend. "I'm a good person to talk to on the phone."
- Nets GM Billy King believes his team's backcourt of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson is the best in the league, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USAToday.com, who sizes up the Nets as they begin training camp.
- Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld, writing for USAToday.com, briefly examines the potential impact of Rasheed Wallace, who's expected to sign with the Knicks.
Odds & Ends: Timberwolves, Nets, Daniels
- In a Q&A with Mike Wells of IndyStar.com, Danny Granger said that he will try to take things slow through training camp after experiencing irritation in his knee this summer. He also mentioned that he would play if the Pacers were currently in the regular season, adding that the team is just being cautionary right now.
- Paul Flannery of WEEI.com provides a comprehensive breakdown of the Celtics' moves this offseason, complete with some input from coach Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge.
- Tyson Chandler told Tim Bontemps that his workouts with Hakeem Olajuwon have been going very well, says Marc Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link).
- After recently signing an extension in Boston, Keyon Dooling talked about his abrupt decision to retire from the NBA (Jessica Camerato of CSNNE reports).
- The Kamenetzky Brothers of 710 ESPN in Los Angeles took to their radio show to discuss Steve Blake's injury and the possible opportunities for Chris Duhon and Darius Morris, Kobe Bryant's ESPN ranking at number six, and Jason Terry's recent comments about the Heat and Lakers.
Agent, Scout, GM Discuss Jeff Green Contract
Over at SI.com, Sam Amick dedicated his Thursday column to addressing what he believes has been the most-discussed contract of the offseason — Jeff Green's four-year, $36MM deal with the Celtics. While I'd argue that Jeremy Lin's offer sheet with the Rockets inspired more conversation that Green's deal, it's hard not to agree that Green's contract is one of the summer's most perplexing.
Amick spoke to agent David Falk, an Eastern Conference scout, and an unnamed rival general manager about Green's deal, gaining insight into how a player who missed 2011/12 with a heart condition earned one of the offseason's biggest guarantees. The piece also includes a few details on Green's contract. Here are some of the highlights:
- According to the rival GM, Green's contract includes a handful of likely and unlikely incentives that could bring the deal to about $40MM over four years. Says the GM: "If they win a championship, it's $1.5MM. If they get to the Finals, it's $750K. If they get to the conference finals, it's a half million. They'll have success, and his deal will probably wind up being worth $10MM a year."
- Unlike Brandon Roy's deal with the T-Wolves, which provides Minnesota some insurance of Roy's knee issues resurface, Green's contract doesn't include any injury insurance for the Celtics related to the 26-year-old's heart.
- According to Falk, the Celtics' doctors "assured the team that the risk of Jeff's suffering a recurrence of his injury is probably significantly lower than the risk of a player who never had it before suffering the same kind of problem…. He's 100% cured."
- The GM on the health questions: "I don't think he's that badly overpaid at 100% health. I think it's a good contract. But throwing in the heart condition and not having an exclusion on a pre-existing condition to protect you? No matter what the doctors tell you, it's scary."
- While I'm a little skeptical about this, Falk says that if Green had simply asked him to go out and get as much money as possible, he could have ended up with an annual salary of $11-12MM, exceeding what he's earning from Boston.
- The scout pointed out that the Celtics were in a tough spot because passing on Green wouldn't have helped them — the team still wouldn't have had any cap space, and wouldn't have freed up any cap exceptions by letting Green walk.
- According to the GM, that's exactly why he dislikes trading for players in situations like Green's or Gerald Wallace's. The GM points out that Nets GM Billy King had to re-sign Wallace, having given up a high lottery pick for him, giving Wallace and his agent all the leverage. Green and the Celtics were in a similar situation.
Atlantic Rumors: King, Wright, Rondo, Terry, Rivers
We rounded up several notes from the Atlantic Division earlier today, but the news just keeps coming, so we'll dive in for more:
- Nets GM Billy King is optimistic about his roster, and he's relieved that the team can begin training camp without speculation about a major move, as with rumors linking Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard to the team the past two seasons, Newsday's Roderick Boone writes.
- We heard Dorell Wright heap praise on new teammate Andrew Bynum earlier today, and Wright also spoke about his own game to Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. After a down year in his final season with Golden State made finding a new starting small forward a priority for the Warriors, Wright wants to showcase more than his three-point shooting ability for the Sixers.
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge says this year's playoffs proved Rajon Rondo is the team's best player, and Paul Flannery of WEEI.com examines whether that's indeed the case.
- Free agent signee Jason Terry, who said his "mission is to kill" the Heat and the Lakers, is fine with seeing time as the backup point guard for the Celtics, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. It appears he may have to fill that role, since Ainge doesn't expect the team will sign another ballhandler to replace Keyon Dooling.
- Forsberg also passed along Terry's comments indicating that coach Doc Rivers was an important factor in his decision to sign with the Celtics. "He's a guy that I wanted to play for," Terry said. "I played for him, it was probably 2000, 2001, in the Goodwill Games and we won a gold medal. Our relationship is pretty easy. And he was the first one to call me. When Doc calls, you answer. And I'm just happy to be here."
Eastern Notes: Nets, Bynum, Celtics, Brooks
While very few teams still have cap space available as the 2012/13 season approaches, there are a number of clubs in good position to clear a ton of money from their books next summer. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld takes an early look at which teams have the least guaranteed money on their cap next summer and beyond, and notes that many of the teams in the best position are in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons, Bobcats, Hawks, Cavaliers, and Wizards all only have between $17MM and $22MM in guaranteed money on their caps for 2013/14, though many of those numbers will increase when rookie-contract options are exercised.
Here are a few more notes from around the Eastern Conference on a Tuesday afternoon:
- Nets GM Billy King said today that he talked to free agent point guards Steve Nash and Goran Dragic before he knew for sure whether Deron Williams would be back, tweets Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger.
- The general consensus around the NBA would suggest Dwight Howard is the league's best center, with Andrew Bynum placing second, but Dorell Wright would give the nod to his new Sixers teammate. "[Bynum]’s going to need two defenders to stop him," Wright told John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I would say he’s the best big man in the NBA right now, hands down."
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge spoke briefly to ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg about a number of topics. According to Ainge, the team doesn't expect to bring in another ball-handler to replace Keyon Dooling, preferring to let its young guys compete for that roster spot.
- Within a piece about Brook Lopez's and MarShon Brooks' futures in Brooklyn, Howard Beck of the New York Times mentions that the Hawks "pushed hard" to acquire Brooks in the deal that sent Joe Johnson to the Nets.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star examines whether the Pacers really upgraded their bench over the offseason.
- In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, David Thorpe explains how the Celtics quietly had one of the NBA's best offseasons.
Odds & Ends: Aguilar, Hettsheimeir, Lakers
- Mavericks veteran Dirk Nowitzki is excited about the team's offseason additions and says that anything is possible if the chemistry is right, according to Eddie Sefko of SportsDay DFW.
- Kendrick Perkins doesn't think that he nor any of his Thunder teammates need to personally intervene in order to influence James Harden's contract negotiations, believing that his decision will be affected just by returning to training camp and seeing his "family" again (John Rohde of NewsOK reports).
- HoopsWorld provides their season preview of the Lakers, who enter the 2012-13 season with a collection of superstar talent and championship aspirations. According to Eric Pincus, the Lakers' powerfully talented lineup along with improved depth gives them the opportunity to compete at the highest level. On the flip side, Pincus writes that age is definitely not on their side and wonders if Mike Brown has the personality to lead this team to a championship.
- Brian Geltzeiler of SheridanHoops.com offers his thoughts on hot topics that he's been asked about on Twitter and the radio, namely about his projections for the Bulls this season, the idea that Ray Allen's addition to the Heat makes them unbeatable, and if the new CBA is having its desired effect.
New York Notes: Shumpert, Brooks
We're about 40 more days away from Brooklyn hosting their home opener against the Knicks, which should be one of the more exciting games to start the regular season. The NBA has not seen both of these teams make the post-season simultaneously since the 2003-04 playoffs, in which the regional rivals met in the first round. We've got some links to relay, including two that include young guards who could find themselves matched up against each other in a competitive cross-town rivalry for several years to come. Here's what we've heard out of New York tonight:
- Nate Taylor of the New York Times' Off the Dribble blog writes that Knicks guard Iman Shumpert has been walking without a brace or a limp, which gives some indication that his rehabilitation this summer has been progressing well.
- Ben Couch of BrooklynNets.com presents a comprehensive piece about MarShon Brooks that chronicles his journey to the NBA, the ebbs and flows of his rookie season, his experience during this year's Orlando Summer Pro League, and his preparation for a sophomore campaign with the Nets.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York talks about the dynamic duo that the Knicks have with Tyson Chandler and Marcus Camby. In a second piece, Zwerling explores the key qualities of having Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd as part of their point guard rotation.
- Nets GM Billy King, who team owner Mikhail Prokhorov believes will win GM of the year, talks about his thought process while constructing this current roster and the challenges that it entailed (Roderick Boone of Newsday reports).
Atlantic Links: Nets, DiLeo, Knicks
Mikhail Prokhorov had plenty to say about the Nets at today's ribbon-cutting ceremony for Barclays Center, the team's new arena in Brooklyn. We passed along his praise of GM Billy King and coach Avery Johnson earlier, and he also made it clear that he won't let the luxury tax stop him from the pursuit of a championship, as Stefan Bondy tweeted. The Nets are already well above the tax line for this season, but in coming years, when the tax penalties grow more severe under the terms of the CBA, we'll see just how far Prokhorov is willing to reach into his deep pockets to enhance his team. The Atlantic Division is full of big spenders, and we've got more on the Nets' rivals here:
- Tony DiLeo's experience and contributions to the deals that have shaped the Sixers, including the trade that brought Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia, make his promotion to GM a shrewd move for the team, argues Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com.
- HoopsWorld's Derek Page examines whether the moves the Knicks made this offseason are enough for them to show significant improvement this year.
- Former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy also weighed in on the Knicks, expressing doubts about the team's backcourt and the ability of its frontcourt pieces to mesh to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. He also lauded the Heat's acquisitions of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, and picks Miami to repeat.
Eastern Notes: Magic, Sixers, Nets, Celtics
The biggest NBA news of the day so far has come out of Philadelphia, where the 76ers are announced Tony DiLeo's promotion to general manger. SI.com's Sam Amick has a few additional details on the move, including some other names that the Sixers pursued. According to Amick, the Sixers were turned down when they asked permission to speak to Jazz executive Kevin O'Connor and Thunder exec Troy Weaver. Here are a few more Friday notes out of the Eastern Conference:
- Harkless' and Smith's injuries will not be healed in time for the regular season, keeping them out of the Magic lineup until mid-November, Schmitz writes, updating his earlier tweet (below).
Earlier updates:
- Amick adds that the 76ers may still hire a more analytically-inclined executive to work alongside DiLeo in the Philadelphia front office.
- Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov had praise for GM Billy King and coach Avery Johnson, whose contracts are set to expire at season's end. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News passes along Prokhorov's quotes in a pair of tweets.
- Al Harrington, Maurice Harkless, and Ish Smith, all recovering from offseason surgery, are expected to miss training camp, tweets Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. All three players were added by the Magic this summer.
- J.J. Redick understands that the Magic are in a transition year, but says he loves playing in Orlando and that he and GM Rob Hennigan are "on the same page" when it comes to his future (Twitterlinks via John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com).
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com looks into which Celtics on non-guaranteed contracts are the best bets to earn a roster spot, concluding that Dionte Christmas is a clear-cut favourite.
- Raja Bell tells Andy Slater of 640 AM Sports in Miami that the Heat would be his first choice in free agency if he can work out a buyout with the Jazz (Sulia link via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel).
- In his latest mailbag for the Sun Sentinel, Winderman debates whether the Heat or Celtics had the better offseason and examines where Miami's roster stands.