Aldridge On Harden, Thunder, Seattle, Williams
In today's column, David Aldridge of NBA.com runs down the particulars of one of the more fascinating off-the-court battles the league has encountered in its history. The Silnas brothers, the former owners of the Spirit of St. Louis, rejected a $3MM flat buyout offer in 1976 from the four ABA teams that got to make the leap to the Association. Instead, they opted for a one-seventh share of the TV money earned by the Nets, Spurs, Pacers, and Nuggets. While the sliver of the pie wasn't worth much 26 years ago, it has now given the Silnas brothers a whopping $250MM+ with no end in sight. Now, the brothers are set for battle with the league as they also demand a cut of international TV money, League Pass, and other broadcast revenue streams. While a good chunk of NBA teams struggle to get in the black, the former Spirit of St. Louis owners have managed to rake in major money for more than a quarter-century. Here's more from Aldridge..
- The Thunder have carved out a tremendously strong and loyal fan base in Oklahoma City, but their financial limitations will make it difficult to keep James Harden long-term. As a small-market club, they do not have a local television on the same scale as a team like the Lakers, who are receiving roughly $200MM more per year under their contract. OKC is also the second-smallest city in the US with a professional team, meaning that they cannot milk their season ticket holders for more money or press corporate sponsors for larger suite and signage deals. However, Aldridge notes that the Thunder can look to the Spurs as inspiration – R.C. Buford & Co. have faced similar circumstances but managed to build a perennial contender by making sacrifices along the way.
- According to a source with knowledge of the negotiations between investor Chris Hansen and the city of Seattle, the NBA has informally indicated that if he is successful in buying a team and moving it to Seattle, the league could live with the team playing temporarily at Key Arena until a new facility is ready. Last week, a major stumbling block was removed in Hansen's effort to get Seattle to approve a new arena for an NBA team and final approval would appear to be a formality.
- Deron Williams says that he opted to re-sign with the Nets in part because things finally appear to be stable for the franchise from top to bottom. After ten years of limbo in New Jersey, the Nets finally ironed things out in Brooklyn and got the Barclays Center ready for the 2012/13 season. The Nets also appear to have stability on the court with a strong core group in place.
Nets Sign Three For Training Camp
The Nets have officially signed three players to deals that include invitations to training camp, the team announced today in a press release. Stephen Dennis, James Mays, and Carleton Scott have all signed with the Nets, likely on non-guaranteed contracts.
Dennis, a 6'6" guard out of Kutztown University, was part of the Nets' summer league squad in July. He has played in the D-League and in Germany in recent years. Mays, a Clemson product, has spent the last two seasons playing in Turkey. The 6'9" forward played for the Pacers' and Raptors' summer league teams in 2010. Scott, who graduated from Notre Dame in 2011, spent last season playing in Austria before playing for the Nets' summer league team this offseason.
The Nets now have 18 players on their roster, including five on non-guaranteed deals. Dennis, Mays, and Scott will face a significant uphill battle earning a roster spot though, as recent signees Josh Childress and Andray Blatche are expected to be Brooklyn's 14th and 15th players.
Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, Green, Lin, Brooks
An active offseason for Atlantic Division teams continued this week, with the Knicks bringing in a handful of training camp invites, the Nets finalizing deals with Josh Childress and Andray Blatche, the Celtics signing Rob Kurz, and the Raptors inking Dominic McGuire. The Sixers didn't make any signings, but we heard Tony DiLeo has become a candidate to replace Rod Thorn as GM. Our Transactions page will fill you in on any signings you may have missed, and we've got the latest rumors out of the Atlantic right here:
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com hears the Knicks are prioritizing a big man as they seek to make one more signing, a point he reiterated in a chat today, but Ian Begley, his ESPNNewYork.com colleague, says the team is still deciding between a big and a wing (Twitter link).
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com passed along comments from Celtics forward Jeff Green, who spoke about the perception that he's playing under pressure after signing a sizable, four-year, $36MM deal so soon after heart surgery. "You guys put the pressure on me," Green said to reporters. "There’s no pressure on myself. What I went through, it’s a blessing in disguise, it allowed me to sit back, see things from a different point of view. Now I have to go out there and play basketball."
- Carmelo Anthony says the Knicks are still trying to get over the loss of Jeremy Lin, as the Associated Press reports, via ESPN.com. "I know it was kind of hard for the Knicks to let him go," said Anthony, in Puerto Rico with his charitable foundation. "(The Rockets) played the free agents' market to a T."
- Zwerling checks in with Nets guard MarShon Brooks, who's traveling in Russia as part of the Basketball Without Borders tour. Brooks and owner Mikhail Prokhorov met for the first time as part of the trip, Zwerling reports.
Odds & Ends: Kirilenko, LeBron, Nets, Gordon
Here's this morning's look around the Association..
- Andrei Kirilenko spoke with Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune about why he ultimately chose to sign with the Timberwolves this summer. The forward said that he picked Minnesota in part because of his affinity for coach Rick Adelman, who he first started following when he was coaching the Kings.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel doesn't believe that LeBron James changing agents indicates that he's thinking about leaving Miami in 2014, but thinks that the Heat will have to hold their breath for at least few days during that summer. Earlier this week, James left CAA to join up with a newly-formed agency headed by childhood friend Rich Paul.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld identifies the coaches that need to win in 2012/13 in order to keep their jobs. The list is headlined by Nets coach Avery Johnson, who was never expected to win in New Jersey but will have to deliver in Brooklyn. Bucks coach Scott Skiles could also be looking for work if he can't guide Milwaukee to the postseason.
- Players from non-playoff teams got a bigger chunk of the free agency money pie this offseason than those hitting the market after taking part in the postseason, writes Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. The "losers" topped the "winners" $651MM vs. $608MM thanks in part to lucrative deals for Eric Gordon and Nicolas Batum.
Atlantic Notes: McGrady, Nets, Sixers, Celtics
The Knicks worked out Tracy McGrady yesterday to see if the 33-year-old could give the club some extra depth with Iman Shumpert and Ronnie Brewer recovering from injuries. A team source told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com that even though McGrady appeared to be in good health, it doesn't appear that a signing is imminent. T-Mac also worked out for the Spurs this week and hopes to land a guaranteed deal with a contender. Here's more out of the Atlantic Division..
- While the Nets are still expected to bring two or three more players to training camp, Josh Childress and Andray Blatche are solid bets to be on the roster when they open the season, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Childress fills a significant need for the Nets at backup small forward after Donte Greene, who was set to sign on a non-guaranteed deal, injured his ankle in a pickup game.
- Sixers head coach Doug Collins told Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News that he felt last year's team peaked, necessitating some significant changes this offseason. Collins also insisted that the club did not draft Moe Harkless as trade bait for the Magic but instead truly believed that he was the best player on the board at No. 15.
- Gary Dzen of the Boston Globe profiles center Jason Collins, who hooked on with the Celtics for the veteran's minimum this summer. The C's won't look for a ton of minutes out of the big man with Kevin Garnett, Brandon Bass, Chris Wilcox, and Jared Sullinger playing in front of him.
Odds & Ends: Tolliver, Rubio, Knicks
Anthony Tolliver has been working out with several Timberwolves players, namely Brandon Roy and Chase Budinger (Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) looks at it as a sign that Tolliver "badly" wants to remain in Minnesota next year. In another tweet, Zgoda caught Nikola Pekovic's thoughts regarding Ricky Rubio, saying that while the Spanish point guard looks good and hopes to be running again next week, he is still aiming for a return in December. We've had quite a bit of updates tonight, so be sure to check out the newest tidbits from around the league here..
- Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets that Trail Blazers guard Elliot Williams is scheduled to undergo surgery on Friday to repair a ruptured achilles tendon.
- Justin Verrier of ESPN talks about Chris Bosh's willingness to continue playing center after contributing to a successful title run at that position with the Heat.
- Free agent Maurice Evans remains confident in the leadership ability he can bring to a team, says Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Although a source suggested that the Wizards offered him a position in their front office, Evans says that he believes he still has value as a player.
- ESPN's Chris Broussard writes that Hakeem Olajuwon is slated to visit with the Knicks for several days next week to continue working out with Amare Stoudemire in addition to helping Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Marcus Camby. On another matter, Tracy McGrady's health looked "good" during his workout with the team (Ian Begley of ESPN New York tweets).
- According to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, Dwight Howard's rehab is going well, although he won't be ready for the start of training camp or the start of pre-season. Earlier, Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register reported (via Twitter) that the Lakers were expected to make an announcement today regarding an update of Howard's recovery from back surgery.
Nets Sign Josh Childress
THURSDAY, 12:05pm: The Nets have officially signed Childress, according to a team release.
TUESDAY, 4:04pm: The Nets have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Josh Childress, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times (via Twitter). Childress, who had been waived by the Suns back in July using the amnesty provision, will receive a non-guaranteed deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
We heard yesterday that Childress was scheduled to meet with Nets GM Billy King and coach Avery Johnson, in addition to working out for the team, so it appears both the meeting and workout went well. The Nets had been looking to add another player at small forward, and thought they had a deal with Donte Greene before Greene suffered an ankle fracture.
Since returning to the NBA with the Suns in 2010/11, Childress has been fairly unproductive in limited minutes, averaging 4.2 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 88 total contests. While his .540 FG% is very solid, Childress seems to have lost his long-range stroke. After shooting 36% from downtown in his first four seasons, he has hit just five of 40 three-point attempts over the last two years.
Still, Childress is only 29 years old and is a former sixth overall pick, so there's hope for a rebound. Between him and Andray Blatche, the Nets will have a pair of bounceback candidates in camp as they look to find this year's Gerald Green.
Matt Barnes Leaning Toward Joining Clippers
After two seasons with the Lakers, Matt Barnes may continue playing his home games in the Staples Center while wearing a different uniform. According to Sam Amick of SI.com, Barnes is close to signing with the Clippers, and could formalize a deal later this week.
Amick indicates that Chris Paul would play a role in luring Barnes back to Los Angeles, as the point guard "would love to make Barnes the latest addition" to a Clippers team that has involved Paul in its decision-making process. Barnes has also drawn interest from the Lakers, Nets, and Heat, according to Amick.
If Barnes were to sign with the Clippers, it would have to be for the minimum salary, since the club used its full mid-level exception to sign Jamal Crawford and its bi-annual exception to add Grant Hill. The Clippers currently have 14 contracts (13 guaranteed) on their books, so Barnes would almost certainly be assured of a roster spot for the regular season.
Nets Sign Andray Blatche
WEDNESDAY, 3:19pm: The Nets have officially announced the signing in a press release.
TUESDAY, 10:30pm: The Nets and Blatche have finalized the deal, Josh Newman of SNY.tv reports.
SUNDAY, 12:18pm: Fred Kerber of the New York Post reports that Blatche "has other business that needs to be addressed first" before he finalizes his deal with the Nets, according to Miller. While it appears there are other options for Blatche, he's still likely to sign with the Nets this week, Kerber says. Rumors have linked him to the Heat and the Spurs since the Wizards used the amnesty clause to waive him in July.
FRIDAY, 1:40pm: Agent Andy Miller confirmed to Michael Lee of the Washington Post that Blatche has agreed to sign with the Nets and will finalize the deal sometime next week.
THURSDAY, 5:55pm: For most of the offseason, Blatche has been working out in Houston, Texas under the guidance of former NBA player John Lucas in hopes of landing an NBA deal for the upcoming season. According to Lucas, via Twitter, the forward has signed a contract with the Nets.
8:02am: Two sources close to Blatche tell Michael Lee of the Washington Post that the former Wizard has yet to make a decision, and that he's still considering an offer from the Heat. It's clear that Blatche hasn't signed anything yet, but based on the number of reports suggesting that at least a verbal agreement with the Nets is in place, I'd be surprised if he didn't end up with Brooklyn within the next few days.
WEDNESDAY, 8:51pm: Blatche's deal will be non-guaranteed, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times (via Twitter).
7:52pm: The Nets have agreed to terms with Andray Blatche on a contract, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The deal is for one year and is worth the minimum salary, according to Spears, who adds that Blatche and the Nets are expected to finalize the agreement early next week (Twitter link).
Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com reported last week that if the Nets signed Blatche, it was unlikely to be a guaranteed deal. ESPN.com's Marc Stein echoed that sentiment today, indicating that the Nets, who have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, prefer to fill their last two roster spots with non-guaranteed deals. So we'll have to wait and see how much, if any, of Blatche's deal includes guaranteed money.
Blatche is coming off a tremendously disappointing season in Washington, but has the upside to make the deal a worthwhile investment for the Nets. In the two seasons prior to 2011/12, Blatche averaged a very solid 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds with a 17.2 PER in 30.5 minutes per game. However, those averages fell off to 8.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 10.6 PER, and 24.1 MPG in a '11/12 season plagued by conditioning issues.
Because the Wizards amnestied Blatche this summer, he'll continue to receive a salary well above the veteran's minimum from Washington for the next three years. For the Nets, assuming he earns a place on the regular-season roster, he'll come off the bench as a power forward and perhaps earn some minutes backing up Brook Lopez at center.
Leandro Barbosa Talking To Suns, Nets, Lakers
8:17pm: Howard Beck of the New York Times hears that the Nets are unlikely to sign Barbosa, given their depth at both guard spots (Twitter links).
6:19pm: Leandro Barbosa is one of the most prominent free agents still on the market, and the Brazilian guard recently told Fábio Balassiano of UOL Esporte that he's in talks with the Suns, Nets and Lakers (Portuguese link; translation via HoopsHype). Barbosa added that former Suns teammate Steve Nash has been sending text messages his way to try to recruit him to L.A.
The Lakers were close to signing him during the Olympics, but the team's deal with Jodie Meeks caused them to back off, Barbosa said. It's hard to put too much weight on comments he made in another language, but Barbosa appeared to indicate he's willing to take the minimum salary from the Lakers or another contending club. The Lakers still have $1.59MM of their taxpayer's mid-level exception remaining after using $1.5MM of it on Meeks, which is a little more than the $1.229MM that Barbosa, as a nine-year veteran, would receive at the minimum-salary level.
The Nets probably fit the profile of a contending club as well. They could offer the biannual exception of $1.957MM, but that would cause them to be hard-capped this season, something they've sought to avoid. The Suns still have more than $8MM in cap space, so they could simply overwhelm the other clubs with the amount of money in their offer if they chose to do so.
Barbosa said in the report that he would go back to Brazil if he can't find a deal in the NBA, but that seems unlikely. Hoops Rumors readers tabbed Barbosa as the best remaining free agent by a wide margin a few days ago.