New York Rumors: Brewer, Shumpert, Blatche
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork provides updates on a pair of Knicks recovering from left knee surgery who attended a Wall Street fundraiser today in remembrance of the September 11th attacks. Ronnie Brewer says he'll be back by opening night from surgery to correct a medial meniscus tear, while Iman Shumpert, who tore his ACL in the playoffs, won't be back until December at the earliest. The Knicks, finalized four signings today, appear to have plenty of options in the meantime, and we've got more on them and their crosstown rivals here:
- The four players the Knicks signed, along with Chris Smith, are all likely to wind up with the team's D-League affiliate, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com says (Twitter link). The team is still combing the free agent market for someone to fill their 15th roster spot in the regular season, and it's likely to be a big man, according to Zwerling. A report last week said the Knicks were considering Sean Williams, though Zwerling says there's nothing new on that front.
- Andray Blatche and Josh Childress are on non-guaranteed deals, but they're both expected to make the Nets, reports Howard Beck of The New York Times. That would bring Brooklyn's roster to the 15-player limit, but they'll likely sign more players for training camp, Beck adds, since teams can carry up to 20 in the preseason.
- Former Nets small forward Damion James and the Hawks agreed to terms today, but was gracious in his exit from Brooklyn, thanking the Nets and their fans via Twitter (hat tip to Ben Couch).
Atlantic Notes: D-Will, Knicks, Garnett, Sullinger
Deron Williams has mentioned since his free agent decision in early July that he came very close to signing with the Mavericks rather than the Nets. And according to D-Will, if it weren't for the Nets' move to Brooklyn, he almost certainly wouldn't be back with the team this season.
"It was a huge factor," Williams told Tony Manfred of Business Insider. "I don't think I would have even thought about staying if [the Nets were] staying in New Jersey."
Williams' stance may not come as a surprise, but as Manfred notes, it's another reminder of the impact a larger market can have on the free agent decisions of NBA stars. Here are a few more Tuesday morning items from around the Atlantic Division:
- Williams is "definitely open" to playing for Team USA at the 2014 World Cup of Basketball, according to an Associated Press report (via NBA.com).
- The Knicks figure to hire an assistant coach to replace the departing Kenny Atkinson, and Lasalle Thompson is a leading candidate, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com shares his top five picks for Knicks-related storylines that just won't go away.
- In a recent interview in China, Kevin Garnett discussed his last few years with the Celtics, including the end of the Big Three era. Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com passes along video of the conversation.
- Forsberg and Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com take a shot at predicting how Jared Sullinger's rookie season for the Celtics will play out.
Odds & Ends: Fegan, Childress, Anthony, Gee
Prominent NBA agent Dan Fegan has confirmed that he's no longer with Lagardère Unlimited, according to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal (via Twitter). Fegan, who had been serving as the president of basketball at the agency, represents a number of NBA players, including big names like Dwight Howard and Nene. It will be interesting to see how many of those clients he takes with him.
Here are a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Josh Childress will meet with Nets GM Billy King and coach Avery Johnson and work out for the team on Tuesday, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. We heard last week that Childress and Dominic McGuire would work out for the Nets, but McGuire has since reached an agreement with the Raptors.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks the Heat could be angling to find a way to move Joel Anthony's contract. Anthony has three years remaining on his deal (including a third-year player option) for about $3.8MM annually.
- Sean Williams remains on the Timberwolves' radar, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500. Wolfson had reported late last month that the T-Wolves were eyeing the big man.
- Alonzo Gee's new deal with the Cavaliers, which was finally completed earlier today, was held up because Gee switched agents during the negotiations, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Sulia link). The Cavs wing is now represented by Happy Walters.
- After the Kings, Cavaliers, Wizards, Bobcats, and Hornets drafted in the top five in June, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld examines whether any of last year's NBA bottom-dwellers are ready to contend for the postseason in 2012/13.
International Rumors: Okur, Mirotic, Owens, Uzoh
At various points during the offseason, Mehmet Okur has been linked to the Timberwolves and other clubs, but the reports usually point to the same roadblock: Okur is seeking more than the minimum salary. It's possible some NBA team makes Okur an offer worth more than the minimum, but it appears he may have a better chance at that kind of money overseas. TrendBasket.net passes along a Turkish report suggesting that Galatasaray Medical Park of Turkey is interested in Okur, and could potentially offer him $2-3MM per year. Here are a few more of the morning's international notes and rumors:
- Nikola Mirotic tells Enric Corbella of Marca.com (English link via HoopsWorld) that the Bulls know his situation with Real Madrid and respect his contract. Mirotic, the 23rd overall pick in 2011, has a number of years left on his contract in Spain, but will have the opportunity to opt out and join the Bulls before it ends.
- Two players that received 10-day contracts in 2011/12 may be on the verge of leaving their French teams. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along French reports suggesting that Gravelines may part ways with Larry Owens, and that Ben Uzoh's time with Cholet may be nearly over.
- Unicaja Malaga coach Jasmin Repesa said that his team would love to add Bojan Bogdanovic, who is under contract for two more years with Fenerbahce (link via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Bogdanovic was drafted with the 31st overall pick in 2011's draft, with his NBA rights now held by the Nets.
Eastern Notes: Nets, Heat, Dyson, Pistons
There have been plenty of newsworthy items out of the Eastern Conference today, with the Knicks unveiling new uniforms, the Nets possibly having signed Andray Blatche, and the league's most popular 12th man landing a TV gig with the Celtics. Here are a few more Eastern-related links we've yet to cover:
- The Nets plan to hold a free agent workout with forwards Josh Childress and Dominic McGuire early next week, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo (via Twitter).
- SI.com's Zach Lowe believes that, on a minimum-salary contract, Blatche would be worth the gamble for either the Nets or Heat.
- While we've heard that Mehmet Okur will probably require more than a minimum-salary commitment, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel still thinks he could be a possibility for the Heat.
- Jerome Dyson is the latest player to audition at the Heat's pre-camp tryouts, reports Winderman (Sulia link).
- The Pistons' depth at small forward could mean that a trade is in the team's future, writes David Mayo of MLive.com.
- Former George Washington point guard Tony Taylor Jr. will work out with the Knicks for a second time next week, according to Keith Schlosser of KnicksJournal.com.
- Amare Stoudemire appeared on FOX Sports Radio to discuss a number of topics, including former Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, Jeremy Lin, and the infamous fire extinguisher incident. Sports Radio Interviews rounds up a few of Stoudemire's noteworthy quotes.
- NBA.com's Sekou Smith takes a look at the Bobcats' future after the team set a record for futility in 2011/12.
Odds & Ends: Warriors, Jazz, Rockets, Iverson
We've seen a sharp rise in the size of overseas contracts in recent years, and it seems that the Chinese Basketball Association has had about enough. Several CBA clubs are calling for an NBA-style salary cap to be instituted post-haste as the season gets underway in two months, writes Alastair Himmer of Reuters. The league has had a salary cap in years past, but with no luxury tax system in place, there was no real way to enforce it. Last year, Kenyon Martin signed a $2.7MM deal with the Xinjian Flying Tigers before leaving midway through the season. Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- Warriors coach Mark Jackson has promoted Darren Erman to the No. 3 assistant coach after the departure of Wes Unseld Jr., sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Unseld Jr. recently left Golden State to join Jacque Vaughn's staff in Orlando.
- The Jazz are still working to complete a buyout agreement with Raja Bell and sign second-round pick Kevin Murphy, but Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter) would be surprised if both situations aren't resolved before camp starts.
- The Jazz announced that Michael Sanders has been promoted to an assistant coach on Tyrone Corbin’s staff. Utah also agreed in principle with D-League coach and former Jazz scout Brad Jones to take over Sanders’ previous position as assistant coach in charge of player development.
- The Rockets have elevated Gersson Rosas to executive vice president of basketball operations, according to Mark Berman of FOX Houston. Rosas, who previously served as the club's vice president player personnel, was a finalist to become the next assistant GM of the Spurs.
- Former MVP Allen Iverson is reportedly thinking about playing if China if he cannot land an NBA deal, but Neil Hartman of CSNPhilly.com would like to see him call it a career. Iverson last appeared in an NBA game in February 2010 and turned down offers in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic last season.
- Robert Pera, the prospective new owner of the Grizzlies, is recruiting singer/actor Justin Timberlake to be a minority owner of his club, sources have told Marc Stein of ESPN.com. One source added that Timberlake is making "a meaningful investment into the team" and "plans to be active" with the club. A recent piece by Will Leitch of New York Magazine revealed that rapper Jay-Z owns just a fraction of one percent of the Nets.
- Kevin Willis celebrated his 50th birthday today and the former NBA center told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) that he could still play 15-20 minutes a night and would return if a team was serious. Willis would easily eclipse Kurt Thomas and Grant Hill (both turn 40 in October) as the NBA's oldest player. With that said, it's extremely difficult to imagine a comeback for Willis at this stage.
- In an interview with HoopsWorld, free agent Sean Williams said that he isn't sure where his next NBA opportunity might come from and hasn't spoken with his agent recently. Late last week it was reported that the Knicks are considering the former first-round pick.
- Former University of Florida standout Taurean Green has signed with Italian team Sigma Barcellona, according to a report from Amnotizie.it passed along by Sportando. Green averaged 9.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 3.9 APG for Turkish team Tofas Bursa last season.
Nets In Lead To Sign Andray Blatche
7:01pm: The Nets are confident about completing a deal for Blatche this week, Stein adds in a tweet.
6:44pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein hears that the Nets are the team "in pole position" to sign Blatche (Twitter link).
4:39pm: Andray Blatche has been on the free agent market since being amnestied by the Wizards in mid-July, having been linked to the Spurs and Heat, among other teams. Most recently, the Nets were said to have interest in Blatche, working him out in Houston this weekend. Speaking to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld, the 26-year-old big man said he felt good about how the workout went.
"It went well," Blatche said. "It was me and one of the coaches, and we worked out. I thought I did great. But I'm still going to continue to work out with John [Lucas] until I'm on a team, so I can continue to get my body in better shape, and continue fine-tuning my game."
Blatche, who is working out with Lucas in Houston, added that "hopefully within the next couple of days I can be on an NBA roster." While it may not happen quite that quickly, it appears the former Wizard is aiming to join a team in time for training camp. As for the Wizards' decision to amnesty him, Blatche told Ingram that the experience was humbling, but that it didn't catch him off guard.
"It was a mutual feeling," Blatche said. "I wasn't so much surprised as a lot of other people were because it was something that was talked about, and it was something that I'd pretty much seen coming after how the season went."
Blatche, whose production fell off a cliff last year, in large part due to conditioning issues, still has a 15.5 career PER in seven NBA seasons. He also shouldn't require a significant financial commitment, since he'll still earn north of $23MM from Washington over the next three years.
Avery Johnson On Mavs, Deron Williams, Brooklyn
Nets coach Avery Johnson was direct in his assessment of the Mavs' retooling following their championship a little more than a year ago, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. The former Mavs coach and player said simply, "It had to happen." The Mavs' retooling would have taken on quite a different look had Deron Williams signed with Dallas instead of returning to the Nets, but Johnson is glad to have kept his star point guard, as his more expansive comments about the Nets indicate. Johnson was in Fort Worth, Texas, today to deliver a motivational speech to area high schoolers, and when not at the podium, he spoke about the Williams re-signing and the other flashy moves the Nets have made in advance of their Brooklyn debut.
On his feelings before Williams spurned the Mavs and re-upped with the Nets:
“We were never over-confident. (GM) Billy King and I, we felt we were going to be able to re-sign Deron. We felt it was 80 or 90 percent. But it was that 10 percent that you worry about. That was the whole key. I’m glad that’s all behind us.’’
About the importance of the Williams signing:
“Deron was a big key to the whole puzzle. To be able to acquire some other talent through free agency or trades or re-signing some of our own guys, it’s pretty exciting for us. We’re not there yet. We’re not a championship team. We got a lot of work to do. But at the same time, we have a much better talent pool than we’ve had the last two years."
On the move from New Jersey to Brooklyn:
“We’ve been planning this for two years. We’ve always had our eyes on Brooklyn. We pretty much played the last two years all road games because we didn’t have any type of home court advantage because we were in a temporary building. Now to be at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn with sellouts every night, and our roster has been significantly upgraded, it’s exciting.’’
About the new roster and his plans for it:
“We’re much more versatile than we’ve ever been. Right now, we look good on paper. Now we got to take it from looking good on paper and apply the work to go (forward).’’
Teams Using Taxpayer MLE For 2012/13
When it comes to team payroll, NBA clubs can essentially be broken down into three groups: Teams using cap space, over-the-cap (but under-the-tax) teams, and taxpaying teams. Yesterday, we looked at the franchises that fall into the former two categories, including 12 teams using cap space and 13 teams with access to the full $5MM mid-level exception.
That leaves just five teams in the Association that no longer have access to cap space or the full mid-level for 2012/13. It's not out of the realm of possibility that one or more of these teams could dip back below the tax threshold over the course of the season. But since their payrolls have exceeded $74,307,000 already, they're ineligible to use more than the $3.09MM taxpayer mid-level exception from now until next July.
Here's a look at the five teams that fall into this category, and where their payroll situations currently stand:
- Brooklyn Nets: Their offseason spending spree resulted in an overall 2012/13 payroll of about $81.8MM, which included using the $3.09MM mini mid-level on Mirza Teletovic. In their first year in Brooklyn, the Nets are unlikely to try to cut costs, so I'd expect that $81.8MM figure to increase, if anything.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Despite sitting at almost exactly $100MM in player salaries this season, the Lakers actually still have about half of their MLE to use, after spending $1.5MM+ on Jodie Meeks. We'll have to see if the Lakers are done spending or if they're ready to head well into triple-digits and increase their tax hit even more.
- Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies are the likeliest of these teams to try to sneak below the tax threshold later in the year. Their $74.9MM payroll isn't far above the apron, and most of their players are on reasonable salaries, making a deadline deal a possibility. The team's approach will probably depend on how the ownership situation is looking by the new year.
- Miami Heat: Like the Nets, they're slightly over the $80MM mark, and don't figure to be cutting salary as long as they have a shot at the title. They used their entire $3.09MM mini MLE to sign Ray Allen.
- New York Knicks: For all the hand-wringing this summer about the Knicks' future tax payments if they'd retained Jeremy Lin, their 2012/13 payroll isn't catastrophic — the team is below the $80MM mark, and that includes some non- or partially-guaranteed deals, which could reduce payroll a little more by season's end. The Knicks used their $3.09MM taxpayer mid-level on Jason Kidd.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Teletovic, Holiday, Rondo
The Nets will be playing their home games at the Barclays Center for the first time this season, but it doesn't seem as if many Nets will be sticking around Brooklyn for too long after the buzzer sounds. Howard Beck of the New York Times writes that the team will continue to practice in New Jersey and will live outside of Brooklyn for the coming season. Due to the location of the team's practice facility, a handful of players will live in New Jersey, while a few more, including Deron Williams, will live in Manhattan. Here are the rest of the Tuesday morning items out of the Atlantic Division:
- Nets offseason signee Mirza Teletovic has yet to find a new home stateside, but he's been turning heads at the 2013 EuroBasket Qualifier, as Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside notes. In six games for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Teletovic has averaged more than 25 PPG.
- Max Rappaport of Sixers.com passes along a TrueHoop piece by Beckley Mason and Tom Haberstroh, which theorizes that Jrue Holiday could be a major beneficiary of Andrew Bynum's arrival in Philadelphia. Holiday is eligible for an extension this offseason, and when I looked at his case, I argued that it would probably take a breakout year in 2012/13 to earn him the maximum salary he's reportedly seeking.
- Chris Forsberg and Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com preview Rajon Rondo's season by predicting whether the Celtics point guard will go over or under certain statistical benchmarks.