Central Notes: Pistons, Monroe, Deng, Cavs
With just over one week left until the NBA's preseason schedule gets underway, let's catch up on a few odds and ends from around the Central Division….
- The Pistons and GM Joe Dumars must be prepared to either give Greg Monroe a max deal or trade him, according to Dan Feldman of PistonPowered (link via Detroit Free Press). If Monroe hits restricted free agency next summer, which appears likely, another team will almost certainly offer him a max deal, so the Pistons shouldn't let it get to that point if they don't intend to match, says Feldman.
- Luol Deng told reporters today, including Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com, that he doesn't expect to be distracted by his upcoming free agency this season. "Honestly I would rather not talk about [my contract situation]," Deng said. "Everything will take care of itself." (Twitter links).
- The Cavaliers made a couple front office changes, promoting Trent Redden to assistant GM and Koby Altman to director of player personnel, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
Eastern Links: Wizards, Pistons, Heat, Raps, Bulls
The Wizards have a number of option decisions due before the end of the month, and not all of them will be easy, as J. Michael of CSNWashington.com writes. Jan Vesely is coming off a disappointing year, and Chris Singleton has been sidelined by foot surgery, but president Ernie Grunfeld says the team already has a pretty good idea of where its players stand.
"We have a good feel for where [Singleton] is and what he brings to the table and it is an important year for these guys," Grunfeld said. "That's a decision we'll make at the appropriate time which will probably be at the end of [October]."
Here's more from around the East:
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News breaks down a few of the issues the Pistons need to address during training camp, including Brandon Jennings' fit, Greg Monroe's contract situation, and coaxing positive contributions out of Rodney Stuckey.
- The Heat had been hoping to bring in Rodrigue Beaubois "for an audition," but a wrist injury prevented it, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. It's not clear whether Miami would have invited Beaubois to camp or just had him in for a workout, but either way, the possibility doesn't seem to be on the table at the moment.
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses the importance of a title for the Heat's potential 2014 free agents, and examines the possibility of a Joel Anthony trade.
- New GM Masai Ujiri is taking a patient approach to retooling the Raptors' roster, and tells Eric Koreen of the National Post that he hopes to eventually wake a "sleeping giant" in Toronto.
- The Bulls may not be the favorites to come out of the East, but there's certainly no shortage of talent and depth on the roster as Chicago prepares to open camp, says Sam Smith of Bulls.com. Smith also fields readers' questions in a mailbag.
Bulls Sign Dahntay Jones
10:23am: The Bulls have officially announced the signing of Jones and their five other camp invitees: Patrick Christopher, Mike James, , Kalin Lucas, Dexter Pittman, and D.J. White. The team's camp roster is now finalized, according to a press release.
9:04am: 10-year veteran Dahntay Jones has found an NBA home for at least the next few weeks, according to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype.com, who hears from agent Mark Bartelstein that Jones will sign with the Bulls (Twitter link).
Jones, 32, has spent time with the Grizzlies, Kings, Nuggets, Pacers, Mavericks, and Hawks since being drafted 20th overall in 2003. He enjoyed his best run with the Pacers from 2009 to 2012, averaging 7.6 PPG and an 11.1 PER in three seasons with the team. In 2012/13, he played limited minutes in 78 total contests for Dallas and Atlanta, scoring 3.4 PPG and shooting just 36.9% from the floor, by far his worst mark since his rookie year.
The Bulls, who have traditionally been averse to paying tax penalties, are over the threshold this year, but may look to reduce their bill by carrying the minimum 13 players. In that case, there would likely only be one spot up for grabs for the team's camp invitees, since 11 players have guaranteed contracts, and rookie Erik Murphy has a $250K guarantee on his deal. That will make it an uphill battle for Jones to earn a regular-season roster spot, though his chances would increase if Chicago decided to carry 14 or 15 players.
Eastern Notes: Bulls, Wizards, Hawks
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune discusses the health of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, Luol Deng's uncertain long-term future with the franchise, how Mike Dunleavy Jr. will look to mesh with the roster, and how Jimmy Butler will handle a move to starting shooting guard as five things to look at for the Bulls going into fall. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago (via Twitter) says that Chicago's official training camp roster is expected to be released tomorrow but doesn't expect Malcolm Thomas or Chris Wright to be on the list.
- Michael Lee of CSN Washington wonders if John Wall is ready to lead the Wizards to the playoffs, who will step up in the absence of Emeka Okafor, if Bradley Beal is primed for a breakout season, what to expect from Otto Porter, and the health of Nene as the team's top storylines heading into training camp.
- Hawks GM Danny Ferry wouldn't set a timeline for the return of Louis Williams (who is still recovering from reconstructive knee surgery), though he did say that the eighth-year guard has been playing one-on-one games and has had no restrictions in doing so. Ferry also appeared encouraged about what Dennis Schröder can contribute to the team now as a promising prospect and said that Lucas Nogueira and Mike Muscala still need to continue their development overseas (USA Today via the Associated Press).
- As Tom Layman of the Boston Herald points out, Celtics coach Brad Stevens will look toward Avery Bradley to be the team's floor general while they wait for the return of Rajon Rondo. In another piece, a handful of college coaches had positive comments for Stevens regarding how they believe he'll be able to transition to the NBA game (NBA.com via the Associated Press).
- With Steve Mills in place as the Knicks' newest GM, Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld thinks that it will be important for Mills to start forming a strong relationship with Carmelo Anthony now, especially with the possibility that he could become a free agent this upcoming summer.
- Since arriving in New York City, Anthony has been able to build his brand and explore plenty of business opportunities, writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. From the sound of it, Zwerling doesn't think that Anthony will be leaving New York anytime soon, even with an opt-out clause at the end of the season.
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York examines the orange and blue's current situation at small forward.
- With the rest of the NBA's power elite growing tired of the Heat's dominance, Sam Amick of USA Today delves into why the 2013/14 season could be Miami's toughest campaign for a title yet. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that the Bulls are especially eager to put a halt to the Heat's reign as the NBA's top dog.
Bulls To Sign D.J. White
Free agent forward D.J. White will join the Bulls for training camp, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). While it sounds as if White will be on a non-guaranteed contract, Stein reports that he'll be given a chance to earn a regular-season roster spot.
White, 27, appeared in 12 games last season for the Celtics after returning from China, but was included in the blockbuster trade that sent him to Brooklyn along with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry. The Nets waived him shortly thereafter, and White was said last month to be mulling another stint in China. Although the former first-rounder didn't see the court much in Boston, he has been reasonably productive in parts of five NBA seasons, recording a career PER of 14.6.
For the Bulls, White will be the 17th player on the camp roster, but only 11 of those 17 guys have fully guaranteed deals. Erik Murphy, who has a $250K guarantee, figures to make the team, but that still leaves as many as three open spots for camp invitees like White, Dexter Pittman, Patrick Christopher, Mike James, and Kalin Lucas. Even if Chicago doesn't carry a full 15-man roster due to tax concerns, at least one – and perhaps two – of those non-guaranteed players should end up on the roster to reach the minimum requirement.
Central Notes: Granger, Thibodeau, Pistons
A few notes from around the Central Division.
- Lang Greene of HoopsWorld spoke to a leading surgeon and sports medicine expert about Danny Granger's health, and how it will affect his on-court contributions going forward.
- According to the Detroit Free Press' Keith Langlois, the Pistons likely won't invite any more than the 15 players they currently have under contract to training camp.
- Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau speaks to HoopsWorld.com's Yannis Koutroupis about the new challenges his team will face this season, including improved competition in the Central Division.
Central Notes: Posey, Cavs, Deng, Pistons
Let's round up a few odds and ends from around the Central Division:
- The Cavaliers' D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, has officially hired James Posey as an assistant coach on Steve Hetzel's staff, according to a press release from the Cavs. The longtime NBA swingman last played in 2010/11.
- With the Bulls deciding to put extension talks for Luol Deng on hold, agent Herb Rudoy tells David Aldridge of NBA.com that he fully intends to take his client to free agency. "He loves being there, and he loves playing for [coach Tom] Thibodeau," Rudoy said of Deng. "Loves playing for him. But he has to see what the market is."
- If the Pistons plan to make trades at this season's deadline, the team's potential excess of small forwards and guards could create some opportunities, writes Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press.
Central Notes: Pacers, Watson, Rose, Bulls
Here's a quick look at the Central Division..
- The HoopsWorld staff previewed the season ahead for the Pacers. In the estimation of Joel Brigham, Indiana's best offseason addition was guard C.J. Watson. Even though George Hill has done better at point guard than most expected, it will benefit them to have a more traditional one-guard, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
- Former MVP Derrick Rose is ready to lead the Bulls once again, the Associated Press writes. The guard will step on to the court after a lengthy absence, but he says he has no doubts about being able to get back to top form. "I put so much into my craft," he said. "I'm working hard. I think I'm one of the hardest workers in the NBA, if not the hardest worker. I think you should see it in my game when I step on the court."
- Earlier today, Chuck Myron checked in on former Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson in the latest installment of Free Agent Stock Watch.
Nets, Knicks, Bulls Have Most $10MM+ Salaries
The salary cap and luxury tax are in place to help curb the advantages that large-market teams would have in an open market. They haven't stopped the Nets and Knicks from having more players making at least $10MM this season than almost every team in the league. Only the Bulls, who like the Knicks have four such players, are in the same class as the New York contingent, which is led by the Nets and their fivesome of eight-figure players.
The Bulls and the Big Apple teams seem even more profligate when juxtaposed with the four NBA clubs that don't have $10MM+ contracts at all. The Suns and Sixers play in fairly large markets, but they're still without highly paid talent, just as the Kings and Bucks are. Two more teams don't have anyone who's guaranteed at least $10MM, since Hedo Turkoglu and Andrew Bynum are promised only $6MM from the Magic and Cavs, respectively.
A team top-heavy with well-compensated players doesn't always succeed on the basketball court, of course. The Heat have won back-to-back championships with no one other than their trio of stars making $10MM or more. The Rockets and Grizzlies figure to be among the Western Conference elite even though they each only have a pair of eight-figure salaries. And since the three teams with the most high-dollar contracts all play in the Eastern Conference, at least one of them isn't going to make the conference finals — and that assumes that the Heat won't make it that far.
Here's the complete list:
Teams with five $10MM+ contracts
- Nets: Joe Johnson ($21,466,718), Deron Williams ($18,466,130), Paul Pierce ($15,333,334), Brook Lopez ($14,693,906), Kevin Garnett ($12,433,735)
Teams with four $10MM+ contracts
- Bulls: Derrick Rose ($17,632,688), Carlos Boozer ($15,300,000), Luol Deng ($14,275,000), Joakim Noah ($11,100,000)
- Knicks: Amare Stoudemire ($21,679,893), Carmelo Anthony ($21,388,954), Tyson Chandler ($14,100,538), Andrea Bargnani ($11,862,500)
Teams with three $10MM+ contracts
- Celtics: Kris Humphries ($12,000,000), Rajon Rondo ($11,954,545), Gerald Wallace ($10,105,855)
- Clippers: Chris Paul ($18,668,431), Blake Griffin ($16,441,500), DeAndre Jordan ($10,986,550)
- Heat: Chris Bosh ($19,067,500), LeBron James ($19,067,500), Dwyane Wade ($18,673,000)
- Nuggets: Ty Lawson ($10,786,517), JaVale McGee ($10,750,000), Danilo Gallinari ($10,146,925)
- Pacers: Roy Hibbert ($14,283,844), Danny Granger ($14,021,788), David West ($12,000,000)
- Spurs: Tony Parker ($12,500,000), Tim Duncan ($10,361,446), Tiago Splitter ($10,000,000)
- Thunder: Kevin Durant ($17,832,627), Russell Westbrook ($14,693,906), Serge Ibaka ($12,350,000)
- Warriors: Andrew Bogut ($14,000,000), David Lee ($13,878,000), Andre Iguodala ($12,868,632)
Teams with two $10MM+ contracts
- Bobcats: Al Jefferson ($13,500,000), Ben Gordon ($13,200,000)
- Lakers: Kobe Bryant ($30,453,805), Pau Gasol ($19,285,850)
- Grizzlies: Zach Randolph ($18,238,333), Marc Gasol ($14,860,523)
- Pelicans: Eric Gordon ($14,283,844), Tyreke Evans ($11,796,247)
- Rockets: Dwight Howard ($20,513,178), James Harden ($13,701,250)
- Timberwolves: Kevin Love ($14,693,906), Nikola Pekovic ($12,100,000)
- Trail Blazers: LaMarcus Aldridge ($14,878,000), Nicolas Batum ($11,295,250)
- Wizards: Emeka Okafor ($14,487,500), Nene Hilario ($13,000,000)
Teams with one $10MM+ contract
- Hawks: Al Horford ($12,000,000)
- Jazz: Richard Jefferson ($11,046,000)
- Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki ($22,721,381)
- Pistons: Josh Smith ($13,500,000)
- Raptors: Rudy Gay ($17,888,932)
- Cavaliers: Andrew Bynum ($12,250,000 — only guaranteed for $6MM)
- Magic: Hedo Turkoglu ($12,000,000 — only guaranteed for $6MM)
Teams without a $10MM+ contract
- 76ers
- Bucks
- Kings
- Suns
ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.
Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Sixers, Wolves, Kennedy
Few NBA teams had less roster turnover this offseason than the Grizzlies. As our free agent tracker shows, the only player who signed with the team for more than the minimum was Tony Allen, who has played in Memphis since 2010 and emerged as one of the club's leaders. However, the team will be in for some changes on the bench, where former assistant Dave Joerger takes over the head coaching job from the departed Lionel Hollins. Joerger tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld that while he'll stick to many of the things that made last year's team successful, he expects to add a few new wrinkles to the mix as well.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Former Pistons head coach John Kuester is currently the top candidate to be hired as Brett Brown's lead assistant with the 76ers, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype spoke to Ricky Rubio, who identified the Timberwolves' new deals with Nikola Pekovic and Chase Budinger as the club's best signings of the summer.
- Rebuilding is often a necessary process, but it has to give way to something substantial eventually, writes Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com. Deeks examines the free agent fates of Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, noting that the Hawks were able to land Millsap for fewer years and dollars than the Bobcats signed Jefferson in part because Charlotte is paying a sort of "Bobcats tax" based on its reputation as a perennial lottery team.
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Larry Coon lists the Nets, Bobcats, and Rockets among the winners of the league's new CBA, while placing the Celtics, Bulls, and Thunder in the losers column.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside takes a look at D.J. Kennedy's persistent quest to earn a spot on an NBA roster. Kennedy will be in camp with the Mavericks in October.