Odds & Ends: Deng, Bulls, Ebanks, Redick
Considering it's still early September, it's been a relatively eventful day when it comes to NBA news. The Bulls and Luol Deng have reportedly stalled on contract extension talks, the Mavericks have invited 2012 first-rounder Fab Melo to camp, and the Pacers have officially signed Darnell Jackson. Not to mention LeBron James shared a few thoughts on his free agency, which may be a rare occurrence this season.
Here are a few more of the day's miscellaneous stories:
- Although Deng appears ticketed for unrestricted free agency next summer, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune notes that extension talks between Deng and the Bulls looked bleak in 2008 as well, but the two sides worked out a deal. While that doesn't mean it'll happen again, it also means negotiations shouldn't necessarily be considered over, says Johnson (Twitter links).
- Devin Ebanks tweeted earlier today that he's en route to Orlando, which is notable, since the free agent forward has received a camp invite from the Magic, as Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets. For now, Ebanks, who has also drawn interest from the Mavericks and Hawks, is just in town to work out for the Magic, a source tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link).
- In a piece for The Score, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com explains why certain lesser-known players can't be traded without their approval, while superstars like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul don't have no-trade clauses. By Deeks' count, 18 players can't be traded without their approval this season.
- Zach Lowe has published another interesting column for Grantland, making the case for why the NBA should consider reducing games from 48 minutes to 40. The chain reaction from such a move could have an effect on max contracts and the way teams use their cap space, as Lowe explains.
- New Clipper J.J. Redick is looking forward to playing for a contending team again, as Eric Patten writes at Clippers.com.
Extension Talks Stall For Luol Deng, Bulls
11:19am: Deng's agent tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that his client "will go through free agency process next year," suggesting that extension talks have been shelved permanently (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Shams Charania of RealGM.com tweets that negotiations between the two sides never reached the "financial stage."
8:43am: Negotiations between the Bulls and Luol Deng's camp on a contract extension have stalled, reports Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com. A source tells Sam that the Bulls have opted to put extension talks on hold for now, as Deng enters the final year of his current deal.
Word first surfaced back in June that the two sides may be talking about a new contract, though at the time agent Herb Rudoy denied that any discussions had taken place. A couple weeks later, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that Deng and the Bulls continued to negotiate, which GM Gar Forman confirmed several days later. According to Sam's source, Deng's camp was optimistic about getting something done this summer, but won't mind heading into the season without a new deal.
"We’re not upset, Luol isn’t upset. We’re just looking forward to this season and next summer," said the source. "[The Bulls] were willing to wait and risk losing him next summer as an unrestricted free agent."
While the club doesn't seem to be in a rush to lock Deng up long-term, Sam's source acknowledged that the Bulls expressed how much they value the veteran forward, indicating that they'd like to see him spend the rest of the career with the team.
If Deng does hit free agency next summer, he'd likely be in line for a deal in the neighborhood of the four-year, $48MM pact signed by Andre Iguodala this offseason. Assuming Chicago doesn't trade him this season, the Bulls would hold Deng's Bird Rights, giving them the upper hand to sign him.
Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined Deng as an extension candidate in August.
Eastern Notes: Heat, Pistons, Pierce, Williams
We learned earlier today that the Heat are bringing Justin Hamilton to camp, which wasn't a huge surprise since the former LSU big man has been working out at AmericanAirlines Arena for the last few weeks. Hamilton had his moments with the Heat during the 2012 offseason, after he was acquired in a draft-night trade with the 76ers, leading some on the Heat staff at the time to see him as a more promising prospect than Jarvis Varnado. However, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes that Hamilton still faces long camp odds with Greg Oden already something of a long-term developmental project and the Heat possibly keeping the minimum of 13 players to start the year. Hamilton's chances of making the team could also rest on the Heat's ability to move Joel Anthony's pesky contract. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference..
- The Central Division is one of the most fascinating divisions in the NBA because of the expectations of competitiveness from each team, writes Zach Harper of CBSSports.com. For the Pistons, their best-case scenario will be seeing Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith become bona fide NBA stars. For the Bulls and Pacers, their ceilings see them as real championship contenders.
- John Havlicek told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Sulia link) that he believes the departed Paul Pierce is the greatest one-on-one Celtics player of all-time.
- Former Nets big man Jordan Williams signed with Spanish club Bilbao Basket last week but was waived over the weekend, according to HoopsHype (via Twitter).
Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Cuban, Bulls
There's hardly a dull moment with Mark Cuban when he speaks with the media, as the outspoken Mavericks owner said on the Artie Lange Show that hiring a head coach is "harder than finding a wife" (hat tip to SportsDayDFW). On a more serious note, Cuban explained why he'll never trade Dirk Nowitzki:
"Dirk defines our culture. When your best player, no matter how old, is the first one in the gym and the last to leave, and works the hardest and encourages guys the way Dirk does … that has a value that goes far beyond what you see on the court."
Here's a roundup of the rest of tonight's links:
- Cuban briefly goes into the thought process behind his decision to buy the team.
- SportsDayDFW's Tim Cowlishaw isn't interested in the idea of bringing Michael Beasley to Dallas.
- With Luol Deng set to become a free agent next summer and Carlos Boozer a prime candidate to be amnestied, it's now or never for the core of this current Bulls team, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley also passes along some notable quotes on Derrick Rose, who according to GM Gar Forman "seems like he's doing great, feels good, strong…everything has been positive." Forman added that Rose stayed away from pickup games this summer but has done enough to work on his game.
- The NBA will install tracking cameras in every arena around the league starting next season, which will present a vastly different way of experiencing and evaluating the game for analysts, casual fans, and the like (Associated Press via ESPN).
- Stephen Curry can now focus on basketball after a busy summer and has already organized voluntary team workouts (Associated Press via NBA.com). In another piece, Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group goes in-depth about how Curry has embraced his role as the Warriors' leader.
- Kevin Ding of the OC Register further analyzes the Lakers' decision to sign Xavier Henry (Subscribers only).
Cap Details: Grizzlies, Raptors, Bulls, Pistons
Mark Deeks of ShamSports has published his first column for SBNation.com, discussing how the Sixers' proximity to the salary floor has been overblown in recent weeks. As I wrote when I examined the issue last month, there's no real penalty for failing to meet the NBA's minimum payroll threshold, so there's no pressure on the 76ers to add unnecessary salary. However, as Deeks notes, the flexibility could open up a number of trade opportunties for the team.
Deeks also passes along a couple of cap details on other teams in his piece and in his latest update at ShamSports, so let's round up the rest of the noteworthy items….
- The Grizzlies and Raptors stretched the contracts of Fab Melo and Quentin Richardson, respectively, when releasing those players last week. That means that instead of a cap hit of about $1.31MM in 2013/14, Melo will count toward Memphis' books for about $437K for each of the next three seasons. For the Raptors, Richardson's cap hit figures to be about $467K for the next three years, rather than about $1.4MM this season.
- For both the Grizzlies and Raptors, the likely motivation was creating a little flexibility below the tax threshold, potentially accommodating further signings or trades.
- The Bulls also used the stretch provision when they released Richard Hamilton in July, as I suggested earlier today. That doesn't really create extra flexibility for Chicago, but it will reduce the team's tax bill for 2013/14.
- Josh Harrellson's two-year deal with the Pistons is partially guaranteed for $150K in year one, and non-guaranteed in year two, according to Deeks.
Southwest Rumors: McGrady, Hamilton, Covington
- Richard Hamilton is probably looking at no better than the minimum salary, but the Rockets, as well as the Knicks, are among teams that may have interest in the former Bull, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
- Undrafted small forward Robert Covington scored a full guarantee on the first year of his three-year deal with the Rockets, per Mark Deeks of ShamSports, and the former Tennessee State Tiger tells Jason Friedman of Rockets.com about what set him apart in summer league, his relationship with James Harden, and more.
- HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis names ex-Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins first on his list former NBA coaches likely to receive an offer the next time an opening emerges. Hollins beat out reigning Coach of the Year George Karl, who'd prefer to take a job with a Western Conference contender.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Haddadi, Knicks, Bulls
The 76ers' roster is currently light on veterans and heavy on young talent, which should make for a competitive training camp and preseason. GM Sam Hinkie tells Tom Moore of The Intelligencer that he thinks that competition will be good for the team.
"Everyone starts with a blank slate," Hinkie said. "That’s refreshing in a lot of ways. It’s less what you’ve done and more: what can you do from here? I think all of our players will sense an opportunity to play, show what they can do and expand their game one way or another. It’s important for the future of the Sixers and their own careers."
Here's more on the Sixers and the rest of the Eastern Conference:
- Within the same piece, Moore notes that an NBA source says the league's minimum required payroll won't have an effect on the Sixers' roster moves, since there's no real penalty for falling short of the salary floor. I suggested as much when I examined the situation a few weeks ago.
- The Knicks don't currently have interest in signing free agent big man Hamed Haddadi, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
- Gonzalo Aguirregomezcorta of ESPNDeportes.com caught up with Luis Scola, who says he's looking forward to playing for a Pacers team that he considers to be a "serious title contender."
- The Bulls have promoted Adrian Griffin to lead assistant on Tom Thibodeau's staff, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
- In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman explains why starting the season with a 13-man roster and potentially adding another player or two before the playoffs could make the most sense for the Heat.
- The Hawks and Bulls are unlikely to be too active on the trade market this season, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
Central Notes: Cavs, Asik, Dunleavy, Bulls
Here's a look at today's news out of the Central Division..
- In today's mailbag, a reader asks Mary Schmitt-Boyer of the Plain Dealer if the Rockets could be open to dealing an unhappy Omer Asik to the Cavs for Anderson Varejao. It's unlikely for a number of reasons, but a source in Houston says that while Asik is not pleased with backing up Dwight Howard, the Rockets still insist they're not going to trade him. Even if the Rockets changed their minds, they'd likely be looking for a better shooter than Varejao.
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com looks back at the offseason that was for the Bulls. Their big get, obviously, was adding Mike Dunleavy on a surprisingly light two-year, $6MM deal. The Dunleavy signing gives Chicago a solid shooter who should be more consistent than Marco Belinelli and Nate Robinson, who signed elsewhere.
- Over the weekend, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe spoke with Bucks GM John Hammond, who spoke glowingly of Larry Sanders. The big man signed a four-year, $44MM contract extension with Milwaukee this offseason.
Odds & Ends: Roster Spots, Hunt, Mavericks
ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter) points out that the Lakers, Bulls, and 76ers are the three teams that still need to sign players in order to reach the league minimum of 13 players by opening night, although it's worth noting that L.A. is still yet to sign second round pick Ryan Kelly and Philadelphia is in the same boat with Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams. Also, as we pointed out a few days ago, Dexter Pittman accepted a training camp invite with Chicago and could fill that 13th roster spot if they end up offering him a guaranteed contract.
Here are more of tonight's news and notes from around the league:
- Jeff Haubner of ESPN.com offers a two part preview of the upcoming FIBA Americas tournament.
- Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel notes that the Bucks/Suns deal keeps Milwaukee about $1.9MM under the salary cap and saves Phoenix around $5.6MM in cap space. Gardner also has more comments from Caron Butler regarding his happiness with the trade.
- Former 76ers star Charles Barkley isn't happy with the way his former team handled their assistant coaching situation, saying that those who were released upon the Brett Brown hiring had worked for the team the entire summer and therefore didn't have the opportunity to look for another job (Michael Kaskey-Blomain of The Philadelphia Inquirer).
- Keith Schlosser of RidiculousUpside.com takes a look at Kyle Hunt, who while eligible for the D-League draft in the fall is also looking to earn an NBA training camp invite.
- Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW suggests Mavericks fans should be happy with 45 wins and a 7th seed in the Western Conference next season.
- Ben Couch of BrooklynNets.com provides a brief breakdown of the Nets' depth at the center position, profiling Brook Lopez, Andray Blatche, and Mason Plumlee.
- Former Knick and now a member of the Canadian men's national basketball team, Andy Rautins tells Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun about how prepared he and his teammates feel heading into the FIBA Americas tournament.
- NBA.com posted an article from Atlanta-based freelance writer Jon Cooper about Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer. Though he stressed the importance of forming good relationships with each player up to the 15th man, Budenholzer specifically mentioned Al Horford and Jeff Teague as two players that he's very much looking forward to working with.
- Suns.com passes along an article from the archives which delves into the mind of the late former Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons.
International Notes: Johnson, Williams, Kennedy
As we noted earlier this morning, one of the more intriguing big men still available in free agency came off the board today, when Ivan Johnson signed with China's Zhejiang Golden Bulls. Today's round of international updates includes more tidbits on Johnson's decision, along with notes on a couple other former NBA players. Let's dive in….
- Johnson's one-year deal in China doesn't include an opt-out, but the CBA season ends before the NBA season does, so the ex-Hawk is hoping to catch on with an NBA team after his run with the Golden Bulls ends, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- The Bulls, Knicks, Clippers, and Pacers all had some interest in Johnson, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. However, agent Jeremiah Haylett tells Zwerling that Zhejiang's offer was "so lucrative" that it persuaded his client to opt for China (Twitter links).
- Enea Trapani of Sportando, citing Meidan Katsnelson, reports that Shelden Williams has turned down offers from Euroleague teams in search of a more lucrative deal. Williams, who played in France last season, may end up in China, according to Trapani.
- Sportando also passes along a Gazzetta di Reggio report suggesting that Italian team Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia is targeting D.J. Kennedy, and keeping an eye on Cory Higgins and Lazar Hayward as possible alternatives. All three players have at least a little NBA experience, and may be more inclined to seek out NBA offers if those are available.