Eastern Notes: Sixers, Bynum, Knicks
The Bobcats, Magic and Sixers all entered the evening tied for third place in the Eastern Conference with 3-2 records. While we wait to see how long the two losingest teams from last season and the club widely considered to be this year’s worst can keep it up, here’s more from the East:
- Spencer Hawes, Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young all have “sky high” trade value, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio opines on Twitter. NBA execs who spoke to ESPN’s Chris Broussard about the Sixers aren’t so sure about that, as we passed along earlier.
- About three-quarters of Hoops Rumors readers think Cavs center Andrew Bynum will retire early, but Turner was impressed with what he saw from a still-recovering Bynum in the big man’s lone practice with the Sixers last season, observes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer.
- Mike Woodson suggested to reporters, including Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, that the primary reason the Knicks aren’t going to sign anyone for the frontcourt right now is because there just isn’t a talented enough big man available.
- Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News quotes a coach from another team who echoes Woodson’s sentiments about a lack of quality bigs, supporting the Daily News scribe’s claim that Woodson, not GM Steve Mills, is the Knicks‘ best talent evaluator.
- Paul Millsap is leading the Hawks in scoring so far this season, but the team signed him for his leadership as well as what he can contribute on the court, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details in a subscription-only piece.
- Patrick Hayes of PistonPowered, writing for the Detroit Free Press, believes Greg Monroe will sign a max deal in restricted free agency next summer. Still, Hayes thinks the Pistons aren’t likely to receive a worthwhile trade offer for him this season.
Bynum Considered Retirement, Unsure Of Future
Earlier today, we relayed a report out of Cleveland which revealed that Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum had considered retirement in the past and still thinks about it occasionally. Taking a closer look at the original piece from Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, it appears that those thoughts stem from the frustration of not enjoying the game because he currently isn’t the player he once was:
“(Retirement) was a thought, it was a serious thought,..At the moment, it’s tough to enjoy the game because of how limited I am physically. I’m still sort of working through that…I’m a shell of myself on the court right now, I’m struggling mentally. I’m trying.”
Bynum, taken tenth overall by the Lakers during the 2005 NBA Draft, also revealed that there weren’t any discussions about re-signing with the 76ers this past summer after he had missed all of the 2012/13 season. Lloyd writes that this was the first instance in which Bynum had spoken about contemplating retirement, and adds that Cavs head coach Mike Brown hasn’t had any conversations with the 7’0 center on that subject. While Lloyd says it was difficult to determine just how serious Bynum was about his comments or if he’d just been having a bad day, it was clear that the one-time All-Star is mentally exhausted from having to deal with his physical limitations:
“Battling pain is annoying…I’m not able to do the things I used to be able to do and it’s frustrating…I feel like I can still be a double-double guy in this league, but it’s just going to take some modifications to my game and whether or not I want to accept the challenge and do that.”
Through four of Cleveland’s first five games thus far, the New Jersey native is averaging 5.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in 12.8 MPG. He is currently signed to a partially-guaranteed contract with the Cavs through 2014/15.
Odds & Ends: Bynum, Warriors, Howard, Draft
Andrew Bynum has returned to the court for the Cavaliers this fall after a lost season in Philadelphia, but as the big man prepares to suit up against the Sixers tomorrow night, the news coming out of his camp isn’t exactly positive. Bynum indicated earlier this week that he doesn’t expect to ever regain his old explosiveness, and acknowledged that he’s still getting “little sharp” pains in his knees.
Today, speaking to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal and other media members, Bynum admitted that he considered retirement, and still thinks about it occasionally (Twitter link). I’m hopeful that the 26-year-old will get healthy and have a productive year in Cleveland, but his latest comments are a little ominous.
Here’s more from around the NBA:
- While eventually signing Klay Thompson to a long-term extension should be tenable, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com questions whether the Warriors will or should retain Harrison Barnes beyond his rookie contract.
- Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports spoke to current and former Lakers in an attempt to determine why the marriage between Dwight Howard and the Lakers was destined for a divorce. Sources tell Spears that the Lakers’ brass told its employees to make Howard feel “special and important,” but that Dwight still felt undervalued by the team.
- Howard cites Kelvin Cato as the first person to suggest that he should join the Rockets, well before D12 neared free agency, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
- Over at ESPN.com, Chad Ford’s Insider-only list of the top wings for the 2014 draft is headlined, unsurprisingly, by Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker.
Odds & Ends: Favors, Mavs, Knicks, Draft
Security and comfort were concerns for Derrick Favors when the Jazz began discussing an extension with his camp this offseason, but he didn’t get very involved in the negotiations himself, as he tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe.
“That’s more of an agent thing,” Favors said. “They talked all summer and had conversations. But that’s more for the agent and the front office. I didn’t have that much word in it. My agent really just asked me questions and stuff.”
As Favors and the 0-4 Jazz prepare to face the NBA’s other 0-4 team in Boston tonight, let’s round up a few odds and ends from around the league:
- The Mavericks‘ roster underwent plenty of turnover this past summer, but the team’s new additions have been meshing very well in the early going, writes Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York explores solutions for how the Knicks will cope without Tyson Chandler in their lineup for the next several weeks, a question I also tackled today.
- Several trade candidates on teams without much chance of winning the title could benefit clubs that are in the championship mix, as Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com examines in an Insider piece.
- In another piece for ESPN.com Insiders, draft guru Chad Ford takes an early look at 2014’s point guard class, which is highlighted by Dante Exum and Marcus Smart.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if first overall pick Anthony Bennett could be headed for a stint with the Cavaliers‘ D-League affiliate in Canton.
Odds & Ends: Bynum, Deng, Nets, D-League
Andrew Bynum had the best game of his first week with the Cavaliers last night, scoring 10 points and blocking three shots in 18 minutes. While he’s starting to move better, he told reporters that he doesn’t think his explosiveness will come back, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Bynum added that he’s having “little sharp” pains in his knees here and there. The big man’s status is worth watching over the next two months, since the Cavs will have to guarantee him another $6MM if he’s on the roster beyond January 7th.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- ESPN.com’s Marc Stein has weighed in with eight bold predictions relating to the NBA season. Among them: This will be Luol Deng‘s last season with the Bulls, Gordon Hayward will get a max offer sheet next summer, Jerry Sloan will replace Tyrone Corbin as the Jazz head coach, and veterans like Lamar Odom, Stephen Jackson, Baron Davis, and Jason Collins will return to the NBA.
In his latest column for Grantland, Zach Lowe takes an extended and informative look at restricted free agency. Lowe concludes that the current CBA provides little downside for teams who prefer to pass on extensions for fourth-year players in favor of letting them hit the open market. - The Nets are working to turn their D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor, into a contending team, while also developing players and coaches, as NetsDaily details.
- Speaking of the D-League, Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival has training camp rosters for each of the league’s 17 clubs, based on what’s been reported and announced so far. Porcaro is also keeping tabs on where last months’ NBA camp invitees are landing.
Contract Details: Sixers, Price, Stone, Christmas
Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com has updated his salary database to account for every NBA team’s opening night roster, and in the process has provided several contract details that had previously been unreported. Let’s round up Deeks’ new info, which has now been incorporated into our list of non-guaranteed salaries and our schedule of guarantee dates….
- Daniel Orton and Brandon Davies were late additions to the Sixers‘ roster, but they received the same kind of deals that many of the team’s other offseason signees did: Non-guaranteed four-year pacts. Hollis Thompson, meanwhile, landed a $35K guarantee for this season on his four-year contract.
- When Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors listed the camp cuts who had been owed guaranteed money, he noted that the guarantees for Vander Blue, Khalif Wyatt, and Richard Howell were still unknown. Deeks fills in those amounts, reporting that the Sixers paid Blue $55K and Wyatt $35K. Howell received $50K from the Trail Blazers.
- Unlike most players on non-guaranteed contracts, A.J. Price won’t have to wait until the new year for his salary to become fully guaranteed. He’ll get his full minimum salary as long as he’s not waived by the Timberwolves on or before December 8th.
- Julyan Stone‘s two-year contract with the Raptors was initially guaranteed for $50K, but that amount was bumped up to $100K when he earned a spot on the regular season roster.
- Dionte Christmas (Suns) and Henry Sims (Cavaliers) both received partial guarantees worth $50K.
- The Hawks‘ agreement with Cartier Martin is just for one year, for a fully non-guaranteed minimum salary.
Central Links: Pistons, Cavs, Copeland
There are a few surprise first-place teams in divisions around the NBA in the early going, but that’s not the case in the Central, where the 3-0 Pacers lead the way. In David Aldridge’s latest Morning Tip column at NBA.com, which also features an extended look at the Bulls, the Pacers sit atop Aldridge’s power rankings.
Here are a few more Monday morning Central items:
- Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks conceded that a player’s contract situation is “always a topic of conversation for someone,” but suggested that it’s not necessarily a distraction for the player himself. As Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press details, if Cheeks is aware that players like Greg Monroe, Rodney Stuckey, and Charlie Villanueva are on expiring contracts, he didn’t let on.
- Michael Lee, Kevin Jones, and Tyrell Biggs are on the Canton Charge’s camp roster, a source tells Bob Finnan of the News-Herald (Twitter link). Lee was in camp with the Cavs last month, while Jones was released by the team back in July. Both Jones and Biggs last played for Cleveland’s D-League affiliate, so the Charge still held their rights.
- As our Free Agent Tracker shows, outside of returning free agent David West, Chris Copeland was the most significant signing for the Pacers this offseason. So why can’t the ex-Knick crack the rotation? Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star discusses that question with Copeland, who isn’t complaining about his lack of minutes.
Central Notes: Billups, Hollins, Antetokounmpo
This NBA offseason saw an unusual amount of head coaching turnover, notes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer. Three of the record 13 new head coaches have found homes in the Central Division: Mike Brown for the Cavaliers, Larry Drew for the Bucks, and Maurice Cheeks for the Pistons. Here are some more notes from around the Central Division:
- Tayshaun Prince says he was “shocked” when fellow former Pistons mainstay Chauncey Billups decided to return to Detroit this summer, but he applauds the team for a summer that was “a move in the right direction,” as MLive’s David Mayo observes.
- Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks said he spoke with Lionel Hollins about the former Grizzlies coach joining the Detroit staff as an assistant, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. The talks likely took place during the summer, as Hollins remains without a coaching gig.
- Playing time might be limited for rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Bucks would rather keep him in Milwaukee than send him on D-League assignment, tweets Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. The Bucks share the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with six other NBA teams, so Antetokounmpo might get lost in the shuffle if sent down.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Asik, Howard, Irving, Jack, Sixers
The 11 pm CT deadline for extensions and team options for players still on their rookie contracts should steal most of the headlines tonight, but let’s look at some of the other buzz from around the league:
- Rockets officials “continue to privately insist” that Omer Asik won’t be available via trade this season if he and Dwight Howard can be productive alongside one another in the Houston frontcourt, reports ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
- Speaking of Howard, Mark Cuban says the Houston center made “a mistake in judgement” by joining the Rockets over his Mavericks, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, who pulls several other interesting quotes from Cuban and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle about how the team is faring with their “Plan B.”
- Meanwhile, Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram tweets that Cuban believes Howard had already decided on Houston as his destination before he sat down with the Mavericks last summer.
- While the Cavaliers can’t offer star point guard Kyrie Irving an extension until next summer, the strong relationship between Irving and owner Dan Gilbert should reassure Clevelanders still sore over losing LeBron James, writes Jodie Valade of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Valade also writes that, while the Andrew Bynum addition received most of the headlines, it is Jarrett Jack who will have the biggest impact among the new faces in Cleveland this season.
- Sixers advanced scout and former assistant Ron Oliver won’t return for a third season with the team, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (via Twitter).
Eastern Links: Knicks, Sanders, Cavs, Heat
As we look forward to Derrick Rose and the Bulls hosting the Knicks in Chicago tonight, let’s round up a few Eastern Conference notes….
- For the Knicks to become a legit title contender, the team has to acquire a second star to complement Carmelo Anthony or hope that Iman Shumpert develops into that second star, writes Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com.
- In his Q&A with Larry Sanders, Grantland’s Zach Lowe spoke to the Bucks big man about his contract extension, the lawsuit filed against his new agency by old reps, and his goals for the coming season.
- Dan Gilbert called his team’s signing of Andrew Bynum “a pretty easy decision” shortly before Bynum appeared in a game last night for the first time in more than 17 months. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal has a full transcript of Gilbert’s comments.
- Heat camp invitees Justin Hamilton, Larry Drew II, and Jarvis Varnado have joined the D-League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).
- Early returns could indicate whether the Nets‘ star-studded approach will fulfill its promise, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.