Odds & Ends: Kobe, LeBron, Cavs
T.J. Simers of the OC Register writes that Lakers executive Jim Buss believes he has an understanding with Kobe Bryant regarding next summer, in which he’ll let him hit free agency, spend the money accordingly on free agents, and offer whatever’s left to the Lakers’ star afterwards. When Simers asked him to elaborate, Kobe “vaguely” responded: “We’ve probably talked (about it)…but I’m putting off any thought of that.”
In another piece, Kobe spoke with Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times about his inability to mesh with Dwight Howard last season: “We saw different ways of going about leading this team…Dwight wanted to do it one way and he felt like it was effective. I wanted to do it another way. It was constant tension the second half of the season.”
Here are a handful of tonight’s links to pass along from around the Association:
- LeBron James remained diplomatic when asked if winning a third consecutive ring would provide an answer to whether or not he’ll stay in with the Heat beyond this year: “When that bridge comes, I’ll cross it with my family…And we’re going to make the right choice. We’ve been in this position before, I’ve been in this position before, and I’ll be excited about it, but we’ll see what happens” (Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald).
- LeBron was also quick to assert that his focus is on the upcoming season, and later emphasized Dwyane Wade‘s health as the key to Miami’s success: “Winning, that’s my only concern right now, winning…I want to put a third ring on the guys that have two. I want to put a first ring on the guys that don’t have any and I want to put a fourth on [Udonis Haslem] and D-Wade. So, that’s my goal…Without (Dwyane), this ship doesn’t continue to move without him, and I hope he knows that,..I think he knows that because he’s a big part of what we do.”
- Cavaliers coach Mike Brown is still undecided about how he’ll handle the rotation at small forward this season, having been torn between Alonzo Gee and Earl Clark: “Nobody’s really separated themselves drastically from the other guy…One game, one guy’s played pretty good, then another guy’s played pretty good. … I told those guys, it can go into the regular season, just keep yourself ready to go in case your number’s called” (Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer).
- Steve Nash spoke with Mark Medina of InsideSoCal.com about the challenges of staying healthy at this point in his career.
- USA Today’s Sam Amick goes over what he’s learned so far after watching the pre-season.
- Jody Genessy of the Deseret News says that the Jazz’ signing of Jamaal Tinsley makes Lester Hudson and Scott Machado longshots to make the final cut.
Cavs Pick Up ’14/15 Options On Four Players
The Cavaliers have exercised their options for 2014/15 on a pair of third-year players and a pair of second-year players, ensuring that all four Cavs remain under contract for at least the next two seasons. The team announced today in a press release that it has picked up its ’14/15 options on Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, and Tyler Zeller.
Irving and Thompson, members of the 2011 draft class, will be eligible for extensions next offseason, and Irving at least seems like a good bet to sign one. Even if they don’t sign extensions though, Irving and Thompson can remain with the Cavs through 2015 before becoming restricted free agents. Irving, the former first overall pick, will earn about $7.07MM in 2014/15, while Thompson will make about $5.14MM.
Meanwhile, Waiters and Zeller are each now locked up for a third NBA season, with Waiters set to earn $4.06MM in ’14/15 and Zeller in line for about $1.7MM. The Cavs hold additional options for 2015/16 on both players.
You can follow all of this month’s rookie contract option decisions right here.
Cavaliers Notes: Bynum, Sims, Dellavedova
Here are a few notes on the Cavaliers, a team with strong hopes to make the playoffs this season.
- Cleveland.com’s Mary Schmitt Boyer writes about Matthew Dellavedova—who served as point guard on the Australian national team during the 2012 Olympics—and how the undrafted rookie is standing out for Cleveland this preseason.
- Joe Gabriele from Cavs.com speaks with forward Henry Sims about his future with Cleveland.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey writes about Andrew Bynum, and the decidedly optimistic expectations Cleveland has with their new center.
Cavs Waive Michael Lee
The Cavs have waived forward Michael Lee, general manager Chris Grant reports.
The 6’9″ 207 lb. Lee went undrafted out of St. Bonaventure in 2008, and had spent the ensuing years playing internationally in the Ukraine, Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, and France. In three preseason games with the Cavs, Lee averaged 1.7 rebounds in 4.3 minutes per game.
As Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweets, and which Hoops Rumors mentioned earlier tonight, the Cavs roster now stands at 19 players, with four more to be cut before the season opens.
Central Notes: Cavs, Rose, Sanders
According to Cavs coach Mike Brown, he’d like to keep everyone on the training camp roster. But as Jodie Valade writes in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, cuts are coming and can’t be delayed much longer. The Cavs currently have 20 players and need to get down to the league maximum of 15 before the start of the regular season.
The delay is tied to injuries and the Cavs’ D-League affiliate Canton Charge. Neither Andrew Bynum (knee) or Tyler Zeller (appendectomy) have a set return date, and Jarrett Jack and Carrick Felix are also out. Also, the last three training camp cuts go directly to the Cavs’ Canton team if they haven’t previously played in the D-League, as long as they clear waivers and agree to sign D-League contracts. So, the Cavs are trying to be smart and keep those players around to develop.
Valade notes that forward Henry Sims and guard Matthew Dellavedova are expected to make it through the final cut, though.
Here are some more notes from around the Central division tonight:
- Valade and Mary Schmitt Boyer opine, in a tweet, that Alonzo Gee should be the Cavs‘ starting small forward after outplaying Earl Clark all preseason.
- After scoring 32 points in 32 minutes against the Pacers on Friday night, Bulls players tell Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that Derrick Rose is better than ever.
- Bulls Swingman Jimmy Butler said, “I think [Rose is] all the way back and more.”
- Gravelly-voiced coach Tom Thibodeau is amping up the intensity at Bulls‘ practices writes K.C. Johnson at the Chicago Tribune (subscription only) despite an undefeated record in preseason play so far.
- Thibodeau tells Cowley Bulls rookies Tony Snell and Erik Murphy have “a long way to go,” to crack the rotation.
- Larry Sanders tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Charles F. Gardner that he has “spent a lot of quiet time, meditation, listening to classical music or gospel music…” as well as speaking with God in a effort to calm his emotions. Sanders led the NBA with 5 ejections while helming the defensive paint for the Bucks last season.
Eastern Rumors: Bucks, Sims, Oden, Mayo, Hill
The Bucks overhauled their roster this summer, and they’re without four of the five players who averaged double figures in points for them last season. Still, they’re one of five teams that Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld believes is capable of overachieving and grabbing a playoff berth. Milwaukee made a pair of moves today, picking up their 2014/15 options on Brandon Knight and John Henson, and there’s more on the Bucks and more from Brigham in the latest out of the Eastern Conference.
- Henry Sims is one of seven players on non-guaranteed deals in Cavs camp, but he’s expected to make the team, according to The Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto.
- Erik Spoelstra‘s intimate knowledge of Greg Oden‘s rehab procedures impressed the former No. 1 overall pick while he was considering where to sign this summer, as Oden tells USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt for a piece that looks at the Heat’s effort to revive the careers of Oden and Michael Beasley.
- O.J. Mayo chose the best financial offer when he signed for three years and $24MM with the Bucks, but the money isn’t the only reason why Mayo’s new surroundings appeal to him, writes Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. “I’m happy to be here and I want to stay here,” Mayo said. “That’s why I bought the house here because I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”
- Solomon Hill was a surprise selection at No. 23 this past June, but early signs point to him seeing significant minutes for the Pacers this season, Brigham writes.
Central Notes: Rose, Taylor, Middleton, Gibson
After watching Derrick Rose put up 32 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds against the Pacers in preseason action last night, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes that the Bulls have their closer back. For his part, the former MVP sounds ready for the 2013/14 season. “God is good, man. God is good,” Rose said. “I’ve been working hard, man. Super hard. I think that I’m one of the hardest-working guys in the league, if not the hardest. During the summer, I work out three times a day and really concentrating on everything I’m doing and really taking care of my body, so I’m just trying to make the game easy and just trying to do anything individually to help my team.” The latest from the Central Division..
- Jermaine Taylor is fighting to hang on with the Cavs, writes Bob Finnan of the News-Herald. Taylor has impressed the coaching staff with his relentless style and scoring ability, but he would have to make the Cavs’ roster at the expense of either Matthew Dellavedova or Carrick Felix, both of whom the front office likes a lot. Both rookies also have some guaranteed money in their contracts.
- Offseason acquisition Khris Middleton, who stands at 6’7″, is being slotted at power forward for the Bucks, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal-Sentinel. So far, the former Pistons forward looks comfortable in his new role.
- In this week’s mailbag, a reader asks Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer if Daniel Gibson could return to the Cavs. While she sees the guard hooking on with someone before the end of the season, she doesn’t envision it happening in Cleveland.
Eastern Notes: Watson, Billups, Taylor, ‘Melo
HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy looks at the upgraded bench in Indiana, and hears from C.J. Watson that the team’s desire to reach a deal with him on the first day of free agency influenced his decision to join the Pacers.
“I wanted to play for a contender and I wanted to go to a team where I could get playing time,” Watson said. “Also, I felt like I could help this team. They were a very good team already, they’re very young and getting better each and every year, but I felt I could help. I just want to come off the bench and score and defend and change the tempo whenever they need me to and also be a leader.”
In the same NBA PM piece, Kennedy checks in with Pistons offseason addition Chauncey Billups and Cavaliers camp invitee Jermaine Taylor. Here’s more from the East:
- A recent report suggested Carmelo Anthony would be open to a recruiting pitch from Kobe Bryant next summer, but Anthony told reporters today, including Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, that he doesn’t expect Bryant to try to influence his decisions. It’s not clear whether Anthony isn’t expecting to hear a pitch from Bryant during the season — which would constitute tampering — or whether he doesn’t think he’ll hear from Bryant at all.
- The Heat weren’t one of the teams that called on the league to investigate the Nets‘ signing of Andrei Kirilenko, notes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who also revisits the animosity over Ray Allen‘s decision to leave the Celtics for the Heat in 2012.
- Josh McRoberts, who re-signed with the Bobcats this summer, is extra valuable on a team like Charlotte because of his passing and his veteran presence, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Roster Battles: Knicks, Kings, Cavs, Spurs
Just 10 days from now, teams will have to finalize their rosters for the regular season, which means we can expect to see a flurry of cuts in the next week. While some clubs have likely already made their decisions about which players will and won’t make the cut, others continue to evaluate camp invitees as they work to figure out their regular-season rosters. Here’s the latest on a few NBA hopefuls:
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson “tipped his hand” last night, suggesting that combo guard Toure Murry is close to securing a roster spot for the regular season, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link).
- Undrafted rookie Trent Lockett is a perfect fit for Sacramento’s culture and has a chance to earn a place on the Kings, coach Michael Malone tells Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Added Malone: “If he doesn’t make the team, obviously we would love for him to be in our D-League system so we could continue to monitor his progress as he continues to mature and get better.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio examines the Cavaliers‘ roster crunch, with coach Mike Brown noting that the upcoming cuts will be tough since “everybody’s showing their worth.”
- Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is enjoying giving crunch-time preseason minutes to bench players and camp invitees, such as Daniel Nwaelele and Courtney Fells. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News has the details.
Central Links: Cavaliers, Boozer, Snell
As Mary Schmitt-Boyer of The Plain Dealer notes, Cavs coach Mike Brown has been very impressed with rookie first-round pick Sergey Karasev:
“There’s a certain level of confidence that he has about himself and in his game. It rubs off on me the right way as a coach and it makes me have confidence in him and putting him out there. I like Sergey’s demeanor…You like that quiet confidence, quiet toughness that he has. He just plays the game. He can pass. He can shoot. He can dribble. He thinks the game. If you take this away, he’ll go the opposite direction. If you take that away, he’ll go the other way with it. He’s a basketball player. We like that.”
We have a few more notable links to share out of the Central Division tonight, and you can find them below:
- Making cuts and determining the final roster won’t be an easy task for Cavaliers’ coach. After strong performances by many of the team’s camp invites, Brown tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio: “It’s gonna be a tough decision. Everybody’s showing their worth” (Twitter link).
- Though Carlos Boozer isn’t a stranger to neither being under-appreciated nor drawing the ire of Chicago fans when things haven’t gone well for the Bulls, he tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s comfortable regardless knowing that his teammates, coaches, and the team’s ownership are fully supportive of him.
- Following his ubiquitous performance last night against the Pistons that included 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting, four assists, and three steals in 25 minutes, Bulls rookie Tony Snell could potentially be primed as significant reserve contributor this year on what is already a deep bench, opines Sam Smith of Bulls.com. The Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson discusses the focus that Snell has been placing on defense (Subcribers only).
- In another piece, Johnson takes a look at some of Joakim Noah‘s offseason workouts in preparation for the upcoming season (Subscribers only).