Northwest Rumors: Miles, Lillard, Canales, Stotts
A pair of decisions involving the Trail Blazers are looming tonight. Owner Paul Allen has completed final interviews with coaching candidates Kaleb Canales and Terry Stotts, and the team is expected to make its choice shortly. Free agent center Joel Przybilla is reportedly making his pick between the Blazers, Bucks and Mavericks tonight, though if his drawn-out midseason decision on where to sign is any indication, it could be a few more days. Here's what we're hearing from Portland and other Northwest Division cities in the meantime:
- With C.J. Miles on his way to the Cavs, Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune looks back at the seven years Miles spent with the Jazz after the team drafted him out of high school in 2005.
- Smith also catches up with Damian Lillard, the sixth overall pick this June by the Blazers. Lillard dishes about his success in the Las Vegas Summer League, where he was co-MVP, and his recent conversations with LaMarcus Aldridge, in which both players have set making the playoffs as the goal for this season.
- Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com says he thinks Canales will coach the Blazers next season, and theorizes that Stotts remains in the running in part so that he'll be seen more favorably the next time an NBA head coaching job opens. Stotts is represented by Warren LeGarie, who's also the agent for Canales and GM Neil Olshey. Being perceived as a legitimate candidate for the Blazers' job will help Stotts get another head coaching job someday, Jaynes says.
Anthony Tolliver Weighing Free Agent Options
THURSDAY, 2:54pm: The Pacers are also displaying interest in Tolliver, according to Tomasson (via Twitter). Nothing is imminent yet, however.
WEDNESDAY, 7:45pm: Free agent forward Anthony Tolliver said the Wizards have been calling him daily, making them a potential front-runner for the four-year veteran, Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida reports. Tolliver says the Bobcats have reached out to him recently as well, Tomasson writes, and the Timberwolves, who renounced his rights earlier this summer to clear cap space, remain in the running, too. Tolliver is seeking a deal that would give him close to the $2MM he made last year in Minnesota (All Sulia links).
Last month reports suggested the Timberwolves and Cavs were in the lead for Tolliver, but the Cavs have faded from consideration. Tolliver told Tomasson he could still envision a return to the Wolves despite the addition of Andrei Kirilenko, who can play both forward positions just as Tolliver does (Sulia link).
Tolliver's points per game regressed for the second season in a row last year, as he averaged 4.1 PPG in 17.3 minutes a night. His three-point shooting, a strength at 40.9% in 2010/11, dipped to 24.8% this past season. A team willing to give the 27-year-old more than a minimum deal would be banking on a repeat of his production in 2009/10, when he averaged career highs of 11.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 31.0 MPG.
Central Rumors: Barbosa, Teague, Hamilton
The Bulls have finished atop the Central Division with the league's best record the past two seasons, with the Pacers coming in second both times. With the injury to Derrick Rose and the nearly wholesale turnover of Chicago's bench, the door is open for the Pacers to move into first place this year. There are rumblings tonight about a former Pacer who could be headed to a division rival, and a pair of Bulls:
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears that free agent Leandro Barbosa is open to discussing a move to the Cavs, but it isn't clear whether the team has any interest in the 6'3" combo guard. Barbosa, who finished last season with Indiana, is reportedly seeking a multiyear deal.
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports examines why Marquis Teague, drafted 29th overall by the Bulls, is the only remaining unsigned first-round pick. He believes the team wants to sign him for less than the standard 120% of the rookie scale amount to avoid paying the luxury tax and to give them more flexibility, since the signing of Kirk Hinrich put them under a $74.3MM hard cap this season.
- Deeks also speculates the Bulls will trade Richard Hamilton during the season to avoid having to pay the luxury tax for the first time in franchise history.
Cavs Eyeing C.J. Miles, Carlos Delfino
The Cavaliers continue to shop for small forwards, and aren't necessarily targeting players to replace Alonzo Gee, says Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. According to Pluto, the Cavs may add a small forward in addition to Gee, and are eyeing C.J. Miles and Carlos Delfino.
This isn't the first time we've heard about Cleveland's interest in Miles, who met with the Cavs last week. While the Cavs could view Miles as a Plan B if they fail to come to terms with Gee, it seems unlikely that the restricted free agent will slip away, as the team is prepared to match any offer sheet he signs. So it's not surprising that Pluto suggests the Cavs could be interested in signing both players. Still, Miles may be headed elsewhere, as he's said to be close to a decision and drawing serious interest from the Lakers.
Delfino, meanwhile, has reportedly received some interest from the Rockets and others, but has yet to find the multiyear deal he's seeking. With a few expiring contracts coming off their books at the end of 2012/13, the Cavs have the flexibility to make Delfino a multiyear offer if they so choose, but the club may view that as an unnecessary commitment for a non-core player.
Odds & Ends: Varejao, Olympics, Hornets, Spurs
Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao has seen his name pop up in trade rumors this month, mostly in connection with a possible three-team Dwight Howard trade. However, the Brazilian says that the speculation doesn’t bother him, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. “There’s nothing that I can do. If they trade me, they trade me,” Varejao said. Here’s more from around the Association..
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tells told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) that “…the Olympics are a huge for-profit endeavor. It makes no sense that NBA owners subsidize it.” An NBA GM agreed with Cuban’s assessment, suggesting that players shouldn’t have their salaries guaranteed in the event of injuries in the Olympic games (Twitter link).
- Hornets owner Tom Benson is hoping to raise the club’s profile to the level of his New Orleans Saints, writes Peter Finney of The Times-Picayune. The Hornets sold 10,000 season tickets last season and Benson has an ambitious goal of selling 17,000 for the upcoming year.
- Mark Nugent of HoopsWorld runs down the best remaining free agents by position. The best player left on the open market, he writes, is arguably forward Carl Landry.
- Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype caught up with Hall Of Famer David Robinson to discuss Tim Duncan‘s new contract, the Spurs‘ knack for finding international talent, and the Dream Team.
Cavs Notes: Kevin Jones, Alonzo Gee, C.J. Miles
With the start of the 2012/13 season mere months away, the Cavs have been relatively quiet this offseason in terms of free agent signings and trades. From signing Luke Harangody to a qualifying offer to acquiring Jeremy Pargo in a trade with Memphis, Cleveland has yet to make a true splash this summer. Let's check in with Bob Finnan of The News-Herald to catch up on the latest news and headlines surrounding the Cavs…
- The Cavs remain interested in fully committing to power forward Kevin Jones even though the team already has five players on the roster who play his position. The undrafted rookie from West Virginia suffered a bone bruise in his ankle but is expected to be ready for training camp if Cleveland ends up signing him. Jones, 22, averaged 19.9 PPG and 10.9 RPG during his senior year with the Mountaineers.
- Cleveland has yet to decide on what to do with small forward Alonzo Gee, a restricted free agent. Gee is hoping that the Cavs offer him a long-term deal instead of just a qualifying offer. If Gee isn't offered the type of deal that he desires, he can simply sign the qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
- If the Cavs aren't able to come to terms on a deal with Gee, they will turn their attention to signing unrestricted free agent C.J. Miles. The former Jazz guard averaged 9.1 PPG and 2.1 RPG during the 2011/12 season. Finnan suggests that there is a small chance the Cavs sign both Gee and Miles.
Odds & Ends: Hennigan, Fields, Asik, Harden
Magic GM Rob Hennigan will not rule out Dwight Howard being on Orlando's roster come opening night, says Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins also thinks that Howard starting the season with the team could open up the possibility of the disgruntled center expanding his list of trade destinations or other teams improving their offers at that point. Here's more of what we've heard this evening…
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports examines the Gilbert Arenas provision and demonstrates how the Knicks and Bulls could have avoided facing hefty offer sheets to Landry Fields and Omer Asik this summer by signing them to three-year deals in 2010.
- Royce Young of DailyThunder.com says that fans shouldn't jump to conclusions about James Harden's recent comments about considering the Suns if he were a free agent. Harden, who attended Arizona State University before joining the NBA, is still eligible to sign an extension with the Thunder before October 31st and could thus avoid free agency next summer.
- Forward Omri Casspi is very happy to be a part of the Cavaliers and thinks the team has a very bright future, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News says that Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, and Jose Calderon all gave a "thumbs up" to recently-signed Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni (Twitter link).
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports discusses the challenge that NBA stars face amidst the NBA owners and FIBA working together to potentially re-direct its stars out of the Olympics and into a rebranded world championship tournament similar to the World Cup of soccer. The new Olympic format would involve a "23-and-under" competition, which would essentially prevent many NBA stars from being able to participate. Wojnarowski adds that the inefficacy of NBPA executive director Billy Hunter has only made the efforts to preserve the current Olympic format a more difficult task.
- Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW wonders if the Mavericks are improved after their additions this summer (Subscribers only). In a separate piece, Sefko explains why he thinks the team projects to win 47 games and finish sixth place in the Western Conference.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News writes that despite being teased by his Team USA teammates, Carmelo Anthony continues to reiterate his support for Jeremy Lin.
Odds & Ends: Cavs, Parker, Kirilenko, Fields
Every team in the NBA gets an equal number of home games and road games every year, but that doesn't guarantee equitability. Matt Moore of CBSSports.com goes in-depth on this year's slate, explaining how strength of schedule varies across the league. The Spurs, thanks to their annual rodeo road trip, have only two home games in February. The Clippers will go on an eight-game road trip while the Grammys occupy the Staples Center, but their rival Lakers only play seven road games during that time. The Magic will play the fewest sets of back-to-back games, with 13, while nine other teams have 22 back-to-backs. There's plenty more of note this evening from around the Association:
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld notes the Cavs still have the flexibility needed to acquire Andrew Bynum if three-team trade talks with the Lakers and Magic get going again (Sulia link).
- Tom Withers of the Associated Press catches up with Spurs point guard Tony Parker, who's taking a more cautious approach to life following the injury he sustained to his eye as a bystander to a nightclub brawl. Parker doesn't plan on letting the apprehensiveness carry over to his play, however.
- One NBA assistant coach tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune that Andrei Kirilenko is a better fit with Wolves coach Rick Adelman's offensive system than he was with former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's (Twitter link).
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld talks to Landry Fields, now with the Raptors after the Knicks declined to match his backloaded offer sheet. Fields reflected on his time in New York and says his new team feels optimistic about making the playoffs this year.
- Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com echoes the comments of former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy on ESPN 1000’s "Waddle & Silvy" show, calling for the Bulls to extend coach Tom Thibodeau's contract.
- Austin Rivers (right ankle) and Xavier Henry (right knee) have undergone surgeries, the Hornets announced on their website, but both will be ready in time for fall training camp.
T-Wolves, Cavs Favorites For Anthony Tolliver
JULY 27th, 6:09pm: The Wolves still consider Tolliver a "priority," but they want to make another move or two first, Tolliver's agent tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). It seems likely those moves involve the finalizing the agreed-upon deals for Brandon Roy and Greg Stiemsma. Tolliver remains in discussion with several teams, his agent says.
JULY 20th, 1:15pm: Tolliver, who hopes to sign within the next two weeks, told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida today that the Timberwolves and Cavs are still the frontrunners for him, but added that the Hawks, Mavericks, Bulls, and Wizards are also in the mix (Sulia links).
JULY 18th, 11:53am: Anthony Tolliver has spent the last two seasons in Minnesota, but now his future with the team is up in the air as the Timberwolves wait to see if their offer sheet for Nicolas Batum is matched. Larry Fox, Tolliver's agent, tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Sulia link) that he is in regular talks with four teams about his client, including the Cavaliers and the aforementioned T-Wolves.
"Minnesota has made it clear they want Anthony back," Fox said. "But we have to wait until the Batum situation resolves itself today and then also for them to finalize some transactions that have been discussed but not yet formalized."
If the Timberwolves were to bring back Tolliver, they would have to sign him using cap space or their room exception, since they renounced his rights in order to clear room for Batum's offer sheet.
Fox also classified the Cavs' interest as "serious" but said Cleveland had to work through some trade scenarios over the next couple days before moving forward on Tolliver — it's very possible those trade discussions involve the Magic and Lakers, as we heard earlier today. Tolliver's agent didn't name the other two teams he'd been talking to, but Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida reported last week (via Twitter) that the Bulls, Lakers, and Mavericks were eyeing Tolliver, so it's probably safe to assume that a couple of those clubs are still in the mix.
Lester Hudson Drawing Interest
Lester Hudson isn't exactly a household name, but he's appeared in 52 NBA games over the last three seasons, most recently impressing the Cavs on a pair of 10-day contracts before finishing out the 2011/12 season with the Grizzlies. Hudson remains unsigned so far this summer, but agent Tyler Glass tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link) that he feels good about Hudson finding an NBA job before training camps begin.
Glass declined to name specific teams that had expressed interest in his client, but according to Amico, the Thunder are believed to be among Hudson's potential suitors (Sulia link). Amico tweeted earlier this week that the Nuggets have some interest as well. It's unclear if either the Cavs or Grizzlies are interested in bringing Hudson back.
In 16 games in Cleveland and Memphis in 2011/12, Hudson averaged 10.9 points in 20.9 minutes per contest, recording a 13.9 PER. All those numbers were career highs for the 2009 second-rounder.