Cavs Notes: Free Agency, Irving
The latest news and notes surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday:
- Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says in a mailbag that it's too early to begin worrying about Kyrie Irving leaving the Cavaliers, saying that if the team surrounds him with the right pieces, there's a good chance he'll stay.
- Reed also believes that Ramon Sessions will be traded before the deadline, but that the Celtics' Rajon Rondo will not.
- Reed does not see the Cavs being in the mix for Wilson Chandler this summer if he hits restricted free agency.
- In another article, Reed examines the Cavs' upcoming cap flexibility, suggesting that Dan Gilbert may take a more conservative approach to free agency than in 2005, the last time the team had significant cap space.
- Reed also notes (via Twitter) tha Irving is close to making a decision as to whether or not to play for the Australian national team at the Summer Olympics in London.
Odds & Ends: Cavs, Udrih, Kings
Leave it to LeBron James to wind up in the spotlight again amidst Linsanity and the impending trade deadline. He passed up a potential game-winning shot against Utah to give the ball to Udonis Haslem instead, and Haslem missed to give the Jazz a 99-98 win. Still, as Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida points out, it was the first time James has ever gone back-to-back games without committing a turnover. James will surely be with the Heat for a while, but here are a few notes on more fluid situations:
- Changes are afoot for slumping Cleveland, where Cavs coach Byron Scott is giving thought to juggling his rotation and starting lineup after his team lost its fourth straight tonight, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. With the trade deadline approaching, the team must soon decide what to do with Ramon Sessions and Antawn Jamison, Amico says.
- Bucks backup point guard Beno Udrih would be on board with a trade if one happens, notes Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.
- ESPN's John Hollinger, writing from the Sloan Sports Analytics Conferences, says the numbers don't add up in the Kings arena deal. He believes the league provided financial support to the cash-strapped Maloof brothers so they could make their $73MM contribution to the deal. (Insider link)
- John Schuhmann of NBA.com rounded up Celtics coach Doc Rivers' irritated pregame remarks about the trade rumors swirling around his team. In particular, he took aim at the belief the Celtics are shopping Rajon Rondo and the "ridiculous" idea that Pau Gasol may be headed to Boston. For Rondo, whose name has come up in trade talks many times before, it feels like "deja vu," notes Andrew Perna of RealGM.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com looks at Celtics free agent signee Mickael Pietrus, who's finally displaying his all-around game now that he's healthy, Blakely says.
- Marc Gasol, used to fielding rumors involving his brother Pau, is surprised that Raptors point guard Jose Calderon, another Spanish Olympic teammate, is coming up in trade talk as well, reports Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun.
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News believes the Knicks have assembled their most talented roster in 12 years.
- Jeremy Lin isn't the only waiver pickup exceeding expectations for the Knicks, as Steve Novak has been a major beneficiary of his more famous teammate's play, as Ben Bolch examines in the Chicago Tribune.
- Former Clippers and current Suns coach Alvin Gentry admires the team the Clips have put together this year, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
- Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic points out that Suns guard Shannon Brown, who'll hit the free agent market this summer, has a deceptive career high of 8.9 PPG this year. This has also been one of his worst shooting seasons.
- Maturity is the difference between the Gerald Green who flamed out with the Celtics a few years ago and the player who just returned to the league with the Nets, observes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
Latest On Chandler, Sessions, Odom
Wilson Chandler, Ramon Sessions, and Lamar Odom have been in the news for a handful of reasons lately — one's a restricted free agent, one's a trade candidate, and one… well, it's hard to succinctly summarize Odom's current situation. Regardless, we have Friday updates on all three players, so let's round them up right here:
- Wilson Chandler: With the deadline to obtain an offer sheet from another team having passed, Chandler can only sign with the Nuggets if he wants to play in the NBA this season. Agent Chris Luchey tells Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post that he's still negotiating with the Nuggets, who are only interested in a multiyear deal. If the two sides don't reach an agreement, Chandler could sit out the rest of this NBA season and become a restricted free agent again in July.
- Ramon Sessions: Sessions' agent, Jared Karnes, tells Bob Finnan of the News-Herald that he and his client haven't asked the Cavaliers for a trade, though they're aware it's a possibility. According to Finnan, the Lakers and Hawks are the teams most interested in Sessions.
- Lamar Odom: As we heard yesterday, Odom will indeed join the Mavericks' D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, before he returns to the Mavs. The team confirmed the assignment in a press release. According to Dallas president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, the assignment was Odom's idea, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas. The 32-year-old will work out today with Mavs consultant Tim Grgurich, then join the Legends tomorrow.
Cavs Re-Sign Manny Harris
The Cavs have re-signed Manny Harris to a second 10-day contract, according to the team. Harris signed with the Cavs on February 21st, meaning his deal expired yesterday.
A good portion of Harris' first 10-day deal was chewed up by the All-Star break, and in the games the Cavs did play, Harris only saw six seconds of action (Tuesday against Boston). The 22-year-old had been averaging 21.4 PPG and 7.9 RPG for the D-League's Canton Charge this season, having twice been named the League's Performer of the Week.
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal first reported Cleveland would re-sign Harris. If the Cavs want to keep the 6'5" guard past March 11th, they'd need to sign him for the remainder of the season.
Latest On Ramon Sessions
HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy is reporting (via Twitter) that teams are continuing to inquire about Cavaliers guard Ramon Sessions, who has been long thought to be on the trading block. Kennedy notes that many of these teams view the 25-year-old Sessions as a starting-caliber point guard, and though he does not mention any specific teams interested, he says the Cavs are considering their options.
Sessions is averaging 10.3PPG and 5.3APG this season. His contract pays him approximately $4.2MM this year, and he holds a player option worth $4.5MM for 2012/13.
Amico On Rondo, Sessions, Watson, Warriors
In his latest piece for FOX Sports Ohio, Sam Amico talks Rajon Rondo, Ramon Sessions, and other trade candidates. Here's what Amico has for us:
- Amico hears from an NBA executive that the Celtics "hardly feel desperate" to trade Rondo, despite reports suggesting Boston is aggressively shopping its point guard. The same exec wonders if the Celtics could package Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal in the same deal.
- A source says it would be "a miracle" if Sessions is a Cavalier past the trade deadline, even though the team "wouldn’t be against keeping him." At one point, it seemed as if the Lakers may ramp up their pursuit of Sessions, but Amico's source isn't sure if that's happened yet.
- C.J. Watson is drawing interest, and while the Bulls are happy with his play, they'll listen to offers.
- Amico is the latest reporter to hear that a Monta Ellis-to-Orlando deal is highly unlikely, due to the Magic's lack of non-Dwight Howard assets.
Central Notes: Cavs, Bucks, Stuckey
The Bulls, with a five game lead over the Pacers, are the class of the Central Division, and tonight they're challenging their mettle against the red-hot Spurs. Here's a look at what's going on with some of the teams trying to chase down Chicago:
- The contract of Cavs big man Samardo Samuels is not guaranteed past this season, and coach Byron Scott says he'll have to step up his effort and energy to remain with the team, tweet Tom Reed and Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Samuels, who played 11 minutes last night against Boston but has otherwise fallen out of the Cavs rotation, seems at a loss, telling the Plain Dealer, "It's hard to determine where I'm at and what I need to do to get on the court. I don't know what I did to get off (the court)."
- Bucks swingman Stephen Jackson, a subject of trade rumors, has indicated before that he has a rocky relationship with coach Scott Skiles, but a frustrated Skiles is unwilling to go back and forth with him on the issue, tweets Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Deveney says Australian Andrew Bogut may not be healthy in time for the Olympics, but Adam Zagoria of SNY writes that Kyrie Irving, who was born in Melbourne before moving to the U.S. at age 2, is considering suiting up for Australia instead.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld takes a look at Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey, whom he calls the team's best trade asset.
Central Notes: Sessions, Jamison, Pacers, Pistons
Representatives of the Central Division didn't see much action in Sunday's All-Star Game, as Bulls forward Luol Deng and Pacers center Roy Hibbert received the fewest minutes of any Eastern Conference player. The division's only starter, Derrick Rose, played just over 18 minutes, significantly less than the 30+ minutes the East's other four starters logged. So to make up for the Central's lack of face time Sunday, let's round up a few Monday morning notes from the division…
- Bob Finnan of the News-Herald breaks down the Cavaliers' first half and looks ahead to the rest of the season. He says Ramon Sessions is expected to be traded, but Antawn Jamison isn't quite as likely to go, since he's one of the team's leaders.
- Roy Hibbert trusts the Pacers to make good decisions at the trade deadline, as he tells Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (Twitter link).
- In a Pistons.com mailbag, Keith Langlois answers questions about whether the Pistons could try to acquire Emeka Okafor or eventually take a flier on Greg Oden.
Cavs Notes: Sessions, Varejao, Jamison
The Cavs hit the All-Star break in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, at 13-18 and a game and a half back of the slumping Celtics. Here's what's buzzing with the team as it chases its first post-LeBron James playoff berth:
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald said the Cavs would prefer to get a first-round draft pick in a trade instead of veteran talent. Nonetheless, Marvin Williams' name has come up as a potential target, as he was drafted by former Hawks executive and current Cavs GM Chris Grant. A straight-up swap of Williams for Ramon Sessions, a rumor Finnan has been hearing, wouldn't work under the salary cap, but another deal is within the realm of possibility.
- Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Terry Pluto believes the Cavs are better off trading Sessions for a first-round pick rather than risking that he'll turn down a $4.55MM option for next season and seek a starting job as an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer answered reader questions and said that even though Anderson Varejao is likely off the table for this year's trade discussions, the high energy big man will likely be back in trade talks next season.
- While trade candidate Antawn Jamison could remain in Cleveland the rest of the season, Reed doubts Jamison, who's a free agent this summer, will return to the team in 2012/13.
- Finnan has another story on top-pick Kyrie Irving, who's reminding coach Byron Scott of a young Chris Paul. Scott, who also coached Jason Kidd during his prime in New Jersey, was Paul's first coach with the Hornets.
Teams With Cap Space
Earlier this morning, we heard that the Pacers are exploring the trade market in search of a roster addition or two. Indiana is in a unique situation, with an incredible amount of cap space and no obligation to spend to reach the minimum cap requirements. While the Pacers' current cap figure falls well short of the minimum required team salary (85% of the cap), James Posey's amnestied $7.6MM salary counts for floor purposes, so the Pacers can stand pat if they so choose.
Although no other club has nearly the cap room Indiana does this season, there are a handful of under-the-cap teams who could make a move without having to use a mid-level or trade exception. Let's run through them, from the team with the most cap space (Indiana) to the least (Houston).
Indiana Pacers
Approximate cap space: $14.27MM
I don't expect the Pacers to make any moves for players under contract past this season. Indiana has a number of players on rookie scale contracts who will start to get more expensive over the next couple years, so the team won't want to chew up future cap space unless it can land a young, talented player. A rental player on an expiring contract is more likely, and I still think Indiana makes sense as the most likely destination for Chris Kaman.
Sacramento Kings
Approximate cap space: $9.43MM
While the Kings have a relatively affordable squad, they don't have quite the same flexibility the Pacers do. With nearly all its players under contract through next season, Sacramento is poised to increase its cap figure significantly this summer if it hopes to sign its lottery pick and hang onto restricted free agents like Jason Thompson, J.J. Hickson, and Donte Greene. Between the Kings' lack of expiring deals and its spot near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, I don't think we'll see Sacramento taking advantage of its cap space this season. The Kings need to add about $723K to reach the minimum salary requirement, but that amount is minimal enough that they may simply accept the end-of-season surcharge.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Approximate cap space: $7.21MM
Here's an interesting case. While it's widely assumed Cleveland will be looking to trade players like Antawn Jamison and Ramon Sessions this March, I'm not sure that'll be the case. The team has talked repeatedly about wanting to gain playoff experience, and as the current ninth seed in the East, it's not out of the realm of possibility. With Jamison's salary coming off the books this summer, the Cavs could afford to add a player who is under contract past this season and still have a ton of cap space in future seasons. If the Cavs can find a player that helps them this season and isn't too expensive going forward, I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the trigger.
Toronto Raptors
Approximate cap space: $4.3MM
While the Raptors would probably love to use this cap room to sign Wilson Chandler to an offer sheet, any contract they offered Chandler could easily be matched by the Nuggets. If the Raptors make moves before the deadline, they're more likely to become sellers, gaining even more cap room to take advantage of this summer.
Washington Wizards
Approximate cap space: $2.17MM
Like the Raptors, the out-of-contention Wizards will be looking for deals that create even more cap space. They almost certainly won't use their remaining cap room to acquire anyone.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Approximate cap space: $1.2MM
Golden State Warriors
Approximate cap space: $813K
Houston Rockets
Approximate cap space: $777K
These three teams consider themselves playoff contenders, and should all be active on the trade market, trying to upgrade their rosters. However, their cap space isn't significant enough to play a major role in any trades.