Western Notes: Carter, Dwight, Trail Blazers
While we heard earlier today that Shawn Marion may not be entirely sure of what the future holds beyond this season, his Mavericks teammate Vince Carter feels eager to continue his NBA career as long as his body allows him to: "I don’t want to limit myself. I think doing that, you start thinking about it as the season goes on. I just go. I just let the body pretty much dictate how I feel at the end" (Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas). The 36-year-old guard/forward is entering the final year of his three-year contract this season, though MacMahon notes that team owner Mark Cuban has already gone on record saying he'd like to re-sign Carter this summer.
- Warriors owner Joe Lacob tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News that the team was much closer to landing Dwight Howard than people might think: "…we would not have gone after him if we didn’t think we had a chance or that it made sense…We were a lot closer than people realize to perhaps that actually happening."
- The Oregonian's Mike Tokito thinks Robin Lopez will not only help expedite the development of Meyers Leonard, but also provide a viable frontcourt partner for LaMarcus Aldridge on the opposite block. In another piece, Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports that Aldridge had sustained a strained hip flexor during practice last night. However, the Trail Blazers' PR Twitter account clarifies that the injury was a left quad strain (Twitter link). Head coach Terry Stotts, while somewhat concerned, doesn't believe it to be serious.
- Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press underscores the tough road that Timberwolves training camp hopeful Othyus Jeffers has had to endure to get to this point.
- Nuggets coach Brian Shaw is pleased with how his players have responded in training camp as he prepares to get the team to push the pace this season (Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post). In a separate article, Dempsey writes that JaVale McGee still has a ways to go before establishing himself as a legitimate post presence.
Training Camp Notes: Kobe, Marion, Price, Dedmon
Kobe Bryant will be heading back to Germany over the next several days to have platelet-rich plasma therapy treatment on his right knee, which is the same procedure that the Lakers superstar underwent in 2011 and credited with rejuvenating his career (Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports). One source tells Wojnarowski and Spears that the thinking behind pushing back the procedure until now is to give Kobe maximum benefit once he's able to return to action this season. Here's some more of the buzz coming from NBA training camps this evening:
- Mavericks forward Shawn Marion will become a free agent after this upcoming season, but there's no guarantee that the 35-year-old will continue his playing career beyond 2014, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
- Timberwolves training camp invitee A.J. Price is expected to make the team, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN in Minnesota.
- Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks that DeWayne Dedmon's size gives him a chance to make the Warriors' opening night roster.
- Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal explains why New York should keep recently-invited swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts on board for the regular season.
Southwest Notes: Calderon, Grizzlies, Evans
A few notes from around the Southwest Division.
- When the Mavericks signed free agent point guard Jose Calderon, they did so because they think he will shore up their inconsistent crunch time offense, writes ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon.
- The Memphis Commercial Appeal's Geoff Calkins writes about Grizzlies newcomer Nick Calathes—who was drafted out of the University of Florida in 2009 but has yet to play a minute in the NBA—as a possible solution for the team's recent woes with backup point guards.
- Pelicans head coach Monty Williams revealed his plans to use Tyreke Evans as an offensive weapon off the bench, writes NOLA.com's John Reid.
Aldridge On Hollins, Del Negro, Monroe, Rosas
TNT's David Aldridge, in his weekly column for NBA.com, caught up with a pair of coaches who find themselves out of work despite recent success. Former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins and ex-Clippers bench boss Vinny Del Negro both want to get back into coaching, but of the two, Hollins seems more upset over his dismissal.
"For me, it was just getting over, trying to digest what happened," Hollins said. "Like the beautiful girl when she was rejected, what did I do wrong? And when I analyzed it, I don't think I did anything wrong. I think they made a decision, and that was it. Now, whatever they may say, I don't think is what really [happened] behind the scenes. They wanted to hire somebody different."
Aldridge has more from Hollins, and he also passes along a few other tidbits from around the league, so let's dive in:
- Hollins would have been willing to take a discount to stay with the Grizzlies. "The market out there was $4MM [per year] for four years," he told Aldridge. "And I could have lived with that if they had come to me and said, 'We can't pay this.' But they never offered me a contract. Ever. They didn't talk to me for 10 days. But none of that really matters. It's their team, their money, and they can do what they want."
- It's "highly unlikely" that Greg Monroe will sign an extension with the Pistons before the October 31st deadline for him to do so, sources tell Aldridge. That's no surprise, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors has detailed.
- The Spurs wanted to bring Gersson Rosas to their front office before the Mavs hired him as GM this summer, according to Aldridge. Rockets GM Daryl Morey, under whom Rosas worked as VP of basketball operations, credits Rosas as "the driving force" behind the success Houston has had with its D-League affiliate.
Mavericks Sign Renaldo Balkman
SEPTEMBER 30TH: The Mavs have officially announced the signing via press release.
SEPTEMBER 25TH: The Mavericks have reached an agreement on a non-guaranteed contact with free agent Renaldo Balkman, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas. Balkman, who was said to be considering Dallas' offer as of earlier today, was the 20th pick of the 2006 NBA draft by the Knicks.
Balkman will fill the Mavs' 20th and last roster spot for training camp and certainly fits the profile of the type of "active defensive-minded bodies" the team is said to be interested in. However, it will take some manuevering for Balkman, or any other Mav without a guarantee, to make the team considering Dallas already has 15 players with guaranteed deals on the roster.
Balkman, 29, last appeared in the league in 2011/12 with New York, where he played in only 14 games. Last season he averaged impressive numbers (25 PPG and 13.4 RPG) in the Philippine Basketball Association before he was banned for a year in March after choking a teammate. His career NBA averages are 4 PPG and 3.5 RPG over six seasons out of South Carolina.
Western Notes: Wolves, Mavs, Lakers, Cousins
As a number of NBA teams hold their annual fall Media Days, let's check in on a few items out of the Western Conference….
- With Chase Budinger expected to be sidelined with a knee injury for the near future, the Timberwolves are getting calls about potential replacements, says Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter). According to Wolfson, Josh Howard is one possibility, but the Wolves aren't making any moves for now.
- Mavericks GM Gersson Rosas sat down with Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com to talk about analytics, his transition from the Rockets, and the advantages of a one-to-one D-League affiliation. He admits that the Mavs must catch a few breaks to be successful this season, pointing to defense and rebounding as weaknesses (video links).
- According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni and executive Jeanie Buss are now on the same page, despite the fact that Buss had initially hoped to see Phil Jackson hired by the team.
- DeMarcus Cousins' contract extension with the Kings, which was officially announced today, is built on trust between Cousins and the team's new ownership group, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
Odds & Ends: Union, Turner, DiLeo, Nowitzki
The NBPA has retained Reilly Partners Inc. to help conduct a search for a new executive director to replace Billy Hunter, the union announced today (link via The Associated Press). Steve Mills was reportedly the leading candidate for the position before he accepted the Knicks' GM job this week. According to Brain Mahoney of the Associated Press (via Twitter), the union may want to build a list of about 10 candidates before making a decision. That's far from the only position up for grabs around the league as training camps open. Here's the latest:
- Evan Turner told reporters at Sixers media day today that he "was ready" to be traded at one point and was just hoping it would be to someplace warm, tweets Tom Moore of Calkins Media (Twitter link). It appears as though Turner was bracing for the possibility, rather than hoping for it.
- Former Sixers GM Tony DiLeo is set to become a scout for the Wizards, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- Dallas GM Gersson Rosas indicated today that Dirk Nowitzki could play another four or five years in a Mavericks uniform, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. "The vision for us is we want to maximize Dirk's career here,'' Rosas said.
- Rosas, who has experience as the GM of the Rockets D-League affiliate, also wants to make the D-League a key component of his strategy with the Mavs, Price notes.
- Jared Jeffries tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that multiple NBA teams offered him the chance to continue his playing career, but the former lottery pick decided to take a scouting job with the Nuggets that puts him "on the fast track" to becoming a GM.
- Three NBA clubs have shown interest in guard Tre Kelley, agent Giovanni Funiciello tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Kelley is without official NBA experience, but he went to camp with the Thunder in 2009 and the Grizzlies in 2010.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Aldridge, Kanter, Gallinari, Pau
Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge relays a portion of the transcript from a radio interview between Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports and John Canzano of 750 AM The Game as it relates to trade rumors surrounding LaMarcus Aldridge. Wojnarowski believes that while the circumstances could change, he can't imagine Aldridge leaving Portland in the foreseeable future and adds that the team hasn't shopped him. He's also not sure if the market is currently presenting anything worth trading for and doesn't think Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey is likely to deal the 6'11 big man for pennies on the dollar. Here are more miscellaneous notes out of the Western Conference tonight, including a handful of injury updates:
- Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW thinks that while the Mavericks could be okay this year, he's concerned about two to three years down the line when the team might not have any young stars to build around.
- In a piece for The Oregonian, Canzano says that he wants someone from the Trail Blazers to step up and guarantee a playoff berth.
- Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Jazz big man Enes Kanter has looked great in workouts, has had no issues with his shoulder, and participated in 5-on-5 scrimmages today for the first time since his injury (Twitter links).
- Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw wouldn't commit to any projected recovery timetable for injured forward Danilo Gallinari, saying that it isn't "anything that anyone can determine at this point" (Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post).
- Mark Medina of InsideSocal passes along an injury update from Lakers forward Pau Gasol, who looks to be fully healthy heading into this season after a summer of much-need rest and rehab.
- In a piece for Sports Illustrated, Ben Golliver made note that Rockets guard James Harden believes that he is a top-10 player (hat tip to Comcast Sportsnet Houston): "For sure. Last year I got a chance to prove it, I kind of broke out of the shell a little bit. Even though it was my first year (as a starter), I've got a lot more to prove. I've always kind of been the underdog, always been looked over, so it's nothing new."
- Sean Meagher of OregonLive.com provides season previews for the Thunder and Jazz with help from Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK and Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune, respectively.
- Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com continued his list of reasons to be excited about training camp in New Orleans, listing a fresh start for Tyreke Evans at number five.
Mavs Notes: Ellis, Carmichael, Rosas
After missing out on their top free agent target for the second straight year, the Mavericks signed a handful of players to multiyear contracts this summer. Among them: Monta Ellis, who has a chance to be one of the more dangerous backcourt scorers to play in Dallas for the last several years. Appearing on the Ben & Skin Show on ESPN 103.3 FM in Dallas, Ellis indicated that he's excited to be in Dallas and is "happy to be a Maverick."
"I chose this place because, of all the options that I had, I felt like this was the best chance and the best opportunity for me to be on that elite state," Ellis said. "They're a great organization. They got a hall of fame player in Dirk [Nowitzki], so without the defense focused mostly on me, I can expand my game a little bit more."
Here's more on Ellis and the Mavs:
- The Dallas Morning News has a few more quotes from Ellis, including his thoughts on playing with Nowitzki and his first impressions upon meeting head coach Rick Carlisle.
- Undrafted rookie Jackie Carmichael played for the Mavs' Summer League squad, and the team would have liked to add him to its training camp roster, but it didn't work out, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. "Unfortunately, I think financially he was looking for a good opportunity overseas," Mavs GM Gersson Rosas said of Carmichael. "So that’s why we couldn’t get him here, but we tried." As our international tracker shows, the former Illinois State forward is ticketed for Spain this season.
- Rosas also tells Price that, after moving to the Mavs from the Rockets' front office earlier this year, he has "got the red out of his system" and is feeling like a Maverick.
Odds & Ends: LeBron, Mavs, Lopez, Hamilton
The Cavs made a bit of a boo boo this week when they put together their list of all-time Cavs players by number. One would think that No. 23 would be a slam dunk choice for a guy by the name of LeBron James, but the nod instead went to Tyrone Corbin, as noted by Sean Highkin of USA Today. Meanwhile, the Cavs reached out to the Plain Dealer (on Twitter) to explain that the list was not meant to reflect the best player to wear each number. Here's more from around the Association..
- The Mavs bench production was the best in the NBA last season but it could be even more formidable in 2013/14, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. This summer, Dallas added Wayne Ellington, Devin Harris and DeJuan Blair to support their starting five.
- Nets center Brook Lopez, who had a screw replaced in his surgically-repaired right foot over the summer, says he's totally healthy and ready for camp, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- HoopsHype runs down the best remaining free agents available. Richard Hamilton has the top spot followed by Stephen Jackson, Lamar Odom, and Sebastian Telfair.
- Commissioner-in-training Adam Silver doesn't see the value in tanking, but Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld says that it's not going away anytime soon.