Eastern Notes: Jennings, Brown, Nets
Brandon Jennings isn’t expected back from his torn left Achilles tendon until mid- to late December, writes Kevin Bull of the Detroit Free Press. That’s in contrast to a July report indicating that Jennings thought he would be ready for the start of training camp but more in line with recent comments from Jennings in which he expressed uncertainty about camp and said that he wouldn’t be back at his usual level of performance until December at the earliest. In any case, Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said last week on WMGC-FM that he’s optimistic that Jennings and Reggie Jackson can play with each other if Jennings regains his form, as Bull relays.
“If he comes back and he’s the Brandon Jennings that we had last year, I think those guys can play together quite well,” Van Gundy said. “Reggie is big enough (6’3″) to guard guys off the ball and everything else. It just gives you two playmakers on the floor together. I think they can be pretty dynamic, but we’ll just have to see where Brandon is when he comes back.”
See more on the Pistons amid the latest from the Eastern Conference:
- Van Gundy signaled a willingness to keep the core of the Pistons intact for the long-term, telling WMGC-FM that the roster “has a chance now, if we lock people up long-term, to grow together,” Bull notes.
- Brett Brown has no regrets about taking the Sixers job even though he admits the losing has been painful, and he doesn’t seem at all interested in pushing for an extension and disrupting the ethic of patience that pervades the organization, observes Ian Thomsen of NBA.com. “I signed a four-year contract [in 2013] and my intention is to see that through,” Brown said to Thomsen. “I love the city of Philadelphia. I enjoy and trust the people that I work with and for, and the opportunity that I have. I am grateful for the partnership. To be honest with you, I don’t feel comfortable talking about a contract. I just want to do my job.”
- The Nets are close to a local TV rights deal with the YES Network that is expected to at least double the annual fee the team collects, as John Ourand and John Lombardo of SportsBusiness Journal report (hat tip to NetsDaily). The would-be deal is poised to give the Nets an average of around $40MM a year starting in 2017/18, Ourand and Lombardo hear. Brooklyn has been receiving less on its local TV deal than any other New York or Los Angeles team, and it amounted to not much more than the Timberwolves get from theirs, a league source told NetsDaily, which notes that the arrangement is yet another part of the efforts the Nets have undertaken to become profitable.
Eastern Notes: Bullock, Pistons, Pacers
Reggie Bullock, a solid shooter who was traded to the Pistons during the summer, believes it will be his defense that helps him stick with Detroit, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. Bullock is one of 17 players with a fully guaranteed deal with the Pistons, as our roster count shows. In a crowded wing field, Langlois adds, Bullock is likely the best shooter of those on the bubble for the last spot or two.
Here’s more news from around the Eastern Conference:
- Speaking of Detroit, the Pistons, after some decisions during the summer, now resemble the team coach/executive Stan Van Gundy wanted to create when he took over two years ago, Shaun Powell writes in his 30 teams in 30 days series for NBA.com. By subtracting Greg Monroe and, perhaps, overspending on Reggie Jackson, the Pistons have a very athletic and young core. With that, Powell believes the Pistons are in position to make a decent playoff run this season.
- Continuing his series with a look at the Pacers, Powell writes that Indiana is likely in what’s considered no-man’s land in the league: in between good and really bad. While the Pacers’ addition of Monta Ellis should help, Powell writes that Ellis is only a temporary solution. That’s because, as Powell points out, Ellis is not the most efficient shooter and he’s with his third team in four years.
Central Notes: Tellem, Thompson, Parker
Arn Tellem, who was recently hired as the new vice chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment, is also likely to become a minority owner of the Pistons by the year’s end, writes Tom Walsh of The Detroit Free Press. This was one of the factors that motivated Tellem to leave the Wasserman Media Group, Walsh adds. “I’m coming here to make a difference,” Tellem said. “If it was just limited to basketball, it would not be enough of a motivation to come and do it, but to have an involvement from an ownership level in basketball and the business and the community and see where we can make a difference and contribute to what’s going on here in Detroit and Michigan.”
Regarding a potential ownership stake in he franchise, Tellem said, “That was part of the plan when I came in. My hope is now that by the end of the year, we’re going to hopefully have a piece of the action. [Owner] Tom’s [Gores] desire is to have this team long-term for him and his family and to really accomplish a lot here — not only winning basketball games, but to make a difference in the community here.”
Here’s more out of the Central Division:
- In move that doesn’t come as a shock, restricted free agent Tristan Thompson won’t be attending the pre-training camp workouts that LeBron James has organized for the Cavaliers in Miami, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group notes. Thompson, who has reportedly rejected a five-year, $80MM contract offer from the Cavaliers, is adamant that he will not put pen to paper on a new pact unless it is a maximum salary deal and is contemplating signing his one-year qualifying offer worth $6,777,589 if a deal can’t be worked out between the two sides.
- Bucks forward Jabari Parker‘s rehab from a torn ACL suffered 25 games into the 2014/15 campaign is going well, though it is unclear if he will be at full strength when the regular season tips off, Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders writes. But even if Parker is close to 100%, the team intends to be protective of the second-year player, Blancarte adds. “We’re going to be very conservative with him,” GM John Hammond said. “If we think he’s capable of playing 20, we’ll maybe play him 10 minutes. If we think he can play a back-to-back, we’ll wait on the back-to-back. Whatever it is, we’re going to be very cautious as he moves forward because of the magnitude of who he can be and who we hope he can be for our organization going forward.”
Kings Re-Sign Eric Moreland
SEPTEMBER 10TH, 7:57am: The signing has taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the Kings have yet to make an official announcement. In any case, Moreland’s partial guarantee is $200K, according to former Nets executive Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
SEPTEMBER 3RD, 1:51pm: The Kings and Eric Moreland have reached agreement on a new one-year deal that contains a “significant” partial guarantee, sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Charania reported Sunday that the Pistons were the front-runners for the one-year NBA veteran, with the Lakers and Sacramento also in the running, but it appears the Kings closed the gap to secure the power forward they released in July. They would have had to fully guarantee his salary if they had held on to him at that point. That contract called for him to make the minimum salary, and while it’s unclear how much Sacramento has agreed to give him this time, the Kings have the $2.814MM room exception available to exceed the minimum if necessary.
The Relativity Sports client had an abbreviated first year as a pro, having suffered a labral tear in his left shoulder in December that forced him out for the rest of this past season. He’d only made his way into three games for the Kings, but he showed his value as a rebounder in the D-League, pulling down 12.7 boards in 28.7 minutes per game across seven appearances. Moreland averaged 10.3 RPG in 29.4 MPG in his final college season at Oregon State, but he went undrafted in 2014.
Similarities between Moreland’s playing style and that of Willie Cauley-Stein, whom Sacramento drafted sixth overall this year, apparently helped lead the Kings to waive Moreland earlier this summer, but front office chief Vlade Divac made it clear early last month that the team maintained interest in bringing him back. The Lakers reportedly worked him out shortly thereafter.
Sacramento has 14 fully guaranteed salaries, plus a deal with Vince Hunter that’s reportedly partially guaranteed and a non-guaranteed contract with David Stockton. Marshall Henderson apparently has a camp deal with the team, though it’s unclear what level of guaranteed salary, if any, is involved with that.
Do you think Moreland will make the opening night roster? Leave a comment to tell us.
Eastern Notes: Pacers, Knicks, Kaun
One of the main reasons that the Pacers decided to forge ahead with the purchase of the D-League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants was the rising salaries of NBA players, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star relays (Twitter links). Team owner Herb Simon said that the Pacers will need young players to go along with the higher paid players on the roster, and that those young players would need development, which purchasing the Mad Ants would help facilitate, Buckner adds.
Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference:
- The Knicks are unquestionably a better team than a season ago, but just about every other team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference also improved this offseason, opines Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Facebook link). Bontemps also noted that he expects New York to struggle to compete for the final playoff spot in the East, which would result in the possibility that the team would look to deal small forward Carmelo Anthony to a contender at the trade deadline.
- The majority of the Pistons‘ roster is now comprised of players acquired by executive/coach Stan Van Gundy, and this season’s focus will be in determining which of those players will have long-term futures with the team, writes Shaun Powell of NBA.com in his 30 Teams, 30 Days series.
- Sasha Kaun‘s two-year deal with the Cavaliers will see him earn $1,276,000 in 2015/16 and $1,333,240 during the final season, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Both seasons are fully guaranteed, Pincus adds. Reports initially conflicted on whether the contract would include a player option, and Pincus confirms that it does not.
- Kendall Marshall will earn approximately $2.1MM this season courtesy of his deal with the Sixers, and his salary is fully guaranteed, Pincus tweets.
Joe Johnson Switches Agents
Joe Johnson has split with the Wasserman Media Group amid the departure of longtime agent Arn Tellem and has joined forces with Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management, a source tells NetsDaily (Twitter links). Johnson, set for free agency next summer, had felt a kinship with Tellem, as NetsDaily notes, and had been with him since he entered the 2001 draft. Tellem changed careers this summer to become an executive with the Pistons organization.
LaMarcus Aldridge made the same Wasserman-to-Excel move after signing his new four-year max deal with the Spurs this summer, but losing Johnson figures to have a greater short-term pinch on Wasserman, since Aldridge’s commission still goes to them. Excel is in line for the percentage, usually 3%, associated with negotiating Johnson’s next deal.
Tellem secured a six-year max contract worth more than $123.658MM for Johnson in 2010, a deal hailed even then, when Johnson was coming off five straight seasons of having averaged 20-plus points per game, as a decidedly player-friendly arrangement. His scoring average hasn’t eclipsed 18.8 PPG since, but the 34-year-old still remains a productive player, having been the second-leading scorer for Brooklyn this past season while pulling down 4.8 rebounds per contest, more than he had in 10 years.
Schwartz is no stranger to the Nets or prominent NBA clients. He represents Jarrett Jack and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and he was also the agent for former Nets coach Jason Kidd, as NetsDaily points out (on Twitter). Ex-Nets Deron Williams and Paul Pierce are Schwartz clients, as are Al Jefferson and Brandon Jennings, two other veterans for whom the agent is in line to negotiate next summer.
The move puts one more step of distance between the Pistons and Johnson after a report close to the trade deadline indicated that Detroit had engaged the Nets in trade talks about the veteran scorer. Johnson, given his salary of nearly $24.895MM this season and Brooklyn’s ability to escape the luxury tax with other moves, appears likely to stay put this year.
What do you think Johnson will make on a new deal next summer? Leave a comment to tell us.
And-Ones: Porzingis, Pistons, Harrington
Kristaps Porzingis has gained 11 pounds so far this summer after Knicks president Phil Jackson expressed concern over the rookie’s frame last month, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Jackson previously told ESPN.com’s Charley Rosen that he was concerned Porzingis may have trouble putting on enough muscle to play in the low post. Porzingis has shown a strong work ethic in trying to alleviate those concerns, Berman adds after speaking with Audie Norris, who coached Porzingis last season in Spain.
In other news around the league:
- Eric Griffin, who reportedly agreed to a deal with the Pistons, expects to see some minutes in Detroit, Seth Ferranti of Slamonline.com writes. It won’t be easy for the 25-year-old to remain on the roster for the beginning of the regular season, however. Detroit currently has 18 players on its roster aside from Griffin.
- Croatia’s Dragan Bender is the most highly-touted international player in the 2016 draft class, according to Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. The 7’1” power forward has a nice mix of back-to-the-basket moves and outside range and could be a top five pick, Brigham continues. Bender is expected to play in a battle of Euroleague powers in two exhibition games on American soil next month. Shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz of Turkey could also be a lottery pick, according to Brigham, who writes that Korkmaz plays with a swagger and can shoot from virtually anywhere on the floor.
- Longtime NBA power forward Al Harrington is still looking for work as a coach, J. Michael of the Wizards Insider reports. Harrington had a brief stint with the Nuggets late last season, serving under interim coach Melvin Hunt, but was not retained when Michael Malone was hired as head coach. Harrington last played in the NBA with the Wizards two seasons ago.
Dana Gauruder contributed to this report.
Central Notes: Kaun, Irving, Baynes, Pistons
The first season of Sasha Kaun’s two-year deal with the Cavaliers will be valued at $1.2MM, according to Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. That’ll come out of the taxpayer’s mid-level exception, since the rookie minimum is only $525,093. The Cavs had been carrying a $1.276MM portion of the mid-level after signing Mo Williams, so it appears they’re using most of the rest on Kaun. Cleveland believes it’s important to sign the 30-year-old center for two seasons because of uncertainty among its centers and power forwards, Pluto writes. Tristan Thompson remains unsigned and is rumored to be considering a one-year deal. Timofey Mozgov will become an unrestricted free agent next summer and could get an offer in excess of $100MM. Anderson Varejao and Kevin Love are both coming off serious injuries, and the Cavaliers may want to limit their playing time early in the season, so they may need Kaun to contribute right away.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Despite the decent chance that Kyrie Irving is out until January, the Cavs expect he’ll be ready to play before then, Pluto writes in the same story. The star guard, who is recovering from a fractured kneecap suffered during the NBA Finals, can also expect to see a minutes restriction once he returns to action. The signing of Williams allows the team to take some of the strain off Irving.
- Aron Baynes could be an important addition for the Pistons as a backup to Andre Drummond, writes David Mayo of MLive. Responding to a question in his mailbag column, Mayo said he expects Baynes, who signed with Detroit as a free agent this summer, to outperform the numbers he put up in San Antonio. Mayo mentions Spencer Dinwiddie, who will be the backup point guard to start the season with Brandon Jennings still recovering from an Achilles injury, as another player who could surprise.
- In the same piece, Mayo picks Reggie Bullock and Adonis Thomas as the most likely “on the bubble” players to earn a spot on Detroit’s roster. The Pistons currently have 17 players with fully guaranteed contracts.
Los Angeles Rumors: Bryant, Hibbert, Young, Pierce
Kobe Bryant’s continued presence on the Lakers’ roster has kept the franchise in a holding pattern, Shaun Powell of NBA.com opines. Bryant’s $25MM contract this season hampered them from signing a top-level free agent and none of them wanted to join the Lakers anyway just to play one season with Bryant, Powell continues. Bryant, who might retire at the end of the season, could play a valuable role in the rebuilding process by mentoring his younger teammates, Powell adds.
There’s more out of Los Angeles:
- Roy Hibbert’s lack of speed could be a larger liability in the Western Conference, argues J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The Lakers acquired Hibbert from Indiana in a July 9th deal, sending a future second-round draft pick to the Pacers in return. While Hibbert may increase the Lakers’ talent level, his plodding style of play could leave him lagging behind other teams in the conference, and Michael fears that coach Byron Scott may be stubborn enough to try to match him up with players such as the Warriors’ Draymond Green.
- Nick Young of the Lakers and Paul Pierce of the Clippers are among the players projected to decline next season by Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. Greene expects Young’s minutes, shots and overall role to regress with the addition of Lou Williams and D’Angelo Russell as well as Bryant’s return from injury. The writer expects Pierce, who left the Wizards to sign with the Clippers as a free agent, to have his first season averaging below double figures in scoring. Also on Greene’s list are the Pistons’ Brandon Jennings, the Nets’ Joe Johnson, the Bulls’ Pau Gasol, the Hawks’ Kyle Korver, the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili, the Raptors’ Terrence Ross and the Heat’s Dwyane Wade.
Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.
Eastern Rumors: Haslem, Pistons, Smart
Udonis Haslem is unlikely to be part of the Heat’s rotation this season, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel opines. Winderman points out that Hassan Whiteside, Chris Andersen and Amar’e Stoudemire are Miami’s top options at center while Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts should receive a majority of the minutes at power forward. Haslem could see his role expand if the Heat trade either Andersen or McRoberts, Winderman adds. Haslem’s spot on the roster is secure, as he is signed for a guaranteed $2.9MM.
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- Platinum Equity founder and Pistons owner Tom Gores is buying his firm’s stake in the team, which would give him 100% ownership of the franchise, sources with knowledge of the transaction have informed Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News (story hosted by The Detroit News). Gores, who currently owns 51% of the franchise, is the founder and CEO of the company he’s purchasing the shares from, so his level of control is not likely to change significantly as a result of the deal. The league has already approved the transaction, though it has yet to be officially announced, Soshnick adds.
- Celtics point guard Marcus Smart has been named in a lawsuit filed by former Oklahoma State guard Stevie Clark, accusing Smart of “hazing and disrespect,” A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports. In the lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Clark alleges that head coach Travis Ford put him on drugs, without his consent, after he expressed frustration to Ford about the alleged hazing from Smart, Blakely continues. The complaint also names the university, its Board of Regents and Ford, Blakely adds.
- The Knicks’ 17-win season in 2014/15 has affected their ticket sales for the upcoming season, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. According to a Madison Square Garden spokesman, season tickets were renewed at an 87% rate, compared to 92% last summer, Berman continues. If the Knicks get off to a poor start, their 201-game sellout streak could be in danger, Berman adds.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this report.