Eastern Rumors: Blue, Brown, Chris Smith
The Heat could again be the class of the NBA, while the Sixers have a strong shot at the league's worst record. Still, it appears they were competing over at least one player this offseason. Here's more on that and the rest of the day's news from the Eastern Conference.
- Undrafted rookie Vander Blue had an offer to join the Heat for camp before he signed instead with the Sixers, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Kwame Brown is a buyout candidate, but if he and the Sixers part ways this season, it won't be because he negatively affected the young team's chemistry, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Chris Smith acknowledges the public perception that there's nepotism at play behind his presence at Knicks camp for the second straight year, but J.R. Smith's brother tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com that he simply uses it as motivation.
- Pistons players are welcoming the coaching change from Lawrence Frank to Maurice Cheeks, with some of them citing Cheeks' playing experience as a plus, notes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
Odds & Ends: Pistons, Budinger, Hardaway, Kings
The Pistons have engaged in discussions about acquiring exclusive control of an NBA D-League team, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. The Pistons' share their current affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, with the Bobcats, Pacers, Grizzlies, Bucks, and Magic. Here's more from around the Association..
- It looks like Chase Budinger's left knee issue isn't as bad as initially thought, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). Meanwhile, the T'Wolves are getting calls from representatives about the likes of Mickael Pietrus and DeShawn Stevenson. They'll decide on signing a free agent over the next week or so.
- Of the current 547 NBA players under contract, 398 played in the NBA last year, 62 come from NCAA teams, and 28 are from the D-League, according to Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival (via Twitter). Porcaro and Hoops Rumors teamed up in September to launch the Hoops Rumors International Player Movement Tracker.
- Tim Hardaway Jr. is showing great poise and professionalism as a rookie,writes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
- The Kings are loaded with guards, but Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee wants to see Jimmer Fredette get another opportunity to step up.
Central Notes: Billups, Bulls, Copeland
A few notes from the Central Division.
- In his first year back with the Pistons, Chauncey Billups says he wants to play with the ball in his hands most of the time he's on the court, despite the team already having point guard Brandon Jennings, writes FreeP.com's Vince Ellis.
- Pacers head coach Frank Vogel announced today that he'll play incoming free agent Chris Copeland at the power forward spot "90% of the time," according to the Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner.
- Bulls.com's Adam Fluck writes about the team's new starting backcourt of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, which should be one of the team's major strong points in the upcoming season.
Eastern Notes: Kirilenko, Bucks, Collins, Magic
Let's round up a few Tuesday items out of the Eastern Conference….
- In a column on the Nets' addition of Andrei Kirilenko, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report details the veteran forward's time on the open market, which initially saw him turn down overtures from the Nets. According to Zwerling, Kirilenko drew some interest from the Warriors and Spurs, and was in talks with three non-playoff teams for larger salaries before he reconsidered Brooklyn's mini mid-level offer.
- Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel rounds up several comments from Bucks owner Herb Kohl about the possibility of a new arena in Milwaukee, the offseason roster overhaul, and his aversion to tanking.
- ESPN.com's Marc Stein explains why Jason Collins isn't in camp with an NBA team, and identifies three clubs that could be fits for the big man once the season gets underway, including the Wizards and Nets.
- Player development is the primary focus in Orlando, but Magic executives tell Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld that the team doesn't view developing young players and winning games as mutually exclusive.
- Pistons rookie forward Tony Mitchell is probably headed for a D-League stint at some point this season, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
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.
Eastern Notes: Juwan Howard, Pistons, Sixers
Juwan Howard has been on the Heat's roster for parts of the last three seasons, but each year, he returns in a more diminished role. In 2013/13, the veteran big man appeared in only seven regular-season games, essentially acting as a player-coach on the bench. For the coming season, it appears that Miami will finally make that transition to coach official for Howard.
According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter), Howard is among those expected to join Erik Spoelstra's staff with the Heat. We'll have to wait for further confirmation from Howard and the team, but it appears that, after winning rings in each of the last two seasons, the 40-year-old's playing career may finally be coming to an end.
Here's more from around the East:
- Dan Craig is also expected to be hired to Spoelstra's staff, while Keith Askins will likely assume a non-coaching role for the Heat, adds Winderman (via Twitter).
- Anthony Mason Jr., the son of the former Knicks and Hornets forward, appears set to play for the Knicks' D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks. Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside has the details, via St. John's basketball.
- David Mayo of MLive.com figures that it would take "multiple pieces" in return to prompt the Pistons to trade Greg Monroe, as he writes in his latest mailbag. Monroe is entering the final year of his rookie contract, which will make him eligible for restricted free agency next summer if he's not extended next month.
- Former Villanova standout Curtis Sumpter appears to be in line to join the Sixers' coaching staff, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Central Notes: Pistons, Monroe, Deng, Cavs
With just over one week left until the NBA's preseason schedule gets underway, let's catch up on a few odds and ends from around the Central Division….
- The Pistons and GM Joe Dumars must be prepared to either give Greg Monroe a max deal or trade him, according to Dan Feldman of PistonPowered (link via Detroit Free Press). If Monroe hits restricted free agency next summer, which appears likely, another team will almost certainly offer him a max deal, so the Pistons shouldn't let it get to that point if they don't intend to match, says Feldman.
- Luol Deng told reporters today, including Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com, that he doesn't expect to be distracted by his upcoming free agency this season. "Honestly I would rather not talk about [my contract situation]," Deng said. "Everything will take care of itself." (Twitter links).
- The Cavaliers made a couple front office changes, promoting Trent Redden to assistant GM and Koby Altman to director of player personnel, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
Eastern Links: Wizards, Pistons, Heat, Raps, Bulls
The Wizards have a number of option decisions due before the end of the month, and not all of them will be easy, as J. Michael of CSNWashington.com writes. Jan Vesely is coming off a disappointing year, and Chris Singleton has been sidelined by foot surgery, but president Ernie Grunfeld says the team already has a pretty good idea of where its players stand.
"We have a good feel for where [Singleton] is and what he brings to the table and it is an important year for these guys," Grunfeld said. "That's a decision we'll make at the appropriate time which will probably be at the end of [October]."
Here's more from around the East:
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News breaks down a few of the issues the Pistons need to address during training camp, including Brandon Jennings' fit, Greg Monroe's contract situation, and coaxing positive contributions out of Rodney Stuckey.
- The Heat had been hoping to bring in Rodrigue Beaubois "for an audition," but a wrist injury prevented it, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. It's not clear whether Miami would have invited Beaubois to camp or just had him in for a workout, but either way, the possibility doesn't seem to be on the table at the moment.
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses the importance of a title for the Heat's potential 2014 free agents, and examines the possibility of a Joel Anthony trade.
- New GM Masai Ujiri is taking a patient approach to retooling the Raptors' roster, and tells Eric Koreen of the National Post that he hopes to eventually wake a "sleeping giant" in Toronto.
- The Bulls may not be the favorites to come out of the East, but there's certainly no shortage of talent and depth on the roster as Chicago prepares to open camp, says Sam Smith of Bulls.com. Smith also fields readers' questions in a mailbag.
Pistons Links: Monroe, Coaching Staff, Cheeks
As the new-look Pistons prepare to get training camp underway next week, let's check in on a few of the latest items out of Detroit….
- Speaking to reporters today, including David Mayo of MLive.com, Greg Monroe cautioned that he doesn't intend to discuss his contract in the coming weeks or months. Monroe will be a restricted free agent next summer if he doesn't sign an extension before Halloween, and as I wrote earlier today, agent David Falk typically prefers to take his clients to the open market.
- More Monroe on his contract situation: "I have an agent, like everybody else in the NBA. He's going to communicate with the front office. I'm here to play. And that's it. I'm not going to talk about it. If you ask about it, I'm going to tell you I'm not going to talk about it."
- The Pistons finalized their coaching staff today, announcing the hirings of assistants Henry Bibby and Maz Trakh. Rasheed Wallace and Bernard Smith were also named player development coaches.
- When Maurice Cheeks was hired as the Pistons head coach, he expressed a preference for coaching a team that forces turnovers and gets out and runs. As Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes, the team's offseason additions, including Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings, should complement Cheeks' preferred coaching style.
Central Notes: Granger, Thibodeau, Pistons
A few notes from around the Central Division.
- Lang Greene of HoopsWorld spoke to a leading surgeon and sports medicine expert about Danny Granger's health, and how it will affect his on-court contributions going forward.
- According to the Detroit Free Press' Keith Langlois, the Pistons likely won't invite any more than the 15 players they currently have under contract to training camp.
- Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau speaks to HoopsWorld.com's Yannis Koutroupis about the new challenges his team will face this season, including improved competition in the Central Division.