Eastern Notes: Heat, Irving, Rasheed, Pistons
We looked at news from the Western Conference already, so here's a trip around Eastern Conference camps, with the start of the regular season just a dozen nights away.
- Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald thought a few days ago that Terrel Harris was a shoo-in for a spot on the Heat roster, but now believes Garrett Temple has a legitimate chance to beat him out (Twitter link). Both guards are on non-guaranteed deals.
- Kyrie Irving did plenty to justify his position as the top pick in the 2011 draft last season, when he won Rookie of the Year honors, but Cavs coach Byron Scott still believes he has a long way to go to realize his potential, as Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes.
- Marc Berman of the New York Post has details on Rasheed Wallace's contract with the Knicks, and confirms that it's without even a partial guarantee.
- Joe Dumars is the league's third-longest tenured executive in charge of player personnel decisions, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors pointed out yesterday, and the Pistons president of basketball operations told Keith Langlois of Pistons.com he's never been as impressed with his players' offseason work as he is this year (Twitter link).
- Nets coach Avery Johnson said he expects free agent signee Jerry Stackhouse, a few weeks shy of his 38th birthday, to make his primary contribution as a locker room presence, a la Juwan Howard with the Heat the past two seasons, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets.
Odds & Ends: Stone, Ellington, Pistons, Kings
Julyan Stone, recovering from hip surgery, could be out until January, Nuggets coach George Karl tells Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. Stone's contract is only partially guaranteed for $100K, so it's possible the team decides to cut him, but Hochman stresses that the Nuggets "love" the second-year point guard, suggesting he's still part of their plans going forward. Here are a few more updates from around the NBA:
- Following up on David Aldridge's story on extension candidates that we covered earlier, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says Wayne Ellington won't be extended by the Grizzlies due to the pending change in ownership.
- General manager Joe Dumars has the Pistons on an upward trajectory as the team continues to rebuild, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- Kings coach Keith Smart recently appeared on Sacramento radio station KHTK to discuss Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, and changing the culture in Sacramento. Eric Schmoldt of Sports Radio Interviews has the details.
- Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com passes along Chinese reports that indicate the Qingdao Double Star Eagles are still considering signing Jerome Jordan. We'd heard previously of Qingdao's interest in Jordan, but perhaps the seven-footer is more intrigued by the possibility now that Tracy McGrady is on board.
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside wonders if Kelenna Azubuike could head to the D-League after being released by the Cavaliers.
Aldridge On Extension Candidates
The latest Morning Tip piece from TNT's David Aldridge is up at NBA.com, and focuses on the first round of the 2009 draft class, most of whom are eligible for contract extensions this month. However, Aldridge doesn't expect many new deals to be inked, since the new CBA doesn't give players a ton of incentive to sign early.
"Now (that) you can only give the same amount of years that they can get next summer, the player isn't as interested," one team executive told Aldridge. "Now, you have no advantage. I used to be able to say 'I can give you a year more today than you can get next year. So let's talk about a deal and maybe the number is more realistic.' But they've taken that away."
Here's what Aldridge has heard on a number of extension candidates:
- The Kings will "probably not" be offering Tyreke Evans an extension, Aldridge hears from a source.
- Things are "pretty quiet" on the Brandon Jennings front, and Aldridge isn't expecting him to work out a long-term extension with the Bucks.
- DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors aren't close to a deal, but have been talking for weeks. Aldridge cautions not to rule out the possibility of the two sides reaching an agreement.
- Aldridge does, however, essentially rule out extensions for Austin Daye (Pistons) and James Johnson (Kings).
- Jrue Holiday's agent will touch base with the 76ers later this week about a possible extension.
- Ty Lawson of the Nuggets is the one player that everyone around the league believes will sign a long-term deal by Halloween.
- The Hawks are talking to Jeff Teague about a new deal, but Aldridge thinks it's unlikely the team commits to anything yet when it could have so much cap space available next summer.
- Agent Mark Bartelstein on Taj Gibson and the Bulls: "They've made it clear they'd like to sign Taj. They're making an effort, and so are we… if we can get something done that everybody feels good about, great. If not, I'm sure he'll have a great year."
Eastern Notes: Bobcats, Drummond, Hinrich
Here are tonight's rumblings out of the Eastern Conference:
- Rick Bonnell of CharlotteObserver.com talks about the improvements that the Bobcats are looking to make on offense following a season which saw them last in the league in field goal percentage, three point shooting percentage, and points per game.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld examines the opportunity for Pistons rookie Andre Drummond to earn a significant role in Lawrence Frank's rotation.
- Kirk Hinrich appears to be fitting in well with new Bulls teammates and coach Tom Thibodeau, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
- Mike Wells of IndyStar.com looks at Miles Plumlee's struggles to become comfortable on the court, a problem that Pacers coach Frank Vogel believes can only be cured with time and experience.
- Based on John Henson's four block performance against the Pistons on Saturday, Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel writes that the Bucks may have found a player who can significantly improve their rim protection, which had been one of the team's glaring weaknesses last season.
Pistons Notes: Daye, Drummond
Here are a few notes coming out of Detroit:
- Coming off a season that saw him barely get off the bench as a small forward, Austin Daye has solely been playing power forward in the Piston's training camp, writes MLive.com's David Mayo.
- The Detroit Free-Press' Vince Ellis has a detailed recap of the team's practice earlier today. Included in it are some positive reviews of lottery pick Andre Drummond's performance.
- The Pistons have four power forwards right now: Austin Daye, Charlie Villanueva, Jason Maxiell, and Jonas Jerebko. It'll be interesting to see how each of them can find playing time, reports Pistons.com writer Keith Langlois.
- On SheridanHoops.com, Sean Corp gives five reasons why Pistons fans should feel positive about their team.
Central Rumors: Walton, Jaric, Pistons
The Bulls have had the best record in the NBA for two consecutive seasons, but with Derrick Rose out, they could have a tough time simply recording the best record in the Central Division this year, with the Pacers waiting to pounce. The Bucks, Cavs and Pistons probably aren't division title contenders this year, but they're all arguably improved from last season, meaning the Central figures to be more competitive than it has been in recent years. We'll round up the latest from the division here:
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that playing without Rose will not be an unprecedented situation for the Bulls. The 2011 MVP missed 27 games in the 2011/12 season.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer tweets that there is a 50-50 chance Cavs coach Byron Scott will begin to cut players from the training camp roster after Cleveland's Tuesday preseason game.
- Luke Walton said this week the Cavs haven't approached him about a buyout, but Bob Finnan of the News-Herald believes it isn't out of the question that the team would let him go. Walton is due $6.091MM this year in the final season of a six-year, $30MM contract.
- Scott is impressed with Walton's conditioning, and the 32-year-old forward says he's in better shape than he's been in the past four years, reports Schmitt Boyer. "Can he make the team? Yeah, I think he can make the team, to be honest with you," Scott said. "We’ve got some other tough decisions that I have to make in the next couple of weeks, but right now I’m enjoying the fact that these guys are making it hard on me, which is good."
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune checks in with Marko Jaric as he tries to return to the NBA with the Bulls. Chicago doesn't have enough money under its $70.307MM hard cap to put Jaric on the regular season roster for opening day, but the Bulls would be able to add him in late November, when the veteran's minimum pro-rates down to a figure that will fit.
- MLive's David Mayo chronicles the struggles that Pistons rookies are having in camp, and says big man Slava Kravtsov appears to be the farthest along of any of them right now.
Central Notes: Cavs, Azubuike, Monroe, Ellis
The Cavaliers picked up an extra first-round pick and some extra payroll flexibility when they sent Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga to the Lakers at the deadline for Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and a first-round pick. However, one downside to the deal is Walton's $6MM price tag for the 2012/13 season. While some might expect the rebuilding Cavs to throw a buyout offer in the forward's direction, he said earlier this week that he has yet to receive one. Here's more on the Cavs and other items out of the Central Division..
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald takes a shot at projecting the Cavs depth chart going into the team's intra-squad scrimmage today, and also lists the players he thinks won't make the regular season roster (Sulia link). Of note, he believes the team will cut Kelenna Azubuike, who has a guaranteed deal, while retaining the partially guaranteed contracts of Daniel Gibson, Samardo Samuels and Michael Eric.
- There was talk of the Pistons shifting Greg Monroe over to power forward after acquiring two centers this summer, but Monroe says that he'll be staying at the five for the time being, writes David Mayo of MLive.com.
- The Bucks were hesitant to part with Andrew Bogut in order to land Monta Ellis last season, but it's already clear that the sacrifice was worthwhile, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. Ellis was asked about the perception that he would be an ideal sixth man for a contending team, but he dismissed that notion, saying that he could win a starting job on any club.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Central Notes: Bulls, Pacers, Cavs, Pistons
Shams Charania of RealGM had a few interesting tidbits to relay from Bulls camp, writing about how coach Tom Thibodeau personally recruited Nate Robinson, Andre Emmett's fight to earn a contract during training camp and his willingness to sign with the team at any point during the season, and coach Thibodeau's aim to maintain Joakim Noah's minutes during the season. We have quite a few more links to share with news from the Central Division…
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune notes that despite losing many rotation players from last year's team, Thibodeau likes the versatility of the team's new additions and the flexibility of the roster overall.
- Pacers insider Mike Wells of IndyStar.com breaks down what he will pay attention to during the team's scrimmage on Friday, particularly Roy Hibbert's positioning, the play of the reserves, Paul George's ball-handling, and how the rookies fare.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio listed some of his early observations from Cavaliers training camp early on, saying that Dion Waiters' conditioning is not an issue, C.J. Miles is standing out as a perimeter shooting threat, Samardo Samuels and Jon Leuer appear to have earned significant roles, and that the team will have tough roster decisions to make by the end of camp.
- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott appears especially impressed with Leuer, who the team had claimed off waivers in July. "I just don't think he knows how good he can be," said Scott (according to a tweet by Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer). Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal elaborates about Samuels' hard work this past summer, shedding 20 pounds since the end of last season and has cut down his body fat from 15 percent to between six and seven percent.
- Jonny Flynn and Terrence Williams, the sixth and ninth picks of the 2009 NBA draft respectively, find themselves vying for guaranteed contracts on the Pistons roster. David Mayo of MLive.com writes about their thoughts on the opportunity as well as head coach Lawrence Frank's firm belief that both are NBA players. Frank says that he's liked what he's seen from Flynn and Williams in camp so far, even pointing out that he sees Williams as a point guard (and not a wing player).
Central Rumors: Gibson, Thomas, West, Kravtsov
There's plenty of news out of the Central Division this evening, so let's jump right in.
- As the Bulls and Taj Gibson make progress toward an extension, Shams Charania of RealGM.com says both sides want to make a long-term commitment (Twitter link).
- Charania also checks in with Malcolm Thomas, the Bulls summer league standout who signed to play in Israel. Before he inked that contract, Thomas had an agreement in place with Dongguan on the Chinese Basketball Association, but the deal fell apart, Charania reports.
- Entering the final year of his contract with the Pacers, David West appears much healthier to start this season than he was a year ago, when he was still feeling the effects of his torn left ACL, writes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
- The Pistons are impressed with Ukrainian big man Slava Kravtsov despite a language barrier that causes some on-court communication problems, as MLive's David Mayo writes.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio shares Cavs coach Byron Scott's thoughts on the new anti-flopping rule, and the coach seems unconcerned, despite the presence of noted flopper Anderson Varejao on the roster. Scott also says he's impressed with second-year man Tristan Thompson, and says he has an edge over Samardo Samuels and Jon Leuer for the starting power forward job.
- Kelenna Azubuike started 51 games for the Warriors in 2008/09, but in large measure because of two surgeries on a torn left patella tendon, he's only played in 12 NBA games since. Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer looks at how he's trying to resurrect his career with the Cavs this season. Valade also passes along a note from Scott hinting that the team may keep both Donald Sloan and Jeremy Pargo as backups to Kyrie Irving.
- Joe Gabriele of Cavs.com chronicles the unconventional path Alonzo Gee took to become an established player in the NBA.
Central Notes: Bulls, Gibson, Pistons, Allen
Here's a look at the latest out of the Central Division..
- The Bulls and Taj Gibson have been talking about a possible extension since June, but the forward says that he isn't preoccupied with the contract talk, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Yesterday, it was reported that the two sides are "getting closer" on agreeing to a long-term extension. For his part, Gibson has said that he would like to remain in Chicago.
- For the Pistons to have success in 2012/13, they'll need further development from their young players and an immediate impact from the newcomers, writes Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Forward/Center Greg Monroe is among those who need to take the next big leap in Goodwill's view.
- Despite his brother Tony Allen's ties to Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, Ryan Allen is a long shot to make Chicago's roster, as Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com writes. However, it helps that like his older brother, the younger Allen also very defensive-minded – an obvious plus with Thibodeau.