Odds & Ends: Bogut, Jennings, Rose, Irving, Roy
We learned tonight that the Warriors have shutdown center Andrew Bogut for 7 to 10 days and Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News says that all signs point towards the Aussie big man's absence extending longer than that. Bogut said that he may have pushed it too much and that he would consider himself a liability on the court right now, writes Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times. There are only two games tonight, but still plenty of links from around the league:
- In the early going, the absence of a contract extension has brought out the best in Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings, writes Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen. Since he couldn't come to an agreement with Milwaukee, Jennings will hit free agency this summer.
- According to Russell Westbrook, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will come back from his knee injury this season stronger than ever, writes Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago. Westbrook and Scott Brooks also said that while the Bulls are a different team without Rose, they still must be feared because of the way Tom Thibodeau prepares them to play, says Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
- Beckley Mason of the New York Times opines that it isn't too early to consider the Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving among the NBA's elite point guards.
- After sitting out last year, Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy is rusty, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Roy says his knee are fine, however, and will begin to look more for his shot to try to get his career back on track.
New Faces: Lewis, Lin, Landry, Martin, Johnson
Between the Dwight Howard sweepstakes and the implementation of the new CBA, this offseason was one to rememeber. While we are barely a week into the new season, it is only natural for glowing reports to emerge of players who have shined with their new teams. They are premature for sure, but so many players changed teams that keeping tabs on them is always useful:
- Now coming off the bench for the Heat, Rashard Lewis is healthy for the first time in two years, writes Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports. Lewis was hampered by knee injuries the past few seasons, but has looked great so far in Miami, showing more lift in his jumpshot and even throwing down a few dunks last night against the Nets.
- Within the same piece, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld looks at Jeremy Lin and Carl Landry. While James Harden has deservedly gotten the Rockets headlines, Lin has quietly lived up to the hype during his brief time so far in Houston. Meanwhile, Landry, a former Rocket, is proving once again that he is one of the NBA's most underrated players, this time averaging 17 points as a member of the Warriors.
- The man traded for Harden, the Thunder's Kevin Martin, is shooting a ridiculous 62 percent from three point range and averaging over 19 PPG so far in Oklahoma City, writes Chris Sheridan. While Harden is clearly the best piece moved in the deal, it isn't hard to imagine Martin's skills and those draft picks making it look respectable for Sam Presti and the Thunder.
- Averging only 14 PPG, Joe Johnson is still getting acclimated to his new role on the Nets, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday. The mixture in Brooklyn will probably take longer than most to jell, considering that not only is nearly the whole team new, but most of the high profile players have never played on anything close to an elite team before.
- Kosta Koufos hasn't been a member of the Jazz since 2010, but Bill Oram's story about the former Utah draft pick's rise into the Nuggets starting lineup sure makes it feel like it was yesterday. After beating out JaVale McGee for the center spot, Koufos is averaging 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in Denver.
- Shipped to Orlando after being drafted by Philly, Maurice Harkless played more than 22 minutes in his Magic debut on Wednesday, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Harkless didn't participate in preseason while he was recovering from a sports hernia, and still isn't 100 percent, but it sounds like the rookie is on his way.
Western Notes: Blazers, Brown, Williams, Martin
The Western Conference got off to a bit of a slow start in inter-conference games this year, but Western teams turned that trend around last night. Of the six Wednesday night contests that pitted West vs. East, only the Sixers could earn a win for the Eastern Conference, beating the Hornets in New Orleans — the Suns, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Warriors, and Kings all defeated Eastern teams.
Here are a few of today's updates from around the Western Conference:
- The Trail Blazers haven't received much bench production so far, something GM Neil Olshey is keeping an eye on. According to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Olshey may look to address the issue at the trade deadline if no one steps up internally.
- SI.com's Ben Golliver reads between the lines of Jim Buss' comments on Lakers coach Mike Brown, concluding that Buss may be laying the groundwork for Brown to eventually be replaced.
- Tyson Chandler believes the Mavericks had a chance to win back-to-back titles if Mark Cuban had elected to bring all of 2010/11's Mavs back last season, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
- If Derrick Williams doesn't start producing soon, it may be time to consider whether last year's second overall pick is a bust, says Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld.
- Although Kevin Martin is in a contract year, Thunder GM Sam Presti tells Sam Amick of USA Today that isn't a concern at the moment, and that Martin's future will be addressed "at the appropriate time."
- Kirk Lacob, general manager of the Warriors' D-League affiliate, spoke to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle about Santa Cruz's new stadium and last week's draft. We covered a few other D-League items of note earlier today.
Mickael Pietrus Expects To Sign Soon
THURSDAY, 2:06pm: The Pacers may be an option for Pietrus, but there are still a few other teams in the mix, agent Bill McCandless tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
"A report goes out and everybody thinks Mickael is on a plane headed for Indiana," McCandless said. "Everybody needs to hold their horses."
WEDNESDAY, 12:36pm: The Pacers, who will be without Danny Granger for three months, have reached out to Pietrus, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). Indiana still has its $2.575MM room exception available.
11:32am: With the NBA regular season having completed its first week, there's still no word on where veteran wing Mickael Pietrus will sign. However, it may not be long before Pietrus finds a spot on an NBA roster. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that, while it may be hyperbole from Pietrus' camp, they believe he'll sign with a team in the next week to 10 days.
Pietrus has reportedly been seeking more than the veteran's minimum all offseason, with his agent stating in no uncertain terms back in July that his client wouldn't be playing for the minimum salary. As such, the Timberwolves, who could only offer the minimum, don't appear to be in play, according to Wolfson (Twitter link).
Following Brandon Rush's season-ending ACL injury, there was some speculation that the Warriors could pursue a player like Pietrus. Golden State still has its bi-annual exception available, and could gain a disabled player exception worth $2MM for Rush's injury. Still, the club is right around the tax threshold, so it's unclear if ownership would be willing to add more salary.
When I asked a couple weeks ago which unsigned free agent would have the biggest impact on the NBA this season, Pietrus narrowly beat out Kenyon Martin as your top choice.
Odds & Ends: Nets, Knicks, Grizzlies, Waiters
Earlier we passed along Nets GM Billy King's admission that he made roster moves this summer with the idea of taking down the Heat, which surely makes the team's 30-point loss in Miami tonight that much tougher to take. Nets coach Avery Johnson downplayed the idea that his squad is on the Heat's level, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News observes (Sulia link). Bondy juxtaposes Johnson's comments by noting that shooting guard Joe Johnson said earlier that he thinks the Nets can dethrone the champs this season. While Brooklyn's team sorts out its troubles, it's a more upbeat story on the other side of the East River, as we detail among other news on a 13-game night around the Association.
- The moves Knicks GM Glen Grunwald and company made this summer are paying early dividends, even in spite — or perhaps because — of the absence of Amare Stoudemire, as the USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt examines.
- The Grizzlies new ownership group borrowed $125MM from the NBA and another $50MM from a bank to close their deal to buy the team, but that's nothing out of the ordinary, a league executive tells Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Cavs coach Byron Scott encouraged the organization to use the fourth pick this June on Syracuse sixth man Dion Waiters, who's paying early dividends, at least offensively, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News and Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal write.
- Waiters was the choice over Harrison Barnes, who went to the Warriors at No. 7 and hasn't performed as well so far, as Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer chronicles.
- The Lakers are off to a 1-4 start, but Jordan Hill has been a bright spot, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Yesterday, Vince Carter said he wouldn't mind a return to the Raptors someday, but Doug Smith of the Toronto Star doesn't see that happening anytime soon, arguing that Carter's current skill-set isn't a match for the team's needs.
- The Celtics have hired former player Keyon Dooling as a player development coordinator, reports Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The 32-year-old guard abruptly retired in September.
Odds & Ends: Warriors, Spurs, Allen, Flynn
At 2-1, the Warriors have started off what many believe to be a promising season on the right foot, despite losing Brandon Rush to a torn ACL on Friday night. Because it is so early in the season, the Warriors have the good fortune of having some options if they want to replace him, writes Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area.
One reason they may not need personnel reinforcements has the been the surprising play of Carl Landry, who has provided scoring (20 points per game) and toughness off the bench in the team’s first three games, writes Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group.
Let’s take a look at what else is going on in the NBA on the first Sunday night of November:
- As the veteran core of the Spurs ages, the roles of Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard will continue to grow. Mike Monroe of Spurs Nation writes that right now, Gregg Popovich has told the two youngsters to “bring the energy.”
- Couper Moorhead of Heat.com provides a detailed analysis of the developing offensive dynamic between Ray Allen and LeBron James. Between James’ ability to score efficiently at the hoops and Allen’s lethal stroke from the corner, defenses are forced to make an impossible decision against the Heat, Moorhead says.
- The staff of writers at HoopsWorld goes around the horn to discuss which player was the most underrated offseason acquisition. The results: Jamal Crawford, Jason Terry, Carl Landry, Antawn Jamison, Andrei Kirilenko, O.J. Mayo, Gerald Green and Nikola Vucevic.
- Jonny Flynn, waived by Pistons in October, has agreed to sign with the Melbourne Tigers, an Australian team, says Daniel Eade of the Back Page Lead. The contract with the Tigers is reported to have an out clause should Flynn get an NBA offer.
Odds & Ends: Bledsoe, Paul, McDyess, Pacers
HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus examines the depth of the Clippers, and says that the team has received numerous inquiries about reserve point guard Eric Bledsoe. The Clippers won't consider moving Bledsoe until they sign Chris Paul to a long-term contract, Pincus hears, adding that most executives expect Paul, an unrestricted free agent next summer, to stay with the team. There's plenty of other news from around the Association on the first weekend of the regular season, so let's dive right in.
- We heard yesterday that Antonio McDyess is considering a comeback, but he has no interest in joining the Wolves, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
- In his third season, Lance Stephenson is finally making an impact for the Pacers as he receives minutes for the injured Danny Granger, writes Mark Montieth of Pacers.com. Montieth adds that Granger, who's out indefinitely, could face surgery on his sore left knee.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com examines the options for the Warriors in the wake of Brandon Rush's season-ending injury, and mentions Mickael Pietrus, Maurice Evans, Josh Howard and Kenyon Martin as "free agent names arising" in case the team goes looking for a replacement.
- C.J. Watson drew interest from other teams that could have offered more money, but he decided to sign with the Nets on a minimum-salary deal instead, notes Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post.
- Jeff Teague is using the Hawks' decision not to extend his rookie-scale contract this week as motivation, but he isn't upset with the team, the point guard tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.
- In the same piece, Greene also checks in with Rockets swingman Daequan Cook, who's looking to prove his worth as a teammate after his inclusion in the James Harden trade caught him off guard.
- Neil Olshey took the Blazers' offer to become GM after owner Paul Allen put it on the table with the condition that Olshey was not to give the Clippers a chance to match, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
- Trey Johnson, who spent 11 games with the Hornets last year, was close to signing with Angelico Biella, but it appears the deal is falling apart, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports.
Pacific Rumors: Rush, Warriors, Brown, Goudelock
The early signs didn’t appear positive after Brandon Rush suffered a gruesome injury last night, as Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group writes, and agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed the bad news, passing along word that Rush tore his ACL, tweets Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chroncle. Missing a significant amount of time figures to disrupt Rush’s plan to decline the $4MM option on the last year of his contract next summer. Rush was set on continuing his impressive play from last season and parlaying it into a longer, more lucrative contract in 2013, Thompson reveals. There’s more on what the next step could be for the Golden State, as well as other notes out of the Pacific this afternoon.
- The torn left ACL will keep Rush out for the season, according to Simmons, who suggests Josh Howard, Mickael Pietrus and Maurice Evans as possible replacements.
Earlier updates:
- The Warriors could request a $2MM disabled player exception if Rush is ruled out for the rest of the season, but fellow Bay Area News Group scribe Tim Kawakami points out the Warriors may pass on that option, since they’re already above the luxury tax threshold (Twitter link).
- It might be premature to suggest Mike Brown is on his way out of the Lakers coaching job, but Zach Harper of CBSSports.com notices that Brown is already showing signs of desperation.
- Former Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock was taken second in last night’s D-League draft, after JaJuan Johnson, but Ridiculous Upside’s Gino Pilato, in handing out draft grades for every D-League team, calls him “the best recent former NBA talent” in the draft.
- Suns rookie point guard Kendall Marshall doesn’t figure to see much playing time, and with practice time much less plentiful in the regular season than it was in training camp, he and assistant coach Lindsey Hunter are fitting in some one-on-one instruction, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic documents.
- Harper argues that while Clippers offer plenty of flash, their retooled offseason roster still has too many holes.
Injury Notes: Rush, Davis, Turkoglu
A few injury notes from around the league on Friday night.
- Brandon Rush suffered what appears to be a serious knee injury in the first quarter of the Warriors' game against the Grizzlies.
- In his second game in the NBA, top overall pick Anthony Davis left with a possible concussion. He will be tested, and it's unclear whether he will miss games (AP link via ESPN.com).
- Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu broke his hand in the Magic's season-opening 102-89 win over the Nuggets. It would appear that rookie Moe Harkless, acquired in the Dwight Howard trade, will replace him in the rotation.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Cap, Jefferson, Biedrins
It was a big day for the Warriors on Wednesday, as the team locked up point guard Stephen Curry to a four-year, $44MM extension, then went out and beat the Suns in a nailbiter in Phoenix, despite a rough outing from Curry. As the Warriors prepare for tomorrow's home opener against the Grizzlies, let's round up a few notes on the team, courtesy of Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News (all links go to Twitter):
- Curry's $44MM deal is fully guaranteed and doesn't contain any injury clauses, according to Kawakami. It'll start at just over $10MM next season.
- Kawakami estimates that Curry's extension means Golden State will have about $73.6MM committed to nine players for 2013/14. I'm not sure the team salary heading into the summer will be quite that high — by my count, the Warriors' nine players will cost between $65MM and $66MM, though Kawakami's figure would be within reach if Carl Landry and Brandon Rush each exercised their $4MM player options. Either way, the luxury tax looks like a real possibility.
- Despite the Warriors' significant 2013/14 salary commitments, Kawakami doesn't expect big contracts like Richard Jefferson's and Andris Biedrins' to be moved. As he points out, it's hard to move that sort of salary without either taking on longer-term money or giving up draft picks.