Odds & Ends: Magic, Wallace, McCants, Johnson
Let's round up a few Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA….
- The Magic will hire former Hornets assistant James Borrego as an assistant coach for the coming year, according to an Associated Press report (link via The Sporting News).
- In a piece for the Detroit Free Press, Patrick Hayes of PistonPowered wonders if it makes sense for the Pistons to clear a roster spot to bring back Ben Wallace. That, of course, assumes that Wallace wants to continue his playing career.
- Former UNC star and NBA lottery pick Rashad McCants failed his physical with French team SIG Strasbourg, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes. Strasbourg was set to sign McCants, but will now take another look at the market for other options.
- Joe Johnson talked to SI.com's Zach Lowe about finding out about being traded to the Nets, the team's expectations for 2012/13, and his contract.
- The Warriors have hired Ellen Warner as the team's VP of Development, according to a team release. Warner will oversee planning, design, and construction of the club's proposed San Francisco arena.
Southwest Rumors: Rookies, Mavs, Lopez, Duncan
NBA.com conducted a survey of 39 rookies, and to no one's surprise, Anthony Davis was the pick for Rookie of the Year, as NBA.com's John Schuhmann writes. The No. 1 overall pick by the Hornets also topped the list of rookies who'll have the best career, but lost the best defensive honors to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of the Bobcats. Perhaps most revelatory is the ranking of players who are most overlooked. Tony Wroten of the Grizzlies tied for first with Draymond Green of the Warriors, Perry Jones of the Thunder and Andrew Nicholson of the Magic. Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com takes a look at how Mavericks rookies fared in the survey, and we have plenty more from Dallas and the rest of the Southwest Division:
- Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com wonders whether the Mavericks might shift their focus for next summer from pursuing marquee free agents to a plan that involves re-signing their own players and going after second-tier stars, a la Josh Smith.
- Andy Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com takes a stab at guessing the framework of the aborted Mavs–Lakers deal from 2007 that would have brought Kobe Bryant to Dallas, which Mavs owner Mark Cuban made public earlier this week. Jason Terry, Josh Howard and Devin Harris seem the most likely players to have been headed to L.A. in that near-deal, Kamenetzky says.
- We heard a little from Robin Lopez earlier, but the 7'0" center had more to say Thursday as he met with New Orleans media for the first time. He said he hopes to bring some intensity, fire and toughness to the Hornets, as Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com chronicles, and had high praise for Anthony Davis, saying, "From what I’ve seen, he looks like a great player, with great instincts, and he’s freakishly athletic. I’m especially looking forward to playing with him on the defensive end. I think we both can definitely make a strong impact there."
- Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News notes that Tim Duncan's per-36-minute stats last season were remarkably similar to those from his rookie year, one possible reason the Spurs were willing to offer Duncan the three-year, $30MM deal he signed last month.
Odds & Ends: Team Canada, Harrellson, Magic
A handful of players with NBA ties have been invited to a weekend training camp that will take place soon to give Team Canada officials a first glimpse at candidates for their national team, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports (Sulia link). Tristan Thompson of the Cavs, Joel Anthony of the Heat, Cory Joseph of the Spurs, Andrew Nicholson of the Magic and Kris Joseph of the Celtics are on the list. Robert Sacre, the 60th pick in this year's draft by the Lakers, remains unsigned, but he's been invited as well. The team has officially named former Raptors head coach and current Blazers assistant Jay Triano as head coach, Wolstat also writes, and Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson will also be an assistant with Team Canada. Lakers guard Steve Nash, serving as Team Canada's GM, said he wouldn't have accepted the position if Triano wasn't coming aboard, too, Wolstat notes. Here's more from around the Association this afternoon:
- The Heat conducted a workout with Josh Harrellson today, as we heard earlier, but the Timberwolves have no interest in the 6'10" University of Kentucky product, as they prefer a center with more length, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minneapolis. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes that Harrellson is just one of several big men the Heat are considering (Sulia link).
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel looks at the options the Magic have at power forward to replace Ryan Anderson.
- The Bulls, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves and Warriors all have some significant injury issues with training camp about a month away, and Sam Amick of SI.com checks in on the status of Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and others.
- Robin Lopez is recovering from left knee surgery that took place a week after the Hornets acquired him in a sign-and-trade, but he's expected to be ready for training camp, as John Reid of The Times-Picayune reports. Lopez expressed his enthusiasm about coming to New Orleans, saying, "I’m excited to be here. We’ve got a young, energetic group. The good thing is we’ve got some youth that has a little bit of experience as well. Hopefully we can parlay that into something special.’’
- Joe Dumars, Pistons president of basketball operations, traveled overseas with assistant GM George David to watch Jonas Jerebko and Slava Kravtsov in FIBA Eurobasket qualifying, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Mavs, Curry, Hudson
Congratulations to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside, who has been hired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League as the team's director of basketball operations. We wish Schroeder the best of luck with the Skyforce, the squad that will serve as the D-League affiliate for the Magic, Heat, Timberwolves, and 76ers this season. Let's round up a few more Wednesday odds and ends….
- Lakers coach Mike Brown spoke to Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com in an extensive Q&A, discussing the Princeton offense, the team's new acquisitions, and the expectations heading into 2012/13.
- SI.com's Zach Lowe explains how Mark Cuban's comments about the Mavs being in better position without Deron Williams make some sense. Still, it seems like most fans still view Cuban's argument as spin — in this morning's poll, over 78% of you said the Mavs would be better off if they'd signed D-Will.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com wonders what a "reasonable" extension offer by the Warriors to Stephen Curry would look like.
- In a tweet, Lester Hudson shot down rumors suggesting he'd be signing with Partizan in Serbia.
- Vinny Del Negro and Avery Johnson are among the coaches who could be on the hot seat with slow starts this season, writes Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.
- Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution examines how free agent signee Lou Williams will fit into the Hawks' lineup.
- Wes Unseld Jr. is a candidate to join the Magic coaching staff, tweets Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
Stephen Curry, Warriors To Discuss Extension
MONDAY, 1:26pm: Warriors GM Bob Myers confirmed to SI.com's Zach Lowe that the team will explore an extension for Curry this offseason, and expressed optimism about a potential deal (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 10:30am: With Stephen Curry entering the final year of his rookie deal, the Warriors have until October 31st to sign the sharpshooter to a long-term extension. If the two sides don't reach an agreement, Curry will become a restricted free agent next summer. According to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com, the Warriors do intend to talk about a new contract for the 24-year-old before the deadline, but it's not clear whether those talks will be "courtesy conversations, designed to let Curry know he is wanted yet minus the serious money to close the deal."
Given Curry's injury woes in 2011/12, the Warriors will be watching him closely in pre-camp workouts, training camp, and the preseason, Howard-Cooper writes. Committing to a long-term deal for a player coming off ankle surgery would be a risk, so Golden State will take every opportunity to gauge Curry's health and determine whether it's a risk worth taking. For his part, Curry sounds open to getting something done before the season begins.
"You're playing chess with it," Curry said. "If they were to take that approach to wait and I've had a great season, hopefully it would spark some interest across the league for the future and the price would drive up. If I were the Warriors, I'd offer a reasonable amount and sign me up now."
Hoops Rumors' Michael Pina took a more in-depth look at Curry's extension candidacy earlier this month.
Free Agent Spending By Division: Pacific
After covering 2012's free agent expenditures in the Atlantic, Central and Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest divisions, we're round up our league-wide look at summer spending today. Using Hoops Rumors' Free Agent Tracker, let's head out west and examine the Pacific Division, where the biggest free agent contract signed this offseason might come as a surprise.
Once again, these figures only take into account free agent signings, so salary absorbed in trades or money used to sign draft picks isn't included in this list. Additionally, not all of this salary is necessarily guaranteed, which we'll try to note as we go along. Here are this summer's Pacific Division free agent costs, sorted by player salary:
Phoenix Suns: $57.999MM (Michael Beasley, Shannon Brown, Goran Dragic, Jermaine O'Neal, P.J. Tucker)
After missing out on Steve Nash, the Suns had money to spend, allowing them to sign Beasley and Dragic to big, multiyear deals while adding a handful of complementary players as well. Even after signing these free agents, trading for Wesley Johnson, and claiming Luis Scola off amnesty waivers, the Suns still have about $7MM in cap room, making them a candidate to take on salary later in the season.
Los Angeles Lakers: $41.236MM (Devin Ebanks, Jordan Hill, Antawn Jamison, Jodie Meeks, Darius Morris, Steve Nash)
How does a team that came into the season well over the tax threshold manage to make the biggest splash of the summer? The Lakers were able to re-sign some of their own free agents (Ebanks, Hill, Morris), get a couple veterans (Jamison, Meeks) to accept discounts, and land Nash using their $8.9MM trade exception. And, of course, the club's biggest move, acquiring Dwight Howard came outside of free agency, by parting ways with Andrew Bynum.
Sacramento Kings: $36.788MM (Aaron Brooks, Jason Thompson)
The Pacific's largest contract this summer wasn't inked by Nash, Dragic, or any Clipper or Warrior — it was signed by Thompson, whose five-year deal will pay him $30,187,500 if he's not released before the end of it (the fifth year is only partially guaranteed). While I'm not in love with that deal for the Kings, I do like their signing of Brooks, whose two-year, $6.6MM pact has a player option in year two.
Los Angeles Clippers: $35.936MM (Chauncey Billups, Jamal Crawford, Willie Green, Grant Hill, Ryan Hollins, Ronny Turiaf)
Tackling free agency without a general manger certainly isn't an ideal situation, and for the Clippers, it delivered mixed results. Green and Hill should be nice bench additions at affordable prices, but four years for Crawford seems ill-advised, even if the last two years are only guaranteed for $1.5MM each.
Golden State Warriors: $17.262MM (Kent Bazemore, Carl Landry, Brandon Rush)
After being linked to a number of free agents for most of July, the Warriors landed Landry and Rush nearly at the same time, and for the exact same price — two years and $8MM each, with 2013/14 player options on both deals. If both players opt out and Bazemore fails to stick with the Warriors for this year and next, Golden State will only end up paying about half of this $17.262MM figure.
Odds & Ends: Harris, Curry, Shumpert
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that the Heat are currently in talks with free agent Terrel Harris. The 25-year-old guard played in 22 games for Miami last season and was a member of the team’s summer league roster in Las Vegas. Winderman admits that he is suprised that Miami hasn't made a quicker commitment to Harris at this point (Sulia link). Here's what else we've heard from around the league this evening:
- 76ers guard Jason Richardson looks to continue to have the same success playing off of Andrew Bynum the way he was able to with Dwight Howard in Orlando, says John Finger of CSN Philly.
- Howard Beck of the New York Times points out that the Knicks have yet to offer a reasoned explanation for declining to match Jeremy Lin's offer sheet with the Rockets.
- Charlie Westbrook tweeted that he will pass on two opportunities to attend an NBA training camp and will head to Europe instead. Westbrook was not drafted by an NBA team in June but participated in Orlando as a member of the Magic's summer league roster.
- Although he had been considering a job with the Magic, Rob Murphy chose to remain with Eastern Michigan University as the school's head basketball coach (the Detroit Free Press reports).
- Marcus Thompson II of MercuryNews.com reports that Stephen Curry is optimistic that he will be ready for Warriors training camp and will undoubtedly be well enough to play by opening night. Curry, who says the only thing he hasn't done yet is play 5-on-5, had arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle in April and has been working out in Oakland.
- Newsday's Marcus Henry says that Knicks guard Iman Shumpert rehabilitation process is progressing on schedule. The All-Rookie first team selection suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during New York's first-round playoff series in April and is projected to be able to return as early as December or January.
- Greg Payne of ESPN Boston noted Jason Terry's thoughts on his role as a sixth man and what he can bring to the Celtics.
- Jodie Meeks spoke with the Kamenetzky Brothers of ESPN LA today about why he chose the Lakers and what he hopes to accomplish. Andy Kamenetzky provided a breakdown of the talking points from the interview, including a post-interview discussion about the potential effect that Meeks can have on the team.
Warriors, Suns Interested In Hudson, Barbosa?
Last month, we heard that Lester Hudson's agent Tyler Glass was confident about his client's chances of securing an NBA job this offseason. Hudson has yet to sign a deal, but he appears to continue to draw interest, at least. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link), the Warriors are believed to be interested in Hudson, and the Suns could have some interest as well. The team executive that spoke to Amico also speculated that the Warriors and Suns could be interested in Leandro Barbosa.
Both Hudson and Barbosa are backcourt players that could provide scoring off the bench wherever they land. Neither the Warriors or Suns have a desperate need for that sort of player, but neither team is stacked at shooting guard either — Golden State heads into the season with second-year man Klay Thompson starting and Brandon Rush as his likely backup, while the Suns figure to employ a combination of Wesley Johnson and Shannon Brown at the position.
The Warriors used most of their mid-level exception to sign Carl Landry and Draymond Green, so they can probably only offer the minimum salary, making them an unlikely destination for Barbosa. However, the Suns still have a chunk of cap space to use if they decide to pursue either player.
Odds & Ends: Magic, Warriors, Stotts, Harris
On this date four years ago, the Suns signed 25-year-old forward Louis Amundson as a free agent. Amundson had played only 153 total minutes in 27 games over two NBA seasons at that point, but took advantage of the minutes he received for the next two years in Phoenix, evolving into an adequate role player. Today, at age 29, Amundson is a free agent once again, and was said last week to be in talks with the Bobcats and Knicks, among other teams. While Amundson continues to weigh his options in free agency, let's check in on a few other notes from around the league….
- Magic CEO Alex Martins wrote a letter to Magic season ticket holders, as Iliana Limón Romero of the Orlando Sentinel documents. Martins says the team did all it could to keep Dwight Howard and encourages fans to look forward as the team builds for the future. "A primary goal for our basketball team is to achieve long-term sustainability while maintaining a long-term vision," the letter said. "We feel this deal puts us in a position to begin building in that direction. In addition to the six players joining our team, we will be in a position to maximize our salary cap flexibility in the near future, as well as utilize the multiple draft picks we have acquired going forward."
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News provides some reasons why the Lakers' acquisition of Howard isn't entirely bad news for the Warriors.
- As Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com writes, Warriors GM Bob Myers cleared up some recent remarks about coach Mark Jackson, clarifying that he never meant to suggest Jackson's job could be on the line if Golden State doesn't make the playoffs this season.
- New Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts spoke to SI.com's Zach Lowe about a number of topics, including some ofhis thoughts on the Blazers going forward.
- The Bulls officially announced today in a press release that they've named Brian Hagen as the team's assistant general manager. Hagen had spent the previous nine seasons in the Hornets' front office.
- Unrestricted free agent Terrel Harris is drawing some interest from overseas, according to a Sportando report. Harris played in 22 games for the Heat in 2011/12.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Meeks, Curry, Suns
The Lakers are no stranger to the luxury tax, and with the tax penalties going up in 2013/14 and the team's recent commitments to high-paid veterans, owner Jerry Buss is facing a hefty bill. By my calculations, the Lakers already have $74,831,035 committed for 2013/14, and that doesn't include Dwight Howard, who's likely to command a max contract with a starting salary around $20.5MM. If D12 remains in L.A., salary cap expert Larry Coon estimates the Lakers will owe a record $185MM in salary and taxes (Twitter link). If Buss opens his wallet that wide, expect plenty of complaining from small-market teams whose owners would never dream of spending that much in single season. While we wait to see how high the Lakers will go, there's plenty more from around the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers made their signing of Jodie Meeks official today, and the 6'4" shooting guard tells Mike Trudell of Lakers.com that the team's decorated history and the chance to play with multiple future Hall-of-Famers lured him to L.A.
- Stephen Curry is stepping up his rehab from right ankle surgery as he works toward being ready for camp, Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com reports. Curry will spend four days in a row at the Warriors' practice facility, allowing the team a look at the point guard as they decide whether to pursue an extension. Michael Pina of Hoops Rumors profiled Curry's extension candidacy earlier this month.
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic recaps the statements James Harden has made in the past few weeks about either signing an extension with the Thunder or considering the Suns in free agency, and shares a few other Phoenix-related observations from the summer.