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Odds & Ends: Brewer, Bucks, McGrady, Heat

August 26th, 2013 at 10:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ronnie Brewer considered signing with the Bulls, Jazz and Lakers before ultimately choosing the Rockets, the 28-year-old swingman tells Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. He also reiterated his assertion from June that the Thunder were in play to re-sign him, too, but Houston's up-tempo style of play helped sway him. Despite having only a partially guaranteed deal on a team with a league-high 19 players under contract, he's not worried about getting cut. "If I come in and I do what I'm supposed to do, all of that goes out the window," he said to Berman. As Brewer gets set to officially sign his contract, here's more on the league's comings and goings with about a month to go before training camp:

The Bucks have hired David Morway as assistant GM and Jim Cleamons as the team's top assistant coach, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel.
So much of Tracy McGrady's talent vanished long before he announced his retirement today, and he went underappreciated in Orlando during his peak years, as John Denton of Magic.com argues. The Magic, Raptors and Rockets are all left wondering what might have been, the Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat writes.
Toure Murry still hasn't committed to the Knicks nearly a month after the club extended him a training camp invitation, but the 6'5" guard is expected to pick a team later this week, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman discusses the Heat's luxury-tax situation, their mid-level exception, and the possibility of the team signing Richard Hamilton.
Now that 14 NBA teams have one-on-one relationships with their respective D-League affiliates, the remaining 16 teams are sharing three D-League clubs. Nonetheless, those squads with five or six NBA affiliations can still help young NBA players develop, as Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside outlines.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Kyler On Asik, Rockets, Suns, Gortat, Adelman

August 26th, 2013 at 12:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Continuing a series that got underway last week, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld examines a few more teams that could explore trade options either before or during the 2013/14 season. Let's dive in and check out what Kyler has to say about the Rockets, Suns, and Timberwolves….

The Rockets listened to offers on Omer Asik earlier in the offseason, and there were teams with interest, but given the health questions still surrounding Dwight Howard, Houston was reluctant to part with Asik and put everything on D12.
Jeremy Lin's future in Houston also isn't entirely set in stone, but the Rockets figure to give Lin and Asik a chance to establish roles with the club early on, says Kyler. If Lin, Asik, or anyone else isn't fitting into the team's system, trades could be explored.
While the Suns have been adamant that Marcin Gortat is a core piece for this season, Kyler thinks it's inevitable that the veteran big man is shopped and/or moved by the trade deadline, considering he's in a contract year.
Eric Bledsoe is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, but the Suns may want to see how he adjusts to a bigger role before making a long-term commitment, says Kyler. If Bledsoe emerges as the long-term answer at point guard, it could make Goran Dragic a trade candidate down the road.
The T-Wolves' roster looks solid entering the 2013/14 season, but there's some uncertainty surrounding head coach Rick Adelman. Sources tell Kyler that Adelman isn't retiring, but his wife's health problems mean that the coach's future in Minnesota remains up in the air. It's not clear what will happen if Adelman has to miss a significant chunk of time again, Kyler notes.

Western Notes: Adelman, Pelicans, Calathes, Grizzlies

August 24th, 2013 at 12:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Heading into the 2013/14 season, Moke Hamilton of HoopsWorld gives us a seat check on the coaches of the Western Conference. The column starts with a look at Wolves coach Rick Adelman, who was the hire of previous decision maker David Kahn. While Adelman has tons of respect in the basketball world, it's possible that Flip Saunders will look to bring in his own coach, especially if Adelman cannot end the club's nine-year playoff drought. In Hamilton's view, the Rockets' Kevin McHale and Thunder coach Scott Brooks are also on the hot seat because of the lofty expectations their respective teams have. Here's more out of the West..

It's more than just a new name. Fran Blinebury of NBA.com writes that the Pelicans are serious about rebranding, especially when it comes to their roster. While New Orleans made some seriously bold moves this summer, Blinebury wonders aloud if Eric Gordon, Jrue Holiday, and Tyreke Evans can all co-exist together.
New Grizzlies guard Nick Calathes says that he's not a normal rookie, writes Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal. The 24-year-old has succeeded in Europe and feels that he'll have a very smooth transition to the NBA.
Holiday only adds to the glut of talented guards in the Western Conference and Jeff Caplan of NBA.com writes that we're in store for some major All-Star snubs this winter.

Odds & Ends: James, Bowen, Kidd, Lin, Wright

August 21st, 2013 at 9:23pm CST by Alex Lee

After tonight's announcement from the NBA Player's Association, we can officially shut the door on any talk that LeBron James should assume the union's head position. What we don't know about James, however, are his intentions after the upcoming season, when he can opt out of his current deal with the Heat. James kept quiet about his plans on an interview that aired on the new Fox Sports 1 on Tuesday night, writes HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy, who expects James to keep his options open.

Here are some other news and notes from around the league:

The Kings have named Ryan Bowen as an assistant coach and assistant director of player development, the team announced today in a press release. Bowen spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the Nuggets, where he spent two stints as a player. He also played in Houston, New Orleans and Oklahoma City in his NBA playing career.
Jason Kidd is ready to make the transition from player to coach with the Nets, writes Fran Blinebury of NBA.com, who lists Tom Heinsohn, Billy Cunningham and Larry Bird among those who have walked a similar path with success.
Speaking at a youth conference in Taiwan, Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin said he put too much pressure on himself in his first year in Houston and it resulted in his coaches losing faith in him, according to an ESPN news release. Lin will need to rediscover his confidence quickly considering the expectations in Houston this season.
Dorell Wright says his trust in Blazers general manager Neil Olshey was a big factor in his agreement to sign with Portland, writes Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune. Wright said he envisions himself as a bench player, and that he expects the Blazers to vie for a playoff spot.

Odds & Ends: Tolliver, Bennett, Brewer, Price

August 19th, 2013 at 8:55pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bobcats officially signed Anthony Tolliver to a one-year deal today and the veteran knows exactly what is expected of him in Charlotte, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. “The thing I do that doesn’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet is I space the floor for everybody else,” said the forward. “When I’m out there, (defenders) usually don’t leave me. So that gives the guards larger driving lanes and gives Al [Jefferson] more space under the basket. I take pride in that. I know it’s important to a team.” Here's more from around the Association..

Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com conducted a Q&A with No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett about being picked first overall, his role with Team Canada and the Cavs, and his chances of winning the Rookie of the Year award. In a poll earlier today, Victor Oladipo, Kelly Olynyk, and others received more votes than Bennett as the ROY pick of Hoops Rumors readers.
With today's addition of Ronnie Brewer, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter) notes that the Rockets now have more than 15 players with guaranteed or partially guaranteed deals. They'll have to cut some players between now the start of the season, but one would assume that Brewer is safe.
Excel Sports would love to steer another client, A.J. Price, over to the T-Wolves, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). However, the front office is reluctant to add a 15th player with a guaranteed deal. If Price doesn't get an NBA deal, he says that he's willing to explore his options overseas.

Luke Adams and Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Heat, Jamison, Scott, TPEs

August 18th, 2013 at 9:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Sports, science, and technology are more closely linked than ever before and eight NBA clubs are at the forefront of the latest craze in athletics, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. The Spurs, Mavericks, Rockets, and Knicks plus four other teams that have kept their identities secret have invested in complex GPS tracking devices that track a player's movements to help better protect them. If a player is overexerting themselves – which is the time when injuries typically occur – then his activity can be shut down before anything goes south. Here's tonight's look around the Association..

In today's mailbag, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel points out that the Heat have tons of options if they want to carry more than the minimum of 13 players. Antawn Jamison is available, but he's joined on the open market by fellow veterans such as Lamar Odom, Stephen Jackson, DeShawn Stevenson, and Richard Hamilton.
Hawks forward Mike Scott got a $100K guarantee on his contract when he wasn't waived on/before Thursday. Scott averaged 4.6 PPG in 9.4 MPG for Atlanta last season.
The Thunder didn't make major upgrades this offseason, but that's not a problem at all in the eyes of Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.
Luke Adams updated the Hoops Rumors' running guide of outstanding trade exceptions. The Celtics and Nuggets have the most to work with of any club.
Do you have what it takes to play in the D-League? Probably not. But you can find out by trying out, as detailed by Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside.

Daryl Morey Talks Asik, Howard, CP3, Lottery

August 16th, 2013 at 8:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets GM Daryl Morey has had an eventful offseason, landing the top big man on the free agent market, adding a handful of free agents around Dwight Howard, and losing his annual Las Vegas ping pong match to Bobcats GM Rich Cho. He addressed all of those topics today in an "Ask Me Anything" session at Reddit.com, and the questions and answers in full can be found here. We'll round up a few of Morey's more notable responses below….

Asked whether Omer Asik will be happy with his new role in Houston, Morey acknowledged that Asik would prefer to be a starter, but added that the big man is concerned with winning first, and will like being on a competitive team. According to Morey, coach Kevin McHale will also experiment with a lineup in training camp that includes Asik at center and Howard at power forward.
According to Morey, the Rockets' pitch to Howard centered around three main factors: The opportunity to join a rising star in James Harden, McHale's presence on the bench, and the fact that, among the clubs D12 was considering, Houston has the most assets and flexibility to continue improving the roster around him.
Chris Paul reportedly had interest in the Rockets before re-signing with the Clippers, but Morey says he believes Houston was "always on the periphery of where [Paul] might choose to go."
Morey says he'd love for every NBA team to send all trade offers Houston's way, whether those offers are "ridiculous or reasonable," since even the ridiculous ones can eventually grow into something real.
Asked to reply to Steve Kerr's suggestions for how to improve the NBA's draft lottery, Morey indicated that he thinks the league rewards losing too much, and that potential alternatives are "something we need to work on." Morey went on to say that "bottoming out" is the highest probability strategy for rebuilding, and that he thinks a team like Philadelphia took the best path available, given the current CBA and draft rules.
Morey had nothing but praise for future commissioner Adam Silver, who is "very forward-thinking" and has plenty of great ideas for how to improve the NBA, according to the Rockets GM.

Western Notes: Pekovic, Rockets, Zanik, Aldrich

August 14th, 2013 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the biggest names on this summer's free agent market finally came off the board today when Nikola Pekovic reached a five-year, $60MM agreement with the Timberwolves. The deal will make Pekovic the highest-paid restricted free agent of the offseason, by both overall value and annual salary. He also landed the third-highest overall guarantee, behind only Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Here's more on Pekovic and other items from around the Western Conference:

The new deal for Pekovic won't affect the Timberwolves' ability to keep Ricky Rubio or Kevin Love long-term, president Flip Saunders told reporters today, adding that the team views those three players as the franchise's cornerstones (Twitter links via T-Wolves PR). Saunders also confirmed that Pek's contract doesn't include any team or player options, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
About 15 months before they ultimately landed Howard, the Rockets reached a tentative agreement to acquire the All-Star center from the Magic at 2012's trade deadline, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Orlando planned to move D12 at the deadline if he didn't waive his early termination option, and had offers from the Rockets and Nets — Magic officials preferred Houston's offer, says Berger.
Agent Justin Zanik, who has worked with Andy Miller at ASM Sports in recent years, is set to join the Jazz front office as the team's assistant GM, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). Jody Genessy of the Deseret News has a few more details on the hiring of Zanik, who represented NBA players such as Omer Asik, Timofey Mozgov, and Sergey Karasev.
Cole Aldrich worked out for Sacramento on Monday, according to Jonathan Santiago and James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom. The Kings have an open roster spot, though it's interesting that they'd need to work out Aldrich, considering they got an extended look at the big man last year after acquiring him at the trade deadline.

Odds & Ends: Union, Lucas, Draft, Brown

August 12th, 2013 at 9:30pm CST by Zachary Links

With the offseason winding down, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identified who the real contenders will be in 2013/14. The back-to-back champion Heat top the list with some of the other usual suspects, including the Spurs and Thunder. The Bulls should be vaulted back into contention with the long-awaited return of Derrick Rose. The Clippers are a bona fide contender after re-signing Chris Paul, landing Doc Rivers as coach, and adding J.J. Redick. The Nets, who now boast the most expensive roster in the NBA by far, hope to be among the league's elite with first-time coach Jason Kidd at the helm. And of course, the Rockets will be one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on after luring Dwight Howard away from L.A. Here's more from around the Association..

NBPA executive committee member Jerry Stackhouse told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that LeBron James' comments about the union felt like a "kick in the stomach". "I don't think he's had any dialogue with anybody since the All-Star break, but it is what it is," Stackhouse said. "To make that statement about where we are as a union right now, he was misinformed."
Point guard John Lucas III was a safe choice for the Jazz, in the sense that he won't threaten Trey Burke or expect to be the main one-guard for the long-term. However, Utah believes they have more than a capable stop-gap and more than a positive locker room influence in the veteran, writes Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) runs down the 2014 NBA Draft and notes that its remarkable depth could make it the best ever. Ford's latest big board has Andrew Wiggins at the top, followed by Kentucky's Julius Randle, Australian Dante Exum, Duke's Jabari Parker, and Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart.
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News gives his immediate and long-term outlook for the league's 13 new coaches. The list starts with the latest hire, 76ers coach Brett Brown.
Jordan Hill's summer assignment is to become the stretch four that the Lakers need, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Hill missed 53 games last year, mostly because of back and hip trouble.

Rockets In Mix For Stephen Jackson?

August 12th, 2013 at 11:07am CST by Luke Adams

After seeing his three-year, $27.77MM contract expire at the end of this past season, Stephen Jackson will have to accept a significant pay cut if he hopes to continue his NBA career. But Jackson does intend to keep playing, and he's been working out in the hopes of joining a contender, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Kennedy tweets that the Rockets have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Jackson.

Jackson's production fell off last season, with his 6.2 PPG, .373 FG%, and 8.0 PER all among the worst marks of his career. He didn't even make it to the end of the season with the Spurs, as the team released him before the playoffs got underway.

Still, Jackson can make the occasional three-pointer, a skill of particular interest to the Rockets, who have added a number of shooters around Dwight Howard this summer. Jackson and Howard have also reportedly discussed the possibility of playing together in the past, which makes Houston a logical fit for the 35-year-old.

The Rockets can offer minimum-salary contracts to free agents, and are believed to still have their $2.65MM room exception available as well.