Northwest Rumors: Nuggets, Hayward, Tinsley
Coach Brian Shaw plans to slow down the Nuggets‘ attack, but GM Tim Connelly makes it clear that he won’t mold the roster to conform the Pacers‘ defense-first model that Shaw was a part of in Indiana, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post observes. The Pacers might not have too much of an effect on the front range of the Rockies, but Indiana may have indirectly put a dent in the Jazz‘s plans, as we detail in a look at the Northwest:
- Gordon Hayward and the Jazz are far apart in negotiations on an extension, and Paul George‘s max deal with the Pacers appears to be playing a role, tweets Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Jamaal Tinsley didn’t have a contract with the Jazz over the summer, but he reached out to Trey Burke to let him know he was going to an organization that would treat him well, as Tinsley recounts to Luhm. Now, Tinsley is back with Utah to help replace the injured Burke.
- Serge Ibaka‘s continued rapid growth is key to the Thunder‘s ability to climb the next rung toward a title, The Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel writes.
Pacers Will Keep Rasual Butler
The Pacers had been expected to carry just 13 players on their roster to begin the regular season, but the team has changed plans and decided to keep Rasual Butler and his non-guaranteed contract, according to Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). Part of the motivation may be tied to Danny Granger, who’ll miss at least the first two games with injury, Buckner tweets, so if Granger comes back quickly, Butler’s reprieve might be brief.
Butler, 34, signed a one-year camp deal for the minimum salary with the Pacers in early September after the 10-year veteran played for Indiana’s summer league team as he sought to revive his NBA career. He spent last season, his first out of the Association since his rookie campaign in 2002/03, with the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League. He last played NBA ball with the Raptors, who waived him in March 2012. His last significant role was with the 2009/10 Clippers, for whom he averaged 11.9 points in 33.0 minutes per game.
The Pacers are a couple million dollars below the tax line, so they likely had financial considerations chief in mind when they thought about going with the league minimum of 13 players. Butler probably won’t see meaningful minutes, and unless he proves himself valuable while Granger is recovering, he remains expendable. His contract won’t become fully guaranteed until January 10th.
Pacers Waive Hilton Armstrong
The Pacers have waived center Hilton Armstrong, the team announced via press release. That leaves Rasual Butler‘s deal as the only non-guaranteed contract on a roster that’s down to 14 players. Butler hasn’t necessarily made the team, since coach Frank Vogel has indicated the Pacers are likely to go with just 13 players to start the regular season.
Armstrong played sparingly in the preseason, appearing in seven games and averaging 1.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 6.1 minutes per contest. The 28-year-old has five years of NBA experience, but he hasn’t seen regular season action since 2010/11 with the Hawks.
The Pacers have about $69MM on their books for this season, roughly $2.7MM beneath the luxury tax threshold. The team has been adamant about avoiding the tax, so keeping fewer than the 15-player roster max as the regular season gets underway will allow them some flexibility to sign players later this year.
Lowe On Faried, Horford, All-NBA, Collins
Zach Lowe of Grantland unveils 32 predictions for the upcoming season in his latest post, but the column isn’t based entirely on speculation. Lowe passes along several tidbits from conversations with execs around the league, so let’s dive in:
- Multiple sources tell Lowe that the Nuggets are gauging the willingness of other teams to trade for Kenneth Faried. The sources say Denver is demanding plenty in return for the power forward, and Nuggets officials deny they’ve had any talks with other teams about Faried, but Lowe predicts a deal will happen.
- The Hawks‘ roster is “built to trade,” but Ferry has emphatically turned away teams calling about Al Horford‘s availability, Lowe hears.
- The NBA is considering the removal of the center position from All-NBA teams, shifting to two backcourt and three frontcourt players as the league did with the All-Star ballot last season. That could alleviate a logjam among forwards and result in more money for Paul George, whose new extension will become more lucrative if he earns another All-NBA selection, under the terms of the Derrick Rose Rule.
- Several executives believe Jason Collins will find an NBA home after January 10th, the date when all contracts become guaranteed for the season. Many of the guys on non-guaranteed deals will be released in advance of that date, creating opportunities for teams to sign the player who would become the first openly gay male athlete in major North American pro sports.
Odds & Ends: Heat, Smith, Kidd, Wiggins
The Heat were picked as the clear favorite to win the 2013/14 title in this year’s GM survey, writes John Schuhmann of NBA.com. There were a few dissenters with the Spurs and Pacers receiving 6.9% of the vote and the Bulls, Clippers, and Thunder also getting nods. LeBron James was the overwhelming pick to win the MVP trophy and Pelicans big man Anthony Davis was pegged as the breakout player of the year. Magic guard Victor Oladipo was picked to win the Rookie of the Year award and GMs feel that he’ll be the best player out of this class five years from now. Here’s more from around the Association..
- Pistons forward Josh Smith spoke to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld about his decision to leave the Hawks this summer. “It wasn’t as hard as other people saw it,” Smith said. “It was time for me to experience a different thing in my life, a new situation, new opportunity and I’m happy where I’m at.” It also didn’t hurt that Detroit gave him a four-year, $54MM deal.
- David Aldridge of NBA.com sat down with new Nets head coach Jason Kidd for a Q&A. The discussion covered his learning curve and former coaches that the point guard has apologized to now that he has discovered the difficulty of the job.
- Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, Dante Exum, Jabari Parker, and Aaron Gordon are all candidates to go No. 1 overall in next June’s draft, in Kyler’s view (Twitter link). Not everyone would agree with that assessment as Wiggins has long been viewed as the top talent in the 2014 class.
Bucher On Nets, Pacers, Stephenson, Jordan, Collins
In his first column for Bleacher Report, Ric Bucher writes that GMs from across the league are reporting that their owners have skyhigh/unrealistic expectations for the upcoming season. Bucher spoke to several execs and asked them about their chief concern for 2013/14 and Nets GM Billy King was the only one whose biggest concern centered on basketball. The expectation level of owners and front office turnover has changed the mindset of many execs who were once seeking the formula for success but are now zeroed in on survival. More from Bucher’s column..
- The Pacers are a young squad with a payroll ($71.431MM) on the cusp of the luxury-tax threshold, but one opposing GM said that, for financial reasons, they will have a hard time ever fielding a team deeper in talent than this one. Danny Granger’s $14MM contract comes off the books next season, but that savings is wiped out by Paul George’s extension kicking in. The bottom line is that locking up free-agent-to-be Lance Stephenson will require stripping the roster of its current depth. “One thing I can tell you,” the exec said. “Indy is not paying the luxury tax.”
- Some are skeptical of Clippers coach Doc Rivers‘ praise for center DeAndre Jordan and his effort, but Bucher hears that it’s legit. “He’s more engaged than ever before,” a scout said of Jordan, who clashed with previous coach Vinny Del Negro. “He’s constantly talking on defense, and that’s new.” Of course, Rivers will have quite a bit of say in personnel in L.A.
- Several GMs say they have an aversion to free agent center Jason Collins – not because of his sexual orientation, but over the relentless media attention it will generate. “If it were just an initial blast and you knew it would settle down after that, it would be one thing,” said one executive. “But you know this is something that he and his teammates are going to be asked about everywhere they go, all season long, and all it takes is one guy to say something a little off and it could really blow up. He’s still good enough to play in the league, but when you throw in the ongoing media frenzy, most teams are going to decide it’s just not worth it.” The Nets and Pistons were reportedly among the clubs with some level of interest in the free agent big man.
- One GM who was polled said the shift from commissioner David Stern to Adam Silver is his biggest worry. “I don’t know how much he thinks about the integrity of the game,” the GM said. “He’s more about selling widgets.”
Odds & Ends: Clippers, Favors, Pacers, Spurs
The talk of L.A. this week has been Doc Rivers‘ decision to cover up the Lakers’ championship banners with posters of seven Clippers players, including stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. For his part, the Clips coach says that it’s nothing personal. “The culture is changing and we want to be a winner,” Rivers told news reporters, including Sam Amick of USA Today. “And to do that, I think we have to make changes. (The change) at Staples Center is one that I thought we needed to make. We don’t leave a Lakers (playing) floor down, do we? And they don’t play on the Clippers floor. They take it up. That’s all we’re saying. It’s no disrespect and all that stuff. I have an amazing amount of respect for the Lakers. Having said that, I work for the Clippers. When we play it should be the Clippers’ arena.” More from around the Association..
- In examining Derrick Favors‘ new long-term deal with the Jazz, Grantland’s Zach Lowe and Tom Ziller of SBNation.com both point to Favors’ defense and age (22) as key factors in the team’s decision.
- Two members of the Pacers, center Hilton Armstrong and small forward Rasual Butler, know that the end is nigh as the regular season approaches, writes Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. Indiana is currently carrying 15 players on the roster, the max allowed, but they’ve made it known that they’ll only carry 13 and Armstrong and Butler are all but guaranteed to be the ones to go.
- After releasing six camp invitees this month, the Spurs are down to 14 players, and don’t plan to add anyone before the season starts, coach Gregg Popovich tells Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Eastern Rumors: Bucks, Sims, Oden, Mayo, Hill
The Bucks overhauled their roster this summer, and they’re without four of the five players who averaged double figures in points for them last season. Still, they’re one of five teams that Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld believes is capable of overachieving and grabbing a playoff berth. Milwaukee made a pair of moves today, picking up their 2014/15 options on Brandon Knight and John Henson, and there’s more on the Bucks and more from Brigham in the latest out of the Eastern Conference.
- Henry Sims is one of seven players on non-guaranteed deals in Cavs camp, but he’s expected to make the team, according to The Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto.
- Erik Spoelstra‘s intimate knowledge of Greg Oden‘s rehab procedures impressed the former No. 1 overall pick while he was considering where to sign this summer, as Oden tells USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt for a piece that looks at the Heat’s effort to revive the careers of Oden and Michael Beasley.
- O.J. Mayo chose the best financial offer when he signed for three years and $24MM with the Bucks, but the money isn’t the only reason why Mayo’s new surroundings appeal to him, writes Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. “I’m happy to be here and I want to stay here,” Mayo said. “That’s why I bought the house here because I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”
- Solomon Hill was a surprise selection at No. 23 this past June, but early signs point to him seeing significant minutes for the Pacers this season, Brigham writes.
Eastern Notes: Watson, Billups, Taylor, ‘Melo
HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy looks at the upgraded bench in Indiana, and hears from C.J. Watson that the team’s desire to reach a deal with him on the first day of free agency influenced his decision to join the Pacers.
“I wanted to play for a contender and I wanted to go to a team where I could get playing time,” Watson said. “Also, I felt like I could help this team. They were a very good team already, they’re very young and getting better each and every year, but I felt I could help. I just want to come off the bench and score and defend and change the tempo whenever they need me to and also be a leader.”
In the same NBA PM piece, Kennedy checks in with Pistons offseason addition Chauncey Billups and Cavaliers camp invitee Jermaine Taylor. Here’s more from the East:
- A recent report suggested Carmelo Anthony would be open to a recruiting pitch from Kobe Bryant next summer, but Anthony told reporters today, including Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, that he doesn’t expect Bryant to try to influence his decisions. It’s not clear whether Anthony isn’t expecting to hear a pitch from Bryant during the season — which would constitute tampering — or whether he doesn’t think he’ll hear from Bryant at all.
- The Heat weren’t one of the teams that called on the league to investigate the Nets‘ signing of Andrei Kirilenko, notes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who also revisits the animosity over Ray Allen‘s decision to leave the Celtics for the Heat in 2012.
- Josh McRoberts, who re-signed with the Bobcats this summer, is extra valuable on a team like Charlotte because of his passing and his veteran presence, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Pacers Waive Ron Howard, Darnell Jackson
The Pacers have released Ron Howard and Darnell Jackson, reducing their camp roster to 15 players, the team announced today in a press release. With 15 players now under contract, the team won’t necessarily have to make more cuts before opening night. However, according to Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter), coach Frank Vogel has indicated Indiana figures to start the year with a 13-man roster, so more moves are likely on the way.
The 6’5″ Howard was a D-League All-Star last season, averaging 19.1 PPG and recording an 18.2 PER for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. The 6’8″ Jackson, meanwhile, participated in Utah’s training camp last fall before joining the D-League’s Reno Bighorns. A second-round pick in the 2008 draft, Jackson has played for the Cavaliers, Bucks, and Kings in 138 total NBA contests. As Buckner notes (via Twitter), Howard and Jackson were the only two active Pacers players not to get into last night’s game against the Mavericks.
Assuming the Pacers make two more cuts before opening night, as planned, Hilton Armstrong and Rasual Butler are likely to be the odd men out. Both players are on fully non-guaranteed deals.