Central Notes: Pacers, Villanueva, Jaric, Pargo
As the Cavs reportedly put the finishing touches on a training-camp contract for Kevin Anderson, their division rivals are staying active as well. Here's the latest on a few Central Division teams:
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star examines the Pacers' final couple roster spots, predicting that Sam Young will earn one, while Blake Ahearn and Sundiata Gaines will compete for the other.
- After a forgettable 2011/12 season, Charlie Villanueva is fighting to bounce back for the Pistons this year, as Vince Goodwill of the Detroit News writes. Asked about the amnesty rumors that surrounded him in July, Villanueva admitted that it was hard not to notice: "It burns me up. It just drove me. Instead of being upset, I said, this will pass and I will let my game do the talking."
- Marko Jaric was in recently to work out with the Bulls, according to Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com (via Twitter). Jaric has seven years of NBA experience under his belt, but hasn't played in the league since 2008/09, with the Grizzlies.
- Jannero Pargo expects to finalize a deal within the next couple days, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter). Charania adds that Pargo is "sticking around Chicago," but I would assume that's just where he's working out, rather than an indication he'll sign with the Bulls.
Pacers Rumors: Granger, Green, Augustin, Mahinmi
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star shares a number of noteworthy tidbits from his conversation with Pacers coach Frank Vogel, including word that Danny Granger will be brought along slowly in training camp after a left knee issue that arose over the summer. He'll only play in some of the team's preseason games, but the Pacers don't expect it to become a major issue, Wells writes. Here's more from the coach of the team that held a 2-1 lead on the eventual champion Heat in the conference semis this spring:
- Vogel is impressed with new acquisitions Gerald Green and D.J. Augustin. "Gerald Green is doing things everyday I didn’t think was possible for human beings to do," he said. "D.J. has really blown me away in the limited time that he’s been here in terms of his ability to create and make others better. That’s a unique talent to have. Literally on almost every possession he makes somebody better with his passing."
- The coach also shed some light on the team's decision to let go of Louis Amundson, who signed today with the Wolves, and commit $16MM over four seasons to Ian Mahinmi in the sign-and-trade that sent away Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones. "We felt like Lou did a great job last year, but we also felt like we got lucky with injuries to (Andrew) Bogut, (Al) Horford, (Brook) Lopez and (Dwight) Howard," Vogel said. "We think Mahinmi will size up and give us more depth against those elite centers better than Lou did."
- Lance Stephenson is the early favorite to backup Paul George at shooting guard, Wells writes, a role filled by current free agent Leandro Barbosa when last season ended. "Lance Stephenson has challenged for playing time for two years," Vogel said. "Now he’s playing with more confidence than he ever has. So he’s going to challenge the starters."
Eastern Notes: Nets, Bynum, Celtics, Brooks
While very few teams still have cap space available as the 2012/13 season approaches, there are a number of clubs in good position to clear a ton of money from their books next summer. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld takes an early look at which teams have the least guaranteed money on their cap next summer and beyond, and notes that many of the teams in the best position are in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons, Bobcats, Hawks, Cavaliers, and Wizards all only have between $17MM and $22MM in guaranteed money on their caps for 2013/14, though many of those numbers will increase when rookie-contract options are exercised.
Here are a few more notes from around the Eastern Conference on a Tuesday afternoon:
- Nets GM Billy King said today that he talked to free agent point guards Steve Nash and Goran Dragic before he knew for sure whether Deron Williams would be back, tweets Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger.
- The general consensus around the NBA would suggest Dwight Howard is the league's best center, with Andrew Bynum placing second, but Dorell Wright would give the nod to his new Sixers teammate. "[Bynum]’s going to need two defenders to stop him," Wright told John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I would say he’s the best big man in the NBA right now, hands down."
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge spoke briefly to ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg about a number of topics. According to Ainge, the team doesn't expect to bring in another ball-handler to replace Keyon Dooling, preferring to let its young guys compete for that roster spot.
- Within a piece about Brook Lopez's and MarShon Brooks' futures in Brooklyn, Howard Beck of the New York Times mentions that the Hawks "pushed hard" to acquire Brooks in the deal that sent Joe Johnson to the Nets.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star examines whether the Pacers really upgraded their bench over the offseason.
- In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, David Thorpe explains how the Celtics quietly had one of the NBA's best offseasons.
Odds & Ends: Pacers, Valanciunas, Wallace, Kidd
Let's consolidate all the odds and ends from Sunday night in this post:
- Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York reports, via Twitter, that Mike Bibby likely won't sign with a team before the start of training camps. The veteran point guard does expect to sign somewhere, however, but not the Knicks and we heard yesterday, probably not the Celtics.
- Ben Golliver of CBS Sports provides his offseason report for the Clippers. Golliver says that after decades where the goal was to not screw up their draft, the Clippers were able to employ a more competitive approach of acquiring established veterans to fit around Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
- Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman outlines the roster changes and season outlook for each team in the Northwest division, including the hometown Thunder.
- The Kamenetzky brothers of ESPN Los Angeles discuss via video who has the most to gain and the most to lose on the bolstered roster of the Lakers.
Earlier updates:
- The staff at HoopsWorld puts together their season preview on the Pacers. All five of their writers selected the Pacers to win the Central Division, a year after finishing second behind the Bulls. Lacking the star power of the Heat, Indiana will need popular breakout candidate Paul George to fulfill his potential if they want to go deep into the playoffs.
- Raptors Lithuanian prospect Jonas Valanciunas injured his left foot, reports the Toronto Sun. After Toronto used the fifth pick in last year's draft on him, Valanciunas enters his first NBA season with a ton of hype. The seven footer was spotted with a walking boot, though all indications are that it is a minor injury.
- Keith Schlosser of the Knicks Journal gives his take on the news that Rasheed Wallace is being considered by the Knicks. If that move comes to fruition, Wallace would be joining a roster full of late 30-somethings. Jason Kidd, in this NBA.com video, seems confident that the supplemental pieces that the team added could put them over the top.
Odds & Ends: Bucks, Wolves, McGee, Cook, Mavs
Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel checks in with several Bucks who are working out prior to the opening of training camp. Joining the workout are a few hopefuls who are auditioning for a formal invitation to camp, and that group includes Alando Tucker, the 29th overall pick in the 2007 draft, and Orien Greene, a four-year NBA vet who last played with the Nets in 2010/11. It's been a busy night as teams make their final moves before training camp, and we've got several more tidbits here:
- Chase Budinger might be new to Minnesota, but he's no stranger to the Wolves coaching staff, having played under coach Rick Adelman and some of his assistants while they were together with the Rockets, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes.
- In the same piece, Zgoda adds Anthony Tolliver to the list of players whose agents remain in contact with Wolves GM David Kahn. Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 reported earlier that Kahn was talking to the representatives of Hassan Whiteside and Sean Williams.
- Hakeem Olajuwon has worked with several NBA players, but none have spent more time under his tutelage than JaVale McGee, who re-signed with the Nuggets this summer on a four-year, $44MM deal, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com writes (Insider only).
- Brian Cook, who re-signed with the Wizards today, was initially apprehensive about getting sent to Washington from the playoff-bound Clippers in a deadline deal last season, but was quickly sold on the move when he realized his new teammates wanted to win, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post notes.
- Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside looks at Josh Akognon's circuitous journey to Mavericks training camp. The 5'11" point guard is set to join the Mavs, likely on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal.
- Mark Montieth of Pacers.com examines the basketball roots of Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard, an Indiana native who played under former Pacers coach Larry Brown in college.
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel gives his take on the alliance of Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard, who are supporting the same local political issue in Orlando months after their acrimonious departures from the Magic.
- The company that owns the Staples Center, home of the Lakers and Clippers, is up for sale, as Walter Hamilton of the Los Angeles Times writes.
Pacers Sign Luke Nevill, Ben Hansbrough
TUESDAY, 1:52pm: The Pacers have officially announced the signings of Nevill and Hansbrough in a press release.
MONDAY, 9:24pm: The Pacers have signed center Luke Nevill and guard Ben Hansbrough to round out their training camp roster, according to Mike Wells of the Indy Star. The two signings bring the Pacers' roster up to 18 players as they head into camp on October 1st.
Nevill, 26, first made a name for himself at the University of Utah where he led his squad to the NCAA tournament as a senior. Hansbrough, 24, is the younger brother of Pacers big man Tyler Hansbrough. The two-guard began his collegiate career at Mississippi State before transfering to Notre Dame after his sophomore campaign.
Earlier this month, the Pacers signed small forward Sam Young and guards Blake Ahearn and Sundiata Gaines. Wells notes that the Pacers are especially high on Young because of his toughness, even though he didn't get to display it much in Philadelphia.
Latest On Lou Amundson
Free agent power forward Lou Amundson, who spent last year with the Pacers, has been linked to a handful of teams this summer, and according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, he's still in conversation with a number of those clubs, but is "not a favorite" right now (Twitter link). The Knicks and Bobcats appear to be in the hunt, according to reports, and the 6'9" UNLV product has been drawing interest from overseas as well.
Zwerling indicated last month that Amundson was likely to get either the $2.575MM room exception or the $3.09 taxpayer's mid-level exception, but with minimum-salary deals the norm at this point in the offseason, the market might not be so fruitful. He's competing with Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen, D.J. White and other power forwards for a spot on a team, and Andersen and White put up better PERs than Amundson's 11.5 mark in 2012/13.
Amundson saw just 12.6 minutes per game last season, the least amount of run he's gotten since his breakout season with the Suns in 2008/09. That number shrunk to 8.5 MPG in the playoffs. He averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in the regular season and 2.5 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 11 postseason games.
Pacers Sign Sam Young, Sundiata Gaines
The Pacers announced that they have signed small forward Sam Young and point guard Sundiata Gaines. The press release also confirmed the signing of guard Blake Ahearn, whose deal reportedly comes with a partial guarantee.
Young became an unrestricted free agent in late June when the 76ers opted not to extend him a qualifying offer. The 27-year-old was traded from Memphis to Philadelphia at the deadline for the rights to Ricky Sanchez in a deal that allowed the Grizzlies to get below the luxury tax threshold. Young averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 35 games for the two clubs last season.
Gaines, 26, established himself as a regular in the Nets rotation last season, serving as a backup to Deron Williams and playing alongside him as a two-guard at times. The veteran saw 13.9 minutes per contest, averaging 5.1 PPG, 2.2 APG, and 1.9 RPG.
Ahearn was the D-League's top scorer last season, averaging 23.8 PPG and 5.1 APG in 37 games for the Reno Bighorns. The 27-year-old has built a reputation as a sharpshooter and shot 40% from three-point range last year for Reno.
Eastern Notes: Heat, Celtics, Knicks, Pistons
Earlier tonight, we learned that the Nets have reached an agreement with Andray Blatche on a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract. While that removes Blatche from the equation for the Heat, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks it could ultimately benefit Miami, increasing the team's chances of being able to add a "known quantity on the cheap" (Sulia link). Here are a few more evening links from around the Eastern Conference:
- Coming off a season in which the Celtics struggled on the boards, WEEI.com's Ben Rohrbach looks into whether the team improved its rebounding with its offseason moves.
- Steve Novak and the Knicks have organized a "pre-training camp" that's set to begin on Monday, the sharpshooter tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- In previewing the Pistons' upcoming season, David Mayo of MLive.com examines the position where the team seems to be thinnest: Shooting guard.
- Reggie Miller tells Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star that he wouldn't rule out returning to the Pacers in a front-office role down the line.
- In a Nets press release, the team announced that tryouts for the Springfield Armor, Brooklyn's D-League affiliate, will be held in New Jersey on September 22nd and in Springfield on October 21st.
Bulls Remain In Mix For Anthony Tolliver
When we got our last update on Anthony Tolliver last Monday, the free agent forward was said to be in "constant contact" with four teams: the Hawks, Wizards, Pacers, and Timberwolves. Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida reports (via Twitter) that those four clubs are still in play for Tolliver, and adds the Bulls to the mix as well.
The Bulls were previously linked to Tolliver this offseason, but it appeared the team had essentially removed itself from consideration as it approached the hard cap of $74.3MM. If they're still in on Tolliver, as Tomasson suggests, the Bulls would not only have to clear a little salary from their books to make room for him; they'd also have to sign the the 27-year-old to a minimum-salary deal, since they used most of their mid-level exception on Kirk Hinrich and their bi-annual exception on Marco Belinelli.
Since agent Larry Fox has indicated that his client isn't "in the minimum game," and the Bulls have no obvious way of clearing salary, it seems like a long shot that Chicago lands Tolliver. The T-Wolves would also have to move salary to sign Tolliver for more than the minimum, so the Hawks, Pacers, and Wizards would appear to be better bets. The Hawks have their $1.957MM BAE to work with, the Pacers have their $2.575MM room exception, and the Wizards still have over $3MM of their mid-level left.