Latest On Greg Oden
Within the last few months, multiple reports have suggested Greg Oden is considering returning to the NBA for the 2012/13 season, and would like the opportunity to play for the Heat. However, talking recently to David Hughes of the Tribune-Star, Oden downplayed his chances of making his NBA return this season.
"I would love to play [in 2012/13], but I’m not going to rush anything," Oden said. "I need to take a year off. What I told [agent] Mike [Conley] was 'Look, I want to get back with a team. I want to play. If there’s a chance that later on in the [NBA] year, if I feel good or if I’m healthy enough to play, I would love to play this year.' That’s the conversation we had. I think some people kinda blew that up and took his words and kinda changed them around. I know I need to get healthy first before I do anything."
According to Oden, teams haven't exactly been burning up his phone line expressing interest in signing him, considering he's still recovering. The former first overall pick added that he doesn't have one specific team in mind as a destination: "I want to go to a place where I can get healthy and with somebody who can believe in me and my skills — somewhere it could be a good fit for the both of us."
One general manager that spoke to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link) considers teams like the Spurs, Pacers, and Magic as the eventual favorites to sign Oden, but cautions that that's just his specuation. Amico also hears from a GM (it's unclear whether it's the same one) that teams with cap space, like the Suns or Cavs, could take a flier on Oden toward the end of the season, though the GM thinks it would have to be a minimum-salary contract.
Central Rumors: Bucks, Villanueva, Pacers
Carlos Delfino agreed to sign with the Rockets tonight, and it's no surprise he's leaving the Bucks, who never made a push to retain their incumbent starting small forward. His departure opens up minutes at the three for Luc Mbah a Moute and Mike Dunleavy and gives 2011 19th overall pick Tobias Harris a chance to crack the rotation, tweets Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. We've got more on the Bucks and their Central Division rivals here:
- John Hollinger of ESPN.com wonders if the Bucks will try to turn Delfino's deal with the Rockets into a sign-and-trade, which would create a trade exception for Milwaukee (Twitter link). The Bucks, who hold Houston's 2014 second-round pick, could entice the rebuilding Rockets by offering it back to them, while the Bucks could take back one of the 21 players Houston is slated to bring to training camp. There would have to be a third season tacked on to Delfino's two-year deal per sign-and-trade rules, but that wouldn't be hard for the Rockets to do if they made it a non-guaranteed year, Hollinger tweets.
- The Pistons may look to move Charlie Villanueva or Austin Daye to free up roster space for Ben Wallace to return to the team, Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News writes. The team could also use Villanueva as a trade chip next summer, when he'll be entering the final season of his five-year, $37.7MM deal, but the 6'11" power forward is determined to prove he's worth keeping around.
- The Indianapolis Capitol Improvement Board and the Pacers are in the early stages of negotiations on a new deal to provide money for the day-to-day operations of Bankers Life Fieldhouse, but the board's approval of a new budget that doesn't specify any payment to the Pacers complicates the issue, as Jon Murray of the Indianapolis Star writes.
- Former Pacers guard Leandro Barbosa is still looking for a job, but Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld argues that he'll be a valuable addition where ever he winds up.
- The Bulls aren't bringing back Brian Scalabrine next year, but the 11-year veteran refuses to end his unlikely NBA career, as Sam Smith of Bulls.com chronicles. He has an offer from a team in Europe, and the Celtics want him to do some TV work, but Scalabrine is holding out for one more chance to play in the NBA.
Free Agent Spending By Division: Central
Our look at 2012 free agent spending by division continues with the Central, after we used Hoops Rumors' Free Agent Tracker to examine the Southeast last week.
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 Central Division free agent costs, sorted by player salary:
Indiana Pacers: $128.366MM (D.J. Augustin, Gerald Green, Roy Hibbert, George Hill, Ian Mahinmi)
For a team that values cap flexibility and small, safe deals, the Pacers committed a huge amount of money to free agency this offseason. Of course, a significant chunk of that money went to Hibbert (four years, $58MM+) and Hill (five years, $40MM), but the team's other signings weren't insignificant. Green and Mahinmi both received eight-figure guarantees, while Augustin will earn $3.5MM for one year. With no minimum salaries or partial guarantees in the bunch, the Pacers easily rank among this summer's top spenders in any division.
Milwaukee Bucks: $41.352MM (Ersan Ilyasova, Joel Przybilla)
The Bucks haven't exactly been active on the free agent market, but Ilyasova's deal alone counts for $40MM, one of nine contracts this summer worth $40MM or more. Przybilla, meanwhile, will earn $1,352,181, but since it's a minimum-salary deal, the Bucks will only be on the hook for $854,389 of it.
Chicago Bulls: $13.808MM (Marco Belinelli, Kirk Hinrich, Nazr Mohammed, Vladimir Radmanovic, Nate Robinson)
Having lost Omer Asik, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson, Kyle Korver, and John Lucas III, the Bulls were tasked with rebuilding their bench, and did so on the cheap. Mohammed, Radmanovic, and Robinson are all on one-year, minimum-salary contracts, while Hinrich will earn a portion of the mid-level and Belinelli will make the bi-annual exception. The big expenditure here is Hinrich, whose $8MM over two years appears to be fully guaranteed.
Cleveland Cavaliers: $7.682MM (C.J. Miles, Luke Harangody, Michael Eric)
Despite having a huge portion of cap space available, the Cavs have been fairly quiet in free agency. Miles' two-year, $4MM deal is believed to include a team option for year two, while Eric's deal includes only a partial guarantee on year one, along with two non-guaranteed seasons. While the three players could earn up to a combined $7.682MM if they're retained for the duration of their contracts, the Cavs are currently only on the hook for something in the neighborhood of $3.5MM.
Detroit Pistons: $4.875MM (Vyacheslav Kravtsov)
Most of the Pistons' summer spending has come by way of contracts for draft picks (Andre Drummond, Kyle Singler, and Kim English), but they did make one free agent signing, inking Kravtsov to a three-year deal. The contract will pay the Ukranian big man $1.5MM in each of the next two seasons, with a $1.875MM player option for 2014/15.
Knicks, Bulls, Pacers Interested In Greene
Free agent forward Donte Greene says that the Knicks, Pacers, and Bulls now make up his “top three” list of potential destinations. In an interview with internet radio show TheCDNetworks.com (hat tip to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com) the former Kings big man explained that while he is open to other possibilities, those three clubs are the ones that he is working to get a deal done with.
Greene, 24, averaged 5.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG in just under 15 minutes per contest last season. While the Syracuse product has only suited up for the Kings, he was involved in two trades prior to his first NBA game. Shortly after being drafted by the Grizzlies, Greene was sent to the Rockets as a part of a three-team deal. In August, Houston sent Greene to the Kings in a package to land Metta World Peace.
A little over two weeks ago, Greene said that he hoped to sign with Chicago, but the two sides have yet to hammer out an agreement. The 6’11” forward became an unrestricted free agent on June 27th when the Kings declined to extend him a qualifying offer.
Odds & Ends: Pacers, Stoudemire, Williams
Happy birthday to Knicks legend Patrick Ewing as he turns 50 today. New York has won exactly one playoff game (2012 against the Heat) since the Hoya Destroya's 38th birthday. Here's the latest news and headlines from around the league…
- With an eye on building stronger team chemistry, the Pacers will be getting together for a workout later this month in Los Angeles, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. They'll meet up again three weeks before training camp to do the same thing.
- Amare Stoudemire begins training today in Houston with Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon to work on his game, says Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). The value of working with Olajuwon can be seen in the play of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, who have had the opportunity to work with the big man in the past.
- Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams has done all the right things this summer by losing 15 pounds and playing relatively well during the NBA Summer League, but Minnesota isn't convinced that the former Arizona star can effectively play small forward this season, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov believes his investment in the organization has at least doubled since he purchased a majority stake in the team in 2010, writes Daniel Massey of Crain's New York.
Poll: Who Will Win The Central Division?
Earlier today, HoopsWorld's Mark Nugent wondered in a column whether the Bulls are still title contenders with the likely absence of Derrick Rose for most of the season and several changes to their roster.
With this in mind, which team do you think will win the Central Division in 2012/13? Will it be the Bulls, or will the Cavs, Bucks, Pacers, or Pistons overtake them?
Which Team Will Win The Central Division In 2012/13?
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Indiana Pacers 43% (750)
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Chicago Bulls 32% (558)
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Milwaukee Bucks 13% (221)
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Cleveland Cavaliers 9% (151)
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Detroit Pistons 3% (49)
Total votes: 1,729
Anthony Tolliver Weighing Free Agent Options
THURSDAY, 2:54pm: The Pacers are also displaying interest in Tolliver, according to Tomasson (via Twitter). Nothing is imminent yet, however.
WEDNESDAY, 7:45pm: Free agent forward Anthony Tolliver said the Wizards have been calling him daily, making them a potential front-runner for the four-year veteran, Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida reports. Tolliver says the Bobcats have reached out to him recently as well, Tomasson writes, and the Timberwolves, who renounced his rights earlier this summer to clear cap space, remain in the running, too. Tolliver is seeking a deal that would give him close to the $2MM he made last year in Minnesota (All Sulia links).
Last month reports suggested the Timberwolves and Cavs were in the lead for Tolliver, but the Cavs have faded from consideration. Tolliver told Tomasson he could still envision a return to the Wolves despite the addition of Andrei Kirilenko, who can play both forward positions just as Tolliver does (Sulia link).
Tolliver's points per game regressed for the second season in a row last year, as he averaged 4.1 PPG in 17.3 minutes a night. His three-point shooting, a strength at 40.9% in 2010/11, dipped to 24.8% this past season. A team willing to give the 27-year-old more than a minimum deal would be banking on a repeat of his production in 2009/10, when he averaged career highs of 11.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 31.0 MPG.
Pacers In Talks With Craig Smith
In a search of a new contract, unrestricted free agent Craig Smith has engaged in preliminary talks with the Pacers about signing in Indiana, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (via Twitter). Nothing is imminent at this point, says Haynes.
Smith, 28, has played for the Timberwolves, Clippers, and Trail Blazers in his six-year NBA career, and is coming off a one-year, minimum-salary deal in Portland. If he were to sign with the Pacers, or any other club, he'd likely be in line for a similar contract — given his six years of experience, his minimum salary for 2012/13 would be $1,069,509.
In 47 contests with the Blazers, Smith set career-lows in PPG (3.3), RPG (2.3), FG% (.504), and PER (13.6). However, the 6'7" forward has proven to be a useful part-time contributor in the past, posting a .556 FG% and 16.4 PER in 356 games from 2006/07 to 2010/11.
Josh Howard Close To Decision
Yahoo!'s Marc J. Spears tweets that unrestricted free-agent forward Josh Howard is close to making a decision on where to sign for the 2012/13 season. Spears reports that Howard's current team, the Utah Jazz, are in the mix to land him, along with the Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, and New York Knicks.
Terms of Howard's upcoming deal are not known. Howard, 31, made approximately $2.1MM last season, averaging 8.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG for the Jazz.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Nets, Blazers
It was yet another night of fevered Dwight Howard rumors, as he reiterated his trade demands in a meeting with Magic GM Rob Hennigan and assistant GM Scott Perry. One of the bombshells amidst a flurry of reports was that the Mavericks are the "overwhelming favorite" to sign Howard if he becomes a free agent next summer. That makes a trade more difficult, as Wojnarowski writes, since other teams now know Howard has a soft spot for Dallas. Chris Mannix of SI.com says Howard would re-sign with the Lakers or Nets if traded there, but otherwise plans to become a Maverick (Twitter link). Zach Lowe of SI.com points out, with an assist from Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com, that the Mavs would have to clear some cap room for 2013/14 in order to make a maximum offer for Howard (All four Twitter links). Here's more from the Association this evening:
- Nets GM Billy King doesn't consider signing a backup center a priority after missing out on Nazr Mohammed, reports Fred Kerber of the New York Post, who adds that the team's offseason work is likely done.
- Jason Quick of The Oregonian takes an in-depth look at the finalists for the Blazers head coaching job.
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com does the math and determines the Magic own a pair of trade exceptions: $2.75MM left over from the Brandon Bass trade expiring December 12th, and $4.35MM from the trade that sent Ryan Anderson away, expiring next summer.
- Michael Lee of The Washington Post spoke with Cartier Martin, who recently re-signed with the Wizards. Martin is the only Wizard left on the roster from before Washington took John Wall with the No. 1 pick 2011, as Lee notes.
- A veteran NBA doctor tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork that 75% of players require some kind of procedure on their knees at the end of the season, and many of them keep it a secret (Twitter link).
- Obrad Fimic, the agent for Russian guard Alexey Shved, said the Nets showed no interest in his client despite being owned by fellow Russian Mikhail Prokhorov, tweets Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Shved finalized his three year, $10MM deal with the Wolves today.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star argues retaining assistant coach Brian Shaw is the best move the Pacers have made this offseason.