Pacific Links: Nunnally, Bogut, Rivers, Lakers
James Nunnally was a sought-after commodity before he agreed to join the Suns for training camp. The Grizzlies also extended a camp invitation, and he went through workouts out for the Spurs, Jazz and Pelicans this month. Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside examines the 6'7" forward's journey from the D-League's Bakersfield Jam to the Suns, one of four NBA franchises that counted Bakersfield as one of their affiliates last season. There's more from Phoenix amid our roundup of the latest from the Pacific Division:
- The Warriors are taking a "wait-and-see approach" to a possible contract extension for a reinvigorated Andrew Bogut, writes Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group. An extension doesn't appear to be chief among Bogut's priorities, which is the case for most NBA veterans, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors explained.
- New Clippers boss Doc Rivers admits being "wishy-washy" as he recounts the back-and-forth decision process that led him to L.A. from the Celtics in a one-on-one with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- Dwight Howard might be with the Rockets now, but he still casts a shadow over the Lakers as they open camp, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News details.
- The past 12 months have been unusually disappointing for a Lakers franchise that's been so successful, and with GM Mitch Kupchak's admission that the new CBA makes it difficult to attract free agents, the outlook is bleak for the purple-and-gold, opines Jeff Miller of the Orange County Register.
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic looks back on an offseason of sweeping change for the Suns.
Lakers Notes: Bryant, Nash, D’Antoni, Gasol
The health status of Kobe Bryant's Achilles' tendon has been the focal point this summer and that didn't change as the Lakers went through their annual media day this past Friday.
After getting off a transcontinental flight from a promotional trip to Dubai, Bryant told ESPN LA's Dave McMenamin, "I don't think we really have a particular timetable as far as where I should be right now, but I'm feeling good."
Here is more from the Lakers, including updates on Steve Nash and Pau Gasol:
- Bryant also told McMenamin, "Everybody was really concerned about this injury, and so was I, but the procedure and the therapy right afterwards and things like that really got me ahead of the curve." Bryant added, "so it feels like the hard part's over."
- As to whether Bryant will play in the preseason or even make the opener on October 29th against the Clippers, head coach Mike D'Antoni wasn't sure. "I'm not expecting anything," D'Antoni told ESPN on Saturday. "I don't know. He's going to do everything he can to try to get back as soon as he can. No one knows. He's day to day."
- D'Antoni will be under a lot of pressure this season in his first full year as the head coach. When asked by Los Angeles Daily News scribe Mark Medina whether he felt he was on the hot seat this season, he answered "Hopefully I can make it to practice this afternoon" (Twitter).
- D'Antoni also told Medina, via Twitter, that in an attempt to keep Nash rested and healthy this season he's been debating between resting him on back-to-backs or limiting his minutes all together.
- McMenamin also found time to speak with Pau Gasol, who told him his knees will be fine despite being unable to participate in the start of Lakers' training camp next week. Pau is continuing to recover from procedures he underwent on both knees this offseason: "We're going to get into practices and get a feel of how the knees react and get into training slowly," Gasol said.
- The Lakers big man was cleared by Dr. Steve Yoon of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic this week to continue to "ramp up" his workouts. Gasol told McMenamin, "I haven't done really a lot of basketball stuff. I haven't done a lot of contact yet. So we'll see how it feels. But the goal is to be ready for opening night, and whichever way it takes to get there, that's what we're going to do."
- D'Antoni told McMenamin, "Pau's probably the best offensive center in the league." The Lakers' coach added that "[Pau is] the most talented big guy in the league. So, all of a sudden he's in his natural position where he'll feel good about it."
- The Sporting News' Sean Deveney spoke with new Lakers center Chris Kaman about Bryant's health. “With a healthy Kobe, if everybody stays healthy, I think we have a great opportunity to make a run at the playoffs,” Kaman said.
- Kaman added, "Are we going to be one of the top three or four teams? I don’t know. The big thing—obviously everybody knows, everybody is talking about it, and they’re going to continue to keep talking about it until he comes back—everybody knows a big part is when Kobe returns. That’s a huge added bonus, and the quicker the better.”
Lakers Sign Dan Gadzuric
The Lakers have used one of their two remaining roster spots to add free agent big man Dan Gadzuric, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (via Twitter). With Gadzuric on the camp roster, L.A. will be carrying 19 players.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported on Wednesday that the Lakers had invited Gadzuric to camp, though it wasn't clear at that point if the 35-year-old had accepted. Gadzuric, a longtime Buck, last appeared in the NBA in 2011/12, playing in a pair of late-season contests for the Knicks. In 10 career NBA seasons, the 6'11" center has appeared in 527 games, averaging 4.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 14.4 PER.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak indicated to the media this week that team ownership may be open to entering the season with a full 15-man roster, in which case there'd be plenty of roster spots up for grabs in October for the club. The Lakers have 11 players on fully guaranteed contracts, Elias Harris and Shawne Williams on partially guaranteed contracts, and Eric Boateng, Xavier Henry, Darius Johnson-Odom, Ryan Kelly, Marcus Landry, and now Gadzuric believed to be on non-guaranteed deals.
Western Notes: Aldridge, Kanter, Gallinari, Pau
Ben Golliver of BlazersEdge relays a portion of the transcript from a radio interview between Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports and John Canzano of 750 AM The Game as it relates to trade rumors surrounding LaMarcus Aldridge. Wojnarowski believes that while the circumstances could change, he can't imagine Aldridge leaving Portland in the foreseeable future and adds that the team hasn't shopped him. He's also not sure if the market is currently presenting anything worth trading for and doesn't think Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey is likely to deal the 6'11 big man for pennies on the dollar. Here are more miscellaneous notes out of the Western Conference tonight, including a handful of injury updates:
- Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW thinks that while the Mavericks could be okay this year, he's concerned about two to three years down the line when the team might not have any young stars to build around.
- In a piece for The Oregonian, Canzano says that he wants someone from the Trail Blazers to step up and guarantee a playoff berth.
- Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Jazz big man Enes Kanter has looked great in workouts, has had no issues with his shoulder, and participated in 5-on-5 scrimmages today for the first time since his injury (Twitter links).
- Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw wouldn't commit to any projected recovery timetable for injured forward Danilo Gallinari, saying that it isn't "anything that anyone can determine at this point" (Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post).
- Mark Medina of InsideSocal passes along an injury update from Lakers forward Pau Gasol, who looks to be fully healthy heading into this season after a summer of much-need rest and rehab.
- In a piece for Sports Illustrated, Ben Golliver made note that Rockets guard James Harden believes that he is a top-10 player (hat tip to Comcast Sportsnet Houston): "For sure. Last year I got a chance to prove it, I kind of broke out of the shell a little bit. Even though it was my first year (as a starter), I've got a lot more to prove. I've always kind of been the underdog, always been looked over, so it's nothing new."
- Sean Meagher of OregonLive.com provides season previews for the Thunder and Jazz with help from Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK and Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune, respectively.
- Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com continued his list of reasons to be excited about training camp in New Orleans, listing a fresh start for Tyreke Evans at number five.
Training Camp Invites: Byars, Gadzuric, Alexander
While we've has plenty of training camp signings today – from Louis Amundson to Dwayne Jones to Sam Young to Renaldo Balkman to Eric Boateng and Darius Johnson-Odom – there is also news of training camp invites that have yet to be accepted. Let's take a look at buzz from around the league that might help us determine who lands where in October:
- The Grizzlies have extended a training camp invite to Memphis-native Derrick Byars, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Byars, 29, has spent most of the time since his Vanderbilt days playing overseas, minus two games with the Spurs in 2011/12 and a handful of D-League stints. With only 13 guaranteed contracts, the Grizz have two potential open roster spots.
- The Lakers have invited Dan Gadzuric to training camp, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles. With the additions of Boateng and Johnson-Odom, Gadzuric would make 19 players in camp for the Lakers should he accept. The UCLA product, 35, played in Venezuela last season after a decade in the NBA. The Lakers only have 11 guaranteed deals on their roster, but there will be plenty of competition for the remaining spots.
- Former Bucks first rounder Joe Alexander has received an invitation to training camp from the Warriors, tweets Zach Lowe of Grantland. Alexander, the No. 8 pick of the 2008 draft, lasted only two years in the NBA out of West Virginia. With Ognjen Kuzmic's arrival in Oakland reportedly imminent, the Warriors will have two potential regular season roster spots remaining.
Lakers Add Eric Boateng, Darius Johnson-Odom
The Lakers have signed both Eric Boateng and Darius Johnson-Odom to their training camp roster, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Pincus adds that these moves were camp invites, implying the deals didn't involve any sort of guarantee, but there's been no official word on the contract specifications as of yet. Both players were previously linked to the Lakers in a report earlier today.
Boateng has bounced around between Europe and the D-League since going undrafted in 2010 out of Arizona State. He has never made an NBA roster despite coming close with the Nuggets heading into the 2010/11 campaign. Johnson-Odom is a bit more experienced, but not by much. He played in four games for the Lakers last year, spending most of his time with the D-Fenders, their D-League affiliate, where he led them in scoring at 20.6 PPG.
The Lakers training camp roster now stands at 18, but Pincus tweets that general manager Mitch Kupchak suggested that the team may go with 19 or 20 because of injuries and also to limit minutes for their veterans.
Mitch Kupchak Talks Kobe, FAs, Roster, D’Antoni
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak spoke to L.A. reporters today at a preseason conference, fielding questions on a number of topics related to the club's offseason and upcoming camp. A handful of Lakers scribes, including Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times, and Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, passed along highlights from the presser on Twitter, so let's dive in and round them up….
- As we heard over the weekend, there have been no extension talks yet between Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, though Kupchak expects to sit down and discuss it at some point during the season.
- Even if the Lakers star hits free agency in 2014, he has made it clear he intends to retire with the team, and Kupchak says the club reciprocates that desire.
- Taking into account the league's new CBA, Kupchak anticipates it will be difficult to get free agents to move next summer. However, the GM reiterated that the club is looking ahead not just to the 2014 offseason, but also to 2015 and beyond.
- Lakers ownership may be more open to the idea of carrying 14 or 15 players than it has been in the last few years, according to Kupchak.
- Asked about the reluctance from Lakers fans to accept Mike D'Antoni as head coach, Kupchak replied, "We try to give him all the support we can…. He has to realize, and I'm sure he does, that we back him 100%."
- With so many players on one-year contracts this year, there will be plenty of incentive for them to play their well into long-term deals, says Kupchak.
- The Lakers GM added that 2014 should be a good year to have a first-round draft pick, which is something the team hasn't held in several years.
Lakers Notes: Johnson-Odom, Boateng, Buss
As we heard over the weekend, the Lakers have yet to start negotiating a contract extension with Kobe Bryant, which is hardly a surprise, given the new CBA. Veteran extensions have become virtually non-existent since the lockout, and given the uncertainty relating to Kobe's recovery from Achilles surgery, there's no reason for either side to rush into contract discussions.
Here's more on the Lakers:
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports (via Twitter) that she has heard Darius Johnson-Odom and Eric Boateng mentioned as possible camp invitees for the Lakers. However, nothing has been finalized yet.
- Gilbert Arenas and Kareem Rush have also been spotted working out recently at the Lakers facility, according to Shelburne, but she says not to read too much into that (Twitter link).
- Jim Buss and Jeanie Buss have been the ones making headlines lately, but their younger brother Jesse Buss is also involved with the team, and spoke to Laker Nation about his role with the NBA team and its D-League affiliate. Among other topics, Buss addressed the challenge of scouting for a franchise that always has a win-now mentality, and discussed the outlooks for rookies Ryan Kelly and Elias Harris.
Western Notes: Spurs, Jackson, Johnson
A few notes from the Western Conference.
- The Spurs have named Ken McDonald the head coach of the team's D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, the team announced today in a press release. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first had the story (Twitter link).
- Pierre Jackson, whose NBA rights are held by New Orleans, has left his team in France to return to America, according to a report from Le Progres (translation via Sportando). It's not clear whether the Pelicans could fit Jackson into their plans immediately, so he may end up playing elsewhere this season.
- Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell writes about new Lakers forward Wesley Johnson, and what sort of impact the former lottery pick should have on the team this season.
Pacific Notes: Wesley Johnson, Suns, Kings
The Lakers didn't land their top free agent target this July, but the team made a handful of smaller, under-the-radar signings to bring in talent and bolster a bench that was thin in 2012/13. Among those incoming free agents is Wesley Johnson, and the new Laker spoke extensively to Laker Nation about the upcoming season, playing with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, and how excited he is to play in L.A.
"It's really a dream come true for me," Johnson said, according to Alex Lambeth and Jory Dreher. "I've wanted to play here since I was younger. My family really respects the Lakers for all they stand for…. My mom loved Magic [Johnson]. Being able to play for the Lakers and with my mom being able to see me play for them, it's going to be fun."
Here's more from around the Pacific Division:
- Goran Dragic spoke to Mark Woods of ESPN.com about the Suns' offseason and the direction of the team, praising the trade for Eric Bledsoe and the drafting of Alex Len. "Of course, we still have a lot of salary cap," Dragic said. "Probably next year, we'll go for big names, one of the superstars."
- Shaquille O'Neal's involvement in Kings ownership could have an effect on a new Sacramento arena, according to Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis, and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee. As the Bee report suggests, Shaq's presence may help sell Sacramentans on the proposed $258MM public subsidy for the arena.
- Earlier today, we heard that DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings are moving toward a contract extension.