Odds & Ends: Chandler, Paul, Spurs, Jamison
Let's round up a few Wednesday odds and ends from around the Association….
- Although Wilson Chandler, who signed a five-year deal with the Nuggets earlier in 2012, tells Adrian Dater of the Denver Post that he wouldn't have done anything differently when it comes to playing last year in China, he's looking forward to a bounceback season with the Nuggets.
- Ramona Shelburne and Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com debate whether Chris Paul's impending free agency will become a distraction for the Clippers this season. For his part, Paul has said he doesn't expect to pay much attention to his contract situation until season's end.
- The Spurs are still seeking a permanent solution for backup point guard behind Tony Parker, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Gary Neal currently has the leg up for the job, but Patrick Mills and Cory Joseph remain in the mix.
- Antawn Jamison spoke to Jeff Miller of the Orange County Register about his decision to sign with the Lakers after he received the OK from his family in North Carolina.
- In an Insider piece, ESPN.com's Chad Ford takes an early look at some of the top ACC prospects expected to be part of the 2013 draft class.
- The Santa Cruz Warriors are interested in selecting Japeth Aguilar of the Philippines in the D-League draft, according to Sid Ventura of Yahoo! Sports. Golden State's D-League affiliate officially received approval today to relocate to Santa Cruz for the 2012/13 season.
Injury Updates: Roy, Dirk, Smith, Hill, Nene
Injury news isn't usually our focus here at Hoops Rumors, but with updates today relating to recent free agent signees, roster hopefuls, and NBA superstars, there's too many updates of note not to pass them along. Here's the latest on the injury statuses of a number of players around the league….
- In an appearance on KFAN in Minneapolis, Brandon Roy said that his knees are holding up great following his first few "grueling practices" with the Timberwolves (link via Sports Radio Interviews).
- According to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, Dirk Nowitzki is fighting knee issues for the second straight year. Nowitzki is hoping a few days of rest will help, but if the problem doesn't improve, it sounds as if he's prepared to undergo a minor procedure: "We’ll see how it responds, but the longer we wait, obviously the worse it is. If we have to do something, it’d be better to do it quick…. But we’re still hopeful that this is a temporary thing. If we relax and rest it for a week and see how it goes, then we’ll have a better idea."
- Knicks camp invitee Chris Smith will undergo patella surgery and miss three to six months, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post. According to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter), Smith was considered a strong candidate to make the team, so his injury could clear a spot for another player to become the Knicks' 15th man.
- Jordan Hill, who re-signed with the Lakers this summer, won't need surgery for a herniated disc in his back and should be ready to play in the team's regular-season opener, reports Adrian Wojnarnowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- Wizards coach Randy Wittman couldn't offer a timetable for the return of Nene, as he told Michael Lee of the Washington Post: "All I do is each morning, I come in, I ask the trainer who I got, who I don’t have. And that’s all I can worry about right now. I write down who I got and we formulate a practice plan and we come out here. And I’ll come back tonight and see who I got and who I don’t got. That’s my update."
Kobe Stresses No Set Timetable For Retirement
Earlier this week, Kobe Bryant suggested once again to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that he's not leaning toward continuing his NBA playing career once his contract expires in the summer of 2014. As expected, Lakers beat reporters followed up on the topic yesterday, with Kobe stressing to the media that none of his decisions are set in stone.
"Oh my God," Kobe said, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. "You guys want to ask me a million questions about what I'm going to do three years from now. I don't even know in two minutes."
As Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes, Bryant noted that there's still plenty of basketball to be played between now and 2014. The 34-year-old said he still feels strong physically, but added that the "mentality of preparing year in and year out" was more taxing every offseason, and that he wasn't sure yet how he'd feel about it in '14. After speaking with the media, Kobe also took to Facebook to make a statement on the constant retirement rumors, redirecting focus to the coming season:
"As far as retirement, I'm not sure how many years I have left but know this: IF and When I announce my retirement, I will do so directly to you first. Let's focus on getting this season taken care of. It should be a fun one. I feel strong, light and quick. I can't wait till Oct 31."
Bryant is due to make about $27.85MM this season and about $30.45MM in 2013/14, the final year of his deal.
Kennedy On Veterans, Cousins
Earlier Tuesday, Tracy McGrady signed a deal to play in China. With that in mind, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy takes a look at several veteran players remaining on the market in his latest column:
- Josh Howard, Michael Redd, and Leandro Barbosa are two wing players Kennedy points to as among the best available on the market.
- Several veteran players, including Mickael Pietrus and Kenyon Martin, are unwilling to sign contracts at the veteran's minimum and are holding out for more money, Kennedy says.
- Derek Fisher has been working out with the Lakers recently, but Kennedy points out that he cannot re-sign there until March, after one year has passed since he was traded to the Rockets and waived.
- Kennedy suggests that Gilbert Arenas, who appeared in 17 games for the Grizzlies last season, may consider playing in China like McGrady if he cannot find a deal in the NBA.
- Also in his column, Kennedy looks at the leadership role third-year center DeMarcus Cousins has been taking on with the Kings in training camp.
Pacific Rumors: Paul, Howard, Warriors, Suns
The Lakers were thought to be in the market for an extra big man earlier today, but they found out later that Jordan Hill won't need surgery on his back and should be ready for the regular season opener. Hill, of course, isn't the only Laker post player recovering from a back injury, and the team continues to get encouraging news on Dwight Howard as well. We've got more on him and other news from around the Pacific Division.
- Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com looks at what it will take for the Clippers to convince Chris Paul, a free agent at season's end, to stay.
- Howard has been cleared to go five-on-five for limited minutes in practice, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times. That seemed to be the final barrier between Howard and his return from back surgery, and it would take a "major setback" for Howard not to be in the lineup on opening night, opines Markazi (Twitter link).
- Warriors coach Mark Jackson has high praise for rookie Festus Ezeli, who's competing with Andris Biedrins for the backup center job. "He was spectacular. He is the real deal. I can't believe he was there at (pick number) 30," Jackson said, as Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group tweets. Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle passes along the same quote, and adds Jackson's comments about Harrison Barnes, whom the coach also believes is better than advertised.
- Thompson shares his insight on the competition to start at small forward for the Warriors, which he says is down to Barnes and Brandon Rush, with Rush having the inside track, sources say (Sulia link).
- Jermaine O'Neal, who signed a minimum-salary deal with the Suns, says training camp in Phoenix is much different from his experience with the Celtics, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes.
Southeast Rumors: Martin, Heat, Magic, Webster
The Heat are in China, where Dwyane Wade is hopeful he can return to game action for the first time since the left knee surgery that kept him out of this summer's Olympics, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Wade has extra, endorsement-based incentive to hit the court in China, where his new Li-Ning sneakers will be formally introduced this week. We've got more Tuesday notes from the Southeast Division right here:
- The signing of Rashard Lewis precluded any interest the Heat might have had in Kenyon Martin, Winderman says. Martin, who remains unsigned, is still seeking a deal worth more than the minimum, though he's said he'd make an exception for the right team. His name was mentioned in connection with the Lakers earlier today. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports Jordan Hill is expected to be healthy in time for opening night, so the team may not have as much motivation to add another big man as they would have if Hill were expected to miss time.
- Point guard Armon Johnson, on a non-guaranteed contract with the Magic, is making a case to stick around, tweets John Denton of Magic.com. Johnson faces an uphill battle to make the regular season roster, since the team has 17 players with at least a partial guarantee on their deals.
- Craig Stouffer of The Washington Examiner checks in with Martell Webster, who, along with Trevor Ariza, helps shore up a small forward position that had been a weakness for the Wizards.
Odds & Ends: Martin, Celtics, Leuer, Lakers
In a piece for Grantland.com, Zach Lowe looks at the different tiers in the Association after a wild offseason. In Lowe's opinion, the real title contenders this year are the Heat, Spurs, Thunder, and Lakers. Further down the list, you'll find the Nets and the Knicks who are classified as having exciting upside but too many questions to be considered real title threats. The Nets, he argues, may not get much bench production outside of C.J. Watson and MarShon Brooks. Meanwhile, most of the Knicks' big name offseason additions strike Lowe as league-average types who won't really make a major difference. Here's more from around the league..
- In the wake of Jordan Hill's back injury, Sam Amico of FOX Sports (via Twitter) expects the Lakers to sign a veteran big man to a minimum contract, possibly Kenyon Martin. Martin plied his craft at the Staples Center last season with the Clippers and played well despite not lighting up the stat sheet.
- While giving credit to the Celtics' 2008 championship team, point guard Rajon Rondo opined that this year's club is the strongest yet, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. This year's Celtics squad underwent a number of changes, including guard Jason Terry taking the place of Ray Allen.
- After being claimed off of waivers by the Rockets this summer, Jon Leuer is making a strong impression with the Cavs in camp this summer, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld. Coach Byron Scott believes that the team needs to help Leuer build confidence after bouncing around between a few clubs at the age of 23.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld believes that Kobe Bryant will have to play beyond 2013/14 if he hopes to capture two more championship rings. Bryant reiterated yesterday that he plans to retire after his current contract expires in two seasons.
Lakers Rumors: Howard, Bryant, Nash, Jackson
It's unclear exactly when Dwight Howard will make his debut in purple and gold. Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports the All-Star center has backed off earlier remarks that he was hopeful he would play in the preseason, and though Lakers coach Mike Brown in impressed with the way Howard looks in practice, there's still no timetable for his return from back surgery. Howard quipped with reporters who asked if he might sit out the regular season opener, saying, "You're not going to trick me into that one," Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. While we await word just when he'll be playing, there's other news surrounding Howard and his new teammates.
- About the blockbuster trade that brought him to Los Angeles, Howard said, "This is one of the best things that has happened in my life," SB Nation's Mike Prada notes, via Twitter (hat tip to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel).
- Howard had a relationship with Kobe Bryant long before the trade that brought the big man to L.A., as SI.com's Sam Amick writes. "What people don't know is that this is one of the guys who I've been talking to for about four years now," Howard said of Bryant. "And he has been an amazing help to me, just pushing me in ways — secretly because we played in the Eastern and Western Conference. But it's been him just talking to me, showing me how to do certain things with my team and things like that."
- Steve Nash is forming a bond with Bryant as well, who says he's happy to let the former Sun manage the Lakers offense, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports. "He just makes the game easy," Bryant said. "It's a joy for me. I've had to facilitate and score my entire career. I don't have to do that now and I'm pretty happy about it."
- Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register takes a look at how Nash is already making his new teammates better.
- Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson hinted that he'd like to return to the NBA in a front office capacity on ESPN Chicago's Waddle and Silvy radio show, saying that coaching would be too taxing on his 67-year-old body (transcription via Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews).
Pacific Notes: Howard, Warriors
Between the Lakers' acquisitions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard and several key additions made by the Clippers and Warriors, the Pacific Division figures to be one of the most intriguing in the NBA. Here are the latest notes surrounding the Pacific on Sunday evening:
- ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi reports (via Twitter) that Howard is still expected to start on opening night for the Lakers, as well as play in at least one preseason game.
- According to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter), Stephen Curry, Andrew Bogut, and Draymond Green are being held out of the Warriors' preseason opener. No word on implications for any of their availability at the start of the regular season.
Odds & Ends: Josh Howard, Pittman, Paul
- Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel says that this could be Dexter Pittman's last year to prove himself as a keeper for the Heat.
- In addition to news that Chauncey Billups has been increasing his practice time, it has also been noted that Clippers guard Chris Paul is reportedly close to returning from a thumb injury (Janis Carr of the OC Register writes).
- In this article from Lakers.com, Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, and coach Mike Brown offered their thoughts on the impact that Steve Nash has brought to the Lakers locker room.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel discusses Chris Bosh's role as Miami's third option as coach Erik Spoelstra looks to utilize more post-up opportunities for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
- Doug Smith of TheStar.com writes that Raptors coach Dwane Casey is yet to decide between Aaron Gray and Jonas Valanciunas for the team's starting center position. Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld provided a comprehensive break down of the competition for key rotation spots in Toronto's camp.
- Wizards owner Ted Leonsis held an interview with reporters on Thursday to speak about topics including John Wall, building team chemistry, the dramatic roster changes from this summer, and the overall growth of the team (according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post).
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside examines the difficult balance that coaches face in the D-League between winning and player development.