Odds & Ends: Bobcats, Cavs, Nelson, Heat
While there has been a great deal of championship talk surrounding the Heat, Lakers, and Thunder this summer, the Bobcats have a more modest goal of not repeating as the NBA's worst team in 2012/13. While the Bobcats are still a work in progress, this year's team in Charlotte isn't nearly as bad as last season's group, writes Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld. Offseason acquisitions including rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Ben Gordon, Brendan Haywood, and Ramon Sessions should all help lift the team a little bit further out of the basement. As for the new cellar dweller? Brigham suggests that the Magic seem to be a likely candidate. Here's today's look around the Association..
- The Cavs brought former University of Richmond point guard Kevin Anderson in for a workout this week, a source told Sportando. Anderson spent last season with French team SIG Strasbourg, averaging 12.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 4.0 RPG.
- From Lithuania to the Lakers, forward Reeves Nelson truly has come full circle, writes Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside. Nelson was once viewed as a first-round talent, but off-court trouble led to him being kicked out of the UCLA program and a brief stint overseas. The Lakers signed Nelson to a non-guaranteed deal earlier this week.
- In today's mailbag, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel opines that the Heat did not make a "mistake" by whiffing on Andray Blatche, as he wouldn't have been a player of major consequence in the rotation anyway.
- David Mayo of MLive.com isn't sure what Ukrainian big man Vyacheslav Kravtsov brings to the table for the Pistons. Detroit signed the 24-year-old over the summer as their third center behind Jason Maxiell and rookie Andre Drummond.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Young, Heat, Beyer
It has been a busy day and night for the Lakers on this early-September Friday, which is certainly nothing new considering the influx of material since they landed Dwight Howard. Today they signed their second round pick, finalized their offseason coaching staff overhaul and their GM, Mitch Kupchak, spoke with SI.com's Sam Amick about all things Lakers. In addition to the earlier stories, Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles gives his take on three of the small, but meaningful issues facing the team.
But there are 29 other teams in the NBA, so let us round up some of the odds and ends from around the Association here tonight:
- Chauncey Billups is way ahead of schedule in his recovery from a left Achilles injury, writes Helene Elliot of the L.A. Times. Billups hasn't set a target return date yet, but said, "When my body feels right, that's when I'll be back. That being said, I'm far ahead of schedule. It's not even like I had a summer. I've been on the whole time, doing rehabbing and other work every day. I'm looking forward to getting back to playing and being with the guys and resuming my normal life as a player."
- Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld, via USA Today, writes that with the moves that the Knicks made – getting older and wiser – the team should be better equipped to compete and that the window to win is now. One interested tidbit from Beer – there are only five active NBA players over the age of 38 and the Knicks acquired three of them this offseason in Marcus Camby, Jason Kidd and Kurt Thomas.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News evaluates the chances of the Mavericks ending up with Kevin Martin and/or Josh Smith next summer, both of whom are free agents. After striking out this summer in free agency, the Mavericks should be in position to try again in a year with a similar level of financial flexibility.
- Dei Lynam of CSN Philly is doing a player by player breakdown of the revamped 76ers roster, and today she tackles swingman Thaddeus Young. The small forward position is much less crowded in Philadelphia after the departure of Andre Iguodala, and Young has made it an offseason goal to slide into that position as a starter.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside says that while the D-League has been increasingly effective as an NBA farm system, there is additional room for growth. He uses Andre Drummond as an example of a guy who would never be a D-League candidate, but for his development's sake, should be.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel addresses a few questions about the world champion Heat, including his thoughts on what roles of Rashard Lewis and Udonis Haslem may play on the Miami bench.
- The NBA coaching carousel continues as the Warriors have reportedly hired Bob Beyer as an assistant coach, who spent the last five years in Orlando on Stan Van Gundy's staff, says Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area. Beyer will replace Wes Unseld Jr., who joined Jacque Vaughn's staff in Orlando.
Lakers Sign Robert Sacre
The Lakers have announced that they have signed second-round pick Robert Sacre, reports Mike Trudell of Lakers.com via Twitter. As we detailed earlier this week, Sacre was one of six players taken in the second round that remained unsigned. Sacre averaged 9.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG on the Lakers summer league squad, raising some front office eyebrows in the process.
Dave McMenamin from ESPN Los Angeles tweets that because the Lakers view Earl Clark as more of a small or power forward, that Sacre stands a decent chance at making the opening roster as big man insurance. The 7-foot Canadian center was the 60th and final pick in June's draft, after averaging 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in his senior year at Gonzaga. He was the WCC Defensive Player of the Year. The terms of the contract are not yet known.
Lakers Finalize Coaching Staff Overhaul
We heard several weeks ago that Mike Brown and the Lakers planned to bring Eddie Jordan, Bernie Bickerstaff and Steve Clifford on board as assistant coaches this season. Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets that the team made it official today. Here is the press release from the Lakers, who also announced that former assistant John Kuester has been reassigned as an Advanced NBA Scout based on the East Coast.
According to Trudell, Kuester worked extensively with the offense last year, which was his first with the Lakers after coaching the Pistons for two seasons. Trudell fully expects those responsibilities to now fall to Jordan, who is known for his expertise with the Princeton offense. He also says Chuck Person and Darvin Ham are expected to remain on staff as assistants. In addition to the reassignment of Kuester, the new trio will also be replacing Quin Snyder and Ettore Messina who left the team this summer to coach for CSKA Moscow.
Mitch Kupchak Talks Lakers, Roster, Bench, D12
SI.com's Sam Amick conducted an extensive Q&A with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak on the team's offseason moves, Dwight Howard's health status, and a handful of other topics. Kupchak had plenty to say, so let's dive right in and round up a few of his more notable quotes:
On where the Lakers stand in the West:
"On paper, we've made what we think are improvements. I think we're going to be in the hunt. I don't know if we'll lead the pack or be second in the pack or be fourth in the pack or fifth, but I think that we'll be in the hunt and we're better than we were a year ago. Is it time to celebrate? Absolutely not. You're going to have to wait a year and see how it all plays out."
On whether he's happy to stand pat with this roster:
"There's been a lot of positive publicity surrounding this team, but I know when you lose three in a row that all of a sudden it's going to be 'Break up the Lakers.' And then you start to worry about injuries, and then you look around at the league and who else has made improvements. So you're never really feeling good about anything that's taken place. You just kind of keep moving ahead and then you always try to figure out what could go wrong."
On whether he has any concerns with the roster as constructed:
"A perfect example is that a lot of people say, 'Hey, Mitch, you've got a great starting five, are you worried about anything or could you possibly wish for anything more?' And the first thing that comes to my mind is, 'Yeah, I wish they were all 25.' That's how I look at things. Yeah, it's a great group, but I wish they were younger."
On the Lakers' new-look bench:
"With trading Lamar [Odom] last year, our bench was not as good as it could have been. Adding Antawn Jamison and signing back Jordan Hill, and then in the [Howard] trade, Chris Duhon and [Earl] Clark came aboard. Then we added a shooter in Jodie Meeks, who I think can do more than just shoot the ball. But if there's one thing he can do, he's got a great knack for making shots and he has to be guarded. I think we've improved our bench in a complementary fashion. But once again, going back to how we started this conversation, it's on paper and we'll know a year from now."
On Howard's recovery from back surgery:
"We had the doctors and the back people obviously examine him and he's on track. He should recover completely. Certainly, we're not going to rush him to play in the first practice or the first preseason game or the first game. It's going to be when he feels and when our people feel he's completely recovered. But our understanding of the rehabilitation is that he's on track to a complete recovery."
Lakers Sign Greg Somogyi
THURSDAY, 8:12am: Somogyi's deal with the Lakers is non-guaranteed, confirms Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
WEDNESDAY, 6:21pm: In addition to adding former UCLA forward Reeves Nelson, the Lakers have signed undrafted rookie Greg Somogyi, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (via Twitter). Both players were part of the Lakers' Summer League roster in Las Vegas.
Somogyi, who will turn 23 next month, never received more than limited minutes in his four years at UC Santa Barbara. The 7'3" center averaged 3.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 11.8 minutes per contest in his senior year before going undrafted this June.
Terms of Somogyi's deal weren't released, but I imagine the contract includes a partial guarantee at best. The big man will receive an invite to camp and should get a chance to earn a spot in a frontcourt that will include Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Antawn Jamison, Jordan Hill, and Earl Clark.
Lakers Sign Reeves Nelson
6:23pm: The Lakers have officially signed Nelson, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (via Twitter).
8:47am: Reeves Nelson is set to sign a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Lakers, the forward tells Baxter Holmes of the Los Angeles Times. The UCLA product will go to training camp with the club after he inks the deal, which could potentially be worth about $700K.
Nelson auditioned for the Lakers prior to the 2012 draft and has been working out at the club's practice facility in El Segundo for the last three weeks. The 6'8" forward was once considered to be a potential first-round pick but saw his college career unravel before he was ultimately dismissed by the Bruins. Nelson hooked on with Lithuanian team BC Zalgiris for a five week stretch before being released.
Odds & Ends: Rockets, Magic, Whiteside
Jan Hubbard of Sheridan Hoops offered his reflections on the biggest stories of the NBA offseason, including the Lakers' fleecing of the Magic in the Dwight Howard trade. New General Manager Rob Hennigan obviously wasn't working from a position of strength when he made the deal and wound up getting players taken at at 15, 16, 25, 27, 30 and 37 in their respective drafts in exchange for the league's best center. Here's more from around the Association..
- Rockets coach Kevin McHale told Jason Friedman of Rockets.com that he plans on playing an inside-out game with the team as currently constructed. We looked at part one of Friedman's interview with McHale yesterday.
- In an interview with HoopsWorld, Hassan Whiteside disclosed that he has a workout set with the Timberwolves for this week. Minnesota is on the lookout for free agent bigs and reportedly watched the 7-footer in Houston as a part of John Lucas' camp last month.
- While the Clippers' hire of Gary Sacks as General Manager may seem like an uninspired choice from the outside, it was actually a smart one given his support throughout the organization, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Sacks picked up major endorsements from players this offseason, including star forward Blake Griffin.
- Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) doesn't believe that Tracy McGrady could help the Bobcats as he is more of a distraction than a savvy veteran that can help young players. The Bobcats are reportedly looking at McGrady and may work him out sometime soon.
Heat Notes: Wade, Spoelstra, Allen, Point Guards
One of the reasons the Ray Allen signing was such a coup for the Heat is concern about Dwyane Wade's left knee, which required arthroscopic surgery July 9th and forced him out of the Olympics. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel rounded up Wade's comments about his recovery as he makes the rounds to promote his book, "A Father First: How my life became bigger than basketball." Winderman also has a few more tidbits from the defending champs today, and we'll pass them along here:
- Wade was optimistic during his appearance on "The View," saying, "I'm doing great. I'm ahead of schedule. The knee's OK, so I'm ahead of schedule," as Winderman notes. Wade was more cautious in his remarks to a Houston radio station, and indicated it could be a while before he's 100%. "That's my goal, to be full strength," Wade said. "Obviously, coming off surgery, even in the beginning of the year, [the goal is] to continue to work your way into things and hopeful hit your stride some point midseason, where you feel your best."
- Coach Erik Spoelstra, who turned up the tempo last season, spoke on WQAM's Jorge Sedano Show today and said he'll try to get the team to play even faster this year, as Winderman notes. Spoelstra also shared his excitement about adding Allen to the mix. "He's a Hall of Fame-type catch-and-shoot player," the coach said. "We haven't had that element before in our offense. So it's been a lot of fun, trying to X-and-O and come up with new ways to get him open. I don't want to overthink it. I don't want to totally change what we do, but that's a great element to have, that type of weapon."
- In the same interview, Spoelstra also gave his take on the moves that the Lakers and other teams took to try to knock the Heat from the top of the mountain. "We knew this would be a big summer, one way or another, that there were a lot of teams out there with money, that had an opportunity to make big moves, and some teams did, some teams did improve," Spoelstra said. "The Lakers certainly did, and that's going to make it all the more fun."
- A third point guard would provide insurance in case either Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole misses any time this season, but the Heat seem willing to experiment with Terrel Harris in that role if the need arises, Winderman says in his mailbag column. Harris remains unsigned, but he's in talks with the Heat about a return.
Teams Using Taxpayer MLE For 2012/13
When it comes to team payroll, NBA clubs can essentially be broken down into three groups: Teams using cap space, over-the-cap (but under-the-tax) teams, and taxpaying teams. Yesterday, we looked at the franchises that fall into the former two categories, including 12 teams using cap space and 13 teams with access to the full $5MM mid-level exception.
That leaves just five teams in the Association that no longer have access to cap space or the full mid-level for 2012/13. It's not out of the realm of possibility that one or more of these teams could dip back below the tax threshold over the course of the season. But since their payrolls have exceeded $74,307,000 already, they're ineligible to use more than the $3.09MM taxpayer mid-level exception from now until next July.
Here's a look at the five teams that fall into this category, and where their payroll situations currently stand:
- Brooklyn Nets: Their offseason spending spree resulted in an overall 2012/13 payroll of about $81.8MM, which included using the $3.09MM mini mid-level on Mirza Teletovic. In their first year in Brooklyn, the Nets are unlikely to try to cut costs, so I'd expect that $81.8MM figure to increase, if anything.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Despite sitting at almost exactly $100MM in player salaries this season, the Lakers actually still have about half of their MLE to use, after spending $1.5MM+ on Jodie Meeks. We'll have to see if the Lakers are done spending or if they're ready to head well into triple-digits and increase their tax hit even more.
- Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies are the likeliest of these teams to try to sneak below the tax threshold later in the year. Their $74.9MM payroll isn't far above the apron, and most of their players are on reasonable salaries, making a deadline deal a possibility. The team's approach will probably depend on how the ownership situation is looking by the new year.
- Miami Heat: Like the Nets, they're slightly over the $80MM mark, and don't figure to be cutting salary as long as they have a shot at the title. They used their entire $3.09MM mini MLE to sign Ray Allen.
- New York Knicks: For all the hand-wringing this summer about the Knicks' future tax payments if they'd retained Jeremy Lin, their 2012/13 payroll isn't catastrophic — the team is below the $80MM mark, and that includes some non- or partially-guaranteed deals, which could reduce payroll a little more by season's end. The Knicks used their $3.09MM taxpayer mid-level on Jason Kidd.