Odds & Ends: Andersen, Splitter, Celtics, Pacers
Of the 10 NBA teams in action tonight, eight are currently in position to make the playoffs, while one of the remaining two is a shorthanded Lakers squad trying to claw its way back to .500. As we look forward to what should be an entertaining evening slate, let's round up some miscellaneous updates from around the Association….
- As Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida documents, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is talking as if he expects Chris Andersen to remain with the team for the rest of the season. If Miami does guarantee Andersen's contract, it will be the 15th guaranteed deal on the roster, meaning the Heat wouldn't have an open spot for someone like Greg Oden later in the season.
- Tiago Splitter is eligible for restricted free agency this summer and acknowledges to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News that he can't help but think about his future. "I’m not thinking about it during the games, of course," Splitter said. "But it’s difficult not to think about it other times. It’s in your head." Splitter's preference is to re-sign with the Spurs, though he'll likely be in line for a decent raise.
- Celtics coach Doc Rivers referred to recent trade rumors involving his players as "silly," suggesting that they're media-driven rather than substantial. Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com has the details.
- Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star implores the Pacers to make a deal before the February 21st deadline if they want to be legit contenders in the Eastern Conference.
- In light of LeBron James' recent comments suggesting that his contract doesn't reflect his true value, ESPN.com's Henry Abbott and Brian Windhorst (video link) discuss the value of NBA superstars like LeBron.
- In a mailbag, Ian Thomsen of SI.com identifies 12 teams he thinks could be "buyers" as the trade deadline approaches.
Heat Sign Varnardo For Remainder Of Season
FEBRUARY 4th: Varnado's deal is paying him him a prorated $473K this season and is non-guaranteed next season for nearly $789K, according to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (on Twitter).
JANUARY 30th: The Heat have officially signed Varnado for the remainder of the season, according to a team release. Varnado's represents the 14th guaranteed contract on Miami's roster, so if the Heat intend to keep an open roster spot for Greg Oden or anyone else, the team would have to release Chris Andersen when his second 10-day deal ends.
JANUARY 29th: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports that the Heat are working to finalize a deal with Jarvis Varnado for the rest season, also noting that a decision had to be made today after the 6'9 power forward completed two 10-day contracts with the team (Twitter links).
Varnado has appeared in a total of seven games this season, including five with the Celtics and two with Miami. Although the former Mississippi State standout had originally been drafted in the second round of the 2010 NBA draft by the Heat, Varnado spent nearly two years in Europe in addition to a brief stint with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League, where he averaged 14 PPG, 10 RPG, 3.9 BPG, and 30.5 MPG in 10 contests. This year marks his first set of appearances in an NBA regular season.
D-League Moves: Pittman, Lamb
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional movement at the top of the page:
- The Heat announced they've re-assigned center Dexter Pittman to the D-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce. The 6'11" third-year man has seen the vast majority of his playing time with Sioux Falls instead of Miami this season, as he's appeared in 12 D-League games but has logged just 12 NBA minutes. Pittman is averaging 13.3 points and 9.2 rebounds for the Skyforce this year.
- The Bucks are sending rookie Doron Lamb to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League, Milwaukee announced via Twitter. Lamb, the 42nd overall pick this past June, has seen a fair amount of playing time with the big club this year, averaging 3.4 points in 12.2 minutes per contest in 23 games this season. He's fallen out of favor since Jim Boylan took over as coach for Scott Skiles, however, and hasn't appeared in a game for the Bucks since January 5th. The 6'4" shooting guard took part in two games for the Mad Ants last month, averaging 7.5 points in 24.5 minutes.
Eastern Rumors: Josh Smith, Lowry, Lucas, Bulls
It doesn't look like anything will derail a trip to the postseason for the teams currently in the top seven of the Eastern Conference, but with Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger both lost for the year, the Celtics appear more vulnerable than their three-game lead for the eighth spot would suggest. The Sixers, who could get Andrew Bynum back soon, are ninth, and the Pistons and Raptors, a pair of teams that could get a boost from this week's trade, are next in line. Here's more from the East:
- Though other reports have contradicted Alex Kennedy's recent dispatch that the Suns have interest in Josh Smith, the HoopsWorld scribe stands by his story, and says the Rockets and Bobcats have had exploratory talks with the Hawks as well (Twitter links).
- While Marc Stein of ESPN.com has heard the suggestion that the Raptors might have intended to get rid of Kyle Lowry as well as Jose Calderon, he doesn't see that happening now, especially given the close friendship between Lowry and new acquisiton Rudy Gay.
- The Raptors signed John Lucas III last summer with the idea that he would slide into the rotation if a Calderon trade went down, Stein points out. Lucas responded with 17 points in less than 19 minutes during last night's upset of the Clippers.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders about the possibility LeBron James could sign with the Bulls in 2014, when the team is set to have plenty of cap space to accomodate King James and others.
- Cowley also notes that Bulls GM Gar Forman is likely to sign free agents primarily to one-year contracts this summer, just as he did in 2012, as last year's free agent tracker shows.
- HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham provides an update on Bynum, Derrick Rose, Danny Granger, and other key injured players due back around the All-Star break, speculating that their returns might make it less likely that their teams participate in trade deadline deals.
LeBron James Talks Contracts, CBA, Big Threes
Shortly after the Grizzlies, Raptors, and Pistons completed a three-way deal that sent Rudy Gay to Toronto, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote a column in which he argued that the trade signaled that the end of the era of big-three super-teams was coming to an end. Today, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com spoke to LeBron James, who is part of a Big Three of his own in Miami, about the idea that the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is changing how rosters are constructed. LeBron shared a few interesting quotes, so let's check out the highlights….
On whether the NBA's salary cap allows for LeBron's full value to be reflected in his contract:
"What I do on the floor shows my value. At the end of the day, I don't think my value on the floor can really be compensated for anyways because of the (collective bargaining agreement). If you want the truth. If this was baseball (with no salary cap), it'd be up, I mean way up there."
On the decision he, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh made to sign for less than the maximum salary in Miami:
"I have not had a full max deal yet in my career — that's a story untold. I don't get (the credit) for it. That doesn't matter to me, playing the game is what matters to me. Financially, I'll sacrifice for the team. It shows for some of the top guys, it isn't all about money. That's the genuine side of this, it's about winning. I understand that."
On whether the 'Big Three' model is on its way out:
"I think teams understand that you need three guys to do big things; the big-three thing is pretty cool if you can get it. To keep teams like this together you may have to take even less because of the new CBA. I guess we'll find out."
Odds & Ends: Hudson, Garnett, Heat, Bulls
Ex-NBA veteran Troy Hudson has officially ended his playing career, Sioux Falls Skyforce president Mike Heineman announced on Thursday (link via Terry Vandrovec of the Argus Leader). While Hudson hasn't appeared in the NBA since the 2007/08 season, he started this year with the D-League's Skyforce. In 517 career NBA games for five teams, the 6'1" guard averaged 9.0 PPG and 3.4 APG.
Here are a few more Friday odds and ends from around the league:
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game clarifies (via Sulia) that his report earlier this week on Kevin Garnett simply meant to convey that trade interest in Garnett may not be as strong as expected, since rival general managers aren't convinced he'll play out his contract. Bucher also notes that while those GMs don't expect KG to finish his contract, that doesn't mean they expect him to retire this summer.
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses the Heat's trade options and the team's signing of Jarvis Varnado to a rest-of-season contract.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com has his own mailbag up, which includes his thoughts on the Bulls' potential interest in Greg Oden and the possibility of the team re-signing Nate Robinson this summer.
- Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld takes a look at which players may be on the move next.
Wojnarowski On LeBron, Cavs, Grizzlies
The Grizzlies' decision to trade Rudy Gay is the latest sign that the NBA's era of three-star "super-teams" is coming to an end, writes Adrian Wojnarowski in his latest piece for Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski had harsh words for the Grizzlies' new ownership and management groups following the Gay deal, arguing that the new CBA ensures that team owner Robert Pera can "mismanage the Grizzlies into oblivion and still make money on the enterprise." Here are the rest of the notable items from Woj's piece:
- LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, has been privately discussing the idea of LeBron returning to Cleveland as a free agent in 2014 for the last two years. Wojnarowski notes that James will ultimately make his own free-agent decision, but says Paul figures to be one of the most important voices in his ear.
- As one "high-level associate" of LeBron's inner circle tells Wojnarowski: "[Heat president Pat] Riley has never given them the run of the place in Miami, and they could all be back in business together in Cleveland. For Rich and [business manager] Maverick [Carter], they all see the benefits of getting the credit for bringing LeBron home again."
- Front offices around the NBA were "incredulous" after the Grizzlies dealt Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, and Josh Selby, along with a future first-rounder, for cap relief, says Wojnarowski. Many league executives believed Memphis could have waited until closer to the deadline and potentially received a better return on Speights and Ellington individually.
- Said one Eastern Conference GM on the Grizzlies' trade with the Cavs: "Beyond a panic move. Cleveland would always be there with that deal."
- Although GM Chris Wallace made a statement in the Grizzlies' press release announcing the Gay trade, Wallace had little to do with the process, according to Wojnarowski. Wallace isn't making calls to teams and isn't consulted by the new management group — he's simply waiting until they reach an agreement on his "inevitable parting," says Wojnarowski.
Heat, Cavs Frontrunners For Greg Oden
9:40pm: There's mutual interest between the Cavs and Oden, Conley tells Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. The agent noted that the proximity of the Cleveland Clinic helps the Cavs, as Conley wants to make sure that there's proper care for his oft-injured client wherever he winds up.
3:09pm: In addition to the potential Oden suitors we've already heard about (including the Spurs and Mavericks), the Pacers, Hornets, and Bobcats also have interest, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Broussard, Oden is expected to make his decision in three or four weeks.
WEDNESDAY, 1:26pm: Speaking to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida, agent Mike Conley essentially confirmed Goodman's report, referring to both Miami and Cleveland as potential fits for his client. He also confirmed that he and Oden would like to go down to Miami and meet with the Heat soon, noting that he has been in touch recently with team president Pat Riley.
TUESDAY, 11:08am: As Greg Oden continues to eye an NBA comeback, the Heat and the Cavaliers have emerged as the favorites to land the former first overall pick, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. According to Goodman, Oden is hoping to visit Pat Riley and the Heat in Miami within the next week or so.
We heard earlier this month that Oden is considering signing an NBA deal this season, with the intention of rehabbing with the club this year and then returning to the court for the 2013/14 season. Multiple reports have identified the Heat as a possible landing spot for the seven-footer, but the Cavaliers have a couple factors working in their favor — Oden has a history in the area, having attended Ohio State, and the Cavs could also offer a higher salary. While the Heat only have minimum-salary deals at their disposal, Cleveland still has about $3-4MM in cap space.
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reported last week that Oden was hoping to sign with a team shortly after the All-Star break or trade deadline, which means we could get resolution within the next few weeks. Besides Miami and Cleveland, the Celtics, Mavericks, and Spurs are among the teams that have been linked to Oden.
Heat Re-Sign Chris Andersen
WEDNESDAY, 11:25am: The Heat have officially re-signed Andersen to a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Andersen's initial deal expired overnight, while his new deal is set to expire on February 8th.
TUESDAY, 9:39pm: Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that Chris Andersen will sign another 10-day contract with the Heat on Wednesday. The 34-year-old veteran played his first game of the season with Miami last Friday, tallying two points and two rebounds in four minutes of play against the Pistons.
With Jarvis Varnado recently re-signed, the addition of Andersen will push the Heat's roster limit to the maximum of 15. Should Miami decide to keep the 10-year veteran beyond this next deal, they would have to offer him a guaranteed contract for the rest of the season.
The Heat now have a bigger sample size to evaluate Andersen's ability to contribute, as the team has six games over the span of the next ten days (compared to just three games during his first deal). Looking at his per game averages with Denver in 2011/12 (5.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.4 BPG in 15.2 MPG), it will be interesting to see if head coach Erik Spoelstra will give the 6'10 forward more minutes to showcase himself over the next week and a half.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Johnson, Oden
Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News says that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak will likely know by tomorrow about whether or not the NBA will approve their Disabled Player Exception for the injured Jordan Hill (Twitter link). With the roster currently at 14, an exception worth $1.78MM would be a very valuable asset for a team that would have otherwise only have a veteran's minimum deal or a small, pro-rated portion of their mini mid-level exception to offer free agents at this point during the season. You'll find the rest of tonight's miscellaneous links from around the NBA here:
- Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge says the team currently has no needs and will wait and see what transpires over the next few weeks to get a better feel if a move has to be made or not (Adi Joseph of USA Today reports).
- Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman, who recently returned from an 11-game absence for family reasons, sounded like he wanted the team to keep Chris Johnson (LSU) and Mickael Gelabale for the rest of the season, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
- Grizzlies guard Chris Johnson, whose 10-day contract is set to expire on Friday night, is making a strong case to be brought back for another deal, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. GM Chris Wallace described Johnson as a "seamless fit" so far.
- Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald doesn't think the Heat are the best fit for Greg Oden, citing that if healthy, the former number one overall pick could find more playing time and a better comfort level elsewhere. Even if the team uses its taxpayer mid-level exception to land Oden this summer, Goodman thinks that the luxury tax impact might not be worth the investment either.
- When asked directly about the possibility of playing for the Cavaliers, Oden replied: "I'm worried about the knee. That's it," later saying that it was too early for him to be thinking of a destination. Oden added that he wants to take his rehab slow, and that while he could possibly play today if he wanted to, he wants to avoid the risk of having the same setbackthat he had in Portland (Doug Lesmerises and Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer report).