Eastern Notes: LeBron, Parker, Nets
Despite Tristan Thompson sharing the same agent as LeBron James, James hasn’t tried to use his leverage with the Cavaliers organization to push the team into upping their offer to the restricted free agent, Joe Vardon of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. A source close to James, who can opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, says that Thompson’s contract impasse is a “non-discussion right now” for LeBron as it relates to his own future in Cleveland, Vardon notes. A source within the Cavs organization also indicated to Vardon that the team isn’t concerned about James leaving if Thompson is not re-signed to a long-term deal, saying, “LeBron’s goals don’t change relative to Tristan Thompson or anyone. [Our primary goal is to] Be as good as we can be for as long as we can be.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Jabari Parker, who is recovering from a torn ACL, is expected to participate when the Bucks begin training camp, though the team hasn’t said how much the second-year forward will be allowed to do, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays in a series of tweets. Coach Jason Kidd is pleased with Parker’s progress, Gardner adds, with Kidd saying, “He looks extremely good. His body has changed and his spirits are extremely high right now, being on the court.” The team will certainly be cautious with Parker, Gardner also notes, with GM John Hammond saying, “He’s making progress. Wherever he’s at, if we think he [Parker] can play 30 minutes, we’ll probably have him play 15.“
- The Nets are hoping that their team chemistry will be better this season after the departure of point guard Deron Williams, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post writes. When asked what he liked about what he has seen from the team over the summer, GM Billy King told Bontemps and other reporters, “I like the guys’ attitudes towards each other. I think they have a genuine liking and care for each other. If you’re willing to do that, then you’re willing to sacrifice on both ends of the floor for each other.“
- The Raptors are still a work in progress, and despite the offseason additions of DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph, the team doesn’t appear to be a serious threat to unseat the Heat and the Bulls atop the Eastern Conference just yet, the crew at Basketball Insiders opine in their season preview of the team.
Bucks Arena Funding Plan Crosses Final Hurdle
1:24pm: Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett has signed the funding measure, Daykin tweets.
12:30pm: The Milwaukee Common Council has voted to approve the city’s $47MM portion of the public funding for a new Bucks arena, meaning the funding plan for the project has crossed the final barrier, reports Tom Daykin of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The $500MM building still needs the council’s approval for its design, with that matter likely to come to the table this fall, Daykin adds. Still, it appears the arena is well on its way to becoming a reality, even though minority owner and team executive Mike Fascitelli recently admitted the arena might not open until the fall of 2018, one year after the NBA’s deadline, according to Daykin.
The league has nonetheless given only positive feedback of late, at least through public channels, on the progress of the public funding approval process, so it doesn’t appear as though Milwaukee is in any jeopardy of losing the team. The NBA holds the right to seize the team from its owners and sell it to investors who would move the franchise out of town, a threat that appeared more ominous when the funding was bogged down in the Wisconsin state legislature this spring, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com documented then.
The state, Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee are ponying up half the cost of the arena, with current and former Bucks owners paying the other $250MM of the estimated cost.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Parker, KD, Heat
The Celtics are hoping that their depth will be enough to power them to success since they are lacking in star power, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes. Celtics GM Danny Ainge understands the importance of having elite players, but he also pointed to the Spurs’ 2013/14 championship team as a team that won it all while not necessarily having the most talent.
“History has shown us that you need stars — or at least some level of stars,” said Ainge. “But I do believe you can win with really good players. Teams in the past that have won haven’t had the best players.”
Of course, that was a roster anchored by Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker, so it’s not as though it was a team of no-names. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference..
- The Greg Monroe signing drew a ton of attention this summer, but if the Bucks enjoy success in 2015/16, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders believes that Jabari Parker’s return could be an even bigger factor for Milwaukee. Parker and Monroe, he adds, could consistently combine for 30-40 PPG, something the Bucks sorely missed last season.
- Shaun Powell of NBA.com says that the Wizards are right to be setting the table for Kevin Durant in the event that he wants to leave OKC. The Wizards offer more than the comforts of home for OKC, thanks to John Wall, Bradley Beal, and a solid collection of bigs.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat could trade Chris Andersen, Mario Chalmers, and a second-round pick to the Pistons for Brandon Jennings. While a healthy Jennings would be a quality a backup point guard to Goran Dragic, Winderman isn’t sure if Detroit will be motivated to move him upon his return.
Central Notes: Thomas, Thompson, Williams
The Pistons will give Adonis Thomas a “real chance” to beat out Reggie Bullock for a roster spot, according to David Mayo of MLive. Thomas signed a training camp deal with Detroit in July, receiving a $60K guarantee. He won’t become fully guaranteed until January, so Mayo speculates the Pistons may keep him on the roster until midseason to see if he can outplay Bullock. If it doesn’t work out, the team could drop Thomas and seek help through 10-day contracts. Mayo says Brandon Jennings‘ lingering Achilles injury — which will require the Pistons to keep four point guards at the start of the season — probably killed any chance of Thomas and Bullock both earning long-term roster spots.
There’s more news from the Central Division:
- Tristan Thompson‘s salary dispute with the Cavaliers appears ready to carry into training camp, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The two sides have been in an impasse since negotiations began in July, with Thompson seeking a max deal and the team offering somewhat less. The rebounding specialist appears headed toward signing the Cavs’ qualifying offer and entering unrestricted free agency next summer. The deadline to accept the offer is October 1st. Washburn notes that Thompson did not attend a recent players workout organized by LeBron James, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer first reported.
- Hornets coach Steve Clifford admits that he ran Mo Williams “into the ground” last season, writes Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer. The intense playing time could account for Williams’ drop in production as the season wore on. Williams signed with the Cavaliers over the summer as a backup to Kyrie Irving.
- The signing of Greg Monroe will give the Bucks credibility when pursuing future free agents, according to Shaun Powell of NBA.com. The former Piston accepted a three-year max deal from Milwaukee, passing on similar offers from the Lakers, Knicks and Blazers. In his season preview, Powell also credits the Bucks for keeping their own high-profile free agent in Khris Middleton, who received $70MM over five years.
Southwest Notes: Perkins, Stefanski, Matthews
Kendrick Perkins said it was the Pelicans‘ strong young core of players that led him to choose to sign with the team this summer, Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com writes. “You looked at every position from AD [Anthony Davis] to Jrue Holiday to Eric Gordon to Tyreke Evans and you just saw that they had a nice core, young guys that were good at every position,” Perkins said. “Raw talent. All they needed was a couple teaching points on the little things and professionalism. They had that [professionalism] already, because they work hard. But on the court, they needed a leader. The leader is not always the best player on the team, but more so the vocal side.”
“The young talent [was appealing],” Perkins continued. “You look at their team and [think about] having a veteran guy around to lead them and teach them how to be professionals, how to take care of their bodies, to be responsible on the road, to stay focused and don’t worry about the nightlife. Just the little things. You could tell they were a few things away from reaching a great goal. So I just felt like this was the place for me. I reached out to [GM] Dell [Demps] and he reached out to me. I felt wanted.”
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Grizzlies VP of player personnel Ed Stefanski is happy in Memphis and has no interest in the Bucks’ vacant assistant GM position, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times tweets.
- Wesley Matthews, who signed a four-year, maximum salary deal with the Mavericks this offseason, hopes to break out of the three-and-D label he had with the Blazers and show his full repertoire of skills this season, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com relays. “You know, I’ve never been one to allow someone to label me,” Matthews said. “I always continue to try to get better. I’m not a content type of person. If they come up with a term ‘three-and-D’ and they want to fit me in that category, that’s fine. But there’s not a thing that I don’t think I can do on the court, and I’m excited for the opportunity. You know, talking to coach [Rick] Carlisle, I’m obviously familiar with the system, having ran it in Portland. And talking to him, there’s opportunities that he sees how I can help this team. And I’m excited for those opportunities.”
Bucks Officially Sign Powell, Horford, Westbrook
The Bucks have officially signed Josh Powell, Jon Horford and Charlie Westbrook, the team announced. All three are on non-guaranteed contracts for the minimum salary that cover one season, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported earlier this week when he noted the trio had put pen to paper. The contracts give Milwaukee an even 20 players, the preseason limit, though 15 of them have fully guaranteed deals, meaning Powell, Horford and Westbrook are long shots to stick for opening night.
Powell spent last season as part of the Rockets coaching staff after accruing eight years of service time as an NBA player, including two seasons with the Lakers, who won the title both years. Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports first reported earlier this month that the 32-year-old power forward would leave coaching to resume his playing career (Twitter link).
Horford, also a power forward, is the younger brother of Hawks star Al Horford. The 23-year-old went undrafted this year out of Florida after spending most of his college career at Michigan. Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops was the first to report that Horford would join Bucks camp (Twitter link).
It’s the second NBA contract for Westbrook, who went undrafted out of South Dakota in 2012. He joined the Heat for the preseason in 2013. Westbrook, 26, was with Hyeres-Toulon Var in France’s second-tier league last season. Charania initially reported the shooting guard’s camp deal with the Bucks (Twitter link).
Now that the team’s summer moves appear complete, what do you think of the Bucks this season? Leave a comment to tell us.
Central Notes: Bucks, Jackson, Turner
The Bucks signed Greg Monroe to a max contract this summer, but he’s probably not the best player on Milwaukee’s roster, Shaun Powell of NBA.com posits as he examines the team’s offseason. Still, bringing him aboard did much to enhance the franchise’s image, and while the Bucks don’t have a realistic shot at Kevin Durant next summer, their standing with top free agents around the league has improved, Powell believes. It worked out well enough for GM John Hammond to receive an extension this week, so while we wait to see if Milwaukee can keep it up, see more from the Central Division:
- Reggie Jackson‘s struggles with his outside shot elicited questions about the merits of the trade that brought him to Detroit, but to enhance the five-year, $80MM investment they made in Jackson this summer, the Pistons are working with him to improve that part of his game, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com details.
- Jackson could prove arguably just as valuable as John Wall if he carries the numbers he put up with the Pistons after the trade last season over to the first half of this season, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders opines in the site’s season preview of the Pistons. Wall seemed to express frustration earlier this summer with the timing of the salary cap jump as he pointed out that he and Jackson wound up on similar contracts.
- The Pacers spent plenty of free agent money this summer, especially on their four-year, nearly $44MM deal with Monta Ellis, but their top addition came through the draft, as Myles Turner is talented enough to contribute immediately, Brigham writes in the Basketball Insiders Pacers preview.
Eastern Notes: Wade, Bucks, Nicholson, Celtics
Dwyane Wade praised the Heat brass for the job that they did building the roster for the season ahead, and while he acknowledged the somewhat bumpy path he and the team took to his new one-year, $20MM contract, he reiterated his commitment to Miami. Wade made his comments in a variety of venues today, including on 790 The Ticket radio, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald transcribes.
“There’s a business side of everything,” Wade said to 790 The Ticket. “But my heart, and where I always said I wanted to be, was here. I started my career here and I would like to finish it. I came here just happy to be here, just wanting to make this organization proud for drafting me as the fifth pick.”
Wade batted down criticism from local fans that’s extended even to his choice of football jerseys for casual wear, imploring to the 790 The Ticket audience, “Don’t question my loyalty, you all. Do not question my loyalty.” The 11-time All-star will have another chance to back up those words with action when he hits free agency again next summer. See more from the Eastern Conference:
- Former Nets assistant GM Bobby Marks and Grizzlies executive vice president of player personnel Ed Stefanski are drawing prominent mention for the Bucks assistant GM job, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link). Milwaukee let go of former assistant GM David Morway this week when team reached an extension with GM John Hammond.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel finds it tough to see where Andrew Nicholson fits in with the Magic as he enters the last season of his rookie scale contract, given that four others who can play power forward are on the roster. Nicholson is eligible for a rookie scale extension this fall, but little, if any, talk has emerged suggesting the Magic will seek to give him one.
- It’s a waiting game in Boston, where an opportunity for the Celtics to cash in their trade assets hasn’t materialized and the team’s young players still must prove their worth, writes Shaun Powell of NBA.com in his season preview for the team.
Bucks, Josh Powell Agree To Contract
SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2:25pm: The signing has taken place, though the team has made no official announcement, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s for one season at the minimum salary with limited injury protection, Pincus adds, so it’s an Exhibit 9 contract.
SEPTEMBER 5TH, 11:50am: Josh Powell has agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Bucks, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Powell spent last season as the Rockets’ player development coach.
Powell couldn’t pass up the chance to play again, he told Mark Berman of Fox 26 Sports (Twitter link). “I’m just blessed to have any opportunity,” Powell said. “I’m excited to get back on the court.”
The 6’9” power forward turned down multiple offers to play overseas last fall to join the Rockets’ coaching staff. He appeared in a single game for Houston during the 2013/14 season after failing to secure an NBA contract during the previous two seasons.
Powell went into coaching after the Rockets waived him during training camp. At that point, he opted to retire but has apparently put that off while he pursues the opportunity with the Bucks. Powell will face a daunting task to make Milwaukee’s final roster, considering the Bucks already have 15 players with guaranteed contracts and three others with non-guaranteed deals.
The 32-year-old Powell is a veteran of seven NBA seasons, counting his one-game stint with Houston, with career averages of 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game. He has spent time with the Mavs, Pacers, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Hawks and Rockets since his debut in 2005/06.
Bucks Sign Jon Horford To Camp Deal
SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2:24pm: The signing has taken place, though the team has made no official announcement, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s for one season at the minimum salary and is non-guaranteed with limited injury protection, Pincus adds, so it’s an Exhibit 9 contract.
SEPTEMBER 11TH, 8:56am: The Bucks are expected to sign power forward Jon Horford to a deal for training camp, reports Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link). The 23-year-old who went undrafted out of Florida this year is the younger brother of Al Horford, Scotto notes. He’ll ostensibly round out Milwaukee’s camp roster, since his deal would be the team’s 20th.
Jon Horford spent the bulk of his college career at Michigan before transferring for his senior season to Florida, where his brother had won back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007. The Gators gave the younger Horford his first crack at being a full-time starter, though he saw only 20.0 minutes per game and averaged 6.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. He played with the Hawks, his brother’s current team, during summer league, but he went scoreless in a single five-minute appearance.
Al Horford is a free agent after this coming season, so it’s possible the Bucks are bringing in his brother with that thought in mind, though the presence of Greg Monroe would make the addition of the older Horford cumbersome. In any case, the Bucks already appear to have their opening night roster in order, with 15 fully guaranteed contracts. Jorge Gutierrez, Marcus Landry, Charlie Westbrook and Josh Powell will join Horford in trying to unseat one of those 15. Milwaukee has no D-League affiliate, so the team is without means to maintain a link to any of the players it cuts.
Can Jon Horford make a contribution in the NBA, or is he destined to play out his pro career elsewhere? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.