Eastern Notes: Anthony, Cavs, Bucks, Sixers
Celtics center Joel Anthony has a $3.8MM player option this summer that he is expected to exercise, but he’s still unsure of his decision, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Anthony said, “When the season’s over, I’ll talk with my agent and look to see what we’re going to do.” Anthony hasn’t seen much playing time, primarily because he is new to the system and the club wanted to play Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk in the frontcourt, opines Washburn. But he also believes that Anthony could be a more useful asset next season when the Celtics move forward from rebuilding mode.
More from the East:
- The Cavs have assigned Sergey Karasev and Scotty Hopson to the Canton Charge of the NBA D-League, the team announced. Karasev has appeared in 18 games for the Charge with averages of 13.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.0 SPG in 30.0 minutes per game. Hopson was signed on March 31st and has appeared in one game for Cleveland this season.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio looks at what issues the Cavs will have to address prior to next season.
- The Sixers are on their way towards securing the second worst record in the NBA. Tom Moore of Calkins Media looks at what the team’s options would be if they secured the second pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Moore’s scenario is based on the Bucks selecting Andrew Wiggins with the first overall pick.
- The reports that the Bucks might be sold as early as this weekend are premature, as Don Walker and Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel detail. Steve Greenberg of Allen & Co., the firm that owner Herb Kohl retained to bring in new team investors, said, “The process is ongoing. There is a lot of speculation out there. There is an active and ongoing process with respect to the Bucks. But we are not going to comment on speculation.”
Central Notes: Cavs, Mirotic, Bucks
Cavs star Kyrie Irving explained the motivation behind his venting on Twitter last night to reporters including Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer. “In terms of all the rumors and accusations of what goes on in our locker room — it’s been going on all season, to a certain extent,” Irving said. “It’s all nonsense to me, now. It’s part of the business, I get it…I don’t go out and put all these reports or all these rumors out. But people feel like it’s a good thing to continue to put my name in headlines just to get reads. That’s your job, but at a certain point, it’s gotta stop.” Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal says that Irving’s displeasure with the media doesn’t change the reality that people close to him have in fact been perpetuating the notion that he won’t stay with the Cavs.
- Lloyd adds that all of the speculation will come to a head this summer, when Irving will decide whether to sign a max extension with the Cavs. Lloyd notes that Irving has declined to go on record with him as willing to sign the extension.
- A Cavs team official told Lloyd that it’s taken “a village” to soothe the rift between Irving and Dion Waiters.
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald gives Cavs owner Dan Gilbert credit for authorizing the Scotty Hopson signing, saying the owner had no hesitation about paying an abnormally high cost for a late season addition in order to create trade flexibility with Hopson’s contract.
- Finnan adds that the rumors that Gilbert would hire a big name executive over Cavs interim GM David Griffin this offseason could include a scenario similar to New York’s, with a powerful executive being installed above Griffin rather than merely replacing him as GM.
- Nikola Mirotic told Canal Plus that he hasn’t ruled out staying with his Spanish team rather than joining the Bulls this offseason (translation via HoopsHype). Chicago is expected to prioritize a Mirotic buyout and signing this summer.
- Responding to speculation that the Bucks could be sold very soon, Milwaukee’s broker told Don Walker of The Journal Sentinel that a sale is not imminent. “There is an active and ongoing process with respect to the Bucks. But we are not going to comment on speculation,” he said.
Bucks Sign Chris Wright To 10-Day Contract
11:32am: The Bucks PR account officially announced the signing, which is indeed for a 10-day contract (Twitter link).
11:24am: The Bucks will sign Chris Wright, a league source tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link). Wright was considered a candidate to return to the Bucks following the team’s decision not to re-sign D.J. Stephens, whose 10-day contract just expired.
It hasn’t been reported what kind of contract is involved. Milwaukee could sign Wright for the remainder of the season or beyond, but it seems more likely this would be another 10-day deal. Milwaukee has the flexibility to give him another short-term audition, since they declined to ink him to a second 10-day agreement when his first expired two weeks ago.
Wright has spent most of this season with the Maine Red Claws in the D-League. The small forward played 24 games for the Warriors in the 2011/12 season, but didn’t see any NBA action last year. He has career averages of 3.2 points in 8.4 minutes played per game on 51.9% shooting.
Central Notes: Irving, Sanders, Siva
Larry Sanders apologized to Bucks fans for his recently announced drug suspension, but was defensive about his use of marijuana, telling Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he disagrees with its status as a banned substance. “It’s a banned substance in my league. But I believe in marijuana and the medical side of it.” said Sanders. “The stigma is that it’s illegal. I hate that. Once this becomes legal, this all will go away. But I understand for my work it’s a banned substance. I will deal with the consequences and I apologize again to my fans for that.” Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Sanders added that he’s excited to work this summer, and believes he can put this year’s troubles behind him next season, when the first year of his four-year, $44MM extension kicks in. “I’ll be better from this. I’ve learned a lot already from this year. I’m going to continue to learn. I hate that this is a negative impact on my fans and my family or the organization,” Sanders said.
- In a series of tweets, Cavs star Kyrie Irving made it known that he’s upset with with the ongoing rumors about his desire to leave Cleveland (H/T Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer). Irving says that he’s tired of the negative attention, and denied that any speculation about his thought process attributed to his camp has any merit.
- The Pistons have given increased playing time to rookie Peyton Siva, who tells Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press he’s better adjusted to the speed of the game than he was early in the season. “I feel a lot more comfortable out there. I feel more confident in my skills and within myself to go out there and play,” said Siva. “I’m definitely looking forward to playing more and transitioning from what I’ve been showing in practice to the game. I just want to go out there and prove my worth. Continue to play hard and try to help my team win.”
Bucks Consider Waiver Claim Of Erik Murphy
The Bucks have interest in claiming former Bulls big man Erik Murphy off waivers, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. If they submit a claim before Murphy clears waivers Saturday afternoon, he’ll go to Milwaukee, since the Bucks are the league’s worst team and therefore would have priority over any other club that attempts to claim him. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote Thursday that he’d be surprised if Murphy cleared waivers, so other teams may be hoping the Bucks don’t prevent them from acquiring the 6’10” rookie.
Waiver claims aren’t typical, and Murphy saw just 62 total minutes with the Bulls this season, but teams around the league are apparently intrigued with the upside of the 23-year-old who was the 49th overall pick in the 2013 draft. His minimum-salary deal is non-guaranteed for next season, becoming partially guaranteed for $100K if he remains under contract through August 1st and for $200K if he makes it to November 1st. Any team can claim him, since he’s making the minimum salary, but his cap hit for this season would be more onerous than that of a free agent signee on a prorated contract for the final 11 days of the season.
Milwaukee or any other team that claims him would assume the cap hit for his $490,180 salary, and the money would be wiped from Chicago’s books. That could wind up saving the Bulls from paying the tax this year, as I explained earlier. The Bulls released Murphy on Thursday to make way for a veteran replacement, and a waiver claim would make it easier for Chicago to sign two players, which the team is reportedly considering. Ronnie Brewer and Mike James appear to be Chicago’s targets.
The Bucks wouldn’t have to make a corresponding move to acquire Murphy, since their final roster spot opened this evening when their 10-day contract with D.J. Stephens expired. The team doesn’t plan to re-sign the shooting guard.
Bucks Won’t Re-Sign D.J. Stephens
The Bucks don’t intend to sign guard D.J. Stephens to a second 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link). According to Charania, Stephens will explore both NBA and overseas options in looking for his next opportunity. He was signed to his initial 10-day deal on March 26th. This will leave the team with 14 players on its roster.
Stephens saw action in two games with the team, and averaged 3.5 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 7.0 minutes per game.
Prior to signing with the Bucks, in 18 games with Greek team Ilysiakos this season, Stephens averaged 9.9 PPG and 8.8 RPG.
NBA Suspends Larry Sanders For Drug Violation
The NBA has suspended Bucks center Larry Sanders for five games without pay for violating the terms of the league’s anti-drug program, the league announced. Sanders is out for the season with a fractured orbital bone, so he’ll have to serve the suspension at the beginning of the 2014/15 regular season. Sanders admits in a statement from the Bucks that the drug he used is marijuana.
The news is the latest setback in what’s been a nightmare season for Sanders and the Bucks, who have the league’s worst record. Sanders suffered a broken hand in a nightclub fight early this season, knocking him out of the lineup for nearly two months. He appeared in only 23 games before breaking his orbital bone while playing against the Rockets in February.
The 6’11” center signed a four-year, $44MM extension this past fall that doesn’t kick in until next season, tethering the Bucks to him for the long term. A December report indicated the team was aggressively trying to trade him, but Milwaukee began turning away suitors for him prior to his latest injury. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the team dangle him again in talks this summer, but at this point, his value has cratered and the Bucks would be selling low.
It’s the second five-game suspension for drugs that the league has handed out this week, with the Arnett Moultrie of the Sixers having been penalized Monday. J.R. Smith of the Knicks received a five-game suspension that he served at the beginning of the season.
Eastern Notes: Humphries, Turner, Young
As a guest on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Rich show, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge revealed that he’s had discussions with forward Kris Humphries about the possibility of returning next season:
“I have had a few conversations with Kris…(he) knows where we are as an organization and he knows we like him. And he knows there is a lot of uncertainty, depending on which direction we choose to go this summer. None of us know…he knows we like him, his coaches and teammates like him, (but) we just can’t make any promises” (interview transcribed by Gary Dzen of Boston.com).
Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Dzen points out that Ainge was also asked about Jerryd Bayless and Phil Pressey but only offered comment on Humphries.
- Having gone from a team with the NBA’s second-worst record to playing for the second seed in the Eastern Conference, Evan Turner has conceivably endured his share of challenges in trying to fit in. The fact that the Pacers have compiled a 12-10 record since the deal while Turner continues to struggle offensively hasn’t helped the situation, but the 6’7 guard tells NBA.com’s Manny Randhawa that he’s confident about being able to contribute sooner rather than later.
- Once considered a possible candidate to be traded, Thaddeus Young is looking more and more like a keeper in Philadelphia, writes Dei Lynam of CSN Philly. The 25-year-old forward spoke glowingly about playing for 76ers head coach Brett Brown: “Coach (Doug Collins) didn’t want me to shoot a lot of threes…I didn’t like that at all. And this year Brett tells me, ‘I want you to shoot threes, get to the basket, I want you to do everything.’ I am back to playing the way I was before Coach Collins and Eddie Jordan, just a more free flowing offense…I think I have transitioned and turned things around where (as a player) I can just focus on my job.”
- Based on the numbers this season, Brandon Knight‘s production may not have unequivocally surpassed what Brandon Jennings brought to the table during his four-year tenure in Milwaukee; However, Knight being two years younger and more affordable than his predecessor is proof of why the Bucks are better off with him now, opines Steve Aschburner of NBA.com.
And-Ones: Nash, Vasquez, Bucks
John Zitzler of Basketball Insiders looks at the steps the Bucks should take in the offseason to get their rebuilding process heading in the proper direction. He believes the team needs to select the best player available in the draft, regardless of position, and shape the rest of the roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Zitzler also opines that the Bucks need to retain and develop some of their other young players, such as John Henson, Brandon Knight, Khris Middleton, and Nate Wolters.
More from around the league:
- Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune chronicles the career path of Greivis Vasquez, his success with the Pelicans, and where he may end up next season.
- It is unknown if Steve Nash will be physically able to play next season, or if the Lakers will keep him on their roster. Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic looks at the toll the injuries have taken, and Nash’s likelihood of returning to Los Angeles in 2014/15.
- The Thunder don’t figure to have a top-20 selection in this year’s draft, so they will have to try and find value when they pick. The staff at NewsOK.com look at some of the prospects that might be available when the team selects, as well as opine on what the Thunder’s needs might be.
- The debate over “tanking” has gone on all season and will certainly continue all the way through the draft. Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders thinks the whole issue is overblown, and explains why tanking isn’t ruining the league.
Arn Tellem Interested In Share Of Bucks?
Powerful NBA agent Arn Tellem “wouldn’t mind” buying a share of the Bucks, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Tellem owns a part of Israeli team Hapoel Jerusalem, as Woelfel points out. Acquiring a stake in an NBA club would put his certification as an NBA agent in jeopardy, if not end it immediately, given the conflict of interest.
Tellem serves as vice chairman of Wasserman Media Group, which represents a long list of NBA clients, including Derrick Rose, LaMarcus Aldridge and Anthony Davis, as our Agency Database shows. Longtime Bucks owner Herb Kohl has interest in selling at least a minority stake in the club, if not the principal ownership. Former Timberwolves GM David Kahn is reportedly fronting a group that’s pursuing a share of the Bucks, though it’s unclear if Tellem is aligned with that bunch.
Brandon Knight, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, is the only Tellem client on the Bucks. Woelfel previously indicated a new ownership group could be in control of the team before the draft, but if the sale isn’t complete and Tellem remains a candidate to buy even a small portion of the club, it could play a role the negotiations for Knight. The Bucks have until October 31st to sign the point guard to an extension or set him up for restricted free agency in the summer of 2015.