Odds & Ends: Pelicans, Grizzlies, Miller, D-League
We started the day off here at Hoops Rumors with some very pleasant news as Rick Adelman is confirmed to return to the sidelines as Timberwolves coach this season. The T-Wolves haven’t been to the postseason in nearly a decade, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that this will be the year that they break through. Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
- The Pelicans added a whole bunch of talent this offseason and with that comes dramatically increased expectations, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans will start alongside Eric Gordon, Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson with Brian Roberts, Al-Farouq Aminu, Austin Rivers, Anthony Morrow, Jason Smith, Greg Stiemsma and Jeff Withey off the bench, giving the 27-win team some serious playoff buzz.
- Andrew Ford of Sheridan Hoops runs down five things to watch when it comes to the Grizzlies this season. One of the keys for Memphis will be Mike Miller and it’ll be interesting to see if the returning veteran can hold up enough to make an impact. The 33-year-old has dealt with a litany of health issues in recent years and was let go via the amensty provision by Miami this summer.
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside ran down what we can expect out of this year’s D-League tryouts and even some tips for how the participants can impress scouts.
Junior Cadougan To Join Bucks In Camp
Undrafted Marquette point guard Junior Cadougan will be in training camp with the Bucks, agent Charles Briscoe tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link). He auditioned for the Bucks as well as the Wizards in advance of the draft, and was a part of Milwaukee's summer league team.
The 6'1" Cadougan didn't play much for the summer Bucks, scoring just two points as he appeared in two games for a total of 12 minutes. His stats weren't too impressive in college, where he averaged 8.5 points, 3.8 assists and 2.5 turnovers per contest as a senior. The native of Canada got some seasoning as a member of the national team this summer in the FIBA Americas Championship, but he only notched 1.7 PPG in that event.
The 23-year-old becomes the 16th player on the Bucks, who already had 15 others on fully guaranteed contracts. That'll make it tough for Cadougan to win a spot on the opening-night roster. Even though the Bucks clearly want to evaluate him over the next month, they might not have too much interest in retaining his D-League rights, since they share their affiliate with five other NBA teams — something I pointed out when I examined every Eastern Conference team's pre-camp roster outlook this weekend.
Eastern Notes: Livingston, Oladipo, Beasley
It's not as easy as it used to be for NBA players to transition to front office positions, as Sam Amick details in his latest piece for USA Today. Still, the NBA Player's Association has tried to help its players become more familiar with the league's CBA, setting up events like a July seminar that featured presentations from several team executives. Shaun Livingston is one player who is appreciative of the NBPA's efforts.
"I'm really trying to take advantage of it," said the Nets guard. "And learn and soak everything in to where if I can study and meet the right people and stars can align then I can really create some good opportunities."
Here's more from around the Eastern Conference:
- At a season ticket-holder's event in Orlando, second overall pick Victor Oladipo said that he "really didn't want to go to Cleveland," the team with the No. 1 pick. Oladipo has since apologized for offending Cavs fans, hinting that the comment was meant to reflect how much he wanted to land with the Magic. Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post has the details.
- Heat fans are somewhat divided on the signing of Michael Beasley, so Ira Winderman's Friday mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel is an extended all-Beasley edition, breaking down the move.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com provides an interesting take on the concept of tanking and roster-building, with a focus on teams like the Sixers and Bucks.
Contract Details: Sanders, Pekovic, Harris, Bost
Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com is back with another round of salary details for several of the new contracts signed in recent weeks. Here's a round-up:
- Larry Sanders' new four-year contract extension with the Bucks will pay him an even $11MM in each season. Those figures will increase slightly if Sanders reaches contract incentives currently considered unlikely.
- The Timberwolves' five-year deal with Nikola Pekovic will pay the big center $12.1MM in each of the next four seasons, before dipping to $11.6MM in year five. His potential incentives are also listed as unlikely, meaning they don't count against the cap for now.
- Elias Harris' deal with the Lakers is a two-year, minimum-salary pact. It's guaranteed for $100K in year one, and fully non-guaranteed in year two.
- The Cavaliers inked Matthew Dellavedova to a two-year contract that looks virtually identical to Harris' — his minimum salary is partially guaranteed for $100K in 2013/14.
- Like Harris and Dellavedova, Dee Bost also signed a two-year minimum contract, but his deal with the Trail Blazers is only guaranteed for $25K this season.
Kyler On Warriors, Bucks, Ilyasova, Spurs
The tenth and final installment of Steve Kyler's series on trade scenarios to watch was published today on HoopsWorld, focusing on the Warriors, Bucks, and Spurs. Let's dive in and round up the highlights….
- With the expiring contract of Andrew Bogut and plenty of players on rookie deals, the Warriors have plenty of options should they decide they need to make a big splash at 2014's trade deadline, writes Kyler. However, Golden State is very high on its current roster, so it's more likely that the club tries to use one or two of its trade exceptions to supplement the present core.
- The Bucks are in good position to trade frontcourt depth during the season, once new head coach Larry Drew sorts out roles and minutes for the team's big men.
- Sources tell Kyler that virtually every team in the NBA has inquired about Ersan Ilyasova at some point this offseason. Ilyasova struggled at times last season in the first year of a long-term contract, but is still viewed as a good value. If Larry Sanders and John Henson emerge as the Bucks' go-to frontcourt pairing, don't be surprised if Ilyasova is dangled before the trade deadline, says Kyler.
- The Spurs' offseason saw the team bring back players like Tiago Splitter and Manu Ginobili on multiyear deals, rather than clearing cap space and shopping in free agency. That's a sign that San Antonio is comfortable with its present core, making it unlikely that they'll get too involved in the trade market. Expiring contracts like Boris Diaw's and Matt Bonner's could be shopped, but those guys probably have more value to the Spurs than as trade chips.
Suns, Bucks Expressed Interest In Royal Ivey
The two teams who worked together to complete the most recent trade of the 2013 offseason currently have their eye on the same free agent, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). Kennedy reports that the Suns and Bucks have expresseed interest in Royal Ivey, with Ivey expected to work out for Phoenix in the near future.
Ivey, 31, was reportedly set to work out for the Hawks and Spurs near the end of August, and was mentioned as a potential Sixers target earlier in the offseason. Based on the reported interest, it seems as if the veteran guard should have no trouble securing a camp invite, but it's not clear if he'll be able to land more than a non-guaranteed contract.
Neither the Bucks nor the Suns seem to be in good position to offer Ivey any sort of guarantee, since both teams already have at least 15 guaranteed contracts on their books, and aren't likely to have open roster spots this fall.
In 2012/13, Ivey appeared in 53 games for the Sixers, the most he's played in the NBA since the 2008/09 season. Averaging 13.2 minutes per contest, the former second-round pick recorded 3.2 PPG, with most of his points coming from long-range — he shot 42.0% on three-pointers, scoring about 65% of his points from downtown.
Odds & Ends: Bucks, Kennedy, Knicks, Hunt
As we continue counting down the days until NBA training camps open, let's round up a few Friday odds and ends from around the Association….
- In an interesting piece at ESPN.com, Kevin Arnovitz speaks to Bucks executives John Hammond and David Morway about Milwaukee's aversion to tanking, and the team's "build-on-the-go" approach.
- Sportando passes along a Gazzetta di Reggio report suggesting that Italian team Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia no longer seems to be pursuing D.J. Kennedy, who is focused on landing an NBA camp invite. Justin Holiday, who was released by the Sixers earlier this summer, may be a target for the Italian club, according to the report.
- Despite the fact that Jeremy Tyler underwent foot surgery and will likely miss the next two months, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com argues (via Twitter) that the Knicks should wait to see how he heals rather than cutting him anytime soon. Begley notes that New York has made a "financial commitment" to Tyler already, though only $100K of the big man's $884K salary is guaranteed.
- Whether or not the Knicks hang on to Tyler, the team appears likely to add another big man to compete for a roster spot, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- It's not out of the question that Gal Mekel turns out to be a better point guard for the Mavericks than Shane Larkin, according to Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com, who gives the Mavs a grade of B for the team's signing of the Israeli guard.
- In addition to working out for the Nets, 6'10" forward Kyle Hunt will also audition for the Pacers, says Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside.
- Recent Clippers signee Brandon Davies is prepared to make an impression in camp and earn a roster spot, as he tells Eric Patten of Clippers.com.
Eastern Notes: Stevens, Rondo, Copeland, Tyler
Kyle Draper of CSNNE.com provided an abridged transcript of his one-on-one interview with Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, touching base on how he plans to adjust to the NBA game and the team's roster. In the 13-minute video of the full interview included in the piece, Stevens admits that he's not sure of a timetable on Rajon Rondo's recovery, still needs to learn more about the players, and offered this interesting answer when asked if the offense will be tailored to Rondo in his absence:
"That a very good question. Because what he may do well may not be as good a fit for somebody else. So, do you play that way? Start that way knowing that when he is going to come back we don't know yet, or do we change midstream?"
With that aside, let's take a look at what else is brewing in the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery at the beginning of August, Chris Copeland told reporters that his knee is feeling much better and expects to be ready for Pacers training camp at the end of this month (Michael Pointer of IndyStar.com)
- As per the Knicks PR Twitter account, it was announced that forward Jeremy Tyler underwent surgery today to repair a stress fracture in his right foot and is expected to be out for eight to ten weeks (Twitter links). ESPN New York's Ian Begley tweets that according to the timetable, it would sideline the 6'10" big man through at least the first week of the regular season.
- Bucks general manager John Hammond made it clear that Caron Butler was acquired to be a starter and have a significant role on the team, notes Jim Hoehn of the Associated Press (hat tip to the Star Tribune). Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter) says that head coach Larry Drew lobbied heavily for the team to acquire Butler for the type of positive impact he'd make on the team's young players.
Odds & Ends: Lee, SportVU, Ellis, Frye, Bynum
We took note earlier today of David Lee's comments to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group about his worse-than-imagined hip injury, and in an updated version of the story, Thompson passes along more from the power forward. Lee said he didn't catch wind about a rumored swap involving him and LaMarcus Aldridge until the Warriors called him to say there was no deal, and Lee also chimes in on the emergence of Golden State as a free agent destination.
"We still have a long way to go," he said. "But if you looked at where we came from three years ago, some of the questions were, 'Why would you come here? They've had one playoff team in the last 150 years.' … Looking where we are now and having these conversations, its very exciting."
Here's more from the Association:
- The NBA will officially announce Thursday an agreement that will place STATS SportVU cameras in each arena, according to Grantland's Zach Lowe, who reported two weeks ago that a tentative agreement was in place. Lowe examines the technology's impact on referees, contract negotiations, the player's union and other facets of the game in his latest piece.
- Monta Ellis tells Cash Sirois of 1310 The Ticket in Dallas that he was "miserable" during the past several seasons and calls his opportunity with the Mavs "a breath of fresh air." (Twitter links).
- Insurance covered Channing Frye's $6MM salary for the Suns last year while he was out with an enlarged heart, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Frye, who's due $6.4MM this year, says he's ready to return to action and is awaiting team approval to do so.
- Both Andrew Bynum and the Cavs paint a sunny picture of his recovery from last year's knee injuries, but the team isn't setting a timetable for his return to action, as The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer observes.
- J.A. Adande of ESPN.com calls on incoming commissioner Adam Silver to take a tough stance on criminal behavior in the wake of legal issues for several players and Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer this offseason.
Magic, Mavs, Hawks Eyeing Devin Ebanks
HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy reported more than a month ago that four clubs had interest in former Laker Devin Ebanks, and while three of them appear to have dropped out of the running, two more have joined the pursuit. The Magic, Mavericks and Hawks have expressed interest in Ebanks, Kennedy tweets this evening. Atlanta is the only team repeated from the late July report that also named the Bucks and Bobcats.
Ebanks has spent his entire three-year career with the Lakers, who drafted him 43rd overall in 2010. The team initially gave him a two-year contract, so he was up for restricted free agency last summer and wound up signing his qualifying offer. The Lakers decided against extending a QO this time around, making him an unrestricted free agent. The team hasn't been linked to him since, so it appears he won't be back in purple and gold.
The former West Virginia Mountaineer enjoyed his best pro season in 2011/12, when he began the year as the starting small forward for the Lakers. That assignment didn't last, and he's otherwise struggled to find playing time, averaging 11.3 minutes per game for his career. Still, he's only appeared in nine D-League contests, and the Lakers didn't assign him to the L.A. D-Fenders, their affiliate, at all last season.
The Mavs have 15 players, all of whom are on guaranteed contracts, while the Hawks and Magic have fewer than 15 guaranteed deals, as our roster counts show. That may give Atlanta and Orlando an edge for the David Bauman client.