Knicks, Bucks, Heat Eyeing Hassan Whiteside
Free agent big man Hassan Whiteside hasn't appeared in an NBA game since April 2012, but is drawing some attention from NBA clubs, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Kennedy tweets that the Knicks, Bucks, and Heat have expressed interest in the former Sacramento big man.
Whiteside, 24, was drafted 33rd overall by the Kings in 2010, but only appeared in 19 games for the club before he was released. The seven-footer spent most of last season in the D-League, making the most of limited minutes for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In just 11.8 minutes per contest (36 games), Whiteside averaged 6.6 PPG and 5.3 RPG.
As our 2013/14 roster counts show, New York, Milwaukee, and Miami all have 15 players under contract, but for the Knicks and Heat, not all of those deals are fully guaranteed, meaning there could end up being roster openings. The Bucks, on the other hand, are carrying 15 guaranteed contracts, so if Whiteside receives multiple camp invites, he may opt for a situation where he has a better chance to earn a roster spot.
Eastern Notes: Ayon, Cavs, Heat, Bucks
While the Heat, Pacers, Bulls, Nets, and Knicks are generally viewed as locks to earn postseason spots in the Eastern Conference, those final three spots are up for grabs, and Lang Greene of HoopsWorld argues that the Raptors are being overlooked as a contender. In his NBA AM piece, Greene takes a look at the Raps, writing that they'll be competing with clubs like the Pistons, Hawks, Wizards, Cavs, and Bucks for those last few playoff berths in the East. Here are a few more Wednesday items out of the conference:
- Even when he was released by the Bucks, Gustavo Ayon didn't consider returning to Europe, as he tells Gonzalo Aguirregomezcorta of ESPNDeportes.com. The Hawks ultimately claimed Ayon off waivers, and the Mexican big man is looking forward to trying to carve out a larger role in Atlanta.
- The Cavaliers are still working to finalize the details, but they'll hire Steve Hetzel to coach their D-League squad, the Canton Charge, according to Bob Finnan of the News-Herald. Hetzel has served as the Pistons' player development coach for the last several seasons.
- Ira Winderman's Wednesday mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel is an all-Michael Beasley edition, but Winderman can't fathom the Heat looking into bringing back its former second overall pick.
- The Bucks have officially announced the assistant coaches who will be a part of Larry Drew's staff in 2013/14.
Central Notes: Bucks, Pistons, Smith
Here's the latest out of the Central Division..
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld notes that the Bucks and Suns basically swapped trade positions by making the Caron Butler deal. Milwaukee went from about $7.4MM to spend to about $1.9MM after acquiring Butler for Ish Smith and Viacheslav Kravtsov. Meanwhile, the Suns went from no cap room at all to $5.2MM under.
- Sean Corp of Sheridan Hoops has five things to watch for with the Pistons following their whirlwind offseason. First on his list is the shot selection of prized acquisition Josh Smith.
- The Pistons have the luxury of bringing top pick Kentavious Caldwell-Pope along slowly, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Detroit tapped the Georgia product with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2013 draft.
Washburn On Bucks, Johnson, Wilcox
In today's column, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes that much of the Bucks success lies on the capable shoulders of Larry Sanders. The big man inked a four-year, $44MM deal with Milwaukee this offseason that will put him at the center of a very different team than the one that went to the playoffs this past season. “He’s one of the key, if not the key, piece for us moving forward,” GM John Hammond said of Sanders. “Larry is one of the top shot-blockers in our business. And I think he’s only going to get better defensively. We’re really excited to have him part of our organization, moving forward long term.”
In an Eastern Conference where the Celtics and Hawks in rebuilding mode, and the Magic, 76ers, and Bobcats are lottery-bound, teams like the Bucks , Cavs , Pistons, Wizards, and Raptors will have an opportunity to take a step forward, in Washburn's estimation. Here's more from today's column..
- The fact that former Hawks forward Ivan Johnson couldn't land a mini mid-level deal despite being a solid 29-year-old rebounder is an indication that it will be a tough market for the remaining free agents looking for more than the minimum. Teams with salary-cap space would much rather invest money in younger players and prospects than veterans while contenders have filled their rosters, leaving only training camp invitations. There's also speculation that teams are wary of the luxury-tax threshold with the increased penalties brought on by the new CBA. The Celtics are one team that has been in the process of shedding salary – like Shavlik Randolph and Terrence Williams – for that reason.
- Former Celtics veteran Chris Wilcox is still without a club as September gets underway and he'll have to find a home rather quickly. While he wants to play in the NBA, he's open to other possibilities. “I am open to going overseas,” Wilcox said. “At the same time, I would love to stay here in the NBA. If it’s something that I have to do, then I’ll do it.”
- Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who was appointed as GM of the Kings' D-League affiliate, could be an NBA GM candidate in the coming years. The retired forward has been in the Sacramento front office the past three seasons and has been considered a rising exec. It's worth noting that Abdur-Rahim stayed in the Sacramento front office in the face of the team’s ownership and coaching change.
Poll: Are The Bucks A 2013/14 Playoff Team?
Having landed their presumed starting small forward by acquiring Caron Butler from the Suns this week, the Bucks appear to have completed their major moves of the offseason. And it's certainly been a busy summer for Milwaukee — only four players currently on the roster (Ersan Ilyasova, Larry Sanders, John Henson, and Ekpe Udoh) finished the 2012/13 season with the team.
Heading into the offseason, Milwaukee was expected to retain at least one of its big free agent guards (Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, and J.J. Redick), but all three players ended up elsewhere. As such, the Bucks will head into next season with an entirely new backcourt, led by Brandon Knight, Luke Ridnour, O.J. Mayo, and Gary Neal. The frontcourt didn't receive as drastic an overhaul, but there are plenty of new faces there too, including big man Zaza Pachulia, and forwards Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carlos Delfino and Butler.
Most of the team's top players, including Ilyasova, Sanders, and Mayo, aren't quite NBA stars, so the roster isn't exactly top-heavy. But it's more balanced and probably features more depth than last year's squad, which earned an eighth seed in the East behind high-volume shooting from Ellis and Jennings.
So what do you think of the new-look Bucks? Are they better than last season's version? Even if you believe they've improved, are they good enough to make the playoffs in the East? The Heat, Nets, Bulls, Pacers, and Knicks look like strong bets for the postseason, and the Pistons, Cavs, Hawks, Wizards, and Raptors should all be in contention as well. Is there enough room for Milwaukee, or are the Bucks headed for the 2014 lottery?
Will the Bucks make the playoffs in 2013/14?
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No 52% (434)
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Yes 48% (395)
Total votes: 829
Eastern Links: Heat, Henry Bibby, Pistons, Nets
As we look forward to the Labor Day weekend, let's round up a few end-of-week items out of the Eastern Conference….
- Caron Butler and Lamar Odom are no longer options for the Heat, but neither player was ever a real possibility, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Winderman adds that "there will be other Butler and Odom types that could shake free" over the course of the year for the Heat.
- Former Grizzlies assistant Henry Bibby will join Maurice Cheeks' coaching staff with the Pistons, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Making small adjustments to teams that already have a core in place is Joe Dumars' strength, so the Pistons GM should be well-positioned to handle the next stage of the team's development, writes Dan Feldman of PistonPowered (link via Detroit Free Press).
- Former Queens prep star Kyle Hunt will work out for the Nets in September, reports Joshua Newman of SNY.tv.
- Over at HoopsWorld, Lang Greene's list of potential training-camp logjams includes positional battles for the Celtics, Cavs, Bucks, and Knicks, among other teams.
Odds & Ends: Roster Spots, Hunt, Mavericks
ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter) points out that the Lakers, Bulls, and 76ers are the three teams that still need to sign players in order to reach the league minimum of 13 players by opening night, although it's worth noting that L.A. is still yet to sign second round pick Ryan Kelly and Philadelphia is in the same boat with Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams. Also, as we pointed out a few days ago, Dexter Pittman accepted a training camp invite with Chicago and could fill that 13th roster spot if they end up offering him a guaranteed contract.
Here are more of tonight's news and notes from around the league:
- Jeff Haubner of ESPN.com offers a two part preview of the upcoming FIBA Americas tournament.
- Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel notes that the Bucks/Suns deal keeps Milwaukee about $1.9MM under the salary cap and saves Phoenix around $5.6MM in cap space. Gardner also has more comments from Caron Butler regarding his happiness with the trade.
- Former 76ers star Charles Barkley isn't happy with the way his former team handled their assistant coaching situation, saying that those who were released upon the Brett Brown hiring had worked for the team the entire summer and therefore didn't have the opportunity to look for another job (Michael Kaskey-Blomain of The Philadelphia Inquirer).
- Keith Schlosser of RidiculousUpside.com takes a look at Kyle Hunt, who while eligible for the D-League draft in the fall is also looking to earn an NBA training camp invite.
- Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW suggests Mavericks fans should be happy with 45 wins and a 7th seed in the Western Conference next season.
- Ben Couch of BrooklynNets.com provides a brief breakdown of the Nets' depth at the center position, profiling Brook Lopez, Andray Blatche, and Mason Plumlee.
- Former Knick and now a member of the Canadian men's national basketball team, Andy Rautins tells Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun about how prepared he and his teammates feel heading into the FIBA Americas tournament.
- NBA.com posted an article from Atlanta-based freelance writer Jon Cooper about Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer. Though he stressed the importance of forming good relationships with each player up to the 15th man, Budenholzer specifically mentioned Al Horford and Jeff Teague as two players that he's very much looking forward to working with.
- Suns.com passes along an article from the archives which delves into the mind of the late former Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons.
Odds & Ends: Abdur-Rahim, Kazemi, Butler
release, former NBA All-Star and Kings' director of player
personnel Shareef Abdur-Rahim has
been named as the general manager of the Reno Bighorns, which serves as Sacramento's D-League affilliate. Abdur-Rahim will be joined by Chris Gilbert,
who was named assistant general manager. Here are some more of this evening's miscellaneous news and notes:
- Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the 76ers could still send second-round pick Arsalan Kazemi overseas for the coming season.
- Caron Butler is "thoroughly excited" about returning home to Wisconsin to play for the Bucks, writes Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
- Suns GM Ryan McDonough issued a statement about the team's trade agreement with Milwaukee, saying that the deal was about creating more cap space (Paul Coro of AZCentral.com).
- Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld profiles this year's rookie head coaches and identifies some challenges that may lie ahead for each of them.
- Later in the same piece, Koutroupis wonders if Marcin Gortat is the next player in Phoenix to be on the move.
- The newly created Delaware 87ers of the NBDL acquired the rights of 16 players via the D-League's expansion draft last night (NBA.com). Among the more notable names on that list with NBA experience are Ish Smith, Sean Williams, Willie Warren, Jerome Dyson, and Josh Akognon. Smith and Akognon remain on NBA rosters, but if they were released and wanted to play in the D-League, Delaware would hold their rights.
Suns Trade Caron Butler To Bucks
THURSDAY, 3:37pm: The Bucks have officially announced in a press release that their acquisition of Butler is complete. It looks like it'll just be Smith and Kravtsov for Butler, with no draft picks involved.
WEDNESDAY, 11:37pm: Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic hears the Suns will receive point guard Ish Smith, center Viacheslav Kravtsov, and a draft pick (Twitter link). Even though the Bucks acquired Kravtsov on July 31st as part of the Brandon Jennings sign-and-trade, they're exempt from the two-month moratorium on packaging him in a trade with another player, since they're under the cap.
10:45pm: The Bucks and Suns have reached agreement on a trade that will send Caron Butler to Milwaukee, according to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (Twitter link). Butler has already been told the trade will indeed happen, a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who adds that the teams are still working on the details of the deal (Twitter link). Butler is a native of Racine, Wisconsin, which is about 30 miles south of Milwaukee, and it appears the Suns are attempting to do a favor for the 33-year-old, who's heavy on community involvement, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Since the Suns acquired Butler from the Clippers in a three-way swap that became official July 10th, Phoenix can't package Butler with any other players in a trade until September 10th, under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement. However, the club can trade the veteran by himself at any time. It's conceivable that the teams could wait a couple of weeks to officially announce the trade if Milwaukee wants anyone else on the Suns roster, but given the timing of the deal and the speed with which it seems to have come together, I think Butler will be the only Sun going to Milwaukee.
The rebuilding Suns are looking for draft picks and short-term contracts, Stein noted. That jibes with the notion that the Bucks are unlikely to give up any of their key players in the swap, as Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times wrote when he first reported that the teams were in trade talks. I speculated earlier this evening that a big man would likely be headed to Phoenix, since the Bucks have eight of them on their roster. Milwaukee is about $7.5MM below the cap, but Butler's set to make an even $8MM in the last season of his deal this year, so the Bucks can't absorb him in the trade without sending a player to the Suns.
Butler averaged 10.4 points per game last season, his lowest output in nine years, but the two-time All-Star has added the three-point shot to his arsenal in recent years, nailing 38% of his 3.8 long-range attempts per game the past three seasons. He shot just 31.2% on 1.8 three-point tries per contest over the first eight years of his career. That outside threat will help the Bucks make up for the losses of Brandon Jennings, J.J. Redick and Mike Dunleavy, who went to other teams this summer, and Carlos Delfino, who signed with the Bucks but could miss a part of the regular season recovering from a fractured bone in his foot.
Odds & Ends: Sixers, Garrett, Butler, Iguodala
In his latest piece for HoopsWorld, Eric Pincus takes a look at the outstanding trade exceptions currently being held by NBA teams. Pincus' list matched up nearly perfectly with our own trade exception tracker, but added one we didn't have: Incredibly, the Sixers, despite being well below the league's minimum payroll threshold, have continued to function as an over-the-cap team this summer, with an assist from a trade exception obtained when the club send Jrue Holiday to New Orleans. That TPE is now worth $5,128,993, after a portion of it was used to absorb Tony Wroten's salary.
Check out Pincus' piece for more details on how the Sixers could be considered over the cap, and read on for a few more Thursday odds and ends:
- Former Suns guard Diante Garrett tweeted today that he'll "be with OKC this year." We haven't heard any confirmation from Oklahoma City beat writers or national reporters, but it looks as if Garrett will, at the very least, be in training camp with the Thunder.
- Sources tell Jake Pavorsky of Liberty Ballers that the Sixers may take a look at big man Micheal Eric in training camp this fall. Eric was in camp with the Cavaliers a year ago.
- Grantland's Zach Lowe takes an in-depth look at the Caron Butler swap between the Suns and Bucks, noting that Butler's expiring contract "is sexy [as a trade chip] in theory, but not in reality." I wrote earlier today about some of the cap and roster implications of the trade.
- Warriors GM Bob Myers spoke to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News about all the behind-the-scenes work it took to land Andre Iguodala, a task Myers says "looked futile" at some points.