Odds & Ends: Kirilenko, Draft, Mavs, Anderson
It's one of the busiest nights of the year on the hardwood in the Association, with a slate of 14 games before the league takes a one-day hiatus for Thanksgiving. There's plenty of off-court news as well, and we've got that covered here.
- Mike D'Antoni will keep all the existing Lakers assistant coaches through the season, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. It looks like D'Antoni won't hire Nate McMillan, as he indicated he would do, Shelburne adds.
- Nuggets coach George Karl believes the Wolves' signing of Andrei Kirilenko was a smart move, as Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune notes.
- Jeremy Bauman of SheridanHoops.com breaks down the top 10 draft prospects from this week's Legends Classic tournament.
- Dirk Nowitzki hopes when he comes back that he and O.J. Mayo can develop the same rhythm he had with Jason Terry, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details.
- James Anderson, brought back by the Spurs today, wants to copy Danny Green's ability to take advantage of a second chance, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News documents.
- Jim Owczarski of OnMilwaukee.com checks in with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis as the pair tries to answer questions about their ability to play together for the Bucks.
- Sean Williams, who was waived by the Rockets over the summer, lasted just one preseason game with the Foshan Long Lions of the Chinese league after signing this week, tweets Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall, who translated a Weibo report. The team picked up Shavlik Randolph, a Wizards training-camp invitee this year, to replace him.
Western Rumors: Wolves, Lakers, Lillard, Barnes
Fans in Minnesota will have something extra to be thankful for on the holiday tomorrow, after John Krawczynski of The Associated Press broke the news of Kevin Love's surprise return to the lineup for the Timberwolves tonight, between two and four weeks ahead of schedule (Twitter links). It seemed like the Wolves were close to becoming eligible for a hardship exemption that would allow them to sign a 16th player to their roster, when Brandon Roy joined Love, Ricky Rubio and Chase Budinger on the list of those expected to miss significant time. Now it appears Minnesota will have to make do with the standard 15, a trade-off the team will surely take if it means having Love back in action. Here's more from the West, with 14 of the conference's 15 teams in action.
- Speaking on Jim Rome's program on Showtime, Kobe Bryant defended Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss, saying it's up to the team's players to validate the hiring of coach Mike D'Antoni, notes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Damian Lillard's instant impact is speeding up the rebuilding process for the Blazers, writes Sam Amick of USA Today.
- Harrison Barnes learned how to win in college at North Carolina, and he's bringing some of those principles to the Warriors, observes HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram.
- It's no shock to Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau that Omer Asik, whose offer sheet with the Rockets wasn't matched by Chicago, has blossomed in a starting role, as Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times documents.
- We rounded up more on the Rockets and their Texas rivals earlier tonight.
Northwest Notes: Wolves Injuries, Blazers, Williams
The latest news and notes from the Northwest Division on Tuesday night:
- J.J. Barea and Nikola Pekovic are both expected to play for the Timberwolves on Wednesday, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Wolves coach Rick Adleman told Ray Richardson of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press that doctors cleaned debris out of the knee of Brandon Roy.
- Joe Freeman of the Oregonian sheds some light on Blazers coach Terry Stotts' attempt to juggle the minutes of rookies Victor Claver, Joel Freeland, and Will Barton.
- Freeman also notes that so far, Nicolas Batum is living up to the four-year, $44MM contract he signed this summer.
- Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that Mo Williams is proving to be a perfect fit on the Jazz' roster.
Was It A Mistake For The Wolves To Sign Roy?
Brandon Roy's comeback attempt is off to an inauspicious start. He's out for a month after undergoing right-knee surgery today, having already missed the last four games for the Wolves. In the five contests in which he has appeared, he didn't look like his old self, averaging just 5.8 points on 31.4% shooting in 24.4 minutes per game.
He signed a two-year, $10.43MM contract this summer, but only the first year is guaranteed. The second year can become guaranteed if Roy hits at least one of two benchmarks this season: playing 1,400 or more minutes or appearing on the active list for 65 or more games this season. Both will be tall orders for him now. Roy could also have triggered a guarantee for 2013/14 if he were sidelined for any ailment other than his knees, but alas, that's already by the boards.
So, in light of Roy's latest surgery, what do you think of the decision of GM David Kahn and Wolves management to take a flier on Roy this season? Vote below, and if you have other ideas about Roy's deal, let us know in the comments.
Latest On Brandon Roy
4:39pm: Roy is expected to miss a month after undergoing successful arthroscopic surgery today, according to the Timberwolves (Twitter link).
9:31am: The Timberwolves have officially confirmed (Twitter link) that Brandon Roy will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee today, as Jason Quick of the Oregonian first reported last night. While the team will wait until after the procedure to set a timetable for Roy's recovery and return (Twitter link), Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the former Blazer is expected to be out for "a couple weeks" (Twitter link).
Roy's procedure is obviously bad news for a Minnesota team that's been ravaged by injuries early in the 2012/13 season, but the club did give itself some insurance when it negotiated Roy's contract. As we outlined in September, the second year of Roy's T-Wolves deal will become non-guaranteed if his knees keep him sidelined for a significant portion of this season.
The 28-year-old will have to play more than 1400 minutes or be active for 65 or more games to ensure that his contract is guaranteed for the 2013/14 season. Those criteria are still within reach, though this setback means it will be an uphill battle to achieve them.
Odds & Ends: D’Antoni, Roy, Fisher, Gasol, Bucks
Mike D'Antoni was expected to make his debut as Lakers coach tonight, but his balky knee forced Bernie Bickerstaff to continue as interim coach for one more night. D'Antoni, who'll try to hit the sidelines again Tuesday, has told Bickerstaff he'll remain on the staff this season, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. D'Antoni did make one change to the coaching staff, however, bringing brother Dan D'Antoni aboard as expected, the team announced. Here's more from an eight-game day and night around the NBA.
- Knee trouble has kept Brandon Roy out for the past 10 days, and now he'll undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, reports Jason Quick of The Oregonian (Twitter links). Quick doesn't indicate how long he'll be continue to be out, but says he'll miss what would have been his return to Portland with the Wolves on Friday.
- The Mavs aren't interested in free agent point guard Derek Fisher, since owner Mark Cuban wants to see what the current roster can do, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. That means the team will continue to give backup minutes to Dominique Jones, whom the Mavs twice sought to trade earlier this season.
- Larry Coon of HoopsWorld won't rule out a Pau Gasol trade, but doesn't think the Lakers are likely to pull the trigger (Twitter link).
- "Everyone agreed" the Bucks needed a fast start with GM John Hammond and coach Scott Skiles in the final year of their respective deals, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and at 6-2, the team has delivered.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star calls out Roy Hibbert for his struggles this season, just months after the big man signed a four-year, $58MM deal.
- Before Damian Lillard came into the league, he watched a lot of video of fellow point guard Derrick Rose and picked up a few of the former MVP's habits, observes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.
Latest On Timberwolves’ Injuries
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been plagued by injuries to their key players in recent weeks, which has forced them to play shorthanded and turn to free agents such as Josh Howard to shore up the rotation. However, Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has some good news for Wolves fans on the injury front involving several players.
Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, neither of whom have played this season, are starting to participate in light offensive workouts, and are both still scheduled to return to the court sometime in December. Center Nikola Pekovic, who injured his ankle last week, is participating fully in practice and is on track to return on Wednesday.
Two Timberwolves players who have yet to participate in basketball-related activities since being sidelined are guards Brandon Roy and J.J. Barea. There is no timeframe for either one to return to action.
Odds & Ends: Udoh, Howard, Knicks, Warrick
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Friday evening:
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes that Bucks center Ekpe Udoh is finding ways to contribute outside of the stat sheet.
- Josh Howard is looking forward to helping the injury-plagued Timberwolves. (AP link via NBA.com)
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com writes that the Knicks' age has worked in their favor so far as they've begun the season 6-0.
- The Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell believes that Hakim Warrick, acquired this week from the Hornets for Matt Carroll, can help the Bobcats this season.
- Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer writes that the Cavs' Tristan Thompson has been more active this season.
Western Notes: Grizzlies, Wolves, Jefferson, Brand
In his latest Insider piece for ESPN.com, John Hollinger explores the concept of the "second draft," an idea that involves acquiring players who had the talent to be high draft picks but who fell out of favor with their previous teams, for whatever reason. Hollinger points to the Grizzlies as one team taking full advantage of the "second draft" concept this season, with Jerryd Bayless, Quincy Pondexter, Wayne Ellington, and Marreese Speights making the club's bench one of the best in the NBA so far.
Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:
- Before the Timberwolves signed Josh Howard, they "politely turned down" interest from Kenyon Martin's camp, and made the same minimum-salary offer to Mickael Pietrus, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Howard accept the team's proposal first, as Pietrus' camp is still holding out for the mini mid-level.
- Al Jefferson was upset after the Jazz' game against the Celtics that Boston media had interpreted his comments about his C's history to mean he wanted to return to Boston, according to James Patrick of the Deseret News.
- While Mike D'Antoni won over the media when he was introduced in Los Angeles yesterday, it will be more important long-term for the Lakers' new coach to win over Dwight Howard, says Ken Berger of CBS Sports.
- After he didn't land the Lakers' coaching job, Phil Jackson is unlikely to be considered a serious candidate for the next Team USA coach, according to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game, who says (via Sulia) that newly re-elected chairman Jerry Colangelo and Jackson aren't exactly close.
- Elton Brand appeared on ESPN Radio Dallas to discuss the eventual return of Dirk Nowitzki and the adjustments that fellow offseason acquisition O.J. Mayo has had to make with the Mavericks (link via Sports Radio Interviews).
Timberwolves Sign Josh Howard
FRIDAY, 10:29am: Howard has officially signed with the T-Wolves and is expected to be in uniform tonight vs. the Warriors, according to the team's PR Twitter account.
THURSDAY, 9:25am: The Timberwolves have reached an agreement with Josh Howard on a one-year deal, reports ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (via Twitter). According to Broussard, the contract will be worth the minimum salary.
Having suffered a rash of early-season injuries, the T-Wolves had been eyeing reinforcements, particularly at the wing, where the team will be without Chase Budinger for three months. Mickael Pietrus and Raja Bell were among the other possible options, though as I suggested earlier this week, Howard made the most sense, since Pietrus wanted more than the veteran's minimum and Bell's contract made him an undesirable trade target. As Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets, it was always a matter of getting a player to accept the minimum, which is all Minnesota could offer.
Howard, 32, isn't the player he once was, but could be a useful piece for the Timberwolves as a bench player. In 43 games for the Jazz in 2011/12, the Wake Forest product averaged 8.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 23.0 minutes per contest.
With a full 15-man roster, the Wolves will have to make a corresponding roster move to clear a spot for Howard. Will Conroy is the most likely candidate to be cut, as he's the only Minnesota player without a fully guaranteed contract.