Pacific Notes: Seattle, Kings, Warriors, Barbosa
The Seattle arena proposal, led by investor Chris Hansen, still requires the approval of Seattle City Council and King County Council, but the plan took a major step forward yesterday, as Lynn Thompson of the Seattle Times writes. It was announced that Hansen and the city council have reached an agreement on financial terms for the arena, with official approval expected later this month. At that point, Hansen can begin "shopping" for an NBA franchise. Let's round up the latest links on the Seattle situation and a few other topics from around the Pacific Division….
- Former SuperSonic Lenny Wilkens believes Seattle could land a team as early as next season, according to Percy Allen of the Seattle Times. Allen says that the Bucks, Bobcats, and Timberwolves are all realistic candidates for relocation, though the Kings remain the odds-on favorite to move.
- The cost of relocating an NBA franchise means Sacramento should still have a reasonable chance at keeping the Kings, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation.com.
- Marcos Breton of the Sacramento Bee wonders if the city of Seattle would want to bring the Kings to town even if the Maloofs were still a part of the package.
- The threat of a lawsuit may impact the future of the Santa Cruz Warriors, says J.M. Brown of the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The city of Santa Cruz had been expected to approve a plan to build a 30,000-square-foot facility to host Golden State's D-League team.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News believes the Lakers are still the most likely landing spot for unrestricted free agent Leandro Barbosa.
Eastern Notes: Heat, Celtics, Knicks, Pistons
Earlier tonight, we learned that the Nets have reached an agreement with Andray Blatche on a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract. While that removes Blatche from the equation for the Heat, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks it could ultimately benefit Miami, increasing the team's chances of being able to add a "known quantity on the cheap" (Sulia link). Here are a few more evening links from around the Eastern Conference:
- Coming off a season in which the Celtics struggled on the boards, WEEI.com's Ben Rohrbach looks into whether the team improved its rebounding with its offseason moves.
- Steve Novak and the Knicks have organized a "pre-training camp" that's set to begin on Monday, the sharpshooter tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- In previewing the Pistons' upcoming season, David Mayo of MLive.com examines the position where the team seems to be thinnest: Shooting guard.
- Reggie Miller tells Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star that he wouldn't rule out returning to the Pacers in a front-office role down the line.
- In a Nets press release, the team announced that tryouts for the Springfield Armor, Brooklyn's D-League affiliate, will be held in New Jersey on September 22nd and in Springfield on October 21st.
Pacers Sign Blake Ahearn
11:06am: Ahearn's deal is partially guaranteed, according to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype.
10:39am: The Pacers and free agent guard Blake Ahearn have agreed to a deal, a source told HoopsHype (via Twitter). The sharpshooter finished the 2011/12 season with the Jazz on a pair of consecutive ten-day contracts.
The 27-year-old was the D-League's top scorer last season, averaging 23.8 PPG and 5.1 APG in 37 games for the Reno Bighorns. Ahearn saw 30 minutes of play for the Jazz across four games last season, his first NBA action since suiting up for the Spurs in 2008/09. The 6'3" guard is known mostly for his outside shooting which was on display in the D-League last season as he shot 40% from downtown.
NBA D-League Affiliations For 2012/13
The 2012/13 season will mark the first time that NBA teams will be permitted to send players with less than three years of NBA experience to their respective D-League affiliates an unlimited number of times. While this should help the D-League evolve into a more effective development system for the NBA, not all D-League franchises are affiliated with a single NBA team. The League announced its list of affiliates today, which includes 11 D-League franchises associated with a single NBA team, and five more that are affiliated with three or four NBA clubs. Here's the complete list:
- Austin Toros: San Antonio Spurs
- Bakersfield Jam: Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors
- Canton Charge: Cleveland Cavaliers
- Dakota Wizards(*): Golden State Warriors
- Erie BayHawks: New York Knicks
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants: Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks
- Idaho Stampede: Portland Trail Blazers
- Iowa Energy: Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Hornets, Washington Wizards
- Los Angeles D-Fenders: Los Angeles Lakers
- Maine Red Claws: Boston Celtics
- Reno Bighorns: Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers: Houston Rockets
- Sioux Falls Skyforce: Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers
- Springfield Armor: Brooklyn Nets
- Texas Legends: Dallas Mavericks
- Tulsa 66ers: Oklahoma City Thunder
(* The Dakota Wizards will become the Santa Cruz Warriors for the 2012/13 season, pending NBA approval.)
Odds & Ends: Pacers, Lakers, T’Wolves, Howard
Pacers president Larry Bird has yet to decide whether he will return to the club next season but he is apparently open to staying on if he and owner Herb Simon are on the same page. Today, Bob Kravitz of the Indy Star writes that Bird's conversation with Simon will center around the owner's willingness to spend on payroll. Predictably, point guard Deron Williams would be Bird's top target if Simon is willing to open up his wallet, but landing him would appear to be a longshot. Here's more from around the league..
Blazers, Idaho Stampede Announce Partnership
The Trail Blazers will take over the basketball operations of the D-League's Idaho Stampede in a "hybrid" partnership, the Blazers announced today (Twitter link). As Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside explains (via Twitter), Idaho will still control the business side of the franchise, but the Blazers will have full control of coaching staff, player roster, and other baskebtall operations.
The Stampede had previously been the D-League affiliate for the Nuggets and Jazz, as well as the Blazers, but the new agreement will make Portland the Stampede's sole NBA affiliate. Interim Blazers GM Chad Buchanan called the move a "great opportunity" for Portland to develop young players and coaches, according to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian.
"The benefits can be great," Buchanan said. "You have a coach you hire that’s going to mirror what we’re running up here with the Blazers. You’ve got a roster that you’ve put together that you want to see. If we want to send (this year’s) draft pick down, we can send him down for two weeks and play him 48 minutes a night, get him 25 touches and 30 shots a game. We have control over that."
The Blazers become the fourth team to enter a hybrid partnership with a D-League franchise, joining the Rockets, Nets, and Knicks.
Minor Moves: Eyenga, Joseph, Wright
We'll track the latest notable international and D-League-related transactions right here, with the newest up top:
- Christian Eyenga practiced with the Lakers today and is expected to play tomorrow in Sacramento, tweets Mike Trudell of Lakers.com. Eyenga, who was acquired along with Ramon Sessions at the trade deadline, had been playing with the D-League's D-Fenders since the deal, but persumably has now been recalled.
- The Spurs have recalled Cory Joseph from their D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, the Spurs announced today. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News first tweeted that the move was expected, noting that it wouldn't bode well for the Toros in the D-League Finals. As our log of D-League assignments and recalls shows, Joseph has been optioned to Austin three times this season, so he won't be able to rejoin the Toros again for the end of their season.
- Former 15th-overall pick Antoine Wright has signed with Venezuelan team Guaiqueries de Margarita, the team announced (hat tip to Sportando). Wright, 28, had joined the D-League earlier this season in hopes of making it back to the NBA.
Cavaliers Sign D.J. Kennedy
The Cavaliers announced that they have signed guard/forward D.J. Kennedy from the D-League for the remainder of the season. In 44 regular season games with the Erie BayHawks, the 22-year-old averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 37.4 minutes per game.
The swingman played four seasons at St. John’s, putting up 11.7 PPG on .436 shooting, 6.1 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 30.4 minutes per contest. Kennedy suffered a major setback in last year's NCAA tournament when he tore his ACL in the Red Storm's quarterfinal loss to Syracuse.
Minor Moves: Luke Harangody, Jerome Jordan
We'll track the latest notable international and D-League-related transactions right here:
- Luke Harangody has been recalled from the D-League's Canton Charge, the Cavaliers announced today. Harangody was assigned to Canton on the weekend and helped lead the team to its first-ever playoff series victory. However, with the Cavs in need of healthy bodies, Harangody won't be on hand to help the Charge continue their postseason run. Having been assigned to the D-League the maximum three times already this season, the 24-year-old can't be sent down again.
- According to RealGM's transactions log, Jerome Jordan has also been recalled from the D-League, by the Knicks. New York's affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, were eliminated from the D-League playoffs on Monday, in spite of Jordan's 26 points.
Odds & Ends: Williams, Miller, Gordon, D-League
Wednesday afternoon links from around the Association:
- Terrence Williams reiterated a desire to re-sign with the Kings this offseason, telling Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld that coach Keith Smart is a major reason he's interested in staying in Sacramento.
- According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, Andre Miller has yet to give any serious thought to retirement: "I want to keep playing until my legs don’t work anymore," said the Nuggets point guard.
- Eric Gordon won't be the cornerstone of the Hornets' rebuilding efforts, but he'll be a key building block, writes Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com lists the best executives available for teams searching for new management this summer.
- Justin Dentmon (MVP) and Greg Smith (Rookie of the Year) highlight Scott Schroeder's picks for the D-League's award winners at Ridiculous Upside. Both players are currently on NBA rosters — Dentmon with the Raptors, and Smith with the Rockets.