Atlantic Notes: Sixers, C’s, Raptors, Knicks
Let’s round up a few Tuesday morning items from around the Atlantic Division, where the Sixers still sit atop the standings despite last night’s loss to the Warriors….
- Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, and Spencer Hawes are expected to be the subject of plenty of trade rumors this season, but John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News wonders why the 76ers couldn’t build around those three players. Smallwood likes Young in particular, since he’s locked up to a cap-friendly, multiyear deal. I respect Young’s point, but with Turner and Hawes hitting free agency next summer, I’m not sure it makes sense for the Sixers to pay what it would take to keep them.
- The Celtics dropped their fourth consecutive game last night in Memphis, prompting Grizzlies guard Tony Allen to recall being part of the last rebuilding process in Boston. Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe has the details.
- Rudy Gay has been the subject of trade rumors recently, but Tom Ziller of SBNation.com can envision Gay and DeMar DeRozan forming a solid offensive pairing with the Raptors.
- Sources tell Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that owner James Dolan was “ready to erupt” during the Knicks‘ game against the Timberwolves, and tracked down GM Steve Mills to vent about the team.
Knicks Acquire D-League Rights To Jeremy Tyler
Earlier today, the Knicks’ D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, officially acquired the D-League rights to forward Jeremy Tyler in a deal with the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside. In exchange for the big man, Santa Cruz will receive the rights to forward Ryan Evans and a pair of D-League draft choices.
The Knicks were high on the 22-year-old for much of the offseason until an injury took him out of action. After that, the Knicks decided to give their final three roster spots to Toure Murry, Cole Aldrich, and Chris Smith, the younger brother of standout guard J.R. Smith. Tyler is still rehabbing the stress fracture in his right foot, but today’s deal will allow the Knicks to closely monitor his progress. Given their enthusiasm about the once highly-touted prospect, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Knicks sign him later on in the season.
Scott Suggs and Shane Gibson will also be sent from the Warriors’ affiliate to the Knicks’ affiliate.
Atlantic Notes: Love, Teletovic, Sixers, Raptors
While some rumors popped up last night suggesting that a Steve Nash trade between the Lakers and Raptors is a possiblity, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld is skeptical that such a deal is realistic. As Kyler notes (Twitter links), Toronto’s old regime had interest in Nash, having pursued him during the summer of 2012, but there hasn’t been any indication that the team’s new leadership group has that same level of interest.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Following up on Kevin Love‘s assertion that he “loves” New York City, Zach Braziller of the New York Post points out that Love will likely hit free agency in the summer of 2015, at the same time the Knicks will free up a ton of cap space.
- Mirza Teletovic acknowledged to Bosnian newspaper Daily Azaz that the thought of returning to Europe has crossed his mind, but says he still hopes to succeed in the NBA with the Nets. NetsDaily has the details on Teletovic’s early-season frustrations.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com argues that as long as the Sixers keep winning, there’s nothing GM Sam Hinkie can do. In Ziller’s view, Hinkie can’t and won’t seriously attempt to move veterans like Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes until the team starts to struggle.
- League sources tell Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that former coach Doug Collins may have been a reason that Andrew Bynum never wanted to be a Sixer.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star answers a handful of Raptors-related questions in his latest mailbag.
Eastern Notes: Davis, Douby, Carmelo
Though NBA veteran Ricky Davis was drafted by the Erie Bayhawks (which serves as the Knicks’ D-League affiliate) during this week’s NBDL draft, it doesn’t appear that Davis is part of any larger plan after head coach Mike Woodson didn’t seem to be aware of the move (SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria via Twitter). New York brass had auditioned the 34-year-old swingman in mid-September but did not ultimately extend a training camp invite.
With more than half of the Eastern Conference set to compete tonight, here are some links to pass along from that side of the NBA:
- Recently drafted by the NBDL’s Sioux Falls Skyforce (a direct affiliate of the Heat), Quincy Douby tells Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld about how he’s matured after playing internationally for the last several years and that demonstrating how much he’s grown will hopefully lead to another opportunity in the NBA.
- With regard to some of New York’s struggles offensively so far, Carmelo Anthony -who insists that he feels good and is just trying to get back into rhythm himself – thinks that his team needs to be more willing to shoot more three-point shots when the opportunities present itself: “I think we’re showing a different dynamic part our team. Last year we took a lot more 3-pointers than we took (now). We got to get guys to used to being in those spots and wanting to shoot those. (We) got guys like Bargnani not used to playing a position like that outside the line taking 3s.’’ (Marc Berman of the Post provides a Sulia link)
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune touches upon the Bulls’ uncharacteristic struggles on the defensive end (subscribers only).
- John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com writes about Maurice Harkless‘ improved mindset as a second-year player.
Odds & Ends: Tinsley, Pondexter, Kings, Mills
Here are a few notes from around the league as the NBA’s first week comes to a close:
- Jamaal Tinsley‘s one-year minimum-salary deal with the Jazz is entirely non-guaranteed, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports revealed today when he updated Utah’s team salaries.
- Quincy Pondexter‘s four-year, $14MM extension with the Grizzlies starts at close to $3.15MM next year and has gradual raises in each subsequent season, according to Deeks.
- Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro acknowledges that the decision not to pick up Jimmer Fredette‘s 2014/15 option was “agonizing,” but tells James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom that he ultimately decided the added flexibility for next season was too enticing to pass up.
- Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee wonders if Fredette could prove more productive on a team that plays a style more suited to him and applauds the Kings for declining his option and giving themselves more time to evaluate him before they make a further commitment.
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York reports that first-year Knicks GM Steve Mills is happy with the current state of New York’s roster: “I think we like the roster we have right now. And I think we want to give it some time and see how they come together on the team and how guys gel together.“
- Keith Schlosser of SB Nation’s Ridiculous Upside breaks down the 2013/14 NBA D-League draft and highlights the most intriguing selections round-by-round.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Atlantic Rumors: Nets, Anderson, Hardaway
One outgrowth of the Nets‘ record spending spree is depth, and that was on full display on Friday when Brooklyn knocked off the Heat. Paul Pierce, one of the team’s veteran starters who stands to benefit from a bench capable of allowing him to play fewer minutes, acknowledged the advantage to Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News.
“It was huge,” Pierce said. “One to 10, one to 15, we match up pretty much with anybody in the league and we have more depth than anybody in the league, especially when you talk about Andray Blatche, Reggie Evans, Andrei Kirilenko, Shaun Livingston, Alan Anderson.”
Here’s more on a member of the Nets bench and other notes from Brooklyn’s Atlantic Division rivals:
- Anderson was the last piece of the Nets regular season roster to join the team, but his versatility has allowed him to produce like he was one of the team’s first priorities, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post examines.
- Tim Hardaway Jr. lasted until the 24th pick this past June, but the Knicks rookie is already making an impact in J.R. Smith‘s absence, notes fellow Post scribe Fred Kerber.
- We heard yesterday that Sixers camp invitee Gani Lawal was close to signing in Italy, and agent Errol Bennett tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com that Lawal has put pen to paper with Olimpia Milano, turning away interest from a Turkish team in the process.
Knicks Notes: Leslie, Davis, D-League
After falling to the Bulls on a last second Carmelo Anthony miss, the Knicks look to avoid moving below .500 tomorrow when they face the Timberwolves in New York. As we look forward to Sunday night’s game, a few other newsworthy notes around the Knicks organization.
- The Knicks began to fill out the roster of their D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks by adding among others, forwards C.J. Leslie and Justin Brownlee. The Knicks continue to show interest in Leslie who was a member of the Knicks training camp until they released him last week. The NBA allows for teams to retain the D-League rights of up to three camp invitees which is how the Knicks were able to add Leslie and Brownlee to the Erie roster.
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York reports that another member of the BayHawks’ roster, a former NBA first-round pick and Erie’s sixth-round pick in Friday’s D-League draft, Ricky Davis had a “strong showing on defense” in a workout with the Knicks this summer. Davis will be trying to make his way back on to an NBA roster since the 2009/10 NBA season when he was a member of the Clippers.
- Charles Barkley, who previously faulted Carmelo Anthony for starting the conversation about his pending free agency next summer, has now blamed the media for distracting the team.
Four Players’ Salaries Become Fully Guaranteed
Many players on non-guaranteed deals didn’t survive October’s roster crunch, and no longer find themselves under contract with an NBA team, but plenty of clubs are still carrying non-guaranteed players. The majority of those players will see their salaries for 2013/14 become fully guaranteed if they’re not cut on or before January 7th. However, a handful of players negotiated earlier guarantee dates, many of which arrived this week.
The most notable name in this group is Chris Smith, whose spot on the Knicks’ roster was questioned by rival agents. By earning a place among the 15 players New York carried into opening night, Smith is assured of a fully guaranteed salary, worth about $490K. The Knicks won’t necessarily have to keep him on their roster all season, but if they release him, he’ll still get paid.
Like Smith, Kyle O’Quinn of the Magic and Quincy Miller of the Nuggets were also on contracts that dictated they’d receive full guarantees if they made their respective teams’ opening night rosters. As second-year players, both O’Quinn and Miller will be in line for salaries worth about $789K.
James Anderson‘s contract with the Sixers didn’t include any details related to opening night, but the guarantee date for his 2013/14 salary was October 31st. Since Philadelphia didn’t release Anderson on or before Halloween, his salary of about $916K has become fully guaranteed.
In addition to the four players whose 2013/14 salaries are now fully guaranteed, Ryan Gomes also received a bump in his partial guarantee by making the cut with the Thunder. Having previously been guaranteed for $50K, that figure increased to $75K when Gomes wasn’t released on or before Thursday, the date of OKC’s first game.
As our schedule of guarantee dates shows, there are now believed to be just two dates prior to January when players’ salaries will become guaranteed. Maalik Wayns will receive his full salary from the Clippers if he’s not waived on or before December 1st, while Jannero Pargo will become fully guaranteed if he lasts beyond December 10th in Charlotte.
ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.
Carmelo Anthony Wants To Retire With Knicks
Carmelo Anthony won’t have the opportunity to hit the free agent market for another eight months, but if the last few weeks have been any indication, there will be rumors and speculation swirling around the Knicks star all season long. Last night, Anthony attempted to dispel the notion that he wants to leave New York, telling TNT that he’s hoping for a long-term stay with the Knicks.
“I want to retire in New York, I mean, let’s just be quite frank,” Anthony said, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “I think a lot of people jumped the gun when I said I wanted to be a free agent. And yeah, I want people to come play in New York. I want them to want to play in New York. I want New York to be that place where guys want to come play.”
Anthony’s comments echoed ones he made earlier in the week, when he responded to criticism from Charles Barkley by pointing out that he has a “big rolodex,” which he intends to use to recruit players to New York. As I outlined when I broke down Carmelo’s maximum contract scenarios for next summer, he can secure the most long-term guaranteed money by re-signing with the Knicks in free agency, so it’s no surprise that he’d choose that route over signing an extension, even if he doesn’t plan to go anywhere.
Eastern Links: Knicks, Sanders, Cavs, Heat
As we look forward to Derrick Rose and the Bulls hosting the Knicks in Chicago tonight, let’s round up a few Eastern Conference notes….
- For the Knicks to become a legit title contender, the team has to acquire a second star to complement Carmelo Anthony or hope that Iman Shumpert develops into that second star, writes Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com.
- In his Q&A with Larry Sanders, Grantland’s Zach Lowe spoke to the Bucks big man about his contract extension, the lawsuit filed against his new agency by old reps, and his goals for the coming season.
- Dan Gilbert called his team’s signing of Andrew Bynum “a pretty easy decision” shortly before Bynum appeared in a game last night for the first time in more than 17 months. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal has a full transcript of Gilbert’s comments.
- Heat camp invitees Justin Hamilton, Larry Drew II, and Jarvis Varnado have joined the D-League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).
- Early returns could indicate whether the Nets‘ star-studded approach will fulfill its promise, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.