Odds & Ends: Hayward, Mavs, Kings, Knicks
The season is just two days old, but we may already have seen its most surprising result. The Sixers pulled off a stunning victory against Heat tonight — not too shabby for a team that’s still about $5MM shy of the minimum team salary, as HoopsWorld’s Eric Pincus notes in his look at teams with cap space remaining. Here’s more from a busy 14-game night:
- The Jazz remain in talks with Gordon Hayward about an extension, with just one day left before the deadline for him to sign one, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Mark Cuban doesn’t intend to replace former Mavs GM Gersson Rosas, who resigned yesterday, reports Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- On “David Stern Day” in Sacramento, the commissioner weighed in on the NBA’s approval of the Kings‘ new ownership group instead of Seattle’s bid for the franchise, as Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com shares via Twitter. “… The owners did the right thing. They had a vote to cast and they cast it in favor of Sacramento,” Stern said.
- Marc Berman of the New York Post hears from a source who says too much was made out of a report earlier today that said owner James Dolan expects the Knicks to win the title this season. Dolan was merely attempting to express his confidence in the team’s players, the source tells Berman.
- Knicks GM Steve Mills isn’t looking to hire any more people to work under him in the team’s front office, but he does intend to restructure some of the roles of his existing staff, as Berman passes along in the same piece.
- Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com points to Spurs second-round pick Deshaun Thomas as an example of why the NCAA need not allow early draft entrants back on their college teams if they don’t make an NBA roster. The agent for Thomas says he’ll make $150K on his contract with JSF Nanterre in France this season, Parrish notes.
Knicks GM, Carmelo Agree Not To Talk Contract
Knicks GM Steve Mills said he and Carmelo Anthony have agreed not to discuss a possible extension or Anthony’s upcoming early termination option, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. It’s unclear whether the pact between Mills and Anthony covers the entire season, but it could mean Mills won’t even offer Anthony an extension when he becomes eligible in February, Berman writes.
“Carmelo and I, the first day of training camp, we both agreed we wouldn’t have any more conversations about his ability to opt out or us negotiating an extension,” the GM said. “I’ll stick to what I had agreed to and not talk about his contract status.”
It’s unlikely in any case that Anthony would sign an extension, as he did when he came to the Knicks from the Nuggets in an extend-and-trade deal at the 2011 trade deadline. The new CBA put in place later that year gives players like Anthony much greater incentive to hit free agency, as our Luke Adams explained when he detailed what Anthony could make in his next deal. Anthony has made it clear he wants to become a free agent, which he can do next summer, so the idea that he wouldn’t discuss an extension isn’t a surprise.
Still, it seems odd that Mills won’t at least be talking to Anthony about his plans for free agency, especially considering Mills’ ties to the Creative Artists Agency that represents Anthony. Part of the reason Mills was hired was to help keep Anthony in New York, Berman notes.
Anthony said today that he intends to try to recruit players to the Knicks this summer, a possible sign that he intends to stick around, as Berman surmises, so perhaps Mills and the Knicks are confident they can re-sign the star forward.
Eastern Rumors: Bynum, Irving, LeBron
Andrew Bynum didn’t play in the preseason, but it looks like he might get in the Cavaliers‘ season opener tonight. It would be his first action since the spring of 2012 and his initial step toward convincing the team to fully guarantee his $12.25MM salary. Only $6MM of Bynum’s two-year, $24.79MM contract is guaranteed, so he has much riding on his ability to return to health and productive play this season. Here’s more on the Cavs and a few of their Eastern Conference rivals:
- Owner Dan Gilbert is confident the Cavs have built an environment conducive to enticing Kyrie Irving to stay with Cleveland for the long term, and Gilbert is encouraged by the youth of the team’s core, observes Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal.
- LeBron James has become close with Erik Spoelstra, who dared to drive the superstar hard, and Spoelstra’s presence in Miami means James is best advised to remain with the Heat, too, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports argues. Spoelstra’s new extension runs four years, Wojnarowski reveals.
- Bulls camp cut Patrick Christopher is headed to the team’s D-League affiliate after turning down offers to play overseas, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link).
- Knicks GM Steve Mills is OK with the expectations that stem from owner James Dolan’s belief that the team has enough talent to win a title this year, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. “You always feel pressure in an environment like this but it’s a good pressure,” Mills said.
- Mills also responded to a question about Chris Smith‘s place on the Knicks roster by passing along that Dolan wants the team to carry young players it can develop this year, Begley adds (Twitter link).
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Diogu, Knicks, Nets
No Atlantic teams were in action on the NBA’s opening night, but all five are ready to go tonight, including three preparing to host their home openers. While the Nets play in Cleveland, the Celtics will visit the Raptors, the Sixers will host the Heat, and the Knicks will be in action at MSG against the Bucks.
As we look forward to all five Atlantic teams getting their seasons underway, let’s check out a few notes from out of the division:
- According to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, new Raptors GM Masai Ujiri and CEO Tim Leiweke don’t share Bryan Colangelo‘s belief that Toronto is just a piece or two away from being a legit contender, and would prefer to blow things up to move forward. However, as the season gets underway, Ujiri has “a whole lot of houses for sale, not that many viewings, and almost no buyers,” writes Simmons.
- Knicks camp invitee Josh Powell will head to China to play with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, but according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, that opportunity arose after fellow Knick invitee Ike Diogu turned down an offer from the team. Diogu, who played for Guangdong last season, didn’t want to return due to poor management, but is considering other options in China, says Iannazzone (Twitter links).
- While many of their Eastern Conference rivals made bigger offseason splashes, the Knicks‘ notable moves included acquiring Andrea Bargnani and signing Metta World Peace. Nonetheless, James Dolan’s expectations are high — he believes the team has enough talent to win an NBA title this year, says Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Despite being one of the highest-paid players in the NBA, Joe Johnson is happy to fly under the radar on the new-look Nets, as Fred Kerber of the New York Post details.
Western Notes: Westbrook, Kobe, Carney, Rosas
There’s some auspicious news for the Thunder on opening night, as it appears Russell Westbrook could be back as early as two weeks from now, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Thunder originally projected he’d miss at least the first month of the season. Here’s more from the West:
- Kobe Bryant addressed extension talks with the Lakers during a Q-and-A session with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, indicating that discussions have yet to begin but will soon. Lakers co-owner Jim Buss said last week that negotiations had already begun.
- Bryant also told Spears that he hasn’t spoken to Carmelo Anthony about free agency next summer. A recent report suggested Anthony would be open to a recruiting pitch.
- Rodney Carney, fresh off a camp stint with the Pelicans, has signed to play in Puerto Rico with Capitanes de Arecibo, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia reports.
- It appears philosophical differences were at the root of Gersson Rosas‘ decision to resign as Mavs GM today, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, while Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram hears the Mavs shared the concerns Rosas had about the fit.
- Jazz CEO Greg Miller says he’s OK with the front office’s plan to endure a rough season this year as long as it helps move the team toward a title down the road, as Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune examines.
- Wolves camp invitee Othyus Jeffers is set to join the team’s D-League affiliate, while second-round pick Lorenzo Brown, whom the team also cut last week, will not, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
Eastern Notes: Sanders, C’s, Heat, Knicks
Back in August, prior to signing a long-term extension with the Bucks, Larry Sanders changed agents, moving from Andy Miller and ASM Sports to Dan Fegan and Relativity Sports. While the switch seemed fairly innocuous at the time, ASM has filed suit against Relativity, claiming that the agency stole Sanders away with “flights on private planes, expensive dinners, invites to pre-ESPY awards parties, acting classes and trips to Disneyland for his family.”
According to Dareh Gregorian of the New York Daily News, ASM Sports is seeking the commission on Sanders’ new $44MM contract with the Bucks, claiming that “even in the hypercompetitive world of sports agents there are rules and boundaries that must be followed.” Sanders’ earnings shouldn’t be affected by the suit, but it’s a peek at what goes on behind the scenes at sports agencies when a big-name player is about to cash in.
As Sanders and the Bucks prepare for tomorrow’s opener in New York, let’s round up a few more items from around the Eastern Conference….
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge continues to discuss a possible extension with Avery Bradley‘s camp, but won’t extend Jordan Crawford, tweets Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Ainge emphasized today that Bradley remains a big part of Boston’s future, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).
- In his latest piece for Grantland, Zach Lowe explores the Heat‘s roster-building options going forward, concluding that, as creative as Pat Riley is, it will be tricky for the team to make significant upgrades around LeBron James in the next couple years.
- Chris Smith believes he earned his spot on the Knicks with his play, but some rival agents believe he came as a package deal with older brother J.R. Smith, says Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Responding to criticism from Charles Barkley, Carmelo Anthony said today that he thinks players would love to come play with him in New York, and that he has a “big rolodex” for when the time comes to recruit (Twitter links via Peter Botte of the New York Daily News).
- According to Gigi Datome‘s agent (Twitter link via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando), the Pistons didn’t offer the most money to his client this offseason, but they did offer the best opportunity for the Italian sharpshooter.
- While news of his trade to the Wizards initially caught him off guard, Marcin Gortat is excited to join a team with playoff aspirations, as he tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Pacific Notes: Bogut, Kobe, Tyler, Suns
Let’s round up a few Monday items out of the Pacific Division….
- Grantland’s Zach Lowe examines last Friday’s two big deals, the Wizards‘ acquisition of Marcin Gortat and the Warriors‘ extension for Andrew Bogut. In Lowe’s view, the Suns made out very well in the Gortat swap, which looks like the result of a win-now mandate for Washington. Meanwhile, Lowe considers Bogut’s deal a risky one for Golden State, but hopes it works out, since the league is better off with the former first overall pick healthy.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News goes in-depth on Bogut’s new contract and the Warriors‘ long-term cap situation, reporting some new details on the agreement with Bogut. According to Kawakami, there is no trade kicker included in Bogut’s extension, which features up to 15% in unlikely bonuses in each season.
- In his latest piece for SBNation.com, Tom Ziller examines Jim Buss’ comments on Kobe Bryant‘s contract situation and attempts to identify Buss’ motives.
- After cutting him last week, the Knicks are trying to obtain Jeremy Tyler‘s D-League rights from Golden State’s D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Tyler, who is rehabbing a foot injury, is free to sign with any NBA team, but can’t join a D-League team besides Santa Cruz unless the Warriors agree to a deal to relinquish his rights.
- Dionte Christmas, Ishmael Smith, and Viacheslav Kravtsov, who earned spots on the Suns‘ opening night roster, have learned not to take having an NBA job for granted, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details.
Knicks Exercise 2014/15 Option On Shumpert
The Knicks have officially exercised their 2014/15 option on Iman Shumpert, the club announced today (Twitter link). The move ensures that Shumpert will remain under team control, with a fully guaranteed salary, for the next two seasons.
Shumpert, a member of the 2011 draft class, will earn about $1.7MM this season, and then be in line for about $2.62MM in ’14/15. If the Knicks want to keep him in the fold long-term, the team could lock him up to an extension during the 2014 offseason. Otherwise, he’ll hit restricted free agency in the summer of 2015.
Shumpert’s fourth-year option was the only rookie contract decision due for the Knicks this week, but plenty of other teams will have until Halloween to decide on their own rookie scale players. You can follow our tracker for the latest updates.
Atlantic Rumors: Noel, Bradley, Brooks, Stevens
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes Nerlens Noel must grow physically and emotionally if he’s to live up to his expectations in the NBA, so, according to the Inquirer scribe, he’d be better off not returning from his left knee injury at any point this season. Coach Brett Brown this week attempted to dispel the notion that any decisions had been made about when Noel would play again, after making it seem on Monday as though Noel was likely to miss the season. The Sixers hoped injured center Andrew Bynum would come back to lead them deep into the playoffs last year, but there’s not much on the line this time around for Philly’s ragtag bunch. Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- The Celtics and Avery Bradley continue talks about an extension, but no deal is imminent for the Mitchell Butler client, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. The 2014/15 team option on MarShon Brooks‘ contract is still a matter of debate in the front office, Murphy adds.
- Former Suns GM Steve Kerr doesn’t say whether he was interested in Brad Stevens, but he does tell Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that several GMs around the league had wanted to hire Stevens before the Celtics did.
- Isiah Thomas last coached in the NBA with the Knicks in 2007/08, but he explains to Washburn that he hasn’t closed the door on a return to the bench.
- Trade acquisition Andrea Bargnani struggled for the Knicks in preseason, and he isn’t a lock to keep his job as starting power forward, as Marc Berman of the New York Post details.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Sixers, Turner, Knicks
It appears the Celtics, Nets, and Knicks are all ready to get the regular season underway, having reduced their rosters to 14, 15, and 15 players respectively. The Sixers are also down to 14 players, though GM Sam Hinkie has been active enough in his first offseason that there’s no guarantee the roster is set in stone yet.
Only the Raptors still have to make their cuts — the team is currently carrying 17 players, so at least two players will need to be released. Carlos Morais, Julyan Stone, and Chris Wright are all on non-guaranteed deals, and according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter), Stone looks like the one most likely to survive until Monday and beyond.
Here are a few more notes from around the Atlantic:
- Rodney Williams, whom the Sixers waived today, will play for the Delaware 87ers, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link).
- In a Saturday update to his Instagram account, Evan Turner sought to clarify his remarks from yesterday about how he’ll “get money regardless” of whether or not he signs an extension. Matt Moore of Eye on Basketball has the details.
- The Knicks have hired Idan Ravin, the personal trainer for Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, as a player development coach, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). It could be an effort by the Knicks to earn brownie points with their star player as he enters the final year of his contract.
- According to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, it’s hard to argue the Sixers will be tanking this season, since there isn’t much talent on the roster to begin with. I’d call that a question of semantics.