Knicks Waive Five Players
12:50pm: The Knicks have officially released C.J. Leslie, Josh Powell, and Ike Diogu, as well as Chris Douglas-Roberts and Jeremy Tyler, according to the team (Twitter link). So Chris Smith, Toure Murry, and Cole Aldrich have snagged the three open roster spots.
Tyler’s deal reportedly included a $100K guarantee, so the Knicks will owe both him and Leslie some money.
12:22pm: The Knicks have also cut Leslie, according to Zwerling (via Twitter). While the move had been telegraphed over the last few days, it’s still somewhat surprising, since nearly half of the rookie’s first-year salary was guaranteed.
Zwerling adds that Aldrich appears to have locked up a roster spot, meaning Smith, Tyler, and Murry are likely vying for the final two openings.
11:16am: The Knicks have begun to trim their roster down from the 20-man preseason maximum, according to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, who tweets that the club has released Josh Powell and Ike Diogu. The pair of cuts leaves New York with 18 players under contract, so three more will need to be released by Monday.
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork, Al Iannazzone of Newsday, and Zwerling all hear that the Knicks are going young with their last few open roster spots. According to both Begley and Iannazzone (Twitter links), Toure Murry, Chris Smith, and Jeremy Tyler are likely to make the regular season roster. Presumably, that would mean that the Knicks would waive Cole Aldrich, C.J. Leslie, and Chris Douglas-Roberts, though Begley adds (via Twitter) that it’s not clear if the club will be making all its moves today.
As for Powell and Diogu, neither player appeared in an regular season NBA game in 2012/13, but they earned camp invites from the Knicks after working out for the team this fall. New York won’t be on the hook for any salary for either player, since they were on non-guaranteed contracts.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Celtics, Anderson
According to Zach Braziller of the New York Post, Knicks coach Mike Woodson plans to meet with GM Steve Mills and team brass either tonight or tomorrow to determine the five cuts he has to make before Monday’s deadline. In another piece, Braziller writes about how Carmelo Anthony took it upon himself to have a heart-to-heart talk with J.R. Smith about the importance of staying focused and keeping out of trouble moving forward.
You can find more of tonight’s links out of the Atlantic Division below:
- Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston notes that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is “very proud” of Rajon Rondo‘s progress in rehab: “I think he’s working as hard as he can. I’ve been very proud of him of how he really wants to get out there and I think he wants to get out there, not for his own benefit, but he wants to really help the team. He sees how he’s missed and he just loves to play. He wants to get back for all the right reasons.”
- Ainge also elaborated on why he wants to keep the team under the luxury tax: “Right now we’re barely under the luxury tax, so we really have no choice…If there are deals made later in the year, that would open up roster spots and open up to keep us under the tax. But we will stay under the tax this year. We have to. As we’re rebuilding, not just from a standpoint of the financial budget, but as a competitive advantage.”
- Yesterday, we heard that James Anderson was one player who had “all but wrapped up” a spot on the 76ers’ roster. Today, Tom Moore of The Intelligencer discusses how Anderson secured a spot in Philadelphia after establishing himself as a starter and the team’s top perimeter threat.
- Former NBA executive and current NBA analyst Steve Kerr explains why he thinks the Knicks are the fifth-best team in the East (Justin Terranova of the New York Post).
- Clippers coach Doc Rivers took time to defend current Nets Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the criticism hurled at them by LeBron James last week, who insinuated that they had abandoned Boston: “Paul and Kevin were traded…They were traded. Paul was traded whether he wanted to be or not. Kevin was the only one who had to agree to be traded even though he had already been traded. He had to agree to the trade. That’s completely different…You could make more of a case for me leaving than Paul and Kevin” (Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News [hat tip to ESPN Radio in Miami]).
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Rondo, 76ers, White
Knicks coach Mike Woodson acknowledged yesterday that Chris Smith‘s family ties will play a role in the team’s decision on whether or not he makes the roster, but if it were up to J.R. Smith, that wouldn’t be a factor.
“I don’t want that to come into play because then I think that’s a crutch for him and that’s an excuse for him to make the team,” J.R. said, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “I think that he should make the team based off his own talent and his own ability. Don’t get me wrong, he’s my brother at the end of the day, but at the same time I think his talent alone should set that apart.”
As the Knicks mull over their roster options, let’s check in on a few more stories from out of the Atlantic Division….
- Within a column about Rajon Rondo and the Celtics, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News cites sources to report that Rondo hasn’t talked to coach Brad Stevens or GM Danny Ainge about any sort of trade this offseason.
- Nick Menta of the 700 Level explores the 76ers‘ options when it comes to Evan Turner, who is extension-eligible, and Arnett Moultrie, Royce White, and Tony Wroten, whose 2014/15 team options must be exercised or declined by next Thursday.
- For at least the start of the 2013/14 season, White appears to have a firm hold on a roster spot with the Sixers, as Jason Wolf of USA Today details.
- The Celtics and Sixers both made roster cuts earlier today.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Tyler, Smith, Sixers
The Nets look like have their opening-night roster set, with 15 fully guaranteed contracts and three players on non-guaranteed camp deals who probably won’t be sticking around. The roster isn’t likely to change much throughout the season, as Billy King told Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report earlier this week that his club won’t sign anyone, even a minimum-salary player, as a replacement should someone get hurt. Most other rosters aren’t as stable, and we’ll examine some potential changes for a pair of Brooklyn’s Atlantic Division rivals:
- The Knicks are “leaning toward” keeping Jeremy Tyler‘s partially guaranteed contract, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post, who adds that the team will likely make its first cuts Thursday night. Tyler is recovering from foot surgery and might not play until late next month. “He’s still patiently going through rehab,” coach Mike Woodson said. “I don’t think we kick him to the curb. We thought so much coming out of summer league. I think at least see it through, see what he has to offer. He’s a young big. Our thought process was to try to develop him.”
- Woodson admits nepotism could influence the Knicks‘ decision on whether to keep J.R. Smith‘s brother Chris Smith on the roster for opening night, but even if he makes the team, Chris Smith expects to spend much of the season on assignment to the D-League, Berman notes in the same piece.
- The Sixers have 20 players on the roster and only 11 of them have fully guaranteed deals, but perhaps as few as one opening-night spot is still up in the air, coach Brett Brown said. Rodney Williams is one of five with at least a partial guarantee, and he appears still in the running to make the team, as Brown said the staff is continuing to evaluate him. Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com tweets the details.
Atlantic Notes: KG, Pierce, Knicks, Celtics
All five Nets starters will be rested for tonight’s preseason game in Boston, meaning that while Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will be revisiting their old Celtics home, they aren’t expected to see any action. Nonetheless, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com focuses on the return of KG and Pierce to Boston, with quotes from C’s GM Danny Ainge and others.
Here are a few more Wednesday items from around the Atlantic Division:
- With opening night fast approaching, the Knicks have just a few more days to decide which players will make the team’s regular-season roster, and which will be cut. And as coach Mike Woodson tells Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal, Chris Smith‘s family ties could factor into the team’s decision. Herring tweets that Woodson says he has “great respect” for the Smith family, including Chris and older brother J.R. Smith.
- “Patience” is one of the keywords in Boston this season as the Celtics enter the first year of their rebuild. Howard Ulman of the AP has the details (link via the Boston Globe).
- A pair of New York players show up on Chris Sheridan’s list of the NBA’s top five most overpaid players in the NBA at Sheridan Hoops: Amar’e Stoudemire of the Knicks and Joe Johnson of the Nets.
Odds & Ends: Dunleavy, D-League, Tyler
A few random notes from around the league.
- The D-League’s Erie Bayhawks have announced several additions to their staff, according to the team.
- The Bucks made Mike Dunleavy an offer to return this summer, but he instead chose to sign with the Bulls, where he’s making a strong impression on coach Tom Thibodeau, reports Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel.
- Jeremy Tyler is holding out hope he can make the Knicks roster, despite undergoing surgery on a stress fracture in his right foot in early September, writes the New York Post’s Marc Berman.
Odds & Ends: Carmelo, D-League, Oden, Wade
Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News doesn’t understand why the news that Carmelo Anthony would test the open market came as a surprise to anyone. Meanwhile, this season will be very telling for both the Knicks and Melo to figure out if they can win a championship together. Lupica openly wonders if New York can win a title with Anthony as their No. 1 player. Here’s more from around the Association..
- Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival runs down the whereabouts of prominent members of each D-League team this offseason. It’s no surprise to see that many of the D-League’s standouts from last season have found NBA homes while others have landed lucrative deals overseas. To keep up on the latest in international player movement, check out the Hoops Rumors International Tracker, made with the help of Porcaro.
- Heat offseason acquisition Greg Oden already knows he’ll have to wear a bulky knee brace when he gets back on the floor, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Oden signed a two-year deal with Miami with a player option on 2014/15.
- In a Twitter Q&A, Dwyane Wade said he’s a big supporter of offseason pickup Michael Beasley and is a bigger fan of his than he was during his first stint in Miami, writes Winderman.
- New Pistons forward Josh Smith says he has no issues with playing the three in Detroit, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
New York Notes: Stoudemire, Williams, Pierce
Here are some notes tonight on the Nets and Knicks:
- Amar’e Stoudemire has been cleared for contact, coach Mike Woodson told ESPN New York’s Ian Begley (by way of The Knicks Blog’s Adam Zagoria). STAT is hoping to play opening night on October 30th against the Bucks.
- But Stoudemire only participated in 5-on-5 half-court drills and avoided the full-court scrimmage, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News adds.
- It’s still unclear when Deron Williams will return to action one month after the Nets announced he’d sprained his right ankle, writes the New York Post’s Tim Bontemps.
- Bontemps adds that D-Will has ramped up his participation in practice the last two days, and Paul Pierce said he, “Had a chance to see [Williams] get his feet wet a little.”
- But neither coach Jason Kidd nor Williams would talk about whether Williams will appear in any of the Nets‘ final two preseason games, or what his status is for the season opener on October 30th in Cleveland.
- The New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy adds that Kidd’s been largely avoiding most of the questions about Williams’ injured ankle.
- Kidd confirmed to Bontemps that the Nets’ big offseason acquisitions Pierce and Kevin Garnett will not play in their return to Boston for a preseason game against the Celtics on Wednesday night.
- Pierce tells Newsday’s Roderick Boone he’s been seeing a lot of open looks during preseason, but he’s shot poorly and believes it’s the result of being so unused to all the uncontested opportunities.
Odds & Ends: Favors, LeBron, Leslie, Smart
With Derrick Favors now locked up, Gordon Hayward is the next domino to fall for the Jazz, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation. Extending Hayward would further cut into Utah’s cap space for 2014, but ZIller notes that if they don’t work out a new deal with him, he’ll also affect their flexibility with an $8.6MM cap hold. Here’s more from around the Association..
- A veteran NBA scout told Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel that he doesn’t see the Heat staying on top forever as he expects LeBron James to bolt at some point.
- As C.J. Leslie fights for a roster spot with the Knicks, coach Mike Woodson told reporters that he views the forward as a project, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “He is a project,” Woodson said after Leslie saw no playing time in Thursday’s preseason contest. “No doubt about that. Right now the game is somewhat quick for him in terms of catching on to what we’re doing. I’ve seen that over the years since I’ve been coaching, a lot of young guys they struggle early because you throw so many things at them, it’s too fast. So we’re trying to slow it down a little a bit, spend more time with him in the classroom.” Leslie has a reported guarantee of ~$200K.
- Oklahoma State star Marcus Smart says that he’s motivated by people crowning Andrew Wiggins as the best player in college basketball before he has even played a game, writes Eric Prisbell of USA Today. Wiggins is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft while Smart is currently No. 5 on DraftExpress‘ mock draft.
- Ryan Gomes is pushing for a job with the Thunder and he says that he is encouraged by the support he has gotten from GM Sam Presti, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.
Odds & Ends: Knicks, Wolves, Hummel, ‘Cats
Carmelo Anthony says he doesn’t expect Kobe Bryant to woo him to the Lakers, but Frank Isola of the New York Daily News is convinced the two have already spoken about teaming up, and interprets Anthony’s statement this week that he wants to test free agency as a warning shot designed to spur the Knicks into improving the team around him. We’ll have to wait until summer to find out what ‘Melo winds up doing, but there are plenty of moves to be made around the league between now and then. Here’s the latest:
- The Timberwolves are exploring potential trades and free agent signings as well as internal candidates to replace Chase Budinger while he recovers from left knee surgery, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Minnesota continues to debate whether Derrick Williams can back up Corey Brewer at small forward or whether the former No. 2 overall pick should stick to playing power forward.
- Shooting is Robbie Hummel‘s specialty, but he has more weapons in his arsenal as he attempts to make the Wolves, as Bruce Brothers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press examines.
- The Bobcats don’t appear nearly as high on Bismack Biyombo as they were when they drafted him seventh overall in 2011, and the onus is on him to show improvement, writes Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension after this season.
- Toure Murry looks like he’s eclipsed C.J. Leslie as the favorite for a spot on the team, but scouts from other clubs, including the Heat, are monitoring him in case the Knicks let him go, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Mark Cuban is particularly excited about Mavs free agent signee Monta Ellis, and told reporters, including Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, that the organization has been impressed with his passing.