J.R. Smith Suspended For Drug Violation
The NBA will suspend J.R. Smith for violating the league's substance abuse policy, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Frank Isola of the New York Daily News adds (via Twitter) that the suspension will be for five games, and the NBA has confirmed the news in a press release.
As Isola notes (on Twitter), a five-game suspension, which is identical to the one facing Terrel Harris of the Blazers, would suggest a positive test for marijuana. According to Isola, Smith didn't test positive for a performance-enhancing drug, which would result in a more severe penalty — generally a 20-game suspension.
Smith's status for the start of the season was already in doubt, due to offseason knee surgery, and he'll now miss an additional five games once he's healthy. While missing time with an injury won't affect Smith's pay, the five-game suspension will cost him a small portion of his $5.565MM salary for the 2013/14 season.
Eastern Notes: Stevens, Rondo, Copeland, Tyler
Kyle Draper of CSNNE.com provided an abridged transcript of his one-on-one interview with Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, touching base on how he plans to adjust to the NBA game and the team's roster. In the 13-minute video of the full interview included in the piece, Stevens admits that he's not sure of a timetable on Rajon Rondo's recovery, still needs to learn more about the players, and offered this interesting answer when asked if the offense will be tailored to Rondo in his absence:
"That a very good question. Because what he may do well may not be as good a fit for somebody else. So, do you play that way? Start that way knowing that when he is going to come back we don't know yet, or do we change midstream?"
With that aside, let's take a look at what else is brewing in the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery at the beginning of August, Chris Copeland told reporters that his knee is feeling much better and expects to be ready for Pacers training camp at the end of this month (Michael Pointer of IndyStar.com)
- As per the Knicks PR Twitter account, it was announced that forward Jeremy Tyler underwent surgery today to repair a stress fracture in his right foot and is expected to be out for eight to ten weeks (Twitter links). ESPN New York's Ian Begley tweets that according to the timetable, it would sideline the 6'10" big man through at least the first week of the regular season.
- Bucks general manager John Hammond made it clear that Caron Butler was acquired to be a starter and have a significant role on the team, notes Jim Hoehn of the Associated Press (hat tip to the Star Tribune). Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter) says that head coach Larry Drew lobbied heavily for the team to acquire Butler for the type of positive impact he'd make on the team's young players.
Knicks, Bucks, Heat Eyeing Hassan Whiteside
Free agent big man Hassan Whiteside hasn't appeared in an NBA game since April 2012, but is drawing some attention from NBA clubs, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Kennedy tweets that the Knicks, Bucks, and Heat have expressed interest in the former Sacramento big man.
Whiteside, 24, was drafted 33rd overall by the Kings in 2010, but only appeared in 19 games for the club before he was released. The seven-footer spent most of last season in the D-League, making the most of limited minutes for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In just 11.8 minutes per contest (36 games), Whiteside averaged 6.6 PPG and 5.3 RPG.
As our 2013/14 roster counts show, New York, Milwaukee, and Miami all have 15 players under contract, but for the Knicks and Heat, not all of those deals are fully guaranteed, meaning there could end up being roster openings. The Bucks, on the other hand, are carrying 15 guaranteed contracts, so if Whiteside receives multiple camp invites, he may opt for a situation where he has a better chance to earn a roster spot.
Southwest Rumors: McGrady, Hamilton, Covington
- Richard Hamilton is probably looking at no better than the minimum salary, but the Rockets, as well as the Knicks, are among teams that may have interest in the former Bull, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
- Undrafted small forward Robert Covington scored a full guarantee on the first year of his three-year deal with the Rockets, per Mark Deeks of ShamSports, and the former Tennessee State Tiger tells Jason Friedman of Rockets.com about what set him apart in summer league, his relationship with James Harden, and more.
- HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis names ex-Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins first on his list former NBA coaches likely to receive an offer the next time an opening emerges. Hollins beat out reigning Coach of the Year George Karl, who'd prefer to take a job with a Western Conference contender.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Haddadi, Knicks, Bulls
The 76ers' roster is currently light on veterans and heavy on young talent, which should make for a competitive training camp and preseason. GM Sam Hinkie tells Tom Moore of The Intelligencer that he thinks that competition will be good for the team.
"Everyone starts with a blank slate," Hinkie said. "That’s refreshing in a lot of ways. It’s less what you’ve done and more: what can you do from here? I think all of our players will sense an opportunity to play, show what they can do and expand their game one way or another. It’s important for the future of the Sixers and their own careers."
Here's more on the Sixers and the rest of the Eastern Conference:
- Within the same piece, Moore notes that an NBA source says the league's minimum required payroll won't have an effect on the Sixers' roster moves, since there's no real penalty for falling short of the salary floor. I suggested as much when I examined the situation a few weeks ago.
- The Knicks don't currently have interest in signing free agent big man Hamed Haddadi, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
- Gonzalo Aguirregomezcorta of ESPNDeportes.com caught up with Luis Scola, who says he's looking forward to playing for a Pacers team that he considers to be a "serious title contender."
- The Bulls have promoted Adrian Griffin to lead assistant on Tom Thibodeau's staff, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
- In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman explains why starting the season with a 13-man roster and potentially adding another player or two before the playoffs could make the most sense for the Heat.
- The Hawks and Bulls are unlikely to be too active on the trade market this season, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
Poll: Nets Vs. Knicks
I'm not sure if you heard, but the Nets made a few changes this summer. After playing to a 49-33 record in the regular season, securing the No. 4 seed in the East, and getting bounced in seven games by the Derrick Rose-less Bulls, interim coach P.J. Carlesimo was canned the next day and Brooklyn refused to stop there. Months later, the Nets pulled a deal straight from the Dodgers' playbook, acquiring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, and a whole lot of luxury tax.
Many see the souped-up Nets as the best team in the Atlantic and possibly one of the league's elite teams in 2013/14, but don't try telling that to Knicks swingman J.R. Smith, who says that the Nets "weren't good" when he returned to the league in February 2012 and took great pains to point out that they're still "not good." What will propel the Knicks ahead of their cross-borough rivals? Take it away J.R..
“I feel comfortable. People ruled us out last year early, too. We added some great pieces. Unfortunately, we got rid of some good pieces. But we added Andrea [Bargnani], Beno [Udrih], Metta [World Peace]. We have to consistently play like we did the first 20 games last year the whole season. We can’t have a middle-of-season lapse. We have to consistently play the same way,” Smith told ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, despite their acquisitions, it looks like they'll be without Smith for at least the first week or two of the season. When they are at full strength, they'll be jockeying for position in the Atlantic against a starting five of Deron Williams, Pierce, Garnett, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez. The Nets also boast an improved second unit, spearheaded by small forward Andrei Kirilenko. The Knicks should still be a playoff team by any measure, but it looks like they'll have their work cut out for them. We know what J.R. thinks, but now we want you to weigh in. Who wins the battle of New York in 2013/14?
Who Will Finish With A Better Record?
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Nets 54% (591)
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Knicks 46% (505)
Total votes: 1,096
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Nets, Smith, Wyatt, Celtics
J.R. Smith has never been one to shy away from a microphone and this week he gave Knicks beat writers some solid late-August material. Somewhere in between firing shots across the East River at Paul Pierce and the Nets, Smith was asked about Carmelo Anthony's opt out in the summer of 2014. "I don't see him leaving, but I said the same thing in Denver so it's up to him," said Smith. Here's more out of the Atlantic..
- Smith told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, that he signed with the Knicks rather than the Nets when he returned from China in February 2012 because “the Nets weren’t good. Now they’re still not good.’’ Meanwhile, Berman's colleague Fred Kerber tweets that the Nets never had any interest in the New Jersey native.
- Smith says that he's unsure of whether or not he'll be ready for the Knicks season opener against the Bucks, but Berman (Sulia link) gets the impression that he won't be. Berman expects him to miss a week or two of action.
- Don't be surprised if former Temple standout Khalif Wyatt receives a training camp invitation and spends some time with the Sixers during the regular season, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The guard could fill a void on a team in desperate need of a long-range shooter, Pompey writes. Wyatt averaged a team-best 13.8 PPG for Philadelphia in summer league.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com breaks down the Celtics' training camp invites.
Eastern Notes: ‘Melo, Magic, Smith
After J.R. Smith called out Paul Pierce for being bitter after being traded from the Celtics in a piece by ESPN New York's Ian Begley, Begley offered up some additional material from his conversation with Smith.
Begley asked J.R, about Carmelo Anthony's impending decision next summer whether to opt-out of his contract with the Knicks. 'Melo's current deal will pay him $23.333MM for the 2014/15 season. If he does terminate the contract early, as many expect, he'll be eligible to re-sign with the Knicks for a five-year, $129MM deal. Another team could only sign him for $95MM over four years.
Said Smith, via Begley's tweet, "I don't see him leaving, but I said the same thing in Denver so it's up to him." Here's more around the Eastern Conference during a Saturday night when many are watching the opening day of college football…
- In reaction to the same Begley piece from earlier today, CBS Sports' Zach Harper debates whether the NBA could possibly issue a fine after misconstruing Smith's comments as a more deliberate "threat."
- The fine would come on the heels of the news earlier this week that David Stern called a meeting to clear the air last season between Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and Knicks owner James Dolan.
- Orlando Sentinel columnist Brian K. Schmitz tweets that the Magic are negotiating with Hedo Turkoglu for a buy-out. The Magic are on the hook for $6MM of Hedo's $12MM 2014/15 salary, and the full amount if he's still on the roster by January 7th.
- But that's highly unlikely since Turkoglu could well be playing in his native Turkey by that time. Can Pelister of TrendBasket.net reported earlier this week that Turkish team Fenerbahce Ulker is prepared to make Hedo a substantial offer.
- Schmitz also adds that the Magic are inviting 2nd rounder Romero Osby to training camp as well as four free agents.
Knicks Notes: Nets, Smith, Bargnani
There has been a war of words going back and forth between Manhattan and Brooklyn this summer and Knicks guard J.R. Smith is the latest to join the fray. "I just look at [Paul Pierce] as a bitter person just getting out of Boston. He doesn't really know what New York is all about. He's been playing in Boston his whole career," Smith told Ian Begley of ESPN New York on Saturday."Here's the latest out of MSG..
- Within the story, Smith also told Begley that doctors have yet to give him an exact timetable for his potential return. He should be back in action for the first Nets-Knicks showdown in early December, but his status for the season opener is still in question. The Knicks signed Smith to a lucrative four-year, $24.7MM deal this summer before the news of his surgery was disclosed.
- Andrea Bargnani told Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport that he'll miss Eurobasket with his national team due to pneumonia, but he wants to be ready for camp with the Knicks, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Bargnani is hoping to turn over a new leaf in New York after coming over via trade from the Raptors.
- Earlier today we learned that Chris Smith, J.R.'s younger brother, will be in camp with the Knicks.
Chris Smith To Join Knicks’ Training Camp
It has been reported for much of the summer that the Knicks planned to bring Chris Smith, younger brother of J.R. Smith, into training camp this year. Whether he would attend was in question earlier this month there was speculation that he was preparing to play in Italy this season. However, as August comes to a close, we have our answer: the younger Smith will be in camp with the orange and blue, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Of course, Smith's training camp invite is far from a guarantee that he will be with the Knicks when the season opens. In fact, the invitation could be more of a courtesy of J.R. than anything else. The Knicks already have a crowded roster and they found their third point guard in Beno Udrih earlier this offseason.