Odds & Ends: Clippers, Cousins, Pacers, Self
While a few of the more notable games on the 2013/14 NBA schedule have already been reported, the full slate won't be announced until later this afternoon. As we look forward to the 5:00 CT announcement, let's check out a few odds and ends….
- Chris Paul's new five-year contract with the Clippers makes him one of the NBA's only players locked up through 2018, but Paul believes the team's other long-term fixture will be crucial to L.A.'s success. "I think our team will definitely go as Blake [Griffin] goes," Paul told Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Grantland's Zach Lowe examines the case of DeMarcus Cousins, exploring whether it makes sense for the Kings to try to lock him up or to explore potential trades.
- Popeye Jones will join Pacers coach Frank Vogel's staff, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- At Brandon Knight's introductory presser, Bucks GM John Hammond told reporters, including Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that the team is "by no means" in tanking mode for 2013/14.
- Kansas coach Bill Self hasn't ruled out the possibility of someday leaving the NCAA for an NBA job, as he told Michael Baldwin of the Oklahoman. "It hasn't really tempted me because I haven't had that many people talk to me about it," Self said. "But at some point and time, sure, I think it would. It would be great to be able to match wits with the best athletes in the world, but I'm certainly happy where I'm at."
- Bobby Brown is flying to New York to meet with the Knicks, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post. Brown is under contract with a Chinese team, but has until August 15th to sign an NBA deal and opt out.
Latest On Mo Williams, Beno Udrih
Mo Williams and Beno Udrih, a pair of experienced point guards used to making much more than the minimum salary, remain on the market into August, and the Grizzlies are in discussions with both, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Knicks, who can offer only the minimum, are also still in the mix for Udrih, but New York could be a longshot, since Udrih still hopes he can make more than that, Stein says (Twitter link). The Knicks have also reportedly been eyeing Williams.
Agent Mark Cornstein identified the Knicks on Friday as one of a handful of teams with interest in Udrih. The 31-year-old finished last season with the Magic after he was part of the J.J. Redick trade at the deadline. He made $7.37MM in the final season of a contract he signed for the mid-level exception back in 2008, but even if he gets more than the minimum, he almost certainly won't approach last year's salary.
Williams made $8.5MM last year with the Jazz, and he, too, is seeking more than the minimum. Still, the Mark Bartelstein client is open to taking a discount to sign with a contender, and has identified the Heat as his preferred destination if offers from other clubs don't get any better. The Heat could offer the $3.183MM taxpayer's mid-level exception. The Grizzlies have nearly all of their $5.15MM non-taxpayer's mid-level available to outbid Miami and the Knicks, and Williams met with Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien on Tuesday.
Odds & Ends: Sixers, West, Gordon, Jamison
Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool appears to have become the leading candidate in the Sixers head coaching search, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Most reports have cited Brett Brown and Michael Curry as the front-runners, but it seems there are still several hopefuls who could emerge with the job. We passed along news from Washburn earlier today on the continuing possibility of a Rajon Rondo trade to the Pistons, and here's more from the Globe scribe as we round up the morning's news from around the NBA:
- The Knicks and Grizzlies have reportedly been in talks with Delonte West, but the Knicks appear to be out, and according to Washburn, no team has shown serious interest.
- The additions of Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans make for a crowded backcourt in New Orleans, but Eric Gordon is glad to have his new Pelicans teammates, he tells Washburn.
- Clippers boss Doc Rivers didn't make an offer to Antawn Jamison when they met for dinner last night, but the Clippers and Jamison's reps plan to talk soon, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- The Hawks waived DeShawn Stevenson on Friday, and in the likely event that he clears waivers and hits free agency, he'd like to sign with the Heat, according to a pair ofdispatches from his Twitter account.
- Shelvin Mack appears in a tenuous position with the Hawks, since his contract is non-guaranteed and he plays the same position as Jeff Teague and first-round pick Dennis Schröder. If the Hawks waive Mack, he'll be the primary point guard target for Olimpia Milano of Italy, Enea Trapani of Sportando reports.
- Elston Turner has reached an agreement to become an assistant coach for the Grizzlies, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The defensively minded Turner also spoke about joining the Timberwolves staff.
- Stefhon Hannah has signed to play with Juve Caserta in Italy, the team announced (translation via Sportando's Emiliano Carchia). Hannah worked out for the Knicks this summer, and spent two weeks last fall in training camp with the Warriors.
Carmelo Anthony Talks Free Agency, Knicks
In a question and answer session at his annual basketball camp earlier today, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony acknowledged that the "window is closing" on his shot at a championship, according to ESPNNY.com's Ian Begley.
The 10-year veteran's words were telling and unexpected, considering Anthony is still in the prime of his career, only 29 years old, and could be entering the last season of his current contract in New York.
Next summer Anthony will face the option of opting out of his current deal and signing with another team, or re-signing with the Knicks. Should Anthony opt out and re-sign with New York, he's eligible for a five-year, $129MM deal. With another team he could only sign for $95MM over four years, a difference of roughly $33.2MM.
While speaking with his campers, Anthony also said he was in peak shape, even better than last summer when he played in the Olympic games. He also indicated that his shoulder was feeling much better after tearing it in the playoffs. Anthony is coming off a season in which he won the first scoring title of his career, averaging 28.7PPG.
International Notes: Smith, Knicks, Johnson
Earlier today, we learned that Suns second round pick Alex Oriakhi will be headed overseas to France. Here's more news from around the globe..
- There's speculation that Chris Smith, the younger brother of J.R. Smith, could be preparing to play in Italy, writes Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal. The Knicks have been said to be willing to bring the younger Smith into training camp, but that would be more of a courtesy to the newly re-signed elder Smith anyway as his chances of making the opening night roster would be slim.
- JaJuan Johnson will decide between playing overseas and hooking on with an NBA team in training camp in about three weeks, according to Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star. Johnson, who played in summer league with the Pistons, is fearful that some of the better opportunities overseas could dry up if he goes into camp with an NBA team and doesn't make the cut.
- Many teams are going with the "draft and stash" philosophy, but Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside wonders if it'll pay off for clubs. The Sixers could be the latest club to go that route with 54th overall pick Arsalan Kazemi.
Beno Udrih Drawing Interest From Five Teams
2:19pm: The Grizzlies are expressing interest in Udrih, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (on Twitter). The club is also considering fellow free agent guard Mo Williams.
10:15am: About five teams still have interest in free agent point guard Beno Udrih, including the Knicks, agent Marc Cornstein told Marc Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link). Berman speculates that the Knicks are probably longshots because they only have the $1.4MM veteran’s minimum to offer, but Cornstein wouldn’t tip his hand one way or another.
“If he signs with the Knicks the reasons will not be because of the money,’’ Cornstein said. “It would be a disservice to say they’re long shots or favorites. He’s examining the situations.’’
The Knicks have missed out on several point guard targets this summer and it could be difficult to convince Udrih, who made $7MM last season, to take such a substantial pay cut. If they can’t lure Udrih to New York, they could turn to NYC native Sebastian Telfair since there is mutual interest on that front. The Knicks are in search of a third point guard to put behind Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni thanks to Jason Kidd‘s departure.
Udrih has served as a backup over the last two seasons for the Bucks and Magic, averaging 8.2 PPG, 4.6 APG, and a 14.2 PER in 66 total games for the two teams in 2012/13.
Several Teams Interested In Lou Amundson
There are a number of teams anxiously awaiting Greg Oden's free agent decision today and many of those clubs all seem to have a common Plan B. Some of the same teams that are pursuing the former No. 1 overall pick are also showing interest in free agent Louis Amundson, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
The Heat, Kings, and Mavericks, who are all finalists for Oden, have registered some level of interest in the well-traveled 30-year-old (link). The Hawks, Knicks, and Pacers are also looking into Amundson.
The UNLV product averaged 1.9 PPG in 9.5 minutes per contest for three teams last season. In seven career NBA seasons with eight diffeent clubs, Amundson has career averages of 3.7 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 12.8 minutes per contest.
Knicks Talking With Hamed Haddadi
The Knicks have been talking with free agent big man Hamed Haddadi, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). However, their level of interest isn't quite known. Haddadi has never been great at running the floor and his game is predictably getting slower with time.
We learned yesterday that the club has discussed the big man internally, along with Cole Aldrich, Jerome Jordan, Gani Lawal, Shavlik Randolph, and Henry Sims. The Suns waived the Iranian center earlier this week and are on the hook for just $200K rather than the $1.4MM that they would have had to pay him had he been on the roster for 2013/14.
Haddadi finished last season strong after coming over from the Raptors at the deadline as he averaged 4.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game for Phoenix.
Zwerling On Knicks, Ivan Johnson, Humphries
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com has tweeted a string of updates on the Knicks today, as we've noted in a pair of posts. Marc Berman of the New York Post delivered plenty more on the Knicks earlier today, and this evening Zwerling delivers a full story on the latest from New York. We'll hit the highlights from Zwerling's piece here:
- The Knicks and Ivan Johnson are discussing a potential deal. The former Hawks power forward had been holding out for a team to commit its mini mid-level exception to him, but his interest in the Knicks, who can only offer the minimum, indicates that his price may have come down.
- The Knicks' interest in Kris Humphries is mutual, but the Celtics are still unlikely to buy him out.
- Other big men the Knicks are considering include Cole Aldrich, Hamed Haddadi, Jerome Jordan, Gani Lawal, Shavlik Randolph and Henry Sims.
- The Knicks remain interested in Beno Udrih and Bobby Brown, but Zwerling confirms Berman's report that the team is no longer looking at Delonte West.
- Berman wrote that the Knicks are expected to invite Toure Murry to training camp, and Zwerling hears that the team will do the same with "a few young developmental point guards."
Atlantic Rumors: Iverson, Pargo, Williams, West
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reported last week that Celtics second-round pick Colton Iverson had agreed to a deal with Besiktas of Turkey, but today Washburn tweets that Boston's release of Shavlik Randolph could clear the way for Iverson to join the Celtics this season. The C's would have to open up another roster space, as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times points out (via Twitter), but Washburn says the team plans additional moves and needs big men (Twitter link). They're not the only Atlantic Division team looking to add to its roster, as we detail:
- The Knicks are looking for a point guard, and their latest target appears to be 33-year-old Jannero Pargo. A source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that New York and the Mark Bartelstein client have entered talks (Twitter link).
- Mo Williams had been another possibility, but he's looking for a better haul than the minimum salary, which puts the Knicks out of the running, Zwerling tweets. The Grizzlies and Heat look like the strongest suitors for Williams.
- The Knicks are also up against the Grizzlies in the pursuit of Delonte West, who tells Washburn that he'd be willing to accept a non-guaranteed deal (Twitter link).
- As we passed along earlier today, Zach Links of Hoops Rumors heard from Andrei Kirilenko as part of a conference call on the veteran forward's decision to take a discount to sign with the Nets.