Eastern Notes: Bynum, Higgins, Pacers, Knicks
Here’s a look at the latest out of the Eastern Conference..
- Sixers big man Andrew Bynum says that he never considered the possibility that he might not play this season, despite recent word that he is out indefinitely, writes Dee Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. Philadelphia’s prized offseason acquisition has an MRI scheduled for December 20th and seems to have an optimistic lookout on things. “Worst-case scenario, it will be another month,” Bynum said. “Best-case scenario, I can ramp [up the workouts].”
- With Cory Higgins waived, Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap says that Reggie Williams and/or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will fill in as the third point guard, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Charlotte cut Higgins loose yesterday in order to sign Jeff Adrien.
- Pacers coach Frank Vogel has demoted D.J. Augustin to the third-string point guard and promoted offseason signing Ben Hansbrough to backup one-guard, writes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. The brother of teammate Tyler Hansbrough was the only player to make the club’s roster off of a non-guaranteed deal.
- Jason Kidd is set to take on the Nets for the first time as a member of the rival Knicks, but he says that he will approach it like he would any other game, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Eastern Notes: Cavaliers, Green, Lopez
Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal debunks the misconception that the Cavaliers will be forced to spend big in free agency this summer as a result of the NBA's minimum team salary floor requirement. Next season, teams will be required to spend at least 90 percent of the league's salary cap number next year. Although Cleveland's total amount of committed salaries could fall short of that number, Lloyd points out that the Cavs will be allowed to make up for the difference by dispersing the remaining required amount to its players. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- After initial struggles, Jeff Green appears to be looking more like the player the Celtics envisioned when they inked him to a 4-year, $36MM deal this summer, says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com
- Brook Lopez's recovery from a sprained right foot hasn't progressed as quickly as the Nets have hoped, writes Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York.
- Count George Karl among those who thinks that Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is primed to eventually win an NBA title (Matt Ehalt of ESPN New York reports).
- Pacers head coach Frank Vogel is considering more playing time for guard Ben Hansbrough and forward Jeff Pendergraph at the expense of those who have been struggling in Indiana's current second unit lately.
- Several of HoopsWorld's analysts weighed in on who they feel are the most surprising teams in the NBA thus far. Out of the Eastern conference, they referenced the Knicks' dominance, the Bobcats' improvement compared to last season, and the Raptors' difficulty in living up to expectations.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says that the ticket to Bulls forward Jimmy Butler earning playing time has been his defensive versatility.
- John Denton of NBA.com examines the niche that Moe Harkless has found with coach Jacque Vaughn, who likes the progression his rookie has made in the starting rotation. Denton also provides a minor update the current statuses of Hedo Turkoglu and Al Harrington, saying that while Turkoglu still appears to be out indefinitely, Harrington could return in the next two weeks.
- Raptors guard Alan Anderson went through his workout today without any pain and believes that he is one practice away from returning (Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun reports).
Atlantic Rumors: Felton, Brewer, Prigioni
Raymond Felton is glad to be back with the Knicks, the team he didn't want to leave when New York shipped him to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony trade in 2011. He said Saturday he was "sick" during his time with the Nuggets, as Marc Berman of the New York Post documents, though it's unclear whether he was dealing with an illness or simply pining for New York. Felton said he respected Nuggets coach George Karl's decision to put him on the bench in favor of Ty Lawson, but expressed a desire to be a starter somewhere to Nuggets management, who accomodated him with a trade to the Blazers before last season.
A year later, Felton has come full circle as he's back in the starting lineup with the Knicks, and there's news on another pair of Knicks offseason acquisitions and more from the Atlantic Division.
- Ronnie Brewer, with the Knicks on a minimum-salary deal, told Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald that the Bulls never reached out to him this summer about a return (Twitter link).
- Pablo Prigioni was content to keep playing in Spain until Luis Scola, his teammate on Argentina's national team, convinced him to give the NBA a try. Newsday's Barbara Barker has the details.
- Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News credits Mike Woodson, whom the Knicks retained this summer with a three-year extension, with the team's fast start, pointing out that New York is 32-11 since Woodson took over for Mike D'Antoni last season.
- With Sixers coach Doug Collins open to a trade to improve the team's bench play, Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News checks in with rookie point guard Maalik Wayns, who's been contributing more to the second unit of late.
- John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines the impact Andrew Bynum could have on the Sixers if the center returns before the All-Star break.
- Howard Beck of The New York Times chronicles the long journey of Reggie Evans from the streets of Pensacola, Fla., where the local community college passed on recruiting him, to his current status as a rebounding savant for the Nets.
Odds & Ends: Kobe, Wizards, Draft, Bledsoe
Kobe Bryant continues to make a run at Michael Jordan's number of championship rings and career points, but he doesn't expect to follow in Jordan's footsteps in another area. In a video interview with Bloomberg.com (hat tip to SI.com's Ben Golliver), Kobe said he couldn't see himself owning an NBA team after his playing career is over.
"I’d go crazy," Bryant said. "If a player misses a game because he has a broken fingernail, I’d lose my mind. I wouldn’t be able to take it."
While ownership may not be for him, Bryant did say he hopes to stay around the game after he retires as a player. Here are a few other odds and ends from around the NBA:
- The Wizards have gotten off to an awful start this season, but team president Ernie Grunfeld is still focusing on the big picture, as Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes.
- NBA scouts and general managers are starting to consider options beyond Nerlens Noel, Cody Zeller, and Shabazz Muhammad as No. 1 picks in the 2013 draft, says ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link). Ford identifies Alex Poythress, Alex Len, and Rudy Gobert as three other possible top picks.
- Even though Eric Bledsoe isn't eligible for restricted free agency until 2014, Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM.com is already wondering if Bledsoe will eventually become to the Clippers what James Harden was to the Thunder — a star-in-waiting that the team may not be able to afford.
- On the heels of last night's big win in Miami, Tyson Chandler praised the moves Knicks GM Glen Grunwald made over the summer, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
- According to Fran Blinebury of NBA.com, while the Grizzlies won't discuss it openly, the absence of O.J. Mayo this year has made the team's offense and locker room happier places.
- David Mayo of MLive.com tries his hand at picking out a few free agents the Pistons could target next summer.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Robinson, Kaman, Bradley
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Wednesday evening:
- SportsDayDFW.com's Kevin Sherrington doesn't believe Dwight Howard would leave the Lakers for the Mavericks despite LA's current struggles.
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that Bulls guard Nate Robinson is working on improving his consistency this season.
- Mavericks center Chris Kaman tells Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram that his former team, the Clippers, have a bright future.
- Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com reports that Celtics guard Avery Bradley is making progress towards a return.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star praises Raptors forward Amir Johnson for his energy and effort.
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports that Knicks center Marcus Camby will miss time with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
Atlantic Notes: Brooks, Lee, Green, Copeland
The last-place Raptors are the only Atlantic Division team playing this evening on a six-game night in the NBA, as they take on the Nuggets in Denver. Toronto is also the division's only sub-.500 team. That doesn't mean every Atlantic squad is pleased with its record so far, though, since the Celtics would surely wish for better than 9-8. There's plenty of season left, though, and in the meantime, here's a roundup from the league's best division so far.
- MarShon Brooks exceeded expectations in his rookie year, but the Nets put him on the trading block over the summer, and now the second-year player finds himself out of the mix as minimum-salary addition Keith Bogans has been the better fit so far. Tim Bontemps of the New York Post has the details.
- Celtics offseason acquisition Courtney Lee credits a meeting with coach Doc Rivers and a cameo in the starting lineup for his improved play following a slump, observes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Coming off the bench has proven a challenging adjustment for Lee and Jeff Green, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com points out.
- Mike Kurylo of The New York Times outlines the improvement of Chris Copeland, a surprising addition to the Knicks out of training camp who's been seeing more playing time of late.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com shares 10 observations about the Knicks from the season's first month, and the team's new faces figure prominently.
- One of the most effective offseason moves for the Knicks was behind the scenes, as new shooting coach Dave Hopla has made a difference, notes Jeremy Bauman of SheridanHoops.com.
Atlantic Rumors: Turner, Melo, Williams
The latest rumblings from around the Atlantic Division on Sunday evening:
- Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com doesn't think Evan Turner would merit an extension along the lines of Jrue Holiday's new four-year, $41MM deal if the decision were due today, but if Turner keeps up his improved play all season, his price tag next summer could be higher than Holiday's.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com writes that Carmelo Anthony is earning early MVP consideration.
- Howard Beck of the New York Times writes that Deron Williams is still getting in rhythm leading the new-look Nets.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Knicks, Blatche
A few notes from around the NBA's Atlantic Division.
- CBSSports.com's Zach Harper takes a long look at Nets center Andray Blatche, a big, talented player who nearly found himself out of the league after getting amnestied by the Wizards just a few months ago.
- Newsday's Al Iannazzone believes the Knicks will be an even better basketball team once Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert return from their injuries.
- The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat credits the Raptors bench for producing in increased roles.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Brewer, Raptors, Bargnani
The Nets and Knicks remain at the top of the Atlantic divison after picking up Ws on Friday night. The Nets got their fifth-straight win with a 98-86 victory over the Magic. The Nets were without center Brook Lopez but were able to pull out the win behind 22 points from Joe Johnson and 20 from Gerald Wallace. Meanwhile, the Knicks cruised to a 108-87 win over the Wizards thanks in large part to J.R. Smith‘s 20 points and six dimes. Here’s more on the Knicks and the rest of the Atlantic..
- Ronnie Brewer has proved to be a fantastic pickup for the Knicks and a more-than-adequate replacement for Landry Fields, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. The Knicks picked up Brewer for the minimum this summer while Fields inked a three-year, $18.7MM deal with the Raptors.
- The best solution for Andrea Bargnani‘s career would be for him to move on from the Raptors as soon as possible, opines Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter). Toronto reportedly isn’t looking to move the big man just yet, but they believe there would be a market for him if they had a change of heart.
- The Knicks are anxiously awaiting the return of point guard Jason Kidd, but they have been doing just fine without him thanks to the play of Pablo Prigioni, write Zwerling and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. The 35-year-old rookie had eight points, five assists, and no turnovers in 25 minutes off the bench last night against the Wizards.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Bargnani, Raps, Stoudemire
It's not often that all five teams from one division are favorites on a given night, but that's exactly the case for the Atlantic's clubs this evening. Even the 3-13 Raptors are slight favorites at home against a Suns team coming off a 40-point loss in Detroit. While we wait to see if the Atlantic squads can go five-for-five tonight, let's round up a few Friday afternoon items out of the division:
- Danny Ainge believes the Celtics could use a big man more than a point guard, but says the team isn't pressed to fill its 15th roster spot, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
- For a Raptors team in need of a change, the "most potentially impactful way" to do so would be trading Andrea Bargnani, writes Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star. Raps president Bryan Colangelo didn't engage on the subject, telling Kelly, "We don’t discuss our intentions concerning player movement or acquisition."
- Compared to a few other NBA lottery teams, the Raptors' future doesn't look so bad, opines Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
- Mid-December is no longer a realistic return date for Amare Stoudemire, who is now targeting Christmas instead, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post.