Odds & Ends: Hill, Martin, Knicks, Celtics, Belinelli
Before the Spurs tipped off against the Pacers, coach Gregg Popovich told reporters, including Dan McCarney of San Antonio Express-News that he still keeps a watchful eye on guard George Hill. “I’ve watched him closely,” Popovich said. “As you very well know, he was a team favorite, a fan favorite, a wonderful community guy. Great competitor. So we’re always pulling for him to be successful. We were jumping out of our seat when he made the shot a couple of games ago to win the game for them. We were thrilled." The Spurs weren't so kind to Hill's squad tonight as they topped Indiana 101-79. Here's more from around the Association..
- Kenyon Martin has to take a hard look in the mirror after his desire for a mini mid-level contract has left him still looking for a job in November, writes Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. Last night, we learned that Martin has yet to receive even a non-guaranteed offer from a club.
- The Knicks have taken some flack for the advanced age of their roster, but Patrick Ewing believes that they can contend for the title, writes Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post.
- Offseason acquisition Jason Terry is a big believer in the value of a proper sample size and says that the Celtics bench will step up this season, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. The bench also figures to gain a boost in mid-to-late December when Avery Bradley returns to action.
- Sharpshooting guard Marco Belinelli now seems to be settling in with the Bulls, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Belinelli signed with Chicago as a part of the club's revamped bench.
- Magic guard J.J. Redick was supposed to be trade bait for the rebuilding club, but he has looked stellar early on in 2012/13, notes Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops (via Twitter).
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Kirilenko, Knicks, Sixers
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is in Brooklyn tonight as they take on the T'Wolves in the club's second home game of the season. Prokhorov is taking the opportunity to further familiarize himself with some members of the club, including longtime scorekeeper Herb Turetzky, tweets Roderick Boone of Newsday. Turetzky was a staple at the Meadowlands when the Nets were in New Jersey, but the move to the Barclays Center marks a homecoming for the Brooklyn, New York native. Here's more on the Nets and more out of the Atlantic..
- Nets point guard Deron Williams told reporters, including Boone (via Twitter) that the club didn't land Andrei Kirilenko because they "didn't have enough money." The Timberwolves signed the forward this summer for $20MM over the next two seasons.
- Knicks head coach Mike Woodson confessed that he put Rasheed Wallace in against the Heat on Sunday because the crowd was chanting for him, tweets Frank Isola of the Daily News. Wallace inked a non-guaranteed deal with the Knicks in October but it's not yet clear what kind of role the previously retired veteran will play.
- The 76ers used recent analytics hire Aaron Barzilai in the past to help gauge Louis Williams and Andre Iguodala in free agency, General Manager Tony DiLeo told Tom Moore of Calkins Newspapers (via Twitter).
Atlantic Notes: Defense, Melo, Smith, Garnett
Through two games, it sure looks like multitude of veteran additions that the Knicks made this offseason have made them a more complete team. In the Atlantic division's only contest today, the Knicks stayed unbeaten in impressive fashion with a 100-84 win over the rival 76ers. They are now 2-0 for the first time since 1999.
Let's round up some other Sunday night links from around the Atlantic divsion here:
- ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg breaks down first round pick Jared Sullinger's night on Saturday, a game in which he was thrust into the Celtics starting lineup in his third game as a pro. Sullinger responded admirably, grabbing 7 boards in more than 30 minutes of action.
- 76ers head coach Doug Collins is still hopeful that he can help "unlock" third-year swing man Evan Turner, and thinks it could be just one breakout game away, writes John Finger of CSN Philly. Turner, the second pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, has showed stellar rebounding skills but the rest of his game has yet to develop as planned.
- Brook Lopez spent much of the offseason in the weight room in an effort to improve his rebounding abilities, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday, but the Nets big man has yet to see the results of his hard work translate on the court.
Earlier updates:
- The Knicks have held their first two opponents to 84 points or less for the first time in 60 years, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York. Carmelo Anthony seems to be buying into Mike Woodson's defensive philosophy, and his teammates have noticed and followed suit.
- One of those teammates is Knicks guard J.R. Smith, who was told to shoot on Sunday by Woodson and responded with 20 points off the bench, writes Ian Begley of ESPN New York. Smith, who is normally prone to jacking up too many bad shots, joined the Knicks last season after returning from China and reupped with the team on a two-year deal in July.
- The rebuilt Celtics may take longer to mesh than originally expected, opines Sherrod Blakely. Blakely says that Kevin Garnett's defensive abilities make him uniquely critical as all the new pieces try to find their place on the team.
Eastern Notes: Harkless, Jones, Miles, Young
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel believes that although Magic coach Jacque Vaughn would preferably bring young players along slowly to gradually build their confidence, he may have to expand the roles of rookies Moe Harkless and DeQuan Jones much earlier than he would like now that Hedo Turkoglu is out with an injury. Here is the rest of tonight's edition of Eastern Notes:
- During C.J. Miles' Q&A session with Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer, the Cavaliers swingman touched base on what made him choose Cleveland over his hometown of Dallas during free agency: "I talked to Rick Carlisle the same way I talked to Coach (Byron) Scott, but this just felt like a better fit as far as what I wanted to do as a basketball player. Everybody wants to play for their hometown, but I think it was just a little different situation as far as what I want to become."
- Dei Lynam of CSN Philly writes that whereas Thaddeus Young had been ten pounds lighter than Carmelo Anthony before this season, the 76ers forward bulked up during the offseason at coach Doug Collins' request and is now five pounds heavier than the Knicks star. Philadelphia hopes that Young's speed and added strength will allow them to match up better against a player like Anthony.
- Bucks coach Scott Skiles has been pleased with the impact that Ekpe Udoh has been making for Milwaukee defensively, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel.
- Heat forward/center Josh Harrellson said that the Knicks will always be a special place to him for providing his first opportunity in the NBA (Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York reports).
Eastern Notes: Magic, Bobcats, Rasheed, Turner
The Magic will be without Hedo Turkoglu for at least four weeks because of a broken left hand, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, leaving them thin at small forward. That might suggest a move is in the offing, but as Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld observes, the team’s primary objective is to get better for the future, even if it means sacrificing the present. We’ll detail Kyler’s comments, as well as more from the Eastern Conference, right here.
- Orlando might not want to make a move at the trade deadline, but Kyler thinks the team has to, believing some of the Magic‘s contracts don’t fit the franchise’s long-term goals. He doesn’t foresee the team signing a major name next summer, either, and expects the front office to take a slow, deliberate approach to rebuilding (All four Twitter links).
- Kyler isn’t surprised the Bobcats passed on a rookie-scale extension for Gerald Henderson this week, saying the team prefers to keep the salary cap space open for free agents (Twitter link).
- Rasheed Wallace, with the Knicks on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal, said he’s OK with being the last man off the bench, notes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. “Oh yeah, I accept my Brian Scalabrine role,” Wallace said. “I’m cool with it.”
- Former No. 2 overall draft pick Evan Turner will be eligible for a rookie-scale extension next summer, but he must work on his jumper if he hopes of receiving a deal similar to the extension the Sixers gave teammate Jrue Holiday this week, writes Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com.
Southeast Notes: Camby, Heat, Augustin, Redick
The Knicks will host the Heat in their regular-season opener tonight at Madison Square Garden, and feelings are mixed about whether the game should even be played as New York City continues to recover from the effects of Hurricane Sandy.
"I'm kind of 50/50 on it," LeBron James said, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "I'm happy to be here to play a basketball game, but at the same time, if the people who are here, or people that are helping out with this game, could give their efforts to help this city run or help their families come out of the situation, then I think that's more important."
Here are a few more notes relating to the Heat and their Southeast Division rivals:
- Marcus Camby is preparing to face the Heat tonight knowing that he almost ended up signing with Miami this summer, writes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald.
- In his mailbag for the Sun Sentinel, Winderman says he doesn't think the Heat would have found much value in Camby if they had paid him more than the veteran's minimum.
- With the Pacers in Charlotte to face the Bobcats tonight, former Charlotte point guard D.J. Augustin and current Bobcats president Rod Higgins are trading barbs. Augustin told Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star that he was happy to be out of Charlotte, since he never knew where he stood with the Bobcats, which surprised and disappointed Higgins, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. "I’m not going to go into specifics, but we offered him more than he signed for in Indiana," Higgins said. "I don’t think it would be appropriate to comment further than that."
- Augustin stood by his comments, following Higgins' response, as he told Bonnell. "You hear all kinds of stuff – how a bunch of times I was going to be traded," said Augustin. "I didn’t always believe those things. But all through being here, I just never knew what would happen. That’s just how I felt."
- J.J. Redick knows he may not finish out the season with the Magic, but he's confident that GM Rob Hennigan will keep him updated if Orlando is considering trading him, as he tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Rondo, Holiday, Knicks
Several of the league's young stars were able to hammer out extensions prior to the Halloween deadline, including James Harden, Taj Gibson, DeMar DeRozan, Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson, and Jrue Holiday. Where does Rajon Rondo's lucrative extension – inked in 2009 – stack up against the recent deals? More on that, plus other news out of the Atlantic…
- Rich Levine of CSNNE.com writes that the Celtics now look exceptionally smart for locking down Rondo for $55MM over five years. Curry, Lawson, and Holiday all received hefty four-year deals ($44MM, $48MM, $41MM, respectively) that make Rondo's deal look like a bargain. The one-guard is now entering year three of his five-year pact, a contract that has been key to the C's continued success.
- Speaking of Holiday, the Sixers guard was surprised that his agent and the team were able to hammer out an extension seven minutes before the midnight deadline, writes Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. The deal marked a major milestone for Holiday but also for General Manager Tony DiLeo as he completed his first significant deal in his new position.
- The Knicks waived training camp invitees Mychel Thompson, Henry Sims, John Shurna, and Oscar Bellfield, but they'll be able to keep a close eye on three of them in the D-League, writes Keith Schlosser of KnicksJournal. Thompson, Sims, and Bellfield will join the BayHawks affiliate, leaving the sharpshooting Shurna on the outside for the time being. Shurna, who drew attention for having a similar offensive skillset to Steve Novak, will likely be on the Knicks' radar as well.
Atlantic Rumors: DeRozan, King, Knicks, Felton
The reaction to the Raptors' decision to grant DeMar DeRozan an incentive-laden four-year extension worth at least $38MM met with immediate criticism this evening, as it seemed the Raptors had overpaid. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, one of those initial critics, wonders about the timing of the commitment, but notes that the team made a similar move when they extended Andrea Bargnani, and he's turned out to be a bargain. Still, he believes both players are too inefficient to cover for their flaws (Twitter link). As we wait for more news as the extension deadline draws near, here's the latest from around the Atlantic Division.
- Nets GM Billy King admits he was making moves just to keep his job when he was GM of the Sixers, but he's been much more bold since taking over the Nets, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday.
- Despite a spate of injuries, Knicks coach Mike Woodson is confident his request that the team sign veteran players in the offseason will bear fruit, as Nate Taylor of The New York Times documents.
- Raymond Felton is anxious to vanquish the ghosts of Jeremy Lin, his predecessor as Knicks point guard, notes Newsday's Al Iannazzone. "Jeremy's gone," Felton said. "He's in Houston now. That's a lost cause. He's not coming back. It's my team. I'm the point guard. Me and (Jason) Kidd, so Jeremy Lin is in Houston. Only time he comes back is when he plays against us."
- No player will ever burst on the scene quite like Lin did last year, but Chris Copeland is the Knicks best candidate for a breakout season in 2012/13, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Though Jeff Green struggled in his first game since his offseason signing with the Celtics, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com says Green's best is yet to come.
Odds & Ends: Curry, Bulls, Richardson, Grizzlies
Despite indications this morning that the Nets/Knicks opener in Brooklyn tomorrow would proceed as planned, the game will be postponed due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, tweets Greg Anthony of CBS Sports and NBA TV. It's not clear yet whether the Knicks' Friday game at Madison Square Garden or the Nets' Saturday game in Brooklyn will be played. For now, however, it seems the debut of the Barclays Center will have to wait as the city continues to recover.
Here are a few more notes from around the league:
- Prior to reaching an agreement on a contract extension for Stephen Curry today, the Warriors and Curry had been discussing a deal with an annual salary ranging from $8.5-10MM, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Golden State upped its offer following Ty Lawson's four-year, $48MM deal with the Nuggets.
- The Bulls are monitoring the free agent market in anticipation of being able to add a minimum-salary contract later in November, says Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com. Quentin Richardson is one player under consideration, according to Sam.
- The fact that the Bulls haven't been able to pair a second star with Derrick Rose yet hasn't been due to lack of trying, executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson said on ESPN 1000 Chicago (link via ESPNChicago.com).
- The Grizzlies never considered undergoing what GM Chris Wallace calls a "voluntary rebuild" this summer, writes Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- One of the main lessons Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert learned from the LeBron James saga was not to let a star player leave in unrestricted free agency without getting anything back for him, according to an Associated Press report.
Atlantic Notes: Carmelo, Raptors, Bynum, Barbosa
It's an eventful opening week in the Atlantic Division, where the defending division champs opened their season last night with a loss in Miami. Despite Hurricane Sandy, the battle of New York will proceed as scheduled tomorrow, with the Knicks traveling to Brooklyn to face the Nets. And the 76ers' big offseason acquisition, Andrew Bynum, remains out indefinitely with knee troubles. As a pair of Atlantic teams (the Sixers and Raptors) prepare to host their home openers tonight, let's round up a few more links from around the division:
- Looking ahead to the matchup against the Nets tomorrow, Carmelo Anthony noted that his own situation could have played out much differently (link via Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com). "When I used to sit back and reflect on what happened throughout that whole trade process and the whole quote, unquote Melo-Drama that was going on," Anthony said. "I could have easily been sitting there with a Brooklyn Nets jersey on at this very moment."
- The Raptors' roster is finally composed of pieces that make sense, writes Bruce Arthur of the National Post.
- John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News compares the Sixers' summer acquisition of Bynum to the team's signing of Moses Malone decades earlier, though he warns that the championship impact almost certainly won't be as immediate.
- Not all of the Celtics' offseason additions were particularly impressive in the team's opener against the Heat, but the newest Celtic, Leandro Barbosa, was a bright spot, writes Matt Porter at ESPNBoston.com.