Odds & Ends: Nolan Smith, Allen, Rondo, Paul
Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com wonders whether Nolan Smith's preseason troubles for the Blazers might be due in part to the pressure of the looming October 31st deadline the team has for picking up the third-year option on his rookie contract. Blazers GM Neil Olshey told Haynes he's going to wait as long as possible to make a decision. Stay up to date on this month's rookie-scale option decisions with the Hoops Rumors Rookie Contract Option Tracker, and check out the latest notes from around the league right here.
- The root of the hard feelings between Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen stemmed from a phone call Allen made to his then-teammate to get him to lobby against a trade that would have sent the pair to the Suns in 2009 for Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa and a 2010 draft pick, Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald reveals.
- Chris Paul was instrumental in recruiting Jamal Crawford and others to the Clippers, and doesn't give the look of someone who wants to leave L.A. as he enters the final season of his deal, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes (Sulia link).
- Marvin Williams is paying early dividends for the Jazz after coming aboard in an offseason trade, as Mike Sorenson of the Deseret News and Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune examine.
- Coach Doug Collins pointed to four Sixers whose minutes he wants to limit during the season, and all of them are offseason acquisitions, as Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com chronicles.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com and Newsday's Al Iannazzone share the opinion that a cyst in Stoudemire's left knee that will keep him out two to three weeks boosts the chances that Knicks non-guaranteed camp invitee Chris Copeland will make the team (Twitter links).
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel thinks Garrett Temple, Josh Harrellson and Dexter Pittman will all be on the Heat roster come opening night.
Central Rumors: Bulls, Walsh, Hammond, Pistons
The Bulls figure to have a tough time repeating their success of the past two seasons with Derrick Rose injured and most of their key reserves playing elsewhere. Still, they have the advantage of playing in the NBA's easiest division, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who believes they'll be able to tread water and come up with 46 wins, likely enough for a playoff berth. If Rose is back, a higher seed probably won't want to see Chicago in the first round, but until then, here's the latest on a few teams trying to benefit from the Bulls' misfortune.
- Donnie Walsh is back in familiar surroundings as Pacers president of basketball operations after a stint in the Knicks front office, as Harvey Araton of The New York Times examines in a lengthy feature. Walsh admits his recovery from spinal cord surgery, which forced him to meet with LeBron James unprepared and in a wheelchair, affected the team's pitch for the superstar in 2010, and the 71-year-old doesn't envision himself as a long-term solution for the Pacers.
- Though he's not expected to give Brandon Jennings a long-term extension this month, Bucks GM John Hammond is confident his backcourt of Jennings and Monta Ellis can work, and sees the Pacers and Jazz as small-market models to follow, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe details. "The goal today is not to make trades," Hammond said. "The goal today is to try to find a way to keep some of these young pieces together and build with this young nucleus but continue to keep a fair salary structure that will give us flexibility to change and improve this team."
- Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press looks at how the Pistons are moving against the small-ball trend.
- The Pistons' rotation is starting to take shape, as Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News examines.
- A more competitive on-court product this season is critical for the business side of the Pistons, argues Tom Walsh of the Detroit Free Press.
Eastern Notes: Holiday, Rasheed, Barron
76ers point guard Jrue Holiday enters his fourth season as the youngest starting floor general in the Atlantic Division, and head coach Doug Collins appears confident in giving him the reigns to Philadelphia's offense: "I want that ball in Jrue's hands…I want our wings getting down the floor, I want Jrue to be the one getting that ball and pushing it. For the most part I want our guys sprinting the floor, getting down the floor and flattening it out and let Jrue come down and make plays." Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com also points out that the team now has more capable perimeter shooters compared to having to rely on multiple playmakers last year, which implicitly benefits the spacing on the floor and allows Holiday more room to operate. Here are a few more notes out of the Eastern Conference:
- Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago chronicles the shooting struggles of Marco Belinelli during the preseason, but Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau doesn't appear too concerned.
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes that the Raptors could have one of the better combinations of reserve players in the league this season.
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday says that Knicks guard/forward Ronnie Brewer will go through contact work during Sunday's practice and could play as soon as Monday night if he doesn't feel any pain. The 6'7 veteran has been sidelined since undergoing knee surgery in early September.
- Heat sharpshooter Mike Miller looks forward to playing a full season this year, as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes that he is the healthiest he's been in two seasons.
- Newsday's Al Iannazone provided an update on Rasheed Wallace, who according to Knicks head coach Mike Woodson is still doing conditioning work and will be re-evaluated on Tuesday after the team returns from its current pre-season road trip (Sulia link). Woodson hinted that the team may play Wallace next week in order to get an idea of his progression.
Atlantic Rumors: Lopez, Brewer, Fields, Lee
The Knicks boast three of the league's top 10 preseason scorers, including Carmelo Anthony, who leads the NBA at 21.3 points per game. Teammates J.R. Smith and Amare Stoudemire come in third and 10th respectively, while Brook Lopez of the crosstown rival Nets is sixth. Lopez is also sixth in another preseason category, and that's a part of our roundup of items out of the Atlantic Division.
- After his rebounding rates declined in each of the last three seasons, Lopez is the league's sixth-leading rebounder in the preseason, averaging 9.0 boards in 27.0 minutes per game. If he keeps it up, Zach Harper of CBSSports.com believes there will be much less reason to think the Nets overpaid him with the four-year, $60.826MM contract he signed this summer.
- The Knicks made a strong recruiting effort to land Ronnie Brewer, who signed a minimum-salary deal with the team in July. The 27-year-old swingman turned down larger offers from other teams to do so, as he told HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (Sulia link). "At the end of the day, it didn’t come down to money," Brewer said. "It came down to the best situation for me, as a person and as a player. I wanted to go somewhere I could win and have success. I wanted to go to a situation where playing basketball would be fun and I would enjoy doing it."
- Raptors guard Landry Fields said a personal issue hampered his play on the court for the Knicks last season, and isn't surprised the Knicks let him and Jeremy Lin go over the summer, given the team's unwillingness to stand pat, as Marc Berman of the New York Post documents. "The last two years with the Knicks, it’s been such a roller coaster pretty much. I’m used to that. If things were consistent, that would surprise me."
- Courtney Lee's improved defense and diversified offensive game have been pleasant surprises for the Celtics so far, writes Frank Dell'Apa of the Boston Globe.
Eastern Notes: Hawks, Allen, Fields, Ilyasova
In this morning's round-up of Celtics items, we linked to ESPN The Magazine's 2012/13 NBA projections, which included the Celtics as a No. 4 seed in the East, behind the Knicks (No. 3). While those ranks are somewhat surprising, the team that ESPN and Basketball Prospectus placed directly behind the top-seeded Heat is even more of a shock: The Hawks will be the East's second-best team, according to the magazine's predictions. We've got updates on Atlanta and a few other Eastern Conference clubs, so let's check them out….
- If and when John Jenkins and Mike Scott officially earn spots on the Hawks' roster, they'll be the team's only draft picks in the last five years besides Jeff Teague to do so, says Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- It's been over three months since Ray Allen officially left the Celtics for the Heat, but the veteran's free agent decision is still a hot topic in both Boston and Miami. Allen appeared on WMEN in Miami recently and said he felt the Celtics put him in a position where he had to leave (link via Sports Radio Interviews). Celtics coach Doc Rivers, meanwhile, says he's over Allen's departure but is still "disappointed" with the way it played out (link via the Boston Herald).
- Landry Fields told reporters, including Al Iannazzone of Newsday (Twitter link) that he lost some of his confidence and comfort level after the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony and needed a change of scenery.
- It appears Ersan Ilyasova's new long-term contract with the Bucks has him feeling more comfortable in Milwaukee, writes NBA.com's Steve Aschburner.
- The Cavaliers aren't expected to make their final roster cuts for a few days yet, but it appears one of Donald Sloan or Jeremy Pargo has the upper hand in the backup point guard battle — coach Byron Scott just won't say which, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Sulia).
- Sam Smith fields Bulls questions on Nate Robinson, Kirk Hinrich, and others in his latest mailbag at Bulls.com.
Eastern Notes: Heat, Irving, Rasheed, Pistons
We looked at news from the Western Conference already, so here's a trip around Eastern Conference camps, with the start of the regular season just a dozen nights away.
- Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald thought a few days ago that Terrel Harris was a shoo-in for a spot on the Heat roster, but now believes Garrett Temple has a legitimate chance to beat him out (Twitter link). Both guards are on non-guaranteed deals.
- Kyrie Irving did plenty to justify his position as the top pick in the 2011 draft last season, when he won Rookie of the Year honors, but Cavs coach Byron Scott still believes he has a long way to go to realize his potential, as Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes.
- Marc Berman of the New York Post has details on Rasheed Wallace's contract with the Knicks, and confirms that it's without even a partial guarantee.
- Joe Dumars is the league's third-longest tenured executive in charge of player personnel decisions, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors pointed out yesterday, and the Pistons president of basketball operations told Keith Langlois of Pistons.com he's never been as impressed with his players' offseason work as he is this year (Twitter link).
- Nets coach Avery Johnson said he expects free agent signee Jerry Stackhouse, a few weeks shy of his 38th birthday, to make his primary contribution as a locker room presence, a la Juwan Howard with the Heat the past two seasons, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets.
Atlantic Notes: Barbosa, Holiday, Wilkins, 76ers
As was long rumored, we learned earlier today that the Celtics added Leandro Barbosa to back up both guard positions. After losing Ray Allen to the rival Heat, it appears the Celts have more than replaced him by adding Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and now Barbosa. Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston breaks down the move in his rapid reaction, even pointing out that Barbosa could facilitate the development of rookie and fellow Brazilian Fab Melo. Forsberg also offers a "roster reset" complete with the team's current obligations and some thoughts on how it will shake out. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets that a big reason behind the move was a desire for more scoring punch from reserve guards.
Here are some other updates from around the Atlantic division:
- Tim Keown of ESPN the Magazine writes a lengthy piece that centers on the enigma that is Carmelo Anthony. While Anthony is as gifted as they come scoring-wise, Keown implies that he may not be the "alpha dog" that most NBA teams, Knicks included, need. Anthony seems to thrive in international play when he is amongst stars, but when he is the best player on the court things seem to stall.
- We've been hearing all week about a possible long-term contract extension for Sixers guard Jrue Holiday. John Finger of CSN Philly heard today from a source that the talks have begun to pick up. The Sixers have until October 31 to either extend Holiday or make him a qualifying offer for one year and $3.77MM. If Holiday does not take the offer, he will become a restricted free agent next summer.
- Tom Moore from Philly Burbs tweets that he believes that the Sixers will soon cut their roster down to 14, with Damien Wilkins nabbing the last spot. If true, that would make Devin Searcy and Dan Gadzuric free agents in the very near future.
- Michael Levin of Sixers blog Liberty Ballers writes a guest column on Sheridan Hoops, listing five reasons to feel positive about the 76ers. If everything goes according the plan, Philly could be a rare example of a team that emerges from the typically inescapable depths of NBA mediocrity to become a legitimate contender.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Nash, Raptors, Knicks
In case you were worried that Jeremy Lin's move from New York to Houston would cut down on the point guard's face time in the media, you can now rest easy. The former Knicks guard was profiled in the cover story of GQ's November issue and ran down his hectic summer and eventual signing with the Rockets. Mostly everyone was taken by surprise when the Knicks opted against matching General Manager Daryl Morey's offer and Lin disclosed that even the Houston front office wasn't expecting to come away with him. After signing the Rockets' offer sheet, the club told Lin that they believed there was an "80% to 95% chance" that he would wind up back at MSG. Here's more out of the Atlantic..
- The Celtics are now looking at adding another veteran player by the end of the week after releasing Dionte Christmas and Jamar Smith, a source tells Paul Flannery of WEEI.com. Coach Doc Rivers says that the club won't limit its search to backcourt help either as Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, and Avery Bradley can also pitch in at one-guard. Meanwhile, it now seems likely that rookie Kris Joseph will make the final roster of 15.
- In an interview with QMI Agency, Steve Nash admitted that he was extremely close to signing with the Raptors this offseason, writes Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun. "I was very close, you know," Nash said. "Because it appeared that they were going to be an option long before free agency started. So I got my head around that and I was comfortable with that and happy with the opportunity to play in Toronto. But when this opportunity (with the Lakers) became a reality, I couldn't pass it up."
- If the Knicks can't break through this season with their core of Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Amare Stoudemire, Sam Amico of FOXSports.com believes that they should look into going in another direction.
Knicks Exercise Option On Iman Shumpert
The Knicks announced that they have exercised the third-year option on Iman Shumpert. The guard, entering his sophomore season, was widely expected to be retained through the 2013/14 season. The Georgia Tech product will make $1.68MM this season and 1.797MM in the third year of his deal.
Shumpert averaged 9.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.8 APG for the Knicks last season in his rookie campaign. However, the 17th overall pick in the draft went on to suffer a torn ACL in the Game 1 of first round of the playoffs against the Heat. We heard recently that Shumpert has been able to get around without the help of a brace or a limp, which would indicate that his rehab is going well. Doctors have projected that Shumpert could be back in action as soon as December or January.
Jeremy Lin Talks Knicks, D-League, Free Agency
The latest issue of GQ features a familiar face on its cover: Rockets guard Jeremy Lin. In the cover story for the November issue, GQ's Will Leitch profiles Lin, who spoke about playing in the D-League, his desire to finish his career with the Knicks, and a confusing summer in free agency. Here are a few of the highlights:
On wanting to remain in New York:
"You can't ask for a city or a fan base to embrace somebody more than they embraced me. I know it's kind of silly to talk about it with only two years under my belt in the league, but going in before free agency, I was like, 'I want to play in front of these fans for the rest of my career.' I really did. I really wanted to play in front of the Madison Square Garden fans for the rest of my career, because they're just unbelievable."
On his ascension from benchwarmer to star:
"I mean, to literally go from 'If I score two, three, or four points today, it's a good day' to setting the record for the most points scored in your first five starts of any NBA player, I'd be a huge liar if I told myself, 'I knew I could do that.' You know what I mean? That's not realistic. Let's just be honest. I had no idea I could play like that. It was as amazing to me as it was to everybody else."
On playing in the D-League prior to his breakout season:
"I'm going to be honest, playing in D-League games is tough. We got way more fans at Harvard games. It feels like a demotion, and it feels like if you have one bad game then the thought gets in your brain: I might get cut."
On whether he would have played overseas if he hadn't received a shot from an NBA team:
"I absolutely would not have liked playing in Spain or somewhere like that, so I was just gonna do it a year. Then I was gonna be done."
On the difficulty he had securing offers this offseason in free agency:
"[Rival teams] figured the Knicks were just going to match anyway, so there's no point. We couldn't get anybody. At one point in time I thought, 'Are we going to have zero contract offers?'…. The Rockets thought I was going to be a Knick. They told me when I signed there, 'We think it's an 80% to 95% chance of that happening.' That was consistent with what everyone was saying to me."
On whether he'd do anything differently in free agency:
"I might have been a lot more reserved about [seeking out offers] in free agency. But the thing about it is, there was no other way to handle the situation. I didn't get an offer from the Knicks, so I had to go test my market."