Latest On Rasheed Wallace
Over a week into training camp, Rasheed Wallace still has yet to practice with his Knicks teammates, as Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. Wallace participated in some full-court drills, but isn't sure when he'll actually practice and play, leaving that decision in the hands of coach Mike Woodson.
"He'll give me an idea of when he wants me out there," Wallace said. "If it's mid-November, then it's mid-November. Or if it's December, then it's December. It's on him, not me."
Here are a few more updates on the newest Knick:
- Brian Lewis of the New York Post has the quotes from Woodson on Wallace's timetable: "He’s still in the conditioning mode. We’re still holding him out until we feel like he’s ready to go. It’s a day-to-day thing, and we’ll see where he is, evaluate him day by day."
- 'Sheed believes that the Knicks are already in the same class as Eastern Conference favorites like the Heat and Celtics. "We’re already there," Wallace said, according to Lewis. "The only thing that held this team back last year was injuries. If you look at all the injuries they had throughout the season, I don’t think at any point you have the whole team healthy except probably in the beginning."
- Wallace told the media, including Lewis, that he's attempting to make an NBA comeback because of a passion for the game, rather than a pay check. According to Wallace, during his retirement he watched more college ball than NBA games, since he felt college players were generally hungrier than many NBA players who may have become complacent after a big payday.
- Iannazzone notes (via Sulia) that Woodson can't be blamed for bringing Wallace along slowly, since the coach could be scrutinized for pushing the veteran big man too hard if were to practice and pull a hamstring. The Newsday scribe adds that the Knicks will eventually need Wallace to contribute to bolster the team's frontcourt.
Atlantic Updates: Knicks, Smith, Darko
The latest news from the Atlantic Division on Tuesday evening:
- Barbara Barker of Newsday tweets that Mike Woodson has not yet decided who will start at shooting guard for the Knicks this season, but that J.R. Smith is not in consideration.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com adds (via Twitter) that Ronnie Brewer, signed this summer, is a leading candidate for the starting job.
- Rich Levine of CSNNE.com examines the impact that Darko Milicic could have on the Celtics this season.
Odds & Ends: Martin, Celtics, Leuer, Lakers
In a piece for Grantland.com, Zach Lowe looks at the different tiers in the Association after a wild offseason. In Lowe's opinion, the real title contenders this year are the Heat, Spurs, Thunder, and Lakers. Further down the list, you'll find the Nets and the Knicks who are classified as having exciting upside but too many questions to be considered real title threats. The Nets, he argues, may not get much bench production outside of C.J. Watson and MarShon Brooks. Meanwhile, most of the Knicks' big name offseason additions strike Lowe as league-average types who won't really make a major difference. Here's more from around the league..
- In the wake of Jordan Hill's back injury, Sam Amico of FOX Sports (via Twitter) expects the Lakers to sign a veteran big man to a minimum contract, possibly Kenyon Martin. Martin plied his craft at the Staples Center last season with the Clippers and played well despite not lighting up the stat sheet.
- While giving credit to the Celtics' 2008 championship team, point guard Rajon Rondo opined that this year's club is the strongest yet, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. This year's Celtics squad underwent a number of changes, including guard Jason Terry taking the place of Ray Allen.
- After being claimed off of waivers by the Rockets this summer, Jon Leuer is making a strong impression with the Cavs in camp this summer, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld. Coach Byron Scott believes that the team needs to help Leuer build confidence after bouncing around between a few clubs at the age of 23.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld believes that Kobe Bryant will have to play beyond 2013/14 if he hopes to capture two more championship rings. Bryant reiterated yesterday that he plans to retire after his current contract expires in two seasons.
Atlantic Rumors: D-Will, Bogans, Celtics, Rasheed
Commissioner David Stern, speaking to reporters in Milan, said European expansion is a long way off, but believes that when it happens, there should be five teams in Europe rather than just one, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com notes. That would be enough for an entire division. For now, the easternmost division of the NBA is the Atlantic, and we'll roundup up the latest rumblings from that group of five teams here:
- TNT's David Aldridge, as part of a lengthy look around the league, reveals that Deron Williams was recruiting Joe Johnson before the trade that brought Johnson to the Nets, and before Williams spurned the Mavs to re-sign with the Nets as well. "Four or five days before the trade, Deron called me," Johnson said, referring to the swap that the Hawks and Nets agreed to on July 2nd, the second day of free agency. "He said, 'what do you think about coming to Brooklyn?' I was like, 'man, where are you getting this from?' … I don't know what kind of strings he was pulling, but he made it happen."
- Nets trainers worked with Keith Bogans after the team waived him following a season-ending injury last year, and Bogans said that's why he's back with the team, according to NetsDaily. "From the time my ankle broke through the rehab and all the way back, I haven’t been treated the way I’ve been treated here in my whole career," he said.
- The early returns on Jared Sullinger indicate that he could be a steal for the Celtics, John Schuhmann of NBA.com says, while Darko Milicic is making a positive impact as well, as Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com writes.
- With a lack of depth up front and other aging players like Marcus Camby already beginning to break down, Rasheed Wallace will likely be more than an insurance policy for the Knicks if he makes the regular season roster, according to Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal.
Atlantic Rumors: Blatche, Wayns, Shurna
It's been less than a week since training camp started for most teams, but a few players are already staking claims to roster spots that were up for grabs. A pair of camp invitees appear to be making significant strides toward jobs in the Atlantic Division, according to reports.
- Former Wizards big man Andray Blatche is with the Nets on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal, but Tim Bontemps of the New York Post says "it's pretty clear" Blatche will be in the team's rotation to start the season, and is a "lock" to be on the floor whenever starting center Brook Lopez needs a break. Nets coach Avery Johnson says the team believes Blatche "could be one of the steals of free agency," echoing a comment from former NBA coach John Lucas, who spent the summer helping Blatche work back from last year's disappointing season in Washington.
- Undrafted rookie Maalik Wayns had a strong training camp with the Sixers, and could wind up as the backup to point guard Jrue Holiday at the start of the regular season, John Hollinger of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). Wayns signed a minimum-salary deal that's partially guaranteed for $75K. The Sixers only have 12 players on fully guaranteed deals, and Wayns is the lone camp invitee with a partial guarantee, so he seems a strong bet to make the opening day roster.
- John Shurna isn't turning quite as many heads in Knicks camp, but he's made a positive impression on coach Mike Woodson so far, as Zach Braziller of the New York Post writes. The 6'9" Shurna's minimum-salary contract is partially guaranteed for $50K, and Braziller believes he's competing with five others for the last spot on the team.
Marcus Camby Surprised By Knicks Contract
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News hears that Marcus Camby wasn't expecting to land a contract worth quite as much as the three-year, $13.151MM deal he got from the Knicks as part of a sign-and-trade with Houston this summer. The 38-year-old center reportedly also had talks with the Nets and drew interest from the Heat over the offseason, and considered the Spurs, Celtics and Mavericks as well as the Rockets, with whom he ended the 2011/12 after coming over in a trade at the deadline in March.
The Knicks initially appeared hesitant to use their $3.09MM mini mid-level on Camby, but wound up exceeding that amount by an average of more than $1MM per season to land the veteran big man. New York also gave up Toney Douglas, Josh Harrellson, Jerome Jordan and a pair of second-round draft choices in the sign-and-trade, and agreed to pay Douglas' $2.1MM salary for the Rockets.
Camby is out of the Knicks lineup for a week to 10 days with a strained left calf, and Lawrence points to a history of injuries that kept him from playing any more than 63 games in a season during his previous four-year stint in New York that ran from 1999 to 2002. More recently, though, Camby appeared in 59 out of 66 games this past season, and hasn't missed more than 20 games in a season since 2005/06.
Unlike most contracts that escalate in value from year to year, Camby is set to receive $4.59MM this season and $4.384MM in 2013/14, while his $4.177MM salary in the final year of the deal is only guaranteed for $1.026MM.
Atlantic Notes: Milicic, Sixers, Brooks, ‘Sheed
The Celtics opened up preseason play with a thud on Friday, losing 97-91 to Turkish team Fenerbahce Ulker in Istanbul. It's tough to draw much from the first preseason game for an NBA team when they're going against an overseas squad with greater motivation to win, and despite the loss, the C's had to be encouraged by the play of Jeff Green and rookie Jared Sullinger, who led the team with 16 points apiece. Romain Sato, a 2004 second-round pick by the Spurs, led Fenerbache with 24 points, while Ilkan Karaman, whom the Nets took 57th overall in this year's draft, was held to just four. Here's the latest on the Celtics, as they continue their European tour, and the rest of the Atlantic:
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe passes along a couple of comments from Celtics coach Doc Rivers about the team's management of Darko Milicic's psyche, well-worn from the expectations of being a No. 2 overall pick and an up-and-down NBA career (Sulia link).
- Newcomers Jason Richardson, Dorell Wright and Nick Young give the Sixers a significant boost from three-point territory, points out Bob Cooney of the the Philadelphia Daily News. John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tackles the same issue, noting that coach Doug Collins expects the team to average seven or eight made three-pointers a game.
- MarShon Brooks figures to come off the bench this season for the Nets, a year after serving as the team's second option on offense behind Deron Williams. Tim Bontemps of the New York Post examines his adjustment.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson says Rasheed Wallace is still working his way back into shape, as Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. "He's not ready yet. He's just not there where we want him to be," Woodson said. "But he'll get there."
Odds & Ends: Lin, White, Heat, Teague
Knicks coach Mike Woodson isn't looking to discuss Jeremy Lin as training camp underway, but Tyson Chandler was willing to give his thoughts on the former toast of the town, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. “Jeremy was a young point guard who was inexperienced, who brought a great light to the organization. But as far as being able to run the offense and putting players in the right position he just wasn’t there. We got some veteran point guards that are capable of doing that," said Chandler. All things considered, the big man believes that this year's trio of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, and Pablo Prigioni is a big step up over last season’s trio of Lin, Baron Davis, and Mike Bibby. Here's more from around the league..
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) is happy to see that Royce White and the Rockets worked out an arrangement for the forward to travel to some road games via bus but wonders what took the team so long. Kennedy notes that White made his fear of flying well known to clubs during the draft process.
- Heat training camp invite Jack McClinton is currently deciding between playing in the D-League this year and taking a more lucrative offer in China, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The former University of Miami standout was leaning towards the latter until coach Erik Spoelstra told him that he was good enough to make an NBA team. Staying stateside would give McClinton an easier path to the league as a mid-season pickup.
- Bulls rookie Marquis Teague is working hard to help contribute as much as possible in the absence of Derrick Rose, writes Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld.
Odds & Ends: Dirk, Smith, Johnson, Vucevic
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Friday evening:
- Dirk Nowitzki wants to play beyond the two seasons remaining on his contract, writes Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW.com.
- J.R. Smith tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that he would rather start than come off the bench for the Knicks this season.
- Stefan Swiat of Suns.com writes that Wesley Johnson has looked strong in training camp. The third-year guard was acquired by Phoenix from the Timberwolves in a three-team deal in July.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel speculates that Nikola Vucevic, acquired from Philadelphia in the Dwight Howard trade, will replace Howard as the Magic's starting center.
- Raptors coach Dwayne Casey tells Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun that he expects John Lucas to be a contributor this season.
Odds & Ends: Ginobili, Smith, Knicks, Fields
Earlier this week, Manu Ginobili told reporters that if he continues playing beyond this season, he absolutely wants it to be in San Antonio. The 35-year-old will make over $14MM in 2012/13 but sounds willing to take a pay cut, as teammate Tim Duncan did, to help keep the club under the tax threshold. The Spurs tend to keep things quiet when it comes to contract extensions and Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld wouldn't be surprised to see the team suddenly announce that they've reached agreement with the veteran. The interest is obviously mutual, which should allow for an agreement to be struck before next summer. Here's more from around the league..
- In his latest mailbag, Sam Smith of NBA.com writes that he doesn't see the Hawks making the playoffs and doesn't see Josh Smith staying quiet for long. Hawks General Manager Danny Ferry recently said that the forward wants to remain in Atlanta but wasn't optimistic about working out an extension with him as he can get a larger deal by first hitting the open market.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson believes that the team's greatly improved depth this season will be key to their success, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. The Knicks are currently looking to see what Rasheed Wallace has left in the tank and could conceivably give Josh Howard a look if they trim their camp roster down from the maximum of 20.
- Offseason acquisition Landry Fields could fill the same "glue guy" role for the Raptors as Jorge Garbajosa did in the past, writes Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. Fields inked a lucrative three-year, $18.7MM deal with Toronto over the summer.