Lin’s Return To Knicks Not A Slam Dunk
Jeremy Lin's agent Roger Montgomery spoke with the New York Post about his client's future and stated that a return to the Knicks is not a guarantee, writes Marc Berman. Lin is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1 which allows for the Knicks to match any offer made by another team to retain Lin's services. When asked about whether he thought negotiations with the Knicks would be a simple process this summer, Montgomery expressed his concern that getting Lin a new contract would be a drawn out endeavor.
"I don’t expect that. We’re not anticipating that’s going to happen. We don’t have assurances of anything. I know history shows most restricted free agents go back to their team, but I’m not going to assume anything. We’re waiting to see what happens."
Montgomery's goal as an agent is to create buzz that Lin may not re-sign with the Knicks so that other teams provide his client with a robust offer sheet. While the Knicks have the opportunity to match any offer sheet, they may face luxury tax issues during the third and fourth years of the contract if other teams make him a large offer (up to $15MM per season). If this is the case, the Knicks will have to determine if the money received from Lin-related merchandise sales will outweigh the luxury tax the franchise will surely have to pay if the former Harvard star is presented with a back-loaded offer sheet.
Look for Toronto to make Lin an impressive offer as the team is in search of a young point guard who will bring buzz to the beleaguered franchise in a city with a large Chinese population. Lin made $765K during the 2011/2012 season in which he averaged 14.6 points per game and 6.2 assists per game in 35 games with the Knicks. For more on Lin, check out Hoops Rumors' Free Agent Stock Watch series where we analyze the star point guard's prognosis for free agency this summer.
Atlantic Notes: Howard, Nets, Lin, Knicks, Celtics
The Celtics and 76ers are underway in Philadelphia as the C's look to go up 3-1 in their second-round series. Here's the latest out of the Atlantic Division..
- Despite all of the ups-and-downs of the Dwight Howard saga, Alex Kennedy of Hoops World (via Twitter) still expects to see the Magic big man land in Brooklyn with the Nets this summer.
- The Knicks should prioritize signing Steve Nash this summer rather than re-signing point guard Jeremy Lin, opines Moke Hamilton of Sheridan Hoops. Although Nash will turn 39 years old next season, Hamilton argues that he is a known and proven commodity.
- Even though some have questioned the Celtics' ability to make a deep run in the playoffs due to their advanced age, Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com writes that head coach Doc Rivers isn't worried about his team's condition over the long-haul. Win or lose this year, Boston appears likely to seek out a youth infusion this summer.
- The Celtics will be holding a pre-draft workout in the next few days and will bring in a bunch of big men, sources tell Kennedy (via Twitter).
Atlantic Notes: Deron Williams, Printezis, Knicks
The two remaining Atlantic teams in the postseason continued their second-round battle last night, with the Celtics dominating the Sixers in Philadelphia to take a 2-1 series lead. While we wait for the series to resume on Friday night, here are a few items of interest from the Atlantic Division:
- Deron Williams and his wife are currently on a vacation in Russia, home of Nets majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov. Fred Kerber of the New York Post writes that the trip could bode well for Brooklyn's chances of re-signing Williams. Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record, on the other hand, says Nets fans should feel good about the team's chances, but not because of Williams' trip to Moscow.
- In December's sign-and-trade with the Mavericks for Tyson Chandler, the Knicks gained the rights to Greek forward Georgios Printezis. Marc Berman of the New York Post examines New York's chances of bringing the Olympiacos star to the NBA next season, and concludes that it's a long-shot for a Knicks team that's already restricted by the salary cap.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld discusses those cap limitations, noting that the new CBA could make things for teams like the Knicks, who have a lot of money tied up in long-term contracts. The Bulls and Lakers are other clubs who could be affected.
- Watching the Sixers this postseason, it's easy to see why they were frequently rumored to have interest in a scorer like Monta Ellis, says Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com.
NBPA Releases Statement On Bird Rights Issues
Billy Hunter, the executive director of the NBA players' association, released a statement this evening addressing free agency issues involving J.J. Hickson, Chauncey Billups, Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak, reports USA Today's J. Michael Falgoust (via Twitter). All four players are hoping that an arbitrator will allow them to keep valuable rights as they hit free agency this summer.
“Bird and Early Bird rights are among the most valuable rights that players have by a player to select a team through free agency. We will ask the arbitrator to resolve this dispute on an expedited basis and prior to the commencement of free agency."
By allowing these players Bird and Early Bird rights, teams will be able to go above the salary cap to retain their own players. This directly impacts the Trail Blazers (Hickson), Clippers (Billups) and Knicks (Lin and Novak). Hoops Rumors writer Chuck Myron broke down the situation in great detail earlier this week.
Douglas’ Contract May Impact Knicks’ Offseason
The Knicks decision to pick up Toney Douglas' team option for the 2012/2013 season on January 25 may impact their financial flexibility this offseason, writes Jim Cavan of The New York Times. The former Florida State star was struggling at the time but the team was left with few options at point guard as Linsanity was still a few weeks away from captivating the attention of the entire league. Douglas was relegated to the bench for the majority of the remainder of the season but will still cost the Knicks $2.1MM next season, limiting their options as they look to retain a series of free agents and add backcourt depth this summer.
Alex Raskin of NJ.com points out that while Douglas can be limited offensively, his defense could be an asset for the Knicks if rookie sensation Iman Shumpert misses significant time to start next season. While this is a nice bonus for the Knicks, it does not provide them with the type of point guard they are looking for to help complement Lin's skill set and foster his continued growth as a player. Simply put, the Knicks would be in a better position to attract the likes of Steve Nash, who resides in Manhattan during the offseason, if they hadn't picked up Douglas' option back in January.
Douglas began the 2011/2012 season as the Knicks starting point guard but quickly lost his job to Shumpert, who finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year vote announced early Tuesday. The Knicks explored trading Douglas in March when he fell out of the team's rotation thanks to strong play by Jeremy Lin but were unable to find a suitor. The 26-year-old point guard averaged 6.2 PPG and 2.0 APG in 38 games while playing a career-low 17.3 minutes per contest.
Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, Pietrus, Deron Williams
As two Atlantic Division teams go at it tonight in Game 2 of the Celtics-Sixers series, let's check on what's happening off the court:
- The Knicks stand to gain if the union prevails on its contention that players claimed off waivers may retain their Bird Rights, but only by so much. If the arbitrator rules in favor of the union, that could allow the Knicks to re-sign Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak while using the mid-level exception on another player. Yet, as Howard Beck of The New York Times points out, the team would have only the smaller taxpayer mid-level exception if retaining Novak and Lin, along with their other free agents, pushes them above the $74MM luxury tax apron. Currently, the team has approximately $58.7MM guaranteed to players next season, with seven free agents and two players on non-guaranteed deals (All Twitter links).
- Mickael Pietrus, a free agent after the season, will have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee this summer, and hinted that he may re-sign with the Celtics, according to Jackie MacMullan and Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Pietrus underwent the same procedure on the knee during this past offseason.
- At the bottom of this piece by Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, Nets shooting guard Anthony Morrow offers a glimpse into the mind of top free agent target Deron Williams. Among other things, Morrow says that Williams "really likes Brooklyn," and loves the team and his teammates.
Union Seeks Ruling On Bird Rights, Waiver Claims
The player's union is challenging the NBA's declaration earlier this year that players who are claimed off waivers lose their Bird rights, Howard Beck of The New York Times reports. The union is seeking an arbitrator's ruling by July 1, which would have significant impact for several free agents and their teams.
If the union is successful with their challenge, it will be easier for many of the teams who claimed players off waivers this year to re-sign their players. The most prominent examples are the Knicks with Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak, the Clippers and Chauncey Billups, and the Blazers and J.J. Hickson. All of those players were claimed off waivers this season and are at the end of their contracts. If the union's challenge is successful, the teams will be allowed to retain those players using either Early Bird, in the case of Lin and Novak, or full Bird rights, as with Billups and Hickson. There were an unusually high number of players claimed off waivers this year, but the other four players on that list were either waived for a second time this season without being claimed, or have contracts in place for next year.
The league clarified its interpretation of the rule earlier this year, shortly after Lin became a sensation for the Knicks. It cited a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that said players lose their Bird rights when they're waived, regardless of whether a team claims them. The union contends that because everything else about a player's contract remains intact if he's claimed off waivers, the Bird rights should remain as well. Bird rights are tied to the number of years a player spends with a team. He must have finished at least two seasons with a team to have Early Bird rights and three for full Bird rights. Beck says that the union's case also compares a waiver transfer to a trade, arguing that because Bird rights are retained in trades, when players are sent to another team against their will, the same should be true when they're waived and claimed, also against their will.
The union and the league must select an arbitrator before the matter can proceed. Since, as Beck writes, much of the union's case centers around the spirit of the law, and the league is going off specific language in the CBA, it seems unlikely the arbitrator will rule in the union's favor. Still, it will be interesting to see how the pending case will affect teams as they prepare for the draft, which takes place three days before the date by which the arbitrator has been asked to rule.
Knicks Rumors: Smith, Lin, Nash, Fields
On Friday, I examined the Knicks' salary cap situation heading into the offseason and explained the obstacles facing the team as it looks to retain its own free agents and bring in more talent. With the help of CBA expert Larry Coon, ESPN.com's Jared Zwerling explores the same topic more extensively. While our conclusions were similar, Zwerling was able to add some details on the thinking of the club and its free agents. Here are the highlights:
- A source tells Zwerling that J.R. Smith's father Earl is going to try to convince his son to stay in New York but that "it's very clear that the money is the biggest factor with him." In fact, Smith chose the Knicks over the Clippers in free agency this past season because he was financially broke and the Knicks had more money to offer, according to Zwerling.
- One source on Jeremy Lin: "He's going to be in New York next year regardless, unless they decide they're not going to match him because [Steve] Nash is going to come in at $5 million or something like that. But Nash is a pipe dream. I think that they keep Lin, just because of his popularity."
- If Lin re-signs in New York, the Knicks will be hard-pressed to retain Landry Fields. Zwerling hears from a source that Fields may get a $5MM-per-year offer, not because he's necessarily worth that, but because teams often have to overpay to pry restricted free agents away.
Odds & Ends: Olympics, Butler, Bosh, Chandler
Let's check out some odds and ends from around the Association as we prepare for a pair of second-round playoff games in Boston and Oklahoma City….
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com reports that the following players have been named to the U.S. select team, which will scrimmage against the Olympic roster this July: Klay Thompson, Jeremy Lin, Paul George, Gordon Hayward, Kawhi Leonard, DeJuan Blair, Ryan Anderson, Taj Gibson and Derrick Favors. We'd previously heard that Kyrie Irving, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and DeMar DeRozan would be part of the squad.
- With the Clippers and Spurs preparing to face off in round two, Caron Butler tells reporters, including Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, that he very nearly signed with the Spurs in December (Twitter link).
- The Heat announced today that Chris Bosh has a strained abdominal muscle and will be out indefinitely (Twitter link). Bosh's comments to the media today indicated that he's not expecting to return during the Pacers series (Twitter link).
- Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler would like to become a bigger offensive threat for the Knicks next season, as Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com writes.
Coaching Rumors: Carlisle, Bobcats, Knicks
Before the free agent period for players gets underway this summer, a number of free agent coaches could land new jobs. Here are the latest updates on a few coaching situations around basketball:
- Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson and owner Mark Cuban are in agreement that Rick Carlisle should be back coaching the team next year, writes Earl K. Sneed at NBA.com. Like many Mavs players, Carlisle is not yet under contract for 2012/13.
- Mike Krzyzewski announced at a press conference today that this summer's Olympics represent the last time he plans to coach Team USA in international competition, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer provides an update on the Bobcats' coaching search, which president of basketball operations Rod Higgins says is progressing at a "nice, slow pace."
- The Knicks are more interested in "putting on a good show" than winning, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who says that's why New York hasn't reached out to Phil Jackson. Berger hears that Jackson "has the itch" to returning to coaching, but hasn't been contacted by an NBA team.
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports explores the evolution of Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro, who tells Wojnarowski that reports that he'd lost the team earlier this season were "a joke."