Stein On Extension Candidates, Boozer, Paul
Earlier this week, TNT's David Aldridge shared the latest rumors and rumblings he'd heard about this year's fourth-year extension candidates. ESPN.com's Marc Stein follows suit today, and while much of what he's hearing is along the same lines as Aldridge's updates, there's still enough new info that it's worth rounding up the highlights….
- Despite chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's apparent aversion to early extensions, it's still likely that the Bulls and Taj Gibson work something out this month, and that the team will eventually release Carlos Boozer using the amensty clause.
- An extension for Ty Lawson remains more a question of "when" than "if," sources tells Stein.
- The Raptors seem to "want to be wowed" by DeMar DeRozan in the 2012/13 season before committing to him long-term.
- The Bobcats aren't expected to lock Gerald Henderson up to an extension unless the terms are very team-friendly.
- Although the Hawks like Jeff Teague, they'll likely hold off on committing future cap space to a point guard until they're 100% sure they can't lure Chris Paul to Atlanta.
- Extensions for Darren Collison and Rodrigue Beaubois can safely be ruled out as the Mavericks attempt to preserve next summer's cap room.
- Stein also believes Stephen Curry and James Harden are likely to be extended, and that a new deal for Jrue Holiday is possible. However, he classifies the rest of this offseason's extension candidates as unlikely to receive long-term contracts by Halloween.
Thunder Hire Darko Rajakovic To Coach 66ers
The Thunder have reached an agreement with Serbian coach Darko Rajakovic, hiring him to coach their D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Rajakovic still has to go through the immigration process, so his hiring has yet to become official, but when it does, he'll be the first European to coach an NBA or D-League franchise.
According to Wojnarowski, Thunder GM Sam Presti has a long relationship with Rajakovic, dating back to Presti's time with the Spurs. The GM targeted the 33-year-old Serbian out of a belief that he could develop the players that Oklahoma City sends to Tulsa for extra playing time.
Rajoakovic has coached Torrelodones in Spain for the last three seasons. He'll follow in the footsteps of two 66ers head coaches, Dale Osbourne and Nate Tibbetts, who have earned assistant coaching jobs for NBA teams since working in Tulsa.
Odds & Ends: Virginia Beach, West, Mavs, Maynor
Links as Tuesday turns into Wednesday..
- Voters in Virginia Beach, Virginia are largely against the idea of building an NBA arena in their city, according to a poll released earlier today, writes Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee. The poll showed that voters oppose the proposed arena by a 45-38 margin and oppose public funding for it by a margin of 58-32. It already seemed unlikely that an NBA team would move to the area, but the lack of public support further hurts the odds.
- Delonte West's suspension for conduct detrimental to the Mavericks didn't last long as he was reinstated this evening, writes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Sources said that West's suspension stemmed from an outburst in the locker room after the Mavs' 123-104 preseason win Monday over the Rockets.
- Eddie Sefko of the The Dallas Morning News writes that Mark Cuban should have been in attendance for Deron Williams' meeting with the Mavericks this summer, but the owner shouldn't be blamed for the point guard's decision to stay with the Nets. Recently, Williams indicated that his decision to pass on Dallas was influenced by Cuban's decision to attend a taping of his television show rather than meet with him.
- Point guard Eric Maynor's return from injury is as good as any free agent pickup the Thunder could have hoped for this summer, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. The former VCU star is entering his walk year after missing the bulk of the 2011/12 season.
- Kevin Garnett gave a strong endorsement of the new look Nets following their preseason game against the Celtics. “They’re going to be a force to be reckoned with. They’re nothing like last year. They’re gonna be strong," said Garnett, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
Western Notes: Thunder, Brewer, Sacre
- Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK highlights notable stories from the Thunder's pre-season, including the play of Perry Jones III, Cole Aldrich, and Eric Maynor. In a separate article, Mayberry collaborates with John Rohde to profile seven of the team's new additions brought in from the offseason.
- Aaron J. Lopez takes a look at Nuggets forward Corey Brewer, who four years removed from ACL surgery believes that he is faster and can jump higher today.
- Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times highlights Robert Sacre as the biggest surprise of the Lakers' exhibition season.
- John Reid of NOLA.com examines the battle between Greivis Vasquez and Brian Roberts for minutes at the Hornets point guard rotation.
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune talks about the challenge the Timberwolves have faced in terms of trying to integrate all their new pieces amidst some nagging injuries.
- Jeff McDonald of Spurs Nation writes that Patrick Mills could return to practice on Monday after sitting out two games with a sprained right ankle.
- O.J. Mayo's hand is healing
properly after he suffered a laceration last week from a fall during the
Mavericks' visit to Barcelona, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Price also tweeted that coach
Rick Carlisle believes Mayo will be fine after a few more days. As for Dirk Nowitzki, Carlisle said that he has been doing well (Price via Twitter).
Northwest Notes: Wolves, Love, Carter, Thunder
News and notes out of the Northwest Division..
- Timberwolves forward Kevin Love talked to Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press why he wasn’t happy when he had to settle for a four-year extension rather than the five-year pact he was seeking. “That’s because I wanted to be here,” Love said. “I wanted them to say, ’When people think Minnesota Timberwolves, they think Kevin Love.’ And I felt with my contract we didn’t really do that.”
- The Nuggets offered guard Anthony Carter a coaching spot three weeks ago but he told Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) that he will instead look to play the year out. The 37-year-old re-joined Denver this offseason on a non-guaranteed deal.
- Though he’s been criticized for being too passive and has drawn the ire of coach Scott Brooks for taking too many three-pointers, Thunder rookie Perry Jones III is nonetheless making a significant impact so far, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman writes.
Western Notes: McGee, Dirk, Biedrins, Jazz
Some Friday updates out of the Western Conference:
- The Thunder announced a series of staff additions, they announced today. They hired Mike Wilks as a Pro Scout and Amanda Green as Basketball Operations Coordinator/Legal & Administration. They also promoted Paul Rivers to Director of Basketball Operations, Will Dawkins to Director of College Player Personnel and Brandon Barnett to Director of Minor League Operations/Pro Scout.
- Also regarding the Thunder, Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman says that the backup point job in Oklahoma City is still up for grabs between Eric Maynor and Reggie Jackson. Maynor is the incumbent but is coming back from a knee injury. With James Harden sidelined with hamstring issues, Thunder coach Scott Brooks said he may experiment with both guards on the floor at the same time to gauge his backcourt flexibility.
- John Reid of the Times-Picaynne puts together a lengthy but excellent feature on Austin Rivers, implying that it was Rivers' drive that resulted in him moving up draft boards before landing with the Hornets at the tenth pick.
- Nuggets coach George Karl isn't about to let JaVale McGee's lucrative new contract dictate how much playing time he gives the big man, as Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post writes.
- Dirk Nowitzki had his knee drained for the second time this month, and is still contemplating the possibility of undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee, according to Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- Coach Rick Carlisle expects offseason acquisition Darren Collison to "be great" for the Mavericks, writes McMahon.
- SI.com's Chris Ballard examines Andris Biedrins' precipitous decline, and wonders whether the big man will be able to turn his career around. Biedrins still has two years and $18MM left on his contract with the Warriors, who no longer have the amnesty clause available.
- Al Jefferson was glad to see the Jazz add a number of outside shooters via trades and free agency this offseason, writes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
Odds & Ends: Blatche, Draft, Kaman, Milicic
Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com looks at the struggle homosexual athletes face as they decide whether to come out of the closet. Multiple league sources told Arnovitz that players who are believed to be gay have a tougher time landing deals. "From a front-office standpoint, anything that would take away from team chemistry, fair or not, is a concern," one source said. "The truth is that a lot of players don’t want that guy in the locker room. And, sadly, execs have to factor in how their star player and major guys are going to react." There's no telling whether that's had an effect on some of the players still seeking contracts this year or those who have already been cut. Here's the rest of the night's news from around the league.
- Nets big man Andray Blatche told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that a talk with Nets coach Avery Johnson led him to sign with Brooklyn instead of the Heat. "I came in and worked out (with the Heat). They told me where I’m at, where I need to get, that they’re interested, they need me," he said. "But the conversation I had with Avery was more what I needed from him. It was about putting together a personal plan for me. I felt that would help me get to where I needed to be."
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks the top five 2013 draft prospects in the SEC, led by Nerlens Noel and two fellow Kentucky freshmen (Insider only).
- Offseason signee Chris Kaman could give the Mavericks an offensive weapon at center like they've never had before, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News says.
- Though the Celtics fully guaranteed Darko Milicic's minimum-salary contract, the team had no expectations for him, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com, who adds that the former No. 2 has nonetheless made a strong showing so far.
- Reggie Jackson is making the most of his opportunity to challenge extension candidate Eric Maynor for the Thunder's backup point guard job, as The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry observes.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel shares that Bucks coach Scott Skiles has hinted at an expanded role for guard Beno Udrih, who's entering the final season of his sizable five-year, $32.393MM contract.
Odds & Ends: Harden, Spurs, Richardson, Nuggets
Of today's slate of preseason NBA games, three are scheduled for tonight, with one already in the books — the Heat defeated the Clippers 94-80 in Beijing in a contest that got underway at 6:30 CST this morning. As we await the rest of today's action, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the league….
- Grantland's Bill Simmons believes the Thunder should be able to absorb the tax hit that will come with extending or re-signing James Harden, and implores Harden not to settle for a hometown discount.
- Derrick Brown's ability to guard the three spot could set him apart in the battle to earn a roster spot among Spurs' bigs, says Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter links). As Mike Monroe of the Express-News writes, however, Eddy Curry and Josh Powell also both played well in the team's preseason game with the Hawks.
- Jason Richardson has left agent Dan Fegan and is in the market for new representation, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter).
- Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post examines the Nuggets' quest to build a winning culture in Denver.
- Juwan Howard is remaining around the Heat in case the team decides to cut six players instead of five and has an open roster spot for him, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Agent Rich Paul, who recently began to exclusively represent LeBron James and other NBA players, is under investigation by the NCAA for his relationship with University of Texas guard Myck Kabongo, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
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.
Latest On Thunder, Harden, Maynor
As the October 31 deadline approaches for the Thunder and James Harden to agree to an extension, here's the latest on Harden's contract situation and other developments out of Oklahoma City:
- The Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson believes that Harden and the Thunder will not agree to an extension before the deadline, citing a gap in their desired dollar amounts. If an extension is not signed, Harden will become a restricted free agent on July 1.
- The Oklahoman's John Rohde examines the future of Thunder backup point guard Eric Maynor, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Rohde believes it will be difficult for the Thunder to retain both Harden and Maynor, and a productive season from Maynor may place him out of OKC's price range.
- Rohde also speculates that if Harden does not sign an extension, he and Maynor could both become trade chips during the season.