Thunder Waive Walker Russell
The Thunder have waived camp invitee Walker Russell Jr., according to John Rohde of the Oklahoman (via Twitter). Oklahoma City had been carrying 19 players, so the move reduces the roster to 18 players, with more cuts to come over the next week.
Russell, who signed with the Thunder three weeks ago, has played for a number of teams overseas and in the D-League since going undrafted in 2006. He finally made his NBA debut last year for the Pistons, averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.1 APG in 12.8 MPG.
As Royce Young of Daily Thunder wrote last week, Russell was an extreme long shot to make the regular-season roster, so the move doesn't come as a surprise. As our list of partially guaranteed contracts suggests, the 6'0" guard had been the only player in Thunder camp without any form of guarantee. The team will need to cut three additional players from a group that includes DeAndre Liggins, Daniel Orton, Andy Rautins, and Hollis Thompson, each of whom has at least a small guarantee on his contract.
NBA GMs Weigh In On 2012/13 Season
The results are in on NBA.com's annual survey of the league's general managers, with all 30 NBA GMs weighing in on dozens of questions about the 2012/13 season and the 2012 offseason. We won't round up all of their answers here, so feel free to check out the full results at NBA.com, but here are a few of the more notable responses:
- 70% of respondents believe the Heat will repeat as NBA champs, while 96.7% think Miami will win the Eastern Conference. Since GMs aren't allowed to vote for their own teams, that means the rest of the league's 29 GMs picked the Heat to come out of the East.
- The Lakers are the favorites to come out of the West, earning 60% of the votes. The Thunder (36.7%) and Nuggets (3.3%) were the only other teams mentioned.
- LeBron James is the player most GMs would start a franchise with, earning 80% of the votes.
- 86.2% of GMs believe the Lakers made the best offseason moves, with Dwight Howard (70%) and Steve Nash (20%) earning the most votes for the summer addition who will make the biggest impact. Los Angeles' sign-and-trade for Nash was also voted the summer's most surprising move.
- Besides the Lakers, the other teams receiving votes for the best offseason roster moves were the Nets, Hawks, and Warriors.
- The Nets (62.1%) ran away with the votes on which team will be most improved, while Andre Iguodala (16.7%) topped the choices for most underrated acquisition — the Celtics' duo of Jason Terry and Courtney Lee also received support in that category.
- Anthony Davis (76.7%) and Gregg Popovich (80%) were the runaway picks for rookie of the year and the NBA's best coach, respectively.
Western Rumors: Harden, Curry, Spurs, Crawford
We heard last night from Marc Stein of ESPN.com that James Harden's looming restricted free agency could become a distraction for the Thunder, and in that piece he says sources have maintained for weeks that the Rockets, Mavericks and Suns are all prepared to offer Harden a maximum-salary deal should he eschew an extension this month. Other reports have linked those teams to Harden recently, but it underscores the stakes of the situation, as the deadline for an extension is now less than two weeks away. We have news on another Western star up for an extension and notes from around the conference this afternoon.
- Stephen Curry told Fox Sports Radio he wanted to go back in Friday's preseason game after injuring his ankle, but Warriors coach Mark Jackson insisted he remain on the bench, asCSNNW.com documents. Curry said he'll be back by the opener, but if he doesn't play in either of the team's two remaining exhibitions, it remains to be seen whether it affects his negotiations for an extension.
- The Spurs have their fingerprints all over the revamped Magic, as John Denton of Magic.com details. "One of the things that the Spurs do really well is build synergy within their basketball operations department, opening up steady and transparent communication lines," Magic GM Rob Hennigan said. "They teach you to be humble and to not be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. You could trust that everyone there was one the same page working toward a common goal."
- Jamal Crawford joined the Clippers on a four-year, $21.35MM deal this summer, and believes the team is a title contender, as Alex Kennedy writes on Sulia. "This would have to be the most talented team I’ve played on," the 12-year veteran said. "That’s no disrespect to any team I’ve played on in the past, but we’re 10 deep, and we may even be deeper than that if our young kids get an opportunity and continue to develop. This is the deepest team I’ve been on, by far. These are guys who aren’t worried about anything but winning. That’s all it’s about."
- Two former Timberwolves are looking for a fresh start with the Suns, as Derek Page of HoopsWorld examines Michael Beasley and Wesley Johnson.
Odds & Ends: Harden, Fields, Mack, Harris
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Friday evening:
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that James Harden's contract situation is in danger of becoming a distraction at Thunder training camp.
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com catches up with former Knick Landry Fields, who is excited for a fresh start in Toronto. Fields signed a three-year, $20MM contract with the Raptors this summer.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.com has a feature on Shelvin Mack, who is fighting for backup point guard minutes in Wizards training camp.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talks to Bucks forward Tobias Harris, who is hoping to land a starting job this season.
Northwest Links: Jazz, Thunder, Harden, Karl
In a lengthy insider piece at ESPN.com, Chad Ford explains why the Jazz placed fourth in ESPN's recent Future Power Rankings, a position that surprised even team GM Dennis Lindsey. "We are a long way from No. 4 right now," Lindsey said. "I can understand on the future ratings why there's reason to be optimistic — with the cap flexibility Kevin has created and the young players that we do have — but cap room doesn't win you games. Young players, almost by definition, don't win you games."
Regardless of whether ESPN's optimistic ranking is justified, Jazz fans certainly have reason to be excited about the future of the team. In fact, most of the teams in the Northwest have solid young cores. Let's take a look at some other links from the division:
- Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman gives us his two cents on the Thunder's 15th roster spot, saying that DeAndre Liggins has been the surprise of training camp and has the inside track on the final job. Marberry says Liggins' toughness has made him stand out.
- Blazers general manager Neil Olshey says that will not make a decision on whether he will the exercise options on Luke Babbitt, Nolan Smith and Elliot Williams until much closer to the October 31 deadline, tweets Chris Haynes of CSN Northwest.
- Scott Brooks says that whoever plays the best will secure the Thunder's 15th roster spot, writes Royce Young of DailyThunder.com. It sounds like Brooks is comfortable enough with his top 14 to take the "best available" player that is left over. Young handicaps the potential candidates, from most to least likely: Daniel Orton, DeAndre Liggins, Andy Rautins, Hollis Thompson and longshot Walker Russell.
- Janni Carlson of the Oklahoman opines that while signing James Harden will certainly help the Thunder now, it may hinder the team's long-term future. If the Thunder choose to sign Harden and pay the luxury tax, Carlson says, they may get burned in the same fashion as other small markets have in Minnesota, Cleveland and Sacramento.
- In a lengthy feature, Candace Buckner of the Columbian highlights the relationship between George Karl and Portland head coach Terry Stotts, and how that long friendship landed Coby Karl in training camp with the Blazers.
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.