International Notes: Ayon, D-League, China, Turkey
With three more NBA training camp invitees out of a job within the last 24 hours, we may soon be hearing about some familiar names winding up overseas. With the 2012/13 season under way in many leagues around the world, here's what's going on internationally.
- Emilio Duran, the agent for Magic center Gustavo Ayon, says FC Barcelona has acquired his client's Spanish league rights from Baloncesto Fuenlabrada, as had been rumored earlier this month, reports Rene Tovar of ESPNDeportes.com (translation via HoopsHype). The move only applies if and when Ayon decides to play outside of the NBA, and Duran said Ayon, whose NBA deal is guaranteed through the end of 2012/13, is content to remain stateside.
- The lure of more money from a team overseas was unusually attractive for D-League players last year because of the lockout, writes Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside.
- China and Turkey are becoming more attractive destinations as leagues in Italy, Spain and Greece struggle amid financial crisis in those countries, as Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype reports. The caliber of player who could once get $250K annually in the Spanish league is now drawing only $80K to $100K, agent Mark Bartelstein said. "There are no safe places in Europe anymore," according to agent Bill Neff. "FIBA may help but in many, if not most places in Europe, you now spend your time chasing your player's money instead of managing his career."
Odds & Ends: Magic, Bucks, 2013 Draft, D-League
After rounding up a few stories out of the west this morning, let's turn our attention this afternoon to the Eastern Conference and to a pair of drafts….
- Competition for playing time and roster spots is still wide open, according to Magic coach Jacque Vaughn. "I am completely honest when I say I have not filled out my top 10, top nine, top 12 guys on the team yet," Vaughn told the media, including Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, after last night's game. "And guys should take advantage of that, and tonight was a night that guys should’ve taken advantage of that opportunity."
- Coach Scott Skiles says the Bucks talked "many times" about how trading Andrew Bogut would impact their interior defense, and made it a priority this offseason to add size and length. Truman Reed of NBA.com has the details.
- In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Chad Ford ranks the top prospects out of the Big East for next year's NBA draft. Meanwhile, Ford's No. 1 2013 prospect, Nerlens Noel, has been cleared by the NCAA to practice and play for the Kentucky Wildcats, according to a USA Today report.
- Speaking of drafts, the NBA D-League's 2012 draft will take place on the evening of November 2nd, according to the league's official Twitter account.
- The Cavs won't necessarily keep both Jeremy Pargo and Donald Sloan on their regular-season roster, but neither player has really pulled away as the favorite to earn a roster spot, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Eastern Notes: Blatche, Magic, Heat, Green
We rounded up a few items out of the Western Conference earlier this morning, so let's head east and check in on the Nets, Magic, Heat, and a few other teams in the Eastern Conference….
- So far in Brooklyn, Andray Blatche is enjoying being under less pressure than he was with the Wizards, as he tells Zach Braziller of the New York Post. "I have a new beginning, not as much stuff hanging over my head," Blatche said. "I can go out and play, I don’t have to think. It’s just fun."
- Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com looks into the Magic's $17.8MM trade exception, pointing out that the team could use it to take on a bad contract (along with draft picks) or to land a free agent in a sign-and-trade deal next summer.
- While Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel acknowledges that there may be better candidates for a roster spot than James Jones, he finds it unlikely the Heat will keep Rodney Carney or another player over Jones, given the financial implications. In a separate piece for the Sun-Sentinel, Winderman notes that comments by coach Erik Spoelstra suggest there are two roster spots up for grabs in Miami.
- Gerald Green, who signed a three-year deal with the Pacers this summer, appreciates the opportunity he has to play in the "best league in the world" again after a few years away from the NBA. Conrad Brunner has the story and quotes from Green at ESPN 1070 The Fan.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com poses the question of who the Knicks' 15th man should be.
Camp Rumors: Christmas, Wilkins, Brown, Harper
Much of the news this time of year has to do with players fighting for roster spots, and we've already passed along a few such items today. The Timberwolves and Cavaliers have also made cuts, indicating that time is running out for NBA hopefuls to make an impression. Here's a roundup on camp invitees across the league.
- Dionte Christmas hasn't seen much playing time in the preseason, but he's still the frontrunner to make the opening-night roster among the five Celtics without fully guaranteed deals, according to Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com. At $237K, Christmas has the most partially guaranteed money of the team's camp invitees.
- Damien Wilkins is the most likely camp invitee to make the Sixers, writes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Derrick Brown had a "handful" of other training camp invitations, but chose the Spurs even though they only have one roster spot available because of his affinity for the way the organization is run, reports Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
- In the same piece, McDonald also passed along a comment from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who indicated the battle for the final roster spot is a tight one.
- Justin Harper has a guaranteed deal with the Magic, but it's only for the minimum salary and, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel notes, he's competing for a roster spot.
- If 6'6" swingman Tony Mitchell beats out three other camp invitees for the last spot on the Kings, it will be because of his defense, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
- Among several observations from the Heat's preseason loss to the Clippers in China, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel wonders if Rodney Carney might have been better served signing with a team that wasn't so deep on the wing.
- Robert Sacre has proven competent as he's started in place of Dwight Howard during the preseason, and Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com argues the Lakers are better off going with younger, cheaper talent for the end of the bench instead of pursuing another veteran.
Odds & Ends: Beasley, Suns, Magic, Nailon
Earlier this week, Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby told Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports that he never would have predicted trading Steve Nash early in the 2011/12 season. Of course, the time came where it made sense for the Suns to agree to a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers for the veteran point guard, and Babby noted that owner Robert Sarver was really good about making a deal that may hurt the team's revenue in the short-term but should prove to be a smart basketball move in the long run. Here's more out of Phoenix and other items from around the Association..
- Michael Beasley averaged 13.4 shots per game despite only playing 27.9 minutes per contest, but the Suns are actually encouraging their new forward to shoot the ball more, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Beasley has never been big on three-point attempts, but he did shoot 37.6% from downtown last year and the Suns are encouraging him to let it fly more often.
- The Magic have undergone a major renovation and it extends well beyond the hardwood, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The organization's basketball operations department has grown from 26 employees under former GM Otis Smith to 33 employees this season under Rob Hennigan.
- Former NBA forward Lee Nailon has signed a contract with the Goyang Orions of South Korea, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter). Nailon spent eight years in the Association, seeing time with the Sixers, Bobcats, Knicks, Magic, Hornets, and Cavs.
- The Mavs fully own and operate their D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, and with new coach Eduardo Najera, they're trying to build a successful organizational culture from top to bottom, as Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside writes.
Eastern Rumors: Harris, Novak, Valanciunas
Either the Celtics or a team with LeBron James or Dwyane Wade on the roster has won the Eastern Conference title every year since 2006, with the exception of 2009, when Dwight Howard and the Magic broke through. With D12 in L.A., it seems the path is clear for the Celtics and Heat to once again battle for Eastern supremacy, though there's a lot that could happen between now and June. Until then, here's the latest from around the East.
- Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald figures guard Terrel Harris' endorsement deal with Peak, a shoe company with promotional ties to the Heat, means he's a safe bet to make the opening-night roster. Harris has no guarantee on his minimum-salary deal.
- Steve Novak, a Wisconsin native who went to Marquette, explained his choice of the Knicks over the Bucks in free agency to the New York Post's Marc Berman. "We talked several times when I’ve been a free agent. I never know for sure at what level," Novak said of the Bucks. "But no, I wanted to be back. If I could choose Milwaukee or New York, hands down, New York. It’s the truth."
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star disagrees with a scout who thought Raptors rookie Jonas Valanciunas looked "soft" and "scared" in a preseason game this week.
- Nets guard Joe Johnson says he's eager to share the ball with Deron Williams and get away from the "iso-Joe" style of play that placed the offensive load on his shoulders when he was with the Hawks, writes Howard Beck of The New York Times.
- John Denton of Magic.com delves into Nikola Vucevic's rich basketball bloodlines, a pedigree that Magic coach Jacque Vaughn believes will serve him well as he attempts the Herculean task of replacing Howard at center.
Southeast Links: Sessions, Hawks, Vaughn, Magic
There are seven preseason games around the NBA tonight, and not one of them involves a team from the Southeast Division. But that doesn't mean their aren't links coming surrounding the division that houses the current NBA champs. Let's keep track of them here:
- Ramon Sessions talked with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo!, explaining why he decided to opt out of his contract with the Lakers to sign a 2-year deal with the Bobcats. Sessions, who has bounced between teams throughout his career, was concerned that the Lakers may move him and was looking for some destination certainty, which he found in Charlotte.
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that should the Hawks stick to the 15 player roster limit, the last two spots will come down to James Anderson, Damion James and Anthony Tolliver. Point guard Carldell Johnson is still with the club, but will almost definitely miss the cut. Vivlamore adds that it is no guarantee the Hawks keep a roster of 15, but they need to get down to at least that by October 29.
- New Magic coach Jacque Vaughn says that, despite the loss of Dwight Howard, he intends to instill his own defensive philosophy this year which revolves around protecting the paint, says Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins is skeptical is they have the personnel to do it, but Vaughn says, “The way we’re playing defensively is definitely geared toward the personnel that we have right now, for sure. It is a team defense based around five guys being in the right position at the right time."
- Brian Schmitz of the Sentinel writes that the Magic have essentially had a superstar in 19 of 20 years of the franchise's existence if you don't count the first three. Without Howard, Schmitz opines that the team's history tells us that it is only a matter of time before they find the next one. The question is, how long can they keep him once he arrives, whoever he is.
Pacific Rumors: Nash, Duhon, Johnson-Odom
Eric Pincus is one of many NBA writers changing affiliations as the season approaches, heading from HoopsWorld to the Los Angeles Times, where he'll cover the Lakers. He gets a head start on his new gig in today's piece for HoopsWorld, as he wonders whether the team's improvements to its bench will be enough this season. He's got more on the Lakers, and we'll pass along that and other updates out of the Pacific Division.
- New Suns point guard Goran Dragic was "shocked" by the sign-and-trade deal that put Steve Nash in a Lakers uniform, as Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes. It's a move that would have taken Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby by surprise at the beginning of the summer, as well. "My first reaction was I can't do that," the Suns executive said. "As time went on, (Suns owner) Robert Sarver was really good and said, 'We have to make a basketball decision that's best for our franchise.' "
- Nash believes the Suns will be all right without him, as Spears writes in the same piece. "They can be a surprise team this year," Nash said. "They brought in a lot of guys who can play. They brought in some young guys and put themselves in a position to build. I think they did a great job."
- Chris Duhon isn't represented by Dan Fegan, but like former Magic teammate Jason Richardson, he wasn't surprised Orlando included him in the Dwight Howard blockbuster, Pincus reports. “I kind of anticipated being traded and it’s fortunate that I was able land in a nice spot here in L.A," Duhon said. "I’m just going to try to make the most of this opportunity."
- Pincus also sizes up the chances 6'2" guard Darius Johnson-Odom, the 55th pick this past June who's in Lakers camp on a non-guaranteed deal, has of making the regular season roster. With Devin Ebanks and Jodie Meeks penciled in as the backup two guards, and four point guards on the roster, Johnson-Odom faces long odds, Pincus opines.
- Dwight Howard says it wasn't just his back that was affected by the herniated disk that required season-ending surgery last year, as Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times tweets. "It affected my nerves to the point where my whole left leg just went dead," Howard said.
- ESPNLosAngeles.com scribe Arash Markazi sizes up the impact new shooting coach Bob Thate could have on the Clippers.
Richardson Expected Trade From Magic
Jason Richardson has cut ties with agent Dan Fegan, but he says he fully expected the Magic to trade him over the summer when he was still represented by the man who also serves as the agent for Dwight Howard, reports John Denton of Magic.com (Twitter link). The Magic sent Richardson to the Sixers as part of Howard's trade to the Lakers this summer.
"Anybody associated with Dan Fegan was going to get traded," Richardson told reporters, including Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
The Magic franchise was seemingly on hold last season as Howard waffled on whether he wanted to remain in Orlando. He wound up waiving the early termination option on his contract for 2012/13 right before the trade deadline this past March, but regretted the move. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported on the eve of the deadline that the Magic were "incensed" with Fegan, believing he was trying to convince the star center to leave. Fegan also leaked information from a meeting Magic executives held with Howard in July, a couple weeks before the blockbuster trade that sent Howard and Richardson out of Orlando.
Richardson said he wished he could have done more during his time in Orlando, Schmitz tweets. The Magic acquired him from the Suns in December of 2010, and his numbers took an immediate hit. He averaged 11.6 points and 3.6 rebounds with a 13.3 PER last year, all of which were career lows. His numbers of 13.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 13.2 PER in a partial season with Orlando in 2010/11 weren't much better.
Fegan recently made a move of his own, leaving Lagardère Unlimited to join Happy Walters at the newly created Relativity Sports agency. Walters represents Earl Clark, another of the players involved in the Howard trade. The other player the Magic unloaded in that deal, Chris Duhon, is represented by Kevin Bradbury and Bill Duffy. Al Harrington, whom the Magic got from Denver in the deal, is believed to be the only Fegan client on the Magic roster, according to RealGM.com.
Odds & Ends: Van Gundy, Magic, Valanciunas
Former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy is upset that ESPN is denying that they had an agreement for him to join the network's broadcasting team this year, he told Dan LeBatard on 790 The Ticket radio in Miami, as Jason McIntyre of Big Lead Sports observes. Van Gundy claims ESPN pulled the offer, and sources told McIntyre that the network did so at the behest of commissioner David Stern, with whom Van Gundy has feuded in the past. Van Gundy's shadow, not to mention Dwight Howard's, still looms over Orlando, and there's more on the Magic and news from around the league on a six-game preseason night.
- The relationship between new coach Jacque Vaughn and Jameer Nelson, who had wanted Van Gundy to remain, will be critical for the Magic this season, opines Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- A scout watching Raptors rookie big man Jonas Valanciunas described him as "soft" and "scared" to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
- Either Iman Shumpert, when he returns from injury, or Ronnie Brewer will start at shooting guard for the Knicks this season, according to Newsday's Al Iannazzone (Sulia link).
- Suns executive Lon Babby assembled a team full of guys with much to prove, writes Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic (via USAToday.com).
- Though he was taken 27th overall, Sixers rookie Arnett Moultrie would do well to emulate the rookie season of Lavoy Allen, the 50th pick in 2011, as he tries to crack a well-stocked frontcourt in Philadelphia, writes John Finger of CSNPhilly.com.