Atlantic Notes: Copeland, Bynum, DiLeo, Celtics
It's easy to get carried away with preseason numbers, but Chris Copeland's 21 points in 19 minutes for the Knicks last night might have been enough to earn the training camp invitee a spot on the regular season roster, Mark Berman of the New York Post thinks (Sulia link). Mychel Thompson still has a shot to beat Copeland out, Berman believes, but John Shurna lacks strength and is a longshot to avoid getting cut. As we continue to size up just who will be around on opening night, here's the latest from the Atlantic Division.
- Even without Andrew Bynum, out with a bone bruise on his right knee, the Sixers are a better team this year than last, argues Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.
- John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes the shortcomings of Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who makes heavy use of analytics, demonstrate why the Sixers were smart to go with Tony DiLeo as GM instead of a numbers guy.
- Celtics basketball operations president Danny Ainge has made it clear to coach Doc Rivers that he wants to see significant minutes from the team's rookies this season, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes.
- The Celtics are in the midst of three games in four days, and Rivers said the team may begin to pare down its 18-man roster once this busy stretch is done, Bulpett notes.
Atlantic Notes: K-Mart, Knicks, Celtics, DiLeo
Among the NBA free agents still looking for work, Kenyon Martin arguably has one of the strongest career resumés. Given his past production, the former first overall pick has "remained steadfast" in not wanting to sign for the veteran's minimum, according to Alan Hahn of MSG Network (Sulia link). A few teams, including the Knicks and Celtics, have K-Mart on their radar, but New York can't offer more than the minimum, and the odds of Boston signing Martin are "slim to none," according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
Here are a few more Atlantic Division notes from Hahn, Blakely, and a handful of other NBA scribes:
- The Knicks are still considering their power forward options, says Hahn, who cites Louis Amundson, Shawne Williams, and Jordan Williams as a few possibilities. Chris Andersen has "pushed the idea" of signing with the Knicks, but that interest isn't mutual, according to Hahn.
- Within Blakely's above-linked piece, he answers plenty of Celtics-related questions that he received from Twitter followers.
- The Celtics haven't ruled out adding another veteran before training camp, but it would almost definitely have to be for the minimum salary, says Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com spoke to Chris Copeland, who is on a non-guaranteed contract with the Knicks, about what he's learned from the team's veteran players during pre-camp workouts.
- The 76ers should give Tony DiLeo the opportunity to take over for Rod Thorn as the club's general manager, opines Neil Hartman of CSNPhilly.com.
Knicks Sign Chris Copeland
The Knicks have officially signed Chris Copeland, the team announced today. Formerly of the University of Colorado, Copeland receives a non-guaranteed deal from the Knicks and will be invited to training camp, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday. HoopsHype first reported that the two sides had reached an agreement.
Copeland, a 6'8" forward, has spent the last several years overseas, including this past season playing in Belgium, where he averaged 21.8 points per game.