Odds & Ends: Stern, Michael Curry, Zarren
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) hears that David Stern was an active participant in yesterday's vote over Sacramento/Seattle at the Board of Governors meeting. It's worth noting that despite an offer north of $625MM as well as the $115MM relocation fee that would have been included by the Seattle group, Stern was able to sway the vote in Sacramento's direction, even though it appeared that more owners were in favor of Seattle's offer (All Twitter links). Here are a few more miscellaneous tidbits from around the Association tonight:
- Ken Berger of CBS Sports tweets that the 76ers are expected to interview lead assistant coach Michael Curry for their head coaching job next week.
- Steve Bulpett of BostonHerald.com hears that Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren turned down Philadelphia's offer to make him their general manager before the Sixers turned to Sam Hinkie.
- Although potential number one pick Nerlens Noel wouldn't be ready to start the regular season of his rookie campaign, the highly touted draft prospect is targeting a debut around Christmas, writes Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com.
- Noel's injury is just one reason why teams might not be too high in landing the number one draft slot this year, writes Lloyd. In that same piece, Lloyd cites one league executive who thinks that a team might be better off drafting whoever falls to the third or fourth pick rather than handle the risk of drafting first overall.
- Georgetown's Otto Porter spoke glowingly about being a potential fit for the Cavaliers, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer.
- Shabazz Muhammad opened up about the controversy surrounding his listed age and briefly told David Mayo of MLive.com about how he'd fare with the Pistons if they drafted him.
- Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob says that he won't have a problem finding a replacement for Vivek Ranadive's current share with Golden State once the Sacramento situation is resolved, says Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News (via Twitter).
- Jerry Stackhouse is in Chicago and plans to meet with possible draftees tomorrow to brief them on the NBPA, tweeted Hoopsworld's Steve Kyler.
Jerry Stackhouse To Retire At Season’s End?
TUESDAY, 12:57pm: Stackhouse clarified to Fred Kerber of the New York Post (Twitter link) that his plans aren't set in stone yet. While Stackhouse may end his playing career after this season, he says reports of his pending retirement are premature.
SATURDAY, 10:25am: Jerry Stackhouse is known around the league for his exceptional conditioning, which has allowed him to enjoy a long career in the NBA. However, the 38-year-old says that 2012/13 will likely be his final season, writes Chris Tomasson of FOXSportsFlorida.com. He plans to move on to the next chapter of his life, which will involve taking on a role with the player's union.
“It’s not completely sold that I don’t get the bug (to play) again,'' Stackhouse said last night. "But, really, I think this is an opportune time to kind of step to the forefront to do something with the union and try to make sure we select the right executive director.’’
For his career, Stackhouse has averaged 17 PPG for eight different teams with his most notable stints coming in Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington, and Dallas. This season, he's averaging 4.5 PPG for the Nets as a deep reserve but he had a handful of strong performances early on in the season.
Stackhouse believes his role after this season will include helping the union select an executive director and keeping players updated on the process. He'll be taking on a leadership position with the union at a time of turmoil with executive director Billy Hunter recently being ousted. After that, Stackhouse says that he would like to go the "Mark Jackson route", which would be going from broadcasting to a head coaching job in the NBA without being an assistant coach in between.
Eastern Notes: Calderon, Stackhouse, Cavs
Since Martell Webster dubbed the Wizards' third game of the season, against the Celtics, a "must-win," the team has lost ten more games and now sits at 0-12. With a home contest vs. 6-8 the Trail Blazers on tap tonight, the club has a decent opportunity to finally notch its first victory of the season. As Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes, things will only get tougher going forward, with four road games against the Knicks, Heat, Hawks, and Warriors up next.
While we wait to see if Washington can get into the win column, let's check out a few updates from around the Eastern Conference….
- Jose Calderon tells Yahoo! Deportes that his goal next summer in free agency is to sign a multiyear deal (translation via HoopsHype).
- When he signed with the Nets, Jerry Stackhouse expected his role to primarily involve coaching and mentoring, but he's made the most of the playing time he's received, writes Howie Kussoy of the New York Post.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio fielded primarily Cavaliers-related questions from fans in a chat today, including plenty of inquiries on trade possibilities involving Anderson Varejao.
- Taj Gibson tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Sulia link) that the pressure of living up to the contract extension he signed before the season isn't affecting his play at all.
Nets Notes: Howard, Stackhouse, Celtics
While the Knicks have got much of the Atlantic Division press for being the NBA's last undefeated team, their cross-town rivals are off to an impressive start of their own. The Nets will look to extend their early-season winning streak to five games tomorrow in Sacramento, but in the meantime, let's round up a few items out of Brooklyn….
- It's no secret that Brooklyn was Dwight Howard's preferred destination last year, and that the Nets attempted multiple times to acquire him from the Magic. But Howard tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post that he was nearly positive he'd be headed to Brooklyn at some point, and continued to think so "until I got traded to the Lakers." According to Kerber, there were at least two occasions where the Nets thought they had a deal for Howard done.
- When Jerry Stackhouse signed with the Nets this summer, he expected to assume a sort of player-coach role on the bench, but he's seeing more playing time than expected in Brooklyn, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. Within Bondy's piece, Stackhouse says he might take it as a sign it's time for retirement when he can no longer dunk.
- Although the Nets defeated the Celtics on Thursday night, Brooklyn views the C's culture as something worth emulating, writes Beckley Mason of the New York Times.
- Earlier today, I looked back at a busy Nets offseason that saw the team take on more than $300MM in salary commitments
Atlantic Links: Calderon, Felton, Stackhouse
After the Raptors dealt for Kyle Lowry this past summer, the questions surrounding Jose Calderon's future with Toronto were inevitable. Back in July, we even heard rumor that he had requested a trade just one day after Lowry had been acquired (which Calderon would later deny). Now, the Spanish guard finds himself starting for a team riddled with injuries, averaging 30.1 MPG, 10.7 PPG, 7.4 APG, 1.1 steals per game, and shooting 50% from long-range through the team's first eight games. Despite what the future holds for Calderon, who surprisingly is just 19 games away from becoming the franchise's all-time leader in games played, Eric Koreen of the National Post glowingly reflects on his best qualities and contributions as a member of the Raptors. With that aside, you'll find tonight's notables from the Eastern Conference here:
- After looking at how Ray Allen's transition with the Heat has fared, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld highlights how Raymond Felton has surpassed expectations thus far in his second stint with the Knicks after a disappointing, short-lived tenure with the Trail Blazers.
- Nets guard Jerry Stackhouse told ESPN New York that he was disappointed but not surprised that Rasheed Wallace wound up with the Knicks instead of Brooklyn, noting that Wallace was a big Knicks fan while the two played together in college (Jared Zwerling reports)
Odds & Ends: Lazenby, O’Bryant, Hibbert
- There is no timetable for Clippers guard/forward Grant Hill's return to action (he has been out after suffering a bone bruise in his right knee on October 14th), although an MRI on Friday revealed that his condition hadn't worsened (Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports).
- Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune mentions that Timberwolves guard Alexey Shved is starting to become more comfortable playing in the NBA: "It's so different here from Europe, it takes time…I feel pretty good. Now I'm starting to know what I can do."
- Eric Patten of NBA.com makes note of DeAndre Jordan's development and it has been an important cog in the Clippers' offense.
- Greg Stiemsma credits Al Jefferson and Kevin Garnett as two players who have helped with his development as an NBA player, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
- Although Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy was removed from the lineup tonight because of knee soreness, coach Rick Adelman says that he won't be overly concerned for now and hopes that it's just a minor setback (Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago reports).
- Former Warriors lottery-pick Patrick O'Bryant is headed abroad, as Sportando.net reports that he has been officially signed by Tiburones de Vargas of the National Basketball League of Venezuela.
Nets Sign Jerry Stackhouse
MONDAY, 2:01pm: The Nets have officially signed Stackhouse, the team announced (Twitter link). Stackhouse himself first tweeted the news: "Officially a member of The Brooklyn Nets… NYC here we come!!!"
WEDNESDAY, 9:38am: The Nets have agreed to terms on a one-year contract for Jerry Stackhouse, reports ESPN.com's Chad Ford (via Twitter). The deal will pay Stackhouse the veteran's minimum, approximately $1.35MM.
Woelfel On Knicks, Ilyasova, Stackhouse, Fesenko
Earlier this morning, we passed along a report from Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times on Beno Udrih's decision to exercise his player option this summer. Within the same column, Woelfel also shared a few other items of interest, so let's round those up:
- Woelfel is hearing that the Knicks will make a "major push" to hire Phil Jackson as their new coach if the team doesn't make it through the first round of the playoffs. However, a New York Post report suggests that interim coach Mike Woodson has become the odds-on favorite to earn the permanent position after the Knicks named Glen Grunwald their permanent GM.
- The "growing consensus" among some NBA officials is that Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova will land a multiyear contract worth about $8MM annually in free agency this summer.
- Hawks veteran Jerry Stackhouse is close to ending his playing career and pursuing a coaching position in either college or the pros. "I’m trying to transition into the next phase of my career," Stackhouse said. "I definitely want to be a head coach some day and I’m willing to pay my dues to make it happen."
- The Bucks were interested in Kyrylo Fesenko before the big man signed with the Pacers. Said Fesenko: "I had a good workout with the Bucks. I was interested (in signing with them), but they kept asking me to wait and to wait and to wait and I couldn’t wait anymore. I don’t what they were waiting for, a magic moment or what?"
Decisions On Non-Guaranteed Contracts
February 10th marks the day that all players on non-guaranteed contracts will have their deals guaranteed for the remainder of the season. However, if a team wants to meet that Friday deadline, it will need to make its decisions today, allowing its player(s) to pass through waivers in time.
Some non-guaranteed players, such as DeJuan Blair and Jeremy Lin, are in no danger of being waived. However, with a few dozen players on non-guaranteed deals across the league, there will be plenty of cuts before the day is out. Some of those players will sign 10-day contracts shortly after being cut, while others could join the D-League or find a place on our list of current unrestricted free agents.
We'll track all the day's decisions on non-guaranteed contracts right here, with the latest news up top:
- Other players who will have their contracts guaranteed for the remainder of the year: Ivan Johnson, Jannero Pargo, Jerry Stackhouse (Hawks), Cory Higgins (Bobcats), Brian Scalabrine, John Lucas (Bulls), Samardo Samuels, Alonzo Gee (Cavaliers), Sean Williams (Mavericks), Julyan Stone (Nuggets), Vernon Macklin, Damien Wilkins (Pistons), Dominic McGuire, Chris Wright (Warriors), Sundiata Gaines, Keith Bogans (Nets), Steve Novak, Jerome Jordan (Knicks), Ryan Reid (Thunder), DeAndre Liggins (Magic), Lavoy Allen, Francisco Elson (Sixers), Danny Green, Gary Neal (Spurs), Jeremy Evans (Jazz).
- The Jazz will guarantee Jamaal Tinsley's contract, according to Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter).
- The Pistons are keeping guard Walker Russell, agent Giovanni Funicello told HoopsHype (via Twitter).
- The Hornets have waived DaJuan Summers and Carldell Johnson, league sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- The Rockets waived Jeff Adrien, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The move clears a roster spot for Greg Smith.
- The Wizards have waived Hamady N'Diaye, according to a team release.
- Chris Johnson received a call from Trail Blazers GM Chad Buchanan this morning saying his contract would be guaranteed, tweets Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
- The Celtics will hang on to Greg Stiemsma and guarantee his deal, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- The Lakers have waived Derrick Caracter. Caracter broke the news himself, tweeting "It's over before it begun!!! …. On to the next chapter of my life" (Twitter links). The Lakers will hang on to Devin Ebanks, Andrew Goudelock, and Darius Morris, tweets Mike Breshnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Clippers have cut Solomon Jones, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
- The Heat have waived Mickell Gladness, the team announced (Twitter link). Miami's other two players on non-guaranteed deals, Eddy Curry and Terrel Harris, look safe, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- The Grizzlies have waived Josh Davis, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- The Spurs announced they've waived Malcolm Thomas, who was assigned to the team's D-League affiliate last week.
Zach Links contributed to this post.