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Eastern Notes: Ariza, Rondo, Wizards

May 16th, 2014 at 7:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Trevor Ariza is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the Wizards have a good chance to re-sign the forward, notes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Ariza said, “My family is definitely the most important thing to me before basketball, everything. That plays a big factor into a log of things. But when you build something with people that’s hard to let go, too. What we built in this locker room this season, this is a beautiful thing to me. I really enjoyed playing with those guys. I love those dudes like they’re my brothers.” Ariza averaged 14.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG and shot a career-high 40.7% from three-point range this season.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Oden, Cole, Wizards

October 15th, 2013 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have 19 players under contract, but only 12 fully guaranteed deals on their books, meaning there could be a couple regular-season roster spots up for grabs in Orlando. And as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel notes, camp invitees Solomon Jones and Mickell Gladness took advantage of their audition on Monday against the Mavericks — Jones scored 11 points and grabbed eight boards, while Gladness blocked six shots in just 16 minutes of action.

As Jones and Gladness continue to compete for NBA jobs, let’s check out a few other items from around the Southeast Division….

One of the reasons Greg Oden chose to sign with the Heat over a host of other NBA suitors was because Miami doesn’t have any motivation to rush him onto the court, so a fast start for the Heat this season will help keep the team from hastening his return, writes Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report.
In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel suggests Norris Cole‘s performance in 2013/14 could significantly affect the Heat‘s decisions at the point guard position. Cole is the only Miami player on a guaranteed contract beyond this season, while Mario Chalmers will hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
With a new five-year max extension under his belt, John Wall talks to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report about his increasing expectations for the Wizards‘ coming season and for the long term in Washington.
Michael Lee of the Washington Post takes a look at Pops Mensah-Bonsu‘s uphill battle to regain a spot on an NBA roster. Mensah-Bonsu is currently in camp with the Wizards.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Wizards, Hawks

September 26th, 2013 at 10:45pm CST by Ryan Raroque

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune discusses the health of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, Luol Deng's uncertain long-term future with the franchise, how Mike Dunleavy Jr. will look to mesh with the roster, and how Jimmy Butler will handle a move to starting shooting guard as five things to look at for the Bulls going into fall. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago (via Twitter) says that Chicago's official training camp roster is expected to be released tomorrow but doesn't expect Malcolm Thomas or Chris Wright to be on the list.
Michael Lee of CSN Washington wonders if John Wall is ready to lead the Wizards to the playoffs, who will step up in the absence of Emeka Okafor, if Bradley Beal is primed for a breakout season, what to expect from Otto Porter, and the health of Nene as the team's top storylines heading into training camp.
Hawks GM Danny Ferry wouldn't set a timeline for the return of Louis Williams (who is still recovering from reconstructive knee surgery), though he did say that the eighth-year guard has been playing one-on-one games and has had no restrictions in doing so. Ferry also appeared encouraged about what Dennis Schröder can contribute to the team now as a promising prospect and said that Lucas Nogueira and Mike Muscala still need to continue their development overseas (USA Today via the Associated Press).
As Tom Layman of the Boston Herald points out, Celtics coach Brad Stevens will look toward Avery Bradley to be the team's floor general while they wait for the return of Rajon Rondo. In another piece, a handful of college coaches had positive comments for Stevens regarding how they believe he'll be able to transition to the NBA game (NBA.com via the Associated Press).
With Steve Mills in place as the Knicks' newest GM, Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld thinks that it will be important for Mills to start forming a strong relationship with Carmelo Anthony now, especially with the possibility that he could become a free agent this upcoming summer.
Since arriving in New York City, Anthony has been able to build his brand and explore plenty of business opportunities, writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. From the sound of it, Zwerling doesn't think that Anthony will be leaving New York anytime soon, even with an opt-out clause at the end of the season.
Ian Begley of ESPN New York examines the orange and blue's current situation at small forward.
With the rest of the NBA's power elite growing tired of the Heat's dominance, Sam Amick of USA Today delves into why the 2013/14 season could be Miami's toughest campaign for a title yet. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that the Bulls are especially eager to put a halt to the Heat's reign as the NBA's top dog.

Poll: Which Player Deserves Max Extension More?

September 21st, 2013 at 2:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

We presented Hoops Rumors readers yesterday with a variety of values for a contract extension between the Pacers and Paul George, and asked which was the most likely result. More voters chose the five-year maximum-salary option than any other scenario. Such a deal would put him on par with John Wall, who maxed out with the Wizards in July.

George had a breakout season last year and led the Pacers to within a game of the NBA Finals. Wall has never made the playoffs and only played 49 games last season after injury delayed his start, but he finished strong and clearly won over Wizards ownership. Their basic statistics are rather similar. George averaged 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season, while Wall put up 18.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 7.6 APG. George had the greater defensive impact for his team in terms of points allowed per 100 possessions, while Wall's 20.8 PER displays significantly more efficiency than George 16.8 PER.

Wall's already got his five-year max deal, and George is perhaps soon to follow. Regardless of how much George winds up with, do you think he's more deserving of the max than Wall is? Let us know with a vote, and share more on the subject in the comments.

Wizards Owner Discusses Wall’s Max Extension

August 1st, 2013 at 10:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

Perhaps most surprising about John Wall's maximum-salary extension with the Wizards is the timing of the deal. The team could have waited to re-sign him in restricted free agency next summer. GM Ernie Grunfeld and company could also have saved negotiations for later this offseason, since most rookie-scale extensions aren't signed until the October 31st deadline approaches.

Instead, as soon as the team was eligible to make an offer, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis hopped on a plane to Los Angeles, where Wall makes his offseason home, to begin talks. Leonsis spoke to the media today about the deal, and J. Michael of CSNWashington.com rounds up several of his remarks. We'll pass along a few here:

On what Wall has proven in his career:

"John and I talked about what we had to do the day we drafted him. It was going to be very painful. Rebuilds are hard. We've had 100% turnover of our team. We owe a lot to our fans for the patience that they've shown and also to the players because it was going to be messy. We're through that point now. I felt that John earned this because of what he'd been through and his level of commitment. Ernie and the staff crunched a lot of numbers. There's a lot of analytics that go into it to show where John ranks and what his upside his. … I thought he was our foundational player and that he deserved to be a max player."

On the challenge of rebuilding and what the deal means for the franchise:

"We’re very, very fortunate that John embraced that challenge early on. Also frankly, (agent) Dan Fegan believed in that was well. John would be a very highly sought-after player around the league. He has probably the most upside of all of the point guards that are out there. To be able to secure his services for five years plus the year that he’s playing this year (for $7,459,925) really gives the fan base, the team, the coaching staff the wherewithal to know that we’ll have stability and we’ll continue to build systematically around what John’s gifts and skills are."

On the benefits of locking up Wall so early:

"By doing this, it should send a message to John and the team that we're about team results, not about individual stats. Everyone has their contract, everyone is taken care of. There is nothing to worry about. There are no distractions. I also made a commitment to having a drama free off-season. I think this organization has had enough drama."

Eastern Notes: Wall, Monroe, Sixers, Humphries

August 1st, 2013 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Thursday items from around the Eastern Conference….

John Wall's five-year extension with the Wizards is fully guaranteed, with no player or team options involved, tweets J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Wall spoke to Monumental Sports Network about his new deal, and the additional pressure it will put on him over the next few years.
According to Grantland's Zach Lowe, the Pistons don't seem overly enthusiastic about signing Greg Monroe to a maximum-salary extension. If the team "falls in love" with a frontline of Josh Smith and Andre Drummond, Monroe could be dangled at some point, Lowe suggests.
Monroe, Paul George, and Larry Sanders are among the Eastern players who could follow in Wall's footsteps and sign lucrative long-term extensions this offseason, as Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld writes.
Spurs assistant Brett Brown continues to be a frontrunner for the Sixers' head coaching job, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). A report last month indicated Philadelphia would likely choose between Michael Curry and Brown, who Pompey calls "the preferred candidate."
The Knicks would be interested in Kris Humphries if he's bought out by the Celtics, but that appears unlikely at this point, says Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
The Hawks have yet to make a final decision on where Lucas Nogueira will play next season, but it still looks as if he'll return to Spain, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Brett Koremenos of Grantland speculates that if Gigi Datome has success with the Pistons, it could inspire other NBA teams to look more closely to Europe for inexpensive outside shooters.

Odds & Ends: Wall, James, OKC, Haddadi

July 31st, 2013 at 9:05pm CST by Alex Lee

With John Wall's long-awaited max contract finally on the books for the Wizards, NBA writers around the league have already begun to weigh in. Sean Highkin of USA Today writes that Wall is definitely worth the risk for the Wiz, while J. Michael of CSN Washington crunches the numbers to show why the team values Wall like they do. There is sure to be more where that came from. Until then, let's take a look at what else is going on in the Association on Wednesday night:

Free agent point guard Mike James, who spent last season with the Mavericks, will not retire at age 38 and is determined to play his 12th NBA season next year, tweets Chris Haynes of CSN Northwest. James emerged as a viable backup, starting 23 of the 45 games he appeared in last season for Dallas and averaging 6.1 points and 3.1 assists per contest.
The Thunder have named Robert Pack and Mike Terpstra as assistant coaches, the team announced today in a press release. Pack spent the past three years on the Clippers staff after a year in New Orleans. This will be Terpstra's NBA coaching debut, but he has experience working in the D-League. “We’re excited to add Robert and Mike to our coaching staff for the upcoming season,” said head coach Scott Brooks in the release. “These additions bring diverse backgrounds to our group that will help the further development of our players.”
The Knicks have shown interest in center Hamed Haddadi, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday, adding that nothing is imminent. Only able to offer minimum salary contracts, we heard today the Knicks were hoping to land Beno Udrih and yesterday that they had some interest in Delonte West. Haddadi finished last season in Phoenix after more than four years with the Grizzlies.
Alan Anderson, who signed with the Nets yesterday, says he took less money to join a winner, writes Iannazzone. At 30 years old, it sounds like the veteran guard was more concerned with contention than playing time and therefore agreed to a contract in Brooklyn for the league minimum. He was a double-digit scorer in Toronto last season for the first time in his career, but the Raptors missed the playoffs. In his four NBA seasons, Anderson has yet to see the postseason.

Wizards Sign John Wall To Five-Year Extension

July 31st, 2013 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

4:03pm: The Wizards have officially signed Wall to an extension, the team announced in a press release. According to Lee (via Twitter), a press conference is planned for tomorrow.

"[Wall] is the cornerstone of our team, and we have clearly expressed our desire to build around him well before making it official by re-signing him today," owner Ted Leonsis said in a statement. "We are extremely confident in his leadership abilities and are excited to see the continued improvement of the team."

3:04pm: The Wizards and John Wall have officially reached agreement on a five-year maximum contract extension, reports Michael Lee of the Washington Post (via Twitter). The deal is expected to worth in the neighborhood of $80MM.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported last week that the Wizards and Wall were closing in on an agreement for a max extension, while other reporters, including Lee, added that the deal would likely be finalized this week. ESPN.com's Marc Stein noted yesterday that the Wizards hoped to hold a press conference on August 1st, and that timetable still appears to be on track, with J. Michael of CSNWashington.com tweeting that the team will make the official announcement tomorrow.

Agreeing to a five-year contract, rather than a four-year pact, will make Wall the Wizards' designated player, meaning the team can't sign any of their current players, such as Bradley Beal or Otto Porter, to a five-year extension when their rookie contracts expire. It will also make Wall the only NBA player under team control through 2019. The exact amount the Dan Fegan client will earn won't be known until next summer, but James Harden's similar max deal is worth about $78.78MM. So assuming the maximum salary increases a little again next July, $80MM is a reasonable estimate for Wall.

Wall, 2010's first overall pick, hasn't yet developed into the superstar many were expecting, but had his best run as a pro during the second half of 2012/13. In his final 26 games of the season, the 22-year-old averaged 22.7 PPG, 7.8 APG, and 4.8 RPG to go along with shooting percentages of .465/.344/.796. While the deal certainly isn't without risk, it's a risk the Wizards believe they have to take, as Lee wrote earlier today.

With Emeka Okafor's and Trevor Ariza's contracts set to expire next summer, the team will still maintain some cap flexibility even as Wall's new deal takes effect. If Wall earns a salary in the ballpark of $14MM in the first year of his extension, the Wizards should still only have a little over $50MM on their books for 2014/15.

Although Wall is set to become the first player from the 2010 draft class to ink a long-term extension, there are still plenty of eligible candidates. DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, Eric Bledsoe, Derrick Favors, and Larry Sanders are among the other players expected to engage in extension talks this offseason, if they haven't already.

John Wall Close To Max Contract Extension

July 30th, 2013 at 11:44am CST by Michael Pina

JULY 30TH, 11:44am: Wall's max extension remains on track to be completed by the end of this week, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Stein tweets that the team originally targeted a date of August 1st for a press conference, but it's not clear if that's still the goal.

JULY 25TH, 12:25pm: The Wizards and Wall aren't expected to finalize an agreement until at least next week, says Michael Lee of the Washington Post.

JULY 24TH, 9:47pm: John Wall and the Wizards are closing in on a five-year, $80MM maximum contract extension, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal will make Wall Washington's designated franchise player, which allows a fifth year on the deal, as opposed to four.

The deadline on such an extension is October 31st, but the Wizards and Wall appear to be closing in much earlier than that. Wall is 22 years old and is entering his fourth season next year. The former number one overall pick has yet to lead his team to the playoffs, and is coming off an injury shortened campaign last year.

Eastern Notes: Wall, Cartier Martin, Antic

July 25th, 2013 at 7:47pm CST by Ryan Raroque

SB Nation's Tom Ziller isn't totally convinced that the Wizards need to offer a maximum contract to John Wall this summer, pointing out that at worst, he'd be no more expensive to retain as a restricted free agent one year from now. He mentions Stephen Curry and Jrue Holiday as perfect examples where their respective teams were able to get good discounts by negotiating early extensions, but in Washington's case, offering a max extension now would eliminate potential negotiating leverage next summer in the event that Wall has a subpar season in 2013-14. Though Ziller understands why Wall deserves a maximum contract now, he argues that there'd be little risk and tangible potential benefit in waiting until next year to offer that type of deal.

Here are a few more news and notes out of the Eastern Conference:

In addition to their interest in free agent center Greg Oden, the Heat are also keeping their eye on Mo Williams, says Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld.
Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along a report that Cartier Martin is close to a deal with Olympiacos (hat tip to Eurohoops). The 28-year-old swingman spent last season with the Wizards.
Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that new Hawks addition Pero Antic had previously passed up an offer to join the Magic in 2008.
After bringing back Kenyon Martin, the Knicks are still in the market for one more point guard and possibly another big man, notes Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
Josh Newman of SNYNets.com reports that Brooklyn forward Tornike Shengelia will have surgery next Wednesday to repair a damaged meniscus in his left knee and will most likely miss the FIBA Eurobasket Games in September at the very least.
With the departure of Mike Miller, Heat reserve James Jones is looking for an opportunity at an expanded role next season (NBA.com via the Associated Press).