Amico On Mavs, Clippers, Hornets, Bobcats
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio has posted some thoughts from the weekend's preseason action, including impressions of players that have changed teams this offseason:
- Amico was impressed with the Dallas debuts of Chris Kaman and O.J. Mayo, both of whom signed with the Mavs this summer.
- Out of the several veterans the Clippers signed this offseason, Amico says that Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes made positive first impressions, while Lamar Odom looked considerably less impressive.
- Amico writes that Hornets rookies Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers had good performances in their preseason debuts.
- Second overall pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and third overall pick Bradley Beal had strong showings in the Bobcats' victory over the Wizards, Amico writes.
- New Bobcats acquisitions Ben Gordon and Ramon Sessions also had strong performances off the bench, writes Amico.
Odds & Ends: Kidd-Gilchrist, Raptors, 2013 Draft
During a University of Kentucky charity game that he originally wasn't scheduled to compete in, Bobcats rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist appeared to show no ill effects from a knee injury that kept him sidelined during July's Summer League in Las Vegas, writes the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell.
Here's a look elsewhere around the league this Saturday evening.
- The Raptors are currently entering stage two of the rebuilding process, writes NBA.com's John Schuhmann. Even though the team's big offseason target, Steve Nash, ended up signing with the Lakers, Toronto continues to build around the strength of their talented youth.
- Hoopsworld.com and Draft Express give us their top 100 NBA prospects for the 2013 draft. UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad and Kentucky's Nerlens Noel headline the list.
- HoopsWorld.com gives us a season preview for the Trail Blazers, a team that's either rebuilding or already talented enough to compete for the eighth seed in the West. Also from HoopsWorld.com, a preview for the Bucks.
- The Jazz will enter the 2012/13 season with a new general manager and new faces on the roster, such as longtime Hawks forward Marvin Williams, writes The Salt Lake Tribune's Steve Luhm.
- Chris Smith, J.R. Smith's brother, will fight for a roster spot with the Knicks in this year's training camp, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Latest On LeBron’s Agency Change
As we passed along last night, LeBron James has decided to leave the Creative Artists Agency and join a newly-formed agency led by childhood friend Rich Paul. Eric Freeman of Yahoo! Sports' Ball Don't Lie blog rightly points out that the move won't have a huge effect on LeBron's next contract — he'll get maximum-salary offers no matter who is representing him. However, as Freeman notes, James had been CAA's most prominent NBA client, and if other players follow him away from the agency, the agency's considerable power in the Association could begin to dwindle.
A handful of reporters have added a few more details to the story, so let's round up a few notes from Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com….
- Paul's new agency will be called the Klutch Sports Group, and he is expected to take some of his clients with him to the new Cleveland-based firm. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Tristan Thompson, Eric Bledsoe, and Cory Joseph are among Paul's clients.
- LeBron leaves CAA on good terms, with no hard feelings — the move isn't seen as a breakup, but more as a partnership with Paul, who is already involved in LeBron's marketing through the LRMR marketing group.
- Chris Paul is a CAA client, but is good friends with LeBron and Rich Paul. It's not clear whether he'll consider joining the Klutch group with his free agency a year away.
- LeBron's change of agents wasn't influenced by his 2014 opt-out clause, and shouldn't be interpreted as an indication that he plans to opt out.
Bobcats Sign Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
The Bobcats have signed Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the No. 2 overall pick from last month's draft, the team said in a statement. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer pegs his salary at about $4MM for the coming season, but Kidd-Gilchrist is eligible for up to $4,602,720, which is 120% of the slotted amount for his position in the draft.
Most first-round picks sign for that 120% maximum, and it seems unlikely Kidd-Gilchrist would get anything less than that. A 6'7", 233-pound small forward who's known for his defense, Kidd-Gilchrist averaged 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his lone season at Kentucky this year, teaming with No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis to lead the Wildcats to the national championship.
More Draft Rumors: Thursday
Our previous round-up of Thursday's draft rumors was getting a little unwieldy, so here's a new post for the evening's rumors. Even with the draft underway, the rumors continue to pour in, so we'll round up the latest updates right here. Here's the latest draft buzz, with the newest items up top:
- After trading three picks for one to land Tyler Zeller, the Cavs are trying to trade back into the draft, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- The Grizzlies intend to keep Tony Wroten, the 25th overall pick, but are working on a trade, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Earlier updates:
Celtics Aggressively Pursuing Lottery Pick
The Celtics are "aggressively" working to move up in tonight's draft, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The Celtics currently hold the 21st and 22nd picks in the first round, but are looking to land at least a late-lottery pick, if not something higher, according to Wojnarowski.
Draft Rumors: Wednesday
With draft night fast approaching, our Tuesday draft rumors post seemed to go on forever, and we're expecting things to be just as busy today. Earlier this morning, we published our second and final mock draft, but given the amount of trade chatter around the league, it wouldn't be surprising if some of our predictions were rendered moot within a matter of hours. We'll follow today's draft-related news and rumors right here, with the latest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- ESPN's Andy Katz tweets that Dion Waiters could now be a possibility for the Cavaliers at the 4th pick. If Waiters lands in the top 5, his draft stock will have shot up boards over the past few months in historical fashion.
Lakers Shopping Pau Gasol; Hawks Interested
3:32pm: Chad Ford of ESPN.com hears from a league source that the Rockets are no longer pursuing Gasol, while Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio hears that it's still "very possible" Houston goes after Pau (Sulia link). Ken Berger of CBSSports.com also hears from a source that the Rockets have "cooled significantly" on Gasol. I'm guessing the 31-year-old is, at best, a Plan B or C for the Rockets at this point.
2:54pm: Bresnahan adds in another tweet that the Lakers also have interest in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who could be the target if the team moves Gasol in a deal for a top-five pick.
2:27pm: The Hawks have been pursuing Gasol, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). There's still nothing imminent, but Bresnahan says Josh Smith would be heading to the Lakers in any deal involving the two teams.
Draft Rumors: Tuesday
With two days remaining until the 2012 draft, we've seen a first-round pick change hands for the first time this offseason, as the Timberwolves agreed to send the 18th overall pick to Houston in exchange for Chase Budinger and the rights to Lior Eliyahu. The general consensus is that the move is the precursor to a bigger deal for the Rockets, and Houston isn't the only team rumored to be shopping picks. Here are today's draft-related rumors, with the newest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweeted that the Bucks are looking to move into the top 10, and are supposedly targeting John Henson.
- Kennedy says that the Rockets are still trying to acquire another first round pick, most recently in discussions with the Hornets about the 10th pick before talks broke down (Twitter link). He also tweeted that the Lakers and Nets are both looking to acquire a first rounder.
NBA Invites 14 Players To Draft Green Room
The NBA has invited 14 players to the 2012 NBA Draft Green Room, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. The Green Room allows some of the draft's best prospects to sit with their agents and families just off the stage as they await to be selected by a team. Players are extended an opportunity to attend based upon how they are projected to be picked in the draft in order to avoid an awkward situation where a player finds himself sitting around deep into the first round. Notable omissions from the Green Room include UNC's Kendall Marshall and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, who has seen his stock drop due to health concerns.