Free Agent Rumors: Nets, Pacers, Green
The July moratorium came to an end late last night, and a number of teams didn't waste any time in finalizing moves. The Lakers' acquisition of Steve Nash was the first transaction to become official, followed closely by the Knicks' signing of J.R. Smith, Deron Williams' contract with the Nets, and Blake Griffin's five-year extension with the Clippers. We're expecting more deals to be formally announced today, but there are plenty of free agents still on the market too. We'll be tracking the latest news on those guys right here, with the newest items added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- The Nets are considering Kenyon Martin and Craig Smith and discussing a sign-and-trade for Antawn Jamison, clouding Kris Humphries' future with the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- The Pacers are targeting unrestricted free agent Gerald Green as their wing player off the bench, and are expected to offer him a three-year, $10MM contract, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. O.J. Mayo and Courtney Lee are out the team's price range at the moment (All Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
Warriors Rumors: Robinson, Jackson, Jenkins
Last night's comeback victory over the Timberwolves didn't help the Warriors chances of keeping their first-round draft pick, since it must be in the top seven or it goes to the Jazz. The win left them with the eighth-worst record in the league, as our draft order tracker shows. Here's the latest from the team by the bay:
- Nate Robinson's minimum-salary contract expires at the end of the season, and his future with the team beyond that looks uncertain, writes Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.
- Despite the team's lackluster season and failure to make good on first-year coach Mark Jackson's promise of a playoff berth, some key players have Jackson's back, writes Derek Page of HoopsWorld.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com says fans shouldn't fret over the team losing its pick, and believes, with Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut returning from injury, there's enough talent on the roster to make the playoffs next season.
- Monte Poole of the Bay Area News Group thinks rookie point guard Charles Jenkins, who has an unguaranteed minimum-salary contract for next year with the Warriors, could be more valuable to the team than any player in the draft besides Anthony Davis.
- Jenkins, averaging 6.0 APG this month, still isn't satisfied with his performance, promising "drastic change" to his game next season, Thompson notes.
Pacific Notes: Nash, Robinson, Kings, Williams
It appears 2012 will be yet another year without a Pacific Division title for the Clippers, who fell to the Suns last night to slip a half-game in the standings. While the Clippers are only a game behind the Lakers, the Lakers hold the tiebreaker, so with just three games left, the Clips look ticketed for a second-place finish in the Pacific. Still, as Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes, one more win would clinch the Clippers' best winning percentage in team history.
Here are a few more Friday morning notes out of the Pacific:
- TNT's David Aldridge told Arizona Sports 620 that he believes there's a good chance Steve Nash stays with the Suns next season. Vince Marotta of ArizonaSports.com has the details.
- Nate Robinson would like to re-sign with his Warriors but isn't getting his hopes up, says Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group.
- Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee has the latest details on why the Kings' owners rejected the Sacramento arena proposal.
- Terrence Williams has impressed in his late-season audition with the Kings, writes Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee. Williams, who was waived by the Rockets last month, will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Kings decide to extend him a $1.06MM qualifying offer.
Odds & Ends: Parker, Collison, Magic
In an article by the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins, Stan Van Gundy explained that the injury to Hedo Turkoglu has caused major defensive issues for the Magic that the team should be able to overcome by the playoffs.
- With Darren Collison suffering from a groin injury that could force him to miss the start of the playoffs, Pacers head coach Frank Vogel isn't sure if Collison will get his starting job back once he returns.
- SI.com's Sam Amick writes about Tony Parker, and how his recent play has gone beyond anybody's greatest expectations.
- FoxSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico does his most recent mock draft.
- Alan Anderson and the Raptors could have a relationship that goes beyond this season.
- Deputy commissioner Adam Silver says that despite the success in attendance and ratings the league has seen with its shortened season, the NBA still prefers an 82-game regular season as opposed to this year's 66.
- Despite the Pistons decision to switch their lineups around in a peculiar way, head coach Lawrence Frank says they aren't tanking games on purpose, according to MLive.com's David Mayo.
- Nate Robinson says he'd love to stay with the Warriors next season and beyond (Twitter link), but isn't getting his hopes up. The guard has played for four teams in the past three years.
- Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari has had some rough shooting nights in recent games, but as long as his team wins game, he couldn't care less, according to Nuggets.com's Aaron J. Lopez.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Nate Robinson
Nate Robinson's career in the NBA has been a rollercoaster ride to say the least. In 2009, he went from being in Mike D'Antoni's doghouse to responding with a 41-point outburst after 15 straight DNP-CDs. In Boston, he had been a key rotation player for a playoff contender under Doc Rivers but later became an afterthought at the end of the bench in Oklahoma City. Today, Robinson seems to have found a home in Golden State under the guidance of Mark Jackson.
From a talent-perspective, there's not much one can take away from Nate. At 5'9'', he has still found a way to be a productive player, averaging double figure scoring in 4 of his 6 full seasons in the league. During the 2008-09 season, Nate averaged 17.2 PPG, 4.1 APG, and 3.9 RPG in 74 games and just 11 starts. While he may not be a traditional point guard, the Seattle native has more than solid one-on-one skills and can score the basketball at a high rate on any given night.
The flip side of the coin is the baggage that he's carried along over the course of his career. In 2006, Nate drew the ire of Larry Brown for his immaturity and showboating. His bad reputation would still linger a few years later in Boston. While describing his experience with the Celtics during the 2010-11 season, Shaquille O'Neal recently depicted Nate as a prankster who was more concerned with his public persona more than anything else. The Thunder didn't appear to have any interest in retaining Robinson, as they would later buy out his contract at the end of the year after trading for him.
Before the season, Nate responded to those who held his reputation in doubt:
"I could always have [handled things] better, but that's what maturity and growing is," Robinson said. "I've matured a lot, but I'm a fun type of guy. … When I play basketball, I play with my heart and I play for my team. I play for my family, I play for the fans, and I play to win. Regardless of what I do after practice, or hanging out on the bus or after practice with the team, I'm just a fun type of guy. But when it's time to play basketball, I'm all the way focused."
This season, he is averaging 11.2 PPG and 4.5 APG in 23.4 MPG while keeping his antics under the radar and showing that he can still be a solid contributor. His 42.4 FG% isn't ideal, but his ability to create his own shot still makes him a potent offensive weapon. He poured in 24 points in a win versus Miami, 21 points in a win over Dallas, 20 points and 11 assists in a 2-point loss to Boston, and most recently followed up a 28-point outing on the Clippers with a 30-point game against the Spurs.
I expect Nate to give the Warriors the first priority on being able to re-sign him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he entertained offers from other teams looking to bolster their second unit this summer. He should be able to use his performance this season to his credit when marketing himself to other teams.