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Odds & Ends: Lakers, Young, Heat, Beyer

September 7th, 2012 at 10:23pm CST by Alex Lee

It has been a busy day and night for the Lakers on this early-September Friday, which is certainly nothing new considering the influx of material since they landed Dwight Howard.  Today they signed their second round pick, finalized their offseason coaching staff overhaul and their GM, Mitch Kupchak, spoke with SI.com's Sam Amick about all things Lakers.  In addition to the earlier stories, Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles gives his take on three of the small, but meaningful issues facing the team. 

But there are 29 other teams in the NBA, so let us round up some of the odds and ends from around the Association here tonight:

  • Chauncey Billups is way ahead of schedule in his recovery from a left Achilles injury, writes Helene Elliot of the L.A. Times.  Billups hasn't set a target return date yet, but said, "When my body feels right, that's when I'll be back.  That being said, I'm far ahead of schedule.  It's not even like I had a summer. I've been on the whole time, doing rehabbing and other work every day. I'm looking forward to getting back to playing and being with the guys and resuming my normal life as a player."
  • Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld, via USA Today, writes that with the moves that the Knicks made – getting older and wiser – the team should be better equipped to compete and that the window to win is now.  One interested tidbit from Beer – there are only five active NBA players over the age of 38 and the Knicks acquired three of them this offseason in Marcus Camby, Jason Kidd and Kurt Thomas.
  • Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News evaluates the chances of the Mavericks ending up with Kevin Martin and/or Josh Smith next summer, both of whom are free agents.  After striking out this summer in free agency, the Mavericks should be in position to try again in a year with a similar level of financial flexibility.
  • Dei Lynam of CSN Philly is doing a player by player breakdown of the revamped 76ers roster, and today she tackles swingman Thaddeus Young.  The small forward position is much less crowded in Philadelphia after the departure of Andre Iguodala, and Young has made it an offseason goal to slide into that position as a starter. 
  • Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside says that while the D-League has been increasingly effective as an NBA farm system, there is additional room for growth.  He uses Andre Drummond as an example of a guy who would never be a D-League candidate, but for his development's sake, should be.
  • Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel addresses a few questions about the world champion Heat, including his thoughts on what roles of Rashard Lewis and Udonis Haslem may play on the Miami bench.
  • The NBA coaching carousel continues as the Warriors have reportedly hired Bob Beyer as an assistant coach, who spent the last five years in Orlando on Stan Van Gundy's staff, says Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area.  Beyer will replace Wes Unseld Jr., who joined Jacque Vaughn's staff in Orlando.
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Heat Notes: Lewis, Sign-And-Trades, Milicic

July 22nd, 2012 at 9:46am CST by Daniel Seco

The rich got richer this offseason as the Heat reloaded for another run at the Larry O'Brien trophy heading into the 2012/13 season. With the proverbial monkey off LeBron James' back, the Heat will enter next season as the odds-on favorites to take home another championship with an even stronger supporting cast surrounding King James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel has the latest news and headlines from South Beach to catch you up to speed…

  • The addition of Rashard Lewis to the mix for merely the veteran minimum doesn't mean the forward will strictly come off the bench for the Heat next season. Adding Lewis to the starting lineup would allow Shane Battier to return to his role of defensive stopper off the bench and allow Bosh to play at center given Lewis' length. Lewis, who is reportedly in good shape, will have to show something during training camp for any chance at securing a spot in the starting lineup.
  • Joel Anthony and a first-round pick from the Sixers could be dangled as attractive pieces in a potential sign-and-trade if the Heat aren't satisfied with their current roster. While the team would benefit from acquiring a veteran point guard, the available options wouldn't make the team significantly better at this point. Andray Blatche, recently amnestied by the Wizards, could be a quality addition, but the team wouldn't have to do a sign-and-trade to acquire him.
  • Look for Darko Milicic to end up in Miami now that Nazr Mohammed appears set to sign with the Bulls. Milicic could stand to benefit playing amongst a group of All-Stars who will push him to play to the best of his ability. At 27, the former second overall draft pick of the Pistons in 2003 still has a chance to have a respectable career if given the right opportunity. 
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Wizards Owner Talks Blatche, Wall, Roster

July 20th, 2012 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis sat down with Washington Post columnist Mike Wise earlier this week to discuss a number of topics related to his team's offseason and its recent acquisitions. Leonsis provided a number of interesting quotes on the Wizards' roster decisions, so let's dive right in and check out the highlights….

On the decision to amnesty Andray Blatche:

"I [was] torn. I believe people should have second and third chances. On the other hand, I don’t know where he fits now in this lineup. On the other hand, he [was] the last remaining touchpoint from the previous teams. That’s what [was] being discussed and weighed…. I’m not afraid of amnestying him and paying him the money. We have turned the entire lineup in one and three-quarters seasons. We shouldn’t forget Gilbert [Arenas] played here John Wall’s rookie season until he traded himself to Orlando."

On whether Leonsis recognizes Blatche's contract extension was a mistake:

Yes — we made a mistake. Although the NBA has had close to $250MM of amnestied players to date. Sometimes you get a chance to take a mulligan under the new rules and that is what we did."

On when a star player might want to come to Washington in free agency:

"I think when we can establish we’re a perennial playoff team and when we have one or two young stars — real, legitimate stars. Everyone knows that John Wall is a burgeoning star…. I think most people in the league feel this year, next year that John has the opportunity, if he improves, to be a real star player…. I view it as my part of my mission as an owner to create an environment, fan base and player development system that allows him to be a star. I think it’s a two-way street. You can’t put the onus on just the player. You have to surround him with the right people, have the right coaches."

On the expectations for the coming season:

"I won’t be happy with our plan if we’re back in the lottery…. If we just miss making a playoff spot, no, the world is not going to end. If we’re picking third because we have the second-worst record, no, I will not be happy…. We’ve turned over the roster, turned over the coaching staff. We’ve have good drafts. We took the second-highest-paid player in the league — I think one of the bloggers calculated he averaged $23K per minute — and replaced him with two players that will play big minutes who each averaged 10-15 points a game. We were getting zero from Rashard [Lewis]."

On how the team's roster is different after this year's trades:

"Culturally, every one of these guys is a good guy. It’s a big change. And no one is playing for a contract. I don’t think Nick [Young] and JaVale [McGee] were bad people. But they wanted stats. I understand that, relate and get it. But they weren’t playing as a team. You saw at the end of the year with Nene, who already got his big contract, right. So stats weren’t important to him. The little things were important to him."

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Odds & Ends: Nets, Villanueva, Warriors, Bulls

July 12th, 2012 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

As busy as the Nets have been so far this month, we haven't heard much out of majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov. That changed today, however, as Prokhorov released an official statement discussing the team's offseason:

"I'm thrilled with the way our team has come together. My congratulations and appreciation go out to general manager Billy King, assistant general manager Bobby Marks and head coach Avery Johnson for their tenacity, nerve and heart throughout this process. With the re-signing of Deron Williams and the trade for Joe Johnson, we go into our new home led by an All-Star backcourt and with every hope of a great season for the Brooklyn Nets. I can't wait until opening night."

While Prokhorov starts counting down the days until opening night, we'll round up the rest of the morning's odds and ends right here:

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Heat Sign Rashard Lewis To Two-Year Deal

July 11th, 2012 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 10:03am: The Heat have officially announced Lewis' signing in a press release.

TUESDAY, 4:06pm: Lewis and the Heat have reached an agreement on the two-year deal, tweets Marc J. Spears.

4:02pm: Lewis' deal with the Heat will be for two years with a second-year player option, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Because it would be a minimum-salary deal, the option could only be for the veteran's minimum as well.

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Free Agent Rumors: Flynn, Heat, Mahinmi

July 10th, 2012 at 10:15pm CST by Luke Adams

We're less than 14 hours away from the July moratorium coming to an end and this season's signing period beginning in earnest. As of 11:00pm central time tonight, teams can officially sign free agents, trades can be consummated, and players can sign contract extensions. In the meantime, free agents have one more day to try to reach contract agreements before clubs start finalizing the moves they've agreed to over the last week and a half. We'll track today's rumors on free agents here, with the newest updates up top:

  • Jonny Flynn has worked out for the Hawks and will visit the Bulls on Friday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Count the Cavs as another team interested in the point guard's services.
  • Look for the Heat to add a minimum-scale big man, such as Kwame Brown or Joel Przybilla, as they finish up their offseason spending, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. 
  • Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link) hears from NBA officials that the Bucks have some interest in Ian Mahinmi.

Earlier updates:

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Free Agent Rumors: Lucas, Camby, Lewis

July 8th, 2012 at 10:20pm CST by Daniel Seco

Jeff Green reached an agreement to remain with the Celtics on Saturday, while Aaron Brooks became an unrestricted free agent after the Suns withdrew their qualifying offer to the guard. What will Sunday bring? Here are the latest rumors on a number of free agents still on the market:

Earlier updates:

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Hawks Targeting Small Forwards

July 6th, 2012 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have agreed to trade away two of their starters already this offseason, in Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams. And while the team acquired a number of players in the Nets trade and a potential starting point guard in the Jazz deal, the team was left with a hole at the small forward position, where Williams and Johnson played last year. According to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, that position is a top priority for the team in free agency.

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Free Agent Rumors: Jamison, Sessions, Lewis

July 5th, 2012 at 10:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Five days into free agency, a number of big names, such as Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash, are off the market. But there are still plenty of players out there looking for contracts. We'll wrap up many of today's free agent updates right here, with the latest items added to the top of the page throughout the day….

  • Antawn Jamison had dinner in Charlotte with Bobcats executives Rod Higgins and Rich Cho, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). The former UNC star has also been talking to Warriors general manager Bob Myers, Jamison's former agent, and will chat with head coach Mark Jackson in the near future.
  • The Mavericks have reached out to Ramon Sessions for a second time and pitched a starting job to the veteran point guard, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. 
  • Rashard Lewis will visit the Heat this weekend after having his contract bought out by the Hornets, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter links). The Hawks and the Knicks are among other teams interested in the veteran forward. 

Earlier updates:

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Rashard Lewis Eyeing Five Teams

July 4th, 2012 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 1:33pm: Lewis has been in contact with at least three teams on his list so far, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld — the Lakers, Knicks, and Heat.

TUESDAY, 3:37pm: Having cleared waivers, Rashard Lewis will likely be looking to sign with one of five teams, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman. Berman names the Knicks, Heat, Spurs, Hawks, and Lakers as the clubs on Lewis' "short list."

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