Daniel Gibson On Blazers’ Radar?
The Trail Blazers suffered a significant blow over the weekend, when word broke that C.J. McCollum required foot surgery that could keep him out of action for the next two months. It’s not clear yet whether Portland will pursue another guard to fill in while McCollum recovers, but Daniel Gibson will be a player the team considers if an addition is necessary, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter).
As our list of roster counts shows, the Blazers already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, plus two more players reportedly on partially guaranteed deals. As such, it’d be a little surprising if the team continued to commit money to new guys, since it would mean releasing at least one player with a guaranteed deal. As I noted last month, Will Barton may represent the most likely candidate to be waived, if the team does need a roster spot.
The Blazers are the second Northwest team that has been linked to Gibson by Amico within the last few days. The FOX Sports scribe wrote on Friday that the former Cavalier was on Denver’s radar as well.
Gibson, 27, had a down year in 2012/13 in Cleveland, setting career-lows in FG% (.340), 3PT% (.344), and PER (7.7), among other categories.
C.J. McCollum Fractures Left Foot
The Blazers report, via Twitter, that X-Rays confirmed rookie C.J. McCollum fractured his 5th metatarsal bone in his left foot during practice on Saturday. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets that McCollum will need surgery, but a date for the surgery has not been provided.
The Blazers say that McCollum's recovery timetable will not be available until after surgery (Twitter). McCollum broke the same foot in January last year playing for Lehigh University, ESPN Insider Jeff Goodman tweets. Haynes adds, via Twitter, that the 5th metatarsal bone in his left foot is the same one he broke in January.
CSNNW.com tweets that several media outlets believe the 5th metatarsal fracture will require extensive rehab and the recovery period is expected to be 8-10 weeks. Mike Tokito of the Oregonian writes that it took 8-10 weeks for McCollum to recover from the injury in January, which ended his season. Tokito adds that Damian Lillard suffered the same injury during his 2010/11 season at Weber State.
Western Notes: Kobe, Carney, Blazers
Kobe Bryant didn't inform Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni of his latest trip to Germany for a blood-spinning procedure on his right knee, and at least one other NBA coach sees that as a sign of disrespect, according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.
Here's more from around the Western Conference…
- The Pelicans announced today in a press release they've waived 6'7" forward Rodney Carney. A product of Memphis, the 29-year-old Carney has been in the league for five seasons, playing in the past for the Sixers, Grizzlies, Warriors and Timberwolves with career averages of 5.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 15.4 MPG.
- Nicolas Batum told CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes today was the first day Blazers coach Terry Stotts let the projected starting lineup of Batum, Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Robin Lopez play together. He said they played great (Twitter).
- After suffering a minor injury to his left leg during Blazers practice on Wednesday, Aldridge tells Mike Tokito of the Oregonian that he's feeling better after sitting out Thursday's practice. He was back on the court Friday.
- After coming aboard as the Blazers' GM 16 months ago, Neil Olshey has blossomed into a leader and the voice of a Blazers franchise that needed both, writes Joe Freeman at the Oregonian.
- Scott Rafferty of Ridiculous Upside believes Perry Jones III could use another season in the Development League before being called up to the Thunder.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post
Western Rumors: Rivers, Jordan, McNeal, Blazers
It was an oft-repeated story this summer that Doc Rivers didn't want the Clippers to part with Eric Bledsoe as the team negotiated with the Celtics to bring Rivers to L.A. The Clippers wound up trading Bledsoe to the Suns in a separate deal, and now Rivers says he was worried that another Clipper would wind up in Boston. The coach wanted to bring Kevin Garnett with him to L.A., but not if it meant giving up DeAndre Jordan, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. There's more on Rivers and Jordan as we look at the latest from the Western Conference:
- Rivers sees Jordan as a defensive player of the year candidate, as Markazi notes in the same piece. "[Jordan] is just too young and too gifted to let walk out your door, bottom line," Rivers said. "He's a game changer defensively. He can single-handedly change a game with his defense. There's five guys, and that number maybe too high, that can do that single-handedly with their size and athleticism and he's one of them. When you have one of those guys, you want to keep them."
- Former Jazz shooting guard Jerel McNeal has signed with the Zhejiang Chouzhou Golden Bulls in China, reports Kenya Brown of NiuBBall.com. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last month that McNeal had an agreement with a Chinese team, but it was unclear whether it was with the Golden Bulls or the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions.
- The Trail Blazers have announced the hirings of Rob Werdann and Zendon Hamilton as assistant coaches for the Idaho Stampede. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com first reported the story (Twitter link). The Blazers control the basketball operations for the Stampede, who have a one-to-one affiliation with Portland.
Northwest Notes: Shaw, Aldridge, Robinson, Orton
Brian Shaw was passed over for the Lakers coaching job back in 2011, but he's pretty happy with how things turned out for him, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. "It was hard for me, the way everything happened so suddenly," Shaw said. "It's hard for me, initially to accept the fact that, wow, I was in L.A. and now I'm going to Indiana. And then I got to Indiana and it was the best thing that could have happened to me. It really was, in terms of seeing a different way of doing things." Looking back on things, Shaw is grateful for his NBA coaching journey as it led him to the Nuggets' head job. Here's more from the Northwest Division..
- LaMarcus Aldridge maturely handled questions on Blazers media day about the trade rumors involving him throughout the summer and Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com believes that shows he's becoming a better team leader.
- Blazers forward Thomas Robinson is playing with a chip on his shoulder and isn't making any secret of it based off of his conversation with Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2012 draft is now on his third team in two years after stops in Sacramento and Houston.
- The preseason will be critical for Daniel Orton, who projects as a fourth-string center and has a non-guaranteed contract with the Thunder. The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry checks in with the two-year veteran.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Carter, Dwight, Trail Blazers
While we heard earlier today that Shawn Marion may not be entirely sure of what the future holds beyond this season, his Mavericks teammate Vince Carter feels eager to continue his NBA career as long as his body allows him to: "I don’t want to limit myself. I think doing that, you start thinking about it as the season goes on. I just go. I just let the body pretty much dictate how I feel at the end" (Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas). The 36-year-old guard/forward is entering the final year of his three-year contract this season, though MacMahon notes that team owner Mark Cuban has already gone on record saying he'd like to re-sign Carter this summer.
- Warriors owner Joe Lacob tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News that the team was much closer to landing Dwight Howard than people might think: "…we would not have gone after him if we didn’t think we had a chance or that it made sense…We were a lot closer than people realize to perhaps that actually happening."
- The Oregonian's Mike Tokito thinks Robin Lopez will not only help expedite the development of Meyers Leonard, but also provide a viable frontcourt partner for LaMarcus Aldridge on the opposite block. In another piece, Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports that Aldridge had sustained a strained hip flexor during practice last night. However, the Trail Blazers' PR Twitter account clarifies that the injury was a left quad strain (Twitter link). Head coach Terry Stotts, while somewhat concerned, doesn't believe it to be serious.
- Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press underscores the tough road that Timberwolves training camp hopeful Othyus Jeffers has had to endure to get to this point.
- Nuggets coach Brian Shaw is pleased with how his players have responded in training camp as he prepares to get the team to push the pace this season (Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post). In a separate article, Dempsey writes that JaVale McGee still has a ways to go before establishing himself as a legitimate post presence.
Northwest Notes: Robinson, Williams, Trail Blazers
- Nuggets point guard Nate Robinson signed a two-year, $4.1MM contract this summer, with a player option in the second season. He wants a stable home, and is looking forward to picking up that option, unless, he says, Denver's management doesn't want him. Ultimately, the decision will be up to Robinson, writes the Denver Post's Christopher Dempsey.
- 1500ESPN.com's Darren Wolfson tweets a statement from Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams regarding his 2014/15 team option, saying "everyone would be a little shocked if it wasn't exercised."
- OregonLive.com's Joe Freeman writes about the Trail Blazers' new roster depth, and how head coach Terry Stotts can now experiment with more versatile lineups.
Odds & Ends: Nelson, D12, Blazers, Gomes
As news of the first few cuts of training camp begins to trickle in, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the Association….
- Jameer Nelson realizes that he could eventually become a trade chip as the Magic continue their rebuilding process, but for now he's focusing on his role as a team leader and mentor, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel details.
- Dwight Howard and Stan Van Gundy are more than a year removed from their days in Orlando, but Howard tells Bill Reiter of FOX Sports (Twitter link) that his former coach played a part in his free agent decision this summer, encouraging him to consider the Rockets.
- While the Blazers' announcement that they've exercised third-year options for Damian Lillard, Meyers Leonard, and Thomas Robinson could be viewed as "trivial housekeeping," Mike Tokito of the Oregonian suggests it's a good sign for the improving long-term health of the team.
- Ryan Gomes earned another $25K when he wasn't waived by the Thunder by October 1st, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com outlines in his breakdown of Gomes' deal.
- Ron Anderson, who spent the 2012/13 season with the Tulsa 66ers and played for the Thunder in Summer League play this year, has agreed to a one-year deal with Argentina's Estudiantes Concordia, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter).
Owner Paul Allen Talks Trail Blazers
It's a good time to be Paul Allen. Well, it's never a bad time to be a billionaire, but Allen's Seattle Seahawks are looking great one-quarter of the way through the NFL season. Allen's NBA team, meanwhile, is looking to take another step forward this season with their promising core. The Trail Blazers owner met with reporters earlier today to talk about the state of the franchise as the 2013/14 season approaches. Here's a look at some of the highlights, courtesy of The Oregonian's Mike Tokito..
Is it playoffs or bust this year?
I wouldn’t put it that way. I talked to (GM) Neil (Olshey) right after the last game of the season, and we made a conscious decision and had a lot of determination that we wanted to improve the team. So we’ve brought a blend of veterans in and draft picks and so definitely we’ve got so much more depth this year, so much more talent 1 through 12 to complement our starters from last year. So we’re in a much improved place.
How has GM Neil Olshey done in his first 15 months on the job?
I think Neil and the scouts have done a great job in improve the talent. Now it’s the coaches’ turn to take that talent and see how far we can go, see how these guys blend in the preseason and how the young guys develop, how the veterans build in. There’s going to be a lot of great stories this year.
How do you feel the transition has gone with the new management and coaching staff?
Basically, I think there was – if you were the owner – some somewhat discouraging times there and you have to bear down and say, 'OK, we’re going to have to make some changes. We have to bring in a new GM, make a coaching change and so forth, executive changes, and that’s all come together. We need to see the full fruits of doing that. Obviously we’ve had some successes in Seattle in making wholesale changes and now we need to see how that’s going to evolve in Portland. But I’m very optimistic.
Do you have specific benchmarks for a successful season?
I don’t, because there are so many things that can intervene and change things, whether that’s injuries, as we’ve seen, we’ve just been plagued by injury problems, I hate to even bring it up, but things like that. And you don’t know how other teams are going to perform in your conference, too. But I think we’re going to be in the mix for a playoff spot, but other than that, I can’t predict.
Are you still opposed to spending into luxury tax unless you’re in contention?
We’ve basically made the moves for this season – free agents are all signed, or they’re playing overseas or they’re with new teams – so this is our team. Not to say something couldn’t happen during the season, but I’m really not expecting it at this point. But things could always change and evolve.”
With coaches and roster, do you think things are as stable with the franchise as they’ve been in a while?
Yes, I think we’ve turned the page and we’re in a new era here, and we’ve got some of our veterans like Nic and L.A. and Wes that joined us before, and obviously, Damian, I think we all believe that he’s going to continue to grow. We’ve got new players like Dorell and Robin and Mo that have just tons of experience. So you blend that experience with the talent that we already have and draft picks like C.J. McCollum, it’s going to be super interesting to see how the season evolves, and I hope the fans are as excited as I am.
Northwest Notes: OKC, Nuggets, Aldridge, Wolves
After missing 2012/13 with a knee injury, Chase Budinger re-signed with the Timberwolves this summer, with both sides looking to put a lost season behind them. However, Budinger's year is off to an ominious start — the team announced today that he underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, a procedure that will sideline him indefinitely (Twitter links). As Minnesota looks to avoid further visits from the injury bug that plagued the club last season, let's round up a few items out of the Northwest Division….
- Budinger isn't the only notable Northwest player who has recently undergone arthroscopic surgery. The Thunder have announced in a press release that Russell Westbrook had the procedure performed on his right knee today, and that he'll likely miss the first four to six weeks of the regular season.
- Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post explores the 10 most interesting stories to come out of the Nuggets' Media Day, including GM Tim Connelly's willingness to shake up the roster, if necessary. "If we enjoy the success we want to have, maybe we’re not as motivated to be deal-seeking," Connelly said. "But I want to be opportunistic, I want to be aggressive. I don’t think we’re where we want to be at this point."
- At Media Day in Portland, GM Neil Olshey encouraged reporters to "get over" their fascination with LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumors and "move on," while Aldridge indicated that he's looking forward to spending the season with the Trail Blazers. Joe Freeman of the Oregonian and Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge have the details.
- At the Timberwolves' Media Day, Kevin Love wasn't too interested in discussing the past, including his injury-plagued 2012/13 season or his relationship with ex-GM David Kahn, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
- In a separate piece for the Star Tribune, Zgoda talks to T-Wolves head coach Rick Adelman about why it took so long to determine that he'd definitely be back on the bench for the coming season.
- The Jazz finalized their camp roster today by signing Lester Hudson.