Odds & Ends: D’Antoni, Roy, Fisher, Gasol, Bucks
Mike D'Antoni was expected to make his debut as Lakers coach tonight, but his balky knee forced Bernie Bickerstaff to continue as interim coach for one more night. D'Antoni, who'll try to hit the sidelines again Tuesday, has told Bickerstaff he'll remain on the staff this season, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. D'Antoni did make one change to the coaching staff, however, bringing brother Dan D'Antoni aboard as expected, the team announced. Here's more from an eight-game day and night around the NBA.
- Knee trouble has kept Brandon Roy out for the past 10 days, and now he'll undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, reports Jason Quick of The Oregonian (Twitter links). Quick doesn't indicate how long he'll be continue to be out, but says he'll miss what would have been his return to Portland with the Wolves on Friday.
- The Mavs aren't interested in free agent point guard Derek Fisher, since owner Mark Cuban wants to see what the current roster can do, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. That means the team will continue to give backup minutes to Dominique Jones, whom the Mavs twice sought to trade earlier this season.
- Larry Coon of HoopsWorld won't rule out a Pau Gasol trade, but doesn't think the Lakers are likely to pull the trigger (Twitter link).
- "Everyone agreed" the Bucks needed a fast start with GM John Hammond and coach Scott Skiles in the final year of their respective deals, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and at 6-2, the team has delivered.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star calls out Roy Hibbert for his struggles this season, just months after the big man signed a four-year, $58MM deal.
- Before Damian Lillard came into the league, he watched a lot of video of fellow point guard Derrick Rose and picked up a few of the former MVP's habits, observes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.
Odds & Ends: Odom, Duncan, Johnson, Blazers
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday evening:
- Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes that the Clippers still aren't sure what contributions they can expect from Lamar Odom this season.
- Tim Duncan is playing like an MVP candidate this season, says Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News.
- David D'Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledges examines Nets guard Joe Johnson's slow start to the season.
- The Trail Blazers have the least productive bench in the league so far, but Chris Haynes of CSNNW.comthinks the team should give their young reserves more playing time so they can develop and improve.
- Marc Berman of the New York Post writes that the Knicks' J.R. Smith is an early candidate for Sixth Man of the Year.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com has a new mailbag covering various Celtics topics.
- Barry Tramel of the Oklahoman is impressed with new Thunder guard Kevin Martin.
Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, Celtics, Bynum, Sixers
The Lakers coaching search is dominating headlines, but the second most talked about story in the NBA right now might be the fast start of the Knicks, especially given New York's media clout. Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News goes over the many reasons the Knicks are enjoying success, and Marc Berman of the New York Post points to the team's defense, allowing a league-low 87.5 points per game. There's plenty more on the Knicks and their Atlantic Division this morning, as we round up here.
- The 4-0 Knicks are blessed with depth, but coach Mike Woodson won't tolerate anyone complaining about a lack of playing time, Berman observes. "I’m not going to deal with guys with bad egos," Woodson said. "If there’s a problem, they got to go. It’s been great so far and will continue to be great because the guys we have are true pros."
- Paul Flannery of SB Nation dissects the shortcomings of the 3-3 Celtics, concluding the defense of the team's undersized power forwards is the most significant problem.
- Sixers GM Tony DiLeo says Andrew Bynum's injury "could be a blessing in disguise" that prompts the rest of the team to up their games while the big man is out, as Flannery also writes.
- Jrue Holiday's extension was the first deal the Sixers made with the input of basketball analytics director Aaron Barzilai, notes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who discusses Barzilai's role with DiLeo.
- After initially joining the team on a 10-day contract last season, Alan Anderson has settled into the Raptors rotation after spending six years in Europe, Israel and the D-League waiting for another chance in the NBA, recounts Melissa Couto of the Toronto Sun. Playing alongside idol Vince Carter in Toronto would complete Anderson's dream scenario, Couto writes. Carter left the door open to an eventual return in an interview this week.
- Though Nets GM Billy King is touting Gerald Wallace's ability to match up with LeBron James, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News hears the primary reasons the team acquired him from the Blazers last season were to compensate for the failure to land Dwight Howard and persuade Deron Williams to stay.
Western Notes: Dwight, Kobe, Kings, Crowder
Dwight Howard told Sam Amick of USA Today last night that he thinks Phil Jackson, rumored to be close to taking over as Lakers coach, will be "great for me," and said he's anxious for the team to resolve the upheaval surrounding the head coaching position. "Yeah, because a lot of stuff that happened last year — I really had nothing to do with it, but it came out like it was me," he said. "So now when it comes out or if somebody says something about me, I'm going to stand up say, 'Hey, this is not going to happen again.' I'm just going to play. I don't want to get caught up in it." There's plenty more this afternoon on the Lakers and their Western Conference rivals, as we detail here.
- Kobe Bryant, who's backing Jackson's possible return, feels he has unfinished business to accomplish under the Zen Master's tutelage, writes J.A. Adande of ESPN.com.
- In the wake of a report by Bruce Rader of WAVY-TV that it was Kings co-owner George Maloof who met with the Virginia governor, the mayor of Virginia Beach and officials from Comcast-Spectator last week, Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty takes the Maloofs to task for denying the meeting took place.
- Defense and surprising three-point shooting are reasons why Jae Crowder, the 34th overall pick this past June, has made a sizable impact early this season for the Mavericks, as HoopsWorld's Alex Raskin observes.
- Offseason signees Ryan Anderson, Brian Roberts and Roger Mason have teamed with incumbent Jason Smith to form a potent bench for the Hornets, notes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune.
- Blazers coach Terry Stotts, once an interim coach of the Hawks, weighs in on the challenges the next Lakers coach will face in taking over the team in the middle of the season, as Mike Tokito of The Oregonian examines.
Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, Felton, Fields, Howard
The Knicks remained the league's only unbeaten with a win against the Mavs tonight, moving to 4-0 for the first time since 1993/94, when they fell one game short of an NBA title. Sixers coach Doug Collins, whose team was beaten soundly by the Knicks twice this week, is a believer, as Peter May writes for The New York Times. "If Miami is 1, then they’re 1A," Collins said of New York. The Knicks figure prominently among the items out of the Atlantic Division this evening.
- Knicks point guard Raymond Felton, speaking to 660 WFAN radio, insisted he didn't intentionally let his conditioning slip last year as a ploy to get away from the Blazers, notes Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge.
- Mark Cuban shared thoughts on the group of former Mavericks now with the Knicks, as Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News documents. "I like Jason (Kidd). I don’t dislike him or Steve Novak or TC (Tyson Chandler), they’re all great guys. There’s no reason to dislike them," Cuban said. "But I’ll yell at them, just like I yelled at (Brendan) Haywood and just like I yell at lots of guys I know. And I know they (know) my voice, so I know they’re going to hear it.”
- There's no clear solution for the struggles of Raptors offseason signee Landry Fields, concludes Eric Koreen of the National Post.
- The shadow of Dwight Howard still hangs over the Nets, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
Western Notes: Blazers, Brown, Williams, Martin
The Western Conference got off to a bit of a slow start in inter-conference games this year, but Western teams turned that trend around last night. Of the six Wednesday night contests that pitted West vs. East, only the Sixers could earn a win for the Eastern Conference, beating the Hornets in New Orleans — the Suns, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Warriors, and Kings all defeated Eastern teams.
Here are a few of today's updates from around the Western Conference:
- The Trail Blazers haven't received much bench production so far, something GM Neil Olshey is keeping an eye on. According to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Olshey may look to address the issue at the trade deadline if no one steps up internally.
- SI.com's Ben Golliver reads between the lines of Jim Buss' comments on Lakers coach Mike Brown, concluding that Buss may be laying the groundwork for Brown to eventually be replaced.
- Tyson Chandler believes the Mavericks had a chance to win back-to-back titles if Mark Cuban had elected to bring all of 2010/11's Mavs back last season, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
- If Derrick Williams doesn't start producing soon, it may be time to consider whether last year's second overall pick is a bust, says Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld.
- Although Kevin Martin is in a contract year, Thunder GM Sam Presti tells Sam Amick of USA Today that isn't a concern at the moment, and that Martin's future will be addressed "at the appropriate time."
- Kirk Lacob, general manager of the Warriors' D-League affiliate, spoke to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle about Santa Cruz's new stadium and last week's draft. We covered a few other D-League items of note earlier today.
Northwest Rumors: Martin, Thunder, Blazers
The Jazz finished off a win against Lakers that moved the Northwest Division 3-0 on a busy night in the NBA. That reverses an early-season trend, since the Timberwolves are still the only team in the division with a record better than .500. It's not the way the teams envisioned things going when they made their moves this summer. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors has been reviewing the offseasons of a few Northwest Division teams this week, looking at the Trail Blazers, Nuggets and Jazz. Similar pieces covering the Wolves and Thunder are coming soon, but in the meantime, we have items about both teams and their division rivals right here.
- Kevin Martin was impressed with the greeting he got from Thunder GM Sam Presti and other team executives after he was traded to Oklahoma City, and the shooting guard has returned the favor with an impressive performance so far this season, as Sam Amick of USA Today writes.
- John Rohde of The Oklahoman examines the Thunder's bench, which has seen an overhaul since the end of last season.
- As for the Blazers' bench, it's last in the league in scoring, but coach Terry Stotts isn't concerned, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Offseason signee and backup point guard Ronnie Price has been hampered by a torn ankle ligament, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com explains.
- Blazers rookie point guard Damian Lillard is bound to see more double teams based on his hot start, but Stotts is OK with that, citing Lillard's nightly experience as the focal point of other teams' defenses at Weber State, notes Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
- Nikola Pekovic of the Timberwolves may share a first name, position, and home country with Nikola Vucevic of the Magic, but the two took divergent paths to the NBA, as Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune details.
Berger On Josh Smith, Harden, Parity, Union
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com discusses the willingness of players to speak up about political issues, but also provides insight on several on-court matters, including the suprising play of rookie Damian Lillard and the Blazers. Here's more of what Berger has to share.
- While the latest we've heard on Josh Smith indicates the Hawks will most likely hold on to him this year in the final season of his deal, Berger believes there will be plenty of chatter about him as the deadline nears.
- Citing the Thunder's need to retain leverage, Berger thinks GM Sam Presti was justified in giving James Harden only one hour to consider the team's final extension offer.
- Several team executives think more teams will be hovering around .500 than usual this year, which could be a manifestation of the parity that the new CBA was designed to foster.
- A New York law firm that, along with the U.S. Attorney's Office, is conducting a review of the players union's finances and business practices has yet to file its report, even though it was supposed to be finished by the start of the regular season. Bloomberg's Scott Soshnick wrote a few days ago that the investigation was nearing an end, but Berger recently heard from one member of the union's executive committee that there is "no rush" to get the report done.
Offseason In Review: Portland Trail Blazers
Throughout the month of November, Hoops Rumors will look back at each team's offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Nicolas Batum: Four years, $46.12MM. Matched Timberwolves' offer sheet. Signed via cap room.
- Joel Freeland: Three years, $8.93MM. Signed via cap room.
- J.J. Hickson: One year, $4MM. Signed via cap room.
- Victor Claver: Three years, $4MM. Signed via cap room.
- Ronnie Price: Two years, $2.41MM. Minimum salary contract. Second year not guaranteed. Signed via cap room.
Trades and Claims
- Acquired Sasha Pavlovic, two 2013 second-round picks, and cash from Celtics in exchange for the rights to Jon Diebler (sent to Rockets). Part of three-way Courtney Lee sign-and-trade deal. Pavlovic was signed-and-traded for three years, $4.08MM (second and third years not guaranteed).
- Acquired Jared Jeffries, Dan Gadzuric, the rights to Kostas Papanikolaou, the rights to Giorgos Printezis, cash, and a 2016 second-round pick from the Knicks in exchange for Raymond Felton and Kurt Thomas. Jeffries was signed-and-traded for three years, $4.62MM (second and third years not guaranteed).
- Acquired cash from Nets in exchange for No. 41 pick (Tyshawn Taylor).
- Claimed Justin Holiday off waivers from the Cavaliers.
Draft Picks
- Damian Lillard (Round 1, 6th overall)
- Meyers Leonard (Round 1, 11th overall)
- Will Barton (Round 2, 40th overall)
Camp Invitees
- Demonte Harper
- Justin Holiday
- Cody Karl
- Dallas Lauderdale
- Adam Morrison
Departing Players
- Jamal Crawford
- Raymond Felton
- Jonny Flynn
- Joel Przybilla
- Craig Smith
- Hasheem Thabeet
- Kurt Thomas
- Shawne Williams (bought out)
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Luke Babbitt, $2.9MM: Declined
- Nolan Smith, $1.42MM: Declined
- Elliot Williams, $2.37MM: Declined
The Trail Blazers were one of the league's busiest teams at last season's trade deadline, as they attempted to flip their useful veteran players for expiring contracts and draft picks. One move in particular paid huge dividends — in sending Gerald Wallace to Brooklyn, the Blazers acquired not only a big expiring contract in Mehmet Okur, but landed the No. 6 overall pick in the 2012 draft, which they used to select Damian Lillard.
The move, which was widely praised at the time, might look even better in retrospect. Not only did Portland manage to carve out a little extra cap space, but the club swapped a player it wasn't going to re-sign for one who already looks like he'll be a cornerstone for years to come.
While the team's best move of the year may have come at the trade deadline, the work that new GM Neil Olshey and his staff did on draft day shouldn't be overlooked. Lillard certainly wasn't considered a consensus top-six pick back in June, so the team's willingness to select him with confidence at No. 6 overall should be commended. The jury's still out on both Lillard and No. 11 pick Meyers Leonard, but the early returns are good.
The team also did an admirable job on the trade market, working out a sign-and-trade deal to move Raymond Felton, a player that didn't have a future in Portland, and getting involved in the sign-and-trade deal that sent Courtney Lee to Houston. Neither deal was massive, but stockpiling second-round picks is never a bad thing, especially when the price is so minimal.
With the cap space they obtained when they let contracts like Felton's, Hasheem Thabeet's, Jonny Flynn's, and others expire from their books, the Blazers first locked up Nicolas Batum, matching a pricey offer sheet put forth by the Timberwolves. The $46MM+ price is likely a little more than Portland hoped to pay, but it's not so exorbitant that the contract will become an albatross. It ensures Batum is locked up through his age 27 season, meaning the Blazers should either get many of his best years or have no problem trading the contract later on.
The rest of the Blazers' cap space was spent primarily on bringing over international players whose rights the team had previously drafted — Joel Freeland and Victor Claver. J.J. Hickson and Ronnie Price also received one-year guarantees, and while neither player appears to be a part of the team's long-term plans, the Blazers will hold Hickson's Bird Rights next summer, and could bring him back if he has a solid year.
While it wasn't the splashiest of offseasons in Portland, the team took steps in the right direction by drafting Lillard and Leonard, and retaining Batum. Within the last few months, the Blazers have clearly focused on gathering assets, such as the second-round picks they acquired in their offseason trades, and gaining as much cap flexibility as they can, as they showed when they declined all three of their 2013/14 options on Luke Babbitt, Nolan Smith, and Elliot Williams.
It remains to be seen how quickly Lillard and Leonard can develop, and how good they (and Batum) can be, but if all goes well, the Trail Blazers hope to build a contending team around LaMarcus Aldridge. It will probably require some patience, since a playoff berth this year would be a major surprise. But given what Portland did this offseason and the position the team has put itself in going forward, it's not unreasonable to think the Blazers could acquire another solid veteran or two within the next year and make a real run at the postseason in 2013/14.
Odds & Ends: Bledsoe, Paul, McDyess, Pacers
HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus examines the depth of the Clippers, and says that the team has received numerous inquiries about reserve point guard Eric Bledsoe. The Clippers won't consider moving Bledsoe until they sign Chris Paul to a long-term contract, Pincus hears, adding that most executives expect Paul, an unrestricted free agent next summer, to stay with the team. There's plenty of other news from around the Association on the first weekend of the regular season, so let's dive right in.
- We heard yesterday that Antonio McDyess is considering a comeback, but he has no interest in joining the Wolves, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
- In his third season, Lance Stephenson is finally making an impact for the Pacers as he receives minutes for the injured Danny Granger, writes Mark Montieth of Pacers.com. Montieth adds that Granger, who's out indefinitely, could face surgery on his sore left knee.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com examines the options for the Warriors in the wake of Brandon Rush's season-ending injury, and mentions Mickael Pietrus, Maurice Evans, Josh Howard and Kenyon Martin as "free agent names arising" in case the team goes looking for a replacement.
- C.J. Watson drew interest from other teams that could have offered more money, but he decided to sign with the Nets on a minimum-salary deal instead, notes Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post.
- Jeff Teague is using the Hawks' decision not to extend his rookie-scale contract this week as motivation, but he isn't upset with the team, the point guard tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.
- In the same piece, Greene also checks in with Rockets swingman Daequan Cook, who's looking to prove his worth as a teammate after his inclusion in the James Harden trade caught him off guard.
- Neil Olshey took the Blazers' offer to become GM after owner Paul Allen put it on the table with the condition that Olshey was not to give the Clippers a chance to match, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
- Trey Johnson, who spent 11 games with the Hornets last year, was close to signing with Angelico Biella, but it appears the deal is falling apart, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports.