Odds & Ends: Morrison, Turkoglu, Lin, Ginobili
Let's round up a few odds and ends from a busy day around the NBA….
- Blazers coach Terry Stotts told the media today that summer signee Adam Morrison has a "legitimate" chance to make the team, according to Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge (Twitter link).
- Hedo Turkoglu says he'd like to finish his career with the Magic, tweets Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Asked about the Knicks' decision to let Jeremy Lin walk in July, GM Glen Grunwald told the media that the Rockets made a commitment to Lin that New York wasn't prepared to make, and that Raymond Felton was a better fit for the Knicks. Marc Berman of the New York Post has the quotes.
- Manu Ginobili expects to return to the Spurs if he continues playing when his contract expires at season's end, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
- Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal poses five burning questions facing the Cavaliers heading into the 2012/13 season. Among Lloyd's five: Whether Dion Waiters was the right choice in June's draft, and whether Anderson Varejao will finish the year with the Cavs.
- Ben Wallace won't be in camp with the Pistons, since the team doesn't want to put him a position where it may have to cut him, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.
- Appearing on KJR in Seattle, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he didn't think any NBA owner would stand in the way of the city of Seattle getting another NBA franchise (link via Sports Radio Interviews).
- Former NBA veteran Jayson Williams tells ESPN.com's Matt Wong that he's healthy and misses the NBA, but stopped short of saying he's interested in making a comeback.
Trail Blazers Sign Coby Karl
The Trail Blazers have added another player to their training camp roster, officially signing Coby Karl, according to the team's official Twitter feed. The 29-year-old Karl is the son of Nuggets' coach George Karl.
Karl, who went undrafted out of Boise State in 2007, has appeared in just 24 total NBA games for the Lakers, Cavaliers, and Warriors. Since being waived by the Nuggets in August 2010, the 6'5" shooting guard has played overseas in Spain and Italy, and was also part of the Timberwolves' 2012 summer squad in Las Vegas.
The signing of Karl bring Portland's roster to 19 contracts, including at least four that are non-guaranteed. Adam Morrison, Dallas Lauderdale, Demonte Harper, and Karl appear to be the odd men out unless they make a significant impact in camp and preseason action. Sasha Pavlovic's contract is also believed not to be fully guaranteed.
Odds & Ends: Jefferson, Batum, Brand, Nene
In a busy NBA offseason, the Jazz haven't been talked about a great deal on a national level after adding Randy Foye and Marvin Williams to a talented young core. However, big man Al Jefferson is certainly taking notice. Referring to former General Manager Kevin O'Connor and current GM Dennis Lindsey, Jefferson said "The GMs did a hell of a job improving our team. I feel a lot better," tweets Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune. Jefferson is also entering his walk year, but he says that he hasn't given it any thought (Twitter link). Here's more from around the league as Sunday turns into Monday..
- Joe Freeman of The Oregonian looks at the biggest questions facing the Blazers this season. Among them is whether Nicolas Batum can take the next big step and justify the $45MM contract he was given this summer. Part of that leap will be an attitude adjustment as Batum often appears to look passive on the floor.
- Mavericks forward Elton Brand says that he expects to serve as the club's enforcer in 2012/13, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Dallas claimed the former All-Star off of waivers back in July after he was amenstied by the 76ers.
- If the Wizards hope to turn things around this year, they'll need a major contribution from forward Nene, writes Michael Lee of The Washington Post. Nene, acquired at last year's deadline from Denver, has battled back from two major setbacks in his career and will have to stay healthy in order for the Wizards to stay competitive this season.
Odds & Ends: Dentmon, Curry, Williams, Wright
Here are a few Friday odds and ends from around the Association, with opening night just over a month away:
- After we rounded up a few highlights from the Celtics' media day earlier this afternoon, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com adds a few more, courtesy of Kevin Garnett's podium appearance. KG discussed Ray Allen, the Heat, and his decision to re-sign with the Celtics, among other topics.
- Justin Dentmon has signed with Fujian Quanzhou in China, agent Bill Neff tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. Last year's D-League MVP had brief stints with the Spurs and Raptors in 2011/12.
- Asked once again about his contract situation in a Q&A with Jason McIntyre of Big Lead Sports, Stephen Curry reiterated that he hopes to remain with the Warriors long-term, adding: "I’m an NBA junkie and I know all of the latest news and contract situations. But I won’t base my decision on 'Oh, this guy makes a certain amount, I need to make more' or that kind of thing. It’s about timing in the NBA and the right situation, and winning more than money. But yeah, I know everybody’s contract, that’s common knowledge, but it doesn’t impact my situation."
- The Trail Blazers must decide by October 31st whether to pick up Elliot Williams' $2.37MM option for 2013/14, and with Williams' season over due to a ruptured achilles tendon, he's not sure what the team will do. Either way, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Williams intends to be ready and healthy for the '13/14 season.
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside wonders which former D-Leaguers on camp invites have the best odds to earn regular-season NBA roster spots.
- We heard earlier this week that Julian Wright was closing in on a deal with Israel's Maccabi Rishon, but David Pick of Sportando says (via Twitter) Wright may be having second thoughts after agreeing to terms with the club.
- In a piece for the Detroit Free Press, Dan Feldman of PistonPowered says Joe Dumars' willingness to look overseas to acquire a player like Slava Kravtsov is a good sign for the Pistons.
Western Notes: Rubio, Arthur, Babbitt, Jones
When the Timberwolves signed Kevin Love to a four-year extension, rather than a five-year deal, many assumed the team was saving its five-year franchise-player designation for Ricky Rubio. However, Britt Robson, who recently wrote about T-Wolves owner Glen Taylor for Twin Cities Business, hears from GM David Kahn that Rubio is likely to receive the same four-year offer Love did (Twitter link). Here are a few more links dealing with Western Conference clubs:
- Darrell Arthur, who was re-signed by the Grizzlies this summer, has suffered a leg fracture and won't be ready for training camp, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. It's another bad break for Arthur, who torn his achilles tendon and missed all of last season.
- Luke Babbitt isn't sure whether or not the Trail Blazers will pick up his fourth-year option for 2013/14, but he doesn't intend to let his contract become a distraction, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com writes.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News believes Dominique Jones, who also has a fourth-year option decision pending, could be a breakout candidate for the Mavericks.
- Heading into the season with a newly rebuilt roster and virtually no veteran players, GM Daryl Morey thinks his Rockets will be perhaps the league's most difficult team to forecast. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has the story.
Northwest Rumors: Hickson, Morrison, Jazz
It's been a busy day for current and former members of the Timberwolves. The team officially announced the signing of Louis Amundson, having reportedly passed on Sean Williams and Yi Jianlian. Anthony Tolliver was also in the running to return until yesterday, and today he agreed to sign with the Hawks. Mark Deeks of ShamSports revealed the Wolves can get out of the last year of their contract with Brandon Roy if he reinjures his knees this season, and after an offseason of changes, Kevin Love says he's satisfied with the team's moves. There's news on Minnesota's Northwest Division rivals as well, and we'll round it up here:
- J.J. Hickson will start training camp with the inside track to be the starter at center for the Blazers, said coach Terry Stotts, who also gave a nod to the strides rookie Meyers Leonard made over the summer, as The Oregonian's Joe Freeman writes.
- In the same piece, Freeman reports that the Blazers will give strong consideration to keeping Adam Morrison for the entire season. The third overall pick in the 2006 draft signed a non-guaranteed contract with the team last week.
- The Jazz have added 27-year-old former University of Utah guard Johnnie Bryant to their staff as a player development assistant, reports Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link).
Odds & Ends: Pietrus, Johnson, Raptors, Thomas
Here's today's look around the Association..
- While the Timberwolves continue to talk with Mickael Pietrus' camp, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) is told that there is a better chance the veteran wing winds up with a team in the Eastern Conference. This week it was reported that three teams have major interest in Pietrus with two clubs highly motivated to get a deal done. Pietrus also has a viable option overseas that would include an NBA opt-out.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star wouldn't be surprised to see either Amir Johnson or Ed Davis traded this season as one is likely to be squeezed out of the rotation in favor of the other. However, Smith is unwilling to handicap the odds of a trade happening or to predict which one will be on the block.
- Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld is surprised to see summer league standout Malcolm Thomas still without a guaranteed contract. Thomas posted a double-double in every Summer League game he played for the Bulls, averaging 17.9 PPG and 12.3 RPG for the week in Vegas.
- Eric Koreen of the National Post looks at how the Raptors are using advanced statistics to gain an edge going forward. Toronto has contracted KBAR Consulting to handle the analytics for the front office.
- Jim Cavan of the New York Times wonders if Adam Morrison will stick with the Blazers in his latest NBA go-round.
Blazers Sign Demonte Harper, Dallas Lauderdale
The Trail Blazers have added Demonte Harper and Dallas Lauderdale to their training camp roster, the team announced today (Twitter link). The Blazers also made their signing of Adam Morrison official, bring their roster count to 18 players.
Harper, 23, was part of the Nuggets' summer league roster in July, having gone undrafted out of Morehead State in 2011. In his senior year, the 6'4" guard averaged 15.5 PPG, shooting 37.3% from three-point range. Lauderdale, meanwhile, played his college ball at Ohio State and also went undrafted a year ago. The big man played for the Warriors' summer league squad in Vegas.
Harper, Lauderdale, and Morrison are all likely competing with Sasha Pavlovic to earn the final roster spot, since Portland's other 14 players are on guaranteed contracts.
Odds & Ends: Curry, Knicks, Jones, Trail Blazers
It appears Warriors guard Stephen Curry's ankles are either 100% or very close to it. Earlier today Curry tweeted that he was finally able to participate in scrimmages with his teammates, and CSNBayArea.com's Matt Steinmetz later confirmed the tweet by writing that Curry indeed played five-on-five at the team's downtown Oakland practice facility.
Here's some other news from around the league.
- Current Nuggets forward and former member of the Knicks Danilo Gallinari said that the fact New York is rumored to bring Isiah Thomas back into their front office is why they'll never win, writes KnicksJournal.com's Keith Schlosser.
- Rockets rookie forward Terrence Jones sat down with Rockets.com's Jason Friedman for an informative Q&A.
- Houston Chronicle reporter Jonathan Feigen analyzes what San Antonio's new uniforms could mean for the rest of the league.
- SpursNation.com's Dan McCarney talks about what the recent sale of AEG might mean for some other teams across the league, including the Spurs.
- In an in-depth season preview for the loaded Northwest Division, NBA.com's John Schuhmman says that the Trail Blazers might be the worst defensive team in the entire league next year.
- Lakers head coach Mike Brown recently stated on ESPN Radio that he's excited about the upcoming season, for obvious reasons, writes ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- NBA.com's Earl K. Sneed quotes Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle as saying that this is the year Rodrigue Beaubois puts it all together.
Blazers Sign Adam Morrison
The Blazers have signed Adam Morrison to a one-year, make-good deal, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Sam Amick of SI.com (via Twitter). The camp invitation was first reported by Joe Freeman of the Oregonian (via Twitter).
The former third-overall pick last appeared in the Association with the Lakers in 2009/10 where he saw 7.8 minutes of action per contest in 31 games. Morrison hooked on with the Nets' summer league team a few months back and made a strong impression on the club, but ultimately could not secure a deal. The former Gonzaga standout then finished out the 2012 summer league period with the Clippers where he averaged 20 PPG and 5 RPG across five games.