Odds & Ends: Bibby, Graham, Kuester
According to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, Mike Bibby – who is reportedly well-liked by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich - was invited to San Antonio's training camp and had a good chance of making the team. However, the veteran guard now won't be able to attend because of a foot/heel injury (Twitter link). It's been a bit of a Jazz fest as far as news goes this evening, but here are some other noteworthy links we've gathered up from around the Association:
- Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com ranks the league's top ten frontcourts (Insiders only).
- Stephen Graham could possibly have an invitation to participate in Bucks camp this fall (Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times via Twitter). There hasn't been any further mention of an official invitation, but we'll look to relay any updates as they surface.
- 76ers rookie head coach Brett Brown doesn't feel inclined to bring along a former head coach as an assistant, notes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer: “I don’t feel with this team that it’s mandatory that I have to surround myself with perspective or wisdom or, you know, an Owl that’s been there, done that…I feel that this year’s team is about development. And I feel like it’s about … teaching, relationships and energy more than NBA wisdom."
- Former Pistons head coach and Lakers assistant John Kuester, however, has been rumored to be a potential candidate for Brown's coaching staff in Philadelphia.
- The Score's Mark Deeks discusses Paul George's max contract extension as well as a potential one for Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. While Deeks understands the logic behind securing George for the long term, he feels that offering the same type of deal to Cousins would be an enormous gamble.
Spurs Sign Sam Young
The Spurs have reached a contract agreement with free agent Sam Young, reports Shams Charania of RealGM, citing a league source. We haven't heard much about Young's eventual destination this offseason, but the silver and black of San Antonio seems like a pretty good fit for the defensive-minded Pittsburgh alum. Charania reports that the Kings and Knicks also kicked the tires on the 6-foot-6 swingman.
After being drafted 36th overall by Memphis in 2009, Young was traded to Philadelphia in 2012 and then latched on with the Pacers last year. Young was cut in early January last year by the Pacers in a strategic roster move, but was re-signed to the team less than a month later. He's averaged 5.8 points and 15.9 minutes per game over his four-year career, but is better known for his defensive intangibles than his statistical production.
Kings Links: Shaq, Cousins, Ranadive
There was plenty of news coming out of Sacramento yesterday, as it was reported that Shaquille O'Neal had bought a stake in the Kings and would join the franchise's ownership group. Additionally, fourth-year big man DeMarcus Cousins appears to be closing in on a long-term extension with the club, and there's a chance something could be done in time for camp. Today's Kings links deal primarily with the fallout from those two stories, so let's dive in….
- Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro confirmed today that extension talks with Cousins are progressing, but didn't offer any specific details or a timeline for the deal, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
- The Kings held a presser today to introduce O'Neal as a minority shareholder, and Shaq suggested that when he looks at Cousins, he sees "a young Shaquille O'Neal" (Twitter link). We heard yesterday that the former Laker hopes to "teach [Cousins] a few things to add to his game."
- Shaq's share of the Kings will amount to between 2-4%, according to Mike Ozanian of Forbes.com.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com weighs in with five thoughts on the seemingly inevitable Cousins extension, discussing, among other things, Vivek Ranadive's role in negotiations and whether the Kings would be better off waiting until next summer.
- As Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee writes, O'Neal will continue as a TNT analyst, but plans to spend a "significant" amount of time in Sacramento.
Pacific Notes: Redick, Clippers, Barnes, Shaq
Earlier today, Sam Amick of USA Today spoke with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, who says that he is a fan of DeMarcus Cousins and hopes to get a new deal hammered out with him in advance of next month's deadline. While Ranadive wouldn't handicap the odds of something getting done, Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears that the two sides are on track to agree to an extension in the coming weeks. Here's more on the Kings and other notes from the Pacific Division..
- J.J. Redick spoke with Eric Patten of NBA.com about the deal that sent him to the Clippers this summer. “I have mixed emotions about [getting traded],” Redick said. “For the most part, you essentially accept the fact that it’s part of the job and you’re getting paid to play basketball. Ultimately, I don’t feel Milwaukee with our team last year was… It definitely wasn’t a great fit. We didn’t play particularly well as a team down the stretch. Going into that I hoped we could kind of move up from that eighth spot and we didn’t. It was frustrating to a lot of people last year in Milwaukee.”
- Mark Deeks of HoopsWorld.com ranked the ten best new contracts of the offseason and the Clippers earned two mentions for Matt Barnes and Darren Collison. Both were acquired via the non-taxpayer mid-level exception with Barnes earning $3.25MM with Collison getting the remaining $1.9MM.
- Shaquille O'Neal can offer the Kings quite a bit in the way of marketing after becoming a minority owner, Amick writes.
Pacific Notes: Wesley Johnson, Suns, Kings
The Lakers didn't land their top free agent target this July, but the team made a handful of smaller, under-the-radar signings to bring in talent and bolster a bench that was thin in 2012/13. Among those incoming free agents is Wesley Johnson, and the new Laker spoke extensively to Laker Nation about the upcoming season, playing with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, and how excited he is to play in L.A.
"It's really a dream come true for me," Johnson said, according to Alex Lambeth and Jory Dreher. "I've wanted to play here since I was younger. My family really respects the Lakers for all they stand for…. My mom loved Magic [Johnson]. Being able to play for the Lakers and with my mom being able to see me play for them, it's going to be fun."
Here's more from around the Pacific Division:
- Goran Dragic spoke to Mark Woods of ESPN.com about the Suns' offseason and the direction of the team, praising the trade for Eric Bledsoe and the drafting of Alex Len. "Of course, we still have a lot of salary cap," Dragic said. "Probably next year, we'll go for big names, one of the superstars."
- Shaquille O'Neal's involvement in Kings ownership could have an effect on a new Sacramento arena, according to Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis, and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee. As the Bee report suggests, Shaq's presence may help sell Sacramentans on the proposed $258MM public subsidy for the arena.
- Earlier today, we heard that DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings are moving toward a contract extension.
DeMarcus Cousins, Kings Nearing Extension
Following up on his story on Shaquille O'Neal joining the Kings' ownership group, Sam Amick of USA Today asked owner Vivek Ranadive about whether the team will lock up DeMarcus Cousins with a contract extension before next month's deadline.
"I don't want to say anything premature," Ranadive said. "But I've been constant in my support for DeMarcus."
While Ranadive was noncommital, ESPN.com's Marc Stein hears from sources that the Kings and Cousins are on track to reach an extension agreement in the coming weeks. A deal could even be finalized before the Kings open camp, according to Stein.
Cousins, 23, is coming off a season in which ne nearly averaged a double-double, with 17.1 PPG and 9.9 RPG, to go along with a 20.2 PER. Stein indicates that the mercurial big man is said to be seeking a five-year max contract, similar to the one John Wall inked with the Wizards. Such a deal would make Cousins the Kings' designated franchise player, though he almost certainly won't qualify for the Derrick Rose Rule max, which I discussed in relation to Paul George earlier today.
It's unclear whether the Kings are willing to give Cousins that fifth year or to go as high as the max, but Stein writes that the club is determined to get something done as soon as possible so that Cousins' contract situation doesn't become a distraction. Additionally, as Amick notes, O'Neal hopes to take the Kentucky product under his wing as part of his involvement with the Kings.
"You hear people say all the time that he's probably the most talented big man in the league, so now if you've got that behind your name, then everything else must follow," O'Neal said. "I'm going to teach him a few things to add to his game."
Assuming Cousins and George officially complete their deals in the near future, they'll become the third and fourth players to sign rookie-scale extensions this offseason. Wall and Larry Sanders have also agreed to new long-term deals.
Shaquille O’Neal Buys Stake In Kings
Over a decade ago, when Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and the Lakers won three consecutive championships, the team eliminated the Kings from the playoffs during each of its title runs. Now, putting a spin on an old cliche, after beating them, O'Neal is joining them. Sam Amick of USA Today reports that Shaq has bought a stake in the Kings, becoming a minority owner of the Sacramento franchise.
O'Neal joins a new ownership group in Sacramento that includes Vivek Ranadive and Mark Mastrov, among others. Mastrov and O'Neal have a long-standing friendship, according to Amick, that dates back to when Shaq frequented Mastrov's 24-Hour Fitness gyms during his playing days in Los Angeles. Mastrov introduced O'Neal to Ranadive, who had been seeking a buzzworthy addition to the team's ownership group.
"I wanted to find somebody to add to the ownership group who truly represented 21st century basketball," Ranadive said. "[Someone] who represented my vision of NBA 3.0, which is having an understanding of technology, wanting to build a global brand and being global in their thinking, and really being committed to having an impact in the community."
For his part, Shaq is interested in turning the franchise he once dubbed "the Queens" from a perennial lottery team into a club that players are "knocking on the door" to join.
"Hopefully Vivek, with Mr. Mastrov and myself and the team and organization can get it back to where it used to be," O'Neal said. "I'm telling you these new plans, oh my. You're going to be like, 'Sacramento is doing what?' That's what we want people to say."
Amick suggests that O'Neal intends to be actively involved with the Kings, starting today. Shaq is set to meet with players and coaches in Sacramento today before having dinner with "new protege" DeMarcus Cousins, according to the USA Today scribe. Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee adds (via Twitter) that the Kings will introduce the former Laker as a member of the ownership group tomorrow.
Western Notes: Rautins, KJ, Lin, Suns
The three teams doling out the greatest number of $10MM+ salaries this year are all from the Eastern Conference, as I examined this evening, but of the leaguewide total of 60 salaries of $10MM or more this season, Western Conference teams are set to pay 29 of them. That's a remarkably even split considering nearly a quarter of those salaries are concentrated with just the Nets, Knicks and Bulls. It demonstrates a depth of highly compensated talent in the West, which has been widely perceived as the NBA's power conference for years. Here's the latest news from the Western Conference:
- Author R.E. Graswich contends in his book that Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson played a secondary role to David Stern in the fight to keep the Kings from moving, as Graswich explains to Cambi Brown of CBS13 in Sacramento. Graswich also claims that Johnson harbors a grudge against the Kings, who drafted Kenny Smith one spot before Johnson went off the board in 1987.
- Andy Rautins spent last October with the Thunder, but it doesn't look like he'll be in an NBA camp this time around. The Fraport Skyliners of Germany have announced on their website that they've signed the former second-round pick (translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
- Jeremy Lin tells ESPN.com that he believes Dwight Howard's arrival in Houston will alleviate some of the pressure the Harvard grad felt to perform for the Rockets last season, when he was down on himself for not duplicating "Linsanity."
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic profiles new Suns coach Jeff Hornacek's assistants, two of whom were Suns teammates of Hornacek in their playing days.
Western Rumors: Budinger, Lakers, Vasquez
A handful of teams were reportedly suitors of Chase Budinger this summer, but after just a single injury-shortened year in Minnesota, the Timberwolves had already won his heart, as he told reporters today, including Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (video link).
"It was a fairly easy decision." Budinger said of re-signing with the Wolves. "I just fit perfectly in Rick Adelman's system. He trusts me. I know the coaching staff. I know what they expect of me. Just all in all, I was very comfortable here, and that was the main reason why I came back."
Zgoda's video also shows Budinger and Dante Cunningham talking about the club's offseason additions. Here's more from Minnesota's Western Conference rivals:
- Dave Murphy of Forum Blue & Gold confirms that Nick Minnerath will pass up a training camp invitation from the Lakers to play for Obradoiro in Spain (hat tip to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times). We suspected as much when the Spanish team announced its deal last month with the undrafted former University of Detroit forward.
- Greivis Vasquez hasn't yet played a game for the Kings, who acquired him via trade from the Pelicans this summer, but the team already faces a decision about whether to extend his rookie-scale deal. Sacramento GM Pete D'Alessandro is among those who praises the Venezuelan point guard in Alex Kramers' piece for Kings.com, which chronicles Vasquez's unlikely journey to the team.
- The Kosta Koufos trade figures to open up the Nuggets starting center job for JaVale McGee, but Timofey Mozgov is also in line for more playing time as the primary backup at the position after inking a new three-year deal in the offseason. The big man recognizes the opportunity before him, as he tells Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com.
Sergio Rodriguez On NBA Return, Playing Overseas
Things didn't quite work out for Sergio Rodriguez during his time in the NBA and even though he's thriving once again overseas, he doesn't necessarily sound intent on trying his hand here in the states again, writes Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. "I'm 27 with nine years as a pro player already. Everything goes very fast and I want to enjoy it," said the former Blazers guard. "I'm happy in Madrid and have two years left on my contract and the potential to win everything here or at least be in the mix. That's all I think about." Here's more from Sierra's chat with the guard who was once thought to be the future face of Portland's franchise..
Was there one moment where you lost confidence in your abilities as a player?
There have not been extended periods when I lost confidence. Of course I had down times, but not long ones. At the end of the day, I'm lucky because basketball is also my favorite hobby. There's been moments when I didn't feel too good, some during my time in the NBA or my first year in Real Madrid… But I knew things would look up eventually because I was putting in the work.
How did you feel upon your return to Europe from the NBA?
Looking back, (the NBA experience) wasn't that bad. I played 300 games, I had a blast and lived a dream… and I ended up in New York – starting for the Knicks. When I decided to return to Europe, it was Real Madrid no less, which was a big deal to me. I was going to be able to play at the Euroleague, shoot for championships and deal with the extreme pressure that comes with having to win all the time. When I left the NBA, I felt kind of empowered by the fact that I was joining Real Madrid.
Which of your three NBA stops (Portland, Sacramento, New York) was the most fun?
The three of them! I had a good time in each of the three. Of course, Portland has a bit of an advantage because it was three years there and it was kind of a family and the stars of the team were growing together at the same time. Then Sacramento was good too. Practices were very enjoyable and it was close to San Francisco. Besides, Sacramento fans are knowledgeable about basketball and one of my references as a player – Jason Williams – had played there with the Webber-led Kings, which were one of my favorite teams of all time. Then you had New York… Playing there with Tracy McGrady and in that city was a very positive experience. Maybe the timing of my arrival was not the best, though.
Knowing what you know now, would you still go to the NBA at age 20?
Yes, no doubt. My dream was to play in the NBA and I made it real and enjoyed it very much. There's a lot of players in the States fighting to be in that position, but with me it was, 'Meh, he's not playing much'. But in reality I feel fortunate that I had the career I had in the NBA. It could have been better, but it wasn't bad. Plus it helped me grow as a player. I wouldn't change anything.