Spurs Waive Sherron Collins
The Spurs have waived former Kansas guard Sherron Collins, according to the team's website. The 25-year-old point guard was signed to the team's training camp roster on October 1st. After appearing in 20 games during the 2010/11 season with the Bobcats, Collins was not in the NBA last year. San Antonio's roster now stands at 19 players.
Odds & Ends: Ginobili, Smith, Knicks, Fields
Earlier this week, Manu Ginobili told reporters that if he continues playing beyond this season, he absolutely wants it to be in San Antonio. The 35-year-old will make over $14MM in 2012/13 but sounds willing to take a pay cut, as teammate Tim Duncan did, to help keep the club under the tax threshold. The Spurs tend to keep things quiet when it comes to contract extensions and Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld wouldn't be surprised to see the team suddenly announce that they've reached agreement with the veteran. The interest is obviously mutual, which should allow for an agreement to be struck before next summer. Here's more from around the league..
- In his latest mailbag, Sam Smith of NBA.com writes that he doesn't see the Hawks making the playoffs and doesn't see Josh Smith staying quiet for long. Hawks General Manager Danny Ferry recently said that the forward wants to remain in Atlanta but wasn't optimistic about working out an extension with him as he can get a larger deal by first hitting the open market.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson believes that the team's greatly improved depth this season will be key to their success, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. The Knicks are currently looking to see what Rasheed Wallace has left in the tank and could conceivably give Josh Howard a look if they trim their camp roster down from the maximum of 20.
- Offseason acquisition Landry Fields could fill the same "glue guy" role for the Raptors as Jorge Garbajosa did in the past, writes Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. Fields inked a lucrative three-year, $18.7MM deal with Toronto over the summer.
Stephen Jackson Wants Contract Extension
Last season, Stephen Jackson forced his mid-season exit from Milwaukee as he demanded a contract extension from the club. Now with San Antonio, Jackson says that he is still hoping to land an extension to his deal which expires after the 2012/13 season, writes Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News.
“I want it, but I can’t control it,” said the 34-year-old. “Every day when I walk in here I’m hoping they’ll call me in and say, ‘Jack, here’s your extension.’“
Jackson went on to say that he won’t let the contract situation or his off-the-bench role affect his play going into this season. While the veteran’s demands for a contract extension ultimately pushed the Bucks to send him to Golden State as a part of the Monta Ellis blockbuster, his deteriorating relationship with coach Scott Skiles also played a measurable role in his exit.
The small forward arrived in San Antonio two days later, where coach Gregg Popovich informed him that an extension was not in the works. Jackson is set to earn $10MM in the final year of his pact.
Odds & Ends: Dwight, Lakers, Warriors, Bucks
The news continues to improve for Dwight Howard and the Lakers, as five-on-five scrimmages appear to be the only part of practices in which the big man in not participating, as Mike Trudell of Lakers.com writes. "As much as he’s practicing, to me he’s back," coach Mike Brown told reporters. "Just waiting for the doctors (and) trainers to clear him. When that happens, he’ll go full tilt. But he looks good out there." There's more on the purple-and-gold and others tonight as training camps continue.
- The Lakers are not for sale, but Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, whose name has come up as a candidate to buy the Warriors and the Grizzlies in recent years, says they're his favorite team and hinted to CNBC's Robert Frank that he might like to own them someday (hat tip to RealGM.com).
- The Warriors are taking a cautious approach with Stephen Curry in training camp as the team tries to assess his health as the October 31st deadline for an extension looms, reports Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group (via the Charlotte Observer).
- Thompson also sizes up the candidates to start at small forward for the Warriors, concluding Brandon Rush is the most likely to nail down the job.
- It's a jumble at the three spot for the Bucks, too, with Tobias Harris, Mike Dunleavy and Marquis Daniels competing for the starting gig, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines.
- The agent for free agent guard Maurice Evans doesn't expect his client will sign anywhere soon, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- We passed along reaction to the league's new flopping policy earlier this evening, and Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News adds word from reputed flopper Manu Ginobili.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel checks in with Arron Afflalo, who figures to take on a larger role for the Magic this year than the one he played with the Nuggets.
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and Ken Berger of CBSSports.com provide more detail on the psychological struggle Royce White faces as he remains absent from Rockets camp. Matt Moore of CBSSports.com and Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld take it a step further, writing about their own anxiety disorders.
Manu Ginobili Talks Impending Free Agency
Back in May, when he was just weeks from becoming an unrestricted free agent, Tim Duncan told Johnny Ludden of Yahoo! Sports that he "wasn't going anywhere" in free agency, adding that he was a "Spur for life." While Duncan joked that he was reducing his leverage by making such a public statement, his comments came as no surprise.
Now, just over four months later, Manu Ginobili is borrowing a page from Duncan's playbook. The veteran guard is entering the final year of his contract, and was asked about his situation yesterday at the Spurs' media day. Like Duncan, Ginobili probably didn't do his agent any favors with his response.
"I don’t care," Ginobili said, according to Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News. "If it’s for a lot of money, a huge amount of money, I don’t care. I’m fine with what I’ve earned in my career. That is not a point of emphasis this year. I just want to play well and help my team make it as far as last year…. If I’m going to play next year, it’s highly likely it’s going to be here. So I really don’t care (about this being a contract season)."
Duncan, who made over $21MM in 2011/12, took a significant pay cut with his new contract, and will earn under $10MM this season, keeping the Spurs under the tax threshold. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if Ginobili worked out a similar deal with San Antonio next summer. The 35-year-old will make over $14MM in 2012/13, but could accept a seven-digit annual salary next July, if he feels as if he has some more years left in the tank.
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.
Spurs Sign Eddy Curry, Sherron Collins
The Spurs have officially unveiled their training camp roster, and there's at least one unexpected name on the list: Eddy Curry. Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News first reported that Curry was in camp with the Spurs (via Twitter).
Among the team's other additions, we'd previously heard about Tyler Wilkerson, Wesley Witherspoon, Josh Powell, and Derrick Brown. One new name on the training camp roster is Sherron Collins. It appears Collins may have taken the spot that previously appeared ticketed for fellow point guard Tre Kelley, whose name doesn't appear on the list.
While Brown, Powell, and the others should have a chance to earn a roster spot for the Spurs, Curry may be the most intriguing player among the new additions. According to Monroe, Curry has been playing all summer, looks fit, and has reportedly dropped 15 pounds (Twitter link). It would still be a little surprising to see the veteran big man earn a roster spot, but it appears he'll at least be given the opportunity.
Western Notes: Redd, T-Wolves, Hollins, Harden
It's Media Day for many NBA teams, which means we're in store for plenty of news and notes today, along with a handful of quotes from players in the "best shape of their lives." In the meantime, here are a few updates from some Western Conference clubs:
- The Timberwolves thought they had landed Michael Redd to a non-guaranteed deal, but the veteran shooter changed his mind, reports Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 (via Twitter).
- Lionel Hollins has only had "limited discussions" with the Grizzlies about a contract extension, but the head coach expects to have a new deal in place before his current contract expires at season's end, says Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- With just over four weeks until this year's extension deadline, it's beginning to look as if James Harden will hit restricted free agency next summer rather than re-up this month with the Thunder, as Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman writes.
- The Kings haven't found a permanent solution at small forward in recent years, but offseason acquisition James Johnson is the latest candidate for the job, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
- Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News profiles one of the Spurs' only offseason additions, Nando De Colo.
Josh Howard Unlikely To Sign With Knicks
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com hears that the Knicks are probably out of the running for swingman Josh Howard (Twitter link). Zwerling's source believes Howard will find a better fit elsewhere, but all offers are likely to be for the minimum salary.
Howard met with the Spurs and Sixers this month, and Zwerling indicates the Jazz and Bobcats are potential destinations as well. This week Howard was said to be negotiating with four unknown teams, and the Knicks appeared to be one of them. That was the case even after Rasheed Wallace told the team he would come out of retirement to fill its final preseason roster spot, though signing both Wallace and Howard would have required New York to part ways with one of its training camp invitees.
Several teams have been linked to Howard at different points throughout the summer, with as many as five teams in the running when he was reportedly close to a deal in July. The 32-year-old former All-Star has remained on the shelf after a season in which he averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds with a 10.5 PER in 23.0 minutes per game for the Jazz.
Poll: Will Blair Finish The Season With Spurs?
Earlier today Spurs General Manager R.C. Buford confirmed that he worked to oblige DeJuan Blair's trade wishes and shopped the forward around the league earlier this summer. However, the GM says that he was unable to find a suitable deal for the former Pitt standout and reaffirmed that he believes Blair will continue to help the club win games. However, Blair's issue with San Antonio and coach Gregg Popovich doesn't stem from his role in helping to win during the regular season – it comes from his lack of burn in last year's playoffs, where he saw a total of 76 minutes of action in 10 games.
Blair is far from a superstar, but he has proven that he is deserving of significant minutes for a contender. Averaging roughly 20 minutes per contest for the Spurs over the last three years, Blair has given San Antonio major toughness and rebounding ability on the inside. And at just over $1MM for the 2012/13 season, it's hard to imagine that Buford won't be able to find a taker for the forward at some point. The question is, will that return be worthwhile enough for the Spurs to let him go? Furthermore, if Blair sees his minutes dip between now and March, will he be enough of a team player to make the atmosphere-conscious Spurs want to hold on to him?