Eastern Notes: Turner, Fields, Heat, Boozer
We've already had one update out of the Eastern Conference today, with ESPN.com's Marc Stein reporting that the Raptors have Mickael Pietrus on their radar. Let's round up a few more Friday morning items from the East….
- Evan Turner spoke to Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News about the adjustment from "standing out to fitting in" that he'd made since being drafted second overall by the Sixers in 2010. "I want to get minutes on the court and help the team out," Turner said. "Sometimes people don't think that's something that a guy who was the second pick would do. But here that's what I'm seen as and that's what I'm going to do to the best of my abilities."
- Landry Fields got off to a terrible start with the Raptors, but given his elbow issues, it's unfair to call him a bust at this point, writes Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld. According to Brotherson, it will be at least another month or two before the team will really be able to tell what kind of player it signed.
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel says a defensive-minded point guard is still something the Heat could use.
- Sam Smith has his own mailbag up at Bulls.com, heavy on Chicago content. Among the highlights: Smith writes that every indication he's gotten to date indicates the Bulls don't plan to amnesty Carlos Boozer next summer.
- Although he acknowledges it won't happen, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio suggests the Heat should consider trading Dwyane Wade, since a team like the Kings or Hawks would give up plenty of young talent and assets for the perennial All-Star, and the Heat could win without him (all Twitter links).
Eastern Notes: Lopez, J.R. Smith, Wall, Harkless
It was a successful night for a pair of teams at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, as the Pistons blew out the Sixers en route to their first win after an 0-8 start, while the Bobcats dropped the Wolves for their third win in a row, moving to 4-3. The Wizards failed to join that group, and are the NBA's lone remaining winless team after losing to the Mavericks tonight. There's more on Washington and other news from the East right here.
- After committing to Brook Lopez this summer, the Nets have raised their expectations of the fifth-year center, according to USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt, who says the team signed Reggie Evans and Andray Blatche so they could help Lopez improve.
- J.R. Smith said in training camp he wanted to start at shooting guard, but now he says he's "loving" his role as sixth man for the unbeaten Knicks, for whom he's off to a hot start, observes Nate Taylor of The New York Times.
- As the 0-7 Wizards search in vain for their first win, the frustration is mounting for John Wall, who's without a timetable for a return from a stress fracture in his right knee, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. Wall will be eligible for an extension to his rookie-scale contract next summer.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel says rookie Maurice Harkless, who missed preseason while recovering from sports hernia surgery, is already starting to show his worth a week after his debut for the Magic.
- Hedo Turkoglu had hoped to be back from his broken left hand about two weeks from now, but after doctors had to put the hand back in a cast today, he could be out for another month, reports John Denton of Magic.com.
- Richard Hamilton, whose $5MM deal for next season is only guaranteed for $1MM, could be a free agent next summer, but he's okay with Tom Thibodeau's plans to limit his minutes to keep him healthy, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune notes.
- The Celtics are considering a D-League rehab stint for Avery Bradley once he's healthy, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
Odds & Ends: Bucks, Revenues, Colangelo, Rose
The Bucks sit atop the Central Division two weeks into the season, and with the Bulls missing Derrick Rose and the Pacers without Danny Granger, there's a chance they might stay in first place for a while. Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis can become free agents next summer, but they're off to a strong start in their first full season as teammates, observes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Nonetheless, Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group predicts Ellis won't be with the Bucks next year (Twitter link). While we wait to see how Milwaukee's situation plays out, there's news on Rose and others on a six-game night in the Association.
- Commissioner David Stern said the league is projecting it will rake in a record $5 billion of revenue this season, a 20% jump from 2010/11, the NBA's last full season, writes Ronald Blum of The Associated Press (via the Minneapolis Star Tribune).
- Jerry Colangelo has been re-elected as chairman of USA Basketball's board of directors through 2016, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Chauncey Billups will also join the board as an athlete representative.
- In the same piece, Zillgitt notes that Colangelo said there's no rush to name a coach to replace the outgoing Mike Krzyzewski.
- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau expects Rose to return at some point this season, writes Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com.
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reiterates a point he's made before, suggesting the Raptors ought to trade Andrea Bargnani to bolster a position of weakness.
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside passes along details on this season's D-League showcase, which is set to take place in early January 2013.
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kemba Walker are playing like legitimate building blocks for the 3-3 Bobcats, as Jim Cavan of The New York Times chronicles.
Upcoming Guarantee Dates
Most players on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts have January 15th circled on their calendars. As long as they don't clear waivers before that day, their contracts become fully guaranteed. A handful of others without full guarantees are working on a different schedule, as negotiated with their teams. The contracts for the players below become fully guaranteed if they're not waived on or before the dates listed.
- Suns: P.J. Tucker1 ($762,195, partially guaranteed for $400K) — December 1st
- Bobcats: Cory Higgins ($762,195, fully non-guaranteed) — December 10th
- Wizards: Jannero Pargo2 ($1,229,295, partially guaranteed for $300K) — December 15th
- Bulls: Nate Robinson2 ($1,146,337, partially guaranteed for $400K) — January 1st
1— Tucker has already moved past one hurdle, as the size of his partial guarantee increased from $150K when he made the opening-night roster.
2— The Wizards and Bulls would only be obligated to pay $854,389, the amount equal to a third-year veteran's minimum, if they keep Pargo and Robinson, respectively, past their guarantee dates. The league would pay the rest since both are on one-year minimum-salary deals.
ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.
Odds & Ends: Bynum, Rose, Clippers, Jackson
The Sixers will have to wait at least a few more weeks to see the debut of Andrew Bynum in red, white, and blue. The big man is still waiting on his right knee to heal up and isn't expected to be cleared for basketball activity until December 10th. That will put Bynum on track for a return in the weeks that follow, which could mean that he'll be out of commission for the remainder of the calendar year. Some might wonder if Bynum is being extra cautious in his walk year, but he shot that notion down earlier tonight, tweets Tom Moore of Calkins Newspapers. Here's more from around the Association, including other non-Lakers items..
- Speaking of injured stars, Bulls guard Derrick Rose has started cutting again as he rehabs a torn ACL in his left knee, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is encouraged by the development but stressed that Rose isn't necessarily ahead of schedule but rather right where he should be in his recovery.
- The Clippers' new found depth is allowing them to rest their stars more this season, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Forward Blake Griffin is extremely appreciative of the strengthened bench and says that he will be benefitting from the reduced minutes.
- Reality is sinking in for the Lakers now that they know Phil Jackson won't be their coach (again), writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.
Odds & Ends: Bogut, Jennings, Rose, Irving, Roy
We learned tonight that the Warriors have shutdown center Andrew Bogut for 7 to 10 days and Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News says that all signs point towards the Aussie big man's absence extending longer than that. Bogut said that he may have pushed it too much and that he would consider himself a liability on the court right now, writes Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times. There are only two games tonight, but still plenty of links from around the league:
- In the early going, the absence of a contract extension has brought out the best in Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings, writes Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen. Since he couldn't come to an agreement with Milwaukee, Jennings will hit free agency this summer.
- According to Russell Westbrook, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will come back from his knee injury this season stronger than ever, writes Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago. Westbrook and Scott Brooks also said that while the Bulls are a different team without Rose, they still must be feared because of the way Tom Thibodeau prepares them to play, says Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
- Beckley Mason of the New York Times opines that it isn't too early to consider the Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving among the NBA's elite point guards.
- After sitting out last year, Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy is rusty, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Roy says his knee are fine, however, and will begin to look more for his shot to try to get his career back on track.
Odds & Ends: Hill, Martin, Knicks, Celtics, Belinelli
Before the Spurs tipped off against the Pacers, coach Gregg Popovich told reporters, including Dan McCarney of San Antonio Express-News that he still keeps a watchful eye on guard George Hill. “I’ve watched him closely,” Popovich said. “As you very well know, he was a team favorite, a fan favorite, a wonderful community guy. Great competitor. So we’re always pulling for him to be successful. We were jumping out of our seat when he made the shot a couple of games ago to win the game for them. We were thrilled." The Spurs weren't so kind to Hill's squad tonight as they topped Indiana 101-79. Here's more from around the Association..
- Kenyon Martin has to take a hard look in the mirror after his desire for a mini mid-level contract has left him still looking for a job in November, writes Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. Last night, we learned that Martin has yet to receive even a non-guaranteed offer from a club.
- The Knicks have taken some flack for the advanced age of their roster, but Patrick Ewing believes that they can contend for the title, writes Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post.
- Offseason acquisition Jason Terry is a big believer in the value of a proper sample size and says that the Celtics bench will step up this season, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. The bench also figures to gain a boost in mid-to-late December when Avery Bradley returns to action.
- Sharpshooting guard Marco Belinelli now seems to be settling in with the Bulls, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Belinelli signed with Chicago as a part of the club's revamped bench.
- Magic guard J.J. Redick was supposed to be trade bait for the rebuilding club, but he has looked stellar early on in 2012/13, notes Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops (via Twitter).
Eastern Notes: Jennings, Fesenko, Allen, Celtics
When we asked you earlier this afternoon which rookie scale contract extension will work out best for the team locking up its player, one fourth-year guard was notably absent from the list: Brandon Jennings. Shaun Powell of Sports on Earth calls the young Buck the most talented player from the 2009 draft class not to receive an extension from his club, and examines the outlook for the 23-year-old, who admits he's "kind of auditioning for other teams." If that's the case, his audition is off to a good start — Jennings was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week by the league this afternoon (Twitter link).
Here are a few more updates from around the Eastern Conference:
- Kyrylo Fesenko had a strong workout for the Hawks, but the team has yet to indicate whether it will sign him, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The big man also isn't ruling out a return to the Bulls, the team that waived him in October, tweets Charnia. Chicago isn't eligible to sign a veteran to a minimum-salary deal for another two weeks.
- Marquis Daniels tells Charania that he feels like stories and rumors of the alleged feud between Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen have been blown out of proportion. Daniels, Rondo, and Allen all played in the Celtics' backcourt from 2009 to 2012.
- In order to get Allen the minutes he was promised when he signed with Miami as a free agent, the Heat may have to play him at the point from time to time, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Appearing on WEEI's Big Show in Boston, Celtics president Danny Ainge spoke about the team's offseason, and about the Allen controversy. Chris Fedor of Sports Radio Interviews has the quotes.
- In a piece for the News-Herald, Bob Finnan express some concerns about the Cavaliers' bench.
Lawrence On Joe Johnson, Hamilton, Sloan
We made note last night of Mitch Lawrence's theory that Mike D'Antoni, whom Lawrence hears is looking to get back into coaching in 2013/14, could be headed to the Rockets, but the New York Daily News scribe shares much more in his four-page weekly roundup. Here are the highlights.
- Rick Sund's decision to step down as Hawks GM this summer may have had an impact on at least two other teams, according to Lawrence. Sund was content to stand pat with the team's core, unlike his successor, Danny Ferry, who shipped Joe Johnson to the Nets quickly after taking the job. Without the Johnson trade, Deron Williams might have signed with the Mavs, opening the door for Dwight Howard to join him in Dallas.
- League revenues declined about $400MM in 2011/12 from the year before, a loss executives were counting on because of the lockout. Though the matter of advertising on jerseys was reportedly tabled at the last Board of Governors meeting, advertising patches will be on jerseys in two years, Lawrence reports, creating an estimated $100MM worth of revenue every season.
- The Bulls aren't finding takers for Richard Hamilton and his $5MM salary this season.
- We heard this summer that Jerry Sloan had removed his name from consideration for the Blazers head coaching job, but before he did, the team offered him the job, Lawrence hears.
Extension Notes: Gibson, Jennings, Evans
Six players from the 2009 draft class signed extensions before Wednesday's deadline. James Harden, fresh off being traded to the Rockets, signed a five-year extension in Houston. Meanwhile, the 76ers signed Jrue Holiday to a four-year deal, as did the Bulls with Taj Gibson, the Warriors with Stephen Curry, the Nuggets with Ty Lawson, and the Raptors with DeMar DeRozan. Here are a few links dealing with the aftermath of these deals.
- The Daily Herald's Mike McGraw breaks down the financial implications of the Bulls' extension with Gibson.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News looks at several players who didn't receive extensions, including Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans, and Jeff Teague. He says this season will be important to them in setting their value.
- Deveney also writes that many prospective restricted free agents are seen as no more than backups, which could affect their worth on the open market.