Eastern Notes: Henderson, Sixers, Belinelli
We looked at news from around the Western Conference this morning, and now it's time for the East, where seven lottery teams will look to make their first playoff appearance in awhile this season. The same eight teams made the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2011 and 2012, but at least one of them will have trouble holding onto its spot this year, as the Magic are in full rebuilding mode after the departure of Dwight Howard. Here's the latest on some of the teams trying to take their place, and others hoping they don't follow the Magic's descent.
- The Bobcats are reportedly only interested in extending Gerald Henderson's contract if he signs a team-friendly deal, and offseason trade acquisition Ben Gordon is pushing him for the starting shooting guard job, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports (Twitter links).
- John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com identifies five questions looming over the Sixers as they prepare to start the season.
- Marco Belinelli's rough preseason for the Bulls reminds Steve Aschburner of NBA.com of the struggles Hedo Turkoglu has suffered over the past few seasons (Twitter link).
- Bolstered by former Bulls reserve John Lucas III and other offseason acquisitions, the Raptors bench is shaping up to be the team's deepest in a long time, writes Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio takes a stab at predicting the Cavs' final roster cuts, guessing that the team will waive Jeremy Pargo and Kevin Jones.
- Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com examines the challenge that Celtics coach Doc Rivers faces as he tries to build chemistry on a team that returns just six players from last season.
Odds & Ends: Green, Mohammed, Raptors, Magic
Let's check out a few Tuesday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- So far this preseason, Jeff Green has been what the Celtics thought they were getting when they acquired him from the Thunder two years ago, says Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says offseason addition Nazr Mohammed came "highly recommended" and that he has lived up to expectations so far, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes.
- According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the Raptors have made an addition to their pro personnel department, hiring former Hawks assistant GM David Pendergraft, who played a large role in Atlanta's drafts under former GM Rick Sund.
- Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com wonders if the Magic's plans could be affected by whether or not the Thunder extend James Harden.
- In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Chad Ford identifies a few of his top prospects for 2013 draft that don't play at major-conference schools.
- Jamar Smith, who was cut from Celtics camp, is drawing interest from multiple clubs in Italy, according to a pair of articles from Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Raptors Waive Jerel McNeal, Chris Wright
The Raptors announced that they have waived guard Jerel McNeal and forward Chris Wright. McNeal played in just one preseason game, while Wright was a DNP-CD for all six games. Toronto's roster now stands at 16.
Both players hooked on with the Raptors roughly one month ago on non-guaranteed deals. Wright, 24, appeared in 24 games for the Warriors in his rookie season but notched just 186 minutes in total. The 6'8" forward also played in 13 D-League games, averaging 17.8 PPG and 8.8 RPG.
McNeal, 25, has never appeared in an NBA game despite signing a 10-day contract with the Hornets in 2011. The former Marquette standout averaged 19.4 PPG in 47 games for the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers in 2010/11 and spent last season in the Italian league.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Ellis, Barnes, Sleepers
The news of the night is that Dwight Howard will make his Lakers debut tonight at the Staples Center against the Kings, tweets Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski. The offseason's biggest storyline was rumored to be on track to play tonight, but it is now official. Tip off is just over a half hour away. Here are some other odds and ends from around the league:
- Monta Ellis, who was traded to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut this past season, has a new outlook in Milwaukee, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. Ellis is through worrying about personal accolades, he says, and is concentrated only on winning with his new team. Charania says that Ellis and Brandon Jennings are building chemistry, while adding that Ellis is expected to opt out of his deal after the year and Jennings could be a restricted free agent.
- Given the Clippers roster, Matt Barnes didn't seem like the best fit when he signed with the team in September. But Barnes has been raising eyebrows in training camp and preseason, Broderick Turner of the LA Times writes.
- The team of writers at HoopsWorld looks at which NBA team will be this years' biggest sleeper. Believe it or not, all five guys chose different teams. Here is the list: Raptors, Bucks, Nuggets, Warriors and Wizards.
Eastern Notes: Barbosa, Raptors, Pistons,Wilkins
Here's a look around the Eastern Conference on this Sunday afternoon.
- According to ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg, Leandro Barbosa had talks with the Lakers before signing with the Celtics.
- The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat writes that the Raptors could have a great second unit this season.
- Pistons.com writer Keith Langlois writes that the speedy pace Pistons coach Lawrence Frank wants to employ this season with his team could be a huge benefit.
- With a slew of veterans on board, the Knicks have a ton of pressure to advance far in the playoffs this season, writes the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer's John Mitchell believes veteran forward Damien Wilkins could have a positive influence on the young Sixers roster.
- Chris Vivlamore of AJC.com writes about the Hawks open small forward position.
Eastern Notes: Holiday, Rasheed, Barron
76ers point guard Jrue Holiday enters his fourth season as the youngest starting floor general in the Atlantic Division, and head coach Doug Collins appears confident in giving him the reigns to Philadelphia's offense: "I want that ball in Jrue's hands…I want our wings getting down the floor, I want Jrue to be the one getting that ball and pushing it. For the most part I want our guys sprinting the floor, getting down the floor and flattening it out and let Jrue come down and make plays." Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com also points out that the team now has more capable perimeter shooters compared to having to rely on multiple playmakers last year, which implicitly benefits the spacing on the floor and allows Holiday more room to operate. Here are a few more notes out of the Eastern Conference:
- Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago chronicles the shooting struggles of Marco Belinelli during the preseason, but Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau doesn't appear too concerned.
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes that the Raptors could have one of the better combinations of reserve players in the league this season.
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday says that Knicks guard/forward Ronnie Brewer will go through contact work during Sunday's practice and could play as soon as Monday night if he doesn't feel any pain. The 6'7 veteran has been sidelined since undergoing knee surgery in early September.
- Heat sharpshooter Mike Miller looks forward to playing a full season this year, as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes that he is the healthiest he's been in two seasons.
- Newsday's Al Iannazone provided an update on Rasheed Wallace, who according to Knicks head coach Mike Woodson is still doing conditioning work and will be re-evaluated on Tuesday after the team returns from its current pre-season road trip (Sulia link). Woodson hinted that the team may play Wallace next week in order to get an idea of his progression.
Atlantic Rumors: Lopez, Brewer, Fields, Lee
The Knicks boast three of the league's top 10 preseason scorers, including Carmelo Anthony, who leads the NBA at 21.3 points per game. Teammates J.R. Smith and Amare Stoudemire come in third and 10th respectively, while Brook Lopez of the crosstown rival Nets is sixth. Lopez is also sixth in another preseason category, and that's a part of our roundup of items out of the Atlantic Division.
- After his rebounding rates declined in each of the last three seasons, Lopez is the league's sixth-leading rebounder in the preseason, averaging 9.0 boards in 27.0 minutes per game. If he keeps it up, Zach Harper of CBSSports.com believes there will be much less reason to think the Nets overpaid him with the four-year, $60.826MM contract he signed this summer.
- The Knicks made a strong recruiting effort to land Ronnie Brewer, who signed a minimum-salary deal with the team in July. The 27-year-old swingman turned down larger offers from other teams to do so, as he told HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (Sulia link). "At the end of the day, it didn’t come down to money," Brewer said. "It came down to the best situation for me, as a person and as a player. I wanted to go somewhere I could win and have success. I wanted to go to a situation where playing basketball would be fun and I would enjoy doing it."
- Raptors guard Landry Fields said a personal issue hampered his play on the court for the Knicks last season, and isn't surprised the Knicks let him and Jeremy Lin go over the summer, given the team's unwillingness to stand pat, as Marc Berman of the New York Post documents. "The last two years with the Knicks, it’s been such a roller coaster pretty much. I’m used to that. If things were consistent, that would surprise me."
- Courtney Lee's improved defense and diversified offensive game have been pleasant surprises for the Celtics so far, writes Frank Dell'Apa of the Boston Globe.
Odds & Ends: Harden, Fields, Mack, Harris
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Friday evening:
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that James Harden's contract situation is in danger of becoming a distraction at Thunder training camp.
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com catches up with former Knick Landry Fields, who is excited for a fresh start in Toronto. Fields signed a three-year, $20MM contract with the Raptors this summer.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.com has a feature on Shelvin Mack, who is fighting for backup point guard minutes in Wizards training camp.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talks to Bucks forward Tobias Harris, who is hoping to land a starting job this season.
Eastern Notes: Hawks, Allen, Fields, Ilyasova
In this morning's round-up of Celtics items, we linked to ESPN The Magazine's 2012/13 NBA projections, which included the Celtics as a No. 4 seed in the East, behind the Knicks (No. 3). While those ranks are somewhat surprising, the team that ESPN and Basketball Prospectus placed directly behind the top-seeded Heat is even more of a shock: The Hawks will be the East's second-best team, according to the magazine's predictions. We've got updates on Atlanta and a few other Eastern Conference clubs, so let's check them out….
- If and when John Jenkins and Mike Scott officially earn spots on the Hawks' roster, they'll be the team's only draft picks in the last five years besides Jeff Teague to do so, says Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- It's been over three months since Ray Allen officially left the Celtics for the Heat, but the veteran's free agent decision is still a hot topic in both Boston and Miami. Allen appeared on WMEN in Miami recently and said he felt the Celtics put him in a position where he had to leave (link via Sports Radio Interviews). Celtics coach Doc Rivers, meanwhile, says he's over Allen's departure but is still "disappointed" with the way it played out (link via the Boston Herald).
- Landry Fields told reporters, including Al Iannazzone of Newsday (Twitter link) that he lost some of his confidence and comfort level after the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony and needed a change of scenery.
- It appears Ersan Ilyasova's new long-term contract with the Bucks has him feeling more comfortable in Milwaukee, writes NBA.com's Steve Aschburner.
- The Cavaliers aren't expected to make their final roster cuts for a few days yet, but it appears one of Donald Sloan or Jeremy Pargo has the upper hand in the backup point guard battle — coach Byron Scott just won't say which, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Sulia).
- Sam Smith fields Bulls questions on Nate Robinson, Kirk Hinrich, and others in his latest mailbag at Bulls.com.
Raptors Pick Up Option On Ed Davis
The Raptors have announced, via press release, that they have exercised the fourth year option on the rookie contract of Ed Davis, keeping him in a Toronto uniform through at least 2013-14. The Raptors had until October 31 to pick up the option on Davis or risk losing him in free agency next summer. While the team didn't disclose the financial terms of the deal, Davis should be due about $3.15MM in 2013-14.
After being drafted 13th overall in 2010 by Toronto, Davis has mostly come off the bench for the Raptors, averaging 7.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in just under 24 minutes per game. While Davis certainly hasn't emerged as anything more than a rotation player yet, this decision was probably an easy one for the Raptors given his ability to grab boards and block shots.
With the October 31 deadline looming, we should expect a lot of teams to make decisions in the next few weeks. We saw earlier today that the Kings picked up options on the rookie deals of DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmer Fredette. Be sure to follow Hoops Rumors' rookie-contract 2013/14 option tracker for the latest.