Odds & Ends: Roy, Pekovic, Hibbert, Bynum
Brandon Roy decided to sign with the Timberwolves because of former teammate Will Conroy, who has a relationship with Minnesota general manager David Kahn, writes the associated press.
Here's some more notes from around the league.
- The Timberwolves are expecting more minutes from Nikola Pekovic this season, writes TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.
- Roy Hibbert is heading into this season with a new maximum contract, but he's convinced the large pay day isn't going to change him in any way, writes NBA.com's Mark Montieth.
- Sixers head coach Doug Collins says even though Andrew Bynum will be sitting out the next three weeks resting his knees, the new franchise center is progressing nicely, writes PhillyBurbs.com's Tom Moore.
- NBC ProBasketballTalk's Kurt Helin gives a season preview for the Bobcats.
- CBSSports.com's Ken Berger wrote a column about Lamar Odom's return to Los Angeles with the Clippers, and why that should mean great things for the team.
- TheStar.com's Doug Smith believes a healthy Andrea Bargnani should do great things for DeMar DeRozan's confidence.
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.
Calderon Plans To Continue In The NBA
Prior to joining the Raptors as a 24-year-old rookie in 2005, Jose Calderon made a name for himself playing professionally in Spain for six years. The point guard now faces an uncertain future in Toronto as he is being asked to play behind offseason acquisition Kyle Lowry as he enters his walk year. Despite that, Calderon told Spanish radio station Onda Cero that he plans on staying in the NBA beyond this season.
"I will stay in the NBA for sure, although you can never say that 100 percent sure. I will probably stay at least three or four more years in the league, maybe two or three more, I don't know," Calderon said (translation via HoopsHype).
When asked about Calderon as a trade candidate earlier this week, Raps president Bryan Colangelo said that nothing is imminent but he will explore every avenue to upgrade the roster. Meanwhile, coach Dwane Casey says that he isn't likely to get the veteran extra minutes by playing him alongside Lowry.
Odds & Ends: Josh Howard, Pittman, Paul
- Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel says that this could be Dexter Pittman's last year to prove himself as a keeper for the Heat.
- In addition to news that Chauncey Billups has been increasing his practice time, it has also been noted that Clippers guard Chris Paul is reportedly close to returning from a thumb injury (Janis Carr of the OC Register writes).
- In this article from Lakers.com, Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, and coach Mike Brown offered their thoughts on the impact that Steve Nash has brought to the Lakers locker room.
- Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel discusses Chris Bosh's role as Miami's third option as coach Erik Spoelstra looks to utilize more post-up opportunities for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
- Doug Smith of TheStar.com writes that Raptors coach Dwane Casey is yet to decide between Aaron Gray and Jonas Valanciunas for the team's starting center position. Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld provided a comprehensive break down of the competition for key rotation spots in Toronto's camp.
- Wizards owner Ted Leonsis held an interview with reporters on Thursday to speak about topics including John Wall, building team chemistry, the dramatic roster changes from this summer, and the overall growth of the team (according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post).
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside examines the difficult balance that coaches face in the D-League between winning and player development.
Atlantic Notes: McGuire, Ross, Brown, Brewer
The Celtics have won the Atlantic Division five years in a row, but a sixth straight title could be a tall order, as the rest of the division made strides in the offseason. There's news about pickups from each of the four challengers to Boston's throne tonight.
- Raptors coach Dwane Casey is a fan of Dominic McGuire and is glad his team fought off the Nets and the Warriors for the defensive-minded wing, who's in camp on a partially guaranteed deal, as Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun details.
- The Raptors' focus is starting to shift away from player development and toward competing, so that means Terrence Ross, the eighth overall pick in the draft, is behind DeMar DeRozan on the depth chart, Ganter reports.
- Kwame Brown figured to start at center for the Sixers when he signed his two-year, $6MM deal earlier this summer, but now he appears to be out of the team's rotation plans, as Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com writes.
- Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal shares insight from returning Knicks on the team's offseason acquisitions, including Carmelo Anthony's praise of Ronnie Brewer, who came over from the Bulls on a minimum-salary deal.
- Newsday's Roderick Boone examines the dynamic between the new Nets backcourt of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.
Raptors Notes: Rookies, Calderon, DeRozan
The Raptors are holding their media day in Toronto, and a number of interesting tidbits have already come out of the session. Here are the day's Raps notes, both from the media session and elsewhere:
- Raptors president Bryan Colangelo expects all three of the team's rookies — Jonas Valanciunas, Terrence Ross, and Quincy Acy — to contribute this season, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- Asked about Jose Calderon as a trade candidate, Colangelo said he must explore every avenue to upgrade the roster, but nothing is imminent with Calderon and no trades involving the point guard were ever close (Twitter links via Wolstat).
- For his part, Calderon acknowledged recently in an interview with Marca.com (passed along by Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld) that the team has indicated he could be on the block because of his contract situation — he'll become a free agent next summer.
- The Raptors view DeMar DeRozan as a key part of the team's future and have discussed an extension, though Colangelo isn't sure something will get done by Halloween (Twitter links via Wolstat).
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star asks five questions that could be crucial to the Raptors' 2012/13 season.
Atlantic Rumors: Calderon, Sixers, Darko, Nets
Each of the five teams in the Atlantic Division is arguably improved from last season, which might make it the league's best. That doesn't mean that the division's GMs are done moving, and there's news on transactions past and, perhaps, future.
- Jose Calderon isn't likely to ask for trade, but Raptors coach Dwane Casey probably won't try to get him extra minutes by playing him alongside fellow point guard Kyle Lowry, as Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes in his mailbag.
- Andrew Bynum is in the final year of his contract, but new Sixers GM Tony DiLeo already has plans to build around him, as John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com looks at how Darko Milicic is trying to remake his image with the Celtics. Kevin Love accused Milicic of bringing "bad blood" to the Wolves locker room, as we heard earlier today.
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post looks back the busy offseason for the Nets, and Newsday's Roderick Boone breaks down the question marks for the team as training camp begins.
Atlantic Rumors: Wallace, Knicks, Holiday, Fields
Yesterday, we heard that Nick Young wasn't expecting to sign with the 76ers, the Knicks still have interest in Josh Howard, and Rajon Rondo believes the Celtics are one of five teams with a realistic shot at an NBA title in 2012/13. We've got a few more updates out of the Atlantic Division today, so let's round them up right here:
- The Knicks are said to be considering signing Rasheed Wallace, and Tyson Chandler is on board with the idea, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. "I don't know what the situation is, but he's a great communicator on defense and we know he can knock down the open three and the jump shot," Chandler said. "To have myself and Amare [Stoudemire] and to have Marcus Camby and Rasheed as backups, it's going to be nice."
- A report back in early July suggested Jrue Holiday would seek a max extension from the Sixers this offseason, something Holiday was asked about yesterday. "That's the type of player that I want to be," Holiday said, according to John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I want to be seen as that type [of max-contract] player. But I'm not really worried about it; that's not the type of player that I am, honestly. I'm not really a money man. I'd rather get the wins."
- After signing what many observers felt was an overpriced three-year deal with the Raptors, Landry Fields says he's not feeling any extra pressure to live up to the contract, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
Odds & Ends: Bobcats, Calderon, Rockets, Nene
The Bobcats certainly aren't a model of NBA success, but according to team president Fred Whitfield, the franchise was in even worse shape when he took the job in 2006, as Ely Portillo of the Charlotte Observer writes. “A lot of my friends that were very connected in this community told me to turn this job down,” Whitfield said. “They said literally everything that could be wrong with a company is wrong with the Bobcats.” While the 'Cats prepare to erase the memories of last season's on-court debacle when training camp starts next week, here's the latest from the rest of the league:
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, looking at ways the Raptors can improve offensively this year, says Jose Calderon is likely to come off the bench behind offseason acquisition Kyle Lowry. Calderon's name has been frequently mentioned as a trade candidate for this season.
- The Rockets have a slew of young players and an eye on the future, but GM Daryl Morey promises coach Kevin McHale won't dole out minutes just for player development purposes, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes.
- In the same piece, Feigen says Patrick Patterson, whose team option for 2013/14 must be picked by October 31st for the Rockets to keep him from unrestricted free agency next summer, is likely to start at power forward.
- Lingering plantar fasciitis in Nene's left foot may cause him to miss the start of training camp, but the Wizards expect him to be ready for the regular season, Michael Lee of The Washington Post reports.
Odds & Ends: Pacers, Valanciunas, Wallace, Kidd
Let's consolidate all the odds and ends from Sunday night in this post:
- Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York reports, via Twitter, that Mike Bibby likely won't sign with a team before the start of training camps. The veteran point guard does expect to sign somewhere, however, but not the Knicks and we heard yesterday, probably not the Celtics.
- Ben Golliver of CBS Sports provides his offseason report for the Clippers. Golliver says that after decades where the goal was to not screw up their draft, the Clippers were able to employ a more competitive approach of acquiring established veterans to fit around Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
- Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman outlines the roster changes and season outlook for each team in the Northwest division, including the hometown Thunder.
- The Kamenetzky brothers of ESPN Los Angeles discuss via video who has the most to gain and the most to lose on the bolstered roster of the Lakers.
Earlier updates:
- The staff at HoopsWorld puts together their season preview on the Pacers. All five of their writers selected the Pacers to win the Central Division, a year after finishing second behind the Bulls. Lacking the star power of the Heat, Indiana will need popular breakout candidate Paul George to fulfill his potential if they want to go deep into the playoffs.
- Raptors Lithuanian prospect Jonas Valanciunas injured his left foot, reports the Toronto Sun. After Toronto used the fifth pick in last year's draft on him, Valanciunas enters his first NBA season with a ton of hype. The seven footer was spotted with a walking boot, though all indications are that it is a minor injury.
- Keith Schlosser of the Knicks Journal gives his take on the news that Rasheed Wallace is being considered by the Knicks. If that move comes to fruition, Wallace would be joining a roster full of late 30-somethings. Jason Kidd, in this NBA.com video, seems confident that the supplemental pieces that the team added could put them over the top.