Northwest Rumors: O’Connor, Thunder, Kahn
With the Nuggets doling out a four-year, $48MM extension to Ty Lawson and the Thunder ruling out a deal with Eric Maynor, the rookie-scale extension drama is over for Northwest Division teams. Instead, the division's executives are focusing on other methods of building their teams as the season begins, and a couple of them have weighed in with reporters. Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune shares insight from Kevin O'Connor, executive vice president of basketball operations for the Jazz, while Timberwolves GM David Kahn sat down with Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Both pieces are worth a full read, but we'll break down the highlights here.
- O'Connor compared the bounty of interior players the Jazz have to a baseball team with plenty of starting pitching, saying you can never have too much of either. "What it's going to do is help our team," he said. "You can't feelings get hurt because they don't play as well as they're supposed to and somebody else plays, that's not what the coach is concerned. What he's concerned with is how those guys can help us win. But if you look at the teams that won last year, all of the teams that won had pretty darn good depth especially at big guy positions. A couple of years ago you had (Andrew) Bynum and (Pau) Gasol and Lamar Odom. I'm happy that we have that. I'm please that the guys have continued to improve."
- The Jazz executive also spoke about what the James Harden trade meant for the Thunder. "They weren't able to pay him," he said. "They paid three other guys (Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka). I think that sends a signal that Oklahoma City does want to compete and does want to win a championship. There's very few teams that can pay everybody. I don't need to mention names but I think you know who they are, that can."
- Kahn addressed the attention the Wolves have received for having only five black players, pointing to the diversity of the roster that includes five players from overseas. "Since I've arrived here, it's been imperative for us to cast the widest net possible in attracting talent, whether the players are domestic or international," he said. "What people are seeing is the outgrowth of that. That's how we've been operating and will continue to operate that way."
- He predicted the recently waived Jonny Flynn, whom Kahn drafted sixth overall in 2009, won't be out of the league for long, and spoke about his own future with the Wolves. "I think they're going to keep me around for a few more days," Kahn quipped. "The ownership has an option to pick up (on my contract) whenever the season ends. I'm operating in the manner that everything we're doing is in the best interest of the franchise on a long-term basis. The owner (Glen Taylor) has encouraged me to feel that way and operate that way. Now that we have begun the turnaround, nothing would please me more than to be here with the collection of players we have for an extended period of time. I'm not thinking of anything but that."
Western Notes: Meeks, Tinsley, Roy, Blazers
The NBA released its annual report on the growing international presence on its rosters, noting the Spurs have a record eight players from overseas, notes Art Garcia of Fox Sports Southwest, and that includes players from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy points out (Twitter links). The Timberwolves have five of the league's international players from four different countries, according to the team (Twitter link). As the league continues to attract talent from around the world, here's what's going on around the Western Conference.
- Jodie Meeks couldn't be more content with his decision to sign with the Lakers, even though the Wizards and Bucks offered him more money this summer, Kennedy reports.
- In the same piece, Kennedy also checks in with Jamaal Tinsley, whose deal with the Jazz is non-guaranteed, as we learned last night. The backup point guard is enthusiastic about Utah's veteran offseason additions, but Brad Rock of the Deseret News believes the team's younger players are the key.
- Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press looks at how the Timberwolves plan to use Brandon Roy this season, noting that the plan is for him to see 30 to 32 minutes per game, down from his career 35.6 MPG average.
- The Blazers hired Chris McGowan as team president last night, but he'll take a hands-off approach to the basketball operations side of the franchise, reports Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
- No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis is set to make his debut for the Hornets on Wednesday against the Spurs, and Davis believes he gained much from going against Duncan as the Hornets conducted voluntary scrimmages against the Spurs in the summer, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune.
- The focus is on the present in Memphis, where Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace largely stood pat over the summer with a roster on the fringes of contention amid the ownership transfer from Michael Heisley to Robert Pera, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal examines.
Buyout Talks Resume Between Raja Bell, Jazz
5:51pm: Charania tweets more from Bell's radio interview, noting that Bell characterized the situation as a "waiting game until [the Jazz] can either get rid of the contract and trade it or we can find a good situation for a buyout." Charania concludes that the situation is fluid, and no one on either side of the dispute is quite sure how it will turn out (Twitter links).
5:12pm: Raja Bell told Jorge Sedano of WQAM in Miami that he and the Jazz are once more working toward some means of parting ways, whether through a trade or a buyout, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com. This comes a week after Bell's agent, Herb Rudoy, told Charania that the two sides had ended buyout negotiations that had dragged on all summer. The report indicated Rudoy and the Jazz were discussing trade scenarios, but Rudoy later denied that part of it to Jody Genessey of the Deseret News.
The 36-year-old shooting guard is due $3.48MM this season in the final year of a three-year, $9.72MM contract. He started 33 of the 34 games he played last season in Utah, but clashed with coach Tyrone Corbin and saw his playing time disappear. Though it's long been clear that the Jazz organization sided with Corbin, their decision to exercise their 2013/14 option on Corbin today is further evidence of where they stand. Bell didn't attend camp with the Jazz after he was told to stay away, and hasn't been with the team at all in the preseason.
Bell attended high school and college in Miami, and last month he identified the Heat as his top choice for his next destination. The Heat currently have 15 players under contract, but Josh Harrellson and Terrel Harris are on non-guaranteed deals.
Jazz Exercise 2013/14 Option On Tyrone Corbin
The Jazz have extended head coach Tyrone Corbin's contract an additional year, exercising their 2013/14 option on his contract, the team announced today in a press release. The move will keep Corbin under contract through the next two seasons.
"Greg Miller, Randy Rigby and Kevin O’Connor made an excellent choice when they selected Tyrone Corbin to lead this team. I have been very impressed with Ty’s leadership skills, as well as his openness and collaborative nature," said Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey in a statement. "He inherited a young team under difficult circumstances and did a remarkable job last season of developing our players and advancing the team to the playoffs. He has shown poise, steadiness and an overall passion for the franchise’s well-being that I am confident will serve the Jazz well moving forward"
Although Corbin had occasional issues with players such as Raja Bell and C.J. Miles last season, he led Utah to a solid showing on the court. The Jazz had a 36-30 record and earned a No. 8 seed in the Western Conference in Corbin's first full year as the team's head coach.
Warriors, Jazz, Others Discussed James Harden
10:56am: Suns president Lon Babby confirmed to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that Phoenix had been engaged with the Thunder in trade talks for Harden, though he says that no proposal ever gained serious traction.
"We were engaged in discussions on numerous occasions," Babby said. "We most recently met in person when we played them [on October 19th]. At the end of the day, there wasn’t a deal that was workable for both sides."
8:53am: According to Zach Lowe of Grantland.com, Thunder GM Sam Presti had at least "semi-serious" trade conversations involving James Harden with a number of teams before eventually accepting the Rockets' offer. Lowe says the Warriors, Jazz, Wizards, and Raptors were among the teams that Presti spoke to before sending Harden to Houston. We heard yesterday that the Suns also pursued a trade for Harden.
The Thunder were seeking a sure-thing player who was still in the first year or two of his rookie deal, according to Lowe. That means Presti figures to have inquired on players like Klay Thompson, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Bradley Beal, and Jonas Valanciunas. Lowe adds that the Thunder GM likely started the process by reaching out to the Hornets about Anthony Davis, though I imagine that conversation didn't last too long.
Here are a few more Harden-related links, as reactions continue to pour in on one of the year's most surprising trades:
- Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman reports that the Thunder made a last-ditch offer to Harden on Friday, proposing a four-year, $53MM extension. The team gave him a one-hour window to accept it, telling him that if he turned it down, he'd be traded to Houston. According to Tramel's sources, Harden said he needed three days to make a decision, but because the Rockets wanted time to negotiate an extension before Wednesday's deadline, Presti stuck to the one-hour window.
- The pieces the Thunder acquired for Harden are the same sort of assets the team used to initially build itself into a perennial contender, opines Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman.
- Members of the Spurs, a team the Thunder eliminated from the playoffs earlier this year, were surprised by the deal, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes. "It's kind of weird to look at OKC and think of them without their Big Three," Danny Green said. "Things are different. Obviously they're still going to be a good team."
Odds & Ends: Harden, Lawson, Jazz, Beasley
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday night:
- Rockets coach Kevin McHale talked to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen about the addition of James Harden. McHale doesn't believe Harden will have trouble transitioning from the sixth-man role he played in Oklahoma City to a starting job in Houston.
- George Karl calls Ty Lawson's extension negotiations with the Nuggets a "distraction," according to Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.
- Bill Oram of the Salt Lake tribune writes that the Jazz have already developed chemistry, which the team believes will work to its benefit.
- Yahoo's Marc Spears writes that Michael Beasley is hoping to rehabilitate his public image in Phoenix this season.
Northwest Rumors: Harden, Dorsey, Lawson
The James Harden trade continues to make news, as Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman weighs in with a lengthy list of observations while Ken Berger of CBSSports.com deems the trade a success for the Thunder, the Rockets and Harden. Berger holds it up as an illustration of the bold, proactive moves that small-market teams must make to stay competitive. As the rest of the NBA digests what the move means, here's more news on the Thunder and their Northwest Division rivals.
- The swap likely results in a trade exception worth $2,445,480 for the Thunder, an amount equal to Cole Aldrich's salary, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors observes. The Rockets seem to be in line for an exception worth $2,354,236, based on a portion of Kevin Martin's salary. Both exceptions expire one year from yesterday, as noted on our list of trade exceptions for every NBA team.
- The Thunder and Blazers could be interested in former NBA forward Joey Dorsey, whose status with the Greek club Olympiacos is in limbo, reports Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside.
- Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post believes the Nuggets overpaid for JaVale McGee, putting the onus on the need to rectify the move by giving Ty Lawson an extension worth no less than $48MM over four seasons.
- Will Conroy's contract is partially guaranteed for $100K, and according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, he'll likely remain on the Timberwolves roster until Ricky Rubio proves he's healthy.
- It's the first season with a full training camp for Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin, who could use a successful year to influence the Jazz to pick up the team option on his contract for 2013/14, as Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune observes.
Odds & Ends: Smith, Dorsey, Suns, Pacers
There seems to be an increasing reluctance to lock fourth-year players up to extensions prior to their restricted free agency, Sean Deveney writes in his latest piece for The Sporting News. With this year's extension deadline looming, only Blake Griffin and Serge Ibaka have re-upped with their respective teams so far. As we wait to see which other extension candidates may sign new deals in the next few days, let's tackle a few odds and ends from around the Association:
- Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along word that Jamar Smith, who was cut from Celtics camp, has joined Gilboa Galil in Israel.
- There are whispers that Greek team Olympiacos has agreed to release Joey Dorsey, tweets David Pick of Sportando. Dorsey may have an agreement lined up to join an NBA team — he hinted as much on his Facebook page, but has since deleted the post (hat tip to Sportando).
- The Suns will carry a pair of undrafted rookies, Luke Zeller and Diante Garrett, on their roster to start the regular season, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Neither player figures to see regular time in the Suns' rotation, but GM Lance Blanks is optimistic about the Suns' player development staff working with the young duo.
- The last of the Pacers on a fully non-guaranteed contract, Ben Hansbrough is hoping to stick around Indiana, writes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
- With Robert Pera's purchase of the Grizzlies having been approved by the league, the team will remain in Memphis long-term, and Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal thinks that's worth celebrating.
- Sam Smith's latest mailbag at Bulls.com touches on James Harden, Gilbert Arenas, and plenty of Bulls-related topics.
- The Jazz brought Randy Foye aboard this season to be a shooter, but it turns out Foye is seeing plenty of time at the point, says Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
Jazz Exercise Options On Four Players
The Jazz have picked up all four rookie contract options on their docket this offseason, according to Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter). The team exercised its fourth-year options on Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward, along with its third-year options on Enes Kanter and Alec Burks.
Favors, 2010's third overall pick, represents the priciest decision of the group, as he'll now be in line for a guaranteed $6.01MM salary in 2013/14. He and Hayward, who will earn $3.45MM in '13/14, will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2014 unless they're extended next summer. As for Kanter and Burks, they'll earn $4.51MM and $2.2MM in 2013/14, with the Jazz holding additional options on both players for the following season.
To follow option decisions from around the NBA in advance of next week's deadline, check out our rookie contract option tracker.
Jazz Waive Darnell Jackson, Chris Quinn
A week after waiving Trey Gilder and Brian Butch, the Jazz have made another pair of roster cuts, releasing Darnell Jackson and Chris Quinn after last night's game, tweets Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune. Luhm adds that Utah's roster now stands at 14 players, though that number doesn't include Raja Bell, who is technically still on the roster, albeit not with the team.
Jackson and Quinn had been the last two Jazz camp invitees on summer contracts, so the remaining 14 players under contract, not including Bell, appear to be safe. That includes Kevin Murphy, whose deal is guaranteed for just $200K.
Neither Jackson or Quinn made a huge impact for the Jazz in preseason action, but Utah star Al Jefferson had praise for Jackson, a former second round pick, as Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune writes.
"He's always been a tough-nosed type of player," Jefferson said. "Go hard every time you step on the court. So when I found out he was in our camp, I knew it was going to be a very physical camp, that he was going to make you step up and play hard…. It's not my decision, but a guy like him, every team needs a guy like him on it."