Jazz Tell Raja Bell To Stay Away From Camp
The Jazz announced Friday that they have told Raja Bell, who is under contract with the team, that it would be best if he did not attend training camp next week. General Manager Dennis Lindsey issued the following statement:
“I have spoken with Raja and his representative, Herb Rudoy, and we have mutually agreed that although Raja remains under contract, it is in the best interest of all parties that he not re-join the team next week when the Jazz begins training camp. We will now move forward focusing on Jazz basketball and our preparation for the upcoming season. We will have no further comment on this matter.”
There has been plenty of buzz lately around Bell's situation in Utah, and many assumed that it would result in a trade or buy out before the start of camp. Bell was in Salt Lake City on Monday for a physical, but as of yesterday had not heard from the team, says Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune.
The 35-year-old Bell is set to make $3.5MM in his final season with the Jazz. His playing time drastically fell last season as he reportedly butted heads with head coach Tyrone Corbin, but Bell could probably still be a valuable role player on the right team.
Jerry Zgoda, of the Star Tribune, tweets that the Timberwolves valued Bell's defense before which indicates they may be a fit once again. While I can't imagine the Jazz agreeing to send Bell to a division rival, if Zgoda is right it could explain part of their hesitation to simply part ways with the guard.
Josh Howard In Negotiations With Four Teams
Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune says (via Twitter) that Josh Howard is still negotiating with four NBA teams, listing the Knicks as one of the possible destinations. In another tweet, Smith says that Howard hopes to sign a contract before the start of NBA training camp, and that any move involving the Jazz will be contingent on what the team does with Raja Bell. Yesterday, we relayed a report that intimated New York's continued interest in the 32-year-old swingman.
Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Young, Bell, Thunder
Earlier today, we heard Grizzlies power forward Darrell Arthur had suffered a leg fracture, and the team's website reports the left leg injury will keep him out four to six weeks. The timetable is longer for center Hamed Haddadi, who'll be rehabbing for the next eight weeks after right thumb surgery, according to the team. Since Marreese Speights enters camp as the only healthy big man on a guaranteed deal behind Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, the injuries could represent an opportunity for camp invitees Jerome Jordan, Jarrid Famous and Michael Dunigan. Here's the rest of what's happening around the Association:
- Nick Young expressed his excitement about his new Sixers teammates to reporters today, including Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. He also spoke about how he ended up in Philadelphia. "I was shocked. I didn’t see this being one of the places I was going to come to," he said. "(Coach) Doug (Collins) called me early, 6:00am L.A. time, and we were just talking and it was a great talk. He had a good spirit to him. He talked to my dad and my mom and once my mom started raving about him that was pretty much it."
- Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune hears that Raja Bell and the Jazz haven't made any progress toward a buyout with the start of training camp looming just five days from now (Twitter links).
- Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman believes the Thunder are willing to become a taxpaying team to retain James Harden, but the question is just how much they're willing to dole out.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has details on some of the 23 new members of the Magic front office, coaching and scouting staffs, including recently retired guard Anthony Parker, who'll work as a scout.
- James Worthy's favorite offseason addition for the Lakers is Steve Nash, and the Hall-of-Fame forward has some strong criticism of Dwight Howard, as Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register writes.
Jazz Sign Quinn, Gilder, Jackson
10:16pm: The contract of second-round pick Kevin Murphy isn't guaranteed, Smith writes, so that means the Jazz only have 14 fully guaranteed contracts, including Raja Bell's. That provides a little extra room for one of the camp invitees to make the team.
8:54pm: The Jazz will bring point guard Chris Quinn to training camp, reports Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). The addition of Quinn, likely on a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary deal, brings the team's roster to 19 players. Quinn will likely compete for the final regular season roster spot with Trey Gilder, Darnell Jackson and Brian Butch, whose signings were officially announced via press release, as Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld notes via Twitter. Gilder and Jackson appeared close to invites earlier this month, while the signing of Butch was reportedly confirmed a few days ago.
Quinn has spent parts of five seasons in the NBA, with the Heat, Nets and finally the Spurs, with whom he made his last NBA appearance in 2010/11. The 6'2" 29-year-old averaged 4.6 points and 1.9 assists in 13.8 minutes per game with a 12.5 PER over his NBA career. He spent last season with Khimki BC in Russia, and put up 7.3 PPG and 2.9 APG in 19.4 MPG.
The Jazz have 15 fully guaranteed contracts, though one of them belongs to Raja Bell, who is attempting to negotiate a buyout. If he's successful, that would leave a spot open for Quinn, Gilder, Jackson or Butch, Teams aren't obligated to carry more than 13 players, though, so all of the recent signees must impress in order to stick around.
Extension Candidate: Paul Millsap
A few days ago when I looked at the extension candidacy of Al Jefferson, I surmised that if the Jazz want to re-up one of their pair of veteran big men eligible for an extension, Paul Millsap might be the better choice. In August, Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune wrote that the Jazz offered Millsap about $25MM over three years, all they're capable of paying him in an extension under the rules of the CBA, but Millsap has let the offer sit. He'll be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and Smith estimated that he could be in line for a contract worth at least $9MM a year, more than he could get in an extension. Yet it would be hard for Millsap to get the most out of free agency if he spends the year coming off the bench, and Smith wrote yesterday that he'll engage in an "old-school, winner-take-all position battle" in camp against Derrick Favors for the starting power forward job. Losing that competition might be enough to prompt Jefferson to reconsider the Jazz's offer.
Millsap's cap hit will be $8.6MM this season, though he'll actually only clear about $7.2MM, since the other $1.4MM came as part of a signing bonus in 2009. Either way, that's about half of Jefferson's $15MM salary this year. For a much cheaper price, Millsap comes off a season in which he delivered production that was remarkably similar to Jefferson's. Millsap shot 49.5% while Jefferson shot 49.2%. Millsap grabbed 8.8 rebounds per game, and Jefferson notched 9.6 RPG. Millsap's 21.8 PER is just a tick down from Jefferson's 22.8. Millsap scored fewer points per game (16.6 to Jefferson's 19.2), but saw fewer shot opportunities, attempting 13.5 field goals per game while Jefferson took 17.2. They're separated in age by little more than a month, but still, Millsap seems likely to continue to make less than Jefferson does when they sign their next contracts. That's in part because of what they've both made in the past and in part because the 6'10" Jefferson is two inches taller and capable of manning the center position, where there's a league-wide dearth of talent.
The Jazz only have about $25MM tied up for 2013/14, including team options, so they don't necessarily have to choose between Millsap and Jefferson. Still, cap space would become tighter if the team elects to re-sign its younger bigs, Favors and Enes Kanter, when they finish their rookie contracts in 2014 and 2015, respectively. It doesn't make much sense to pay four guys major money when only two of them can start without playing out of position, so one, if not two, of them will have to move on eventually. Millsap was reportedly part of trade talks involving Ryan Anderson this summer, and while the Jazz were apparently reluctant to make a deal, it certainly seems there's no guarantee Millsap will finish the season in Utah if he doesn't sign an extension.
Between trade rumors and the specter of a contract-year benching, there's plenty of motivation for Millsap to take the Jazz's offer, especially if he's truly interested in remaining in Utah. The priority for the 27-year-old Millsap, who made close to the minimum salary his first three seasons in the league and has spent his last three as a relative bargain, might be to seek the most guaranteed money he can get as he approaches unrestricted free agency for the first time. For that reason, I still think he's unlikely to accept the offer from the Jazz, though I wouldn't be completely shocked if he did. Unlike players coming off of rookie-scale contracts, Millsap is eligible to sign an extension right up until June 30th of next year, so if he loses the starting job to Favors in training camp or at a later point this season, that $25MM offer might start to look more attractive to him, providing it's still on the table.
Northwest Rumors: Hickson, Morrison, Jazz
It's been a busy day for current and former members of the Timberwolves. The team officially announced the signing of Louis Amundson, having reportedly passed on Sean Williams and Yi Jianlian. Anthony Tolliver was also in the running to return until yesterday, and today he agreed to sign with the Hawks. Mark Deeks of ShamSports revealed the Wolves can get out of the last year of their contract with Brandon Roy if he reinjures his knees this season, and after an offseason of changes, Kevin Love says he's satisfied with the team's moves. There's news on Minnesota's Northwest Division rivals as well, and we'll round it up here:
- J.J. Hickson will start training camp with the inside track to be the starter at center for the Blazers, said coach Terry Stotts, who also gave a nod to the strides rookie Meyers Leonard made over the summer, as The Oregonian's Joe Freeman writes.
- In the same piece, Freeman reports that the Blazers will give strong consideration to keeping Adam Morrison for the entire season. The third overall pick in the 2006 draft signed a non-guaranteed contract with the team last week.
- The Jazz have added 27-year-old former University of Utah guard Johnnie Bryant to their staff as a player development assistant, reports Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link).
Odds & Ends: Blake, Seattle, Fegan, Millsap, Uzoh
According to the team's official website, Lakers guard Steve Blake suffered a puncture wound after stepping on a spike strip in a parking lot. The statement says Blake will be restricted from team activities for at least three weeks. Despite not being one of the bigger names on Los Angeles' roster, Blake's role as the team's veteran backup point guard is quite important, especially considering incoming starter Steve Nash's inability to log major minutes.
Here are a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Later today, Seattle City Council is expected to formally approve Chris Hansen's plan to build a $490MM arena in downtown Seattle, according to an Associated Press report (via the Seattle Times). Hansen and city council reached an agreement two weeks ago on financing for the arena proposal, meaning today's vote is expected to be merely a formality. Hansen's plan will still require an okay from the King County Council, but the city's approval would allow him to start looking for a franchise to bring to Seattle.
- One NBA GM tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that he expects veteran free agents like Derek Fisher and Michael Redd to sign deals late in training camp or even after the season begins.
- It appears agent Dan Fegan will join Happy Walters at a newly-created agency called Relativity Sports, according to Darren Heitner of Sports Agent Blog. Fegan, who represents Dwight Howard, Nene, and John Wall, among others, recently left Lagardère Unlimited.
- Paul Millsap hasn't really begun thinking about free agency yet, stressing that he's "still with the Utah Jazz" and he'll consider his options when the time comes, as Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune writes.
- Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM.com views Joe Johnson's and Manu Ginobili's career paths as two examples for James Harden to consider as the fourth-year guard weighs his contract options.
- Ben Uzoh has parted ways with French team Cholet, making him a free agent again, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Uzoh has appeared in 60 total games for the Nets, Cavs, and Raptors over the past two seasons.
- Many of the storylines that SI.com's Sam Amick will be watching this season involve players on new teams, including Raymond Felton in New York, Andre Iguodala in Denver, and Andrew Bynum in Philadelphia.
Brian Butch Signs With Jazz
9:46pm: Brian Smith from the Salt Lake Tribune confirms the deal, tweeting that a person close to Butch described it as a "make-good deal." According to Smith, the Jazz's roster is now at 15 and Butch will be competing with Darnell Jackson and Trey Gilder for a roster spot. Smith averaged 15.3 points and 9.8 rebounds for the D-League's Bakersfield Jam last season.
7:59pm: Brian Butch has signed with the Jazz, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. After going undrafted in 2008 out of Wisconsin, Butch has bounced around the D-League and Europe. This is undoubtedly a non-guaranteed deal that gives Butch nothing more than an opportunity to make the team in training camp. We last heard from Butch less than a month ago when the Spurs brought him in for a workout.
Western Notes: Nowitzki, Mavs, Hayward, Jazz
The Lakers have gotten the majority of the headlines in the Western Conference this summer, but there's been plenty going on elsewhere, especially this weekend. Raja Bell and the Jazz remain in a staredown over his buyout, while former Clippers big man Kenyon Martin, one of the key remaining free agents, continues to hold out for more than the minimum. Here's more from the Western Conference:
- Dirk Nowitzki says his knee feel fine, and despite the Mavs' failure to attract Deron Williams, he's upbeat about the team's roster this year, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. "I think we have a good team again," he said. "I like all the new additions. I think we got younger on the perimeter, more atheltic and that was always our goal."
- Nowitzki singled out three of his new Mavs teammates for praise, saying, "[Chris] Kaman should be the best center offensively that I’ve ever played with in Dallas. [O.J.] Mayo is a big-time shot-maker that can also attack the basket and run some screen-and-rolls. [Darren] Collison is a fast guy who is going to push the pace. He’s great at penetrating and has a floater and creates shots."
- Gordon Hayward says he was glad to see the Jazz bring back Jeremy Evans on a three-year, $5.25MM deal this summer, and embraces the challenge he faces for a starting spot at either wing position, as he tells Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune. "You want to start for the team and you want to make sure you're the one out there on the court getting as many minutes as you can," Hayward said. "So, especially in training camp, there's going to be some competition going on. That'll just further benefit all of our games and make us better as a team."
Latest On Raja Bell
A buyout continues to be the most likely next step for the Jazz and Raja Bell, but the situation remains "uncertain and unpredicatable," Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune reports (Twitter links). Bell could wind up in a trade, or might just spend the season on the roster without playing, Smith also tweets, as Lamar Odom and Jamaal Tinsley have done in the past.
The Jazz have considered trading Bell for a long time, according to Smith (Twitter link), and we heard recently that Bell's issues with the team date back two years. With training camp approaching, the time to get a deal done is dwindling, and while Smith says it's "almost unthinkable" Bell would suit up for the team this year, it has become a remote possibility (Twitter links). GM Dennis Lindsey, hired in August and a late comer to negotiations with Bell, declined comment to Smith on the matter (Twitter link).
Smith reported last week that buyout talks had stalled. Bell is set to make $3.48MM this season in the final year of a three-year, $9.72MM deal he signed with the team in 2010. The 36-year-old shooting guard has identified the Heat as his top choice if and when he can shake free from Utah. Six teams were reportedly interested in Bell back in July, shortly after it appeared a buyout was imminent, but most if not all of them have probably moved on to other targets. The trade market isn't active at the moment, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said last night, so it appears that option might not be available at the moment.