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Month: November 2024

Hoops Links: Howard, Blazers, Rockets, Wade

July 28th, 2012 at 8:45am CST by Zachary Links

Twenty-four years ago, the Hawks became the first NBA team to play in the Soviet Union when they topped the Soviet Georgia All-Stars 85-84 in an exhibition game.  The event helped to promote the game in Eastern Europe and disproved the long-standing theory that in Soviet Russia, basketball plays you.

If you have a great blog piece that you think we should feature in Hoops Links, then send it to me at  HoopsLinks@gmail.com.  Here's this week's look around the blogosphere..

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.

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Odds & Ends: Cavs, Parker, Kirilenko, Fields

July 27th, 2012 at 10:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

Every team in the NBA gets an equal number of home games and road games every year, but that doesn't guarantee equitability. Matt Moore of CBSSports.com goes in-depth on this year's slate, explaining how strength of schedule varies across the league. The Spurs, thanks to their annual rodeo road trip, have only two home games in February. The Clippers will go on an eight-game road trip while the Grammys occupy the Staples Center, but their rival Lakers only play seven road games during that time. The Magic will play the fewest sets of back-to-back games, with 13, while nine other teams have 22 back-to-backs. There's plenty more of note this evening from around the Association:

  • Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld notes the Cavs still have the flexibility needed to acquire Andrew Bynum if three-team trade talks with the Lakers and Magic get going again (Sulia link).
  • Tom Withers of the Associated Press catches up with Spurs point guard Tony Parker, who's taking a more cautious approach to life following the injury he sustained to his eye as a bystander to a nightclub brawl. Parker doesn't plan on letting the apprehensiveness carry over to his play, however.
  • One NBA assistant coach tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune that Andrei Kirilenko is a better fit with Wolves coach Rick Adelman's offensive system than he was with former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's (Twitter link).
  • Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld talks to Landry Fields, now with the Raptors after the Knicks declined to match his backloaded offer sheet. Fields reflected on his time in New York and says his new team feels optimistic about making the playoffs this year.
  • Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com echoes the comments of former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy on ESPN 1000’s "Waddle & Silvy" show, calling for the Bulls to extend coach Tom Thibodeau's contract.
  • Austin Rivers (right ankle) and Xavier Henry (right knee) have undergone surgeries, the Hornets announced on their website, but both will be ready in time for fall training camp.
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Pacific Rumors: Bryant, Johnson, Kings, Clippers

July 27th, 2012 at 9:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

Earlier this evening we asked which team is having the best offseason so far, and right now more readers believe it's the Lakers than any other team. That stands to reason, given their sign-and-trade for Steve Nash and re-signing of backup big man Jordan Hill, along with their ability to convince Antawn Jamison to sign a deal for the veteran's minimum, well below market value. Here's what we're hearing from the Lakers and their Pacific Division rivals: 

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Pera Seeking Local Partners In Bid For Grizzlies

July 27th, 2012 at 8:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Prospective Grizzlies owner Robert Pera is looking for Memphis-area buyers to add as co-owners as he seeks approval to buy the team from a group headed by Michael Heisley, report Ronald Tillery and Kyle Veazey of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Pera is seeking partners not out of financial need but because he senses area business leaders would prefer local ownership, Tillery and Veazey hear.

Pera wrote in his blog about a recent meeting with current minority owner J.R. "Pitt" Hyde, and has visited with others in the Memphis business community. In June, Pera agreed to buy the Grizzlies for $335MM, and while a report last month suggested a rapid decline in Pera's net worth put his bid for the team in danger, Heisley said soon afterward that he has no reason to believe Pera won't be able to meet his asking price.

The deal remains subject to league approval. Commissioner David Stern said last week the league's vetting process of Pera is proceeding on schedule and that he hopes the league will be able to make the sale official in the next couple of months.

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Dwight Howard’s Agent Was Source Of Meeting Info

July 27th, 2012 at 8:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

Dan Fegan, the agent for Dwight Howard, says he and other representatives for Howard were the sources who spoke to the media about Wednesday's meeting between Howard and the Magic, ESPN's Ric Bucher reports. Commissioner David Stern has said publicly that he believed Fegan leaked information from the meeting to the media. Fegan said he spoke to the media only after fielding calls from reporters who had learned the meeting was taking place from another source. The reporters were looking to confirm details they already had about the meeting, Fegan said.

"After receiving these media inquiries, I called Rob and left several messages expressing concern that what had occurred in the meeting was not going to be accurately reported — as had happened on previous occasions — and that we were going to respond to the media inquiries to make sure that reports were accurate," Fegan wrote in an email. "To a limited extent, that is what we did."

In the meeting, which included Magic GM Rob Hennigan and assistant GM Scott Perry, Howard reiterated his trade demands and said he'll leave as a free agent next summer if he's still on the Magic roster by then. Magic ownership, which opposed a Howard trade last season, would be on board with moving him this year, Bucher writes.

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Suns, Hornets, Wolves Complete Three-Team Trade

July 27th, 2012 at 7:40pm CST by Luke Adams

7:40pm: The amount of cash going to the Hornets from the Suns is about $1.15MM, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

12:16pm: The Suns, Hornets, and Timberwolves have officially completed a three-team trade that will send Robin Lopez to the Hornets and Wesley Johnson to the Suns, the teams announced today. Per a Hornets press release, the deal breaks down as follows:

  • Hornets acquire: Robin Lopez (from Suns), Hakim Warrick (from Suns), cash (from Suns)
  • Suns acquire: Wesley Johnson (from Timberwolves), Brad Miller (from Hornets), Jerome Dyson (from Hornets), 2013 first-round pick (from Timberwolves)
  • Timberwolves acquire: 2013 second-round pick (from Hornets), 2014 second-round pick (from Suns), 2016 second-round pick (from Hornets)

Lopez is the only player changing hands who was not previously under contract, so New Orleans receives him as part of a sign-and-trade. His contract is for three years and about $15.3MM, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Dyson's contract is non-guaranteed, and Miller, who has a partially-guaranteed deal, is expected to retire, so Phoenix will likely waive both of those players in the near future. The first-round pick the Suns acquire from the T-Wolves will be either the Wolves' or Grizzlies' pick depending on those teams' performances. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the details (via Twitter).

Two of the three picks the Timberwolves receive in the deal are ones they sent to the Hornets earlier this month. The 2013 second-rounder is Brooklyn's, the 2016 second-rounder is New Orleans', and the 2014 second-rounder is the Lakers, acquired by Phoenix in the Steve Nash trade.

Now that the trade is complete, Minnesota should have the cap space to finalize its signing of Andrei Kirilenko.

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Poll: Which Team Has Had The Best Offseason?

July 27th, 2012 at 7:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

There are still two months left until training camps open and three months until the regular season, but many of the offseason's highly anticipated moves have already happened. There's plenty, including a Dwight Howard trade, that can happen between now and the fall, but it seems like an appropriate time to take stock of what we've seen so far.

The five teams listed in the poll have been in the news a lot this past month. The Nets landed the top free agent target in Deron Williams and pulled off a trade for Joe Johnson. Their crosstown-rival Knicks loaded up on veterans, but let go of Jeremy Lin. The Heat snagged Ray Allen from the Celtics, pilfering from a key rival. The Lakers got a top-flight point guard in Steve Nash. The Timberwolves missed out on Nicolas Batum, but added Brandon Roy and Andrei Kirilenko.

Of course, you may think someone else is doing better, like the Hornets, who added a pair of top-10 picks, retained Eric Gordon, and today acquired Robin Lopez in a sign-and-trade. Others, like the Hawks and Mavs, deftly cleared cap space for next summer's free agents.

So, tell us which team you believe is having the best summer. For a cheat sheet, at least as far as free agents are concerned, consult our free agent tracker.

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T-Wolves, Cavs Favorites For Anthony Tolliver

July 27th, 2012 at 6:09pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 27th, 6:09pm: The Wolves still consider Tolliver a "priority," but they want to make another move or two first, Tolliver's agent tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). It seems likely those moves involve the finalizing the agreed-upon deals for Brandon Roy and Greg Stiemsma. Tolliver remains in discussion with several teams, his agent says.

JULY 20th, 1:15pm: Tolliver, who hopes to sign within the next two weeks, told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida today that the Timberwolves and Cavs are still the frontrunners for him, but added that the Hawks, Mavericks, Bulls, and Wizards are also in the mix (Sulia links).

JULY 18th, 11:53am: Anthony Tolliver has spent the last two seasons in Minnesota, but now his future with the team is up in the air as the Timberwolves wait to see if their offer sheet for Nicolas Batum is matched. Larry Fox, Tolliver's agent, tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Sulia link) that he is in regular talks with four teams about his client, including the Cavaliers and the aforementioned T-Wolves.

"Minnesota has made it clear they want Anthony back," Fox said. "But we have to wait until the Batum situation resolves itself today and then also for them to finalize some transactions that have been discussed but not yet formalized."

If the Timberwolves were to bring back Tolliver, they would have to sign him using cap space or their room exception, since they renounced his rights in order to clear room for Batum's offer sheet.

Fox also classified the Cavs' interest as "serious" but said Cleveland had to work through some trade scenarios over the next couple days before moving forward on Tolliver — it's very possible those trade discussions involve the Magic and Lakers, as we heard earlier today. Tolliver's agent didn't name the other two teams he'd been talking to, but Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida reported last week (via Twitter) that the Bulls, Lakers, and Mavericks were eyeing Tolliver, so it's probably safe to assume that a couple of those clubs are still in the mix.

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The Effect Of Playing For Team USA

July 27th, 2012 at 5:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

In 2011 there was a lot said about the effect playing for Team USA in the 2010 World Championships had on NBA stars who experienced breakout seasons the next year. In 2010/11, Derrick Rose won the MVP, Kevin Love grabbed the rebounding title, and Tyson Chandler became the defensive anchor of the title-winning Mavericks, among other Team USA alums who lifted their games. So, it might be reasonable to expect the same from members of the 2012 Olympic team, which begins its quest for the gold in London this weekend.

Yet there's evidence to suggest playing for Team USA is not always a catapult to success. We've broken down the year-to-year PER changes for each member of the last three Team USA squads, encompassing the tenure of Mike Krzyzewski as coach. Obviously, this is a limited data set, and doesn't take a broader look at players from other countries, but it at least establishes that a spot on the national team is not guarantee of success going forward.

While eight of the 12 players on the 2010 roster had a better PER in 2010/11 than 2009/10, only 13 of the 24 Team USA players from 2006 and 2008 improved their PER in the following season. The combined PER for the '06 and '08 squads was down slightly in the seasons immediately following the events, while the PER for the 2010 team jumped by 26.2 points in 2010/11.

The performance of players from this year's Team USA may go a long way toward determining whether top NBA stars will continue to play in the Olympics. Commissioner David Stern indicated he's in no rush to push for a decision on a proposed 23-and-under rule from FIBA, and if many of the 2012 Olympians carry over their success to the coming season the way their 2010 counterparts did, there might be little appetite for change. If the players show fatigue, sustain a high rate of injuries, or if there are just as many who play worse next season instead of better, the World Championships may become the only stage for the kind of star-studded Team USA that will play the next two weeks in London.

Read more

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Raptors Re-Sign Alan Anderson

July 27th, 2012 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 27TH: Anderson has re-signed with the Raptors, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). According to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link), it's a minimum-salary deal. It's not clear whether it's fully or partially guaranteed.

JULY 17TH: After signing him to a pair of 10-day contracts and then a rest-of-season deal in 2011/12, the Raptors will bring back Alan Anderson in 2012/13, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. It's not clear whether Anderson's previous contract included a non-guaranteed season for the coming year, or if the Raps will re-sign him as a free agent. Either way, I would imagine Anderson will come to camp on a short-term, non-guaranteed contract.

Anderson, 29, saw his first NBA action since the 2006/07 season last year, and turned into one of the more successful 10-day contract signings of 2012. Anderson's efficiency numbers were negatively affected by a slump over the season's final four games, in which he shot just 18-of-59 (30.5%) from the floor. However, in 17 total games with the Raptors, the 6'6" wing started 12 contests, averaging 9.6 points in 27.1 minutes per game.

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