HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy looks at the upgraded bench in Indiana, and hears from C.J. Watson that the team’s desire to reach a deal with him on the first day of free agency influenced his decision to join the Pacers.
“I wanted to play for a contender and I wanted to go to a team where I could get playing time,” Watson said. “Also, I felt like I could help this team. They were a very good team already, they’re very young and getting better each and every year, but I felt I could help. I just want to come off the bench and score and defend and change the tempo whenever they need me to and also be a leader.”
In the same NBA PM piece, Kennedy checks in with Pistons offseason addition Chauncey Billups and Cavaliers camp invitee Jermaine Taylor. Here’s more from the East:
- A recent report suggested Carmelo Anthony would be open to a recruiting pitch from Kobe Bryant next summer, but Anthony told reporters today, including Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, that he doesn’t expect Bryant to try to influence his decisions. It’s not clear whether Anthony isn’t expecting to hear a pitch from Bryant during the season — which would constitute tampering — or whether he doesn’t think he’ll hear from Bryant at all.
- The Heat weren’t one of the teams that called on the league to investigate the Nets‘ signing of Andrei Kirilenko, notes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who also revisits the animosity over Ray Allen‘s decision to leave the Celtics for the Heat in 2012.
- Josh McRoberts, who re-signed with the Bobcats this summer, is extra valuable on a team like Charlotte because of his passing and his veteran presence, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.