Eastern Notes: Novak, Embiid, Bullock

Despite receiving interest from a few other teams, unrestricted free agent forward Steve Novak is still hoping that the Bucks will re-sign him, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times writes. “There have been a few teams that we’ve talked to; you always got to keep your doors open,’’ Novak’s agent, Mark Bartelstein said. “But we’re still talking with the Bucks and, hopefully, we’ll make a deal with them. Steve would love to stay in Milwaukee. It’s a very special place for him.’’

Bucks co-owner Jamie Dinan had indicated back in May that he would like to re-sign Novak. Milwaukee currently has 13 players under contract, as Roster Resource shows, so there is room for the veteran shooter if the team does indeed want him back. Novak only appeared in three games with Milwaukee after signing with the team in February before a sprained left MCL prematurely ended his season.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

• Sixers center Joel Embiid remains one of the games more intriguing talents despite not having played in a game that counts in over two years, Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine writes. If he can remain healthy and maximize his potential, Embiid has the talent to change not just Philadelphia’s fortunes, but how the game is played in the NBA as well, Bodner opines.
• While no formal talks have been held, the Pistons are considering a contract extension for Reggie Bullock prior to the October 31st deadline, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press relays. One concern regarding any extension with the swingman is the team’s proximity to the luxury tax line, a threshold that owner Tom Gores is willing to cross if it helps the team take the next step forward, Ellis adds. “Look, if we weren’t building a core, there’s really no point in paying the luxury tax,” Gores said. “Because we are building a core, would I do it? Yeah, absolutely. So you say go into the luxury tax for nothing, then that would be silly because then we’re putting the franchise behind. But given that we have such a good core, if that’s what it took, and we feel we’ve made such progress this year, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it because we want to keep getting better.”