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Southeast Notes: Ferry, Budenholzer, Dragic

October 6th, 2015 at 10:19am CST by Chuck Myron

Mike Budenholzer and former Hawks GM Danny Ferry are close, but Budenholzer encouraged Ferry to resign in September 2014 so that the Hawks could more easily put their racism scandal behind them before the opening of training camp last season, report Kevin Arnovitz and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Their piece goes deep into the downfall of Ferry, who instead went on a leave of absence that extended until he took a buyout this past summer, and the team’s previous ownership group, one that had lost money each year since it purchased the franchise in 2004, Arnovitz and Windhorst reveal. Former controlling owner Bruce Levenson had nonetheless structured a long-term deal for Ferry when he hired the executive, one that other GMs called the “Golden Ticket” for its favorability to the former Spurs and Cavs executive, Arnovitz and Windhorst write. Prominent co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. opposed that deal and never saw eye-to-eye with Ferry, who upset him on several occasions, such as when Ferry had harsh words for former coach Larry Drew, according to Arnovitz and Windhorst.

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Gearon didn’t initially take issue with the tenor of Levenson’s racially charged 2012 email — the one that ultimately led to his decision to sell the team, as Arnovitz and Windhorst detail in the same piece. Gearon instead put pressure on Levenson when the email again came up amid an internal investigation that Ferry’s racial comments touched off, and when a reporter was coming close to breaking the story of the scandal, Levenson decided to take a proactive step and announce his intention to sell, the ESPN scribes recount. Levenson remained a fan of Ferry and nearly brought him back before the sale took place, but the team’s renaissance worked against that, as Levenson decided too much was going right to risk disruption.
Goran Dragic is wistful about no longer playing with his brother, but he re-signed with the Heat without assurances they would keep Zoran Dragic and was on board when the team traded him, as he explains to Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. “I was sad, of course,” Goran said of the trade. “I know how much he wants to be part of a team in the NBA, but I understand this is a business. That’s a better situation for him right now. He’s gonna get playing time. He signed a good deal in Russia. He’s happy. That’s a good thing. Sometimes, for me, when you play with your brother, sometimes it’s a little bit stressful because if he’s not getting playing time, it affects you too. But everything’s good now.”
Jaleel Roberts didn’t think he would end up in training camp with the Wizards after he failed to wow them with his summer league performance, but he’s grateful for the opportunity after an overseas offer didn’t pan out as he expected it to, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.

Eastern Notes: Porzingis, Raptors, Hawks

October 5th, 2015 at 9:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kristaps Porzingis‘ shooting ability has Knicks assistant coach Kurt Rambis comparing the lottery pick to Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports. “He might be a combination of both of them just because he can do so many things,” Rambis told the team’s beat reporters on Monday. “You guys haven’t seen it yet and probably all of it won’t come out for three or four or five years, either. He’s got to grow up, mature, develop, get stronger, get used to the NBA game. But he already understands basketball.” Rambis anticipates that opponents will have to craft their defensive gameplans around the team’s rookie power forward because of his “effortless 3-point range,” Bondy adds.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

The Raptors’ unheralded free agent signings of veteran power forward Luis Scola and center Bismack Biyombo could pay large dividends, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca opines. Both are expected to play key roles off Toronto’s bench, as coach Dwane Casey values Scola for his experience and durability while Biyombo could anchor the second unit’s defense, Lewenberg continues. “His [role] is to be our defensive captain,” Casey told Lewenberg. “I think his talking, his shot blocking, his protecting the rim is off the charts.”
Lamar Patterson has made a strong impression on his Hawks teammates as he battles for the 15th roster spot, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Al Horford, Jeff Teague and Kent Bazemore have all singled out Patterson as having an impressive camp, Vivlamore continues, but the 6’5” shooting guard faces competition from Terran Petteway, Earl Barron, DeQuan Jones, Edgar Sosa and Arsalan Kazemi.
Tobias Harris is showing better accuracy on 3-point attempts above the break, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The Magic’s starting small forward became an above average 3-point shooter from the corners last season and wanted to improve in other areas around the arc, Robbins continues. He hit an above-the-break 3-pointer in the team’s preseason opener and showed that shot again in an open practice on Monday. “I think it’s a big weapon, and I think it’s only going to help our spacing on the court to extend that range out,” Harris said to Robbins. “It’s something that I’ve been working on all summer and I’m going to continue to work on.”

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Heat, Hornets

October 4th, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Will Joseph

The Hawks acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. because they love his shooting ability, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will be the heir apparent to Kyle Korver at shooting guard, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes in a rundown of five training camp questions facing Atlanta. Vivlamore also discusses who will start at the small forward position, adding that Coach Mike Budenholzer has said Thabo Sefolosha will be the player he first looks to in the role. Sefolosha, as Vivlamore points out, is coming off a serious injury of a broken right leg and ligament damage.

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Aside from being more of a vocal leader, Paul Millsap does not see his role changing much with the Hawks after re-signing for three years and approximately $58MM and becoming the highest-paid member of the team, Vivlamore writes in a separate story.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford doesn’t believe veteran Marvin Williams will be marginalized by the additions at power forward over the summer, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. Frank Kaminsky, Tyler Hansbrough and Spencer Hawes are all newcomers to the Hornets, but Williams’ versatility, defense and 3-point shooting will likely keep him in the rotation, Bonnell adds.
Despite not having a consensus top-20 player, three starters in their 30s and a center who has yet to play a full season, the Heat will be pretty good this season because Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic enter the year as starters, opines Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Wittman, Hawks

October 3rd, 2015 at 5:08pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Heat are excited with what they have seen thus far in training camp from rookies Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson, Joe Beguiristain of NBA.com writes. “It doesn’t happen too often, but I put the two young guys on the same team today and they’re very good defensively,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They got after it. They made the veterans work for it. They have a great versatility and energy between the two of them. I was very encouraged by what they brought today. [They were] very competitive in the defensive drills.”

The rookies even managed to impress veteran shooting guard Dwyane Wade, Beguiristain notes, with Wade saying, “They enjoy playing defense. That’s half the battle. They’re both two different defenders. Justise is stronger [and] he’s hard to move. Josh is quick, he’s athletic, long. It’s good to see two young guys like that, with Tyler Johnson as well, they were all on the same team. You’ve got three guys who are like that, that like to be on the ball, ball hawk you [and] make it hard on you.”

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Having been criticized by former player Kevin Seraphin and current Wizards forward DeJuan Blair regarding how he doles out playing time, coach Randy Wittman defended his decisions, notes J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic.com. “You’ve got to maintain and be ready at all times, physically, mentally, attitude, all that. You’re not always going to be happy. Even the people you call stars, they aren’t always going to be happy but you got to be professional,” Wittman explained. “I’ve probably got a couple guys [expletive] at me today. … If you’re not happy with playing time you got to force playing time on me. Those kind of things.“
The Magic are no longer going to use their roster’s relative youth as an excuse for not winning, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “We’re never saying that ever again,” guard Victor Oladipo said. “It’s over with. At the end of the day, we’ve got to win. We’ve got to stop using that as an excuse. We want to win, and in order to win, you can have no excuses. We’re locked in on winning. The times around here for excuses are done. It’s time to get it done right now. It’s time to win.“
The Hawks are hoping that newcomers Tiago Splitter and Edy Tavares will improve the team’s offense with their effectiveness in the pick and roll, KL Chouinard of NBA.com relays. “I think we’re going to have just a little more pressure on the rim with both Tiago and Edy, and their ability to roll and collapse the defense and put pressure on the rim and play around the rim,” coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said.

Southeast Notes: Splitter, Neal, Batum, Ennis

October 1st, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Tiago Splitter admits that he was disappointed when he was traded to the Hawks in a move designed to clear salary cap room, writes Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. The Spurs needed the cap space the trade provided to sign LaMarcus Aldridge, whom Splitter believes makes San Antonio the team to beat in the West, Greene adds. “It’s a great squad,” Splitter said of his former team. “On paper they are the favorites to win the title. They have David West. They have LaMarcus Aldridge. Of course, Tim Duncan. Just a great frontcourt over there. They are a very talented team. Of course you have to see how things work out for them on the practical side of the game, but on the interior they have a great team.”

The big man said that his attitude regarding being dealt changed when he realized he’d be playing for coach Mike Budenholzer, a former assistant with the Spurs, Greene adds. “It’s nice to be in an environment where you already know the coach,” Splitter said. “I didn’t know the players before I got here but as soon as I got traded Bud told me that I was going to be in a great situation with great teammates. He gave me a lot of confidence that this team is going to be great once again. I don’t think a [learning curve] is going to be a problem. When I’ve talked to Bud so far I’ve seen that he has his own tricks and personality in the system, but it’s the same system we ran in San Antonio.”

Here’s the latest out of the Southeast Division:

With the Wizards expected to utilize smaller lineups this season, Gary Neal‘s three-point shooting skills should play a big part in the team’s new offense, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic writes. “The way the NBA is changing and evolving right now, how everybody is going to the four out, one in, the ball movement, not holding the ball, getting away from the isolation play, coach [Randy] Wittman is trying to teach that,” Neal said. “That offense is kind of new to him also. He went to a little bit of that against the Hawks in the playoffs and by playing Paul Pierce at the four he kind of liked that. So he was thinking about that throughout the whole summer. He’s teaching it to us. It’s new to us. Everybody’s learning. We should be alright.“
Nicolas Batum will take on a much greater role with the Hornets than he had during his time in Portland, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “Nic has always been third or fourth option,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “Now he’s going to be second or first option.”
Heat forward James Ennis said that the tendinitis that he was experiencing in his knees led to his poor showing in summer league play this year, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. “I was down on myself because I expected more from me,” Ennis told Jackson. “I’m really hard on myself. But I looked at it and said, ‘You’re injured.’ I was playing at 65%. I did a lot of treatment. My knee is a lot better. You’ll see it in the preseason.” Ennis, who has a non-guaranteed salary, is fighting for a regular season roster spot.

Southeast Notes: Scott, Fournier, Williams

September 30th, 2015 at 7:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hawks forward Mike Scott spoke publicly Monday for the first time since his arrest this summer on felony drug charges. The veteran would not discuss details of the case, but did note that the gym has been a sanctuary during the past few months, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution relays. “I just come in every day and compete,” Scott said at Hawks media day. “Joke around and laugh with my teammates. This is kind of been my sanctuary for the summer. I come into the gym and work hard and put everything behind me. Then when in I get back to the locker room I’ll look at my phone and I’ll be ‘Oh, right. I forgot.’ Coming into the gym every day, working out with my teammates, is something that has been great for me.”

Scott did acknowledge that his situation has embarrassed the Hawks’ organization, Vivlamore adds. “I don’t like to make other people look bad,” Scott said. “I don’t like to embarrass people. I don’t want to feel embarrassed. I thought it made us look bad a little bit. I take full responsibility for that. Moving on.”

Here’s the latest out of the Southeast Division:

Evan Fournier is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Magic prior to this year’s deadline, and he’d welcome a new deal if the parameters made sense, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “It would be awesome,” Fournier said when asked about a possible extension. “But, to be honest, I don’t even think about it because that’s not in my power. That’s not in my hands. Right now I’m focused on getting healthy and just being back on the court. But, yeah, it would be awesome, man.“
John Wall would be happy to assist the Wizards in recruiting Kevin Durant, who is set to become a restricted free agent next summer, Royce Young of ESPN.com relays. “There’s gonna be an opportunity to throw a pitch at him to try to get him to come back home,” Wall told CSNMidAtlantic.com. “But I know one thing of just knowing him, he’s going to be very focused on taking care of Oklahoma City this season, and I’m going to be focused on taking care of the Washington Wizards. But when the time is right and he can get away from all that, yeah, we’ll probably have some conversation and throw a pitch.“
Hornets coach Steve Clifford doesn’t expect the role of Marvin Williams will be diminished despite the offseason additions of Frank Kaminsky, Tyler Hansbrough, and Spencer Hawes, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “He’ll play the majority of his minutes at [power forward], but he could play [small forward] some nights depending on matchups,” Clifford said of Williams. “He’ll space the floor and be a very good defender. He adds versatility because he can switch [defensively] with some of the perimeter guys. Really the way the NBA is going he’s becoming the prototypical [power forward] now — 6’8″ or 6’9″, can make 3s and guard different guys.”
Mario Chalmers, who was the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, leaned on LeBron James and Dwyane Wade for support to get through the uncertainty surrounding his future with the Heat, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “LeBron and D-Wade are my two closest people when I’ve got things going on in my mind,” Chalmers said. “I talked to those two in the summer and it really helped ease my mind. Bron, big brother, he told me, ‘Don’t worry — it’s a business.’”

Southeast Notes: Bazemore, Heat, Wizards

September 29th, 2015 at 9:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hawks guard Kent Bazemore is entering the final season of his current deal, but there is mutual interest between the team and the 26-year-old in reaching an agreement on a new contract next offseason, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. Speaking about his feelings for Atlanta, Bazemore said, “I’ve come to love Atlanta. Of the whole summer, I was probably only gone two weeks. I’ve spent a lot of time here. I just moved into a new house. I’m renting it. Maybe I can buy it next year.” Bazemore and the Hawks will have to wait until next summer to work out a new deal since his current deal was signed for less than four years, meaning Bazemore is ineligible to sign an extension during the season, Vivlamore adds.

Here’s the latest from the Southeast Division:

Heat assistant Dan Craig was officially named as head coach of the franchise’s D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the team announced. The news of Craig’s hiring was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Jaron Johnson‘s one-year deal with the Wizards is non-guaranteed and for the league minimum, while Jaleel Roberts‘ agreement is also for the minimum, but his includes a partial guarantee of $10K, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter links).
The Heat‘s deals with John Lucas III and Tre Kelley are one-year pacts for the league minimum and do not include any guaranteed salary, Pincus tweets.
Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said that it may make more sense for the team to carry the regular season maximum of 15 players rather than keeping a slot open, Vivlamore tweets. Atlanta currently has 13 players inked to fully guaranteed deals.
The Hornets are hoping that Jeremy Lamb will get off to a fresh start in Charlotte after not seeing much playing time during his three seasons with the Thunder, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. Lamb was acquired back in June in exchange for for Luke Ridnour and a 2016 second-round pick.
Greg Stiemsma‘s and Nnanna Egwu‘s one-year, minimum salary deals with the Magic are non-guaranteed, while Keith Appling and Jordan Sibert‘s minimum salary arrangements include partial guarantees of $100K, Pincus relays in a series of tweets.
The presence of Goran Dragic, who re-signed with the Heat this offseason, was a big draw for Amar’e Stoudemire to join Miami as a free agent, Surya Fernandez of SB Nation tweets. Of Dragic, Stoudemire said, “If he would have stayed in Phoenix, I would have thought about going back to Phoenix.“

Hawks Sign Arsalan Kazemi

September 29th, 2015 at 9:37am CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks have signed former Sixers draft-and-stash prospect Arsalan Kazemi, the team announced (hat tip to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Vivlamore reported late Monday that the sides were working toward a deal after Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer revealed the Sixers had relinquished his rights so he could try out for the Hawks. The 25-year-old power forward goes into the roster spot vacated when Atlanta waived Jason Richardson, who’s retiring, bringing Atlanta to the 20-man preseason roster limit.

Kazemi, a native of Iran, played last season for ChongQing AoLong of China in his second year as a pro after he became the 54th overall pick of the 2013 draft. He spent most of his college career at Rice before transferring to Oregon for his senior season, one in which averaged 9.4 points and 10.0 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game. The 6’8″ Kazemi again showed a knack for rebounding for the Sixers summer league team in July, notching 3.2 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 27.4 MPG, though it would be a stretch to say he looked particularly strong against a level of competition much weaker than he’ll see in standard NBA action.

He’s with the Hawks for the start of camp today, Vivlamore notes (Twitter link), though he’ll face a stiff challenge to remain with the team beyond the next month. Atlanta has 13 fully guaranteed contracts, and Vivlamore has referred to Mike Muscala, who possesses a partially guaranteed deal, as a “lock” to make the regular season roster. That means Kazemi would have to overcome Lamar Patterson, Terran Petteway, Earl Barron, DeQuan Jones and Edgar Sosa to win a spot on the regular season roster, assuming the Hawks even carry a 15th man on opening night.

Hawks Close To Signing Arsalan Kazemi

September 28th, 2015 at 8:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:45pm: The Hawks are negotiating with Kazemi on a training camp deal, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (Twitter links). The deal is likely to be finalized Tuesday, giving the Hawks 20 players on their camp roster.

4:40pm: Philly let go of Kazemi’s rights so he can try out for the Hawks in training camp, Pompey says in another tweet, so it appears that audition is still to come. The Hawks have one open space on their roster if they decide to add Kazemi.

4:30pm: The Sixers have forfeited their draft rights to Iranian power forward Arsalan Kazemi so that the 54th pick from the 2013 draft can audition for the Hawks, tweets Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirier. The team made its required tender by the September 10th deadline to do so, which allowed the team to retain his rights, but it appears as though Philadelphia has backtracked on that. It’s unclear whether Kazemi has already tried out for the Hawks or if that audition is still to come. Atlanta is one shy of the preseason roster maximum.

Philly originally wound up with the rights to Kazemi the same night that the Wizards drafted him, sending the rights to Glen Rice Jr. to Washington in return. The Sixers also received the rights to Nate Wolters in the deal, flipping them soon after to the Bucks. Kazemi, who played collegiately at Rice and Oregon, has appeared in summer league for the Sixers each of the past three years, but he’s otherwise remained out of the NBA. Last year he averaged 15.0 points in 38.9 minutes per game for ChongQing AoLong of China.

The Sixers have a full preseason roster of their own, with 20 players, so the team had no room for Kazemi. He could have signed the tender, but Philadelphia would have had the right to simply waive him if he did that.

Hawks Waive Jason Richardson

September 28th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks have waived the retiring Jason Richardson, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The move took place Friday, according to Pincus, though the team made no formal announcement. Atlanta signed the 34-year-old swingman last month, so even though he walked away before the start of training camp, the release still had to take place. He was on a one-year contract for the minimum salary without any guaranteed money, so the Hawks aren’t on the hook for any money.

Richardson said in December that “retirement is three or four years away from now,” but knee trouble and an aversion to making simply a token appearance on a roster evidently led to a change of heart. The fifth overall pick in the 2001 draft was much more than roster filler for much of his career, but that wasn’t the case for the majority of his tenure with the Sixers, who acquired him in 2012 as part of the Dwight Howard trade. He made his return to the court last season after missing more than two years because of injuries and appeared in 19 games, averaging career lows in points and minutes per game as well as field goal percentage.

It was in stark contrast to the high-flying scoring force he was for much of his career. Richardson topped 20 points per game three times, including his best scoring average of 23.2 PPG in 2005/06 with the Warriors, his original team. He went on to play with the Bobcats, Suns and Magic before finishing up in Philadelphia. Thanks to the more than $6.6MM he made this past season, the Jim Tanner client topped $100MM in career earnings across his 14 seasons in the league, totaling about $105.356MM, according to Basketball-Reference. His Hawks salary would have been the lowest of his career.

What stands out to you about Richardson’s career? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.