Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Heat Rumors

Eastern Notes: Harrington, Knicks, Sixers, Brown

August 13th, 2013 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we rounded up several Bobcats rumors and notes from Zach Lowe, and passed along word that Eric Griffin will participate in training camp with the Heat. Now let's check out a few more of the day's items from around the Eastern Conference….

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Heat Invite Eric Griffin To Training Camp

August 13th, 2013 at 12:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Unrestricted free agent Eric Griffin has signed a training camp deal with the Heat, according to RealGM.com. RealGM's transactions log lists the contract as having been finalized last Friday. As a training-camp invitee, Griffin won't have a guaranteed contract, and figures to be cut before opening night unless he wins a battle for a 15-man roster spot.

Griffin, 23, went undrafted out of Campbell in 2012, after averaging 15.7 PPG and 8.6 RPG in his senior year in college. The 6'8" forward spent last season in Italy, averaging 17.5 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 28 contests for Fileni BPA Jesi, before earning a spot on the Heat's Summer League team last month.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Odds & Ends: Union, Lucas, Draft, Brown

August 12th, 2013 at 9:30pm CST by Zachary Links

With the offseason winding down, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identified who the real contenders will be in 2013/14.  The back-to-back champion Heat top the list with some of the other usual suspects, including the Spurs and Thunder.  The Bulls should be vaulted back into contention with the long-awaited return of Derrick Rose.  The Clippers are a bona fide contender after re-signing Chris Paul, landing Doc Rivers as coach, and adding J.J. Redick.  The Nets, who now boast the most expensive roster in the NBA by far, hope to be among the league's elite with first-time coach Jason Kidd at the helm.  And of course, the Rockets will be one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on after luring Dwight Howard away from L.A.  Here's more from around the Association..

  • NBPA executive committee member Jerry Stackhouse told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that LeBron James' comments about the union felt like a "kick in the stomach".  "I don't think he's had any dialogue with anybody since the All-Star break, but it is what it is," Stackhouse said. "To make that statement about where we are as a union right now, he was misinformed."
  • Point guard John Lucas III was a safe choice for the Jazz, in the sense that he won't threaten Trey Burke or expect to be the main one-guard for the long-term.  However, Utah believes they have more than a capable stop-gap and more than a positive locker room influence in the veteran, writes Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
  • Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) runs down the 2014 NBA Draft and notes that its remarkable depth could make it the best ever.  Ford's latest big board has Andrew Wiggins at the top, followed by Kentucky's Julius Randle, Australian Dante Exum, Duke's Jabari Parker, and Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart.
  • Sean Deveney of the Sporting News gives his immediate and long-term outlook for the league's 13 new coaches.  The list starts with the latest hire, 76ers coach Brett Brown.
  • Jordan Hill's summer assignment is to become the stretch four that the Lakers need, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.  Hill missed 53 games last year, mostly because of back and hip trouble.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

LeBron James Won’t Run For NBPA Presidency

August 12th, 2013 at 7:25pm CST by Zachary Links

7:25pm: James might throw his support behind the possible candidacy of Jones, a source told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. 

6:26pm: After days of "careful consideration and research," LeBron James has decided he will not run for president or first vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, a person familiar with James' decision told Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.  James was said to be giving it serious consideration due to concerns about the direction of the union.

Ultimately, James decided that he doesn't have enough time at this point in his career to give a top position in the union attention that it requires.  James called Heat teammate and NBPA secretary-treasurer James Jones earlier today to inform him of his decision.  The two-time NBA champion has been aware all along that his packed schedule could preclude him from pursuing lead job with the union, despite his interest.

"I'm not sure I have the time to do it, but it's something I'm going to think about with my team and go from there," James said last week. "But I think we all can agree there's been a lot of transition in our union in the last couple of years. If it's not me in that seat then I hope it's someone who is comfortable with it and can do the job."

Yesterday, Hoops Rumors readers correctly predicted that James ultimately wouldn't run for NBPA president.  The union will have to pick a successor to Derek Fisher in the near future as well as an executive director to take over for the ousted Billy Hunter. 

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

International Notes: Nogueira, English, Ennis

August 12th, 2013 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Today's international news and rumors deal with a pair of former NBA players and a pair of 2013 draft picks. Here's the latest on the notable names from around the globe:

  • Hawks first-rounder Lucas Nogueira will play for Spain's Asefa Estudiantes Madrid for the 2013/14 season, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 16th overall pick will almost certainly be the highest pick from this year's draft to spend next season overseas — 28th overall pick Livio Jean-Charles looks like he'll be the only other first-rounder heading to Europe.
  • According to a La Gazzetta dello Sport report, passed along by Sportando, Italian club Virtus Roma has interest in Kim English. English was selected in the second round of the 2012 draft by the Pistons, but was released earlier this offseason.
  • Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida writes that the Heat were hoping that James Ennis would join the club's D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls. However, Miami didn't want to sign Ennis and have him taking up one of the Heat's 15 roster spots for 2013/14, so Ennis would have only made about $25K if he'd joined the Skyforce — he opted for a more lucrative contract in Australia instead.
  • Ukrainian club BC Budivelnyk has officially signed Blake Ahearn, who has played for the Heat, Spurs, and Jazz, and spent last fall in camp with the Pacers (hat tip to Sportando, via Twitter).
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Poll: Will LeBron James Serve As NBPA President?

August 11th, 2013 at 6:11pm CST by Zachary Links

LeBron James is a pretty busy guy, but it's possible that his schedule is going to get even more crowded in the coming months.  In addition to chasing his third NBA title and his fifth MVP trophy, James could make a run at the presidency of the National Basketball Players Association.  James wouldn't be the first star player to hold the mantle, but he would be the first since Patrick Ewing was at the helm from September 1997-July 2001.  James knows that he would be stretched pretty thin if he goes through with it, but he sounds serious about the idea.

"I'm not sure I have the time to do it, but it's something I'm going to think about with my team and go from there," James said yesterday. "But I think we all can agree there's been a lot of transition in our union in the last couple of years. If it's not me in that seat then I hope it's someone who is comfortable with it and can do the job."

While the likes of Ewing, Isiah Thomas, Buck Williams, Alex English, Bob Lanier, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Cousy have served as the NBPA president, the last three men to spearhead the union (Michael Curry, Antonio Davis, and Derek Fisher) have had lighter workloads.  At the same time, the NBPA is still reeling from a serious scandal and a CBA that tilted things back in the favor of the owners.  Ultimately, will LeBron go through with it?

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

International Notes: McGrady, Cooley, Snaer

August 11th, 2013 at 12:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA free agent market is drying up, leading many players to look for work overseas. Here's the latest from the international scene:

  • Tracy McGrady spent most of 2012/13 in China before hooking on with the Spurs in the final week of the regular season, and he's mulling whether to return to China or seek another NBA deal, according to the Global Times.
  • We heard yesterday that undrafted big man Jack Cooley spurned several training camp invitations from NBA teams for a deal with a Turkish team, and agent Adam Pensack let Shams Charania of RealGM.com know the identity of those clubs, some of whom offered partially guaranteed contracts. The Blazers, Grizzlies, Spurs, Thunder, Nets, Heat, Lakers, Rockets, Pacers and Cavs all wanted to sign Cooley, Pensack says.
  • The Nets also invited Michael Snaer to camp, but Sportando's Enea Trapani hears that he'll sign with Enel Brindisi of Italy instead (Twitter link).
  • A report last month indicated that 42nd overall pick Pierre Jackson, whom the Pelicans acquired in the Jrue Holiday trade, would sign with ASVEL Villeurbanne of France, and Jackson added confirmation via Instagram. Tony Parker owns a share of the French team.
  • Shooting guard Carlon Brown was in training camp with the Warriors last fall and spent the season in the D-League, but he'll be overseas for 2013/14, having signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv of Israel. The Israeli league announced the signing via Twitter (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Odds & Ends: James, Bobcats, Bucks, Cavs

August 10th, 2013 at 10:59pm CST by Spencer Lund

There are a lot of contenders to the Eastern Conference crown that LeBron James and his Heat teammates have worn the last three seasons. James knows he's got to keep getting better if he wants to remain on top next year and advance to his fourth NBA Finals in his four seasons in Miami.

Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel caught up James during his charity event in Akron today to discuss all the wheeling and dealing in the Eastern Conference this off-season. 

James is aware that the Heat face an even harder field in the Eastern Conference next season, and he's doing everything in his power to meet the challenge, telling Richardson, "I've seen what so many teams have done to get better. I've seen the moves that we've made, so I've got to do my part."

Here's what else is happening around the league on Saturday night:

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Greg Oden On His Expectations For Next Season

August 10th, 2013 at 6:25pm CST by Spencer Lund

Greg Oden recently signed a minimum-salary two-year contract with the Heat for $2.173MM with a player option for the second year. Oden's tenure with the Heat hasn't even begun and people are already curious about the former No. 1 pick's health after three micro-fracture surgeries, the most recent coming in February of 2012. 

Oden hasn't appeared on an NBA court since December 5, 2009 with the Trail Blazers, but his three year sabbatical from the game has ended, and he's ready to get back on the court for the two-time defending champion Heat.  The 25-year-old Oden answered questions among assembled media at the St. Vincent Sport Performance Center in Indianapolis on Saturday:

On the wait-and-see expectations concerning his health next season:

"After three years of being out, I'm just going to go out and do what I can. If somehow [my body] says no, then it says no. But for me, I'm not even worried about that. Just go play and not even think about that.

"I've signed on the dotted line, put it like that. I've got a contract. As y'all can see this smile, I've got a contract. I'm excited."

On how he felt in Portland and his decision to come back:

"Two years ago … when I was in Portland, there were some dark times for me. That two weeks after my last surgery … I was just like, 'I don't know what's going on. What's going to happen? Which way is it going to go?'

"Two weeks later I was like, 'I'm coming back.' That's what I want to do."

On his body returning to the rigors of the NBA:

"I'm 25 [years old] now … I've got an old body. I understand. My body is not going to be [like it was]when I was 18 and able to run all day and jump over people. I can't do that. It's just not going to happen. My knees, the wear and tear, I understand that.

"But I'm a play as hard as I can. I'm going to try to jump over people and I'm going to try to run all day. If my body lets me, I'll do it.

"My body's just getting used to playing again. My knees do feel good. I'm able to walk. I'm running, jumping. I'm doing everything.

"[My body's] going to [need] maintenance for the rest of my life. I've got to warm up to warm up and then play. I understand that now."

On choosing the Miami Heat over other suitors:

"My friends told me, 'If you take out the possibility of getting hurt again, what other choice is there?' If I take out the possibility of getting hurt, why would I not play with the champs?

"If LeBron [James] decides to get another ring, I get one too, now."

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Southeast Rumors: Oden, Tolliver, Price

August 10th, 2013 at 2:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

For the past two seasons, the Southeast Division has been home to both the NBA champs and the team with the worst record in the league. There's a decent chance that's the case for a third year in a row, as the Heat don't appear to be retreating from the title picture and the Magic continue to value the future over the present. Here's more from Florida and the rest of the Southeast:

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0