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Atlantic Notes: Nets, Knicks, Celtics

August 1st, 2015 at 10:48am CST by Will Joseph

Nets coach Lionel Hollins, in a Q&A with Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com, likes that Brooklyn was able to get younger and more versatile this offseason. The coach also believes Deron Williams did not play as well as the franchise would have liked him to. Hollins said he also thinks Williams, who signed with the Mavs, will bounce back, though. Without Williams in the fold, Hollins is confident Jarrett Jack can handle the duties of starting point guard for the Nets. In addition, Joe Johnson, who was the subject of trade rumors earlier this summer, will likely start at shooting guard, according to Hollins.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • The search for the Knicks‘ new D-League coach is down to Mike Miller, a former associate head coach at Kansas State, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports (Twitter links). Miller also worked for the Spurs’ D-League team, Isola notes.
  • Thomas Robinson, who the Nets signed to a two-year deal,  wants a “long-term relationship” with Brooklyn after the forward has bounced around in the league, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily writes.
  • Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge believes that Boston coach Brad Stevens will be viewed as one of the all-time coaching greats in the future. “I wouldn’t have brought him in and given him a six-year contract if I didn’t think he was really good and special,” Ainge said during an on-camera interview with Comcast SportsNet (relayed by Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com).
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Atlantic Notes: Biyombo, Nets, Jones, Ledo

July 31st, 2015 at 11:01am CST by Chuck Myron

A relationship that goes back a while and a shared cultural heritage with GM Masai Ujiri paved the way for Bismack Biyombo to accept an offer from the Raptors after Ujiri called him three minutes into the free agent negotiating period, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun details. Both Biyombo and Ujiri are natives of Africa. Ujiri is excited about the center he signed using the room exception, citing Biyombo’s passion for the game, offensive rebounding, shot blocking, defense, physicality and more, Wolstat relays. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Nets insiders tell NetsDaily that the team would be OK with paying a small amount of luxury tax, but one source says it’ll be a long time before Brooklyn becomes a taxpayer again, if it ever does. The guaranteed salaries for the Nets this season total less than the $84.74MM tax threshold, though taxes are based on the roster as of the final day of the regular season.
  • The Nets had long preferred to rid themselves of Deron Williams instead of Joe Johnson, in part because of Johnson’s veteran presence and knack for scoring, as NetsDaily examines in a separate piece, hearing from sources who suggest Williams’ departure will ease Johnson’s mind, since they didn’t get along.
  • It’s not certain that Perry Jones III will be on the Celtics roster come opening night, as the team has 17 fully guaranteed contracts, but Boston intends to give the former 28th overall pick every opportunity to stick, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. “With OKC, there hasn’t been as much of an opportunity for him to play as much as he would like as a youngster on a team trying to compete for a championship,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said earlier this week. “But [he is] very athletic, a different type of player than we have in the frontcourt right now with his athleticism and length.”
  • The Knicks front office was higher on Ricky Ledo than the coaching staff was, sources indicated to Marc Berman of the New York Post. The team waived Ledo on Thursday rather than guarantee a portion of his salary.
  • It’s been nearly three weeks since the Sixers said Joel Embiid would have surgery on his foot within seven to 10 days, and the team’s silence in that time raises no shortage of questions, as Tom Moore of Calkins Media examines.
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Knicks Expected To Sign Thanasis Antetokounmpo

July 31st, 2015 at 8:34am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks are expected to sign 2014 No. 51 pick Thanasis Antetokounmpo, sources tell Marc Berman of the New York Post. Thursday’s release of Ricky Ledo opened the door for the move, according to Berman. The team told Antetokoumpo’s camp this spring that it would likely sign him to the NBA roster after he spent this past season playing for New York’s D-League affiliate, but agent Tim Lotsos later raised the specter of the small forward playing overseas this year if the Knicks didn’t follow through.

Antetokounmpo, now 23, had an up-and-down performance for the Knicks summer league squad, but his final game, in which he went 7 for 7 and scored 17 points, sent him out on a high note, as Berman details. The brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 13.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in 33.0 minutes per game in the D-League this past season.

The Knicks have also reportedly spoken with former Phil Jackson pupil Sasha Vujacic. New York has 11 fully guaranteed contracts, presuming that the team’s deal with Louis Amundson is one of them, and three partially guaranteed arrangements. That leaves room for Antetokoumpo, Vujacic, and a big man like Kevin Seraphin and Carlos Boozer, whom the Knicks are reportedly targeting. Teams can carry as many as 20 players during the offseason before cutting down to the 15-man regular season limit.

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Knicks Talk With Sasha Vujacic

July 30th, 2015 at 5:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks have spoken with eight-year NBA veteran and former Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com hears (Twitter link). The 31-year-old has played chiefly overseas since the 2011 lockout, save for a brief time with the Clippers in 2013/14. New York waived guard Ricky Ledo just this afternoon, ostensibly creating a vacancy in the backcourt.

Vujacic split this past season between Turkey and Spain, finding much greater playing time with Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyesi than he did with Spanish powerhouse Laboral Kuxta. He averaged 15.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 33.4 minutes per game for Istanbul, but he put up just 5.2 PPG in 14.1 MPG for his Spanish team.

The Clippers brought aboard the two-time NBA champion on a 10-day contract in February 2014, but after 10 total minutes across two appearances, the sides didn’t end up doing another deal. Vujacic spent most of his last full season in the NBA with the Nets, in 2010/11, a career year in which he averaged 9.8 PPG in 24.6 MPG.

The native of Slovenia otherwise spent his time in the Association as a Laker, much of it with Phil Jackson, now team president of the Knicks, as his coach. The Knicks have deals with 14 players, so for now, room is available. Still, Jackson is reportedly targeting big men, including Kevin Seraphin and, perhaps to a lesser degree, Carlos Boozer.

Teams can carry up to 20 players through the preseason but only 15 during the regular season. New York has its $2.814MM room exception available to pay above the minimum.

Do you think the Knicks should sign Vujacic? Leave a comment to have your say.

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Knicks Waive Ricky Ledo

July 30th, 2015 at 3:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Knicks announced (on Twitter) that they have waived Ricky Ledo.  The guard would have had $100K of his salary guaranteed had he remained on the roster beyond Saturday.

Ledo was set to earn the minimum salary for 2015/16 and he had two key dates in his contract – one being August 1st and the other being opening night of the season. On each of those dates, Ledo would have secured separate $100K guarantees. Now that the Knicks have shed Ledo in July, they’re not on the hook for anything.

The Knicks signed Ledo to a pair of 10-day contracts last season before signing him to a deal that covered the remainder of the year.  In 12 appearances for the Knicks, Ledo averaged 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game.  Ledo was waived by the Mavs around the trade deadline last year to make room for Amar’e Stoudemire.  Prior to that, he spent the bulk of the year with the Texas Legends, the club’s D-League affiliate

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Knicks Sign Kristaps Porzingis, Jerian Grant

July 30th, 2015 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Knicks announced (via Twitter) that they have officially signed first-round picks Kristaps Porzingis and Jerian Grant.  The Knicks selected Porzingis No. 4 overall and selected Grant with their other first-round selection at No. 19.

Kristaps Porzingis (vertical)

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

The selection of Porzingis was panned by many Knicks fans who were hoping for a more familiar name, but he has since silenced critics with some impressive performances in Summer League action.  Recently, Knicks GM Steve Mills said that scout Clarence Gaines believed the Knicks should have taken Porzingis first overall if they had won the draft lottery.  The Knicks weren’t ready to go quite that far, but they were happy to have the forward fall to them at No. 4.  Porzingis, who turns 20 on Sunday, was praised by DraftExpress for his fundamentally sound shooting and high-level mobility for a 7-footer.

On draft night, the Knicks shipped Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks to secure the No. 19 pick, which they used to select Grant.  The Notre Dame standout spent five years – including a redshirt season – in South Bend, and has shown tremendous poise for a player his age.  Prior to the draft, I spoke with Grant about why he didn’t declare for the draft earlier and the progress he made as a senior last season.  Grant also told Hoops Rumors that he was hearing he would not slip past No. 22 in the draft and he was proven right in June.

Porzingis is slated to earn $18.65MM over the next four years, according to the 2015 rookie scale.  Grant, meanwhile, will earn $7.568MM over that period of time.

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Knicks Re-Sign Louis Amundson

July 30th, 2015 at 8:44am CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 30TH: The Knicks announced that they have officially re-signed Amundson, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets.

JULY 11TH: The Knicks have reached an agreement with unrestricted free agent Louis Amundson, Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports (Twitter link). It is a one-year, $1.65MM arrangement, adds the Newsday scribe.

Amundson appeared in 41 games for New York last season, averaging 6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 20.9 minutes per contest, with a slash line of .432/.000/.463. His career numbers through nine NBA campaigns are 3.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.4 assists, with a shooting line of .478/.000/.441.

The 32-year-old had previously indicated that he would consider playing in Europe if he wasn’t re-signed by New York. “I would like to play. I’ve been in this league, so I know what that’s like,” Amundson said. “So, I think going overseas would be a new experience for me I think I’d enjoy. I’d get an opportunity to play. So yeah, everything’s on the table.’’

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Northwest Notes: Durant, Thunder, Blazers

July 29th, 2015 at 3:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Blazers acquired Mike Miller from the Cavs earlier this week but he’s probably not sticking around for long.  The veteran is a “strong candidate” to negotiate a buyout with Portland, Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears, and the Grizzlies, Thunder, and Mavs already appear to be interested.  While we wait for more on that, here’s more from the Northwest Division..

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Atlantic Notes: Ndour, Boozer, Celtics, Prokhorov

July 29th, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks tried to make Maurice Ndour the latest to back out of a deal with the Mavericks this summer, but Ndour wouldn’t break his commitment to Dallas, a source told Marc Berman of the New York Post. The undrafted power forward stuck to a three-year pact that will give him a fully guaranteed salary worth more than the rookie minimum, according to Berman. The Knicks had only been offering a $200K partial guarantee until the Mavs swooped in, and New York’s attempt to win over Ndour after he gave his word to Dallas came up short, Berman writes. Still, if Ndour becomes a free agent again soon, he’d love to return to the Knicks, for whom he played in summer league, the Post scribe says. Already, DeAndre Jordan and Richard Jefferson have turned their backs on the Mavs, but Jefferson did so with owner Mark Cuban’s blessing. In any case, there’s more out of New York amid the last from the Atlantic Division:

  • New York’s interest in Carlos Boozer is “tepid,” Berman writes in the same piece, and that jibes with his report from two weeks ago that the team held internal conversations about the free agent power forward but hadn’t made a move on him. In any case, Knicks team president Phil Jackson would still like to sign a big man, Berman adds.
  • The offseason has been a success for the Celtics because they acquired depth that vastly improved the team while still maintaining the copious draft assets that they can use in future trades, opines Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. That’s doubly so because the C’s acquired players with motivation to play to their fullest, Washburn adds. We asked you to weigh in Boston’s offseason so far right here.
  • Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov struck an upbeat tone in brief comments Tuesday, but conspicuous by his absence from Prokhorov’s remarks was Deron Williams, the marquee free agent signing of the Prokhorov era whom the Nets let go in a buyout deal this month, notes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. “First of all, we had a really good offseason – better than a lot of people expected,” Prokhorov said. “Without a lot of noise, we got a lot done. Brook [Lopez] and Thaddeus [Young] are staying with us, which gives us continuity in our frontcourt. Joe Johnson stays as a core player. We also have high expectations for Bojan Bogdanovic, who showed us real flashes of brilliance in his first year on the Nets.”
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Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Celtics, Boatright

July 28th, 2015 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron
Knicks team president Phil Jackson tacitly questioned the wisdom of spending max-level money on Marc Gasol in an interview that took place in February with longtime confidant Charley Rosen, who transcribes it as part of a series on ESPN.com. Still, it seemed more of a remark about spending max money in general, and indeed, the Knicks wound up spreading their cap space around on multiple second-tier free agents. Jackson admits that he pursued Goran Dragic at the trade deadline in February, when the Knicks were one of the preferred teams on the point guard’s wish list of destinations, with the Zen Master adding that he might have spent too much time on the pursuit of Dragic, as Rosen’s piece also shows. Jackson also expressed interest in Arron Afflalo, whom the Knicks eventually signed this summer, and Enes Kanter, whom they reportedly spoke with this month. Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:
  • The Celtics are unlikely to use their $2.814MM room exception, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). That’s not surprising, since the C’s already have 17 fully guaranteed contracts, including Zoran Dragic, whom the team is expected to either waive or trade.
  • Ryan Boatright‘s minimum salary deal with the Nets is already partially guaranteed for $75K this season, according to NetsDaily (Twitter link). A previous report indicated that guarantee wouldn’t kick in until August 1st. Boatright will lock in $200K if he sticks on the roster for the regular season, NetsDaily adds. However, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders shows Boatright only with a $75K guarantee until November 15th, when that guarantee would increase to $125K.
  • The Knicks are letting go of interim D-League head coach Craig Hodges, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Hodges had reportedly been expected to remain as a D-League assistant.
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