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Eastern Notes: Knicks, Lee, Magic

March 1st, 2014 at 11:58am CST by Cray Allred

Geroge Willis of The New York Post thinks the Knicks don’t appreciate their own when evaluating coaching candidates, citing Mark Jackson as the latest in overlooked candidates with experience within the franchise. Mike D’Antoni was hired over Jackson in 2008, but things have ended up decidedly better for the Warriors–where Jackson landed–than the Knicks since then. Willis points out that Tom Thibodeau, Scott Brooks, Doc Rivers, Michael Malone, and Steve Clifford all had connections to the Knicks before thriving elsewhere. Patrick Ewing is a former Knicks-great that has long been looking for a head coaching opportunity; Willis wouldn’t be surprised if he proves himself away from Madison Square Garden. Let’s take a look around the East:

David Lee has his eye on the Knicks cap situation for 2016, the summer Lee will become a free agent, a person familiar with his thinking tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. Lee says he has no hard feelings over the Knicks letting him walk as a free agent while they pursued LeBron James in 2010. ““What happened, happened. I don’t look back with any negative thoughts on my career in New York. I wish we could have won more games,” says Lee. “But we had a lot of changing pieces that were traded away for that ultimate push for the free-agency year. My only regret is we didn’t win more, but I love the city and loved my time here.‘’
Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel wonders whether the increasingly bleak Knicks environment could motivate Carmelo Anthony to take a pay cut and/or leave the storied franchise to chase a title elsewhere. While it once seemed Anthony was destined to finish his career in New York, Winderman thinks the precedent set by LeBron James and Dwight Howard in recent years is no longer as far fetched for last season’s scoring leader.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN Radio’s “Mike and Mike Show” that the felony charges looming over Knicks guard Raymond Felton create an image problem for the league (transcription via Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com).
Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel [subscription only] looks forward to the summer of 2016, when the Magic will have cap room and, ideally, a developing young talent-base that could attract superstar free agents like Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Rajon Rondo, or valuable restricted free agents like Klay Thompson, Reggie Jackson, and Kawhi Leonard.

Knicks Notes: ‘Melo, Woodson, Felton

February 26th, 2014 at 11:27pm CST by Cray Allred

LeBron James is impressed with Carmelo Anthony‘s willingness to take less money with the Knicks in order to get more talent around him in New York, he tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. “What I got out of it is, he wants to win,’’ James said. “Everyone says they want to win, but that’s what it’s about.’’ James, who spurned New York for the Heat in “The Decision” four summers ago, made it clear that he was rooting for Anthony, and not the Knicks: “I don’t worry about their franchise. I worry about Carmelo Anthony. I always want him to win and succeed. Obviously he’s been playing great basketball. I don’t like seeing him lose like they’ve been losing, but I really don’t care about the franchise.’’ Here’s more from the team that continues to make headlines for its struggles:

Coach Mike Woodson‘s next three to five games could be another perilous stretch, a source tells Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). The source believes that owner Jim Dolan could make a knee-jerk firing if it appears New York is truly, finally out of playoff contention soon.
The Knicks tried to trade Raymond Felton to the Magic for Jameer Nelson before the trade deadline, per John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com. The decision by Orlando to turn down the offer made sense at the time, but it looks even better now considering Felton’s recent legal troubles.
Harvey Araton of The New York Times thinks that the failures and foibles of the Knicks supporting cast around Anthony are drawing blame away from Anthony and owner Jim Dolan, whom Araton believes are equally at fault for the team’s struggles this year. Araton cites the 2011 trade for ‘Melo that stripped the Knicks of valuable assets and ‘Melo’s failure to develop into a player who makes his teammates better as reasons the Knicks haven’t developed into contenders.

D-League Notes: Knicks, Magic, Rice Jr.

February 26th, 2014 at 8:05pm CST by Cray Allred

The Knicks are planning to create their own D-League affiliate in White Plains next year, replacing the hybrid arrangement they currently have with the Erie BayHawks, according to Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside. If approved by the league, the five-year proposal would give the Knicks complete control over both basketball and business operations with the new affiliate. They only control basketball development with the BayHawks. Here’s more from the D-League:

The Magic are in talks with a current D-League team to establish a one-to-one hybrid relationship as early as next season, Orlando CEO Alex Martins tells Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando currently shares an affiliation with five other NBA teams. Martins wouldn’t name which team is the potential affiliate, but the Erie BayHawks are a possibility, since the Knicks appear to be moving on.
D-League president Dan Reed tells Robbins the D-League is looking at expanding soon, likely prioritizing the Northeast region of the country: “We will expand relatively soon, but it will be a measured expansion. We’re not going to grow by 13 teams in a year or two. Our mantra is ‘steady, sustainable growth.’ But we are at the point where it’s time to grow the league based on the stability of the league and the interest that we’re seeing out in the markets.”
The Wizards have assigned rookie Glen Rice, Jr. to the D-League for a second time this season, the team announced.
The Warriors D-League affiliate traded Scott Machado to the Blazers affiliate in exchange for the rights to Justin Holiday, per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Holiday’s only NBA action to this point was in nine games with the Sixers last year alongside his brother Jrue. Machado also has limited time in the NBA so far in his career, averaging just 3.5 minutes over six games with the Rockets last year.
Gino Pilato of D-League Digest takes a look at some players who have received NBA contracts this season after playing with the Rockets D-League affiliate Rio Grand Valley Vipers. The team uses an extreme run-and-gun system that outpaces the already fast-paced D-League, and some have wondered whether the system is beneficial to the developing players beyond inflating their possessions and stats. James Johnson, Troy Daniels, and Chris Johnson have all inked NBA deals after spending time with the Vipers in 2013/14.

Magic Sign Dewayne Dedmon To 10-Day Deal

February 25th, 2014 at 8:48am CST by Chuck Myron

FEBRUARY 25TH: Orlando has made the signing official, the team announced.

FEBRUARY 21ST: The Magic are expected to sign Dewayne Dedmon to a 10-day contract on Monday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Orlando reportedly has an agreement to sign Adonis Thomas the same day, and there’s room for both, since the Magic are at 12 players after today’s buyout agreement with Glen Davis. Dedmon had wanted to sign long-term with the Sixers, according to Spears, but Philadelphia opted not to give him another deal after signing him to a pair of 10-day contracts.

Orlando will be Dedmon’s third NBA stop this season. He was with the Warriors for camp, and Golden State re-signed him in November before cutting him once more a couple of weeks later. Dedmon has also seen action with the Warriors’ D-League affiliate, both on assignment and after Golden State let go of his NBA rights. The center has put up 15.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game in the D-League this season.

The Michael Silverman client has seen action in 15 NBA games as an undrafted rookie out of USC, notching 2.5 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 10.4 minutes per contest.

Magic Sign Adonis Thomas To 10-Day Deal

February 25th, 2014 at 8:47am CST by Chuck Myron

FEBRUARY 25TH: The team has officially announced the deal, via press release.

FEBRUARY 21ST: The Magic will sign D-Leaguer Adonis Thomas, his agent tells L. Jason Smith of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). It’ll be a 10-day deal, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Orlando is at 12 players after waiving Glen Davis earlier today, meaning the team has two weeks to find a 13th man. The signing of Thomas will take place Monday, according to both Smith and Robbins (on Twitter).

Thomas spent time with both the Hawks and Nets in camp this fall after going undrafted out of the University of Memphis this past summer. The Nets kept his D-League rights for their affiliate, the Springfield Armor, and he’s averaged 16.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 35.1 per game for them.

Orlando plays five games from Monday through March 5th, when the small forward’s 10-day deal would expire. Thomas is a client of Relativity Sports, as our Agency Database shows.

Southeast Notes: Muscala, Thomas, Chalmers

February 24th, 2014 at 5:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Hawks put in a call last week to Obradoiro of Spain about Mike Muscala, whose NBA rights belong to Atlanta, reports Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. Still, the Hawks made no offer for the 44th overall pick from the 2013 draft, Sierra notes, adding that Obradoiro has rejected entreaties from other European clubs for the center from Bucknell (Twitter links). More out of the Southeast..

Tyrus Thomas is not an option for the Wizards due to a back injury, a person close to the situation tells J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter). Besides, it looks like Washington has their eye on another 2013 amnesty victim in Drew Gooden.
Mario Chalmers, a free agent this summer, says that he’s more comfortable than ever with the Heat, writes Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel.
A fun fact courtesy of Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (on Twitter): the Magic haven’t signed anyone to a 10-day contract since the team signed Seton Hall product Andre Barrett on March 31, 2005.

Magic Waive Glen Davis In Buyout Arrangement

February 23rd, 2014 at 10:37am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 10:37am: Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter Link) has heard that the Nets have been told that Davis will sign with the Clippers once he clears waivers at 5 p.m. today.

SATURDAY, 1:58pm: The Nets and Clippers remain the frontrunners to sign Davis, but the Heat might be interested in him as well, says Marc Stein of ESPN. Stein also hears that all of the teams with rumored interest in Big Baby expect him to make a decision on where to sign before the end of the weekend (Twitter links).

FRIDAY, 7:05pm: You can add the Bulls to the list of teams that may be interested in Davis, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter Link).

6:20pm: According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter Link), the Magic will not be using the stretch provision on Davis, and will take the full hit on his $6.6MM salary during the 2014/2015 season. Kyler also tweeted that the team had told Davis of their intention to waive him and buy out his contract last weekend.

1:51pm: Kevin Garnett is recruiting Davis as part of a hard push from the Nets to convince him to sign with Brooklyn, Wojnarowski tweets.

1:45pm: The Magic have officially announced that they’ve come to a buyout arrangment and waived Davis. It’s unclear how much of his salary Davis is relinquishing.

1:04pm: The team has yet to make an official announcement, but the release of Davis has been finalized, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).

12:43pm: There’s a sense around the league that Davis and Rivers already have what amounts to an agreement for Big Baby to join the Clippers once he clears waivers, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes. The Magic are expected to officially release Davis this afternoon, tweets Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.

THURSDAY, 9:43pm: Along with the Clippers, the Heat, Spurs, Nets, and Warriors are expressing interest in Big Baby, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.

6:58pm: The Magic and Glen Davis have reached agreement on a buyout, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The buyout should be official tomorrow morning.

Orlando was dangling the big man at the deadline but they were unable to find a taker. Davis was due the remainder of his $6.4MM salary this season and $6.6MM in 2014/15. The 28-year-old is coming off of a year in which he averaged 15.1 PPG and 7.2 RPG with a 15.0 PER in an injury-shortened season. So far in 2013/14, Davis has been bitten by the injury bug once again. He’s putting up 12.1 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 30.1 minutes per contest this season.

The Clippers figure to be a strong frontrunner for Davis now that he’s available, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Los Angeles makes a lot of sense for Davis who has a relationship with Doc Rivers and presumably would like to join a contender. For Orlando, the buyout should open up playing time for Andrew Nicholson and Kyle O’Quinn as they look to the future.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Hawks, Heat

February 22nd, 2014 at 6:48pm CST by Cray Allred

Magic GM Rob Hennigan told reporters, including John Denton of NBA.com, that some of the motivation behind the Magic’s buyout of Glen Davis was an attempt to open up more playing time for developing young players. Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Per Denton, Hennigan also said that the Magic is considering signing one or two players to 10-day contracts now that they have just 12 players on the roster, one shy of the league minimum. The team already has agreements in place with Adonis Thomas and Dewayne Dedmon, so presumably he’s referring to those guys. Hennigan can’t mention them by name until the signings are official.
Hennigan also said that the decision to waive Davis was not based worries that Davis wouldn’t respond well to giving Magic youngsters more playing time, as Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel notes. “I don’t think it was a concern,” Hennigan said. “I think it was more about when we’re moving in a different direction and we have a player who probably doesn’t fit the long-term plan. We want to make sure we do right by all of our players.”
The Magic players were told that the rest of the season would be focused on youth, and that roles will change, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter).
Matt Moore of CBS Sports finds the trade deadline inactivity of the Hawks puzzling, and wonders if GM Danny Ferry is comfortable coasting for the rest of the season. The Hawks have fallen to the eight seed and could drop into the lottery, but without shipping out any of their talent it’s unlikely that they will lose enough to wind up with a high draft pick. And without adding any talent, the team is probably doomed to a swift first-round exit should they make the playoffs.
James Ennis, the Heat‘s second-round pick from the 2013 draft, will play professional ball in Puerto Rico this spring now that his season in Australia is over, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Winderman thinks the odds are long that Ennis gets any chance with the Heat before next offseason.
In the same article, Winderman says that the Heat‘s deadline inactivity was less illuminating for Miami than the moves that other teams in the East did or didn’t pull off, including the Pacers, Bulls, Raptors, Wizards, Knicks, and Pistons.

Deadline Rumors: Hill, Nelson, Bulls, Kaman

February 20th, 2014 at 1:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest from around the league as we inch closer to the deadline..

All is quiet for the Bulls, Grizzlies, Warriors, Mavericks, and Pelicans at the moment, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks have interest in Lakers big man Jordan Hill but the proposal is problematic because of L.A.’s desire to move both Hill and fellow big man Chris Kaman in order to get under the luxury tax, Amick writes.
The Kings are still shopping anyone not named DeMarcus Cousins from the Maloofs regime, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
The Magic and Wizards were discussing a deal involving Jameer Nelson before the Andre Miller deal was agreed upon, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
The Bulls, who are $678K under tax, are comfortable standing pat, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. They believe they can stay under the threshold even with bonuses and 10-day deals.
The Cavs were never in on Lakers big man Chris Kaman, despite reports to the contrary, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
More from Amico, who tweets that Cavs acting GM David Griffin was unwilling to give up a first-round pick and a player for Rockets big man Omer Asik. The Cavs went out and got Spencer Hawes instead.

Magic Prefer To Keep Arron Afflalo

February 19th, 2014 at 7:08pm CST by Alex Lee

While Arron Afflalo’s style of play and reasonable contract have made him one of the more desirable trade targets, it appears that the Magic are inclined to hold onto the 28-year-old beyond tomorrow’s deadline, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski is also hearing that Orlando could revisit trading Afflalo as the NBA Draft approaches in June.

The Magic were reportedly looking for multiple first rounders or young players in exchange for Afflalo, who they may also view as a piece for their future. As Chuck Myron detailed earlier this month in our Trade Candidate series, Afflalo has finally begun to live up to the five-year, $38MM deal the Nuggets gave him in 2011. In his sixth year, the well-rounded shooting guard is averaging 19.4 points, 3.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game while maintaining a healthy PER of 17.29.

Orlando already has the third worst record in the league and with Milwaukee “out in front” in the race for the No. 1 pick by a solid margin, it is unlikely the Magic would settle for anything less than what they consider an appropriate return for Afflalo. With him under contract for at least another year at a fair rate, there doesn’t seem to be any urgency to move the UCLA product.