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Odds & Ends: Rivers, Stan Van Gundy, Jazz

October 17th, 2013 at 11:07pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Clippers coach Doc Rivers sits down with Harvey Araton of the New York Times to discuss the scrutiny that accompanied his exit from Boston and his willingness to accept the responsibility if things don’t go well in Los Angeles: “But when (the opportunity to coach the Clippers) presented itself, I thought, ‘Wow, this would be a unique situation for me…If there’s a mistake, it’s my fault. I don’t want to blame someone else. I want to blame me.”

Rivers also commented on how the free throw shooting struggles of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin has been somewhat of an achilles’ heel for the team in the past: “Blake and D. J., they missed a couple, and their whole game changed…Blake would stop driving, stop attacking, because he didn’t want to get fouled. D. J. didn’t even want to touch the ball. Then he would take all that defensive energy he had and throw it out of the game.”

Here are the rest of tonight’s miscellaneous links:

  • Despite the tumultuous way in which their working relationship ended in Orlando, former coach Stan Van Gundy still thinks that the Magic should retire Dwight Howard‘s number, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel (Subscribers only).
  • Jazz camp hopeful Lester Hudson values his opportunity to stick in the NBA after being a career journeyman since entering the league (Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune). In another Utah-related piece, John Lucas III talks about being fueled to secure his NBA future after his international and D-League experiences: “Every time I step on the court, (I think), ‘I don’t want to go back to Italy. I don’t want to go back to Spain. Don’t want to go back to China (or the) D-League…I feel like I’m at home. I just have that in the back of my head all the time, so when I step on that court I give it everything I have” (Jody Genessy of the Deseret News).
  • Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston answered a few questions from his readers in his newest edition of “Celtics Mailbag.”
  • Bucks head coach Larry Drew spoke about the importance of having a veteran like Zaza Pachulia around the team, especially with their familiarity together stemming from their history in Atlanta (Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel).
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Odds & Ends: Jazz, Odom, Howard, Nelson, Brooks

October 15th, 2013 at 9:03pm CST by Alex Lee

With seven preseason games on the schedule for Tuesday night, let’s take a look at some odds and ends from around the NBA:

  • Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune spoke to Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin and some of the team’s camp invitees — including Justin Holiday, Scott Machado and Brian Cook — about the roster cuts the team will have to make within the next couple of weeks to get down to 15 players.
  • We haven’t heard too much about Lamar Odom since the strange reports about his off-the-court issues surfaced in August. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN LA tweets that the Lakers reached out to Odom recently, but that the contact was strictly for personal reasons.
  • With the Magic in town to face the Rockets on Wednesday, Dwight Howard spoke to Orlando-area reporters, including Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, about what has been a whirlwind of a two years for the Houston center.  While Howard expressed regret about how things ended in Orlando, he implied that the situation in Los Angeles was different, and that Houston simply represented the best place for him to be.
  • Meanwhile in post-Dwight Orlando, 31-year-old Jameer Nelson is happy to play the role of elder statesman on a young and improving Magic team, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. Caplan writes that Nelson, a veteran in the second year of a three-year deal, is aware that he will probably be shopped this winter unless the Magic surprise everyone and contend.
  • We heard earlier tonight from Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that MarShon Brooks had expressed a desire to be traded from the Nets before he was part of the blockbuster with the Celtics. Bondy provides several quotes from Brooks, now in Boston, in his complete story: “I wasn’t really sure with [Jason Kidd becoming coach]. I didn’t know what to expect. Last year obviously we knew what was going on, it was so rocky, I didn’t know if I was playing. There just wasn’t any structure to any of my minutes.. So it was kind of hard for me to perform under those circumstances and obviously I didn’t want to be in that situation next year.”
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Southeast Notes: Magic, Oden, Cole, Wizards

October 15th, 2013 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have 19 players under contract, but only 12 fully guaranteed deals on their books, meaning there could be a couple regular-season roster spots up for grabs in Orlando. And as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel notes, camp invitees Solomon Jones and Mickell Gladness took advantage of their audition on Monday against the Mavericks — Jones scored 11 points and grabbed eight boards, while Gladness blocked six shots in just 16 minutes of action.

As Jones and Gladness continue to compete for NBA jobs, let’s check out a few other items from around the Southeast Division….

  • One of the reasons Greg Oden chose to sign with the Heat over a host of other NBA suitors was because Miami doesn’t have any motivation to rush him onto the court, so a fast start for the Heat this season will help keep the team from hastening his return, writes Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report.
  • In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel suggests Norris Cole‘s performance in 2013/14 could significantly affect the Heat‘s decisions at the point guard position. Cole is the only Miami player on a guaranteed contract beyond this season, while Mario Chalmers will hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
  • With a new five-year max extension under his belt, John Wall talks to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report about his increasing expectations for the Wizards‘ coming season and for the long term in Washington.
  • Michael Lee of the Washington Post takes a look at Pops Mensah-Bonsu‘s uphill battle to regain a spot on an NBA roster. Mensah-Bonsu is currently in camp with the Wizards.
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Odds & Ends: Wolves, Teague, Sims, O’Quinn

October 13th, 2013 at 8:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Timberwolves, like the Jazz, have shown interest at one point or another in Bulls point guard Marquis Teague, a league source tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Johnson doesn’t make it sound as though the Wolves are currently pursuing Teague, but if the Bulls aren’t sold on him, that bodes well for the chances that 38-year-old point guard Mike James makes Chicago’s opening night roster on his non-guaranteed deal. The Tribune scribe checks in with James, who would be the league’s fourth oldest player if he makes the squad, and we’ve got more from around the NBA:

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Southeast Notes: Jefferson, Bosh, Oden, Magic

October 12th, 2013 at 7:34pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Bobcats made their first big splash in free agency this summer by signing Al Jefferson to a 3-year, $40.5MM contract to helm the post for one of the league’s most disappointing teams over the last half decade. The Bobcats  announced today that Jefferson sprained his ankle against Miami in last night’s preseason action, and will be in a walking boot for several days:

“[Jefferson] suffered a sprained right ankle in the second half of last night’s preseason game vs. Miami.  X-rays taken at the arena proved to be normal. As a precaution, Jefferson is expected to be in a walking boot for several days in an effort to contain the swelling and not put any pressure on the joint.  Once out of the walking boot, he will be re-evaluated and will begin the rehab process.”

Here are a few more notes tonight from around the Southeast division, including more on Jefferson:

  • Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets that Jefferson was in extensive pain and because it’s preseason the Bobcats are likely to treat the sprain conservatively so as not to endanger the health of their new big man.
  • With so much speculation about what LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will do this coming summer when they can opt-out of their contracts with the Heat and become unrestricted free agents, Chris Bosh will have the same opportunity. But he’s grown comfortable with his role on the team as the third wheel of a champion, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel.
  • Winderman also reports that Magic CEO Alex Martins said before their preseason matchup against the Heat, that he’d like the Magic to have their own D-League affiliate in Jacksonville.
  • Sources say Heat center Greg Oden will be cleared to practice next week, and could see action for the first time in four years in one of the Heat’s final preseason games, reports Michael Wallace of ESPN (by way of the Toronto Sun).
  • Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel profiles Magic camp invitees, Mickell Gladness, Manny Harris, Solomon Jones and Kris Joseph. None of the four will see a dime unless they make the Magic’s final roster, which means overcoming the long odds against them, Robbins adds.
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Highest-Paid Rookies On Non-Scale Deals

October 12th, 2013 at 2:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

Negotiations between the Magic and 51st overall pick Romero Osby seemed to move at a snail’s pace, and it wasn’t until three months after draft night, just as training camp was starting, that the team finally announced it had a deal. Happy Walters of Relativity Sports didn’t make his client wait without reason. The Magic wound up using part of their mid-level exception to give Osby a three-year deal that includes a first-year salary of $682,180, according to HoopsWorld’s Eric Pincus, making him more highly paid this season than all but one other player taken in the second round this June. The contract reverts to the minimum salary in seasons two and three, and it’s non-guaranteed, but it does call for a $100K partial guarantee on this season to kick in if he makes the opening-night roster.

Osby’s deal will give him less than Andre Roberson, this year’s lowest-paid player among those signing the rookie scale contracts afforded first-round picks. It’s still an accomplishment for Walters and company, since Osby is one of only 14 rookies who weren’t drafted in the first round to sign for more than the minimum this year. The four highest earners among them aren’t second-round picks. They’re players from overseas who signed with their teams as free agents, led by Vitor Faverani, who secured $2MM from the Celtics.

Allen Crabbe, the first player drafted in the second round this year, checks in fifth on that list. He’s followed by Dwight Buycks, an American-born player who went undrafted in 2011, plied his trade in the D-League and international circuits, and wound up with a guaranteed $700K from the Raptors.

Draft position doesn’t dictate how much a second-round pick will earn as a rookie, as Osby demonstrates. Ricky Ledo, the 43rd overall pick, is set to earn more this year than five players taken ahead of him. And, as you can see in our complete list of this year’s highest paid rookies not taken in the first-round, the draft order is jumbled throughout.

  • Vitor Faverani, Celtics: $2MM (signed as a free agent)
  • Luigi Datome, Pistons, $1.75MM (signed as a free agent)
  • Miroslav Raduljica, Bucks, $1.5MM (signed as a free agent)
  • Pero Antic, Hawks: $1.2MM (signed as a free agent)
  • Allen Crabbe, Trail Blazers: $825K (31st overall pick)
  • Dwight Buycks, Raptors: $700K (signed as a free agent)
  • Romero Osby, Magic: $682,180 (51st overall pick)
  • Isaiah Canaan, Rockets: $570,515 (34th overall pick)
  • Ricky Ledo, Mavericks $544K (43rd overall pick)
  • Jamaal Franklin, Grizzlies: $535K (41st overall pick)
  • Ray McCallum, Kings: $524,616 (36th overall pick)
  • Carrick Felix, Cavaliers: $510K  (33rd overall pick)
  • Tony Mitchell, Pistons: $500K (37th overall pick)
  • Nate Wolters, Bucks: $500K (38th overall pick)

HoopsWorld and ShamSports were used in the creation of this post.

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Eastern Notes: Mason, Irving, Cavs, Magic

October 10th, 2013 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

It took a while for Roger Mason Jr. to land with an NBA team this offseason, as Mason didn’t sign with the Heat until late September. However, that doesn’t mean there was no other interest in the veteran shooter. According to Ethan J. Skolnick of Bleacher Report (via Twitter), Mason had also been considering the Bulls before a 45-minute conversation with Ray Allen sold him on Miami.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • When asked by a young fan at a community event if he’d leave Cleveland like LeBron James did, Kyrie Irving said he wouldn’t, as Sean Highkin of USA Today details. While we probably shouldn’t assume that’s set in stone, it’ll likely be a while before the Cavs guard hits the open market anyway. Irving still has two seasons remaining on his rookie contract and will be a strong candidate for a long-term extension a year from now.
  • While some observers believe that DeSagana Diop has the inside track on securing a reserve roster spot with the Cavs, Kenny Kadji is making a pretty strong case for the job, writes Bob Finnan of The Plain Dealer (Sulia link). We heard yesterday from another Cleveland scribe, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, that Henry Sims may be Kadji’s primary competition for a roster spot.
  • The Magic see Jacksonville as a good location for a potential D-League affiliate, but it’s not the only possibility, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The Magic’s D-League affiliate for the 2013/14 season is the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, a team they share with the Bobcats, Pistons, Pacers, Grizzlies, and Bucks.
  • New Celtics big man Vitor Faverani isn’t the most verbose guy in the league, but he offers Boston a lot in the way of physical play and pick and rolls, according to Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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Traded 2014 First Round Picks To Watch

October 9th, 2013 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

As we saw in 2011 when the draft pick acquired from the Clippers by the Cavaliers ended up landing first overall, trading unprotected first-round picks is a risky proposition for NBA teams. That would explain why, heading into the 2013/14 season, only three ’14 first-round picks have been traded without protection, all by veteran teams expected to have strong years.

The Knicks’ first-round pick will be sent to the Nuggets, as part of New York’s debt from the Carmelo Anthony blockbuster. However, if the Knicks’ pick is less favorable than Denver’s own pick, the Nuggets will pass it along to Orlando, as part of last summer’s four-team Dwight Howard trade. Otherwise, the Magic will receive Denver’s pick.

The Warriors’ first-round pick will head to Utah, one of several picks Golden State sent to the Jazz in the cap-clearing summer deal that saw Andre Iguodala land with the Warriors.

The other unprotected first-rounder will come from the Nets, who agreed to send their pick to Boston in this offseason’s acquisition of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. As part of 2012’s Joe Johnson swap though, the Hawks have the opportunity to swap their own first-round pick with the Nets’ pick, leaving the Celtics with the lesser pick of the two. So if the Nets disappoint this season, it will be the Hawks, rather than the C’s, who benefit most.

Nine other teams have agreed to give up their respective 2014 first-round picks in certain scenarios, but given the protection on these picks, only a handful will actually change hands next summer. We’ll be keeping an eye on the standings all season to monitor whether or not these traded picks will fall under protection, but here’s an early look at the situations to watch this season:

Team: Charlotte Bobcats
Will be sent to: Chicago Bulls
Protection: 1-10
Forecast: Despite the addition of Al Jefferson, the Bobcats still likely project as a lottery team, meaning this pick has a good chance to stay put. That could be good news for the Bulls, since we continue to inch closer to 2016, when this pick will become unprotected.

Team: Dallas Mavericks
Will be sent to: Oklahoma City Thunder
Protection: 1-20
Forecast: Mark Cuban and the Mavs are optimistic about the new-look roster, but I’m skeptical that Dallas is a top-ten team. This pick will probably stay with Dallas.

Team: Detroit Pistons
Will be sent to: Charlotte Bobcats
Protection: 1-8
Forecast: If the Pistons were to finish as a bottom-eight team, I expect there’d be some jobs opening up in Detroit in 2014, given the expectations for the club. I have the Pistons penciled in as a low playoff seed in the East, so this pick should be ticketed for Charlotte.

Team: Indiana Pacers
Will be sent to: Phoenix Suns
Protection: 1-14
Forecast: While the Heat may be the No. 1 seed in the East again, the Pacers shouldn’t be too far behind them. As such, this pick will likely land in the mid-20s and be shipped to Phoenix.

Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Will be sent to: Phoenix Suns
Protection: 1-13
Forecast: If the T-Wolves can avoid the injury problems that plagued them last season, they should be a playoff contender. The West will be competitive though, so there are no guarantees either way on this one.

Team: New Orleans Pelicans
Will be sent to: Philadelphia 76ers
Protection: 1-5
Forecast: I’m not bullish on the Pelicans’ postseason chances for 2013/14, but the offseason upgrades, along with continued development from Anthony Davis, should ensure that New Orleans isn’t a bottom-five team. The result could be a pair of lottery picks for the Sixers.

Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Will be sent to: Miami Heat
Protection: 1-14
Forecast: Speaking of those Sixers, it would be truly be a shocker if their own first-rounder changed hands next summer. Many pundits don’t expect the Sixers to win 20 games, let alone earn a playoff spot.

Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Will be sent to: Charlotte Bobcats
Protection: 1-12
Forecast: Like the Wolves, the Blazers expect to be in contention for the postseason, but again, it won’t be easy in the West. This is another pick I could see going either way.

Team: Sacramento Kings
Will be sent to: Cleveland Cavaliers
Protection: 1-12
Forecast: The Kings are entering the season with playoff aspirations as well, but their odds are significantly lower, in my view, than the Wolves’ or Blazers’. I expect we’ll see Sacramento keep this pick.

RealGM.com was used in the creation of this post.

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Eastern Notes: Rondo, Heat, Ivey, Magic

October 9th, 2013 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

The Western Conference looks like it’ll be wide open this season, as the results from last night’s poll show. However, the same can’t be said for the Eastern Conference. Online sportsbook Bovada.lv gives the Heat even odds to come out of the East in 2014 for the fourth straight year. As we look forward to Miami getting its title defense underway, let’s round up a few notes from around the conference….

  • While the Celtics finally got the rebuilding process underway this summer by dealing Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry to the Nets, Rajon Rondo isn’t looking for an escape route of his own, as he tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. “This is my team; why would I want to leave?” Rondo said. “Why would I want out? I’ve never really backed away from a challenge.”
  • Asked about the possibility of Eric Griffin earning a spot on the Heat‘s regular-season roster, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel echoes something we heard from Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald yesterday, predicting that Michael Beasley and Roger Mason Jr. will grab the last two openings.
  • Royal Ivey‘s short-term goal involves landing a roster spot with the Hawks, but he hopes to transition into coaching in the not-too-distant future, writes Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.
    “I see a couple more years and then I want to do other ventures,” Ivey said. “I think I have a chance to coach and I’m definitely going to take heed to that.”
  • 14 NBA teams currently have one-on-one relationships with their D-League affiliates, and the Magic are hoping to become No. 15, writes Don Coble at Jacksonville.com. Magic CEO Alex Martins tells Coble that the team has “made it clear” to the NBA that it would like to set up a D-League squad in Jacksonville, rather than share the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with five other NBA clubs.
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Southeast Notes: Big Three, Beasley, Maynor

October 5th, 2013 at 9:57am CST by Zachary Links

Today's look at the Southeast Division..

  • Heat president Pat Riley and owner Micky Arison have a great deal to do with the future of the Big Three, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.  Arison has to be willing to spend an astronomical amount of money to keep all three in place because of the luxury tax and Riley, who turns 69 in March, may not want to keep his job in Miami forever. 
  • In today's mailbag, a reader asks Winderman if offseason acquisition Michael Beasley is engaged in Heat practices.  If the low-risk signing fails, Winderman says that it won't be because of a lack of effort as Beasley is working hard to get himself ready for the upcoming season.  What could hurt him, however, is making the transition to being a complementary player which will call for a greater emphasis on passing.
  • After signing a two-year, $4MM deal with the Wizards this summer, Eric Maynor's goal is to be a steady complement to John Wall, writes Michael Lee from the Washington Post.  Washington was sloppy on offense last season and the addition of Maynor, who has a career 2.81-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, should help to straighten out the offense.
  • Rookie Victor Oladipo is ready to help the Magic turn things around, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.

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