Alonzo Gee

Odds & Ends: Ginobili, Pierce, Gee, Warriors, D12

While others, notably Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, decry the use of NBA players in the Olympics, Spurs GM R.C. Buford and coach Gregg Popovich believe they've reaped benefits from the pressure situations and team building Manu Ginobili has experienced while routinely playing for Argentina's national team, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes. Ginobili is adding to his Hall of Fame resume during the London Games, and his success this summer is further evidence he can still produce at a high level for the Spurs in 2012/13. Here's what's going on stateside this evening:

  • Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe has more from Paul Pierce, who also spoke at length with the Celtics team website. Pierce, whose current deal includes a team option for 2013/14, said he wants to "see what it feels like to be a free agent for once in my life" when his contract is up.
  • Earlier today when Luke Adams looked at wing players who might be candidates to join the Lakers, restricted free agent Alonzo Gee wasn't on the list. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio says that's with good reason, since the Cavs are likely to match any offer the Lakers would make (Twitter link).
  • There's been plenty of optimism from the Warriors this week, but Andrew Bogut acknowledges the team still has work to do if it's going to make the playoffs, notes Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group (Sulia link).
  • Baseball crowds don't always mix with basketball fans, but if there's anything that can be gleaned from the boos Dwight Howard got at the Dodgers game tonight, as noted by Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com, L.A. might take a while to warm to D12 if he winds up with the Lakers (Twitter link).

Cavs Notes: Kevin Jones, Alonzo Gee, C.J. Miles

With the start of the 2012/13 season mere months away, the Cavs have been relatively quiet this offseason in terms of free agent signings and trades. From signing Luke Harangody to a qualifying offer to acquiring Jeremy Pargo in a trade with Memphis, Cleveland has yet to make a true splash this summer. Let's check in with Bob Finnan of The News-Herald to catch up on the latest news and headlines surrounding the Cavs…

  • The Cavs remain interested in fully committing to power forward Kevin Jones even though the team already has five players on the roster who play his position. The undrafted rookie from West Virginia suffered a bone bruise in his ankle but is expected to be ready for training camp if Cleveland ends up signing him. Jones, 22, averaged 19.9 PPG and 10.9 RPG during his senior year with the Mountaineers. 
  • Cleveland has yet to decide on what to do with small forward Alonzo Gee, a restricted free agent. Gee is hoping that the Cavs offer him a long-term deal instead of just a qualifying offer. If Gee isn't offered the type of deal that he desires, he can simply sign the qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. 
  • If the Cavs aren't able to come to terms on a deal with Gee, they will turn their attention to signing unrestricted free agent C.J. Miles. The former Jazz guard averaged 9.1 PPG and 2.1 RPG during the 2011/12 season. Finnan suggests that there is a small chance the Cavs sign both Gee and Miles. 

Odds & Ends: Celtics, Alonzo Gee, Randy Foye

The Celtics and Heat will kickoff the upcoming season as the NBA released the schedule for 2012/13 on Thursday. In another notable matchup, the Nets will host the Knicks on opening night in the inaugural basketball game at the Barclays Center. Among the highlights of the five Christmas Day contests include the Thunder taking on the Heat in Miami and the Knicks heading to the Staples Center to battle the Lakers. Here's the latest news and happenings from around the league…

  • The Celtics may appear to have a complete roster as the calendar turns to August, but general manager Danny Ainge is always looking for another piece that may make his team better, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. "I'm always looking for ways to improve the team," Ainge said. "I like our team; I like our guys. But I'm always looking. You're never going to hear me say, 'I'm done.' Because you never know what may open up down the road or in the near future."
  • Talks are slow but steady between the Cavaliers and Alonzo Gee, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Sulia link). Gee's agent, Andre Buck, won't rule out accepting the Cavs' qualifying offer if that's the best contract his client receives from Cleveland.
  • The Jazz wanted Randy Foye more than any other team and that made the former Villanova star's decision easier when it came time to sign a contract, writes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. "I felt," Foye said, "I could come in and contribute and help these guys."
  • The Wizards have invited former Gonzaga guard Steven Gray to attend the team's training camp, reports HoopsHype (via Twitter). Gray spent the 2011/12 season in Europe playing for Latvian club BK Ventspils where he averaged 11.5 PPG and 2.9 RPG.
  • The Lakers continue to have interest in Jodie Meeks as the two sides are in talks about a potential contract, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. 

Odds & Ends: Gee, Cavs, Suns, Batum, Bobcats

A report yesterday suggested that Alonzo Gee and the Cavaliers are still far apart in negotiations on a new contract, but Gee continues to say he wants to re-sign with the club.

"I want to be in Cleveland," he told Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "This is where I want to be. I love the coaches and my teammtes. This is where I want to be.''

It was expected that the Cavs would match an offer sheet for Gee, but so far he hasn't found a deal with another club, — perhaps any team interested in the 25-year-old knows it could be a waste of time to seriously pursue him, with Cleveland poised to match any offer. While Gee waits to sign his next contract, here are a few more Thursday odds and ends from around the NBA:

  • In previewing the Cavaliers' 2012/13 roster, Bob Finnan of the News-Herald assumes that either Gee or unrestricted free agent C.J. Miles will be starting at small forward for Cleveland.
  • Shannon Brown's new deal with the Suns will provide some continuity for both the player and the team, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
  • Rick Adelman was surprised by the lengthy back-and-forth between the Timberwolves and Trail Blazers over Nicolas Batum, as he told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune. "All that stuff surprised me," said the T-Wolves' coach. "We were just trying to get a player who fit in our system. Unfortunately, it went on and on and on, and I have no control over that."
  • Bobcats GM Rich Cho spoke to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld about Charlotte's offseason moves and the process of improving a team that won a record-low seven games in 2011/12.

Alonzo Gee, Cavs Far Apart In Negotiations

Restricted free agent Alonzo Gee and the Cavaliers are "said to be far apart in negotiations," reports Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. The Cavs extended a qualifying offer to Gee last month, making him restricted, but the 25-year-old wing has received very little interest from other clubs, according to Amico.

With no clear rival suitors in play, the Cavs are under no pressure to up their offer to Gee. The team's standing QO is worth close to $2.7MM, and Gee has the option of accepting that offer and becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer. However, he would presumably prefer to land a multiyear deal. Gee finds himself in a situation similar to Warriors swingman Brandon Rush, who has also been unable to find an offer sheet, with rival teams assuming Golden State will match any reasonable offer.

I'd expect the Cavs and Gee to reach a resolution eventually, given Cleveland's cap room and Gee's apparent lack of alternatives. However, the Cavs seem prepared to explore other options. As we heard last night, the team has set up a meeting with unrestricted free agent C.J. Miles. According to Amico, the scheduled visit will be a two-day affair.

Cavs Notes: Dion Waiters, Alonzo Gee, Bill Walker

The Cavs have a young nucleus heading into the 2012/13 season thanks to key additions through the draft in June. Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller are set to join Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson giving head coach Byron Scott something to build with as he enters his third season with Cleveland. Let's check in with Bob Finnan of The News-Herald to catch up on the latest news and headlines surrounding the Cavs…

  • Waiters made some strong impressions during the Las Vegas Summer League while also showing that he has areas of his game requiring improvement. With Irving set to man the point, Waiters will need to strengthen his play off the ball and develop a jump shot in order to be most effective for the Cavs. Finnan reports that the former Syracuse star is approximately 10 pounds overweight and needs to get in shape prior to Scott's training camp unless he wants to spend his time looking into a garbage can. 
  • Restricted free agent Alonzo Gee hasn't received any offers this summer as teams are convinced the Cavs will match any reasonable offer made to the small forward. Look for the Cavs attempt to the sign Gee on the cheap given that most teams are running out of cap space. Finnan expects Gee to sign with the Cavs for the team's $2.7MM qualifying offer, which would make the former Alabama star an unrestricted free agent next summer. 
  • Unrestricted free agent Bill Walker may make some sense for the Cavs as they look to fill out their bench. The 24-year-old small forward played for the Knicks for a portion of the 2011/12 season before being waived by the team. 

Free Agent Rumors: Meeks, Sessions, Gee, Cavs

The Rockets are now in play for free agent guard Ramon Sessions, a source tells Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.  The 26-year-old is said to be seeking a starting job and the security of a multiyear deal, something that the Mavericks seem prepared to offer.  We ran down the day’s free agent rumors earlier today, here’s the latest batch..

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Qualifying Offers: Friday

With the NBA's 2012 free agent period just two days away, teams continue to extend qualifying offers to free agents in order to make them restricted. If a qualifying offer is not tendered to a player eligible for restricted free agency, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Players who are tendered qualifying offers have the option to accept the one-year contract and hit unrestricted free agency a year from now, but the primary purpose of the offers are to ensure that the player's team can match any offers for him this summer. We'll track today's qualifying offer updates right here, with the latest added to the top of the page….

  • The Cavs have made a qualifying offer to Luke Harangody, according to the joint Twitter account of Plain Dealer writers Mary Schmitt Boyer and Jodie Valade. The tender is expected to be around $1.05MM.

Earlier updates:

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Cavs Expected To Match Offers For Alonzo Gee

Alonzo Gee started the 2011/12 season on a non-guaranteed contract, but over the course of the year, he became one of the Cavaliers' key rotation players, averaging 10.6 points in 29 minutes per game in 63 contests. With Gee eligible for restricted free agency this summer, the Cavs are prepared to match any offer sheet the 25-year-old may sign, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.

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Odds & Ends: Lakers, Hawks, Rose

Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles looked at some specific names that could surface on the Lakers' radar if Ramon Sessions is not on the roster next season, mentioning Aaron Brooks, Raymond Felton, and Kirk Hinrich as guards who could be available for the team's mini mid-level exception. You can read more of tonight's miscellaneous links here, including rumblings about Atlanta's offseason activity, a minor update on Derrick Rose, and an in-depth look at Charlotte's new head coach…

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