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Odds & Ends: Casspi, Tolliver, Leonard, Blatche

August 19th, 2012 at 2:30pm CST by Sean Highkin

According to Fox's John Telich, the Cavaliers may buy out Omri Casspi's contract. (Twitter link) FoxSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico tweets that there have been rumors regarding Casspi's want to play overseas. 

Here's a rundown on some of the latest news and notes from around the NBA this weekend:

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Odds & Ends: Olympics, Blazers, Jason Terry

August 17th, 2012 at 10:10pm CST by Daniel Seco

With the Olympics in the books and the start of the 2012-13 nearly three months away, we've hit a lull in the year where basketball of any sort still remains weeks, not days, away. Make sure you take a moment to catch up on our features and other original content to help you get your NBA fix. With Friday nearly in the books, here's the latest news and headlines from around the league…

  • Much speculation has been made about a possible age limit for the 2016 Olympics in Rio where only players 23 and under would be eligible to play for their country. Patrick Baumann, the head of FIBA, conducted an in-house interview on Friday and announced that FIBA has no plans to implement an age restriction for 2016. 
  • Beyond adding three assistant coaches to the mix on Friday, the Trail Blazers will retain former NBA guard Hersey Hawkins as the player development director, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Dan Dickau's future as an assistant to Hawkins remains unclear as he is a part-time employee (via Twitter).
  • Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld says Jason Terry will be key to the Celtics' title hopes given his experience with the Mavericks. Even though the Heat will remain the favorite entering the season, Ingram believes the Celtics will be contenders as the 2012-13 season approaches.
  • Celtics assistant general manager Mike Zarren has emerged as a contender for the Sixers' general manager position, reports SI.com's Sam Amick. The position has become more desirable as a result of the team acquiring All-Star center Andrew Bynum via trade earlier this month.
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Bynum Leaning Toward Long-Term Deal With 76ers

August 15th, 2012 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

Introductory press conferences typically aren't a setting for breaking news, but at Andrew Bynum's public debut in Philadelphia today, the young center provided a hint about his next long-term contract. Asked about whether he has thought about signing with the Sixers long-term, Bynum expressed serious interest in remaining in Philadelphia past this season, as SI.com's Sam Amick documents:

"To be honest man, my first experience here has been so great [that] I'm really leaning towards making this my home," Bynum said to huge cheers from the Philadelphia crowd. "I'm not a guy who tries to be all around and have a lot of teams on my belt, so I don't know, man. It's crazy. That's really the answer, man. I'm really leaning towards being able to stay here and making it my home."

At the presser, Bynum also said he was looking forward to being the number one option on offense for the Sixers. He added that he was "super excited" to find out he'd been traded, since the move sends him closer to his New Jersey home and he thought it was "time for a change" (Sulia link).

As for Bynum's next contract, as I outlined a week ago, signing a max deal with the Sixers next summer could land the 24-year-old up to nearly $102MM in guaranteed money, while an in-season extension could only be worth up to about $57MM. As such, it's unlikely that Bynum will be locked up anytime soon, but for now at least, the former Laker seems intrigued by the idea of a long-term future in Philadelphia.

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Odds & Ends: Iguodala, Smith, Gunning, Moser

August 14th, 2012 at 10:28pm CST by Alex Lee

To get an idea of the size and signficance of last week's blockbuster, consider the notion that Andre Iguodala heading to the Nuggets was probably the least publicized leg of the deal.  Iguodala was not only an All-Star last season, but he was one of 12 members of a Team USA that has been fawned over by sports fans around the globe for the past month.  According to Aaron Lopez of Nuggets.com, some of Iguodala's post-trade quotes were misconstrued and the veteran wing is, in fact, very excited to join what should be an ultra-athletic team in Denver.  Let's round up some of the other links and happenings from around the Association on this Tuesday night:

  • New Celtics sixth man Jason Terry spoke with Molly McGrath from Celtics.com and stated Boston's case for legitimate title contention in the 2012-13 season.  Greg Payne from ESPN Boston transcribed the interview.  
  • Mark Medina from the L.A. Times spoke with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who sees a lot of similarities between his situation with the Lakers in 1975 and the one Dwight Howard is about to enter. 
  • Power forward Craig Smith, who saw less than 10 minutes per game with the Blazers last year, explained to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com why he passed up NBA offers to play in Israel in the upcoming season.  Smith was tired of being an NBA "roster filler" and was willing to take less money for an opportunity to show what he can do with consistent playing time. 
  • The Magic have hired Brett Gunning as an assistant coach, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.  Gunning, who spent the last four seasons in various roles in the Rockets organization, will join first-time head coach Jacque Vaughn on the Orlando bench.
  • According to UNLV head coach Dave Rice, Rebels swingman Mike Moser is preparing for what will likely be his last season in Las Vegas, reports Mike Youmans at the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  Moser is a rising junior, but Rice says he essentially considers him a senior.  Moser averaged 14 points and more than 10 rebounds as a sophomore last season for the Rebels and briefly flirted with the 2012 draft.  He projects as a late first-round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
  • Tom Moore of Phillyburbs.com writes that the Sixers, a franchise that has historically gotten burned in trades involving superstars, finally got the best player in a mega-deal in Andrew Bynum.  Moore is only referring to what the team directly gave up and received, which eliminates Dwight Howard from consideration.
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The NBA’s Next Dwight Howard

August 14th, 2012 at 11:14am CST by Luke Adams

Dwight Howard is still nearly over 10 months from free agency, but it appears the "Dwightmare" is over, with D12 having been traded to a team likely to sign him long-term. However, as we saw with players such as Howard, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and others, superstars approaching unrestricted free agency have a tendency to create some drama.

Howard wasn't the first star to be the subject of months of speculation and rumors, and he won't be the last. So with his saga over, at least for now, it's no surprise that a handful of NBA scribes have started trying to determine which player will be next to hold his team hostage. Here are a few of their ideas:

  • Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld identifies Paul, Josh Smith, and Andrew Bynum as three players facing unrestricted free agency in 2013 that could be subject of months of "will he stay or go?" speculation. However, Kyler says Paul is likely to re-up with the Clippers next summer and that Bynum is "thrilled" with his new situation in Philadelphia. Smith would also prefer to stay put, according to Kyler, but it's not out of the question that he's traded later this season.
  • Tom Ziller of SBNation also names Paul and Bynum, filling out his list of possibilities with Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge. Acknowledging that Love and Aldridge are still a ways off from free agency, Ziller says he thinks there's a decent chance Aldridge could want out of Portland if the team doesn't make major strides in the next couple years.
  • Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops looks at a number of candidates to be the next Dwight, noting that it won't be long before the speculation about the summer of 2014 begins — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh all have the chance to opt out at that point.
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Trade Notes: Magic, Hennigan, Thorn, Bynum

August 13th, 2012 at 6:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic have taken plenty of flack for the Dwight Howard deal, but it could be the first step in a return to title contention, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. He looks at the machinations that GM Rob Hennigan is undertaking, and says the team will have enough room under the cap to offer a maximum contract next summer, and another max deal in 2014. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com tweeted the night of the trade that Orlando could have as much as $20MM available in 2014, which should be enough for one max offer, but not two. Zach Lowe of SI.com isn't sure they'll have enough for any max offer this summer unless they make a few more moves (Twitter links). A lot could happen between now and then, but for the time being, we've got plenty more on the effects of the trade on the first full day of business since it was finalized on Friday:

  • In the same piece, Kennedy writes that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said negotiating with Hennigan was a challenge because the new Magic GM insisted on exploring every avenue before committing to a deal. “To credit Rob Hennigan, the GM of Orlando Magic, it got to the point for me where it was quite frankly frustrating,” Kupchak said. “But what he was doing was his job, which was to sort out and seek out the best possible deal for the organization.”
  • The Magic's offer from the Rockets wasn't as enticing as reports have indicated, Kennedy says. Houston was willing to give up prospects and picks or take back expensive contracts, but not both. 
  • Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel says it's clear the Magic didn't receive equal value in return for Howard, but believes the results of several different variables will determine just how the trade will be measured in the long run.
  • Sixers president Rod Thorn revealed a few interesting tidbits on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia, and Brag Gagnon of Sports Radio Interviews has the transcription. Thorn said he was talking to the Magic about Andre Iguodala, but Orlando didn't want to acquire him, and that's when the Nuggets became involved. Thorn was interested in making a move in part because he felt the Sixers had reached their ceiling last year and couldn't achieve more.
  • Thorn also spoke about the possibility of signing Andrew Bynum to an extension, saying, “Over the course of the season, if he’s happy and he’s healthy, we’ll certainly do everything we can do re-sign him. And we certainly are in the driver’s seat because we can give him an extra year and obviously more money. But to me, if he’s happy, he’s going to want to sign here. So I think it was a risk, anything you do there’s a risk. But if you’re going to take a risk, always take it on somebody who could be a special player.”
  • Bynum is heading to Germany for the same experimental knee procedure that's aided Kobe Bryant, Grant Hill and others, John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. It's unclear whether the Orthokine/Regenokine treatment will be performed on one knee or both, but Mitchell hears Bynum isn't currently experiencing any knee pain and is undergoing the non-surgical procedure to help ward off injury.  
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Winderman On Camby, Rebounding, Cuban

August 12th, 2012 at 10:16am CST by Daniel Seco

The Heat made a series of moves this offseason that will make their title defense more of a palatable endeavor when the 2012/13 season begins this fall. While the Heat should have minimal trouble returning to the NBA Finals, barring injury, the true test will be the presumed showdown with the Lakers in June, who appear to be favorites in the West thanks to their acquisition of Dwight Howard. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel examines a potential Finals matchup between Los Angeles and Miami…

  • Winderman says the Heat wouldn't have pursued a big like Marcus Camby even if the trade for Howard took place earlier in the summer. The difference between Andrew Bynum and Howard on the offensive end of things isn't as much as people give Superman credit for as he heads West. The biggest issue in a Finals matchup would be the Lakers' ability to stop LeBron James.
  • The notion that the Lakers have more size than the Heat and therefore will win the battle of the boards doesn't ring true for Winderman. He says the Heat have the ability to put a big lineup on the court with Chris Bosh playing center and James at power forward. The issue for the Heat, however, may be their lack of brawn as compared to the Lakers.
  • Look for Mavs owner Mark Cuban to make some sort of public comment about the rich getting richer with regard to the Lakers acquiring Howard, says Winderman. 
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Trade Notes: Howard, Sixers, Picks, Iguodala

August 11th, 2012 at 5:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

The four-team Dwight Howard/Andrew Bynum trade continues to have reverberations around the league, as teams and players begin to figure out what happens next. Though it's no surprise, Howard remains unwilling to commit to an extension with the Lakers, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein says Howard wants to see how it goes with L.A. first, and says the Mavericks and Hawks would be fallbacks if Howard doesn't warm to the purple and gold. Here's more on the players and teams involved in the wake of the mega-deal:

Earlier updates:

  • Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post asked Andre Iguodala if he was pleased about joining the Nuggets, and Kiszla didn't sense much enthusiasm from Iguodala's remarks. "I'm happy to play basketball," the Team USA swingman said. "I don't care if I was playing in Alaska." Iguodala has an early termination option for 2013/14. 
  • Bynum's agent David Lee says his client is excited to be close to his native New Jersey, though no talks about an extension with the Sixers have begun, as Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld writes. Koutroupis identifies the Hawks, Mavericks and Rockets as teams that could have the cap space and interest to sign Bynum if he tests free agency next summer.
  • Magic officials never filed charges with the league stemming from their suspicion that the Nets had illegal contact with Howard this past December, but the hard feelings proved an obstacle in trade negotiations between the teams, a source told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
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Sixers Confident They Can Keep Bynum

August 10th, 2012 at 9:50pm CST by Alex Lee

The relationship between Andre Iguodala, the Sixers and the fans of Philadelphia has been increasingly unique over the past five or so years.  While he was clearly the best player on a team that made several playoff appearances, the organization seemed lodged in NBA mediocrity and the fans and new ownership group noticed.  The Iguodala rumor mill churned for years, and on Thursday night it seems many in Philadelphia got their wish.  Now the question is, can they keep their prized return, Andrew Bynum, for the long term?

We already heard that the Sixers moved onto Bynum only after learning that Howard had no long-term interest in Philly.  CSNPhilly's Dei Lynam confirms that report and also offers insight into Bynum's future in Philadelphia from Sixers president and general manager Rod Thorn:

"Our feeling is that we will have a very good chance to sign Bynum for several reasons.  Andrew was very happy about being traded to us.  He thinks we have a good team.  Secondly, he is from New Jersey and he is more of an East Cost guy than a West Coast type of guy and we think he will be very happy here.  You never know until it happens, but I feel he'll like it here and want to continue his career here," Thorn said in a conference call with reporters on Friday.

When it comes to the NBA, Philadelphia is a strange case.  A sports-crazed major city, it is seen as a top-flight destination when it comes to the three other major sports.  But for whatever reason, that seemed to no longer be the case in the NBA.  The Sixers are young, talented with ample cap space and trade assets, yet before this blockbuster were never mentioned as a possibility for any of the multitude of superstars who have changed teams of late.

Thorn went on to sing Bynum's praises, making it clear that the organization will have interest in locking up the New Jersey native.  With Bynum comes his Bird Rights, so the Sixers will have the ability to offer him one more year than potential suitors can, assuming Philly will wait until next summer to negotiate a deal.  With that said, do you think the Sixers can re-sign Bynum?  Feel free to offer your opinion in the comments section.

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Magic GM Defends Dwight Howard Trade

August 10th, 2012 at 6:05pm CST by Alex Lee

We've already posted some of the reactions to the Dwight Howard trade from earlier today as well as last night once deal looked like it was official.  The overwhelming consensus is that the trade is a coup for the Lakers, very helpful to the Nuggets and 76ers, and an absolute disaster for the Magic.  So far, it looks like our readers agree, as only a small percentage of you think that the Magic got the best end of the deal.

Orlando general manager Rob Hennigan, presumably under fire from all angles today, spoke with the press today and offered his defense of the move, as told by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Hennigan worked with two very successful organizations in the Spurs and Thunder, which was part of the reason he was brought in to run the show in Orlando.  Most of the quotes are expected, but here are some interesting tidbits:

"Our goals remained consistent throughout.  We wanted to put ourselves in a position to create some long-term sustainability over time, and doing that with a mixture of young players, young veterans, draft players and some other assets to use to build going forward."

To the second-guessers and the laundry lists of rumored offers that seem like better packages for Howard than the one the Magic came away with, Hennigan said:

"At the end of the day you look at what's available in theory and what's available in reality.  Sometimes those two things aren't always the same.  We felt with all of the options we did explore, this was the best one for us."

One of those packages was the one offereed by the Rockets, in which Houston was rumored to be willing to deal draft picks and/or young players as well as eat some of Orlando's bad contracts.  According to John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com (via Twitter), Hennigan essentially admitted that the offer sheets to Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik "limited some of the avenues" to a completed deal that would have sent Howard to Houston.

Again from Denton, Hennigan offered a rather ominous quote when asked why the Magic weren't angling to receive Andrew Bynum in the deal:

"One thing we always do is our research.  We're very comfortable with the research we've done."

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