Andrew Bynum Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Bynum, Deng, Nets, D-League

November 5th, 2013 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Andrew Bynum had the best game of his first week with the Cavaliers last night, scoring 10 points and blocking three shots in 18 minutes. While he’s starting to move better, he told reporters that he doesn’t think his explosiveness will come back, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Bynum added that he’s having “little sharp” pains in his knees here and there. The big man’s status is worth watching over the next two months, since the Cavs will have to guarantee him another $6MM if he’s on the roster beyond January 7th.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

ESPN.com’s Marc Stein has weighed in with eight bold predictions relating to the NBA season. Among them: This will be Luol Deng‘s last season with the Bulls, Gordon Hayward will get a max offer sheet next summer, Jerry Sloan will replace Tyrone Corbin as the Jazz head coach, and veterans like Lamar Odom, Stephen Jackson, Baron Davis, and Jason Collins will return to the NBA.
In his latest column for Grantland, Zach Lowe takes an extended and informative look at restricted free agency. Lowe concludes that the current CBA provides little downside for teams who prefer to pass on extensions for fourth-year players in favor of letting them hit the open market.
The Nets are working to turn their D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor, into a contending team, while also developing players and coaches, as NetsDaily details.
Speaking of the D-League, Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival has training camp rosters for each of the league’s 17 clubs, based on what’s been reported and announced so far. Porcaro is also keeping tabs on where last months’ NBA camp invitees are landing.

Atlantic Notes: Love, Teletovic, Sixers, Raptors

November 4th, 2013 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

While some rumors popped up last night suggesting that a Steve Nash trade between the Lakers and Raptors is a possiblity, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld is skeptical that such a deal is realistic. As Kyler notes (Twitter links), Toronto’s old regime had interest in Nash, having pursued him during the summer of 2012, but there hasn’t been any indication that the team’s new leadership group has that same level of interest.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Following up on Kevin Love‘s assertion that he “loves” New York City, Zach Braziller of the New York Post points out that Love will likely hit free agency in the summer of 2015, at the same time the Knicks will free up a ton of cap space.
Mirza Teletovic acknowledged to Bosnian newspaper Daily Azaz that the thought of returning to Europe has crossed his mind, but says he still hopes to succeed in the NBA with the Nets. NetsDaily has the details on Teletovic’s early-season frustrations.
Tom Ziller of SBNation.com argues that as long as the Sixers keep winning, there’s nothing GM Sam Hinkie can do. In Ziller’s view, Hinkie can’t and won’t seriously attempt to move veterans like Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes until the team starts to struggle.
League sources tell Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that former coach Doug Collins may have been a reason that Andrew Bynum never wanted to be a Sixer.
Doug Smith of the Toronto Star answers a handful of Raptors-related questions in his latest mailbag.

Amico On Bynum, Roster Cuts, Hamilton, 76ers

October 27th, 2013 at 6:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Andrew Bynum represented one of the more interesting free agent cases of the offseason, and his new contract reflects that: Bynum could earn as little as $6MM with the Cavaliers if he’s released on or before January 7th, or as much as $24MM+ if he plays out the two years of his deal. It doesn’t look like the former All-Star will be in Cleveland’s lineup when the regular season gets underway, but he’s making progress, according to head coach Mike Brown, who confirmed today that Bynum has gone through “most of practice.”

Sam Amico of the FOX Sports Ohio has the latest details on the ex-Laker, along with plenty of other tidbits from around the league, so let’s check out the highlights from his piece….

Shannon Brown and Kendall Marshall are drawing interest around the league, with clubs expecting them to be waived by the Wizards tomorrow. Marshall could hear from the 76ers, a league source tells Amico.
Other recently released players who are receiving some level of interest include Royce White, Josh Childress, Damion James, Vander Blue, Royal Ivey, Jermaine Taylor, and Seth Curry.
At least seven teams have inquired on free agent guard Richard Hamilton, a GM tells Amico. The former Bull appears likely to wait until midway through the season to sign with a team, perhaps anticipating that a guaranteed deal or a non-minimum contract will be more attainable at that point.
“Scuttlebutt around the league” suggests that there’s a good chance the Sixers move the expiring contracts of Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes by the trade deadline.

Cavaliers Notes: Bynum, Sims, Dellavedova

October 22nd, 2013 at 7:31pm CST by Michael Pina

Here are a few notes on the Cavaliers, a team with strong hopes to make the playoffs this season.

Cleveland.com’s Mary Schmitt Boyer writes about Matthew Dellavedova—who served as point guard on the Australian national team during the 2012 Olympics—and how the undrafted rookie is standing out for Cleveland this preseason.
Joe Gabriele from Cavs.com speaks with forward Henry Sims about his future with Cleveland.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey writes about Andrew Bynum, and the decidedly optimistic expectations Cleveland has with their new center.

Odds & Ends: Kidd, Bynum, Bennett

October 17th, 2013 at 8:27pm CST by Ryan Raroque

For some, it may be difficult to fathom that 12 years have already gone by since Jason Kidd landed with the Nets through an offseason trade with the Suns, and that tonight, the franchise is honoring him by retiring his No. 5 uniform (video link via USA Today) in the rafters. Once he arrived in New Jersey in 2001, Kidd appeared more than ready for the revitalization process and leadership role on a team that had missed the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons prior to his arrival:

“(He) told the players, ‘I don’t care what went on here before. We will make the playoffs,'” recalled Rod Thorn, the team president who had made the trade. “Guys were looking at Jason like, ‘What the heck are you talking about?” (ESPN New York’s Ian O’Connor).

The team would go on to win 52 games that season en route to two straight Finals appearances and six consecutive playoff berths. Though Kidd would ultimately fall short of leading the Nets to an NBA title as a player, he now takes on the opportunity of coaching a team with championship aspirations. How far he’ll lead Brooklyn this year remains to be seen, but it’s clear that Kidd could be in the midst of his most special chapter with the Nets’ franchise. Here are some of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes:

Newsday’s Roderick Boone found that Heat superstar LeBron James wouldn’t comment on whether or not the Nets could contend for a title along with the Heat. Dwyane Wade, on the other hand, had this to say: “(Brooklyn) they did what they said they were going to do. They want to compete for a championship” (Twitter links).
Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com reports that Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum is now near his usual playing weight of 285 lbs and is inching closer to a return to the court.
Earlier tonight, Cavs coach Mike Brown revealed that first overall pick Anthony Bennett has been dealing with asthma and sleep apnea (ESPN via the Associated Press). Though Brown says that the breathing issues are noticeable, it doesn’t appear that it’ll affect the way he tries to use Bennett in his rotation this season: “It’s been tiring to watch him because every time I watch him he’s (gasping)…It makes me tired, so I try not to look at him. I tell him, `If you need a sub, just tell me. Otherwise I’m not going to look at you.”
Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum calls Joel Freeland his “training camp MVP,” while head coach Terry Stotts admits that the 6’11 center has had a good training camp thus far. Joe Freeman of the Oregonian writes that Freeman’s quiet transition into a Nick Collison-type of player could produce an opportunity to find a spot in Stotts’ rotation.
Nuggets coach Brian Shaw likes what he sees in Wilson Chandler, and team GM Tim Connelly was quick to name him as the most likely to have a breakout year: “He got here about two months ago. He’s in great shape. He’s got the right mindset. Playing for a guy like coach Shaw could really allow him to take that next step” (Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com).

Cavs Notes: Diop, Waiters, Dellavedova, Brown

October 3rd, 2013 at 10:42pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Almost 12 years after being selected by Cleveland with the 8th overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft, DeSagana Diop discusses his opportunity to play for the Cavaliers again (Bob Finnan of The News-Herald and Morning Journal). The seven-foot center is on a make good, non-guaranteed contract.

Head coach Mike Brown offered his take on Diop's chances to make the roster: (Diop) was brought in to have an opportunity to make this team…I don’t think he’s guaranteed, so this is going to be a process for him of trying to make this team. We like his size…Obviously, he’s an NBA veteran who has played heavy minutes in this league at the center position. If he can go, it can help us not only at game time but at practice time, too."

Here are some more notes to share out of Cleveland tonight:

Dion Waiters is in much better shape and has a better frame of mind heading into his sophomore season, writes Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com.
The Plain Dealer's Jodie Valade profiles guard Matthew Dellavedova, who has a two-year partially-guaranteed deal with the Cavs. The 6'4 point guard had reportedly first caught the eye of coach Brown at St. Mary's while Brown's son Elijah had been attending a recruiting visit last year.
Valade had more comments to relay from Brown, who implied that money and position won't be a factor when determining the final roster: "If I think somebody can help us play and win? He's gonna make the team…Just because a guy has a little bit of money or something like that, that doesn't necessarily mean he's on the team."
Brown added that big men won't necessarily have the edge over guards, even with the injury history of Andrew Bynum, Anderson Varejao, and Anthony Bennett: "Yeah, with the history of (Bynym, Varejao, and Bennett), you want to make sure you have some depth (in the frontcourt)…(but) I'm not going to take a big who can't play just to fill depth in that area. So it's going to come down to who I think is going to help us win, and the right fit for the team."
With that being said, Brown still hasn't ruled out anyone yet (Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio).
Mary Schmitt-Boyer of The Plain Dealer notes that Brown is thrilled with the progress his team has made after five grueling practices so far.

Sixers Rumors: Harris, Bynum, Anderson

September 29th, 2013 at 12:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

While his basketball team stood in stasis, going most of the summer without hiring a head coach or signing a free agent, Sixers owner Josh Harris was busy purchasing the NHL's New Jersey Devils. That's led to speculation that the Sixers could join Harris' hockey team in the Garden State, but Harris seemed to dispel that sort of chatter when he spoke to reporters today, including Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, saying, "My answer to the fans is that I love the Sixers in Philly. I'm all in it." Pompey, Tom Moore of Calkins Media and Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com pass along more from Harris via Twitter, and we'll hit the highlights here along with other notes on the team most Hoops Rumors readers believe will finish this season with the NBA's worst record:

Harris deemed last season "a big disappointment," so, "That made me feel empowered to make some changes," he said.
Andrew Bynum didn't play a game for the Sixers last season, but Harris doesn't regret the trade that brought the center to Philly. "Getting Andrew Bynum was the right decision," the owner said. "I'm a big boy. We made a decision. It didn't work out."
Harris acknowledges some of the team's other player personnel decisions haven't been sound, but he remains confident that the team can become a winner sooner or later.
The owner said he's been traditionally more of a fan of basketball than hockey, and he insists he will remain committed to his NBA team even though he has the Devils now, too. "I'm totally focused on the Sixers," Harris said. "It won't change one iota how driven I am to make this a championship team."
James Anderson is on a non-guaranteed contract, but he's practicing with the first unit and, as Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News points out, he appears to be the Sixers starting shooting guard for now (Twitter link).
The team's strategy of overlooking this season's win-loss record might not sit well with fans, but at least the Sixers are doing so as part of a greater plan, Pompey opines.

Andrew Bynum Expected To Miss Preseason

September 17th, 2013 at 9:21pm CST by Michael Pina

Fox Sports Ohio's Sam Amico is reporting that Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum will likely be held out of the preseason. The All-Star big man signed with Cleveland after missing the entire 2012/13 season as a member of the Sixers with a knee injury.

According to Amico, while Bynum figures to sit through all the team's preseason games and training camp, he could return early in the regular season, and opening night against the Nets on October 30 is not out of the question.

Philly.com's Michael Kaskey-Blomain opines from Philadelphia's cautious perspective.

Andrew Bynum

Odds & Ends: Bynum, Thompson, Redick

September 11th, 2013 at 10:33pm CST by Alex Lee

Here are the latest odds and ends from around the NBA on Wednesday night:

The Cavaliers' addition of Andrew Bynum is the most underrated move of the 2013 offseason, according to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy. Kennedy writes that a healthy Bynum, who played for Cleveland head coach Mike Brown in L.A., could take the Cavs "to another level." With an incentive-laden contract, Kennedy expects Bynum to be more motivated than he was in Philadelphia.
Klay Thompson is excited about how the offseason additions of Andre Iguodala and Toney Douglas may help him on the offensive side of the floor, writes Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News. With Stephen Curry focused on scoring and running the point, Thompson frequently became gassed last season when he was asked to be a defensive stopper along with contributing on offense. Particularly with the defense-oriented Iguodala now in the fold for the Warriors, Thompson figures that relief in pressure may result in him shooting better than the 42.2 percent he shot last season.
While it seems like a stretch to compare J.J. Redick to Ray Allen, it probably isn't a coincidence that one of Doc Rivers' first moves as senior vice president of the Clippers was to acquire someone capable of filling the role Allen manned for Rivers' championship Celtics team, writes D.J. Foster for ESPN.com. Foster argues that Redick and that version of Allen are more similar than you'd think when you break down the statistics and that if Rivers and the Clips make finding Redick open looks a priority, the Duke product could be a pleasant surprise in Los Angeles.

Odds & Ends: Lee, SportVU, Ellis, Frye, Bynum

September 4th, 2013 at 10:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

We took note earlier today of David Lee's comments to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group about his worse-than-imagined hip injury, and in an updated version of the story, Thompson passes along more from the power forward. Lee said he didn't catch wind about a rumored swap involving him and LaMarcus Aldridge until the Warriors called him to say there was no deal, and Lee also chimes in on the emergence of Golden State as a free agent destination.

"We still have a long way to go," he said. "But if you looked at where we came from three years ago, some of the questions were, 'Why would you come here? They've had one playoff team in the last 150 years.' … Looking where we are now and having these conversations, its very exciting."

Here's more from the Association:

The NBA will officially announce Thursday an agreement that will place STATS SportVU cameras in each arena, according to Grantland's Zach Lowe, who reported two weeks ago that a tentative agreement was in place. Lowe examines the technology's impact on referees, contract negotiations, the player's union and other facets of the game in his latest piece.
Monta Ellis tells Cash Sirois of 1310 The Ticket in Dallas that he was "miserable" during the past several seasons and calls his opportunity with the Mavs "a breath of fresh air." (Twitter links).
Insurance covered Channing Frye's $6MM salary for the Suns last year while he was out with an enlarged heart, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Frye, who's due $6.4MM this year, says he's ready to return to action and is awaiting team approval to do so.
Both Andrew Bynum and the Cavs paint a sunny picture of his recovery from last year's knee injuries, but the team isn't setting a timetable for his return to action, as The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer observes.
J.A. Adande of ESPN.com calls on incoming commissioner Adam Silver to take a tough stance on criminal behavior in the wake of legal issues for several players and Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer this offseason.