Bobby Brown

Knicks Rumors: Brown, Udrih, Williams, West

We heard yesterday that the Knicks, in their search for a third point guard, are hoping to convince veteran free agent Beno Udrih to sign for the minimum and come to New York. That's not the only iron the team has in the fire though. Here's the latest on the Knicks:

  • Although Bobby Brown reached an agreement with China's Dongguan Leopards, the deal has an August 15th NBA opt-out date, giving him two weeks to find an NBA offer he likes. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Brown's first choice would be to sign with the Knicks, even though the minimum salary he could make in New York would be about half of the $1MM he'd earn in China.
  • Before deciding whether to circle back to Brown, the Knicks are eyeing veteran options like Udrih and Mo Williams. However, if Williams ends up settling for a minimum-salary contract, he's more likely to join the Heat, says Berman.
  • Despite previous inquiries, the Knicks are no longer considering Delonte West, a source tells Berman.
  • Berman adds that the Knicks are expected to invite point guard Toure Murry to training camp after a successful Summer League run.
  • Noting that Lamar Odom is still undecided on where he'll play in 2013/14, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com wonders (via Twitter) if the Knicks would be a fit, with New York in the market for a big.

Odds & Ends: Billups, Brown, Stephenson, Siva

A few random notes from around the league.

International Rumors: Brown, White, Gelabale

NBA opportunities are dwindling for free agents, allowing clubs from overseas to jump into the game. Here's the latest international news on players with NBA ties: 

  • A Chinese team has offered Bobby Brown a deal that would net him $1.2MM, reports Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Agent Aaron Mintz has met with the Knicks, and though New York can only give him a minimum-salary deal, Brown has told Zwerling he'd prefer the Knicks to China (Twitter links). 
  • Former Knicks small forward James White has drawn interest from China as well, and he's still thinking about signing to play there, Zwerling tweets
  • A source tells Sportando's Emiliano Carchia that Mickael Gelabale will sign with Russian team BC Khimki (Twitter link). Shams Charania of RealGM.com tweeted earlier today that Gelabale was set to finalize a lucrative deal overseas. The 30-year-old swingman returned this past season to the NBA after an absence of nearly five years, but interest from NBA teams dissapated this summer, prompting him to return overseas, according to Charania (Twitter link).
  • Charania noted in his tweet that Gelabale wouldn't sign with Olympiacos in Greece, as Lefteris Moutis of Eurohoops.net reported. One part of Moutis' report appears to be true, however, as Carchia hears that Olympiacos is no longer likely to sign Cartier Martin, who appeared this week to be close to a deal with the club (Twitter link). Martin spent 2012/13 with the Wizards.
  • Agent Alexander Raskovic tells Carchia that Vladimir Radmanovic is still intent on remaining in the NBA and won't return to Europe this season. Raskovic said as much in June, and it doesn't appear that a lack of an NBA deal nearly a month into free agency has prompted Radmanovic to change his mind.

Knicks Rumors: Brown, Murry, Tyler

The Knicks are bringing Jeremy Tyler to training camp, but they have their eyes on a few others who may join him. Here's the latest: 

  • Point guard Bobby Brown says the Knicks and his agent, Aaron Mintz, are meeting today to discuss a possible offer, reports Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. New York can only give Brown the minimum salary, which isn't as much as a Chinese team is offering him. Still, the Euroleague standout is willing to sacrifice money to play in the NBA.
  • Zwerling reported yesterday that five other teams had interest in Brown, but he tweets today that Brown has narrowed his choices to the Knicks and China. The Lakers and Clippers were in the mix for the Los Angeles native earlier this month, Zwerling writes, but their signings of Jordan Farmar and Darren Collison, respectively, took them out of the running.
  • The Knicks are also in talks with Toure Murry about a deal, according to fellow ESPNNewYork.com scribe Ian Begley (on Twitter). Zwerling figured earlier today that Murry and Tyler, favorites of coach Mike Woodson, would wind up with the Knicks in training camp (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Brown, George, Raptors, Blair

Although their pursuit of Bobby Brown is said to be gathering "momentum," the Knicks aren't the only team interested in the Euroleague star. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Brown also has offers from Chinese teams, and is drawing interest from other NBA clubs as well. Here are a few more notes from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Appearing on 1070 The Fan, Pacers president Larry Bird said the team is prepared to make a "major offer" to Paul George this offseason to try to lock him up before he hits restricted free agency (hat tip to Pro Basketball Talk).
  • Doug Smith of the Toronto Star hears that the Raptors saved about $2MM in guaranteed money in their buyout agreement with Marcus Camby.
  • A report last weekend suggested that the Wizards are interested in DeJuan Blair, and Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv confirms (via Twitter) that the interest is mutual. Washington has already used its full mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, leaving only the minimum salary to offer, unless a sign-and-trade can be negotiated.
  • While Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio says Daniel Gibson is very unlikely to return to the Cavs, he names the Bucks and Pacers as potential suitors for the 27-year-old (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Bobcats, Expansion, Kings, Brown

USA Today's Sam Amick rounds up the news from the Board of Governors meeting today, which featured unanimous approval of Charlotte's name change from Bobcats to Hornets. Commissioner David Stern initially laughed off the idea of the switch, but fan support for the Hornets monicker persuaded him to take the issue seriously, Amick writes. Stern also offered hints that the league could consider expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas in the future, and he said the union's lack of an executive director has hung up the league's plans to implement human growth hormone testing by next season. Amick also passes along the league's rule adjustments, and we've got more from the meeting as we look around the Association this evening:

  • In May, the league imposed a deadline of 2017 for the opening of a new arena in Sacramento, but Stern indicated today that he's pleased with the progress the Kings and the city are making, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee observes.
  • The Nuggets, Wizards, Grizzlies, Suns and Knicks were all in attendance as Bobby Brown participated in a five-on-five scrimmage Wednesday, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The Knicks also saw Brown workout Tuesday, and they're reportedly moving toward a deal. 
  • Eric Gordon tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com that the Pelicans have assured him that he's a part of the team's long-term plans.
  • Lakers VP Jim Buss said on NBA TV tonight that he strongly believes Kobe Bryant's torn Achilles will be healed in time for him to play in preseason games this fall, notes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles
  • The Bulls may have promised a training camp invitation to Andrew Goudelock as an enticement to get him to play for their summer league team, according to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald (Twitter link).
  • Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has maintained flexibility with his underwhelming free agent haul this summer, but his decision to keep the core of the team intact could have negative consequences, as Eric Koreen of the National Post examines.

Eastern Rumors: KG, Mo Williams, Hawks, Cavs

In his introductory press conference with the Nets today, Kevin Garnett admits he "absolutely" considered retirement this spring, and indicated that Paul Pierce's uncertain future with the Celtics was a major reason why. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe has more from Garnett. Washburn rounds up Pierce's comments as well, and we'll take a look at the rest of the East:

  • The last we heard on Mo Williams was that he's prepared to take a discount to sign with a contender, and HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler reiterates that, tweeting that Williams is telling people he'll look to sign with the Heat if offers from other clubs don't improve.
  • The Hawks are mulling whether to sign 16th overall pick Lucas Nogueira this summer or let him play overseas this year, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution examines (subscription required).
  • Atlanta paid $550K to buy 15th pick Dennis Schröder out of his European deal, and a larger buyout would be probably be necessary for Nogueira, Vivlamore writes in the same piece. NBA clubs can only pay up to $575K in a buyout without money coming out of the player's check.
  • The Cavs are high on undrafted guard Matthew Dellavedova, and would like see him play for their D-League affiliate, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. The St. Mary's product is drawing offers from overseas that could complicate matters, Lloyd notes.
  • Foreign clubs are also showing interest in Chris Quinn, who's with the Cavs on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal. Quinn isn't likely to last long in Cleveland, and the Cavs may cut him soon to allow him to pursue other opportunities, according to Lloyd (Twitter link).
  • Talks between the Knicks and Bobby Brown are gathering steam, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. The Creative Artists Agency client was among a group who worked out for the Knicks this week, though five other teams have interest, Zwerling says.
  • Toure Murry has also made a positive impression on the Knicks, Zwerling adds.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Brown, Celtics, Randolph

Let's round up the latest out of the Atlantic Division, with a heavy focus on items out of New York and Boston….

  • Euroleague star Bobby Brown worked out for the Knicks yesterday, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, adding that New York is considering Brown for one of its remaining roster spots. The former NBA point guard averaged 18.8 PPG and 5.3 APG in 24 Euroleague contests for Italy's Siena this past season.
  • The Knicks continue to negotiate a possible deal for Kenyon Martin, GM Glen Grunwald confirmed yesterday to reporters, including Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Although the Knicks can only offer Martin slightly above the minimum, Grunwald said talks with the big man and his agent were "going pretty well."
  • In addition to acquiring a handful of first-round picks from the Nets in the Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett blockbuster, the Celtics already created a significant trade exception, as Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe writes.
  • Celtics management would like to bring back Shavlik Randolph, whose non-guaranteed contract becomes fully guaranteed after August 1st, but he may end up being a cap casualty, says Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
  • Murphy adds that once the Celtics work through all the red tape involved, they're expected to officially sign Vitor Faverani to a three-year deal worth about $6MM. A report earlier this week indicated that the two sides had reached a contract agreement.
  • Several days ago, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star tweeted that, due to physical issues, Julyan Stone "won't sign now" with the Raptors, after having previously agreed to a deal with the team. While we originally interpreted that to mean the signing had been delayed, it appears, based on Smith's latest blog entry, that it has been nixed entirely. As such, we'll return Stone to our list of current free agents.

Odds & Ends: Assistants, SVG, Brewer, Lakers

As teams continue to finalize their coaching staffs for the 2013/14 season, a pair of clubs made official announcements today. The Kings have formally hired Dee Brown and Micah Nori, who spent the last four seasons as an assistant in Toronto, while the Raptors have made a hire of their own, announcing that Nick Nurse, coming off a D-League championship, will join Dwane Casey's staff.

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

  • Former Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that it's "very possible" he won't return to an NBA bench for the 2014/15 season, adding that there's no guarantee he'll ever coach again. Tomasson's piece includes plenty of interesting tidbits and quotes from Van Gundy, including word that four teams contacted him in the spring about coaching vacancies.
  • We passed along reports today indicating that the Timberwolves are eyeing Corey Brewer, and Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune adds another detail, writing that Minnesota is exploring its options for a potential sign-and-trade deal with the Nuggets.
  • Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears that Raja Bell, Kenyon Martin, and Bobby Brown are among the free agents with interest in the Lakers, though it's not clear if that interest is mutual (Twitter link).
  • In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel addresses whether or not it makes sense for the Heat to save their amnesty clause until next year.
  • Before they decide whether or not to use their amnesty provision this year, the Raptors will wait to see exactly what the luxury tax threshold is, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
  • Grantland's Zach Lowe takes an extended and interesting look at how the Pelicans' offseason moves will shape the team going forward.

FA Updates: Brown, Oden, Iguodala, Pistons

We passed along a few free agent updates this morning, but while that may have been our first round-up of free agency notes for the day, it certainly won't be the last. Here's another set:

  • Euroleague standout Bobby Brown is drawing plenty of interest from teams on both sides of the Atlantic, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein names the Knicks, Clippers, and Trail Blazers as potential NBA suitors for Brown, while noting that he also has "multiple big offers" to continue playing overseas.
  • One source tells Stein (Twitter link) that the Spurs and Heat are likely in the lead ahead of the Cavs and other teams for Greg Oden, though that list could continue to evolve, given the complexities of his comeback.
  • The Warriors, who had previously been named as a potential suitor for Andre Iguodala despite a lack of cap flexibility, met with the free agent swingman yesterday, says Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.
  • The Pistons are talking to agent Mark Bartelstein about bringing back free agent point guard Will Bynum, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The team has also talked to Bartelstein about Jose Calderon, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.
  • Although talks aren't serious at this point, the Timberwolves have exchanged text messages with Andrei Kirilenko's camp, a source tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).