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Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Amare, Celtics, Garnett

December 21st, 2012 at 3:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Items out of the Atlantic Division..

  • Some have wondered how Amare Stoudemire will fit in with the Knicks' future, but a team source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post that the club brought the Erie Bayhawks to New York specifically to work out with the forward.  That gesture is a sign that the Knicks are committed to Stoudemire long term in the eyes of Berman.  Earlier today, we learned that the Knicks were practically looking to give Stoudemire away for free over the summer.
  • Coach Mike Woodson doesn't seem to think that today's report will have an effect on Stoudemire, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.  "Amare is a big piece of the New York Knicks and that's why he's still here," said the coach.
  • Jim Cavan of the New York Times writes that a lower turnover rate has been a key to the Knicks' success this season.
  • The Celtics need a big man who will help give Kevin Garnett and Chris Wilcox help down low, writes Rich Levine of CSNNE.com.  Levine suggests that the C's can package Courtney Lee and Fab Melo for Jason Thompson of the Kings or the Blazers' J.J. Hickson.
  • If the Celtics don’t show improvement on the defensive end before the trade deadline, expect team president Danny Ainge to find better complementary pieces for Garnett, writes Dan Guttenplan of WEEI.com.
  • Louis Williams reflects on his years with the 76ers as he prepares to face his former team as a member of the Hawks.
  • Jason Kidd believes that Deron Williams is struggling with his shooting, which is to blame for his poor recent play, and not Nets coach Avery Johnson.
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Deron Williams On Johnson, Nets, Jazz

December 17th, 2012 at 7:40pm CST by Zachary Links

In February of 2011, Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan resigned after 23 years with the organization.  Shortly after it happened, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that Sloan stepped away largely because of repeated clashes with star guard Deron Williams.  Weeks later, Utah sent Williams to the Nets for guard Devin Harris, forward Derrick Favors, two first round draft picks, and $3MM in cash. 

Both Williams and Sloan have denied that their rift led to Sloan’s resignation, but multiple reports saw it differently.  As the Nets get set to host the Jazz tomorrow night, Williams opened up to reporters about his time in Utah and difficulties in Brooklyn just months after signing a five-year, $98MM deal to stay put.  Here’s a look at some of the highlights, courtesy of Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News..

On difficulties adjusting to coach Avery Johnson‘s offense:

“I’ve really had injuries I’ve been dealing with the whole time. I didn’t have the talent around me I did there. Their system was a great system for my style of play, I am a system player. I loved coach (Jerry) Sloan’s system there, I loved the offense there…In college (at Illinois), we ran the motion offense. A lot of cutting, a lot passing, a lot of screening, a lot of extra passes. I’m used to just movement. So I’m still trying to adjust. It’s been an adjustment for me.

On making things work in Brooklyn:

“I believe I can adapt to anything. We’re still a young team. Things don’t happen overnight. It’s still just December. We’re working on it.“

On being traded from Utah:

“I understand what they were doing. It was smart on their point, because there was a possibility that I wouldn’t have come back.”

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Atlantic Rumors: Turner, Melo, Williams

December 2nd, 2012 at 5:45pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest rumblings from around the Atlantic Division on Sunday evening:

  • Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com doesn't think Evan Turner would merit an extension along the lines of Jrue Holiday's new four-year, $41MM deal if the decision were due today, but if Turner keeps up his improved play all season, his price tag next summer could be higher than Holiday's.
  • Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com writes that Carmelo Anthony is earning early MVP consideration.
  • Howard Beck of the New York Times writes that Deron Williams is still getting in rhythm leading the new-look Nets.
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Atlantic Notes: D-Will, Carmelo, Nets, Lowry, 76ers

November 27th, 2012 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

On the heels of Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony matching up in Brooklyn for the first time last night, Ken Berger of CBS Sports takes a look back at the February 2011 trade deadline. Nets general manager Billy King believed he had a chance to acquire Anthony right up until the moment he got the call saying Carmelo had been sent to the Knicks, says Berger. The CBS scribe speculates that, if things played out a little differently at the '11 deadline, Anthony and Williams could still be cross-town rivals now, with 'Melo in Brooklyn and D-Will in Manhattan.

Here are a few more items of interest from around the Atlantic:

  • Also from Berger's piece, King spoke about his three top targets when he assumed the role of Nets GM: "I got the job and I knew there was… the potential for three guys to be available. I made a run at Chris [Paul], [the Hornets] said no right away, and then I made the run at Carmelo. I figured if I got him, then I could go after Deron as a free agent. Really, I was getting Carmelo to get Deron."
  • According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, while King was "privately maligned" by rival GMs for the March 2012 trade that sent out a lottery pick for Gerald Wallace, the Nets GM recognized that Williams needed a veteran addition to help him get through the final few months before free agency.
  • The Raptors love the toughness and swagger of new point guard Kyle Lowry, and would like those traits to be part of the team's identity, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
  • Despite Andrew Bynum's injury woes, the Sixers are better off having made the blockbuster deal that brought him to Philadelphia, argues Danny Pommells of CSNPhilly.com.
  • With the Mavericks set to play in Philadelphia tonight, Elton Brand will get a chance to see family in the area and to reunite with his old head coach Doug Collins, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes.
  • Speaking to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, Jeff Green says it was a "no-brainer" to sign with the Celtics this offseason.
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Dwight Howard Notes: Silver, D-Will, Nets, Magic

November 19th, 2012 at 6:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Dwight Howard saga was the dominant storyline of the year 2012, and while he seems content to be a Laker even as free agency looms this summer, a lot of people are taking a look back on more turbulent times as the Nets prepare to play the Lakers tomorrow night. It seemed for much of the year that Howard would end up in Brooklyn, but Deron Williams was convinced otherwise long before most others, as we detail below.

  • Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has more on deputy commissioner Adam Silver's comments about the way Howard left the Magic. Silver reiterated that the incentive to keep stars with their original teams is one of the league's aims in CBA negotiations.

Earlier updates: 

  • While others are looking back, Williams is focused squarely on the present, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. "Dwight was never (an option for the Nets)," Williams said. "I don't think (the Magic) were ever going to trade him to us, so it doesn't matter. When he opted in (to his contract for another season in mid-March), it kind of took that option away." 
  • Howard seems content to put the Nets, as well as Williams, in his past as well, as Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com documents, and it seems the friendship between the two former Team USA teammates has soured. "That’s my decision," Howard said, presumably referring to his decision to opt in. "My life. If he’s upset because I made a decision for me, then so be it. If he doesn’t want to be friends because I’m on another team, then so be it. There’s no need to smooth things over." 
  • Deputy commissioner Adam Silver, who will take over for commissioner David Stern in 2014, won't look back fondly on this year's "Dwightmare" for the Magic, reports John Denton of Magic.com (Twitter links). "It's an unfortunate circumstance and I don’t want to sugarcoat it," Silver said, referring to Howard's departure from the Magic. "This is not the way we like to see it happen."
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Eastern Notes: Nets, Petro, Hinrich, Vesely

October 10th, 2012 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

We've already covered a few stories out of the Eastern Conference today, including Rashard Lewis' desire to play for five more years, the latest on Rasheed Wallace's timetable with the Knicks, and camp cuts by the Sixers and Cavaliers. Now, let's round up another handful of East-related links….

  • In the first episode of NBA TV's "The Association," which debuts next week, Nets GM Billy King says Deron Williams urged him not to wait on Dwight Howard and miss out on other opportunities to improve the roster, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Johan Petro tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld that he wasn't caught off guard by the trade that sent him to the Hawks, though his destination was a bit of a surprise. "I knew Brooklyn was really trying to do something with Deron," Petro said. "I didn’t know half the team would be gone but I knew they were going to try and do something."
  • Though it's been two years since he played for the Bulls, Kirk Hinrich is already feeling comfortable again in Chicago, and his teammates, new and old, are glad to have him on board. Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com has the details.
  • With Wizards owner Ted Leonsis recently conceding that his team is better equipped to develop its own stars rather than recruit them, Washington will be looking for continued growth from Jan Vesely this season, says Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
  • Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald examines Dionte Christmas' quest to earn a spot on the Celtics' roster.
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Mavericks Notes: Deron, Cuban, Nowitzki

October 9th, 2012 at 9:59am CST by Zachary Links

Yesterday, Nets guard Deron Williams made waves when he disclosed that Mark Cuban’s absence from his summer meeting with the Mavericks helped shape his decision to stay put.  The point guard and his agent had a chance to speak with Mavs brass including coach Rick Carlisle and president Donnie Nelson, but was irked that the club’s owner was busy filming an episode of “Shark Tank” for ABC instead.  Here’s Cuban’s response plus more out of Dallas..

  • In an email to Howard Beck of the New York Times, Cuban quipped that he was “kind of surprised” by the remarks before adding, “I’m even more surprised that he didn’t say something to the effect of, ‘I am so excited about what the Nets did this summer. It wouldn’t have mattered what Cuban did.’“
  • Before entering the NBA draft, Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki flirted with the idea of playing professionally in Spain for FC Barcelona, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.  Despite that, the big man says that he probably doesn’t see himself playing for Barcelona when his career is through.
  • Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram isn’t buying Williams’ excuse for why he chose the Nets over the Mavericks.  The point guard was quick to say that Brooklyn’s acquisition of Joe Johnson helped sway him back to the club and doesn’t buy that Cuban’s absence from their meeting had a bigger impact than that.
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Odds & Ends: Coaches, James, Randolph, Williams

October 8th, 2012 at 1:59pm CST by Michael Pina

Here's a look around the NBA on this Monday afternoon.

  • Bulls.com writer Sam Smith has several interesting things to say in his latest "News, Notes, and Nonsense" column, but perhaps the most interesting bits of information come when he begins to discuss head coaches who are currently serving on the final year of their contract. 
  • HoopsHype.com has an interview with incoming Mavericks rookie Bernard James. 
  • Anthony Randolph is with the Nuggets this season. Throughout his career, Randolph's been a player full of untapped potential, and the Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman does a great job explaining why this year could finally be a breakout season. 
  • Nets guard Deron Williams told reporters today that Mark Cuban's decision not to show up to their free agency meeting was a big factor in his decision to sign with the Nets, tweets the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy. 
  • Ridiculous Upside's Gino Pilato asks if Dexter Pittman should go back to the D-League. 
  • The Bobcats coaching staff wants to make sure they don't overload Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's brain with too many plays, writes the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell. The rookie swingman has great basketball instincts, and the team's coaching staff just doesn't want to get in his way. 
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Atlantic Rumors: D-Will, Bogans, Celtics, Rasheed

October 8th, 2012 at 12:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Commissioner David Stern, speaking to reporters in Milan, said European expansion is a long way off, but believes that when it happens, there should be five teams in Europe rather than just one, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com notes. That would be enough for an entire division. For now, the easternmost division of the NBA is the Atlantic, and we'll roundup up the latest rumblings from that group of five teams here:

  • TNT's David Aldridge, as part of a lengthy look around the league, reveals that Deron Williams was recruiting Joe Johnson before the trade that brought Johnson to the Nets, and before Williams spurned the Mavs to re-sign with the Nets as well. "Four or five days before the trade, Deron called me," Johnson said, referring to the swap that the Hawks and Nets agreed to on July 2nd, the second day of free agency. "He said, 'what do you think about coming to Brooklyn?' I was like, 'man, where are you getting this from?' … I don't know what kind of strings he was pulling, but he made it happen."
  • Nets trainers worked with Keith Bogans after the team waived him following a season-ending injury last year, and Bogans said that's why he's back with the team, according to NetsDaily. "From the time my ankle broke through the rehab and all the way back, I haven’t been treated the way I’ve been treated here in my whole career," he said.
  • The early returns on Jared Sullinger indicate that he could be a steal for the Celtics, John Schuhmann of NBA.com says, while Darko Milicic is making a positive impact as well, as Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com writes.
  • With a lack of depth up front and other aging players like Marcus Camby already beginning to break down, Rasheed Wallace will likely be more than an insurance policy for the Knicks if he makes the regular season roster, according to Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal. 
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Atlantic Notes: D-Will, Knicks, Garnett, Sullinger

September 11th, 2012 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

Deron Williams has mentioned since his free agent decision in early July that he came very close to signing with the Mavericks rather than the Nets. And according to D-Will, if it weren't for the Nets' move to Brooklyn, he almost certainly wouldn't be back with the team this season.

"It was a huge factor," Williams told Tony Manfred of Business Insider. "I don't think I would have even thought about staying if [the Nets were] staying in New Jersey."

Williams' stance may not come as a surprise, but as Manfred notes, it's another reminder of the impact a larger market can have on the free agent decisions of NBA stars. Here are a few more Tuesday morning items from around the Atlantic Division:

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