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Southeast Notes: Magic, Oden, Cole, Wizards

October 15th, 2013 at 9:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have 19 players under contract, but only 12 fully guaranteed deals on their books, meaning there could be a couple regular-season roster spots up for grabs in Orlando. And as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel notes, camp invitees Solomon Jones and Mickell Gladness took advantage of their audition on Monday against the Mavericks — Jones scored 11 points and grabbed eight boards, while Gladness blocked six shots in just 16 minutes of action.

As Jones and Gladness continue to compete for NBA jobs, let’s check out a few other items from around the Southeast Division….

  • One of the reasons Greg Oden chose to sign with the Heat over a host of other NBA suitors was because Miami doesn’t have any motivation to rush him onto the court, so a fast start for the Heat this season will help keep the team from hastening his return, writes Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report.
  • In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel suggests Norris Cole‘s performance in 2013/14 could significantly affect the Heat‘s decisions at the point guard position. Cole is the only Miami player on a guaranteed contract beyond this season, while Mario Chalmers will hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
  • With a new five-year max extension under his belt, John Wall talks to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report about his increasing expectations for the Wizards‘ coming season and for the long term in Washington.
  • Michael Lee of the Washington Post takes a look at Pops Mensah-Bonsu‘s uphill battle to regain a spot on an NBA roster. Mensah-Bonsu is currently in camp with the Wizards.
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Southeast Notes: Jefferson, Bosh, Oden, Magic

October 12th, 2013 at 7:34pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Bobcats made their first big splash in free agency this summer by signing Al Jefferson to a 3-year, $40.5MM contract to helm the post for one of the league’s most disappointing teams over the last half decade. The Bobcats  announced today that Jefferson sprained his ankle against Miami in last night’s preseason action, and will be in a walking boot for several days:

“[Jefferson] suffered a sprained right ankle in the second half of last night’s preseason game vs. Miami.  X-rays taken at the arena proved to be normal. As a precaution, Jefferson is expected to be in a walking boot for several days in an effort to contain the swelling and not put any pressure on the joint.  Once out of the walking boot, he will be re-evaluated and will begin the rehab process.”

Here are a few more notes tonight from around the Southeast division, including more on Jefferson:

  • Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets that Jefferson was in extensive pain and because it’s preseason the Bobcats are likely to treat the sprain conservatively so as not to endanger the health of their new big man.
  • With so much speculation about what LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will do this coming summer when they can opt-out of their contracts with the Heat and become unrestricted free agents, Chris Bosh will have the same opportunity. But he’s grown comfortable with his role on the team as the third wheel of a champion, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel.
  • Winderman also reports that Magic CEO Alex Martins said before their preseason matchup against the Heat, that he’d like the Magic to have their own D-League affiliate in Jacksonville.
  • Sources say Heat center Greg Oden will be cleared to practice next week, and could see action for the first time in four years in one of the Heat’s final preseason games, reports Michael Wallace of ESPN (by way of the Toronto Sun).
  • Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel profiles Magic camp invitees, Mickell Gladness, Manny Harris, Solomon Jones and Kris Joseph. None of the four will see a dime unless they make the Magic’s final roster, which means overcoming the long odds against them, Robbins adds.
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East Notes: Bargnani, Cavs, Heat, Antetokounmpo

October 10th, 2013 at 8:59pm CST by Alex Lee

Let’s round up all of the links coming out of the Eastern Conference on Thursday night:

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Heat Notes: Wade, Oden, Varnado, Bosh

August 19th, 2013 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

While Dwyane Wade stressed last week that he expects to remain with the Heat beyond the coming season, it still sounds as if he could exercise his early termination option next summer, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. By opting out, Wade could sign a new deal with the team, potentially for more years or more dollars.

"We’ll see," Wade said of the opt-out. "You have to figure out what’s best for yourself and what’s best for the team and then you come up with that answer."

Here's more on the Heat:

  • Greg Oden's deal with the Heat was originally reported as having a second-year player option, but was ultimately revealed to just be a one-year pact. Agent Mike Conley tells Jackson that the two sides agreed to modify the agreement since it helps both the team and the player. Miami obviously assumes less risk and doesn't have to pay Oden's full salary, but it also benefits Oden, according to Conley, because of a league ruling involving injury contingency language in his contract.
  • Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel continues to view Jarvis Varnado as a long shot for Miami's regular season roster, due to the $250K he'll be owed if he remains on the roster by opening night. In Winderman's view, it may make more sense for the club to take a flier on another big man on a fully non-guaranteed contract.
  • Winderman adds that Varnado could end up on Miami's D-League squad in Sioux Falls if he's cut by the Heat, but notes that it would be far less lucrative for the 25-year-old than a deal overseas.
  • Within his mailbag, Winderman also shoots down the idea of a potential trade centered around Chris Bosh and LaMarcus Aldridge, rightly pointing out that the Heat aren't about to make huge changes to a roster that has won back-to-back titles.
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Cavs Notes: Brown, Bynum, Thompson, Oden

August 17th, 2013 at 6:46pm CST by Spencer Lund

During her weekly mailbag, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer theorizes that the vitriol about Andrew Bynum in Philadelphia was stronger than Ohio's reaction  to the repeatedly injured Greg Oden because Oden led the Buckeyes to the 2007 NCAA National Championship game, and Philadelphia lost their gamble on Bynum last season. 

Boyer also predicts the Cavs' starting lineup if the whole roster–specifically Anderson Varejao and Bynum–are healthy. The hypothesis: Bynum, Tristan Thompson, Earl Clark, Dion Waiters and Kyrie Irving. Noticeably absent is Varejao, who could attract interest from other teams if Bynum appears healthy and productive before the the February trade deadline. 

Here's what else is happening with the Cavs, on a lazy NBA Saturday in August:

  • The underlying reason the Cavs brought back head coach Mike Brown was for his defensive acumen. The Plain-Dealer's Terry Pluto writes that Brown is assigning players specific positions in an effort to avoid confusion with a player's role in his new defensive schemes. 
  • One example of strictly following positional assignments is Waiters. He can play either guard position, but Brown says he'll primarily assign him the defensive responsibilities of a shooting guard, with Kyrie Irving defending the helmsman at point. 
  • Pluto also adds that Tristan Thompson's switch from shooting with his left to right hand wasn't a big surprise for the Cavs. He'd been shooting free throws with his right hand last season at practice, and even attempted some right-handed jump shots towards the end of the year because the rotation looked better. 
  • Thompson shoots the ball with either hand near the basket, but throws a ball right-handed and eats with his left hand. The Cavs just want him to improve on his career 58.6 percent mark from the charity stripe.
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Heat Rumors: Roster, Oden, D-League, Jones

August 17th, 2013 at 2:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Greg Oden's discount contract is the latest example of a player willing to make a financial sacrifice to join the Heat, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh set the tone with their deals in 2010, and Oden, Ray Allen and Chris Andersen followed this summer. The loss of a little extra cash or flexibility for Oden, Allen and Andersen means much greater gain for the Heat, who have the luxury tax to worry about. Winderman has more on the champs, as we detail:

  • Some agents are hearing that the Heat plan to carry only the minimum 13 players this season. That could spell trouble for Jarvis Varnado, whose deal is non-guaranteed for this season, and Eric Griffin, a training camp invitee, since Miami already has 13 guaranteed contracts. 
  • Winderman suggests that the Heat are already thinking of retaining the D-League rights of a few camp cuts — teams are able to do so with three players they let go before the regular season, sparing those guys from the D-League draft. So, perhaps the Heat will make sure Varnado and Griffin wind up with their affiliate in Sioux Falls.
  • The revelation this week that Oden's deal doesn't include a second season means the Heat only have to pay him the two-year veterans minimum, instead of the five-year veterans minimum, with the league compensating Oden for the difference. That's a $143,131 difference for Miami, an amount that will be magnified when it's subtracted from the team's tax bill at the end of the season.
  • Even if James Jones doesn't wind up running for union president, a candidacy that LeBron would reportedly get behind, he'll remain secretary-treasurer for another three years, since his term isn't expiring, Winderman points out. 
  • Just how steep a paycut Wade and Bosh are willing to take in their next deals, if they're willing to take paycuts at all, will be a central question for the Heat going forward, as Winderman opines in his latest mailbag column.
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Contract Details: Oden, Pargo, Williams, Udrih

August 14th, 2013 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com has updated his invaluable database of NBA salaries with details on many of the players who have signed over the last couple weeks. We hadn't yet heard the specifics on a number of those contracts, so let's round up the new info….

  • Initially reported as a two-year contract with a second-year player option, Greg Oden's deal with the Heat is actually only for one season, according to Deeks.
  • Jannero Pargo's one-year, minimum-salary pact with the Bobcats is only currently guaranteed for $300K. Pargo will be assured of his full salary (about $1.4MM) if he remains on the roster past December 10th.
  • The Trail Blazers signed Mo Williams using their full room exception, and included a 15% trade kicker in his deal.
  • There's also a 15% trade kicker on Beno Udrih's minimum-salary contract with the Knicks.
  • Another Knicks signee, Jeremy Tyler, has a $100K guarantee on his two-year deal.
  • Carrick Felix's four-year deal with the Cavaliers was originally reported as being fully guaranteed for three seasons. However, according to Deeks, the third year is non-guaranteed, and the fourth year is a team option.
  • The first year of Peyton Siva's pact with the Pistons is partially guaranteed for $150K.
  • Jeff Withey has a fully guaranteed rookie year with the Pelicans, while his second-year salary won't become guaranteed until next July.
  • Ryan Gomes' contract with the Thunder is currently non-guaranteed. He'll receive three $25K bonuses if he remains on the roster beyond September 1st, October 1st, and October 30th, but his salary won't become fully guaranteed until January.
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Greg Oden On His Expectations For Next Season

August 10th, 2013 at 6:25pm CST by Spencer Lund

Greg Oden recently signed a minimum-salary two-year contract with the Heat for $2.173MM with a player option for the second year. Oden's tenure with the Heat hasn't even begun and people are already curious about the former No. 1 pick's health after three micro-fracture surgeries, the most recent coming in February of 2012. 

Oden hasn't appeared on an NBA court since December 5, 2009 with the Trail Blazers, but his three year sabbatical from the game has ended, and he's ready to get back on the court for the two-time defending champion Heat.  The 25-year-old Oden answered questions among assembled media at the St. Vincent Sport Performance Center in Indianapolis on Saturday:

On the wait-and-see expectations concerning his health next season:

"After three years of being out, I'm just going to go out and do what I can. If somehow [my body] says no, then it says no. But for me, I'm not even worried about that. Just go play and not even think about that.

"I've signed on the dotted line, put it like that. I've got a contract. As y'all can see this smile, I've got a contract. I'm excited."

On how he felt in Portland and his decision to come back:

"Two years ago … when I was in Portland, there were some dark times for me. That two weeks after my last surgery … I was just like, 'I don't know what's going on. What's going to happen? Which way is it going to go?'

"Two weeks later I was like, 'I'm coming back.' That's what I want to do."

On his body returning to the rigors of the NBA:

"I'm 25 [years old] now … I've got an old body. I understand. My body is not going to be [like it was]when I was 18 and able to run all day and jump over people. I can't do that. It's just not going to happen. My knees, the wear and tear, I understand that.

"But I'm a play as hard as I can. I'm going to try to jump over people and I'm going to try to run all day. If my body lets me, I'll do it.

"My body's just getting used to playing again. My knees do feel good. I'm able to walk. I'm running, jumping. I'm doing everything.

"[My body's] going to [need] maintenance for the rest of my life. I've got to warm up to warm up and then play. I understand that now."

On choosing the Miami Heat over other suitors:

"My friends told me, 'If you take out the possibility of getting hurt again, what other choice is there?' If I take out the possibility of getting hurt, why would I not play with the champs?

"If LeBron [James] decides to get another ring, I get one too, now."

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Greg Oden Signs With Heat

August 7th, 2013 at 12:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

AUGUST 7TH: The Heat have officially signed Oden, the team announced today (Twitter link).

AUGUST 2ND: Greg Oden will sign with the Heat, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. It's a two-year deal with a player option for the final season, Goodman adds. The two sides agreed on a minimum-salary contract, according to fellow ESPN.com scribe Marc Stein, who adds that Oden will officially sign the pact on Monday (Twitter links).

The deal is a coup for Heat president Pat Riley, not only because Oden chose Miami over five other finalists, but because he consented to the minimum salary, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. That allows the Heat to preserve their mini mid-level exception should an enticing player come available at some point this season.

The Spurs and Mavs appeared as of last night to be Miami's primary competition, with the Pelicans next in line, followed by the Kings and the Hawks. Sources from three Western Conference teams among those spurned finalists told Stein minutes before news broke of Oden's decision that they were informed that they wouldn't be landing the former No. 1 overall pick, and that they believed he was headed to Miami (Twitter link).

Oden tells former Ohio State teammate Mark Titus of Grantland.com that the Heat became the front-runners for him when he visited Miami during the NBA Finals. Three months ago, Oden told Titus that he wanted to play in Cleveland because he liked playing in Ohio. About a year ago, Oden let Titus know that the plan was to reunite in Memphis with Mike Conley, another of their Buckeye teammates. Conley's father, Mike Conley Sr., is one of Oden's agents.

The 7'0" center has only played 82 games in his NBA career, but he was on the Blazers roster for five seasons, meaning he qualifies for a minimum salary of $1,027,424 this season, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports confirms (Twitter link).

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Notes On Greg Oden

August 3rd, 2013 at 8:03pm CST by Michael Pina

In wake of his decision to sign with the Heat yesterday, here are a few more notes to pass along regarding Greg Oden. 

  • Sam Amico from FoxSportsOhio.com writes that very few teams in the league had any actual interest in Oden's services, quoting a general manager who said, "If we got him, great…But if not, we sure weren’t gonna cry about it. I don’t think anyone is looking at him as anything more than an emergency backup. That’s nice to have, but it’s not like it’s impossible to find.”
  • USAToday offers several reasons why Miami's decision to sign Oden was a good one that'll pay off dividends in the future.
  • ESPN's play-by-play announcer Mark Jones tweets that after Miami, the Spurs and Mavericks were Oden's second and third choices. 
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