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Kupchak Talks Sacre, Johnson-Odom, Thunder

October 30th, 2012 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

With the Lakers' scheduled to tip off against the Mavericks tonight to start the 2012/13 season, general manager Mitch Kupchak spoke to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com about the team's roster, its second-round picks, and his thoughts on the Thunder trading James Harden. Here are a few of the highlights from the conversation:

On how the team decided which players to keep on its 15-man roster:

"In conjunction with our coach (Mike Brown) and (executive VP of player personnel) Jim Buss, we hashed it out. There is a strategic approach to what you do involving (positions and salary), and amongst the three of us this is where we ended up. I wouldn't think Robert Sacre (being on the roster) is a surprise to anybody; he certainly showed that he deserved an extended look. On the other hand, he's gotten more of an opportunity than anyone else because of the injury to Dwight (Howard), and if you talked to some guys that have been here, they'd say they wish they'd had that opportunity. With that said, they've been here almost 28 days, and we feel like we know them pretty good. We're not always right, and we had to make decisions, and by and large the decisions have to be done at the end of camp."

On the decision to carry the maximum 15 players, including two second-round picks:

"As a later second-round draft pick like (Darius) Johnson-Odom, that's the lowest number that you can be paid of anybody in the NBA. When you look at our payroll, which is approaching $100MM, as a percentage of payroll, it's really not that much. On the other hand, I don't expect ownership to expand payroll, and these contracts do have some flexibility to them in the fact that they are not guaranteed. (Sacre and Johnson-Odom) are going to have to continue to perform at a high level, but for the time being, it gives us some roster flexibility going forward."

On using the Lakers' D-League affiliate to develop Sacre and Johnson-Odom:

"I'd hope with the D-League coming up soon, we'd be able to put one or both of our second-round picks in that situation. You used to be limited to sending a player down three times, but they can go an unlimited number of times now. You could have them practice with the Lakers every day and then still have them play in every D-Fenders game. We intend to take advantage of the new rule with one or both of those players. It's a good development for us, and you're starting to see some more synergy with the D-League and the NBA."

On how the Harden trade will impact the rival Thunder:

"On the surface, the Thunder had a team that was very successful as a group, as a unit. There's a piece of that group that's moving on, so you might take something from that. At the same time, I think by adding Kevin Martin they have a piece that they can use, that's going to get minutes, and he can certainly score. They picked up a lot of (draft picks), plus a kid (Jeremy Lamb) we all liked in college. So you can argue that this year there may be a ding to their chemistry because they'd been together for three years, but Martin could fit right in and Lamb could have a (positive) impact."

On whether any Lakers stood out in training camp:

"I think you saw some flashes of good play from Jodie Meeks, both with his shooting and the other things he can do like get to the bucket to draw fouls and play defense. I think Devin Ebanks had a good preseason and continues to develop. Sacre has been a pleasant surprise. And with Antawn Jamison, I've seen no decline in his athleticism, which you wonder about when you get older guys."

Latest On Howard, Mavericks, Lakers

August 18th, 2012 at 7:43pm CST by Sean Highkin

Dwight Howard has been a Laker for just over a week, and all signs point to him staying in Los Angeles long-term. However, that has not put an end to the speculation that he may consider signing elsewhere next summer. Here's an update on Howard's situation as well as other notes concerning the Lakers and Mavs:

Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW takes a look at the Mavs' case to lure Howard away from Los Angeles, noting that acquiring Howard in a trade will be difficult now that he is a Laker but pointing out that Dallas will have the cap room to offer him a max deal next summer.
Sefko has a separate look at some of the other options the Mavs will have next summer during free agency.
Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times praises the Lakers' acquisitions of Jodie Meeks and Antawn Jamison.

Odds & Ends: Harris, Curry, Shumpert

August 16th, 2012 at 9:24pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that the Heat are currently in talks with free agent Terrel Harris. The 25-year-old guard played in 22 games for Miami last season and was a member of the team’s summer league roster in Las Vegas. Winderman admits that he is suprised that Miami hasn't made a quicker commitment to Harris at this point (Sulia link). Here's what else we've heard from around the league this evening:

76ers guard Jason Richardson looks to continue to have the same success playing off of Andrew Bynum the way he was able to with Dwight Howard in Orlando, says John Finger of CSN Philly.
Howard Beck of the New York Times points out that the Knicks have yet to offer a reasoned explanation for declining to match Jeremy Lin's offer sheet with the Rockets.
Charlie Westbrook tweeted that he will pass on two opportunities to attend an NBA training camp and will head to Europe instead. Westbrook was not drafted by an NBA team in June but participated in Orlando as a member of the Magic's summer league roster.
Although he had been considering a job with the Magic, Rob Murphy chose to remain with Eastern Michigan University as the school's head basketball coach (the Detroit Free Press reports).
Marcus Thompson II of MercuryNews.com reports that Stephen Curry is optimistic that he will be ready for Warriors training camp and will undoubtedly be well enough to play by opening night. Curry, who says the only thing he hasn't done yet is play 5-on-5, had arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle in April and has been working out in Oakland.
Newsday's Marcus Henry says that Knicks guard Iman Shumpert rehabilitation process is progressing on schedule. The All-Rookie first team selection suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during New York's first-round playoff series in April and is projected to be able to return as early as December or January.
Greg Payne of ESPN Boston noted Jason Terry's thoughts on his role as a sixth man and what he can bring to the Celtics.
Jodie Meeks spoke with the Kamenetzky Brothers of ESPN LA today about why he chose the Lakers and what he hopes to accomplish. Andy Kamenetzky provided a breakdown of the talking points from the interview, including a post-interview discussion about the potential effect that Meeks can have on the team.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Meeks, Curry, Suns

August 13th, 2012 at 9:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers are no stranger to the luxury tax, and with the tax penalties going up in 2013/14 and the team's recent commitments to high-paid veterans, owner Jerry Buss is facing a hefty bill. By my calculations, the Lakers already have $74,831,035 committed for 2013/14, and that doesn't include Dwight Howard, who's likely to command a max contract with a starting salary around $20.5MM. If D12 remains in L.A., salary cap expert Larry Coon estimates the Lakers will owe a record $185MM in salary and taxes (Twitter link). If Buss opens his wallet that wide, expect plenty of complaining from small-market teams whose owners would never dream of spending that much in single season. While we wait to see how high the Lakers will go, there's plenty more from around the Pacific Division:

The Lakers made their signing of Jodie Meeks official today, and the 6'4" shooting guard tells Mike Trudell of Lakers.com that the team's decorated history and the chance to play with multiple future Hall-of-Famers lured him to L.A.
Stephen Curry is stepping up his rehab from right ankle surgery as he works toward being ready for camp, Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com reports. Curry will spend four days in a row at the Warriors' practice facility, allowing the team a look at the point guard as they decide whether to pursue an extension. Michael Pina of Hoops Rumors profiled Curry's extension candidacy earlier this month.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic recaps the statements James Harden has made in the past few weeks about either signing an extension with the Thunder or considering the Suns in free agency, and shares a few other Phoenix-related observations from the summer.

Lakers Sign Jodie Meeks

August 13th, 2012 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

4:37pm: Meeks' agent David Bauman tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com that his client could earn up to $2MM in the second year of his deal, via incentives. In order for that to be possible under cap rules, I believe there'd have to be incentives in year one that Meeks would have to achieve first.

MONDAY, 3:31pm: The Lakers have officially announced the signing of Meeks, tweets Mike Trudell of Lakers.com.

FRIDAY, 3:24pm: The Lakers and Jodie Meeks have agreed to terms on a two-year deal worth about $3MM, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The second year of the contract is a team option, according to Bresnahan.

Meeks was reportedly uninterested in signing for the veteran's minimum, while the Lakers were reluctant to use their full $3.09MM mid-level exception, so it seems the two sides reached a compromise. Meeks' deal will pay him more than the minimum, but only a portion of Los Angeles' mid-level.

The acquisition of Meeks is far from the Lakers' biggest move of the day, but it's a solid signing that helps solidify an ever-improving bench and provides some wing depth behind Kobe Bryant. When I examined some of the Lakers' free agent options last week, I suggested Meeks could be the best fit for the team, given his skill-set and likely price tag. The 24-year-old is a career 37.1% three-point shooter in three seasons with the Bucks and Sixers.

According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, Meeks received larger offers from the Bucks and Wizards, but wanted to compete for a title with the Lakers (Twitter link).

Kyler’s Latest: Meeks, Lakers, CBA, Walker

August 13th, 2012 at 8:36am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler turns his attention away from yesterday's Olympic final in London and touches on a few NBA items of interest. Here are a few of the highlights from Kyler's piece:

Jodie Meeks' deal with the Lakers appears to be worth about $2.97MM over two years — $1.45MM in year one, with a team option for the second year worth 104.5% of that amount ($1,515,250).
Having signed Meeks, the Lakers are now expected to finalize Devin Ebanks' deal today, putting 14 contracts on their books. With just one roster spot left and having spent close to $100MM already, the team is likely finished with its summer moves, despite having been linked to Kenyon Martin and others, says Kyler.
Examining how the new CBA has affected free agent deals, Kyler notes that the NBA's "middle class" has been hit hard. He points to players like Meeks and C.J. Watson, who signed for less than expected, as well as players still on the market and struggling to find offers, such as Leandro Barbosa and Carlos Delfino. Kyler predicts Barbosa and Delfino may get their best offers from their former teams at reduced rates.
Antoine Walker, who has played in the D-League the last couple years, acknowledges that his playing career may be over, as he indicated back in April. However, he tells Kyler that he intends to remain close to the game, and hopes to find a role as a coach or analyst at some level.

Lakers Likely To Sign Ebanks, Meeks

August 10th, 2012 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Having officially acquired Dwight Howard today, the Lakers have likely made the last of their blockbuster moves in 2012. However, the team still remains active in filling out the rest of its roster. According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (Sulia link), now that the dust has settled on the Howard trade, Devin Ebanks is expected to re-sign his qualifying offer to return to the Lakers. The club also appears likely to sign unrestricted free agent Jodie Meeks, says Kyler.

The Ebanks update isn't new, as we heard last month that the 22-year-old was prepared to sign his qualifying offer to remain a Laker. The team reportedly asked him to hold off on officially signing his deal, since he potentially could have landed a larger deal as part of a sign-and-trade as a piece in a Howard trade. But now that the deal has been completed without his involvement, the path is clear for him to re-sign with L.A.

The Lakers' interest in Meeks has also been well-documented. When I examined potential free agent wings for the team, I identified the former Sixer as perhaps the best fit among the available options, given his solid outside shooting and defense. However, Meeks reportedly wasn't interested in signing for the veteran's minimum, while the Lakers weren't interested in using their $3.09MM mid-level exception, so we'll have to see if one of the sides has budged.

Odds & Ends: Bulls, Josh Howard, Deng, Heat

August 7th, 2012 at 9:06pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (via Twitter) points out that the Bulls are specifically $758,642 below the luxury tax apron and that the league minimum salary for sophomore players is $762,195. This definitely factors into the situation of Malcolm Thomas, who put on a standout performance as a member of their summer league roster and more importantly is entering his second year in the league. Deeks still doesn't think that Chicago is willing pay the tax, adding that the team isn't in any rush to make moves that would incidentally put them over the apron. Here are more of tonight's links from around the NBA…

Matt Moore of CBS Sports gives the Bobcats a grade of "C" for their work this offseason.
Earl K. Sneed of NBA.com talks about the plenty of backcourt options that the Mavericks have for the upcoming season.
Australia's David Andersen hopes that Wednesday's game against Team USA is enough to make an impression as he hopes for an opportunity to return to the NBA, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. The 6'11 forward/center played in Italy last year and was a member of the Hornets during the 2010-11 season. Andersen says he will continue to play in Europe if he doesn't receive an offer from an NBA team.
Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops examines the top 20 remaining free agents and groups them by position.
Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets that the Jazz are expected to re-engage in talks with free agent Josh Howard soon.
Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN LA clarifies that although the Lakers are interested in Jodie Meeks, the shooting guard isn't quite open to signing for the veteran's minimum. Also, Kamenetzky notes that while the team has placed a priority on adding a backcourt or wing player, they won't use their mini-mid level exception to overpay for a player they feel isn't worth that much. Earlier today, Brian joined his brother Andy to discuss some names in free agency that are worth considering, including Carlos Delfino, Tracy McGrady, and Terrence Williams in addition to Meeks.

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Nets, Meeks, Blazers

August 7th, 2012 at 4:51pm CST by Zachary Links

After previously looking at the biggest winners and losers of the NBA offseason, SI.com's Zach Lowe ran down the most intriguing teams of the summer. Among them are the Nets, who have unquestionably upgraded their roster in the short-term, but may have hampered themselves in the long run. The Nets now have roughly $65MM committed annually to four players across the next four years and may not be able to build on their roster if they can't swing a deal for Dwight Howard in January. Here's more from around the Association..

A source told HoopsHype (via Twitter) that the Lakers are working out Rashad McCants and 2009 second-round pick Patrick Beverley today. Beverley, 24, was named MVP of the Eurocup last season.
Jodie Meeks' agent, David Bauman, says that his client won't sign for a minimum contract, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times. Bauman added that there are four or five teams looking at Meeks, including the Lakers.
Even though the Blazers have ushered in a rebuilding period, guard Nolan Smith isn't sold on the perception that Portland will be lottery-bound for the second-straight year, writes Lang Greene of HoopsWorld. Smith also supported Kaleb Canales returning as head coach but expects him to stay on with the organization in an important capacity regardless.
Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com likes the Jazz's hire of Dennis Lindsey as their next General Manager and tip his cap to the organization for conducting a swift and productive search for Kevin O'Connor's replacement.

Southeast Notes: Bobcats, Wizards, Meeks, Jardine

July 30th, 2012 at 9:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today we learned that the Bobcats missed out on free agent forward Carl Landry, whom they've been eyeing for quite some time. Ultimately, the player regarded as the best remaining free agent decided to ink a two-year, $8MM deal with the Warriors. A sign-and-trade with the Hornets was a rumored possibility but that proved to be difficult after the club renounced his rights. More from the Southeast division..

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter) says there is no telling if the Bobcats will bring in another power forward after missing out on Landry. It's possible that Charlotte will stand pat and instead go with the bigs that they already have. That strategy would mean that the club is betting heavily on Tyrus Thomas bouncing back after he averaged 5.6 PPG last season.
The Wizards, along with the Lakers and Bucks, are among the frontrunners for free agent Jodie Meeks, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. “There are five or six teams, but those three are at the forefront right now because I’ve been talking to them the most," said the soon-to-be 25-year-old. Kennedy adds that Meeks seems likely to sign this week.
Scoop Jardine, who broke his right foot three days before the draft, will likely receive an invitation to training camp with the Bobcats, a source told John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The guard was hardly a lock to be drafted before the injury but was said to have impressed the Sixers.