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Atlantic Rumors: Rivers, Allen, Nets, Knicks

October 27th, 2012 at 4:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics coach Doc Rivers weighed in on Ray Allen's departure from the team in a radio interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, as Brian Robb of Celtics Hub transcribes (hat tip to ESPNBoston.com), but Allen is anxious to move past his acrimonius departure from Boston, as Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com writes. Here's the rest of the day's news from Atlantic Division clubs.

A spokesperson for Mikhail Prokhorov insists the billionaire's return to politics won't have any bearing on his ownership of the Nets, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Deron Williams believes the Knicks got a better point guard when they switched out Jeremy Lin for Raymond Felton this summer, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post documents.
With Amare Stoudemire sidelined up to five weeks, Rasheed Wallace would seem to be in line for a more significant role than originally planned for the veteran who appears to have made the Knicks on a non-guaranteed deal, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Still, it's unclear whether Wallace will be in condition to play by this week's opener.
While delivering some parting shots to outgoing commissioner David Stern, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News says the Sixers face as significant a decision as any in the league about whether to re-sign Andrew Bynum, and adds that the team would be "crazy" to commit major money to him right now.
Andray Blatche has made the Nets opening-night roster on a non-guaranteed deal, but in the wake of taunts from Knicks guard Iman Shumpert, Blatche knows he'll continue to face criticism for last year's subpar play with the Wizards, as Roderick Boone of Newsday examines.
Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com passes along Rivers' reflections on the last five seasons with the Celtics.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com looks at how a deep bench could serve the Celtics well.

Atlantic Notes: Copeland, Rasheed, Bynum

October 24th, 2012 at 8:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

We rounded up a host of Celtics news earlier, but there's more out of the Atlantic Division this evening, as the Nets and Knicks face off in the final preseason game for both teams.

Reports have been optimstic about camp invitee Chris Copeland's chances of making the Knicks regular season roster, and SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria and Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com give further indication the power forward will remain with the team for the start of the regular season.
Rasheed Wallace is likely to get the team's other open roster spot, Zwerling reports in the same piece, adding that the Knicks aren't in pursuit of free agents Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen or Josh Howard to fill in for the injured Amare Stoudemire.
The Sixers have no timetable for the return of Andrew Bynum, who continues to be held out of practice. John Finger of CSNPhilly.com and Zach Lowe of Grantland.com examine what the team will do as long as its marquee offseason acquisition can't play.

Eastern Notes: Holiday, Rasheed, Barron

October 20th, 2012 at 9:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

76ers point guard Jrue Holiday enters his fourth season as the youngest starting floor general in the Atlantic Division, and head coach Doug Collins appears confident in giving him the reigns to Philadelphia's offense: "I want that ball in Jrue's hands…I want our wings getting down the floor, I want Jrue to be the one getting that ball and pushing it. For the most part I want our guys sprinting the floor, getting down the floor and flattening it out and let Jrue come down and make plays." Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com also points out that the team now has more capable perimeter shooters compared to having to rely on multiple playmakers last year, which implicitly benefits the spacing on the floor and allows Holiday more room to operate. Here are a few more notes out of the Eastern Conference:

Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago chronicles the shooting struggles of Marco Belinelli during the preseason, but Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau doesn't appear too concerned.
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes that the Raptors could have one of the better combinations of reserve players in the league this season.
Al Iannazzone of Newsday says that Knicks guard/forward Ronnie Brewer will go through contact work during Sunday's practice and could play as soon as Monday night if he doesn't feel any pain. The 6'7 veteran has been sidelined since undergoing knee surgery in early September.
Heat sharpshooter Mike Miller looks forward to playing a full season this year, as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes that he is the healthiest he's been in two seasons.
Newsday's Al Iannazone provided an update on Rasheed Wallace, who according to Knicks head coach Mike Woodson is still doing conditioning work and will be re-evaluated on Tuesday after the team returns from its current pre-season road trip (Sulia link). Woodson hinted that the team may play Wallace next week in order to get an idea of his progression.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Irving, Rasheed, Pistons

October 18th, 2012 at 9:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

We looked at news from the Western Conference already, so here's a trip around Eastern Conference camps, with the start of the regular season just a dozen nights away.

Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald thought a few days ago that Terrel Harris was a shoo-in for a spot on the Heat roster, but now believes Garrett Temple has a legitimate chance to beat him out (Twitter link). Both guards are on non-guaranteed deals.
Kyrie Irving did plenty to justify his position as the top pick in the 2011 draft last season, when he won Rookie of the Year honors, but Cavs coach Byron Scott still believes he has a long way to go to realize his potential, as Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes.
Marc Berman of the New York Post has details on Rasheed Wallace's contract with the Knicks, and confirms that it's without even a partial guarantee.
Joe Dumars is the league's third-longest tenured executive in charge of player personnel decisions, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors pointed out yesterday, and the Pistons president of basketball operations told Keith Langlois of Pistons.com he's never been as impressed with his players' offseason work as he is this year (Twitter link).
Nets coach Avery Johnson said he expects free agent signee Jerry Stackhouse, a few weeks shy of his 38th birthday, to make his primary contribution as a locker room presence, a la Juwan Howard with the Heat the past two seasons, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets.

Latest On Rasheed Wallace

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

Over a week into training camp, Rasheed Wallace still has yet to practice with his Knicks teammates, as Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. Wallace participated in some full-court drills, but isn't sure when he'll actually practice and play, leaving that decision in the hands of coach Mike Woodson.

"He'll give me an idea of when he wants me out there," Wallace said. "If it's mid-November, then it's mid-November. Or if it's December, then it's December. It's on him, not me."

Here are a few more updates on the newest Knick:

Brian Lewis of the New York Post has the quotes from Woodson on Wallace's timetable: "He’s still in the conditioning mode. We’re still holding him out until we feel like he’s ready to go. It’s a day-to-day thing, and we’ll see where he is, evaluate him day by day."
'Sheed believes that the Knicks are already in the same class as Eastern Conference favorites like the Heat and Celtics. "We’re already there," Wallace said, according to Lewis. "The only thing that held this team back last year was injuries. If you look at all the injuries they had throughout the season, I don’t think at any point you have the whole team healthy except probably in the beginning."
Wallace told the media, including Lewis, that he's attempting to make an NBA comeback because of a passion for the game, rather than a pay check. According to Wallace, during his retirement he watched more college ball than NBA games, since he felt college players were generally hungrier than many NBA players who may have become complacent after a big payday.
Iannazzone notes (via Sulia) that Woodson can't be blamed for bringing Wallace along slowly, since the coach could be scrutinized for pushing the veteran big man too hard if were to practice and pull a hamstring. The Newsday scribe adds that the Knicks will eventually need Wallace to contribute to bolster the team's frontcourt.

Atlantic Notes: Thorn, Wallace, 76ers, Nets

October 4th, 2012 at 9:49am CST by Zachary Links

For years, the Atlantic Division was dismissed as the weakest in the NBA, even during the Nets' run as back-to-back Eastern Conference champions. The architect of those teams, current Sixers president Rod Thorn, says that the division is now the toughest in the league, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. “Oh my goodness, I think the Atlantic Division is the best division in basketball right now,’’ Thorn said. “Every team is better. Jersey (Brooklyn) got way better. Even Toronto will be better. I think Boston also got better. Every team in the Atlantic got better, and until someone beats Boston, they should be favored.’’ Here's more out of the stacked Atlantic..

Rasheed Wallace, who has had multiple teams offer to bring him out of retirement over the last two years, said that he only wanted to play for Knicks coach Mike Woodson, writes Nate Taylor of the New York Times. The two became close when Woodson served as an assistant coach for the 2004 Pistons championship team.
Sixers coach Doug Collins likes the flexibility that he has with this year's roster, writes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. With Andrew Bynum sidelined, the club was able to move Spencer Hawes up to the center position with Thaddeus Young manning the four in the starting lineup. Outside of that, the Sixers' bench has several players who can move between multiple positions.
After struggling to fill out the rotation for the last two seasons, Nets coach Avery Johnson now finds himself with the opposite problem, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. As it stands now, C.J. Watson, MarShon Brooks, Josh Childress, Mirza Teletovic, and Andray Blatche figure to be the first five off of the bench. However, others such as Keith Bogans and Reggie Evans could make a strong case for minutes as well.

Odds & Ends: Knicks, Walton, D12, Jazz, Wright

October 3rd, 2012 at 4:19pm CST by Luke Adams

As NBA training camps continue, the big stories around the league today involved the Association's new anti-flopping policy and the Knicks finally making Rasheed Wallace's signing official. In spite of the buzz surrounding Wallace's return to the NBA, Knicks coach Mike Woodson tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link) that he views 'Sheed as an insurance policy, rather than someone who will play big minutes. Here are a few more odds and ends from around the league:

There's still a chance Josh Howard ends up on the Knicks, but the team would have to cut someone to make room for him, tweets Zwerling. For now, New York is in "wait-and-see mode" while the team evaluates its current players, a source tells Zwerling (Twitter link).
If the Cavaliers have made Luke Walton a buyout offer, he isn't aware of it, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link). According to Amico, Walton leaves such matters to his agent, and is expecting to play out the final year of his contract with the Cavs.
The timetable for Dwight Howard's potential return keeps moving up, if you ask Howard, who tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he could play in the preseason.
While Jazz players like Chris Quinn, Brian Butch, Darnell Jackson, and Trey Gilder are long shots to make the club's roster, coach Tyrone Corbin says everyone has a chance, according to Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News.
Israeli team Maccabi Rishon LeZion has announced the signing of 2007 lottery pick Julian Wright, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
In an Insider piece, ESPN.com's David Thorpe explores the impact it would have if the D-League evolved into a full minor league system for the NBA.

Knicks Sign Rasheed Wallace

October 3rd, 2012 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

2:38pm: Wallace's contract is non-guaranteed, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com confirms (via Twitter). You can view the full list of Knicks on non-guaranteed deals right here.

12:24pm: The Knicks have officially signed Rasheed Wallace, the team announced today in a press release. The deal is expected to be for one year at the minimum salary, though it's not clear whether or not it's fully guaranteed. Marc Berman of the New York Post reported earlier today that the deal likely won't be guaranteed unless Wallace makes the team.

Although Wallace has flirted with the idea of a comeback over the last two years, he hasn't played in an NBA game since the 2010 playoffs, when he and the Celtics were defeated by the Lakers in the Finals. The veteran big man has played in nearly 1100 games since entering the league in 1995, but it'll be interesting to see if he's still able to contribute much at age 38, after two years out of the NBA.

With Wallace's signing, the Knicks now have 20 players in training camp. Of the other 19 Knicks contracts, 13 are believed to be fully guaranteed, so there should be a couple roster spots available for the remaining camp participants. If Wallace shows he's healthy and in shape, I imagine he'll earn one of those last two spots.

Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com first reported that Wallace had taken a physical with the Knicks last week, while Berman reported that Wallace had informed the Knicks he'd sign with them.

Knicks Expected To Sign Rasheed Wallace

October 3rd, 2012 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 8:07am: Wallace missed the Knicks' first practice on Tuesday because his contract has yet to be finalized. Agent Bill Strickland is working out some "minor details" of the agreement, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post, who adds that Wallace's pact is unlikely to be guaranteed unless he makes the team.

MONDAY, 10:46am: Wallace has yet to sign with the Knicks, but the team still he expects him to, as GM Glen Grunwald told the media today (Twitter link via Al Iannazzone of Newsday).

FRIDAY, 11:48am: Rasheed Wallace has informed the Knicks that he'll come out of retirement and will be in attendance on Monday when the team opens training camp, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. As of this morning, agent Bill Strickland said he hadn't begun formal contract negotiations with the Knicks, but it appears Wallace will officially sign with the team within the next few days.

Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com had reported earlier today that Wallace took a physical on Thursday and that Knicks players expected the team to sign the veteran forward. Newsday's Al Iannazzone, meanwhile, heard from Strickland that if his client decided to come out of retirement, it would be for the Knicks (Twitter link).

If and when Wallace's deal becomes official, it would put the Knicks' roster at the offseason maximum of 20 players. Assuming the team guarantees Wallace's contract, 14 of those 20 players would be fully guaranteed.

Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reported today (via Twitter) that the Knicks could still attempt to sign Josh Howard if Wallace agreed to join the team, but it would likely be one or the other. If New York did still want to add Howard, the club would need to waive another player to make room.

Celtics Notes: Rondo, Offense, Rivers, Lee

September 30th, 2012 at 4:45pm CST by Michael Pina

As they head into the 2012/13 season as a re-tooled, legitimate championship contender, here are a few bits of news regarding the Boston Celtics.

The Boston Herald has a short piece on who will step up and assume a major leadership role for a team with so many veterans and new faces. Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett are the obvious options, but Rondo said everyone is going to have to step up.
Celtics.com writer Marc D'Amico believes that the addition of Courtney Lee and Jason Terry will open up the team's offense and create some wonderful opportunities previously unavailable.
Celtics head coach Doc Rivers says he isn't surprised Rasheed Wallace is coming out of retirement to play for the Knicks, writes ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg.
Also from Forsberg on ESPNBoston.com, Rivers says his team's identity as a defensive strong unit hasn't changed, but on offense the strategy is all about maximizing possessions and improving an offense that's struggled these last few years.
Boston Herald beat writer Dan Duggan puts the spotlight on Courtney Lee, who's scheduled to be an opening day starter beside Rondo in Boston's backcourt, yet not too many people are talking about him.