Steve Novak Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Brewer, Novak, Chandler

September 7th, 2012 at 12:40pm CST by Luke Adams

In less than two months, the Knicks will travel across town to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to face the Nets in the 2012/13 season opener. It'll be the start of what the NBA is hoping will be a renewed rivalry, and former Knicks president Donnie Walsh is fascinated to see how it plays out.

"I think it’s going to be an unbelievable rivalry," Walsh told Fred Kerber of the New York Post. "The Knicks still will have their fans but the Nets now have an entire borough. And Manhattan and Brooklyn have always been rivals…. Even when New Jersey was really good, the rivalry wasn’t there. This is fantastic for the city, great for Brooklyn. Knick fans are loyal but there are enough people in Brooklyn to support a second team."

Here are a few more of today's Knicks-related items:

Howard Beck of the New York Times reports that Ronnie Brewer will miss six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his knee (Twitter link).
Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld writes that the Knicks will certainly be an older team this season, but it remains to be seen whether or not they'll be a better team.

Earlier updates:

Walsh also told Kerber that he likes the Knicks' roster, and doesn't buy the popular theory that Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire can't play together.
In a Q&A with Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, Steve Novak discusses his role, his goals for the season, and the challenge of playing in what could be the NBA's toughest division.
The Knicks have new attitudes to go along with their new uniforms, according to Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post. Within the piece, Tyson Chandler praises his teammates for being willing to give up a month of their summers to participate in a "pre-training camp" starting next week. Chandler also noted that not having to deal with a lockout this summer should put him in far better position heading into his second season with the Knicks.

Contract Details: Novak, Green, Miller, Thompson

July 16th, 2012 at 4:19pm CST by Luke Adams

While most players' contracts include annual raises, or at the very least, identical annual salaries, Steve Novak's new contract with the Knicks is a little different, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports explains (Twitter link). Novak's deal starts at a little over $4MM, dips to below $3.5MM by 2014/15, then rises back up to $3.75MM for 2015/16. The unusual structure of the deal provides the Knicks a small amount of savings in the years when the rest of the team's roster will get extremely expensive.

Deeks shared a number of other contract details from around the league, via Twitter, so let's round them up….

The Spurs' deal with Danny Green is for three fully-guaranteed years and $11,287,500, with no options.
Andre Miller will earn $5MM in each of the next two seasons with the Nuggets. The third year of his deal is partially guaranteed for $2MM of $4.625MM.

Earlier updates:

Jason Thompson's five-year deal with the Kings is worth $30,187,500, though year five is only partially guaranteed for $2.65MM.
According to Deeks, the previously reported figures for Ersan Ilyasova are a little high — his deal with the Bucks is worth $40MM over five years. The first four years are guaranteed at $7.9MM each, then year five is partially guaranteed for just $400K of $8.4MM.
Jamal Crawford received the full mid-level for four years from the Clippers, but the final two years of the contract are only guaranteed for $1.5MM each.
Marcus Camby's contract with the Knicks, $13,151,319 over three years, descends in value, with just $1,025,890 of $4,177,208 guaranteed in the third season.
Every first-round pick to sign so far has received the full 120% of the rookie scale.
DeShawn Stevenson will earn $2,240,450 in each year of his three-year deal with the Hawks, though only the first season is guaranteed.
Kyle Singler's fully-guaranteed deal with the Pistons is worth $3,135,000 over three years, with no options, while Victor Claver's deal with the Trail Blazers is also fully guaranteed and will pay him $4MM over three years.
Jason Kidd (Knicks; three years, $9.09MM), Ian Mahinmi (Pacers; four years, $16MM), and Gerald Green (Pacers; three years, $10.5MM) all received fully-guaranteed contracts with no option years.
The Nets' agreement with Reggie Evans is worth $5,086,905 over three years, and is fully guaranteed.
Hasheem Thabeet's contract with the Thunder appears to be for more than the minimum salary. Deeks pegs the value at three years and $3.65MM, though only the first year and $500K of year two are guaranteed. Oklahoma City will be using either a portion of their mid-level or bi-annual exception for that deal.
I would guess Thabeet's deal will come out of the MLE, since the Thunder are also using a portion of the mid-level on Hollis Thompson, who signed a three-year minimum-salary contract. Only $75K is guaranteed, however.
Doron Lamb received a three-year, minimum-salary deal from the Bucks, with the third year nonguaranteed.

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Knicks Re-Sign Steve Novak

July 12th, 2012 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 2:23pm: The Knicks have officially re-signed Novak, the team announced in a press release. Novak himself also announced the deal via Twitter, attaching a photo of him signing his contract.

MONDAY, 1:55pm: The Knicks and Steve Novak have agreed to terms on a new contract, according to agent Mark Bartelstein. Bartelstein says the deal, which is fully guaranteed, will pay Novak $15MM for four years (Twitter links via TNT's David Aldridge).

Free Agent Rumors: Lin, Hinrich, Kaman, Nash

July 2nd, 2012 at 10:07pm CST by Luke Adams

While a report surfaced last night suggesting that the Knicks may be reluctant to match a backloaded offer to Jeremy Lin, it doesn't appear that such an offer will come from Brooklyn. According to TNT's David Aldridge, the Nets haven't reached out to Lin, and appear to be viewing Steve Nash as Plan B if they can't lock up Deron Williams. Let's round up a few more free agent tidbits from around the league….

While an earlier report (linked below) from K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune suggests the Bulls will only offer the minimum to Kirk Hinrich, Johnson says he's now emerging as the team's top target (Twitter link).
Chris Kaman had a "positive" meeting with the Pacers today, but no offer was made, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News believes Lin and Nash may be an either/or proposition for the Knicks.

Earlier updates:

Lin has received interest from a number of teams, including the Raptors, Mavericks and, contradicting Aldridge, the Nets, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes. At least one of those teams has considered making Lin a backloaded offer, according to Kennedy.
Lin and fellow restricted free agent Greg Stiemsma have withdrawn from the USA Olympic select team. Lin is off the team because of contract concerns, as Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets, and Stiemsma is nursing a foot injury, tweets Howard Beck of The New York Times.
Jamal Crawford will spend Tuesday with the Clippers, frontrunners for his services, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The Celtics, Sixers, Suns and Wolves are also interested.
It's likely the Bulls won't pick up C.J. Watson's option, but that could change if they don't match Omer Asik's offer sheet from the Rockets, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Restricted free agent Devin Ebanks has drawn the eye of the Magic, Thunder, Nets, Hawks and 76ers, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
The Warriors, one of the teams on Brandon Roy's list of finalists, would like to bring him aboard, but can't afford to commit cap space to someone whose status is so uncertain, says Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group, who adds that if Roy is unwilling to sign for the minimum, it's unlikely he'll be a Warrior (Twitter link).
The Bulls are pursuing Derek Fisher, write Ramona Shelburne and Nick Friedell of ESPN.com, and the Heat, Mavs and Thunder are also on the radar for the veteran guard. The report also confirms the team's interest in Brandon Roy (linked below).
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com hears that John Lucas III is a good bet to re-sign with the Bulls (Twitter link).
Marco Belinelli is drawing interest from teams targeting shooting guards, and the Mavericks are one possibility for him, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Berger also tweets that interest in unrestricted free agent centers Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby has increased since Omer Asik agreed to a deal with the Rockets.
Goran Dragic is expected to meet with Rockets officials today in Houston, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has been in contact with Brandon Roy about the possibility of signing with Chicago, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Roy has met with the Timberwolves and Mavericks, and intends to meet with the other three clubs on his wish list before making a decision, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
While they're rumored to have interest, the Cavs haven't made an offer to Alexey Shved, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
Chris Wilcox, recovering from aortic surgery, has been cleared for full-court contact, his agent tells TNT's David Aldridge.
Steve Novak is drawing heavy interest, as nearly a dozen teams contacted his representatives yesterday, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman says the Knicks are targeting Anthony Tolliver as a possible alternative if Novak gets away.
The Suns and Pistons are among the teams pursuing Michael Beasley, according to Sam Amick of SI.com.
Amick also says the Raptors, Suns, Nets, Hornets, Lakers, and Rockets have expressed some interest in Goran Dragic.
The Bulls' talks with Kirk Hinrich have focused on the veteran's minimum, which is unlikely to get it done with eight teams in the mix, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
The Wizards have reached out to a handful of their own free agents as well as John Lucas III and Hinrich, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Jonny Flynn is receiving interest from the Hawks in addition to the Cavs, says Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.

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League, Union Reach Bird Rights Settlement

June 29th, 2012 at 6:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The league and the National Basketball Players Association have reached a settlement that will extend Bird rights to four players claimed off waivers this season, but will limit the retention of Bird rights for players claimed off waivers in the future, according to Howard Beck of The New York Times (Twitter links). From now on, full Bird rights will only be retained if the player is claimed off amnesty waivers. Otherwise, such players will retain only early Bird rights (Twitter links).

NBPA Wins Bird Rights Ruling

June 28th, 2012 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 4:06pm: The union and the league are moving toward a settlement in the case, which could be finalized as soon as Friday, Howard Beck of The New York Times writes. The most likely outcome will allow players claimed off waivers to retain some form of Bird rights, Beck says.

June 22, 7:28pm: The NBA players' union doesn't think that an appeal from the league can be resolved by July 1st, which would effectively mean that the union's win will stand, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

June 22, 2:25pm: The NBA will appeal Dam's ruling, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Zillgitt adds that the appeal will be heard by a panel, but that no date has been set yet (Twitter link).

June, 22, 1:37pm: Kenneth Dam, the arbitrator tasked with making a decision on last week's Bird Rights hearing, has sided with the NBPA, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times. Dam's decision means that players claimed off waivers won't have their Bird clocks reset. As such, Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak will have Early Bird rights this offseason, while Chauncey Billups and J.J. Hickson will regain full Bird rights.

Bird Rights Hearing Over, Decision Expected Soon

June 13th, 2012 at 6:50pm CST by Luke Adams

6:50pm: Zwerling clarifies via Twitter that Steve Novak didn't testify at today's hearing, so it seems he was merely in attendance.

3:00pm: Today's hearing on the Bird Rights for players claimed off waivers is over, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday. A ruling on the issue will happen before the July 1st free agent period gets underway, with Steve Novak of the Knicks tweeting today that he expects a decision in about two weeks.

Odds & Ends: Bird, Dwight, Kerr, Shaw

May 26th, 2012 at 6:30pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Tonight's matchup features a Celtics team with an experienced and playoff-tested core against a mostly young 76ers team looking further build a foundation of playoff success. This also may be the final page of a great chapter in Celtics history if Boston loses tonight, as the futures of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen will be question marks this upcoming offseason. With less an hour away from tip-off in the third Game Seven of this year's playoffs, here's what we've heard from around the league:

According to a series of tweets by Mike Wells of the Indianapolis star, Pacers owner Herb Simon hopes that Larry Bird will continue to work with the franchise in some capacity if Bird decides to step down as president, and that no meeting has been arranged between the two yet.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel believes that Dwight Howard must align himself with a winning team in order to repair his tarnished image and should therefore expand his list of preferred trade destinations. Also, Schmitz briefly discusses the idea of Steve Kerr and Brian Shaw joining the Magic as GM and head coach respectively. When recently asked about the GM vacancy, Kerr asserted that he is currently happy with his job as a TNT analyst, although the Magic are expected to still make inquiries. Shaw would accept the head coaching opportunity in a heartbeat, according to Schmitz.
Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld presents a list of this year's top-shooting free agents. Ray Allen, Jason Terry, Steve Novak, and Randy Foye were listed as some of the top unrestricted free agents who displayed solid three-point shooting percentages along with a high volume of attempts this year.
Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press writes that Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is confident in the team's chances to make the playoffs next season. Taylor also said that the team is "going to try" the free agent market.

Knicks Notes: Lin, Free Agency, Draft Workouts

May 25th, 2012 at 10:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few of today's Knicks-related items….

Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald expects Jeremy Lin to re-sign with the team and doesn't foresee a scenario in which the franchise is unable to retain him, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. "We can keep him if we want him, and we do want to keep him. I believe that Jeremy had a great experience here and I believe he wants to come back. So that's where that is."
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com reports Grunwald would like to bring back free agent Steve Novak and hopes J.R. Smith picks up his player option so he can remain with the Knicks.
After working out for the Knicks, Iona's Scott Machado spoke to Al Iannazzone of Newsday about New York's potential hole at point guard: "For any point guard that wants to play here, I feel like it's a good opportunity. They got some players that are banged up, hurt or some players that are retiring or old…. As far as the opportunity here, it's a wonderful spot, they have a lot of pieces. Somewhere they need to grow solid in is the point guard spot. That's my opinion. I feel like it's a good opportunity for any point guard."
Re-signing Lin would help the Knicks solidify that point guard spot, but there's no guarantee New York will re-sign the restricted free agent. Dennis Velasco of The Basketball Jones examines a few potential landing spots for Lin.
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com spoke to Marquette guard Darius Johnson-Odom, who also worked out for the Knicks and could be a second-round target for the team.
Mike Woodson's former agent Joe Glass is upset Woodson let him go before negotiating with James Dolan and the Knicks, but wishes the coach success in the future, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Larry Brown, the Glass client that initially created tension between the agent and Dolan, tells Berman that Woodson did the right thing for his future by changing agents.
I previewed the Knicks' summer earlier today in the latest installment in our Offseason Outlook series.

Odds & Ends: Iverson, Clippers, Mavericks, Shaq

May 23rd, 2012 at 10:44pm CST by Alex Lee

The 76ers defeated the Celtics tonight in an ugly, defensive affair to force a Game 7 on Saturday night in Boston. Early in the game, an ESPN reporter spoke with Allen Iverson who was in town to deliver the game ball to tonight's referees. Iverson said he still wants to play basketball, whether in the NBA or elsewhere. Here are other links from late Wednesday night:

Arash Markazi and Pedro Moura from ESPN Los Angeles give their differing takes on whether Clippers stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will be teamed up in LA for the remainder of their careers.
Derek Page of HoopsWorld says that for the Mavericks, in lieu of letting key pieces of their championship team leave via free agency, anything in the offseason short of Deron Williams would deem that decision a "momentous mistake." Meanwhile, Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News says via chat that Pau Gasol would not be a good fit in Dallas.
Speaking of Deron Williams, Colin Stephenson of the Newark Star Ledger examined the Nets offseason uncertainties outside of their potential free-agent-to-be point guard. The Nets have only four players that are guaranteed to be under contact for next year's Brooklyn debut.
The Bird Rights hearing between the NBA and NBA Players Association will be in mid-June, says Ian Begley of ESPN New York, citing an unnamed source. Begley notes that the Knicks will be particularly impacted due to waiver pickups of Steve Novak and Jeremy Lin.
The 2012 Olympic schedule for Team USA was unveiled, according to Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops.
ESPN's Chris Broussard and Marc Stein offer their takes on Shaq as a potential fit as the future general manager of the Magic. Broussard says Shaq has acted as a mentor to Dwight Howard throughout the season as they apparently bonded over their dislike for Stan Van Gundy. Hiring O'Neal could be an attempt to persuade Howard to stay. Meanwhile, despite previous reports, Broussard adds that the Bobcats will in fact reach out to Van Gundy.