Mike Bibby, Mickael Pietrus Working Out For Spurs
Veteran NBA point guard Mike Bibby is participating in a Spurs mini-camp this week, auditioning for a chance at a contract or camp invite, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Zwerling adds that Mickael Pietrus will also be among the players working out for the Spurs (Twitter links).
It seems the Spurs have yet to start extending camp invites to roster hopefuls. As our page of roster counts shows, the club currently has 14 players under contract, all on guaranteed deals. Teams can carry up to 20 players up until opening night, so I'd expect San Antonio to add a few more players before camp opens.
Whether Bibby or Pietrus will earn one of those spots on the preseason roster remains to be seen. Bibby, 35, didn't appear in an NBA game last season, having last played for the Knicks in 2011/12. Pietrus signed a minimum-salary contract with the Raptors last season, but injury woes and a lack of production limited him to 19 games.
According to Zwerling, Pietrus may have more workouts lined up, but the Spurs appear to be Bibby's only potential suitor at this point.
Celtics, Lakers, Spurs Eyeing Sebastian Telfair?
Although he has been the subject of plenty of rumors and reports since free agency opened two months ago, Sebastian Telfair remains unsigned. The veteran point guard continues to draw interest from NBA teams though, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio, who tweets that the Celtics, Lakers, and Spurs may be in the mix.
It's not clear whether those clubs have just kicked the tires on Telfair, or whether their interest is more serious, but none of them have been cited so far this offseason as a potential suitor. Previously, the Knicks, Nets, Heat, and Thunder were mentioned as a few possible destinations for Telfair, though some of those teams have since signed other players.
Boston currently has 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Donte Greene and three camp invitees, so the C's may not have much room for Telfair. That goes for the Spurs as well, who seem to be well-stocked at point guard already, with Cory Joseph, Nando De Colo, and Patrick Mills capable of playing the point behind Tony Parker. As for the Lakers, they already have Steve Nash, Steve Blake, and Jordan Farmar under contract.
Telfair, 28, appeared in 59 games last season for the Suns and Raptors, averaging 5.6 PPG and 2.6 APG in 16.6 minutes per contest. His .362 FG% was a career-worst mark, but many of his other rates, including a 10.9 PER and .353 3PT%, were in line with, or better than, his career averages.
Odds & Ends: Telep, Jefferson, Griffin
The Spurs have always been about innovation in the front office and they made an out-of-the-box hiring today by hiring well-respected prep recruiting analyst Dave Telep, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Telep, who recently left a job at a cable TV outlet, will work in a scouting coordinator role for the NBA draft under GM R.C. Buford.
- It's difficult to be excited about the offseason in the Southeast Division with the most exciting move being the Bobcats signing Al Jefferson to a hefty contract, writes CBSSports.com's Royce Young. However, there is a power shift with the Heat at the top and the Wizards and Bobcats are trending up a bit while the Hawks will probably take a step back.
- Whether or not the Clippers can truly contend in 2013/14 depends on star forward Blake Griffin, opines Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.
- In his weekend mailbag, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes that Landry Fields, who signed a three-year, $18.75MM, deal with the Raptors last offseason, is slowly working to get his shot back while rehabbing his arm/elbow injury.
Cavs, Spurs To Audition Josh Childress
The Cavaliers and Spurs are the latest teams to schedule workouts for Josh Childress, agent Chris Emens tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype.com (Twitter link). Despite the confirmation of the workout, Childress is one of 40 or more players that Cleveland will audition next month as training camp approaches, tweets Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer, so the team may not be especially interested.
Childress has already worked out for the Pelicans and been linked to the Knicks this offseason. He also reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from Greek powerhouse Olympiacos earlier this summer, instead opting to try to latch on with an NBA team. Childress, 30, spent two seasons overseas with Olympiacos but has yet to re-establish himself in the NBA since returning in 2010 with the Suns. It sounds like Childress has a handful of suitors, but as Schmitt Boyer cautions, it is tough to evaluate if he can land an NBA job until we figure out where he will spend training camp.
Odds & Ends: Ivey, Cavs, Fredette, Lakers, Draft
Former second-round pick Royal Ivey has never scored more than 5.6 points per game in the NBA, nor has he averaged as many as 20 minutes a night. Still, the 6'3" combo guard has consistently found work in the league, as he's spent the entirety of the last nine seasons on an NBA roster. He's unsigned this summer, but it looks like he'll have a chance to make it an even 10 years in the Association. Ivey will soon work out for the Hawks and Spurs, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Here's more on a few others looking to stick around the NBA awhile:
- It was Carrick Felix's performance over the summer that prompted the Cavs to give the 33rd overall pick a slight bump in his first-year salary, the Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto writes. Pluto refers to the contract as a four-year deal, as it was originally reported to be, but Mark Deeks of ShamSports and HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus have it as a three-year pact.
- Pluto has heard renewed chatter linking the Cavs to Jimmer Fredette. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported in early July that the Kings were dangling Fredette and Chuck Hayes in discussions with the Cleveland, but Pluto says the Cavs haven't spoken to Sacramento in more than a month.
- The deal Elias Harris signed with the Lakers isn't fully guaranteed, but he seems a strong bet to make the team, since he's one of only 12 players under contract. Lakers assistant Mark Madsen shares his thoughts on the undrafted Gonzaga power forward with Mike Trudell of Lakers.com.
- HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis checks in with a ranking of the top 40 prospects for the vaunted 2014 draft, and names 20 others who could hear their names called next June.
- This week's trade for Tony Wroten is further indication that the Sixers are all-in on player development, opines Michael Kaskey-Blomain of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Western Notes: Ginobili, Beasley, Hansen, Blair
Let's check out a few Wednesday items from around the Western Conference….
- J. Gomez of SBNation's Pounding the Rock passes along and translates an interview Argentinian newspaper La Nación conducted with Manu Ginobili, which includes plenty of questions about retirement. According to Ginobili, frustration with health issues had him considering retirement this year, but once he improved physically, he realized he wanted to keep playing. The 36-year-old signed a new two-year deal with the Spurs last month.
- The Suns have yet to publicly reveal their plans for Michael Beasley after the troubled forward's recent arrest, as Bob Young of the Arizona Republic writes. Young rightly points out that if the Suns plan to release Beasley, they have until September 1st to take advantage of the stretch provision, which would allow the team to stretch the cap hit over several seasons.
- Chris Hansen's $100K donation to an anti-Kings-arena effort derails his credibility, but doesn't necessarily ruin Seattle's chances of receiving an expansion team in the next few years, says Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
- Wilson Chandler is looking forward to reuniting with former Knicks teammate Nate Robinson in Denver, as Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com details.
- DeJuan Blair is motivated and expects to make a difference in his first year with the Mavericks, according to Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com.
James Johnson To Work Out For Three Teams
A free agent for the first time, James Johnson has yet to land a deal with an NBA team, but will look to make an impression in upcoming workouts with three clubs, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Charania reports that Johnson will work out for the Spurs, Jazz, and Hawks in hopes of receiving a contract offer.
Johnson, 26, has spent time with the Bulls, Raptors, and Kings since making his NBA debut in 2009, averaging 6.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and a 12.4 PER in 219 career contests. Johnson's trade history is indicative of his slipping stock; a year and a half after being selected 16th overall by Chicago, the 6'9" forward was sent to Toronto for a first-round pick that landed at No. 28, then was eventually flipped to Sacramento for a 2014 second-rounder.
The Spurs, Jazz, and Hawks all currently have between 12 and 14 guaranteed contracts on their books for 2013/14, so there'd be room for Johnson to earn a roster spot on any of the three clubs, if he were to sign with one of them.
Odds & Ends: Heat, Jamison, Scott, TPEs
Sports, science, and technology are more closely linked than ever before and eight NBA clubs are at the forefront of the latest craze in athletics, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. The Spurs, Mavericks, Rockets, and Knicks plus four other teams that have kept their identities secret have invested in complex GPS tracking devices that track a player's movements to help better protect them. If a player is overexerting themselves – which is the time when injuries typically occur – then his activity can be shut down before anything goes south. Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- In today's mailbag, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel points out that the Heat have tons of options if they want to carry more than the minimum of 13 players. Antawn Jamison is available, but he's joined on the open market by fellow veterans such as Lamar Odom, Stephen Jackson, DeShawn Stevenson, and Richard Hamilton.
- Hawks forward Mike Scott got a $100K guarantee on his contract when he wasn't waived on/before Thursday. Scott averaged 4.6 PPG in 9.4 MPG for Atlanta last season.
- The Thunder didn't make major upgrades this offseason, but that's not a problem at all in the eyes of Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.
- Luke Adams updated the Hoops Rumors' running guide of outstanding trade exceptions. The Celtics and Nuggets have the most to work with of any club.
- Do you have what it takes to play in the D-League? Probably not. But you can find out by trying out, as detailed by Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside.
Deshaun Thomas To Play In France This Season
FRIDAY, 3:59pm: French team JSF Nanterre has officially announced the addition of Thomas, as Sportando notes via Twitter.
THURSDAY, 6:15pm: According to Bob Baptist of The Columbus Dispatch, Deshaun Thomas will opt to play in France this season (hat tip to Sportando). The 6'7 forward was selected 58th overall by the Spurs in June and averaged 12.4 PPG and 5.0 RPG while shooting 41.4% overall and 37.5% from long range in five summer league games. Thomas wasn't immediately sure of the name of the team he signed with, but acknowledged that he'll be playing in Paris.
The former Ohio State Buckeye candidly spoke about his decision to play overseas, telling Baptist:
“(The Spurs) didn’t know what they want to do with their 15 (roster) spots . . . and I needed to make a decision…In this business, you have to think about family. I still could have gone to (training camp) and tried to make the (Spurs’) roster, but with my son and a family to provide for, I had to look at that. And developing a year ain’t going to hurt."
Western Notes: Kobe, Young, Mavericks
Sitting outside of Staples Center tonight with late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant says that he'll never accept being called the greatest Laker ever from Magic Johnson considering that he learned so much from him. As for his injury timetable, he's not sure if he'll be back by opening night at this point but is trying his best to get ready (ESPN Los Angeles' Arash Markazi via Twitter). Here are the rest of tonight's miscellaneous tidbits from the Western Conference:
- Markazi and ESPN LA's Ramona Shelburne relay that Kobe would have picked North Carolina instead of Duke had he not decided to make the jump to the NBA out of high school, and shared that the Clippers feared they wouldn't be taken seriously if they drafted a 17-year-old despite telling him that he'd given them the best workout they've ever had (All Twitter links).
- Flabbergasted that his team was projected to finish 12th in the West this year, Nick Young is "upset and ready for the season," writes Markazi: "How are you going to be ranked that low with Kobe and Pau and Nash? There’s always going to be haters and we just have to keep proving them wrong."
- Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW thinks that the seventh or eighth-seed will be the best-case scenario for the Mavericks if all goes well this year. Jarret Johnson of the Star-Telegram looks at why there's optimism surrounding the team heading into the season.
- Noting that six general managers around the league have previous ties with the Spurs along with four former coaching assistants now leading teams of their own, Dan McCarney of Spurs Nation describes why San Antonio's structure is a model that many teams want to follow but will find hard to duplicate.
- Timberwolves' president Flip Saunders says that Kevin Love is now 242 lbs after playing last season at 250 (Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press via Twitter).
- Paul Coro of AZ Central tweets a picture of the Suns' new uniforms, which were debuted tonight.