June 2014 – Page 2 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

Orlando Magic waive Doron Lamb

The Orlando Magic have waived guard Doron Lamb, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today.

Lamb played in 53 games last season with the Magic, averaging 3.6 ppg. in 13.1 minpg., while shooting .400 (36-90) from three-point range. He scored in double figures six times, including a season-high 14 points on Apr. 2 vs. Cleveland

Originally selected by Milwaukee in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft by Milwaukee, Lamb appeared in 100 career NBA regular season games with Milwaukee and Orlando, averaging 3.5 ppg. in 12.7 minpg., while shooting .394 (50-127) from three-point range. He was acquired by Orlando along with Tobias Harris and Beno Udrih from Milwaukee in exchange for J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon and Ish Smith on Feb. 21, 2013.

Celtics extend qualifying offer to Avery Bradley

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have extended a qualifying offer to guard Avery Bradley.

Bradley, a 6’2 guard, is coming off a breakout 2013-14 season where he recorded career-highs in points per game (14.9), rebounds per game (3.8), points (891), rebounds (226), minutes (1855), field goals made (361), three-pointers made (79) and free throws made (90). Bradley tied a career-high for points in a game when he notched 28 points against Brooklyn on March 21. He recorded his first career double-double when he recorded 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against New York on December 8. Selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Bradley recorded his 1,000th career points in the opening game of the season against Toronto on October 30. He led the Celtics in scoring in 17 games and recorded 20 or more points in 16 contests.

Jason Kidd leaving Nets to coach Bucks

Well, this escalated quickly. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to send two second-round draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets to secure the coaching rights to Jason Kidd, sources tell ESPN.com.

The Bucks had been offering one second-round pick, but the Nets initially wanted a 2015 first-round pick in exchange, a negotiating chip the Bucks originally dismissed.

A source told ESPN.com’s Andy Katz that the Bucks have only talked to Kidd about being the coach, not any kind of administrative position running basketball operations. The source said the negotiation was supposed to be between the owners, not involving any basketball personnel, before the story was leaked out by the New York Post. But the source said the negotiations are now being handled by Bucks general manager John Hammond and Nets GM Billy King.

Pat Riley statement on Chris Bosh, who is opting out of Heat contract

Pat Riley statement on Chris Bosh opting out of Heat contract

The following statement by Pat Riley was released today by the Miami Heat:

“Today we were notified of Chris’ intentions to opt-out of his contract. Chris is one of the most versatile and dynamic big men in this league, and he has been an instrumental key to our championship success over the last four seasons. We look forward to meeting with Chris and his agent in the coming days to discuss keeping him in Miami for many years to come.”

Kings waive forward Willie Reed

The Sacramento Kings waived forward Willie Reed, according to Kings General manager Pete D’Alessandro.

The 6-10, 200-pound forward was signed as a free agent by the Kings on March 26, 2014. He did not see action in any regular season games with the Kings. Reed was assigned to the Kings’ D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns and averaged 13.6 points (.649 FG%, .800 FT%), 7.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.4 blocks and 25.0 minutes per game in five contests off the bench.

A glance at Warriors free agency needs

Here’s the Bay Area News Group reporting on the Golden State Warriors. NBA league-wide free agent negotiations begin Tuesday, July 1:

The Warriors’ needs: a backup point guard, a backup shooting guard, reliable scoring off the bench, a penetrator, a big man who can shoot the 3-pointer, a low-post scorer and a third-string center. But when you’re on limited funds, you have to find players who knock out a few needs.

Since Festus Ezeli is expected to return and David Lee can serve as the third center, the Warriors’ greatest need is on the perimeter. Jordan Crawford and Steve Blake won’t return, leaving no backups for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Guard Rodney Stuckey, a free agent after seven seasons with Detroit, makes a lot of sense for the Warriors because he can back up Curry or Thompson. Stuckey is 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, and his game is attacking the paint off the dribble. His career percentage of free-throw attempts to field-goal attempts is .381, well above Curry’s career-high of .252 last season.

Jeremy Lin, a Bay Area native and former Warrior, is an even better penetrator than is Stuckey. But Lin will count $8.4 million against the salary cap on his expiring contract — if Houston were willing to trade him. That would leave the Warriors with less than $3 million to fill out the roster.

Will Carmelo Anthony re-sign with Knicks?

Here’s the New York Post reporting on Carmelo Anthony free agency and the Knicks:

According to one Knicks player Carmelo Anthony spoke to recently, he gave no indication he was planning an exit strategy from New York.

The source told The Post this week one reason Anthony wants to remain in New York is he has enjoyed being in a big media market, as opposed to being in Denver.

The Post reported two weeks ago Knicks officials liked their odds of re-signing Anthony following their June 13 dinner meeting in Los Angeles in which Phil Jackson, coach Derek Fisher and general manager Steve Mills met with Anthony and his agent Leon Rose and broached the Mavericks trade.

The Post reported the organization likes its chances because of cap-space issues of Chicago and Houston. ESPN.com confirmed The Post report Saturday, saying Knicks officials were “increasingly optimistic’’ about their chances because Anthony and Jackson have “connected.’’ And now Anthony has a more consistent point guard in Jose Calderon, one of seven players Jackson added this week.

Lakers, Knicks could be Pau Gasol free agency possibilities

Here’s ESPN Los Angeles reporting on some Pau Gasol free agency possibilities:

While free-agent forward Pau Gasol grew tired of the persistent trade rumors that followed him for the better part of the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, he would give strong consideration to re-signing with the team, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Gasol has strong ties to Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who has advocated for his return, and a deep affinity for Los Angeles and the franchise he won two NBA titles with. While the constant trade rumors stung, Gasol learned to live with them and has a level of expectation that a new coaching staff would prioritize him more than Mike D’Antoni did, sources said.

ESPN reported Friday that the New York Knicks are preparing to make a run at the 7-foot Spaniard who thrived in new Knicks president Phil Jackson’s triangle offense in L.A. The Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors are also expected to pursue Gasol in free agency, sources said.

However, Gasol may have to wait until free-agent forwards Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James make their decisions, as many of the teams with an interest in Gasol also have an interest in Anthony and James.

Jason Kidd wants control of Nets, may wind up with Bucks

Here’s the New York Post reporting a wild story that came out of the blue and has been confirmed by several other outlets:

Apparently Jason Kidd isn’t satisfied with just coaching, but he’ll have to be if he stays with the Nets.

According to a league source, Kidd recently approached ownership with a series of demands, including the role of overseeing the Nets’ basketball operations department in addition to his head coaching responsibilities. The source said Kidd didn’t want general manager Billy King to be dismissed, but wanted to be given a title and placed above him in the organizational hierarchy.

Ownership declined to grant Kidd that kind of power, which is rare for any coach in the league to have. The source said ownership felt Kidd wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility after having only one year of coaching experience — the team finished his first season on the bench with a 44-38 record, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference — and allowed Kidd to seek other opportunities.

The franchise then was approached by the Bucks for permission to speak with Kidd about the prospect of hiring him, and the Nets granted permission.

Pat Riley statement on Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem free agency

The following statement from Pat Riley was released by the Miami Heat this afternoon:

“Today we were notified of Dwyane’s intention to opt-out of his contract and Udonis’ intention to not opt into his contract, making both players free agents. Dwyane has been the cornerstone of our organization for over a decade, and we hope he remains a part of the Heat family for life. Udonis has been the heartbeat of this team for 11 years. He has sacrificed countless times to make this organization successful, and he is the epitome of what this organization stands for. We look forward to meeting with Dwyane and Udonis and their agent in the coming days to discuss our future together.”

InsideHoops.com note: Riley didn’t mention Chris Bosh, who may opt out as well. Perhaps that will be confirmed very soon.