Inside Hoops – Page 1301 – NBA Blog

Toronto Raptors want to toughen up

If there is one word Dwane Casey will not have associated with his team this season, it’s the word ‘soft.’

Or any variation of that word.

In Casey’s world, a soft team is a team that is not playing well defensively, and Casey already saw that team last season. He is determined never to see that again.

“We’re adding more players to do that now,” Casey said. “We’re adding Tyler (Hansbrough). We’re going in with a defensive mentality that we did in Year 1 ( two years ago) .

“We have to have people thinking: ‘Ah, man, I don’t want to go play Toronto tonight’ and do it legally without having a lot of fouls, but do it physically in a legal way. I thought we accomplished that in Year 1 and I thought last year we took a step back. Now we have to get back to our core.”

But Psycho-T alone isn’t going to get the job done and Casey is well aware of that.

“Tyler does it, Quincy (Acy) does it, Amir (Johnson) does it, JV (Jonas Valanciunas) is going to be a year better at it,” Casey said of playing tough defence that makes an opponent know you’re there in the most direct terms. “That’s going to be our focus from Day 1, back to a defensive identity. And it’s going to be laid out. If you don’t play defence you are not going to play. You can’t. We can’t win without a defensive mentality.”

Reported by Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun

Mbah a Moute likes new home with Kings

“I kind of saw from afar a new owner, a new coach, and I saw the moves they were making,” [Luc] Mbah a Moute said. And I was one of the moves that they were making.

“When I found out I was a part of it, I was really excited. I feel like I fit right in. What I bring to the team is something the team needs and values, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Mbah a Moute was acquired for his defense. The Kings were bad in most defensive categories last season and allowed a league-worst 105.1 points per game.

The 6-foot-8, 230-pound Mbah a Moute is expected to play small forward, adding length on the perimeter defensively.

Mbah a Moute, who averaged 6.7 points last season, said he continues to work on his offense and becoming a player who can make the corner three-pointer. He shot 35.1 percent from beyond the arc last season.

Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee

Should Knicks add Metta World Peace?

Knicks executive Larry Johnson admittedly is worried, unsure the Knicks have done enough to keep pace with the Eastern Conference stalwarts, specifically the Nets. And he said he believes the addition of Metta World Peace would be a perfect step.

Johnson, who spends his summers in Las Vegas as UNLV’s most famous basketball alum, is with the Knicks summer league team while aiding MSG Network’s coverage.

“I think that’s what we need to do,’’ Johnson told The Post of adding World Peace, who was amnestied by the Lakers. “That would be a great addition for us. This guy is a proven champion. He’s won. Off the floor, he had some problems. He did some things off the floor that wasn’t supposed to be done, but I think he’s got this life in the right place.

“To get him right now would be a great addition to our team as far as strength, outside shooting, perimeter defense instead of [Iman Shumpert] always guarding guys.’’

Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Knicks interested in Samuel Dalembert

The Knicks are interested in one of the best centers still available in free agency, Samuel Dalembert, according to a player source.

On Friday, the first day of the NBA summer league at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion, Knicks GM Glen Grunwald and Dalembert’s agent, Marc Cornstein, were spotted chatting. The Knicks currently have no real backup behind Tyson Chandler, as Marcus Camby, Kurt Thomas and Rasheed Wallace are all gone, and Kenyon Martin and Earl Barron are still free agents.

At this point, however, the Mavericks are the front runners to land Dalembert, who averaged 6.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 16 minutes per game last season for the Bucks. Sources indicated to ESPNDallas.com that the Mavs are optimistic they will reach an agreement with Dalembert soon.

Reported by Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York

Jeremy Tyler trying to earn spot with Knicks

The Knicks need a banger up front to contend with the Pacers’ Roy Hibbert. The 6-foot-10, 260-pound Jeremy Tyler is trying to prove he’s the guy.

Tyler, who played for the Warriors and Hawks last season, got off to a great start Friday in the Knicks summer league opener against the Pelicans with a 10-point, 11-rebound performance. He started at power forward, played 23 minutes and had five offensive rebounds.

The Knicks may re-sign aging Kenyon Martin but there’s a big chance the younger, taller Tyler will be invited to training camp — maybe even with a partial guarantee. Ironically, he grew up a fan in San Diego.

“The Knicks have always been my favorite team,’’ Tyler said. “I’d love to be part of the organization. People would say, ‘you’re from San Diego. Why aren’t you a Lakers fan?’’’

Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Chase Budinger excited about return to Timberwolves

On Saturday morning, on a conference call from San Diego, still sleepy from just having awakened, Chase Budinger talked about how excited he was to be coming back to the Minnesota Timberwolves this fall.

For a number of reasons.

He likes the additions Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders has made. The trades, the signings, the draft. He likes the fact that, from the start, the Timberwolves made it clear they wanted Budinger back. And, of course, he loves playing for Wolves coach Rick Adelman. Put that all together and Budinger – who signed a three-year, $16 million deal to come back to the team, said he chose opportunity over money to return.

“It really wasn’t that hard a decision for me,” Budinger said. “The only thing, though, is I did have an offer out there that was worth more money. I did give up money to come back to Minnesota. If anyone knows the type of guy I am, I’m a cheap kind of guy. So giving up money is always tough. But I knew, coming back to Minnesota was the best choice, the best opportunity for me. The best place to grow as a player, and for us to win. To make the playoffs. We’re a young team, and we can grow together.”

Reported by Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Dwight Howard already helping Houston Rockets ticket sales

In the eight days since Dwight Howard announced his decision to sign with the Rockets, the Rockets have had their best stretch of ticket sales since moving into Toyota Center.

Rockets CEO Tad Brown would not share specific numbers, but said there has been a bump of 20 percent in the equivalent of full season ticket packages. The Rockets expect sales to continue now that they can begin marketing efforts centered around him. Billboards went up around town on Saturday. Prior to Saturday, sales staff could not even say his name when on the phone with customers.

“You never know until you get into those discussions, but it obviously moves the needle,” Brown said.

Reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle

Dwight Howard happy for fresh start with Rockets

Dwight Howard says he’s looking forward to a “fresh start” with the Rockets.

The center was formally introduced in Houston on Saturday after spurning the Lakers to sign with the Rockets, and he was greeted by some of the brightest stars in team history.

Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon and Yao Ming were among those on hand to celebrate Howard’s signing.

“This is a great opportunity, a great feeling to be here, to have a fresh start,” Howard said, according to the Houston Chronicle. “… I made this decision for me. I want to be happy. If you can’t be happy when you’re playing, it’s not fun. I want to get back to being that guy who was playing and having fun but at the same time dominating.

“If we dedicate ourselves and sacrifice everything we’ve got for a championship, at the end of the season we should be holding up a trophy.”

Reported by ESPN.com News Services

On the importance of summer league

One NBA executive marveled to me about how much stock people put into summer league. It is, he said, just a chance to see the guys apply the things they’ve done separately at their workouts. At the same time, Celtics assistant coach (and head coach for the summer league team) Jay Larranaga often mentioned how some of these guys are showcasing themselves for other teams, even while wearing green.

That’s part of the deal teams make with some of these guys. Darius Johnson-Odom played three games for the Celtics, made his case for those seated at the Magic’s practice court, and then left to join the Nuggets summer league team in Las Vegas (the Celtics are not participating in the Las Vegas league). Many others are also double-dipping. That’s part of trying to make the show. It’s part of the struggle.

The payoff, if there is one, is gigantic. You can see the stress that puts on some guys. Sometimes you see it on the court. Sometimes you catch it when they step into the media dining area to get some food.

Reported by John Karalis of WEEI.com

Atlanta Hawks match Milwaukee Bucks offer sheet for Jeff Teague

The Atlanta Hawks have matched the offer sheet extended by the Milwaukee Bucks to Jeff Teague, President of Basketball Operations/GM Danny Ferry announced today.

According to multiple reports, the offer sheet was for four years and $32 million.

“We are happy to bring Jeff back to our team. He has improved each year of his career and continues to get better,” Ferry said. “At 25, he’s already been a key contributor on a playoff team and we look forward to seeing him develop into even more of a leader on our team.”

Teague increased his scoring and assist averages for the third consecutive year, posting career highs with 14.6 points and 7.2 assists in 32.9 minutes per game in 80 games (78 starts) during the 2012-13 season. His 7.2 assists per game ranked 12th in the NBA last season and he shot .881 from the free throw line, the eighth-highest percentage in the league. He is one of just 10 players in the NBA to increase their scoring average in each of the past three seasons.

The four-year veteran from Wake Forest posted 10 games with at least 20 points and 10 assists, tied for the fourth-most in the league last season with Stephen Curry (Golden State) and behind only LeBron James (Miami, 13), Tony Parker (San Antonio, 12), Chris Paul (LA Clippers, 11) and Deron Williams (Brooklyn, 11) . The Hawks posted an 8-2 record in those games.

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to coach Jeff. He has a high level of talent. Keeping him with our group allows us to continue to build and improve going forward,” Head Coach Mike Budenholzer said.

The 19th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Hawks, Teague has career averages of 9.0 points on .451 shooting and 4.0 assists in 22.6 minutes per game in 287 games (154 starts). He has also played in 29 postseason games (18 starts) and has averages of 9.4 points on .409 shooting and 3.0 assists in 25.3 minutes per game.