For a guy who is never sure he has a job, point guard Mike Wilks is doing OK. The 5-10, 180-pound point guard is entering his 7th season and has already played for the Hawks, Timberwolves, Rockets, Spurs, Cavaliers, Sonics, Nuggets and Wizards. Here’s a report from the Orlando Sentinel (Brian Schmitz):
He has never had a guaranteed contract heading into a season, and this one marks No. 7. “Every year I go in with a non-guarantee — every year,” Wilks said Tuesday. “I’ve been blessed where it’s worked out every year, where I’ve done enough to impress the team.” Wilks, 29, looks as if he’ll make the opening-night roster as the Magic’s third point guard behind starter Jameer Nelson and Nelson’s backup, Anthony Johnson. But he won’t know how long he’ll be with the team until next year. The Magic have until January to guarantee his contract, valued at around $1 million. Wilks’ value to the club increases when the Magic closely monitor Nelson’s health.
Considering Anthony Johnson’s advanced age, I say it makes sense for the Magic to keep Wilks for now, though he really needs to raise those career shooting averages of 40.0% from the field and 31.1% from three-point range.
“(Being more selfish) is something that I need to do, but not necessarily trying to do,” Lewis said. “It’s just my nature to play the right way. When I’m double teamed, I’m going to look for the open man. But at some points in the game, I do have to be more selfish to score more points when we need baskets. I’m more comfortable with the system, with the guys and now I’m more ready to be a little more selfish.” General manager Otis Smith has been prodding Lewis to not defer so much to small forward Hedo Turkoglu, who had a breakout season in part because Lewis kept defenses honest. And head coach Stan Van Gundy has pushed for Lewis to try and get to the rim, and ultimately the free throw line, more by resisting the notion to shoot so many 3-pointers. After all, the Magic didn’t reward Lewis — a one-time all-star during his playing days with the Seattle SuperSonics, — a six-year, $118 million contract for him to just fit in. He has the skill set to be a dominant scorer, but often his mellow demeanor saps some of his aggressiveness. The Magic are trying to change that aspect of the 6-foot-10, 230-pound Lewis.
Rajon Rondo is hopeful he can be a Celtic long after the Big Three are gone. General manager Danny Ainge said yesterday that the $2.09 million team option on Rondo for the 2009-10 season will be exercised before this season… Rondo will be eligible for a lucrative long-term deal next summer that would begin with the 2010-11 season. Signing him next summer as opposed to when he is a restricted free agent during the hot 2010 market will have salary cap implications for Boston. Duffy plans to push hard for a long-term deal; Danny Ainge does not comment on free agent issues.
The biggest surprise of the practice was that Nicolas Batum worked extensively with the starting unit. The 19-year-old rookie forward from France has been a standout during exhibition play, and coach Nate McMillan — who is searching for a replacement for the injured Martell Webster — said he wanted to experiment with Batum in the first unit. McMillan also plans to look at Travis Outlaw and Rudy Fernandez as potential starters.
It has been more of the same from O’Neal at the free-throw line in the preseason, with eight misses in 12 tries. And it might be more of the same “Hack-a-Shaq” approach this season for the career 52.4 percent free-throw shooter. The NBA reviewed the rule allowing intentional fouls away from the ball without penalty until the final two minutes but did not alter the rule to protect a weakness. “I was fine with that,” O’Neal said. “It doesn’t work. It may work in a series, but it’s not going to get you to the championship. San Antonio tried it, but they went home a couple weeks after we went home. I just have to go to the line and make them pay. And I will. “The only thing I call cowardly is when you’re up by 10 and do it. That’s a cowardly move. I didn’t say nothing last year, but that’s a coward move. They should really do something about that. When you’re down, I can see using it as a strategy, but when you’re up 10 to 15 points, there’s really no need for that.”