New Deadline For Westbrook Deal
The NBA has set a deadline of Jan. 25 for teams to come to terms on contract extensions for players entering their fourth seasons.
It gives the Oklahoma City Thunder slightly more than six weeks to hammer out an extension for All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook. If no deal is reached by then, Westbrook will become a restricted free agent next summer, meaning the Thunder would have the right to retain him by matching any offer he might receive.
Westbrook and Thunder management, however, have both expressed their desire to get a deal done, and negotiations are not expected to spill into next summer.
Under new collective bargaining rules, Westbrook is eligible for a four-year extension that would kick in at the start of the 2012-13 season. The new rules, though, allow teams to designate one player who is eligible for a five-year extension at the maximum salary, which would be 25 percent of the salary cap. But Westbrook could be eligible to earn up to 30 percent of the salary cap if he is named to one of three All-NBA teams for the second consecutive year this season.
Prior to the lockout, teams had until Oct. 31 to extend rookie contracts before players would hit the market as restricted free agents in the following summer. The league will revert to the Oct. 31 deadline next season, when Thunder players James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Eric Maynor and Byron Mullens will be up for extensions.
Other prominent players from the 2008 draft class who are now eligible for extensions include Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Eric Gordon, Danilo Gallinari, Brook Lopez, Roy Hibbert and JaVale McGee.
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Nate Robinson Not Returning To The Thunder
Thunder guard Nate Robinson will not report to training camp and is expected to soon part ways with the team.
Robinson’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, said Thursday night that Robinson will remain in his native Seattle while the two sides search for a solution.
“They don’t plan on using him in their rotation, and we wanted to see if we could find a better opportunity somewhere else,” Goodwin said.
The Thunder could agree to a buyout with Robinson, trade him or use the amnesty clause in the new collective bargaining agreement. It’s unlikely that the Thunder will amnesty Robinson, however, because the team is under the salary cap and Robinson is scheduled to be paid a relatively inexpensive $4.5 million this season. The Thunder could hold onto its one-time amnesty option to use on a larger deal later so long as it was signed prior to July 1, 2011.
Robinson arrived in Oklahoma City in the trade that sent Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic to Boston in exchange for Kendrick Perkins. The 5-foot-5 point guard immediately became a fan favorite but was banished to the bench when he was squeezed out of coach Scott Brooks’ rotation.
Robinson played only four regular season games with the Thunder, averaging 3.3 points and 1.5 assists in 7.5 minutes.
If Robinson is waived, the Thunder will have 12 players under contract. Rookie Reggie Jackson is expected to be signed as early as Friday afternoon. Restricted free agent Daequan Cook is waiting for a contract extension as well.
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Shane Battier Not Interested In OKC?
It doesn't appear likely that Kevin Durant will be able to escape Shane Battier's smothering defense this season.
Bulldog free agent Shane Battier has narrowed his list of potential destinations.
And Oklahoma City doesn’t appear to be on it.
According to NBA.com’s David Aldridge, Battier has trimmed his wish list to just a handful of teams.
Free agent forward Shane Battier has narrowed his list of prospective teams from more than the original dozen or so to a handful of teams, including his current team, the Memphis Grizzlies, Miami, Indiana and Toronto, according to a league source.”
It’s possible this list is not comprehensive. Still, it’s no surprise the Thunder isn’t at least listed here. Twice in the past week I attempted to explain why Battier isn’t a likely option in OKC. You can see those explanations here and here.
But there is something that stands out about Battier’s alleged wish list. Of the four teams mentioned, only one, the Heat, is a title contender. The Grizzlies, only on the list because Battier last played in Memphis, are a likely playoff team, while the Pacers and Raptors both would be happy sneaking into the playoffs this season. That sort of goes against conventional wisdom, or at least the logic most adopted when they believed the 33-year-old Battier would only be interested in signing with a club in the championship hunt.
Seeing two teams that won a combined 59 games last season appear on the list, however, gives credence to my recent conversations regarding the future of the notoriously pesky defender. Battier, I’m hearing, wants big bucks. If money is indeed Battier’s biggest motivator, it’s no coincidence Indiana and Toronto are on the list. Both are in the bottom third in payroll, allowing each team the ability to tender Battier a lucrative contract if they desire. And Battier already has stated his preference of landing a three- or four-year deal. Memphis, meanwhile, could be roughly $5 million under the cap but would be allowed to exceed it to re-sign Battier.
Despite all of that, you’ve got to think Miami must be atop Battier’s list. Because no one is more South Beach than Shane Battier, right? OK, seriously, the Heat enter this season as the favorite to win it all, and there is a glaring need for a guy like Battier in Miami, especially if Pat Riley parts ways with injury-prone Mike Miller. Miami is over the cap and can offer only the mid-level exception, which figures to be around $5.7 million and not much more than the Thunder could tender if minor moves are made to clear up a spot and some cash.
The biggest difference between the Thunder and Heat is the role available to Battier. In Miami, Battier easily could receive the 24 minutes a night he played with Memphis last year. With the Thunder, though, Battier could have a hard time getting to 20. He knows it, the Thunder knows it and anyone who’s been paying attention knows it.
It’s just one of the many reasons Battier’s short list doesn’t include Oklahoma City, even if the two are a match made in heaven.
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Should OKC Have Taken A Chance On Big Al?
I’m always asked why the Thunder hasn’t spent some of the money it’s had the past two summers on a major free agent signing.
The answer is simple. OKC wants to see how its core develops together. Makes no sense to stunt the development of such a talented young roster simply because you have money to spend. The Thunder won 50 games and pushed the Lakers in the first round with its current young and inexperienced cast of characters. No telling what the boys can do if given just a little time to develop.
That’s the basketball side of it.
From a business standpoint, the Thunder is being wise about its budget. To ink Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, James Harden and Serge Ibaka to contract extensions without having an overblown budget, the Thunder must utilize some restraint now. And that’s precisely what OKC has done in sitting on the sidelines while others splurge on free agents.
And it’s why the Thunder again played it right by refraining from entering into the mix for Al Jefferson.
Forget the fact that Utah, after losing Carlos Boozer, acquired Jefferson from Minnesota at a discount rate: two future first-round picks and center Kosta Koufos. It might work out nicely for Utah. In Oklahoma City, however, Jefferson just isn’t worth the risk. The 6-foot-10 power forward/center has three years and $42 million remaining on his contract. He sustained a torn ACL in 2008-09. He had a down year with the Wolves last season. And, above all, he just doesn’t fit in Oklahoma City.
Jefferson needs the ball on the low block. To have an impact, he needs touch after touch throughout the game. That takes the ball out of the hands of Durant and Westbrook. And that’s not a good thing.
Everyone, including yours truly, has said the Thunder needs a low-post scoring threat before truly arriving as a championship contender. And to some degree, that might certainly be the case. But the truth of the matter is there just isn’t enough room for a player like Jefferson to command the ball on this roster. Realistically, how many times a game will Westbrook and Durant dump it down to a post player, stand around and watch him work? And how long would it be until a low-post threat like Jefferson starts complaining and turns into a cancer?
With a $42 million price tag, those are questions the Thunder is better off not knowing the answers to, especially with a guy like Jefferson, who is looking more and more like a whiner than a winner. In six seasons, Jefferson’s teams have compiled a 163-329 record. Jefferson has been to the playoffs once over that span, back in his rookie season when Boston fell in Game 7 to Indiana.
Maybe Jefferson will be a great addition for the Jazz. Maybe Utah should have simply plugged Paul Millsap into Boozer’s spot.
But it’s no question Oklahoma City is better off without Jefferson.
The Thunder has a squad that won 50 games last year. A group that has proven it fits together and won’t complain about roles or touches. Most importantly, the Thunder has a bunch that has done all those things without blowing the budget.
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Dan Gilbert Is Not A Happy Man
The Cleveland Cavaliers owner ripped LeBron James in an open letter to his team’s fans shortly after their former star announced that he would be joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. It’s understandable that Gilbert is upset, but in an incredibly insulting message, Gilbert went as far as calling James “narcissistic,” a “former hero,” a “self-declared former ‘King’” and someone who acted on “cowardly betrayal.”
Read the letter in its entirety for yourself.
Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;
As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.
This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his “decision” unlike anything ever “witnessed” in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.
Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.
The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.
There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.
You simply don’t deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.
You have given so much and deserve so much more.
In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:
“I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE”
You can take it to the bank.
If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our “motivation” to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.
Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.
Sorry, but that’s simply not how it works.
This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown “chosen one” sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And “who” we would want them to grow-up to become.
But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called “curse” on Cleveland, Ohio.
The self-declared former “King” will be taking the “curse” with him down south. And until he does “right” by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.
Just watch.
Sleep well, Cleveland.
Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day….
I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:
DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue….
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Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers
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Kevin Durant Q&A Part II
As promised, here is part two of the Q & A with Kevin Durant. In this installment, Durant shares his thoughts on tonight’s NBA Draft, upcoming contract extensions for himself and Jeff Green and why it was tough for him to watch the NBA Finals. Enjoy.
Q: How do you view this draft? Anybody you see that you’d love to have as a new teammate?
A: Since I’ve been in the league, this is the first time that we haven’t had a top five pick. So I really don’t know who to expect is going to be down there at 21. I’m not a front office guy, but I guess whoever is the best available is who we should take. I don’t know. You never know what’s going to happen with the first 20 picks. But I like some players. There’s a couple of guys. Gordon Hayward, I hear he’s a guy that could be a good small forward for us. Bigs, Daniel Orton, Larry Sanders, guys like that could help us out as well. We have a good core of guys and whoever we pick is going to come in an jell with us right away.
Q: I’ve got two names for you. At 21, Damion James. At 26, Dexter Pittman.
A: That would be perfect. That would be perfect for me. Those two guys have had great careers at Texas. They really deserve to be picked in this draft. We’ll see what happens. Those two would be perfect fits for us.
Q: Now that you’ve had some time to reflect on last season and what you guys accomplished, is there anything that you’ve taken away from last year that you can use going into next season.
A: I took a look back. It was disappointing for me to watch the Finals, knowing that we had a chance to beat the Lakers and advance. But that doesn’t take away from the year that we had. We had such a fun year. A lot of people didn’t think we’d get to the playoffs and wing 50 games. But we proved people wrong and that felt good. But at the same time, we wanted to win when we got there. That was a little disappointing. It kind of feels like we expected to win the championship. For example, if the Lakers would have lost their season would have been a failure even though they won 57 games. That’s how I kind of felt. I don’t know if that’s the right feelings or what but that’s how I felt. I guess that’s just my competitive nature. But looking back on it, it was a fun year, a lot of guys got better and I’m looking forward to coming back.
Five Questions With Tim Legler
ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler took time out of a busy schedule to talk Thunder and give his impressions on one of the league’s most surprising teams at the quarter point of the season. Legler, who enjoyed a 10-year playing career, is one of television’s best NBA analysts and is high on what is taking place in Oklahoma City.
In a Q&A, Legler talked about the Thunder’s hot start, how Chris Bosh would fit in a Thunder uniform and whether Scott Brooks and Thabo Sefolosha are viable candidates for respective end-of-the-year awards, Coach of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. It’s a lengthy chat but one that I promise you is insightful.
DM: What are your impressions of the Thunder’s start. Through 21 games the team is a surprising 12-9.
TL: I’ve been extremely impressed. Going back to the preseason when I wrote up my preseason previews for the league, I had them right on the fringe of making the playoffs in the Western Conference. I said if everything broke right and they stayed healthy and got maybe a couple of contributions from some guys that they expected I expected them to be able to fight for the last one or two spots in the conference. So they haven’t really surprised me because I expected them to be this good. They may be getting there a little bit quicker. But they’re a team that’s got everything that you want. They’ve got a dominant go-to offensive machine in Kevin Durant. They’ve got the guy that I picked to be my breakout player of the year in Russell Westbrook at the point who is a future All-Star and a triple-double threat every night. Once he figures out that he can be, he’s a triple-double threat every night. Then you’ve got James Harden, who’s a perfect sixth man for that team. You’ve got offense off the bench. And then Jeff Green, who’s Mr. Consistency, Mr. Solid. So around those four guys you’ve got a little bit of everything you need to compete. And I’ve been extremely impressed with them. It’s great for the league. I said the other day during a piece when asked to pick any player in the league, take him off the team he’s on and put him on any other team who would you pick for a Christmas wish list? And I said I would take Chris Bosh off the Raptors as a free agent and I would put him on Oklahoma City next year and you would have a team that could contend in the Western Conference every night. If they had a power forward that could help up front with more scoring in the paint and help them on the boards and help them match up better with other teams, that’s the only thing right now that they lack. A little bit of size and athleticism up front. They will be the next buzz team in the Western Conference, the team that’s going to be thrown into the mix over the next couple of years. And it’s good for the league because we need some new blood up there. We’re tired of talking about, as analysts, the same five or six teams all the time. It’s nice to see another team break through at that level, and Oklahoma City is that team. They’re the ones that will make that journey and get up to the top shelf over the next couple of seasons. It’s going to be fun to watch.
Training Camp Roster Almost Finalized
Former Tulsa standout Michael Ruffin is one of several free agents who have received an invitation to the Thunder’s training camp, which opens Tuesday.
NBA Fanhouse first reported that the Thunder will sign Ruffin and Ryan Bowen, two nine-year veteran power forwards, to non-guaranteed contracts. The Oklahoman has also learned that Tre Kelley and Mike Harris are among at least two other players who are expected to join Ruffin and Bowen in training camp.
Harris, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound forward, played at Rice and had a brief stint with Houston at the end of last season. Kelley is a 6-foot point guard who was a three-year starter at South Carolina.
Oklahoma City has 14 guaranteed contracts, and the quartet is expected to fight for the final roster spot throughout October’s preseason schedule.
Ruffin, Bowen and Harris are all known as hard workers who could add beef to the Thunder’s frontcourt in emergency situations and provide a high level of competition in practice. The Thunder is set to enter the season with a solid rotation of Jeff Green, Nick Collison, Nenad Krstic and Etan Thomas at the power forward and center positions.
But there is only young, inexperienced talent after that in D.J. White, Serge Ibaka and Byron Mullens. Those three have played a combined seven NBA games — all by White — and each is expected to see significant time in the D-League.
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Q&A With Kevin Ollie
It was long overdue but I finally got in touch with Kevin Ollie, the veteran point guard the Thunder signed on Aug. 1 to add stability and leadership to the lead guard position. Throughout our 18-minute conversation, Ollie talked about why he joined the Thunder, why he thinks something special is being built in Oklahoma City, his goals of a coaching future, the impact of assistant coach Maurice Cheeks’ addition and how he plans on mentoring Russell Westbrook while competing with Shaun Livingston for backup minutes.
Ollie, who turns 37 in late December, is regarded as one of the classiest guys in basketball and that characterization was evident in our brief chat. He was thankful for the opportunity to continue his career and eager to meet his new teammates and start training camp. He was insightful, introspective, eloquent, humble and gave the impression of being an extremely hard worker. Thunder fans definitely will take a liking to Ollie’s personality, and if he provides anything of value on the court this season that will just be icing on the cake.
DM: What attracted you to the Thunder?
KO: From Day One they gave me a call and expressed interest and had a strong belief in me and my talents and what I can bring as an asset to the team. So I really appreciate their involvement from Day One. And once I met Sam Presti and coach Brooks I just fell in love with the organization. They do everything in a classy way, and I just believe that they’re building a winning program there that I wanted to be a part of.
More On The Durant Free Agent Front
This time next year, Kevin Durant will be eligible to re-sign with the Thunder for up to five more seasons beyond the 2010-11 season.
In Monday’s paper I wrote about Durant’s contract situation and how he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, in large part because, no matter how hard it might be for some to believe, he really has grown fond of Oklahoma and the Thunder. But I wanted to post some additional information about Durant’s forthcoming decision and give you an even clearer idea of why Durant isn’t likely to leave after his rookie deal.
In short, players like Durant just don’t walk after their rookie contracts.
Whether we believe Durant will do what he’s repeatedly said he wants to do — remain with the Thunder for as long as possible — is up to us at this point. It’s certainly understandable how fans and media types have revoked the benefit of the doubt from athletes and coaches. There are far too many examples of a player or coach insisting his or her heart is somewhere only to jump ship weeks later.
But if Durant’s good old-fashioned word isn’t enough, let’s examine history.
Out of 70 top 10 picks from 1999-2005, 40 players went on to sign an extension with the team that drafted them or the club that traded for them.
(I chose this seven-year time frame because the second most recent CBA was instituted in 1999 and still contained rules with similar structuring of rookie contracts to today. I stopped at 2005 because the jury is still out on the class of 2006, which just became eligible to sign extensions this summer and so far has seen No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani become the lone top 10 pick from that class to re-up.)
Of the remaining 30 players from 1999-2005 who didn’t sign extensions, 15 were players who can be considered busts or simply didn’t live up to early expectations: Marcus Fizer, Rodney White, Nickoloz Tskitishvili, Dajuan Wagner, Jarvis Hayes, Stromile Swift, Keyon Dooling, Joel Przybilla, Channing Frye, DeSagana Diop, Michael Sweetney, Darko Milicic, Rafael Araujo, Ike Diogu and Luke Jackson.
