NBA Rumors Round-Up
NBA Rumors: HEAT Pass on Bynum?
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated04 Dec 2023
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As for free agent Andrew Bynum, [Pat] Riley commented on the speculation that the Heat might be a landing spot for the center, who was waived by the Chicago Bulls recently.
“It’s all speculation,” Riley said. “That’s all it is. There will be a tremendous amount of research (on free agents). There’s nothing going at all. There’s nothing happening at all with that situation.”
As soon as Andrew Bynum cleared waivers recently, the Miami HEAT were being mentioned as a potential suitor for the big man. It makes sense because Miami needs help down low, but Pat Riley shot down the Bynum rumors when talking to reporters.
On Wednesday, Zach Lowe of Grantland predicted that the HEAT would waive Toney Douglas (who Miami just acquired) in order to sign Bynum. This is certainly possible and the above quote could just be Riley keeping his cards close to his vest.
The fact that Miami has the taxpayer mid-level exception (worth $3.183 million) was another reason that the HEAT were being mentioned as a perfect landing spot for Bynum, since Miami has money to spend whereas most teams just have a veteran’s minimum contract to offer. If Greg Oden can be productive and healthy (after he had six points in eight minutes on Wednesday night), Miami won’t need Bynum. However, Oden obviously isn’t the most reliable player given his injury history so we’ll see what happens.
»In Related: Miami HEAT Salary Cap Information
Mike Woodson admitted he’s “concerned” that some of the things that have transpired with the Knicks this season could lead to Carmelo Anthony leaving. Nevertheless, Woodson said he believes Anthony will retire a Knick.
“You’re concerned,” Woodson said on ESPN New York radio Wednesday. “But Melo’s wearing a Knick uniform. I think Melo loves playing in New York. He’s been one of the bright spots this year. He’s been solid all the way through our ups and downs this year. To me, that’s the sign of a true pro. … We are starting to get back healthy. We are playing a little bit better. As far as Melo leaving New York, in my heart I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think Melo’s going to retire a New York Knick. That’s just my own personal belief.”
via Al Iannazzone of Newsday
This is shocking news, simply because head coaches rarely go on the record and discuss that they’re concerned about losing their superstar. However, it’s a genuine concern considering how poorly the New York Knicks have played this season (until lately) and because there are multiple teams that have cap space this summer that would love to bring in a star of Anthony’s caliber.
Keep in mind, if Anthony decides to exercise his early termination option, he’ll be opting out of $23,333,403 for next season. Also, he’ll be leaving significant money and an extra season on the table if he decides to leave the Knicks since they’re the only team that can offer him a five-year deal.
This becomes interesting at the trade deadline on February 20. If the Knicks have any reason to believe that Anthony will leave this offseason, they’ll likely consider trading him so that they can get something in return for their star rather than losing him for nothing via free agency.
»In Related: New York Knicks Salary Cap Information
Already donning a gray Clippers long-sleeve shirt and black team-issued sweatpants, longtime NBA veteran Hedo Turkoglu made more than a week of speculation official.
After working out for the Clippers on Jan. 9, the team finally agreed to terms with the free agent forward Thursday as they prepare to leave for a seven-game east coast road trip.
“It feels great,” Turkoglu said. “I’m really excited, a little bit nervous. It’s a new chapter for me. This is my 14th year and I’m just really happy to be a part of this great organization.”
via Eric Patten of Clippers.com
Earlier this week, Doc Rivers said that Hedo Turkoglu had a strong workout with the Los Angeles Clippers and that his team had a lot of interest in signing the veteran forward. Today, the team made the signing official around 9 a.m. Now, the only question is how much does Turkoglu have left in the tank?
At 34 years old, Turkoglu is far from the player that he was during the Orlando Magic’s 2009 postseason run. Last season, he appeared in 11 games for the Magic, averaging 2.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Orlando recently waived Turkoglu, paying him $6 million for this season, even though he didn’t appear in a game or practice with the team since he was told to stay away from the group just before training camp. Instead, he was working out on his own at Rollins College in Orlando, preparing for his next stint.
»In Related: Los Angeles Clippers Salary Cap Information
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