The Chicago Bulls will sign veteran point guard Mike James to a non-guaranteed camp deal, according to ESPN's Marc Stein. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune and Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago both confirmed the report.
NBA news roundup: Mike James to Bulls camp, Mavericks add trio to roster
Teams continue to add players to their training camp rosters. Meanwhile, there are no NBA franchises for sale and Phil Jackson is involved in a Showtime series.
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James played 11 games for the Bulls in 2012, so he does have some familiarity with Tom Thibodeau’s system. The Bulls currently have 12 guaranteed contracts on their roster, so there are a few open slots.
However, Chicago is expected to carry only 13 players due to luxury tax issues, and another big man is a more pressing need. The Bulls are already stocked at point guard with Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich and Marquis Teague, so it seems rather unlikely that James would stick, although Sam believes he actually might.
Mavs add Melo, 2 others to camp roster
Fab Melo will join D.J. Kennedy and Richard McConnell in Dallas Mavericks camp as the 23-year-old big man tries to jump-start his NBA career after a failed stint with the Boston Celtics.
Melo, a 2012 first-round pick, played sparingly in Boston before getting dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies this offseason. The Grizzlies subsequently waived him, and he became an unrestricted free agent after clearing through waivers.
Melo has shown some potential in the D-League, but there are questions about his work ethic. Over at Mavs Moneyball, Alan Smithee thinks Melo could be worthy of a roster spot:
Melo is a legit 7’0, and moves fairly well for a man his size. Though he can block shots, and generally take up space, he has not demonstrated much of any functional NBA ability yet. For a franchise that typically values basketball IQ and hustle, Melo is a strange match, but given his physical attributes and pedigree, he’s at least worthy of a chance to make the team.
Kennedy and McConnell are much less likely to make the team. Kennedy played in the D-League last season, while McConnell played in Italy.
No NBA teams for sale
Incoming NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed that there are currently no NBA teams for sale, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Several teams have recently been pulled off the market, including the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rumors have also swirled around potential sales of the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors.
Silver explained that the upcoming television rights deal is a big reason no teams are on the market:
“As we look at the coming domestic television deal and a great playoffs and Finals, there’s a great buzz around the league right now,” Silver said at the Bloomberg Sports Business Summit. “There aren’t any teams for sale but if there were [the price] would be robust.”
Nine franchises were sold in the last three-plus years, but for now, it looks like there won’t be any more sales in the near future.
Phil involved with Showtime series
Phil Jackson will be an executive producer for a scripted Showtime series that looks behind-the-scenes of a professional basketball team, according to Brian Steinberg of Variety.
Current Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis will join Jackson as an executive producer. Ron Shelton will write, direct and executive produce the one-hour series. Shelton has been involved in numerous sports projects in the past, including "Bull Durham," "Tin Cup" and "White Men Can't Jump."
The significant others of Jackson and Rambis will also have a role in the development of the show, with Jeannie Buss and Linda Rambis signing on as executive producers via production company Street Reason Entertainment.
Carmelo thinks Knicks will be better than last year
The New York Knicks surprised some people by winning 54 games and earning the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference last year, and star Carmelo Anthony believes the team will be even better this upcoming season, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post:
“We were the top two seed last year,” Anthony said. “I think nobody expected that. This year we expect to do the same thing. I actually see this team be better than last year’s team. I won’t get into all the details [why]. But we feel that. We feel we have improved as a unit.”
New York acquired Metta World Peace, Andrea Bargnani and Beno Udrih this offseason, and they added Tim Hardaway Jr. via the draft. The Eastern Conference will be much-improved, so the Knicks will have work to do to replicate their success of last regular season.
The Brooklyn Nets can be partially thanked for that improved East, and Anthony is looking forward to the budding rivalry between the Nets and Knicks. While some players have chosen to start a war of words between the two teams, Anthony instead talked about how great the rivalry will be for both the league and the Knicks organization. He went on to say that it will "be the best rivalry in basketball for a long, long time."
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