Pistons free agent center Greg Monroe said Sunday he will meet with five teams this week, including the Knicks, and said he wants to play for a club “ready to win.’’ He also seemed to be campaigning to stay in his hometown.
Monroe, who is from Louisiana, said at his basketball clinic in New Orleans he’s looking for a two-year deal with an opt-out after one season to take advantage of the coming rise of the salary cap.
According to the Baton Rouge (La.) Advocate, Monroe will speak with the Knicks, Celtics, Bucks, and Blazers with the Pistons out of the picture. Free agency begins Wednesday.
“I’m looking to be with a team that’s ready to win,” Monroe told the newspaper. “Hopefully it will be a team where I’m the missing piece.”-NYPOST
Meanwhile, USA Today reports that the Mavericks, Lakers, and Knicks will join the Clippers in holding meetings with Jordan, while the Bucks unfortunately for the were unable to pique the big man's interest.
The 26-year-old free agent center who spent his first seven seasons with the Clippers is clearly giving serious thought to changing jerseys, as three people with knowledge of his situation said he is expected to meet with at least four teams — the Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks — in the first few days of free agency. The meetings are expected to take place in the Los Angeles office where Jordan's representatives, Dan Fegan and Happy Walters of Relativity Sports, are based. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the process.
NJ.com
Jeremy Lin, who was the most celebrated athlete in New York in 2011 when he became a surprise starter with the Knicks and ignited "Linsanity," could be returning to New York during free agency.
The point guard, who, while playing for the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, hasn't achieved the success he had in New York, could be a Knicks target as they look for inexpensive, short-term players to form a bridge to the future during a total rebuilding of the organization.
When he returned to the Garden with the Lakers in April, Lin played 24 minutes and scored just four points in a 92-80 loss.
"Every time I come back, I always have great memories," Lin said then. "I remember those great times. I'm always thankful. Coming back to New York with these fans at the Garden, that was very special to me and I'll always cherish that."
Caron Butler
After his release from the Milwaukee Bucks before July 1, Caron Butler has emerged as a candidate for the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs, a league source told RealGM.
The Lakers and New York Knicks also expect to make an inquiry on Butler, a 13-year NBA veteran who has averaged 14.3 points and 5.1 rebounds for his career.
David Aldridge & #10004;@daldridgetnt
An under the radar free agent will be Dallas' Al-Faroqu Aminu. Sked to visit NYK, BOS, POR, TOR & NOP, w/Mavs still in mix.
Afflalo has had a negative DRPM the past 2 seasons. I know one stat isn't the be all end all, but it's probably not a good sign when a guys team performs better defensively when he is off the court, especially when he is best known for being a defensive stopper. He was ranked 70th among shooting guards defensively this past season and 65th the year before that.
Just for some context, he are the top 10 SGs defensively for the most recent season according to DRPM:
Khris Middleton, Nick Calathes, Elijah Milsap, Andre Roberson, Wes Matthews, Alan Anderson, Danny Green, Iman Shumpert, Manu Ginobili, Kyle Korver (lol)...so definitely a lot of the names you would expect to see, but judging by Korver making the top 10 not the perfect stat.
that is a useful player but not a 9m player