Odds & Ends: Olympics, Howard, Bulls, Mavericks
A few Thursday afternoon odds and ends from around the Association….
- When Mike Krzyzewski steps down, Gregg Popovich is the logical choice to coach Team USA, argues Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
- Roy Hibbert told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that he attempted to get his release from Team Jamaica so he could potentially play for Team USA, but that it's a dead issue and he has moved on.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel wonders why, if Dwight Howard truly wants to stay with the Magic, he doesn't come out and say so.
- Ronnie Brewer told ESPN 1000 in Chicago that he hopes both he and Kyle Korver can return to the Bulls next season, as ESPNChicago.com notes. Both players are on non-guaranteed contracts for 2012/13.
- According to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com, Rick Carlislie's comments on Dallas radio open the door for speculation that the Mavericks could explore packaging Lamar Odom in a trade for a player on a large contract.
Odds & Ends: Deng, Magic, Ibaka, World Peace
With Tuesday night's second playoff game winding down, let's take a quick break from the action and catch up on the latest stories and headlines from across the league…
- The Bulls will sit down with Luol Deng to discuss his intentions of playing for Team Great Britain during the Olympics this summer in London, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel says the Magic's evaluation of general manager Otis Smith and head coach Stan Van Gundy is still ongoing as the organization has yet to make a decision about their fates for next season.
- Serge Ibaka continues to make impressive strides as the Thunder's starting power forward, reports Susan Bible of HoopsWorld.
- The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel says Metta World Peace and Thunder head coach Scott Brooks have forged an unlikely relationship over the years thanks to their time spent together in Sacramento.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld offers his latest NBA mock draft where he has Austin Rivers cracking the top 10 and heading to the Big Easy.
Odds & Ends: Hibbert, Amnesty, Hawks, Draft
The final series of the second round finally gets underway tonight, when the Clippers face the Spurs in San Antonio. While we wait for that game, and the Pacers/Heat contest before it, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the NBA….
- Roy Hibbert is in line for a big payday this summer regardless of his play in the postseason, but he could earn himself an even larger contract with a big series against Miami, says Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
- Stephen Litel of HoopsWorld identifies a few potential amnesty candidates, including Mike Miller, Marvin Williams, and John Salmons.
- "Uncertainty reigns supreme" for the Hawks as they approach the offseason, according to a HoopsWorld report.
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv shares the full list of 44 prospects participating in the draft combine in New Jersey this weekend.
- Coach Mike Krzyzewski concedes that Team USA's depth has taken a big hit, and with plenty of Olympians still in action, he'll have to hope there are no more injuries, writes Billy Witz of FOX Sports.
Odds & Ends: Olympics, Butler, Bosh, Chandler
Let's check out some odds and ends from around the Association as we prepare for a pair of second-round playoff games in Boston and Oklahoma City….
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com reports that the following players have been named to the U.S. select team, which will scrimmage against the Olympic roster this July: Klay Thompson, Jeremy Lin, Paul George, Gordon Hayward, Kawhi Leonard, DeJuan Blair, Ryan Anderson, Taj Gibson and Derrick Favors. We'd previously heard that Kyrie Irving, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and DeMar DeRozan would be part of the squad.
- With the Clippers and Spurs preparing to face off in round two, Caron Butler tells reporters, including Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, that he very nearly signed with the Spurs in December (Twitter link).
- The Heat announced today that Chris Bosh has a strained abdominal muscle and will be out indefinitely (Twitter link). Bosh's comments to the media today indicated that he's not expecting to return during the Pacers series (Twitter link).
- Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler would like to become a bigger offensive threat for the Knicks next season, as Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com writes.
Coaching Rumors: Carlisle, Bobcats, Knicks
Before the free agent period for players gets underway this summer, a number of free agent coaches could land new jobs. Here are the latest updates on a few coaching situations around basketball:
- Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson and owner Mark Cuban are in agreement that Rick Carlisle should be back coaching the team next year, writes Earl K. Sneed at NBA.com. Like many Mavs players, Carlisle is not yet under contract for 2012/13.
- Mike Krzyzewski announced at a press conference today that this summer's Olympics represent the last time he plans to coach Team USA in international competition, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer provides an update on the Bobcats' coaching search, which president of basketball operations Rod Higgins says is progressing at a "nice, slow pace."
- The Knicks are more interested in "putting on a good show" than winning, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who says that's why New York hasn't reached out to Phil Jackson. Berger hears that Jackson "has the itch" to returning to coaching, but hasn't been contacted by an NBA team.
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports explores the evolution of Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro, who tells Wojnarowski that reports that he'd lost the team earlier this season were "a joke."
Odds & Ends: Olympics, Singleton, Jazz, Maxiell
There are 53 days remaining until 2012's free agent period gets underway, as Hoops Rumors continues to examine the stock of many of this summer's top available players. While we think we have a good idea of players' values heading into the offseason, there's no telling how high the bidding might go for certain free agents. Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld takes an early look at what players might benefit from an overly aggressive suitor or two, naming 12 candidates to be overpaid in free agency.
Here are a few other odds and ends from around the NBA:
- NBA commissioner David Stern told Jim Rome on Tuesday that the league will consider implementing a shorter season in the future, though he cautioned that there would be plenty of complications. Beckley Mason and Henry Abbott of ESPN's TrueHoop have the details.
- Team France has named its preliminary 18-man roster for the 2012 London Olympics. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets that the NBA players on the list include Nicolas Batum, Rodrigue Beaubois, Ian Mahinmi, Joakim Noah, Tony Parker, Kevin Seraphin, and Ronny Turiaf.
- The Wizards are interested in bringing back unrestricted free agent James Singleton, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
- Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune doesn't think the Jazz's personnel is quite as "perfect" going forward as Derrick Favors believes.
- Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars reiterated to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press that he'd love to have Jason Maxiell back next season. Maxiell holds a $5MM player option for 2012/13 and recently hired agent Andy Miller.
USA Basketball Given Olympic Roster Extension
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo was granted an extension to name his final 12-man roster for the Olympics by the United States Olympic Committee, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. With injuries decimating the pool of 20 finalists, Colangelo will have until July 8 instead of June 18 to submit his list of players who will be representing the United States in London this summer. Colangelo said health will be a major factor in determining which players are selected for Team USA.
"We don't want anyone who's not healthy," Colangelo said. "We put a great deal of emphasis on the health of our players for all the obvious reasons. As has always been in the past, we're very, very careful with the workout sessions and the demand. We control that to the way it should be controlled, and we've had zero issues with injuries while they've been with us or after they've been with us."
James Harden and Anthony Davis were recently added to the list of finalists in the wake of Derrick Rose's season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament and Dwight Howard's surgery on his back to repair a herniated disk. Beyond Rose and Howard, Chauncey Billups (torn Achilles tendon) and LaMarcus Aldridge (right hip) are also unavailable for the Olympics. Dwyane Wade, one of Team USA's strongest contributors in Beijing, recently mentioned that he may not be available to play in London unless his health is at 100%.
Team USA Olympic Roster Updates: Thursday
5:38pm: In a statement released to the media, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo has announced that James Harden and Anthony Davis will be added to Team USA's preliminary Olympic roster.
12:31pm: James Harden will likely be added to Team USA's preliminary Olympic roster, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
10:36am: With the 2012 London Olympics less than three months away, Jerry Colangelo and Team USA are inviting new partipants to the U.S. select team. Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports that John Wall has received an invite for the select team, while Kyrie Irving will also be invited, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
Members of the select team aren't considered finalists for the London roster, but will scrimmage against the Olympic team and will be part of the player pool for future international competition. According to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee, DeMarcus Cousins will also be invited to join the select squad.
Given the recent injuries to members of the Olympic player pool, including Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge, Colangelo has said one or two big men could be added to the list of finalists. Anthony Davis is rumored to be one of those additions.
Anthony Davis To Be Added To Team USA Pool
12:43pm: Monroe won't be the second addition to the U.S. Olympic pool, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
12:18pm: Anthony Davis will be one of the two finalists added to the Team USA pool, according to SI.com's Sam Amick. Along with Monroe, Al Jefferson is a candidate to be the second finalist, says Amick.
11:08am: Lamar Odom hasn't been ruled out for the 2012 Olympic roster yet, Colangelo tells Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Colangelo also said that Cousins won't be added to the player pool this year, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
WEDNESDAY, 8:09am: DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, and Anthony Davis are among the big men being considered for the Team USA pool, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Hibbert, unfortunately, is ineligible to play for the U.S. team because he played for Jamaica's senior national squad during the 2010 Centrobasket tournament. FIBA rules prevent players from representing two different countries at the senior level.
TUESDAY, 8:29pm: Jerry Colangelo told reporters (Associated Press link via ESPN.com) that he is leaning towards adding a couple of players to the pool from which the final Olympic team will be drawn. He gave no indication as to who those players might be, however.
7:30pm: With the U.S. Olympic team's projected roster increasingly depleted due to injuries, Jerry Colangelo is reportedly reconsidering his stance against adding new players. According to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, Pacers center Roy Hibbert has expressed interest in joining the team should they look to add new talent.
“It would be nice to be able to do something like that,” Hibbert said. “I always said I wanted to play in the Olympics for the US. I played with Team Jamaica last year. Hopefully I can get a quick release. It would mean the world to me to be able to participate for Team USA.”
With Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge out for the summer, the frontcourt rotation for Team USA is looking thin outside of Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, and Tyson Chandler. If Colangelo does decide to bring on new players, Hibbert, who made his first All-Star appearance in 2011/12, would appear to be a logical candidate.
Odds & Ends: Magic, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers
With Sunday afternoon's playoff action already underway, let's catch up on the latest news and headlines from around the league.
- FoxSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico writes why he believes the Cavaliers are headed in the right direction.
- Mike Tokito from The Oregonian gives a by the numbers rundown of the Trail Blazers and what they'll have to work with this offseason.
- The Magic's upset victory over the Pacers wasn't fueled by the team's desire to prove to Dwight Howard that they could win without him, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. Instead, the team is focusing on what they can control and attempting to eliminate any outside distractions that may keep them from achieving their goal of winning playoff basketball games. "We're not here to prove anything about Dwight," Hedo Turkoglu said. "He's our best player and we wish he were here. But we can't think about that. We have to accept who we are right now, move on and play our best."
- SI.com's Sam Amick says USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo is reconsidering adding players to the roster of Olympic team finalists after Derrick Rose tore his ACL on Saturday against the Sixers. While the loss of Rose weakens the point guard position, Colangelo is confident that the team has a deep enough backcourt to overcome his absence. Amick points to DeMarcus Cousins as a potential addition to the list of finalists after enjoying a season in which he averaged 18.1 PPG and 11.0 RPG for the Kings.
- The Grizzlies have put together a dangerous playoff team using a combination of discarded parts, role players and overachievers, contends Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. From Marc Gasol, acquired in a salary dump for his brother, to Tony Allen, not considered a highly-attractive free agent due to a perceived limited skill-set, the Grizzlies have seemingly come out of nowhere to take the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. "They played to their strengths," Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins said. "It's usually the best team that wins. Good basketball teams are good whether they have people noted as stars or not.
- Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld wonders if the Bulls can still contend in the Eastern Conference playoffs after losing their star point guard for the remainder of the season. As the team managed an 18-9 record without Rose during the regular season, Brigham says the Bulls still may advance beyond the second round in what would be a matchup against either the Celtics or the Hawks. The journey would end, however, in the Eastern Conference Finals if the Bulls have to face the Heat.