Odds & Ends: Draft, Walker, Mullens, Leonard
At halftime of the National Championship game, No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis went in to the locker room with no points to his credit. However, Davis reminded all of us that you don't need to put up points to make a difference on the court. The 6'10" big man pulled down nine boards, put up three blocks, and handed out four assists as Kentucky jumped out to a 41-27 lead in the first stanza. The Wildcats saw it through to the end, capturing their first national title since 1998. Here's a look at news from around the Association and items concerning the 2012 draft..
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com is keeping track of who is in and who is out of the draft. So far, only four draft prospects have officially announced that they'll be returning to school rather than jump to the pros.
- Kemba Walker and center Byron Mullens are at the forefront of the Bobcats' youth movement, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Mullens, acquired in a December deal with the Thunder, has become more comfortable in Charlotte in part because of Paul Silas' decision to play him as a "stretch-4" rather than a center.
- Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (via Twitter) expects Illinois center Meyers Leonard to get top-20 attention in this year's draft. As one scout noted, "There are not that many bigs. He's big and long."
Free Agent Stock Watch: Kris Humphries
A little over two years ago, the Nets traded Eduardo Najera – who never quite found his groove in New Jersey thanks to various injuries – to the Mavericks for Kris Humphries and Shawne Williams. While the trade was more about moving the final two-and-a-half years of Najera's contract than making a significant acquisition, Humphries proved to be a pleasant surprise for New Jersey.
Hump gave the Nets the edge they sorely needed on the glass in 2010/11 as Brook Lopez shied away from the paint and this summer he was handsomely rewarded with a one-year, $8MM deal. However, the former 14th overall pick didn't get to put pen-to-paper until just four days prior to the start of the NBA season as the Nets wanted flexibility to be able to pull off a trade with Orlando involving Dwight Howard. Unfortunately for Humphries, he could experience flashbacks to that once again this summer. While he is having another strong season, it seems likely that the Nets will put him on the back-burner once again as they explore a deal for Howard or another mega-star that will make Deron Williams want to join the club in Brooklyn.
Despite the extra attention that he has gotten this year, both on- and off-the-court, Humphries has delivered once again this season, putting up 13.4 PPG and 10.9 RPG. It's not exactly clear who is representing the 27-year-old at the moment but whoever his agent is will likely look to get Humphries a long-term deal. Will the Nets, who are anxious to satiate their star point guard with another "max level" player, commit upwards of $8MM to the big man over three or four years? Maybe not, but it's also possible that the club will be looking at a Deron-less future in July. Hump's blue collar style may not sell out the state-of-the-art Barclays Center, but it would help keep the club competitive during yet another rebuilding phase.
While the Nets may not be ready to prioritize Humphries, there are plenty of clubs that will. The Celtics might be in the market for a power forward if they part ways with Kevin Garnett. Teams such as the Cavaliers, Suns, and Bobcats have money to spend and could all be in the mix depending on what their short- and long-term goals are. Humphries has dominated the front pages of tabloids so far in 2012 but he could transition back over to making headlines in sports sections with a lucrative new contract this summer.
Lin Undergoes Surgery, Knicks Will Stand Pat
Jeremy Lin underwent successful surgery on his knee today, and may not be back on the floor for the Knicks this season, but New York intends to move forward with its current point guards, according to coach Mike Woodson. Woodson told Marc Berman of the New York Post there's no chance the Knicks sign another point guard in the season's final few weeks.
"Absolutely not, not at all," Woodson said. "What is in uniform is what we’re going with."
Baron Davis is dealing with a pulled hamstring, so the Knicks don't want to push him into playing too many minutes. However, Woodson is hoping that a combination of Davis, Mike Bibby, Toney Douglas, and perhaps even Iman Shumpert can handle the point in Lin's absence.
"There’s a concern," Woodson said. "We got three point guards and we can put the rook to the point guard and we can go four point guards to help us until the time Jeremy might come back. I don’t know. We’ll wait and see."
Amidst weekend speculation that the Knicks might decide to sign a point guard, Mike James expressed a desire to play for the team, while Stephon Marbury said he wouldn't be interested.
Odds & Ends: Terry, Nene, Wizards, Cavs, Jazz
Tonight's NBA schedule features six games, with Clippers/Mavericks and Grizzlies/Thunder matchups topping the bill. But most basketball fans will be watching Kansas and Kentucky battle for the NCAA National Championship in New Orleans. With three likely top-five draft picks in Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Thomas Robinson, the game should provide a good preview of next year's rookie class, in addition to being entertaining in its own right.
As we gear up for the title game, here are a few links from around the NBA:
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com thinks Jason Terry should stop talking about his impending free agency, for Terry's own sake as much as the Mavericks'.
- In the aftermath of the trade deadline, the Wizards didn't receive rave reviews for their acquisition of Nene, but there's a definitively a more positive vibe around the club lately, writes Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld.
- The Cavaliers are making excellent use of the NBA's D-League, writes Bob Finnan of the News-Herald, noting that six current Cavs have played in the D-League.
- ESPN.com's John Hollinger (Insider link) looks ahead to this summer's free agent class, trying to predict which players could end up being undervalued like Brandan Wright was this year.
- The Jazz could be sending or receiving draft picks depending on how the standings end up. Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune outlines the potential playoff and draft scenarios for Utah.
Shawne Williams Won’t Take Buyout From Blazers
Considered a candidate to be bought out when he was acquired from the Nets at the trade deadline, Shawne Williams won't accept a buyout from the Trail Blazers, agent Happy Walters tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
"We talked about the possibility of a buyout, but we decided it just wouldn't make sense for us," Walters told Haynes. "Shawne is continuing to rehab right now and he's excited to be a Blazer."
Williams is sidelined for the season with a left foot injury and has a player option for $3.1MM for next season, so it's easy to see why a buyout wouldn't appeal to him. Generally, buyouts give players a chance to sign with a contender and make up a portion of the money they'd be giving up, but Williams obviously wouldn't be signing elsewhere this season. He also isn't on an expiring contract, like many bought-out players are. However, according to Walters, he and his client are still undecided about next year's player option.
"It will depend on the coach and the GM situation," said Walters. "We have time to make up our mind, but we'll wait and see what happens with those situations first."
While the agent and player are being diplomatic, I think the chances of Williams turning down the option are close to zero. Coming off a season that saw him underperforming even before the injury, Williams won't find a better deal on the open market, and would likely be more receptive to a buyout if he thought he might opt out of his final year anyway.
Warriors Won’t Re-Sign Keith Benson
Keith Benson's 10-day contract with the Warriors is set to expire at the end of the day, and the big man won't be re-signed to a second 10-day deal, according to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).
The Warriors signed Mickell Gladness to a rest-of-season deal when his 10-day contract expired, but it appears they'll keep their 15th roster spot open for the time being. As our 10-day contract tracker shows, Benson and Gladness are the only two players to receive 10-day deals from Golden State so far this year, but the team could bring in another player or two for a brief audition before the season ends.
Though the Warriors had six games on their schedule during his time with the club, the 6'11" Benson only appeared in three of them, playing for less than 10 total minutes. He was held scoreless in the first three NBA contests of his career, grabbing three rebounds.
Draft Updates: Brown, Plumlee, Watford, McAdoo
As we prepare for tonight's NCAA National Championship in New Orleans, let's round up the latest draft-related items….
- Junior guard J'Covan Brown has decided to forgoe his senior year at Texas and enter the draft, the school announced today. Brown appears to be a borderline second-round pick, ranking 67th on DraftExpress' list of top 100 prospects and 91st on Chad Ford's ESPN.com list.
- Two other juniors, Duke's Mason Plumlee and Indiana's Christian Watford, are still weighing their options and are torn on entering the draft, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- James McAdoo of North Carolina will make a decision this week on whether to enter the NBA draft early, his father told Robbi Pickeral of ESPN.com. The freshman is ranked seventh among draft prospects by Ford and 16th by DraftExpress.
- TNT's David Aldridge takes an extended look at this year's point guard class, with quotes and opinions from a number of NBA executives and scouts.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News weighs in with his predictions for sleepers and busts among this year's draft class.
Free Agent Market For Power Forwards
There shouldn't be a ton of teams aggressively pursuing a power forward upgrade this summer, but a number of Eastern Conference playoff contenders, such as the Celtics, Nets, Magic, and Cavaliers, figure to explore the market. A handful of other teams will get involved as well, but with power forward expected to be perhaps the deepest position in this year's draft, it'll be interesting to see how the bidding goes on the top free agents in this year's class. Here's an early look at players who will be available this offseason:
Unrestricted Free Agents
This year's unrestricted free agents are a particularly intriguing group. A pair of future Hall-of-Famers, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, lead the way, though I think both players are good bets to re-sign with their current clubs. The Celtics may be entering a rebuilding period, but Garnett has said he'd like to retire in Boston, and the team will have the money to bring him back. Even if both of those guys re-sign, there will be a few more interesting names out there. Antawn Jamison and Kenyon Martin are veterans who still seem to have something left in the tank, while Kris Humphries, Ersan Ilyasova, and Carl Landry are among the younger players who could score multiyear deals. Ilyasova, in particular, may be earning himself a big summer payday, averaging 16.9 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and a .582 FG% in 31.0 MPG since the All-Star break.
Restricted Free Agents
He's not a typical power forward, but Ryan Anderson is positioning himself well for this summer, averaging 16.1 PPG and a .413 3PT% as Dwight Howard's sidekick in Orlando. Anderson is a near-lock to sign the biggest contract of the restricted free agents, and might be the only legit starter of the group. But Jason Thompson and Marreese Speights have had solid seasons, and J.J. Hickson has come on recently in a new environment with Portland. Teams who are already set with a veteran starter at power forward may find a good buying opportunity, as there may be a few affordable part-time players with real upside here.
Players With Options
The list of team and player options for power forwards is fairly slim. Elton Brand has an early termination option that I can't imagine him exercising, so he'll almost certainly play one more year with the Sixers. Three other power forwards with player options could decide to test free agency though. Brandon Bass has been very productive for the Celtics, and will turn just 27 later this month, so he should field offers larger than his $4.5MM option. Ronny Turiaf's player option is worth just $1.2MM, so if he helps the Heat make a deep playoff run, he'll find a better deal on the open market. Jason Maxiell hasn't given any indication whether he'll pick up his $5MM option, but I wouldn't be surprised if he returned to Detroit for one more year.
Previously:
Free Agent Market for Small Forwards
Free Agent Market For Shooting Guards
Free Agent Market For Point Guards
Miller, Nelson Headline 12 Hall Of Fame Inductees
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced today that 12 new members will be inducted into the Hall this September. Longtime Pacers guard Reggie Miller and the NBA's all-time winningest coach Don Nelson headline this year's class.
Here's the complete list of 2012 inductees…
North American Committee:
- Reggie Miller (Player)
- Ralph Sampson (Player)
- Jamaal Wilkes (Player)
- Don Nelson (Coach)
- Mike Nichols (Referee)
International Committee:
- Lidia Alexeeva (Coach)
Women's Committee:
- Katrina McClain (Player)
- All American Red Heads (Team)
ABA Committee:
- Mel Daniels (Player)
Veterans Committee:
- Chet Walker (Player)
Early African-American Pioneers of the Game Committee:
- Don Barksdale (Contributor)
Contributor Direct Election Committee:
- Phil Knight (Contributor)
Turiaf Discusses Heat, Celtics, Pietrus, Wilcox
It was a busy March for Ronny Turiaf, who was traded from the Wizards to the Nuggets in the Nene/JaVale McGee blockbuster, then was waived by Denver. After clearing waivers, Turiaf reportedly drew interest from than ten teams before he ended up signing with the Heat, where he saw his first on-court action since January 1st.
Turiaf spoke to Peter May of ESPN Boston before yesterday's Heat/Celtics contest about how close he came to choosing Boston over Miami, along with a few other topics:
- Turiaf chose the Heat after narrowing his options down to "two or three teams." The Celtics were one of those finalists and the big man strongly considered choosing Boston: "Boston was a team I was very, very interested in by the simple fact of the way they play defense, that they are being coached by a future Hall of Famer coach and they have Hall of Fame basketball players on their squad. It was very appealing to me."
- It would have been "very special" to play with fellow Frenchman Mickael Pietrus in Boston, says Turiaf. Perhaps the two friends will get a chance to play together in the future. Pietrus is on an expiring contract, while Turiaf has a small player option with Miami that he may turn down.
- After they missed out on Turiaf, the Celtics signed Ryan Hollins, waiving Chris Wilcox to clear a roster spot. Turiaf says he's been meaning to reach out to Wilcox, who underwent surgery for a heart ailment: "That’s something that’s very, very important to me. I have talked to many, many people about what it’s like to go through this ordeal."