Odds & Ends: Cavs, Deron, Suns, Iverson
While we try to survive the first day in two months with no NBA games, let's check in on some odds and ends from around the league:
- Chris Grant spoke to Cleveland media today about the Cavaliers' future and Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal has a pair of interesting quotes from the GM. Grant says the team will have about $20MM in cap space but will be careful about how they use it, and adds that the Cavs "love" this year's draft.
- Asked if there was a perfect situation for him in free agency, Deron Williams replied, "No, not with enough cap space to sign a max player" (via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News).
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic talked to a handful of Suns facing free agency, all of whom expressed some interest in returning to Phoenix.
- Allen Iverson, currently in China for an NBA Legends Tour, didn't rule out the possibility of playing in the CBA next year, says Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com.
- Scottie Pippen told ESPN 1000 in Chicago that he could see Phil Jackson returning to coaching and thinks he'd be a great fit for the Knicks. ESPNChicago.com has the details.
- Restricted free agent D.J. Augustin would like to return to the Bobcats, telling Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) that he loves "the city, the people and the organization."
- With the draft odds set, ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider-only) takes a look at some potential targets for the lottery teams.
2012 NBA Draft Tiebreakers, Order
The NBA draft lottery doesn't take place until May 30th, so we won't know the complete draft order until then. But today the league announced the winners of a number of tiebreakers, locking the draft "seeds" in place as we approach the lottery.
As I explained earlier this week, when two lottery teams finish tied in the standings, they split the difference when it comes to odds of landing a top pick. For instance, since the Cavaliers and Hornets tied for the league's third-worst record (21-45), each team's chances of landing the first overall pick will be an average of the third- and fourth-best odds (15.6% and 11.9%). Because the Cavs won the tiebreaker, they'll receive slightly better odds than the Hornets (13.8% to 13.7%) and will draft ahead of New Orleans if neither team lands a top-three pick.
Here are the complete results of today's tiebreakers:
- Cavaliers over Hornets for 3rd
- Kings over Nets for 5th
- Warriors over Raptors for 7th
- Knicks over Mavericks and Jazz for 16th
- Mavericks over Jazz for 17th
- Clippers over Hawks for 22nd
- Lakers over Grizzlies for 24th
- Bulls over Spurs for 29th
And here's how the overall draft order for the first round will look heading into the lottery (chances of landing first overall pick in parentheses):
NBPA Under Investigation By U.S. Attorney’s Office
Already in turmoil as it works through a conflict involving executive director Billy Hunter and president Derek Fisher, the National Basketball Players Association is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney's office, report Scott Soshnick and Mason Levinson of Bloomberg.com.
According to Bloomberg, the union confirmed the news in a statement today, saying "the NBPA will cooperate fully with the government’s investigation." The union has also appointed a six-member committee of player reps and executive committee members to oversee an internal inquiry, including a financial audit.
The NBPA has been in the news frequently this past week, after a call for a business review by Fisher led to the executive committee requesting the union president's resignation. Since then, Hunter has faced accusations of nepotism, with reports suggesting that many of his relatives are on the NBPA's payroll or have business relationships with the union.
Blazers Likely To Match Offers For Batum
Nicolas Batum will be a restricted free agent after the season, and his contract status has been the subject of much discussion lately, with the Spurs rumored to be eyeing the 23-year-old. However, it seems the most likely outcome is Batum returning to Portland.
"They're going to match [offers in restricted free agency]," Batum told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). "They made me understand that… I'm 99% sure they're going to match."
Retaining Batum certainly makes sense for the Trail Blazers. If Jamal Crawford declines his player option, as expected, the team will only have about $30MM in guaranteed money committed to next year's salaries. While president Larry Miller has said he doesn't intend to match a "crazy" bid for Batum, the Blazers have the means to make him a sizable offer.
You can check out our full list of players eligible for restricted free agency right here.
Atlantic Rumors: Williams, Lopez, Raptors, Wilcox
Earlier today, we heard that Gerald Wallace will seek a multiyear guarantee this summer. Here's a few more items out of the Atlantic Division:
- Deron Williams told reporters, including Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record, that he hopes to sign a new contract before the Olympics, which will get underway in late July (Twitter link).
- Brook Lopez "made it very clear" to the same group of reporters that he loves being a Net and hopes to re-sign with the team (Twitter link).
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star thinks the Raptors should trade their first-rounder if they don't land the first overall pick. He argues that the team will have a lottery pick arriving in Jonas Valanciunas, and would be better off with a veteran player rather than another rookie.
- Chris Wilcox, recovering from heart surgery, was waived by the Celtics a few weeks ago, but plans to attend the team's playoff games against the Hawks. Wilcox told Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com that he'd like to be a Celtic next season: "I want to finish what I’ve started here. I thought this was a great opportunity for me and things were working out well, and I went to the doctor to get a check up and things just changed."
- Asked by Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times if he'd exercise his early termination option this summer, Lou Williams said he has yet to decide. John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported last weekend that the Sixers guard would opt out of his deal.
Joe Dumars Discusses Pistons’ Offseason
Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars conducted his exit interview with the media today, and made a number of interesting comments — for one, Dumars said it was reasonable for Detroit to expect a playoff berth next season. Keith Langlois of Pistons.com shared that statement and a number of others on his Twitter feed, so let's run through the highlights….
- Dumars vowed to make offseason moves to improve the roster, whether those moves happen via draft, free agency, or trades.
- The team won't necessarily use its amnesty clause this summer, though that option will be discussed.
- Dumars on the amnesty clause: "You have to have a plan. You don't do it just to do it. If there's someone to acquire or to have flexibility, maybe."
- The Pistons will prioritize areas of need in the draft, but there's a chance they just end up selecting the best player available.
- Detroit is in touch with 2011 second-round pick Kyle Singler, who played overseas this season, and Dumars intends to visit him soon.
- Jason Maxiell has a player option and the Pistons would love to have him back, but the decision is "totally in his hands."
- There are no financial restrictions on the team heading into the summer, and Dumars has been told to "think outside the box" when it comes to upgrading the roster.
Gerald Wallace Wants Multiyear Contract
Gerald Wallace has a player option for next season to remain with the Nets, but it doesn't sound like exercising it will be his first choice. Wallace told reporters today, including Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record, that he doesn't want to play on a one-year deal (Twitter link). Wallace said he expects to make a decision about his the option within the next few days.
Re-signing Wallace will be a priority for the Nets, though they'll also be looking to bring back Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. Wallace's option for 2012/13 is worth $9.5MM, so perhaps the Brooklyn-bound Nets could reach an agreement with Wallace that would guarantee him multiple years but pay him less than $9.5MM annually. That would allow the team to regain some cap space for next season.
Of course, while re-signing with the Nets is a possibility, it's not the only option for Wallace if he declines his option. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets that the veteran forward intends to test the free agent waters.
Following the deadline deal that sent him to New Jersey, Wallace averaged 15.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 35.8 minutes per game.
Central Notes: Bird, Hibbert, Pistons, Skiles
In what's becoming a monthly ritual, Pacers president Larry Bird has denied a report suggesting he'll be leaving the team at season's end. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported that Bird has told Pacers owner Herb Simon and several friends that he has decided to leave, but the Hall-of-Famer told Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star that he hasn't made up his mind yet.
"Once again, no decision has been made," Bird told Wells. "I'll sit down with my owner at the end of the season and we'll talk about things."
Here are the rest of the morning's updates out of the Central Division:
- Roy Hibbert's playoff performance could have a significant impact on what sort of contract he signs this offseason, Wells writes in a separate piece for the Star. As Wells notes, Dwight Howard's absence will give Hibbert and the Pacers a good opportunity to dominate the Magic in the first round.
- Charlie Villanueva is aware that he'll head into the offseason as a candidate to be traded or amnestied by the Pistons, as he suggests to David Mayo of MLive.com: "I would like to stay here. I love it here, I love it here. At the same time, I'm a realist."
- Pistons coach Lawrence Frank addressed the team's future in a Q&A with Terry Foster of the Detroit News.
- Keith Glass, agent for Bucks coach Scott Skiles, dismissed rumors that Skiles will seek a buyout on the final year of his contract, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. "That’s news to me," Glass said. "I haven’t talked to anyone about that. I’d be surprised if that was true."
Raptors Exercise Option On Dwane Casey
The Raptors have exercised their third-year option on coach Dwane Casey, GM Bryan Colangelo announced today (link via the team's Twitter). Casey, who just finished his first year in Toronto, was already under contract for 2012/13, so the option exercised is for the 2013/14 season.
In his first year as the Raptors' coach, Casey led the team to just a 23-43 record, but the club made noticeable steps forward, particularly on defense. The Raptors were a top-ten team in opponents' PPG and ranked 12th in the NBA in defensive efficiency, behind 11 playoff squads. Given the job Casey did with the roster he had, the decision to exercise his option was a good one, and not a surprise.
"Dwane did a terrific job this year of adhering to our plan of growth and development for this young team," Colangelo said, in a team release. "We set out to change the culture and improve defensively and he orchestrated both progressions in an impressive fashion."
Colangelo also has a contract option for 2013/14, but the Raptors have yet to make a formal decision on it.
Update On Traded First-Round Picks
With the NBA's regular season in the books, the status of most of this season's traded first-round picks has been finalized. With an assist from Hoops Rumors' tentative draft order, let's take a look at whether teams who traded protected 2012 first-rounders will be giving them up or keeping them for another season:
Bobcats (7-59)
Pick traded to: Bulls
Protection: Top-14
Projected: 1st
Will it change hands: No
Future: Top-12 protected in 2013
Nets (22-44)
Pick traded to: Trail Blazers
Protection: Top-3
Projected: T-5th
Will it change hands: Undecided*
Future: Top-2 protected in 2013
Kings (22-44)
Pick traded to: Cavaliers
Protection: Top-14
Projected: T-5th
Will it change hands: No
Future: Top-13 protected in 2013
Warriors (23-43)
Pick traded to: Jazz
Protection: Top-7
Projected: T-7th
Will it change hands: Undecided**
Future: Top-6 protected in 2013
Timberwolves (26-40)
Pick traded to: Hornets
Protection: None
Projected: 10th
Will it change hands: Yes
Rockets (34-32)
Pick traded to: Nets
Protection: Top-14
Projected: 14th
Will it change hands: No
Future: Top-14 protected in 2013
Mavericks (36-30)
Pick traded to: Rockets
Protection: Top-20
Projected: T-16th
Will it change hands: No
Future: Top-20 protected in 2013
Jazz (36-30)
Pick traded to: Timberwolves
Protection: Top-14
Projected: T-16th
Will it change hands: Yes
Knicks (36-30)
Pick traded to: Rockets
Protection: Top-5
Projected: T-16th
Will it change hands: Yes
Clippers (40-26)
Pick traded to: Celtics
Protection: Top-10
Projected: T-22nd
Will it change hands: Yes
Lakers (41-25)
Pick traded to: Cavaliers
Protection: Top-14
Projected: T-24th
Will it change hands: Yes
Spurs (50-16)
Pick traded to: Warriors
Protection: Top-14
Projected: T-29th
Will it change hands: Yes
* The Nets have about a 25.4% chance of keeping their pick.
** The Warriors will have about a 72.5% chance of keeping their pick if they win the tiebreaker for the 7th lottery seed, and about a 12.4% chance if they lose.