Hoops Rumors Originals: 5/6/12 – 5/13/12
Here's a look back at all original content produced by our team of writers over the past week.
- In a poll, Daniel Seco asks if the Lakers can defeat the Thunder in their much-awaited semi-finals match-up.
- Chuck Myron takes a look at some soon-to-be free agents playing in these playoffs who're either stepping up for a raise, or falling back to the pack.
- Zach Links gives us his weekly installment of Hoops Links, with an in-depth look around the NBA blogosphere.
- Alex Lee adds to our Prospect Profile series with a piece on Washington guard Terrence Ross.
- Luke Adams takes a look at the Raptors offseason outlook.
- A close look at the Knicks salary cap situation.
- St. John's freshman Moe Harkless is inspected in our Prospect Profile series.
- A transcript from our weekly Hoops Rumors live chat.
- A look at what the Warriors are dealing with this offseason.
- A list of the top undrafted rookies from the past year.
- Chuck Myron writes about the enigmatic Tony Wroten.
- Luke Adams details the Gilbert Arenas provision.
- Daniel Seco writes about Jeremy Lin in our Free Agent Stock Watch series.
- An offseason outlook for the Nets.
- A look at maximum salaries.
- I ask which team in these playoffs is playing the best basketball.
- I also write about Tim Duncan's situation heading into free agency.
- An offseason outlook for the Kings.
- JaVale McGee is profiled in our Free Agent Stock Watch series.
- Luke Adams takes a look at the minimum salary exception.
- Chuck Myron writes about the best second-round picks from 2011.
- Here are some changes from the old CBA to the new, current one.
- Jason Kidd is profiled in our Free Agent Stock Watch series.
Celtics Notes: Allen, Rondo, Garnett
With first round playoff action still underway, the Celtics kicked off the second round of the playoffs with a 92-91 victory over the Sixers at home on Saturday. Thanks to 29 points from Kevin Garnett, the Celtics were able to overcome a poor shooting performance from Paul Pierce to secure the win. Let's head up to Boston and catch up on the latest news and happenings at the Garden.
- Celtics swingman Mickael Pietrus has been dealt a cold hand in recent weeks, but according to CSNNE.com's A. Sherod Blakely, Pietrus isn't the least bit worried about it.
- While injuries have impacted the second half of Ray Allen's 16th season in the league, the former UConn star is thankful to still be in the league after so many years, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Allen, 37 later this summer, is one of the few players from the 1996 NBA draft that is still making a contribution to a team. “Sometimes with the other guys, they played two years, they played five years, they played nine years,’’ Allen said. “And they don’t seem like they lasted as long as they should, but some guys get to professional basketball and they just get burned out.
- Barbara Matson of The Boston Globe says Rajon Rondo didn't know what to expect out of himself after failing to take a nap prior to Saturday's game against the Sixers. The result? The former Kentucky star had the eighth triple-double of his playoff career after getting off to a slow start and not finding his stride until the fourth quarter.
- Garnett says he has no life beyond dedicating himself to basketball and it's paying huge dividends for the Celtics, reports ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg. “I have no life at this point," said Garnett. "I go home, get treatment, come back in here, study tape, film — no life at all. This is what it is.” With no distractions whatsoever, Garnett has been dominant on the court with 28 points and 14 rebounds in the series-clinching victory over the Hawks and similarly strong numbers Saturday night against the Sixers.
Andre Miller Will Weigh His Options
Headed home for the offseason after losing to the Lakers in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Nuggets point guard Andre Miller is facing uncertainty this summer with free agency looming. He spent the season as a backup to Ty Lawson, but still showed flashes of brilliance when afforded the opportunity against the Lakers. After adjusting to his new role this past season, Miller must decide what he wants to do next as he enters the twilight of his career, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post.
"I'll keep my options open," Miller said. "At this point in my career, if I'm going to be a backup, I'm going to be a backup on a championship-caliber team. Obviously, this team is a good team that's going to get to the playoffs, but the thing is if they are committed to getting to that next level to compete for that championship."
Miller, 36, averaged 9.7 PPG and 6.7 APG in a season that saw the former Utah star log the fewest minutes per game since his rookie year with the Cavs. During the first round of the playoffs against the Lakers, Miller dialed back the clock in Game 5 when he scored 24 points and notched eight assists in the team's 102-99 victory. If Miller doesn't return to the Nuggets, look for the guard to potentially sign with the Knicks, Pacers or Heat.
Poll: Will The Lakers Beat The Thunder?
Fresh off their victory over the Nuggets on Saturday evening, the Lakers will head to Oklahoma City on Monday for Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs to take on the Thunder. A re-energized Pau Gasol has the Lakers looking dangerous even against a heavily-favored Thunder squad.
The return of Metta World Peace in the final game of the series proved to be critical to the Lakers' success against the Nuggets and could potentially be a difference maker against the Thunder. The Lakers will also need improved play from Ramon Sessions or he could continue to lose minutes to Steve Blake, who put together an outstanding performance Saturday night at the Staples Center. Andrew Bynum showed flashes of brilliance at times against Denver but still needs to prove that he can play at a high level for an entire series, not just a few games.
What do you think? Will Kobe's supporting cast be able to come through against the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden as they did against the Nuggets in Game 7?
Will The Lakers Beat The Thunder?
-
No 65% (465)
-
Yes 35% (250)
Total votes: 715
Lakers Notes: Pau Gasol, World Peace, Steve Blake
Facing elimination from the playoffs, the Lakers put together a strong performance Saturday evening to beat the Nuggets by the score of 96-87 and advance to the second round. Strong play from Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum allowed for the Lakers to win Game 7 at the Staples Center. Before they head to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder, let's head out to Los Angeles to catch up on the latest from the Lakers.
- After a season of turmoil in which he nearly ended up with a different team, Gasol dialed back the clock Saturday night and delivered one of the biggest performances of his career, writes Lee Jenkins of SI.com. In order to get ready for the game, Gasol had coaches go at him in the paint while wearing football shoulder pads during practice on Friday. The drill was a success as the Spaniard scored 23 points to go along with 17 rebounds and six assists.
- Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports says Metta World Peace was ready to get back on the court and lift his teammates after sitting for seven games due to suspension. While he was unapologetic about his actions toward James Harden, World Peace showed no signs of rust on the court as he scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds in the victory.
- Steve Blake channeled his inner Kobe Bryant with the effort he put together against the Nuggets on Saturday, reports ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin. The former Maryland star took his play to the next level by shooting 5-for-6 on three-pointers for a career-playoff high of 19 points. Without Blake, the Lakers would be watching the second round of the playoffs on television rather than heading to Oklahoma City on Monday for Game 1.
Knicks Notes: J.R. Smith, Phil Jackson, Anthony
The Knicks face a series of offseason questions ranging from which players they will keep to help fill out their bench to whether Mike Woodson will return as head coach. Let's head to Madison Square Garden to check in on the latest headlines and stories making noise in New York City.
- The Knicks are hoping J.R. Smith doesn't opt out of his $2.5MM contract and returns to the team next season, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The former Nuggets sharpshooter is a strong fit for the Knicks because he's comfortable coming off the bench as the team's sixth man. Smith, 26, averaged 12.5 PPG during the regular season but struggled during the playoffs against the Heat where his 3PT% was just .179.
- Berman says Knicks owner James Dolan is foolish for not taking the opportunity to call Phil Jackson to see if the legendary coach had any interest in leading the Knicks next season. While Jackson is still recovering from knee replacement surgery, nothing would have been lost by Dolan calling the former Knicks forward to see if he wanted to assume the reigns from Woodson. Berman fears that the Knicks will be no better than the Woodson's Hawks teams except with die-hard fans and sellout crowds.
- The Knicks will have to build their roster around Carmelo Anthony if they have any hope of beating the Heat during the playoffs in seasons to come, writes Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News. It's not so much that Anthony is the savior to the team's struggles but rather that the team has invested so heavily in him with the players they traded and the contract he signed that it would be too early to give up on him. Lupica says the team will need to get creative to find additional talent to add to the team's roster heading into next season.
Odds & Ends: Rose, Bulls, Knicks, Terry
- The Knicks will be looking for another point guard to partner with Jeremy Lin, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Among Berman's list of targets are Kirk Hinrich, Gary Neal, Derek Fisher, A.J. Price, Jannero Pargo, and Jonny Flynn. He also mentions Ramon Sessions, Raymond Felton, Goran Dragic, Andre Miller, Jameer Nelson, and Steve Nash, but I think that the names on this latter list would only be sought after if contract talks with Lin were to somehow fall apart.
- After recently having his interim tag removed, Knicks GM Glen Grunwald has a lot of work cut out for him in the upcoming months, says Al Iannazzone of Newsday. He also adds that with the mid-level likely committed to Lin and no first-round pick, Grunwald will have to be creative with trades and free agency in order to address their back court needs. In another article, Iannazzone goes over the five biggest questions facing the team moving forward.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News speculates that Jason Terry could be on his way out if Deron Williams lands with the Mavericks (subscribers only).
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld engaged in his weekly NBA chat with fans. Here are some of his notable thoughts: the Magic may try to package their #19 pick along with Jason Richardson or Chris Duhon to create cap relief, Austin Rivers' game is comparable to Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford, and predicts that Dwight Howard will wind up signing with the Nets eventually.
- Bob Young of the Arizona Republic offers his input on the chances of reportedly interested teams in their pursuit of Steve Nash. Phoenix, Toronto, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, and Portland are given consideration.
- John Rohde of NewsOK explores how the support of his Thunder teammates has played a pivotal role in Eric Maynor's road to recovery from a torn ACL.
Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Jazz, Gasol, Hawes
- Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld writes that the decisions made this summer with regards to coaching, the draft, and free agency will determine the face of the Mavericks franchise for the rest of Dirk Nowitzki's career.
- Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune writes that Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor is advocating patience as the team continues to build during the post-Deron Williams era. Although the Jazz are not at the same level of the elite teams Western Conference, the team is optimistic about their young core and has offseason flexibility in the form of cap space and a $10 MM trade exception.
- Pau Gasol is aware that the fallout of a loss tonight would include the pressure of a potential breakup of the team, but says that it's not something that should be on their minds, says Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- John N. Mitchell of The Philadelphia Inquirer discusses the importance of Spencer Hawes' matchup with Kevin Garnett in the second round of this year's playoffs. Hawes will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, so a productive performance against the Celtics could earn him a bigger price tag.
- David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune believes that Luol Deng should pass on the Olympics this summer in order to have surgery on his wrist and allow it to properly heal before next season.
Lakers Release Statement On Mike Brown
Magic Johnson recently made waves by saying that Mike Brown would be fired if the Lakers lose tonight's Game Seven against the Nuggets. The Lakers issued a statement that Magic's comments on Brown "in no way reflect the feelings of (Lakers) management," according to a tweet by Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The statement also indicated that the organization is in full support of Brown as the head coach.
Royce Young of CBS Sports had the complete transcript:
“The opinion expressed yesterday by Magic Johnson regarding Mike Brown was his personal opinion and was made in his role as a TV analyst. His words were not made on behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers, and in no way do they reflect the feelings or position of team ownership or management. We are fully committed to and supportive of Mike Brown as head coach of the Lakers.”
Mike Trudell of KCAL-9 and Dave McMenamin of ESPN LA were also among the first to tweet about the statement.
Shannon Brown Interested In Returning To Suns
Fresh off of a career season with the Suns, Shannon Brown has expressed interest in returning to Phoenix next year, according to Paul Coro of AZCentral.com.
"I would like to come back, (and) I understand it's a business at the same time. Whatever happens, happens, but I've expressed my interest."
Coro writes that Brown's thought process in free agency will be based on the plans of Steve Nash, with whom he enjoyed sharing the back court with. The 6'4 guard also mentioned that he does not want to play on another one-year contract again, for fear that falling out of the rotation could signal the end of his playing career. In February, Coro documented Shannon's frustration as he struggled to crack Alvin Gentry's rotation. However, Brown was able to find his niche after the All-Star break, earning 23.3 MPG in March and 29.9 MPG in April (compared to 18.8 in February).
The former Michigan State Spartan played on a one-year, $3.5 MM contract with the Suns this season and averaged a career high in minutes (23.7), points (11.0), and shot attempts (10.1), while shooting 42% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range. To his credit, Brown averaged 14.9 PPG and 39.2% from three in the final month of the season, when Phoenix was still playing meaningful games to secure a playoff spot.