Suns May Avoid Major Offseason Spending
According to an ESPN report via the Associated Press, Lon Babby (the Suns' president of basketball operations) said that there is a "distinct possibility" that the team will hold off on any big-time acquisitions this summer if the right situation does not present itself.
The article also says that the Suns are open to the possibility of retaining Steve Nash depending on a number of factors involving Nash and the team's desires.
A quiet summer will likely be enough to put the kibosh on Nash's interest in remaining with the franchise, who recently said that the team has a "great opportunity with the flexibility and cap space it has to improve a great deal" when discussing his thoughts heading into the offseason.
Rohde On Perkins, Fisher, Brooks
The series between the Thunder and Mavericks has arguably been the most competitive playoff matchup in the first round, with both games coming down to the final possession. Game 3 is tomorrow night in Dallas, where the Mavericks enter with a 23-10 home record. The Thunder come in having won 21 games on the road this season, which is recognized as the third-best in the league. John Rohde of NewsOK tackled a few miscellaneous topics about an Oklahoma City team that appears primed to make another deep playoff run:
- The arrival of Kendrick Perkins in addition to the development and maturity of the team's younger players has solidified the Thunder's repuation as a tougher team.
- Derek Fisher spoke about the key to winning on the road and the team's mental toughness in a brief Q&A with Rohde.
- Head coach Scott Brooks touched on a variety of topics, including how much his team studied last year's conference finals matchup with Dallas in preparation of this series, the Thunder's success on the road, and the need for improvement in spacing the floor.
Suns Very Likely To Match Offers For Robin Lopez
His brother's contract situation with the Nets may be receiving more attention, but Robin Lopez will also be facing restricted free agency this summer. While the Phoenix center is expected to explore his options, he appears unlikely to be switching uniforms. President of basketball operations Lon Babby told Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that the Suns are "quite likely if not certain" to match any offers for Lopez (Twitter link).
To make Lopez a restricted free agent, the Suns would need to extend him a qualifying offer worth about $4MM. Bidding for free agent seven-footers generally exceeds that amount, so even though Lopez has averaged just 5.8 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 242 career games (14.4 MPG), Phoenix figures to have some competition for the 24-year-old's services.
With just over $30MM in guaranteed money committed to their 2012/13 payroll, the Suns will have the flexibility to lock up Lopez even if they're able to re-sign Steve Nash.
Nets Not Currently In Talks With Kirilenko
Earlier today, a report surfaced suggesting that the Nets had a verbal agreement in place to sign Andrei Kirilenko to a three-year contract. However, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), that report is inaccurate.
As we heard yesterday, Nets GM Billy King will travel to Istanbul next week to meet with 2011 draft pick Bojan Bogdanovic at the Euroleague Final Four, and Bondy acknowledges that perhaps King could also touch base with Kirilenko there. Right now though, the two sides don't have an agreement and aren't engaged in discussions, says Bondy (Twitter links).
Kirilenko, who signed a three-year contract with CSKA Moscow in Russia during the NBA lockout, is expected to return to North America at some point. His contract includes opt-out clauses at the end of each season, so he could become eligible to sign with an NBA team once the Euroleague season ends.
The Nets were seriously interested in Kirilenko in December, but it's not clear if they'll maintain that same level of interest now that they'll be attempting to re-sign forwards Gerald Wallace and Gerald Green.
Odds & Ends: Pistons, Kobe, Nelson, Nene, Nets
Some Wednesday afternoon items from around the NBA:
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News identifies John Henson as a potential fit for the Pistons in the draft and explores the team's upcoming amnesty-related decision.
- Prior to last season's blood-platelet therapy, Kobe Bryant was seriously questioning his basketball future, says Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- In addition to conducting a Cavaliers-centric chat this afternoon, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio examined a few potential NBA coaching openings.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com also answered questions in a chat that featured a number of interesting draft tidbits.
- The Magic and their fans shouldn't let the Dwight Howard saga overshadow Jameer Nelson's future in Orlando, argues Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes about the positive influence Nene had on the Wizards' young players following the deal that sent him to Washington in March. When I previewed the Wizards' offseason yesterday, I noted that finding another strong veteran presence like Nene could have a strong impact on the team's young nucleus.
- Fred Kerber of the New York Post wonders which of the Nets' free agents will be re-signed this summer.
Tyson Chandler Wins Defensive Player Of The Year
WEDNESDAY, 2:32pm: Chandler officially received the Defensive Player of the Year award today at a press conference in New York. Serge Ibaka, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, and Kevin Garnett finished second through fifth, respectively, in the voting. Chandler barely edged out the Thunder big man, with 311 points to Ibaka's 294.
TUESDAY, 8:10pm: Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports that Knicks center Tyson Chandler will be named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for the 2011/12 season. Chandler is expected to be presented the award on Thursday at Madison Square Garden, prior to the Knicks taking on the Miami Heat in game three of their playoff series.
In December, Chandler signed a four-year contract with the Knicks worth approximately $55.4MM, as part of a sign-and-trade involving Chandler's former team, the Dallas Mavericks. The signing has paid off immensely for New York, as he has averaged 11.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 1.4 BPG and anchoring their defense.
This is Chandler's first Defensive Player of the Year award. Previously, Dwight Howard had won it three years in a row.
Bucks Notes: Ellis, Kohl, Skiles, Cap Room
Scott Skiles told Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel yesterday that he would be returning to Milwaukee next season for the final year of his contract, quieting speculation that the Bucks could seek a new coach. Here are the rest of the latest updates out of Milwaukee:
- One reason the Warriors were willing to send Monta Ellis to Milwaukee was because he wouldn't give Golden State a "firm commitment" that he wanted to be there long-term, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
- "Rumors still persist" that Herb Kohl would be open to selling his majority share of the Bucks and becoming a minority owner, according to Woelfel (on Twitter).
- Bringing back Skiles for 2012/13 makes sense for both the Bucks and the coach, says Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- The Bucks will have room under the cap this summer to make "at least one substantial roster upgrade," Hunt adds within his piece. I think that might depend on whether or not the team re-signs Ersan Ilyasova.
Poll: Will The Heat Sweep The Knicks?
After a dominant performance in Game One, the Heat took a 2-0 lead over the Knicks on Monday, prompting an outburst of frustration that will sideline Amare Stoudemire for Game Three. Stoudemire spoke to reporters about his injured hand today, saying there's a "great chance" he'll be back on Sunday, though reports earlier today suggested Amare could miss the entire series.
Of course, whether or not Stoudemire plays again this season may depend on how long the series lasts. With the Knicks in disarray, Chris Perkins of Sheridan Hoops writes that winning the series in even five games would be a disappointment for Miami. The other three series in the East are all tied at a game apiece, so the Heat could benefit from the extra rest if they can finish the Knicks off quickly.
What do you think? Will Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks bounce back from the fire-extinguisher incident to make a series of it? Or will the Heat finish off New York in four?
Will the Heat sweep the Knicks?
-
Yes 62% (271)
-
No, but they'll win the series 30% (129)
-
No, and the Knicks will win the series 8% (35)
Total votes: 435
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.
Offseason Outlook: Cleveland Cavaliers
Guaranteed Contracts
- Anderson Varejao ($8,368,182)
- Luke Walton ($6,087,927)
- Kyrie Irving ($5,375,760)
- Tristan Thompson ($3,894,240)
- Omri Casspi ($2,277,306)
Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Daniel Gibson ($4,792,332; partially guaranteed for $2,492,332)
- Samardo Samuels ($854,389)
- Manny Harris ($854,389)
- D.J. Kennedy ($762,195)
- Donald Sloan ($762,195)
Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Antawn Jamison ($18,091,071)
- Anthony Parker ($4,275,000)
- Alonzo Gee ($2,695,391 – QO)
- Luke Harangody ($1,029,389 – QO)
- Semih Erden ($1,029,389 – QO)
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (Pending lottery; 13.8% chance at first overall pick)
- 1st Round (24th overall)
- 2nd Round (33rd overall)
- 2nd Round (34th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $28,495,747
- Non-Guaranteed Salary, Cap Holds: $32,653,408
- Total (not including draft picks): $61,149,155
For the first few weeks of this season, the Cavaliers were playing well enough to be part of the Eastern Conference playoff conversation, led by first overall pick Kyrie Irving and veteran big men Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejao. However, Irving and Varejao suffered injuries and the Cavs eventually finished the season by losing 27 of their final 35 games.
Although the team tied for the NBA's third-worst record, it wasn't a lost year in Cleveland. The Cavs appear to have landed a future All-Star in Irving, and Tristan Thompson showed flashes of the promise that made him a top-five draft pick in 2011. Cleveland also landed a first-round pick in exchange for free-agent-to-be Ramon Sessions, and now head into June armed with a pair of first-rounders in a deep draft.
Assuming the Cavaliers don't land the first overall pick, they seem like a good bet to draft a player like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Harrison Barnes, or Bradley Beal. Adding one of those guys to a core that includes Irving, Thompson, Varejao, and maybe restricted free agent Alonzo Gee would bode well for the team's long-term prospects.
If Cleveland hopes to contend for the postseason in the short term though, the club will need to replace Jamison's production, since the veteran forward has indicated that he won't re-sign. Jamison may have been overpaid at $15MM+, but he also averaged more than 17 points per game for the Cavs, scoring that won't be easy to find elsewhere.
The good news? Renouncing Jamison will immediately remove an $18MM+ cap hold off Cleveland's books, giving the team room to pursue free agents. The Cavaliers won't be players for the top free agents on the market, but kicking the tires on guys like O.J. Mayo, Leandro Barbosa, Nicolas Batum, and Ryan Anderson could pay off.
The Cavs have a lot of options when it comes to filling out their roster for 2012/13. I expect them to use at least a couple of their draft picks, and to bring back some of their own low-cost free agents or players on non-guaranteed deals. Even so, they should have room to take advantage of their cap space to bring in a free agent or two.
Heading into this offseason, Irving, Thompson, and Varejao are the only Cavs under contract past 2012/13, so the team is in great shape when it comes to cap flexibility. With another lottery pick on the way, the team shouldn't feel any pressure to deal Varejao to get even younger. If the team explores a trade, I think it would involve moving one or two of their draft picks for a veteran.
With the LeBron James era a little further in the rear-view mirror, the Cavaliers seem to be rebuilding the right way. A few smart moves this summer and some better luck with injuries could make Cleveland a playoff contender again as soon as next season.
Storytellers Contracts and Sham Sports were used in the creation of this post.