Celtics Rumors: Crawford, Pietrus, Dooling, Daniels
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com yesterday advanced the notion of Jamal Crawford joining the Celtics. Fellow CSNNE.com scribe Rich Levine endorses the idea, but believes Crawford is seeking a multi-year deal worth more per year than the $5MM he made this past season with the Blazers, and wonders whether the Celtics are willing to spend that much on him. Crawford is expected to decline his $5.225MM Blazers option for next year. There's plenty more on potential Celtics comings and goings this morning, with just a few weeks to go until free agents officially hit the market.
Phil Jackson Calls Knicks Roster ‘Clumsy’
9:19am: As part of the "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel" interview, Jackson called the possibility of working with the Magic "one of the best opportunities in the game right now," but ultimately concluded that he wants to remain in the western part of the country, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The plan Sam Vincent was pushing for Orlando would have brought Jackson into a lead front office role, with Scottie Pippen as coach and Vincent also a part of the front-office staff. Pippen tried to get Jackson to go along with the plan, but the arrangement wasn't endorsed by Magic officials, who never met with Jackson.
FRIDAY, 8:10pm: Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson spoke candidly about the current state of the Knicks during a television interview set to air on Tuesday, reports Michael O'Keeffe of the New York Daily News. Jackson told Andrea Kremer of "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel" that he wasn't interested in coaching the Knicks and was glad that owner James Dolan never called him. While Jackson admitted coaching at the Garden is something he has definitely thought about, the former Bulls and Lakers head coach described the team's present roster as "clumsy," specifically the dynamic between the team's two best players.
Woelfel On Draft, Trades, Jennings
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times tweeted last night about the workout the Bucks have scheduled today for wing players Will Barton and Evan Fournier, as we noted in our roundup of Friday's draft rumors. Woelfel has a full report today on those two and fringe draft pick Ramone Moore, who's also working out for the Bucks today. He also shares news from around the league on a possible extension for Brandon Jennings, teams willing to trade draft picks, and rising and falling draft stocks.
Odds & Ends: Crawford, Warriors, Seattle, Bulls
The Lakers made history on this day 11 years ago when they beat the Sixers 108-96 to claim the NBA championship with the highest playoff winning percentage of all time at 93.8%, according to Hoopedia. Led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles went 15-1 in the playoffs by sweeping the Trail Blazers, Kings and Spurs before losing just once to Philadelphia. Let's take a look around the league to catch up on the latest news and stories making headlines…
Poll: Build A Franchise Around LeBron Or Durant?
The battle between superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant has stolen headlines throughout the NBA Finals as the series heads to Miami tied 1-1. For James, winning his first ring in his third trip to the Finals would validate a career highlighted by individual achievement but lacking a Larry O'Brien Trophy. For Durant, winning a championship arguably ahead of schedule would start the dynasty chatter and make many wonder if James will retire as the best player to never reach basketball's pinnacle. With both James and Durant playing basketball at a remarkably high level, we ask you to consider tonight's poll question: Which player would you rather build a franchise around?
Who Would You Rather Build A Franchise Around?
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Kevin Durant 72% (718)
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LeBron James 28% (285)
Total votes: 1,003
Draft Updates: Friday
Yesterday's roundup of draft links included a ton of updates on workouts and speculation on where certain players may land. We expect more of the same today, so we'll track today's draft notes right here, adding new items to the top of the list throughout the day….
- Anthony Davis has decided to hire Wasserman Media Group to represent him, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The former Kentucky star will work out for the Hornets on Tuesday, tweets Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com.
- The Jazz will host six players on Saturday for a pre-draft workout, according to a team press release. The participants will include Kim English, Jorge Gutierrez, Noah Hartsock, Robbie Hummel, Toure' Murry and Malik Wayns.
Sale Of Hornets To Tom Benson Now Official
Saints owner Tom Benson can now officially add owner of the Hornets to his resume as the team released a statement confirming the finalization of the sale. The NBA's Board of Governors approved the sale of the team to Benson on Wednesday after the New Orleans businessman reached an agreement to purchase the franchise from the league in April for $338MM. Benson expressed his excitement over completing the purchase of the team on Friday and the opportunity to make the Hornets as competitive as his Saints.
Jason Maxiell Pondering Future With Pistons
Jason Maxiell remains uncertain if he will exercise his player option with the Pistons for next season, reports Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. The 29-year-old forward has until June 28 to decide whether he will return to Detroit for $5MM or test the free-agent market this summer. Maxiell's agent, Andy Miller, is currently using the month of June to determine how his client would fare if he declined his option and made his services available to the rest of the league. The Pistons are expected to select a big man in the first round of the draft, which has made Maxiell's decision more difficult.
Katz On Celtics, Bobcats, Rockets, Jazz, Mavs
We're rounding up most of today's draft-related updates in a single post right here, but Andy Katz's latest piece for ESPN.com is packed with so many rumors that it's worth a separate look. Here's what Katz is hearing about a few teams' draft plans:
Amico On Bulls, Sloan, Blazers, Crawford
Within the last week, both Sam Smith of Bulls.com and Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com concocted trade scenarios in which the Bulls acquire Tyreke Evans from the Kings, increasing speculation about such a deal. But Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio hears from multiple sources that there's nothing to the idea, and that it's not something that's being discussed by the two teams. That tidbit comes from Amico's Thursday column, and he's back with another piece today, so let's take a look at the highlights: