Wizards GM Talks Wall, Webster, Satoransky, 2014
A year ago today, the Wizards were on the verge of announcing a contract extension for team president Ernie Grunfeld. After a disappointing season in which early-season injuries to John Wall and others killed Washington's chances of contending for a playoff spot, Grunfeld spoke to the media about the direction of the club. Michael Lee of the Washington Post and the Wizards' official Twitter account shared the highlights from Grunfeld, via Twitter….
- The team will "have conversations" with Wall and his reps this summer to see if the two sides can work out a contract extension. Grunfeld stressed again that the Wizards want to keep the former first overall pick long-term and build around him.
- The Wizards would like to add another veteran to the roster for next year if the opportunity arises. Grunfeld also said Martell Webster complemented Wall and Nene well, and that the club would try to bring him back.
- The team hopes to have 2012 second-round pick Tomas Satoransky on its Summer League squad, and will make a decision after that on whether to try to bring him stateside for the season.
- "Nobody's happy" about being in the lottery, and the goal for next season is to not be in that position again.
Mike Brown, Cavs Finalizing Five-Year Deal
4:03pm: Brown and the Cavs have an agreement in principle for a five-year deal worth a little south of $25MM, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
3:44pm: An official announcement on Brown could come as soon as today, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
2:51pm: The five-year deal for Brown will be worth more than $20MM, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
2:38pm: Brown and the Cavs are working toward finalizing a five-year contract, says Wojnarowski, adding that the final year would include a buyout provision (Twitter link).
2:31pm: The Cavs and Brown "still have some issues to resolve," a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). However, Wojnarowski confirms that a deal could be announced tomorrow. It sounds as if the two sides are simply sorting through some details at this point. One of those details is the offset on the salary still owed to Brown by the Lakers, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
2:09pm: The Cavs and Brown have reached a "handshake agreement" on a deal, reports Lloyd (via Twitter). An official announcement is expected tomorrow, according to Lloyd.
2:00pm: Since parting ways with Byron Scott last week, the Cavaliers have seemingly been focusing on former head coach Mike Brown. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal confirms (via Twitter) that Brown has emerged as the frontrunner for the team's open coaching position, and adds that a deal between the two sides could be announced as soon as tomorrow.
Brown, who was let go by the Lakers five games into the 2012/13 season, has been a popular target this offseason for teams seeking a new coach. One report indicated that Brown had turned down multiple offers from the Suns, while another report suggested that his name was at or near the top of the Sixers' wish list. ESPN.com's Marc Stein also tweeted today that the Hawks are expected to target Brown if and when they part ways with current head coach Larry Drew. By moving quickly on Brown, the Cavs could prevent current playoff teams like the Hawks from having a chance at him.
Brown is still believed to be owed about $8MM in salary by the Lakers, so he's under no real pressure to find a new job. There's certainly some appeal to the Cavs' position though, as Brown was already planning to be based in the Cleveland area. Additionally, the team is stocked with draft picks, cap space, and a young superstar in Kyrie Irving.
Coaching Rumors: Snyder, Bobcats, Hawks, Suns
It's already been a busy day on the NBA's coaching carousel, as Mike Dunlap was let go by the Bobcats, while Mike Brown is close to officially becoming the Cavs' head coach for a second time. Even after the Cavs fill their coaching vacancy, plenty of other NBA teams are either in the market for a new coach or could be soon. Here are the latest coaching-related rumblings around the league:
- We heard that Brown could also potentially draw offers – or at least interest – from the Suns, Hawks, and Sixers among others. However, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com tweets that a major factor in Brown's decision was his family wanting to live in Cleveland.
- Quin Snyder, who worked for CSKA Moscow in 2012/13, drew strong interest from the Bobcats last summer, and could emerge again as a candidate in Charlotte, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein notes that Snyder could also be at or near the top of the Hawks' wish list if Danny Ferry decides to part ways with Larry Drew (Twitter link).
- Given the team's cap situation and the presence of another top-five pick, the Bobcats' opening is more appealing now than it was a year ago, and is drawing more interest this time around, says Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Suns president Lon Babby intends to hire a new general manager and then work with that GM to make a decision on the team's coach, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Babby isn't inclined to hire one person for both jobs, Coro adds.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes that none of the Raptors' assistant coaches are under guaranteed contracts for next season. As Smith points out, if Toronto drags its feet on finalizing decisions on Bryan Colangelo and Dwane Casey, the pool of potential assistants could be depleted by the time the team gets around to it.
Central Links: George, Pacers, Bulls, Bucks
As the Cavs work toward officially re-hiring Mike Brown as their new head coach, here are a few more Tuesday updates out of the Central Division:
- Paul George was named the NBA's Most Improved Player of 2012/13 earlier today, and Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star tweets that a contract extension could be next for the 22-year-old. George will be entering the final year of his rookie deal this summer, making him extension-eligible, and Pacers owner Herb Simon "will be paying up," according to Wells.
- David Morway, the former Pacers GM who played a crucial role in Indiana's rebuilding process, talked to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld about the process of rebuilding an NBA franchise, suggesting that there isn't necessarily one specific way to approach the task.
- As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes in his latest column, two key contributors to the Bulls' Game Two win in Brooklyn last night, Tom Thibodeau and Nazr Mohammed, had been pursued by the Nets in the past.
- Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel doesn't expect the draft, free agency, or a new coach to make a huge impact for the Bucks, and wonders if a new ownership group would provide the sort of shake-up the franchise needs.
Western Notes: Brand, Mavs, Nash, Suns, Grizzlies
Western Conference home teams are 5-0 in playoff games so far, after Chris Paul's buzzer-beater lifted the Clippers to a thrilling Game Two win over the Grizzlies last night. The Nuggets will look to make it six straight victories for favorites in the West tonight against the Warriors. While we wait for that game, let's check out some items from around the conference:
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com explores whether Elton Brand will be back with the Mavericks next season or wearing another team's uniform.
- Asked about his former team in Dallas, Steve Nash pointed to all the one-year contracts the Mavs handed out last summer, noting that it's a "difficult situation" when so many players have uncertain futures. Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the quotes from Nash.
- Nash also spoke to Sam Amick of USA Today about his injury-plagued 2012/13 season, stressing that he was "not even close" to considering retirement.
- In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Lang Greene takes a look at the upcoming summer for the Suns and talks to J.J. Hickson about free agency.
- Given the Grizzlies' cap situation, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com wonders if the team's front office will explore moving Zach Randolph this summer.
Bobcats Fire Mike Dunlap
The Bobcats have fired head coach Mike Dunlap, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). The team confirmed in a press release that Dunlap will not return, announcing that the search for his replacement will get underway immediately. The move comes after Dunlap spent just a single season in Charlotte, leading the team to a 21-61 record.
Dunlap was hired by the Bobcats last summer after a lengthy coaching search that reportedly included interviews of at least 10 candidates. Charlotte was coming off a season in which the team set a record for futility, posting a record-worst .106 winning percentage (7-59). Even though this year's 21-61 record isn't impressive by any means, it was a significant step up from last season's mark.
While the decision is a bit of a surprise, the season wasn't without incident for Dunlap and the Bobcats. He had a run-in with veteran shooting guard Ben Gordon earlier this year, and Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer wrote last week that "there are people in the organization who consider [Dunlap] arrogant." Nonetheless, I didn't expect to see Michael Jordan and the Bobcats go back to the drawing board just a year after bringing Dunlap aboard.
The move makes Charlotte the fourth Eastern Conference team to part ways with its coach since the regular season ended last Wednesday. The Pistons, Sixers, and Cavaliers are all in the market for a new head coach as well.
David Stern On Jordan, Kings, Jackson, Silver
The 2013 NBA postseason will be David Stern's last as commissioner, but when he appeared on ESPN Radio in New York this week, Stern said that fact hasn't really hit him yet. As Stern pointed out, he'll still be attending NBA playoff games beyond this year, as a fan rather than as a commissioner, giving him an opportunity to "experience the game in a different way." The longtime NBA commissioner also addressed a number of other notable topics during his ESPN Radio appearance, so let's check out a few of his comments, courtesy of Eric Schmoldt of Sports Radio Interviews….
On Michael Jordan's struggles as owner of the Bobcats:
"I have no doubt that Michael, who is a smart businessman and good manager and, I think, a good judge of talent, he’ll do fine. It’s just not as easy as people think it is to get going in this league if you inherit a bad situation."
On the latest in the Kings saga:
"I think we’ll likely have a meeting of the relocation committee later this week, which will then issue a report early next week. And then seven days after that report is issued, there’ll be a Board of Governors meeting to vote on it. I don’t want to project anything because it’s for the owners and the committees to make the announcement."
On whether he'd like to see Phil Jackson back in the NBA:
"Oh, I would. I think it’s great. I love the variety that our sport has. Sometimes Phil has a way of saying things that are directed to zing the league office, but that’s fine. We’re sort of one big family, and I think that somebody who has as many rings as Phil does, who brings so much sort of interesting thought to our game, would be a great addition, or re-addition, to our sport."
On preparing Adam Silver to take over as commissioner next February:
"Adam and I, by the time I step down on February 1st, we will have worked together in the NBA for 22 years. Okay? So, if he’s not prepared now, he will never be prepared. He knows what I do that he would like to do, and he knows what I do that he would not like to do. And everyone has their own approach to it. There’s nobody that is better prepared in dealing with media, fans, the game, owners, television, international. I’m very happy, and proud, that I have recommended to the owners — and they have accepted — a successor who is totally steeped in our game and our business."
Paul George Wins Most Improved Player
TUESDAY, 9:17am: George has officially been named the NBA's Most Improved Player for 2012/13, according to a Pacers press release. Greivis Vasquez was the runner-up, while Larry Sanders, Nikola Vucevic, and Jrue Holiday rounded out the top five vote-getters.
MONDAY, 9:40pm: Paul George of the Pacers will be named the NBA's Most Improved Player, sources confirm to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (Twitter link). The Pacers called a "major" press conference for tomorrow, which initially led Kennedy and others to speculate that it is to announce that George has won the award.
George stepped into the shoes of the injured Danny Granger, the 2009 Most Improved Player who missed all but five games this year, and took over as Indiana's leading scorer this season. His points per game soared to 17.4 from 12.1 last season, and his rebounding and assist production also saw healthy jumps. Still, his shooting and three-point accuracy declined as the Pacers leaned more heavily on him, and his PER held nearly steady at 16.8, after he posted a 16.5 in that category in 2011/12.
George, in his third season out of Fresno State, also made his first All-Star Game this year, and was a part of Indiana's tough defense that gave up 90.7 PPG, second only to the Grizzlies. The 22-year-old opened up the postseason yesterday with a triple-double against the Hawks, though the votes were taken before the playoffs began. He'll be eligible for an extension to his rookie-scale contract this summer.
There are always plenty of candidates for the award, and this year was no exception. Larry Sanders, Greivis Vasquez, J.J. Hickson and Jrue Holiday all made intriguing cases, and we'll see just how close they came when the league reveals the voting.
Latest On Cavs’ Coaching Search
While the Cavaliers' coaching search involved reaching out to Phil Jackson, it appears unlikely that the 11-time champion will be interested in Cleveland's rebuilding project, as Bob Finnan of the News-Herald writes. Finnan has plenty of other details on the team's search to replace Byron Scott on the bench though, so let's dive in and check out the highlights….
- One prominent agent told Finnan that the Cavs have a "fixation" on Mike Brown. According to Finnan, Danny Ferry and the Hawks could have interest in Brown if they let go of Larry Drew, so Cleveland is hoping to move quickly on the former Lakers coach.
- In addition to contacting Jackson, the Cavs may have also reached out to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who isn't interested, says Finnan.
- Nate McMillan, who is rumored to be in the mix for the Pistons' opening, doesn't appear to be high on the Cavs' list. Finnan notes that it may be because McMillan is too similar to Scott.
- The Cavs haven't inquired on Flip Saunders, who is open to a return to the NBA.
Odds & Ends: Millsap, Del Negro, Dunleavy, Hill
Many believe there's virtually no chance the Jazz will re-sign both Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap this summer, and Millsap admits the uncertainty of impending free agency crept into his mind during the season, as Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News writes. "That’s me being honest," Millsap said. "It’s a tough thing to try to put it in the back of your head and not think about it. For the most part, I felt like we did a good job of handling it and the coaches did too." Free agents in the playoffs face even more pressure as they chase a title and their next contract at the same time, and as we watch to see who can take that kind of heat, here's the latest from around the Association:
- Clippers vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks expressed his support for Vinny Del Negro to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, in response to rumors that the team may not retain the coach. Del Negro is in the final year of his contract, and though he and the Clippers have spoken about an extension, both sides have tabled those talks until after the season.
- Mike Dunleavy Sr. wants to coach again, and he's told agent Warren LeGarie to investigate the opportunities, reports Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida. Dunleavy said he'd limit his search to teams that have the "resources" available to win.
- Rival executives have suggested to Chris Mannix of SI.com that Grant Hill could be a fit for the general manager opening in Phoenix. Hill is likely to retire at the end of the season, and he's a favorite of Suns owner Robert Sarver, who employed him as a player for five seasons. Lon Babby, the team's president of basketball operations, is a former agent who used to represent Hill (Twitter link).
- SB Nation's Tom Ziller ponders what might have been if James Harden were still with the Thunder, pointing to numbers that suggest they'd be among the greatest offensive teams of all time.
- Former Illinois shooting guard Brandon Paul has chosen agent Jim Tanner of Williams & Connolly, tweets Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal. Paul checks in 57th with Jonathan Givony's ratings for DraftExpress, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com has him 96th.