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Month: April 2013

2013 NBA Draft Tiebreakers, Tentative Order

By | at April 19, 2013 4:29 pm

The 2013 NBA draft lottery doesn't take place until May 21st, 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 we explain in the Hoops Rumors glossary, 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 Pistons and Wizards tied for the league's seventh-worst record (29-53), each team's chances of landing the first overall pick will be an average of the seventh- and eighth-best odds (4.3% and 2.8%). Because the Pistons won the tiebreaker, they'll receive slightly better odds than the Wizards (3.6% to 3.5%) and will draft ahead of Washington if neither team lands a top-three pick.

Here are the complete results of today's tiebreakers:

  • Pistons over Wizards for 7th
  • 76ers over Raptors for 11th
  • Rockets over Lakers, Bulls for 18th
  • Lakers over Bulls for 19th
  • Clippers over Grizzlies for 25th

And here's how the overall draft order for the first round will look heading into the lottery. Traded picks are incorporated into the order, and a team's chances of landing the first overall pick is noted in parentheses:

  1. Orlando Magic (25.0%)
  2. Charlotte Bobcats (19.9%)
  3. Cleveland Cavaliers (15.6%)
  4. Phoenix Suns (11.9%)
  5. New Orleans Pelicans (8.8%)
  6. Sacramento Kings (6.3%)
  7. Detroit Pistons (3.6%)
  8. Washington Wizards (3.5%)
  9. Minnesota Timberwolves (1.7%)
  10. Portland Trail Blazers (1.1%). Blazers will send pick to Bobcats if it lands outside of top 12.
  11. Philadelphia 76ers (0.8%)
  12. Toronto Raptors (0.7%). Raptors will send pick to Thunder if it doesn't land in top 3.
  13. Dallas Mavericks (0.6%)
  14. Utah Jazz (0.5%)
  15. Milwaukee Bucks
  16. Boston Celtics
  17. Atlanta Hawks
  18. Atlanta Hawks
  19. Cleveland Cavaliers
  20. Chicago Bulls
  21. Utah Jazz
  22. Brooklyn Nets
  23. Indiana Pacers
  24. New York Knicks
  25. Los Angeles Clippers
  26. Minnesota Timberwolves
  27. Denver Nuggets
  28. San Antonio Spurs
  29. Oklahoma City Thunder
  30. Phoenix Suns

In the second round, teams that lost today's tiebreakers generally move up one spot, while the tiebreak winners move down. For instance, since the Rockets won the three-way tiebreaker at 18-20, Houston's second-round pick would be 20th in the round, while the Lakers and Bulls each move up one spot. Here's how the second round will look, after trades:

  1. Cleveland Cavaliers
  2. Oklahoma City Thunder
  3. Cleveland Cavaliers
  4. Houston Rockets
  5. Philadelphia 76ers
  6. Sacramento Kings
  7. Washington Wizards
  8. Detroit Pistons
  9. Portland Trail Blazers
  10. Portland Trail Blazers
  11. Memphis Grizzlies
  12. Philadelphia 76ers
  13. Milwaukee Bucks
  14. Dallas Mavericks
  15. Portland Trail Blazers
  16. Utah Jazz
  17. Atlanta Hawks
  18. Los Angeles Lakers
  19. Chicago Bulls
  20. Atlanta Hawks
  21. Orlando Magic
  22. Minnesota Timberwolves
  23. Indiana Pacers
  24. Washington Wizards
  25. Memphis Grizzlies
  26. Detroit Pistons
  27. Phoenix Suns
  28. San Antonio Spurs
  29. Minnesota Timberwolves
  30. Memphis Grizzlies
4 comments 2013 NBA Draft

Highest-Paid Players By Team For 2013/14

By | at April 19, 2013 3:23 pm

As non-playoff teams prepare to seek offseason upgrades, it's worth taking a look at a few of the salary commitments already on teams' books for 2013/14. We'll do this more thoroughly in the coming weeks, as we preview each club's offseason individually. But for now, let's check in on each team's highest-paid player.

In some cases, a free-agent-to-be will ultimately become the highest-paid player on his team for 2013/14. In other instances, a player that currently projects to be his club's highest-paid player may be traded before next season gets underway. But at the moment, here are the players expected to be in line for the most money next season on each of the NBA's 30 teams:

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.

1 comment Uncategorized

Kelly Olynyk To Enter Draft

By | at April 19, 2013 2:11 pm

Gonzaga junior Kelly Olynyk has elected to forgo his remaining year of NCAA eligibility and enter the NBA draft, reports Jim Meehan of the Spokesman-Review. ESPN.com's Chad Ford previously reported that Olynyk was expected to go pro this year.

Olynyk, who is celebrating his 22nd birthday today, had a breakout season for Gonzaga, helping lead the team to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, though the team was upset by Wichita State fairly early. In just 26.4 minutes per game this year, the seven-footer averaged 17.8 PPG and 7.3 RPG.

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com has Olynyk ranked as a potential lottery pick, placing him 13th on his big board. Olynyk is ranked 16th among 2013 prospects at ESPN.com by Ford.

You can check out our complete list of early entrants for this June's draft right here.

0 comments 2013 NBA Draft

Mavs Notes: Point Guards, Cuban, Kaman

By | at April 19, 2013 12:58 pm

We've heard plenty of rumblings out of Dallas since the Mavericks' season ended about what's next for the franchise, including word that O.J. Mayo intends to decline his player option and become a free agent. Considering how high the expectations are for the team, and how comfortable owner Mark Cuban is talking to the media, that's hardly a surprise, and figures to continue throughout the offseason. In fact, we have another round of Mavs updates this afternoon. Let's dive in….

  • The Mavericks' top priority this offseason will be finding a long-term solution for what GM Donnie Nelson calls the team's "point guard odyssey," writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. MacMahon identifies some potential targets for the Mavs, including Jose Calderon, Jarrett Jack, and Jeff Teague.
  • The "Bank of Cuban" can only take Dallas so far, says Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, noting that it will be hard for the Mavs owner to dictate how the summer plays out.
  • Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News speculates that Chris Kaman's exit meeting with the Mavs may not have gone well, since Kaman didn't make himself available to the media following the meeting. There's no guarantee Townsend is right, but I wouldn't be surprised if Kaman has played his last game as a Maverick.
0 comments Dallas Mavericks

Qualifying Offers And The Starter Criteria

By | at April 19, 2013 11:48 am

As we explained a year ago when the 2011/12 regular season ended, new details of the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement have slightly modified the usual process for restricted free agency. The qualifying offers teams extend to potential restricted free agents are now based, in some instances, on a newly-defined "starter criteria."

The CBA describes a "starter" as either starting 41 games or playing 2,000 minutes in a season, and rewards players for meeting those criteria. If a player achieved one of those benchmarks in the season prior to his free agency, or averaged one of those benchmarks in the two seasons leading up to his free agency, his qualifying offer will be affected as follows:

  • A top-14 pick who does not meet the starter critera will receive a same qualifying offer equal to 120% of the amount applicable to the 15th overall pick.
  • A played picked between 10th and 30th who meets the starter criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to 120% of the amount applicable to the ninth overall pick.
  • A second-round pick or undrafted player who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to 100% of the amount applicable to the 21st overall pick.

Because the 2009 class of first-round picks will be hitting restricted free agency this season, the 2009/10 rookie scale will dictate the qualifying offers received. Using RealGM's rookie scale chart for 2009, we can calculate the qualifying offers as follows:

  • 120% of the amount applicable to the ninth overall pick is $4,531,459.
  • 120% of the amount applicable to the 15th overall pick is $4,135,391.
  • 100% of the amount applicable to the 21st overall pick is $2,785,146.

So which players will be affected by this new rule this summer? Using our list of free agents (restricted FAs are marked with R), the above calculations, and the starter criteria, this offseason's modified qualifying offers are listed below. Teams will have to offer these free agents a one-year contract worth the listed amount to make them restricted — otherwise they'll become unrestricted and can freely sign with any club.

Top-14 picks who failed to meet the starter criteria and will now be eligible for a QO of $4,135,391 (previously anticipated QO in parentheses):

Players picked between 10th and 30th who met the starter criteria and will now be eligible for a QO of $4,531,459 (previously anticipated QO in parentheses):

Other free agents with three years or less in the NBA who met the starter criteria and will be eligible for a QO of $2,785,146:

  • None. Although restricted free agents like Nikola Pekovic (Timberwolves) and Tiago Splitter (Spurs) also met the starter criteria, both players are already in line for higher QOs because they were signed to larger deals using cap space (Pekovic) or the mid-level exception (Splitter).
2 comments Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Hornets Dallas Mavericks Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks

Mutual Interest Between Mike Brown, Cavs?

By | at April 19, 2013 11:30 am

FRIDAY, 11:30am: The Cavs may move quickly to court Brown, in an effort to get ahead of other teams that may have interest in hiring him, a source tells Boyer.

THURSDAY, 8:33pm: Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer says that although Brown hasn't been contacted by the Cavs, he would listen if they called:

"If anybody calls, you have to listen…. I'm not rushing to get back to [coaching]. Whether it's the Cavs situation or anybody else, it has to feel right for both sides…. If they call, I wouldn't hang up the phone. I'd definitely listen to what anybody has to say. But then you have to decide if it's the right situation for myself, my family and the organization.''

3:54pm: Former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown could be a top candidate for the newly-vacated head coaching job in Cleveland, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst reports the same thing, writing that there appears to be mutual interest between Brown and the Cavs for a potential reunion.

Although he notes that there are plenty of other contenders, Amico points out that Brown is moving back to the Cleveland era, is the sort of defensive-minded coach the Cavs are seeking, and is still a favorite of GM Chris Grant. According to Windhorst, the decision may end up depending on Brown, since the ex-Lakers coach has told those close to him that he's unsure whether he's interested in returning to coaching yet. Brown still has two years and $8MM remaining on his Lakers contract, so he doesn't necessarily need to return to the NBA next season.

Windhorst reports that the Cavaliers are expected to contact several possible candidates in the coming days, with Amico listing a few specific names that may interest the club. Among them are current assistants David Fizdale (Heat), Brian Shaw (Pacers), and Michael Malone (Warriors).

Byron Scott was fired by the Cavs earlier today after three seasons with the team.

6 comments Cleveland Cavaliers

Recap Of 2013’s 10-Day Contracts

By | at April 19, 2013 10:11 am

It was another busy year for short-term NBA contracts, as 32 players signed at least one 10-day deal following the beginning of the 10-day signing period in early January. We followed each of this year's signings using our handy 10-day contract tracker, so let's use the data there to break down the details on this year's 10-day deals….

Players whose first 10-day contract wasn't extended:

Players who signed two 10-day contracts, but weren't signed for the season:

Players who signed one 10-day contract, then were signed for the season:

Players who signed two 10-day contracts, then were signed for the season:

Notes on this year's 10-day contracts:

  • No players signed more 10-day deals this season than Jannero Pargo and Shelvin Mack, who each inked a total of four 10-day contracts with two separate teams before landing rest-of-season deals.
  • Pargo, Mack, Malcolm Thomas, and Maalik Wayns each signed at least one 10-day contract with two different teams. All four players ultimately signed rest-of-season deals.
  • The Celtics, Mavericks, Heat, Timberwolves, Hornets, and Sixers all signed three or more players to at least one 10-day contract. The Celtics' and Heat's end-of-season rosters each include three players that started on 10-day deals — Terrence Williams, Shavlik Randolph, and D.J. White for Boston, and Chris Andersen, Jarvis Varnado, and Juwan Howard for Miami.
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Northwest Rumors: Blazers, Timberwolves, Kahn

By | at April 19, 2013 8:51 am

The Northwest was one of only two NBA divisions to send just two teams to the postseason, which means the Northwest's other three teams are looking ahead to the offseason. As the Nuggets and Thunder prepare to get their playoff series underway this weekend, here's the latest on the division's lottery teams:

  • Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey will be targeting a draft night trade in which the Blazers give up one or more picks in exchange for a veteran center, according to Jason Quick of the Oregonian. Since Portland won't open up its summer cap space until July, the club wouldn't be able to officially consummate such a trade on draft night, but a handshake agreement could be struck.
  • Said Olshey: "If there is a player under contract that we can absorb into our room on a team that values a draft pick more than the established player, or they are moving in a different direction and it moves us forward faster, it's clearly what we are going to do."
  • Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is waiting to hear whether or not coach Rick Adelman return to the team for next season before deciding on GM David Kahn's future, but for now Kahn is operating as if he'll be back, writes Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Both Adelman and Kahn believe Minnesota needs to add a talented veteran shooting guard and improve its interior defense.
  • Kahn is hoping to re-sign restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic and unrestricted free agent Chase Budinger, as well as convincing Andrei Kirilenko to pick up his player option for 2013/14, says Richardson.
  • We rounded up a few end-of-season Jazz items last night.
0 comments Minnesota Timberwolves Portland Trail Blazers

Odds & Ends: Jackson, Wall, Hunt, Sixers

By | at April 18, 2013 11:23 pm

Here are a few more miscellaneous notes to pass along tonight: 

  • With the Nets basketball operations staff on expiring deals, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) wonders if Mikhail Prokhorov is preparing to offer Phil Jackson an offer to run the team and make his own hires.
  • Wizards guard John Wall tells J. Michael of CSN Washington that he won't be one to recruit free agents, and would rather have players want to join his team. 
  • RealGM's Sham Charania mentions Nuggets assistant coach Melvin Hunt as someone who could draw interest from teams with head coaching vacancies (Twitter link). 
  • Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs outlines a list of potential coaching candidates for the 76ers, mentioning team assistant Aaron Mckie, Villanova coach Jay Wright, Michael Curry (who will be interviewed for the head coaching job), Warriors assistant Mike Malone, and Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer as names that could be considered. 
  • Grantland's Bill Simmons says that when Thunder GM Sam Presti was quietly shopping James Harden last October, he was quickly rebuffed after calling the Raptors to inquire about a deal involving a package centered on Jonas Valanciunas. 
0 comments Brooklyn Nets Denver Nuggets Oklahoma City Thunder Philadelphia 76ers Toronto Raptors Washington Wizards

Cavs Notes: Grant, Coaches, Free Agents

By | at April 18, 2013 10:57 pm

The news of Byron Scott's firing has sent an emotional ripple effect throughout the Cavaliers' organization, especially stunning many of the players, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. GM Chris Grant, who admitted that the decision was a difficult one "personally and professionally," told reporters that the team hadn't been making enough progress to warrant continued direction under coach Scott.

As for a replacement, Grant said: "Moving forward we'll look for someone with proven success and look for somebody who is strong defensively with proven systems…We'll look for somebody who is a teacher. We'll look for somebody who is a grinder and a worker." 

We have quite a few links to relay regarding the Cavs tonight, and you can find them below:

  • Schmitt Boyer compiled a list of potential coaching candidates, categorizing them in terms of "shoot for the moon" targets, former head coaches, highly regarded NBA assistants, and college coaches.  
  • The Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto makes a case for Stan Van Gundy as a possible fit in Cleveland, saying that the Cavaliers would definitely like to talk to him soon. Pluto also suggests a possibility that the organization considers someone who has never been an NBA head coach – such as Heat assistant coach David Fizdale – to take the coaching reins. 
  • Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press mentions that Flip Saunders – a native of Cleveland – could be another option, though the former Timberwolves coach could also be linked to Minnesota depending on if Rick Adelman and/or David Kahn remain with that organization.
  • Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer writes that the NBA will hold a random tiebreaker on Friday which will determine what draft choice the team receives from the Lakers in June. She also runs down the list of impending free agents on the roster and discusses the likelihood of their return or departure.
  • In addition to eliciting more reaction from the Cavs players, Schmitt Boyer was able to hear Luke Walton's thoughts about whether or not he could see Phil Jackson  joining the franchise as a coach: "I get surprised every day in this league. But we're a pretty young team right here right now for Coach Jackson to come back. I would be surprised if he'd come to such a young team on that side of the process. But I get shocked every day in this league, so I won't say it's not going to happen.''
0 comments Uncategorized
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