Blazers Notes: Draft, Coaches, Hickson, Maynor
While the Trail Blazers' 13-game losing streak to close the season wasn't pretty, it did help the team load up on draft picks for the coming summer. The Blazers' first-rounder is top-12 protected, which means they'd only lose it if three of the four teams below them in the draft lottery standings jumped up into the top three. In addition to that first-rounder, the Blazers will also keep their own second-rounder (No. 40), and acquire second-rounders from the Timberwolves (No. 39) and Celtics (No. 46). Here's more out of Portland:
- The Trail Blazers haven't had a ton of success in the past luring free agents to Portland, but general manager Neil Olshey, who is viewed around the league as a players' GM, could be a difference-maker in the free agent process, says Jason Quick of the Oregonian.
- Quick also notes, via Twitter, that the Blazers' entire coaching staff is on track to return for next season, assuming assistant Kaleb Canales exercises his option.
- J.J. Hickson told reporters, including Joe Freeman of the Oregonian, that he "definitely" wants to return to Portland, but that his future is "to be determined" (Twitter link).
- Eric Maynor expressed a strong desire to remain with the Blazers, indicating that Portland was a great fit for him and that there'd be no downside to coming back, tweets Freeman. Damian Lillard also endorsed bringing back Maynor or a similar player, noting that having a capable backup point guard helped alleviate the pressure on him (Twitter link).
- One point guard who won't be returning to Portland is Nolan Smith, who told reporters, including Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link), that the team has indicated it's unlikely to bring him back.
Eastern Notes: Turner, Sixers, Gordon, McRoberts
With the 2012/13 season officially over for 14 NBA teams, it's been a busy Thursday around the league, as teams look toward the offseason changes on the way in the coming weeks and months. Three Eastern Conference teams have parted ways with their head coaches, but that's not all that's going on in the conference today. Here are a few more Eastern updates:
- Speaking to Philadelphia media today, Evan Turner said he believes he'll still be a Sixer next season, and that his name has come up in trade rumors because he has value. He added that he isn't worried about potential extension talks — he'll be extension-eligible as of July 1st (Twitter links via Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com).
- Sixers owner Josh Harris has confirmed that Philadelphia is in "advanced discussions" to buy a D-League franchise, tweets Moore. A report back in November suggested that the 76ers may be targeting the suspended Utah Flash team.
- Ben Gordon can't see any reason to opt out of his contract for next season, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets. Considering his 2013/14 player option is worth $13.2MM, Gordon's stance is hardly a surprise.
- Another player who would like to return to the Bobcats for 2013/14 is Josh McRoberts. However, Bonnell tweets that McRoberts "made it clear" money will be the biggest factor for him in free agency.
- John Wall isn't planning on doing much recruiting this summer, telling J. Michael of CSNWashington.com that he's not going to "beg" free agents to sign with the Wizards (Twitter link).
- Al Harrington, who has two half-guaranteed years remaining on his contract, recognizes he probably doesn't have a future with the Magic, but isn't 100% sure, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
Lawrence Frank Out As Pistons Coach
The Pistons have notified Lawrence Frank that he won't be retained as the team's head coach for the 2013/14 season, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com first tweeted word that Frank was out as coach of the Pistons.
The decision had been expected for some time, particularly after Pistons owner Tom Gores expressed his disappointment earlier this week about how the club's season had played out. Gores did praise the way Joe Dumars and basketball operations had set the franchise up financially, but his comments didn't include many accolades for Frank's performance.
In two seasons with the Pistons, Frank led the team to a 54-94 record, failing to qualify for the playoffs either year. He'll still receive his salary for the 2013/14 season, since it was guaranteed for an amount in the neighborhood of $3.5-4MM.
We heard yesterday that Frank had informed the Pistons he didn't want to return to the club unless the team exercised its 2014/15 option on him as well. Frank didn't want to commit to the Pistons going forward unless the team was willing to commit long-term to him, due in part to the fact that his wife has been ill, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported today.
O.J. Mayo To Opt Out, Become Free Agent
O.J. Mayo will not pick up his player option for next season, opting instead to hit free agency, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (Twitter link). Sneed adds that Mayo is hoping to sign a long-term deal with the Mavericks.
Mayo, 25, would make $4.2MM in the last season of his two-year contract with Dallas if he were to exercise his option. Instead, he figures to receive a raise, and should land a multiyear guarantee as well.
When I examined Mayo's free agent stock last month, I wrote that I expected him to easily exceed the mid-level deals signed by players like Jason Terry, Jamal Crawford, and Louis Williams in 2012. However, his stock may have taken a bit of a hit since then. April was his worst month with the Mavs, as he averaged only 8.6 PPG on 38.5% shooting, both well below his full-season marks (15.3 PPG, 44.9% shooting). He also drew the ire of coach Rick Carlisle, who had some harsh criticism for Mayo after a loss this week.
According to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (via Sulia), there's a noticeable divide in the perception around the league on how much Mayo could earn in free agency. Bucher writes that some GMs don't think he'll earn much more than the $4MM he made this season, while others think he could make up to $10-12MM annually.
Gary Harris Will Return To Michigan State
Earlier this week, likely top-five pick Marcus Smart announced that he'd be returning to Oklahoma State for his sophomore season. Today, another potential lottery selection announced his decision to put off the NBA draft in favor of a second year at school. According to a press release from Michigan State, freshman guard Gary Harris will return to the Spartans for his sophomore year.
"Playing in the NBA is definitely a goal of mine, and something that I've always dreamed of, but those dreams can wait for another day," Harris said in a statement. "I think additional experience and maturity will be huge in my development as a player. I have other dreams of things I want to accomplish, both as a player and as a team at Michigan State. I love college life, and I'm no hurry to move on."
ESPN.com's Chad Ford, who reported earlier this month that Harris was leaning toward returning to school and undergoing shoulder surgery, had the 18-year-old ranked 12th among 2013 prospects. In his first season at Michigan State, Harris averaged 12.9 PPG on .456/.411/.755 shooting.
Coaching Rumors: Suns, Pistons, Raps, Sixers
Two teams have already made coaching changes today, as the Cavaliers parted ways with Byron Scott and the Sixers announced that Doug Collins won't be returning as head coach. There could be a few more spins on the coaching carousel before the day is done, so let's round up the latest….
- ESPN.com's Marc Stein gets the sense that the Suns will take their time to make a decision on the future of coach Lindsey Hunter, who is not assured of returning (Twitter link). According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, Hunter didn't fare well in his end-of-season player evaluations — "players don't want him back," one source tells Berger.
- It sounds as if Lawrence Frank is on the way out in Detroit, but he won't officially learn his fate until he meets with Pistons owner Tom Gores today, tweets Stein. Berger hears that one reason Frank wants his fourth-year option picked up if the team brings him back for a third year is that his wife has been ill, so he's reluctant to make a commitment to Detroit if the club isn't committed long-term to him.
- The situation with Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman figures to take a couple weeks to be resolved, according to Berger.
- Berger adds that Dwane Casey's job with the Raptors appears to be safe for now.
- Although he acknowledges that the Sixers could replace Collins internally, John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer expects the team to interview several coaching candidates, including perhaps Mike Brown, Nate McMillan, Stan Van Gundy, Brian Shaw, and Michael Malone.
- Tom Sorenson of the Charlotte Observer is at a loss in trying to determine whether or not the Bobcats should bring back head coach Mike Dunlap for next season.
- According to GM Chris Grant, the Cavaliers' search for a new coach will begin immediately (Twitter link via Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio).
Cavaliers Fire Byron Scott
The Cavaliers have parted ways with head coach Byron Scott, a source tells Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. The move, which the Cavs confirmed in a press release, comes a day after Scott completed his third season with the team.
Cleveland exercised its 2013/14 option on Scott back in October, at which point the head coach expressed a desire to remain with the Cavs long-term. Scott won't stay with the club for the "five more years" he was hoping for, but he'll still be paid his salary for next season, which is rumored to be $4MM+.
During his three seasons in Cleveland, Scott led the team to a 64-166 record. That's good for a .278 winning percentage, which is the lowest in Cavs' history for anyone that coached at least one full season. According to Lloyd, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert had been unhappy with the team's lack of defensive improvement during Scott's tenure. Gilbert was the "driving force" behind the decision to let Scott go, a source tells Lloyd.
It's not clear yet who might replace Scott in Cleveland, but as Grantland's Zach Lowe notes (via Twitter), a combination of cap space, draft picks, and Kyrie Irving makes the job fairly appealing. ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne suggested yesterday that the Cavs could pursue Phil Jackson this offseason, though Jackson may be more interested in a front-office role rather than a coaching position.
Mavs Notes: Free Agency, Cap, Chris Wright
The Mavericks' 12-year playoff streak may have come to an end this season, but the team did win its last game of the year to reach .500. That's likely of little consolation for Mark Cuban and the Mavs, who have a big offseason ahead of them as they look to build a team capable of returning to the postseason in 2013/14. Here's the latest out of Dallas:
- Last offseason, most of the Mavericks' signings came aboard on one-year contracts, but Cuban isn't sure that will be the case this year, as Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News writes. "We’re going to be opportunistic and try to improve the team," Cuban said. "I don’t see us just signing just one-year deals anymore. I think we want to grab onto some people to be part of a longer-term solution and see what happens."
- Cuban also intends to operate with more transparency for the sake of the team's fans, says Townsend.
- While a .500 season may be acceptable in some NBA cities, it's a disaster in Dallas, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, who says major changes are on the way for the Mavericks.
- MacMahon also takes a look at the Mavericks' financial forecast, with an assist from cap expert Larry Coon.
- After a brief stint with the Mavs in March, Chris Wright is headed to Puerto Rico, having signed with Capitanes de Arecibo, according to a Sportando report.
Poll: Most Anticipated First Round Series
With the NBA's 2012/13 regular season in the books, all eight first-round playoff series have been set. The Western Conference matchups feature some great storylines, including James Harden playing his old Oklahoma City team, the Clippers and Grizzlies meeting in the first round for the second straight year, and the Spurs and Lakers, who have combined to win nine of the last 14 titles, squaring off again.
The Eastern Conference may not have quite the same amount of drama, but it's hard to argue against a matchup like Knicks vs. Celtics, which figures to set an unbreakable record for the most Honey Nut Cheerios mentions in a single playoff series.
So today's poll question is fairly straightforward: With the postseason set to get underway this weekend, which series are you looking forward to most?
Sixers Confirm Doug Collins Won’t Return
Doug Collins won't return as the Sixers' head coach next season, owner Josh Harris confirmed today, according to Michael Preston, the team's director of public relations (Twitter link). According to TNT's David Aldridge (Twitter link), Harris made it clear at the press conference that he wanted Collins to stay, and that it was the coach's decision to step down.
For Collins, it was his fourth head coaching stint that lasted three seasons or less. He also previously spent three years coaching the Pistons, three years coaching the Bulls, and two years coaching the Wizards. During his time in Philadelphia, he led the team to a 110-120 record, and a pair of playoff berths.
According to Harris, Collins will stay on as an advisor to the team (Twitter link via Jason Wolf of USA Today). However, stepping down will allow Collins to spend more time with his grandkids and help his son Chris, who will be the head coach at Northwestern, tweets Aldridge. Collins told reporters, including Aldridge that he decided back around Christmas that he would likely step down at season's end. Collins approached GM Tony DiLeo and president Rod Thorn about two months ago to try to determine an exit strategy (Twitter links).
DiLeo will remain in his role with the Sixers, and will work with ownership in selecting a new coach for the club, Harris confirmed (Twitter link via Aldridge). Collins said today that he'd like the team to consider assistant Michael Curry for the position (Twitter link via Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com). Back in February, we heard that Curry would be viewed as a legitimate long-term candidate if and when Collins stepped down.