Zgoda on Kahn, Pekovic, Kirilenko, Saunders
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune believes that several topics of discussion surrounding the Timberwolves are tied to whether or not Rick Adelman decides to return as head coach next season, namely Andrei Kirilenko's $10MM player option as well as the impending free agencies of Nikola Pekovic and Chase Budinger. Another question mark is tied to future of GM David Kahn, as majority team owner Glen Taylor maintains that he is undecided on Kahn's future and has no timetable on a decision. Zgoda has more things to discuss about the team, and you can find the highlights below:
- Kahn seems confident that he'll return for the draft and next season: "Glen and I talk all the time…My sense is that we’ll be working on this for a while.”
- The team hasn't made it a secret that they'd like to keep Pekovic for the long-term, but it remains to be seen if that stance will change should the 6'11 center garner a max contract offer from another team.
- Although a $10MM salary in 2013-14 appears lucrative, Kirilenko – at age 32 – may find it wiser to opt out and seek a three-or-four year contract, which would likely be the last of his NBA career.
- Taylor speaks regularly with Flip Saunders, mostly because the former Timberwolves head coach has been involved with an investment group looking to buy the team. With that being said, their relationship has fueled speculation that Saunders could be among the next in line to be considered for the general manager position if Kahn isn't retained.
- Brandon Roy most likely doesn't have a future in Minnesota, but his salary could still be used to make a trade work around draft time.
- Taylor, who looked to sell the team before the start of this season (preferably to a buyer with Minnesota ties that would keep the team where it is), looks to continue owning the team for the foreseeable future.
- There has been some tension brewing after some comments that Kevin Love made about being unhappy with his contract situation earlier this year, causing some to speculate the 6'10 forward's desire to remain in Minnesota. With that being said, Love denies wanting out, and teammate Derrick Williams is among those who believe him: "I can vouch for my teammates, the people we’re around every single day, and I think he wants to be here…And we want him here. He’s one of the best players in the game. Who wouldn’t want one of the best power forwards in the game and in the world to be on their team?”
Lakers Looking For Wing Player, Eyeing Goudelock?
9:47pm: ESPN's Marc Stein (via Twitter) hears that the team is lining up Andrew Goudelock for a call up from the D-League.
8:20pm: Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles hears that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is now scouring the free agent market for another wing player to add with Kobe Bryant out. Although recently waived Stephen Jackson is available, he wouldn't be playoff eligible since he was released after the March buyout deadline. The same applies to Raja Bell, another target earlier this season.
Though the loss of Kobe creates a large opening with regards to minutes, it's difficult to imagine Kupchak adding a player who can take on a significant role immediately this late into the season. One could make a strong argument that a reasonable target would be one that either has familiarity with the team's current personnel or a veteran with playoff experience.
According to our list of current available free agents, Chris Douglas-Roberts – a Lakers training camp participant last October – is available and would be cleared to play in the postseason. Another option could be Maurice Evans, a former member of the purple and gold from 2006 to 2008, who has been waiting all year for an opportunity to play.
Odds & Ends: Coaches, Mavericks, Pacers
The NBA has its first official playoff matchup cemented in the postseason schedule, as the Bucks' loss to the Bobcats tonight guaranteed them a first round dance with the Heat. Now that Boston is a lock for seventh place, five of the remaining playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference are still yet to be determined. We've got plenty of miscellaneous links to share tonight, and you can find them below:
- Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune thinks Tyrone Corbin will face plenty of scrutiny next season from the Jazz front office. Corbin appears likely to keep his job regardless of whether the team captures the final playoff spot this year.
- Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times figures on at least six coaching vacancies in the offseason, with the Pistons most likely to have one of them. Woelfel hears Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson is already drawing serious consideration from a couple of teams. Sampson was recently linked to the Bucks, where coach Jim Boylan appears on unsteady footing.
- According to Paul Franklin of The Times of Trenton, Lakers assistant coach Eddie Jordan is expected to be announced as the new head basketball coach at Rutgers University. Tom Luicci of the Star-Ledger heard about the possibility earlier this afternoon (Twitter link).
- Dirk Nowitzki believes the outcome of the Mavericks' attempt to retool this summer might determine the effectiveness of Mark Cuban's decision to break up his 2011 championship team, observes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- Even without a superstar, the well-balanced Pacers appear to be primed as a dangerous post-season matchup, writes Zach Schonbrun of the New York Times.
- Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register tweets that Kobe Bryant will likely seek advice from soccer star and friend David Beckham, who also suffered an Achilles injury but returned after six months. Dan Woike (also of the OC Register) says that Clippers guard Chauncey Billups – who also suffered the same injury last season – is also willing to lend his support (Twitter link). Lastly, the LA Times' Sam Farmer and Broderick Turner gathered some thoughts from NFL star Terrell Suggs, who shed some light on the process of recovery.
Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors contributed to this post.
Board Of Governors To Extend Meeting, Address Kings Situation Next Friday
7:41pm: Earlier, Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter) said he doesn't expect any announcement to be made after Wednesday's meeting and thinks that the Board of Governors may vote on the Seattle bid on Thursday or Friday.
6:07pm: Chris Daniels of King5.com says that the NBA has extended the Board of Governors meeting by one day, with a special committee meeting regarding the Kings to be held this upcoming Wednesday. Daniels adds that both the Sacramento and Seattle investment groups have not been invited, and that the Kings situation will be addressed in a press conference scheduled for next Friday (All Twitter Links).
This news comes one day after several developments on the potential sale of the Kings, notably the decision by the Seattle investors to increase their offer by $25MM after the Sacramento investment group pledged to match their previous offer. We also heard yesterday of the unlikelihood that the NBA will allow a bidding war (Twitter link), so Wednesday's meeting appears to be the next definitive step toward determining the future of the Kings franchise.
Atlantic Notes: Bargnani, Lowry, Pierce, Collins
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes the Raptors will pursue a power forward this summer via trade in return for Andrea Bargnani, and he advocates that Toronto go after Carl Landry, as the team is reportedly considering (Twitter links). If Bargnani is successfully dealt, he joins Greg Oden, Andrew Bogut, Dwight Howard, and LeBron James on the list of #1 picks over the last ten seasons to either eventually leave or be traded from the team that drafted them. Here are a few more tidbits to relay from the Atlantic Division:
- Raptors guard Kyle Lowry tells Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun that he's hopeful about returning to Toronto next season and wants to be back, but acknowledged that the decision is out of his hands. Ganter, who argues that the 6'1 point guard must become a 'jack-of-all-trades' player to fit Toronto's needs, also mentions that Lowry has a $6.21MM team exception for next season.
- Celtics star Paul Pierce still finds it difficult to fathom that Ray Allen left for the Heat, saying that his former teammate could have gone anywhere else – citing the Lakers as another exception – and he wouldn't have felt betrayed, says Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
- Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com wonders why Doug Collins would want to return next season, when the 76ers may still be mediocre.
- Although P.J. Carlesimo would like to rest his key players as much as he can before the playoffs, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson aren't ready to sit just yet, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday. Williams and Johnson briefly mentioned the possibility of catching the Pacers, who are currently the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
Kupchak on Kobe, Amnesty, Lakers
Shortly before the announcement that Lakers guard Kobe Bryant underwent successful surgery (according to NBA.com) and faces a six-to-nine month road to recovery, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak spoke to reporters and fielded questions about his thoughts on Kobe, Mike D'Antoni's decision to give him heavy minutes, and what's next for the Lakers heading into the playoffs. Kupchak also mentioned that Kobe was in good spirits before the operation and has his sights set on returning in time for training camp in November. Here are some more of the highlights from the transcript (via NBA.com):
On the idea of possibly amnestying Kobe:
"That’s not even something we’ve discussed. From my understanding without going into great detail, that’s not something that gets to the fall. I think that's something that happens in July, so that’s not something that takes place next year. That’s the furthest thing from my mind right now."
On Mike D'Antoni's decision to give Kobe extended minutes as of late:
"…I don’t think Mike is at blame here one bit. Certainly everybody can second guess looking back on it now and say maybe you should have done something different. But even if you take Kobe out of the game, there are a lot of times where he’ll just get up and put himself back into the game. Just because you say you’re out of the game doesn’t mean he’s going to come out of the game or going to stay out of the game."
On whether or not Kobe could have been convinced to sit:
"At a certain level, when you’re talking to players, these guys are different and Kobe is at the top of the list when it comes to being different. They’re wound up differently and they’re cut differently. When you’re at the top of your profession, you just look at things differently. His message to me was: ‘Mitch, I hear what you’re saying, but we have to get in the playoffs. I’m playing and there’s nothing you can do about it."
Asked if Phil Jackson could have said no to playing Kobe heavy minutes:
"Kobe is no different under Phil (Jackson) than he was under Rudy (Tomjanovich) than he was under Mike (Brown) or under Mike D’Antoni."
On Dwight Howard's importance moving forward:
"It’s not just Dwight. Everybody’s going to have to raise their level of play. He’s the main guy. Certainly a lot will fall on his shoulders. When we get Steve Nash back, a lot will fall on his shoulders. Last night, Pau was one of our best players, too. I’m not going to say that it’s all on one person’s shoulders, but everybody has to carry a little bit more right now and Dwight is one of them."
Draft Rumors: Blazers, Portsmouth, Rice
Trey Burke's decision to leave Michigan is the most significant draft news of the day, but, as will be the case more often than not between now and June 27th, there are plenty of other draft-related items to share. We'll keep you in the loop, and we'll also continue to update our list of early entrants until the final deadline. Here's the latest:
- The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament might not be a hotbed for top draft prospects, but Blazers GM Neil Olshey still thinks it's worth his time for a visit, calling it a valuable source of hard-working second-round finds, as he tells HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham.
- Illinois State combo guard Tyler Brown is outside of the 100 rankings on ESPN.com and DraftExpress.com, but he's been the most impressive prospect this week in Portsmouth, as far as Tommy Dee of SheridanHoops.com is concerned.
- Glen Rice Jr., son of the former All-Star, is on an unconventional path to the draft, having been dismissed from Georgia Tech last year. He didn't declare for the 2012 draft and spent this season in the D-League. He's eligible by default for this year's draft, and after some hot play down the stretch for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, he's making a run at becoming a second-round pick, as Ridiculous Upside's Keith Schlosser chronicles. Rice checks in at No. 75 on Jonathan Givony's DraftExpress.com list.
Nerlens Noel To Become Jay-Z’s First Client?
Rumors are circulating around the league that Kentucky center Nerlens Noel, the leading contender to become the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, will be Jay-Z's first NBA client as a sports agent, NetsDaily reports (Twitter link). Jay-Z has a strong relationship with Kentucky coach John Calipari, NetsDaily also points out via Twitter. The rapper, entrepreneur and minority owner of the Nets is selling his stake in the team to found the Roc Nation Sports agency, which he hopes will represent players in baseball, basketball and football. New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano has already come on board.
Jay-Z must formally divest himself of his Nets share and become formally certified as an NBA agent before he can sign Noel or any other NBA player. Noel, a freshman, hasn't formally declared his intent to enter this year's draft, though it would be a shock if he didn't. The 6'11" 19-year-old with a 7'4" wingspan occupies the No. 1 spot on the draft boards of ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
HoopsRumors unveiled its Agency Database this week, listing the agent for nearly every player in the NBA. We'll be updating it continuously as players change agents and prospects, like Noel, enter the league.
Lakers Confirm Achilles Tear For Kobe Bryant
Longtime Lakers trainer Gary Vitti told reporters, including Arash Markazi of ESPN.com, that Kobe Bryant has suffered a torn left Achilles tendon and will be out for six to nine months (Twitter link). Bryant suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter of last night's win over the Warriors. He stayed in the game to take a pair of free throws, making them both, before limping off. It's a third-degree rupture, meaning the tendon is completely torn, Vitti said, as Eric Pincus and Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times note (Twitter links). Bryant's surgery is set for later today, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Vitti told McMenamin and others that the plan is for Bryant to be ready for the 2013/14 season opener, though that would represent the early side of the timetable (Twitter link). A doctor who's unaffiliated with the team told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Kobe Bryant could be back in time for the start of next season, but it's more likely recovery will take nine to 12 months. Another doctor tells Deveney that Bryant will never regain 100% of his athletic ability.
Vitti vehemently dismissed the notion that Bryant's heavy minutes of late contributed to the injury, according to Pincus (Twitter link). Tim Grover, Bryant's personal trainer, agrees, telling Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he'd be "shocked" if the increased playing time led to the tear (Twitter link). Coach Mike D'Antoni nonetheless absorbed blame in response to a question last night from Brian Kamenetzky of SheridanHoops.com.
"Yeah, definitely. It's my call at the very end, so if he gets hurt, then (I feel responsible)," D'Antoni said. "But I'm not going to sit here and go, 'Maybe he wouldn't have gotten hurt if (he played less).' You don't know. You've got to go forward, and we made decisions collectively and tried to make the best ones we can. Right now, that's not turning out to be great. But it might not have been good, anyway. If you're a couple games out and not making the playoffs, then he can rest all summer. We'll go back and forth, but I don't know, hypotheticals — we can talk about it, but it's not going to help any."
There's been speculation, from Grantland's Bill Simmons and others, that the Lakers could waive Bryant via the amnesty clause this summer, as he's set to make $30.454MM next season, the highest salary in the league. That's not likely, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who points out that the Lakers would lose Bryant's Bird rights if they did so (Twitter link). Thus, the move would only come in handy if the Lakers are certain they'd have enough cap space in 2014 to re-sign him, as Stein argues via Twitter. However, Steve Nash is currently the only commitment the Lakers have beyond next season, so the team probably wouldn't have trouble fitting Bryant back under the cap if need be.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said amnestying Bryant is "the furthest thing from our minds," Shelburne tweets.
Mavs Re-Sign Josh Akognon
1:52pm: The Mavericks officially announced the signing in a press release.
1:15pm: The Mavs and Josh Akognon are lining up a deal that would keep him on the team for the rest of the season and include a team option for 2013/14, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Akognon's 10-day contract with the team expired last night.
The 5'11" guard made just a single four-minute appearance for Dallas during his 10-day deal, but the Mavs have apparently seen enough to settle on the 27-year-old journeyman for their final roster spot heading into the offseason. Dallas also signed Chris Wright and Justin Dentmon to 10-day contracts in recent weeks, but didn't re-sign either player.
Akognon was in training camp with the Mavs this past fall, but spent the season in China with the Liaoning Jiebao Hunters, for whom he averaged a team-high 29.0 points per game. It was the second straight year Akognon made his mark in the Chinese league, after posting 28.2 PPG for the DongGuan New Century Leopards in 2011/12.