2013 April | Hoops Rumors

Raptors Increase Pursuit Of Phil Jackson

April 30th, 2013 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

Now that the NBA's relocation committee has recommended denying a potential Kings move to Seattle, the Raptors have ramped up their pursuit of Phil Jackson as team president, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne. Because Jackson and Seattle investor Chris Hansen had "hit it off," Toronto had viewed Seattle as the biggest threat to preventing Jackson from seriously considering their pitch, the ESPN.com duo reports.

With Seattle seemingly out of the picture, the Raptors, led by new MLSE president and CEO Tim Leiweke, believe they represent Jackson's most attractive current option. Although there's some skepticism around the league about the Zen Master's willingness to relocate to Canada, Leiweke's "vision and energy" as well as his shared success with Jackson in Los Angeles should ensure that the 11-time champion gives the pitch serious consideration.

According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, while Jackson will consider Toronto's pitch, he's also interested in exploring his options with other potential suitors, as many have reached out to the former Lakers coach through back channels. Berger reiterates that there are doubts around the NBA about how interested Jackson is in lottery teams like the Raptors or Bobcats, but says Jackson appears open to listening to any team willing to offer him an influential position.

Berger reports that Jackson may be more interested in an advisory role similar to the one Jerry West holds with the Warriors, rather than a position like Pat Riley's presidency with the Heat. The CBSSports.com scribe also expects teams, such as the Nets, to continue to pursue Jackson for coaching openings, offering him a significant voice in basketball operations as well.

Stein and Shelburne first reported last week that the Raptors were considering making a run at Jackson.

Odds & Ends: Curry, Wolves, Ayon, Nash, Raptors

April 29th, 2013 at 9:59pm CST by Zachary Links

After Stephen Curry delivered the most electrifying one man performance of the 2013 playoffs, Timberwolves fans have been reminded of David Kahn's decision in the 2009 draft to take Jonny Flynn with the sixth overall pick instead of Curry. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) was reminded today of Kahn's reasoning: the GM was in his first year and got scared by Curry cancelling his workout in Minnesota. At the same time, he fell in love with the Syracuse standout. Here's more from around the Association..

Bucks forward Gustavo Ayon expects his team option to be exercised and is looking forward to returning, despite speculation surrounding his future in the NBA, agent Emilio Duran told RealGM's Shams Charania. Ayon saw limited playing time in Milwaukee and the club holds a $1.5MM option on him for next year.
With Lakers guard Steve Nash is on the books for 2014, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles (on Twitter) suggests that GM Mitch Kupchak should call the Raptors and gauge their interest in the Canadian. Nash is owed $9.3MM next season and $9.7MM in 2014/15.
Former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy opined that the Hawks were unwise to let coach Mike Woodson go in 2010, writes Neil Best of Newsday.

Pistons To Meet With Nate McMillan

April 29th, 2013 at 9:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Pistons have opened the interview process in their search for a new coach and are slated to meet with Nate McMillan, NBA coaching sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. McMillan would appear to be an early favorite for the job alongside Suns interim coach Lindsey Hunter this week.

McMillan was recently said to be the frontrunner for the job, however the former Sonics coach later said that he had yet to talk to Joe Dumars & Co. Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson is also projected to be in the mix when Houston's playoff run is over.

McMillan also openly campaigned to hook on with the Kings if they moved to Seattle. However, the vote earlier today from the league's relocation committee likely means that the team will be staying put in Sacramento.

Central Notes: Bucks, Jennings, Pistons, Bulls

April 29th, 2013 at 7:40pm CST by Zachary Links

After getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Heat, the Bucks gave their exit interviews with reporters. Milwaukee could look extremely different next season with several impact players bound for the open market and coach Jim Boylan reportedly on the hot seat. Here's more on the Bucks and other news out of the Central Division..

As Brandon Jennings gets ready to start fielding offer sheets from clubs this summer, he says that he'll leave the process up to agent Jeff Schwartz, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. Jennings has been unsatisfied with the Bucks in the past but he recently expressed some fondness for the club in an interview with ESPN's Scoop Jackson.
In today's column, David Aldridge of NBA.com suggested that Knicks assistant Darrell Walker would be a good fit for the vacant Pistons job. Aldridge writes that the 52-year-old is a no-nonsense coach who's not afraid to challenge players when they give less than their best. Detroit is looking for a new head coach after letting Lawrence Frank go earlier this month.
The Milwaukee Association of Commerce recently met to discuss the idea of building a new arena for the Bucks and the ramifications of possibly losing their NBA franchise down the line, writes Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel. The city may also renovate the BMO Harris Bradley Center which was opened in 1988.
While speaking about Jason Collins' decision to come out of the closet, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau revealed that the club met with him while he was a free agent last summer, tweets K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The spot that would have gone to Collins eventually went to Nazr Mohammed.

Texas Notes: Spurs, Mavs, Collison, Bertans

April 29th, 2013 at 6:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at the latest out of the Lone Star State..

Darren Collison was once believed to be the point guard of the future for the Mavericks, but he experienced an up-and-down season and he may have played his last game for Dallas, writes Earl K. Sneed of NBA.com. The guard was acquired from Indiana last offseason in a sign-and-trade deal for big man Ian Mahinmi.
Latvian prospect Davis Bertans will fly to San Antonio when the season ends to work out with the Spurs, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 6'10" big man was drafted in the second round of the 2011 draft by the Pacers and was immediately dealt to the Spurs. Bertans currently plays for Serbia's KK Partizan.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com checked in on O.J. Mayo's stock as he heads towards the open market this summer. For his part, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle hopes to have the shooting guard back next season.

Lakers Notes: Howard, Nash, Peace, Clark

April 29th, 2013 at 5:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lakers' season ended in unspectacular fashion last night as the Spurs completed their first round sweep with a 103-82 victory in game four. Dwight Howard was ejected along the way and headed back to the Staples Center home locker room, possibly for the last time. Here's the latest out of L.A as we look ahead to what should be a

No one knows if Howard will be back with the Lakers next season, but Steve Nash sounds optimistic about it, writes Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld. “I’m very hopeful that Dwight will be back,” Nash said at his season-ending press conference. “I think this is the place for him. He’s in the prime of his career, with his best years ahead of him. Playing for one of the greatest franchises in sports and an amazing city. I hope he sees it that way and hopefully as teammates we can be there to support him and find [him] back with us July 1."
In his season-ending interview with reporters, Metta World Peace said that he'd like to be back with the Lakers next season, but declined to talk specifics about his player option and contract, tweets Mike Trudell of NBA.com. The forward holds a $7.27MM option for 2013/14 and as unpredictable as he may be, it's hard to imagine him turning it down.
Earl Clark said that GM Mitch Kupchak told him that many teams would be interested in him this summer, Trudell tweets. For his part, Clark hopes to stay with the Lakers. The Louisville product enjoyed his best season to date in 2012/13, averaging 7.3 PPG with 5.5 RPG in 23.1 minutes per contest.

Committee Votes Down Kings Relocation To Seattle

April 29th, 2013 at 4:01pm CST by Zachary Links

A committee of NBA owners has voted against moving the Kings to Seattle today, according to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst (on Twitter). A full group of NBA owners have to vote on the proposed move next week, but the the NBA's Board of Governors is expected to follow the recommendation of (Twitter link).

The vote to keep the Kings in Sacramento was unanimous with all 12 owners shooting down the Seattle move, sources told Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The final vote from the league will come on May 13th, which will make the decision official.

The Maloof family reached agreement with a Seattle group led by hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft chairman Steve Ballmer that would have turned over a 65 percent controlling interest in the club. The Maloofs will not issue a statement on today's news, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

While the Seattle group has worked hard to lobby for the Kings, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson has fought hard to keep the team in his city. Johnson eventually lined up a Sacramento-based ownership group headed by businessman Vivek Ranadive and secured public financing to help build a brand new arena. Today's decision doesn't directly mean that Ranadive's group will come away with the club, but it certainly bodes well for them.

Hansen's Seattle group appeared to have a great deal of momentum, but in recent weeks commissioner David Stern has reportedly begun backing the Sacramento group in their efforts. Stern admitted that the Sacramento group's offer didn't match the Seattle bid, but claimed that it came close. Meanwhile, many in basketball believed that a Seattle team would mean more money being put into the league's revenue sharing system and that a new arena could be built more quickly there than in Sacramento.

A decision on the matter from the BoG was expected to come at a meeting in New York earlier this month, but it was postponed for undisclosed reasons.

Sixers Have Contacted Brian Shaw

April 29th, 2013 at 4:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Sixers have contacted Pacers' associate head coach Brian Shaw about their vacant head-coaching position, a source tells Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. Because the Pacers are in the playoffs, Shaw will interview for the position when the time is appropriate, which presumably means that he won't sit down with the 76ers until the Pacers' season is over.

A source tells Lynam that although Shaw is ready to coach his own team, he is cautious and looking for the right job. While he has previously interviewed for nine head coaching positions and been passed over on most of them, that has not been the case with every opening. A year ago, Shaw was offered the Bobcats' job but for various reasons, he didn’t think it was the “right” fit. Charlotte instead wound up with Mike Dunlap, who was fired earlier this month.

Shaw is believed to be at the top of Philly's wish list along with Warriors assistant Michael Malone. They're not alone in their fondness for the Pacers assistant, however, as many people believe that he would be Phil Jackson's choice if the Zen Master winds up running an NBA club.

Draft Notes: Roberson, Saric, Gobert, Karasev

April 29th, 2013 at 3:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The deadline for NCAA underclassmen to declare for the NBA Draft came and a few prospects waited until the last minute to disclose their intentions. Michigan State forward Adreian Payne and Baylor center Isaiah Austin publicly announced that they would be staying in school but today we learned that another prospect quietly decided to throw his hat in the ring. Here's more on that and the rest of today's draft news..

Colorado junior Andre Roberson has decided to forgo his final season of eligibility and make himself eligible for the draft, according to B.G. Brooks of CUBuffs.com. The 6'7" forward, who is projected to go late in the second round by DraftExpress, was just ten rebounds shy of becoming the school's all-time leading rebounder.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) looked at the top ten international players in the draft, starting with Croatia's Dario Saric. Other notable int'l prospects include French big man Rudy Gobert, Russian guard Sergey Karasev, and German guard Dennis Schroeder.

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2013 NBA Draft

Celtics Notes: Rivers, Rondo, Collins, Wilcox

April 29th, 2013 at 2:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Celtics staved off elimination last night by defeating the Knicks 97-90 in overtime, but a former C's big man is the talk of the NBA world today. Jason Collins made history with his piece in Sports Illustrated today as became the first active male athlete in a major U.S. sport to announce that he's gay. Will Collins, who is known for his tough defense, hook on somewhere for next season? Here's more on that and other news out of Boston..

In an interview with Dennis & Callahan of WEEI, Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski weighed in on the future of the Celtics. While the Celtics have clear advantages over the Lakers thanks to coach Doc Rivers and a sharp front office, the Yahoo scribe sees L.A. getting back to prominence first because of the area's appeal. Going forward, Wojnarowski says Boston will probably center their rebuilding on guard Rajon Rondo.
The Celtics wanted to put Chris Wilcox in their February deal with the Wizards instead of Collins, a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Unfortunately for Boston, Wilcox had a rare one-year deals that requires the player's consent to be dealt. In fact, the Celtics tried desperately to keep the 34-year-old out of the swap that brought them Jordan Crawford.
Stein (on Twitter) anonymously surveyed six teams and only four are convinced that Collins will be in the league next season while the other six have doubts. The teams that aren't sure if the center will find a job say that it's about his age and whether he can make meaningful contributions on the court in 2013/14, not his sexuality, Stein tweets.

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