Central Notes: Scott, Frank, Rose, Pistons
- David Mayo of MLive.com writes that Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank realizes his team's poor season could cause him to lose his job.
- Hoopsworld.com's Bill Ingram gives his thoughts on Derrick Rose, and how the Bulls are handling their best player's return.
- A few Pistons writers on MLive.com give their views on what the team should do with its personnel this summer.
Draft Notes: McGary, Final Four, Moser
A few notes about the upcoming NBA draft.
- University of Michigan big man Mitch McGary has had a tremendous NCAA tournament run, and as a freshman, his promise as someone capable of banging down low with the NBA's trees has dramatically improved. After declaring there was a "100 percent chance" he'd be returning to school for his sophomore season, McGary has changed his tune, writes Mlive.com's Nick Baumgardner. Given the fact that this year's class is incredibly thin, McGary's stock has risen higher than even he thought possible. He's now appearing in mock drafts as a first round pick, and it's forced him to say he'll reassess whether he'll be returning to school at some point after the season.
- SNY.TV's Adam Zagoria ranks the top NBA prospects participating in this year's Final Four.
- Mike Moser, a junior forward at UNLV, is currently deciding whether he should transfer to the University of Washington, or declare for the NBA draft, reports CBSSports.com's Jeff Goodman.
Thunder Send Liggins, Lamb To D-League
The Thunder have sent DeAndre Liggins and Jeremy Lamb to their D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers, according to the team's general manager Sam Presti.
In 21 games of rookie season action, Lamb has averaged 2.4PPG in 4.4MPG. Liggins has played in 38 games this season, while averaging 1.4PPG and 1.3RPG in 7.2MPG.
Pacific Rumors: Lakers, D’Antoni, Kings, Marshall
The Lakers held on to their half-game lead for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference with a two-point win against the Grizzlies last night, and if L.A. makes the postseason, they could get some reinforcements. Coach Mike D'Antoni revealed that Metta World Peace could be back by the end of the month, knocking two weeks off the original six-week timetable for his recovery from a left knee injury, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Jordan Hill tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News he's seeking medical clearance to return at about the same time, though D'Antoni is skeptical about that. Either way, there's reason for optimism in a season that's left Lakers fans with little of it. Here's more on the purple and gold and other news from the Pacific:
- Most signs, including the three years left on D'Antoni's contract, point to him returning to coach the Lakers next season in spite of the team's disappointing play, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein also suggests that while Dwight Howard may have sway over D'Antoni's future if the big man threatens to sign elsewhere, Howard won't have nearly the clout that fellow soon-to-be free agent Chris Paul will wield on the Clippers' coaching situation.
- Regardless of who's in charge of the Kings next season, the "leaguewide presumption" is that neither GM Geoff Petrie nor coach Keith Smart will return, Stein adds in the same piece.
- Kendall Marshall wasn't among the 10 players I mentioned yesterday when I examined 2012 first-round picks who've seen limited action this season, but his 568 total minutes would make him the 11th player on the list. He's been seeing more action of late with the Suns, and Marshall tells Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that he's finally starting to feel comfortable.
Grizzlies Send Dooling, Wroten To D-League
We’ll track today’s D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top throughout the day.
- The Grizzlies have sent point guards Keyon Dooling and Tony Wroten to the D-League’s Reno Bighorns, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Both will be back with Memphis in time for Sunday’s game against the Kings, Tillery adds. The team had to get the consent of Dooling to assign him to the D-League, since he’s a 13th-year veteran and league rules only allow players with less than three years of experience to be assigned freely. Dooling briefly appeared in one game for Memphis this week after the team signed him to take some of the backup point guard burden off Wroten, a rookie.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, J.R. Smith, Nets, Collins
Depth at guard and the resurgence of Jeff Green have helped the Celtics remain relevant in the wake of Rajon Rondo's injury, as HoopsWorld's Stephen Brotherston details. Brotherston ponders the chances of a Heat-Celtics clash in the first round, and believes the Celtics would relish another playoff series with Miami. I'm inclined to believe Doc Rivers, who told reporters yesterday, including Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com, that he's not trying to match up with the Heat."Listen, I’m not that dumb," Rivers said. "I’m not the brightest guy but come on. Really, you would love to avoid anyone (like Miami)."
While we wait to find out Boston's first-round opponent, there's plenty of other news from the C's and their Atlantic Division rivals:
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com spoke to a pair of agents, an NBA executive and a longtime scout who agree that there's uncertainty surrounding this summer's market price for Knicks sixth man J.R. Smith. The soon-to-be free agent's inconsistent play and reputation as a frequent partier could hold down his value, but a strong postseason performance could help him, Zwerling writes.
- The playoffs will determine the fate of Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who believes the team won't hesitate to go after marquee names like Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy.
- The Sixers have already picked up their team option on coach Doug Collins for next season, and all indications are that the decision on whether he'll return will be left to the coach himself, Stein reports in the same piece.
- Petraglia wonders whether midseason pickup Shavlik Randolph — a veteran of four total playoff minutes — could be a postseason factor for the Celtics.
- Celtics guard Jordan Crawford clearly has little love lost for his former team. The ex-Wizard twice said, "I don't recall playing for Washington," to reporters Saturday. Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe provides detail.
Rockets Believe They Can Clear Space For Dwight
The Rockets aren't currently in line to have the cap space necessary to offer Dwight Howard a maximum-salary contract this summer, but the team is confident it can swing trades to clear room for his max deal if he's willing to sign with Houston this summer, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Sources tell Stein an "obvious option" would be to trade Thomas Robinson for a future draft pick.
Salary Cap FAQ author Larry Coon this week broke down the Rockets' ability to make a run at Howard, pegging their available space for this summer at between $16.7MM to $18.2MM, depending on how high the league sets the salary cap in July. Opening up that much room without making a trade would require the team to decline its option on Francisco Garcia and waive seven others whose contracts aren't fully guaranteed for next season, including starting small forward Chandler Parsons, whose deal is partially guaranteed for $600K.
Dwight Howard's maximum first-year salary would check in at $20,513,178, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors detailed. Howard's max is larger than any other free agent this summer because the collective bargaining agreement ensures a player can always sign for 105% of his previous salary, and Howard's $19,536,360 salary this season is the largest of anyone hitting the open market.
In order to give Howard the max, the Rockets would have to make a trade. Giving up on Robinson, the 2012 No. 5 overall pick whom the team acquired at the trade deadline from the Kings, and Parsons, perhaps the NBA's best bargain, would be difficult to stomach, but I don't think the Rockets would hesitate to do so if they knew they were getting Howard.
Stein also writes that, even as the play of James Harden is making Houston an increasingly attractive destination, the Mavericks have long been considered the greater threat to sign Howard. Coon looked at the Mavs' ability to land D12 as well, noting that they're set to have less cap space than the Rockets this summer. That means Dallas, too, would have to swing a trade to fit a max contract for Howard under the cap. Both the Mavs and Rockets could also try to work out a sign-and-trade with the Lakers for Howard, Coon adds, noting that while the CBA bars taxpaying teams like the Lakers from receiving a player via sign-and-trade, it doesn't preclude them from sending players out in such a deal.
Jazz Sign Jerel McNeal For Season
SATURDAY, 1:10pm: The Jazz announced a contract with McNeal for the rest of the season, via press release on the team's website.
FRIDAY, 11:25pm: Jerel McNeal's 10-day contract with the Jazz expires tonight, and while McNeal hasn't received word on whether he'll get another deal, the team has told him to report to practice Saturday morning, tweets Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune. That seems as much of any indication as any that the 6'3" shooting guard will continue his stint with Utah, whether it's for another 10 days or the rest of the season.
McNeal has yet to log any playing time with the Jazz. Unlike many teams who use 10-day deals as an opportunity to try out talent for the future, Utah is fighting for a playoff spot, and may simply want McNeal around to provide depth if an injury to someone else should occur. The team may also want to get a look at him over the summer, in which case the Jazz may do a rest-of-the-season deal with an option or a non-guaranteed season tagged on for 2013/14.
The 25-year-old McNeal made the D-League All-Star Game this winter for the second time in three years, and put up 18.1 points and 5.5 assists per game in 44 D-League regular season contests for the Bakersfield Jam. McNeal has also played professionally in Italy after going undrafted out of Marquette in 2009.
Stein On Van Gundy, Clippers, Pistons, Grizzlies
In his Weekend Dime column, ESPN.com's Marc Stein takes us on a ride around the NBA coaching carousel. You must be this tall to check out the highlights..
- According to sources, Stan Van Gundy's availability already has the Clippers highly intrigued. That doesn't bode well for coach Vinny Del Negro, who might not even be able to save his job with a deep playoff run.
- No team in coaching circles is rated as more likely to make a change than the Pistons. Sources consistently say that Lawrence Frank is going to be ousted when the season is over based on the lack of responsiveness from his players. It would be a big surprise at this stage if the Pistons aren't soon in the market for a coach and they make target a former player.
- One coaching source says that it is "very likely" that Lionel Hollins will get a new deal from the Grizzlies after the playoffs. Word is that they'll still probably keep him in the event of a first round exit.
- More than one source says that Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap is a coach in potential jeopardy, which undoubtedly stems from Michael Jordan's recent promise to season-ticket holders that major offseason changes are on the way. Stein doesn't think that the criticism for Dunlap is fair considering the group that he has to work with.
- Sources continue to link Kelvin Sampson to the Bucks' opening, but interim coach Jim Boylan could get the full-time gig still.
- One source with knowledge of the Suns said this week that Lindsey Hunter has a "good shot" to become the permanent head coach at season's end.
- Byron Scott is believed to have the support of the front office, but there is a growing sense in Cleveland that owner Dan Gilbert will make a change regardless. The coach had had to deal with the absences of Kyrie Irving, Anderson Varejao, and Dion Waiters throughout the year.
- Wizards coach Randy Wittman appears to be safe and he should have less to worry about that the aforementioned coaches on the hot seat.
Olshey On Offseason, Hickson, Center
The odds were against them, but the Blazers managed to stay in the playoff hunt until late March and in doing so, showed promise for the future. Portand didn't do it with flashy upgrades either. They added just one player at the trade deadline, point guard Eric Maynor, at the cost of a $2.2MM trade exception. Recently, General Manager Neil Olshey sat down with Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune to discuss the state of the club. Here's a look at the highlights..
Would you judge this season a success?
It went well. We had a good season. We stayed in the playoff race longer than anybody thought. Our young guys have all gotten better. We've won close games, which is a testament to how (coach) Terry Stotts has managed the games. The assistant coaches have done a great job with the development of rookies like Victor Claver and Meyers Leonard. We fell short of our hopes to get into the playoffs. But based on preseason prognostications, for how long we remained competitive with how young we were and how limited our bench was, we had a positive year.
Where must the team improve?
I don't think we're talented enough right now. It's not position-specific. The first player acquisition vehicle after the season is the draft. You have to hone into whether (acquiring talent) means using your pick to select a player or to construct a deal that involves the pick. But we have to add talent to this team. We win a certain number of positions each night, but we lose a lot more than we win. We have to shore up areas on this roster through the draft, trades and free agency, where we can compete one through 15 against teams that have more depth in their talent base.
What is on the docket once the season ends?
After our exit meetings with players, we have the Nike Hoop Summit in town (on April 20). I'll stay for that. Then on Monday (April 22), myself, (assistant director of scouting) Joe Cronin and (assistant general manager) Steve Rosenberry are on a flight to Europe to cover all the European guys. I haven't had a chance to scout them yet, because I've been focused on our team and the American players.
Can you get the center you want with your first-round draft pick or through free agency, or might you move the pick to swing a deal for a veteran?
I'm open to anything. Every move we make this offseason has to be made where we maximize our flexibility. Every penny of cap room. … the mini-mid level, our draft pick, our second-round picks. It's not just about adding one player. We're not deep enough right now. We're not talented enough. We have to make moves that increase the talent base at least one through nine. That's what we have to get to, no matter how we go about doing that.
What are the odds on keeping J.J. Hickson?
We have J.J.'S Bird Rights. He has a very high cap hold ($7.98MM). It's not just a question of whether you bring him back. It's within the context of … what positions would you not be able to bring in if you sign him? We are the worst team in the NBA in points in the paint and protecting the rim. We've been disguising J.J., who has been a warrior and played hard all year, but there's a certain reality to playing a 6-8 power forward as your 5-man. That's not an indictment of J.J. He has played out of position and done all we've asked him to do. But we've become a 3 (small forward) and rim type of league. We have the 3-man down. Now defensively, we have to protect the rim better.