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Month: May 2024

Latest On Kings, Sacramento, Seattle

April 29th, 2013 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

12 NBA owners will participate in a conference call today to discuss the future of the Sacramento Kings, eventually deciding on a recommendation to take to the league's Board of Governors. According to NBA.com's David Aldridge, that call will take place at 1:00pm central time, and is expected to last about two hours. Aldridge has more details on the saga that has pitted Sacramento against Seattle, so let's dive in and check out the highlights….

  • While today's recommendation will likely decide which way the league's 30 owners will vote in May, those owners will be free to make up their own minds, so there are no guarantees.
  • Approval for the relocation of the Kings will require a majority vote (16 of 30 owners), while approval of the sale to Chris Hansen's Seattle group will require three-quarters (23 of 30).
  • David Stern and the NBA have taken "hours and hours since they left New York" to get more detailed financial reports from Vivek Ranadive's Sacramento group on their bid for the team. The league has also pursued more details on each city's arena plan.
  • Aldridge makes some educated guesses on how the 12 owners on the relocation committee will vote, predicting that at least four will be in favor of Sacramento, while at least three will vote for Seattle. Aldridge is unsure about the remaining five.
  • According to Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com (Twitter link), the Sacramento group has answered all of the NBA's questions to the league's satisfaction so far.
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Machado, Ohlbrecht Recalled From D-League

April 29th, 2013 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The D-League's season officially came to an end this weekend, when the Rockets' affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, defeated the Warriors' affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, to win the 2012/13 championship. With the D-League season in the books, the NBA players that had been assigned to each team have now been recalled.

The Warriors announced in a press release that they have recalled Scott Machado from Santa Cruz, while Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets that Tim Ohlbrecht has returned to the Rockets.

Ohlbrecht helped the Vipers go undefeated in the D-League, averaging 11.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG in the Finals against Machado's Warriors. Machado was Santa Cruz's second-leading scorer in the Finals, with 16.0 PPG.

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Kyler On Blatche, Daye, Landry, Pacers, Spurs

April 29th, 2013 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

History was made this morning, as Jason Collins publicly came out as the first active male athlete to announce that he's gay. Collins, who hopes to continue his playing career, will be a free agent this summer, looking for a contract from a team in need of frontcourt help. In his latest piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler looked at a few other big men facing free agency, exploring what their respective futures might hold. Let's check out the highlights….

  • Andray Blatche is still being paid by the Wizards through next season, so he won't necessarily be seeking the highest salary offered this summer. However, if he can secure a multiyear deal, he may lean toward that opportunity, says Kyler.
  • Although he's eligible for restricted free agency, Austin Daye is unlikely to receive a qualifying offer from the Grizzlies. Kyler doesn't expect the ex-Piston to be back in Memphis next season.
  • Carl Landry remains likely to opt out of his last year with the Warriors in search of a longer-term contract.
  • The Pacers won't hold full Bird rights on David West, but West's Early Bird rights will be more than enough to make him a competitive offer. Kyler thinks West and the Pacers are likely to work out a deal fairly quickly that will keep the power forward in Indiana.
  • Kyler notes that trading Danny Granger would help give the Pacers the flexibility to bring back both West and Tyler Hansbrough, who is eligible for restricted free agency. Kyler expects the Pacers to issue a qualifying offer to Hansbrough and match any reasonable offer.
  • Antawn Jamison is unlikely to re-sign with the Lakers, and if Earl Clark returns, it will have to be for not much more than the $1.24MM he made this year, says Kyler.
  • Boris Diaw, who has a player option, and Matt Bonner, whose deal is only partially guaranteed, both figure to be back with the Spurs next season. However, Kyler says DeJuan Blair is "done in San Antonio," which echoes what we heard yesterday.
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Jermaine O’Neal Interested In Trail Blazers

April 29th, 2013 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

After a pair of relatively unproductive years in Boston, Jermaine O'Neal bounced back this past season with the Suns, averaging 8.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and a 16.7 PER in 55 games. O'Neal will be a free agent again this summer, and the Trail Blazers are one team he'll definitely be considering, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.

"I'm very open to Portland. They're definitely a team I'm looking forward to having talks with this summer," O'Neal said. "LaMarcus [Aldridge] and Damian [Lillard] along with [Nicolas] Batum are some great pieces to build around. All they need to do is shore up the bench and add a paint presence on defense and they'll be right there. It's hard to put that type of stress on your starting five and I know I can help ease some of that stress."

It was Portland that drafted O'Neal in the first round of the 1996 draft, taking him as an 18-year-old out of high school. The veteran big man hasn't played for the Blazers since the 1999/2000 season, but he hasn't forgotten the opportunity the franchise gave him.

"That city has always been in my heart because one: Mr. [Paul] Allen gave me my opportunity, and two: that city took me in as their second child," O'Neal said. "I didn't play for two or three years but you couldn't tell. The organization and the fans really allowed me to grow at my own pace. It's a special place to me. I met my wife in Portland. At this point for me, it's all about competing and winning and the Blazers are doing those things."

The Blazers figure to have a decent chunk of cap space to use in free agency this summer, and GM Neil Olshey has talked about trying to sign two or three bench pieces using that room. One area of need for the team is in the middle, so it wouldn't be a surprise if O'Neal's interest in Portland was reciprocated this offseason.

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Lakers Rumors: Howard, Clark, Gasol, Payroll

April 29th, 2013 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

After being ejected and seeing the Lakers swept out of the first round, Dwight Howard called this season a "nightmare," an interesting choice of words given the "Dwightmare" label applied to last year's constant Howard trade rumors. Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times proposes one way to end the nightmare, suggesting that the Lakers don't re-sign Howard this summer when he hits free agency. It certainly figures to be an interesting summer in L.A., given Howard's free agency, Kobe Bryant's recovering Achilles, and Pau Gasol's expiring contract. Here's an early look at the next steps for the team:

  • Howard told reporters, including Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, that he expects to "step away from everything for a couple of weeks" to clear his head before he seriously considers his free agency. One source tells Spears that, given the uncertainty in Lakerland, Howard is expected to do his due dilegence when it comes to free agent options.
  • Spears' source on Howard: "He's going to sign a long-term deal. It has to be the right spot, the right commitment. There is no clear choice. The Lakers choice has longevity. They've won a lot of championships. But at the same time, that's not where they're at any more."
  • Earl Clark tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link) that he'd like to re-sign with the Lakers, even if the team can't offer the same amount of years or dollars as other teams.
  • Gasol doesn't believe his future with the Lakers necessarily hinges on what happens with Howard, as he tells Medina.
  • Gasol deserves to be able to play out the final season of his contract with the Lakers without constant trade rumors swirling around him, suggests J.A. Adande of ESPN.com. However, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times writes, it's also possible Gasol has played his last game with the club.
  • Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times examines the Lakers' payroll options, including potential amnesty candidates.
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Odds & Ends: Sixers, Jack, Thunder, Johnson

April 28th, 2013 at 10:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's tonight's look around the Association as we marvel at Stephen Curry..

  • The Sixers aren't rushing their decision on a new head coach, and John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer gives a thumbs-up to their deliberate strategy.  The Sixers could have even more candidates to consider after the postseason when more than one currently employed coach could be shown the door.
  • Keeping Jarrett Jack might be a problem for the Warriors, writes Marcus Thompson II of the Mercury News.  The guard is playing out the final year of his contract, which pays him $5MM this season.  Jack says that he would like an opportunity to start, but he also enjoys playing for Golden State.
  • The Oklahoman's John Rohde examined the long-term future of the Thunder in the small market of Oklahoma City. 
  • In a conference call with reporters this afternoon, Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo was asked if guard Joe Johnson is worthy of the max contract he received from Atlanta in 2010.  The coach, as one would expect, came to the defense of his player, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
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Adreian Payne To Return To Michigan State

April 28th, 2013 at 9:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne has decided to return to school for his senior season, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.  The 6'10" power forward would've been selected in the first round of the June draft according to Wojnarowski, though DraftExpress has him rated as a second round talent. 

The forward struggled with his decision and went back and forth several times in recent weeks.  Payne finally began to clue people in on his decision hours before the midnight deadline for draft entry on Sunday, according to sources.  Payne averaged 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Spartans and will head back to school along with fellow talented underclassman Gary Harris.

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Bucks Notes: Redick, Boylan, Ellis

April 28th, 2013 at 8:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Brandon Jennings predicted that the Bucks would topple the Heat in six games but things didn't go that way exactly.  Miami completed their sweep of Milwaukee tonight, winning 88-77 behind a 30 point performance from LeBron James.  This figures to be an interesting offseason for the Bucks, and here's the latest as they look ahead to the summer..

  • Guard J.J. Redick fully intends to explore the free agent market and won't commit to staying in Milwaukee for next season, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times.  It's no surprise to hear that Redick will put his toe in the water as he figures to garner serious attention on the open market this summer.  Redick also didn't see the type of playing time in the playoffs that one would expect for a player of his caliber.
  • More from Woelfel, who tweets that there are increasing whispers that coach Jim Boylan will be relieved of his duties in the next couple of days.  Boylan likely could have shed his interim label with a competitive first round series, but that didn't happen for Milwaukee.
  • Monta Ellis gave a similar non-answer to Redick when asked if he'd return for 2013/14, saying that it's a "decision he has to make," tweets Andrew Gruman of FOXSportsWisconsin.com.
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Isaiah Austin To Return To Baylor

April 28th, 2013 at 7:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Center Isaiah Austin will return to Baylor for his sophomore year, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY (on Twitter).  The freshman was projected to go No. 15 overall by DraftExpress in their latest mock draft.

Austin, a 7'1" big man, averaged 13 PPG in his frosh campaign along with 8.3 RPG and 1.7 blocks per contest.  Another year (or more) in school will give Austin time to fill out his lanky frame which currently sits at just 220 pounds.  The youngster holds tremendous potential and his 9'3" standing reach has NBA scouts salivating.

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Hoops Links: Terry, Sonics, Rivers, Lin

April 28th, 2013 at 5:40pm CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 1966, Red Auerbach retired as Boston’s coach after guiding the Celtics to a 95-93 triumph over the Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.  Auerbach coached Boston to nine NBA Championships–including eight straight titles from 1959-66–more than any other coach.

Got a fantastic basketball blog piece that you want featured on Hoops Rumors?  Send your submissions to HoopsLinks@gmail.com.  Here's this week's look around the web..

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.

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