Jerry Stackhouse To Retire At Season’s End?
TUESDAY, 12:57pm: Stackhouse clarified to Fred Kerber of the New York Post (Twitter link) that his plans aren't set in stone yet. While Stackhouse may end his playing career after this season, he says reports of his pending retirement are premature.
SATURDAY, 10:25am: Jerry Stackhouse is known around the league for his exceptional conditioning, which has allowed him to enjoy a long career in the NBA. However, the 38-year-old says that 2012/13 will likely be his final season, writes Chris Tomasson of FOXSportsFlorida.com. He plans to move on to the next chapter of his life, which will involve taking on a role with the player's union.
“It’s not completely sold that I don’t get the bug (to play) again,'' Stackhouse said last night. "But, really, I think this is an opportune time to kind of step to the forefront to do something with the union and try to make sure we select the right executive director.’’
For his career, Stackhouse has averaged 17 PPG for eight different teams with his most notable stints coming in Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington, and Dallas. This season, he's averaging 4.5 PPG for the Nets as a deep reserve but he had a handful of strong performances early on in the season.
Stackhouse believes his role after this season will include helping the union select an executive director and keeping players updated on the process. He'll be taking on a leadership position with the union at a time of turmoil with executive director Billy Hunter recently being ousted. After that, Stackhouse says that he would like to go the "Mark Jackson route", which would be going from broadcasting to a head coaching job in the NBA without being an assistant coach in between.
Odds & Ends: Sims, Babby, Aminu, Robinson
Although the Mavericks/Lakers game tonight will have a serious impact on the race for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference, it's not the only noteworthy game on the schedule. The Knicks and Heat have comfortably clinched playoff spots, but New York is still vying for the second seed in the East, while the Heat are looking for a split of the season series with the Knicks. As we wait for those teams to tip off in Miami, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside passes along word that Henry Sims will leave the D-League's Erie BayHawks to play in the Philippines. The Hornets signed Sims to a 10-day contract a month ago, but decided not to re-sign him when the deal expired.
- Suns president Lon Babby is in the final year of his contract, and Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic wonders whether he'll be back in Phoenix next season, since Babby's future with the team may be linked to the futures of head coach Lindsey Hunter and GM Lance Blanks.
- Grantland's Zach Lowe unveils his "I can't believe he's this relevant" All-Stars, which includes a number of players who will hit free agency this summer, including Luke Walton, Marco Belinelli, and Kenyon Martin.
- With Al-Farouq Aminu headed for unrestricted free agency in July, John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune asks Hornets fans whether the team ought to re-sign him to a new contract for 2013/14.
- Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald makes the case for why it may make sense for the Bulls to re-sign Nate Robinson this summer.
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses whether the Heat will have the flexibility to bring back Chris Andersen next season.
Draft Links: Oladipo, Wiggins, Noel, Gordon
UNLV's Anthony Bennett is the latest NCAA underclassmen to be added to our list of 2013 early entrants, and with a number of deadlines on the calendar for April, that list figures to continue growing exponentially in the coming weeks. Here are the latest updates and stories on the 2013 NBA draft:
- Indiana's Victor Oladipo remains noncommittal on whether he'll enter this year's draft, as he tells Andy Katz of ESPN.com (Twitter link via Jeff Rabjohns of Peegs.com): "I haven’t even really thought about that yet." I'm guessing that when he eventually does think about it, Oladipo will decide to go pro.
- Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com agrees that Oladipo should and will go pro, and takes a look at another 30+ underclassmen, weighing whether or not they should stay in school.
- NBA executives tell Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (writing for SheridanHoops.com) that this year's draft would look entirely different if not for the NBA's age restrictions. Zagoria breaks down how the lottery might play out with no age limit, suggesting that Andrew Wiggins and three other prep players could be selected in the top five before Kentucky's Nerlens Noel. A pair of scouts also share their hypothetical mock lotteries, with Wiggins first and Noel second.
- Aaron Gordon, one of the prep stars in Zagoria's top four, announced today that he'll attend Arizona, as Jeff Borzello of CBSSports.com details.
- For underclassmen projected to be selected in the first round this year, returning to school is a high-risk, low-reward move, argues Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
- Aran Smith of HoopsHype.com has updated his 2013 mock draft.
Jay-Z To Become Agent, Founds Roc Nation Sports
When the Nets moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn last year, rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z was one of the faces of the transition. A minority owner of the Nets, Shawn Carter opened the Barclays Center with a series of concerts last fall and could be found courtside at many of the team's games this season. However, it appears he may be on his way to giving up his stake in the franchise.
Darren Rovell of ESPN.com reports that Jay-Z is planning to become a certified sports agent, first in baseball and eventually in basketball and football. The first client for Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports was revealed earlier today — through a partnership with Creative Artists Agency, Roc Nation Sports will represent New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, as Cano announced in a statement this morning. In order to represent NBA players, however, Jay-Z will be required to part with his share of the Nets.
Although the initial launch is with CAA, Roc Nation Sports will be its own company, says Rovell. It's not clear yet whether there's a timeline for Jay-Z becoming certified as an NBA agent, or which NBA players may join Roc Nation Sports.
Nets Sign Kris Joseph To 10-Day Contract
The Nets have officially signed Kris Joseph to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Tim Bontemps of the New York Post initially reported over the weekend that the two sides had reached an agreement.
Joseph, 24, had been drafted by the Celtics in the second round of last June's draft, but was on a non-guaranteed contract, and was released in January before that deal became guaranteed. The Canadian forward subsequently joined the D-League, where he was acquired by the Nets' affiliate, the Springfield Armor. In 27 D-League games this season, Joseph has averaged 18.6 PPG, including 19.0 PPG in his 15 contests with the Armor.
The Nets had been carrying 14 players on their roster, so the team won't have to make a corresponding move to open up a spot for Joseph.
Mavs Notes: James, Nowitzki, Carlisle
The biggest game of the Mavericks' season takes place in Los Angeles today, as the Mavs and Lakers square off, each looking to keep their playoff hopes alive. Dallas is currently two games back of the eighth-place Jazz in the Western Conference standings, so a loss would all but crush the team's playoff hopes. As we look forward to what should be an entertaining game, let's check in on a few Mavs notes….
- Mike James has played a key role in the Mavs' second-half surge, having started the team's last 14 games, and tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com that he hopes to continue his playing career beyond this season. "My plan is to play two more years and my hope is to be able to finish my career here in Dallas playing for Rick [Carlisle], Donnie [Nelson] and Mark [Cuban] and with Dirk [Nowitzki]," James said.
- In advance of tonight's game against the Lakers, Nowitzki revealed what he told longtime friend Steve Nash when the point guard signed with the Lakers last summer: "I wished him the best when he signed with L.A. I said, 'Have a great year and I hope you lose to the Mavs'" (link via Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News).
- Kevin Sherrington and Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News agree that if the Mavs sneak into the playoffs, it can be attributed more to Carlisle's coaching job than Cuban's approach to roster-building.
- Carlisle, however, doesn't want to hear talk about the coaching job he has done this season, as Sefko details in a separate piece.
Anthony Bennett To Enter Draft
APRIL 2ND: Bennett officially announced yesterday in a press conference at UNLV's Mendenhall Center that he will enter the 2013 NBA draft.
MARCH 25TH: UNLV's first-round loss to California last week in the NCAA Tournament last week may be the last game Anthony Bennett plays as a Runnin' Rebel. Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports reports that the Canadian forward is expected to officially announce later this week that he'll enter the NBA draft.
In his freshman year at UNLV, Bennett averaged 16.1 PPG and 8.1 RPG in 27.1 minutes per contest, shooting 53.3% from the field. The 20-year-old is widely considered a lock to be a lottery pick if he enters the 2013 draft, and is currently ranked fifth overall among '13 prospects by both ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
So far, Tony Mitchell of North Texas and Eric Moreland of Oregon State are the only underclassmen to formally declare their intent to enter the NBA draft, though plenty will follow in the coming weeks.
Odds & Ends: Calderon, Maxiell, Kobe
Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
- David Mayo and Brendan Savage of MLive Media Group give their take on whether the Pistons should re-sign free-agent-to-be Jose Calderon, who the team acquired in January from the Raptors. In 26 games in Detroit, Calderon has become a more efficient shooter but has been the same defensive liability that he’s been his entire career.
- Jason Maxiell tore his retina and will miss the final eight games of the 2012/13 season. That means that he has likely played the last game of his Pistons career as he isn’t expected to be retained this summer, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
- If things go off the rails this summer, the smartest thing for the Lakers could be to accelerate the post-Kobe Bryant rebuild while Kobe is still on the team, opines Bryan Kamenetzky of Land O’ Lakers.
Nowitzki On Mavs, Free Agents, Playoffs
In today’s column, NBA.com’s David Aldridge posted segments from his one-on-one chat with the Mavericks‘ Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki discussed his career, the club’s future, and more in a comprehensive interview. Here’s a look at some of the highlights..
Are you still confident the front office can build a contender again?
I think sometimes you just need to gamble a little bit. You need to take chances. You may have to take a contract that people may say is not a good contract. But the great thing is if you have cap space, you can do that. I think with cap space you can still turn a franchise around pretty quick. So, yeah, we’re just gonna go for it this summer and see what’s out there in free agency. If not, maybe sign and trade, or trades. We just have to wait and see. So what we have to do now is just let it all hang out in the last three weeks or so, see if we make the push to the playoffs, and if not, we’ll see what we’ve got going through the Draft, and then July will be a big month for us.
Are you a recruiter now?
I’m obviously gonna be here most of the summer. If they need me to go somewhere or call somebody, I’ll obviously be more than happy to. This is my home. Once you’ve won it all, you want that feeling again. You don’t want to be out of the playoffs looking in. We’d love to have that feeling again. The city was so excited. The franchise was. We’d love to at least play for that again. It’s a big summer for us, and anything I can do, I’ll be here.
How hard is [fighting for a playoff spot] for you?
It’s another challenge for me. We had some years in those playoffs when we weren’t top four (in the West), from four to eight. That already felt like that wasn’t a great year for us. So we obviously are used to high standards around here, the franchise and the city is disappointed in that way a little bit, with us (normally) winning 50 games every year and being right up there and having home court usually in the first round. It’s been tough since we won the championship. Last year we were obviously a seventh, eighth seed, and this year we’re still on the outside looking in. So it’s been a tough year back to back. It’s been written a bunch about the business decisions we’ve made, and we’re moving forward. But we know that this is a big summer for us. We don’t thrive on playing for the eighth seed. We thrive higher. Hopefully we can make some stuff happen this summer and be a great team again.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Dooling, Wizards, Wall
The Cavs were competitive tonight in Atlanta tonight but ultimately they were unable to pull out a W over the Hawks. Guard Devin Harris turned in a game-high 25 points as the Hawks won 102-94 and improved to 42-33 on the year. Here's more out of the Southeast..
- We saw that Keyon Dooling agreed to sign with the Grizzlies this morning. Dooling wanted to return to the Heat, but the team never called, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Since returning from injury, Wizards star John Wall has been turning heads and changing minds this season, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Stan Van Gundy, who was critical of the point guard’s play earlier this year, admits that Wall’s performance of late is proving him wrong night in and night out.
- Earlier today we looked at the latest on the Wizards, including comments from Wall on why he believes that he is a max player.