Eastern Notes: Noah, Bulls, Pierce
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times heard from Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau that Joakim Noah might require surgery on his right foot this summer but will opt for rehab as his first option. Cowley also mentions that Chicago will likely have to find a way to re-tool their bench with several one-year deals again, as Thibodeau said that the market will dictate whether or not they'll be able to carry over several of their key role players – namely Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli, and Nazr Mohammed - into next season. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes that even though Paul Pierce's future in Boston is yet to be determined, one source says that Pierce's family is already preparing for possible relocation while anticipating that the Celtics will look to trade him or complete a buyout this summer.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel opines that the Bucks could be looking for backcourt help in the upcoming draft.
- Former Pittsburgh center Steven Adams would be ecstatic if he wound up with the Wizards, according to J. Michael of CSN Washington. While it isn't likely that Washington would use their lottery pick on Adams, it seems sensible that they'd target the 7-footer with one of their second round picks if he was still on the draft board.
- Michael-Carter Williams would relish an opportunity with the 76ers if they drafted him, notes Keith Pompey of Philly.com.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer observes that Greg Oden has been looking great in his workouts as he targets an eventual return to the NBA. As we've heard before, Oden has been linked to a handful of Eastern Conference teams, especially the Cavaliers.
Draft Combine Updates: Thursday Evening
- Hoopsworld's Alex Kennedy tweets that international prospect Mouhammadou Jaiteh will forego Eurocamp and will work out for NBA teams instead, possibly as early as a group workout with Minnesota.
- The Oregonian's Jason Quick reports that the Trail Blazers met with James Southerland yesterday.
2:47pm: More afternoon combine updates from Chicago:
- Ben McLemore has already interviewed with the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, and Pelicans, according to SI.com's Chris Mannix (via Twitter). McLemore expects to meet with the Bobcats, Magic, and Pistons tonight, according to various reports (all Twitter links).
- Victor Oladipo will also meet with the Pistons tonight, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter) adds Otto Porter to the list of prospects interviewed by the Timberwolves, but says the T-Wolves won't get a chance to meet with Oladipo, who was on the team's wish list.
- Jamaal Franklin tells Jason Quick of the Oregonian that when he met with the Trail Blazers yesterday, the whole meeting consisted of a psychological test (Twitter link).
- Andre Roberson met with the Magic yesterday, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter).
- Shams Charania of RealGM.com has a list of the 12 prospects the Bulls plan to work out on Monday (Twitter link).
- Jeff Withey is "extremely excited" to be meeting with the Sixers, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
1:35pm: We covered the Thursday morning updates from Chicago's predraft camp earlier today, but with so many tidbits surfacing throughout the day, we're starting an afternoon post to round up the latest notes:
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford hears that two international prospects have received first-round guarantees: Dennis Schroeder and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Twitter link).
- Michael Carter-Williams has met with several teams, including the Trail Blazers, Bobcats, Pistons, Timberwolves, and Thunder, according to various reports (all links go to Twitter). Carter-Williams is hearing he could be drafted anywhere between third and 15th overall, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
- We heard this morning that the Celtics had spoken to Cody Zeller and Glen Rice Jr. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe adds a few more names to the list of Boston interviewees (via Twitter): Mason Plumlee, Rudy Gobert, and Victor Oladipo.
- C.J. McCollum won't meet with the Trail Blazers this week, according to Jason Quick of the Oregonian (Twitter link). However, he will meet with the Pistons tomorrow, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (via Twitter), and has already interviewed with the Magic, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter). SI.com's Chris Mannix (Twitter link) adds the Thunder, Nuggets, and Cavaliers to the list of teams who have spoekn to McCollum, who has 15 total interviews scheduled.
- Robbins notes in a separate tweet that the Magic also met with Myck Kabongo.
- Isaiah Canaan will meet with the Wizards on Friday, tweets J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.
- Canaan, Andre Roberson, and Grant Jerrett all met with the Pistons last night, tweets Langlois.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (via Twitter) that the Bucks met with Shane Larkin yesterday and will work him out later this month.
- Erik Murphy has interviews lined up with the Grizzlies, Clippers, and possibly the Pacers, tweets Robbins.
- Seth Curry will meet today with the Lakers, Rockets, and Knicks, tweets Bonnell.
Odds & Ends: Stern, Michael Curry, Zarren
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) hears that David Stern was an active participant in yesterday's vote over Sacramento/Seattle at the Board of Governors meeting. It's worth noting that despite an offer north of $625MM as well as the $115MM relocation fee that would have been included by the Seattle group, Stern was able to sway the vote in Sacramento's direction, even though it appeared that more owners were in favor of Seattle's offer (All Twitter links). Here are a few more miscellaneous tidbits from around the Association tonight:
- Ken Berger of CBS Sports tweets that the 76ers are expected to interview lead assistant coach Michael Curry for their head coaching job next week.
- Steve Bulpett of BostonHerald.com hears that Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren turned down Philadelphia's offer to make him their general manager before the Sixers turned to Sam Hinkie.
- Although potential number one pick Nerlens Noel wouldn't be ready to start the regular season of his rookie campaign, the highly touted draft prospect is targeting a debut around Christmas, writes Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com.
- Noel's injury is just one reason why teams might not be too high in landing the number one draft slot this year, writes Lloyd. In that same piece, Lloyd cites one league executive who thinks that a team might be better off drafting whoever falls to the third or fourth pick rather than handle the risk of drafting first overall.
- Georgetown's Otto Porter spoke glowingly about being a potential fit for the Cavaliers, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer.
- Shabazz Muhammad opened up about the controversy surrounding his listed age and briefly told David Mayo of MLive.com about how he'd fare with the Pistons if they drafted him.
- Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob says that he won't have a problem finding a replacement for Vivek Ranadive's current share with Golden State once the Sacramento situation is resolved, says Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News (via Twitter).
- Jerry Stackhouse is in Chicago and plans to meet with possible draftees tomorrow to brief them on the NBPA, tweeted Hoopsworld's Steve Kyler.
Jerry Sloan Not Interested In Bucks
According to TNT's David Aldridge, Hall of Famer and former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan decided that he wasn't interested in the Bucks' head coaching vacancy. We made note that Sloan met with Milwaukee on Monday and that he had garnered "serious consideration." This likely won't mean the end of his name being generated on the rumor mill in the near future, as we heard last week that the 71-year-old coach had been fielding exploratory talks with other teams as well.
Sloan's 26-year NBA coaching career includes three seasons in Chicago and 23 in Utah. Should he find himself back next season at the helm of an NBA bench, the native Illinoisan would become the longest tenured active coach in the NBA. The Nuggets' George Karl is currently the most seasoned active coach in the league, having just finished his 25th season this year.
Billy Hunter Files Lawsuit Against NBPA, Fisher
Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News Sports tweeted that former player's union executive director Billy Hunter has filed a lawsuit against the NBPA, union president Derek Fisher, and Jamie Wior (Fisher's publicist), claiming defamation and a breach of contract. Ken Berger of CBS Sports elaborated further on the matter, reporting that the suit includes allegations accusing Fisher and Wior of secretly conspiring with "certain owners" (not identified in the suit) to negotiate the conclusion of the 2011 lockout and that their actions ultimately led to the termination of Hunter's contract with the NBPA.
Hunter's lawsuit contends that Fisher "actively manipulated the investigation" conducted by the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, & Garrison law firm "by making false statements impugning Hunter's character." The document also questions why Hunter's employment contract from 2010 was deemed invalid by the Paul-Weiss firm considering that Fisher – whose signature on Hunter's termination letter indicates that he had authorization to hire Hunter – had signed it.
Expanding on the accusation that Fisher had secretly worked with several NBA owners in order to end the lockout, the lawsuit includes that Hunter received a telephone call from "one of the highest paid players and his agent" nearly a month before the actual agreement was reached and was notified that a deal had already been agreed upon with the owners. At that point, it is alleged that Hunter was then told by the player and agent to accept the terms and end the lockout. Hunter's party also contends that Fisher had negotiated the 50-50 split of league revenue "without consulting with Hunter or the Executive Committee."
Among some of the rest of the charges listed in the lawsuit, Fisher is accused of "(inserting) himself into the collective bargaining process to the detriment of the union" and that he "was incentivized to complete a deal as quickly as possible given his limited playing career and need to secure his future job prospects by staying on good terms with the NBA and team owners." It also brings into question the active role of Jamie Wior, who Hunter asserts had no authority to become involved with or assist Fisher with the negotiations of the CBA. At the very minimum, Hunter is seeking the rest of the money owed to him at the time his contract was terminated, not including compensatory and punitive damages.
Bulls Links: Robinson, Korver, Brewer, Rose
One possible silver lining of the Chicago's elimination at the hands of the Heat is that it'll lead to an upswing in Bulls content on Hoops Rumors. Since the Bulls' Game Five loss, we've already heard that the team is expected to buy out Richard Hamilton this summer, and a number of other articles on Chicago's offseason have popped up since then. Here are a handful of them:
- Acknowledging that there might be "limited space" for him, Nate Robinson says he'd love to return to the Bulls next season, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Presumably, Robinson isn't referring to limited roster spots, but rather the limited cap flexibility the Bulls have to offer him a raise.
- In a separate piece, Friedell examines which players on the current roster will return to the Bulls next season, concluding that Robinson is probably gone. Friedell also expects the team to replace several bench players, and suggests that former Bulls and free-agents-to-be Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer could be good fits.
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that the focus in Chicago this offseason will remain on Derrick Rose, while Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld shares his thoughts on how the circus surrounding Rose's possible return could have been avoided.
- Scoop Jackson of ESPNChicago.com would like to see the Bulls' front office avoid making any major moves this summer, opting instead to bring back the current roster relatively intact.
Western Notes: Mavs, Perkins, Fisher, Lakers
Earlier this week, Dirk Nowitzki addressed the Mavericks' desire to bring some major talent on board this summer in free agency, going into a little detail about the pitch he expects potential targets to receive. Nowitzki spoke about the same topic today, reiterating that it's "pretty obvious" he'll be in line for a pay cut in the summer of 2014, which will allow the team to flexible in handing out bigger-money contracts to other players. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News has the details and the quotes from Nowitzki.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Western Conference:
- Although he's the likeliest amnesty candidate on the Thunder's roster, Kendrick Perkins told reporters, including Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman (Twitter link), that he's "pretty sure" he'll still be on the team next season.
- Derek Fisher also told the media, including Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link), that he'd like to return to the Thunder, adding that he isn't considering retirement yet.
- If the Lakers explore the free agent market this summer, they'll likely be shopping for bargains. Jovan Buha of ESPNLosAngeles.com identifies a few potential targets for the club.
- With the Spurs and Pacers each one win away from their respective Conference Finals, Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News recalls the Kawhi Leonard/George Hill swap consummated by the two teams, calling it "the definition of a win/win trade."
Sacramento Group Close To Deal For Kings?
Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson arrived back in his city today after attending yesterday's Board of Governors meetings in Dallas, and said the Sacramento investment group led by Vivek Ranadive is close to finalizing an agreement with the Maloof family to buy the Kings, according to Ryan Lillis, Dale Kasler, and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee.
"It's going to be close to being signed in the next day or two," Johnson said. "I'll be surprised if we get past the weekend. I feel very confident about that."
George Maloof, who said earlier today that he believes a deal will be reached with the Sacramento group, confirmed that negotiations are "going on fine." Maloof suggested this morning that he wasn't sure whether an agreement would be reached within the 24-48 hour window David Stern was aiming for. However, Johnson's comments indicate that even if a deal isn't agreed upon within that window, it may happen shortly thereafter.
If an agreement is finalized, it's expected that Ranadive's group would pay about $200MM for the Maloofs' 65% stake in the franchise, according to the Bee report. The Sacramento group would also absorb various debts associated with the franchise, including the repayment of a $64MM loan the team owes the city of Sacramento.
Ainge: Rivers To Return As Celtics Coach
Celtics GM Danny Ainge has confirmed that Doc Rivers will return to Boston next year as the team's head coach, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). In making the announcement, Ainge added, "We've got a coach everybody would love to have."
While Rivers remains under contract with the Celtics for another three seasons, he cast a little doubt on his future with the club after the Knicks eliminated Boston from the postseason earlier this month. At the time, Washburn reported (via Twitter) that Rivers "wasn't 100% sure" he'd be back with the team next season, and there were also rumors that the Nets would pursue the C's coach if Boston let him out of his contract.
Now that the Celtics know for sure that Rivers will be returning, Ainge and Co. can begin addressing the rest of the questions facing the team. The biggest two question marks involve the futures of Paul Pierce, who has a partially guaranteed contract, and Kevin Garnett, who may end up considering retirement.
Kings Notes: Ownership, Ranadive, Draft, Ellis
Kings fans received some great news yesterday, when the NBA's Board of Governors rejected a bid to relocate the franchise to Seattle. Even with the sale to Chris Hansen's Seattle group seemingly dead, the Kings aren't quite safe in Sacramento yet. The Maloofs still have the right to hang on to the team, though they're currently attempting to negotiate a sale to the Sacramento investment group led by Vivek Ranadive. Here's the latest on the Kings, on and off the court:
- George Maloof believes a deal will be reached with Ranadive's group, as he tells David Bienick of KCRA in Sacramento (Twitter link). However, he's not sure it will happen in the 24-48 hour window David Stern is hoping for (Twitter link). Maloof also added that Hansen remains interested in buying a minority share of the Kings, so that's part of the current talks as well (Twitter link).
- With Kings ownership still up in the air, front office and roster decisions remain on hold as well, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Head coach Keith Smart and GM Geoff Petrie are approaching this week's draft combine as if they'll continue in their current roles.
- The team interviewed six draft prospects on Wednesday, according to Jones: Reggie Bullock , Alex Len, Tim Hardaway Jr., Richard Howell, Tony Snell, and Deshaun Thomas.
- Expect Ranadive to "eviscerate" the Kings' business and basketball operations should he assume control of the team, says Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee. Voisin also hears that Ranadive's reps shot down a previous report that the Sacramento group was interested in Monta Ellis.
- Dale Kasler, Tony Lillis, and Ryan Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee, who have done a terrific job of chronicling the entire saga, recap an eventful Wednesday and look ahead to the next step for the Kings.