Central Notes: Pacers, Bucks, Reggie, Jennings
Here's a look at the latest out of the Central as the Pacers look to go up 3-1 over the Knicks tonight..
- Pacers legend Reggie Miller is still interested in a front office posiiton with the team, writes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. "It’ll have to be the right situation. We’ll see. I’m not going to broadcast forever. I’ll probably want to do something else in basketball, which will probably be running a team or at least helping run a team," Miller said.
- The Bucks will focus exclusively at the guard position for their 18 allotted pre-draft interrogations, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link). With the futures of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings still up-in-the-air, the Bucks are covering their bases.
- Speaking of the Bucks and Jennings' uncertain future, Derek Page at HoopsWorld went through the top five free agent point guards this off-season, with Jennings as his number two. Jennings is a retricted free agent this summer.
Spencer Lund contributed to this post.
Latest On Kings, Sacramento, Seattle
We're one day from the NBA's Board of Governors meeting, which will go a long way toward deciding the future of the Kings. According to Bryan May of KXTV News10 (via Twitter), tomorrow's meetings will get underway at 1:00pm central time, and based on what we heard yesterday, it sounds as if the league is still leaning toward denying the team's relocation to Seattle. Here's the latest on the saga:
- Two Sacramento attorneys have filed suit, alleging fraud and illegal use of public funds in the Sacramento arena project, says Chris Daniels of KING5 (via Twitter). According to Daniels, the suit alleges that the city's contribution to the arena will be closer to $338MM, and that city leaders, including Mayor Johnson, have concealed that info (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- Current Kings owner George Maloof told May (Twitter link) that he's "ready for this to be over" but that he's not sure that will happen tomorrow.
- As he prepared to head to Dallas, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson confirmed to the Sacramento Bee that the Maloofs haven't closed the door on selling the Kings to a group that would keep the team in the city.
- Chris Daniels of KING5 in Seattle tweets that a "Taxpayers for Safer Neighborhoods" group in Sacramento intends to start collecting signatures for a ballot initiative to reject the proposed Sacramento arena. According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter links), two Sacramento taxpayer groups believe the arena plan, which calls for $258MM in public funds to be paid back by parking revenues, is "financially irresponsible."
- A source tells Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com (Twitter links) that the anti-arena groups shouldn't present a serious threat to the Sacramento proposal, calling it a non-issue. "It's all PR," the source said, referring to the timing of the announcement. "Once you do due diligence, you see that there's nothing there."
Sixers Hire Sam Hinkie As GM
MONDAY, 3:21: Owner Josh Harris has made it official at a press conference this afternoon, announcing Hinkie's hiring as president of basketball operations and general manager.
FRIDAY, 11:06pm: Hinkie's hiring doesn't change Thorn's situation with the team, Thorn tells Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com (Twitter link). The veteran executive is transitioning into the role of a consultant for the Sixers. Moore also clarifies that Hinkie will choose the team's next head coach.
3:04pm: DiLeo will not return to the Sixers in any capacity, according to John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). DiLeo had been part of the Sixers' basketball operations department since the 1990/91 season.
2:53pm: According to Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News, Hinkie will also be the Sixers' new president of basketball operations, and DiLeo is "out" (Twitter links). Cooney adds that Hinkie's contract is expected to be for three or four years (Twitter link).
An official announcement from the Sixers could come as soon as next week, tweets Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com.
2:35pm: The 76ers have reached an agreement with Rockets assistant GM Sam Hinkie on a deal that will make Hinkie the Sixers' new general manager, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
Tony DiLeo had previously been serving as the GM in Philadelphia, but his contract was set to expire next month, making his status going forward uncertain. DiLeo has been a longtime member of the Sixers' front office and had been working with ownership on the team's coaching search, so it's unclear whether he'll be parting ways with the club or simply transitioning into a new role. I wouldn't be surprised if he moved into the team president position previously held by Rod Thorn, but it appears as if Hinkie will be the final decision-maker in basketball operations.
Before the Sixers promoted DiLeo to GM last summer, the team conducted a search that included Hinkie. According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the two sides re-opened discussions "very recently" (Twitter link).
Sixers CEO Adam Aron To Take Reduced Role?
3:12pm: A league source tells John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer that there will be no change in Aron's role (Twitter link).
1:08pm: Former NBA general manager John Nash said on SportsRadio 94 WIP in Philadelphia today that Sixers CEO Adam Aron "has been extracted from the basketball side of things," stemming from a clash with consultant and former coach Doug Collins (Twitter links). However, a source tells Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com that Nash will remain as CEO, and that an announcement the team has scheduled today has nothing to do with Aron (Twitter links). Still, Moore tweets that it's safe to assume Aron's role on the basketball side will be reduced following the hiring of new GM Sam Hinkie.
Presumably, today's announcement will make Hinkie's hiring official, as it's been widely reported since Friday that Hinkie, the Rockets assistant GM, will replace Tony DiLeo, who's spent that past year as Sixers GM. The past month has brought change to Philadelphia, where Collins stepped down as coach following the season and assumed an advisory capacity with the team. Team president Rod Thorn is also transitioning into a consultant's position for the Sixers, having previously been the man in charge of the team's day-to-day basketball operations before DiLeo was named GM last summer.
It's not the first time Collins' presence has created the specter of a power struggle in the Sixers front office. There were concerns that the coach's influence last summer may have dissuaded Danny Ferry, who became GM of the Hawks, from taking the same position in Philadelphia. I'm not sure exactly how much Aron had to do with the team's basketball ops, with both Thorn and DiLeo around this past season in addition to Collins. Nonetheless, I wouldn't be surprised if Hinkie expressed a desire for a higher degree of autonomy than having so many people involved in the team's basketball dealings would have afforded.
Eastern Rumors: Sampson, Clifford, Cavs, Celtics
We could have a fairly clear idea of the two teams that will play for the Eastern Conference title by the end of tonight. The Heat appear on their way to the conference finals with a 3-1 lead against the Bulls, and the Pacers can take a 3-1 lead of their own with a win at home against the Knicks tonight. Of course, we won't know for sure until later this week at the earliest, but if Indiana wins this evening, most of the on-court intrigue will shift to the Spurs–Warriors series in the West. All five open head coaching jobs are in the East, however, and there's news on that along with other notes from around the conference today:
- The Bobcats are interviewing Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson for their head coaching vacancy today, and they'll meet with Lakers assistant Steve Clifford next week, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). The team has reportedly had interest in both.
- A few days after receiving permission from the Lakers to do so, the Cavs are interviewing L.A. player development coach Phil Handy for a spot on head coach Mike Brown's staff, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com doesn't expect to see resolution on the future of the Celtics soon, suggesting that trade talk involving Paul Pierce could drag on past June 30th, the deadline for Boston to waive Pierce and reduce his cap hit by more than $10MM.
- The Raptors appear headed for tax territory next season, but the arrival of new executive Tim Leiweke indicates that the team is comfortable paying the tax, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.
- Eddie Jordan spent parts of nine seasons as an NBA head coach, six of them with the Wizards, but he tells Michael Lee of The Washington Post he doesn't want another NBA head coaching job, no matter how it goes in his new gig as the coach at Rutgers University.
Lillard Leads All-Rookie Team Selections
Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard was the lone unanimous selection to the NBA's All-Rookie team, the league announced. He received the maximum 29 first-team votes from the league's coaches. All 30 head coaches voted, though Blazers coach Terry Stotts wasn't allowed to vote for a player from his own team. Lillard led all rookies in points, assists and minutes per game.
Here are the results, with the point totals in parentheses (two points for first-place vote, one point for second-place vote):
First team:
- Damian Lillard (58)
- Bradley Beal (57)
- Anthony Davis (57)
- Dion Waiters (50)
- Harrison Barnes (47)
Second team:
- Andre Drummond (35)
- Jonas Valanciunas (31)
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (29)
- Kyle Singler (17)
- Tyler Zeller (15)
Fifth overall pick Thomas Robinson, drafted by the Kings and traded at the deadline to the Rockets, was the only player among the first seven picks from last June who didn't make either All-Rookie squad. The second team includes two players, Valanciunas and Singler, taken in the 2011 draft who played overseas for a season before coming stateside this year.
Unlike the voting discrepancies for the Defensive Player of the Year award and All-Defensive Teams, the coaches and media were in lockstep for the rookies. The five members of the All-Rookie First Team were the top five vote-getters in Rookie of the Year balloting.
Western Notes: Conley, Kings, Adelman, Suns
With Mike Conley playing a significant role in leading the Grizzlies to within one game of the Western Conference Finals, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com looks back at Conley's history in Memphis. As Shelburne writes, Conley was almost dealt to the Bucks for Ramon Sessions before Lionel Hollins took over as the Grizzlies' coach and gave Conley a vote of confidence.
"It was more than a rumor," Conley said. "My dad's also my agent and he called me to say I wasn't playing this one game. When they tell you that, you know it's pretty serious."
Conley's place in Memphis is certainly safe these days, and after last night's win, his team has a 3-1 lead on the defending conference champs. As we look forward to seeing whether the Grizzlies can eliminate the Thunder, let's check in on a few other items from around the West….
- Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com and Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (Sulia link) each provide updates on the Kings saga, with Bruski writing that the aggressive approach employed by the Seattle group in recent weeks isn't going over well with the league. Howard-Cooper, meanwhile, says Vivek Ranadive's influence in India isn't as big a factor in the NBA's decision as has been portrayed.
- New Timberwolves president Flip Saunders tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link) he's still confident that Rick Adelman will return to coach the team next season.
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic examines the Suns' search for a head coach, which will likely be completed within the next two weeks.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com attempts to debunk the myth that top free agents aren't interested in signing with the Mavericks
Andrew Wiggins To Attend Kansas
Top high school recruit Andrew Wiggins has announced he'll attend the University of Kansas when he begins his freshman year in the fall, according to Keith Morehouse of WSAZ-TV (via Twitter). Wiggins, who ranked No. 1 on Rivals.com's list of this year's recruits, is widely considered the favorite to be drafted first overall in 2014, and could have even gone first overall in this year's draft if he were eligible.
"Everyone last year was trying to figure out a way to get him next year," a longtime NBA scout and ex-player told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports last month. "Teams are plotting and preparing for when he gets out of school. Character. Demeanor. Athleticism. Coachable. He makes the game look like it's insanely too easy. While everyone is sweating, he isn't and he jumps over your head. The total package."
We typically don't cover the college game too extensively on Hoops Rumors until the draft rolls around, but as Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com tweets, the 18-year-old Wiggins represents perhaps the best high school prospect since LeBron James, so it'll be worth keeping an eye on his progress as a Jayhawk next season. A year from now, there's a good chance we'll be referring to the draft lottery as the "Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes."
Wiggins, who was born in Canada, chose Kansas over a list of potential schools that included Kentucky, North Carolina, and Florida State. According to Morehouse (via Twitter), Wiggins' decision came down to Kansas and Florida State.
NBA Draft Lottery
The NBA draft lottery, which is set to take place next Tuesday, is the league's way of determining the draft order and disincentivizing second-half tanking. The lottery gives each of the 14 non-playoff teams a chance to land one of the top three picks in the draft.
Although the top three picks of each draft are up for grabs via the lottery, the remaining order is determined by record, worst to best. The league's worst team isn't guaranteed a top-three spot in the draft, but has the best chance to land the first overall pick and will receive the fourth overall selection at worst.
The first three picks are determined by a draw of ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14. Four balls are drawn, resulting in a total of 1,001 possible outcomes. 1,000 of those outcomes are assigned to the 14-non playoff teams — for instance, if balls numbered 4, 7, 8, and 13 were chosen, that combination would belong to one of the 14 lottery teams. The 1,001st combination remains unassigned, and a re-draw would occur if it were ever selected.
The team whose combination is drawn first receives the number one overall pick, and the process is repeated to determine picks two and three. The 14 teams involved in the draft lottery are all assigned a different number of combinations, as follows (worst to best):
- 250 combinations, 25.0% chance of receiving the first overall pick
- 199 combinations, 19.9%
- 156 combinations, 15.6%
- 119 combinations, 11.9%
- 88 combinations, 8.8%
- 63 combinations, 6.3%
- 43 combinations, 4.3%
- 28 combinations, 2.8%
- 17 combinations, 1.7%
- 11 combinations, 1.1%
- 8 combinations, 0.8%
- 7 combinations, 0.7%
- 6 combinations, 0.6%
- 5 combinations, 0.5%
If two lottery teams finish the season with identical records, each team receives an equal chance at a top-three pick by averaging the total amount of outcomes for their two positions. For instance, if two teams tie for the league's ninth-worst record, each club would receive 14 combinations and a 1.4% chance at the first overall pick — an average of the 17 and 11 combinations that the ninth- and tenth-worst teams receive.
If the average amount of combinations for two positions isn't a whole number, a coin flip determines which team receives the extra combination. For instance, if two clubs tied for the league's worst record, the team that wins the coin flip would receive 225 of 1,000 chances at the first overall pick, while the loser would receive 224. The coin flip also determines which team will draft higher in the event that neither club earns a top-three pick.
The table below displays the odds for each lottery team, rounded to one decimal place. For our purposes, the first seed is the NBA's worst team. Click to enlarge:
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement.
This post was initially published on April 25th, 2012.
Kostas Papanikolaou Drawing Trade Interest?
Greece's Olympiacos has won its second straight Euroleague title, and at least one of the club's players seems to be drawing trade interest from NBA teams. Rigas Dardalis of EuroHoops.net writes that Kostas Papanikolaou, who received the Euroleague's Rising Star award, has received interest from the Spurs, Mavericks, and Knicks, among other teams.
Papanikolaou was selected by the Knicks 48th overall in the second round of the 2012 draft, but was sent to the Trail Blazers in the deal that brought Raymond Felton to New York. Although Portland currently holds Papanikolaou's rights, the small forward doesn't seem to be in the team's immediate plans, given the presence of Nicolas Batum and Victor Claver on the roster, according to Dardalis.
The Blazers are expected to be involved in free agency this summer as the team looks to upgrade its bench, but with plenty of cap space and four draft picks, Portland should also have plenty of worthwhile assets at its disposal in addition to Papanikolaou's rights, if the club decides to explore the trade market.