Latest On Raptors, Bryan Colangelo
A report over the weekend suggested that the Raptors were likely to pick up Bryan Colangelo's option for 2013/14, bringing the longtime general manager back for at least one more season. That report indicated that the move could become official as soon as today, but with no formal announcement made yet, rumors continue to swirl about whether or not Colangelo will be retained. Here's the latest on the Raps' front office:
- One source familiar with MLSE president and CEO Tim Leiweke's thinking told Bruce Arthur of the National Post that he's leaning toward replacing Colangelo, but Leiweke denies that a decision has been made yet. The MLSE board has ceded the decision to Leiweke, Arthur notes.
- MLSE's next board meeting is schedule for Wednesday, and it was initially expected that there'd be resolution on Colangelo by then, but Michael Grange of Sportsnet says it's possible Leiweke waits a litte longer to make a decision.
- Leiweke on the timeline, according to Grange: "I’m not going to let the board dictate the timing on this and this is no disrespect to the board. That’s not the right way to do this. I think it’s a matter of whatever time that takes is what it takes, we’re not going to knee jerk. I’m not going to let the board overrule the time and to their credit, they haven’t asked it. They’ve been very patient."
- If the decision drags out much longer, Colangelo may take action preemptively and tender his resignation, according to Grange, who says that the delay may serve as evidence that Colangelo isn't Leiweke's first choice.
- Leiweke seemed to acknowledge the possibility of Colangelo resigning, telling Grange, "It wouldn’t shock me that if at the end of the day, if I’m not going to give him a vote of confidence, he moves on."
- Even if Colangelo doesn't return, the chances of the Raptors hiring Phil Jackson are "remote," says Grange.
- With the pre-draft camp in Chicago scheduled to happen this week, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes that it's time for the Raptors to make a decision, since plenty of groundwork for future transactions could be laid in Chicago, with execs from every team in attendance.
Odds & Ends: Jazz, Bulls, Rose
Nothing like a little bit of bonus basketball to liven up a one game Sunday and the Warriors made the most of their extra frame against the Spurs. Stephen Curry has been the posterchild for Golden State throughout the postseason but it was Harrison Barnes who stepped up in a big way as he scored a game high 26 points. Here's tonight's look around the Association as San Antonio and Golden State are knotted at two a piece..
- Coaches without experience are more likely to succeed than retreads are when taking over sub-.500 teams that missed the playoffs the previous season, according to a Charlotte Observer study. A recent Hoops Rumors poll of this year's free agent coaching retreads saw Jerry Sloan voted as the most wanted of the bunch.
- Jody Genessy of The Deseret News rounds up the action from the Jazz's six-player pre-draft workout Saturday, drawing attention to the three playmakers among the group and the team's lack of a pure point guard under contract for next season.
- At the outset of the second round of the Bulls' series against the Heat, Derrick Rose strongly considered returning from his torn ACL injury but ultimately decided not to, a source told Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com. The Bulls are down 2-1 heading into tomorrow night's contest with Miami.
Celtics Notes: Rondo, Garnett, Williams
This figures to be a very interesting offseason in Boston and the club may have to turn the page on Paul Pierce and/or Kevin Garnett. Last week, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com ran down some potential offseason targets for the C's, starting with longshot targets like Josh Smith and David West. More realistic possibilities might include O.J. Mayo and Chris Kaman, depending on their cap room situation. Here's more on the Celtics..
- Even as Danny Ainge insists he won't trade Rajon Rondo, he'll listen if the right offer comes along, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, who advocates for the Celtics to keep the premier playmaker.
- Ainge is facing a critical summer as the club is in a transitional phase, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. The Celtics could cut ties with Pierce with an inexpensive $5MM buyout of his deal while Garnett, with two years left, may decide to call it a career.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com gave his year-end report card on mid-season pickup Terrence Williams. The guard spent time in China and came to Boston and earned a B for his latest tenure in green.
Central Notes: Cavs, Brown, Pistons, Bulls
Here's a look at the latest out of the Central division..
- Cavs coach Mike Brown is looking for long-armed perimeter athletes who can defend, rebound and score, and the team views Alonzo Gee, who started all 82 games this season, as a backup, writesTerry Pluto of The Plain Dealer.
- The Pistons' biggest pick won't come in the draft, it'll come in the selection of their next coach, opines Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Meanwhile, in the draft, Detroit will have a good deal of swing players to choose from but not much in terms of big men. Character will be important for Joe Dumars & Co. but they're also in a position to groom a young player thanks to their level-headed core.
- The Bulls just might have the right blueprint for today's smaller NBA, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Week In Review: 5/6/13 – 5/12/13
This week the league awards for 2012/13 were announced and there weren't any real surprises. The biggest controversy came when one of the 121 possible first place votes in the MVP race went to Carmelo Anthony rather than LeBron James. The Twitterverse went on a witchhunt to find the culprit and ultimately we learned that the intrepid voter was Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, who penned a column to explain his rationale. Here's a look back at the rest of this week's news on Hoops Rumors..
- After firing P.J. Carlesimo, the Nets reached out to Phil Jackson to fill their coaching vacancy but he turned them down. They're also interested in Larry Brown and Brian Shaw.
- The Sixers hired Sam Hinkie as their new GM.
- The Suns officially have a new GM in place: Ryan McDonough. The former Celtics exec takes over for Lance Blanks, who was recently let go. There were rumblings that the Suns were holding out for Grant Hill to take the job.
- Vinny Del Negro's dismissal from the Clippers seems rather likely at this point.
- J.B. Bickerstaff is on the Pistons' radar.
- The Timberwolves are expected to go hard after O.J. Mayo.
- The Hawks like Stan Van Gundy. So do the Bucks.
- Lionel Hollins says the Grizzlies want him back.
- The Timberwolves cut ties with Brandon Roy.
- The Clippers are publicly confident that Chris Paul will return next season.
- The Hawks are convinced that the situation in L.A. will open the door for them to sign Dwight Howard.
- Things don't sound good for coach Larry Drew and his staff in Atlanta. The coaches have begun looking into other opportunities around the league.
- Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri is hopeful that Andre Iguodala will return to Denver.
- Omer Asik isn't paying attention to the Howard-to-Houston talk.
- The Wolves want to keep Nikola Pekovic.
- Zaza Pachulia and Kyle Korver are interested in returning to the Hawks.
- The Raptors are going to keep Bryan Colangelo.
- The Kings' new ownership has agreed to take in less from the league's revenue sharing program. Meanwhile, the drama continues.
- Andray Blatche wants to return to the Nets.
- No surprise here, Metta World Peace won't opt out.
Hoops Links: Ainge, Nets, Rose, Rockets
On this date in 1985, the Knicks won the NBA Draft Lottery, allowing them to take Georgetown standout Patrick Ewing. The Knicks' good fortune gave way to the biggest conspiracy theory since the release of the Zapruder film as some fans believed that the league's marquee franchise was handed the No. 1 pick.
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..
- Yahoo Sports says the Celtics' faults start at the top with Danny Ainge.
- The Basketball Post sees a difficult offseason ahead for the Nets.
- Hoops Addict says the speculation on Derrick Rose needs to end.
- Red94 believes that this is the start of great things for the Rockets.
- The Brooklyn Game grades Kris Humphries' difficult season.
- Bright Side Of The Sun says a lot of the pieces currently in Phoenix don't fit the club's vision.
- Hardwood Paroxysm looks at how the Warriors turned the Spurs upside-down.
- Blog A Bull isn't surprised by how Game 2 went.
- Rufus On Fire had some fun with the Bobcats coaching search.
- Celtics Life asks if you would swap Rajon Rondo for Stephen Curry.
- SB Nation makes the case for Alex Len over Nerlens Noel.
- Pounding The Rock looks at the Tony Parker conundrum.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 5/6/13 – 5/12/13
Here's this week's look back at the original analysis produced by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Luke Adams looked ahead to the Clippers' summer as they hope to hang on to their star point guard.
- There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding Greg Oden, but he could land a multi-year deal this offseason, Luke writes.
- I previewed the summer ahead of the Nets and the challenges that they face as they look to move up a tier in the NBA.
- Chuck looks at how the Nuggets can get even stronger for 2013/14.
- The Rockets are now entering the next phase of their rebuilding process.
- Here's a reminder of the criteria to pull of a sign-and-trade swap.
- Our Prospect Profile series continued with a look at Alex Len.
- Luke re-examined Stephen Curry's extension.
- The Lakers might not shake things up too much, Chuck writes.
- It's going to be an intriguing offseason when it comes to free agent centers.
- George Karl won Coach of the Year but we asked you to weigh in with your own vote.
- Hoops Rumors readers see a possible underdog in the second round.
- Here's how to follow your favorite team on Facebook, Twitter, and RSS.
- Check out the Hoops Rumors agency database.
- Josh Smith is the one power forward on this year's open market with a shot at landing a max deal.
- If you missed out on Luke's weekly chat, you can check out the transcript here.
- Play nice, everyone. Here's a refresher on our commenting policy.
Offseason Outlook: Denver Nuggets
Guaranteed Contracts
- Ty Lawson ($10,786,517)
- JaVale McGee ($10,750,000)
- Danilo Gallinari ($10,146,925)
- Wilson Chandler ($6,344,164)
- Andre Miller ($5,000,000)
- Kosta Koufos ($3,000,000)
- Anthony Randolph ($1,750,000)
- Evan Fournier ($1,422,720)
- Kenneth Faried ($1,367,640)
- Jordan Hamilton ($1,169,880)
Options
- Andre Iguodala ($16,154,750, Early termination)
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Quincy Miller ($788,872, guaranteed for $150,000)
Free Agents/Cap Holds
- Corey Brewer ($6,161,700)
- Timofey Mozgov ($5,966,815)
- Julyan Stone ($1,084,293 – QO)
- No. 27 pick ($899,000)
- (Rudy Fernandez - $5,451,108)
- (Wesley Person - $884,293)
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (27th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $51,887,846
- Options: $16,154,750
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $638,872
- Cap Holds: $20,447,209
- Total: $89,128,677
Most teams with 57 regular season wins, the Coach of the Year and the Executive of the Year would still find themselves alive in the postseason this time of year, but that's not the case for these Nuggets. Denver finds itself out of the first round for the ninth time in 10 years, with critics once more heralding the ineffectiveness of the team's egalitarian approach. There is no superstar on this roster, and Andre Iguodala, the team's closest facsimile, is likely to opt out of his contract and hit free agency this summer.
Team president Josh Kroenke and GM Masai Ujiri have both expressed a desire for Iguodala to return, and re-signing him would appear to be the team's top priority if the Olympic gold medalist opts out. A new contract for Iggy would likely hamstring the team's financial flexibility from a cap standpoint, though the primary option for upgrading this roster would likely be a trade. The Carmelo Anthony deal, the Nene/JaVale McGee swap and the Nuggets' participation in the Dwight Howard/Andrew Bynum blockbuster that netted them Iguodala last summer represent three major trades in an 18-month span. Restraint isn't what put the Executive of the Year trophy in Ujiri's hands, and I wouldn't expect him to stand pat for long.
Danilo Gallinari's torn ACL could complicate matters. Gallinari is just 24 years old and on an affordable contract that will pay him $32.561MM over the next three seasons. He represents one of the team's best assets if Ujiri wants to make a deal. The same could be said for 25-year-old Ty Lawson, though the Nuggets just signed him to a four-year, $48MM extension that kicks in next season, and they seem to view him as a long-term building block.
A better option might be Wilson Chandler, who is due $20,273,739 through 2016, not too dire a price for someone who can play both forward positions and shot 41.3% from three-point range this season. Kosta Koufos has severely limited shooting range, but he makes just $3MM next season and next, with only $500K guaranteed in the final season of his contract. That, along with his size, rebounding and efficiency, could intrigue other teams. The Nuggets also have Kenneth Faried with two years left on his rookie deal, and while they'd be loath to part with a bargain like him, they might be willing to do so if they could make him part of a package for a superstar.
Chandler, Koufos and Faried might allow for decent return in a trade, but Denver probably isn't getting a marquee player unless they're willing to include Lawson or another team is willing to take on Gallinari as damaged goods. Ujiri could get creative and structure a sign-and-trade with Iguodala or Timofey Mozgov, but doing so would require the players' consent, which makes it tricky.
The Nuggets reportedly plan on extending a qualifying offer to Mozgov, though there's some doubt that they'd do so, since he could just accept it and make nearly $4MM next season as overpriced end-of-the-bench filler. The 7'1" center was a hot trade candidate at the deadline this season, so if the Nuggets float the offer and Mozgov doesn't bite, rival teams in need of size could be goaded into overpaying for Mozgov to scare the Nuggets off from matching. If Ujiri can negotiate a fairly priced multiyear deal for the Russian, he could be thrown into trade discussions again at next year's deadline.
The other notable free agent on the roster is Corey Brewer, who enjoyed a renaissance this season and drew high praise from George Karl. His poor outside shooting was exposed in the playoffs, however, and his 5-for-28 shooting in the final three games of the Warriors series may have cost him plenty of money. That could allow the Nuggets to pick him back up at a cheap price, although the team's subpar performance from behind the three-point line this season suggests they should go after someone with better touch. Denver was 20th in made three-pointers this season, and it's been known since March that the team will target sharpshooter Kyle Korver in free agency, likely with its mid-level exception. Korver will likely have plenty of suitors, but the Nuggets could look to other three-point gunners if they miss out on him.
Denver's 57 regular season wins were a franchise best, but NBA teams are measured on their success in the postseason. Anthony was around for many of the team's playoff failures, but he was also the centerpiece of the Nuggets' lone escape from the first round in recent memory, in 2009 when they went to the Western Conference Finals. That, coupled with this year's shortcomings, should be enough to persuade Ujiri to step up his pursuit of superstar talent, no matter how risky (Bynum) or unproven (DeMarcus Cousins) it may be.
Additional notes:
- Mozgov's situation is unusual, since his cap hold is much greater than his $3,925,536 qualifying offer would be. He was undrafted, so he never signed a rookie-scale contract, and thus his cap hold is 190% of his salary from this season instead of the QO.
- The Nuggets have already made one offseason decision, having kept Quincy Miller on the roster for more than seven days following their final game. That triggered his partial guarantee for next season.
Sixers Rumors: Turner, Brown, Hinkie
The move isn't official yet, but the talk surrounding the Sixers this weekend has been about the impending appointment of Rockets executive Sam Hinkie as the new GM in Philadelphia. It will be the first of several key moves for the Sixers this summer, as the franchise must fill its coaching vacancy and decide on the future of free agent Andrew Bynum. There's been plenty of reaction to Friday's news about the change in the team's front office, as we share here:
- Evan Turner is eligible for an extension this summer heading into the final year of his rookie deal, and outgoing GM Tony DiLeo wanted to keep Turner around, a source tells John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Mitchell wonders whether Hinkie feels the same way about the former No. 2 overall pick.
- Hinkie's arrival puts to bed any notion that Larry Brown might return to coach the team, according to Mitchell, who hopes the move also spells the end for Bynum in Philly.
- In a separate piece, Mitchell outlines a to-do list for Hinkie and profiles the executive who's willing to supplement advanced statistics with the old-fashioned legwork of scouting.
- Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com suggests Hinkie ought to launch a full-fledged rebuild in Philadelphia, rather than just "tweaking" the roster.
- The Inquirer's Michael Kaskey-Blomain Inquirer wouldn't be surprised to see the Sixers hire a first-time head coach, and he picks through the field of assistants in line to take over a team this summer.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Prospect Profile: Alex Len
Most draft prospects still have nearly seven weeks left to make their cases in workouts with teams, but the book on Maryland center Alex Len is as complete as it's going to be. Len is out for four to six months with a stress fracture in his left ankle, leaving him without a chance to prove he's worthy of the No. 1 pick. As it is, he appears destined for the middle of the lottery, with Chad Ford of ESPN.com and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress agreeing he's the seventh-best prospect available.
The 19-year-old Ukraine native is a raw talent, and there will be plenty of risk involved in taking him, particularly given his injury. He could nonetheless wind up as a steal, and was in the conversation as a potential top overall selection at times this season. That kind of talk started when he opened the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds, both career highs at the time, in a highly anticipated matchup against Kentucky center Nerlens Noel.
Previously, he had been considered a fringe lottery pick. There were questions entering this season about his strength, as well as his poor free-throw shooting and propensity for fouls and turnovers. He showed up after last summer with added muscle, and answered critics with fewer fouls and turnovers per minute this year, as well as a markedly better performance at the free-throw line. He went from 59% at the stripe his freshman season to 69% as a sophomore this year. He did so in nearly twice as many attempts per game, as Len became a much greater part of the Maryland offense.
He still averaged only 8.5 field goal attempts per outing this season, a jump from 4.3 in a relatively similar amount of playing time last year, but still not as many as his talents suggest he should have taken. Len possesses a legitimate post-up game, and it appeared Maryland coach Mark Turgeon's offensive system held him back, even as some scouts began to think toward the end of the season that Len might be better off staying for his junior year. He showed inconsistency against ACC competition and in the NIT, though his rebounding numbers were more or less the same throughout the season, save for back-to-back three-rebound performances in the first two rounds of the NIT.
Len responded with 13 rebounds in his next postseason contest, and finished the season with averages of 7.8 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game. His work on the boards is not a question mark, and neither is his shot-blocking ability. At 7'1" with an even longer wingspan, he swatted away 2.1 shots on a nightly basis this season, mirroring his average as a freshman. His size, quickness and athleticism, as well as his touch as a finisher around the basket, make him a sought-after prospect.
There isn't a team out there that couldn't use a shot-blocking 7'1" center with a post game, but the team currently slotted to pick seventh is the Pistons, and they already have Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. Len could give the Pelicans, targeted for the No. 5 spot, an impressive one-two punch inside with Anthony Davis, and the same could be said of the Blazers and LaMarcus Aldridge if Len drops to their current position at 10th overall. The Kings could draft Len sixth overall and put pressure on DeMarcus Cousins to perform, while the Timberwolves, in line for the ninth pick, could take Len as insurance in case a team throws an inflated offer at restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic.
Minnesota, though, has expectations of becoming a playoff team next season, and that could dissuade them from picking Len. Despite his impressive potential, he remains a work in progress, and appears best suited for a team that's willing to be patient.