Mike Silverman To Represent Dewayne Dedmon
The University of Southern California's Dewayne Dedmon announced he'd be entering the NBA draft last week, and today he found his representation.
According to HoopsHype, Dedmon's agent will be Mike Silverman. A seven-footer who started 29 of his team's 31 games last season, Dedmon averaged 7.0RPG and 6.7 PPG.
Pacific Notes: Suns, Kings, Lakers, Jamison
As we wait to see if the Warriors can finish off the Nuggets tonight and set up a second-round date with the Spurs, let's check in on a few items out of the Pacific Division….
- Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman remains the frontrunner for the Suns' general manager opening, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Weltman is one of four candidates to have been interviewed by the team so far, according to Coro. Former Pacers GM David Morway, Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden, and Celtics assistant GM Ryan McDonough are the other interviewees so far.
- Potential Kings investor Chris Kelly tells David Bienick of KCRA in Sacramento that the Sacramento group expects to put half of its offer for the Kings into escrow by Friday. At this point, the group is still working with the NBA rather than the Maloofs, Kelly tells Bienick (Twitter links).
- In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Derek Page wonders if it's time for the Lakers to start rebuilding.
- After missing his exit interview earlier this week, Antawn Jamison had it today with GM Mitch Kupchak, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter). Jamison seems highly unlikely to return to the Lakers next season.
Poll: Will C’s Or Rockets Win After Trailing 3-0?
A week ago, I asked Hoops Rumors readers which team down 2-0 in its first round series had the best chance at a comeback. Over 51% of you picked the Grizzlies, and that's certainly looking like the right choice at the moment. The Grizz haven't lost a game since then, taking a 3-2 lead on L.A. with a chance to eliminate the Clippers in Memphis tomorrow night.
The Celtics and Rockets each received some votes in that poll, but both teams' odds of a comeback dwindled significantly when they fell behind 3-0 in their respective series. While there have been plenty of comebacks from a 2-0 deficit in NBA history, no team has ever come back from down 3-0 to win a playoff series. Last night though, Boston and Houston each won its second straight contest to force a pair of Game Sixes.
As Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Sulia link) notes, only three teams in NBA history have even forced a Game Seven after being down 3-0, but there are some reasons to believe the Celtics and Rockets have a chance to become the fourth and fifth teams to do so. Boston isn't a typical No. 7 seed, given the significant amount of postseason experience on the roster, and the C's were provided with some extra motivation yesterday when the Knicks dressed all in black in preparation for Boston's "funeral."
Meanwhile, Houston has been much more competitive against the Thunder since Russell Westbrook went down with a knee injury earlier in the series, winning two of the three games Westbrook has missed. Additionally, both the C's and Rockets will be heading back to their home court for Game Six.
It's still a long road to the second round for both Boston and Houston, but not many of us predicted either team would even force a Game Six, so I'm not about to write them off quite yet. What do you think? Will either team make history, becoming the first club to erase a 3-0 deficit to advance in the postseason?
Which team will win its series after trailing 3-0?
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Neither 44% (380)
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Boston Celtics 28% (240)
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Houston Rockets 20% (169)
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Both 8% (66)
Total votes: 855
Timberwolves Part Ways With David Kahn
3:38pm: The Wolves have officially announced their decision to decline Kahn's '13/14 option (Twitter link).
2:53pm: The Timberwolves have parted ways with general manager David Kahn, electing not to pick up his 2013/14 option, reports Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press (via Twitter). The news comes on the heels of an NBA.com report that indicated the Wolves were expected to hire Flip Saunders to replace Kahn's as the team's head of basketball operations. According to Krawczynski, Saunders' deal should be made official by Friday (Twitter link).
Although Kahn made a handful of solid moves running the T-Wolves over the past four seasons, including drafting Ricky Rubio and hiring Rick Adelman, he had his fair share of missteps as well. Passing on Stephen Curry to draft Jonny Flynn in 2009, overpaying Darko Milicic to a long-term deal, and electing not to sign Kevin Love to the five-year extension Love had been seeking are a few of Kahn's lowlights.
As for Saunders, he had been representing a group interested in buying the T-Wolves from Taylor, with Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link) hearing from a source last week that perhaps Saunders' hiring means Taylor is closer to selling the franchise. Wolfson adds today (via Twitter) that Saunders has been asked about making a financial investment in the franchise in addition to assuming the team's presidency.
According to Steve Aschburner of NBA.com, Saunders has been negotiating a contract that could run through the 2017/18 season and be worth more than $9MM, if option years are exercised. Details of that contract are being finalized, says Krawczynski.
Bird Rights
The Bird exception, named after Larry Bird, is a rule included in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement that allows teams to go over the salary cap to re-sign their own players. A player who qualifies for the Bird exception, formally referred to as a Qualifying Veteran Free Agent, is said to have "Bird rights."
The most basic way for a player to earn Bird rights is to play for the same team for at least three seasons, either on a multiyear deal or separate one-year contracts. The criteria are a little more complicated than that though. A player retains his Bird rights in the following scenarios:
- He changes teams via trade, rather than being waived or signing elsewhere as a free agent. For instance, Anthony Morrow is in the third year of his contract. He has been traded twice, from the Nets to the Hawks and then to the Mavericks, but will earn Bird rights at season's end because he was never waived during those three seasons.
- He finishes a third season with a team after having only played partial seasons with the club for the first two years (without signing elsewhere in between).
However, a player sees the clock on his Bird rights reset to zero in the following scenarios:
- He changes teams via free agency.
- He is selected in an expansion draft.
- He is waived and is not claimed on waivers.
- His rights are renounced by his team.
If a player has earned Bird rights, he is eligible to sign a maximum-salary contract for up to five years with 7.5% annual raises when he becomes a free agent. The maximum salary will vary depending on how long the player has been in the league, but regardless of the amount, a team can exceed the salary cap to complete the deal.
Although the Bird exception allows teams to exceed the cap, a team cannot necessarily use free cap room to sign free agents and then re-sign its own players via Bird rights. A team with a Bird free agent is assigned a "free agent amount" or cap hold worth either 190% of his previous salary (for a player with a below-average salary) or 150% of his previous salary (for an above-average salary). For players coming off a rookie-scale contract, the amounts of those cap holds are 250% and 200%, respectively.
The Hawks, for instance, will have a $12.75MM cap hold for Devin Harris on their 2013/14 books — 150% of his $8.5MM salary this season. Atlanta could clear that $12.75MM in cap space by renouncing Harris, but then would lose his Bird rights. If the Hawks wanted to re-sign him at that point, they'd have to use either cap room or a different cap exception.
Ultimately, the Bird exception was designed to allow teams to keep their star players. The CBA ensures that teams are always able to re-sign their veteran stars to maximum contracts, assuming the player is interested in returning and his team is willing to go over the cap.
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. Larry Coon's Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
This post was initially published on April 17th, 2012.
Draft Notes: Magic, Hornets, Noel, Len
While fans of playoff teams are watching to see if their favorite clubs can make it through to the second round, fans of lottery teams are still playing the waiting game. May 21st's draft lottery is still almost three weeks away, but at least this year's draft class has been finalized, with the NBA announcing this year's complete list of early entrants yesterday. As lottery teams continue to look ahead to the combine and lottery on the way later this month, here are a few draft-related updates:
- Sources around the NBA have told Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com that the Magic and Pelicans would "strongly" consider trading down if either team were to win the draft lottery and land the No. 1 pick. We didn't see any top-10 picks traded last June, but perhaps that will change this year, given the general belief that the 2013 class is significantly weaker.
- Speaking of that first overall pick, Nerlens Noel continues to be ranked No. 1 on Chad Ford's big board at ESPN.com (Insider-only link), though there are plenty of other changes in Ford's list. C.J. McCollum, Dario Saric, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are among the risers, with all three ranked in lottery territory now.
- Although Noel remains atop Ford's list, fellow ESPN.com scribe Fran Fraschilla (Insider link) makes the case for taking Maryland big man Alex Len over the Kentucky center.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com explains why McCollum and Gorgui Dieng could make sense as draft targets for the Mavericks.
Coaching Rumors: Bucks, Pistons, Bobcats, 76ers
Earlier this morning, we passed along word that the Sixers have received permission to interview Michael Malone and Jeff Hornacek for their head coaching position. Philadelphia is currently one of four teams actively seeking a new coach, but that number figures to increase in the coming weeks. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has a little more on the Sixers and other teams exploring the coaching market, so let's round up the highlights from his piece:
- Nate McMillan, who has met with the Pistons twice, is also near the top of the Bucks' list of targets, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- After the Bucks parted ways with Jim Boylan yesterday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that Stan Van Gundy and Kelvin Sampson were expected to be among Milwaukee's top targets. According to Berger, both Van Gundy and Sampson will interview with the Bucks. Lakers assistant Steve Clifford is also expected to be considered for the position.
- Bucks GM John Hammond is seeking a defensive-minded coach who can "control the locker room," says Berger.
- Pistons owner Tom Gores is taking a lead role in in the club's coaching search, with one source telling Berger that Gores is "looking to put his stamp on this one." Sampson and Nate McMillan are among the Pistons' potential candidates.
- Sampson, McMillan, Nate Tibbetts, and Quin Snyder will likely all be considered by the Bobcats, according to Berger.
- In addition to the Philadelphia targets we've already heard about, the Sixers are eyeing Heat assistant David Fizdale, says Berger, adding that the team is also doing its homework on potential GM candidates.
- Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni would like to add a defense-first assistant to his staff, and McMillan may be his first choice. However, with McMillan a decent bet to land a head coaching job this summer, D'Antoni may turn to former Suns coach Alvin Gentry, according to Berger.
- Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times also provides a coaching update this morning, tweeting that he has been told Jerry Sloan is "seriously considering" returning to the sidelines.
Free Agent Market For Small Forwards
This year's crop of free agent small forwards is far from star-studded, particularly when it comes to the unrestricted and restricted players. Many of the top small forwards that could be available this summer have some form of team or player option, meaning there's a chance they don't even hit the market.
When we do eventually figure out which players will be free agents in July, there should be plenty of teams jostling to get to the front of the line to sign them. Playoff clubs like the Clippers, Hawks, Lakers, Nets, Grizzlies, and Bucks might all have holes at small forward or at least be in the market for an upgrade. And that list doesn't include lottery teams with lots of cap space, like the Cavs, Jazz, and Pistons, or playoff teams like the Nuggets and Celtics, whose small forwards (Andre Iguodala and Paul Pierce) have player options.
Let's dive in and check out a few of the names expected to be on the small forward market this summer….
Unrestricted free agents
While there are no stars in this group, there are a number of potential value plays for teams seeking contributors, rather than go-to guys. Matt Barnes and Corey Brewer have exhibited the ability to play key roles on contending clubs, while the shooting prowess of Mike Dunleavy and Kyle Korver will ensure they draw plenty of interest this summer. Alan Anderson can also shoot from the outside and is coming off his best season as a pro, while Dorell Wright established a career-high in PER in 2012/13.
Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette represent a pair of veterans coming off of albatross contracts. They'll be taking significant pay cuts, so if they still have something left in the tank, they actually could become potential bargains for the minimum. Al-Farouq Aminu is another notable member of this group, given his age (22), his ability to play both forward positions, and his production on the glass.
Restricted free agents
Look away, there's nothing to see here. There's also no guarantee any of this year's potential restricted small forwards even receive qualifying offers this June, considering the fairly uninspiring numbers posted by the likes of Omri Casspi, Austin Daye, and James Johnson in '12/13.
Devin Ebanks, who has averaged 11.3 MPG in 63 career games in three seasons with the Lakers, may be the best bet to receive a qualifying offer, since the Lakers clearly like him. But given L.A.'s tax situation, even Ebanks' inexpensive QO ($1,317,986) may be too pricey for a player who has yet to consistently crack the team's rotation.
Team and player options
Before we get into the most intriguing names in this group, we can eliminate a few players who are virtual locks to opt in to the final years of their respective contracts. Richard Jefferson ($11.05MM), Shawn Marion ($9.32MM), Marvin Williams ($7.5MM), Trevor Ariza ($7.73MM), and Brandon Rush ($4MM) almost certainly won't turn down those 2013/14 guarantees, since they'd be very hard-pressed to approach those kinds of annual salaries on new contracts.
There are a few other player options that aren't so cut-and-dried though. Paul Pierce and Hedo Turkoglu are expected to exercise their player options, but both are only partially guaranteed, meaning their teams could trade or release them even after those options are picked up. Andre Iguodala ($16.15MM) and Andrei Kirilenko ($10.22MM) could exercise their options, but unlike the players mentioned earlier, both Iguodala and Kirilenko will probably be able to secure longer-term deals without taking huge pay cuts, if they were to opt out.
Metta World Peace's contract situation is another that could go in any number of directions. Taking into account how much World Peace likes playing for the Lakers, you'd expect him to pick up his $7.73MM option, but if he does, he'll immediately becomes a prime amnesty candidate. There's a chance he'll opt out, but only if he feels confident that the Lakers would be willing to negotiate a new multiyear deal.
The Rockets will guarantee Chandler Parsons' contract, and figure to do the same for Carlos Delfino's, unless his $3MM salary gets in the way of their pursuit of a star. Francisco Garcia and C.J. Miles are bench options whose teams will likely decide to let them hit the open market. Grant Hill is in a similar boat with the Clippers, coming off the worst season of his career. If he wants to continue his playing career, I can see him signing a minimum deal somewhere, but I'd guess the Clips will view his $2MM+ non-guaranteed salary for 2013/14 as exorbitant.
Previously:
Free agent market for shooting guards
Free agent market for point guards
Sixers To Interview Michael Malone, Jeff Hornacek
As they search for a head coach to replace Doug Collins, the 76ers are expected to begin conducting interviews next week, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski reports that the Sixers figure to begin their interview process with two current assistant coaches, Michael Malone (Warriors) and Jeff Hornacek (Jazz).
Besides receiving permission to interview Malone and Hornacek, the Sixers are also eyeing a handful of other candidates, says Wojnarowski. According to the Yahoo! scribe, Philadelphia is "strongly considering" Pacers assistant Brian Shaw and is "closely monitoring" the contract status of Lionel Hollins in Memphis.
We had previously heard that Malone and Shaw were at or near the top of the Sixers' wish list, and that the team has contacted the Pacers about interviewing Shaw, which will likely happen when Indiana's playoff run ends. Wojnarowski adds that the Sixers have been doing extensive research on Malone, and have received "excellent feedback" so far.
Odds & Ends: Pistons, Kings, Draft, Balkman
Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game reported in March that the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is adopting a tournament-style format this year, and the league confirmed the news today. The games will take place between July 12th and July 22nd, and while the move promises excitement, the contests won't necessarily have much meaning. Damian Lillard won the circuit's co-MVP honors last summer to kick off his Rookie of the Year campaign, but the other co-MVP was Josh Selby, who's been out of the NBA since March. While we wait to see how the revamped summer league shakes out, there's plenty of other NBA news:
- Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press compares Nate McMillan and Lindsey Hunter, the presumptive frontrunners for the Pistons coaching vacancy. The team is still expected to consider a wide range of candidates, and that list includes Pacers assistant Brian Shaw and Heat assistant David Fizdale, according to Ellis.
- Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee lay out the myriad contingencies still remaining in the Kings saga after the NBA's relocation committee recommended this week that the team stay in Sacramento.
- Four HoopsWorld writers have Nerlens Noel penciled in as the No. 1 pick, but Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com has the Kentucky center at No. 2, behind Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore.
- Renaldo Balkman has signed to play for Brujos de Guayama in Puerto Rico, Luis Modestti reports (translation via Sportando). The former Knicks first-round pick received a one-year ban from playing in the Philippines earlier this season after choking a teammate.
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com appeared on KESN-FM in Dallas this week, and pegged the Mavericks' chances of signing Dwight Howard at 10%, according to a Dallas Morning News transcription. Stein thinks Howard is still most likely to re-sign with the Lakers.
- Jeff Caplan of NBA.com takes an optimistic view of Howard's future with the Lakers, believing Howard will re-sign and, freed of speculation about his next destination, fulfill his promise as a superstar.