Northwest Notes: Malone, Blazers, Timberwolves
A few notes from around the NBA's Northwest Division.
- Hall of Fame forward Karl Malone announced on the radio today that he would be taking on a part-time coaching gig with the Jazz, tweets Deseret News reporter Jody Genessy. Malone will primarily focus on helping the team's big men develop.
- The Trail Blazers will began holding pre-draft workouts and interviews this week, writes The Oregonian's Joe Freeman. Portland holds the number 10 overall pick as well as three second round selections. They're sure to be a busy team leading up to draft night.
- Marcus Fuller of TwinCities.com spoke with Timberwolves president Flip Saunders about Andrei Kirilenko, upcoming draft needs, and the status of restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic.
Odds & Ends: Summer League, Kings, Devin Harris
The NBA announced today that 22 teams will participate in the Association's Summer League in Las Vegas in July. Since one of those 22 is a D-League select team, there are nine NBA clubs who won't be in Vegas: the Celtics, Nets, Pistons, Rockets, Pacers, Thunder, Magic, 76ers, and Jazz. While Summer League results often aren't an indicator of regular-season success (Josh Selby was the co-MVP in Vegas a year ago), this year's format should at least be entertaining, as it will feature an NCAA-style single-elimination tournament for the first time.
Here are a few more Wednesday odds and ends from around the NBA:
- After reporting earlier today that the Kings would be interviewing Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace, Sam Amick of USA Today now says that interview has taken place.
- Free agent guard Devin Harris tells Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times that he'd be very much open to listening if the Bucks call him this summer. "Who wouldn’t want to play for their hometown team?" said Harris, a Milwaukee native. "I know they got a lot of decisions to make, but I know I would be interested in them. If it’s going to work out, who knows?"
- The Bucks will resume their draft workouts on Friday, with Shane Larkin and Tim Hardaway Jr. among a group of six players auditioning, tweets Woelfel.
- Numerous free-agents-to-be have said throughout the season that they intend to consider the Hawks this summer, says Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.
Schedule Of Contract Guarantee Dates
Earlier this month, Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors listed the offseason dates on which certain players’ contracts will become guaranteed during the coming summer and fall. Today, with the help of ShamSports’ contract database, we’ll go one step further, creating a timeline of guarantee dates for each and every player who currently has a non-guaranteed deal for 2013/14.
Using the following list, we can track teams’ various cap commitments as they arise starting in June and continuing until next January. Unless otherwise indicated, these players are on minimum-salary contracts. Their contracts will become guaranteed for the given amounts if they’re not waived on or before the dates indicated.
For instance, in the first example on the list, Matt Bonner‘s contract with the Spurs is currently guaranteed for $1,000,000. If he’s not released on or before June 29th, it becomes fully guaranteed for $3,945,000. If he’s waived on or before June 29th, San Antonio would still pay the $1MM he’s already owed, but would save the other $2,945,000.
Players listed multiple times will have their guarantee amounts increased the longer they remain on a roster. For example, Terrence Williams will earn $200,000 if he remains on the Celtics’ roster beyond June 30th. That amount will increase to $300,000 if he’s still on the roster past September 1st. Williams’ contract would eventually become fully guaranteed if he’s still hasn’t been cut by October 31st.
Here’s the complete list:
- None remaining as of 1-7-14
Cavs Would Give Up No. 1 Pick For Kevin Love
Immediately after the Cavaliers won this year's draft lottery, we heard that the team would be open to fielding trade offers for the first overall pick. But according to Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com, there's one particular the team with whom the Cavs would like to deal: The Timberwolves. Kotoch reports that the No. 1 pick would be available to the T-Wolves if they were willing to part with Kevin Love.
Kotoch's report doesn't come as a huge surprise — Love is a two-time All-Star and was a member of the gold-medal U.S. Olympic team in 2012, so he's a proven commodity, whereas there's no real consensus top pick in this year's draft class. Nerlens Noel, who sits atop many draft boards, is recovering from ACL surgery. As such, it makes sense that the Cavs, who hope to earn a playoff spot next season, would target a veteran who could make an immediate impact.
Love has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate in the past because he and the Timberwolves have had an up-and-down relationship since the team was unwilling to give him the five-year rookie scale extension he was seeking. Still, with former GM David Kahn out of the picture and Flip Saunders now running the show in Minnesota, I'd be shocked if the T-Wolves seriously considered moving Love this summer. Even if he does intent to opt out down the road, Love still has at least two more years remaining on his contract, so there'd be plenty of time for the Wolves to weigh their options.
In addition to the nugget on the Cavs and Love, Kotoch shared a few more draft-related rumors to go along with his latest mock draft. Here are the highlights:
- Kotoch echoes a report by ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Twitter link) suggesting that Giannis Antetokounmpo has been given a first-round guarantee. According to Kotoch, two teams have made such a promise to the so-called "Greek Freak," and Kotoch believes one of them may be the Hawks, who have two first-round picks.
- The Jazz are interested in C.J. McCollum, but would be happy to select Michael Carter-Williams or Dennis Schroeder if McCollum is off the board at No. 14, says Kotoch.
- McCollum also intrigues the Thunder, who pick 12th, though Oklahoma City has been primarily linked to bigs so far.
- The Knicks "really like" Shane Larkin, according to Kotoch.
Mavs Links: Gobert, Howard, Cuban
Earlier today, we heard from ESPN.com's Chad Ford that the Mavericks may kick the tires on a trade for DeMarcus Cousins at some point this summer. Here are a few more of the latest items out of Dallas:
- French big man Rudy Gobert will work out for the Mavericks tomorrow, according to EuropeanProspects.com (via Twitter).
- When Phil Jackson was asked last week whether he thought Dwight Howard would re-sign with the Lakers, he asked, "Would you, if you felt like your game wasn't going to be featured?" Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com takes that point a step further, making the case that if Howard wants to be featured in an offense, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle could come up with creative ways to maximize his talent in Dallas.
- Responding to Mark Cuban's comments about implementing a two-year plan to return the Mavericks to championship contention, Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram calls Cuban out for not making the most of the last few years of Dirk Nowitzki's prime. Engel argues that the so-called two-year plan actually amounts to a four-year plan, since it's been going on for the last couple seasons.
Bobcats Hire Steve Clifford
WEDNESDAY, 1:33pm: The Bobcats have made the hiring of Clifford official, announcing the move in a press release.
"We are excited to have Steve Clifford as our new head coach," said president Rod Higgins in a statement. "He brings a strong pedigree and a track record of success to our franchise. He has built a reputation as an innovator, especially defensively, and has experience in multiple systems. We look forward to utilizing his knowledge as we continue to build this team."
MONDAY, 5:13pm: The Bobcats are set to hire Steve Clifford as their next head coach, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Lakers assistant will receive a three-year, $6MM deal with a team option on the third year, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
The longtime assistant came to L.A. under head coach Mike Brown. Clifford spent most of the last decade working for Jeff and Stan Van Gundy as a defensive specialist before joining up with Brown and the Lakers. He'll now be charged with turning around a woeful Bobcats franchise that is coming off of a 21-61 campaign.
Clifford was also in the mix for the vacant Bucks job. With Clifford out of the running in Milwaukee, the Bucks search will now focus on Larry Drew and Kelvin Sampson, tweets Wojnarowski. Each candidate has second interviews coming up this week.
The Bobcats fired Mike Dunlap last month following just one year at the helm in Charlotte. The former St. John's assistant coach managed to improve upon the club's dreadful .106 winning percentage but rubbed people in the front office the wrong way and found himself at odds with veteran guard Ben Gordon.
Carmelo Wants Knicks To Add Another Scorer?
When Knicks GM Glen Grunwald addressed the media last week, he said that the Knicks plan to get "creative" this offseason and that the team has some ideas for ways to add talent. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Carmelo Anthony is hopeful that the Knicks will deliver on that vow. Berman reports that Anthony has told a confidant he believes the team needs to add a bona fide scorer to the roster, rather than standing relatively pat.
According to Berman, Carmelo loves Iman Shumpert, but thinks Shumpert is still a couple years away from becoming a star. Anthony is privately hoping the team can add a "significant" piece to the roster this summer, says Berman.
While I'm sure Grunwald and Co. are just as interested in adding a major piece to the roster as Carmelo is, it's unclear how exactly the team can do that. Well over the tax threshold, the Knicks will be restricted to using the $3.18MM taxpayer mid-level exception to sign free agents to anything more than the minimum. The team may also have to use part or all of that MLE if it wants to bring back Chris Copeland and Pablo Prigioni.
Besides having limited options in free agency, the Knicks also won't be able to acquire a player via sign-and-trade and aren't exactly loaded with trade chips anyway. Shumpert represents the team's most valuable asset, but I'd be surprised if he were dealt. Much of the rest of the Knicks' roster consists of aging players on multiyear contracts, at least one of which is all but unmovable (Amare Stoudemire's two years at $45MM+).
When he met with the media at the end of the Knicks' season earlier this month, Anthony was diplomatic about the team's potential roster moves, as Berman notes.
"It’s hard to say," Anthony said, after being asked what the roster needs. "I don’t want to jump the gun and say we need this or need that. Let the front office evaluate that. If they want my input, they know how to contact me."
Draft Rumors: Cavs, Cousins, Magic, Bledsoe
After updating his big board yesterday, ESPN.com's Chad Ford returns today with a handful of the latest draft-related rumblings he's been hearing (Insider-only link). With less than a month until draft day, let's round up the highlights from Ford's piece….
- Nerlens Noel remains atop the Cavaliers' draft board, making him the favorite to be drafted first overall, but Ford notes that Noel's ACL injury and the Cavs' desire to make the playoffs next season mean the Kentucky center is far from a lock at No. 1. If Cleveland can acquire a young small forward or big man using the top pick as trade bait, owner Dan Gilbert may push for a deal.
- One name you shouldn't totally rule out when considering Cleveland's possible trade scenarios, according to Ford? DeMarcus Cousins. Ford reports that the Cavs, Bobcats, and the Mavericks are among the clubs who could call the Kings about Cousins in the hopes of trading draft picks and/or other assets for the young big man.
- The Magic have Arron Afflalo at the two guard and a more glaring need at the point, but aren't sold on Trey Burke, according to Ford, who says the team is eyeing Ben McLemore and Victor Oladipo at No. 2. If the Magic were to draft a two guard, they'd be interested in trying to trade Afflalo to the Clippers for Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler's expiring contract, says Ford. It's not clear whether such a deal would interest the Clips.
- Arizona State's Carrick Felix, USC's Dewayne Dedmon and Will Clyburn of Iowa State were among the standouts at this week's draft workouts in Minnesota, NBA GMs and scouts told Ford. On the other end of the spectrum, French big man Mouhammadou Jaiteh struggled and now projects as a late second-round pick.
- In a separate piece for ESPN Insider, Bradford Doolittle examines a few hypothetical trade scenarios involving draft picks.
Coaching Rumors: Pistons, Hollins, Kings, 76ers
A handful of the NBA's head coaching vacancies have been filled this week, with the Suns, Bobcats, and Hawks all deciding on new head coaches. Still, plenty of jobs remain open, including higher-profile positions in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. Let's round up the latest rumblings on the Association's coaching carousel….
- Sam Amick of USA Today follows up on his earlier report (linked below), tweeting that the reason the Kings may move quickly to hire Malone is a fear he'll be gone if they wait. Malone is expected to interview with the Clippers soon, according to Amick (via Twitter). Amick adds that the Kings have yet to contact Chris Mullin about the team's GM position.
Earlier updates:
- The Pistons have interviewed Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin for their head coaching opening, reports CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes. While Nate McMillan and Maurice Cheeks are viewed as the favorites in Detroit, Griffin's extensive phone interview with GM Joe Dumars was "impressive," a source tells Haynes. The Bulls assistant also interviewed for the Suns job before Phoenix hired Jeff Hornacek.
- Although the Nets are among the teams hoping to speak to Lionel Hollins, the Grizzlies coach told reporters, including Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, that he's not sure Memphis will grant rival suitors permission to talk to him before his contract expires on June 30th.
- Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group backs up Peter Vecsey's report that Michael Malone appears likely to be hired as the Kings' next head coach. Sam Amick of USA Today is hearing the same thing, noting that the team could bring Malone aboard before hiring a general manager, which would be an unorthodox approach.
- Amick also passes along an update on the Kings' search for a new head of basketball operations, reporting that the team has interviewed Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk and will likely interview Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace later this week. The Thunder denied Sacramento permission to speak to OKC's assistant GM Troy Weaver, while Spurs GM R.C. Buford isn't expected to have interest in the Kings job, according to Amick.
- The 76ers continue to move slowly in their coaching search, and have yet to formally interview a candidate for the job, says John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Bucks Prefer To Keep Ellis Over Jennings?
With three potential big-money free agent guards hitting the open market this summer, the Bucks aren't expected to bring back the entire trio of Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, and J.J. Redick. According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com though, there's a "rising belief in exec circles" that the Bucks would prefer to re-sign Ellis rather than Jennings, going with a backcourt of Ellis and Redick (Twitter links).
When I previewed the Bucks' offseason last week, I predicted that the team would look to re-sign Jennings and Redick over Ellis. Since Milwaukee will have the right to match rival offers for the restricted Jennings, the team will have a little more control over his free agency. Ellis, on the other hand, can become an unrestricted free agent if he exercises his early termination option by June 20th, meaning he'd be able to to sign anywhere he wanted without giving the Bucks a chance to make a counter-offer. Ellis also reportedly nearly had a physical altercation with Larry Sanders following one of Milwaukee's playoff losses to the Heat last month.
On the court, the 27-year-old Ellis and 23-year-old Jennings had very similar seasons in 2012/13. Ellis recorded averages of 19.2 PPG and 6.0 APG to go along with a 16.2 PER and .416 FG%, while Jennings posted marks of 17.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, 16.1 PER, and .399 FG%. Although Jennings' relative youth would seem to give him a slight edge over Ellis, the team may also believe Jennings doesn't want to be in Milwaukee long-term, since he has suggested as much in various comments over the last couple years.