Dwane Casey To Return As Raptors’ Coach
While there was some uncertainty about whether or not new Raptors head of basketball operations Masai Ujiri would bring back head coach Dwane Casey for the final year of his contract, the team ended the suspense today, announcing in a press release that Casey will coach the club in 2013/14.
"I’m excited about moving forward and growing this team with Coach Casey," Ujiri said in a statement. The '13/14 season represents the last year of Casey's current contract, so his long-term future with the club could depend in large part on the Raptors' performance next season.
In his two seasons so far in Toronto, Casey has led the club to a 57-91 (.385) record. Expectations for Casey and the Raps will be higher heading into next season, however, with Rudy Gay on board for a full season, along with a likely core of Kyle Lowry, Jonas Valanciunas, DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, and Amir Johnson.
An announcement regarding the team's assistant coaches will be made at a later date, according to the release. However, the Raptors did make another announcement today, revealing in a press release that longtime NBA cap expert Bobby Webster would be joining the front office as the VP of basketball management and strategy. While he worked for the league office, Webster advised executives from all 30 teams on CBA and cap issues, so he figures to take the lead on managing the Raptors' cap going forward.
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Pacific Notes: Clippers, Suns, Lakers, Petrie
According to ESPN.com's Chad Ford, there's very little consensus on this year's draft class beyond the top six prospects — Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore, Victor Oladipo, Alex Len, Anthony Bennett, and Otto Porter. It seems likely those six players will be selected in some order to start the draft, which means the Kings, picking 7th overall, could be the draft's first real wild card. As we look forward to see what the new regime in Sacramento decides to do with that pick, let's round up a few items out of the Pacific Division….
- While some fans and onlookers may be surprised to see the Clippers pull away from trade talks with the Celtics, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com explains why it makes some sense for Los Angeles. As Arnovitz writes, there's no real rush for the Clippers, since they could theoretically still work out a deal for Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers after July 1st. Arnovitz also thinks the Clippers are right to be protective of their first-round picks, since those selections are more valuable under the new CBA.
- For years, the Suns have employed general managers who didn't get to hire a head coach of their choosing, or coaches who weren't hired by the current GM. But having hired Ryan McDonough and Jeff Hornacek this offseason, there's a feeling of synergy and energy in Phoenix, as president Lon Babby tells Bob Young of the Arizona Republic. "It’s palpable," Babby said. "You can feel it through the whole organization. We always envisioned it working this way, and we have a chance now to make it work."
- Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times explains in detail why the Lakers are extremely unlikely to acquire a player via sign-and-trade this summer.
- Although his lengthy run as the Kings' head of basketball operations came to an end this year, Geoff Petrie is happy to see the franchise stay in Sacramento, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. "That's where my heart was in the whole thing," Petrie said. "In spite of being grateful to the Maloofs and working for them all those years, I had really strong feelings that the team needed to stay here. My hat's off to those people." Petrie also spoke to Jones about sticking around the team helping with draft preparation over the last several weeks, even as his contract is set to expire on June 30th.
Latest On Grizzlies’ Coaching Search
Yesterday, we heard from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that the Grizzlies are expected to complete their search for a head coach by the end of this week. Whether that means the team will have simply finished conducting interviews or whether Memphis will have made a hire remains to be seen, but the process does appear to be accelerating, with multiple candidates being interviewed for a second time this week. Here's the latest on the hunt to replace Lionel Hollins:
- Bulls assistant Ed Pinckney will interview for the second time with the Grizzlies today, according to Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com.
- Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports (Twitter link) that Grizzlies assistant Dave Joerger will also receive a second interview today, while Alvin Gentry's second meeting with the club is scheduled for tomorrow. Tillery wrote yesterday that Joerger remained the favorite for the opening, but that Gentry was very much in the mix.
- One name that may be falling out of the running is former Nuggets coach George Karl. Memphis conducted a formal interview with Karl this week, but sources tell CSNChicago.com that he's behind Joerger, Gentry, and Pinckney in the process.
- The Grizzlies will likely mull over their coaching decision through the weekend, according to Tillery.
Poll: Which Team Will Win Game 7?
When I asked two weeks ago, on the eve of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which team would walk away with the 2013 title, the results were surprisingly heavily slanted toward the Spurs, with more than 62% of you picking Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Co.
Today's poll essentially asks the same question that one did, though we have more information at our disposal. We've seen Dwyane Wade and Manu Ginobili struggle, we've seen Danny Green shine, and we know that it'll all come down to one last game at a packed American Airlines Arena (packed until the Heat fall behind by five points late in the game, at least).
With the game being played in Miami, the Heat will enter Game 7 as the favorites, so it will be interesting to see whether the majority of Hoops Rumors readers still like the Spurs. What do you think? Who wins tomorrow night's game and the 2013 championship?
Which team will win Game 7?
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San Antonio Spurs 53% (971)
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Miami Heat 47% (863)
Total votes: 1,834
Draft Notes: Magic, Pistons, Timberwolves
A few more notes on the upcoming NBA draft.
- Holders of the number two pick in the draft, the Magic will host Otto Porter and Cody Zeller in the days ahead, tweets the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins.
- The Pistons will work out former Michigan State center Derrick Nix, according to MLive.com's Diamond Leung.
- The Timberwolves worked out Lehigh's C.J. McCollum on Tuesday and liked what they saw, especially with his ability to shoot and handle the ball like a point guard, reports TwinCities.com's Marcus R. Fuller.
Poll: Who Will Be MVP Of The NBA Finals?
With the Spurs and Heat locked in a back and forth battle for the 2013 NBA title, who do you think will walk away with the MVP trophy in hand?
Who Will Be NBA Finals MVP?
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LeBron James 31% (446)
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Danny Green 30% (428)
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Tim Duncan 22% (318)
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Tony Parker 17% (240)
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Dwyane Wade 1% (12)
Total votes: 1,444
Odds & Ends: Jackson, Celtics, Spurs
A few random notes from around the league as the Spurs and Heat do battle in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
- Former Spurs guard Stephen Jackson says he isn't bitter about being waived by the team earlier this season, and maintains he'll land somewhere else this summer, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. Jackson also said three teams called him after he was waived, but wouldn't specify on which did so.
- Tim Healey from WEEI.com wrote a profile of Providence guard Ricky Ledo, and how the scorer who took last season off can help the Celtics, who hold the 16th pick in the upcoming draft.
- Hoopsworld.com's Alex Kennedy reports a rumor that the Spurs will take French forward Livio Jean-Charles in the draft and then allow him to develop overseas for at least one year.
Coaching Notes: Gentry, Sloan, Jackson
A batch of notes regarding the league's never-ending coaching carousel:
- Former Suns head coach Alvin Gentry will interview with the Grizzlies for the second time on Thursday for their open head coaching position, tweets Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears.
- Warriors head coach Mark Jackson is not expecting a contract extension to come this summer, despite the team's immense playoff success in his second year on the job, writes MercuryNews.com's Tim Kawakami. Jackson also said that with the departure of top assistant Mike Malone to become head coach of the Kings, last year's assistants Pete Myers and Darren Erman will simply move up the depth chart, and no hiring will take place to replace Malone.
- According to Shams Charania from RealGM.com, Jerry Sloan will continue to consult with the Jazz in an unofficial capacity for the time being. Several of the coaching vacancies that opened up this summer intrigued Sloan, but none were good enough of a fit to bring him out of retirement.
Draft Notes: Nuggets, Wizards, Nets, Jazz
A few notes about the upcoming NBA draft, which, remarkably enough, is only nine days away.
- The Nuggets are scheduled to evaluate six more players in a pre-draft workout on Wednesday, June 19th, according to Aaron J. Lopez from Nuggets.com. It will be their fourth workout before the June 27th draft.
- The Nets are hosting two pre-draft workouts later this week, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday, according to the team's official site. A total of 12 players will be worked out by the team.
- According to their official site, the Wizards will be conducting a workout on Wednesday, with six players expected to be in attendance.
- In search of a point guard, the Jazz worked out Syracuse prospect Michael Carter-Williams, but do not expect Trey Burke to be available with the 14th pick, and thus won't be working him out, according to The Salt Lake Tribune's Steve Luhm.