Nuggets Part Ways With George Karl
6:10pm: Karl's agent, Warren Legarie, offered his thoughts to ESPN about the Nuggets' decision:
"This was not the ideal situation, obviously George would've preferred to stay on. But I can't praise Josh Kroenke enough for the way in which he handled a really difficult situation. [Kroenke] was always straightforward and honest & very clear about what they were prepared and not prepared to do" (All Twitter links via Ramona Shelburne).
10:11am: 2012/13's NBA Coach of the Year will not return to his team's bench next season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski reports that the Nuggets have parted ways with George Karl, informing him this morning that he won't be retained for the final year of his contract (Twitter links).
Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com had both reported within the last week that Karl's status in Denver was unsettled, since the team didn't seem inclined to pick up his 2014/15 option, which would have left him on an expiring deal next season. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Karl had been pushing for a contract extension, and team ownership wasn't prepared to give him one.
The move is the latest in an incredibly busy offseason for head coaching turnover. 11 NBA teams have now parted ways with the head coach with whom they finished the season, and there could be more changes on the way, including Lionel Hollins in Memphis. Karl had been the third-longest-tenured coach in the NBA, behind only Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers.
With Karl out of the picture and Masai Ujiri now running the Raptors, the Nuggets will be in the market for both a new coach and general manager in the coming weeks. Wojnarowski tweets that the Nuggets believe they can attract an elite coach, given their roster, and that they preferred to take that chance rather than moving forward with an unhappy Karl.
As for Karl, Chris Mannix of SI.com rightly points out (via Twitter) that his presence on the market figures to change the thinking of some teams still searching for a new head coach. Based on the fact that he had been seeking an extension with the Nuggets, it appears Karl still wants to keep coaching. We've already heard his name linked to the Clippers' search and Grantland's Zach Lowe (Twitter link) wouldn't be surprised if the Sixers called him as well. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies also intend to reach out to Karl.
Still, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer cautions (via Twitter) not to rule out the possibility of Karl sitting out the season or coaching overseas, given how much he enjoyed his previous experience in Europe. Personally, I'd think the former is more likely than the latter.
Western Notes: Hollins, Clippers, Iguodala, Love
Following up on her report this morning which indicated that negotiations between the Grizzlies and Lionel Hollins had become "dormant," Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com took to Twitter to add a couple more details.
According to Shelburne, talks between the two sides never really even got to money or terms, since there was a sense that the short-term deal the team wanted was a sign to Hollins that he wasn't really wanted back. Although Hollins wanted to return, coming back on a two-year contract with increased expectations and perhaps a lesser roster was a problematic scenario, says Shelburne.
Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:
- One source told Shelburne that Hollins was scheduled to speak with the Clippers this afternoon (Twitter link).
- Michael Lee of the Washington Post tweets that the Suns have named Pat Connelly – the former Wizards' director of player personnel – as an assistant GM. Ken Berger of CBS Sports added that Phoenix also hired Ronnie Lester – formerly the scouting director of the Lakers – as a scout along with promoting Trevor Bukstein as another assistant GM (Twitter links).
- According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, the Clippers' front office loves Brian Shaw as a head coaching candidate, while owner Donald Sterling may prefer George Karl.
- Asked by TNT's David Aldridge what effect Karl's ouster in Denver would have on his odds of re-signing with the Nuggets, Andre Iguodala replied, "Good question. Need some time to let it sink in."
- Ten years after the Spurs nearly landed Jason Kidd in free agency, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports looks back on a summer that would have changed the futures of two points guards, one (Kidd) who retired this week, and another (Tony Parker) who is playing in his fourth NBA Finals.
- Appearing on ESPN's Sportscenter today (link via ESPN.com), Kevin Love said he had "absolutely" moved past any negativity he felt toward the Timberwolves and is looking forward to seeing what Flip Saunders will do as the team's new head of basketball operations.
- John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune wonders if Danny Granger would make sense as a trade target for the Pelicans.
Dirk On Next Contract, Free Agency, Draft
Almost two years removed from leading a title run in which the Mavericks won their first championship in franchise history, Dirk Nowitzki was on the Fitzsimmons and Durrett show on 103.3 FM today (hat tip to Jon Machota of SportsDayDFW), where he made it clear that significant progress needs to be made this summer:
“If we don’t get the two monsters (making reference to Dwight Howard and Chris Paul) then we got to find another way…through sign-and-trades or other free agents that are out there…It’s time to take a step forward and again be a threat in the playoffs.”
Following his radio appearance, Dirk spoke with ESPN Dallas and discussed the prospects of a pay cut on his next contract, his feelings on this year's free agency compared to last year, his role in the upcoming draft, along with the notion that breaking up the Mavs team that won it all in 2011 ended up being the right thing to do. You can read the transcript below (Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com):
On whether or not he has an idea about how low he's willing to go in terms of a pay cut on his next contract:
“Not really. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. It kind of depends on what team we can get, too. I’ve always said that (Mark) Cuban has taken care of me for a long, long time. Money isn’t something I play for. I want to compete. I want to win. We’ll play this year and hopefully have a great team and then I’ll come off the books. Then, we can all sit together again and see how many guys we can get and who is out there. Saying all of that, I think that’s something I haven’t really thought about yet in terms of an actual number. We’d love to be as competitive as we can be.”
Dirk plans to use the fact that he's willing to take a pay cut as a selling point to free agents:
"Yeah. Obviously, I’m not going to make $23 million again. I know that. I’m 36 next summer, so this is going to be my last year of making money like a franchise player. That gives us even more cap space next year. I’m sure it’s going to come up. We’ll see if that has an impact on anything or helps us bring anything. We’re obviously trying to sell the big picture and that’s one small part of it.”
How the feelings going into this summer compare to last summer with regard to gearing up for a run at free agents:
“I feel like we’re almost more all in, everybody is even more excited. Last year, (Deron Williams) would have been great, but he was kind of the only free agent that was out there that made sense for us. This year, I feel like there are a couple of more options. Cuban is so fired up not to go through another year like we just had. He’s all in to make something happen. If we don’t get a top free agent, whether it’s through other things like sign-and-trades and whatever, he’s committed to bringing this franchise back to where it belongs and that’s in the top four in the West and having home-court advantage. We’ve got some ways to go but as long as everyone is all in, it should be a fun summer.”
On just how much influence he'll have as he joins team brass in the war room on draft night:
"I think that’s up to Cuban and (Donnie Nelson). I’m not going to make that decision. That’s a business decision they obviously need to make. I don’t understand the cap room situation and stuff like that as good as they do, so they need to make that decision. If that’s the case, then that’s what we need to do. We can go even all in more with free agents if we do that.
If we don’t, we’ll see what’s available at 13. There are some interesting players in that spot. There’s some bigs and some guards. Honestly, if you look at our roster, we’ve got five guys. We need help from the top to the bottom. We can use big guys, we can use guards and we can use shooters and athletes. I’m sure we can find some help if we keep the pick.”
On changing his stance and conceding that breaking up the 2011 championship team was the right thing to do:
“Yeah, in the lockout year, we were hoping that we would have everybody back. Now, a year further along, I’m turning 35, (Jason Kidd) just retired and turned 40 and (Jason Terry) is going to turn 36. I’m not sure how far we could have ridden it. It would have been interesting to see and I would have loved to seen it. Like I mentioned in the interview, the lockout year was tough on the older guys and tough on their bodies. It was a lot of games heading into the playoffs. I’m not sure if we would have had a decent chance to repeat there. Business-wise, we had to make the decision. Looking back at it now, I think it was the right one.”
Manu Ginobili To Consider Retirement After Finals
Although he said just a week ago that he had no plans to retire after this season, Manu Ginobili wasn't quite so adamant about that stance in a conversation with NBATV's Rachel Nichols. As Marc Weinreich of SI.com writes, Ginobili suggested to Nichols that he'll at least consider the possibility of retiring after the Finals are over.
"I don't know," Ginobili said, when asked whether he would continue his playing career. "I think so. The chances are… yes, I will keep playing and probably with the Spurs. But I'm going to just wait. Once [the Finals are] over in July, I'll sit with my family and think about it and decide."
Ginobili will turn 36 this summer, and isn't under contract beyond this season, so if the Spurs were to beat the Heat to win the 2013 Finals, it might be a good time for the veteran guard to go out on top. Still, despite health problems and declining scoring totals over the past two seasons, Ginobili has still been a key contributor for the Spurs, and clearly has something left in the tank. I'd be surprised if he didn't return, though he'd certainly have to take a paycut after earning $14.11MM in 2012/13.
Ginobili isn't the only veteran Spur who will mull retirement after the Finals. Tracy McGrady said the same thing earlier this week.
How The Spurs Were Constructed
Earlier today, we looked at the Eastern Conference's representative in the Finals, noting that the Heat's roster is made up primarily of trade acquisitions and free agent signings. While Norris Cole was obtained in a draft-day trade, Dwyane Wade is essentially the only other player on the roster who has been with the Heat since he was drafted by them.
That's not the case for the Spurs, who drafted seven of the 15 players on their roster, including their three longest-tenured stars, and acquired another important contributor in a draft-day deal. Here's a look at how San Antonio constructed its roster, in chronological order:
Tim Duncan
Drafted with the first overall pick in 1997. Signed multiple contracts since then, most recently inking a three-year deal in July 2012.
Manu Ginobili
Drafted with the 57th overall pick in 1999. Remained overseas until 2002/03. Signed multiple contracts since then, most recently inking a three-year extension in April 2010.
Tony Parker
Drafted with the 28th overall pick in 2001. Signed multiple contracts since then, most recently inking a four-year extension in October 2010.
Matt Bonner
Acquired from the Raptors with Eric Williams and a second-round pick in exchange for Rasho Nesterovic (June 21, 2006). Signed multiple contracts since then, most recently inking a four-year deal in July 2010.
Tiago Splitter
Drafted with the 28th overall pick in 2007. Remained overseas until 2010/11.
DeJuan Blair
Drafted with the 37th overall pick in 2009.
Nando De Colo
Drafted with the 53rd overall pick in 2009. Remained overseas until 2012/13.
Gary Neal
Signed a three-year deal as a free agent (July 22, 2010).
Danny Green
Signed a two-year deal as a free agent (March 15, 2011). Re-signed on a three-year deal in July 2012.
Kawhi Leonard
Acquired from the Pacers with Davis Bertans and Erazem Lorbek in exchange for George Hill (June 23, 2011).
Cory Joseph
Drafted with the 29th overall pick in 2011.
Boris Diaw
Signed a one-year deal as a free agent (March 23, 2012). Re-signed on a two-year deal in July 2012.
Patrick Mills
Signed a two-year deal as a free agent (March 27, 2012). Declined his player option and re-signed on a two-year deal in July 2012.
Aron Baynes
Signed a two-year deal as a free agent (January 23, 2013).
Tracy McGrady
Signed a one-year deal as a free agent (April 16, 2013).
Dario Saric Considering Withdrawing From Draft
Projected first-round pick Dario Saric is leaning toward withdrawing his name from draft consideration, according to ESPN.com's Chad Ford. While Saric is receiving plenty of interest and could easily be a lottery pick, the Croatian forward feels as if he's not quite ready for the NBA and wants to spend at least one more year playing overseas, says Ford.
Although NCAA underclassmen were required to make a decision on their draft status back in April, the rules are different for international prospects declaring their intent early. As we outlined back in March, international players like Saric can withdraw from draft consideration at any point up until 4:00pm CST on June 17th.
Even if Saric isn't interested in playing in the NBA for the 2013/14 season, it could be in his best interests to remain in the draft anyway. Some teams, like the Mavericks at No. 13, may actually be more inclined to select Saric if it means they can stash him for a year, removing his cap hold from their books for this summer. Next year's draft class figures to be stronger as well, meaning Saric could be selected later in 2014 even if his stock doesn't decline.
According to Ford, the Pelicans (sixth overall pick), Trail Blazers (10th), Thunder (12th), and Mavs have all shown "significant interest" in Saric.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Jent, World Peace, Suns
While we look forward to Game One of the 2013 Finals, let's check in on the NBA's Pacific Division, rounding up the latest news and notes:
- As they continue to search for their next general manager, the Kings have requested permission to speak to Nuggets assistant GM Pete D'Alessandro, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Denver has yet to grant the Kings permission, which may not be a surprise, considering D'Alessandro is viewed as the frontrunner for the Nuggets' GM job, according to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
- Following up on a report indicating the Kings have spoken to Larry Bird, Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee writes that Bird joining Sacramento's front office is unlikely, but not impossible.
- One more Kings note from Wojnarowski, who tweets that Michael Malone has extended a three-year offer to Ohio State's Chris Jent to be the top assistant in Sacramento.
- 14-year NBA veteran Metta World Peace told TWC SportsNet he hopes to extend his playing career to 20 seasons before retiring, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).
- Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek and GM Ryan McDonough are on the same page as the draft approaches, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
George Karl Rumors: Nets, Raptors, Grizzlies
In a surprising turn of events, the Nuggets informed George Karl earlier today that they wouldn't be retaining him for the final year of his contract, parting ways with the reigning Coach of the Year and beginning a search for a new head coach. While we've already heard that Lionel Hollins and Brian Shaw are among Denver's likely targets to replace Karl, there are also a number of reports surfacing on Karl's ouster from Denver and what his future might hold. Let's round them up….
- Don't expect the Nets to be an aggressive suitor for Karl, according to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, who hears from a source that Brooklyn doesn't have much interest.
- Karl also appears unlikely to follow Masai Ujiri to Toronto. Grantland's Zach Lowe tweets that Karl isn't a candidate to replace Dwane Casey this summer, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports adds (via Twitter) that even if the Raptors' job opens up next summer, Karl isn't expected to be a candidate.
- The Pistons also won't pursue Karl, since they're already close to making a hire, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
- As we heard earlier today, the Grizzlies have some interest in Karl. According to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter), if the Grizz can't work out a new deal with Lionel Hollins, they'll shift their focus to Karl, Dave Joerger, and Alvin Gentry.
- We've heard the Clippers mentioned as a suitor for Karl multiple times, and L.A. does indeed have "strong interest" in him, says Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter).
- Mannix estimates that, based on his last couple contracts, Karl's price tag figures to be about $4-5MM annually for three or four years, with the potential to climb higher if there's a bidding war (Twitter links).
- Karl's desire for an extension and the Nuggets' unwillingness to give him one was cited as the primary reason the two sides parted ways, but Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida hears there were a few other differences in opinion as well. Among them, according to Tomasson: Management placed the blame on Karl for losing the Golden State series; management wanted JaVale McGee to play more after he received a big four-year contract; and management would have liked to see young players such as Evan Fournier played more often and veterans like Andre Miller played less, even if it cost the team a few of its 57 regular-season wins (all four Twitter links).
Flip Saunders Talks Kevin Love, Roster, Draft
New Timberwolves head of basketball operations Flip Saunders made appearances today on ESPN's Mike and Mike as well as 830 WCCO in Minneapolis, and addressed a few topics of note. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweeted out a few of the highlights from the conversations, so let's jump in and take a look (all links go to Twitter)….
- Saunders stressed that he has no intention of trading star forward Kevin Love, adding, "Maybe people will stop calling me now."
- The T-Wolves need to find a way to balance their roster, according to Saunders, who suggested the team is currently carrying five point guards. Zgoda surmises that besides Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea, and Luke Ridnour, Saunders is referring to Malcolm Lee and Alexey Shved.
- In addressing the odds of Minnesota trading up in the draft, Saunders said that the team is "not just going to give players away."
- The Wolves plan to take the best player available if they stay at ninth overall, rather than drafting for need, according to Saunders. Zgoda follows up on that point by saying that the more he hears from the GM, the more he expects the Wolves to draft whichever top prospect slides to them, whether that's Alex Len, Shabazz Muhammad, Cody Zeller, or someone else.
How The Heat Were Constructed
With the Heat and Spurs set to get this year's Finals underway tonight, there's been plenty of talk about the way in which each team was built. As Michael Lee of the Washington Post notes in his latest piece, both teams have created a "Big Three" model, but obtained those three star players in very different ways.
Both teams' rosters are about more than just their respective stars though, so we're going to examine today how each of the players on Miami's and San Antonio's 15-man rosters was initially acquired. We'll cover the Spurs later today, but here's a look at how the Heat's current players arrived in Miami, listed in chronological order:
Dwyane Wade
Drafted with the fifth overall pick in 2003. Signed a four-year extension in 2006 and a six-year extension in 2010.
Udonis Haslem
Signed a two-year deal as a free agent (August 6, 2003). Signed a five-year extension in 2005 and another five-year extension in 2010.
Joel Anthony
Signed a two-year deal as a free agent (July 3, 2007). Re-signed in 2009 and eventually signed a five-year contract in 2010.
Mario Chalmers
Acquired from the Timberwolves for cash and two second-round picks (June 26, 2008). Signed a three-year extension in 2011.
James Jones
Signed a five-year deal as a free agent (July 9, 2008). Bought out and re-signed in 2010 before signing a three-year contract in 2011.
LeBron James
Acquired in a sign-and-trade deal from the Cavaliers for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and a trade exception (July 10, 2010). Signed a six-year deal.
Chris Bosh
Acquired in a sign-and-trade deal from the Raptors for two first-round picks and a trade exception (July 10, 2010). Signed a six-year deal.
Mike Miller
Signed a five-year deal as a free agent (July 15, 2010).
Juwan Howard
Signed a one-year deal as a free agent (July 20, 2010). Re-signed in 2011 and eventually signed another one-year deal in 2013.
Norris Cole
Acquired from the Timberwolves with cash and a second-round pick for Bojan Bogdanovic (June 23, 2011).
Shane Battier
Signed a three-year deal as a free agent (December 9, 2011).
Ray Allen
Signed a two-year deal as a free agent (July 11, 2012).
Rashard Lewis
Signed a two-year deal as a free agent (July 11, 2012).
Jarvis Varnado
Signed a pair of 10-day contracts, then re-signed on a two-year deal (January 30, 2013).
Chris Andersen
Signed a pair of 10-day contracts, then re-signed on a one-year deal (February 8, 2013).