Cavs Rumors: Jackson, Karl, Griffin, Brown
The Cavs are eyeing Phil Jackson and George Karl, but they’d like to see interim GM David Griffin and coach Mike Brown step up and keep their jobs, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter links). Ostensibly, Jackson, who’s said he’s done with coaching, would be a candidate for the GM job, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com suggested Thursday, while Karl would be sought for a return to the Cavs bench, where he served as coach in the 1980s. In any case, the final three months of the season are an on-the-job audition for Griffin and the “last chance saloon” for Brown, Amico writes. Here’s more on the Cavs, a day after they fired GM Chris Grant:
- Dan Gilbert’s assertion Thursday that the Cavs have what they need to be successful prompts Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal wonder why Grant took the fall for the team’s woes.
- The time to fire Grant was this past spring, not two weeks before the trade deadline, argues fellow Beacon scribe Marla Ridenour, who thinks Gilbert should shoulder responsibility for the franchise’s shortcomings.
- Grant didn’t put up results in his time in Cleveland, but the team’s playoff aspirations for this season were misplaced, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller writes.
- Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group centers his proposal for upgrading the Warriors on a pair of trade ideas involving the Cavaliers. Cleveland is in much the same desperate position Golden State was a few years ago when it acquired David Lee, Kawakami believes, suggesting Lee could serve the Cavs in a similar role as a bridge to more successful times.
Bucks Turning Away Suitors For Larry Sanders
The Bucks are rebuffing trade inquiries about Larry Sanders out of fear that they would be selling low, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein nonetheless senses there’s a chance the team’s stance could change before the trade deadline. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reported late last month that the Bucks remained “very open” to trading Sanders, following up on his initial report in December, so the notion of his availability appears fluid.
The Poison Pill Provision would complicate any potential Sanders trade. He signed a four-year, $44MM rookie scale extension with the Bucks this past offseason, but it doesn’t kick in until next season. He makes $3.05MM this season, which would count as outgoing salary for the Bucks if they traded him, but his incoming salary figure for another team would count as $7.027MM, the average between his current payday and the average annual value of his extension.
Fellow ESPN scribe Chad Ford wrote this week in an Insider piece that the Bucks are looking for a first-rounder or a young player in deals for their veterans, but it sounds like they’re hesitant to give up too soon on Sanders, who’s in just his fourth season. Stein suggests the team is focused on building around Giannis Antetokounmpo and, to a lesser extent, John Henson, though it sounds like Sanders remains a part of Milwaukee’s plans, at least for now.
Odds & Ends: Young, Bulls, Kuzmic
The Lakers‘ Nick Young will be out at least two weeks with a patella fracture, writes Zach Harper of CBS Sports.com. Young injured his left knee in last night’s game at Cleveland, and had an MRI exam today in Philadelphia. Results of the MRI show that Young has a non-displaced fracture of the patella and a bone bruise. Young joins Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Xavier Henry, and Jodie Meeks, amongst the ranks of the team’s injured players. Young is averaging 16.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, in 28.8 MPG.
More from around the league:
- The Warriors have recalled Ognjen Kuzmic from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League, according to a press release. Kuzmic was assigned to Santa Cruz on January 17th and appeared in seven games during this assignment, averaging 6.9 PPG, 11.1 RPG, in 22.9 MPG. He’s appeared in 13 games for the Warriors this season, averaging 0.6 PPG.
- With the trade deadline approaching fast, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.com looks at the contracts most likely to be moved by their teams.
- Tom Thibodeau would like the Bulls to add a “player or two” prior to the trade deadline, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. The Bulls only have 12 players on their roster currently, and Thibodeau would love to have the maximum of 15, just to provide flexibility. The team has to add at least one player by February 13th, in order to meet the league’s minimum requirement of 13 players. Mike James is the primary candidate to fill that spot.
Solomon Jones Enters Into D-League Pool
FEBRUARY 6TH: Gino Pilato of D-League Digest is reporting that Jones has officially entered his name into the NBA D-League player pool. It is unclear as of now which team will claim the veteran big man. Jones has never played in the D-League before.
JANUARY 22ND: Jones still intends to sign with the D-League, sources tell Pilato, but he’s waiting for a “good situation” before doing so, Pilato writes. My guess is he and Bartelstein are holding off until a preferable D-League team has first dibs in the league’s waiver process, though that’s just my speculation.
JANUARY 16TH: Eighth-year veteran NBA center Solomon Jones will sign with the D-League, according to Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. The Magic waived his non-guaranteed contract earlier this month before it would have become guaranteed for the season. It’ll be the first trip to the D-League for Jones, so the circuit’s waiver process will determine which D-League squad he’ll wind up with.
Jones played sparingly for the Magic this season, even though he came back from a torn meniscus in his left knee in less than three weeks. He appeared in only 11 games, averaging 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per contest. Those figures aren’t too far off from his career numbers, as the 29-year-old has never put up more than 13.9 MPG in any season.
The Mark Bartelstein client is a candidate to receive a 10-day contract from an NBA team if he performs well in the D-League. He inked a pair of 10-day deals with New Orleans two years ago, as our 10-Day Contract Tracker shows.
Eastern Notes: Bynum, Bobcats, Woodson
The Bobcats are going to be buyers at the trade deadline, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.com. With the Bobcats having exceeded expectations this season, and with the overall weakness of the Eastern Conference, the team will try and bolster their roster for a playoff push. The team has been actively shopping Ben Gordon‘s expiring $13.2MM contract, and would be willing to part with a first-round pick for the right player. Charlotte will surrender their pick to the Bulls if it falls out of the top ten, but might still have two first-rounders in this year’s draft. They are owed the Pistons first-round pick (top-eight protected), as well as the Trail Blazers pick (top-12 protected). According to Kennedy, the Bobcats have already inquired about the Sixers Evan Turner, and the Bulls Taj Gibson.
More from around the East:
- The Pacers have sent Orlando Johnson to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA D-League, the team announced via press release. This is Johnson’s first D-League assignment this season. In the 2012/13 season, he played four games with the Mad Ants, averaging 23.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 3.3 APG. He’s appeared in 36 games this season for the Pacers, and has averaged 2.5 PPG. and 1.4 RPG, while playing 9.4 MPG.
- Chris Johnson is “thrilled” that the Celtics are signing him for the rest of the season, writes Baxter Holmes of Boston.com. “I just have to give thanks to Danny Ainge for bringing me in and giving me the opportunity, Brad Stevens for giving me the opportunity to play when guys were injured, and my teammates for just giving me confidence,” Johnson said. In eight games this year, Johnson is averaging 7.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG. 1.3 APG, while playing 21.6 MPG.
- The issues between Pistons guard Will Bynum and coach Maurice Cheeks might not be over. Bynum and Cheeks had to be separated from a sideline confrontation during Wednesday’s loss to the Magic. Bynum doesn’t regret the incident, writes Brendan Savage of M Live.com. According to Cheeks, the two hadn’t spoken about the incident, and Cheeks became testy when pressed. Bynum said, “I don’t regret it. I regret the fact that maybe I was a bit too passionate about it. But other than that, no.” Bynum also said he has no plans to approach his coach about the matter.
- Nerlens Noel has ramped up his rehab activities, writes Dei Lynam of CSN Philly.com, but the team still isn’t saying if he’ll make his return to the court this season. The Sixers have 32 games remaining, but there is still a long checklist ahead of Noel before he would make his NBA debut, according to the team. With Spencer Hawes being rumored to be on the trading block, it’s unclear if him being moved would affect Noel’s status.
- Jeff Van Gundy believes that many Eastern Conference teams have “chosen to be bad” this season, writes Steve Reed of the Associated Press. To be clear, Van Gundy is talking about “tanking” for a better lottery pick. He wouldn’t name specific teams, but observed that the problem was real, and blames the current lottery system for the issue. He also stated, “It doesn’t necessarily mean the guys on the floor aren’t trying hard, but it means teams have put some really bad rosters on the floor. A lot of teams right now are happy with losing and that’s really too bad for the league. That’s too bad for the fans.”
- Knicks owner James Dolan reportedly met with Carmelo Anthony and at least one player after Wednesday night’s game, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. The topic was the state of the team, and whether or not a coaching change was in order. The team’s front office is divided on keeping Mike Woodson, and there have been multiple reports that the coach is on the hot seat.
Candidates Emerge For Cavs GM Job
9:27pm: A new name has been mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Chris Grant. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.com (via Twitter), has heard that TNT analyst Kenny Smith might be considered for the position. Smith had previously had discussions with the Kings about their vacant GM job over the summer. Smith hasn’t commented yet, but when the Kings job was in play, he stated, “Honestly, I’ve been looking at both — coaching, and a lot of things have been coming these last couple of years, and this time I’ve been taking it serious. My kids are at an age where I feel comfortable. And the other years, the kids were just too young. I didn’t want to be in it. But I just started taking it serious.”
2:57pm: Interim GM David Griffin is expected to have a shot at keeping his job long-term, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, but there are already other candidates. The Cavs have performed a background check on Knicks director of pro personnel Mark Hughes, and Cleveland is also expected to reach out to Raptors executive vice president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman, Berger reports. Berger’s sources also indicate Clippers executive vice president of player personnel Gary Sacks could become a candidate.
Weltman was a finalist for the Suns GM post this summer before Phoenix picked Ryan McDonough instead. He has family ties to the Cavs, for whom his father, Harry Weltman, served as GM in the 1980s. Berger suggests that Sacks could be anxious to seek greater control than he has with the Clippers, who took away some of his powers when they hired Doc Rivers.
Berger also expects the Cavs to pursue Phil Jackson, given owner Dan Gilbert’s affinity for splashy names, but that appears to be merely an educated guess. Berger names a handful of other qualified candidates, though none of them are formally linked to the job.
Knicks Rumors: Woodson, Melo, Boeheim
With all the rumors flying around about coach Mike Woodson‘s job security, any issue can become a major one rather quickly. The players might not have quit on Woodson, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com, but they are growing tired of having their effort questioned by him. Last month some players expressed their frustration privately to reporters, and a few players communicated their frustration directly to Knicks management, according to Begley. This discontent could be indicative of a schism between the players and their coach, or simply a product of the toll losing takes on a team.
More notes out of the Knicks realm:
- In light of all the speculation about Woodson’s job security, some players are growing weary of their coach, Begley writes in a separate piece The players might possibly be tuning out Woodson, unsure if he will be their coach for much longer. Begley also touches more on the players becoming frustrated with having their effort questioned, which was mentioned in Begley’s previous article. J.R. Smith, who had earlier spoken out in support of his coach, admitted he’s worried Woodson ultimately will take the fall for the Knicks’ poor performance.
- Woodson called this season a “disaster from a coaching standpoint,” but he doesn’t want to see it end prematurely for him, writes Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday. Woodson said the failure of the coaching staff to get the players to consistently play at a high level is the most difficult thing for him to accept about his performance. He also stated, “That’s the frustrating part about it because I know we’re better than we’ve shown. We still got a chance though.”
- Carmelo Anthony‘s college coach Jim Boeheim believes Melo needs to play for a contender, Begley notes in a third piece. Boeheim stated, “The problem in the NBA, you’re judged on winning championships. He’s got to try to go and play where they can win a championship or else he’s going to be a failure. That’s the bottom line.” Boeheim disagrees with the notion, but understands that is how superstar players are ultimately judged. He also believes that Melo is happy in New York, but will ultimately choose winning over comfort, wherever that might be. In the same article, Woodson says he hopes Melo looks at more than just this season when making his choice. “He’s got to look at really the last two years, too, what he’s built here. And not just use this year as a year where you throw in the towel,” Woodson said. Anthony will opt out of his contract after the season and become an unrestricted free agent. The Knicks can offer the most money, but if winning is a priority, that edge might not be enough to retain their star.
Fallout From Cavs GM Change
The big news out of Cleveland today was the firing of GM Chris Grant. The team was expected to let Grant go after the season, but with the team losing six in a row, and 10 of their last 13 games, team owner Dan Gilbert felt he couldn’t wait that long. There are a number of candidates now being considered to take over the now-vacant GM position. The trade deadline is looming, and the team may be looking to shake up its roster. The only thing certain right now is that the team is in trouble on the court, and now in a state-of-flux off of it.
Here’s more on the state of the Cavs:
- Grant has a reputation around the league as being difficult to work with, and executives from other teams believe he valued his own players too highly, according to Grantland’s Zach Lowe. Gilbert, rather than Grant, engineered the Andrew Bynum signing this past summer, Lowe adds.
- In the press conference where he discussed firing Grant, Dan Gilbert mentioned how no one associated with the team is happy with how the season is going, and he alluded to the need for “cultural and environment change.” If that is indeed the case, then it doesn’t make sense to fire the GM, but keep the coach, writes Terry Pluto of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. He believes that Mike Brown might be more responsible for the team’s current woes than Grant. The team isn’t responding to him, and the Cavs aren’t playing with the necessary effort to turn things around, says Pluto, who also believes the team would be in better shape if it had retained Byron Scott for another season.
- Dan Gilbert purchased majority ownership of the Cavs back in 2005. In that time he’s seen his share of turmoil, but he says this season has been the “most challenging,” writes Jodie Valade of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Gilbert didn’t go as far as promising that Mike Brown’s job was safe, but did mention that Brown has been with the team less than a full season. Gilbert also stated, “We’re going to see Mike Brown succeed this year. I think he will be able to do good things in the next 30 games or so.”
- With the team looking to shake up its roster, Basketball Insiders takes a look at the roster and salaries interim GM David Griffin has to work with.
- Lack of progress led to Grant’s firing, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. With the team having had four top-four draft picks in three years, including two No. 1 overall choices, the team should have been moving in a much more positive direction, opines Amico. The poor season that Anthony Bennett is having also didn’t help Grant’s case.
- Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders thinks Grant’s firing suggests roster changes will be coming, with the trade deadline two weeks away. A new GM won’t have any attachment to the players whom Grant brought in, which means a roster shakeup could be happening soon. The only player who should feel secure is Kyrie Irving. Every other player, including Luol Deng, could be on the move, according to Kennedy.
- There are five tasks the new Cavs GM must tackle, writes Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. These include retaining Kyrie Irving, finding a new head coach, re-signing Deng, drafting better, and bringing in more efficient offensive players.
Western Notes: Kings, McGee, Mavs, Harris
Adam Silver traveled to Sacramento on Wednesday in his first trip as commissioner to check in on the Kings and their efforts to construct a new arena. Silver was effusive in expressing confidence that owner Vivek Ranadive and Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson will overcome arena opponents and have the arena ready in advance of a league-imposed 2017 deadline, notes USA Today’s Sam Amick. Here’s more from the West:
- There’s a chance JaVale McGee will miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his left leg that’s been slow to heal properly, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Nuggets have already lost Danilo Gallinari and Nate Robinson for the year.
- The Mavericks are taking a patient approach and aren’t keen on making a splash at the deadline, and any trade they make will be small-scale, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Their priority in any deal appears to be finding a big man or someone who can score, and Kyler mentions Spencer Hawes and Jordan Hill as possibilities. Hawes, for whom the Sixers are demanding a first-round pick, would represent a fairly significant acquisition, though Kyler may merely be speculating about any interest Dallas has in either of those players.
- The Lakers didn’t re-sign Manny Harris when his second 10-day contract expired this week, but they expect him to re-sign with their D-League affiliate if he doesn’t wind up with another NBA deal, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com. The shooting guard made quite an impression with 19 points in his final game before the Lakers let him go, and Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside examines his worth.
Lakers Re-Sign Shawne Williams To 10-Day Deal
4:27pm: The team has officially announced the signing.
3:11pm: The Lakers will re-sign Shawne Williams, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The news comes right after the Lakers announced that Nick Young will miss at least two weeks with a non-displaced patella fracture and a bone bruise (Twitter link). Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com speculated earlier this week that Williams, who’s been playing with the Lakers D-League affiliate, would get a look. It’ll be a 10-day contract, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, who says (on Twitter) that the 27-year-old forward will join the team tonight.
Williams was with the Lakers on a partially guaranteed deal until they let him go last month, shortly before the contract would have become fully guaranteed. The Happy Walters client averaged 5.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game in his first go-around with the Lakers this season.
Injuries have wreaked havoc on the Lakers, who had only five healthy players at the end of last night’s game, forcing them to evoke a rule that allowed Robert Sacre to remain in the contest even though he’d fouled out. Williams will fill the team’s open roster spot, but the Lakers are allowed to ask the league for permission to add a 16th man if they expect at least four of their injured players to continue to be unavailable.
The Lakers opted not to re-sign Manny Harris earlier this week after his pair of 10-day contracts had expired. Players can’t sign more than two 10-day contracts with a single team each season, so L.A. would have to sign him for the rest of the season if it brought him back. Adding Williams, who hasn’t been on a 10-day contract with the Lakers this year, gives the team greater flexibility.