And-Ones: Harper, Kerr, Rockets
Since Phil Jackson joined the Knicks, there has been ample speculation about him bringing along connections from his winning past to work for the organization. As we’ve noted recently, Steve Kerr appears to be the strongest candidate being considered for the team’s head coaching position. We also relayed that former Jackson-assistant Jim Cleamons has his sights set on joining the team in any capacity. Today, Ron Harper – who played for Jackson in Chicago and Los Angeles – told Marc Berman of the New York Post that he expects to interview for a position:
“I would expect so…A few guys are expecting to hear from (Jackson). We’re in a wait-and-see mode. Whatever he needs me to do, I will do. He knows that.”
Here are more of tonight’s miscellaneous notes:
- Though there are reports that the Kerr wants the Knicks job, Berman writes that his ideal preference would be a West coast team, echoing Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck. Kerr currently lives in San Diego, and an opportunity to stay close to home could present itself with Mike D’Antoni allegedly on thin ice in Los Angeles; however, it wouldn’t seem likely that Lakers president Jeanie Buss would try to compete with Jackson for Kerr’s services.
- If Carmelo Anthony doesn’t remain with the Knicks as expected, the Rockets would be in prime position to acquire him this summer, says Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW. Sefko imagines that the Mavericks would also try to land Anthony, but isn’t sure if putting hope in him as a number one guy would be the most prudent thing to do at this point.
- Kevin McHale doesn’t seem to be the right coach for Houston, opines Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders, who in his weekly chat addressed a scenario in which the Rockets attempted to pursue George Karl if they ultimately decided to make a coaching change. Such a courtship would be incompatible with the team’s interest in Carmelo, opines Ingram, to the point that Karl would not even consider accepting the job if they acquired the star forward.
- It’s worth pointing out that almost all of the potential coaching candidates for the Jazz opening are represented by Warren LeGarie, who also happens to be the agent of Utah GM Dennis Lindsey (Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune mentions via Twitter).
- Former NBA forward Dominic McGuire has signed with Gigantes de Guayana of the Venezuelan league, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Kings Notes: Thomas, Draft, Biggest Need
Believe it or not, the last time that the Kings reached the postseason was in 2005/06, which then marked the franchise’s eighth consecutive playoff appearance since the 1998/99 season. More notably, that year denoted the mid-year blockbuster deal which sent Peja Stojakovic to Indiana in exchange for Metta World Peace (then-Ron Artest) as well as Rick Adelman‘s final year as head coach in Sacramento. At 18-24 in late January of 2006, the Kings finished 26-14 to close out the regular season before falling in six games to the 63-19 Spurs.
Earlier today, Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro shared some of his thoughts on how he’ll try to utilize the draft this year as he looks to continue building a competitive roster that will eventually end Sacramento’s playoff drought. We have a few more interesting things to share from D’Alessandro, and you can find them below:
- D’Alessandro confirmed to reporters today, including Cowbell Kingdom’s Jon Santiago, that he plans to extend a qualifying offer to Isaiah Thomas to make him a restricted free agent this summer (Twitter link). It’ll be worth $2,875,131, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors explained last month.
- He believes in drafting the best player available and would not be averse to selecting a small forward in late June, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. While some may wonder what that could mean for Rudy Gay, D’Alessandro cites Gay’s versatility to presumably dispel notions about a potential logjam at that position.
- The Kings’ GM also says that the the team’s biggest need is shooting and is particularly looking for shooters who will be significant rotation players (Jones adds via Twitter).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Draft Links: 2015, Randle, McDaniels
The 2015 NBA Draft could be abound with promising big men, as Josh Newman and Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv discuss. Among those already garnering attention are Duke-bound Jahlil Okafor, incoming Kansas freshman Cliff Alexander, and Kentucky-recruit Karl-Anthony Towns; all three are currently projected to be in the top five according to DraftExpress‘ 2015 mock draft. Other potential lottery prospects include Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein, Louisville’s Montrezl Harrell, Florida’s Chris Walker, and top uncommitted center Myles Turner.
Here are some other draft-related links that we’ll pass along this evening:
- Julius Randle has had high expectations as a top ranked college player and should still be among the notable names selected on draft night. With that being said, ESPN Draft experts Kevin Pelton, Amin Elhassan, and Chad Ford go over some of the limitations that may cause Randle to fall out of the top five.
- Clemson product K.J. McDaniels has hired Rival Sports to represent him, per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
- Draft prospects C.J. Wilcox, Gary Harris, and Elfrid Payton have signed with Creative Artists Agency, an NBA source tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
- Former Michigan State standout Adreian Payne is among a trio of fellow projected lottery talents who have signed with agent Mark Bartelstein, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.
Isaiah Austin Enters Draft
APRIL 22ND: Austin confirms that he’s entering the draft on his Twitter account, linking to the full announcement on Instagram.
APRIL 15TH: 8:11pm: Via his own Twitter account, Austin has denied that he’s made an official decision and says he’s still weighing his options.
7:53pm: Baylor big man Isaiah Austin will enter this year’s NBA Draft, sources tell Jason King of the Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The 7-footer is listed at No. 43 on Jonathan Givony’s Top 100 Prospects list and No. 59 on Chad Ford’s Top 100 rankings respectively. King adds that Austin would have left for the NBA last year if not for injury. Austin’s DraftExpress profile has him listed as 7’1″, 220-pound center, while Ford’s ESPN page has him described as a 7’0″, 215-pound power forward.
As a freshman, Austin averaged 13.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.7 BPG in 29.9 MPG. As a sophomore, his blocks per game average rose to 3.1, though his rebounding and scoring numbers dropped to 11.2 and 5.5 in 28.0 MPG. Once considered a potential lottery pick, the Baylor product’s inconsistency and lack of strength have drastically affected his standing, according to Ford. On the other hand, one scout tells SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria that Austin projects as a “late first-round pick” who helped his draft stock at the end of the 2013/14 season and in the tournament (Twitter link).
Last month, Austin helped Baylor reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, posting 14.0 PPG on 53.8% shooting, 5.3 RPG, and 1.7 BPG in 27.6 MPG through three games.
And-Ones: Ratings, Kerr, Kings, Sixers
All five of the teams in the NBA’s three largest media markets saw declines in local ratings during the regular season, and local ratings fell about 5% leaguewide, report John Ourand and John Lombardo of Sports Business Journal. The news belies an otherwise rosy financial picture for the league, with the latest salary cap projection for 2014/15 coming in at $63.2MM, a more than 7.7% hike from this season. Here’s the latest from the Association:
- Steve Kerr is concerned with the failure of the Knicks to capitalize on their resources in the James Dolan era, and Kerr intends to do his research before taking any offer from the team, a source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
- Former New York Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum is likely to become Kerr’s agent, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reports.
- Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro isn’t ruling out the idea of trading the team’s first-round pick, and he’ll also try to trade for a second-round pick, as he told reporters, including Ailene Voisin and Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (All Twitter links).
- Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News would be shocked if Arnett Moultrie were back with the Sixers for 2014/15. Cooney sizes up the future for each Sixer and looks ahead to the draft, noting that Brett Brown is enamored with Dante Exum.
- The Warriors‘ purchase of land in San Francisco for a new arena appears to end any hope that they’ll remain in Oakland, writes Matthew Artz of the Bay Area News Group. “I wish them well,” Oakland city councilman Larry Reid said. “It was my hope that the Warriors would build a new arena in Oakland, but there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do.”
- Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune provides a taste of the local antipathy toward leading Jazz coaching candidate Jim Boylen.
Hoops Rumors Featured Feedback
We value your input on the news we cover here at Hoops Rumors. That’s why we’re passing along some of the best insight from our comments and the Hoops Rumors Facebook page. Share your reaction to and insight on the news and rumors around the league, and you’ll have a chance to see your name here. Check out what readers had to say in previous editions of Hoops Rumors Featured Feedback.
It’s easy to sign up and start commenting on Hoops Rumors. First, read our Commenting Policy. Then, scroll to the bottom of any post, and you’ll see the word “Login” on the right side atop the comments section. Click the word and choose whether you want to comment using a Disqus account or your existing Facebook, Twitter or Google account. If you don’t have a Disqus account and you want to create one, just choose that option and click “Need an account?” at the bottom right of the box that pops up.
This week, we’ll start with input from reader Z…., who looked ahead at what Rick Adelman‘s retirement means for the Wolves.
Hopefully, this doesnt cost them Kevin Love if he wasn’t already all but gone. He has said a multitude of times in interviews that one of the things he wants is for Adelman to remain the coach. Obviously, there are extenuating circumstances here, but it still could be something to think about. That team has had so much bad luck over the past three years. Their peripherals always suggest they should be much better. Their injuries have really hurt them, including this year. They really just need one more wing player that can provide some defense or maybe someone that can guard the point guard spot, and they could be a playoff team in the West…I would also like to see Kevin Love’s defense improve a little heading into next season.
There was also a coaching change in New York, where the Knicks fired Mike Woodson. Brian Paolercio thinks the fate of whomever Phil Jackson picks to be the team’s next coach could hinge on one of the league’s most mercurial players.
- I will always be thankful for the good times, but when the bad times hit it felt like the wheels came off and he couldn’t stop the bleeding. Hopefully the rest of the team buys into this, but if J.R. Smith, Woodson’s pet project of sorts, buys into what Phil is doing, then I suspect a lot of the rest of the team will too.
Aaron Harrison and brother Andrew Harrison have let the suspense build as the April 27th deadline for underclassmen to enter the draft approaches. Carl Glover took to the Hoops Rumors Facebook Page to share his thoughts on whether they’ll enter the draft and just how well they can play in the NBA.
- “If one goes, they both go. I think that is the consensus. I think they go simply because of this. I don’t ever see them becoming top-10 picks, unless they stay all four years which I don’t see happening, either. If [Tyler] Ennis is a lottery pick and Elfrid Payton from ULL is a potential top 25 pick, I can definitely see Andrew Harrison falling between the two of them. My thing is, 6’5″, 215-pound point guards (only 19 years old) just don’t grow on trees. Bring him in as a backup for two or three years where he only has to play 20 MPG and then give him the reins.”
We appreciate everyone who adds to the dialogue at Hoops Rumors, and we look forward to seeing more responses like these from you!
Nedim Buza, Adin Vrabac To Enter Draft
Bosnian small forwards Nedim Buza and Adin Vrabac are entering this year’s NBA draft, agent Alex Raskovic tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Buza is No. 61 on Givony’s list of the top 100 prospects, and while Vrabac doesn’t appear on that list, he checks in 55th in Givony’s 2015 mock draft.
Both play for KK Spars in their native Bosnia. Vrabac has posted better numbers than his more highly regarded counterpart, posting averages of 11.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, while Buza checks in at 8.0 PPG and 2.7 RPG. The difference appears to be Buza’s superior outside shot, as he’s nailed 39.6% of his shots from behind the arc this season, compared to Vrabac’s anemic 23.8% mark from three-point territory.
Vrabac won’t be automatically draft eligible until 2016, and Buza can wait until 2017, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see either of them withdraw from the draft. International players who don’t play NCAA basketball have the luxury of testing the waters and going through workouts with NBA teams, since the deadline for them to withdraw isn’t until June 16th.
Julius Randle Declares For Draft
Kentucky freshman Julius Randle announced today that he’s entering the draft this year, in a press conference with the school. He’s the final member of a group generally regarded as the top five prospects for this year’s draft to declare, joining Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid and Dante Exum, as our list of early entrants shows. Randle is No. 4 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, and No. 5 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
The power forward averaged 15.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game for a loaded Kentucky team that made it to the NCAA championship game. He was second only to Wiggins on Givony’s rankings heading into the season, but he wasn’t quite as dominant as hoped and he struggled with consistency, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors wrote when he covered Randle for our Prospect Profile series. He had just 10 points and six rebounds in the title game loss to Connecticut.
Randle is 6’9″ with a 6’11” wingspan, limiting his defensive impact. He blocked just 0.8 shots per game and came away with 0.5 steals per contest. Still, his elite rebounding numbers and wide body suggest he’ll be tough to keep off the boards as a pro, and his scoring on a Kentucky team with plenty of other offensive options bodes well for him, too.
Randle joins James Young among Wildcats declaring for the draft this year, with the status of sophomore Alex Poythress and freshmen Dakari Johnson, Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison up in the air. Sophomore Willie Cauley-Stein and freshman Marcus Lee have decided to return to Kentucky.
Cavs Notes: Griffin, Brown, Irving, Waiters
Reports have linked Cavs interim GM David Griffin to the front offices of the Knicks, and, more recently, the Pistons, but he indicated a strong preference to remain in Cleveland as he spoke today with reporters, including Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer.
“You’re either all the way in, or you’re all the way out,” Griffin said. “There’s no in-between. This is where I want to be.”
Here’s more on Griffin and the Cavs:
- Griffin said he doesn’t know when he’ll hear about his future with the team from owner Dan Gilbert, and while he said he’s confident that he and Gilbert are moving in the same direction, Griffin also said he needs to improve, Valade notes in the same piece. Still, the acting GM gave the impression that his job is safe, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio observes (Twitter link).
- Coach Mike Brown is on shakier ground, according to Amico, and ownership is looking for honest assessments of Brown from the team’s players and, once in place, its front office staff, Amico writes.
- Griffin would like to shift the team’s focus from “asset accumulation mode” to “target acquisition mode,” he says, and he plans to target size, toughness, basketball IQ and shooting, as Valade chronicles. Still, he’s high on his backcourt pairing of Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. “I’ve seen flashes of them being very, very good together,” Griffin said. “… They’re two ball-dominant, drive-and-kick players. They require spacing and shooters. It’s too easy to look at them and blame one of them. It’s a collective thing.”
Draft Rumors: Parker, Embiid, Wiggins
Many have assumed that the top overall pick in the draft will be Kansas star Andrew Wiggins or teammate Joel Embiid, but ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman, for an Insider-only piece, surveyed 30 NBA execs and Duke’s Jabari Parker came out on top. Parker got 17 votes while Embiid got eight and Wiggins took home five. The uncertainty surrounding the top of the draft makes for plenty of intrigue with the June 26th event just a little more than two months away. Here’s the latest:
- Mouhammadou Jaiteh is withdrawing from this year’s draft, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM, who reported last month that the French center was entering the field. It’s a little surprising to see the 19-year-old withdraw this early, before he had a chance to work out for NBA teams, as he did when he tested the waters last year. He’s ranked No. 63 with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, and 98th with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
- Spanish league big man Kristaps Porzingis won’t enter the draft this year, he tells Kārlis Krēgers of Latvian website LETA (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). That sets him up with a strong chance to become a first-round pick in 2015, as he’s ranked No. 15 on Givony’s 2015 mock. Ford has Porzingas as the 65th-best prospect for this year.
- There are plenty of high-scoring small forwards available in this year’s class, writes NBA.com’s David Aldridge. Aldridge’s list starts with the obvious (Wiggins, Parker) but goes on to highlight mid-first round types like Duke’s Rodney Hood, N.C. State’s T.J. Warren, and Syracuse’s Jerami Grant.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com ranks the top point guards and summarizes their strengths, topping the list with Dante Exum.