Knicks To Fire Woodson If Team Misses Playoffs
The late run the Knicks are making for the playoffs is critical for the future of coach Mike Woodson, whom the Knicks plan to fire if the team falls short of the postseason, a source tells Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.com. It’s no surprise, since reports of an imminent firing have dogged Woodson all season, and few around the league have expected the team to retain him beyond this season. New York sits percentage points above the Hawks for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but the Knicks are one game behind Atlanta in the loss column.
The Knicks were reportedly evaluating Woodson on a game-by-game basis in December and appeared close to ousting him in February, but he’s remained on the bench, even as the team took GM Steve Mills‘ title of president and gave it to the newly hired Phil Jackson. Knicks owner James Dolan was publicly supportive of Woodson in November, but he’s since promised to let Jackson make all of the team’s basketball decision. Jackson, in his introductory press conference last month, praised Woodson but offered no guarantee that the coach would be back next season. Woodson’s contract became guaranteed for 2014/15 when the Knicks picked up their team option on him this past September.
Woodson’s future with the team has looked so grim that today’s news could be interpreted as a glimmer of hope, since it suggests the team might hang on to him if it reaches the postseason. Still, the Knicks seem unlikely to make a run if they reach the playoffs, with a matchup against the Heat or the Pacers almost a certainty, as Scotto notes.
Bulls Rumors: Murphy, Brewer, James
If a team claims Erik Murphy off waivers, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has suggested is likely, the Bulls will catch a break. Murphy’s salary would come off Chicago’s books and help the team avert paying the luxury tax in case Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson earn bonuses that they were considered unlikely to achieve before the season but seem to have a shot at attaining now. Here’s more on a Bulls roster in flux:
- A source tells Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald that there’s a decent chance the Bulls will sign multiple players to replace Murphy. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune backs that up, tweeting that it’s not necessarily an either-or proposition between Ronnie Brewer and Mike James and that the Bulls are open to possibly signing two guys. That makes sense, considering that inking two or three veterans to prorated contracts for the minimum salary at this point in the season would be cheaper than even Murphy’s $490,180 rookie minimum salary.
- The Bulls will probably wait a few days before bringing anyone aboard, McGraw writes, which suggests the team is waiting to see whether Murphy is claimed. If he becomes a free agent, his salary will remain on Chicago’s ledger, and I think it would make the team less likely to sign multiple players, though that’s just my speculation.
- Gibson supports the idea of signing Brewer, as Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune notes via Twitter. “He’s athletic, a leader and he’s been through a lot with us,” Gibson said of his teammate from 2010/11 and 2011/12.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com looks ahead to the playoffs and Chicago’s possible offseason moves in his latest mailbag column.
Bulls, Cavs, Bobcats Likely To Target Pau Gasol
The Bulls, Cavaliers and Bobcats will likely court Pau Gasol in free agency this summer, executives from around the league tell Chris Mannix of SI.com. The executives add that the Grizzlies will be in the mix, too, if Zach Randolph opts out, echoing a report from last month. The Arn Tellem client, who’ll turn 34 in July, has a decent chance to receive an offer worth $10MM a year, a front office official from an Eastern Conference team says to Mannix.
That Eastern exec suggests that there are two schools of thought regarding Gasol, with his most aggressive suitors believing that the environment in Los Angeles and the Lakers’ style of play have hindered Gasol the past two seasons, and that an escape could revive his career. Others insist that Gasol is past his prime, the unnamed exec tells Mannix.
Gasol has said he won’t rule out a return to the Lakers, and according to Mannix, the Lakers feel the same away about re-signing the 7-footer. Teammate and friend Kobe Bryant has said he believes there’s an 80% chance the Lakers will bring back Gasol, but Bryant and Gasol reportedly would like to see coach Mike D’Antoni replaced, and the Lakers appear to be leaning toward keeping D’Antoni. Gasol, who appears likely to miss the rest of the season with vertigo, tells Mannix that a team’s chances of winning will be paramount as he makes his decision.
“I want to be in a team that is going to be built to win a championship,” Gasol said. “That’s my top priority. Money won’t be the main priority. Length and money are factors, but we’ll see. Until I know all the options, I won’t be able to measure them. But we’re getting close to the end of my career. I want to be in a good situation. It’s an important decision to make.”
The Bulls and Grizzlies appear to be closest to winning a championship among the suitors that Mannix lists. Executives have doubts about Charlotte’s ability to defend with Gasol and Al Jefferson as their primary rim protectors, as the SI.com scribe notes. The Cavs were deep in talks with the Lakers about acquiring Gasol via trade when Cleveland was shopping Andrew Bynum in January.
Tony Parker Says Duncan, Ginobili Will Return
Tim Duncan has said on multiple occasions over the last two months that he hasn’t decided whether to return for 2014/15, but Tony Parker tells Christophe Brouet of the French website Basket-Infos that he knows that Duncan and Manu Ginobili will play next season (translation via HoopsHype). Ginobili said recently that he’s “pretty sure” he’ll continue his NBA career for another year, so Parker’s statement looks like a reiteration of that.
Parker prefaces his remark by mentioning that Duncan and Ginobili are under contract for next season, so while the point guard is no doubt close to his long-time teammates, he could merely be making an assumption based on their deals with the Spurs. Still, Duncan has a player option for next season, so that’s led to inherent uncertainty. Parker may also merely be attempting to encourage Duncan and Ginobili to return. Gregg Popovich suggested nearly a year ago that he’d retire from coaching whenever Duncan does, so the Big Fundamental’s decision could have an earth-shattering effect on Parker and the rest of the Spurs.
Duncan turns 38 in three weeks, while Ginobili will be 37 in July. Both remain productive players, and the Spurs are as strong as ever, having compiled the league’s best record this season and a 19-game winning streak that ended Thursday night against the Thunder. Parker, Duncan and Ginobili have been teammates since the 2002/03 season, though Parker, who’ll turn 32 in May, is the youngest of the trio by far, and he recently said he plans to play five or six more seasons in the NBA.
Dario Saric Leaning Toward Entering Draft
There’s been plenty of back-and-forth about whether potential top-10 pick Dario Saric will enter this year’s draft, with rumors coming from his father, an agent who no longer represents him, and unnamed sources. Saric himself spoke to Jelena Trajković of B92.net, telling her that it’s his dream to play in the NBA and that he believes he’ll go into the draft, but the Croatian star cautions that he has yet to come to a final decision (translation via Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress via Twitter).
Givony ranks Saric as the ninth-best prospect for June’s draft, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com pegs him 14th. It’s around the same range where Saric found himself last year, when he entered the draft but withdrew before the deadline to so. There have been conflicting reports about whether he’d even test the waters this time around, with Ford reporting last month that he’d agreed to a three-year deal with a Turkish team that wouldn’t allow him to go to the NBA until 2016, when he’ll be automatically draft-eligible. Givony countered that he never reached such a deal, asserting that the 6’10” forward would almost certainly enter this year’s draft.
Agent Robert Jablan publicly called for Saric to declare for the draft, but Saric’s father and Givony say Jablan no longer represents Saric. Jablan was critical of Saric’s father, who has said that he wants to see his son stay in Europe for another two seasons. Around the same time his father initially made those comments, Saric agreed that it would be best for his development to remain overseas, though he added that he’d wait to make a decision. Ford said earlier this week that Saric was still leaning against declaring for the draft, but with four days to go until his 20th birthday, it appears he’s had a change of heart. Saric seems to indicate in his latest interview that he’ll make his decision in another 10 days, so it looks like we’ll have some resolution to the saga soon.
Sixers Re-Sign Casper Ware To 10-Day Contract
FRIDAY, 7:57am: The Sixers have officially announced the deal, via press release.
WEDNESDAY, 4:51pm: Ware hasn’t received confirmation from the team about whether he’ll receive another 10-day deal, as he told reporters, including Tom Moore of Calkins Media (Twitter link).
8:09am: The Sixers will sign point guard Casper Ware to a second 10-day contract, tweets Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. His first deal with the team is set to expire after Philadelphia’s game against the Bobcats tonight.
Philadelphia’s decision to bring aboard the 5’10” Ware was a surprise, since he was by no means a dominant figure for Virtus Bologna of Italy, where he had been playing. The Sixers have nonetheless plugged him into their rotation, as he’s averaged 16.0 minutes per game over four NBA contests. He’s notched 3.8 points, 1.3 assists and 0.8 turnovers, and he’s made just five of his 23 attempts from the floor.
The 24-year-old Rize Management client will get at least a few more games to try to find his stroke. He and fellow 10-day signee James Nunnally occupy the final two spots on the Sixers roster.
Jackson On Shumpert, Defense, Coaching
Earlier today, we relayed some noteworthy comments from Phil Jackson about his willingness to do away with ties between the Knicks and Creative Artists Agency as well as his insistence that he won’t return to coaching. During his media session, the Zen master also praised Mike Woodson for how he’s handled the speculation about his future and shared more about the team’s recent performance. Here are a few more interesting things to relay from Jackson, transcribed by Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York:
On Iman Shumpert about what will be expected from him:
“I’m still a coach that believes in pressure, pressure defense, playing like we saw the Knicks play last night — anticipation, turnovers become run-outs…I was able to tell Iman today that’s what has to be seen on a basis that we’d like to see from game to game…It might not happen every game, but those are the things that break games open and give you opportunities to win when you have easy baskets. And defense can do that, so that’s a really important aspect.”
On the team’s defense:
“I think (Mike Woodson) has a philosophy,..It’s worked for him in the past. It’s worked for him in Atlanta. The big thing is you’ve got to have players buy into it. They have to believe in it…I think one of the reasons why they’ve been successful in the last month-and-a-half, whatever this run has been, has been their defense has improved…Mike likes to switch with bigs a lot of times and ends up rotating from the other side of the court, trying to get bigs on bigs and smalls on smalls. You know, that’s his style. Players have to buy into it. That’s what coaching is about.”
On whether or not he still gets the urge to coach:
“No, I don’t, but I do know that I can’t be too vocal about what I see going on all the time out there…If a flagrant foul happens, or there’s a couple of situations out there (that is) beyond the level of what is legitimate basketball, and I want to give my voice and my opinion to the referees, I don’t want to do that.”
On not traveling with the team for road games:
“My job is not to travel with the team…Mike is in control of this team, he’s the coach, he’s got that sculpt ahead of him, he knows what he is doing on the road. (Steve Mills) has chosen to go out there, and maybe (James Dolan) encouraged him to go out there…Steve has been away from the game a while so maybe that associated him back with the game…So he has traveled with the team but I don’t see general managers going on the road. However, in playoff situations, yes, I will be there at all games.”
And-Ones: Adrian Griffin, Young, Murphy
Once a catalyst in the movement that paved a way for players to go from high school straight to the NBA, former NBA All-Star Spencer Haywood ironically supports the idea of raising the league’s age-limit to 20-years-old, details Sam Amick of USA Today. Haywood is currently concerned about the potential effects of the one-and-done rule on college basketball and in the NBA:
“You have no locker room camaraderie…You have no veteran leadership. It’s just young guys making up their own rules as they go. They don’t have the examples to show them what this game is all about. So it’s going to hurt the league, and it’s definitely hurting college basketball.”
Here are more miscellaneous news and notes from around the Association tonight:
- Current Bulls assistant and former NBA player Adrian Griffin spoke with Sean Deveney of the Sporting News about his aspirations of eventually becoming an NBA head coach: “It’s definitely my goal…I have been learning a lot in this role, this is my sixth year. I learned under (Tom Thibodeau), I learned under Scott Skiles and overall, it is great to see how things work in an organization, especially an organization like the Bulls. That’s something I could bring to any team.”
- Griffin may ultimately need more experience as an assistant before landing a head-coaching job, but he could definitely be active on the interview circuit if there are head coaching vacancies this summer, writes Deveney.
- Nick Young‘s agent, Mark Bartelstein, tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News that it still remains presumptuous whether or not his client will opt out of his contract with the Lakers this summer.
- It’ll be surprising if recently-waived Erik Murphy goes unclaimed, as he appears to be drawing interest from around the league (Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports via Twitter).
- The Rockets are not currently seeking a replacement on their coaching staff for former assistant Kelvin Sampson, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
- Sacramento city officials plan to unveil key details of an arena deal for the Kings in the next few weeks, leading up to a formal vote on the plan by City Council on May 13, reports Tony Bizjak and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee.
- Jazz rookie Trey Burke tells Spencer Checketts of 1280 The Zone that he loves Utah and “plans on staying here for as long as they’ll let me” (Twitter link).
Pau Gasol, Henry Done For Season?
The Lakers are leaning toward sitting Pau Gasol for the rest of the season, reports Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles times, who adds that Xavier Henry is not expected to return to the lineup either. The news may not seem too significant considering that there are only seven games left on the team’s schedule, but it’s worth noting that both Gasol and Henry are headed for unrestricted free agency this summer.
Gasol is reportedly dealing with a severe recurrence of vertigo, which has caused him to miss five of L.A.’s last six contests. Henry has dealt with knee and wrist injuries this season, and – as we noted earlier today – had recently been playing through pain against medical advice in order to prove his worth. Although Gasol’s desire to stay in Los Angeles remains a question mark, he recently said that he wouldn’t rule out returning to the Lakers if the circumstances are appropriate. On the other hand, Henry has made it publicly clear that he’d like to re-sign with the team this summer.
The 33-year-old Gasol is finishing up the final year of a three-year contract extension that he signed in 2009; his next deal would presumably be much less than the $19.3MM he made this year. Henry – finishing up his one-year deal for the NBA’s minimum salary – has been a bright spot for the Lakers this year, averaging career highs in points (10.0) and minutes (21.1). However, it’ll be interesting to see just how much he’ll be able to market himself if he undergoes wrist surgery this summer as expected.
Eastern Notes: Humphries, Turner, Young
As a guest on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Rich show, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge revealed that he’s had discussions with forward Kris Humphries about the possibility of returning next season:
“I have had a few conversations with Kris…(he) knows where we are as an organization and he knows we like him. And he knows there is a lot of uncertainty, depending on which direction we choose to go this summer. None of us know…he knows we like him, his coaches and teammates like him, (but) we just can’t make any promises” (interview transcribed by Gary Dzen of Boston.com).
Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Dzen points out that Ainge was also asked about Jerryd Bayless and Phil Pressey but only offered comment on Humphries.
- Having gone from a team with the NBA’s second-worst record to playing for the second seed in the Eastern Conference, Evan Turner has conceivably endured his share of challenges in trying to fit in. The fact that the Pacers have compiled a 12-10 record since the deal while Turner continues to struggle offensively hasn’t helped the situation, but the 6’7 guard tells NBA.com’s Manny Randhawa that he’s confident about being able to contribute sooner rather than later.
- Once considered a possible candidate to be traded, Thaddeus Young is looking more and more like a keeper in Philadelphia, writes Dei Lynam of CSN Philly. The 25-year-old forward spoke glowingly about playing for 76ers head coach Brett Brown: “Coach (Doug Collins) didn’t want me to shoot a lot of threes…I didn’t like that at all. And this year Brett tells me, ‘I want you to shoot threes, get to the basket, I want you to do everything.’ I am back to playing the way I was before Coach Collins and Eddie Jordan, just a more free flowing offense…I think I have transitioned and turned things around where (as a player) I can just focus on my job.”
- Based on the numbers this season, Brandon Knight‘s production may not have unequivocally surpassed what Brandon Jennings brought to the table during his four-year tenure in Milwaukee; However, Knight being two years younger and more affordable than his predecessor is proof of why the Bucks are better off with him now, opines Steve Aschburner of NBA.com.