Hoops Rumors Originals
Here’s this week’s look back at the original reporting and analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff..
- I conducted a Q&A with former Duke standout and first round prospect Rodney Hood.
- Alex Lee rolled out the first edition of the Hoops Rumors mock draft.
- The Grizzlies will have flexibility this summer, regardless of whether Zach Randolph opts out. How well they apply it will be absolutely pivotal for the team, Chuck Myron writes.
- Chuck rolled out the latest edition of the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings.
- The Bulls have some work to do this summer but the biggest addition they can possibly make is a healthy Derrick Rose, Chuck writes.
- Almost 75% of Hoops Rumors readers polled say Mark Jackson didn’t deserve to get fired by the Warriors.
- Cray Allred checks in on the free agent stock of Zach Randolph.
- Eddie Scarito profiled Clemson star K.J. McDaniels and UCLA’s Zach LaVine.
- Need a refresher on the mid-level exception? Chuck has you covered.
- We asked you to pick the Game 7 loser with the brightest future in 2014/15. The Warriors got the most votes but the Raptors weren’t far behind.
- We featured the best of Hoops Rumors comments in this week’s Featured Feedback.
- Did you miss out on this week’s chat? Get caught up here.
Hoops Links: Bobcats, Celtics, Draft
On this date in 1995, the Bulls’ 104-94 win over the Magic in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Round series drew a 7.9 rating on TNT. The game was viewed in an average of better than five million homes, making it, at the time, the most watched NBA game ever on cable television.
Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere…
- Hoops Habit evaluates the Bobcats’ free agency options this summer.
- Sports Of Boston looks at the Celtics’ roster heading into the summer.
- Six Championship Drive brings us their updated big board for the 2014 Draft.
- Mid-Major Madness brings us some early predictions for the Southern Conference.
- Brew Hoop evaluates Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s place in the 2013 draft class.
- The Bird Writes recapped Anthony Morrow‘s season.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Knicks, Steve Kerr Nearing Deal
8:45pm: Negotiations between the two sides will “pick up” tomorrow, sources tell Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
5:46pm: Steve Kerr is close to finalizing a deal to become the head coach of the Knicks, a source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. The two sides are still negotiating contract details, but the source tells Isola that the two parties expect to have a deal in place by early this week so that Kerr can accompany Phil Jackson to the draft combine in Chicago.
The Knicks have been considered the front-runners to land Kerr for weeks now. Golden State was dubbed as the only realistic competition for the future first-time coach’s services, but the Jazz and Lakers were said to have interest in him as well. Kerr will get the chance to learn the ropes of coaching under Jackson, who he played for in Chicago.
Isola doesn’t provide any insight as to what the terms of the deal might consist of, but Kerr was reportedly seeking a pact in the neighborhood of five years and $30MM. The deal will need to be completed by Thursday in order for Kerr to accompany Jackson to the draft combine as planned.
Week In Review: 5/5/14 – 5/11/14
Pau Gasol is about to hit the open market and with a whole lot of uncertainty in Los Angeles, the big man is weighing his options. In an interview with a Spanish website, Gasol cited the Grizzlies, Spurs, and Bulls as teams that would appeal to him, in addition to the incumbent Lakers. When asked about the prospect of signing with the Staples Center’s other tenants, Gasol said it would be hard to envision given that he’s been on the other side of the rivalry for six-and-a-half seasons. More from the week that was..
- After a tumultuous year and a first round ouster, the Warriors gave Mark Jackson the boot.
- The Knicks are close to making Steve Kerr an offer, taking an option off the table for the Warriors.
- The Lakers could be interested in Jackson.
- The league appointed Richard Parsons as the interim CEO of the Clippers. Team president Andy Roeser took an indefinite leave of absence from the team.
- The Mavs will go after Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler.
- The Raptors and Dwane Casey agreed to a three-year deal.
- There’s mutual interest between the Lakers and Chris Bosh.
- The Mavs are unlikely to pursue Bosh.
- The Cavs are expected to make David Griffin their permanent GM.
- Kerr and Stan Van Gundy are the Warriors’ top two targets but they also like Jerry Sloan and others.
- There’s mutual interest between Devin Harris and the Mavs in a return.
- Andrew Bynum will not play for the rest of the playoffs.
- R.C. Buford is your executive of the year.
- The Nuggets and Kenneth Faried will talk extension.
- Former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo and current Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren are reportedly the front-runners for the top Pistons front office job.
- The Lakers reportedly want to talk with Roy Williams but the coach is distancing himself from such talk.
- Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg could be a candidate for the Bulls’ job if they part ways with Tom Thibodeau.
- Shelly Sterling is fighting to maintain some stake in the Clippers.
- Kevin Ollie still hasn’t heard from any NBA teams about their openings.
- At least three NBA teams told the Harrison twins that they would have gone between No. 15 and No. 25 before they returned to school.
Pacific Rumors: Van Gundy, Lakers, Clippers
It wasn’t long ago that the Kings appeared to be Seattle-bound, but owner Vivek Ranadive‘s group brought that talk to a definitive end. This weekend it was reported that the Kings finalized a 35-year lease agreement to build a new arena in Sacramento. The measure still needs to be approved by the city council, but there’s no indication that it won’t go through. Here’s tonight’s glance at the Pacific Division..
- Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News feels that Stan Van Gundy is the current frontrunner for the Warriors‘ head coaching job among the known candidates out there. However, he adds that there could be under-the-radar names who are currently employed and therefore cannot publicly discuss their interest in the gig.
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com rounds up the Lakers‘ quest for a new coach, and surmises that the candidate they decide to pursue will be heavily affected by their position in the lottery.
- Shelly Sterling‘s resistance to surrender ownership of the Clippers means she’ll likely be in control of the team for the foreseeable future, opines Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Any ousting process could take over a year, says Mannix, who also adds the NBA isn’t buying her claimed outrage at her husband’s comments (all Twitter links).
- LeBron James, meanwhile, doesn’t want to see anyone with the Sterling surname involved in the Clippers, writes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press.
- At this point, the over/under on the number of years it will take the NBA to excise the Sterlings from the Clippers is around two, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
- Yesterday, we rounded up news on the Lakers and Clippers.
Charlie Adams contributed to this post.
Draft Notes: Combine, Parker, Embiid
Next week’s predraft combine in Chicago will give prospects a chance to show off their skills for NBA clubs. Two players who have a chance of being the first selection in the draft, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid, declined their invites to participate in the combine, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Their absence isn’t likely to dramatically hinder their stock, but it does raise questions about Embiid’s back injury, Wojnarowski says. Here’s more on the combine and the 2014 draft:
- Front offices around the league took note that Parker wasn’t in great shape last season, so his absence from the combine might be a concern, relays Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (via Twitter).
- Andrew Wiggins is also unlikely to accept his combine invitation, passes along Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
- Chane Behanan, Sim Bhullar, Eric Moreland, Jakarr Sampson, and Roscoe Smith are some notable early entrants that weren’t invited to the combine, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
- David Nurse of Perfect Shots Shooting breaks down Embiid’s game and discusses his immense potential, noting he has the tools to excel at the next level but will need to work to refine his offensive game.
Mid-Level Exception
The mid-level exception is the most common way for NBA teams that are over the salary cap to sign free agents from other clubs. Teams can make use of the mid-level every season, and they can split it among multiple players. Different mid-level exceptions apply based on a team’s proximity to the cap.
The most valuable kind of mid-level exception is available to teams that are over the cap but less than $4MM above the tax threshold. Still, clubs deep into the tax, and even those under the cap, have access to less lucrative versions of the mid-level. Here’s a glance at how all three forms of the exception are structured:
For teams with cap room:
- Called the mini mid-level, or the room exception
- Maximum two-year contract
- Maximum 4.5% annual raises
- First-year salary is worth $2,732,000 for 2014/15
For over-the cap teams:
- Called the full mid-level, or the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception
- Maximum four-year contract
- Maximum 4.5% annual raises
- First-year salary is worth $5,305,000 for 2014/15
- Once used, the team cannot surpass the “tax apron” ($4MM above tax line) for the remainder of the season.
For taxpaying teams:
- Called the mini mid-level, or the taxpayer’s mid-level exception
- Maximum three-year contract
- Maximum 4.5% annual raises
- First-year salary is worth $3,278,000 for 2014/15.
The value of the starting salary in each exception increases by about 3% each season under the current collective bargaining agreement. Here’s the maximum contract a free agent could receive this summer using each of these three forms of mid-level exception:
Room Exception
- 2014/15: $2,732,000
- 2015/16: $2,854,940
- Total: $5,586,940
Non-Taxpayer’s MLE
- $5,305,000
- $5,543,725
- $5,782,450
- $6,021,175
- Total: $22,652,350
Taxpayer’s MLE:
- $3,278,000
- $3,425,510
- $3,573,020
- $10,276,530
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
Versions of this post, written by Luke Adams, were initially published on April 24th, 2012 and May 10th, 2013.
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.
The Mavs have their eyes on a couple of Knicks, but reader William McGowan would prefer to see Dallas acquire the less splashy of the two, choosing Tyson Chandler over Carmelo Anthony.
- I do not want Carmelo on this team. But if we could get Chandler back, that would make me happy again. We never should have let him go. I would love to see Luol Deng as a Maverick. He would be an upgrade over [Shawn] Marion. But I would love to see Marion back as well. We would be set at small forward. We can’t continue to have two guards that can’t defend well. One of them has to go. Though I like [Jose] Calderon, I do believe we should use him as a trade piece. Dallas has a lot of work to do to build a team for the 2014-2015 season. I am excited to see what we do.
News of mutual interest between the Lakers and Chris Bosh sparked a lively discussion with a range of opinions, but John Moore captured the general tenor of the reaction from Lakers fans.
- No, no, no! Trading Pau [Gasol] for another kind of Pau is the way I see it. If the Lakers get tied up in another big salary for an aging but still functional player it’s not what I see as a solution.
A point guard that plays D would be a true asset, but there are no instant cures out there (that I see).
The Warriors made a move that had grown increasingly likely in the past several weeks, firing coach Mark Jackson despite a 51-win regular season that was the team’s best in 22 years. Jackson didn’t get along with Warriors management, and Randolph_Knackstedt sees it as an unjust dismissal that nonetheless presents an opportunity for the ousted coach.
- Three years as the warriors coach. Each season the warriors have increased scoring and decreased opponents scoring while making it to the playoffs two years in a row. But the Warriors front office doesn’t care because they couldn’t control Jackson like they wanted to. At least Jackson can now coach for an organization that actually appreciates him.
We appreciate everyone who adds to the dialogue at Hoops Rumors, and we look forward to seeing more responses like these from you!
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Brand, Celtics
If the Sixers pull the trigger on a trade of Michael Carter-Williams, their point guard of the future might be Dante Exum, writes Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Many believe that Exum has a higher upside than Carter-Williams, Ford notes, pointing to Carter-Williams as one of the Sixers’ most appealing trade chips.
More from the east:
- In a separate article, Ford looks at the scenarios and reasons for the Sixers to trade Carter-Williams.
- Hawks big man Elton Brand might be leaning towards retiring, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Brand said, “I’m going to rest for a while. Rest. Talk to the family and see what is going on with my kid. My son is an avid basketball fan. He loves it. He wouldn’t mind seeing me playing. My wife, we’ll see. Definitely looking forward to seeing how I feel in a few months and making another run at it.”
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge doesn’t think the pre-draft workouts are as valuable for NBA teams as they used to be, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. The growing reluctance of agents to allow their players to risk a bad workout has lessened the importance of the event, notes Murphy.
- Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders looks at the free agent situation of Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry.
- Add Marv Albert to the ranks of those who believe Steve Kerr will be a good head coach, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Albert’s one concern with Kerr taking the Knicks position is owner James Dolan, notes Begley. “Dolan has to let them, leave them alone. That’s No. 1. And it hasn’t happened in the past,” Albert said.
Western Notes: Hollins, Nuggets, Butler
Lionel Hollins will interview with the Warriors for their head coaching position, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The interview will take place at the Chicago pre-draft combine that starts Thursday, according to the article. This confirms an earlier report made by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
More from the west:
- Nuggets GM Tim Connelly wants the team to pick up an “impactful piece” in this year’s NBA Draft, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The Nuggets are currently slotted with the 11th pick in June’s draft.
- In the same article, Dempsey notes that Nate Robinson and Darrell Arthur plan to return to the Nuggets next season. Both have player options for 2014/15 they plan on exercising.
- Billy Witz of The New York Times looks at the effect that Caron Butler is having on the Thunder‘s playoff run, as well as a look back on his time with the Clippers.