Warriors Interested In Stan Van Gundy
Mark Jackson appears to be on his way out of Golden State, since rumors have suggested he would be unlikely to return barring a long playoff run, and the Warriors find themselves out of the playoffs after the first round. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reiterates the team’s interest in Knicks target Steve Kerr, but the ESPN scribe believes Kerr is destined for New York, just as Fred Hoiberg, in whom the Warriors also hold interest, would be difficult to pry from Iowa State. That leaves the Warriors poised to make a run at former Heat and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, Stein writes.
Van Gundy is still interested in coaching, but he’s primarily focused on spending time with his family, whom he says he’s given veto power over his decision to return to an NBA bench. He’s been linked to the Lakers, Timberwolves and Pistons of late, but he reportedly doesn’t want any of those jobs. The Pistons reached out to him recently, but talks apparently didn’t progress too far because he wanted some degree of control over player personnel. That kind of sway would probably be tough to come by in Golden State, where GM Bob Myers, adviser Jerry West and co-owner Joe Lacob all have varying levels of input into the team’s roster construction.
The divide between Jackson and Warriors management goes beyond the removal of former assistant coaches Brian Scalabrine and Darren Erman, Stein writes. The Warriors prefer someone whose personality is a better fit with the front office than Jackson’s is, according to Stein, who suggests that the team might put a premium on experience as it looks for its next coach.
The outspoken Van Gundy’s dry sense of humor scores points with media and in broadcasting, but his honesty can spark firestorms, such as when he told reporters that Dwight Howard wanted him out as coach of the Magic. Anyone other than Jackson would be a tough sell to the players, who’ve shown nearly universal support for their embattled coach. Still, Van Gundy and Howard have reconciled, and Van Gundy has never compiled a losing record in parts of eight seasons as an NBA head coach, so there’s reason to believe he’d be successful in Golden State.
Michael Carter-Williams Wins Rookie Of The Year
MONDAY, 8:09am: Carter-Williams officially won the award, the NBA announced via press release. The Sixers point guard received 104 first-place votes out of a possible 124. Oladipo finished second with 16 first-place votes. Trey Burke was the third-place finisher, even though he only received one first-place vote, one fewer than Mason Plumlee. The other first-place vote went to Tim Hardaway Jr.
SATURDAY, 2:49pm: Michael Carter-Williams has been voted Rookie of the Year, a source tells Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. In what would otherwise be a season to forget for the Sixers, Carter-Williams gave Philadelphia fans hope for the future by putting up impressive averages of 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per contest. The victory doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as the only other realistic competition for the title came from Magic rookie Victor Oladipo.
Philly selected Carter-Williams with the 11th overall pick in last year’s draft, and he played a major role in the team’s surprising 3-0 start to the year. Although the club struggled mightily for the majority of the season, MCW’s ability to stuff a stat sheet excited fans around the league. He was able to notch two triple-doubles in 2013/14, becoming the first Sixers’ rookie in team history to accomplish such a feat.
The victory means Carter-Williams will join Allen Iverson as the only players in Sixers franchise history to win Rookie of the Year. There were five guards selected before Carter-Williams in last June’s draft, but the voters collectively agreed MCW put forth a better rookie campaign than any of them. He led all first-year players in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
And-Ones: Lowry, Noah, Warriors, Celtics
Shortly after losing to the Nets in Game 7, Raptors guard Kyle Lowry gave a quote in the locker room that could be a hint towards his offseason plans. “This is only the start for us and the Raptors organization,” said the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN (on Twitter). Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
- Joakim Noah is reportedly trying to recruit Carmelo Anthony to the Bulls and he’s no stranger to that game, notes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The big man took free agent Carlos Boozer out to dinner during his visit to Chicago and helped lure him in during the 2010 offseason.
- Determining coach Mark Jackson‘s future with the Warriors won’t be an easy call, writes Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News.
- In his final individual report card for the Celtics‘ season, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. evaluates the players that didn’t end the season in green and white: Jordan Crawford, Courtney Lee, Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, and Vander Blue.
- Sports Illustrated legal analyst Michael McCann told colleague Chris Mannix (on Twitter) that if Clippers owner Donald Sterling files a lawsuit, “it will not be resolved by the start of the season.”
Daryl Morey On Free Agency, Lin, Asik, Parsons
Things didn’t pan out as planned for the Rockets this season, but last night it was reported that they will still pick up the option on coach Kevin McHale for next season. The Rockets couldn’t get out of the first round, but they finished as the fourth seed this season with 54 wins, their most since the 2007/08 season. The coaching situation may be spoken for heading into the offseason, but there’s still plenty more on the docket for GM Daryl Morey & Co. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle sat down with Morey to discuss what could be on the agenda this summer. Here’s a look at some of the highlights..
Can this team get better just by adding rotation players, as opposed to a major overhaul or another summer with a major addition?
We’re always aggressive. We’ll always explore aggressive scenarios. But I feel confident if those don’t emerge, we’re not far off. We need to get (the record) into the high 50s if we’re going to be as good as we want to be. We need to improve our defense primarily. We were the youngest team in the league (in the post-season, fourth youngest and second least experienced in the regular season) and improving so an addition or two that are key, I feel confident we can make that step forward that we need to make.
We made a big leap forward with the addition of Dwight (Howard) and the growth of our young players to get to the mid-50 range. I think we’ve got to take one more step forward. But I think the average NBA title team won 57 games so we’re not far off. We’re not like prior to adding Dwight a major piece away to where I feel need not a small piece, but also not a franchise-changing piece away.
To be a true championship contender do you have to get a third All-Star caliber guy or do you just need to add a group of strong rotation players?
I would always take a third All-Star guy either from one of our guys improving or addition. There’s no negative to adding an All-Star level player. That said, I don’t feel it’s necessary. I do feel it’s my job to explore those things. I think our group playing more together after only a season together plus a lot of young players that can take a step forward and improve, plus we’ve got financial flexibility this year. We’re not limited to minimum player additions.
We have all our draft picks going forward to execute trades if necessary. We’ve got a lot of flexibility to improve. It’s my job to get that done and the players’ job to work on their games over the summer. The coaches are taking another look at our strategies and deciding what we’re going to do different next year to improve.
Because of their contract situations, the next largest after Dwight Howard and James Harden, do any moves need to involve Jeremy Lin and/or Omer Asik?
I don’t expect something bigger like that to happen. I could see where you would look to that if something bigger were to happen, but I don’t anticipate that.
If you were to go for a third max or near max guy, could you make it happen financially?
Yeah, we could make it happen. I think it’s unlikely.
How do you make a decision on picking up the option on Chandler Parsons’ contract when you don’t know what will happen in free agency two weeks after your deadline to make a decision?
We won’t know everything we need to know when we have to make a decision on on Chandler’s (contract) option. We have to make the best decision at the time we have to make it (June 29).
That sounds as if you have not made that decision yet.
No, that’s something we still have to talk through.
Do you have any concern about Kevin McHale being in the last year of his contract next year with the ‘lame duck” issue?
No. He’s a great coach. It’s not an issue for him or for us. I don’t see it as an issue. I’ve never bought into (the lame duck factor) for any coach. Some coaches disagree and some GMs may disagree, but he’s a head coach and he does a very good job. Just like I’m reevaluating and taking a look at what I need to do differently and better, he’s doing the same and our players are the same.
Draft Notes: Craft, Wiggins, Bochoridis
Stanford star Josh Huestis‘ doesn’t have the gaudy numbers of other NBA Draft prospects, but he brings a lot to the table and is determined to hear his name called in June. Soon after he checked in with Hoops Rumors to talk about what he can bring to an NBA club, it was reported that the Jazz will likely bring him in for an audition. Here’s today’s draft news..
- When asked by 97.1 The Fan if he has had any contact with NBA teams or a feel for how he’s regarded in NBA circles, Ohio State standout Aaron Craft replied that he has “an agent” and such matters are “his thing,” according to Zac Jackson of FOX Sports Ohio. Craft is currently ranked No. 71 on DraftExpress‘ top 100 and No. 54 on Ford’s (Insider sub. req’d).
- Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com released his first 2014 mock draft. Kotoch’s top five of Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, and Dante Exum doesn’t stray much from most projections but there are some interesting picks later on. Of course, the upcoming NBA lottery will tell us a lot about where certain prospects could be heading.
- Enea Trapani of Sportando caught up with Greek shooting guard Lefteris Bochoridis for a Q&A. Borchoridis declared himself eligible for the draft late last month despite not being featured in the top 100 rankings of ESPN’s Chad Ford or DraftExpress. The 6’5″ Bochoridis has averaged 5.2 points in 19.4 minutes per game for Aris BC in Greece this season. The guard can still withdraw between now and June 16th and won’t be automatically draft-eligible until 2016.
Hoops Links: Nets, Pistons, Raptors, Splitter
On this date in 1994, Suns forward Charles Barkley hit 23-of-31 field goal attempts and finished with 56 points, leading the way to a 140-133 win over Golden State and a first round sweep. Barkley’s 56 points tied for the third-highest total ever in an NBA Playoff game, and his 38 points in the first half set a record. Sleepy Floyd holds the second-half scoring record in the NBA Playoffs with 39 points, which he scored in Golden State’s 129-121 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the 1987 Western Conference Semifinals.
Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. This week’s look around the basketball blogosphere..
- Sports Injury Alert asks if the Nets’ hefty payroll has been worth it.
- Six Championship Drive looks at the lineups the Pistons used throughout the season.
- The Brooklyn Game turns in their report card for the Nets’ thrilling Game 7 victory.
- 48 Minutes Of Hell says Tiago Splitter is reminding them of Vlade Divac.
- Raptors HQ recaps the Raptors’ heartbreaking loss.
- Bullets Forever has a gameplan for Trevor Ariza to slow down Paul George.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Clippers Notes: Sterling, Redick, Rivers
The Clippers may not be Los Angeles’ team, but it feels like they’re becoming America’s Team, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Clippers’ 126-121 win over the Warriors on Saturday night drew 6.0 million viewers, which was TNT’s most-viewed NBA first-round telecast since the Lakers played the Nuggets in 2012. The high ratings are expected to continue next week when the Clippers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. More out of L.A..
- Embattled Clippers owner Donald Sterling has a long history of discrimination and J.J. Redick shared a tale of his own last night, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The guard heard over the offseason that despite interest from Doc Rivers and the rest of the front office, Sterling fought against signing him. “I’ve been told both ways,” Redick said. “One, that he didn’t want to spend because I was white and the other he [didn’t] want to pay me because he thought I was a bench player. I was told both things.”
- After a tiring and emotional week, Rivers is glad to have come out on top in the first round matchup against the Warriors, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Rivers conceded that instead of preparing for Golden State, much of his time was spent talking with commissioner Adam Silver, NBPA liason Kevin Johnson, and even Sterling’s wife Shelly.
- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told CBS’ “Face The Nation” that he expects Sterling to put up a “long, protracted fight” to retain ownership of the Clippers, writes Bill Trott of Reuters. A three-fourths vote by the board of governors would be required to force the sale of the team, but all signs point to Sterling battling it out in court.
Hoops Rumors Originals
As we cool down from a thrilling Game 7 in Toronto, here’s a look back at the original reporting and analysis from the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- As a part of Hoops Rumors’ ongoing Prospect Profile series, I interviewed Jarnell Stokes of Tennessee, Stanford’s Josh Huestis, and Cincinnati’s Justin Jackson.
- Chuck Myron kicked off the Hoops Rumors Offseason Outlook series with an examination of the Knicks.
- Need a refresher on cap holds? Chuck has you covered.
- I profiled Dante Exum, who is widely regarded as the best point guard in the upcoming draft.
- Jerami Grant has a lot of question marks but he has quite a bit of upside too, writes Eddie Scarito.
- We asked you to pick the best coaching candidate for the Lakers and George Karl came out on top.
- We featured the top comments on Hoops Rumors in this week’s edition of Featured Feedback.
- Miss out on this week’s chat? Get caught up here.
Week In Review: 4/28/14 – 5/4/14
This has been as thrilling of a first round as you could ask for, but this week has not been about basketball. Instead, the NBA (and the country as a whole) has been focused on Donald Sterling‘s ugly piece of audio. Here’s a look at this week’s fallout from the recording and, thankfully, things that had nothing to do with the embattled Clippers owner..
- With the support of owners from across the league, commissioner Adam Silver acted quickly and decisively, banning Sterling from the NBA for life. While Sterling still technically owns the team, he is barred from attending games and practices under the suspension. Sterling will be forced to sell the Clippers if three-fourths of the league’s owners vote him out and it sounds like it’ll be a clean sweep or very close to one.
- Sterling, who has a litigious past, won’t go down quietly.
- Clippers president Andy Roeser has been in charge since Silver banned Sterling, but the NBA will likely appoint a trustee to run the team.
- Doc Rivers reportedly wouldn’t return to the team next year if Sterling remained, which could have led to the team’s stars demanding trades.
- Phil Jackson told Carmelo Anthony that he expects to hire Steve Kerr as the Knicks’ next coach. The Knicks reportedly want to hire Kerr after the first round is finished but Kerr might have a different timetable.
- Kevin Durant will be named league MVP.
- Mike D’Antoni resigned as Lakers coach when the club declined to exercise his 2015/16 option. D’Antoni had concerns about having a lame duck status next season and when Mitch Kupchak & Co. wouldn’t give him security beyond this upcoming season, he decided to go elsewhere.
- D’Antoni walked away from the Lakers in part because the team is likely to attempt to re-sign Pau Gasol this summer, according to one report.
- The Kings intend to keep Rudy Gay.
- The Bulls are likely to try and move Carlos Boozer.
- The Mavs and Shawn Marion are interested in a new deal.
- The Magic decided to exercise their 2015/16 team options on GM Rob Hennigan and coach Jacque Vaughn.
- Jamal Crawford is your Sixth Man of the Year.
- The Bulls and point guard D.J. Augustin have mutual interest in a new deal this summer.
- Stan Van Gundy isn’t interested in the Wolves’ coaching job and some still see Flip Saunders as a possibility.
- The Rockets will pick up their team option for coach Kevin McHale.
- Michael Carter-Williams has been voted Rookie of the Year.
- There’s talk that Mark Jackson‘s job could be on the line in Golden State.
- Tom Izzo won’t coach in the NBA next season.
- Lakers coaching candidate Kevin Ollie has begun talks about a new deal with Connecticut.
- The Suns are likely to have their own D-League affiliate.
- Here’s the official early entrant list for the 2014 draft.
- Belgian league shooting guard Mateusz Ponitka is entering the draft.
- Three Spanish league prospects are going into the draft: Kristaps Porzingis, Marcus Eriksson, and Devon Van Oostrum.
- Spanish league swingman Mario Hezonja won’t enter the draft.
Stein On Grizzlies Offseason
The Grizzlies lost to the Thunder last night by a score of 120-109 which eliminated them from the playoffs. Marc Stein of ESPN.com looks at a number of the offseason issues that Memphis faces. Here are some of the highlights from his article:
- The Grizzlies still aren’t sure whether or not Zach Randolph will exercise his $16.5MM player option for next season, notes Stein. Randolph has said for much of the season that, at 32, he hasn’t quite worked out whether it’s best to opt out now to hit the open market in July or put off free agency for one more summer, according to the article.
- Stein notes that the general sense around the team is that the Grizzlies want to keep Randolph, but at a friendlier price point. A three-year deal worth $30MM to $35MM is believed to be Randolph’s market price.
- One of the team’s offseason priorities should be to acquire a shooter to play in the backcourt next to Mike Conley, opines Stein.
- Another question for the team, notes Stein, involves what to do with Ed Davis, who is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. The inconsistent playing time Davis received in his first full season in Memphis would suggest that there is some uncertainty within the organization whether or not he factors into their long term plans. In 63 games this season, Davis averaged 5.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 0.4 APG in 15.2 minutes per contest. The Grizzlies will have the opportunity to match any offer that Davis receives.