Week In Review: 5/26/14 – 6/1/14
Last week, Steve Ballmer secured a deal to buy the Clippers for $2 billion. That’s right; apparently the estimations of a $1 billion sale were way too conservative. More from the week that was..
- After a week full of drama, the Grizzlies signed coach Dave Joerger to an extension.
- Chris Bosh says he wants to stay with the Heat and may be willing to take a discount.
- Sixers management has considered moving Michael Carter-Williams and they’re high on Dante Exum.
- The Kings want Kevin Love, even without assurance that he’ll re-sign. Meanwhile, the Wolves would probably only be interested if they feel confident that Julius Randle or Noah Vonleh will be available at No. 8.
- The Pacers will bring back Frank Vogel.
- Carmelo Anthony is thinking about opting in.
- The Grizzlies and Zach Randolph are talking extension.
- Donald Sterling is suing the NBA for $1 billion.
- Lionel Hollins would be willing to take the Wolves’ head coaching job regardless of whether the team is able to keep Kevin Love.
- The Jazz have interest in Tyler Honeycutt.
- There are many in the Pacers’ front office that are wary of giving a lucrative long-term deal to Lance Stephenson.
- The Cavs would improve their chances of retaining Luol Deng if they hired Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin as head coach.
- The Wizards are a “stealth candidate” for Love.
- The Jazz and Warriors like James Nunnally.
- Quin Snyder is a leading candidate for the Jazz job. Both he and Adrian Griffin got second interviews.
- Jonas Jerebko will opt in and stay with the Pistons.
- The Nets will work out Ivan Johnson and others.
- Anthony Morrow will opt out and hit free agency.
- Darren Collison will opt out and test the open market.
- Vinny Del Negro interviewed with the Wolves.
- The Wizards carved out a three-year deal for coach Randy Wittman.
- The Bulls, Warriors, and Nets like Toure’ Murry.
- The Lakers met with Hollins on Thursday.
- The Lakers also met with Kurt Rambis.
- Tornike Shengelia is headed to Spain.
- Jason Kapono has retired.
And-Ones: Hairston, Embiid, Draft
P.J. Hairston‘s journey to the NBA is a unique one, and may open the door for others to take a similar path in the future, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. On leaving North Carolina to play in the NBA D-League, Hairston said, “It wasn’t my choice to play in the D-League. I ended up there, and I wanted to be able to graduate, so I was in the D-League and took all of my courses. For some guys, it’s there for them if they want to. Some guys want to stay in college and graduate. It’s up to that person.”
More from around the league:
- With the NBA moving toward smaller lineups, the traditional center position is changing, but Joel Embiid might be able to reverse the trend, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com proposes five tweaks for the NBA Draft lottery that could improve the process.
- With the Thunder falling short of the NBA Finals again, Bradford Doolittle and Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) look at the roster moves the team might make this summer, as well as opine on the team’s ideal rotation.
- Steve Ballmer’s $2 billion offer for the Clippers is nearly four times the record sale for an NBA team, and has experts puzzled over how the former Microsoft chief plans to make any money on the deal, write Charles Fleming, Walter Hamilton, and Andrea Chang of The Los Angeles Times.
- Roscoe Smith will have pre-draft workouts this week with the Jazz, Bulls, and Suns, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Smith is projected as a second-round pick in this June’s draft.
Eastern Notes: Cavs, LeBron, Hornets
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (hat tip to Henry Green of Fox Sports Ohio) doesn’t think the Cavaliers will hire a new head coach prior to the NBA Draft. Amico also believes that GM David Griffin is looking to hire an offensive minded coach and that the team will select Joel Embiid with the first-overall pick in the draft.
More from the east:
- There is no good reason for LeBron James to opt out of his contract with the Heat this summer, opines Mitch Lawrence of The New York Daily News. Lawrence believes the success of Miami will make it easier for James to continue to recruit free agents and would allow him the best opportunity to continue to win championships.
- The Hornets haven’t been successful in the draft, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Despite having eight lottery picks in the past eight years, including three in the top five, they have yet to draft a player good enough to build a team around or to become an NBA All-Star, opines Bonnell.
- The Hawks want Kyle Anderson back for a second workout, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Atlanta currently owns the 15th overall pick in June’s draft.
- Pistons forward Luigi Datome believes he can improve enough this offseason to become a regular part of the team’s rotation next season, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. In 34 games this season, Datome averaged 2.4 PPG and 1.4 RPG.
Atlantic Notes: Love, Sixers, Knicks
Kevin Love was in Boston this weekend, as Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune details. Love wasn’t officially there to meet with the Celtics, but the team has shown interest in possibly acquiring the player if the Timberwolves decide to trade him. Of his visit, Love said, “I’m here to just check out the city and see what it’s like.” When asked about the possibility of playing for Boston, Love said, “I’m sorry man. I can’t do nothing. I can’t.” He was referring to his inability or unwillingness to talk publicly about the purpose of his visit, Zgoda notes.
More from the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks currently have no picks in this June’s NBA Draft, but Phil Jackson may attempt to buy a second round pick, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Two teams that Jackson might try to swing a deal with are the Bucks and the Sixers, notes Pompey. Philadelphia has five second-rounders and Milwaukee has three.
- Tom Moore of Calkins Media examines the different draft scenarios for the Sixers based on what the Cavs and Bucks do picking ahead of them.
- Marc Berman of The New York Post thinks that Carmelo Anthony should put the team first and opt in this summer. This would allow the ‘Melo a chance to make a better educated guess as to the direction the Knicks franchise will take under Jackson, as well as demonstrate his willingness to be a team player and a leader, opines Berman.
Nets To Work Out Ivan Johnson, Others
SUNDAY, 10:12am: According to his agent, French SF Yakhouba Diawara has been invited to the Nets mini-camp this Tuesday, reports David Pick of Eurobasket (Twitter link). Also attending will be Michael Snaer, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. In 27 games with the Italian team Enel Brindisi, Snaer averaged 8.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 1.1 APG.
3:28pm: NBA vets Ivan Johnson, Malcolm Lee, Kim English, Kevin Murphy and DaJuan Summers will join Liggins, Greene, Machado, Kennedy and others in working out for the club on Tuesday, the Nets announced. Lance Thomas will also participate, as Adam Zagoria of SNY reported earlier this week.
THURSDAY, 9:56am: Four free agents with NBA experience will visit with the Nets next week, according to Lenn Robbins of Nets.com, who says the team will see DeAndre Liggins, Donte Greene, Scott Machado and D.J. Kennedy (Twitter links; hat tip to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv). The Nets are holding a mini-camp soon, so it seems like the foursome will be among those working out for the club.
Liggins has the most recent NBA experience among that group, having played in the NBA this past season on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Heat. The 26-year-old only appeared in one game for a single minute for Miami, but he made 39 appearances for the Thunder in 2012/13 and also saw playing time for the Magic the year before. He’s averaged 1.6 points in 7.1 minutes per game in the NBA since Orlando drafted him 53rd overall in 2011.
Greene, a former 28th overall pick, has the most extensive NBA experience, appearing in 253 games and making 82 starts for the Kings over four seasons, but he’s been out of the NBA since 2011/12, save for a late-season signing with the Grizzlies in 2012/13. He failed to get in a game during his time with Memphis. Machado, an undrafted former Iona standout, split this past season between France and the D-League after stints with the Rockets and Warriors in 2012/13. Kennedy, from St. John’s, has just two games with the Cavs in 2012/13 on his NBA resume, and he spent this past season playing in Israel and France.
Mini-camps at this time of year usually only help teams fill summer league rosters, but these four probably stand a chance at joining the Nets for preseason this fall, given their experience. The Nets, with a bloated payroll and limited flexibility, will have to do most of their free agent shopping with the minimum-salary exception.
Latest On Derek Fisher
Derek Fisher doesn’t plan on taking long to decide his next step and will discuss the matter with his family before making any decision, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Fisher said, “Obviously, there are a number of people that are going to be impacted by the decision I do make whether I continue to play or [if] I decide to do something else within the game. Whatever it is, there is a lot at stake. I’m not going to rush. I’m not going to be emotional. Right now there is a lot of emotion. As soon as possible, I’m going to try to take the best next steps.”
More on Fisher:
- Fisher says he hasn’t had any contact with Phil Jackson or any other NBA executives in terms of coaching jobs, tweets Spears.
- With the Thunder having been eliminated from the playoffs, the focus will now turn to whether or not Fisher will become the next coach of the Knicks. Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv looks at where Jackson might turn if Fisher turns the team down. According to Zagoria, the next two candidates on the list may be Tyronn Lue and Bill Cartwright.
- The Lakers may have some interest in Fisher for their head coaching vacancy, writes Mitch Lawrence of The New York Daily News. The interest is primarily because of Fisher’s close relationship with Kobe Bryant, notes Lawrence. On the Lakers potential interest, Fisher said, “I’ve obviously heard things and been asked questions. But I’ve had to control the external noise. I’ve learned through experience to hold those things at bay. Over the next couple of days I will continue with that. There’s a right way to wrap this season up and show it the proper respect it deserves.”
- He realizes the Knicks are waiting to meet with him about their coaching vacancy but Fisher hasn’t confirmed if he will interview with the team, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Fisher said, “I’ll try to [do] that as soon as possible for all parties involved and can make the decisions that need to be made. Interview is a strong word at this point. I haven’t had any direct conversations with any executives — Phil Jackson, the Lakers. I think interview is a strong word. There’ll be conversations at some point. This is still pretty raw and fresh — at least for the next day or two.” According to Berman, Jackson confirmed he “definitely’’ will speak with Fisher, but added there are “lots of unknowns” on whether Fisher will take the job, primarily referring to Fisher’s young children in Los Angeles.