Celtics Notes: Trades, Young, Draft Combine
A league source suggests to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that the impending leap in the salary cap for 2016/17 will make teams around the league more willing to take on sizable contracts in trades. Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren also sees a more liquid trade market and more activity ahead, as he tells Bulpett.
“I think so,” Zarren said. “I think there’s just a lot of teams in the middle in the NBA right now, and they all sort of feel like they need to do something. That will create more opportunities for us, because we’ve got as many assets as any other team, if not more.”
The Celtics have only one eight-figure salary on the books for next season, the nearly $10.106MM owed to Gerald Wallace, as Bulpett points out, and Boston is willing to attach a first-round pick to him to ship him out in a trade, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported last month. While we wait to see if the Celtics can top the 11 trades they made in 2014/15, here’s more from Boston:
- One opposing GM is high on James Young, telling Bulpett for the same piece that last year’s No. 17 overall pick would be generating top-10 buzz this year if he had stayed in school another year. Young spent extensive time in the D-League this season.
- Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe adds Bobby Portis, Anthony Brown, Kelly Oubre, Dez Wells, Chris McCullough, Terry Rozier and Tyus Jones to the list of players who’ve interviewed with the Celtics at the draft combine (Twitter links), to go along with those previously reported.
- Boston is slated to speak with Devin Booker, Myles Turner, Kevon Looney, Pat Connaughton and Jordan Mickey today, a source tells Himmelsbach (Twitter link).
Draft Rumors: Porzingis, Wood, Dawson
At least one GM is among the multiple executives who believe Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis has a shot to be drafted as highly as No. 2, reports Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The head of basketball ops for another team said that he’s a “lock” for the top five and that it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go within the top three, adding that he’d draft him in front of Jahlil Okafor, the Duke center who occupied the top spot in projections for most of the season. The 19-year-old is No. 5 in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings and No. 8 with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Here’s more as draft rumors kick into high gear:
- Christian Wood, a power forward out of UNLV, is hoping to follow in Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s footsteps as a ball-handler with unusual height and length, Howard-Cooper writes in the same piece. The Bucks intend to interview Wood, Virginia small forward Justin Anderson and others today, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
- Both the DraftExpress team and Ford go in depth on the measurements from the combine, with Ford, in his Insider-only piece, noting that most top prospects sized up well and that this year’s draft class is among the longest groups in memory in terms of both height and wingspan.
- Michigan State power forward Branden Dawson has interviewed with the Wizards, Clippers and Pelicans at the draft combine, as he told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Ellis, in the same report, adds Stanley Johnson, Frank Kaminsky and Rashad Vaughn to the list of prospects with whom the Pistons have spoken.
- Terry Rozier met with the Pistons, too, as well as the Mavs, Suns, Knicks and Spurs, reports Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).
- The Sixers, Lakers, Cavs and Bucks have interviewed Cameron Payne, Kyler also tweets. Payne spoke with our Zach Links recently about his draft prospects.
- Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer adds the Hornets and Warriors to the list of teams speaking with Rakeem Christmas (Twitter link).
Western Notes: Matthews, Draft, Young
Jabari Young of CSNNW.com wouldn’t be surprised if Wesley Matthews gives the Blazers a discount to re-sign him this summer. Young interprets GM Neil Olshey‘s tone from his season-ending press conference as a signal that the team will pursue a new deal with the shooting guard. “We know his value to us,” Olshey said, adding that “We also know he’s going to have market value around the league. That’s another competitive part of the free agent process that we’re going to have to participate in.”
Here’s the latest out of the Western Conference:
- The Blazers are scheduled to meet with UNLV’s Christian Wood, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com relays (Twitter links). Portland is also expected to take a close look at big man Myles Turner, Young notes.
- Seth Curry will join the Pelicans‘ summer league squad, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets. Curry made two appearances for the Suns during the 2014/15 season while on a lone 10-day contract.
- Oregon senior guard Joseph Young interviewed with the Spurs, Pelicans, Knicks, Wizards, and Clippers today, Jabari Young tweets.
- Sean Meagher of The Oregonian looks at Blazers point guard Tim Frazier, who inked a multiyear deal with the team this season, and what the player’s role might be next season. Frazier’s minimum salary arrangement with Portland is non-guaranteed.
- The list of players whom the Thunder have interviewed during the combine includes Kelly Oubre, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Tyus Jones, Terry Rozier, Turner, and Stanley Johnson, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman relays (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Adrian Griffin In Mix To Succeed Tom Thibodeau
Bulls lead assistant coach Adrian Griffin is a contender to succeed Tom Thibodeau as Bulls head coach should Chicago and Thibs part ways now that the team’s season is over, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Stein makes it clear that Griffin would be a fallback option in case the team comes up short in its likely pursuit of Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg. However, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders recently heard from sources who questioned whether Hoiberg wants to make the jump to the NBA, given the condition of his heart, as the 42-year-old underwent open heart surgery last month to replace his aortic valve. Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry would also be among the front-runners if the Bulls job comes open, Kyler also reported.
Griffin and Thibodeau both came to the Bulls in the offseason of 2010, and Chicago promoted Griffin, who had simply been one of the team’s assistant coaches at the start, to lead assistant in 2013. The 40-year-old Griffin spent two years as a Bucks assistant between the end of his 10-year NBA playing career and the beginning of his time on Chicago’s bench. He’s been a prime head coaching candidate around the league the past few years, reportedly interviewing with the Blazers in 2012, the Pistons and twice with the Sixers in 2013, and the Jazz twice as well as the Cavs last year. USA Today’s Sam Amick identified Griffin among a few coaches believed to be likely candidates for the Nuggets job in the immediate wake of the team’s firing of Brian Shaw in March, though there’s been little to advance that notion since.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports used the term “inevitable” last week to describe a parting of ways between Thibodeau and the Bulls, and confidants of the coach had become convinced as of last month that the Bulls would fire him, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reported then. However, the Bulls could reap compensation from Thibodeau’s suitors if they hang on to him and allow him to speak with other teams instead of simply firing him, and Kyler believes the compensation route is a more likely path for Chicago. Thibodeau’s contract runs through 2016/17.
For what it’s worth, Thibodeau told reporters this evening that he isn’t anticipating a departure. “Yeah, until they tell me I’m not [the Bulls coach], I expect be here, so that’s the way I’m approaching it,” Thibodeau said, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (on Twitter).
Mutual Interest Between Tom Thibodeau, Pelicans
With the Bulls’ season coming to its end at the hands of the Cavaliers tonight the speculation regarding where Tom Thibodeau will coach next season will now kick in full-throttle. The Pelicans, who recently parted ways with coach Monty Williams, are reportedly interested in Thibodeau should he become available. The interest in bringing the current Bulls coach and his career 255-139 record to New Orleans is apparently mutual, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). League sources have informed the ESPN scribe that Thibs is indeed interested in New Orleans’ vacancy should his tenure in Chicago end.
New Orleans has long regarded Thibodeau highly and the franchise made a play for him back in 2010 before hiring Williams. Thibodeau was named as a “clear and obvious candidate” for the Pelicans shortly after the firing of Williams was announced. But the Pelicans aren’t the only team who will be interested in the Bulls’ coach. The Magic have also been reported to be looking at Thibs to replace interim coach James Borrego.
Chicago is reportedly more likely to seek compensation for letting Thibodeau out of his contract than simply firing him, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. The Magic would likely be willing to give up one or two second-round picks for the right to hire Thibodeau, Kyler noted, while Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times relayed that the Magic’s job would be Thibodeau’s to turn down. It’s believed that Thibodeau is also the front-runner for the Nuggets job, but Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post thinks that Thibodeau’s defense-first philosophy would clash with Denver’s desire to become a faster paced offensive team.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Kings
The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll continue onward with a look back at how the Kings utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…
D-League Team: Reno Bighorns
Affiliation Type: One-to-one
D-League Team Record: 20-30
Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 1
Total D-League Assignments: 5
Player Stats While On Assignment:
- Eric Moreland: 5 assignments, 7 games, 13.7 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 1.4 APG. .592/.000/.375.
D-League Signings
- David Stockton (Reno Bighorns-Kings affiliate): Signed 10-day contract on February 20th. Inked multiyear deal on April 12th.
- Sim Bhullar (Reno Bighorns-Kings affiliate): Inked 10-day pact on April 2nd.
- David Wear (Reno Bighorns-Kings affiliate): Signed 10-day arrangement on March 23rd.
- Quincy Miller (Reno Bighorns-Kings affiliate)*: Inked 1st 10-day deal on January 17th. Signed 2nd 10-day deal on January 30th.
*Miller also played for the Grand Rapids Drive, the Pistons’ affiliate, after signing with Detroit.
Assignment/Recall Log
- November 4th: Assigned Eric Moreland (Recalled November 17th)
- November 21st: Assigned Eric Moreland (Recalled November 25th)
- November 28th: Assigned Eric Moreland (Recalled November 30th)
- December 12th: Assigned Eric Moreland (Recalled December 13th)
- December 14th: Assigned Eric Moreland (Recalled December 16th)
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Draft, Sixers
While teams with lottery picks such as the Magic, Kings, Nuggets, and Pistons may be willing to consider trading down in the draft, the Celtics don’t have the assets necessary to entice those franchises to make a deal, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) opines. The only player on Boston’s roster who could be used to move into the five to eight range of picks is Marcus Smart, but the point guard is considered virtually untouchable, Ford notes.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers interviewed UNLV big man Christian Wood today, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter links). Philadelphia also interviewed Texas center Myles Turner, Pompey adds.
- The Celtics also sat down for an interview with Wood, as well as Arizona forward Stanley Johnson, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe relays (Twitter links).
- Arizona defensive ace Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has an interview scheduled with the Celtics, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets. You can check out our full prospect profile for Hollis-Jefferson here.
- Most of the Celtics heavy lifting at the draft combine will be done at the hotel where the team will conduct its interviews, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. This is because most of the players whom Boston has interest in will not be participating in the on court portion of the activities, Forsberg adds.
- Point guards Delon Wright and Jerian Grant were among the players the Nets interviewed today at the combine, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily reports. Both Wright and Grant fit the Nets’ draft model under GM Billy King, who prefers veteran players from big programs, Windrem adds.
Draft History: Billy King
The 2015 NBA draft is less than two months away, and for teams that aren’t still participating in the NBA playoffs, the focus is on using that event to build toward a better future. The exact draft order won’t be known until the May 19th lottery, when the simple bounce of a ping-pong ball can alter the fate of a franchise. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.
With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ll be examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll continue onward with a look back at the calls made by former Sixers and current Nets GM Billy King…
Sixers (May 1998-December 2007)
1998 Draft
- No. 8 Overall — Larry Hughes: 727 games, 14.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.1 APG. .406/.309/.757.
- No. 37 Overall — Casey Shaw: 9 games, 0.2 PPG, 0.3 RPG, 0.0 APG. .125/.000/.000.
Notable players passed over: Dirk Nowitzki (No. 9), Paul Pierce (No. 10), and Al Harrington (No. 25).
1999 Draft
- No first-rounder. Pick No. 19 (Quincy Lewis) owned by Jazz.
- No. 47 Overall — Todd MacCulloch: 223 games, 6.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 0.8 BPG. .541/.000/.642.
Notable players available at draft slot or passed over: Andrei Kirilenko (No. 24) and Manu Ginobili (No. 57).
2000 Draft
- No. 20 Overall — Speedy Claxton: 334 games, 9.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 4.3 APG. .409/.193/.762.
Notable players passed over: Morris Peterson (No. 21), Eduardo Najera (No. 38), and Michael Redd (No. 43).
2001 Draft
- No. 26 Overall — Samuel Dalembert: 886 games, 7.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.7 BPG. .521/.083/.706.
- No. 37 Overall — Damone Brown: 39 games, 2.8 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.5 APG. .336/.286/.667.
- No. 57 Overall — Alvin Jones: 23 games, 1.1 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.1 APG. .400/.000/.500.
Notable players passed over: Tony Parker (No. 28) and Gilbert Arenas (No. 31).
2002 Draft
- *Traded No. 16 overall pick (Jiri Welsch) to Warriors for 2004 second-rounder (Viktor Sanikidze) and a 2005 first round pick (Joey Graham).
Notable players passed over: John Salmons (No. 26), Carlos Boozer (No. 35) and Luis Scola (No. 56).
2003 Draft
- No first-rounder. Pick No. 20 (Dahntay Jones) owned by the Celtics.
- No. 41 Overall — Willie Green*: 731 games, 8.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.4 APG. .425/.346/.765.
*Acquired in a trade with the Thunder (Sonics) in exchange for the No. 50 overall pick (Paccelis Morlende).
Notable players passed over: Boris Diaw (No. 21), Kendrick Perkins (No. 27), and Kyle Korver (No. 51).
2004 Draft
- No. 9 Overall — Andre Iguodala: 835 games, 14.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.7 APG. .461/.333/.717.
Notable players passed over: Al Jefferson (No. 15), Josh Smith (No. 17), J.R. Smith (No. 18), Jameer Nelson (No. 20), Kevin Martin (No. 26), and Trevor Ariza (No. 43).
2005 Draft
- No first-rounder. Pick No. 16 (Joey Graham) owned by Raptors.
- No. 45 Overall — Lou Williams: 634 games, 11.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.9 APG. .416/.341/.816.
- No. 60 Overall — Alex Acker*: 30 games, 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.5 APG. .370/.320/.500.
*Acquired in a trade with the Jazz in exchange for 2008 second-rounder (Ante Tomic).
Notable players available at draft slot or passed over: Danny Granger (No. 17), Gerald Green (No. 18), David Lee (No. 30), Monta Ellis (No. 40), and Marcin Gortat (No. 57).
2006 Draft
- No. 16 Overall — Rodney Carney*: 299 games, 5.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.4 APG. .422/.338/.704.
*Acquired from the Bulls along with cash and a 2007 second-rounder in exchange for the No. 13 overall pick (Thabo Sefolosha).
Notable players passed over: Sefolosha (No. 13), Rajon Rondo (No. 21), Kyle Lowry (No. 24), and Paul Millsap (No. 47).
2007 Draft
- No. 12 Overall — Thaddeus Young: 592 games, 13.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.5 APG. .495/.323/.693.
- No. 20 Overall — Jason Smith*: 413 games, 6.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.8 APG. .462/.300/.782.
- No. 42 Overall — Derrick Byars**: 2 games, 5.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.5 APG. .273/.000/1.000.
- No. 55 Overall — Herbert Hill***: No NBA regular season appearances.
*Acquired from the Heat for the No. 21 pick (Daequan Cook), a 2009 second round pick (Nick Calathes), and cash.
**Acquired from the Trail Blazers along with cash in exchange for the No. 30 overall selection (Petteri Koponen).
***Acquired from the Jazz in exchange for the No. 38 overall pick (Kyrylo Fesenko).
Notable players passed over: Arron Afflalo (No. 27) and Josh McRoberts (No. 37).
Nets (July 2010-Present)
2011 Draft
- No. 25 Overall — MarShon Brooks*: 164 games, 7.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.4 APG. .442/.326/.748.
- No. 36 Overall — Jordan Williams: 43 games, 4.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.3 APG. .507/.000/.652.
*Acquired from Celtics in return for No. 27 overall pick (JaJuan Johnson) and a 2014 second-rounder (Russ Smith).
Notable players passed over: Jimmy Butler (No. 30), Chandler Parsons (No. 38), and Isaiah Thomas (No. 60).
2012 Draft
- No first rounder. No. 6 overall pick (Damian Lillard) went to Blazers as part of Gerald Wallace trade.
- No. 57 Overall — Ilkan Karaman: No NBA regular season appearances.
Notable players available at draft spot or passed over: Lillard (No. 6), Andre Drummond (No. 9), Draymond Green (No. 35), and Khris Middleton (No. 39).
2013 Draft
- No. 22 Overall — Mason Plumlee: 152 games, 8.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 0.9 APG. .606/.000/.545.
Notable player(s) passed over: Rudy Gobert (No. 27).
2014 Draft
- No first rounder. No. 17 overall pick (James Young) was included in the trade with the Celtics that brought Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn.
- No. 44 Overall — Markel Brown*: 47 games, 4.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.8 APG. .362/.266/.825.
- No. 59 Overall — Xavier Thames**: No NBA regular season appearances.
- No. 60 Overall — Cory Jefferson***: 50 games, 3.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.3 APG. .449/.133/.574.
*Acquired from Timberwolves in exchange for cash.
**Acquired from Raptors in exchange for cash.
***Acquired from Sixers in exchange for cash.
Notable players available at draft spot or passed over: Young (No. 17), Rodney Hood (No. 23), Shabazz Napier (No. 24), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32), and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).
Draft Notes: Lyles, Anderson, Wood
The 2015 NBA Draft combine is underway in Chicago and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) offers up a primer for all of the scheduled events. The return of five-on-five play to the event has scouts and GMs excited, but that anticipation is tempered by the fact that only one player ranked in the top 30 — Terry Rozier, will be participating in the scrimmages, Ford notes.
Here’s more regarding the 2015 NBA Draft:
- Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal caught up with ESPN’s Chad Ford to talk about the Kentucky Wildcats’ seven NBA Draft hopefuls. Ford spoke highly of Trey Lyles, but says that he needs to prove himself in workouts between now and the draft.
- Former Virgina swingman Justin Anderson met with the Celtics today, and the player has a workout scheduled with the team on June 1st, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets.
- The Wolves interviewed UNLV big man Christian Wood, and are also expected to sit down with Texas center Myles Turner, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets.
- Arizona forward Stanley Johnson interviewed with the Hornets today, and Johnson touted himself as “the best two-way player in the draft,” Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer notes (Twitter link).
- Former Syracuse forward Rakeem Christmas met with the Bucks, Magic, and Suns today, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter links). Christmas is also scheduled to workout for the Sixers, but he will not interview with the team at the combine, Pompey notes.
- Projected second-rounder J.P. Tokoto interviewed with the Cavaliers, Clippers, and Pistons on Wednesday, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays (via Twitter). The guard met with the Hawks, Nets, and Mavs today, Gardner adds.
Central Notes: Shumpert, Turner, Johnson
Iman Shumpert has been a significant factor in the Cavaliers‘ success since he was acquired in what was a season-altering trade for Cleveland, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. With the guard averaging 12.6 points in the series against the Bulls, Shumpert is dispelling notions that he’s strictly a defensive player, Zillgitt adds. “As long as we win, I don’t really care,” Shumpert told Zillgitt about being overlooked as a scorer. “I feel like the right people see what’s going on. Everybody around the league knows what’s going on. If you really understand basketball, you know what’s going on. I don’t take it personally, and I don’t search for credit. I just search for wins.” Shumpert is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
Here’s more out of the Central Division:
- The Bucks interviewed Texas big man Myles Turner, who is a potential lottery pick, Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. Regarding Milwaukee, Turner said, “They’re long and athletic right now, they’re young. They’ve got coach [Jason] Kidd and I like his plan and his vision in place. Everything I just said describes me — young, long, athletic. So I’d fit well.”
- The 6’11” Turner met with Pistons team executives today as well, Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press reports (Twitter link). Turner also interviewed with the Pacers, notes Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). The big man said that the Pacers told him they were focused on changing their style of play, Buckner notes.
- The Pacers interviewed Arizona freshman forward Stanley Johnson today, Buckner tweets. Johnson calls Pacers forward, and former Wildcat Solomon Hill, one of his closest friends in the NBA, Buckner adds. Johnson also sat down with representatives from the Pistons, Ellis tweets.
- All signs are pointing to Bulls assistant Ed Pinckney leaving Chicago after the season to join coach Chris Mullin‘s staff at St. John’s University, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.