Lakers Fire Coach Byron Scott
11:18pm: The move is official, the team announced. The Lakers called it a decision not to pick up Scott’s team option for next season. That’s likely a reference to the partial guarantee on next season’s salary that Shelburne alluded to, as the terms are often used interchangeably.
“We would like to thank Byron for his hard work, dedication and loyalty over the last two years, but have decided it is in the best interest of the organization to make a change at this time,” Kupchak said.
10:10pm: The Lakers have fired head coach Byron Scott, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Scott just completed a 17-65 season and had a 38-126 record in two years on the Lakers’ bench. The move was a joint decision by GM Mitch Kupchak and executive Jim Buss and doesn’t signal a shakeup in the front office, tweets Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. Primary owner Jeanie Buss reportedly an advocate for Scott behind the scenes, but it appears she’s allowed the basketball department to make its own call.
Warriors assistant Luke Walton may be the favorite to land the L.A. job, tweets Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times, although he points out that by waiting to fire Scott the Lakers missed out on Tom Thibodeau, whom the Wolves hired Wednesday, and Scott Brooks, who is the new coach of the Wizards (Twitter link). Pincus says the Lakers never would have given Thibodeau the organizational control he wanted (Twitter link), but may have had interest in Brooks for his record in developing young players and his ties to Kevin Durant (Twitter link). Along with Walton, Pincus lists David Blatt, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Kevin Ollie as potential replacements (Twitter link).
Wojnarowski also mentions Walton, Van Gundy and Ollie as possibilities, as well as Spurs assistant Ettore Messina. He adds that the Lakers don’t have a definite replacement in mind, and Kupchak will conduct a search in conjunction with team owners.
Earlier this month, Kupchak refused to commit to another year for Scott and said he planned an informal meeting with the coach to discuss his job status. “It does take time to develop young players,” Kupchak said. “We’ll know in two or three years how effective Byron was as a parent to the young guys on this team.” Scott was initially believed to have one more season of guaranteed money on his contract, with a team option for 2017/18, but Ramona Shelburne explains on ESPN Now that the deal became only partially guaranteed for next season because Scott failed to meet performance incentives.
And-Ones: Johnson, Saric, Cousins, Taylor
It cost Joe Johnson $2,585,519 to get into this year’s playoffs, as Andrew Keh of The New York Times examines. That’s $3MM, the amount Johnson gave up when he negotiated a buyout from the Nets in late February, minus the $414,481 he’s making on the contract he signed with the Heat, who currently hold a 2-1 advantage in their series with the Hornets. “This is what I was looking forward to,” said Johnson, who was immediately inserted into Miami’s starting lineup and averaged 13.4 points per game after the move. Johnson’s coaches and teammates appreciate the versatility and decision-making skills he has added to the Heat’s offense. “Joe has brought an offensive threat that we haven’t had,” Amar’e Stoudemire said. “His pick-and-roll offense is something that’s hard to guard because he’s great at keeping guys on his back and creating two-on-one-type situations for us.”
There’s more news tonight from around the world of basketball:
- Croatian star Dario Saric has reportedly told teammates that he will leave Europe and head to Philadelphia over the offseason, tweets international journalist David Pick. The Sixers acquired his rights in a 2014 draft-night trade with the Magic.
- The Kings‘ best strategy is to rebuild around center DeMarcus Cousins, ABC analyst Jalen Rose told Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. People within the Kings organization reportedly sense that GM Vlade Divac is willing to gauge the trade market for Cousins after another nonplayoff season and repeated discipline problems. “You can’t deal him,” Rose said. “He’s been an All-Star player, one of the top bigs in the game. You have to build around him.” Rose went through the Kings’ recent draft and personnel missteps before turning his attention to the team’s coaching vacancy. “The situation definitely needs an overhaul,” he said, “and it’s hard to say who would be a really good coach because I think they’ve gone through 10 in the last nine years, or something like that.” Sacramento has had eight coaches since the start of the 2006/07 season.
- Wolves owner Glen Taylor moved quickly to get the leaders he wanted, notes Jerry Zgoda of The Star-Tribune. A week after announcing the jobs were open, Minnesota brought in Tom Thibodeau as coach and president of basketball operations and Scott Layden as GM. “I liked his answer to one of the first questions I asked: What are the things most important to you?” Taylor said of Thibodeau. “The first thing he said was, ‘I want to be the coach of an NBA championship team. That’s my goal in life.’” Taylor said Thibodeau will make the final decisions on some matters and Layden will do so on others, adding that the protocol is spelled out clearly.
Prospect Profile: Henry Ellenson (Part Two)
Community Shootaround: Mike Conley
The Mike Conley era in Memphis may have ended today. As the Grizzlies closed their season with a Game 4 loss to the Spurs, the clock officially began ticking toward Conley’s free agency on July 1st.
The nine-year veteran has spent his entire career in Memphis after being drafted fourth overall in 2007. Conley developed into one of the top point guards in the game, averaging 13.6 points and 5.6 assists over his career and turning the Grizzlies into a perennial playoff team. However, Conley’s season was cut short by Achilles tendinitis that kept him out of action since March 6th. He appeared in just 56 games, the fewest since his rookie season.
Conley is expected to be the most sought-after point guard on the free agent market this summer, and teams like the Knicks and Nets are already rumored to be suitors. The Bucks, Pacers and Rockets are three other franchises with point guard issues and likely enough cap room to offer a maximum deal.
Memphis has several advantages when it comes to keeping Conley at home. The Grizzlies own his Bird rights and can offer more money and more years than any competitor. There’s also the matter of loyalty, as Conley seems to have strong ties with the community and a good relationship with teammates Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Tony Allen, who have formed the heart of the “Grit ‘N’ Grind” era. “I’ve never seen anything different,” Conley recently told Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal in response to a question about staying in Memphis.
However, Conley may have some concerns about the Grizzlies, who are rapidly becoming an old team. Gasol is 31. Randolph and Allen are both 34. Matt Barnes is 36, Chris Andersen is 37 and Vince Carter is 39. Age likely played a role in the physical breakdown that forced Memphis to use 28 players this season. Conley, who is just 28, has to decide if he wants to commit the rest of his prime to a team on which his best teammates are over 30.
That brings us to tonight’s question: Where do you think Conley will be playing next season? Will the combination of loyalty and dollars be enough to keep him in Memphis? Or will he opt for a fresh start with a younger, healthier team that has a better shot at an NBA title?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Prospect Profile: Henry Ellenson (Part One)
Seventeen years later, Ellenson can expect to hear his name called early on draft night. He posted 17 double-doubles at Marquette, ranked third in the Big East in scoring at 16.8 points per game and led the conference in rebounding with 9.8 boards per night. He was a first-team all-Big East selection and a finalist for the Wayman Tisdale national freshman of the year award.
Grizzlies Notes: Carter, Conley, Joerger
Vince Carter isn’t ready to walk away from the NBA, he told reporters in a video tweeted by NBA TV. Carter, 39, could be headed toward free agency after his Grizzlies were swept out of the playoffs by the Spurs this afternoon. He is under contract with Memphis for next season and is slated to make $4,264,057, but only $2MM of that is guaranteed. Carter averaged 6.6 points per night this year in 60 games with the Grizzlies, all but three of them as a reserve. “When I don’t feel like training or lose the passion and love for the game, then it’s time to walk away,” Carter said in a postgame press conference. “I still have it. It still bothers me to lose games and not play well.”
There’s more on a season-ending day in Memphis:
- Mike Conley‘s aching Achilles is improving and he is looking forward to his first experience as an unrestricted free agent, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Conley, who hasn’t played since March 6th, will be the top point guard on the open market this offseason, and he can expect several teams to come calling. That should produce a substantial raise from the nearly $9.6MM he made this season. “This summer will be a fun one for me,” Conley said. “Free agency is new for me. We’ll see how it goes.”
- Memphis coach Dave Joerger should be remembered for making history by leading a roster that included 28 different players at one point or another into the playoffs, writes Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal. The Grizzlies were ravaged by season-ending injuries that robbed Joerger of Conley, Marc Gasol and Mario Chalmers. Two other key contributors, Jeff Green and Courtney Lee, were traded for draft picks at the deadline. “It’s frustrating from the level as a coach, where you see, especially San Antonio, they’re at the doctoral level of things that they run,” Joerger said. “And we had to go backward. … It’s just difficult when you have new guys, new faces. Defense is built on trust.”
- With today’s loss, the Grizzlies are now eligible to make trades, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical. They join the 14 nonplayoff teams that have been in that position since the regular season ended. Only players under contract for next season who don’t have player options can be dealt.
Hoops Links: Curry, Knicks, Celtics
Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Then you should send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown …
- The Sports Quotient explains what makes Stephen Curry such a good defender.
- Circa Sports runs down the league’s best at setting illegal screens.
- Sactown Royalty counts down the top plays from the Kings’ season.
- Daily Knicks wonders if the Knicks should acquire Darren Collison.
- The Dream Shake examines the media’s relationship with the Rockets.
- CelticsBlog profiles Jonas Jerebko with a focus on his versatility.
- Silver Screen and Roll details the Lakers’ coaching situation.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Prospect Profile: Skal Labissiere (Part Two)
PROJECTED DRAFT RANGE: Labissiere is projected to be drafted somewhere in the middle of the first round, with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranking him No. 10 overall while Chad Ford of ESPN.com has him No. 16. Ford also ranks Labissiere as the second-best center, sandwiched between Jakob Poeltl and Diamond Stone. Ante Zizic is another center who should be picked in the middle of the first round and thus is another name Labissiere will compete with.
RISE/FALL: Labissiere was once thought of as a top-5 pick, but that was before the season and those days are long gone. It is not a lock that teams would even pick Labissiere in the first round, Ford recently said, per Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald Leader. Labissiere is likely viewed by many teams as too raw to select early on in the draft because of his lackluster season. There is a decent chance he would have benefited from another year at Kentucky, but there was a seemingly equal chance of his stock falling further, too. That’s why, from an economic standpoint, Labissiere made the right call. His draft position may depend more on how he does in workouts for teams and how he comes across in interviews, especially when asked about his struggles at Kentucky.
FIT: The team that will draft Labissiere won’t expect him to contribute right away. They can’t. He failed to be a steady contributor during his lone college season, so he is definitely a work in progress. At the same time, he has the potential to be one of the league’s top big men down the road because his of his offensive skills and shot-blocking prowess. The Blazers would benefit from Labissiere’s presence, but he would be a better fit on a team that would be more inclined to allow him time to develop in the D-League. As Ford suggests, the Celtics would seem like the best fit for Labissiere because Boston can afford to take a gamble with multiple picks in the draft. The franchise has also strategically used the D-League as a development tool, often moving young players down to the affiliate multiple times throughout the week for more playing time.
FINAL TAKE: Centers who have sound midrange scoring ability have a place in the NBA. At the same time, big men who don’t rebound well do not. It’s hard to tell where Labissiere will end up, but his intriguing size and raw talent should help him get selected in the first round. From there, Labissiere must continue to add strength and become tougher on the glass. Labissiere lived in Haiti, was declared ineligible by two high schools before attending a prep school and experienced a rocky college season, so he has battled adversity. I see Labissiere drafted toward the end of the first round and then spending most of next season in the D-League.
(For Part One of Skal Labissiere’s prospect profile, click here.)
Prospect Profile: Skal Labissiere (Part One)
OVERVIEW: Things didn’t go so well this season for Skal Labissiere. The 7-foot, 225-pound Haitian struggled for much of his lone season at Kentucky after being a highly recruited and raw five-star prospect out of Lausanne Collegiate School, a prep school in Tennessee. Without much 5-on-5 experience, Labissiere looked physically overmatched until late in the season. Labissiere, 20, lost his starting spot by midseason but improved enough to reclaim it down the stretch. Labissiere was a preseason top-five selection, but his stock dropped because of the uneven campaign. It didn’t quite plummet, however. Labissiere is still viewed as a first-round pick.
STATS: In 36 appearances for Kentucky this season, Labissiere averaged 6.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.6 blocks in 15.8 minutes per outing. His slash line on the year was .521/.000/.661.
STRENGTHS: Labissiere has great size and shown an ability to run the floor with a skill level that will likely improve on both ends of the court. He showed flashes of rare offensive moves for a 7-footer with jump hooks and turnaround jumpers. He became much more of an efficient scorer, especially from midrange, as the season progressed. One of his best games came against LSU on March 5th, when he had 18 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. Overall, Labissiere displayed nice touch inside with a fluid shot from the line and elbow. Labissiere was mostly an interior defender and provided some rim protection. His leaping ability is what set him apart before college and was an essential part of his transition with Kentucky. Labissiere registered at least four blocks in a single game on four occasions. As a long, athletic big man with solid shooting skills, Labissiere is an intriguing prospect.
WEAKNESSES: Labissiere had almost as many personal fouls (108) as he did rebounds (113) last season. His foul woes can be partially attributed to a lack of awareness at times. Labissiere also lacked strength and toughness inside, which was why he averaged only a few rebounds per game. While his shooting is a strength, Labissiere tended to rely too heavily on it and needs to develop more of a low-post game. He is likely one of the most raw prospects in the draft and is not polished by any means.
(For Part Two of Skal Labissiere’s prospect profile, click here.)
Eastern Notes: Bazemore, Pistons, Whiteside, Lin
The Hawks‘ Kent Bazemore stands to significantly increase his $2MM salary as he heads toward free agency, but he tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that he has been too busy to think about it. “Honestly, I haven’t had time,” Bazemore said. “It’s been a very aggressive year as far as scheduling, as far as the physical and mental load. I think in December, I had already played 300 more minutes than I had the whole last year. So physically, it was a lot.” Bazemore probably attracted a lot of suitors by averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in his first full year as a starter with the Hawks. He was the team’s fourth-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder. Although he can expect to get plenty of offers this summer, Bazemore’s first choice is to remain in Atlanta. “Being able to be out there and play through your mistakes and have a coach [Mike Budenholzer] who takes it personal to coach you,” Bazemore said. “He loves my competitiveness and I love how competitive he is. It’s a match made in heaven.”
There’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Cleveland’s 3-0 lead over the Pistons in their playoff series has helped expose some of the changes that need to be made this offseason, according to David Mayo of MLive. The team could use another player who can create off the dribble, Mayo writes, along with more shooters and a reliable backup point guard. The Pistons will also look at what Tobias Harris has brought to the team since he was acquired in February and see how to compensate for the weaknesses in Andre Drummond‘s game.
- The Heat were hurt by not having the taxpayer’s mid-level exception available last season, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Miami had to use its room mid-level, which limits contracts to two years, to sign free agent center Hassan Whiteside. He emerged into a player who may demand a max contract this summer, and the Heat don’t own his Bird rights because he only had a two-year deal.
- The hiring of coach Kenny Atkinson, who was Jeremy Lin‘s mentor with the Knicks, could give the Hornets point guard a reason to come to Brooklyn, according to NetsDaily. The Nets need backcourt help and may be interested in Lin, who passed on a $3.5MM mini-mid level offer from Brooklyn last season.