New York Notes: Conley, Rambis, McCullough
The Nets will be shopping for a point guard this summer and may have a better shot at landing Mike Conley now that coach Dave Joerger has been fired in Memphis, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Conley, who averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 assists this season and led the NBA in assists-to-turnovers ratio, has said he wants to see how the Grizzlies’ offseason plays out before deciding to re-sign.
Lewis foresees a point guard shakeup in Brooklyn even if the Nets can’t lure Conley. He expects Jarrett Jack, who started 32 games before tearing his ACL, to be released, allowing the Nets to save all but $500K of his $6.3MM salary. Shane Larkin has a June 29th deadline to decide whether to exercise a $1.5MM option for next season. New coach Kenny Atkinson has a reputation for developing point guards and worked closely with Jeremy Lin when both were with the Knicks. Lin could be an option if he opts out of a deal with Charlotte that would pay him only slightly more than $2.2MM. Lewis writes that Rajon Rondo, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Seth Curry and Jordan Clarkson could be other targets, along with overseas players such as Milos Teodosic, Nando De Colo, Malcolm Delaney and Sergio Rodriguez.
There’s more out of New York:
- The Knicks also have interest in Conley and might see their chances improving because of the events in Memphis, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. That’s especially true if GM Chris Wallace, a huge supporter of Conley, leaves the Grizzlies as well, Berman writes.
- Knicks president Phil Jackson may be repaying Kurt Rambis after costing him the head coaching job with the Lakers 17 years ago, Berman writes in a separate story. Rambis took over on the Lakers’ bench after Del Harris was fired in 1999 and expected to be named head coach after the season ended. However, late owner Jerry Buss hired Jackson, and Rambis’ coaching career was put on hold. Now the interim coach with the Knicks, Rambis is believed to be Jackson’s choice to lead the team next season.
- Nets rookie Chris McCullough showed a lot of promise late in the season, but he will probably be brought along slowly next year, according to NetsDaily. McCullough, the 29th pick in last year’s draft, missed most of the season while recovering from an ACL tear he suffered at Syracuse. A 6’11” power forward with an impressive vertical leap and 3-point range, McCullough gives Brooklyn hope for the future, but the author speculates that Atkinson will phase him in gradually and may even send the 21-year-old to the team’s new D-League team for occasional seasoning.
Thunder Notes: Durant, Free Agency, Adams
Kevin Durant, who is expected to be the most sought-after name on this summer’s free agent market, respects David West for passing up millions to pursue an NBA title, relays Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. West declined a $12.6MM option with the Pacers last year and signed with the Spurs for the $1.5MM veteran’s minimum. The move raised eyebrows around the league, but Durant found it admirable. “Money isn’t everything in this life,” Durant said. “I know we tend to think about taking care of your family and being financially stable, but from the outside looking in, it looked like he said, ‘I’ve been blessed enough to make X amount of dollars, and I want to be happy chasing something that is the grand prize in this league.’”
There’s more news from Oklahoma City:
- The Thunder are the favorites to keep Durant, but their chances would decline if they can’t get past the Spurs, writes Mark Heisler of The Los Angeles Daily News. That largely falls in with a Friday report from Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Heisler expects Durant to sign a one-year deal with Oklahoma City or possibly a two-year pact with an opt-out clause for next summer. That will enable him to earn about $40MM more and time his free agency with Russell Westbrook‘s. “I think he’s going to test the water,” said former Thunder teammate and current Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, “but at the end of the day, Oklahoma City is something dear to his heart.” In order, Heisler lists the Spurs, Warriors, Wizards, Clippers, Knicks and Lakers as the top contenders if Durant does decide to leave OKC.
- Because he was drafted with a pick the Thunder received in the James Harden trade, Steven Adams has been dealing with huge expectations from the start of his NBA career, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Adams averaged 8.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this year while splitting time at center with Enes Kanter. Before the start of last season, Oklahoma City picked up Adams’ $3,140,517 option for 2016/17. “He’s not easily impressed, he doesn’t take things too seriously,” said teammate Nick Collison. “I think that’s the culture from his background. He’s all about, ‘Get over yourself.’ He didn’t grow up with the dream to play in the NBA, and it shows.”
Grizzlies Notes: Coaching Search, Joerger, Conley
Former Pacers coach Frank Vogel will be part of a long list of candidates to replace Dave Joerger, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Tillery expects the Grizzlies to reach out to veteran coaches David Blatt, Brian Shaw, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. GM Chris Wallace promised a “thoughtful and comprehensive” process, adding that there is no rush to find a replacement. He plans to consider college coaches as well as NBA assistants. “We don’t have a guy,” Wallace said. “We’ll talk to people and see how it goes. It’s not about dealing from a pre-existing category. It’s about finding the right guy. We’re very much in the preliminary stages.” Tillery writes that “reshaping” the team, which the front office didn’t believe Joerger was willing to do, will be among the responsibilities for the next coach.
There’s more out of Memphis:
- Wallace’s call for stability in the organization is laughable, writes Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal, pointing out that in the past four years, the Grizzlies have been through an ownership change, two GM changes and two coaching changes. Joerger had been expressing his unhappiness in subtle ways throughout the season, Calkins notes, and felt betrayed when Jeff Green and Courtney Lee were dealt away at the trade deadline. Joerger also said the roster was “old and slow” and repeatedly praised Jazz rookie Rodney Hood, whom the Grizzlies passed over in the draft. Calkins questions whether free agent point guard Mike Conley will want to re-sign with an organization that has seen so much turnover.
- The Grizzlies may not have enough to offer on the free agent market, according to Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders. Memphis must decide by June 29th whether to pick up a $9.4MM option for next season on Lance Stephenson. If the Grizzlies keep him and all their other contracts while renouncing Matt Barnes and Chris Andersen, they will have about $60MM in guaranteed salary against a cap projected at more than $90MM. However, Conley carries a $14MM cap hold, which means money must be cut in other areas for the team to offer a max contract. Vince Carter and JaMychal Green are possibilities, as they both have contracts that won’t be guaranteed until January. Brandan Wright and his $5.7MM deal could be traded to clear more room. Dowsett speculates about Eric Gordon, Joe Johnson, Arron Afflalo, Gerald Henderson and Leandro Barbosa as possible free agent targets.
Latest on Dave Joerger, Kings
The sudden availability of Dave Joerger has shaken up the timing of the Kings’ coaching search, reports Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Joerger, who will meet with Sacramento officials today, is among roughly two dozen candidates to formally interview or speak with GM/executive Vlade Divac about the position. Voisin writes that Divac plans to choose three or four finalists in the next few days and present that list to the Kings’ front office. Divac had hoped to fill the vacancy before leaving for the pre-draft camp in Chicago later this week, but the dismissals of Joerger in Memphis and Frank Vogel in Indiana forced him to alter the schedule to take a look at both candidates. According to Voisin, Divac has also been trying to schedule a meeting with Spurs assistant Ettore Messina during downtime in the San Antonio-Oklahoma City playoff series. She lists Joerger, Vogel and Messina among the front-runners to be the Kings’ next coach, along with Mike Woodson and Nate McMillan. Portland coach Terry Stotts is a possible darkhorse if the Blazers aren’t willing to extend his contract.
There’s more news this morning on the Joerger front:
- Dissension between Joerger and the Grizzlies had been building throughout the season, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Joerger, who had just one guaranteed year left on his Memphis contract, reportedly angered team officials when he called the roster “a little bit old” earlier this season. More recently, Joerger told Memphis-area reporters that he wouldn’t be talking them them until July because he wasn’t part of the group preparing for the draft. Joerger’s request to be allowed to interview for coaching positions in Sacramento and Houston apparently sealed his fate in Memphis.
- Joerger’s meeting with the Kings seems like a “mere formality,” tweets TNT’s David Aldridge, who hears that the team is prepared to make a three-year offer worth $12MM.
- The arrangement between Joerger and Sacramento is virtually a done deal, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, who adds that it would take a “screeching halt” for Joerger not to get the job.
- Joerger made a wise career move by orchestrating his firing in Memphis, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation. Owner Robert Pera never believed in Joerger and tried to undermine him from the time he replaced Lionel Hollins in 2013, according to Ziller. That’s why Joerger has been requesting permission to interview with other franchises, starting with the Wolves in 2014. Ziller points out that Joerger is now free to pursue an arrangement that will give him more money and security than he had with the Grizzlies.
Offseason Outlook: Memphis Grizzlies
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead to offseason moves for all 30 teams. We’ll examine free agency, the draft, trades and other key storylines for each franchise as the summer approaches.
Mike Conley‘s Free Agency
The offseason for the Grizzlies is somewhat similar to their offseason last year. The top priority again will be attempting to retain a premier player, something they were able to accomplish last year when they re-signed Marc Gasol to a five-year max deal. This July, the team hopes to lock up Mike Conley. He believes this team can still be a championship contender. “We might have a different team with a lot of different faces,” Conley said last month after a postseason loss against the Spurs. “But with the core group of guys we have instilled here, and with [Gasol] coming back healthy, we definitely have a chance to continue in this window to be successful.” This is a team that has made the playoffs in each of the past six seasons, but its chances of making the playoffs again next season and the direction of its offseason are dependent on Conley putting pen to paper in Memphis.
Coaching Search
The Grizzlies parted ways with Dave Joerger and whom they choose to be the next coach should shine some light on what their plans are going forward. The team reportedly intends to pursue Frank Vogel, who was not retained by the Pacers. Such a move could signal that they intend to keep the core of Conley, Gasol and Zach Randolph together, as Vogel has extensive experience coaching teams that employ two traditional big men, although that is simply my speculation.
Potential Trades
Trading Randolph seems to be the deal that could bring in the most without sacrificing a potential All-Star. The power forward has one year at slightly under $10.4MM left on his deal. That’s an attractive contract for a player who displayed superb offensive ability as recently as this postseason. If they do make him available, he would be a good fit for the Raptors, as he could easily steal Luis Scola‘s minutes. Ultimately, I suspect that the team keeps its beloved big man for at least another season, assuming the Grizzlies also keep Conley and don’t go into any sort of rebuild.
Free Agent Targets
Again, the offseason plans are directly related to Conley’s decision. If the team isn’t in the market for a starting point guard, its priority should be adding a shooter or two. The Grizzlies shot 33.1% from behind the arc as a team, which was good for only 29th in the league, and only three teams made fewer 3-pointers than Memphis did. The Grizzlies only have slightly over $47.6MM in guaranteed contracts on the books for next season against a projected salary cap of $92MM.
They hope to have Conley’s new contract on the books as well, and if they can come to an agreement quickly with the point guard, they could operate in the same way the Spurs did when they re-signed Kawhi Leonard, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors detailed in the team’s Salary Cap Digest. Conley’s cap hold is slightly under $14.1MM, which is significantly less than the $26MM maximum salary he’s likely to garner. Securing a verbal commitment from Conley would allow them to use their cap space on another target before circling back and re-signing the 28-year-old.
Nicolas Batum would be a nice addition. Batum isn’t a great 3-point shooter, but he has hit 36% of his shots from behind the arc during his career. He would give the Grizzlies a third option on the court for the next several years behind Conley and Gasol, and he would add some much-needed youth to the roster. Signing Chandler Parsons would achieve the same goals. He’s a better shooter than Batum is, though he’s likely going to be even harder to pry away from his incumbent team. Harrison Barnes is an appealing option, but I speculate that he re-signs with Golden State.
Could the Grizzlies be the team that impetuously offers Kent Bazemore a hefty deal? If they want to add a player who could become a mainstay in their core, they may have to settle for a gamble like Bazemore. Landing a more proven commodity with a mix of youth and shooting on the free agent market will likely be a difficult feat. There simply aren’t many big-time free agents that are realistic fits for Memphis, and no, Kevin Durant is not walking through that door. More likely, the team adds a few pieces around its existing core, taking a gamble on some young talent or adding a veteran shooter, such as Jared Dudley, with the hope that his shooting can supplement the team’s offense.
Draft Outlook
- First-round picks: 17th
- Second-round picks: 57th
Adding talent through the draft will be crucial. They’ve had some misses recently in the latter half of the first-round, like their decision to choose Jordan Adams over Rodney Hood. Memphis should be in a position where the No.17 overall pick doesn’t necessarily need to contribute next season, but the team badly needs a player who can develop into a contributor down the road.
Other Decisions
The Grizzlies will have to decide whether they should pick up Lance Stephenson‘s team option, which is worth slightly over $9.4MM. If the team hires Vogel, it would likely keep Stephenson and see if it can recreate the success that the shooting guard enjoyed in Indiana, although that is just my speculation.
Final Take
The Grizzlies saw 28 different players suit up for them this season, as a result of injuries and the subsequent trades. Before the injuries, they were considered contenders for the Western Conference crown and if they can retain Conley, add a few pieces and hire the right coach, they could easily keep their championship window open for a few more years.
Guaranteed Salary
- Marc Gasol ($21,165,675)
- Zach Randolph ($10,361,445)
- Brandan Wright ($5,709,880)
- Tony Allen ($5,505,618)
- Vince Carter ($2,000,000) — Partial guarantee; non-guaranteed portion listed below
- Jordan Adams ($1,465,080)
- Jarell Martin ($1,286,160)
- (Jamaal Franklin $163,296) — Salary remaining from release via stretch provision
- Total: $47,657,154
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Lance Stephenson ($9,405,000)
- Xavier Munford ($874,636)
- Total: $10,279,636
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Vince Carter ($2,264,057) — Partial guarantee; guaranteed portion listed above
- JaMychal Green ($980,431)
- Total: $3,244,488
Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)
- Bryce Cotton ($1,180,431/$1,180,431)
- Xavier Munford ($1,074,636/$1,074,636) — Pending team option
- Totals: ($2,255,067/$2,255,067)
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Mike Conley ($14,082,639)
- Lance Stephenson ($11,700,000) — Pending team option
- Chris Andersen ($9,500,000)
- Matt Barnes ($6,730,750)
- P.J. Hairston ($1,253,160)1
- Jordan Farmar ($980,431)
- Total: $44,246,980
Other Cap Holds
- No. 17 pick ($1,494,800)
- Nick Calathes ($1,180,431)
- Keyon Dooling ($980,431)
- Total: $3,655,662
Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000
Footnotes:
- The Grizzlies can’t re-sign Hairston to a contract with a starting salary worth more than the amount listed here because the Hornets declined their team option on his rookie scale contract before the start of the season. Charlotte subsequently traded Hairston to Memphis, which inherits the restriction.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post
Kings To Meet With Dave Joerger
The Kings and Dave Joerger will have a face-to-face meeting about the team’s coaching vacancy on Sunday, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Sacramento had been pushing hard to gain permission from the Grizzlies to speak with Joerger prior to him being fired by the team.
Earlier today, it was reported that there is mutual interest between the two parties. Joerger was making $2MM per year for the Grizzlies and Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported that the Kings were willing to double his salary, something that made the job attractive to Joerger despite the team’s recent display of instability.
The franchise was interested in hiring Memphis’ current GM Chris Wallace for its front-office vacancy and Wallace spoke with the Kings before they decided to hire Ken Catanella, Stein passes along in a pair of tweets. Wallace took full responsibility for the Grizzlies’ decision to part ways with the 42-year-old coach.
Latest on Dave Joerger
Dave Joerger was let go by the Grizzlies earlier today, but it doesn’t appear as if he will have to wait long to find another coaching opportunity in the league. Here’s the latest:
- There is mutual interest between the Kings and Joerger, although the team isn’t altering its methodical search, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link).
- While the Kings are strongly pursing Joerger, he plans to wait on making any sort of decision until he hears from the Rockets, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets. The Pacers are a possible landing spot as well, Aldridge adds.
- The Wolves didn’t anticipate Joerger being available and the team believed it would have taken a trade to get him from Memphis, Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press tweets. Krawczynski adds that he doesn’t believe Joerger would be interested in becoming a top assistant on Tom Thibodeau’s staff (Twitter link).
- The topic of tonight’s reader-driven Community Shootaround is which coaching gig should Joerger take next. Click here to join the discussion.
Community Shootaround: Dave Joerger
Another head coaching job became available earlier today when the Grizzlies parted ways with Dave Joerger. “After careful consideration, I concluded that a change was needed to foster the strong culture required to achieve sustainable, long-term success for this organization, the city and our fans,” said GM Chris Wallace. “On behalf of the Grizzlies organization I would like to thank Dave for his work and time in Memphis. We wish Dave and his family all the best and success as he moves forward in his career.”
Joerger reportedly asked management for permission to interview for other vacancies with an eye on openings in Sacramento and Houston. Joerger led the Grizzlies to a 42-40 record this season with a makeshift roster that saw 28 different players suit up for them because of various injuries and trades. Without stars Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, Memphis wasn’t able to win a game in the playoffs. Management applauded his coaching ability, but they reportedly did not see eye-to-eye on personnel matters. “Being an NBA head coach is about more than just coaching a 48-minute game,” Wallace said.
If you were Joerger, what coaching vacancy would you target? Would you want to coach DeMarcus Cousins in Sacramento, where just getting to the playoffs may grant you job security? Would you want the challenge of trying to bring a James Harden-led Rockets team to the finals in a Western Conference that’s so strong at the top? Maybe you prefer Indiana or New York. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. We look forward to what you have to say!
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Rockets
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Houston Rockets, whose D-League affiliate is the Rio Grande Valley Vipers:
The Rockets made 18 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending four players to the D-League for a total of 89 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Houston for the 2015/16 campaign:
- November 11th: Assigned K.J. McDaniels (1st) — Recalled November 16th
- Decembe4th: Assigned K.J. McDaniels (2nd) — Recalled December 9th
- December 6th: Assigned Montrezl Harrell (1st) — Recalled December 9th
- December 26th: Assigned K.J. McDaniels (3rd) — Recalled December 28th
- December 26th: Assigned Montrezl Harrell (2nd) — Recalled December 28th
- January 7th: Assigned K.J. McDaniels (4th) — Recalled January 15th
- January 23rd: Assigned Montrezl Harrell (3rd) — Recalled January 30th
- January 23rd: Assigned K.J. McDaniels (5th) — Recalled January 30th
- January 30th: Assigned Donatas Motiejunas (1st) — Recalled February 1st
- January 30th: Assigned K.J. McDaniels (6th) — Recalled February 1st
- February 3rd: Assigned Donatas Motiejunas (2nd) — Recalled February 4th
- February 4th: Assigned Donatas Motiejunas (3rd) — Recalled February 9th
- February 6th: Assigned K.J. McDaniels (7th) — Recalled February 9th
- February 19th: Assigned Sam Dekker (2nd) — Recalled February 22nd
- March 1st: Assigned Sam Dekker (3rd) — Recalled March 5th
- March 4th: Assigned K.J. McDaniels (8th) — Recalled March 5th
- March 4th: Assigned Montrezl Harrell (4th) — Recalled March 5th
- March 23rd: Assigned Montrezl Harrell (5th) — Recalled April 10th
Here is how the Rockets’ players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Sam Dekker: In seven appearances, Dekker averaged 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23.2 minutes. His shooting numbers were .418/.237/.667.
- Montrezl Harrell: In 12 games, Harrell averaged 24.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 38.9 minutes. His shooting line was .533/.240/.654.
- K.J. McDaniels: In 16 appearances, McDaniels averaged 15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 36.1 minutes. His shooting numbers were .469/.353/.780.
- Donatas Motiejunas: In four games, Motiejunas averaged 13.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 25 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .525/.467/.500.
Pacific Notes: Karl, Kupchak, Suns
Former Kings coach George Karl placed much of the team’s locker room woes on its star players, who never gelled this past season, the coach admitted, according to James Ham of CSNBayArea.com. “There’s no question our locker room had tension,” Karl told Michelle Dapper of KCRA-TV. “There’s no question that our locker room had, whatever you want to call it — disconnect. How I tried to solve it or how we tried to solve it — to be honest with you, I think it’s more on the players as much as it is on the coaches. The stars of the team, I think got to take more responsibility sometimes for the leadership of your team. I think that’s probably where it broke down. I think the coach – me, and I think Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay and Cuz (DeMarcus Cousins) were the three guys that we never kinda got together.”
Karl did admit that he didn’t spend much time in the locker room during his tenure, also adding that Sacramento trading away Cousins may be the best move for the franchise in the long run, Ham notes. “I can’t deny that ‘what if coaching this team without DeMarcus?’” Karl said. “It’d be exciting. Some roadblocks would be taken away.”
Here’s the latest from the Pacific Division:
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak indicated that he is entering the summer under the assumption the team will not have a first-round pick, Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes. “That’s how you have to plan, yes,” Kupchak said. “And I’m fine either way. I would love to have the pick. I want to keep the 32nd pick. But you have to look at it both ways, and if it doesn’t work out where we get the [first-round] pick, we get the pick next year and we still have the ability to improve the team this summer.” If the Lakers’ first-round pick falls outside of the top three in the NBA draft lottery, it will go to the Sixers.
- The Suns need to decide which combination of players will form their backcourt of the future with Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Devin Booker all likely to vie for starting slots, Bobby Marks of The Vertical writes in his offseason primer for the franchise. Another upcoming decision the front office will need to make is regarding the center position, Marks adds. With Tyson Chandler signed for three more seasons and Alex Len set to enter the final year of his rookie contract, Phoenix may not want to pay both players big money and may need to make a tough call on whom to retain, Marks writes.