Pelicans Hire Danny Ferry As Special Advisor
The Pelicans have hired former Hawks general manager Danny Ferry in a special advisor role, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (via Twitter). The club has since confirmed the hiring in a press release.
“I am excited to announce Danny Ferry has accepted our offer to join the New Orleans Pelicans basketball operations staff as a special advisor,” Pelicans GM Dell Demps said in a statement. “Danny’s experience, insight and achievements will be a welcomed addition to the Pelicans as we continue our quest to improve the team.”
Ferry was at the center of a controversy in Atlanta after making racially insensitive remarks while reading a scouting report on Luol Deng during an organizational conference call. That incident ultimately led to Ferry stepping down as the Hawks’ general manager in 2015, but he has been linked to multiple team executive openings since then, including – most recently – the job Bryan Colangelo ultimately landed in Philadelphia.
While the additions of Jerry Colangelo and Bryan Colangelo to the Sixers’ front office ultimately led to Sam Hinkie‘s departure, the Pelicans’ addition of Ferry doesn’t look like a signal that Demps’ time in New Orleans is nearing an end. There was some uncertainty at season’s end about Demps’ future with the Pelicans, but he is expected to remain in his GM role for the coming season.
In fact, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that Demps encouraged the Pelicans to hire Ferry, who worked closely with Demps in San Antonio. Scott Kushner of The Advocate adds (via Twitter) that the move was Demps’ decision, since he wanted an advisor with executive experience.
If the Pelicans ultimately do decide to make a change at GM sometime down the road, perhaps Ferry would top the list of potential replacements now that he’s in the building, but that’s just my speculation. As Kushner notes (via Twitter), Ferry won’t necessarily be in the building all that much, since he’ll split his time between New Orleans and Atlanta, where he lives.
Knicks Expected To Retain Kurt Rambis As Assistant
The Knicks are currently in negotiations with Kurt Rambis on a new contract that would give the former interim head coach a spot on Jeff Hornacek‘s staff in New York, reports Ian Begley of ESPN.com. The deal hasn’t been finalized yet, but it sounds as if both sides are comfortable moving forward with Rambis as a Knicks assistant.
Rambis, who was considered for the Knicks’ head coaching vacancy, ultimately lost out on the position to Hornacek, raising some doubts about his future with the franchise. However, sources tells Begley that Hornacek has signed off on making Rambis a part of his staff. Rambis had one year remaining on his previous contract with New York, but the two sides have decided to work out a new agreement.
While Phil Jackson, who publicly endorsed Rambis’ inclusion on the Knicks’ coaching staff earlier this week, was believed to be pushing for his former Lakers assistant to stick around, Hornacek was given the authority to make the final calls on his assistants, and is on board with the plan. “Nothing is being forced down Jeff’s neck,” one source tells Begley.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, Hornacek and Rambis, who were teammates as players with the Suns, have a long-standing friendship, with each coach having considered the other for a spot on his staff in the past — Rambis offered Hornacek a job with the Timberwolves, while Hornacek discussed bringing Rambis onto his staff in Phoenix.
Hornacek is also expected to add former Suns assistant Jerry Sichting to his staff in New York, says Begley.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Moultrie, Raptors, Sixers
The Knicks aren’t going to land a marquee free agent like Kevin Durant this offseason, but there are plenty of more realistic targets that the team could pursue in July. Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders singles out a few of those potential free agent targets for the Knicks, writing that Brandon Jennings, Eric Gordon, Evan Fournier, Courtney Lee, Ty Lawson, and a handful of others would make sense for the club.
Speaking of attainable free agent targets, the Knicks are taking a look at a few available veterans this week at a mini-camp, with former first-round picks Anthony Bennett, Royce White, and Arnett Moultrie among the participants, per Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Moultrie, a 2012 first-rounder, has hired Travis King of Relativity Sports for representation, according to HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Here’s more from out of the Atlantic:
- In a conversation with TSN’s Josh Lewenberg (video link), Raptors head coach Dwane Casey talks about his new contract and about Toronto’s offseason, suggesting that the team will target shooting and defensive toughness this summer.
- The 76ers filled some vacancies on their coaching staff by promoting Kevin Young and John Bryant, a pair of coaches from their D-League affiliate, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Meanwhile, Sixers shooting coach Gene Burroughs will become the head coach of the Delaware 87ers, Philadelphia’s D-League team, while former Sixers assistant Will Weaver is a candidate to join the Nets‘ coaching staff.
- Bryan Colangelo and Brett Brown of the Sixers are currently overseas, visiting 2014 first-round pick Dario Saric and scouting international players, tweets Pompey.
Atlantic Rumors: Rambis, DeRozan, Karasev, C’s
New Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek has said he’ll have final say on his assistant coaches, but it certainly sounds as if Phil Jackson expects to see former interim coach Kurt Rambis on Hornacek’s staff, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News details.
“Kurt fits, he fits in a number of ways,” Jackson told SNY.tv during a Knicks event in Chelsea. “He was a teammate of Jeff’s in Phoenix at one point in their careers. He’s also a team guy. He has a great idea of what we’re trying to get accomplished and I think he can help Jeff feel his way through this club and find a best way for them to play.”
In addition to speaking positively about Rambis, Jackson noted that while his Knicks don’t currently have a draft pick, “we think subsequently we might” (link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). That comes as no surprise, considering multiple reports have indicated New York is pushing hard to land a pick in a trade.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- As Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders explains, Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan earned $850K in incentives in 2015/16 based on his free throw attempts, assists per game, and Toronto reaching the Eastern Conference Finals. Now that certain bonuses in his contract are considered “likely,” DeRozan’s cap number for his player option next season has increased to $10.35MM. However, that point ultimately figures to be moot, since DeRozan will turn down his option by next Wednesday’s deadline.
- NetsDaily.com (Twitter link) is hearing from an overseas source that Sergey Karasev is expected to return to Russia to play for his father Vasily Karasev in St. Petersburg. The coach of the year in the Russian league, Vasily was adamant last month that his son won’t be back with the Nets next season.
- Celtics director of player personnel Austin Ainge believes it’s “still too early” to get a real sense of how the trade market during the draft might play out, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com. However, that doesn’t stop ESPN’s Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton (Insider link) from exploring potential trade options for Boston’s No. 3 overall pick and the team’s other seven selections.
- Meanwhile, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said the team has “seven or eight guys” targeted as potential options at No. 3, assuming Boston keeps the pick. Petraglia has the details and the quotes at WEEI.com.
And-Ones: Maxiell, Maker, Hernangomez
Former NBA player Jason Maxiell has inked a deal to play ball in the Philippines with Tropang TNT, international journalist David Pick reports (on Twitter). The 33-year-old power forward last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign when he appeared in 61 games for the Hornets and averaged 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per outing.
Here’s the latest from around the league:
- The Nuggets have workouts scheduled on Wednesday for Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Juan Hernangomez (Estudiantes), Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame ), Diamond Stone (Maryland ), Tyler Ulis (Kentucky), Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV), the team announced via press release.
- The Jazz have workouts planned on Wednesday with Chase Fischer (BYU), Dejounte Murray (Washington), Max Hooper (Oakland) and Brandon Taylor (Utah), the team announced.
- Thon Maker is expected to work out for the Spurs in the near future, Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News relays (via Twitter).
- The Knicks, Wizards and Suns have worked out former UConn guard Sterling Gibbs, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter).
- Hernangomez, who is the No. 26 overall player in this year’s draft according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, indicated that whether or not he joins the NBA next season depends on which team selects him, Kennedy tweets.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Kings
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 Sacramento Kings, whose D-League affiliate is the Reno Bighorns:
The Kings made 8 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending two players to the D-League for a total of 98 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Sacramento for the 2015/16 campaign:
- November 13th: Assigned Duje Dukan (1st) — Recalled November 23rd
- November 30th: Assigned Duje Dukan (2nd) — Recalled December 7th
- December 9th: Assigned Duje Dukan (3rd) — Recalled December 10th
- December 17th: Assigned Duje Dukan (4th) — Recalled December 27th
- February 4th: Assigned Duje Dukan (5th) — Recalled February 24th
- February 25th: Assigned Duje Dukan (6th) — Recalled April 1st
- March 19th: Assigned Eric Moreland (1st) — Recalled April 1st
- April 7th: Assigned Duje Dukan (7th) — Recalled April 8th
Here’s how Sacramento’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Duje Dukan: In 27 appearances Dukan averaged 14.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 28.9 minutes per outing. His slash line was .403/.371/.722.
- Eric Moreland: In five appearances Moreland averaged 9.6 points, 14.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 27.0 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .553/.000/.286.
Southeast Notes: Dragic, Lee, Wizards
The Heat went to a small-ball approach this past season out of necessity to due injuries, but the experiment may continue in 2016/17 in order to better maximize the talents of Goran Dragic, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post writes. “[Coach] Erik [Spoelstra] did a great job putting something together that was very coherent and opened up the floor for our best players,” team executive Pat Riley said. “It’s not a secret that some things did look different after that. How he decides to play next year will be determined by what he sees in October in training camp. When you talk about uptempo basketball … your offense is only as good as what you do at the defensive end. If you want to explode out of there, then you’ve gotta make some stops and rebound the ball.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards held workouts today for Dorian Finney-Smith (Florida), Tim Quarterman (LSU) and Mike Tobey (Virginia), J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic.com relays.
- Also working out for the Wizards today were Nathan Boothe (Toledo), David Walker (Northeastern) and Abdel Nader (Iowa State), Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
- Hornets swingman Courtney Lee, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, says he can see himself playing in the league for many years to come, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter). “I think I can ride it out for another seven to eight years. You can play in the league a long time if you can put the ball in from [3],” Lee, 30, said.
- With a number of young big men on the roster, the Hornets may be best served to allow Al Jefferson to depart as an unrestricted free agent this summer and concentrate on adding outside shooting instead, Keith P. Smith of RealGM opines in his offseason preview for Charlotte.
Atlantic Notes: Diallo, Rooks, Cobb
Knicks team president Phil Jackson believes the team can compete for a playoff spot next season in the Eastern Conference, Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays. When asked if it was realistic to expect New York to make the postseason in 2016/17, Jackson responded, “I think so. I think we’re getting experience. Kristaps Porzingis is still a young player; he may need another year of experience. But we have some experienced guys who can play.” The executive was also asked if the team could potentially make some noise in the postseason rather than merely settling on making it there, Jackson told the media, “Why not? I don’t know what’s so great about what’s out here in the East. We can fill that role.”
The executive also admitted that the triangle offense would need to be tweaked to account for the emphasis the league now places on three-point shooting, Begley adds. “The 3-point line has become our affection, because it means more when we make a 3-point shot. So the spacing has changed dramatically,” Jackson said. “So the triangle can still be a part of that, but it has to adapt.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Ex-NBA center and former Sixers assistant Sean Rooks passed away today at the age of 46, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reports (on Twitter). The cause of death was not relayed by the scribe. Our condolences go out to Rooks’ family and friends.
- The Nets are aggressively trying to acquire a pick in this year’s NBA Draft, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. The scribe also confirms earlier reports that indicated the Knicks are pushing hard to land a pick via trade. Brooklyn has $3.4MM it can spend to purchase a pick from another team, while New York has $3.3MM remaining to use for the same purpose.
- The Celtics have a workout scheduled on Wednesday with former Kansas big man Cheick Diallo, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports (via Twitter). Diallo could be in play for Boston at pick No. 16, or if the team trades down in the first-round, though that is merely my speculation.
- Also slated to work out for the Celtics in the near future is former Cincinnati guard Farad Cobb, Kennedy tweets. Cobb, who isn’t currently among those predicted to be selected this June by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, had an impressive showing at the Elite Skills Training pro day, Kennedy notes.
- Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek once again noted his preference that the team upgrade at the point guard position this summer, Begley relays (ESPN Now link). “The point guards we have, Jerian Grant is just a young player who is learning his way. He’s going to get better and better as the years go on with the experience. And Jose Calderon is on the later side of it” Hornacek said on “The Hahn and Humpty Show” on ESPN 98.7 FM. “So if we can find a point guard who, that’s the 27, 28-year-old guy who has the experience and still has a lot of juice left, sure that would make us better. And the more shooters you can get, the better also.“
Poll: 2016 Community Mock Draft (Pick No. 16)
The results of the 2016 NBA Draft lottery are in and the Sixers finally landed the elusive No. 1 overall pick after missing out the past two seasons. Now that the exact draft order is locked in, teams can begin targeting specific players who are likely to still be on the board when it is their time to choose. Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. We at Hoops Rumors thought it would be fun to give our readers the chance to predict the results of this June’s draft, which is what we are doing with a series of polls.
We’re past the midpoint of the draft and have once again come to the Celtics, who already nabbed forward Dragan Bender at pick No. 3. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Boston’s pick and check back Wednesday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Grizzlies will select with the No. 17 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 16 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Selections
- Sixers — Ben Simmons (LSU)
- Lakers — Brandon Ingram (Duke)
- Celtics — Dragan Bender (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
- Suns — Jaylen Brown (California)
- Timberwolves — Buddy Hield (Oklahoma)
- Pelicans — Kris Dunn (Providence)
- Nuggets — Jamal Murray (Kentucky)
- Kings — Henry Ellenson (Marquette)
- Raptors — Marquese Chriss (Washington)
- Bucks — Jakob Poeltl (Utah)
- Magic — Skal Labissiere (Kentucky)
- Jazz — Denzel Valentine (Michigan State)
- Suns — Domantas Sabonis (Gonzaga)
- Bulls — Deyonta Davis (Michigan State)
- Nuggets — Timothe Luwawu (Mega Leks)
With the No. 16 Overall Pick, the Celtics Select...
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Thon Maker (Australia) 18% (331)
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Furkan Korkmaz (Anadolu Efes) 11% (199)
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Taurean Prince (Baylor) 9% (172)
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Brice Johnson (North Carolina) 8% (143)
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Cheick Diallo (Kansas) 6% (119)
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Ante Zizic (Croatia) 6% (116)
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Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt) 6% (110)
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Malachi Richardson (Syracuse) 5% (94)
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Tyler Ulis (Kentucky) 4% (75)
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Dejounte Murray (Washington) 4% (73)
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Malik Beasley (Florida State) 4% (70)
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Zhou Qi (China) 4% (68)
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Diamond Stone (Maryland) 3% (56)
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Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame) 3% (47)
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DeAndre Bembry (St. Joe's) 2% (45)
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Damian Jones (Vanderbilt) 2% (42)
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Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV) 2% (34)
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Juan Hernangomez (Spain) 1% (23)
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Isaia Cordinier (France) 1% (10)
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Robert Carter (Maryland) 0% (5)
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Petr Cornelie (Le Mans) 0% (1)
Total votes: 1,833
Southwest Notes: Nowitzki, Grizzlies, Diaw, Spurs
Dirk Nowitzki remains undecided on what he’ll do this summer with his contract — the longtime Mavericks star could exercise his player option and address his deal in 2017, but he indicated today that the more likely scenario would see him opt out in order to sign a new two- or three-year contract with Dallas, as Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News outlines.
“[I] haven’t decided 100%, but I’ve met with Donnie (Nelson) and I just met with Mark (Cuban) once I came back from vacation just seeing what the next few years could bring for this franchise, who’s available, what’s out there, what’s best for both sides,” Nowitzki said. “I don’t think either side has made a decision yet, but it’s probably going to look like it (opting out). Since I felt great and played sort of decent, I might opt out and maybe sign a two- or three-year deal (with the Mavericks). We’ll see how it goes, but that’s probably the plan for now.”
Although Mavericks management will obviously have some say in the outcome, Cuban made it clear today that the decision will be primarily Nowitzki’s, telling Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, “Dirk gets to do whatever he wants to do. Period.”
Here’s more from out of the Southwest:
- In a separate Morning News article, Sefko says that he’d be “scared to death” to offer a maximum-salary contract to Chandler Parsons this offseason, but concedes that the Mavericks probably won’t have much choice if they want to keep the veteran wing.
- Even if Mike Conley re-signs with the Grizzlies, it may be time for the team to develop a young point guard to back him up, writes Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. As Tillery observes, Memphis could use the No. 17 overall pick in the draft to address the position.
- In an interview with Basket-Infos.com (French link; translation via Christophe Brouet), Spurs forward Boris Diaw said he’s not yet sure whether the team will keep him on its roster and guarantee the remaining $4MM on his $7MM salary for 2016/17. However, Diaw said he’s been told that San Antonio would like to keep him.
- The Spurs will be hosting a veteran free agent mini-camp next Tuesday that will includes Chris Copeland and Adonis Thomas, among others, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.