And-Ones: Free Agents, D-League, Bennett, Oden
Several under-the-radar players who will be free agents this summer are improving their bargaining position with their performance in the playoffs, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. He identifies six players, starting with Golden State big man JaVale McGee, who is averaging 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks through five games despite playing just 11.8 minutes per night. McGee signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Warriors for the veteran’s minimum and could be in line for a huge pay raise in July. The others that Kennedy singles out are Serge Ibaka of the Raptors, Joe Ingles of the Jazz, Nene of the Rockets, Andre Roberson of the Thunder and Deron Williams of the Cavaliers.
There’s more news from around the basketball world:
- The Texas Legends, the Mavericks‘ affiliate in the D-League, have given coach Bob MacKinnon a two-year extension, tweets D-League Digest. The D-League veteran is in his first season with the Legends.
- Invitations have been issued for the D-League’s Elite Mini Camp, which will be held May 8-9 in Chicago, relays Chris Reichert of FanSided. Many players have used this showcase to earn spots on summer league rosters, with alumni such as Jonathon Simmons, Hollis Thompson and DeAndre Liggins. Among the best-known names at this year’s camp will be Russ Smith, JaKarr Sampson, Ray McCallum and Cliff Alexander.
- Former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, who played 23 games for the Nets this season, has been replaced on his Fenerbahce team in Turkey, according to Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops. Taking his spot on the roster is Pero Antic, who played for the Hawks from 2013 to 2015. Bennett will remain with the club and is expected to be part of the upcoming EuroLeague Final Four.
- Greg Oden, another former No. 1 pick, is hoping to be part of The Basketball Tournament this summer on ESPN, relays Alysha Tsuji of USA Today. Oden’s team is called Scarlet and Gray and is made up of Ohio State alumni. “We think we’re a team that can win it,” he said. “We look at the talent we’ve had here in the last 10 years or so, and we can match up with anybody. We want the state of Ohio supporting us. We’re called Scarlet and Gray, but this team is a representation of the whole state.”
Mavericks Notes: Free Agents, Point Guards, Draft, Mejri
The Mavericks aren’t likely to make a big move in this summer’s free agent market, according to Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News. He sees the Mavs as too far away from contention to be able to lure a big name. Dallas has limited money available heading into the summer and has to worry about re-signing restricted free agent Nerlens Noel. Sherrington sees the Mavericks as having four major needs — firepower, rebounding, defense and a point guard — and thinks that’s too much to acquire in one offseason.
There’s more news tonight out of Dallas:
- The Mavericks have a better chance of finding their point guard through trade rather than the draft, argues Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. The Mavs currently hold the No. 9 pick, and unless they get lucky in the lottery it’s possible that all the top point guards will be taken by then. Sefko says Dallas may be able to get Dennis Smith Jr. or Frank Ntilikina at the ninth spot, but neither will be ready to start as a rookie. He prefers dealing the pick and another player to get a proven point guard, and mentions the Timberwolves’ Ricky Rubio and the Hornets’ Kemba Walker as potential targets.
- Keeping their pick could be the worst strategy for the Mavericks heading into the draft, Sefko writes in a separate piece. He sees two options: either trade for veteran help to team with Dirk Nowitzki in what is expected to be his final season or draft the “best player available” and try to improve through free agency and trades. Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague are two free agent point guards who might be available for less than max money.
- Tunisian center Salah Mejri was much more comfortable in his second NBA season, he says in an interview with ESPN.com. After making frequent trips to the D-League as a rookie, Mejri played 73 games for the Mavericks this year, averaging 2.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in about 12 minutes per night. “It’s easier and clearer now because last year was a bit crazy for me,” he said. “Go to D-League, come back from the D-League, play, don’t play, dressing, not dressing … everything was new for me. But I’ve learned a lot. I’m still learning, of course. I felt more comfortable with the season.” Mejri is under contract for one more season at nearly $1.5MM.
Community Shootaround: Coach/Executives
Part of today’s rumored shakeup in Atlanta includes the possibility that coach/executive Mike Budenholzer could give up his title as president of basketball operations.
Budenholzer has spent four seasons in Atlanta, improving dramatically from 38-44 in his first year to 60-22 in his second. The Hawks regressed to 48 wins last season and 43 this year, leading many to speculate that the organization might be better off with Budenholzer as a full-time coach.
It reopens the debate of whether it’s a good idea to give a head coach a role in the front office. In addition to Budenholzer, there are only four others right now who hold both titles: Doc Rivers with the Clippers, Stan Van Gundy with the Pistons, Tom Thibodeau with the Timberwolves and Gregg Popovich with the Spurs.
Obviously, Popovich has been very successful with his dual responsibilities, and Rivers has helped make the Clippers a perennial playoff team. Thibodeau’s first season in Minnesota was disappointing, while Van Gundy is 113-133 with just one playoff appearance in his three years in Detroit.
During a season-ending press conference today in Los Angeles, Rivers defended the idea of having one person handle both roles. There has been talk that he may be relieved of his front office duties this summer.
“It is hard, that’s why I hired [VP of basketball operations] Lawrence [Frank]“ Rivers said. “People don’t realize [Popovich] has been the president a long time. Clearly, it can be done but you’ve got to have great help. [General manager] R.C. Buford and that entire staff does. Pop really coaches the team. He’s involved. That’s the same system we’re at. I hear that it’s hard to do both. I’m doing the same thing. We’ve hired a million people. Half of them, I’m still learning their names. Lawrence is running the team in that way, but I’m still the president. I really believe more now that it’s a good way of doing it.”
Do you agree with Rivers that the coach/executive concept can work, or is it a better strategy to separate the responsibilities? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.
Clippers Notes: Rivers, Griffin, D-League, Pierce
Coach/executive Doc Rivers identified the Clippers’ offseason priorities during a press conference today, relays Jill Painter Lopez of The Associated Press. “We need length,” he said. “We need more length and two-way players. Again, that’s easy to say. Little harder to do with the way our contracts are. We may continue to do what we’ve done or we may decide to change our contracts and have more flexibility.”
The Clippers’ ability to add players will be hampered by their cap status. They are about $10MM over the cap heading into the offseason, and Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are both expected to exercise early termination options and become free agents. Starting guard J.J. Redick will also be a free agent, and forwards Luc Mbah a Moute [$2.3MM] and Marreese Speights [nearly $1.46MM] both have player options. Rivers expressed hope that the core of the team can be kept together, saying, “I think they deserve a chance to win.”
There’s more Clippers news out of Los Angeles:
- In the same story, Rivers offered the first medical update on Griffin since his surgery Tuesday on the right big toe that knocked him out of the playoffs. “He’s doing well … The surgery went better than we thought,” Rivers said.
- Griffin will be the best available free agent on the market this summer, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation. Ziller notes that Griffin finished third in the 2014 MVP voting and argues that there wouldn’t be speculation about his availability if not for his injury history and the Clippers’ playoff disappointments.
- A D-League affiliate is “going to happen at some point,” Rivers said today (Twitter link). The Clippers are one of just a handful of NBA teams without a direct affiliate in the D-League, and Rivers said the organization is committed to adding one.
- Paul Pierce exits the NBA with a wealth of iconic moments, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Sunday’s Game 7 loss to Utah was the final game for the 19-year veteran, who revealed his retirement plans before the season began.
Luol Deng Has Surgery On Pectoral Muscle
Lakers forward Luol Deng underwent successful surgery today on his right pectoral muscle, the team announced via Twitter. The 32-year-old is expected to be fully recovered in time for training camp.
Deng appeared in just 56 games this season after signing a four-year, $72MM deal last summer. He started 49 times, but averaged just 26.5 minutes per night as his scoring average dropped to a career-low 7.6 points per game.
The Lakers shut down Deng in mid-March, presumably to give more time to their younger players, but the pectoral problem may have played a role in that decision. Deng still has three seasons and $54MM left on his contract.
Magic Interviewing Candidates For Team President
The Magic have held their first interviews in their quest for a new president of basketball operations, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel.
CEO Alex Martins said the team’s plan is to hire a president, who will then select a GM. He confirmed that a few candidates have interviewed, but refused to provide any names, adding that the process could be lengthy.
“As we’ve said from the outset, we don’t expect a quick decision or a quick resolution due to the fact that there are some executives involved in the playoffs that we’re interested in speaking to and most likely we will not be granted permission [to speak with them] until those teams have been eliminated from the playoffs,” Martins said. “In light of that, we’re moving along well, and we’ve been going through our process. And we will not conclude it until we have the opportunity to speak to those individuals.”
One of those executives involved in the playoffs is Cavaliers GM David Griffin, who is believed to be at the top of Orlando’s wish list. A weekend report from Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com said the Magic haven’t yet requested permission to speak to Griffin, whose contract with the defending champs will expire this summer.
Former Celtics star, Timberwolves executive and Rockets coach Kevin McHale has also been mentioned as a prominent candidate.
Orlando, which has strung together five straight losing seasons, fired GM Rob Hennigan and assistant GM Scott Perry after the season ended. Matt Lloyd is serving as assistant GM and is considered a candidate to keep that position.
Five Key Offseason Questions: Indiana Pacers
Coming off a 45-win season a year ago, the Pacers replaced head coach Frank Vogel with Nate McMillan and overhauled their roster, adding Jeff Teague, Al Jefferson, and Thaddeus Young last summer. The moves made Indiana a popular sleeper pick in the Eastern Conference at the start of the season, but the club struggled to perform consistently and finished with a 42-40 record. That mark landed the Pacers seventh in the East, which resulted in a first-round sweep at the hands of the defending champions from Cleveland.
Suddenly, the future in Indiana doesn’t look so bright, and the Pacers’ offseason kicked off with news that Larry Bird has decided to step down as the team’s president. The Pacers now find themselves at a crossroads. Here are five questions facing the club as it embarks on a crucial offseason…
1. What does the post-Bird era in Indiana look like?
With the exception of the 2012/13 season, which he took off for health reasons, Bird has been the Pacers’ president of basketball operations since 2003. The team still has plenty of highly qualified executives in its front office, led by new top decision-maker Kevin Pritchard, but with Bird no longer making the basketball decisions in Indiana, the team’s roster moves may look a little different going forward.
For instance, reports around the trade deadline – and before that – suggested that Bird was strongly in favor of retaining Paul George and would do everything he could to lock up the star forward to a long-term deal with the Pacers. That report at the trade deadline indicated it was Pacers ownership that encouraged the front office to explore all its options with George.
With Bird no longer in the mix, will the team’s stance on George change?
Latest On Potential Hawks’ Front Office Shakeup
3:44pm: Mike Budenholzer has been discussing with Hawks ownership the possibility of eliminating his duties as president of basketball operations and focusing on coaching the team, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that the Hawks continue to discuss Wilcox’s role, and resolution could come later today.
With Wilcox apparently on the outs and Budenholzer potentially taking on a reduced role, there would be at least one major opening in Atlanta’s front office. However, as the team’s statement below notes, nothing is official yet.
3:31pm: “There are no changes to report at this time,” the Hawks said in a statement issued to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). “Any reports indicating otherwise are inaccurate.”
The Hawks’ statement stops short of declaring that Wilcox isn’t going anywhere, simply suggesting there are no changes to announce “at this time.” That likely means that the move just hasn’t yet been made official, but we’ll continue to follow the story to see if anything changes.
2:59pm: With their season over, the Hawks are parting ways with general manager Wes Wilcox, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman and Marc Spears. While head coach Mike Budenholzer is also the president of basketball operations in Atlanta, Wilcox had played a key role in the department and in making personnel decisions.
Wilcox, who was originally hired by the Hawks as an assistant general manager back in 2012, took over as the team’s GM in 2015. The club was coming off a 60-win season at that time, but has since seen its win total slip to 48 in 2015/16 and then to 43 in 2016/17. The Hawks were eliminated from the postseason in the first round this season, a year after losing Al Horford in free agency, and Atlanta will now face the possibility of watching Paul Millsap walk as well, though owner Tony Ressler has said the organization will do all it can to retain the veteran big man.
[RELATED: Paul Millsap says he’ll likely opt out of contract]
Although the team lost Horford last summer, it was still an active offseason for the Hawks, who traded Jeff Teague and then signed Kent Bazemore and Dwight Howard to pricey long-term deals. Bazemore saw his numbers slip in the first year of his new contract, while Taurean Prince – who was drafted with the pick acquired in the Teague trade – didn’t make much of an impact in his rookie season. As for Howard, he reportedly expressed some displeasure during his exit interview about his role in Atlanta.
Wilcox originally received his promotion when racially-charged remarks made by Danny Ferry about Luol Deng led to Ferry’s resignation. Wilcox found himself in a similar – albeit less publicized – situation earlier this year, when a Deadspin report indicated that the Hawks GM had made a joke in poor taste at a season-ticket holder event. Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reported at the time that Wilcox received discipline from the organization following that incident, though there’s no indication it played a major part – or any part – in his dismissal.
While Wilcox’s ouster wasn’t necessarily expected, a recent report did suggests that the Hawks may make front office changes to get new voices involved in basketball decisions.
Draft Updates: Pinson, Knicks, Ntilikina, Jeanne
UNC forward Theo Pinson, who had been testing the draft waters, will return to North Carolina for his senior season, the school announced today in a press release.
“It was a dream of mine to play college basketball at the best school and in the best league in the country, and it is a dream of mine to play in the NBA as well,” Pinson said in a statement. “The best path for me to reach the league and have a long career there is to have a great senior season and I am so excited to have that opportunity to play another year for Coach Williams and finish my degree as well.”
Here are a few more draft-related odds and ends, including more news on players withdrawing their names:
- The Knicks are currently projected to pick seventh overall, meaning top point guards like Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Dennis Smith Jr., and De’Aaron Fox may be off the board. However, the Knicks like French point guard Frank Ntilikina and would consider him at No. 7, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who reports that GM Steve Mills is overseas scouting the 18-year-old this week. Berman also notes that Ntilikina is among the many top prospects who will miss this year’s draft combine.
- Jonathan Jeanne, a 7’2″ center from France, has been invited to the NBA’s draft combine and has tentatively accepted, despite his season not being over, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. Jeanne, who is the No. 36 prospect on DraftExpress’ big board, is an international early entrant, so he’d have the option of withdrawing his name if he doesn’t get great feedback at the combine in Chicago.
- Randy Onwuasor, a Southern Utah shooting guard, has elected to take his name out of the draft and will return to school for his senior year, coach Todd Simon tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Valparaiso junior Tevonn Walker will also be heading back to school for another year, according to Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports, who reports that Walker is withdrawing his name after testing the draft waters. The 6’2″ guard wasn’t expected to be selected if he’d stayed in the draft.
NBPA Head: Jackson Trying To ‘Shame’ Carmelo Out Of New York
Shortly after Knicks president Phil Jackson suggested in his season-ending press conference that Carmelo Anthony would be “better off somewhere else,” National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts issued a statement objecting to Jackson’s comments, calling them “inappropriate” and voicing her concern to the NBA. With no sign that the league is planning to discipline Jackson for his comments, Roberts explained further to Harvey Araton of The Vertical why she’s unhappy with the situation.
“I think Phil was deliberately trying to shame ‘Melo out of the city,” Roberts said, adding that after she first heard Jackson’s comments, she would have “bet [her] pay check” on the Knicks president being sanctioned by the NBA. Now, she has all but given up on waiting for that to happen.
As Araton explains, Roberts pointed to a September 2015 incident for which Markieff Morris was fined $10K by the league after he tweeted, “My future is not in Phoenix.” The NBA called that tweet a “public statement detrimental to the NBA,” and Roberts feels that label should be applied to Jackson’s comments as well, particularly since they could send a dangerous precedent.
As Roberts puts it, there’s concern that it could become a larger issue down the road if “another GM gets it in his head that it’s OK to treat a player this way because Phil got away with it.”
“The comments do damage to the game because they devalue the player and makes the fans who buy tickets question the value of the investment,” Roberts said. “Our players understand that they can privately complain about how a team is managed but they cannot do it publicly without being subject to sanction. But it has to work both ways. If Phil tells ‘Melo in private that being in New York is not a good fit for him, that’s his right. But these comments were made in public, and it’s very disturbing because Phil gave him the no-trade clause and he has to respect it. He’s got to allow a player to make a decision for any reason – to win a ring, for money, home life, whatever.”
Although Roberts hasn’t spoken to Anthony directly about the issue, she tells Araton that there are NBA players who are “unhappy” that the NBA hasn’t responded to the situation. As for Carmelo, Roberts says she’ll give him space to handle the issue however he decides.
“I feel for ‘Melo, this is a tough time for him and I can only imagine how he’s feeling,” Roberts said. “I know he has been talking to some other people so I’ll let him sort it all out.”