Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Capela, Mavericks
The Pelicans will look to add outside shooting this offseason, John Reid of The Times-Picayune relays.
”We’re going to look at all options,” GM Dell Demps said. ”We’re going to be broad in our search to find the best possible outcome for the season. Obviously shooting, I think that’s the big importance. We have to be creative and you know putting the right mix around those guys is going to be important.”
Reid names J.J. Redick, Kyle Korver, Andre Iguodala and P.J. Tucker among the unrestricted free agents who could be a fit in New Orleans. It’s worth noting that Iguodala coming to Louisiana is unlikely, as the Warriors plan on keeping him in Golden State beyond this season.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Clint Capela is both a long-term project and a key piece to the Rockets‘ chances at success this postseason, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. The center scored 14 points in Game 1 against the Thunder and protected the rim with great defense. The big man is eligible for rookie scale extension this offseason.
- Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com believes the Mavericks will have trouble landing marquee free agents while Dirk Nowitzki is still on the team (h/t The Dallas Morning News). The analyst compares Nowitzki’s situation to Kobe Bryant‘s in that it’s hard to build a winning roster around an aging superstar who’s getting paid like a current one.
Community Shootaround: Boston’s Comeback Chances
The Bulls shocked the Celtics in Game 1 behind Jimmy Butler‘s 30 point performance. Rebounding was a major issue for coach Brad Stevens‘ squad, as Chicago pulled down 21 more boards than Boston did.
Rajon Rondo stepped up in Game 2, nearly bringing home the 2017 postseason’s first triple-double. The Celtics made just 30.3% of their shots from downtown and they appeared overmatched on the defensive end.
That leads us to tonight’s topic: After watching two games, do you think Boston can win this series?
Only 18 teams have ever comeback from 0-2 to win a 7-game series, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). The Celtics are the only No. 1 seed in history to drop the first two games against a No. 8 seed in a 7-game series. The 1993 Suns went down 0-2 in a 5-game series as a No.1 seed against the Lakers, but they came back to win that series and eventually won the Western Conference.
Can Boston comeback from the 0-2 deficit? If the Celtics come out victorious this round, how far can they go? Take to the comment section below to share your thoughts. We look forward to what you have to say!
An earlier edition of this post incorrectly relayed the number of teams to come back from 0-2 in a 7-game series. Only 18 teams have done so.
Rick Carlisle Talks Mavericks, Draft Process
Coach Rick Carlisle recently appeared on ESPN Dallas’ Dennis and Cowlishaw radio show (h/t The Dallas Morning News) to discuss the Mavericks‘ offseason and the pre-draft process. Here are some highlights from the discussion:
- Dallas is currently slotted with the ninth pick, though the franchise has a 6.1% chance at landing a top-three pick in the draft, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors details. While Carlisle would certainly like to move up, he believes you can get a productive player anywhere within the top 10. “I’ve been looking at it for about 10 days now,” Carlisle said. “It’s deep. It’s 13 or 14 deep with guys that are going to legitimately help teams; not only teams that are bad but teams that are good. It’s a good year to be in the top-10. We’ll take advantage of it. There’s a lot of work to do between now and draft night.”
- The Mavericks don’t usually pick this high in the draft and Carlisle admits that it puts added pressure on the organization getting the selection right. “This is the kind of pressure you want, an opportunity,” the coach said. “And we know it’s big. We haven’t been even in the mid-first round very much.”
- Many people within the front office will have input on who the team selects, but ultimately, it’ll be the owner the makes the final call, Carlisle explains. “Even if some guys are hired in GM positions and they say, ‘I have decision-making power in this job,’ not really. You’re always running it by your owner. And so ultimately Mark [Cuban] makes the final call and we’ll make a recommendation,” Carlisle said.
- Carlisle added that he’s only involved in the draft process to inform the front office on what the team’s needs since he has the best idea of what they already have.
- He added that the Mavericks won’t draft for need: “We gotta take the best player available.”
- Be sure to check out the whole interview via The Dallas Morning News. It’s worth a read.
Central Notes: Pistons, Pacers, Stephenson
After a disappointing 2016/17 campaign, the Pistons will look to shore up their three-point shooting. So says head coach Stan Van Gundy, at least. Aaron McMann of MLive wrote about Detroit’s goal heading into the offseason.
“We’ve got to shoot the ball better, there’s no question about that,” Van Gundy told the media following his exit interviews with Pistons players.
Not long after, he’d go on to complain about the team’s regression throughout the season, as has become somewhat of a custom for the Pistons bench boss.
“We just talked about that with our team. I think a lot of that can be internal development. [The Pistons] had virtually an entire roster that took a step back in that area this year.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers have brought about WNBA legend Tamika Catchings to serve as director of player programs and franchise development, Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star tweets.
- Prior to signing with the Pacers last month, Lance Stephenson was worked out by the Cavaliers. Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes that the forward wasn’t offered a deal at the time because he was still recovering from a groin injury.
- The general manager of the Cavaliers‘ D-League affiliate, Mike Gansey, was named the NBA D-League’s executive of the year according to a press release from the Canton Charge.
- The Pistons had the seventh highest payroll in the NBA this year, so Brendan Savage of MLive took a good long look at the value of each player’s contract. Marcus Morris, Ish Smith and Beno Udrih were the only relative bargains.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/18/17
Here are the D-League transactions for the day:
- The Raptors assigned forward Bruno Caboclo to their D-League affiliate, the club’s media department tweets. The Raps and Bucks play Game 2 of their first-round series tonight at 6 PM CST, so it appears Caboclo won’t be with Toronto for that game.
Lakers Notes: Clarkson, Black, West
Fresh off of his third season in the NBA, Lakers combo guard Jordan Clarkson is familiar with a fluctuating role. According to Mark Medina of Inside the Lakers, that isn’t expected to change after his exit meeting.
The 24-year-old told Medina that he doesn’t know whether he’ll start, come off the bench, play the point or handle duties at the two-guard position. Much of that, naturally, will be determined after the draft and free agent signing period.
In 2016/17, Clarkson thrived in uncertainty, nearly matching his career high in scoring despite playing less minutes than he did when he initially set the mark.
While much of L.A.’s core revolves around players like D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle, the 2014 second-round pick averaged an impressive 14.7 points while playing in all 82 games for the Lakers.
There’s more from the Lakers today:
- Despite an apparent willingness to accept a consultant role with the Lakers, Jerry West won’t be offered one, Mark Heisler of the Orange County Register writes, citing a team insider.
- Third-year forward Tarik Black is confident he’ll be back with the Lakers next season, Mark Medina writes for Inside the Lakers. Although there’s no guarantee when it comes to his… non-guaranteed contract. “If they weren’t interested in bringing me back, they would’ve just said, ‘Well, it’s nice having you Tarik, we enjoyed you, we’ll be in touch,” Black said. “The fact they’re sitting there, having the conversation and listening to my questions and they seriously answered them and we talked about development, it just gives me confidence moving forward.“
- The Lakers wrapped up their exit meetings last week, writes the Orange County Register’s Mark Medina, and one item that was stressed consistently was better conditioning. The club appears otherwise optimistic looking forward.
- After two years with the Lakers, 37-year-old Metta World Peace has tweeted goodbye to the franchise, E. Carchia of Sportando relays.
And-Ones: Nurkic, Durant, R. Allen, W. Bynum
The Trail Blazers and Warriors will play Game 2 of their series on Wednesday night, and both sides may be missing a key player. Jusuf Nurkic, who continues to recover from a fractured leg, announced today that he won’t play in Game 2 for the Blazers, per Joe Freeman of The Oregonian (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Kevin Durant, who recently returned from a knee injury, is now battling a left calf strain and was listed as questionable on the Warriors’ injury report today (Twitter link).
As we wait to see if Durant is able to give it a go for Golden State, let’s round up a few odds and ends from around the basketball world…
- Appearing over the weekend on ESPN’s The Jump, Ray Allen was asked about why he hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2013/14 season, and explained that contract offers he received since then wouldn’t have given him a chance to have a real role (link via Adam London of NESN). “Most of the inquiries I have received were how ready am I to accept my role as a veteran and sit on the bench and mentor the young guys,” Allen said. “I’d love to do that, it comes naturally to me, but I do want to play.”
- Veteran point guard Will Bynum has reached a deal to play for Luoyang in China this summer, according to 24/7 Basketball (Twitter link). Bynum, who has had multiple stints in China, played with the Pistons for several seasons in the NBA.
- Canton Charge swingman John Holland – who has spent time with the Celtics and Cavaliers – is also headed to China, having agreed to a contract with the Beijing Eastern Ducks, Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net confirms. International basketball journalist David Pick first reported (via Twitter) that Holland was finalizing a deal with the Chinese club.
- The Maine Red Claws and Raptors 905 are currently battling for the right to advance to the D-League Finals, and each team saw a key contributor take home a major award within the past few days. 2016 Celtics second-rounder Abdel Nader was the D-League’s Rookie of the Year, while Edy Tavares, who spent most of the season with the Raptors‘ affiliate, was named the NBADL Defensive Player of the Year. Tavares is now on the Cavaliers‘ roster, having been signed on the last day of the regular season.
Grayson Allen Returning To Duke
Duke has already lost several key players this spring, with Jayson Tatum, Luke Kennard, and Harry Giles entering the draft with the intent of hiring agents. However, another top prospect, Grayson Allen, announced today that he’ll be returning to the Blue Devils for his senior season (Twitter link).
[RELATED: 2017 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]
Allen, who ranks 45th on DraftExpress’ top-100 list and 61st on ESPN’s big board, struggled during his junior year at Duke as several of his teammates took big steps forward in their development. After averaging 21.6 PPG on .466/.417/.837 shooting in his sophomore year, Allen saw those averages dip to 14.5 PPG and .395/.365/.811 in 2016/17.
Although Allen played well in the NCAA tournament before Duke was bounced, ESPN’s Chad Ford suggested last month that the 21-year-old shooting guard could use another year in college to “really rehabilitate his image on and off the court.”
A strong showing in his senior season could get Allen back into the first-round discussion for 2018 — DraftExpress currently has him coming off the board at No. 26 in its ’18 mock draft.
NBA Draft Tiebreaker Results, Tentative 2017 Order
The NBA conducted its draft tiebreakers today, determining which teams who finished tied in the standings at the end of the season will receive higher picks in the 2017 draft.
There was one tie in the lottery, for the No. 6 spot, and the Timberwolves won today’s tiebreaker over the Knicks. However, both teams will have essentially equal odds to jump into the top three, since their lottery chances will be split evenly.
In instances where the two teams are splitting up an odd number of chances, the Wolves will receive very slightly better odds by virtue of winning today’s tiebreaker. For instance, they’ll have a 7% chance at the No. 3 pick, while the Knicks will have 6.9% odds.
Here are today’s tiebreaker results:
- Timberwolves win tiebreaker over Knicks for 6th pick (pending lottery results).
- Trail Blazers win tiebreaker over Bulls for 15th pick.
- Bucks win tiebreaker over Pacers for 17th pick.
- Hawks win tiebreaker over Grizzlies for 19th pick. Portland receives the Grizzlies’ pick.
- In four-way tie for picks 23-26, the tiebreaker order is Clippers (23), Jazz (24), Raptors (25), Cavaliers (26). Three of these picks will be traded, as noted below.
Listed below is the tentative draft order for the 2017 NBA draft, pending next month’s lottery results. The order below isn’t set in stone, but it’s what the 2017 draft will look like if the lottery doesn’t result in any changes. This draft order includes all traded first-round and second-round picks.
First round:
- Boston Celtics (via Nets)
- Phoenix Suns
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Orlando Magic
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New York Knicks
- Sacramento Kings
- Dallas Mavericks
- Sacramento Kings (via Pelicans)
- Charlotte Hornets
- Detroit Pistons
- Denver Nuggets
- Miami Heat
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Chicago Bulls
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Indiana Pacers
- Atlanta Hawks
- Portland Trail Blazers (via Grizzlies)
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Brooklyn Nets (via Wizards)
- Toronto Raptors (via Clippers)
- Utah Jazz
- Orlando Magic (via Raptors)
- Portland Trail Blazers (via Cavaliers)
- Brooklyn Nets (via Celtics)
- Los Angeles Lakers (via Rockets)
- San Antonio Spurs
- Utah Jazz (via Warriors)
Second round:
- Atlanta Hawks (via Nets)
- Phoenix Suns
- Orlando Magic (via Lakers)
- Sacramento Kings (via Sixers)
- Orlando Magic
- Philadelphia 76ers (via Knicks)
- Boston Celtics (via Timberwolves)
- Chicago Bulls (via Kings)
- Philadelphia 76ers (via Mavericks)
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Charlotte Hornets
- Utah Jazz (via Pistons)
- Houston Rockets (via Nuggets)
- New York Knicks (via Chicago)
- Houston Rockets (via Trail Blazers)
- Philadelphia 76ers (via Heat)
- Indiana Pacers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Denver Nuggets (via Grizzlies)
- Philadelphia 76ers (via Hawks)
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Washington Wizards
- Boston Celtics (via Cavaliers)
- Phoenix Suns (via Raptors)
- Utah Jazz
- Boston Celtics (via Clippers)
- Brooklyn Nets (via Celtics)
- New York Knicks (via Rockets)
- San Antonio Spurs
- Atlanta Hawks (via Warriors)
We detailed lottery odds for each of the teams in the top 14 last week. Here are the lottery scenarios that could affect which teams receive draft picks:
- If the Lakers‘ first-round pick falls outside the top three, the Sixers will receive it. In that scenario, the Lakers would retain their own second-round pick rather than sending it to the Magic.
- If the Pelicans‘ first-round pick jumps into the top three, they’ll keep it rather than sending it to the Kings.
- If the Kings‘ own first-round pick falls outside the top 10, the Bulls will receive it, and the Kings will keep their second-round pick rather than sending it to Chicago. If the Kings’ pick jumps into the top three, the Sixers will have the opportunity to swap their first-round pick for Sacramento’s.
Eastern Rumors: Rondo, Bosh, Waiters, Magic
It was an up-and-down first year in Chicago for Rajon Rondo, who found himself in the starting lineup at times, and on the bench at other times. However, with the Bulls in the playoffs and holding their own so far against the No. 1 Celtics, Rondo said today that he hopes the club picks up its option on his contract for next season, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
“I like where I’m at. I think we have a really good team,” Rondo said of the Bulls. “We made a big trade halfway through the season. All the things this year with 45 different lineups, we still made it to the playoffs.”
Rondo’s deal calls for a salary worth more than $13MM next season, but currently only $3MM of that figure is guaranteed. As Johnson notes, the veteran point guard said today that he’d like to be back with the Bulls even if Dwyane Wade opts out of his contract this summer.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Appearing on Larry King Now on Sunday, Heat big man Chris Bosh – who missed the entire 2016/17 season due to blood clot issues – reiterated that he hasn’t closed the door on attempting an NBA comeback. Bosh also said that he doesn’t have any real interest in coaching basketball after he officially retires as a player. Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel has the details and the quotes from Bosh.
- James Johnson referred to Miami as “home” on Monday, and the Heat‘s other key free agent, Dion Waiters, also also expressed a desire to stay put this offseason, as Shandel Richardson of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Still, Waiters acknowledged that he “can’t predict the future,” so it remains to be seen what his free agency holds.
- Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders examines the Magic‘s search for a new general manager, noting that current Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard and former Pacers exec David Morway have both been mentioned by league sources as possible candidates for the Magic. Orlando head coach Frank Vogel worked with both Pritchard and Morway in Indiana.
- Asked by Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype about his upcoming free agency, Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko suggested that he’s “not closing any doors,” but he isn’t sure yet what his future holds.