Wizards Notes: Durant, Wall, Gortat, Morris
The Wizards are still suffering the consequences of their decision to chase Kevin Durant when he was a free agent in 2016, writes Ashish Mathur of AmicoHoops. Washington elected to pass on a talented 2015 free agency market that included Al Horford, LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan, Paul Millsap and Khris Middleton because the team wanted to preserve cap room for a run at Durant.
The Wizards went a couple of steps further, hiring Durant’s former Oklahoma City coach, Scott Brooks, and bringing on David Adkins, part of the coaching staff on Durant’s high school team, as a player development assistant. Despite those moves, Durant, who grew up near Washington, never gave serious consideration to returning home and didn’t even meet with the Wizards.
There’s more Wizards news from today’s exit interviews:
- John Wall indicated that the front office needs to shake up the roster this summer, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Wall, who clashed with center Marcin Gortat over social media comments earlier this season, said the team needs to find “athletic bigs” for next year. “We added some pieces to help us out at times … but at the same time front office people need to figure out what really fits with the team,” Wall added (Twitter link).
- Gortat, who is entering the final year of his contract, remains confident that he has “a lot in the tank.” (Twitter link). He said he hopes to get back to a more physical style next season and criticized small-ball lineups, which he called the “worst thing” in the NBA.
- Markieff Morris told reporters he underwent minor groin surgery last summer in addition to the sports hernia operation that was known about (Twitter link). Morris, who missed the start of the season because of the procedures, twice said the Wizards’ problems with consistency are linked to “immaturity.”
- Majority owner Ted Leonsis penned a thank you letter to Wizards fans on social media and praised the team for remaining competitive with Wall sidelined for half the season.
Stephen Curry To Miss Game 1, ‘Very Likely’ For Game 2
The Warriors will not use Stephen Curry in tonight’s opening game against the Pelicans, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Coach Steve Kerr told his team about the decision this morning, adds ESPN’s Chris Haynes, but said the star guard feels great and is “very likely” for Game 2 (Twitter link).
Curry is still recovering from a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee that he suffered in a March 23 game. He missed the entire opening-round series against the Spurs, but said Friday he considered himself “50-50” to play tonight.
Kerr said he had discussions with Curry, GM Bob Myers and trainer Chelsea Lane before making the decision, relays Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link), with Kerr adding, “We have to protect him from himself.” (Twitter link).
“He’s very likely to play Tuesday night,” Kerr said. “… When you’ve been out five weeks and you want to play in the playoffs, I don’t think one scrimmage is enough.” (Twitter link).
Kerr hasn’t decided what Curry’s role will be in Game 2, tweets Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area. He may start or come off the bench and he could be playing with a minutes restriction.
BC’s Jerome Robinson To Stay In Draft
Potential first-round pick Jerome Robinson of Boston College has signed with CAA Sports and will remain in this year’s draft, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
The 6’6″ point guard averaged 24 points for the Eagles as a junior this season. He and teammate Ky Bowman both elected to enter the draft earlier this month without agents, but Robinson’s decision to hire CAA finalizes his status.
Robinson comes in 39th on the list of the top 100 prospects compiled by Jonathan Givony of ESPN and is projected to be taken 40th by the Nets in Givony’s latest mock draft.
“I feel that my game and my mentality is pro ready,” Robinson told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman. “Simple as that.” (Twitter link).
Several teams are projecting Robinson as a late first-round selection, Goodman adds (Twitter link).
Thunder Notes: Anthony, George, Collison, Donovan
Scratch the idea of Carmelo Anthony accepting a reserve role if he decides to return to the Thunder next season. The veteran forward emphatically rejected the idea during today’s exit interviews, tweets ESPN’s Royce Young.
“I’m not sacrificing no bench role,” Anthony responded when asked about the possibility. “So that’s out of the question.”
Anthony has a player option for next season worth nearly $28MM that he is considered likely to exercise because he’ll have difficulty getting that amount in free agency. After averaging a career-low 32.1 minutes in his first season in Oklahoma City and sitting for extended stretches in the playoffs, there was speculation that he might be might be transitioned into a bench role for 2018/19, but today’s comments make it clear he wouldn’t be a willing participant.
There’s more from the Thunder’s exit interviews:
- Paul George addressed his impending free agency again today, saying that playing at home in Los Angeles won’t be the “only option” when he hits the open market (Twitter link). George is considered a lock to opt out of his $20.7MM salary for next season and has long been rumored to have a desire to join the Lakers. George had an All-Star season during his first year in OKC, but his scoring, rebounding and shooting percentage from the floor all declined from last season with the Pacers.
- Veteran big man Nick Collison, who has been with the franchise for his entire 14-year career, said, “I think I’ve decided,” when asked about his NBA future, relays Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). However, the 37-year-old added, “Today’s not the time to make any of those decisions final.”
- Head coach Billy Donovan provided a brief answer when asked if he expects to be back with the team next season (Twitter link). “Let me say I’m excited about the organization,” he replied. “I love working with [GM] Sam [Presti], the people that are here. I haven’t given any thought to that. My total focus is how do we get better and improve.” Donovan still has two seasons remaining on the five-year contract he signed when he was hired in 2015, but the Thunder have suffered first-round playoff eliminations in the past two seasons.
- Free agent guard Raymond Felton, who played for the veteran’s minimum this season, said he wants to return to the Thunder (Twitter link). “I don’t know what my future may hold,” the 33-year-old told reporters. “I would love to be back.”
Five Key Stories: 4/21/18 – 4/28/18
In case you missed any of this past week’s top stories from around the league, we have you covered with our Week in Review. Below are the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
The Grizzlies filled their head coaching job by signing interim J.B. Bickerstaff to a three-year contract. Bickerstaff took over after David Fizdale was fired early in the season and posted a 15-48 record in 63 games. This is the second head coaching opportunity for the long-time assistant, who spent most of the 2015/16 season as the interim in Houston.
The Hawks and head coach Mike Budenholzer reached a mutual decision to end their relationship. Budenholzer had interviewed for coaching jobs with the Suns and Knicks, and wasn’t interested in staying in a rebuilding situation in Atlanta. He received the full $13MM+ salary for the two seasons left on his contract.
The Pelicans elected to pick up the option on coach Alvin Gentry for next season. Gentry’s job was considered in jeopardy coming into this season, but he solidified his standing with management by leading the team to the sixth seed and a first-round sweep of the Trail Blazers.
Wizards forward Otto Porter missed the final game of the series with Toronto after having a procedure done on his left leg. Porter was listed as out indefinitely after the “lower leg fasciotomy for compartment syndrome,” which was performed to ease the build-up of blood flow around a contusion.
Veteran center Andrew Bogut signed a two-year deal to play for the Sydney Kings in his home country of Australia. The 33-year-old had a brief NBA comeback after fracturing his tibia late last season, but played just 23 games for the Lakers before being waived in January.
Here are eight more headlines from last week:
- Mavericks guard Wesley Matthews plans to exercise his option for next season. He played 63 games this year before suffering a fractured fibula in March.
- Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic had a “minimally invasive” procedure done on his left knee to repair a slight tear of his medial meniscus. He is expected to make a full recovery well before training camp.
- Nuggets center Mason Plumlee had surgery to fix a core muscle injury that bothered him for much of this season. The team expects him to be cleared for full basketball-related activities this summer.
- Jay Wright’s agent informed NBA teams that he has no plans to leave Villanova. Two clubs reportedly reached out to Wright, and there is speculation that the Knicks were one of them.
- The Nets added two former players to their staff. Pablo Prigioni was hired as an assistant coach and Tiago Splitter was named as a pro scout with additional duties related to on-court player development.
- Mike James, who held two-way contracts with the Suns and Pelicans, signed a three-year contract to play in Italy. He played a combined 36 games in his rookie NBA season.
- The Commission on College Basketball recommended an end to the NBA’s one-and-done rule regarding draft eligibility. The commission, headed by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was created after a federal investigation into corruption in the college game.
- Kentucky coach John Calipari, also an advocate of eliminating the one-and-done system, met with the NBA Players Union to discuss his ideas.
Ricky Rubio May Miss 10 Days With Injury
The hamstring injury that forced Ricky Rubio to leave Friday’s game in the first quarter may keep him sidelined as long as 10 days, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Sources add that Rubio could come back sooner, depending how he responds to rehab.
Rubio exited the series-clinching win against Oklahoma City after straining his left hamstring on a behind-the-back pass. It’s a recurring problem for Rubio, who missed a few late-season games with the same issue.
The news is a potentially devastating blow for the Jazz, who open a Western Conference semifinal series with the top-seeded Rockets tomorrow afternoon. Game 2 is set for Wednesday, but the schedule for the rest of the series hasn’t been finalized, so it’s not clear how many games Rubio might miss, even if he’s out for the full 10 days.
Playing in his first-ever postseason series, Rubio was stellar for Utah through five games, averaging 16.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 7.8 assists. He posted a triple-double with 26/11/10 in Game 3.
Magic Receive Permission To Interview David Vanterpool
The Trail Blazers have granted permission for the Magic to interview assistant David Vanterpool about their head coaching job, as Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel details. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
Vanterpool, who has spent the past six years with Portland, was among four candidates to interview for the position in 2016 after Scott Skiles stepped down, Robbins notes. Orlando opted for Frank Vogel, who was fired after this season ended.
Vanterpool tied for third in a poll of GMs taken before the start of this season ranking the league’s top assistant coaches. The 45-year-old had brief NBA experience as a player, but spent most of his time overseas and in the Continental Basketball Association.
The news about Vanterpool makes him the first confirmed candidate for the Magic job, though a mid-April report indicated that the team intended to meet with Jerry Stackhouse. When Vogel was dismissed more than two weeks ago, team officials indicated they planned to take their time finding his replacement.
Robbins writes that president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman, who is running the coaching search, is expected to reach into his Toronto background and contact Raptors assistant Nick Nurse in addition to Stackhouse, who coaches Toronto’s G League affiliate.
Knicks To Interview Juwan Howard
Heat assistant coach Juwan Howard has emerged as a candidate for the Knicks’ head coaching job, tweets ESPN’s Zach Lowe. New York may interview Howard as early as this weekend.
Howard, 45, played 19 NBA seasons before retiring in 2013. He accepted a spot on Miami’s coaching staff and has remained there for five seasons.
He is part of a growing field of candidates hoping to take over for Jeff Hornacek, who was fired at the end of the season. Also interviewing for the position were Jerry Stackhouse, Mark Jackson, Mike Woodson, Kenny Smith, David Fizdale, Mike Budenholzer, David Blatt, James Borrego and Jay Larranaga. A report last night indicated the Knicks have particular interest in Budenholzer and Blatt.
Keep up to date with all the latest coaching developments with our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.
Community Shootaround: Paul George’s Future
With the Jazz’s 96-91 win over the Thunder on Friday, Oklahoma City was officially eliminated from the postseason after just six games. A 45-point, 10-rebound, and 5-assist performance from Russell Westbrook could not salvage the Thunder’s season. OKC’s two other standouts, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, combined for just 12 points in the elimination game.
With the season over, the focus shifts to the offseason as George will be one of the most coveted unrestricted free agents on the market. In his first season with the Thunder, George enjoyed a typically productive year, averaging 21.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 3.3 APG in 79 games. While those numbers were down from his previous two seasons, he was still a vital cog in the Thunder machine. After the game, George spoke to reporters and addressed his future.
“There was a lot to be happy about: the fans, the city, the organization,” George said (via Sports Illustrated). “Everything has been unbelievable. It’s too soon. I’d love to remain a Thunder, but that’s what this summer is for. We’ll address that in the summer.”
After a rough first-round exit, George’s return to the Thunder — despite his repeated comments that he’s open to staying with the organization — is far from certain. With Anthony wielding a $28MM player option, and various other commitments, the Thunder will have a tough time freeing up the money to offer George a max deal, unless they’re willing to go way into tax territory. While it’s possible George has played his last game for OKC, he said he enjoyed growing with his teammates.
“It was an amazing season,” he said. “Really, a learning experience playing off of [Westbrook], playing off of [Anthony]. [Steven Adams]. Seeing what the potential was like having [Roberson] out there. It was great.”
George, a California native, has long been connected to his hometown Lakers, who will have the cap space and opportunity to pursue him this summer. The 27-year-old five-time All-Star will be a popular player, but his current team seems like a longshot at best to retain him.
What do you think will happen with George? Do you think he will somehow end up re-signing with the Thunder? Does it make sense for the Thunder to pursue him given the financial ramifications? If not, where do you think George winds up?
Hoops Rumors Originals: 4/21/18 – 4/28/18
Every week, we here at Hoops Rumors strive to create interesting original content to complement our news feed. Here are the original segments and features from the past seven days:
- We began looking at the future of some eliminated playoff teams through our Community Shootaround series:
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Miami Heat
- In a related post, we asked whether the Heat should trade Hassan Whiteside.
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- And in another Community Shootaround, we asked about the Sixers and their ceiling this postseason.
- We also began our 2018 Offseason Salary Cap Digest, beginning with the teams at the top of the lottery:
- In his weekly mailbag, Arthur Hill answered readers’ questions about a potential Lakers trade for Kawhi Leonard, Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference, and this season’s two-way players for the Clippers.
- We posted the results of our polls for the 2018 All-NBA Teams.
- Before news broke that the Hawks and Mike Budenholzer parted ways, we asked whether a continued relationship was even tenable.
- As free agency continues to loom closer and closer, Luke Adams shared a detailed analysis of Qualifying Offers, which relate to restricted free agency.
- We sought your input on which Eastern Conference favorites, if any, would survive the first round of the playoffs.
- Luke Adams shared some important 2018 NBA Draft dates and deadlines.
- Luke Adams also opined which five player options look like a lock to be exercised this offseason.
- Before last night’s games, we asked how you thought three Game 6’s would play out.
- Finally, we asked whether it’s time to break-up the Wizards’ backcourt.
