David Fizdale Gaining Traction In Knicks’ HC Search
5:24pm: Per Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, Fizdale has gained serious traction in the Knicks’ search for their next head coach.
In his story, Charania adds that while the Knicks interviewed a wide array of candidates for their vacant head-coaching position, Fizdale emerged as a leading candidate immediately after the Knicks fired Jeff Hornacek.
There is still no agreement between Fizdale and the Knicks.
11:37am: The Knicks appear to be getting closer to a decision on their new head coach, and Mike Budenholzer, David Blatt, and David Fizdale are among the candidates believed to receiving the strongest consideration, according to multiple reports.
NBA columnist Mitch Lawrence (Twitter link) hears from team sources that Budenholzer is a finalist, and adds that Blatt and Fizdale were “locks” to get at least this far in the process. Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) singles out those three candidates as well, suggesting they’re viewed as “prime contenders” for the Knicks’ head coaching job.
According to Stein (Twitter link), one other interesting wrinkle in the Knicks’ coaching search involves Mark Jackson, who has received a “strong behind-the-scenes push” from Rich Kleiman. In addition to being Kevin Durant’s longtime business partner, Kleiman is a lifelong Knicks fan who is close with both Jackson and team president Steve Mills.
In total, the Knicks’ list of interviewees included at least 11 names, as we detailed on Tuesday. However, it’s unlikely that all of those candidates are still in the running.
Tulane’s Melvin Frazier Staying In NBA Draft
Having initially entered the 2018 NBA draft process without an agent, Tulane prospect Melvin Frazier has decided to keep his name in this year’s draft pool, as he tells ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Frazier will sign with Thad Foucher of Wasserman Media Group for representation.
By hiring Foucher, Frazier will forgo his NCAA eligibility for his senior year. When he first announced his decision to test the draft waters in March, the 6’6″ swingman indicated that getting his degree means “a lot” to him, which is one reason he was still weighing whether to sign with an agent.
“Early on, I just wanted to take time and focus on finishing my semester,” Frazier told ESPN today. “After taking time to look at everything and talking with my family, I just feel like my time is now. I’m ready to get to work and take this next step. Looking forward to this next chapter of my life!”
In his junior year in 2017/18, Frazier averaged 15.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, and 2.1 SPG in 34.4 MPG for Tulane, with an impressive shooting line of .556/.385/.712. He’s currently the No. 30 prospect on ESPN’s big board, and was projected to be an early second-round pick in Givony’s latest mock draft at ESPN.com.
2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: New York Knicks
While their $72MM investment in Joakim Noah back in 2016 stands out as the Knicks’ worst use of cap room in recent years, the team’s use of its space in 2017 was also questionable — a massive offer sheet for Tim Hardaway Jr. ate up most of New York’s flexibility, and the club’s room exception went to Ron Baker. A year later, the Knicks won’t have as much money to spend, and that should be just fine. With Kristaps Porzingis‘ recovery from a torn ACL expected to sideline him for the start of the 2018/19 season, New York shouldn’t be focused on win-now moves in the coming months.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Knicks financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:
Guaranteed Salary
- Joakim Noah ($18,530,000)
- Tim Hardaway Jr. ($17,325,000)
- Courtney Lee ($12,253,780)
- Lance Thomas ($7,119,650)
- Kristaps Porzingis ($5,697,054)
- Emmanuel Mudiay ($4,294,480)
- Frank Ntilikina ($4,155,720)
- Damyean Dotson ($1,378,242)
- Total: $70,753,926
Player Options
- Enes Kanter ($18,622,514)
- Ron Baker ($4,544,400)
- Kyle O’Quinn ($4,256,250)
- Total: $27,423,164
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Trey Burke ($1,795,015)1
- Troy Williams ($1,544,951)2
- Total: $3,339,966
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- No. 9 overall pick ($3,708,089)3
- Michael Beasley ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
- Jarrett Jack ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $6,707,485
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Projected Cap Room: None
- There are a number of variables in play when it comes to cap space for the Knicks. Our projection assumes that Kanter and Baker will pick up their player options and that the team will retain all 10 players currently under contract – including the non-guaranteed deals – along with its first-round pick. Combining all those cap hits would take team salary to almost exactly $101MM.
- There are scenarios in which the Knicks could create room. Kanter opting out and not re-signing would remove $18.6MM+ from the team’s books, and waiving and stretching Noah would trim team salary by another $11MM or so. Still, I think the Knicks are more likely to make an effort to open up cap space in 2019 than in 2018.
Footnotes:
- Burke’s salary becomes guaranteed for $100K after July 10 and guaranteed for $400K after the first game of the 2018/19 regular season.
- Williams’ exact contract details, including guarantee info, aren’t yet known.
- The Knicks are ninth in the draft lottery standings. They could end up picking as high as No. 1 ($8,095,595) and as low as No. 12 ($3,179,248).
Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Hoops Rumors’ 2018 NBA Award Picks: Coach Of The Year
While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until late in June, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards over the next two weeks.
The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts.
We’re keeping things going today with the award for Coach of the Year. Here are our selections:
Dana Gauruder: Brad Stevens (Celtics)
The Celtics designed their schemes around new acquisitions Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving, then lost one of them the first game of season. The other went down in the second half of the campaign, yet the Celtics are still going strong. They’re always well-prepared and play consistently hard, regardless of who’s available on a given night.
Arthur Hill: Quin Snyder (Jazz)
It’s a virtual tie between Snyder and Indiana’s Nate McMillan, who both led their teams to the playoffs after losing franchise players. The Jazz appeared headed for a major rebuilding project after Gordon Hayward left for Boston, especially with George Hill and Boris Diaw also departing. Snyder put his trust in rookie Donovan Mitchell and the team survived an early injury to Rudy Gobert before tearing through the league in the second half of the season. McMillan worked similar magic with the Pacers, who could have collapsed after trading Paul George. Both coaches turned in award-worthy performances, but Snyder gets a bonus point for doing it in the tougher Western Conference.
Austin Kent: Dwane Casey (Raptors)
While there are a few coaches who have helped squeeze every ounce of talent out of their players, none are more deserving of Coach of the Year than Casey. The Raptors head coach inspired a team of veterans to adapt their games in order to stay competitive in this league — and not a moment too soon.
With a roster largely unchanged from last season, Casey helped the Raptors improve their offensive and defensive ratings while finishing with their best regular season record in franchise history. If that wasn’t enough, he did it while boosting the value of a suddenly vaunted second unit and modernizing Jonas Valanciunas‘ old-school game.
Clark Crum: Brad Stevens (Celtics)
The Celtics were expected to be where they are currently – in the playoffs and competing for the Eastern Conference crown – but the manner in which they got here is the reason Stevens should win this award. Prized free agent acquisition Gordon Hayward suffered a gruesome ankle injury that ended his season in the first game of the year. Kyrie Irving played only 60 games and is now out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery. Reserve Daniel Theis also suffered a season-ending injury. Moreover, important contributors like Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart missed significant time with injury.
Yet, Stevens somehow managed to parlay all of that discord into the fourth-best record in the NBA, relying on rookie Jayson Tatum, second-year rising star Jaylen Brown, and out-of-nowhere Terry Rozier as key cogs to the Celtics’ success. How? Defense. The Celtics led the NBA in defensive rating, leaning on Stevens’ defensive principles throughout the season while relying on different personnel to provide offensive firepower without Hayward and Irving.
Luke Adams: Quin Snyder (Jazz)
There’s no shortage of worthwhile candidates for the Coach of the Year award this season — I considered Dwane Casey, Brad Stevens, Brett Brown, Nate McMillan, Mike D’Antoni, and Alvin Gentry, among others, before eventually circling back to Snyder. The Jazz head coach got career-best performances from Ricky Rubio and Joe Ingles, found a way to make the Rudy Gobert/Derrick Favors frontcourt work, and trusted Donovan Mitchell with the keys to Utah’s offense. He also seemed to get the most out of players whose potential hadn’t been maximized in other situations – such as Jae Crowder – and no Western team had a better defensive rating than Snyder’s Jazz.
Chris Crouse: Gregg Popovich (Spurs)
Popovich, who spent part of last offseason getting LaMarcus Aldridge to buy back into San Antonio’s system, gets my vote. The Spurs won 47 games this season while dealing with uncertainty, distractions, and decline from many of their veterans. Brad Stevens and Quin Snyder, who has looked like a man in need of a nap all season, both deserve immense credit. They both run complex schemes and had to integrate some major additions into their game plans this season. One of the two will likely win the award, but my vote will go to Popovich every year until someone drastically out-maneuvers the three-time Coach of the Year winner — that didn’t happen during the 2017/18 campaign.
Who is your pick for Coach of the Year? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comment section below!
Previously:
Still to come:
- Most Improved Player
- Sixth Man of the Year
- Rookie of the Year
- Defensive Player of the Year
- Most Valuable Player
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
2018 NBA Draft Lottery Odds
The NBA’s draft lottery is less than two weeks away, and the results of that event could significantly alter the course of multiple franchises. While we’ve already outlined what the draft order will look like heading into that night, we’ve yet to take a closer look at each club’s lottery odds, so we’ll do that today.
Let’s dive right in…
- Phoenix Suns
- No. 1: 25.0%
- No. 2: 21.5%
- No. 3: 17.7%
- No. 4: 35.8%
- Memphis Grizzlies
- No. 1: 19.9%
- No. 2: 18.8%
- No. 3: 17.1%
- No. 4: 31.9%
- No. 5: 12.4%
- Dallas Mavericks
- No. 1: 13.8%
- No. 2: 14.2%
- No. 3: 14.5%
- No. 4: 23.8%
- No. 5: 29.0%
- No. 6: 4.5%
- Atlanta Hawks
- No. 1: 13.7%
- No. 2: 14.1%
- No. 3: 14.5%
- No. 4: 8.5%
- No. 5: 32.3%
- No. 6: 15.5%
- No. 7: 1.3%
- Orlando Magic
- No. 1: 8.8%
- No. 2: 9.6%
- No. 3: 10.6%
- No. 5: 26.2%
- No. 6: 35.9%
- No. 7: 8.4%
- No. 8: 0.4%
- Chicago Bulls
- No. 1: 5.3%
- No. 2: 6.0%
- No. 3: 7.0%
- No. 6: 44.0%
- No. 7: 33.1%
- No. 8: 4.5%
- No. 9: 0.1%
- Sacramento Kings
- No. 1: 5.3%
- No. 2: 6.0%
- No. 3: 7.0%
- No. 7: 57.3%
- No. 8: 22.6%
- No. 9: 1.8%
- No. 10: <0.1%
- Cleveland Cavaliers (from Nets)
- No. 1: 2.8%
- No. 2: 3.3%
- No. 3: 3.9%
- No. 8: 72.5%
- No. 9: 16.8%
- No. 10: 0.8%
- No. 11: <0.1%
- New York Knicks
- No. 1: 1.7%
- No. 2: 2.0%
- No. 3: 2.4%
- No. 9: 81.3%
- No. 10: 12.2%
- No. 11: 0.4%
- No. 12: <0.1%
- Philadelphia 76ers (from Lakers)
- No. 1: 1.1%
- No. 2: 1.3% (to Celtics)
- No. 3: 1.6% (to Celtics)
- No. 10: 87.0%
- No. 11: 8.9%
- No. 12: 0.2%
- No. 13: <0.1%
- Charlotte Hornets
- No. 1: 0.8%
- No. 2: 0.9%
- No. 3: 1.2%
- No. 11: 90.8%
- No. 12: 6.3%
- No. 13: <0.1%
- No. 14: <0.1%
- Los Angeles Clippers (from Pistons)
- No. 1: 0.7% (to Pistons)
- No. 2: 0.8% (to Pistons)
- No. 3: 1.0% (to Pistons)
- No. 12: 93.5%
- No. 13: 3.9%
- No. 14: <0.1%
- Los Angeles Clippers
- No. 1: 0.6%
- No. 2: 0.7%
- No. 3: 0.9%
- No. 13: 96.0%
- No. 14: 1.8%
- Denver Nuggets
- No. 1: 0.5%
- No. 2: 0.6%
- No. 3: 0.7%
- No. 14: 98.2%
Note: Because odds are rounded to nearest tenth, they may not always add up to exactly 100.0%.
Information from LotteryBucket.com was used in the creation of this post.
Presti: Billy Donovan Will Return For Thunder
Thunder head coach Billy Donovan will continue coaching the team next season, general manager Sam Presti confirmed today to reporters, including Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). According to Dawson (Twitter link), Presti expressed enthusiasm about the idea of Donovan returning to coach a similar core of players in 2018/19.
“I think the biggest opportunity for him is in the continuity.” Presti said of Donovan. “Continuity is his best friend going forward.”
Presti addressed a few other topics during his session with reporters, including how the Thunder might achieve that continuity, so let’s round up a few highlights…
- Presti acknowledges that the Thunder are disappointed with the overall result of the 2017/18 season. “And we should be,” he added (Twitter link via Dawson).
- Paul George was a “tremendous fit” for the Thunder, according to Presti, who said it feels like the standout forward has been with the team for more than year (Twitter link via Dawson). Presti added that he feels good about OKC’s relationship with George and has been “really encouraged” by the conversations the club has had with him (Twitter links via Dawson).
- Presti praised Carmelo Anthony‘s willingness to make sacrifices for the Thunder during the regular season, but said it will be up to Anthony whether that role is one he wants to continue in (Twitter link via Dawson). Carmelo is considered extremely likely to pick up his $28MM player option.
- The Thunder would be “really excited” if they’re able to bring back unrestricted free agent Jerami Grant next season, according to Presti (Twitter link).
- More from Presti on the Thunder’s roster outlook for next season: “The opportunity to potentially have [Russell] Westbrook, Paul George and Steven Adams, all three of those guys in their prime years, is extremely exciting for us” (Twitter link via Erik Horne of The Oklahoman).
Jaylen Brown Remains Doubtful For Game 2
Despite his assertion that he’ll be ready to return for Game 2 of the Celtics’ series against the Sixers, Jaylen Brown remains doubtful for that game, head coach Brad Stevens said today (Twitter link via Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com).
Brown, who is on the shelf due to a right hamstring strain, will be re-evaluated on Thursday before Game 2 tips off, per Stevens. However, for now, it sounds as if the second-year swingman will miss at least one more contest.
As A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston details, Brown attempted to convince the Celtics’ medical staff that he could play in Game 1, and said after sitting out that game that he planned on returning for Game 2 of the Eastern Semifinals.
However, Brown acknowledged to Blakely that the Celtics have some concern about him re-aggravating the injury and turning it into a season-ending ailment. With Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Daniel Theis among their key players already on the shelf, the C’s figure to play it safe with Brown, particularly with a 1-0 edge in the series heading into Game 2.
Kawhi Leonard Back In San Antonio, No Spurs Meeting Set Yet
After spending nearly six weeks in New York rehabbing his quad injury, Kawhi Leonard is back in San Antonio, along with his advisor, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link). However, for now, there’s no set date lined up for Leonard to meet with the Spurs’ brass.
As we’ve detailed ad nauseam over the last few weeks and months, Leonard and the Spurs have been somewhat at odds this season over the diagnosis and treatment of his troublesome quad issue, with Leonard’s own doctors disagreeing with team doctors about the nature of the injury. That disagreement has been a source of tension between the Spurs and Leonard’s camp.
As we relayed on Tuesday, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Michael C. Wright shared several new details on the Leonard situation this week, and their piece is worth reading in full. Shelburne and Wright provided some specifics on why both sides are frustrated — the Spurs don’t like injury treatment for their franchise player being out of their hands, while Leonard’s camp was bothered by the team’s resistance to outside opinions and by Gregg Popovich‘s apparent public questioning of their handling of the situation.
While it appears a meeting between the Spurs and Leonard has yet to be formally scheduled, it’s expected to happen at some point, and the club remains confident that fences can be mended. However, as Shelburne and Wright detailed in their report, it’s not clear whether team ownership will sign off a super-max contract offer following this season’s drama, and it’s also not known whether Leonard would accept such an offer.
Still, Leonard being back in San Antonio is a first step — we should hear in the not-too-distant future about plans for a sit-down between the two sides.
Luka Doncic Won’t Work Out For NBA Teams
Slovenian guard/forward Luka Doncic is a candidate to be the top pick in the 2018 NBA draft, but his commitment to Real Madrid in Spain will prevent him from working out for any NBA teams leading up to the draft, agent Bill Duffy tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
“I don’t think that will be an issue,” Duffy said. “Playing in the Euroleague speaks for itself. What he has been able to do, it speaks to both the talent and preparedness for Luka. He has had a different level of experience than most of his peers. Euroleague is the next step to playing in the NBA.”
As Deveney outlines, Doncic’s Real Madrid squad is scheduled to compete in the Euroleague Final Four later this month, then will play in the Spanish League (ACB) postseason after that. The ACB playoffs are scheduled to begin on May 27, and could end as late as June 23, two days after the NBA draft. According to Duffy, there’s no chance that Doncic will miss any postseason games with his current team.
“He is committed to Real Madrid, all the way through,” Duffy said.
While NBA teams picking in the top five would prefer the chance to meet with Doncic and work him out individually, scouting him in the Euroleague Final Four and the ACB postseason will be a great opportunity for talent evaluators to see how he performs against some of the highest-level competition in Europe.
“With the video we have these days, I know what I need to know from looking at (Doncic) against other top players,” one NBA general manager told Deveney. “Anyone who wants to pick him is going to want to talk to him, but the workout is not something that is going to keep you from picking him. I am not sure I need reels and reels more tape here.”
In his most recent mock draft at ESPN.com, Jonathan Givony has Doncic coming off the board second overall to the Grizzlies.
Hornets Interviewing James Borrego For HC Job
The Hornets continue to conduct interviews for their head coaching position, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Spurs assistant James Borrego is meeting with Charlotte about the job today.
Borrego began his NBA coaching career with the Spurs, spending seven seasons with the team from 2003 to 2010 before joining the Hornets for two years and the Magic for three. He returned to San Antonio in 2015. Primarily an assistant over the course of his career, Borrego earned his lone head coaching experience in 2015 in Orlando, leading the Magic to a 10-20 record as Jacque Vaughn‘s interim replacement.
Borrego, like a couple other Spurs assistants, has been a popular head coaching candidate this offseason, having already interviewed with the Knicks and the Suns for their open positions. Borrego’s fellow assistants Ime Udoka and Ettore Messina have also received consideration for head coaching jobs, including the Hornets’ role.
[RELATED: 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Besides the three Spurs assistants, the Hornets have also interviewed – or will interview – David Fizdale, David Vanterpool, and Jerry Stackhouse. New head of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak appears to be conducting a thorough search, so it’s entirely possible that Charlotte will meet with more candidates following today’s Borrego interview.