Central Notes: Bulls, Pistons, Stotts, Pacers
As Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com noted on Twitter, there’s an interesting tidbit tucked within his report on the NBA’s new Global Camp in Italy. The event, which showcased most of the top international draft-eligible prospects, was attended by 29 or 30 NBA teams. The only NBA club not present, according to Givony, was the Bulls, due to their unwillingness to pay the $10K fee the league charged for subsidizing expenses.
The Bulls, who have been criticized in the past for penny pinching, were quick to respond to Givony’s report. As K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune relays, the club insists it didn’t attend the NBA Global Camp because it had already done extensive scouting in Europe this year.
“We made a decision not to attend the Treviso camp given our trust in our director of international scouting, Ivica Dukan, and his knowledge of the event and the prospects in attendance,” Bulls executive vice president John Paxson said. “We are also currently holding workouts for our two first-round draft picks and want all of our scouts present as we go about this very important process.”
While the Bulls may not have needed to take a closer look at those international prospects this week in Italy, the team should probably be willing to put up that $10K in order to obtain the medical information on the players who participated, Givony observes (via Twitter).
Here’s more from around the Central:
- While it briefly appeared that Terry Stotts‘ job might be in jeopardy after the Trail Blazers were swept by the Pelicans in April, the Pistons wanted to talk to Stotts about their coaching job and Portland denied them permission, reports Mitch Lawrence of The Sporting News (Twitter link). Lawrence adds that John Beilein had legit interest in the Detroit job, and consulted with NBA team executives before electing to remain with the Wolverines.
- The Pacers will host their second pre-draft workout on Friday, according to the team. Keita Bates-Diop (Ohio State), Gary Clark (Cincinnati), A.J. Davis (Central Florida), Donte DiVincenzo (Villanova), Alize Johnson (Missouri State), and Shake Milton (SMU) are scheduled to participate.
- We passed along several more items from out of the Central division on Wednesday, including details on Mike Budenholzer‘s new Bucks coaching staff, the Bulls‘ offseason plans, and more. Be sure to check those stories out here and here.
Sixers Notes: Colangelo Fallout, Brown, GM Search
It has been an eventful day in Philadelphia, where the Sixers announced that president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo has resigned from his position following an investigation into several burner Twitter accounts connected to him. Independent investigators hired by the franchise concluded that Colangelo’s wife Barbara was behind the tweets, but suggested that Colangelo himself was “careless” and “in some instances reckless” with sensitive information, a charge he strongly disputed in his own statement.
Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com provides another fascinating detail on the saga, writing that multiple people who spoke on the condition of anonymity indicated that special advisor Jerry Colangelo attempted to intervene on his son’s behalf, delaying the team’s decision. According to Neubeck’s sources, the elder Colangelo may have threatened to interfere with Sixers relationships around the NBA.
As the 76ers look to recover from an unexpected and unusual setback, let’s round up a few more notes out of Philadelphia…
- While head coach Brett Brown will run the basketball operations department on an interim basis, he said today he has no interest in taking on that role permanently, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge.
- According to Sixers principal owner Josh Harris, the club would like to have a new general manager in place before the start of free agency on July 1. However, Harris acknowledged that a full-fledged search may take a little longer than that (Twitter link via Aldridge).
- In the view of Jake Fischer of SI.com, the Sixers should exercise patience when it comes to picking a new GM, focusing on finding the perfect fit for the job rather than rushing to bring someone new on board within the next few weeks.
- With a big summer looming for the Sixers, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton takes a closer look at the next steps for the franchise, both in terms of possible player acquisitions and front office changes.
- Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype offers up some names to watch as the Sixers’ search for a GM gets underway.
Pelicans, Alvin Gentry Agree To Extension
1:22pm: The Pelicans have issued a press release officially confirming that they’ve extended Gentry’s contract through the 2020/21 season.
“We are thrilled to have Alvin as our head coach,” Demps said in a statement. “He did a tremendous job last season. When we faced adversity, Alvin and his staff continually discovered ways to place the team in situations where we could be successful. I want to thank Mrs. [Gayle] Benson for her endless support and look forward to working with Alvin and his coaching staff as we strive to have sustained success.”
7:44am: The Pelicans have reached an agreement with Alvin Gentry that will keep the head coach locked up for multiple years, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, the two sides agreed to terms on a two-year extension, which will keep him under contract through the 2020/21 season.
Wojnarowski reports that Gentry will receive a raise on his new deal and will get a guaranteed contract for the 2019/20 campaign. His 2020/21 deal will be performance-based, Woj adds.
Gentry, a veteran head coach who took the reins in New Orleans in 2015, only won 64 games in his first two seasons with the club. However, the Pelicans took a major step forward in 2017/18, posting a 48-34 mark and knocking off the higher-seeded Trail Blazers in a first-round playoff sweep.
While Gentry’s overall record with the Pelicans remains a modest 112-134 (.455), his job looks far safer for the foreseeable future than it did a year ago, when there was speculation that the team could replace Gentry and/or GM Dell Demps. The Pelicans rewarded the organization’s patience with its best performance since the Chris Paul era.
The Pelicans’ strong season ensured that the franchise exercised its fourth-year option on Gentry for the 2018/19 season back in April. However, the new agreement will give him even more security, locking him up for the next three seasons.
New Orleans will look to take another step forward next season, but faces some roster-building challenges this offseason, with DeMarcus Cousins headed for free agency and no cap room available. Fortunately, franchise cornerstones Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday remain under team control for multiple years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Draft Notes: Porter, Sexton, Carter, Knicks
Michael Porter Jr.‘s Pro Day will happen this Friday in Chicago, and so far the Bulls are the only team that has had a chance to get a closer look at Porter’s back, as Dave Matter of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch details. Porter underwent back surgery that forced him to miss nearly all of the 2017/18 season.
Matter, who is relaying information conveyed by Porter’s father during a radio appearance on KMOX, writes that the Missouri forward hasn’t released his medical information to other teams yet, but those clubs will have an opportunity to watch him on Friday. The Porters also intend to share the Bulls’ medical report with every other NBA team, Matter adds.
Plenty of NBA clubs figure to be in attendance on Friday in Chicago to see Porter up close. We’ve heard that the Kings and Grizzlies are keeping a close eye on the youngster, and the Knicks will be there on Friday too, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com hears that the Knicks will be well represented at that session, tweeting that president of basketball ops Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry will both be present.
Here are a few more draft-related updates from around the league:
- Point guard Collin Sexton is working out for the Knicks today, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Givony also notes that the Suns, Kings, Sixers, and Hornets were in attendance at Wendell Carter Jr.‘s Pro Day last week. Carter is working out for New York this week too.
- Despite indications that Villanova wing Mikal Bridges wouldn’t visit the Cavaliers for a private workout, he said today that he hasn’t ruled out that possibility, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Seton Hall prospect Angel Delgado is working out for the Mavericks on Thursday, league sources tell Adam Zagoria (Twitter link).
- ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has some new draft-related content today, having updated his 2018 mock draft (Insider link) and passed along some observations on prospects who took part in the NBA Global Camp in Italy.
Bryan Colangelo Issues Statement Following Resignation
Less than an hour after the Sixers sent out a press release announcing that president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo has resigned from his position with the franchise, Colangelo has responded, issuing an announcement of his own.
In detailing the findings of their investigation, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP indicated that Colangelo’s wife Barbara was behind the rogue Twitter accounts, adding that there was no evidence Colangelo himself knew about them.
However, the law firm suggested that the Sixers’ president of basketball operations “was careless and in some instances reckless in failing to properly safeguard sensitive, non-public, club-related information in communications with individuals outside the 76ers organization.”
Colangelo disputed that notion in strong terms in his own statement:
“While I am grateful that the independent investigation conducted by the 76ers has confirmed that I had no knowledge of or involvement in the Twitter activity conducted by my wife, I vigorously dispute the allegation that my conduct was in any way reckless. At no point did I ever purposefully or directly share any sensitive, non-public, club-related information with her.
“Her actions were a seriously misguided effort to publicly defend and support me, and while I recognize how inappropriate these actions were, she acted independently and without my knowledge or consent. Further, the content she shared was filled with inaccuracies and conjecture which in no way represent my own views or opinions. While this was obviously a mistake, we are a family and we will work through this together.
“Although I am not directly responsible for the actions, I regret this incident occurred and understand that it has become a distraction for the team. Therefore, the organization and I have mutually agreed to part ways.”
For more details on Colangelo’s departure from the Sixers, be sure to check out our full story.
Sixers, Bryan Colangelo Agree To Part Ways
The Sixers and president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo have agreed to part ways, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). According to Wojnarowski, the club will hold a news conference this afternoon with team ownership to discuss the move. The Sixers have issued a press release officially confirming the decision.
While Philadelphia’s announcement classifies Colangelo’s departure as a resignation, he won’t be leaving his post in Philadelphia entirely of his own accord. The veteran executive found himself mired in controversy last week after a report from Ben Detrick of The Ringer linked five “burner” Twitter accounts to Colangelo.
Of those five anonymous Twitter accounts – which were strikingly similar in terms of content, tone, follows, and likes – four seemingly shared inside information on the 76ers and tipped team strategy. They also criticized current and former Sixers players, including Markelle Fultz, Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, and Nerlens Noel, and defended Colangelo’s track record with the franchise.
After Detrick sent an inquiry to the Sixers asking about two of the five accounts, Colangelo issued a statement claiming ownership of one of them, which had never posted a tweet, denying knowledge of the other. Simultaneously, the three other accounts – which Detrick didn’t mention in his inquiry to the Sixers – went dark, switching from public to private.
The Sixers hired Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP to investigate those Twitter accounts, and the law firm issued a statement today, confirming that Colangelo’s wife Barbara was behind the tweets. The statements reads, in part:
“The evidence supports the conclusion that Ms. Barbara Bottini, Mr. Colangelo’s wife, established the Twitter accounts and posted content on those accounts. When interviewed, Ms. Bottini admitted establishing and operating the accounts. Forensic evidence corroborates her admissions.
“We cannot conclude that Mr. Colangelo was aware of the Twitter accounts prior to the May 22 press inquiry. Mr. Colangelo denies any such awareness and we have not observed any forensic evidence establishing that he had knowledge of the Twitter accounts prior to that date. We note, however, that our investigation was limited and impeded by certain actions taken by Ms. Bottini, including her decision to delete the contents of her iPhone by executing a factory reset of the device prior to surrendering it for forensic review.
“Our investigation revealed substantial evidence that Mr. Colangelo was the source of sensitive, non-public, club-related information contained in certain posts to the Twitter accounts. We believe that Mr. Colangelo was careless and in some instances reckless in failing to properly safeguard sensitive, non-public, club-related information in communications with individuals outside the 76ers organization.”
[RELATED: Bryan Colangelo issues statement following resignation]
Colangelo had been the Sixers’ president of basketball operations since April 2016, when he was hired by the franchise to replace Sam Hinkie as the top decision-maker in the front office. With the help of the groundwork laid by Hinkie, Colangelo continued to shape the roster over the last two years by adding a pair of No. 1 picks in Ben Simmons and Fultz, along with veteran free agents like J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson.
The Sixers returned to the postseason this spring for the first time since 2012 and won a first-round playoff series over the Heat before being eliminated by Boston. The club is well positioned to make some noise in free agency this summer, with significant cap room available.
According to the Sixers, head coach Brett Brown will take over as the club’s head of basketball operations on an interim basis as the 2018 free agent period nears. Brown and new lead assistant Monty Williams are expected to play key roles in recruiting potential targets. However, Brown won’t run the front office permanently. The team indicated in today’s announcement that the search for a new general manager will begin immediately.
While many Sixers fans will clamor for the return of Hinkie, former Cavaliers GM David Griffin could be a more logical and realistic candidate to replace Colangelo, given Philadelphia’s reported interest in top free agent LeBron James. While there’s no confirmation yet that the 76ers will reach out to Griffin, Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) calls it a “no-brainer” for the team.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Five Key Offseason Questions: Detroit Pistons
After winning 44 games and earning a playoff berth during Stan Van Gundy‘s second year with the franchise in 2015/16, the Pistons regressed over the last couple seasons, playing sub-.500 ball and failing to return to the postseason. Van Gundy took one last big swing prior to the 2018 trade deadline, acquiring Blake Griffin in a mega-deal with the Clippers, but it wasn’t enough to turn Detroit’s season around or to earn Van Gundy another year.
Pistons owner Tom Gores was fully on board with the trade for Griffin, so Van Gundy didn’t lose his job because that move failed to have an immediate impact. It was time for both sides to move on though, and that means the Pistons are in the market for both a head coach and a head of basketball operations, since Van Gundy held both roles.
Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:
1. Who will the Pistons hire to coach the team and to run the front office?
The Pistons appear poised to finalize their head coaching search before hiring a new general manager, which sounds backwards. However, it may simply speak to Ed Stefanski‘s importance in the new front office hierarchy. Stefanski’s official title is “special advisor,” and not “president of basketball operations.” But he’ll report directly to Gores and has extensive basketball ops experience. It will be interesting to see how much input he’ll ultimately have in roster decisions once a new GM comes aboard.
That new GM appears likely to be someone who hasn’t held that position for another team. The Pistons are said to be seeking a young, up-and-coming executive who is capable of being the face of the front office for the next decade. As such, the list of names being considered by the club includes several men who were playing in the NBA – or another league – within the five or 10 years. Among them: Nets assistant GM Trajan Langdon, Hawks manager of basketball operations Malik Rose, TNT analyst Brent Barry, and former Pistons players Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince.
Whle the Pistons may hire a relatively inexperienced GM, the current frontrunner for the coaching job has an extensive head coaching résumé — Dwane Casey, recently fired by the Raptors, coached the club for seven seasons and had a huge amount of regular season success. While his struggles in the postseason, particularly against LeBron James-led teams, may be a longer-term concern for Detroit, Casey’s ability to build a culture and develop players would serve the franchise well. Assuming Casey doesn’t want to take a year off from coaching, I’d expect him to be the choice over less experienced options like Spurs assistant Ime Udoka and TNT’s Kenny Smith.
2. Will the Pistons’ new GM follow Van Gundy’s blueprint?
In some cases, a new general manager will have a mandate to rebuild his roster when he lands with a new team, but that seems unlikely to be the case in Detroit, given the veteran-heavy nature of the team’s roster. Before he left the Pistons, Van Gundy was insistent that the club could contend if Griffin, Andre Drummond, and Reggie Jackson stayed healthy. Will the new GM feel the same way?
If so, we’re unlikely to see many major changes made to the Pistons’ roster this summer, which could be a good thing. The Pelicans’ fortunes didn’t turn around immediately after they acquired DeMarcus Cousins in a midseason deal, but a year later, everything came together for the club. There’s no guarantee that the same thing will happen for the Pistons and Griffin, but a full offseason and training camp together should bode well for the 2018/19 season.
I’d expect the Pistons’ new GM to give the current group every opportunity to succeed to start next season, perhaps revisiting that approach by the 2019 trade deadline if necessary.
Kevin Durant Talks Future, LeBron, Warriors’ Moves
It has long been reported that Kevin Durant will opt out of his contract with the Warriors this offseason in order to sign a few deal with the team. That looks like more of a lock than ever after Durant’s dominant showing in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, but before Wednesday’s game, Sam Amick of USA Today spoke to the star forward to clarify his stance.
After all, as Amick noted, Durant spoke after Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals about how “anything” could happen this summer for both the Rockets and the Warriors. Did that mean that Durant himself was having any second thoughts about his future plans? Here’s the answer from the reigning Finals MVP, along with a few more comments of note:
On whether he’s definitely returning to the Warriors next season:
“I feel as though (I am). Everything, the money and stuff that’s got to, the contract got to (be) worked out, but I plan on being here. I said that earlier this year. I didn’t plan on anything else, but this is the NBA, and anything can happen. And I know that anything can happen (because) I’ve been a part of this league for so long now.”
On the idea that LeBron James might take a meeting with the Warriors this summer:
(Note: This was reported earlier in the year and recently reiterated by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.)
“With the Warriors? I have no clue. I mean everybody can speculate. This guy over here who works for ESPN, I’m sure he’s got a theory. I just don’t believe it. I don’t believe anything in this NBA thing until I see it.
“… But how I’d feel if we would get a meeting with LeBron James? I mean, that’s not – I’ve been trying to separate myself from the front office and those decision makers for a long time, so that’s not on me to do it.”
On leaving roster decisions up to GM Bob Myers:
“I wouldn’t be storming into his office saying, ‘We need to go sit down with this guy,’ or ‘No, we don’t need (that guy).’ Like, that’s not my place. My place is to go play ball, and be the best teammate and player. That’s my only job. Everything else I leave up to Bob, because he’s getting paid a lot of money to make those decisions.”
On whether the Warriors’ offseason approach would’ve looked significantly different if they’d lost to Houston:
“My mindset wouldn’t have changed. My approach wouldn’t have changed. I don’t know anything about what the organization would’ve done, because that’s not my field, but my approach to the game and the way I would’ve came into the offseason and the regular season next year, it wouldn’t have changed. It would’ve been the same approach, just see if we could do it again.”
Central Notes: Pacers, Budenholzer, Bulls, Tate
The Pacers will host their first pre-draft workout tomorrow morning and it too will consist of six participants, per an official release from the team. The highest rated players are UNLV big man Brandon McCoy and Wichita State guard Landry Shamet.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has Shamet coming off the board at No. 50 in the second round to the Pacers, so it makes sense that he’d be one of the first prospects they brought in. The Pacers also have the No. 23 overall selection. Meanwhile, McCoy is rated as the No. 70 overall prospect by Givony.
In addition to Shamet and McCoy, the Pacers will also host Jaylen Adams (St. Bonaventure), Marcus Foster (Creighton), Nick King (Middle Tennessee State), and Yante Maten (Georgia).
There is more tonight from the Central Division:
- Newly hired Bucks’ head coach Mike Budenholzer is bringing five of his six assistants from Atlanta to join his staff in Milwaukee, reports Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Those assistants are Darvin Ham, Taylor Jenkins, Ben Sullivan, Patrick St. Andrews, and Charles Lee.
- In a Q&A session, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune answers fans’ questions regarding the Bulls possibly trading up in the draft order to snag Texas big man Mohamed Bamba, the rumored promise to draft Boise State’s Chandler Hutchison at pick No. 22, and more. Ultimately, while still early on in the process, Johnson currently sees the Bulls taking Duke’s Wendell Carter Jr. at No. 7.
- In addition to working out for the Jazz, forward Jae’Sean Tate from Ohio State will also work out for the Bulls, according to Bill Landis of cleveland.com.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Gordon, Wizards
The Hawks will host another pre-draft workout tomorrow morning with six participants, per an official release from the team. The headliners include Bruce Brown from Miami and De’Anthony Melton from USC.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has Brown being selected by the Knicks in the second round at No. 36 overall in his current mock draft, while he has Melton going in the first round at No. 25 overall to the Lakers. The Hawks select at No. 3, 19, 30, and 34.
In addition to Brown and Melton, the Hawks will host Thon Maker‘s younger brother Matur Maker, Cameron Reynolds (Tulane), Yuta Watanabe (George Washington), and Johnathan Williams (Gonzaga).
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- As reported by John and Hugh of 92.9 The Game, Hawks’ GM Travis Schlenk is confident that he knows who Phoenix is planning to take at No. 1, meaning the team need only concern itself with Sacramento’s decision. Per Schlenk, the Hawks are down to “three or four guys” who they are contemplating taking with the No. 3 selection, but they are also open to trading back.
- The Magic, armed with a new and experienced head coach in Steve Clifford, are turning their focus to the draft and free agency, analyzes Bobby Marks of ESPN. Most importantly, the team must decide what its plan is with the impending restricted free agency of forward Aaron Gordon. Marks opines that the Magic should sign Gordon as a future tradeable asset, if nothing else.
- Candace Buckner of The Washington Post takes a look at the options the Wizards are thinking about with the No. 15 pick in this month’s NBA Draft. Three prospects that Buckner specifically mentions are point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV, and big man Robert Williams.