Draft Notes: Trades, Plumlee, Blazers, Warriors
Here is the latest circulating about next Thursday's NBA Draft:
- We know that the Cavs are shopping the top pick, and while Sam Amico of Fox Sports tweets that interest in No. 1 is building, teams are more interested in the Magic's second pick and the Wizards' third pick.
- Sean Meagher of Oregon Live posts a video of Mason Plumlee, in town for a workout with the Blazers, where the former Duke star says he can help a team right away. Chris Haynes of CSN Northwest writes that Plumlee, who expects to get better despite his advanced game, is on a mission to prove he is the best big man in the draft.
- Meanwhile, the Blazers will host bigs Steven Adams and Rudy Gobert for a workout on Thursday, tweets Haynes.
- The Warriors, well aware of the value of young players, are looking to acquire a draft pick, writes Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Golden State, who had four draft picks a year ago, has none at the moment for next Thursday's draft.
Odds & Ends: Bucks, Mavs, Nuggets, Jones
As we all wait with bated breath for game seven tomorrow night between the Heat and the Spurs, let's round up some odds and ends from around the NBA on this Wednesday night:
- Craig Brackins, Tyler Honeycutt, and Mickell Gladness are among the NBA free agents at a mini-camp being held by the Bucks this week, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com explains how the Early Bird exception could help the Mavericks re-sign Brandan Wright this summer.
- While the Mavs are likely to move their first rounder, Mark Cuban tells MacMahon that any rumors about that deal that involve a Shawn Marion salary dump are false.
- In an offseason that's already seen them lose a head coach, a GM, and an assistant GM, the Nuggets will lose two more executives from their front office, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post outlines.
- The Jazz, who officially brought Jerry Sloan back to the organization earlier tonight, are close to naming Brad Jones their new bench assistant, tweets Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune. Jones was previously an assistant coach for player development for the team.
Kobe Thinks Howard, Paul Stay Put
In an interview on 710 ESPN Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant said he expects Dwight Howard to stay with the Lakers and Chris Paul to stay with the Clippers, writes Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times. Bryant, citing the franchise's past success with centers, said the Lakers have to find a way to retain Howard, who Bryant fully expects to meet with other teams.
From Bryant: "Those guys are hard to find, they don't grow on trees. When you have someone like that with his talent level, you have to be able to keep him and lock him in with this franchise."
Bryant called the Lakers the "perfect spot" for Howard, and said that he would have been a "fool" to leave L.A. in 2004 when he had a chance to become a free agent himself. Despite the recent migration of superstars, Bryant, when asked about Howard and Paul, seemed to think that there wouldn't be a ton of movement this offseason:
"There's always so much talk going on, especially with big-name guys going here, going there, but that happens once in a blue moon. I think at the end of the day, everybody stays."
Meanwhile, Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com gives his take on the four realistic summer options for the Lakers that revolve around Howard and his frontcourt mate Pau Gasol.
Jazz Hire Jerry Sloan As Senior Advisor
The Jazz announced on Wednesday evening that they have hired Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan in an official capacity as a Senior Basketball Advisor. Sloan's role will entail player evaluation at workouts, summer league and camps, as well as limited pro and regional college scouting and occasional practice observation. The news was initially revealed by Jazz CEO Greg Miller via Twitter.
In a statement, via the team's website, Sloan said, “In my new role with the Jazz franchise, I hope to help the basketball operations staff and [head coach Tyrone Corbin] in any way that I can to achieve their goals. I would like to thank the Miller family for the opportunity to be part of the organization again.”
Atlantic Notes: Ujiri, Raptors, Smith, Sixers
Here is what is going on in the Atlantic Division on Tuesday night:
- With Masai Ujiri introduced in Toronto this morning, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports that the one thing made clear was that Ujiri is the main man in charge of basketball decisions for the Raptors right now.
- Meanwhile, Mike Ganter, also from the Sun, writes that landing the NBA's Executive of the Year is a coup for the Raptors, and a sign that their ownership group is intent on shedding their mediocre label.
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York provides a primer to the free agency of J.R. Smith, who earlier today we heard will decline his player option with the Knicks, but will likely re-sign with the team. Begley points out that Smith will have plenty of suitors, and spells out the ramifications of whether or not Smith re-ups in New York.
- The Sixers will work out Kentucky's Archie Goodwin, Louisville's Peyton Siva and Temple's Scootie Randall, writes Nick Menta of CSN Philly. Since the Sixers pick No. 11, they could only be looking at this trio via trade in the first or with one of their two second round selections (No. 35 and No. 42).
Blazers Notes: Trades, Aldridge, Olynyk, McCollum
After GM Neil Olshey fielded questions last week, it looked like the Blazers were deep into their player evaluation process for the NBA Draft. Let's look at the buzz coming out of Portland, draft and otherwise, on this Tuesday night:
- According to John Canzano of the Oregonian, there are whispers in Portland that the Blazers aren't enamored with anyone at No. 10, and may try to move the pick if nothing changes. Canzano advises Olshey to reconsider, citing the team's utter lack of depth as the primary reason that finding a rotational player on June 27 is critical.
- Speaking of trades, Ben Golliver of the Blazers Edge addresses the idea of the Blazers putting LaMarcus Aldridge on the block this summer.
- Many Blazers fans have probably seen plenty of Gonzaga big man Kelly Olynyk in the Pacific Northwest, and they don't appear too impressed with him at No. 10, according to this post from the Oregonian. With Aldridge locked in as one big man, Olynyk is probably not the best fit alongside him considering their similar attributes and deficiencies.
- Sean Meagher rounds up some Blazers draft links for OregonLive.com, evaluating how C.J. McCollum would fit alongside fellow mid-major guard Damian Lillard, who ESPN's Chad Ford has the Blazers taking in his latest mock.
Nets, Sixers Have Contacted Larry Brown
The Nets, Sixers and a third team have all contacted Larry Brown about their coaching vacancies, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY, citing a source close to Brown. Reports of interest in Brown, currently the head coach at SMU, is nothing new this offseason, but this is the first we've heard that he has actually been contacted. The Clippers are the only other team, outside of Brooklyn, Philly and the Pistons, to still have an opening, but it is unclear if they are the third team. Brown has coached all four franchises.
“If one of those teams offered him I think he would [take it] but I don’t think they’re going to offer him,” the source said. Brown has been constantly linked to the Nets and has a good relationship with general manager Billy King from their days in Philly, but their top choice seems to be Brian Shaw. Meanwhile, the Sixers hire of GM Sam Hinkie was supposed to eliminate any chances of Brown's return to Philly, so the source close to Brown is probably right that his return to the NBA is a long shot.
Pacific Notes: World Peace, Howard, Kings, Suns
Let's round up any and all links from the West's Pacific division in this post tonight:
- Confirming Jason Jones' report from earlier, the Kings announced the firings of assistant coaches Jim Eyen, Alex English, and Clifford Ray via press release. However, former assistant Bobby Jackson will be retained in some fashion, but will not serve as an assistant under Michael Malone.
Earlier updates:
- The Lakers have granted the Hawks and Bobcats permission to speak to Darvin Ham, currently an assistant in L.A., about joining their staffs, tweets Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News.
- Metta World Peace will continue to defer to his agent, Marc Cornstein, on what he should do about his $7.7MM player option with the Lakers in 2013/14, writes Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News, who exclusively spoke with the veteran forward. World Peace has until June 25 to make a decision. If he exercises his option, he will force the Lakers to make a decision on whether or not to use the amnesty provision on him.
- While the Lakers certainly have a built-in advantage when it comes to signing Dwight Howard, there are plenty of factors that make him obtainable for other teams, writes ESPN salary cap guru Larry Coon. In this Insider only piece, Coon breaks down what it will take for Howard to land with the Rockets or Mavericks, both of which are considered realistic destinations.
- It looks like new Kings head coach Michael Malone will not retain any assistant coaches from Keith Smart's staff from last season, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. According to the team's media guide, Smart's staff consisted of assistants Alex English, Jim Eyen, Bobby Jackson and Clifford Ray.
- Suns managing partner Robert Sarver understands that his team's rebuilding process could be long and painful, writes Paul Coro for USA Today. With the No. 5 pick in a draft that seems devoid of high-end talent, and not enough star power to lure one of the big-time free agents, franchises like Phoenix need this patient approach to avoid the pitfalls of trying to rebuild too quickly.
Poll: Will Paul George Win An MVP?
As we saw earlier today, Paul George is extension-eligible this offseason and sees himself as max contract type of player. After this postseason, George has catapulted himself into the discussion with the game's elite players. If his breakout regular season didn't ensure him of eventually landing a max deal, his playoff performance almost certainly did. At only 23-years-old, George is young enough and good enough on both ends of the floor to carry only a small amount of risk over the course of a big-dollar, long-term pact.
At this point, whether or not George deserves a max deal probably isn't the question. It is what he does once he gets it that will dictate how George compares to the NBA's best players. If his teammates' confidence in him is any indication, the former Fresno State Bulldog might be destined for huge things.
"He's the future. He has a chance to be MVP of this league next year," Roy Hibbert said last night before Game 7. A confident George agreed with him. "The more and more I get comfortable in this league and the more and more I find myself, I think I am capable of achieving that award," he said, eventually adding, "In my career, I wouldn’t be satisfied if I don't win the award."
Those are big words, especially considering that George scored only seven points last night in a game where he was primarily covered by the current MVP of the league, LeBron James. So what do you think… is Paul George good enough to win an MVP? Will he do it over the course of his career?
Pistons Notes: Coaching Search, Cheeks, Dumars
After coming away with the eighth pick in June's draft tonight, the Pistons can now turn their attention to their coaching search. Here is the latest on the team's quest to find their next leader.
- The search has been long and cumbersome, as evidenced by the need for the Detroit Free Press to publish and maintain an updated list of candidates – possible and not so possible – for the team's head coaching position.
- According to ESPN's Marc Stein, via Twitter, the Pistons will interview Thunder assistant Maurice Cheeks on Wednesday. Cheeks, who has previously coached the Blazers and Sixers, was linked to the Pistons a month ago and is just the latest in a long line of possibilities for the Detroit job.
- While team president Joe Dumars says that he has no timetable for hiring his next coach, he did insist that the search would not extend into free agency, which starts July 1, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. Said Dumars, "We definitely want to have it done by then. We're not going to drag this out. [Owner Tom Gores] and I have talked about this and we want to turn this over as quick as possible."