Pacific Notes: Gay, Inglewood, Clarkson
Expect Rudy Gay to pursue a playoff contender this offseason, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes, even if that takes him away from the Kings. The veteran could serve a valuable role with a competitive team given his proven ability to score the ball but where does that leave Sacramento?
That Gay is expecting to test the market is nothing new, he said as much last September. Not even the early season success that the Kings enjoyed in 2016/17 or the shroud of uncertainty cast when the forward tore his Achilles midseason could dissuade him from betting on himself in the open market.
Gay’s absence in the latter half of last campaign revealed the fact that whether Gay is on the sidelines or with another franchise altogether the Kings are in desperate need of a forward with size. Undersized shooting guards, Jones says, only compromise head coach Dave Joerger‘s defense.
The team has in-house options to audition at the 3, including 2016 first-rounder Malachi Richardson, but would be wise to target players like Jayson Tatum or Justin Jackson in the upcoming NBA Draft. Kings draft-and-stash prospect Bogdan Bogdanovic could ultimately address the need as well, Jones adds.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- As we wrote about earlier in the week, the Clippers have made progress in their attempts to build a new stadium. The project, however, won’t be without its hurdles. Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times details a statement issued on behalf of the Forum accusing the city of Inglewood and the franchise of “backroom dealing”.
- North Carolina power forward Isaiah Hicks (projected at No. 56 by NBADraft.net) headlined a batch of prospects that the Lakers worked out Friday. Joey Ramirez of the Lakers’ official website has scouting reports on all involved.
- Despite the fact that his name is often floated in trade rumors, Jordan Clarkson is determined to keep his head down and keep grinding. Mark Medina of the Orange County Register writes that, if the Lakers draft a point guard, D’Angelo Russell could slide over to Clarkson’s natural position at the 2.
And-Ones: Russell, Fultz, Chriss
Eleven-time NBA champion Bill Russell will be honored with the NBA’s first ever Lifetime Achievement Award, an Associated Press report states. The Hall of Fame center will be presented with the award during the NBA’s award show on June 26.
With five NBA MVPs to his name, the Celtics Hall of Famer is a living legend with an endless resume of historic achievements. Not only has Russell remained a visible representative of the Boston franchise and league in general’s sustained success, he lays claim to the title of being the first player to win an NBA title, an NCAA crown and an Olympic gold medal.
Per the Associated Press, Russell was also the first African American to coach a team in one of the major professional sports leagues.
Across 13 NBA seasons as a player, Russell averaged 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
There’s more from around the NBA:
- Quickly swept up in the excitement of a possible trade between the Sixers and Celtics is the fact that Markelle Fultz signed a multiyear shoe deal with Nike. Fultz announced the deal over Twitter.
- Both Suns forward Marquese Chriss and Nuggets guard Will Barton will sign with Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports, Chris Haynes of ESPN tweets.
- Although he had a meeting with Maccabi Tel Aviv, former Cavaliers head coach David Blatt will remain with his current Turkish League team Darussafka Dogus next season, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia writes.
- Former Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni will be the new head coach of Liga ACB club Saski Baskonia, Dario Destri of Sportando relays. Prigioni had recently been linked to an assistant coaching position with New York.
- The Clippers have hosted 2012 second-round pick Tornike Shengelia for a three-day workout, international basketball reporter David Pick tweets. Shengelia last saw action with the Nets and Bulls as a 23-year-old during the 2013/14 campaign. He currently plays for Saski Baskonia in Spain.
Mavs Notes: Noel, Draft, Harris
Having performed admirably during his half season with the Mavs and said all the right things to the media, Nerlens Noel is an excellent option to man the paint in Dallas for years to come. Unfortunately, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News explains, the restricted free agent will likely field significant offers from other teams this summer for those very same reasons.
In the last edition of his SportsDay series ranking notable available players, Sefko rounds up the five most appealing free agent options at the center position (he recently wrote about the top five power forwards and the top five small forwards). Noel, not surprisingly, is ranked No. 1 by Sefko, although Dewayne Dedmon, Greg Monroe, Nene Hilario and Tiago Splitter round out the list. The scribe adds that the athletic big man would work well in this era and could contribute to what the Mavericks are trying to accomplish.
In April, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News wrote about Noel’s time with the franchise since the trade deadline day deal that sent him from Philadelphia south. In it, Townsend quotes Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle saying that the available center has “got to get signed”.
“I’ve been impressed with him,” Carlisle added in the Townsend piece. “He’s a very likable guy. Guys in the locker room took to him. He’s an exciting young talent, and I do think he can expand his game.”
There’s more from the Mavs:
- Count veteran point guard Devin Harris among those who admire how the Warriors built their dynasty. Harris recently told the Dallas Morning News’ Eddie Sefko that the Mavs should look to draft wisely and hone their talent. Harris adds that building through free agency should be a secondary option considering that there is so much competition with other franchises.
- The Mavs have been busy working out possible draftees, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News tweets. On Thursday the team saw Zach Collins (projected to go No. 10 by NBADraft.net) and Lauri Markkanen (No. 11). Dallas holds the No. 9 pick in the June 22 NBA Draft.
- Hoops fans may have to wait a while for the next great NBA team to come and unseat the Warriors and there’s no reason to believe that, when it happens, it will be any less of a surprise than when Golden State rose to prominence by drafting Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in consecutive drafts. Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News writes that it may not be the Mavs who take the throne in 2020 but, then again, it could be anybody.
Central Notes: Korver, Williams, Workouts
There’s a better chance that the Cavaliers bring mid-season trade acquisition Kyle Korver back for 2017/18 than buyout season bargain Deron Williams, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. In response to a reader’s question, Vardon broke down the circumstances of their respective pending free agencies.
Because they gave up a first-round pick to acquire him, the Cavaliers hold Korver’s Bird Rights. That means, of course, that they can go above the salary cap to retain him, something outright inevitable given that they’re operating with the league’s highest payroll. Bringing Korver – who led the league in 3-point percentage at age 36 – back is a cost effective way of keeping offensive weapons on board for next season.
Williams, in contrast, will be limited in the size of contract he can land with the Cavaliers, a figure certainly less than what he drew on the open market with the Mavs last offseason. Despite his having been waived by Dallas in February, his eventual playoff struggles with Cleveland and the staggering fact that he’ll make $5.5MM for the next three years thanks to a stretch provision dating back to his time with the Nets, Vardon says he’s “unlikely” to sign with the Cavaliers for just their $5.1 exception.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Bucks worked out a handful of guards Friday, including Donovan Mitchell (projected to be drafted at No. 14 by NBADraft.net) and Justin Jackson (No. 19). A report on Milwaukee’s official website has the details.
- The Pistons spent time Friday working out a number of deep sleepers, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. The scribe notes facetiously that the names aren’t likely candidates to go 12th overall. With no second-round pick, Detroit could be auditioning eventual free agent options.
- The Pacers will bring John Collins (projected to be drafted at No. 13 by NBADraft.net) and Harry Giles (No. 22) in for a workout Saturday, the team writes on its official site, as well as several others.
- A combination of age and limited financial flexibility could make it difficult for the Cavaliers to improve this offseason, Bobby Marks of The Vertical writes. Marks notes that even if the club looked elsewhere than Kyle Korver and Deron Williams, they’d only have minimum contracts and the mid-level exception at their disposal.
Sixers, Celtics In ‘Serious Talks’ About No. 1 Pick
4:26pm: The discussions between Philadelphia and Boston are so serious that expected first-overall pick Markelle Fultz could be on his way to meet with the Sixers as early as Saturday, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets.
Both ESPN’s Marc Stein and Wojnarowski (below) have now said explicitly that the deal being negotiated would include a package of Philly draft picks including the No. 3 pick this year.
Such a trade would make Fultz a realistic option for the Sixers, while potentially putting Josh Jackson in line to fall to Boston. Just yesterday we wrote about a connection between the Kansas prospect and the C’s.
4:15pm: The Sixers and Celtics have had serious talks involving the No. 1 pick, Marc Stein of ESPN tweets. Per Zach Lowe of ESPN – who Stein cites in the original tweet – Boston would receive several picks but no players from Philly, leaving Lowe to infer that the No. 3 pick would be involved in the package.
The story is corroborated by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who adds that the Sixers are currently awaiting medical information on Fultz. Wojnarowski then goes on to tweet that a source tells him Boston would acquire the No. 3 pick in a package that would also include a future first from Philadelphia.
Trading down from No. 1 to No. 3 would free up $1.4MM worth of cap space for the Celtics, says Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, no small consideration given their expected free agency pursuits of Blake Griffin and Gordon Hayward.
Hoops Links Vol. 9: Time Travel, North Korean Diplomacy, More
We’re back with the latest edition of Hoops Links, one that will make you appreciate the joys of the NBA blogosphere as much as we do. Now, with the Finals in the rear-view mirror, celebrating good original content is as important as ever.
Once a week we round up the best content that we come across while obsessively perusing the internet and now you can help. Find a blog article that you think deserves a shout out next Thursday? Send it my way on Twitter (@AustinKent). Even if you wrote the blog yourself, nominate it for inclusion in future editions.
Remember, keep things limited to Cavaliers Era Shawn Kemp, relevant, original and fresh.
The Celtics have plenty of decisions to make over the course of the next few years, especially since their cap space projects to dry up after this offseason. Retaining their roster as is and signing a big name free agent in 2017 could put Boston in position to far exceed the luxury tax next season when it comes time to re-sign Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley. Jason Sullivan of You’re Ducking Right recently broke down the pros and cons of retaining each guard, coming to the conclusion that the C’s will inevitably need to part with one if they want to build around Markelle Fultz.
Author: Jason Sullivan – @Sully6827
Rating: 9 out of 10 Sophie’s Choices
Link: Isaiah Thomas vs. Avery Bradley.
Much has been said about how an increasing reliance on three-point shooting has changed the game of basketball, but few have delved into what it takes to stop a successful team on the perimeter. Thomas Bassine of Big Three Sports went to work compiling the three-point percentages certain teams allowed compared to what one might reasonably expect those opposing percentages to be. The result? A statistical analysis of how teams are defending against the biggest trend in basketball.
Author: Thomas Bassine – @Big3Sports
Rating: 9 out of 10 Scatter Plots
Link: Three-point defense trends.
There’s a decent chance that Dennis Rodman‘s latest trip to North Korea will have a negligible impact on anything but perhaps the quarterly sales of bootlegged Bulls jerseys on the streets of Pyongyang, but that doesn’t change the fact that the retired forward is likely the only person alive that has personal relationships with both Donald Trump and Kim-Jong Un. Dan Devine of Ball Don’t Lie summarizes the Washington Post’s reporting.
Author: Dan Devine – @YourManDevine
Rating: 7 out of 10 Mermaid Puzzles
Link: Dennis Rodman in North Korea, 2017.
It didn’t take long for the speculation about hypothetical Cavaliers trades to kick in following their loss in the NBA Finals. Sam Beech of the King James Gospel, however, insists that Cleveland should resist making a blockbuster trade. Forget Carmelo Anthony altogether and don’t rush out to trade Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving, Beech says, thwarting some of the most frequently discussed trade possibilities.
Author: Sam Beech – @KJG_NBA
Rating: 7 out of 10 Hasty Overreactions
Link: Cavs should not make blockbuster trade.
If you were simultaneously granted the abilities to go invisible and time travel, it’s presumed that you’d skip ahead to the day the free agency moratorium lifts in order to sneak through the journals of various general managers. I get it. Alas, for now at least, we’re stuck with David Nash’s thought exercise. For The Four Point Play, Nash imagines what the diaries of Rockets GM Daryl Morey and Thunder GM Sam Presti might look like after two vital 10-day stretches in each executive’s career.
Author: David Nash – @DKN17
Rating: 9 out of 10 Cringeworthy Drakes
Link: Sam Presti, Daryl Morey diaries.
After last summer’s historically mediocre shopping spree, the Trail Blazers don’t have much cap space in 2017. Eric Griffiths of Blazer’s Edge, however, has some options that could create some breathing room for the franchise. Griffiths floats Pat Connaughton and Tim Quarterman as possible cuts with Meyers Leonard an intriguing salary dump option.
Author: Eric Griffiths – @EricG_NBA
Rating: 8 out of 10 Scroungers
Link: How Blazers can make cap space.
The Wizards haven’t had much success luring NBA superstars home to the D.C. area, most recently missing out on Kevin Durant last summer. Durant, a Washington native, didn’t even grant the franchise a meeting last offseason before taking his talents to Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach. Ryan Eugene of Wiz of Awes, however, thinks the tide could be changing, citing recent comments from Will Barton and Greivis Vasquez about returning home.
Author: Ryan Eugene – @ButterScotchT
Rating: 8 out of 10 Google Searches For Beaches Near Oracle Arena
Link: Local players interested in playing for Wizards.
After spurring a chorus of speculation at the trade deadline by tweeting an emoji, Pistons big man Andre Drummond has done it all over again. Count Steve Hinson of Detroit Bad Boys among those frustrated that we may be in line for another barrage of social-media-fueled angst as the rumor mill surrounding possible transactions begins to fly.
Author: Steve Hinson – @Shinons8
Rating: 7 out of 10 Damn Millennials
Link: Andre Drummond’s emoji tweet.
While they’ve managed to turn themselves into a perennial playoff team and regular dark horse option to make noise in the west, make no mistake, the Clippers Curse is alive and well. Need a reminder of just how blech things have been for the franchise? Autumn Anderson of Clipperholics recently published a feature detailing just how much of an impact the Michael Olowokandi-era bad luck continues to have on the organization.
Author: Autumn Anderson – @AAAutumn_
Rating: 8 out of 10 Eric Piatkowski Jerseys
Link: The Clippers Curse is real.
The thought of Dwight Howard putting up jump shots from beyond the arc is naturally unsettling, but that’s exactly what the big man plans to do for the Hawks in order to prolong his career. Justin Hodges of Soaring Down South weighed in on some recent comments made by the traditional back-to-the-basket big man, suggesting that Howard no longer boasts the impressive interior defense to get away with being a one-trick pony.
Author: Justin Hodges – @HodgepodgeHoops
Rating: 8 out of 10 Ambitious Shooting Coaches
Link: Dwight Howard to add three-pointer.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: Hayward, Nuggets, Spurs
Does the success of the Warriors impact Gordon Hayward‘s fate? Randy Hollis of the Deseret News suggests as much, noting that the reality of living in Golden State’s shadow may slightly reduce the forward’s chances of returning to the Jazz.
Hollis argues that the Jazz “probably won’t” win a title over the course of Hayward’s career and that the Warriors’ youth and makeup could result in some rather moot battles for conference supremacy over the course of the next half decade.
The scribe adds that a move to the Eastern Conference, then, could be more appealing for Hayward (or any free agent in a similar situation) where he wouldn’t need to worry about plateauing somewhere before the Finals as he may with the Jazz. Hollis does, however, recognize that winning the East still results in a seven-game showdown with the Warriors.
There’s more from the Western Conference:
- A quick look through some of the big men the Nuggets have worked out reveals that the team could be aiming to improve their sub-optimal interior defense, Nick Kosmider of the Denver Post writes.
- The Mavs aren’t afraid to search the globe for talent, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. In the past month alone, team president Donnie Nelson and scout Tony Ronzone have been everywhere from Las Vegas to Iceland and Serbia.
- The Spurs face a series of questions this offseason, Bobby Marks of the Vertical writes in his breakdown of the team’s summer agenda, including what to do with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
Draft Notes: Smith Jr., Collins, Leaf, Sixers
The Lakers have a short list of players they’re said to be targeting with the No. 2 pick in this year’s NBA Draft but they opted to bring North Carolina State guard Dennis Smith Jr. for a workout just in case they trade down, Mark Medina of the Orange County Register writes.
Smith Jr., a possible top-10 pick, participated in a group workout this weekend with a series of other draft hopefuls, including Syracuse’s Tyler Lydon. The guard impressed in the audition, his talent a cut above the rest.
Smith Jr. was sure to do his homework prior to his day with the Lakers and thinks that he can fill a void.
“I checked one of the stats and they’re bottom 10 in almost everything relative to pick-and-roll scoring,” he said. “I think I can contribute to that.”
There are more draft notes from around the league:
- While he may not be around when the Jazz pick 24th in this month’s draft, TJ Leaf believes he would be a good fit with the franchise, Jody Genessy of the Deseret News writes. “Obviously draft number’s a big deal as well, but if I drop a couple of places and go to a team with a perfect fit, that’s who we want,” Leaf said after a recent workout in Utah. “We see a team like this — great coach, great system — and I think I’d fit well here, so that’s why I scheduled this one.“
- After an unexpectedly dominant first season at Gonzaga, Zach Collins is a potential one-and-done lottery pick. Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee recently profiled the sharp-shooting big man, offering him up as a legitimate option for when the Kings pick at No. 10.
- The Sixers will bring in Kyle Kuzma of Utah and Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame for workouts tomorrow, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Kuzma is projected as a late first-round pick by NBADraft.net, while Blossomgame is expected to drop into the second round. Billy Garrett (DePaul), Jalen Moore (Utah State), V.J. Beachem (Notre Dame), and Dominique Hawkins (Kentucky) will also audition for Philadelphia.
Pacific Notes: West, $90K Tickets, Green
While it hasn’t gained the media traction that the Lakers‘ upcoming No. 2 pick or Chris Paul‘s pending free agency have, the fact that Jerry West, a purple and gold legend, could leave his post with Golden State to join not the Lakers but the Clippers would shake the L.A. basketball landscape, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times writes.
Having beaten the Lakers in 18 of their past 20 meetings, the Clippers are officially on top of the intercity rivalry. Poaching West from Golden State would only add to the growing divide between the two franchises.
“Sometimes I thought in my life that maybe that [rejoining the Lakers] might be something that I can revisit, or they would want me to revisit, but that didn’t happen,” West said recently. “It kind of sent me a message that they wanted to go elsewhere, which was fine.”
While West hasn’t worked with the Lakers in an official capacity for 17 years, he’s still synonymous with the franchise. The fact that he’s intrigued by the possibility of joining Steve Ballmer and the Clippers is symbolic of the changing times.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- A pair of tickets for Game 5 of the NBA Finals has sold for $90K, Darren Rovell of ESPN writes. The Warriors and Cavaliers will tip off in the Bay Area tomorrow. The price point, however, falls just shy of last year’s finale, when two seats to Game 7 went for $99K.
- Confusion arose in Game 4 of the NBA Finals when officials appeared to retroactively change the recipient of a technical foul. Adi Joseph of USA Today compiled an oral history of the incident. Officials say that the technical foul had always been awarded to Warriors coach Steve Kerr and that there had simply been a miscommunication.
- Never one to shy away from controversy, Warriors forward Draymond Green riled the feathers of Cavaliers fans after Game 4. In the same Joseph article Green is quoted as saying “I really don’t pay much attention to anyone in Cleveland, honestly. They don’t seem to be the sharpest people around.“
East Notes: Hornets, Fultz, Jones, Celtics
The Hornets will audition a pair of potential lottery picks on Monday, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports, bringing Donovan Mitchell and Terrence Ferguson in for workouts with a batch of four other players.
Mitchell, a Louisville product pegged at No. 16 in NBADraft.net‘s latest mock draft, is a particularly intriguing combo guard with a 6’10” wingspan. Ferguson, a more traditional swingman, played professionally in Australia last season in lieu of a stint in the NCAA.
Joining Mitchell and Ferguson will be Bryce Alford, Cameron Oliver, Devin Robinson and Tai Webster. The Hornets pick 11th in this month’s draft.
There’s more from the Eastern Conference this evening:
- Don’t expect the Celtics to hold Markelle Fultz‘s lack of team success at Washington against him ahead of the 2017 NBA Draft, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes. “We had determined who they were long before they got to their college situations,” general manager Danny Ainge said of Fultz [and also Jaylen Brown].
- Having nearly equaled his annual income in technical foul fines this postseason, Dahntay Jones is the unlikely benefactor of some generosity from fans. Per Alysha Tsuji of USA Today, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help the Cavaliers veteran cover his costly habit.
- The Celtics just aren’t a good fit for Lonzo Ball, LaVar Ball tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England. The eldest Ball envisions his son stepping up as a leader for the Lakers while the Celtics are already more established.