Lawrence’s Latest: Boozer, ‘Melo, Grizzlies
There’s genuine fear within the Bulls’ front office that owner Jerry Reinsdorf will refuse to use the amnesty provision on Carlos Boozer this summer, passes along Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. Chicago will have a hard time creating the cap room necessary to pursue marquee names if they don’t find a way to get Boozer off the books. Here’s more from Lawrence:
- Carmelo Anthony would be interested in teaming up with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, says Lawrence, but the Lakers are unlikely to have the cap space to bring in both superstars.
- It sounds as if the Rockets‘ pursuit of ‘Melo is unlikely to result in a success. “The only reason Carmelo will go to Houston to listen (to the Rockets) is because of Kevin McHale,” a source told Lawrence. “If the coach wasn’t a top-50, all-time player or was a lesser-name coach, then ‘Melo wouldn’t even visit there. But he’ll listen because it’s Kevin McHale.“
- The Grizzlies are interested in bringing aboard former Knicks president Glen Grunwald to come in and serve under Chris Wallace for two years before taking over the reins as GM, Lawrence writes. That echoes an earlier report from Ken Berger of CBSSports.com but appears to add an expiration date for Wallace’s time in charge of the front office.
- One league source told Lawrence that he wasn’t sure if Bruno Caboclo was even worth a second-round selection. The Raptors selected Caboclo with the 20th pick in the draft, and Lawrence writes that it’s virtually impossible to find a GM who agrees with their decision.
- Utah’s decision to draft Dante Exum isn’t surprising since the the Jazz aren’t sold on Trey Burke as a franchise point guard, reveals Lawrence.
- Dirk Nowitzki won’t even consider signing with a team other than the Mavs this summer, Lawrence confirms.
Florida Notes: LeBron, Rockets, Magic, Draft
Rumor has it that the Rockets might make a run at LeBron James this offseason, but Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel suggests that Dwight Howard‘s relaxed demeanor and reputation as a locker room jokester might end up deterring the Heat superstar from signing with Houston. Here’s the latest from the Sunshine State:
- The only spot that makes sense for LeBron is Miami, surmises Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald. McGraw doesn’t think the Heat’s loss in the finals will give LBJ enough of a reason to opt out of his contract and leave.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at the reasons it might be smart for the Magic to trade Arron Afflalo sooner rather than later. Victor Oladipo would stand to benefit, since in Afflalo’s absence, he could play more shooting guard, his natural position.
- The Magic hold the fourth pick in this Thursday’s draft, and Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders takes a look at what prospects Orlando should consider taking. The Magic’s most pressing need is at the point guard position, opines Taylor.
Atlantic Notes: ‘Melo, Rondo, Celtics, Lowry
Joakim Noah is still actively attempting to persuade Carmelo Anthony into signing with the Bulls, reveals Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. Derrick Rose would prefer to see Chicago strike a trade for Kevin Love, adds Lawrence, who reports that Rose sees Love as a better team player than ‘Melo. Let’s round up more from the Atlantic:
- Rajon Rondo appeared on ESPN’s Numbers Never Lie and admitted that he hopes the Celtics make a run to sign Anthony and “an additional piece” this summer (video link).
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge said he wouldn’t be against trading for a second-round pick if there’s a player available that the team likes, reports Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com, who runs down the list of all 60 prospects Boston auditioned with their pre-draft workouts.
- Although Kyle Lowry is comfortable playing for the Raptors, it’s not a sure thing that the unrestricted free agent returns to Toronto next season, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- We passed along a report indicating that the Nets might be discussing a deal with Cleveland involving a swap of Marcus Thornton and Jarrett Jack.
Pacific Rumors: Suns, Love, MCW, Henry
The Suns have brought in a multitude of point guards to their pre-draft workouts, and Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press suggests (on Twitter) that such a strategy might be indicative of the team’s willingness to ship off Eric Bledsoe or Goran Dragic in a trade for Kevin Love. Phoenix has been identified as a potential suitor for Love, but the club hasn’t been labeled as serious candidate to land the big man. Here’s more from out west:
- The Warriors have been attempting to find a third team to include in a potential deal for Love, but a source close to the situation said it’s been “difficult,” passes along Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter).
- Meanwhile, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune notes (on Twitter) that the Warriors could land Love without involving a third team if they included both Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes in an offer.
- Michael Carter-Williams has not been included in any of the rumored trade discussions between the Lakers and the Sixers, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
- There’s mutual interest in a reunion between Xavier Henry and the Lakers, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, who adds that LA hopes to hang on to all of their role players with one-year, minimum salary deals.
- Alvin Gentry‘s departure to Golden State opens up the Clippers’ top assistant spot to Tyronn Lue, and LA’s fondness for Lue is a major reason the team was open to letting Gentry walk, tweets Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News.
Cavs Show Interest In Mark Jackson?
JUNE 17TH: Jackson, speaking on 95.7 The Game in California, denied reports of Cleveland’s interest, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News group notes (Twitter link).
“Those are nothing but rumors and speculation,” Jackson said.
JUNE 12TH: The Cavs have spoken directly with Jackson about the job, but no formal interview is in the works, and it’s unclear just how serious the Cavs are about the former Warriors head man, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
JUNE 11TH: The Cavs have made “back-channel inquiries” about ex-Warriors coach Mark Jackson, relays Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal, echoing a report from Joe Kotoch of probasketballdraft.com. This is the second new name to emerge as a potential candidate for the Cavs’ open coaching job in less than 24 hours, as we heard this morning that Cleveland was interested in Pacers’ assistant Nate McMillan.
There were contradicting reports on whether or not Jackson would be a serious candidate for Cleveland’s head coaching position, but this latest info seems to suggest that the Cavs hold at least some level of interest in the current ESPN analyst. Still, Finnan hears from a source that a job offer from Cleveland might not be enough to lure Jackson away from the booth.
Jackson went 121-109 during his three-year tenure in Golden State, which ended on a sour note when he was fired after his team suffered a first-round playoff defeat at the hands of the Clippers. Amid rumors of dysfunction and friction with ownership, Jackson was still able to maintain the support of his players, some of whom disagreed with the team’s decision to fire him.
The Cavs’ coaching search has been wide reaching, spanning from several big names in the college ranks, to would-be first-time head coaches, to established veterans like Jackson. A report earlier this week indicated that Cleveland has reached out to around 11 different candidates about the job. The Cavs and Lakers are the only teams remaining without a head coach.
Cavs To Interview Mark Price
JUNE 16TH: Cleveland is strongly considering a second interview for Price this week, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
JUNE 9TH: The Cavs are set to interview Hornets assistant Mark Price for a chance at their vacant head coaching position tomorrow, tweets Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer. Price, a former Cavs All-Star, was quoted a couple of weeks ago as having interest in the role, but at the time, the team reportedly wasn’t sold on the idea of bringing him aboard.
The news comes as a bit of a surprise since Alvin Gentry and Tyronn Lue are both reportedly going to receive second interviews with the team. We’ve also heard Vinny Del Negro and Lionel Hollins are expected to meet with Cleveland team officials for a second time later this week.
Price, a fan favorite in Cleveland, lacks NBA head coaching experience, but he’s been an assistant since the 2007/08 season. Besides Charlotte, he’s seen stints in Denver, Atlanta, Golden State, and Orlando. The former point guard spent nine of his 12 seasons as a member of the Cavs, and his No. 25 jersey was retired by the team shortly after his retirement.
And-Ones: Divac, NBPA, Silver
Vlade Divac is interested in eventually becoming an NBA GM, reports Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Divac says he’s already spoken with the Kings about a job in their front office but that the team hasn’t made him an offer yet. Here’s more from around the NBA:
- The players union interviewed six candidates for their vacant executive director position on May 16th, with six more interviews scheduled in late June, and around six more in mid-July, reveals Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter).
- Adam Silver sat down with Rachel Nichols of CNN to recap the Donald Sterling fiasco and discuss how to handle the debacle going forward (video link).
- Peter Keating of ESPN.com argues that tanking doesn’t work and provides metrics to back up his claim (Insider link). Keating also presents different ideas to punish teams that intentionally lose to improve their draft position.
- Tom Moore of Calkins Media looks at a variety of options Sixers GM Sam Hinkie could consider if he decides trading up to the No. 1 spot in the draft is necessary to secure Andrew Wiggins.
- Mike McGraw of The Daily Herald thinks that Carmelo Anthony would be a much better fit for the Bulls than Kevin Love would be, even if Love is arguably the better player.
- Adi Joseph of USA Today takes a look at draft needs for the Thunder and Blazers.
Cray Allred contributed to this post.
Mikhail Prokhorov Listening To Offers For Nets
6:49pm: Prokhorov released a statement saying he has “no interest in selling the team,” tweets Fred Kerber of The New York Post, while a league source has confirmed to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com that Prokhorov is indeed open to listening to offers. Prokhorov’s statement doesn’t deny the report that he has fielded offers for the team.
4:05pm: In the wake of Steve Ballmer’s agreement to buy the Clippers for an astronomical $2 billion, Brooklyn owner Mikhail Prokhorov has been listening to offers from potential buyers interested in purchasing the Nets, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. A league source tells Wojnarowski that Prokhorov hasn’t indicated a strong desire or even willingness to sell, but adds that the Russian billionaire is curious to see what the going rate for his team and the Barclays Center might be.
Wojnarowski notes that Prokhorov, who owns 80 percent of the Nets and 40 percent of the Barclays Center, purchased his shares of the team and arena just five years ago for $223MM. Although Wojnarowski doesn’t specify any valuations that potential investors have thrown out for the Nets, the stake in the team and the arena is now likely far more expensive than the sum Prokhorov purchased it for, given the price tags attached to the Clippers and other franchises changing hands of late.
Prokhorov hasn’t been afraid to dole out cash for his team during his tenure as owner. The Nets stand to pay about $190MM combined in player salaries and luxury taxes for the 2013/14 season, an all-time league high.
Heat Rumors: James, Riley, ‘Melo
It would take an epic comeback for the Heat to win their third straight title, as the Spurs’ lights out shooting and ever-impressive fundamentals have put Miami on the ropes heading into game five. Let’s round up the latest on the reigning champs..
- LeBron James has grown to appreciate the way Micky Arison runs the Heat, and he trusts that Pat Riley has the know-how to put forth championship caliber clubs year in and year out, hears Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. Lawrence thinks James’ fondness of the executive pairing will lead the All-Star forward into sticking around in Miami next season.
- In the same piece, Lawrence suggests it would be a mistake for the Heat to pursue Carmelo Anthony this summer since the team doesn’t have a problem putting up points in bunches, and ‘Melo’s ability to score is his biggest asset.
- Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel thinks that the Heat need to find a way to add an off-the-dribble scoring threat to complement James this offseason. James had a minutes burden due to a Miami rotation heavy on spot-up shooters and Dwyane Wade‘s regimented rest days.
- Michael Beasley says his second stint in Miami has helped him mature as a player, observes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. Beasley is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Cray Allred contributed to this post.
Central Notes: Bucks, Boozer, Price, Pacers
The Bucks are drawing “strong” interest from a variety of local investors, writes Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee ownership would reportedly like to add as many as 10 investors, says Walker, who identifies several parties that might be interested in purchasing a minority stake in the club. Here’s more from around the Central:
- It’s no secret the Bulls would like to add Carmelo Anthony to their already potent roster this summer, and in order to increase financial flexibility, KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reveals (on Twitter) that the Bulls would prefer not to bring aboard two rookie scale contracts in the draft. Chicago would also prefer to unload Carlos Boozer‘s expensive contract in a sign-and-trade, tweets Johnson.
- Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer says that Mark Price could still be considered a candidate for the Cavs coaching job, albeit not as one of the top-three names at the moment. Cleveland is seeking a coach who excels working with point guards, a focus that opened the door for Price, adds Pluto.
- Adi Joseph of USA Today takes a look at the draft needs facing the Pacers and Bulls. Both clubs need help offensively and would be well-advised to select a player who can score in bunches, opines Joseph.
Cray Allred contributed to this post.