Draft Notes: Combine, Parker, Embiid
Next week’s predraft combine in Chicago will give prospects a chance to show off their skills for NBA clubs. Two players who have a chance of being the first selection in the draft, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid, declined their invites to participate in the combine, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Their absence isn’t likely to dramatically hinder their stock, but it does raise questions about Embiid’s back injury, Wojnarowski says. Here’s more on the combine and the 2014 draft:
- Front offices around the league took note that Parker wasn’t in great shape last season, so his absence from the combine might be a concern, relays Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (via Twitter).
- Andrew Wiggins is also unlikely to accept his combine invitation, passes along Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
- Chane Behanan, Sim Bhullar, Eric Moreland, Jakarr Sampson, and Roscoe Smith are some notable early entrants that weren’t invited to the combine, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
- David Nurse of Perfect Shots Shooting breaks down Embiid’s game and discusses his immense potential, noting he has the tools to excel at the next level but will need to work to refine his offensive game.
LA Notes: Rivers, Parsons, Lakers
Clippers coach Doc Rivers spoke with Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman and discussed, among other topics, the appointment of Dick Parsons as the team’s interim CEO. “I don’t know Dick very well,” said Rivers. “But from what I heard from everyone who knows him and from talking to him today, I think it’s a very good hire for us.” We’ll cover more from Tramel’s discussion with Rivers as well as the Lakers coaching search:
- Rivers said that the league has done a great job of keeping him involved in the search for a replacement for Donald Sterling. Their involvement has helped him focus on basketball rather than the scandal, admits Rivers.
- The league never went as far as to ask Rivers to run the Clippers, and Rivers said he wouldn’t have been interested even if they had since he has a limited understanding of the business side of running an NBA team.
- Although the Lakers don’t appear to be in the running for Steve Kerr, they’re still likely to hire someone who makes a splash. Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News passes along the the opinions of experts from around the league about which candidates would be best suited for the job.
Draft Notes: Saric, Parker, Wiggins, Magic
The 2014 draft is a little over a month away, and there’s no shortage of news and notes on this year’s deep class. Let’s round up the latest:
- Dario Saric might be the most versatile offensive player in the 2014 draft, writes Jonathan Givony in his profile of the Croatian forward. However, Saric’s lack of a true position and perceived attitude issues might hinder his stock, says Givony.
- Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com debate whether Jabari Parker should be the number one overall pick in the draft. They both think Parker would be the safe first-overall selection, but that Andrew Wiggins has a higher ceiling (Insider link).
- The Magic place a high value on character, and they will utilize the pre-draft interviews to evaluate whether or not a potential draftee is compatible with their team, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (subscribers only). Orlando GM Rob Hennigan was impressed with how Victor Oladipo performed in his interview last summer, writes Robbins.
Cray Allred contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Kerr, Sterling, Hawks, Griffin
Although Steve Kerr has never coached before, Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal opines he possesses the necessary traits to effectively run an NBA club. Still, it remains to be seen whether those traits can translate into effective results, says Schlosser. Here’s this afternoon’s look around the Association:
- The Heat‘s James Jones, an executive for the NBA Player’s Association, says that it wouldn’t be acceptable for Shelly Sterling to retain ownership of the Clippers, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “That’s our stance, and it hasn’t changed, and it won’t,” said Jones.
- John Branch of the New York Times examines the scenario that led to Donald Sterling purchasing the Clippers and chronicles the now banned owner’s tenure as boss in Los Angeles.
- Some soon-to-be free agents have shown fondness for the Hawks roster and are intrigued at the prospect of playing with Jeff Teague, Al Horford, and Paul Millsap, making Atlanta an appealing destination, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
- The Cavs named David Griffin “acting” GM on Februrary 6th, and Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer thinks it’s time the team officially offers him the role of full-time general manager.
Steve Kerr Likely To Pick Coaching Gig By Friday
Steve Kerr is likely to choose the team he’ll coach next season by Friday, a source close to Kerr tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. We heard earlier tonight that Monday marked when Kerr was expected to begin dialogue with Phil Jackson and the Knicks about a coaching role, but talks had yet to commence between the two sides. The Warriors appear to be New York’s primary competition, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that the Jazz have attempted to wedge their way into the race for the former Bulls sharpshooter (Twitter link).
Sources tell Isola that Kerr is concerned about Knicks owner James Dolan‘s hands-on management style, and that Kerr would have no interest in taking the role if it wasn’t for Jackson’s presence within the organization. Reports have claimed New York remains the front-runner for Kerr’s services, but taking a gig with the Lakers or Warriors would allow Kerr to keep living on the West Coast. Plus, Golden State’s young roster is undoubtedly appealing to the soon-to-be first-time coach. Stein nonetheless says the Knicks still have an overwhelming lead on the other teams attempting to land Kerr (on Twitter). That’s why the Lakers haven’t viewed Kerr as a candidate for their open coaching job.
If the Knicks miss out on Kerr, Isola says the recently fired Mark Jackson shouldn’t be completely ruled out as a candidate for the position, but it’s more likely the Zen Master chooses to hire someone close to him. Isola points to Bill Cartwright, who has already interviewed with New York about a possible role within the organization.
Phil Jackson was reported to have told Carmelo Anthony that he expects to hire Kerr. Earlier reports indicated the Lakers didn’t consider Kerr to be a realistic candidate for their coaching vacancy, but Isola labels him as the top candidate for Los Angeles, New York, and Golden State. In fact, the Warriors, who have been linked to Stan Van Gundy, would reportedly prefer to land Kerr, even though the current TNT analyst has never coached at the NBA level.
And-Ones: Sterling, Stackhouse, Warriors, Jazz
The NBA’s legal strategy for ousting Donald Sterling has been revealed, writes Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. According to Rovell, the NBA constitution states that grounds exist to remove any owner that “fail(s) or refuse(s) to fulfill its contractual obligations to the Association.” Among other “morals clauses,” Sterling has signed a document stating he would not “take any position or action that will materially and adversely affect a team or the league,” says Rovell. There’s still expectation that Sterling or his wife will fight the NBA in court, but the league at least has a starting point for Sterling’s removal. Here’s tonight’s look around the NBA:
- The Knicks will interview Jerry Stackhouse for a position within the organization, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. It’s not entirely clear what position Stackhouse will interview for, but he expressed interest in coaching at some capacity. It seems highly unlikely his interview would be for anything more than an assistant position, given New York’s strong pursuit of Steve Kerr.
- Many around the league think that if the Pacers lose to the Wizards and Roy Hibbert continues to struggle, Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird will “do everything he can” to trade the All-Star center, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard. Broussard made his comments on the Mike & Mike Show (Audio link).
- The Jazz will work out draft prospects Taylor Braun, Akil Mitchell, Bryce Cotton, Mike Moser, Stephen Holt, and Ronald Roberts Jr, the team announced (via Twitter).
- James Nunnally has signed a contract to play for the Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico, the team announced (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Nunnally spent most of 2013/14 in the D-League but did see NBA action on 10-day deals with the Hawks and Sixers.
- Each member of Mark Jackson‘s coaching staff has been relieved of their duties, the Warriors announced (hat tip to Diamond Leung of Bay Area News).
- The decision to fire Jackson means that Warriors‘ management will face pressure to win big next season in order to prove they made the right call, opines Tim Kawakami of Mercury News.
- In his latest Insider piece, Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks the top point guard prospects in the 2014 draft. To no surprise, Dante Exum sits atop his list. Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links recently profiled the Australian slasher.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Poll: Did Mark Jackson Deserve To Be Fired?
Mark Jackson had long been rumored to be on his way out of Golden State, so it was no shock when the team announced his dismissal this afternoon. A report implied he didn’t have any supporters in the front office, and the dysfunctional state of the Warriors’ organization this season is rumored to have even potentially hurt his stock going forward. Multiple disputes with assistant coaches over the past few months helped to damage Jackson’s image, even though it was later discovered that he wasn’t exactly responsible for either issue.
Ideological differences with the front office seemed to be the most important factor in Jackson’s discharge. It’s hard to blame him for a lack of success, since the team went 121-109 during his tenure, and reports indicated he had the support of players in the Warriors’ locker room. The club did suffer an early exit in the playoffs, but pinning all the blame on Jackson is unrealistic since the W’s were facing a tough Clippers squad with Andrew Bogut sidelined. In fact, Joe Lacob and Bob Myers sat down with Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News and revealed they simply didn’t feel Jackson was the best fit for their organization going forward.
Did Mark Jackson deserve to get the ax in Golden State? The Warriors won more games this year than they had since 1991/92, and it will surely be tough to completely sell the locker room on the dismissal of a well-liked coach. At the same time, it’s hard for a team succeed when management has different fundamental views than the coach does, and a change in leadership will help distance the club from the “dysfunctional” image they acquired over the course of the season. It’s certainly a difficult question, but Hoops Rumors wants to know what the readers think. Vote below and tell us whether or not Golden State made the right call giving Jackson the boot.
Coaching Rumors: Jackson, Warriors, Kerr
The Warriors cut ties with Mark Jackson today, and rumors have already started swirling about potential fits for the now vacant coaching spot in Golden State. Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders rounds up the situation and discusses possible candidates and also suggests a few teams that might be wise to seek out Jackson’s services. Here’s the latest on Jackson, Kerr, and the Lakers coaching search:
- Brian Scalabrine was also dismissed from Warriors, reports Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area (via Twitter). Scalabrine had been an assistant coach with Golden State under Jackson before a mid-season demotion sent him to their D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.
- Kerr was expected to begin talks with the Knicks about a coaching role yesterday, but there have still been no contact between the two sides, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. There’s a strong chance Kerr has a conversation with the Warriors about taking on the head coaching role in Golden State, but his preference remains New York, says Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
- The Knicks haven’t called Jackson about their head coaching position, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
- It’s very unlikely the Timberwolves have any interest in bringing Jackson aboard, passes along Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (on Twitter).
- The Pistons should consider hiring Jackson in Detroit, even though it wouldn’t be a cheap acquisition, writes Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Goodwill points to Jackson’s ability to earn his players’ respect as a particularly valuable trait.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com discusses the likelihood that Steve Kerr chooses to take on head coaching duties for the Warriors rather than the Knicks. Both teams are reportedly interested in Kerr, but Begley concludes that Phil Jackson‘s presence in New York will give the Knicks an edge in their pursuit.
- Kerr’s college coach, Lute Olson, also sees the Knicks as the front-runner to land Kerr, even after Jackson’s dismissal in Golden State, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
- Lakers management is taking a slow approach to its coaching search, but Kobe Bryant and Byron Scott have talked in the past few weeks, notes Chris Broussard of ESPN during an interview on the Mike & Mike Show (Audio link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Mavs Rumors: Offseason, Sanders, Randolph
The Mavs were heavy underdogs heading into the playoffs, but they found a way to go seven games with the top-seeded Spurs before eventually falling in the series finale. Dallas’ offense was among the most potent in the league this season, but in an interview on KESN-FM 103.3’s “Afternoon Show with Cowlishaw and Mosely,” coach Rick Carlisle admitted he’d like to improve his squad’s defense and add some speed this summer (transcription from the Dallas Morning News). Here’s more on the Mavs’ offseason:
- In the same interview, Carlisle revealed that he, Dallas GM Donnie Nelson, and owner Mark Cuban are all in agreement that team continuity from year to year is important to success: “We want to keep this team together as much as we can so that we can kind of turn the page and continue with bringing back as many guys as we can.”
- During an analysis of the Mavs’ offseason, Marc Stein of ESPN.com pegs Larry Sanders as a potential trade target for the team. Stein points to Monta Ellis‘ resurgence in Dallas and wonders if playing for Carlisle could have the same effect on Sanders after a season to forget in Milwaukee.
- Two upcoming free agents that the Mavs should consider pursuing are Zach Randolph and Al-Farouq Aminu, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. The skilled rebounding and defensive toughness that the either big man would bring are worth overpaying for, opines Sefko.
- Dallas intends on pursuing Carmelo Anthony this summer, as we passed along earlier today.
Michael Carter-Williams Wins Rookie Of The Year
MONDAY, 8:09am: Carter-Williams officially won the award, the NBA announced via press release. The Sixers point guard received 104 first-place votes out of a possible 124. Oladipo finished second with 16 first-place votes. Trey Burke was the third-place finisher, even though he only received one first-place vote, one fewer than Mason Plumlee. The other first-place vote went to Tim Hardaway Jr.
SATURDAY, 2:49pm: Michael Carter-Williams has been voted Rookie of the Year, a source tells Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. In what would otherwise be a season to forget for the Sixers, Carter-Williams gave Philadelphia fans hope for the future by putting up impressive averages of 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per contest. The victory doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as the only other realistic competition for the title came from Magic rookie Victor Oladipo.
Philly selected Carter-Williams with the 11th overall pick in last year’s draft, and he played a major role in the team’s surprising 3-0 start to the year. Although the club struggled mightily for the majority of the season, MCW’s ability to stuff a stat sheet excited fans around the league. He was able to notch two triple-doubles in 2013/14, becoming the first Sixers’ rookie in team history to accomplish such a feat.
The victory means Carter-Williams will join Allen Iverson as the only players in Sixers franchise history to win Rookie of the Year. There were five guards selected before Carter-Williams in last June’s draft, but the voters collectively agreed MCW put forth a better rookie campaign than any of them. He led all first-year players in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals.