Eric Moreland To Declare For Draft
Oregon State forward Eric Moreland says he will be declaring for the draft, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Moreland is a 6’10” junior who could be taken in the second round, writes Wojnarowski. The big man averaged 8.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per night this season for the Beavers. He’s currently ranked 38th on Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress‘ list of NCAA juniors.
Moreland isn’t a prolific scorer, but his potential upside comes from his massive size. His 7’4″ wingspan is appealing to coaches and executives at the next level. He was able to average 2.1 blocks per contest over the course of his college career, and his skillset could have him develop into a solid defender capable of a backup role in the NBA.
If Moreland is to be selected this June, he will join Jared Cunningham as the only Oregon State alumni in the league. The latest 2014 mock draft from DraftExpress doesn’t have him being taken.
Northwest Notes: Burke, Dieng, Fisher
Trey Burke‘s rookie season for the Jazz hasn’t featured much winning, but he’s trying to stay positive and make the best of his situation, reports Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News. “There were a lot of good moments for us this year through all the bad,” Burke said. “It’s pretty tough, coming from high school or college you were winning for the most part, but we’re finding ways to grow as a team and the chemistry is continuing to get better and better.’’ Here’s more on the Jazz and the Northwest:
- The Jazz have given Richard Jefferson an opportunity to play, and he’s proving he’s still capable of contributing, writes Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune. The 13th-year forward says he “definitely wouldn’t mind staying” another year in Utah.
- Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune doesn’t believe that Tyrone Corbin will be coaching for the Jazz next season, but he does have faith that Utath will re-sign restricted free agent Gordon Hayward.
- Gorgui Dieng‘s recent strong play has proven he’s capable of starting in the NBA, and as a result, David Thorpe of ESPN.com thinks the Wolves might be wise to try and move Nikola Pekovic (Insider link). Specifically, Thorpe thinks a deal that would send Pekovic to the Thunder for Russell Westbrook would make sense for both teams.
- Although he’s likely playing in his last year, Derek Fisher says he hasn’t thought about coaching next season, writes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. When asked about the possibility of coaching for the Knicks, Fisher didn’t sound interested. “That is not on my radar or in my scope or anything that I’ve thought about, even coaching in general.“
Jazz Claim Erik Murphy, Waive Andris Biedrins
The Jazz have claimed Erik Murphy off of waivers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Murphy was waived by the Bulls on Thursday, presumably to make room for a perimeter player. We had originally heard that the Bucks might be interested in claiming Murphy, but instead it’s the Jazz who have laid claim to the rookie big man out of Florida. Since the Jazz have a league maximum 15 players on their roster, they’ve opted to waive Andris Biedrins to make room, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.
Murphy, the 49th overall pick in last year’s draft, has played only 62 minutes in 24 contests for Chicago this season. His $490K salary will be wiped from the Bulls’ books and added on to the Jazz’s cap total. By getting Murphy’s contract off their books, the Bulls are now going to be able to remain under the luxury tax, even if Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah reach their earn bonuses. Waiver claims are a rare occurrence in the NBA, but the Jazz must be intrigued enough by Murphy’s size and skillset to take on the extra cap hit. He’ll be on a non-guaranteed, minimum salary deal next season.
To make the move work, the Jazz have waived Biedrins and his $9MM salary. Biedrins was acquired when the Jazz acted as a third-party in the trade that sent Andre Iguodala to the Warriors, but the veteran big man has faced injury problems and played sparingly during his tenure with the team. Utah will continue to be on the hook for his entire salary, providing he clears waivers, which is a near-certainty.
The Bulls catch a break with Utah’s claim of Murphy, whose cap hit will now come off Chicago’s books. This should give them enough room to sign multiple players to prorated minimum-salary contracts and remain beneath the luxury tax threshold even if Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah trigger bonus clauses in their contracts.
Warriors Fire Assistant Coach Darren Erman
4:06pm: Myers didn’t disclose what violation Erman committed, but he made it clear the coach’s removal was not based on a “basketball decision,” Leung revealed. “Something like this needed to be discussed with general counsel, (human resources), as we would with any other employee,” Myers said. “It took a couple days to go through the proper channels.”
Jackson expressed his disappointment of Erman’s firing. “[Erman] made a mistake,” Jackson said. “He owns it. He’s done a lot for me, he’s done a lot for this organization, and I’m pulling for him to make a comeback. I’m pulling for him to move on and become a great coach, and I believe that that can happen.”
It appears for the time being that Erman’s removal from his position is in fact unrelated to Scalabrine’s demotion.
2:23pm: The Warriors have fired assistant coach Darren Erman due to a violation of company policy, the team announced. Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle originally reported the move this afternoon (via Twitter). Golden State GM Bob Myers says the decision to let go of Erman is unrelated to the recent demotion of assistant Brian Scalabrine, relays Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group (on Twitter). The move means the Warriors now employ only three official assistant coaches.
Erman’s removal from the staff is peculiar since it comes only 12 days after Scalabrine was stripped of his position, and it’s unprecedented that a playoff team terminates two assistant coaches just weeks before the postseason. Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group hears the decision to let go of Erman wasn’t made by Mark Jackson, who was the one that made the call to demote Scalabrine (Twitter link). However, Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News doesn’t think the pair of coaching moves are unrelated, and he sees a high level of instability within the organization (three Twitter links).
Erman was hired by the Warriors in 2011 after spending four years as an assistant with the Celtics. The ties he made with Tom Thibodeau during his tenure in Boston could result in a job offer from the Bulls this offseason, suggests K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). In the meantime, the Warriors will have to make do with their diminished coaching staff as the playoffs approach.
Cavs Rumors: Griffin, Grant
David Griffin took over control in Cleveland when the Cavs fired Chris Grant earlier this year, and his positive interactions with staff and players could result in an offer to stick around beyond this season, a source tells Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Let’s round up a few more rumors surrounding Griffin and Grant:
- Griffin’s solid performance at the helm of Cleveland’s operations still won’t stop the team from hiring a big-name executive if they get the chance, Kyler passes along in the same piece. However, the lack of available heavyweight executives probably means Griffin’s job is safe.
- Grant, on the other hand, might struggle to find a GM gig. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio passes along that one league executive said the former Cavs boss is considered “a buffoon around the league: Dishonest, incapable and full of (beans).“
- Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer thinks Griffin’s presence has been a huge factor in the Cavs’ turnaround this season and definitely proves he’s capable of GM duties. Pluto hears Griffin felt very strongly that the team should draft Dion Waiters, and Waiters’ success has made Griffin look wise.
Raptors Notes: De Colo, Lowry, Thomas
The Raptors are looking to secure the third seed in the East after missing the last five postseasons. They’re currently tied with the Bulls, but they’ll have the opportunity to gain some ground in their matchup versus the Bucks tonight. Here’s the latest out of Toronto:
- Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun thinks that the Raptors will bring back Nando De Colo next season “for cheap.” De Colo will become a restricted free agent if Toronto extends the $1.8MM qualifying offer.
- Wolstat also relays comments from Raptors coach Dwane Casey, who expressed his wishes for Toronto to re-sign Kyle Lowry this offseason. “That’s the front office. That’s their paycheck. I would if I was general manager of a team. But that’s their decision,” said Casey. “Kyle has done everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s helped put us in this position with this team. He’s grown, he’s matured, and that’s huge as far as we’re concerned.”
- Isiah Thomas ranked as the best drafting GM since 1989 in Tom Haberstroh of ESPN’s latest Insider piece, due in large part to the selections he made during his time with Raptors. Thomas was responsible for picking Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, and Tracy McGrady.
Cray Allred contributed to this this post.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Let’s round up the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this week:
- Have a look at the important deadlines for this year’s draft, courtesy of Chuck Myron.
- We’ll be keeping track of all of this year’s early entrants.
- Chuck took a look at Greg Monroe‘s free agent stock.
- Zach Links examined Kris Humphries‘ stock as a free agent.
- Eddie Scarito profiled Arizona stud Aaron Gordon.
- I profiled Duke’s Jabari Parker.
- Eddie explored Noah Vonleh‘s potential.
- Keep track of this year’s prospect profiles right here.
- Be sure to check out Chuck’s weekly chat if you missed it.
- Review our commenting policy, and remember to play nice.
Cavs Rumors: Draft, Irving, Bynum
It’s becoming increasingly less likely that the Cavs play their way into the East’s eighth and final playoff spot. If they fail to sneak into the postseason, they’ll find themselves in the lottery again for the fourth straight year. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal thinks it’s definitely possible that the Cavs ship off their first-rounder this offseason in an attempt to score some valuable assets that would help make an immediate impact. Here’s more on the Cavs:
- Lloyd doesn’t rule out the notion that Kyrie Irving could be traded this summer but says it’s only likely to happen if the All-Star point guard rejects an extension, which would signal he didn’t want to be in Cleveland anyway. Irving’s rookie deal expires after the 2014/15 campaign, and he becomes eligible to sign an extension this summer.
- Mike Brown admits he was disappointed that Andrew Bynum didn’t fit into the Cavs’ plans, reveals Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer. “Any time something doesn’t work out, you’re disappointed… You want every move you make to work out,” Brown said. “Sometimes it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t you have to move on in the next best way you can.’‘
- Fellow Plain Dealer scribe Bill Livingston opines that the Cavs’ best bet is to continue losing and get a high lottery pick to turn their franchise around. This season’s especially deep draft class should provide even more incentive to land a high pick, suggests Livingston.
Week In Review: 3/24/14 – 3/30/14
The Sixers put a stop to their extended losing streak last night, besting the Pistons 123-98. Philly’s historical 26-game skid ties them with the 2010/11 Cavs for the NBA record of most consecutive losses. Here’s more from the week that was:
- We heard Dario Saric was going to forego the draft and sign in Europe. His former agent disagreed with the decision, but word now is Saric’s likely to declare.
- Noah Vonleh says he’ll declare for this year’s draft.
- Count Vasilije Micic in for the draft as well.
- T.J. Warren is heading for the NBA too.
- JaKarr Sampson will leave SJU and put his name in the draft.
- Montrezl Harrell, Rodney Hood, and Juwan Staten are entering the draft too.
- Artem Klimenko will also enter the draft.
- R.J. Hunter is staying at Georgia State.
- Mark Jackson sought a coaching gig with both the Clippers and Nets.
- Despite the controversy, Jackson isn’t worried about an extension with the Warriors.
- There’s mutual interest between Mike D’Antoni and Marshall.
- French center Mouhammadou Jaiteh entered his name in the draft.
- The Nets want to re-sign Paul Pierce.
- The Kings held off on re-signing Royce White.
- Chris Bosh said he and LeBron James would be in Miami next season.
- The Pistons are getting their own D-League club.
- It’s likely the Pistons will go after Tom Izzo.
- D.J. Stephens got a second 10-day deal from the Bucks.
- It looked like the Kings were set to sign Chris Johnson, but the deal fell through.
- Rodrigue Beaubois will play in Belgium.
- Metta World Peace wants to re-join the Knicks.
- We heard Joel Embiid would officially declare for the draft this week, but he says he still hasn’t made up his mind.
- The Spurs 2013 first-rounder, Livio Jean-Charles, will stay overseas next season.
- James Nunnally hooked on with the Sixers for a second 10-day pact.
- Tyler Ennis is moving on from Syracuse for the draft.
- Kyle Anderson will enter his name in the draft, as will his teammate Zach LaVine.
- Reggie Williams got a second 10-day contract from the Thunder.
- Willie Reed signed with the Kings for the remainder of the year.
- Semaj Christon will leave Xavier for the draft.
- Steve Kerr is the frontrunner to get the Knicks coaching gig.
- LaQuinton Ross will be entering the draft.
- Shane Battier is almost certainly going to retire after this season.
- Kevin Love is interested in the Bulls.
- The Nets inked Jorge Gutierrez to a two-year deal.
- Josh Powell will play in the Philippines.
- The Warriors are bringing in Hilton Armstrong on a 10-day deal.
- We heard Patrick Beverley was likely sidelined for the year, but he believes he might be able to return.
- The Bucks opted not to re-sign Chris Wright to a second 10-day deal.
- The Sixers inked Casper Ware to a second 10-day pact.
- Sasha Vujacic signed in Italy.
- The Pelicans confirmed Ryan Anderson would miss the remainder of the season.
Draft Notes: Hairston, Bhullar, Randle, Parker
P.J. Hairston has been able to find success in the D-League after walking away from the University of North Carolina basketball team in wake of suspension, as Nate Taylor of the New York Times details in his newest piece. The latest mock draft from DraftExpress sees Hairston going 22nd overall. Here’s the latest on the 2014 draft:
- Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders thinks New Mexico State’s Sim Bhullar could get selected near the end of the draft but isn’t sure he could succeed in the NBA (Twitter link). Bhullar’s main appeal lies in his massive size; the sophomore center is listed at 7’5″ and 355 lbs.
- Kyler adds that the Raptors are a potential match for the Indo-Canadian Bhullar, as they hold a second round pick that will fall very late in the second round (Twitter link).
- Kentucky’s strong tournament run has only helped improve Julius Randle’s draft stock, an executive tells Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The same executive compared Randle to Jamal Mashburn and Paul Millsap.
- There’s still no word on whether or not Jabari Parker will declare for the draft, an executive tells Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. I profiled Parker’s game earlier this afternoon.
Cray Allred contributed to this post.