Wizards Notes: Grunfeld, Morris, Wall
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis is firmly behind team president Ernie Grunfeld, as well as the rest of the front office, and he explained his rationale for not making broader changes, writes Jerry Brewer of The Washington Post. “Because we were executing to the plan,” Leonsis said. “If we had varied from the plan and the plan didn’t work, then I think it would’ve been in my realm of responsibility to take a look. But we were executing a plan that we agreed to when I bought the team five years ago.”
Here’s more from Washington:
- During exit interviews, many of the players on the Wizards indicated that they liked and admired Markieff Morris and that they wanted to play alongside him on the court, according to Leonsis, as J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic passes along.
- Leonsis also compared the Wizards‘ deal to acquire the power forward to the 2013 deal for Marcin Gortat, as Michael writes in the same piece. “Was [the Morris trade] on strategy or off strategy? Who did we get for Gortat? Would I trade Gortat for [Tyler] Ennis? The answer is yes,” Leonsis said. The Suns received the No. 18 selection of the 2014 draft as a result of the Gortat trade and they selected Ennis. Washington owes its first-rounder, currently slotted as the No. 13 pick, to Phoenix as part of the Morris trade, as long as the lottery doesn’t move the pick into the top nine.
- Newly hired coach Scott Brooks believes John Wall has a chance to grow his game even further and bring the Wizards to new heights, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post writes. “He has another level, maybe two or three levels. Not only from a basketball standpoint, [but] from a leadership standpoint.” Brooks said. “He has the ability to be one of the best players in the game,”
Nets Hire Jacque Vaughn To Be Top Assistant
The Nets have hired Jacque Vaughn to be the team’s top assistant coach on Kenny Atkinson’s staff, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Vaughn played for the Nets during the 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons.
The Magic hired Vaughn to coach their team in 2012 and he compiled a 43-121 record over three-plus seasons. He was fired in February of 2015. Prior to joining the Magic, Vaughn was an assistant coach for Spurs.
Wojnarowski points out that GM Sean Marks has worked closely with Vaughn during their time together in San Antonio. Vaughn spent the 2015/16 season with the Spurs as a pro personnel director.
Prospect Profile: Ben Simmons (Part Two)
PROJECTED DRAFT RANGE: Chad Ford of ESPN.com has Simmons ranked as the best prospect, while Jonathan Givony of Draft Express has him behind only Brandon Ingram. Givony has concerns about Simmons playing up to his full potential and believes the 19-year-old has the instincts and anticipation skills to be a terrific defender, but questions his effort on that end of the floor. Overall, Simmons’ approach to the game appears to be the reason he isn’t the DraftExpress choice for the No. 1 overall pick.
RISE/FALL: Simmons isn’t falling below No. 2 barring a serious injury between now and the June 23rd draft. It wasn’t until the end of the season, during a horrendous SEC tournament appearance, that chatter started to pick up about him not being the top selection. Ingram is the only challenger for the top spot and it may come down to who wins the lottery to determine the top overall selection. Make no mistake, the Rich Paul client is still likely to go No. 1.
FIT: The Sixers have the highest chance at landing the No.1 overall pick, as our Reverse Standings indicate. Philly has a 26.7% chance at the top spot, with a quarter of the pingpong balls for being the worst team, plus an additional 1.7% chance at the selection, since the team can swap picks with the Kings and would do so should Sacramento win the lottery. Picking Ingram instead of Simmons makes sense for the Sixers based on the team’s glut of big men. Having Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric all on the roster crowds the paint, but the Sixers could very well trade multiple members of the big man boy band they have assembled sometime this summer.
The Lakers have the second-best odds of landing the top pick, and they have no such roadblocks to playing time. Los Angeles would give Simmons a great situation to grow as a player. He and D’Angelo Russell attended the same high school, where they led their team to a national championship. The duo reportedly have spoken about playing together for the Lakers, according to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report.
The Pelicans would be a fascinating fit for Simmons. They only have a 13.3% chance at a top-two selection, but they likely have the best frontcourt partner to offer Simmons in Anthony Davis.
The Kings would likely be the worst fit due to their ever-changing front office and recent history of inadequate player development. Sacramento won’t take home the No. 1 selection, as a result of its trade with Philadelphia, but it could get the No. 2 pick in one of two ways: the Sixers winning the lottery and the Kings landing No. 2 (0.5% chance of this occurring) or the Kings winning the lottery with the Sixers landing No. 2 and subsequently swapping picks (0.37%). In either of theses unlikely scenarios, it would take Philly selecting Ingram for Sacramento to land Simmons.
Every team could use a talent like Simmons and he would change the fortunes of any franchise. Ultimately, it will come down to the May 19th draft lottery to determine where he ends up.
FINAL TAKE: Pessimists may say the glass is half full and those people may look at Simmons as a nonshooting big man who doesn’t try hard enough. In reality, Simmons has enough in his glass to warrant being the top selection, and with the right coaching and tutelage, he could make any franchise’s cup runneth over.
(For Part One of Ben Simmons’ Prospect Profile, click here.)
Prospect Profile: Ben Simmons (Part One)
OVERVIEW: Ben Simmons was the No. 1 player in his high school class and he had his choice among any of the top collegiate programs in the nation. He chose to attend LSU, in part because David Patrick, Simmons’ godfather, was an associate coach for the school. As an Australian native, he had an opportunity to present an argument to the league claiming he should be eligible for the 2015 draft, akin to Thon Maker’s situation. Simmons was quick to shoot down talk about any sort of request, reiterating his dedication to the university. Even chatter about Adam Silver changing the one-and-done rule and altering it to a required two years for college players didn’t faze Simmons. “Then I’d stay two years [at LSU],” Simmons said prior to his senior high school season.
One disastrous regular season at the university proved to be enough. LSU finished the 2015/16 campaign with a record of 19-14, and the team was poised to miss the NCAA tournament. They were a lock to make the NIT, and Simmons had a chance to be one of the highest-profile players to ever play in it, but before the NCAA committee announced its selections, the school declined to participate in postseason play. Individually, Simmons dazzled as a Tiger, averaging 19.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.0 steals per game. He is just one of five players over 6’9″ to average more than five assists per 40 minutes, according Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Still, he was not able to elevate the team to the level of a national title contender like he and many LSU fans had hoped.
STRENGTHS: Simmons is a special prospect. The awe in watching this sensational athlete comes from his natural ability on the hardwood. He runs the break masterfully, and his court vision and passing ability have drawn comparisons to LeBron James and Magic Johnson. He handles the ball extremely well for his size. You can envision him running a half-court offense, driving meticulously to the basket while drawing an additional defender near him just as he makes the crosscourt pass to an open teammate in the corner. This could be a regularity for the team that drafts him. He makes the right passes and plays a very Spursian-style game. He has excellent footwork and owns a few nice post moves. He creates contact and gets to the line often, as his 9.0 free-throw attempts per game authenticate. He’ll need to bulk up at the NBA level, but a 6’10”, nearly 240-pound frame puts him in a great position to contribute immediately. His 6’11” wingspan, coupled with his quickness and agility, will allow him to become a lock-down defender, one who can easily switch positions on pick-and-rolls, a task more and more teams are expecting their players to execute. Simmons gives you versatility on both end of the floor; he’s a true point forward. This isn’t DeMarcus Cousins bringing the ball up the court and stumbling into a set. That’s cute, but Simmons could be a big man who consistently makes plays at lighting speed on his way up the floor while evoking real fear in the transition defenders. Add in that he would be drawing an opposing big away from the basket and his value approaches tangibility.
WEAKNESSES: Outside shooting is an issue with Simmons. This was a concern heading into his freshman year, and he didn’t do much to prove the naysayers wrong in this area. Partway through the year, he essentially just stopped shooting from the outside. He attempted a total of three shots from behind the arc and it got to the point where defenders would play several feet off him and he still wouldn’t fire away. Another concern is his motor. At times, his demeanor appeared laissez-faire, lacking the passion that team leaders typically exhibit. He also played a very passive style for stretches. He wasn’t Rajon Rondo-esque selfishly unselfish, but it would have been beneficial for the way he’s perceived if he would have taken over games with his scoring more frequently.
(For Part Two of our Ben Simmons Prospect Profile, click here).
Lakers Notes: Messina, Walton, Ollie
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak spoke about the firing of Byron Scott during a press conference earlier today, as the team’s Twitter feed relays. “If you’re going to make a change, make a change now.” Kupchak said. “This was clearly just a basketball decision. … Jim [Buss] and I agreed 100 percent.”
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- The Lakers have received permission to interview Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, reports Sam Amick of USA Today. It is unclear how soon they intend to bring Messina in for a meeting.
- The Lakers intend to put a long list together of potential candidates for their head coaching vacancy, which will be headed by Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton, Messina, and UConn’s Kevin Ollie, team sources tell Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Ding believes that Walton is the obvious choice for the position.
- Earlier today, it was reported that Ollie has interest in the Lakers‘ job, but he would want a say in personnel decisions. That’s something that’s unlikely to happen, argues Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). Pincus points out that the team isn’t in position to give out any sort of control in the front office with Kupchak and Buss around, and the team’s structure isn’t expected to change until after the 2016/17 season, at the earliest.
- The timing of Scott’s dismissal is curious, opines Chris Mannix of The Vertical. Mannix wonders whether Los Angeles could have landed Tom Thibodeau or Scott Brooks if the team had acted sooner. Brooks reportedly would have had interest in the position.
Community Shootaround: Warriors Sans Curry
Stephen Curry will miss, at minimum, the next two weeks as he recovers from a sprained right MCL, the team announced earlier today. Curry injured his knee in the Warriors’ Game 4 contest against the Rockets on Sunday afternoon. Last season’s MVP has already missed two games this postseason with an ankle injury, and the team is 1-1 in those contests.
If Curry only misses two weeks, that should bring him back during the Western Conference Semifinals against the winner of the Clippers-Blazers series. Two weeks is an optimistic outlook and there’s no guarantee that will be all the time Curry misses. In the meantime, his teammates are planning on picking up the slack. “One thing we’ve always talked about is our depth, and we’ve gotta use that to win games,” Draymond Green told ESPN after yesterday’s game.
That brings us to tonight’s topic: How far can the Warriors make it without Curry? Teams don’t win 73 games because of one player, although Curry’s presence on the floor is special for this squad. The Warriors should be able to win one more game against the Rockets to close out this series, but could the team make it to the Western Conference finals without him? How about the NBA finals? Could the Warriors win it all? Let us know what you think in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
Community Shootaround: Rookie Of The Year
The league will announce the winner of the 2016 Rookie of the Year award sometime this week and Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to pick up the hardware. Towns looked like a future star for the Wolves this season, averaging 18.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. No other player won Rookie of the Month in the Western Conference, as Towns took home all six honors throughout the season.
Kristaps Porzingis won the honors for the Eastern Conference for the first three months of the season and through the first half of it, he appeared to be a challenger for the Rookie of the Year award. Porzingis, who averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game this season, tailed off during the second half of the season, but he should come in at No.2 on most ballots once the results are announced.
Third place on this year’s ballot won’t be as unanimous, as there as many contenders for this spot. That brings us to tonight’s question: Who are you putting on your top three for Rookie of the Year? Towns and Porzingis may be firmly atop many ballots, but if they’re not at the top of yours, tell us who took their spot. If they are atop your list, let us know who the third place finisher is. There are slew of candidates for this spot.
Emmanuel Mudiay had a slow start to the season, but he started to find his form after returning from an ankle injury in January. The 2015 No. 7 overall pick averaged 12.8 points, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steals during 30.4 minutes per game this season.
Jahlil Okafor looked monstrous at times for the Sixers this season, averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He also added 1.2 blocks per game and sported a player efficiency rating of 17.1. He looked to be a lock for the third spot, but he missed 29 games as a result of injury and suspension, which could very well keep him off many ballots.
Myles Turner finished the year strong, but he missed 22 games earlier in the season with an injured thumb. The No. 11 overall pick in the 2015 draft didn’t rack up the minutes per game that the other contenders saw, but he did win the Eastern Conference’s Rookie of the Month award in February and averaged 16.3 points and 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes this year.
Devin Booker, who wasn’t as involved in the offense until late in the season, impressed once he received an opportunity. The 2015 13th overall pick averaged 13.3 points per game while shooting 34.3% from behind the arc.
Norman Powell, Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow all deserve consideration as well. Even though they don’t have the numbers to match some of the other contenders, all three are playing key roles for playoff teams.
Let us know who you think the top three rookies are in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
And-Ones: Demps, Obekpa, Bucks
People close to the Pelicans‘ front office feel that GM Dell Demps will be retained, reports Scott Kushner of The Advocate (Twitter links). Kushner adds that the staff feels safe, but ownership has not made a final decision yet. The team is expected to have a press conference on Monday.
Here’s more from throughout the league:
- Chris Obekpa, who sat out the season for UNLV, has hired Aaron Turner of Verus Management to be his agent, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. Obekpa isn’t ranked in the ESPN nor DraftExpress top 100 lists and isn’t expected to be drafted.
- The biggest need for the Bucks heading into the offseason is 3-point shooting, writes Genaro C. Armas of The Associated Press. “Unfortunately in today’s game, two is not going to beat three. In today’s game, the 3 is so important,” coach Jason Kidd said.
- Teams with young cores rarely develop into true championship contenders, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders argues. Greene takes a look at a some teams over the last 20 years that have possessed young talent but never were able to become true contenders.
Rockets Notes: McHale, Howard, Van Gundy
Former Rockets coach Kevin McHale believes Dwight Howard, who is poised to be a free agent at the end of the season, may have lost a step on the offensive end, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle passes along. “If you throw it down to him on a steady diet, the poor guy just can’t get down low and move any more,” McHale said on SiriusXM Radio. ” I think that back bothered him, his hips are tight from that and he just wasn’t the same player. He’s worked hard on it. The kid does work hard on his physical conditioning and trying to get healthy and stuff. But he is not what he used to be down there in the low post.”
Here’s more out of Houston:
- Jeff Van Gundy appears to be the Rockets‘ top target to be their coach next season, but he is unwilling to talk to the team while a coach remains under contract, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Houston has J.B. Bickerstaff under contract through the end of this season and the team is currently down 2-1 to the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.
- The Rockets have dealt with chemistry issues during their disappointing season, but the players weren’t confrontational with each other, which was likely due to the their personality types, writes Michael Lee of The Vertical. James Harden has received criticism for not taking a greater leadership role, but his teammates don’t see validity in those claims. “You just see him trying to get better, trying to make this team better,” Trevor Ariza said. “He continues to come to work every day. Plays the same way. Plays hard every day. Puts in extra work.”
Heat Notes: Bosh, Wade, Whiteside
The Heat lost today’s contest against the Hornets by a score of 96-80 in a game where Charlotte looked sharp and Miami committed 14 turnovers. The Heat just didn’t appear to have their shooting touch, going 34.2% from the field as a team. As the franchise attempts to regroup in advance of Tuesday night’s Game 4, let’s take a look at some notes from the team:
- Chris Bosh says he has no plans to retire and expects to play for the Heat next season, as Ethan J. Skolnick and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald pass along. Bosh will make $75.9MM over the next three seasons should he continue to play.
- Coach Erik Spoelstra appreciates Bosh’s presence around the team, indicating that the big man is still providing leadership for the Heat off the court, Skolnick and Jackson add in the same piece.
- With Bosh out and Udonis Haslem ailing, Dwyane Wade is the only player from the 2013/14 squad that reached the NBA finals who is receiving consistent minutes for the Heat this postseason, writes Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel. Wade acknowledges that he has to take a bigger role in leading this type of team. “This is our first time in the playoffs,” Wade said. “We’ve looked amazing at [times] and at other times not so amazing. The [young guys] are going to look at you to lead in situations, to help them believe, to give them their confidence in moments where you don’t have it. That’s a big responsibility I have.”
- Hassan Whiteside should garner a max contract this offseason, and Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel believes the Heat should retain him at any cost. Winderman makes note of all the young players they have under contract at team-friendly prices, including Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson, and he sees signing Whiteside, even at the max, as a no-brainer.