Eastern Notes: Knicks, Batum, Hoiberg
The Knicks increasingly sense that Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton won’t leave Golden State for a head coaching job this summer, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Knicks team president Phil Jackson is in contact with Bulls executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson, who used to play for the Zen Master, and Jackson isn’t impressed with Tom Thibodeau, who worked for Paxson as Bulls coach, Berman writes. The Post scribe also implies Jackson isn’t about to go out of his way to hire former Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, leaving few options other than interim coach Kurt Rambis, whom Berman hears is closer with Jackson than just about any coach is with his boss and allows Jackson the level of input he’s longed for. However, Knicks players don’t respect Rambis as much as they did former coach Derek Fisher, sources indicated to Berman.
While we wait to see just who gets the job in New York, see more from the Atlantic Division:
- Assistant coach Jim Cleamons, a former NBA point guard, was allowed only limited contact with rookie point guard Jerian Grant while Fisher was coach, but those restrictions have been lifted since Rambis took over, Berman reports in the same piece.
- An NBA GM told The Oregonian’s John Canzano he thinks Nicolas Batum will be able to command salaries of $15MM to $17MM in free agency this summer (Twitter link). That’s well beneath the roughly $25MM maximum salary, though Zach Lowe of ESPN.com wrote in January that the Hornets swingman was likely to draw max offers. Batum is No. 9 in the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings.
- Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg has drawn criticism for his inability to reach players, but, perhaps buoyed by Taj Gibson‘s support, Hoiberg insists the locker room is united, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “You have to have that continuity in the locker room, that unity,” Hoiberg said. “You have to look like you’re getting your message across. And I think we’ve done that with the guys. I can just base it on how our film sessions are going and how when they’re on the [practice] floor, they’re locked in. I feel like we have good chemistry with our staff and players.”
Purdue SF Vince Edwards To Test Draft Waters
Purdue sophomore small forward Vince Edwards will enter this year’s draft without hiring an agent, the school announced. He’ll be able to withdraw anytime before May 25th and retain his college eligibility as long as he doesn’t sign with an agent. Edwards has only long-shot hopes of getting drafted in June as the 219th-best prospect in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress doesn’t go beyond 100 in his overall rankings, but he tabs the 6’8″ 20-year-old as the 24th-best sophomore.
Edwards made his mark as a 3-point shooter, nailing 40.7% of his attempts this year. He otherwise put up mostly pedestrian numbers, averaging 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per game, though he saved his best for last, delivering 24 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in Purdue’s first-round tournament loss to Arkansas-Little Rock.
He entered college outside the top 100 in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index, but he was an integral part of the Boilermakers from the beginning, failing to start only three times in his college career. The Ohio native improved across several categories this season compared to his freshman year even though he saw a similar number of minutes.
Maryland C Diamond Stone To Enter Draft?
TUESDAY, 7:43am: Stone’s father refuted the reports, telling Roman Stubbs of The Washington Post that no decision has been made.
6:13pm: Stone isn’t expected to return to Maryland despite not hiring an agent, and his college career is likely over, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com. So, it looks like Stone won’t withdraw from the draft.
MONDAY, 5:45pm: Maryland freshman center Diamond Stone will declare for this year’s draft but hold off on hiring an agent, league sources tell Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). He can withdraw by May 25th and retain his college eligibility as long as he doesn’t hire an agent. The 7’0″ 19-year-old is the 18th prospect in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress pegs him 24th.
Stone had a solid freshman season with the Terrapins, averaging 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 22.6 minutes. He also shot 56.8% from the field, in part because the post player did not have a 3-point attempt. Stone struggled with foul issues in Maryland’s three NCAA Tournament games, picking up four fouls in each while averaging 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds.
His low-post skills make him the third-highest ranked center on Ford’s board and the sixth highest-ranked freshman on Givony’s prospect list. He is considered a physical player with outstanding low-post moves, excellent footwork and a soft touch around the rim. Ford also praises him for his shot-blocking, rebounding and passing, but he’s not considered an elite athlete and has to display a more consistent motor.
Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.
Mike Conley Expected To Miss Rest Of Season
Mike Conley is expected to miss the rest of the regular season and the playoffs because of his sore left Achilles tendon, reports Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. The same fate appears to be true for Brandan Wright and Jordan Adams, based on the answer coach Dave Joerger gave when asked the status of all three and P.J. Hairston, as Tillery relays. Joerger said only that he thinks Hairston will return to play.
Doctors determined that it would be in Conley’s best interest to sit out until next season after examining him last week, as Tillery details. The Grizzlies and Conley are exercising caution amid fear that playing with the injury would lead to a torn Achilles, Tillery writes. Conley, who hasn’t played since March 6th, is headed into free agency this summer, when he figures to be one of the most sought-after players available and the top point guard on the market.
Wright is in the first season of a three-year contract but has appeared in only 12 games for the Grizzlies because of injury. Conflicting reports early last month surrounded his timetable for recovery from a sprained MCL in his right knee, but according to Tillery, he was never expected to return in the regular season, with only the playoffs a possibility. Postseason play now also appears out of the question. Tillery hears he suffered a Grade II sprain, not a Grade I, as previously reported.
The Grizzlies have been reluctant to give insight on the health of Adams, as Tillery chronicles. The second-year shooting guard has been out since January because of right knee surgery, and the time of his expected return has never been clear.
Hairston hasn’t played since March 15th with what’s generally been listed as a left groin strain, though Tillery refers to it as a hamstring injury. In any case, he ran sprints as part of a workout Sunday, according to Tillery, so his health is a bright spot for the Grizzlies, who’ve used an all-time NBA record 28 players this season as injuries have decimated their lineup.
Memphis can’t receive a disabled player exception, and while the team is carrying two extra roster spots via hardship, it doesn’t seem likely the NBA will allow that to continue into the playoffs, as Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal wrote earlier today. The Grizzlies aren’t yet assured of a playoff berth, and though they’re in fifth place and would otherwise seem a safe bet for the postseason, they lead the ninth-place Rockets by only two games in the loss column. The regular season ends a week from Wednesday.
Fate Of Many Traded 2016 First-Rounders Up In Air
Only 10 days remain in the regular season, and a majority of the 20 possible traded 2016 first-round pick exchanges are still unresolved. Seven are mathematical certainties, but the rest will be decided over the next week and a half, or through next month’s draft lottery. Some exchanges appear more likely than others, but five are still too close to call. Using the reverse standings and lottery odds as a guide, here’s how all 20 scenarios stand:
Toss-ups:
- Rockets to Nuggets (top-14 protected) — This pick comes down to whether or not Houston makes the playoffs. The Rockets are outside the playoffs for now but trail the Jazz and Mavs, who are in a seventh-place tie, by only one game. Only three games separate Houston from the banged-up Grizzlies, who are in fifth place.
- Lakers to Sixers (top-three protected) — A mathematical chance exists that the Lakers fall into a tie for the fourth lottery position, but they’re three and a half games clear of Phoenix for the second slot with six games to play, so they’ll probably enter the lottery at No. 2. A top-three pick would still be far from guaranteed, as the team in second entering the lottery stands about a 44% chance of dropping to fourth or fifth. The Lakers know this well, having benefited last year when the Knicks fell to No. 4 from No. 2 in the lottery, allowing L.A. to move up.
- Knicks to Nuggets (Denver gets the better pick of its own and New York’s) —The Nuggets have but a one-game lead on the Knicks, so this one is anyone’s guess.
- Knicks to Raptors (Toronto gets New York’s pick if it comes after Denver’s pick) — The Raptors will end up with whichever pick the Nuggets don’t take in the pick swap described immediately above, so with precious little separation between New York and Denver, this one is just as hard to call.
- Nuggets to Raptors (Toronto gets Denver’s pick if it comes after New York’s pick) — See the explanation for the last two picks.
Mathematically certain to happen:
- Nets to Celtics (unprotected)
- Cavaliers to Suns (top-10 protected)
- Thunder to Sixers (Philadelphia gets Oklahoma City’s pick if it falls outside the top 15 and comes before Golden State’s pick, which will happen.)
Likely to happen:
- Wizards to Suns (top-nine protected) — The Wizards are stuck in a nether world, four games back of the playoffs with five to play and mathematically eliminated from any hopes of moving up to the ninth spot in the lottery. Washington could still move up in the lottery itself, but less than a 4% chance exists of that happening.
- Mavericks to Celtics (top-nine protected) — The Mavs have only a one-game lead for a playoff spot that would make this pick transfer a certainty, but the highest they can climb in the reverse standings is No. 12, which would bear less than a 3% chance of a top-seven pick.
- Heat to Sixers (Philadelphia gets Miami’s pick if it falls outside the top 10 and comes before either Golden State’s pick or Oklahoma City’s pick) — The Heat would have to miss the playoffs for there to be even a ghost of a chance that this wouldn’t happen, and Miami is five and a half games up on a postseason berth with six to play.
- Trail Blazers to Nuggets (top-14 protected) — Denver gets this pick if Portland makes the playoffs. The Blazers have four games to play and are in sixth place with a two-game lead in the loss column on the ninth-place Rockets.
Unlikely to happen:
- Grizzlies to Nuggets (Denver gets the Memphis pick if it falls anywhere from No. 6 to No. 14) — The Grizzlies are still in fifth place, but they’re only three games up on the ninth-place Rockets with five to play. Normally, that would be a fairly safe lead, but with so many key Grizzlies out with injury, the playoffs aren’t assured in Memphis.
- Kings to Bulls (top-10 protected) — Sacramento is in eighth in the reverse standings, but with five games to play, only two games separate them from 11th place. Still, if the Kings can hang on to at least 10th in the lottery, less than a 10% chance exists that they’d drop to No. 11.
- Kings to Sixers (Philadelphia gets the better of Sacramento’s pick and its own if Sacramento’s pick falls inside the top 10) — Sacramento could enter the lottery as high as No. 6 in the order, but that entails only about a 22% chance of moving into the top three. The Sixers, who’ll be No. 1 in the lottery order, have a 35.7% chance of dropping to fourth.
- Sixers to Kings (Sacramento gets the inferior of its own pick and Philadelphia’s pick if its own pick falls inside the top 10) — See the scenario immediately above.
Mathematically impossible:
- Timberwolves to Celtics (top-12 protected)
- Heat to Warriors — Golden State would get Miami’s pick if it falls outside the top 10 and comes after Golden State’s pick and Oklahoma City’s pick, but that can’t happen.
- Thunder to Warriors — Golden State would get Oklahoma City’s pick if it falls outside the top 15 and comes after Miami’s pick and Golden State’s pick, but that can’t happen.
- Warriors to Sixers — Philadelphia would get Golden State’s pick if it comes before either Miami’s pick or Oklahoma City’s pick, as long as Miami’s pick falls outside the top 10 and Oklahoma City’s pick falls outside the top 15. Golden State’s pick won’t come before either Miami’s or Oklahoma City’s, so this won’t happen.
Check out the movement on these scenarios compared to our last update from early March.
Nets Assistant GM Frank Zanin Steps Down
Nets assistant GM Frank Zanin has resigned, as he announced via Twitter (All Twitter links; hat tip to Jake Fischer of SI Now). Zanin was in charge of the front office for more than a month this season in between the time Brooklyn removed Billy King from the GM job January 10th and the February 18th hiring of new GM Sean Marks. Zanin has been one of two assistant GMs for the team since Marks added Trajan Langdon in that position last month.
“I would like to thank the Brooklyn Nets for allowing me to be a part of their organization for the past six years,” Zanin wrote. “After speaking with Sean this morning I have decided to step I down from my position of Assistant GM. This will allow Sean to fill out his staff and give me a chance to pursue other opportunities.”
The Nets didn’t make a roster move while Zanin was in charge, but rival executives nonetheless praised him for his handling of the team, according to Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports, who suggests Zanin will be a strong candidate for front office vacancies elsewhere (Twitter link). The Kings are looking for an experienced hand under GM Vlade Divac, though they appear to be zeroing in on David Morway. More openings figure to emerge after the season.
Zanin ascended to Nets assistant GM in July 2013, when the team promoted him after he spent three seasons as pro personnel scout and director of player procurement. He was with Philadelphia for several years before that as an assistant coach, scout, video coordinator and originally a video intern, having joined his hometown Sixers upon graduating college in 1999. It’s no shock that he and the Nets are parting ways given his ties to King, who was the GM of the Sixers during Zanin’s time with them. King remains in the Brooklyn front office, but Marks likely wants to place his own imprint on the organization.
Southwest Notes: Barea, Anderson, Duncan
Two moves the Mavericks made last summer are paying off in the stretch run, with free agent signee J.J. Barea and Justin Anderson, the 21st pick in the 2015 draft, delivering in prominent roles of late, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com examines. The NBA just named Barea the Western Conference Player of the Week. “Barea’s been here before,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s been heavily relied upon, and he’s had to fill in in big situations. So he knows what this is about. Anderson has learned gradually, and his teammates have been a big part of his development. He’s been an attentive learner, and he’s a really big part of what we’re doing right now.”
See more from the Southwest Division:
- San Antonio’s success this year has come at a tangible cost, and part of that is a $750K bonus that Tim Duncan earned when the Spurs won their 62nd game of the season last week against Memphis, notes Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. It means San Antonio is in line for an extra $1.5MM in projected tax penalties, which go on top of the $750K the Spurs have to shell out to Duncan. The win also inflated the cap figure for Duncan’s player option for next season to $6,393,750, since the league considers it likely he’d trigger the bonus against next season.
- The Grizzlies appear to be exploring the feasibility of carrying more than 15 players on their playoff roster, though it seems unlikely the NBA would allow it, writes Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal in his Pick-and-Pop column. Memphis is at 17 players, including Xavier Munford, whose second 10-day contract runs out after Tuesday’s game. His minutes and production have increased, and he’s making a case for a deal that would keep him around for the rest of the season and the playoffs, as Herrington details. Such a move would likely necessitate offloading someone already signed through season’s end, and Herrington speculates that Ryan Hollins and P.J. Hairston are candidates to be cut.
- A freewheeling offense and a lack of emphasis on defense provide the right environment for Michael Beasley to succeed with the Rockets, observes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The former No. 2 pick has put up strong numbers since Houston signed him a month ago, having averaged 14.1 points in just 19.8 minutes per game across 15 appearances.
Latest On Thon Maker
Thon Maker has no intention of withdrawing and attending college if he receives approval from the NBA to formally become a part of this year’s draft class, as he told Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. It’s a swift conclusion for the 7’0″ power forward from a Canadian prep school, since Maker’s legal guardian, Ed Smith, didn’t reveal to him he had a case to enter the draft until late last month, as Maker said to Givony. Sources told Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com that Maker, who on Sunday publicly announced that he plans to enter the draft, had to declare in order to receive a ruling from the NBA on his eligibility. Maker’s camp has been in communication with the NBA for a while and they expect an answer as soon as this week, tweets Evan Daniels of Scout.com. See more on the intriguing prospect making waves on the draft scene:
- Maker’s case to be included in this year’s draft class is a strong one, Givony argues, citing a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that would deem him an international player rather than an American (Twitter links). The eligibility of American players is tied to the timing of their high school graduations, though Maker has argued that he qualifies in that regard, too.
- It’s difficult to peg how the NBA will rule on his eligibility, though assuming the league comes down in his favor, it’s likely he’ll receive an invitation to next month’s draft combine, writes Chad Ford of ESPN.com in an Insider-only piece. Little semblance of consensus exists regarding Maker’s draft stock, with scouts’ opinions of him ranging from the late lottery to the second round, according to Ford, who ranks him 20th among this year’s prospects. Givony slots the 19-year-old as this year’s 44th-best draft prospect.
- Maker would have a better shot to go in the first round this year than he would if he’s relegated to next year’s draft class, an NBA executive told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, pointing to the relative strength of the other prospects expected to be available in each draft.
- NBA executives have chiefly seen regression as they’ve watched Maker, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who expects him to spend most of the next two seasons on D-League assignment if he’s drafted this year (Twitter link).
Key 2016 Offseason Dates
The 2015/16 regular season ends in little more than a week, so the playoffs and the offseason are fast approaching. With just a few dates still to come on our list of Key 2015/16 Dates, we’ll look ahead to what’s next. The 2016 offseason figures to be among the most entertaining in years, with Kevin Durant poised to hit the open market for the first time and teams across the league flush with cash thanks to a salary cap expected to rise to between $90MM and $95MM.
Some specific contractual deadlines and other dates pertaining to relatively obscure collective bargaining agreement clauses aren’t represented below, but the idea here is to provide a digest of the days likely to have relevance to most teams and players. So, with that in mind, here’s a glance at the important deadlines and events that will influence player movement for the next several months across the league, right up until the start of training camps next fall:
April 13th — Last day of the regular season; luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day.
April 15th — Playoff rosters set (2pm Central)
April 16th — Playoffs begin
April 24th — Deadline for early entrants to declare for draft (10:59pm Central)
May 11th-15th — Draft combine
May 17th — Draft lottery
May 25th — Last day for early entrants to withdraw from draft and retain their NCAA eligibility
June 13th — Deadline for early entrants to withdraw from draft (4pm Central)
June 23rd — Draft
June 24th — Last day for pending restricted free agents to exercise player options
June 29th — Last day for decisions on player, team and early termination options, unless individual contracts specify otherwise (see list of contracts that specify otherwise).
June 30th — Last official day of 2015/16 season; last day for teams to make qualifying offers to players eligible for restricted free agency.
July 1st — Official start of 2016/17 season; July moratorium begins.
July 6th — Last day of July moratorium
July 7th — Moratorium over; teams can begin signing players and making trades.
July 15th — Last day for teams to issue required tenders to unsigned first-round picks; those players become free agents July 16th if not tendered.
July 23th — Last day for teams to unilaterally withdraw qualifying offers to restricted free agents
August 31st — Last day teams may waive players and apply the stretch provision to their 2016/17 salaries.
September 5th — Last day for teams to issue required tenders to unsigned first-round picks; those players become free agents September 6th if not tendered.
Late September (specific dates TBA) — Training camps open
Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and NBA.com were used in the creation of this post.
Brandon Ingram Declares For Draft
11:26am: Ingram expounds on his decision via The Players’ Tribune.
10:56am: Duke small forward and potential No. 1 overall pick Brandon Ingram told Evan Daniels of Scout.com he’s entering this year’s draft, as expected. The freshman is hiring an agent, Daniels adds, so he won’t be eligible to return to school. The 6’9″ 18-year-old eclipsed LSU combo forward Ben Simmons for the top spot in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings in the middle of last month while Chad Ford of ESPN.com still has Simmons No. 1 and Ingram No. 2.
Ingram’s shooting helps distinguish him from Simmons and others, as he nailed an impressive 41.0% of his looks from 3-point range on 5.4 attempts per game. Givony has also pointed to Ingram’s superior 7’3″ wingspan and 9’1.5″ standing reach, both of which manifested in his 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Ingram put up 17.3 points per outing, but that wasn’t enough to lead his own team, as Grayson Allen, a fringe first-round prospect, poured in 21.6. Still, Ingram scored at least 20 on 14 occasions, including all three of Duke’s NCAA Tournament games. Ford points to Ingram’s passing ability as a plus, but that didn’t show up on the stat sheet, as he averaged 2.0 assists and an identical 2.0 turnovers per contest.
The native of Kinston, North Carolina was just fourth in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index coming into college last year, though an outlier rating of 14th from analyst Van Coleman contributed to that. Most of the rest of the rating services had him third behind Simmons and Kentucky big man Skal Labissiere, who ultimately proved a disappointment. Ingram nonetheless showed improvement to his overall game throughout the season and has a strong chance to join Kyrie Irving and Elton Brand as the school’s third top overall selection since the end of the territorial draft in the 1960s.