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Author: Chuck Myron

Atlantic Notes: Butler, Bazemore, Blatt, Rambis

May 11th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg saw the controversy that stemmed from Jimmy Butler‘s criticism of his coaching style as simply a phase of growth for their relationship, and the pair had a “strong” exit meeting, sources told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The Bulls would insist on at least one marquee player, one rotation-caliber player and multiple first-round picks in any trade scenario involving Butler, according to Johnson, suggesting that the team’s appointment of the swingman as its representative at next week’s draft lottery is a sign that he’ll be sticking around.

See more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Soon-to-be free agent Kent Bazemore said his body wasn’t 100% this year and that he couldn’t play above the rim as he’s usually capable of doing, but he’s eager to regain that ability with a full summer of training, observes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bazemore, who had a breakout season despite the limitations, wants to re-sign with the Hawks. “I would love to return here,” Bazemore said. “I think the past two years I’ve taken a tremendous leap. Not only my professional year but personally. I’m growing more into myself and figuring out life. This place [is] a special place in my heart. I grew up right up the street in North Carolina. Super close to home. Not close enough. Has its perks here. The weather is great. Golf is great. God is great.”
  • Carmelo Anthony likes David Blatt, who’s drawing sincere consideration from the Knicks for their head coaching job, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Anthony likes and respects interim coach Kurt Rambis, but he has reservations about him and believes the ex-Cavs coach would be better for Kristaps Porzingis than Rambis would be, Berman hears. Blatt interviewed last month with team president Phil Jackson and GM Steve Mills, but owner James Dolan wasn’t in the meeting, a league source told Berman.
  • The Knicks are looking to trade for a second-round pick, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). New York is without a pick in either round.
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Kings Notes: Joerger, Catanella, Assistants

May 10th, 2016 at 4:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

New Kings coach Dave Joerger pledged today that he’d work in concert with GM Vlade Divac, in contrast to the discord between coach and front office that marked George Karl‘s Sacramento tenure and Joerger’s time in Memphis, as ESPN.com notes. The Kings haven’t made the playoffs in 10 years, but Joerger, who took the Sacramento job despite openings in Houston and Indiana, is optimistic about the future for Sacramento, observes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “The team’s on the rise,” Joerger said. “There’s still some heavy lifting to do but some of the heavy lifting has been done. This is not a blow it up, let’s start all over again situation. We’re on the road to recovery.”

See more from Sacramento:

  • Miscommunication disrupted the process that led to the hiring of Ken Catanella as Kings assistant GM, several league sources told Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. A confused narrative exists on whether Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace was a candidate, and it seemed former Bucks and Pacers executive David Morway was headed for the job before talks broke off.
  • Some of the candidates for the head coaching job pulled out before the search was over, while others simply used the team’s interest to bolster their resumes, according to Lowe.
  • The Kings dismissed assistant coaches Chad Iske and John Welch but will keep fellow assistants Nancy Lieberman and Corliss Williamson, as Jones and The Bee’s Ailene Voisin relay (Twitter links).
  • One of the candidates who interviewed for the head coaching job gave Jake Fischer of SI.com an anonymous rundown of the visit, providing insight on the team’s approach and telling Fischer that before Joerger emerged, the Kings originally planned to narrow the field to two finalists who would meet with Ranadive. That essentially jibes with earlier reporting from Jones, who heard the team intended to name three finalists.
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And-Ones: Wade, Dragic, Grizzlies, Demps, Suns

May 10th, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

An “uneasy tension” exists between Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link), but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra today dismissed the notion of any conflict among his backcourt stars, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald relays. Windhorst, in the report that he made before Miami’s win Monday, suggested the root of the issue has to do with who controls the offense, but Spoelstra contends they’ve struck the proper balance. “It’s silly. Goran and Dwyane, not only are they playing much better with each other, which takes time — they’re both aggressive ball-dominant players — but they enjoy each other,” Spoelstra said. “They enjoy when the other guy is able to be aggressive. They want each other to be able to play their games. And it’s getting better. Their lockers are right next to each other … .” Wade will hit free agency this summer while Dragic is under contract until at least 2019.

See more from South Beach amid our look around the NBA:

  • It wouldn’t be surprising if Heat assistant coach David Fizdale snags an interview for the Grizzlies head coaching job, Jackson writes in a separate piece. Fizdale is on the list of candidates Memphis has compiled for its vacancy, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported Monday.
  • Pelicans GM Dell Demps and other members of the team’s front office are expected to be in attendance at this week’s draft combine in Chicago, notes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com (Twitter link), a signal that Demps’ job is secure. New Orleans hadn’t formally decided on the executive’s fate as of late last month, when the team postponed a press conference, though all indications are that Demps will stick around, as Brett Dawson and Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate previously reported.
  • Perhaps no team other than the Celtics is better positioned for the future than the Suns are, The Vertical’s Bobby Marks opines. Phoenix will have three first-round picks this year, assuming Washington doesn’t get lucky in the lottery, and the Heat owe two first-rounders for future seasons as a result of the Dragic trade. The Suns also have draft-and-stash prospect Bogdan Bogdanovic, a former first-rounder, as Marks points out.
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Offseason Outlook: Charlotte Hornets

May 10th, 2016 at 1:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hoops Rumors is looking ahead to offseason moves for all 30 teams. We’ll examine free agency, the draft, trades and other key storylines for each franchise as the summer approaches.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Jeremy Brevard / USA TODAY Sports Images

Nicolas Batum‘s Free Agency

GM Rich Cho says re-signing Batum is his top priority, and the Bouna Ndiaye client has pledged to make the Hornets the first team he speaks with when he becomes a free agent July 1st. The question appears to be a financial one, as Cho and company must ponder whether it’s wise to offer a max contract starting at an estimated $26MM to a swingman who fell shy of averaging 15 points and 35% 3-point shooting in his career year this season. The market will probably dictate that the Hornets go to the max to keep him, given the dearth of other attractive free agent options amid a surging salary cap. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com wrote in January that Batum was likely to draw max offers, and while his scoring and outside shooting percentage dipped somewhat after that report, the market probably hasn’t changed.

Other Incumbent Free Agents

The Hornets have to fight battles on multiple fronts with five members of their rotation poised to hit free agency, assuming Jeremy Lin turns down his player option. Cho said he wants to re-sign as many as possible, but coming to terms with all of them will be a tall order. The most pivotal question surrounds Al Jefferson, who’s just two years removed from having been Third Team All-NBA. Injury and a marijuana suspension marred his season this year and turned him into a reserve, though he popped back into the starting lineup midway through the first-round series loss to the Heat. He was still a shadow of what he was two years ago in five postseason starts, averaging just 11.0 points and 6.2 rebounds. Just 31 years old, he’s not ancient by any standard, but he’s old enough that the Hornets will likely shy away from a long-term deal, and he’ll probably have to take a pay cut to remain in Charlotte, too.

Marvin Williams is another fascinating case. He’s become a quintessential stretch four, hitting a career-best 40.2% of his 3-pointers this past season, so he’ll be in high demand. Still, he turns 30 this year, and it’s fair to wonder whether he and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who was injured for most of the season, can successfully share the floor. Most problematic is that the Hornets only have Early Bird rights on him, and with Cho’s plan to keep the team intact, Charlotte probably won’t have the cap space necessary to offer him more than $12.5MM for next season, which might not be enough.

It would be difficult to envision both Williams and Courtney Lee re-signing as long as Batum comes back, since there wouldn’t be room in the same starting lineup for the two of them with Batum and Kidd-Gilchrist around. Lee saw fewer shot opportunities than he did before the trade that brought him from Memphis, and while he and Williams would provide much-needed floor spacing alongside Kidd-Gilchrist, Lee will probably seek a larger role elsewhere.

The Hornets will be even more fenced in with Lin if he opts out than they are with Williams, since they’d have only Non-Bird rights on Lin. That would provide for a salary of $2,566,800, not enough for someone who was one of the best backup point guards in the league this year. Charlotte would likely have to turn to the $5.628MM mid-level exception to keep him. Still, he said he enjoyed his year with the Hornets so much, he’d be willing to give the team a discount on his next deal, so it remains to be seen how generous he’ll be.

Outside Free Agent Targets

The Hornets are apparently one of four favorites to sign Dwight Howard this summer, and they reportedly had exploratory trade talks about him with the Rockets before the February deadline. Coach Steve Clifford was an assistant for the Magic and Lakers when Howard was with those teams, but despite all that, the idea of Howard in Charlotte still seems far-fetched. The Hornets would have to renounce the rights to every one of their significant free agents aside from Batum and Lin to open enough cap space to even approach the roughly $30MM max Howard would be eligible for, barring major salary-clearing trades. The same goes for any chance the team might have at Charlotte-area native Hassan Whiteside. The salary-cap math just makes it prohibitive. More realistic free agent additions will likely come via whatever portion of the mid-level Lin doesn’t take, so don’t expect the team to make a major signing.

Cody Zeller‘s Extension Candidacy

Assuming the team doesn’t make a game-changing swap, Zeller represents the future of the center position in Charlotte. The madness of the heightened cap will have had its effect on the market by the time rookie scale extension talks begin in earnest in the fall, and while there might be wisdom in tying up Zeller before the cap leaps from this year’s projected $92MM to next year’s projection of $107MM, the Hornets will probably wait to see what Zeller does over a full season as a starter before committing to him. That said, Charlotte struck a rookie scale extension with Jeremy Lamb last fall less than a week after his first official game with the team.

Potential Trades

Lamb and Spencer Hawes appear to have the most tradeable contracts on the Hornets, though Lamb’s disappearance from the rotation at the end of the season won’t help his appeal to other teams. Still, he had his most productive year, even though he didn’t shoot well. Hawes showed signs of life after a miserable season with the Clippers, and he’s still just 28. A 3-point shooting big man has value on the market if Charlotte wants to test it.

Draft Outlook

  • First-round picks: 22nd
  • Second-round picks: None

It’ll be the first year in a while the Hornets won’t have a lottery pick, so they can only expect so much here. They could go for shooting with Florida State two-guard Malik Beasley, but this part of the first round is heavy on size. Don’t be surprised if they go the international route with centers Ivica Zubac or Ante Zizic.

Other Decisions

The opening of Charlotte’s new D-League affiliate bodes well for Aaron Harrison, who has a non-guaranteed salary, since the Hornets will have the opportunity to closely monitor the development of the once-highly touted prospect on that squad. The team may well have interest in keeping soon-to-be restricted free agent Troy Daniels, given his 3-point shooting ability, but fellow impending free agents Jorge Gutierrez and Tyler Hansbrough were insurance policies the Hornets never found much use for.

Final Take

Charlotte overcame plenty of adversity this season to not only make the playoffs but come within a game of the second round, and with Kidd-Gilchrist poised to come back from his shoulder injury, plenty of reason for optimism exists. The trick this summer is to keep the team together, and Cho seems willing to embrace the challenge.

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)

Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)

Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Southeast Notes: Horford, Millsap, Wall

May 10th, 2016 at 12:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer deflected a question about whether he intends to make a max offer to soon-to-be free agent Al Horford, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays. Still, Budenholzer’s reluctance to give a direct answer is probably because the sides technically can’t have negotiations on a new contract until July 1st, when Horford’s existing deal expires, and Vivlamore has said before that the Hawks indeed plan to make a max offer. “It is the day after the season,” Budenholzer said Monday. “All those things, you will have to call his agent. He is incredibly valuable to us.”

See more on Horford, who sits No. 4 in our latest 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings, amid other news from the Southeast Division:

  • Paul Millsap, who re-signed with the Hawks last summer, will take a hands-off approach rather than put on a hard press to recruit Horford back to the team, Vivlamore notes in the same piece. “If he wants my two cents, he’ll ask for it,” Millsap said. “I don’t like to butt into other people’s business but I think he knows from talking to me last year what the process is going to be like. I think Al knows that every player on this team appreciates everything that he did. Love him like a brother. We know how important he is to us but it’s up to him to make his decision.”
  • The Wizards said John Wall is expected to be ready for the start of next season after undergoing procedures on both knees last week, but it’s not entirely clear whether he’ll recover in time for training camp, which begins in late September, observes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post.
  • The Hornets should offer the max to Nicolas Batum and pursue rim protectors, including Charlotte-area native Hassan Whiteside, instead of a new deal with Al Jefferson in the offseason ahead, opines Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer, who lists seven items on his proposed to-do list for the team.
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Stephen Curry Wins MVP Unanimously

May 10th, 2016 at 11:03am CST by Chuck Myron

Stephen Curry has won the MVP award by a unanimous vote, the NBA announced via press release. He’s the first-ever unanimous winner. Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James each fell one vote shy of winning MVP unanimously in 2000 and 2013, respectively. Curry collected 130 first-place votes from writers and broadcasters as well as the fan vote, according to the league.

It’s the second straight MVP award for the 28-year-old Curry, whose salary of less than $11.4MM makes him only No. 63 among the highest-paid players in the NBA, as The Vertical’s Bobby Marks notes (on Twitter). Next season will be the last on the discounted extension he signed amid concerns over the health of his ankles in 2012.

Curry exploded for 17 points in overtime to lead the Warriors over Portland in Game 4 of their series Monday, setting a new NBA record for the most points scored in either a regular season or playoff overtime. It was just the latest astounding performance for Curry, who came off the bench in that game. His 402 total 3-pointers made this season shattered the previous record of 286, a mark he set just last season. Just the seventh pick in the 2009 draft, Curry’s game has since blossomed in ways no one thought possible, epitomizing the NBA’s increasing emphasis on the 3-pointer. He was the NBA’s leading scorer at 30.1 points per game this season, 6.1 points better than his previous career best, and he finished fourth in Most Improved Player of the Year award voting.

The 6’3″ Curry isn’t just a one-way player, either. He led the NBA with 2.1 steals per game and finished sixth among point guards in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus Minus metric.

Perhaps most importantly, Curry stood out as the best player on the team that compiled the best regular season record in NBA history, as the Warriors went 73-9 this year. Golden State has lost twice thus far in the playoffs, both in games that Curry missed because of injury. His performance Monday erased any doubt about his ability to be at full strength going forward, however.

Kawhi Leonard finished second in the voting, followed closely by LeBron James. Thunder stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant were fourth and fifth, respectively. The balloting system awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote. To see a ballot-by-ballot breakdown, click here.

All of this year’s vote-getters are listed below, along with their point totals.

  1. Stephen Curry (Warriors) — 1,310
  2. Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) — 634
  3. LeBron James (Cavaliers) — 631
  4. Russell Westbrook (Thunder) — 486
  5. Kevin Durant (Thunder) — 147
  6. Chris Paul (Clippers) — 107
  7. Draymond Green (Warriors) — 50
  8. Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers) — 26
  9. James Harden (Rockets) — 9
  10. Kyle Lowry (Raptors) — 6
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2016 Free Agent Power Rankings

May 10th, 2016 at 10:05am CST by Chuck Myron

Two months from now, it’ll be the 10th day of NBA free agency and most of the major names will already be off the board. Time is ticking toward the meat of the offseason even as the playoffs churn forward. It’s been a rough postseason for many of the best players on expiring contracts as several within our top 10 suffered injuries, failed to perform up to their normal standards, or both. It just makes what the top name on this list decides to do all the more important. Here’s our latest ranking of the elite 2016 NBA free agents:

  1. Kevin Durant — Last season’s injury seems like a distant memory as the Warriors and Spurs, who averaged 70 wins between them this year, prepare to make major overhauls if necessary to land the former MVP. The Thunder would need to make no such changes but seemingly need to prove they can hang with two historically great teams in the playoffs. Regardless, the next two months will be fascinating for Durant and the balance power atop the NBA. Last time: No. 1.
  2. LeBron James (player option) — It’s easy to forget, amid the Durant hubbub and more competitive series elsewhere, that James is about to hit free agency for the third summer in a row. Still, no serious questions about his commitment to Cleveland have surfaced this year, and any uncertainty surrounding the Cavs will likely have much more to do with his supporting cast should the team again fall short of a title. Last time: No. 2.
  3. Andre Drummond (restricted) — The Pistons center slumped down the stretch, and Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers held him to just nine rebounds per game in the playoffs after he averaged a league-high 14.8 in the regular season. Still, the momentum toward new “Hack-a-Shaq” rules promises to mitigate his poor free-throw shooting and enhance his value to the Pistons, who’ll be keeping him this summer. Last time: No. 3.
  4. Al Horford — His rebounding also disappeared against Thompson and the Cavs, and it wasn’t otherwise a stellar postseason for the big man who turns 30 in June, but Horford embodies the versatility required of modern centers, especially given his sudden development of a 3-point game. His age will concern some teams, but assuming his comments this week don’t mean he’s completely sold on staying in Atlanta, he’s the best of the obtainable free agent big men. Last time: No. 5
  5. Dwight Howard (player option) — Some teams that don’t mind baggage and have faith that Howard’s declining offensive production was merely a function of Houston’s offense will rank the new Perry Rogers client in front of Horford. Howard is not what he used to be, but he remains an elite rebounder. The Magic, Bucks, Blazers and Hornets are reportedly the front-runners for him at last check. Last time: No. 6.
  6. DeMar DeRozan (player option) — Perhaps no one has had as disconcerting a playoff run as DeRozan has. His points per game, free-throw attempts per game and, most notoriously, his field-goal percentage, are all down markedly. Still, it’s probably not enough of a slump to dissuade the Raptors from committing a max deal to a player who’s expressed his affection for Toronto at every opportunity and who’s coming off career highs in points per game and 3-point percentage. Last time: No. 4.
  7. Mike Conley — It was a lost spring in Memphis as Conley was among the many Grizzlies who suffered season-ending injuries. It’s never a positive sign for anyone’s free agency to succumb to a sore Achilles tendon, but it didn’t tear, and it doesn’t appear as though the injury to his left leg will threaten his long-term health. More worrisome for the Grizzlies is Conley’s wait-and-see approach to his free agency, seemingly opening the door for teams with cap flexibility and a need at point guard, with the Nets and Knicks most prominent among them. Last time: No. 7.
  8. Bradley Beal (restricted) — It was an up-and-down year for Beal, who averaged a career-high 17.4 points per game but shot below 40% from 3-point range for the first time since he was a rookie. He played in 55 games, the fewest of his four NBA seasons, and admitted he’ll probably have to watch his minutes for the rest of his career. Still, it’s unlikely to dissuade the Wizards from committing the max to a promising talent who’s still only 22. Last time: No. 8.
  9. Nicolas Batum — An injury variously described as a left foot strain and a sprained left ankle interrupted the playoffs for Batum, and though he made it back to play before Charlotte’s seventh-game elimination at the hands of Miami, he clearly wasn’t himself. That probably won’t matter this summer, with the Hornets seemingly prepared to go all-in to keep him the Bouna Ndiaye client who fit in well during his lone season with Charlotte. Last time: No. 9.
  10. Hassan Whiteside — It’s oddly fitting that the top 10 would end with a player who’s injured and whose numbers declined in the playoffs, given how the past month and a half has gone for the top free agents of 2016. Still, Whiteside regained his starting role just before the postseason and posted five double-doubles in 10 playoff games. Agent Sean Kennedy is closing in on the opportunity to take Whiteside from the minimum salary to the max in the span of less than two years. Last time: No. 10.

His miserable half-season in Dallas still clouds his reputation, but Rajon Rondo delivered one of his best seasons yet in the relative obscurity of Sacramento, where DeMarcus Cousins and former coach George Karl siphoned most of the headlines. The 30-year-old point guard who tied his career high with 11.7 assists and shattered his previous high with 36.5% 3-point shooting leads our next 10 free agents:

11. Rajon Rondo
12. Dwyane Wade
13. Chandler Parsons (player option)
14. Harrison Barnes (restricted)
15. Evan Fournier (restricted)
16. Ryan Anderson
17. Pau Gasol (player option)
18. Luol Deng
19. Kent Bazemore
20. Jordan Clarkson (restricted and subject to Gilbert Arenas Provision)

See all the previous editions of our rankings here. See the full list of 2016 free agents here.

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Atlantic Notes: J.R. Smith, Vogel, Saric, Embiid

May 10th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

J.R. Smith is having a strong playoff run for the Cavaliers, but he thinks back fondly on his time with the Knicks, as he reveals in a video for VICE Sports, pointing to his close friendship with Carmelo Anthony and the lure of Madison Square Garden (YouTube link). “Every person that plays in the NBA should experience playing in New York, at least once in your career,” Smith said. “To play at the mecca of basketball, at the Garden, every night, it’s probably the greatest decision I’ve ever made, to go to New York.” Smith, who can opt out of his contract this summer, spoke about his initial anger at the trade that sent him to Cleveland last January, but he also made it clear that he loves playing with LeBron James.

See more from New York amid the latest news from the Atlantic Division:

  • Frank Vogel‘s representatives gave positive signals to the Knicks when the team reached out to gauge his interest last week, a league source told Marc Berman of the New York Post, who nonetheless adds that the Grizzlies are a much more likely match for the ex-Pacers coach. Vogel is widely believed to be the favorite to take the Memphis job, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal wrote.
  • GM Bryan Colangelo wants to be reassured when he visits Dario Saric in Turkey later this month, but the Sixers expect the draft-and-stash prospect will join them for next season, and coach Brett Brown is particularly optimistic, as remarks he made Monday on The Comcast Network’s “Breakfast on Broad” show demonstrate. Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com has the transcription. “He so much wants to be a part of the 76ers organization when we speak,” Brown said. “I ended up sending him a photo of a young kid in the stands with a Saric jersey on, and the response is like what it is, ‘I can’t wait to get [to Philadelphia].’”
  • Still, financial incentive remains for Saric to wait to sign with the Sixers until 2017, when he’ll no longer be subject to the rookie scale, with one source who spoke to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer of the belief that Saric would be in line for a contract that pays him about $6MM a year. He’d get less than half that on a rookie scale deal.
  • Colangelo said on the same “Breakfast on Broad” program that the Sixers are encouraged by what they’ve seen from Joel Embiid as he continues to recover from last summer’s second surgery on his broken foot, Seltzer notes.
  • Willie Reed, who was away from the Nets for unexplained personal reasons at the end of the season, clearly wasn’t pleased with interim coach Tony Brown, but he likes new coach Kenny Atkinson and made it clear that he wants to re-sign with Brooklyn as he spoke Monday on the “Brown and Scoop” show on CBS Radio, as Anthony Parisi of NetsDaily relays.
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Grizzlies Considering Lionel Hollins?

May 10th, 2016 at 7:26am CST by Chuck Myron

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace and former coach Lionel Hollins met Monday night at a Memphis-area restaurant, fueling speculation that the team is considering Hollins for its coaching vacancy, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. It’s nonetheless widely believed that Frank Vogel is the front-runner, Tillery adds. Memphis reportedly reached out to Vogel this past weekend.

Wallace was in charge of the front office when Hollins took over as Grizzlies coach midway through the 2008/09 season, and the club’s decision not to re-sign Hollins in 2013 came while former CEO Jason Levien exerted control over the basketball operations department. Wallace returned to power in the 2014 offseason, around the time Hollins took the Nets head coaching job. Brooklyn fired Hollins in January, and Memphis fired coach Dave Joerger, a former Hollins assistant, this past Saturday.

The Grizzlies had their greatest success during Hollins’ tenure as coach, winning 56 games in the 2012/13 season and reaching the 2013 Western Conference finals. Memphis went 214-201 in parts of seven seasons under Hollins.

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Arkansas F/C Moses Kingsley Withdraws From Draft

May 9th, 2016 at 5:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Arkansas junior big man Moses Kingsley has pulled out of this year’s draft, the school announced. That’s in spite of a surge from 123rd to 76th in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider prospect rankings between the time he declared a month ago and today. Still, the news isn’t entirely surprising, since his name wasn’t on the list of invitees to this week’s NBA combine that the league released last week. The 6’9″ 21-year-old remains outside the top 100 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress ratings.

It’s unclear whether Kingsley worked out for any NBA teams, as he was allowed to do while in the draft pool. He had until May 25th to pull out and retain his college eligibility, but it appears he’s decided to put an early end to his predraft process.

A highly touted prospect coming out of high school, Kingsley will look to build on this season’s breakout performance. He put up 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds in 29.5 minutes per game after playing just 11.1 minutes per contest his freshman and sophomore years, in spite of having been 47th in the 2013 Recruiting Services Consensus Index, two spots ahead of Zach LaVine.

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