Dwight Howard Leaning Toward Rockets
Dwight Howard is leaning toward signing with the Rockets, but he'll meet with every potential suitor once free agency begins July 1st, according to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (Twitter links). The Rockets are increasingly optimistic about their chances to land the big man, though given the indecisiveness he's shown in the past, Houston may not be his preferred destination by July 10th, the first day he can sign a contract.
Officials from teams other than the Lakers can't talk to Howard until July 1st, but that doesn't preclude players on opposing teams from chatting with him and trying to influence his decision. Howard has already spoken with James Harden, sources tell Kennedy, who believes Howard and Rockets sharpshooter Chandler Parsons have spoken as well (Twitter link). A conversation with Parsons might have been somewhat odd, since there's a chance he might not be around if the Rockets end up with Howard. Parsons' $926,500 contract for next season, partially guaranteed for $600K, could wind up a casualty of the team's effort to clear cap space, as Salary Cap FAQ author Larry Coon surmised last month. Houston already appears to be shopping Thomas Robinson in an effort to make room for Howard.
The Rockets, along with the Lakers, Mavericks and Hawks, appear to be the most fervent suitors of Howard, though Kennedy reported a couple of weeks ago that there's still mutual interest between Howard and the Nets. Brooklyn's salary cap limitations would make it almost impossible for him to wind up there, but if Howard is as open to pitches from teams as he seems to be, other clubs with cap room may get involved.
Howard is eligible for a contract of up to four years and about $87.59MM if he signs with a team other than the Lakers. If he stays with the purple and gold, he could get up to five years and $117.95MM.
Clippers Rumors: Del Negro, CP3, Scott
Chris Paul is reportedly upset about the perception that he engineered the ouster of coach Vinny Del Negro, but the former Clippers coach and the team agree that CP3 wasn't involved. We've got more details on that, as well as the latest on a search for Del Negro's replacement:
- Clippers vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks tells Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com that the dismissal of Del Negro was "an organizational decision from the top down." Sacks confirmed to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times that he, Sterling, team president Andy Roeser, and director of basketball operations Eric Miller all agreed that Del Negro should go.
- Del Negro echoed those comments, telling Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld that Clippers owner Donald Sterling was the one who made the final decision to part ways with him. Del Negro will probably take next season off, but remains open to coaching again.
- Sacks tried to make it clear that he doesn't believe players should have power when it comes to major decisions for the team. "I don't think players should be consulted on any decisions personnel-wise once we decide on something," Sacks said to Turner. "Do we, in the course of talking to our players, get some input? Sure. But all decisions are made strictly by us — 100%. There's no wavering. There's no gray area there."
- If Paul had gone to the team's brass to lobby for Del Negro to keep his job, management would have tried to change his mind on the issue, a source tells Dan Woike of the Orange County Register, furthering the point that the decision wasn't in CP3's hands (Twitter links).
- Turner adds Byron Scott to the list of coaching candidates with whom the team has had preliminary discussions, one that already included Brian Shaw, Jeff Van Gundy and Alvin Gentry.
Union Zeroes In On Steve Mills To Replace Hunter
Former Madison Square Garden president Steve Mills is the top candidate to become the next executive director of the players union, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. The position has been vacant since the All-Star break, when the union let go of longtime chief Billy Hunter. Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game reported last week that the union had expressed interest in Mills, who also served as an executive vice president of the Knicks and has worked for the league. Part of that interest stems from Mills' knowledge of the other side of the negotiating table.
Hunter had been running the players association for 17 years, so the process of hiring his successor is a new one for most, if not all, involved. Agent Arn Tellem, speaking at the time of Hunter's ouster, advised the players to take their time in making the decision, and it appears they've heeded his suggestion. Names that have been linked to the open job include NHL Players Association executive director and former baseball union chief Don Fehr, as well as B. Todd Jones, the Minnesota attorney general and acting director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Hunter's controversial dismissal prompted him to file suit earlier this month against the union, president Derek Fisher, and Fisher's publicist, alleging defamation and breach of contract, among other charges. None of the parties named in the suit have responded, and no court date has been set.
Mills is currently CEO of Athletes & Entertainers Wealth Management Group. Union attorney Ron Klempner is serving as interim executive director while the search continues, though it's unclear whether he'll be considered to permanently take over the post.
Several Candidates Emerge For Nuggets GM Job
Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke's strong relationship with Masai Ujiri was the primary force behind the outgoing Denver GM's hesitation to accept Toronto's five-year, $15MM offer to jump to the Raptors front office, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Nuggets were willing to give Ujiri a deal worth $1.2MM a year, according to USA Today's Sam Amick. Still, none of it was enough to convince Ujiri to stay, and now the Nuggets are the team looking for a new GM. There's early talk about several who could eventually get the job, as we detail below:
- Nuggets assistant GM Pete D'Alessandro and director of player personnel Mike Bratz are viable options, sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
- Wojnarowski speculates that the Nuggets could promote D'Alessandro or go after Cavaliers assistant GM David Griffin. The Nuggets offered Griffin the job in 2010, but he turned them down, leading Denver to turn to Ujiri.
- Other executives who figure to be top candidates include Gersson Rosas of the Rockets, Bobby Marks of the Nets, Tim Connelly of the Pelicans, Wes Wilcox of the Hawks and Scott Perry of the Magic, according to Wojnarowski.
- The Nuggets could have some competition if they want to go with D'Alessandro, since Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace, the leading candidate to take the GM job in Sacramento, would like to hire him to work in the Kings front office, Amick reports (Twitter link).
- Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk interviewed well with the Kings, Amick tweets, arguing that Schlenk could be a fit in Denver if it doesn't work out for him in Sacramento.
- Assistant GMs Tommy Sheppard of the Wizards and Jeff Weltman of the Bucks have ties to the Nuggets and bear watching as the Nuggets' search takes place, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Raptors Likely To Keep Dwane Casey
The Raptors have a new GM, luring Masai Ujiri from the Nuggets with a five-year, $15MM offer, but it appears they'll keep their coach. Ujiri will likely allow coach Dwane Casey to remain in his job, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Casey is entering the final season of his contract and is a favorite of former GM Bryan Colangelo, who was reassigned. If Colangelo had kept his GM post, he said he would have hung on to Casey as well.
Despite the apparent status quo decision on the coach, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes the arrival of Ujiri signals a shakeup is coming in the Raptors front office (Twitter link). It's not exactly clear what those changes would entail, though Wolstat thinks Ujiri won't hesitate to go against Colangelo's wishes, even as the ex-GM retains an advisory role in the team's basketball operations department.
Though Casey may keep his job for the coming season, he could wind up in the same lame-duck situation as Larry Drew endured with the Hawks this past season. Drew's departure from Atlanta was rumored almost from the moment Danny Ferry took over as GM last summer. The defensive-minded Casey is 57-91 in two seasons as Raptors coach, and went 53-69 in parts of two seasons coaching the Timberwolves. Toronto finished in the middle of the pack defensively this year, giving up 98.7 points per game, 17th most in the NBA.
Marvin Williams To Have Surgery, Miss 6 Months
Marvin Williams will undergo surgery to repair a sore right heel and Achilles tendon, knocking him out of action for approximately six months, the Jazz announced. That would put him on track to return around the start of December. The surgery may also weigh heavily on his decision about whether to exercise his $7.5MM early-termination option for 2013/14.
Williams has been non-committal about that option so far, though it was doubtful even before today's announcement that he would have received a salary on the open market as high as the $7.5MM he'll get if he stays in Utah. If he were to opt out, it would seemingly be to secure a long-term contract that included more money over the life of the deal, but the 26-year-old might be hard-pressed to find more than a $7.5MM guarantee now that he's hurt.
The former No. 2 overall pick showed few signs of needing major surgery during the season. He appeared in 73 games, including the team's season finale, though he did miss some time this season because of tendinitis in his right heel, as Jody Genessy of The Deseret News points out (Twitter link).
Masai Ujiri Weighing Offers From Raptors, Nuggets
MONDAY, 11:09am: League sources tell Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca that it's still not clear whether Ujiri is leaning toward accepting the Raptors' offer. According to Grange, the Nuggets have made a "determined offer" to try to keep their GM, and Ujiri is weighing his options.
The Raptors, who Grange says have offered Ujiri a four-year deal worth about $9MM, remain optimistic that they'll get their man.
SUNDAY, 8:41am: Ujiri would stay with the Nuggets if they matched the offer from the Raptors, according to HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler, who believes Denver will step up with the money necessary to keep him (Twitter links).
SATURDAY, 1:07pm: Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke believed he and Ujiri had an agreement in principle on a multiyear, multimillion dollar deal before the Raptors position opened up, reports Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
"In my mind, we had an agreement but it doesn't matter because I would never hold someone back from an opportunity they might be curious about," Kroenke said. "Especially someone I hold in such high regard as Masai. If it was any other team, I wouldn't even have thought about granting permission to speak to him. But it's his former team and its not entirely a black-and-white situation. He'll make the decision he thinks is best for himself, and I'll support him no matter what."
FRIDAY, 10:02pm: The Raptors have offered Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri a multiyear contract that will double, or perhaps triple, the best offer Denver has made, and it appears likely the executive will jump to Toronto, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Ujiri will take the next couple of days to consider the move, but there's "significant momentum" behind his negotiations with the Raptors, Wojnarowski writes.
A source tells Wojnarowski that Nuggets brass appears to be moving on, and it looks like the team's principal owners, the Kroenke family, aren't motivated to increase their offer to Ujiri, who reportedly made just $500K this past season as one of the league's lowest-paid executives. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported this week that early estimates suggested the Raptors would offer Ujiri a salary of more than $2MM. That number appears to have grown close to $3MM, as Wojnarowski reported earlier today.
Ujiri served as assistant GM in Toronto under the recently reassigned Bryan Colangelo before taking over Denver's front office in the summer of 2010. Since that time, Ujiri completely revamped the Nuggets, trading Carmelo Anthony for a bounty widely lauded as the best return for a superstar in recent memory. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun notes how Ujiri's skills as a talent evaluator and trade negotiator fit Raptors CEO Tim Leiweke's description of the ideal man for Toronto's GM job. The 42-year-old recipient of this year's Executive of the Year award has received overtures from other teams in the past, notably the Sixers last summer, but hasn't been close to leaving the Nuggets until now.
Ujiri's contract with the Nuggets expires June 30th. Raptors officials met with Ujiri today, and the two sides seemed to hit it off, expediting movement toward a deal. If Ujiri were to turn the Raptors down, the team appears to have interest in pairing Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard with Thunder assistant GM Troy Weaver.
Draft Notes: Mitchell, Mbakwe, Curry, Adams
The draft is the next major engagement on the calendar for 26 of the NBA's 30 teams, and with the Grizzlies down 0-3 to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, Memphis will soon join the teams looking ahead to June 27th. Here's the latest as the volume of draft chatter increases:
- Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times makes note of Tony Mitchell's affinity for his native Milwaukee. Mitchell appears headed for the late first round or early second round, and could be a match for the Bucks, who pick 15th and 43rd.
- Woelfel also hears of Minnesota power forward Trevor Mbakwe's strong showing in a recent workout, and passes along that the Lakers, Rockets and Knicks are showing interest in second-round prospect Seth Curry.
- SB Nation's Jonathan Tjarks wonders if Mitchell could be the next Paul George.
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe unveils his first mock draft of the year, featuring Trey Burke as a fit for the Magic at No. 2 with Ben McLemore, widely considered a top-five pick, sliding to the Kings at No. 7.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com examines center Steven Adams, a possible Celtics target.
- HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis identifies six potential sleepers in this year's draft class.
Prospect Profile: Otto Porter
When most fans got their last glimpse of Otto Porter, he shot just 5 for 17 as his No. 2 seed Georgetown team endured an upset to little-known FGCU, the school that became the darling of this year's NCAA Tournament. I'm a resident of "Dunk City" who saw FGCU's top-level athleticism in person, and that loss shouldn't be considered as much of an indictment of the Hoyas, and Porter in particular, as it seemed at the time. Indeed, Porter still managed to grab a team-high 11 rebounds, illustrating his abilities as an outsized, 6'9" small forward with a 7'1.5" wingspan.
Porter's surge from a lightly recruited high schooler to a sought-after NBA prospect has continued in the months since his college career ended. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, Chad Ford of ESPN.com and Aran Smith of NBADraft.net all have him slotted at No. 3 in their respective rankings and mock drafts, and he appears to have an outside shot to go No. 1 overall. That's heady territory for a player who doesn't possess elite athleticism and had trouble when matched against others who do. Still, there isn't a player in this draft without a significant flaw, and the improvements Porter made this season look like they were enough to convince teams he's worth the sort of pick usually spent on someone who can make more spectacular plays.
The sophomore entered the season having scored just 9.7 points per game in 2011/12 on a Georgetown team that limited his offensive opportunities. His shots and scoring increased markedly this year, particularly after Greg Whittington, the team's second leading scorer at the time, was ruled academically ineligible in January. Porter wound up notching 16.2 PPG, much of which came as a result of his improved stroke from behind the three-point arc. He nailed 42.2% of his three-point attempts this season after hitting just 22.6% as a freshman. Porter made 1.4 three pointers a game and didn't shy away from contact, either, attempting 5.1 free throws per contest. The offense at Georgetown encouraged ball movement, allowing Porter to show off his passing abilities, and he handled the ball much better this year than last.
Porter's long arms and attentiveness make up for his athletic shortcomings on defense, and while he's skilled on that end of the floor, he's probably not an elite NBA defender. That's despite averages of 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks per game this year, relatively impressive numbers for a small forward. Perhaps his most eye-popping number is his 7.5 rebounds per game, another stat influenced by his lengthy frame. He's skinny, weighing in at 198 pounds, so a team may give up some position inside if it wants to spot him minutes as a small-ball power forward. Yet if clubs aren't shying away from center Nerlens Noel, who's just eight pounds heavier, they won't hesitate to pick Porter.
The Cavs, who pick first overall, seem to be high on Porter, and might trade down to take him if they don't want to reach for him at No. 1. The Magic, picking second, won't be shy to collect all the assets they can, but they already have a pair of young small forwards in Maurice Harkless and Tobias Harris. The Wizards, at No. 3, could take their local college star and pair him on the wing with Bradley Beal. The Bobcats took small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with the second pick last year, but if Porter is there at No. 4, they'd have to consider him for their talent-starved roster. The Suns need help just about everywhere, so if Porter slips to No. 5, I doubt Phoenix passes him up.
A trade involving a top-five pick is as likely this year as any, so there could be other teams in play for the David Falk client. Like nearly every top draft prospect, he's most likely destined for a rebuilding team, and without jaw-dropping natural abilities, Porter will be hard-pressed to single-handedly turn around a team's fortunes. He may be best suited for a club with patience and a long-term plan, like the Magic and Suns, rather than a team looking to turn the corner next season, as the Cavs and Wizards are.
Cavs Rumors: Pierce, Marion, Iske, Porter
The Cavaliers came away from the lottery with the top pick for the second time in three years, and with plenty of cap space and a young All-Star in Kyrie Irving, Cleveland's basketball fortunes are on the upswing. Speculation continues that all of that could spell the return of LeBron James to the shores of Lake Erie in 2014, with Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post the latest to connect the dots. Still, next summer is a long way off, and both LeBron and the Cavs have plenty to consider before any reversal of "The Decision" can come into play. Here's the latest on what the Cavs are working on:
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald hears it's likely that the Celtics waive Paul Pierce by June 30th to reduce his cap hit for next season from $15.333MM to $5MM. Finnan believes Pierce will wind up with a contender, but he expects Cavs GM Chris Grant to make a strong push for the 15-year veteran.
- According to Finnan, the Cavs will probably decline a rumored trade proposal in which Cleveland would send the 19th, 31st and 33rd overall picks in this year's draft to the Mavericks for Shawn Marion and the No. 13 pick. Finnan refers to the Dallas pick as No. 12, but the Mavs have the 13th pick.
- The Cavs have interviewed Nuggets assistant coach Chad Iske for a position on Mike Brown's staff, Finnan reports.
- If the Cavs trade the top pick, they'll target Otto Porter and another asset, HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler figures (Twitter link).