Lakers Rumors: Dwight, Brown, Goudelock
Teams facing an 0-3 deficit have never won an NBA playoff series, and the Lakers appear to face even longer odds than usual. Steve Nash, Metta World Peace, Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks and, of course, Kobe Bryant, will all miss Game 4 against the Spurs. Even those who will play aren't necessarily healthy, as Pau Gasol is considering an offseason procedure to address a degenerative condition in both knees. As the Lakers season crash lands, here's the latest on the purple and gold:
- Dwight Howard's future will be a central topic in the coming months, but Howard told reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, that he hasn't given thought to where he'll sign next season (Twitter link).
- Wherever he winds up, the Hack-a-Howard fouling strategy figures to follow, though NBA president of basketball operations Joel Litvin wishes it wouldn't. Litvin expressed distaste for the rules that allow teams to intentionally foul players away from the ball, but commissioner David Stern seems to favor the status quo, as Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times observes.
- In the same piece, Bresnahan provides more details on the set-off rights the Lakers have on their contract with Mike Brown now that he'll be coaching the Cavs. Brown was slated to receive about $7MM from the Lakers over the next two seasons, but L.A. could recoup anywhere from $1.5MM to $3.5MM of that. As we've heard before, the precise amount of the relief for the Lakers won't be known until the league finalizes Brown's contract, which could take a month.
- Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com chroncles the journey of Andrew Goudelock from getting waived in training camp to winning the D-League MVP award to starting in the NBA playoffs.
Bucks OK Weltman To Interview For Suns GM Job
The Bucks have granted assistant GM Jeff Weltman permission to interview for the Suns vacant GM job, reports Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic first identified Weltman as a candidate for the position, and Chris Broussard named him as the frontrunner this week. Weltman was a finalist for the Phoenix job in 2010, when the team instead hired Lance Blanks, who on Monday parted ways with the Suns.
Lon Babby, the Phoenix president of basketball operations, will allow the new GM to make a decision on the team's head coach, Gardner reports. Interim Lindsey Hunter currently holds that job, though he'll interview for the Pistons coaching vacancy amid speculation he could be on the way out.
Babby promises the offseason will be "a summer of analytics" for the franchise. That could mean candidates like Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren or Rockets executive vice president of basketball operations Sam Hinkie could be considered for the Suns GM job, though that's just my speculation.
Weltman joined the Bucks along with GM John Hammond in 2008. He reportedly was one of several who engaged in preliminary discussions with the Clippers about their GM opening last summer.
Midseason Signees On Playoff Rosters
A pair of unexpected starters delivered performances that were even more surprising this week in the playoffs. Andrew Goudelock of the Lakers sprang for 20 points last night, while Patrick Beverley delivered 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Rockets in Wednesday's loss to the Thunder.
Beverley also lunged at Russell Westbrook, who was trying to call for a timeout, and that resulted in a tear of the right lateral meniscus in Westbrook's knee. The injury will keep Westbrook out for the rest of the playoffs, the team announced today. That could open up an opportunity for Derek Fisher, another player who wasn't on an opening-night roster, just like Beverley and Goudelock. Similarly, Aron Baynes may be thrust into the spotlight with Tiago Splitter out indefinitely with a sprained ankle, just as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News suggests (Twitter link).
All but three playoff teams have players who went from out of the league on opening night to the postseason. The Celtics, Heat, Rockets and Grizzlies all have three such players. Here's a complete list:
- Celtics: Terrence Williams, Shavlik Randolph, D.J. White
- Knicks: Kenyon Martin, Quentin Richardson
- Heat: Chris Andersen, Juwan Howard, Jarvis Varnado
- Bucks: None
- Nets: None
- Bulls: Malcolm Thomas
- Pacers: None
- Spurs: Aron Baynes, Tracy McGrady
- Lakers: Andrew Goudelock
- Thunder: Derek Fisher
- Rockets: Patrick Beverley, James Anderson, Tim Ohlbrecht
- Clippers: DaJuan Summers
- Grizzlies: Keyon Dooling, Donte Greene, Willie Reed
- Warriors: Dwayne Jones
Brandon Jennings Softens Stance On Bucks
Brandon Jennings has made no secret of his desire to leave Milwaukee of late, having threatened to take the qualifying offer from the Bucks this summer and leave as an unrestricted free agent in 2014. He's also expressed his interest in playing with the Mavericks. Jennings backtracked those statements in an interview Thursday with Scoop Jackson of ESPN.com, and indicated he'd like to stick around.
"I said some things, you know, that I probably shouldn't have to make (the fans) think that (these might be my last days in Milwaukee)," Jennings said. "But in general I wouldn't want to leave without actually accomplishing something here and that's getting out of the first round or something like that."
The 23-year-old point guard is set to hit restricted free agency in the offseason, meaning the Bucks will have the right to match offers from other teams as long as they extend a one-year, $4.531MM qualifying offer. Jennings could command offers much greater than that, but taking the qualifying offer would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent in 2014.
If Jennings doesn't take the qualifying offer, the Bucks appear poised to match just about any offer sheet he signs with another team this summer, which likely would be for multiple years. Jackson suggests that the Bucks could choose to sign-and-trade Jennings elsewhere, a maneuver that would allow Jennings to play in another city without taking a pay cut next season. Jennings would have to consent to that, however, and his comments to Jackson indicate he'd be hesitant to do so.
"At the end of the day they have supported me here since day one," Jennings said. "The good and the bad. From my rookie year, from being a little guy that came from Italy that nobody knew about, they still had my back through it all. So at the end of the day, I still love this town and hopefully I'll be here."
This isn't the first time there's been conflicting information on Jennings. A report in February said that he and the Bucks had come to "irreconcilable differences," but Jennings responded that it wasn't true. Regardless, the former 10th overall pick hasn't made it easy to gauge his true feelings, so there will be plenty of intrigue when he and the Bucks must make their decisions in the offseason.
Odds & Ends: Dwight, Expansion, Thunder
The storyline on the Lakers tonight is their makeshift starting backcourt of Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock, but as soon as their season ends, the attention will no doubt shift back to marquee names, and Dwight Howard in particular. HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram, with an assist from colleague Eric Pincus, breaks down the numbers to show that Howard would make more money in the first four years of a contract with the Rockets than he would in as many seasons with the Lakers, thanks to differing tax rates. Still, L.A.'s ability to offer a fifth season, enhanced endorsement opportunities and the cachet of the purple and gold provide varying levels of motivation for Howard to re-sign with the Lakers.
As we wait for yet another Dwight decision, there's plenty of news from around the league:
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com suggests David Stern's stance on expansion may be softening somewhat (Sulia link). Stern had been adamant that the league won't try to solve the Kings dilemma by adding a team, though Spurs owner Peter Holt, chairman of the Board of Governors, said the issue isn't off the table.
- In an Insider piece, Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com argues the Thunder shouldn't regret the James Harden trade in the wake of Russell Westbrook's injury as much as the deadline move that sent Eric Maynor away.
- A team executive who saw Greek swingman Giannis Adetokunbo practice tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News that while he's a project who probably won't see significant playing time for two or three years, he's still worth a first-round pick (All Twitter links).
- Martell Webster is open to coming off the bench if he re-signs with the Wizards, notes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The Wizards and Webster, whom I tabbed one of the season's best mid-level exception signees, appear to have mutual interest in a return.
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv wonders what would have happened if Kenyon Martin were on the other team in the Knicks–Celtics series. Martin was close to a deal with Boston earlier this season.
Bulls Interested In Re-Signing Nazr Mohammed
Nazr Mohammed has played well in limited minutes during the first three games of the Bulls' first-round series against the Nets, and that appears to have GM Gar Forman hoping the 35-year-old big man will be back with the team next season. Forman told Mohammed on Friday that he should "buy, not rent," as Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune writes. Mohammed, a Chicago native, seemed pleased to hear it, saying he'd love to end his career in the city where he grew up.
Mohammed has averaged 13.3 minutes per game in the playoffs this year, giving the ailing Joakim Noah some rest, and has made six of his nine shots from the floor. That's in contrast to a regular season when Mohammed shot just 36.7% in 11 MPG, his worst field goal percentage since his rookie season. Still, his per-game plus-minus was just -0.2, meaning the Bulls were at least able to tread water while he was on the floor, a decent result for a minimum-salary signee. Despite his age and relatively short 6'10" stature, as centers go, he averaged 1.7 blocks per 36 minutes, better than his career rate of 1.4.
The Bulls probably don't envision bringing Mohammed back on anything more than another minimum-salary contract, especially since he seems motivated to stay in his hometown. If they do give him a raise, they could use his Non-Bird rights to extend him a contract worth up to 120% of his salary this season, which would mean an offer of $1,622,617.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Mike Dunleavy
Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis and J.J. Redick will no doubt garner the most attention when the Bucks make their offseason plans, but once their futures are decided, Milwaukee may have to fend off other teams for another of their free agents. HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler touched on Mike Dunleavy this week, writing that the Bucks might see Dunleavy as a fallback option in case the team doesn't retain as many of its top three guards as it would like. The 32-year-old has never lived up to his promise as the third overall pick in the 2002 draft, but he's found a niche as a long-range shooter with plenty of size.
Dunleavy set a career mark with 42.8% three-point shooting this season, helping make up for the mediocrity of his teammates. Despite the presence of Ersan Ilyasova, who led the team by making 44.4% of his treys, and Redick for half a season, Milwaukee ranked just 13th in both three-point percentage and three-pointers made. Dunleavy could be particularly useful for the Bucks if they retain Jennings and Ellis but not Redick, since he'd help keep teams from packing the lane. The Bucks tried the Jennings-Ellis-Dunleavy combination fairly frequently, putting it on the floor for 10.4 minutes per night over 67 games. The Bucks were +0.8 in point differential with those three on the floor, compared to their season plus/minus of -1.5. The Bucks also improved from three-point range with that combination on the floor, shooting 37.3% compared to 36.0% for the season as a whole.
Dunleavy isn't the defender that Luc Mbah a Moute is, so I don't think the Bucks would be anxious to start Dunleavy at small forward, particularly alongside Ellis. Dunleavy has never been a full-time starter for a playoff team, and that probably isn't about to change now. Still, Milwaukee could run out the 6'9" Dunleavy as a backup two-guard and pair him with Mbah a Moute at times, giving the team plenty of length.
As I detailed earlier this evening, many of the best mid-level exception signings this year involved three-point shooters who came off the bench. The Bucks used cap space to ink Dunleavy to a two-year, $7.5MM deal in 2011, but that sort of contract would fit for a team that wanted to use part of its non-taxpayer's mid-level. The Duke product is probably in line for another such deal, though a slight paycut could be in order given his age. Accepting that might put several contending teams in play for him, since the taxpayer's mid-level includes a starting salary of $3.183MM for next season, only about $600K less than Dunleavy is making this season. The Heat, Thunder, Knicks and Spurs, the teams that grabbed the top two playoff seeds in each conference, all finished among the top five teams in three-point percentage this year, so Dunleavy might fit right in with a club that has title hopes.
Dunleavy's father, Mike Dunleavy Sr., wants to coach again, and is interested in joining a team with the financial wherewithal to make a title run. If he winds up with a coaching job, Dunleavy Jr. would probably be hard-pressed not to follow him, especially if he's with a playoff team. That could throw a wrench in the Bucks' plans to re-sign him, and Milwaukee could conceivably strike out with all four of their wing players this summer. That seems unlikely, though, and depends on several hypotheticals. And just because Dunleavy Sr. says he wants to coach, it doesn't mean he's headed for a sideline anytime soon. A reasonable expectation is for the Bucks to sign one or two out of Jennings, Ellis and Redick, and that sets them up to bring Dunleavy Jr. back, perhaps on another two-year deal. If they want to fend off the title contenders, I think keeping him on at his current salary would get the job done.
Best Mid-Level Exception Signings Of 2012/13
Thirteen teams made use of the mid-level exception this year, going with different strategies as they did so. Some teams deployed the full mid-level, with a starting salary of $5MM, while others used the taxpayer's mid-level of $3.09MM, which allowed them to exceed the $74.307MM tax apron. Many teams committed all of their mid-level to one player, while some split it up to sign multiple guys.
Still, a couple of common themes developed. Most of the best signings involved players who came off the bench and shot well from behind the arc. We'll chronicle this year's top mid-level signings here, in no particular order:
- Louis Williams, Hawks (three years, $15.675MM): Atlanta committed its full non-taxpayer's mid-level to the former Sixer, and he carried his off-the-bench scoring punch to the Hawks, averaging 14.1 PPG in 28.7 MPG until he tore his right ACL in January.
- Kyle Singler, Pistons (three years, $3.135MM): Usually, teams use their mid-level exceptions for veterans, but occasionally they use a part of them to lock up their second-round picks, and that's what Detroit did with Singler, their 2011 second-round selection who spent last season overseas. Singler started 74 games and displayed a decent stroke from outside, hitting 35% of his three-point attempts.
- Carl Landry, Warriors (two years, $8MM): Golden State became a playoff team thanks in part to Landry's contributions as the first big man off the bench. He averaged 9.3 rebounds per 36 minutes, his best rate since he was a rookie.
- Jamal Crawford, Clippers (four years, $21.35MM): His final two seasons are partially guaranteed, which prevents the deal from being the best possible mid-level arrangement for a player, but Crawford sure looks like he deserved all he could get. He made a push for an All-Star berth and the Sixth Man of the Year award, and led the team in points per 36 minutes, with 20.3.
- Ray Allen, Heat (two years, $6,319,050): Miami used its full taxpayer's mid-level and got just what they were looking for in Allen, a sharpshooter who came off the bench and enhanced the team's floor spacing on offense. He shot 41.9% from three-point land, bettering his career mark.
- Randy Foye, Jazz (one year, $2.5MM): The small size and short length of this contract have as much to do with its inclusion on this list as Foye's performance. Still, the former No. 7 overall pick started 72 games this season, the most in his career, and he shot 41% from three-point range. The Jazz still might have been better off if they had been able to bring Foye and his shooting off the bench, as other teams did with their mid-level signings this year.
- Martell Webster, Wizards (one year, $1.75MM): Few would have predicted that Webster, a cousin of Jason Terry, would have outperformed his relative, but that's what happened this season. Webster set career marks in PPG (11.4) and three-point percentage (42.2%), prompting the Wizards to prioritize re-signing him this summer. They'll probably need to give him a raise to make that happen.
Honorable mention: Jodie Meeks, Lakers; Draymond Green, Warriors; Jason Kidd, Knicks; Boris Diaw, Spurs.
Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.
Hunter To Interview With Pistons, Still Considered By Suns?
THURSDAY, 5:16pm: Paul Coro of AZ Central confirms that Hunter will be interviewed by the Pistons for their head coaching job, though there remains a possibility that he could return to the Phoenix.
As per Suns president of basketball of operations Lon Babby, Coro writes that Hunter is still seen as a strong candidate to keep his position despite the recent departure of Lance Blanks, the former GM who appointed Hunter as the interim coach this past season.
“From talking to (Babby), I do feel that way…I think he still feels I’m a strong candidate. Although Lance and I were really close, I felt like I was equally respected in the organization by all parts. I was hurt for my friend but I wasn’t concerned about anything.”
WEDNESDAY, 6:45pm: The Suns are likely to grant interim coach Lindsey Hunter his request for permission to interview for the Pistons coaching vacancy, reports Matt Dery of 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit (Twitter link). Hunter appears on shaky footing in Phoenix following the departure of GM Lance Blanks. Suns also recently made a pitch to Mike Brown, who wound up returning to coach the Cavaliers, so Hunter may simply be trying to get out ahead of an impending dismissal.
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press suggested two days ago that Hunter could become a candidate in Detroit, noting his ties to the organization that include a close relationship with president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, a former teammate of Hunter's during their playing days. Hunter spent the majority of his career as a player with the Pistons, who drafted him 10th overall in 1993. He was a member of their 2004 NBA championship team.
A report surfaced earlier this week naming Nate McMillan the front-runner for the Pistons opening, but McMillan later said he hasn't had contact with any team. Dumars is in charge of the search, but it doesn't sound like he's in any rush to make a decision.
Odds & Ends: Mayo, Larkin, Collison, Raptors
Patrick Beverley was a surprise starter for the Rockets tonight, and his performance was even more astounding, as he racked up 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to help Houston come within three points of beating the top-seeded Thunder at home. Beverley was playing in Russia at the beginning of the season, and didn't make his NBA debut until he completed a week-long stint in the D-League after the Rockets signed him in January. His play tonight underscores the importance of seemingly under-the-radar transactions. As always, we'll keep track of NBA moves both great and small, and here's the latest:
- The Jazz may make a strong push to sign O.J. Mayo this summer, HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler hears (Twitter link). Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors wrote in March that Mayo could command better than the full mid-level, though that was before the shooting guard's April slump.
- Last week Chad Ford of ESPN.com heard University of Miami sophomore Shane Larkin was leaning toward entering the draft, but Larkin tweets that his decision is still up in the air, and that he'll make an announcement Sunday evening.
- Darren Collison probably won't return to the Mavericks unless he accepts a backup role, writes Tim McMahon of ESPN.com, who nonetheless believes Collison should be a well-paid backup, projecting that he'll sign a four-year, $15MM deal.
- There are plenty of philosophical differences between Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo and coach Dwane Casey, but ownership wouldn't look kindly upon Colangelo if he fired his third coach in less than five years, observes Eric Koreen of the National Post.
- Michael Jordan has hired four coaches, but none of them have lasted as long as three seasons, leading Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer to wonder if Jordan and the Bobcats front office are more deserving of blame than former coach Mike Dunlap.