Western Notes: Hayward, Wolves, White
Leandro Barbosa thought he was heading back to the Celtics when he received a call from Suns GM Ryan McDonough, he tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Barbosa knew McDonough from his stay in Boston, and didn’t know he had been hired as the GM in Phoenix. “I didn’t know that until I got the call,” Barbosa said. “So when I got the call, I was surprised. I thought Boston was interested in myself. But then he (McDonough) explained it to me. ‘Oh, you’re in Phoenix?’ I was happy either way, just to get the opportunity to go back to the NBA.” Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Jazz standout Gordon Hayward tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that he’s excited for his upcoming restricted free agency. “It’s weird to think about,” Hayward said, “just because it’s been four years and you kind of see yourself as staying with whatever team you get drafted by. But we’ll see where it goes. I can’t worry about it now. I’m just excited about where it can go.”
- Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders scouted the Big 12 Tournament yesterday, and is doing the same at the SEC tournament today, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
- The Kings’ addition of Royce White, who might get his first playing time in the NBA soon, on consecutive 10-day contracts is a small gamble that an organization like Sacramento must take, writes Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. While White is looking for a team that can accommodate his mental health issues and offer him an opportunity in the summer league and beyond, the Kings aren’t thinking much beyond the coming days. “I see Royce as a mature guy who is trying to get where he needs to go,” Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro said. “There is untapped potential. Can he get there? That’s really going to be up to him. I have to give him credit. A lot of players would not have been willing to come to the D-League, and we spoke about that from the beginning. And he’s already come in here and done some good things. We’ll look at the full 10 days, then make a decision on where to go from there.”
Atlantic Notes: Moultrie, Sixers, Rondo
Here’s the latest from Atlantic Division that doesn’t involve Phil Jackson and the Knicks:
- Evan Turner told reporters. including Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com, that he has no animosity toward the Sixers, who traded him away to the Pacers at the trade deadline.
- Turner was surprised that the Sixers traded him and Lavoy Allen for just a second-round draft pick and the now-bought out contract of Danny Granger but said he’s confident Sixers GM Sam Hinkie has something “up his sleeve.” Turner said it takes guts to commit to rebuild in a city like Philadelphia, per Tom Moore of Calkins Media (Twitter links).
- The Sixers are sending Arnett Moultrie to the D-League, a league source tells Moore (Twitter link).
- Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe he wants Rajon Rondo to stay with Boston beyond his current contract. “I love the guy. I love his championship ring when he was the young kid. I love his growth.” said Grousbeck. “It reminds me of Paul Pierce. Growing from the moments in his younger days and making progress toward being an all-time Celtic and a leader. I am always hopeful that a guy like that is going to stay around.”
- Rondo appreciated Grousbeck’s comments, he tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe (All Twitter links). “It means a lot, especially coming from the head guy,” said Rondo. “With all the rumors swirling, the criticism that I was having throughout the past couple weeks, he stuck his neck out. (Wyc) didn’t have to say anything, but he did. I’ve talked to Wyc since then. Everything is what it’s supposed to be.”
- Jerryd Bayless echoes Grousbeck’s appreciation of Rondo, and writes on his personal blog that he hopes to play with him as Celtics teammates beyond this season (H/T Alex Kennedy). “It seems like transitioning to being the team leader has come pretty naturally for Rondo,” Bayless writes. “I think he has been preparing for it for a long time, and it shows. He’s a great leader, I’ve had a great time being able to get to know him in the last couple months, and hopefully, we can grow as teammates for a long time.” Bayless will be a free agent after this season.
- Recent Suns acquisition Shavlik Randolph told Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com that he was shocked and disappointed when the Celtics released him last summer, but he understands Boston’s decision (Twitter links).
Southeast Notes: Clifford, Haywood, Hamilton
In an interview with Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, Bobcats coach Steve Clifford discusses player development, culture change, defensive difficulties, and more in Charlotte. Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Clifford assumes that Bobcats backup center Brendan Haywood will miss the rest of the season, he tells The Charlotte Observer. “I just think it will be difficult,” for him to play this season, Clifford said. “Even if he progressed to the point where he could get on the floor, it’s been a long time and he’s a big man. It’s hard to be out that long and get your rhythm to play.”
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says Miami moved quickly to sign Justin Hamilton as soon as he became available in order to add some balance that was lost when they traded away Joel Anthony, per Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald (Twitter links). Hamilton agreed to a two-year contract with the Heat earlier today.
- The Heat were impressed with Hamilton this past summer, and considered him for their 15-day roster before the big man broke his nose in the preseason, Goodman writes.
Chris Paul Addresses Union Criticisms
Following agent Jeff Schwartz’s op-ed criticising the union’s lack of transparency in selecting its next executive director, union president Chris Paul has responded with an op-ed of his own at ESPN. The whole piece is worth a read, but here are some of the highlights:
On changes already in progress to make the union more transparent:
“Working with our Acting Executive Director Ron Klempner, we’ve spent the past year reviewing and reforming the core policy infrastructure of our union, creating an organization that is strong, strategic, transparent and absolutely accountable to our players.”
On where the union is in the selection process:
“In an effort to conduct a thorough and professional search, we partnered with outside consultants to identify over 200 professionals from the worlds of sports, law, labor and business who might be qualified to lead our union. Our Executive Committee has devoted the time, resources and energy necessary to narrow down this quality pool of potential candidates. During our All-Star Weekend Winter Meeting, we devoted virtually all of our time together to discussing the process that we’ve engaged in, and the procedures for considering and voting on our next Executive Director. We also heard from our leading candidates for the position to date, and players attending were able to take their measure.”
On the criticism the union has received:
“I’ve been encouraged by the passionate interest in the outcome of these deliberations — player agents, corporate sponsors, team owners, sports journalists and NBA fans. And while some of these interests have been critical or skeptical of the very deliberate steps we’ve been taking in this process, it’s a testament to the commitment and passion we all have to protect our players and ultimately the game we all love so much. But make no mistake, the decision about our next Executive Director will be made by NBA players, in a process that has been and will continue to be open, transparent, painstaking and professional.”
On why the process has taken so long:
“One of our greatest challenges as an organized group of players is managing the logistics that require us to be constantly moving throughout the country. However, we’re in the last stages of implementing a plan that will allow every player to consider the candidates, discuss their merits with teammates and fellow union members and very soon, vote on new leadership for the NBPA. The process has taken time, but we know it has been time well spent.”
Phil Jackson Revelations and Reactions
We learned earlier that Phil Jackson has signed an agreement to become the Knicks president of basketball operations. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com tweeted that the contract being finalized is a five-year arrangement without any stake in ownership, to pay the coaching legend $12MM a year. The press conference announced by the Knicks for next Tuesday will indeed be the official introduction of Jackson as the new head of New York’s front office, a source tells Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Now that the news is more or less final, reactions to the deal are flooding in around the league.
Jackson’s discussions with the Knicks had been going on for several months before becoming a reality, reports Shelburne. Shelburne says that the Lakers had multiple internal discussions on the prospect of hiring Jackson, but never contacted his representatives because they knew they wouldn’t be willing to offer the amount of power that the Knicks were. A source tells Scott Cacciola of The New York Times that it was current Knicks GM Steve Mills who first met with Jackson to discuss him joining New York.
Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, and J.R. Smith all expressed different levels of excitement and anticipation to meet Jackson and hear about his vision for the future of the team, per Peter Botte of The New York Daily News. Anthony says Jackson’s arrival won’t “have any effect” on his looming free agency decisions this summer, but Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com thinks ‘Melo should stick around since Jackson has shown himself capable of unlocking greatness in stars.
Some people are puzzled over the signing. One NBA executive told J.A. Adande of ESPN that Jackson’s relationship with Knicks owner James Dolan is doomed. “Phil and Dolan will not work. Like, never,” the exec said. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports thinks the Jackson signing is a confusing move for the Knicks. In a video segment, Spears predicts that there will be similarities to Larry Bird‘s setup in Indiana, where Jackson provides the final yes or no on team activities, but other team employees do the bulk of the front office “grunt work.” Spears doesn’t think Jackson will return to coach at any point, but he does think there will be constant pressure from Knicks fans to do just that, similar to the constant speculation of Pat Riley‘s return to the bench during Erik Spoelstra’s first seasons with the Heat.
Others are more optimistic about the deal. Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post thinks that characterizations of Jackson as successful only due to coaching the best talent are wrong, and that he has turned around imperfect teams like New York before. Zach Lowe of Grantland argues that the Knicks don’t actually need a complete overhaul in their front office because there are already good, progressive basketball minds in New York. Rather, Lowe says the Knicks need Jackson to add a calming personality to the team and put an end to their pattern of caving in to agents and making knee-jerk moves that undermine their otherwise smart team-building decisions. Lowe doesn’t think Jackson will relax his emphasis on the triangle offense in building the Knicks, pointing out that the system goes beyond Xs and Os for Jackson, connecting to his deepest philosophical beliefs. Howard Beck of Bleacher Report agrees with Lowe’s take, seeing this as the “Zen Master’s” opportunity to mentor an entire, unstable franchise, not just a handful of players.
And-Ones: Knicks, Draft, Vasquez
Greivis Vasquez, traded to the Raptors in December, is finally feeling more like himself after undergoing ankle surgery in the offseason and experiencing a dip in production while playing for the Kings early this season, he tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “I’m a little upset because I couldn’t really show the fans what I could really do. Last year, I led the league in total assists and was playing at a high level, and I wanted to do that in Sacramento,” Vasquez said. “I’ve been showing what I can do and getting better. The playoffs are going to buy me more time to show what I can do.” Here’s more from around the NBA:
- Vasquez will become a restricted free agent this offseason if the Raptors extend a $3.2MM qualifying offer. In Jones’ piece, Vasquez says a return to the Kings isn’t out of the question.
- Tom Moore of Calkins Media wonders if the Sixers will struggle badly next season, even if they manage to upgrade their talent level through the draft and free agency. Moore is skeptical that massive roster turnover won’t create new challenges, and sees evidence of bad habits taking hold in Philadelphia, including in standout rookie Michael Carter-Williams.
- A former GM tells Al Iannazzone of Newsday that Carmelo Anthony would help the Knicks more by leaving this summer than re-signing with them. The former GM says losing Anthony and enduring one more season at the bottom of the standings is worth it to maintain New York’s cap space for the summer of 2015, when they could take swings at a number of star free agents. “Guys want to go to play in New York. It’s going to hurt for a little bit,” he said. “But if you have cap space, it’s not going to be that hard to get a good player to come to New York.”
- Aquille Carr discussed his hopes for the upcoming draft with Matthew Hochberg of Ridiculous Upside. The 5’5″ point guard chose to forgo college basketball, spending time in China and the D-League in preparation for this year’s draft.
- Two NBA scouts are high on Kentucky’s James Young, telling Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that Young will land in the first round (Twitter links). One of the scouts thinks he’s a lottery talent, while the other thinks Jones would be better served to stay in college another year despite his upside.
Western Notes: Jazz, Warriors, Evans
Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group provides an update on the Oakland stadium project that could affect the future of the Warriors. The stadium plans could link Golden State’s fate to that of the NFL’s Raiders and MLB’s Athletics, and Raiders owner Mark Davis is growing frustrated with the city’s slowness in moving them along. Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin is planning on opening up playing time for some rarely-used youngsters to see where they are developmentally, per Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. This is good news for Malcolm Thomas and Ian Clark. Both have rarely been used, and are working on multi-year contracts that aren’t guaranteed beyond this season.
- Thomas, who has only played in four games with Utah this season, tells Falk that he’s more than ready for the opportunity. “Very anxious,” the power forward said of awaiting his time on the court. “I’ve been working hard on just staying positive and waiting for my turn. It seems like it’s coming now. I just have to be ready when my name is called.”
- Clark hasn’t seen much more burn than Thomas, averaging 7.9 MPG in 12 appearances. “It’s difficult,” the shooting guard said. “Anybody who’s been in my position would say the same thing. You just find ways to deal with it. My way is to not worry about it and just keep working.”
- Falk later tweeted that he envisions the two players alternating active spots in the lineup from here on out. Tonight, Thomas was inactive while Clark received a DNP-Coach’s Decision.
- Former Nets forward Reggie Evans isn’t upset about getting traded away from a playoff contender to the 22-40 Kings, he tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Instead, he’s embracing his role as a veteran mentor for a young team. “At the end of the day, I’m still living out my dream,” Evans said. “We’ve got a good coaching staff that allows me to do my best to bring some leadership in here. I was in that position when I first got in the league where Rashard (Lewis), Gary Payton and Elden Campbell had to be that leader for me. Now it’s like they’ve passed that torch, and now I can be a leader on a young team. I’m the oldest by age and the oldest by years, and they kind of look for that leadership.”
Central Rumors: Fredette, Bennett, Deng
Bulls center Nazr Mohammed tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that growing friendships between players at the NBA level is changing the way teams are constructed. Mohammed says that animosity between rival players is no longer the norm. “AAU, social media, that’s all gone. Basketball on a high school level has just meshed all these kids from all over the country, especially with social media, so playing with each other at this level is no big deal. There’s no longer that dislike,” said the 15-year veteran. “Ultimately, it’s good for the league. You’ve got guys that like each other, want to play with each other. Why not? The collective-bargaining agreement is going to settle some of it because either guys are going to take huge pay cuts to play with their best friends or you can’t do it because of the CBA.” Here’s more from the Central division:
- Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune thinks that the environment Jimmer Fredette now has with the Bulls will help him succeed. Luhm says the combination of great coaching, talented teammates, stable ownership, and skilled management–things he didn’t have with the Kings–create an ideal situation for the dead-eye shooter.
- Anthony Bennett has improved his play after a disastrous start to the season, but the Cavs first-overall pick from the 2013 draft now faces a potential minutes reduction as Anderson Varejao returns from injury. Bob Finnan of The News-Herald says that Bennett needs to improve and get in better shape over the offseason if he wants to shed the perception that he’s a bust.
- In the same piece, Finnan says there is “no pretense whatsoever” that Luol Deng will re-sign with the Cavs this offseason, as Finnan is hearing from many that Deng is counting the days until he can flee Cleveland.
More Notes On Phil Jackson Decision
Phil Jackson is expected to make a decision next week on whether to become the Knicks president of basketball operations, and the chatter and leaked information surrounding that decision continues to flood in this weekend. As we noted earlier, Jackson could be using the press to his advantage in negotiations, whether he is fueling the rumors directly or not. Here’s the latest on Jackson:
- While Jackson is reportedly leaning towards accepting the Knicks job, New York GM Steve Mills said he can’t discuss the situation, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. A no-comment from Mills is actually noteworthy, relative to his public silence regarding the team this season.
- The Knicks job is the only front office role Jackson is currently considering, per Ken Berger of CSBSports.com. A league source tells Berger that Jackson is considering the role in New York under the condition that the “setup is right,” and that he will have final say on basketball decisions. It’s possible that Jackson would want full assurance that owner James Dolan wouldn’t interfere or undermine his role, considering Dolan’s reputation as a meddler in team affairs.
- A league source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that in addition to complete control, Jackson wants assurance that Carmelo Anthony will re-sign with the Knicks when he opts out as planned and becomes a free agent this offseason.
- In the same piece, another league source disparaged Jackson’s temperament and lack of qualifications to become a GM to Zagoria. “Phil has never scouted, has zero agent relationships and can’t recruit. He should coach or go fishing in Montana and let the fish deal with his ego,“ the source said. “He’s not Pat Riley. Doesn’t have his charm or charisma and Riley became a full-time exec at 58, not 68 like Phil wants.”
- A third league source was more optimistic regarding Jackson’s ability to succeed in New York, however. “He can be effective because he will surround himself with basketball people,” the source tells Zagoria.
- The Knicks’ interest in bringing in Jackson lies in showcasing his championship pedigree to star free agents they will be pursuing in coming offseasons, a league source tells Frank Isola and Peter Botte of The New York Daily News.
- Add Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post to the long list of people that think making Phil Jackson “The Big Guy” for the Knicks is a great idea.
Pacific Notes: Gasol, Bledsoe, Lakers, Gay
As expected, Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe tells Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic that he will likely return to the court this Wednesday (Twitter link). How well Bledsoe plays following a two month absence will impact both the Suns hopes for the playoffs as well as what kind of offers he will field during restricted free agency this summer. Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Rudy Gay has been having the best stretch of his career with the Kings, but it’s a bittersweet accomplishment considering he’s doing it for a losing team in Sacramento. For the second season in a row, Gay has been traded from a playoff team to a non-contender, and he spoke with reporters including James Herbert of SB Nation about being moved from the Raptors, only to see them turn around and contend for the Eastern Conference’s third seed. “They’re a playoff team,” Gay said. “Of course I’d like to be a part of that. I’m in Sacramento now and I have to build this team. We don’t know if that would have happened if I were there, too. It happened early in the season. Nobody knows.”
- Prior to Thursday night’s games against the Clippers game on TNT, Kobe Bryant told Ric Bucher he believes there’s an 80% chance Pau Gasol will return to the Lakers next season, per a broadcast transcription from Matthew Moreno of Lakers Nation. (H/T Serena Winters)
- In a series of tweets, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com laments the fact that Phil Jackson is likely headed to the Knicks instead of becoming a more influential part of the Lakers. The legendary coach was spurned by the Lakers in favor of Mike D’Antoni early last season, and it appears the complicated relationship he has with the Buss family will ultimately prevent a front office reunion.