Cavs Notes: Love, Kerr, Gilbert
After watching Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday night, Kevin Love reiterated his desire to return to the Cavs. When asked by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com if he wanted to be back in Cleveland next season, Love said, “Yes. I want to win.” Speculation has swirled all year long about what Love might do, but the big man isn’t concerned about that. “It’s just the way the world works now. People talk so much and might tell themselves a lie so much they start to believe it. From there, the narrative starts to change. I haven’t changed my narrative. I’m going to keep supporting these guys, and we’ll be talking to Cleveland after the season,” said Love.
Here’s more out of Cleveland:
- While Warriors coach Steve Kerr offered nothing but praise for the fans and culture of Cleveland, he admitted that he understands why free agents might be deterred from signing with the Cavs because of the the weather and less glamorous feel of the city, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group transcribes.
- Tristan Thompson credits LeBron James and his work ethic for helping turn around the Cavs’ culture, and sparked Thompson to work harder to improve himself as a player, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun writes. “He was the first one in the gym, had a full, dripping sweat and we were just walking in, getting ready to start,” Thompson said. “I think that first encounter really changed the whole culture of the franchise. When your best player, arguably one of the best players to ever play this game, is in the gym at 9 a.m., on Labor Day, that says a lot. It says how serious he is about being great and bringing us back to the promised land, which is being in the Finals.“
- Team owner Dan Gilbert has now rebuilt the Cavaliers as a franchise twice, with both instances sparked by the arrival of James, Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News writes in his profile of Gilbert. “It’s not vindication, it just feels good, and now we gotta take advantage and finish the job,” Gilbert said. “I just feel so good that we all got a second bite of the apple, LeBron, us, the city, the franchise. Everybody.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Nuggets Interview Michael Malone
4:26pm: In a full article, Stein writes that Malone’s interview took place on Wednesday, rather than Tuesday.
12:15pm: The Nuggets’ search for their next head coach continues, and the latest person to interview for the post is Michael Malone, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Malone sat down with Denver’s front office personnel on Tuesday, Stein notes. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported the Nuggets’ potential interest in Malone.
Denver’s interest in Malone is curious given the team’s reported plan to run a faster-paced offense next season, and the former Kings coach being known primarily as a defensive coach. The desire to implement a more up tempo offensive attack was one of the primary reasons Sacramento fired Malone and eventually replaced him with George Karl. Malone’s regular season coaching record with the Kings was 39-67.
Interim coach Melvin Hunt, who was reported to have emerged as the front-runner to land the post on a more permanent basis, still reportedly remains a strong contender for the position. Denver has also interviewed Mike D’Antoni, and team management could sit down with Clippers assistant Mike Woodson in the near future to discuss the opening. The Nuggets are “not an option” for former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, sources told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com a few weeks ago.
2015/16 Roster Counts: Boston Celtics
During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.
With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Celtics’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Boston’s roster.
(Last Updated 3-28-16, 3:00pm)
Fully Guaranteed (14)
- Avery Bradley (G) — 6’2″/24 years old. Drafted with No. 19 overall pick in 2010.
- Jae Crowder (F) — 6’6″/25 years old. Acquired via trade with Mavericks.
- R.J. Hunter (G) — 6’5″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 28 overall pick in 2015.
- Jonas Jerebko (F) — 6’10″/28 years old. Acquired via trade from Pistons.
- Amir Johnson (F) — 6’9″/28 years old. Free agent signing.
- Jordan Mickey (F) — 6’8″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 33 overall pick in 2015.
- Kelly Olynyk (C) — 7’0″/24 years old. Draft rights acquired from the Mavs.
- Terry Rozier (G) — 6’2″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 16 overall pick in 2015.
- Marcus Smart (G) — 6’4″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 6 overall pick in 2014.
- Jared Sullinger (F) — 6’9″/23 years old. Drafted with No. 21 overall pick in 2012.
- Isaiah Thomas (G) — 5’9″/26 years old. Acquired via a trade with the Suns.
- Evan Turner (G/F) — 6’7″/26 years old. Free agent signing.
- James Young (G/F) — 6’6″/19 years old. Drafted with No. 17 overall pick in 2014.
- Tyler Zeller (C) — 7’0″/25 years old. Acquired via a trade with the Cavaliers.
10-Day Contracts (0)
- Off
TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (14)
Western Notes: Hornacek, Aldridge, Lakers
Steve Kauffman, who is Suns coach Jeff Hornacek‘s agent, denied the reports that his client declined to interview for the coaching vacancy at Iowa State, Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com writes. A source confirmed to Parrish that it was Kauffman who posted on a message board linked to the initial report, “We represent Jeff Hornacek. Rarely do I post but I will simply say this story is inaccurate. Jeff loves his alma mater and the facts are simply wrong here. Under contract is the key. School knew they had to request permission in a certain manner from the Phoenix Suns. I do not wish to allocate the blame as to the parties at fault here. But it’s a shame.” Iowa State hopes to have a replacement in place for Fred Hoiberg, who was recently named coach of the Bulls, by next week, Parrish adds.
Here’s more doings from around the Western Conference:
- The Suns held workouts Wednesday for Sam Dekker (Wisconsin), Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), Juwan Staten (West Virginia), Bo Barnes (Arizona State), and Daniel Bejarano (Colorado State), Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.
- Scheduled to work out for the Suns today are Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin), Trey Lyles (Kentucky), Kelly Oubre (Kansas), Daniel Mullings (New Mexico State), Keifer Sykes (Wisconsin-Green Bay), and Greg Whittington (Georgetown), Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays (Twitter link).
- The Lakers held workouts on Wednesday for Aaron Thomas (Florida State), Tyler Haws (BYU), Rashad Vaughn (UNLV), Sykes, Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green), and Chris Walker (Florida), the team announced (on Twitter).
- Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge has put his Portland area home up for sale, Amy Schwartz of 750 The Game tweets. Aldridge is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and while his real estate dealings could be strictly a coincidence, they could also be interpreted as a harbinger of the 29-year-old’s intent to sign elsewhere this summer.
- LSU forward Jarell Martin is scheduled to work out for the Blazers today, Scotto relays (Twitter link).
Nuggets Interview Don Newman
The Nuggets received permission to interview Wizards assistant Don Newman, and GM Tim Connelly discussed the franchise’s vacant head coaching position with him this week, Shams Charania of RealGM reports. Newman has been an NBA assistant coach for 16 NBA seasons, including an eight-year stretch with the Spurs where he developed a reputation as a strong defensive coach, Charania notes.
It seems as if Denver has changed gears after reportedly having designs on landing an offensive-minded coach who could revamp the team’s attack. The Wizards ranked tenth overall this past season in points allowed (8021), and second in field goal percentage allowed (.433). Both are areas that Newman’s coaching had a direct influence on, Charania notes. The franchise also reportedly interviewed former Kings coach Michael Malone this week, and Malone is also known primarily for his defensive acumen.
Other names reportedly in the mix for Denver’s head coaching vacancy are Mike D’Antoni, Clippers assistant Mike Woodson, and interim coach Melvin Hunt, who had been considered the front-runner to land the post on a more permanent basis.
Central Notes: Hoiberg, Calipari, Pistons
During his introductory press conference, new Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg gushed about the talent on Chicago’s roster, Sam Smith of NBA.com relays. “I love this roster,” said Hoiberg. “I absolutely love this roster. I love the versatility of the players. The different lineups that we’re going to be able to play; can play small, can play big, You’ve got lineups that I really think can get out and play with pace. You’ve got a great group of veteran players that know how to play. I think Tom Thibodeau is an excellent, excellent basketball coach and I think he instilled a lot of unbelievable qualities in this team that hopefully I can build on.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Kentucky’s John Calipari was one of the names linked to the Cavs‘ coaching search prior to David Blatt being hired. But despite Cleveland making it to the NBA Finals this season, Calipari says he doesn’t regret his decision to remain with the Wildcats, Chris Fedor of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. “No. No, nope. Because what happened, and the reason I did what I did, was based on having guys come back who wanted to be coached. I didn’t feel comfortable not being at Kentucky,” Calipari responded when asked if he had any second thoughts about passing on the chance to coach LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
- Calipari also said that despite all the offers he has had to return to the NBA as a head coach, the only job opening that made him seriously consider leaving Kentucky was the Cavaliers‘ post last summer, Fedor adds.
- Despite the presence of center Andre Drummond, the Pistons won’t hesitate to grab Willie Cauley-Stein or Myles Turner in the draft if the front-office believes either big man is the best player available at the No. 8 spot, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. “They like to play two bigs,” Cauley-Stein said of the Pistons, who often played Greg Monroe and Drummond together. “That’s a big lineup. Both super-athletic, both do similar stuff, so it’s kind of like how me and Karl-Anthony Towns played this year. I get the same kind of sense out of it.“
2015/16 Roster Counts: Atlanta Hawks
During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.
With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Hawks’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Atlanta’s roster.
(Last Updated 2-29-16, 5:00pm)
Fully Guaranteed (15)
- Kent Bazemore (G) — 6’5″/25 years old. Free agent signing.
- Tim Hardaway Jr.(G/F) — 6’6″/23 years old. Acquired via trade from Knicks.
- Kirk Hinrich (G) — 6’4″/34 years old. Acquired via trade from Bulls.
- Al Horford (C) — 6’10″/28 years old. Drafted with No. 3 overall pick in 2007.
- Kris Humphries (F) — 6’9″/30 years old. Free agent signing.
- Kyle Korver (G/F) — 6’7″/34 years old. Acquired via trade from Hawks.
- Paul Millsap (F) — 6’8″/30 years old. Free agent signing.
- Mike Muscala (F/C) — 6’11″/23 years old. Draft rights acquired from Mavericks.
- Lamar Patterson (G) — 6’5″/23 years old. Draft rights acquired via Bucks.
- Dennis Schröder (G) — 6’1″/21 years old. Drafted with No. 17 overall pick in 2013.
- Mike Scott (F) — 6’8″/26 years old. Drafted with No. 43 overall pick in 2012.
- Thabo Sefolosha (G/F) — 6’7″/31 years old. Acquired from Thunder via sign-and-trade.
- Tiago Splitter (C) — 6’11″/30 years old. Acquired via trade from Spurs.
- Edy Tavares (C) — 7’3″/23 years old. Drafted with No. 43 overall pick in 2014.
- Jeff Teague (G) — 6’2″/26 years old. Drafted with No. 19 overall pick in 2009.
10-Day Contracts (0)
- None
TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (15)
Northwest Notes: Borrego, Tomic, Williams
The Thunder and James Borrego are in talks for the former Magic interim coach to join Billy Donovan‘s coaching staff in Oklahoma City, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. The 37-year-old coach was recently replaced in Orlando by Scott Skiles, who has offered Borrego the opportunity to remain with the Magic as an assistant, Stein adds. But the Thunder and the Magic may have competition for his services, with the Pelicans also expressing interest in adding Borrego to the team’s coaching staff, the ESPN scribe notes.
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Jazz draft-and-stash prospect Ante Tomic is still waffling on whether or not to leave FC Barcelona for the NBA, Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. “It’s neither yes nor no,” Tomic told Gigantes.com when asked about his NBA plans. “It’s difficult to summarize. Sometimes I see myself there and others no. I still have time to think it over.” Tomic, who had previously suggested that this offseason was likely going to be his last opportunity to enter the NBA, was reported to be considering signing a three year extension with Barcelona back in April.
- The extra benefit that the Thunder will receive from adding former Pelicans coach Monty Williams to Donovan’s staff is his strong relationship with forward Kevin Durant, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman writes. The two men bonded during their time spent last summer with Team USA, Slater notes. “We’d always been around each other, but we’ve never talked,” Williams said. “When we talked this summer, we realized how much we had in common. His mom I think went to my high school. I think Kevin is a wonderful person and is always doing the right thing. We just had some really good conversations about life and basketball.” Durant is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, so any advantage that OKC can garner in regards to retaining its star is certainly a boon to the franchise.
Western Notes: Hornacek, Blazers, Draft
Now that Fred Hoiberg has been officially named as the Bulls’ new coach, there has been speculation linking Suns coach Jeff Hornacek to Hoiberg’s vacated post at Iowa State, Andrew Joseph of The Arizona Republic writes. But Hornacek, who played his collegiate ball for the Cyclones, declined an opportunity to interview for the position, Joseph notes. “[GM] Ryan [McDonough] and I came here for a purpose. We think we’ve got a good young crew that we can build with. We’ll work on getting some more veteran guys to help them but we’ve got a job to do here and that’s our plan,” Hornacek said when asked about the possibility of him departing Phoenix.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Trail Blazers held workouts today for Montrezl Harrell (Louisville), Corey Hawkins (UC Davis), Stefan Nastic (Stanford), Christian Wood (UNLV), Kenneth Smith (Louisiana Tech), and Luis Montero (Westchester Community College), Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com reports (Twitter link).
- St. John’s University swingman SirDominic Pointer worked out for the Thunder today, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
- UC Santa Barbara forward Alan Williams displayed his wares for the Mavericks today, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (on Twitter).
- Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker worked out for the Suns today, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets. Phoenix is considering taking Dekker with the No. 13 overall pick this June, Scotto adds. You can check out our prospect profile for Dekker here.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Smith, Draft
The Raptors have a busy summer ahead of them with six players set to hit free agency, and with the team also badly needing to upgrade its defense and rebounding, Holly MacKenzie of NBA.com writes in her offseason preview of the franchise. Toronto could also stand to add a veteran two-way forward like Paul Pierce, whose impact on the Wizards’ locker room didn’t go unnoticed by Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, MacKenzie adds. You can view Hoops Rumors’ offseason outlook for the Raptors here.
Here’s more from the NBA’s Atlantic Division:
- Celtics coach Brad Stevens wants to see the team add versatility and shooting this offseason, in addition to rim protection, as he told reporters, including Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- J.R. Smith believes that the Knicks gave up on him this season, and said that he felt like a “throw in” who was included in the deal that brought him to the Cavs only for salary matching purposes, Rod Boone of Newsday relays (via Twitter). Smith certainly appeared revitalized as a player after the trade, playing in 46 games and averaging 12.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 31.8 minutes per contest for Cleveland.
- The Raptors have workouts scheduled with Jerian Grant (Notre Dame), Chavaughn Lewis (Marist), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona), and Justin Anderson (Virginia), the team announced. Also displaying their wares in a workout for the Raptors today were Maurice Walker (Minnesota) and Dallin Bachynski (Utah), the team relayed (on Twitter).