And-Ones: Smith, Sterling, Kerr, Pressey
Nolan Smith has received partially guaranteed offers from the Bulls and the Thunder for next season, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Smith played in Croatia this season and averaged 17.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 4.1 APG.
More from around the league:
- NBA agent Chris Luchey says that he will steer his clients away from the Clippers due to Donald Sterling’s comments, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- Kennedy also tweets that two 2014 draft prospects told him that they don’t want to be drafted by the Clippers due to Sterling’s comments.
- The NBA owners must unite against Sterling, writes Marcus Thompson II of The San Jose Mercury News.
- Steve Kerr has discussed becoming a head coach with multiple coaching legends, including Lute Olsen and Bill Parcells, writes Peter Botte of The New York Daily News. According to the article, Kerr made a special cross country flight to meet with Parcells recently. Kerr is expected to meet with Phil Jackson this weekend to discuss the Knicks head coaching position.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com grades Phil Pressey‘s performance for the Celtics this season. Pressey averaged 2.8 PPG, 1.4 RPG, and 3.2 APG.
Eastern Notes: Pistons, Woodson, Celtics
Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press thinks that the Pistons should focus on finding a GM before concentrating on filling their vacant head coaching position. By waiting until after the playoffs, the franchise could see the pool of available coaches grow. Ellis notes that if their teams get bounced out of the playoffs in the first round, Pacers coach Frank Vogel, Thunder coach Scott Brooks and Warriors coach Mark Jackson could get lose their jobs and become possibilities for Detroit.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- Former Knicks coach Mike Woodson said things didn’t work out for him this year, but he still wants to coach, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Woodson said, “The last two years, prior to coming into this season, was a good two seasons for our ball club and for our fans, and this year things just didn’t work out. Sometimes in life, things just don’t work out according to plan. But I look at it, overall it was a good run and it was a great experience for me from a coaching standpoint. I’ve got to move on and close the chapter in this book and get ready for a new chapter because I still want to coach, and I love what I do.”
- Jeff Van Gundy believes that Steve Kerr should be the next coach of the Knicks, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Van Gundy said, “I think [Kerr] has every quality you need to be an outstanding head coach. I see the combination of he and Jackson having the type of relationship that would bring unity to the organization that is necessary to have a chance to win big consistently.’’
- Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald examines the Celtics draft options in what GM Danny Ainge calls, “a top heavy draft.”
Eastern Notes: Nurkic, Sixers, ‘Melo
The Sixers Michael Carter-Williams is the favorite to win this year’s Rookie of the Year award, but Tom Moore of Calkins Media believes that GM Sam Hinkie should examine the possibility of trading him for another lottery pick. Moore isn’t sure if Carter-Williams will become a star, and if Hinkie could land a top five pick for him, he believes that it would be worth considering.
More from the east:
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge flew to Belgrade for the Adriatic basketball finals. He was there to observe center Jusuf Nurkic, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). DraftExpress currently projects Nurkic as the 11th pick in this year’s NBA draft.
- Phil Jackson is expected to meet with Steve Kerr this weekend to discuss the Knicks coaching position, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Kerr will be in town to broadcast the Nets–Raptors game on Sunday.
- Larry Coon of Basketball Insiders examines three ways that the Bulls could add Carmelo Anthony to their roster this summer.
And-Ones: Dinwiddie, Coaches, Heisley
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link) reports that former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley passed away earlier today at the age of 77. Our condolences go out to his family and friends. Heisley owned the team for 12 years and was responsible for moving the team from Vancouver, British Columbia to Memphis, Tennessee back in 2001. He sold the team in 2012 to an ownership group headed up by Robert Pera, but he had interest in purchasing another franchise soon after. Reports indicated that he was eyeing the Wolves and came close to buying the Bucks last year before his health deteriorated.
More from around the league:
- Spencer Dinwiddie has signed with agent Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- The team at Basketball Insiders examine which NBA coaches need to be let go by their respective teams.
- There are quite a few differences between coaching at the collegiate level and the NBA. Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune breaks them down as well as looks at some examples of previous coaches who attempted to make the transition.
- In a separate article, Zgoda examines which college coaches would consider taking the vacant Timberwolves head coach position.
Latest On Donald Sterling
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the media this evening in regards to Clippers owner Donald Sterling‘s alleged racist remarks on an audio recording which was first reported by TMZ.com.
Here’s the latest on this developing story:
- Silver stated that the first priority is determining if the audio recording is authentic, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
- Kennedy also tweets that Silver said, “The audio recording posting by TMZ is truly offensive and disturbing and we intend to get to the bottom of it ASAP.”
- Silver said that the situation is most unfair to the Clippers’ players and coaches, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPN.com.
- Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) reports that Silver urged patience and that due process would have to occur prior to any sanctions.
- Silver said, “I’m not prepared to discuss any potential sanctions against Donald Sterling. We will, however, move quickly,” per another tweet by Kennedy.
- Sterling has agreed not to attend Sunday’s game against the Warriors, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link).
- Markazi tweets that Silver said he hopes to have the investigation wrapped up in the next few days, hopefully before Game 5 on Tuesday.
- Earlier today the Clippers players and coaches held a meeting where they discussed boycotting their next game, but they decided against it, writes Markazi.
- Michael McCann of SI.com examined the NBA’s legal options in this case.
- President of the NBA player’s union Chris Paul said, “On behalf of the National Basketball Players Association, this is a very serious issue which we will address aggressively. We have asked [Sacramento] Mayor Kevin Johnson to expand his responsibilities with the NBPA, to determine our response and our next steps. As players, we owe it to our teams and our fans to keep our focus on our game, the playoffs, and the drive to the Finals,” write Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today.
- In the same article Johnson said, “The reported comments made by Clippers owner Donald Sterling are reprehensible and unacceptable. The National Basketball Players Association must and will play a very active role in determining how this issue is addressed.“
- In an article by Ben Golliver of SI.com, Charles Barkley weighed in, saying, “This is the first test of Adam Silver. He’s got to suspend [Sterling] right now. You can’t have this guy making statements like that. [Silver] has to suspend him and fine him immediately. He has to be suspended. … When you’re in a position of power, and you can take jobs and economic opportunities from people, that’s what crosses the line. We can’t have an NBA owner discriminating against a league — we’re a black league.”
Prospect Profile: James Young
James Young, one of Kentucky’s six high school All-American recruits from a year ago, declared he was leaving school to play in the NBA. Young said in a statement that ”my time at Kentucky has been special to me, something I’ll always treasure, but I feel that I’m ready to take the next step to the NBA.” In recent mock drafts the consensus is that Young is a late lottery pick. DraftExpress has him going 15th, Bleacher Report slots him in 12th, and CBSSports.com places him 15th. Young is also currently ranked 15th on Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s Big Board.
Coach John Calipari weighed in on Young, saying ”From Day 1, the NBA people who came to our practices in the preseason raved about him. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him all season, investing himself in his brothers for the betterment of the team, and I think we all saw the end result in the tournament and Final Four. Whatever team drafts James is not only getting a superb athlete, they are getting the ultimate teammate.”
At 6’6″ with a 6’11″ wingspan, Young has prototypical size for an NBA wing player, and has a 215-pound frame that should continue to develop over time. He doesn’t possess tremendous speed or a quick burst off the dribble, but Young is an exceptionally smooth athlete who can play above the rim and score in bunches. His numbers on the season were 14.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, and 0.8 SPG in 32.4 minutes per game. His slash line was .407/.349/.706.
Young will have to shoot the ball well to succeed in the NBA because he showed little ability to fill up a stat sheet. He’s not much of a playmaker, which could be an issue at the next level. Young can struggle to get separation when he puts the ball on the floor, and he lacks creativity with his ball-handling and doesn’t change tempo or direction well. He’s an average passer, but he tends to make mistakes with the ball and averaged 1.9 turnovers a game, not great numbers considering he was rarely the primary ball handler at Kentucky.
Young’s ability to get shots off over defenders makes him a scoring threat, but it also limits his efficiency. The left-handed shooter struggled from the perimeter for long stretches this season thanks to the high amount of contested jump shots he attempted. According to DraftExpress, almost three-quarters of Young’s 199 catch-and-shoot jump shots this season were defended. He connected on 45% of his open shot attempts but hit only 32% while being guarded. Since uncontested shots are at a premium in the NBA, Young will have to improve his consistency in this area.
If he doesn’t improve his shot, 2-guards or wings who struggle with offensive consistency don’t have much value to NBA teams if they don’t contribute on defense. Young has some defensive tools, but he lacks natural instincts in this facet of the game. He has a low defensive IQ, and that isn’t always something a player can easily change.
One indicator of Young’s lack of defensive ability is his abnormally low steal rate for the position he plays. Despite all of Young’s athleticism he’s averaging less than a steal per game in over 32 minutes of action. ESPN’s analytics expert Kevin Pelton wrote (Insider subscription required) that “Historically steal rate has outsized the importance of physical tools in predicting how well prospects will translate to the NBA.”
Young is a solid rebounder for his position but is still figuring things out on this end of the floor. His fundamentals need work, as illustrated by Young’s tendency not to get in a proper stance, allowing smaller, less athletic players to get position on him. DraftExpress noted that Young’s poor fundamentals, average awareness, and lack of lateral speed doesn’t give him outstanding upside in this area as a pro, but he has the capacity to improve his effectiveness over time.
Young is far from a sure thing and lacks a complete skill set as a player, but he is only 19 years old and has a wealth of potential. Young has the foundation of necessary skills to be an effective scorer down the line, which is something in high demand in the NBA. His upside at the pro level has been compared to that of Arron Afflalo‘s. Like Afflalo, I believe it will take a few years for Young to blossom into an effective rotation player. While I don’t believe he’ll be a superstar at the next level, I do think his upside is higher than that of fellow shooting guards Gary Harris or Nik Stauskus in the long run. If he doesn’t markedly improve his defense though, he’ll limit his usefulness to being a sixth man. Unless he blows teams away during his pre-draft workouts, I have him being taken after Harris in the 10-15 range of the draft.
Prospect Profile: Gary Harris
The upcoming NBA Draft will have almost certainly have the lottery portion dominated by freshman, but teams looking for a solid shooting guard who can do a little bit of everything might find Michigan State’s Gary Harris to be the answer. The 6’4″ sophomore announced he was entering this year’s draft last week. “I expect Gary to be a high pick in the draft, but more importantly, I know that he is well prepared for a long career,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said in a released statement.
During the announcement Harris said, “The last two years have been the best of my life, but it’s time to follow my dream and declare for the NBA Draft. My two seasons at Michigan State have been an amazing experience. I have a lifetime of memories, including some incredible games in some incredible places, NCAA tournaments, and cutting down the nets after a Big Ten Tournament Championship. But most important are the friendships I’ve developed with my teammates. These are bonds that will last forever, especially the guys in my class. I can’t imagine a better group of guys to be around.”
In 35 games this season, Harris averaged 16.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.8 SPG in 32.3 minutes per night. His slash line was .429/.352/.810. In two seasons, Harris’ career numbers were 14.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.6 SPG in 31.0 minutes per game. His career slash line was .440/.376/.788.
Harris is currently projected as a late lottery pick. NBA Draft.net projects him being taken eighth in their latest mock draft, CBSSports.com has him going 10th, Bleacher Report has him 11th, and Draft Express slots him 13th. Chad Ford of ESPN.com has Harris ranked as the 11th best prospect on his “Big Board.”
Harris is a well-rounded player who can do numerous things to help his team win on both ends of the court. He is one of the best offensive prospects in the draft, and a highly proficient scorer on the perimeter, despite the fact he didn’t shoot the ball nearly as well as he was a year ago. After shooting 43% from the three-point line as a freshman, his percentage dropped to 35% this year. Whether or not Harris can make the shots from deep more consistently in the NBA is a question that scouts are asking. One plus is that his high and quick release will not need much adjustment as he moves to playing against elite athletes in the NBA.
While most scouts thought of Harris as just a shooter after his freshman campaign, he worked hard in the weight room to develop his body and put on muscle. This bulk helps him to attack the rim and finish off the bounce and not be rattled by larger defenders in the paint. Harris is also able to create for himself with a quick two-dribble attack and is excellent at the catch-and-shoot game. He is also very solid coming off screens and is skilled at knowing the proper time to come off them for a jump shot, or drive to the rim.
Harris is a tenacious defensive player who has a good chance to translate his gifts to the professional level sooner than other 2014 first round prospects. His game is also more mature than his age as he will be only 19 on draft day. He ranked fourth in the Big Ten in steals, and eighth in defensive wins shares with 2.0. Harris is both disruptive and consistent enough on the defensive end that other teams have to account for him at all times.
One concern for Harris is his size. He is considered a small two guard at the next level, and could be taken advantage of by bigger, stronger, guards. He still has time to develop and fill out his frame, so he could increase his overall strength, but the height could be an issue if he’s a starter. Coming off the bench as a sixth man could offset his disadvantage and maximize his productivity.
Some scouts have opined that it’s “unrealistic” to think he’ll be a high-impact player right away, but he is a player without a glaring weakness. NBA executives like his size, strength, athleticism, scoring ability, defense and character. The biggest plus about Harris is that GMs already know what type of player he is, as well as what position he’ll play. He isn’t an elite athlete like a few of the top prospects in this year’s class, but he is a solid, steady player who will contribute in every facet of the game.
His upside and game have been compared to O.J. Mayo and J.R. Smith, but with a more solid character, and he’s regarded as much more coachable. Harris isn’t a player who will blow teams away during pre-draft workouts, but on film the nuances of his game will shine. He is almost certain to be taken in the lottery, and I believe he will become a solid pro, but not a No. 1 scoring option in the NBA. He’s a great value pick in the 10-15 range.
And-Ones: Celtics, Cleamons, Mudiay
Jim Cleamons is interested in joining the Knicks organization now that Phil Jackson has taken over, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. According to the article, Cleamons would have interest in anything Jackson has to offer, including a position in the personnel department. Berman also writes that Cleamons is a big fan of Steve Kerr, and his ability to be a head coach because of his “quick learning curve.’’
More from around the league:
- The Celtics season was a rough one in their first year of rebuilding, with the team finishing with a record of 25-57. Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald hands out the final grades for the players and the organization.
- Incoming SMU freshman Emmanuel Mudiay will be in the conversation for being the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
- Dion Waiters said the firing of Cavs GM Chris Grant really affected him, writes Bob Finnan of The News Herald. Waiters said, “That’s a guy who took a chance on me, a young kid like myself coming from where I come from. He made my dream come true. You never want to see (anybody) get fired. He’s got a family. You’ve got to feed your kids. What could we have done differently? Did it take him getting fired for us to start playing the way we did? You never know. I know I took it hard because if we’d have been taking care of business like we were supposed to the beginning of the season, he would still be here.”
- Jim Buss believes the Lakers future is bright, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Buss also promised to resign in a few years if the fortunes of the franchise weren’t reversed. He said, “There’s no question in my mind we will accomplish success. I’m not worried about putting myself on the line.“
Western Notes: Spurs, Kings, Nuggets
With the salary cap projected to increase by $5MM next season, this could help the Spurs re-sign both Boris Diaw and Patrick Mills, writes Dan McCarney of SpursNation. Diaw averaged 9.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 2.8 APG in 25.0 minutes per game. Mills provided 10.2 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.8 APG in 18.9 minutes a night. Both players are unrestricted free agents.
More from out west:
- Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee breaks down the Kings‘ payroll and salary cap numbers for the team.
- Nuggets coach Brian Shaw just completed his first season as an NBA head coach, and guided the team to a 36-46 record. In an article by Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, he reflects on the season as well as gives his thoughts on the state of the franchise going forward.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com examines the relationship between Warriors coach Mark Jackson and team owner Joe Lacob. Berger also believes that the team might have to advance deep into the playoffs to retain his job beyond this season.
Pistons Notes: Monroe, GM Search, Gores
The Pistons need to hire a new GM after Joe Dumars stepped down from the position. Whoever takes the job has one big decision looming in regards to what do do with Greg Monroe, writes Dave Pemberton of The Oakland Press. Monroe is a restricted free agent, only 23 years old, and coming off a season where he averaged 15.2 PPG and 9.3 RPG. Pemberton opines that Monroe’s agent David Falk will seek at least $15MM a season for his client. The article also uses Roy Hibbert‘s situation from two years ago as a reference for what tactics Falk might employ to up Monroe’s final price tag.
More from Detroit:
- With a final record of 29-53, and the team missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season, not many things went right in Detroit this season. Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press hands out his final grades for the players and organization.
- In a separate article, Ellis examines what qualifications the team is looking for in their new GM.
- David Mayo of MLive looks at the ownership tenure of Tom Gores, and what the owner needs to accomplish this summer in order to put a positive imprint on the franchise.
- The possibility of Isiah Thomas becoming the Pistons GM wouldn’t sit right with former player Adrian Dantley, writes The Detroit News. In a radio interview Dantley called Thomas a “con man.” Dantley also said, “He has a way of tricking people, and he tricked a lot of people.”