Pau Gasol, Henry Done For Season?
The Lakers are leaning toward sitting Pau Gasol for the rest of the season, reports Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles times, who adds that Xavier Henry is not expected to return to the lineup either. The news may not seem too significant considering that there are only seven games left on the team’s schedule, but it’s worth noting that both Gasol and Henry are headed for unrestricted free agency this summer.
Gasol is reportedly dealing with a severe recurrence of vertigo, which has caused him to miss five of L.A.’s last six contests. Henry has dealt with knee and wrist injuries this season, and – as we noted earlier today – had recently been playing through pain against medical advice in order to prove his worth. Although Gasol’s desire to stay in Los Angeles remains a question mark, he recently said that he wouldn’t rule out returning to the Lakers if the circumstances are appropriate. On the other hand, Henry has made it publicly clear that he’d like to re-sign with the team this summer.
The 33-year-old Gasol is finishing up the final year of a three-year contract extension that he signed in 2009; his next deal would presumably be much less than the $19.3MM he made this year. Henry – finishing up his one-year deal for the NBA’s minimum salary – has been a bright spot for the Lakers this year, averaging career highs in points (10.0) and minutes (21.1). However, it’ll be interesting to see just how much he’ll be able to market himself if he undergoes wrist surgery this summer as expected.
Eastern Notes: Humphries, Turner, Young
As a guest on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Rich show, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge revealed that he’s had discussions with forward Kris Humphries about the possibility of returning next season:
“I have had a few conversations with Kris…(he) knows where we are as an organization and he knows we like him. And he knows there is a lot of uncertainty, depending on which direction we choose to go this summer. None of us know…he knows we like him, his coaches and teammates like him, (but) we just can’t make any promises” (interview transcribed by Gary Dzen of Boston.com).
Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Dzen points out that Ainge was also asked about Jerryd Bayless and Phil Pressey but only offered comment on Humphries.
- Having gone from a team with the NBA’s second-worst record to playing for the second seed in the Eastern Conference, Evan Turner has conceivably endured his share of challenges in trying to fit in. The fact that the Pacers have compiled a 12-10 record since the deal while Turner continues to struggle offensively hasn’t helped the situation, but the 6’7 guard tells NBA.com’s Manny Randhawa that he’s confident about being able to contribute sooner rather than later.
- Once considered a possible candidate to be traded, Thaddeus Young is looking more and more like a keeper in Philadelphia, writes Dei Lynam of CSN Philly. The 25-year-old forward spoke glowingly about playing for 76ers head coach Brett Brown: “Coach (Doug Collins) didn’t want me to shoot a lot of threes…I didn’t like that at all. And this year Brett tells me, ‘I want you to shoot threes, get to the basket, I want you to do everything.’ I am back to playing the way I was before Coach Collins and Eddie Jordan, just a more free flowing offense…I think I have transitioned and turned things around where (as a player) I can just focus on my job.”
- Based on the numbers this season, Brandon Knight‘s production may not have unequivocally surpassed what Brandon Jennings brought to the table during his four-year tenure in Milwaukee; However, Knight being two years younger and more affordable than his predecessor is proof of why the Bucks are better off with him now, opines Steve Aschburner of NBA.com.
Western Notes: Young, Llull, Sampson, Kings
Following last night’s game against Sacramento, Lakers guard Nick Young hinted that he plans to opt out this summer and enter free agency (Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com reports). The 6’7 swingman referred to his popular epithet when responding to a question about whether or not he’s already made up his mind: “A little bit. It’s a mystery, though. I’ve got to keep y’all on your toes. That’s what Swaggy P does.”
Last week, we noted that Young would likely test the waters in July and remains interested in re-signing with the Lakers. Though he does hold a 2014/15 player option worth roughly $1.2MM, the L.A. native believes it’s time for a raise: “Most definitely. I deserve much more than that.”
Here’s what else we’ve gathered out West this evening:
- The Rockets have the draft rights to Spanish league guard Sergio Llull, but he’s not among the players the team appears to be considering, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Llull, 26, is considered an NBA-level talent, but his contract with Real Madrid would require a hefty in-season buyout, Stein notes (Twitter links).
- The abruptness of Kelvin Sampson’s departure from the Rockets wasn’t entirely by choice, as league rules mandate that he couldn’t remain with the team after having accepted the head coaching job at the University of Houston, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston.
- Plans for a new Kings arena in Sacramento took another step forward today as the city won an appeals court ruling allowing it to retain possession of a building that sits on the site where the arena is to be built, as Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee details.
- Nearly one year removed from a failed attempt to purchase and relocate the Kings franchise, Chris Hansen tells Percy Allen of the Seattle Times: “It’s inevitable Seattle will have a basketball team. It’s just a matter of when…The next time an opportunity comes our way, we’re going to be in a lot better position. We’re not going to have to prove to the NBA that we’re likely to get an arena built. We’ll have a fully-baked, signed off on deal.”
- As far as an arena proposal goes, Hansen mentions the EIS (Environmental State Impact) process as one hurdle that needs to be cleared; However, he says that the process is going well and expects it to be settled by this summer at the earliest.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Williams, Carmelo, Leonard, Isiah
Jazz forward Marvin Williams hasn’t had any discussions with management about his future, writes Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune. However, Falk reminds that Utah rejected a deadline deal that would have sent Williams out in an exchange for a first round pick, hoping that the 6’9 forward would eventually re-sign this summer. Williams is finishing up the final year of a deal that will pay him $7.5MM this season, and based on glowing approbation from his teammates and coaches recently, it’d appear that Utah remains strongly interested in keeping him for the long-term.
Here are more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes:
- Carmelo Anthony finally had his first conversation with Phil Jackson before the Knicks‘ loss to the Lakers on Tuesday, though the 29-year-old forward tells Newsday’s Al Iannazzone that it was nothing more than small talk: “He told me to get ready, go out there and play, try to finish the season off strong, that’s it…We didn’t really talk about too much. Talked about him being in New York, him coming back out to L.A., the weather. Just generic. We really didn’t talk about nothing.”
- There’s an argument to be made that Kawhi Leonard is the most valuable player on the league’s best team, writes Sam Amick of USA today, who also thinks it’s safe to assume that securing Leonard’s services will be a top priority for the Spurs this summer. The 6’7 forward will be eligible for a contract extension in July.
- Isiah Thomas neither confirmed nor denied an interest in taking a job with the Pistons in the near future, but he did intimate his strong loyalty to the franchise: “My heart has never left this organization…I don’t think you will find a person on this earth that loves the Pistons more than I do” (Eric Lacy of MLive.com reports).
- Bill Laimbeer was also asked about a potential role with the Pistons but declined comment.
- At the recommendation of a Los Angeles-based ankle specialist, Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova will sit out the remainder of the 2013/14 season (Twitter links via the team’s official Twitter account).
- Some may contend that Taj Gibson is a strong candidate to win the Sixth Man of the Year title, but Sam Smith of Bulls.com argues that the Bulls forward exemplifies the NBA’s Most Improved award.
- Former 76ers swingman Rodney Carney is headed to Lebanon to play for Al Riyadi Beirut, reports Enea Trapani of Sportando.
Mark Jackson Not Worried About Extension
Over the past few days, there’s been some of speculation about an “increasingly dysfunctional atmosphere” brewing between Mark Jackson and the Warriors’ front office. Despite that, Jackson isn’t concerned about not having a contract extension beyond next season and spoke about it on his weekly radio show on KNBR (Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group transcribes):
“There is not a piece of me that’s bothered that an extension has not been agreed upon or anything of that nature…We move forward. I had the deal. They picked up my option for next year, and I think that obviously speaks volumes even though for some folks it doesn’t say anything.”
Several Warriors players have come forward to offer public support for their head coach, including Stephen Curry, who has made it known that he’d like to be consulted by management if a decision were to be made on Jackson’s future. According to Leung, the 26-year-old All-Star also said that he and the rest of the team are behind Jackson “100%”. Jackson was appreciative of their vote of confidence, but acknowledged that he isn’t sure how much the players’ endorsements will influence the front office:
“It depends on who’s making the decision…To some ownership groups or management groups, it means a lot. To some, it doesn’t matter what franchise players or players feel, it’s business as usual. I don’t know…I’m thankful and grateful (for the support), and it says that we’ve got a tied-together group, but with that being said, I’m not even concentrating on that, to be quite honest. It doesn’t matter. That will take care of itself. This is an ownership group that believes in me, pulled the trigger when nobody else decided to make me a head coach, so that will play itself out.”
Coaching Rumors: Jackson, T’Wolves, Adelman
The topic of Mark Jackson’s job security with the Warriors is riddled with complexity, and ESPN’s Israel Gutierrez and J.A. Adande discuss how this year’s struggles may affect the third-year head coach’s future in Oakland. Gutierrez suggests that Jackson bears some responsibility for Golden State’s frustrating play at times this year, while Adande surmises that Jackson will be in big trouble if the Warriors fail to improve on their six playoff wins from last season. Adande adds that ownership has spent nearly half of a billion dollars to purchase the team and upgrade the arena, and doesn’t think that patience accompanies those types of expenditures.
You can find additional coaching-related links below, including more from the above piece:
- Adande believes that a contract extension for Jackson would imply a significant vouch of support from management; however, the fact that there hasn’t been one yet makes him wonder if anyone within the organization’s hierarchy has Jackson’s back.
- Gutierrez thinks the Warriors are hastily trying to figure out Jackson’s potential as a head coach, and that Jackson could be heading into the postseason with his future in Golden State on the line.
- Timberwolves executive Flip Saunders is close to college coaches Fred Hoiberg and Tom Izzo, both of whom owner Glen Taylor admires, notes Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Walters senses that the chances of Rick Adelman returning to coach the Wolves are “remote” and points to the team’s coaching search from six years ago, when the team was willing to give the job to Izzo. Still, Izzo was strident in saying this week that he has no interest in coaching the Pistons. Saunders will be in New York to watch both Hoiberg and Izzo coach in the NCAA tournament this week, Walters adds via Twitter.
- Aside from Mark Jackson, there are many other coaches are in worse situations, notes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Toronto’s Dwane Casey, Washington’s Randy Wittman , Portland’s Terry Stotts, and Utah’s Tyrone Corbin are all finishing up their contracts this year and have yet to receive extensions.
- Deveney also groups Knicks coach Mike Woodson with Corbin as two contract-year coaches who are on “ice that is thin as ice can get”, though it’s worth mentioning that Woodson actually had his 2014/15 contract option picked up last September.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Kings Hold Off On Re-Signing Royce White
The Kings have no immediate plans to re-sign Royce White for the rest of season, notes Jonathan Santiago of Cowbell Kingdom (hat tip to James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom). Earlier today, we noted that the team had been debating on whether or not to give the 6’8 forward a new contract once his second 10-day deal expired today. With that being said, head coach Michael Malone wouldn’t rule out an eventual return for White in the future:
“The door is not closed…The 10-day has ended, but that doesn’t mean that the relationship has ended for good…I think for him and his future and his career, he has to start amending some of the things that have happened in the past…Everybody here can only speak positively about our time with Royce and as we just mentioned, it doesn’t mean that his time here is over. For right now it is, but I appreciate his hard work.”
Santiago adds that White’s potential future in Sacramento will be up to GM Pete D’Alessandro, who is currently in New York attending personal matters. Malone – who continued to be complimentary in describing White’s stay in Sacramento when speaking with the media – expects D’Alessandro to meet with White and his representation once he returns from that trip.
Though originally drafted by the Rockets in 2012, White hadn’t appeared in an official NBA game until this year with the Kings. The 22-year-old Minneapolis native is yet to register his first career basket as a pro and logged a total of nine minutes over his twenty-day stint in Sacramento.
Fallout From Jackson/Knicks Press Conference
Here’s a roundup of more Phil Jackson/Knicks-related notes worth passing along tonight..
- Though it was made clear that Steve Mills will continue to handle the duties of a general manager in New York, sources tell Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News that Jackson will be allowed to choose a “basketball man” to help him run the front office. At that point, Mills will have more of a ceremonial role once Jackson has his preferred brain trust in place.
- The above piece shed some light on Ronnie Lester potentially being brought in to assist Jackson. Lester, who served as the No. 2 to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak when Jackson was with the Lakers, would be a viable executive that New York fans could feel better about, says Lawrence. If not Lester, then that person would have to have strong ties to Jackson in order to receive consideration.
- The Zen Master may have alluded to a plan to “work the bushes” in order to improve the roster, but people who have spoken with him recently say that he’ll deliberately wait until Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Andrea Bargnani come off the cap in order to accommodate another star and perhaps other pieces.
- The thought of Jackson luring Jim Paxson away from the Bulls front office to be his “basketball man” is an intriguing one, opines Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, who also envisions Steve Kerr, Jim Cleamons, Bill Cartwright, Pete Myers, and Kurt Rambis eventually joining Jackson’s regime (Twitter links).
- James Dolan tells Scott Cacciola of the New York Times that he sought Jackson’s approval on several deadline deals the team tried to make this season: “If it was a trade that didn’t fit what he was thinking — and I couldn’t tell you the specifics of what he was thinking, but I knew he had a plan … I believed he was coming on board, and I felt I should consult him.”
- The Knicks owner also shared how he plans to let Jackson and Mills operate: “They’re going to come in, and they’re going to tell me what they want to do. They’re going to tell me how much it costs, and I’m going to say yes — assuming it doesn’t bankrupt the company. I don’t think they’ll come in with a bankrupt-the-company scenario, but I’ve told them that I’m willing to spend. We need a championship here.”
And-Ones: Jeanie, Celtics, LeBron
Lakers president Jeanie Buss appeared on TWC Sports Net in Los Angeles tonight, addressing today’s most popular topic: “it was clear that (Phil Jackson) wanted to go back to work, but there was no role for him with the Lakers…He was not offered an official position… There (was) no role in the front office for him.”
As Jackson’s fiancee, Buss said that she recently met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to discuss a potential conflict of interest now that Phil is running the front office in New York. With regard to the Buss family’s ownership of the Lakers, Jeanie asserted that they aren’t going anywhere soon: “This is the family business and the family is going to own the team for as long as the family is together” (All Twitter links via ESPN LA’s Ramona Shelburne).
Here are more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes:
- Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck recently hinted at major roster changes this summer, telling Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe that there could be “fireworks” this June, as Holmes notes within a story on the challenges of playing for a team with so much uncertainty,
- LeBron James sidestepped a question about a potential return to the Cavaliers earlier tonight: “For me to take my mind somewhere else when I know what’s on its way [postseason] is almost impossible” (Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel via Twitter). Tonight marked LeBron’s final appearance in Cleveland before he can opt out this summer, and the Heat superstar didn’t count anything out: “Only time will tell” (Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio relayed on Twitter).
- Though Mark Jackson has been a target for ridicule in Golden State, the missteps of Warriors owner Joe Lacob and GM Bob Myers can’t be ignored either, writes Ric Bucher of the Bleacher Report.
- Bucher adds that it was Lacob who made the call to amnesty Charlie Bell‘s $4MM contract so the team could pursue then-free agent Tyson Chandler, who never planned on playing for the Warriors. Additionally, top management – whether intentional or not – provided the grist which brought forth questions about Jackson’s job security this year, specifically when Lacob expressed disappointment about certain losses and Myers suggested that Jackson has been given all he needs to succeed. The team is currently sixth in the Western Conference and holds just a three-and-a-half-game lead over the ninth-seeded Suns.
Bulls, Rockets Among ‘Melo’s Top Alternatives
If Carmelo Anthony ultimately decides to leave New York this summer, Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski identifies the Bulls and Rockets as two free agent destinations that have emerged above all other alternatives. Wojnarowski notes that while Chicago may have an easier time clearing enough cap space to sign Carmelo outright, Houston believes that they can shed the necessary contracts to be able to offer a near-max deal. One source tells Wojnarowski that the Knicks star “will give New York every option (to convince him to stay)…But he has options – and he’s going to explore them all.”
Should Anthony and the Knicks eventually decide to part ways, it’ll be very interesting to see how the two sides will get to that point. During his introductory presser today, Knicks president Phil Jackson made it clear that Anthony is in his plans for the team’s future. Coincidentally, Anthony indicated yesterday that he’s intrigued with the direction the Knicks can go now that Jackson is at the helm of the front office:
“The big picture, absolutely, for the big picture this is definitely more attractive…I’m willing to do whatever. As long as it’s gonna put me in a situation to win, I’m willing to do whatever. I’m not sold or stuck on my play. What I’ve been able to do these past 10-11 years has gotten me to where I am right now…If Phil wants to come in and change that this late in my career, if it’s going to help me out to win a championship, I’m with it…I’ve said numerous times what (Phil’s) been able to bring to the game of basketball is unprecedented. So hopefully we can work it out and he can build something here as well” (Peter Botte of the New York Daily News).
A few weeks ago, Bulls center Joakim Noah apparently tried to sell Anthony on the idea of playing for Chicago during a conversation on All-Star Weekend, with the Knicks star reportedly inquiring about what it’s like to play for Tom Thibodeau. The Rockets – with James Harden and Dwight Howard in place – would undoubtedly garner championship expectations immediately if Carmelo were to jump on board in Houston. While there’s still quite some time before Anthony can exercise his early termination clause in July, it’ll be worth keeping an eye out for the pitch that Jackson will make in order to convince New York’s prized forward to stay in place.