Livingston Seeking Lucrative Offer This Summer
Playing for his ninth team in his ninth NBA season, Shaun Livingston has been all but a journeyman over the course of his professional career at this point. It’s a far cry from what some may have envisioned when the 6’7 point guard was selected fourth overall in the 2004 NBA Draft, ahead of future All-Stars Devin Harris, Luol Deng, and Andre Iguodala. Now 28-years-old, the Peoria native finds himself in a ‘renaissance’ season, being a mainstay in Jason Kidd‘s rotation and starting for the playoff-bound Nets. As much as he feels loyalty to the coach and organization that helped revive his NBA career, Livingston – who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer – tells Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that he’ll place a priority on his long-term security above all:
“(My enjoyment with Brooklyn and how I fit) definitely plays a factor. You have to weigh your situations, your options. The reason I’m in a situation where I can demand a contract is because I’m playing for this team, this coach, this system…I realize that and I’m not over my head. But at the same time, it’s a business. You have to look at it like (the next contract) could always be your last…Especially me.”
Bondy pointed back to the debilitating knee injury that Livingston suffered back in 2007, which involved a torn ACL, PCL, and meniscus, a sprained MCL, and a dislocated patella and tibia-femoral joint. He’s come a long way on the road to recovery since then, and as evidenced by his 42 starts in 64 games this year, Livingston has made a strong case for being a valuable and reliable role player. In 25.3 MPG, he’s averaging 7.9 PPG, 3.3 APG, 3.0 RPG, and 1.2 SPG while shooting nearly 47% from the field. Over the last nine games, Livingston produced 10.2 PPG on 50.7% shooting in 29.4 MPG, helping the team to a 7-2 record.
Brooklyn signed Livingston to a one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum last July. With a productive 2013/14 season to boot, Livingston may be in for a significant payday this summer. Unfortunately, says Bondy, the cash-strapped Nets will only have their mid-level exception to offer at most (roughly $10MM over three years). They won’t have Livingston’s Bird Rights, which would have otherwise allowed them to make an offer without dipping into the mid-level. The rest of the season and postseason still figure to play a role in determining Livingston’s value, and how his stock fares down the stretch will certainly be worth keeping an eye on, especially for Brooklyn.
Knicks Links: Dolan, Carmelo, Jackson
Knicks owner James Dolan joined Michael Kay and Don La Greca on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York 98.7 FM earlier today, and when asked about the team’s 2013/14 season, the Knicks owner responded that he’s been “horrified” (Neil Best of Newsday relays via Twitter). New York hopes that Phil Jackson‘s stewardship as president of basketball operations will bring a significant step towards success, as Dolan likened hiring Jackson to “…bringing in Albert Einstein to do your math homework.”
Later on during his radio appearance, the Knicks owner also reiterated that Jackson has full power over basketball decisions. The most important decision arguably involves Carmelo Anthony‘s future, and interestingly enough, Dolan added that if Jackson were to allow Carmelo to leave this summer, he’d give his blessing: “It’s (Phil’s) decision, that’s my agreement with him” (Twitter links via ESPN New York’s Ian Begley).
Here’s the latest out of the Big Apple, including more from Begley:
- When he had been tied to the potential GM opening in Seattle last year, Jackson previously convinced Steve Kerr to become the team’s head coach; those plans fell through once the purchase agreement of the Kings fell apart, reports Adrian Wojnarwoski of Yahoo Sports.
- Dolan attempted to dispel speculation that Jackson would eventually coach the Knicks, telling Kay: “At the moment, it’s not in the cards.”
- Based on his early assessment of the roster, Jackson reportedly likes Carmelo, Tyson Chandler, Iman Shumpert, and Cole Aldrich, a source tells Begley. Jackson also likes the youth of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Toure’ Murry.
- Jackson also dropped in on The Michael Kay Show later on, saying that there’s “hope and strong reason” that Carmelo would re-sign with the Knicks.
- Per source, Jackson is strongly committed to implementing the triangle offense and will shape the roster with that in mind, adds Begley.
- Steve Mills sat silently for more than 45 minutes during Jackson’s introductory press conference, notes Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. Per Botte, NBA sources initially expected Jackson to consider bringing in another general manager to handle day-to-day work with Mills, specifically involving trade calls and talks with agents.
- Dolan told Michael Kay that his relationship with former Knicks GM Isiah Thomas doesn’t involve discussions about basketball, relays Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
Knicks Hire Phil Jackson As President
The Knicks have formally hired Phil Jackson as president, the team officially announced in a press conference today. The deal will pay him $12MM a season for five years, a record salary for an executive. Jackson originally agreed to join the Knicks on March 8th, but it appeared that he and the Knicks changed the terms of the deal before it became official. It’s Jackson’s first time in a front office role after he won 11 championships in his 21 seasons as an NBA coach.
This isn’t the first instance in which Knicks owner James Dolan opted to make a significant change within the front office during the regular season. The Madison Square Garden Chairman hired Donnie Walsh in April of 2008 and replaced Scott Layden with Isiah Thomas in December of 2003.
Jackson’s arrival comes a little over five months since the hiring of president and GM Steve Mills, who replaced GM Glen Grunwald prior to the start of the 2013/14 season. As part of their announcement, the Knicks confirmed that Mills will be retained as GM alongside Jackson, and Mills’ comprehensive web of contacts among NBA agents and rival GMs will surely be helpful.
Jackson will likely have to evaluate and make a decision on Mike Woodson. Despite having his option picked up for 2014/15 last September, the current Knicks head coach has been on the hot seat for a good part of this season. It’s also probably not a good sign for Woodson that the team initially approached Jackson about taking over as coach before ultimately offering a front office position. On a larger scale, Jackson will have to deal with Carmelo Anthony‘s impending future, as the star forward can choose to opt out of his contract this summer. Jackson once described the pairing of Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire as a “clumsy” fit, so it seems the Zen Master envisions fundamental change to the roster.
There has been question about whether Jackson, whose fiancee is Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss, would live in New York, though it appears as though he will. Jackson lived there during the 1970s, when he played for the Knicks during the most successful era in franchise history.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Marc Berman of the New York Post first reported that Jackson had an agreement in principle, that the Knicks would retain Steve Mills, and that Jackson will likely live in New York during the season. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News noted that Jackson was behind changes to the original agreement (Twitter link). Ramona Shelburne and Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported that Jackson had put pen to paper, and that the contract was a five-year arrangement for $12MM per season.
Nets Sign Jason Collins For Rest Of Season
SATURDAY, 8:07am: The deal is official per a team release. Terms of the contract have not been released, but it is most likely a pro-rated deal for the veteran’s minimum.
FRIDAY, 11:32pm: It’s still not official, but Nets coach Jason Kidd confirmed to reporters, including Rod Boone of Newsday (on Twitter), that the club will sign Collins for the rest of the season once his 10-day expires.
TUESDAY, 7:15pm: The Nets plan to sign center Jason Collins for the rest of the season once his second 10-day deal expires on Friday, writes Ohm Youngmisuk and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. TNT’s David Aldridge (via Twitter) first reported the likelihood of a deal earlier this evening.
Brooklyn is reportedly operating under the premise that the 34-year-old center will finish the season as a Net even though he’s still a few days away from completing his current deal. According to Youngmisuk and Stein’s sources, the internal expectation from the moment that Collins signed his first 10-day contract was that he’d remain with the team for the rest of 2013/14 as long as he proved he could still be an effective defender, and did so immediately.
The Arn Tellem client has played a total of eight games since joining the Nets this season, averaging 9.8 MPG and shooting 28.6% from the field.
Celtics Owner On Rondo, Stevens, Free Agents
Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck sat down with Bob Neumeier of CSNNE at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference to discuss a handful of team-related topics. Although Grousbeck admitted some disappointment about the team’s struggles this season, he remains focused on the future: “I had hoped for a better record than this, I know Brad Stevens had hoped for a better record for sure, because he’s a guy that would light himself on fire to win even a quarter of the game much less the whole game…So we’re about winning around here. It’s not happening for us this year, but we’re going to take a long-term view.”
You can find more of Grousebeck’s notable comments below (link provided from a CSNNE Staff Report).
On Rajon Rondo:
“… I can’t imagine the Celtics without him. It’s challenging. There’s a lot of interest in him. He’s going to come up in a year on his free agency. So we’re going to try to keep him. I hope it works out. If it doesn’t work out we’ll go to Plan B. But he’s been great for us, he’s got us a ring, and is now the captain of the team, and I love having him here.”
On Stevens:
“Now having Brad replace Doc, I wasn’t sure I was ready for Doc to go, but it seemed to be time when it all shook out. Brad is, I can’t think of a more fabulous coach and up-and-coming coach in the league. I think there’s 30 teams one way or the other that are envious of our coach right now.”
On attracting premier free agents to Boston:
“The more I hear about free agency in Boston and the more that I see all the money that’s … the money in the league has doubled just even since I’ve been here. Everything’s doubled and almost doubled again. There’s tons of money. What these guys don’t have is a ring. If we can get it to a place … we really attracted Kevin Garnett here with a chance to win a championship. You can say technically he wasn’t a free agent, but really technically he was. He didn’t have to come to Boston and he did. So in my opinion KG was a free agent who came to Boston and won a championship. And there are other guys out there that want to win rings, and if they want to win them, I think we have to be in the mix.”
And-Ones: Kobe, Lakers, Woodson
The Lakers are expected to officially declare Kobe Bryant out for the rest of the 2013/14 season, as per Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. The 35-year-old guard is still dealing with discomfort after fracturing the tibial plateau in his left knee back in December. Ding adds that while the superstar guard has expressed hope in the team significantly re-tooling this summer via free agency, all signs point to the front office planning accordingly to have cap flexibility for the summer of 2015.
You can find more of tonight’s noteworthy links below:
- With Kobe, Steve Nash, and Robert Sacre presently listed as the only guaranteed contracts for next season, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times looks at the rest of the current roster to determine who has the best chance of sticking around after this year.
- Mike Woodson‘s reported mistrust of Steve Mills partially stems from the Knicks executive’s presence in coaches meetings, practices, and road trips for large chunks of the season, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. According to Kyler, Woodson’s camp viewed it as meddling in the process and casting doubt on the coach’s job from the start.
- Marco Belinelli doesn’t hold a grudge against the Bulls for declining to make him an offer this past summer, but his first choice would have been to re-sign with the Bulls, in spite of Tom Thibodeau’s efforts to convince the team to do so. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News has the details, noting that when Gregg Popovich called Thibodeau for a recommendation, Thibs gave the shooting guard an endorsement.
- Paul Millsap says he didn’t go “kicking and screaming” from the Jazz when they parted ways over the summer, adding that he respected the team’s decision not to pursue re-signing him, as Brad Rock of the Deseret News observes.
- J.J. Hickson has hired Muhammad Abdur-Rahim and Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management as his new agents, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). They replace Andy Miller of ASM Sports, whom the Nuggets big man jettisoned earlier this season.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Knicks Links: Carmelo, Kerr, Jackson
Earlier tonight on Twitter, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders shared some thoughts about Carmelo Anthony‘s possible free agency this summer. To paraphrase, he doesn’t see Anthony leaving the Knicks unless it’s a sign-and-trade, and while some may speculate that the hometown star will take less money to stay in place, it almost never happens that way. Kyler is also uncertain if any other team would be willing to offer four years and $22.4MM per to land the soon-to-be 30-year-old forward.
If the Bulls show interest, Kyler adds that the only way he can see Carmelo going to Chicago is if they’re able to unload Carlos Boozer‘s deal in a sign-and-trade, and even if that materializes, he isn’t sure if they’d be willing to pay the former Syracuse star max money over the final two years of his deal (Five Twitter links to share).
Here’s more out of New York tonight:
- Former player and current TNT analyst Steve Kerr is aware of the speculation that he’d be considered a coaching candidate for the Knicks if Phil Jackson were to take a front-office position with the team, writes Justin Terranova of the New York Post. Coincidentally, Kerr was in New York today for a CBS/NCAA Tournament press conference and commented on the situation: “I understand the speculation…I’ve said I wanted to coach at some point in my life, I know Phil, I played for him [with the Bulls]. People are sort of connecting the dots, but it’s very uncomfortable commenting on speculation, especially when it comes to someone else’s jobs.”
- More from Kerr, who confirmed that he’d be interested in coaching at some point: “I was the general manager in Phoenix for three years, and I loved being on the court with the players…That’s when it piqued my interest…I’m always going to keep my eyes open. I think it’s important in life to always keep looking forward and being open to new things.”
- Kerr told Al Iannazzone of Newsday that based on his conversations with Jackson over the years, he knows that the former Bulls and Lakers coach wants to be working in a front office at this point: “Well, I’ve stayed in touch with Phil over the years and I know just from being with him at times that this is what he wants to do is build a franchise.”
D-League Notes: Bowles, Williams, Nedovic
The Iowa Energy – who share an NBA affiliation with the Bulls, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Pelicans, and Wizards – have acquired center Denzel Bowles (Gino Pilato of DLeagueDigest reports). The 6’10 big man was previously a member of the Pelicans’ (then-Hornets) summer league team in 2012/13, where he averaged 7.2 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 16.1 MPG. Most recently, Bowles played in China before entering the D-League player pool.
Here are a few more NBDL-related notes worth passing along tonight:
- The Thunder announced via press release that forward Reggie Williams has been recalled from the Tulsa 66ers. Oklahoma City assigned Williams to the D-League earlier today before announcing his recall. Williams has yet to see action with the Thunder on the 10-day deal he signed Thursday, but he had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in today’s matinee for Tulsa.
- The Warriors announced earlier today that they’ve recalled Nemanja Nedovic from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBDL.
- The Cavaliers have recalled Sergey Karasev from the Canton Charge, according to the team’s official Twitter account.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Los Angeles Notes: Bazemore, Jackson, Gasol
Kent Bazemore played sparingly during his stint on the Warriors, averaging 4.4 MPG as a rookie in 2012/13 and 6.1 MPG in 44 games this season. After being dealt to the Lakers a few weeks ago, the 24-year-old guard is now seeing 29.8 MPG and has made quite an impression thus far. With 14.6 PPG on 45.9% shooting overall and 40.4% from long distance over his last 10 games, Bazemore may not only resemble a potential piece for L.A.’s future, but a possible free agency target for other teams as well.
With that being said, Bazemore wants to remain with the Lakers long-term, and his camp is confident that if he continues to play as he has so far for the team, L.A. will tender a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent this summer, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com.
Here’s more out of Los Angeles this evening:
- Phil Jackson has been recently linked to a few front office opportunities around the league, and despite his lack of experience as an executive, the Lakers – with a dire need for stability and direction – can ill afford to let him get away again, opines Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
- Though Pau Gasol‘s frustration for most of this season implies an infinitesimal chance that he re-ups with the purple and gold beyond this year, it could still be mutually beneficial for Gasol and the team if he were to return, explains Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. One idea involves re-signing the Spanish big man to a gargantuan one-year deal for next season, which would allow L.A. to eventually clear Gasol and Steve Nash‘s contracts at the same time and thus have ample cap space for 2015.
- In the above piece, Bucher also shares a list of players who Kobe Bryant said he envisions returning after this season, including Jordan Hill, Chris Kaman, Jordan Farmar, and Wesley Johnson.
- During a recent interview with Kustoo.com, Bryant admitted that he has been frustrated with the slow recovery process from his knee injury (hat tip to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times): “It’s progressing slowly. It really tests my patience…There’s only so much you can do, so I find myself relegated to riding the bike.”
- Former Clippers swingman Sasha Vujacic has signed on with basketball agency Interperformances, according to Sportando (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Broussard On Jackson, Dolan, Mills
ESPN’s Chris Broussard was a guest on 98.7 ESPN’s The Michael Kay Show earlier today to share a few noteworthy points on Phil Jackson and the current state of the Knicks. In addition to reiterating an earlier report that an announcement of a finalized deal between New York and Jackson may not come until next week, Broussard further touched base on the possible impact Phil will have on Steve Mills’ position in the organization, if the Lakers are also in play for Phil’s services, and what this process means as it relates to Carmelo Anthony‘s future. You can read more from Broussard’s radio interview with Don Le Greca and Dave Rothenberg (filling in for Kay) below.
On James Dolan’s ‘meddling’, the strict media policy, and if Jackson understands how those factor into accepting a position with the Knicks:
“From what I understand, Dolan will still be Dolan…Phil’s going to be the final say guy in terms of basketball operations, but Dolan still owns the team…everything that’s done (he’ll have to approve at the end of the day), but as far as dealing with the media, we saw that Isiah Thomas had a lot of freedom to talk with the media and to do things, and he got that because he was a superstar…we know that Dolan likes superstars, (and) Phil Jackson is a superstar. So, I think (Phil) will get the freedom to run the team the way he wants to…and we know Phil, he’s a guy who likes to deal with the media; he’s a guy who likes to manipulate (situations) through the media and I think to a large degree, maybe not to the degree he has in the past, he’ll still be able to do that.”
On what Jackson’s presence as a decision-maker would mean for Steve Mills:
“Mills will still be in the organization at a high level…whether or not he’s in the basketball department or more business, he will still be in the organization at a high level…(I’m) not exactly sure what his title will be, I’m not (even) exactly sure what Phil’s title will be at this point…but Mills is not losing his job, and I think there’s a good chance that he’ll still be in the basketball department.”
On the possibility that Jackson is using the Knicks to get the same type of offer from the Lakers or elsewhere:
“(It has) definitely been speculated about around the league, and I think with good reason just because we know Phil loves the Lakers and obviously (because of) his history with them, but (I’m told) there is no way that he and Jim Buss are going to reconcile…there’s just too much division between those guys…one person told me today that if it was going to happen it would have already happened…I don’t see (Phil holding out for an L.A. offer) being the case.
I know the Knicks’ feeling is that they are not being used…obviously until you have Phil Jackson’s signature, you can’t say that this thing is 100% done, but the Knicks are very confident that it’s going to happen, they’re very confident that Phil wants the position, and (that) he’s not using them. It would be a shocker if Phil Jackson ended up going up with another team, obviously it would have been a shrewd move on this part…but (New York doesn’t) have any feeling or any inclination at this point that that’s the case.”
On what this all means for Carmelo Anthony and his future in New York:
“…’Melo genuinely likes playing here, he likes what playing in New York has afforded him, and there’s a part of him that would love to stay. He doesn’t want to be a bad team the rest of his career, but bringing in a Phil Jackson gives you a better opportunity to bring in top-level free agents here with you in 2015…(Phil) called Carmelo a terrific player – that’s a direct quote – and said ‘he can compete for championships if he makes a few tweaks here and there’…so I would think that Phil, judging from that statement last year, would be excited about having a Carmelo Anthony there, and that him being excited about it would certainly have a lot of impact on ‘Melo…It certainly enhances the Knicks’ chances of keeping him…you can’t say 100%, but there’s a good possibility of that.”
On Mike Woodson and if he can use the remainder of this season coach his way into being an option for Phil Jackson next year:
“That’s hard to see. I think they’d have to have some type of miracle run in the playoffs…barring that, I don’t see any type of great run for the Knicks in the playoffs if they get there…I think they’re going to have a new coach. You would think it’s going to be somebody that wants to run the triangle.
I know the Knicks and Phil haven’t gone too deeply into who would coach the team…I know Carmelo does like Mike Woodson, but I think at the end of the day you’re going to see a new coach here…even though a guy like Steve Mills and Allan Houston will remain in the organization, Phil is going to do some degree of house cleaning, and I think Mike Woodson will be (let go in that process).”