Popovich To Leave When Duncan Retires?
When 37-year-old Tim Duncan decides to retire, you can expect Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich to follow suit, writes Dan McCarney of Spurs Nation. Before last night's Game 2 win against the Lakers, the 64-year old coach told reporters about his commitment to the franchise star's playing career:
“When he doesn’t think he can, he’ll stop. It might be in the middle of a game. I can see him walking off the court saying, ‘Nah, I’m not pulling my weight anymore. I’m gone.’ And he’ll walk. And I’ll be right behind him, like this. No pride, no nothing.”
McCarney adds that Duncan's retirement could still be a few years away, considering the former number one overall pick's return to All-Star form this season. In 69 games, Duncan averaged 17.8 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 2.7 BPG in 30.1 MPG, marking the first time he's reached a 30-minute per game average since the 2009-10 season. His season scoring average represents a progressive two-point improvement each season since 2010-11, and his blocks per game average this year is nearly double the average from last year (1.5) .
Odds & Ends: Jackson, Wall, Hunt, Sixers
Here are a few more miscellaneous notes to pass along tonight:
- With the Nets basketball operations staff on expiring deals, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) wonders if Mikhail Prokhorov is preparing to offer Phil Jackson an offer to run the team and make his own hires.
- Wizards guard John Wall tells J. Michael of CSN Washington that he won't be one to recruit free agents, and would rather have players want to join his team.
- RealGM's Sham Charania mentions Nuggets assistant coach Melvin Hunt as someone who could draw interest from teams with head coaching vacancies (Twitter link).
- Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs outlines a list of potential coaching candidates for the 76ers, mentioning team assistant Aaron Mckie, Villanova coach Jay Wright, Michael Curry (who will be interviewed for the head coaching job), Warriors assistant Mike Malone, and Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer as names that could be considered.
- Grantland's Bill Simmons says that when Thunder GM Sam Presti was quietly shopping James Harden last October, he was quickly rebuffed after calling the Raptors to inquire about a deal involving a package centered on Jonas Valanciunas.
Cavs Notes: Grant, Coaches, Free Agents
The news of Byron Scott's firing has sent an emotional ripple effect throughout the Cavaliers' organization, especially stunning many of the players, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. GM Chris Grant, who admitted that the decision was a difficult one "personally and professionally," told reporters that the team hadn't been making enough progress to warrant continued direction under coach Scott.
As for a replacement, Grant said: "Moving forward we'll look for someone with proven success and look for somebody who is strong defensively with proven systems…We'll look for somebody who is a teacher. We'll look for somebody who is a grinder and a worker."
We have quite a few links to relay regarding the Cavs tonight, and you can find them below:
- Schmitt Boyer compiled a list of potential coaching candidates, categorizing them in terms of "shoot for the moon" targets, former head coaches, highly regarded NBA assistants, and college coaches.
- The Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto makes a case for Stan Van Gundy as a possible fit in Cleveland, saying that the Cavaliers would definitely like to talk to him soon. Pluto also suggests a possibility that the organization considers someone who has never been an NBA head coach – such as Heat assistant coach David Fizdale – to take the coaching reins.
- Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press mentions that Flip Saunders – a native of Cleveland – could be another option, though the former Timberwolves coach could also be linked to Minnesota depending on if Rick Adelman and/or David Kahn remain with that organization.
- Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer writes that the NBA will hold a random tiebreaker on Friday which will determine what draft choice the team receives from the Lakers in June. She also runs down the list of impending free agents on the roster and discusses the likelihood of their return or departure.
- In addition to eliciting more reaction from the Cavs players, Schmitt Boyer was able to hear Luke Walton's thoughts about whether or not he could see Phil Jackson joining the franchise as a coach: "I get surprised every day in this league. But we're a pretty young team right here right now for Coach Jackson to come back. I would be surprised if he'd come to such a young team on that side of the process. But I get shocked every day in this league, so I won't say it's not going to happen.''
Mavericks Links: Collison, Brand, Mayo
Headed for free agency this summer, Mavericks point guard Darren Collison told reporters that he’s capable of starting on any team. Despite finishing the final 23 games of the season as a reserve, the former UCLA product hasn’t ruled out a return to the Mavericks, even if it means he’d continue that role (Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram reports). Also, as Jon Machota of SportsDayDFW notes, Collison hasn't had any discussions with his agent about where he could end up next season. Here are a few more links to share out of Dallas:
- Price also hears that Elton Brand would like to return to Dallas next season in order to make up for being unable to help the team make the playoffs this season. Picked up off of amnesty before the start of the season, the former number one overall pick averaged 7.2 PPG and 6.0 RPG, marking the first year in his career with his scoring average in the single-figures.
- Count head coach Rick Carlisle among the proponents of bringing O.J. Mayo back in a Mavs uniform next season, writes Price. This morning, we heard that the 25-year-old swingman plans to opt out of his contract in hopes of negotiating a long-term deal with Dallas.
Jazz Links: Corbin, Williams, Carroll, McNeal
Earlier, we heard that Tyrone Corbin's job was safe after GM Dennis Lindsey showed public support for the Jazz head coach. Brad Rock of the Deseret News examines the situation a step further, noting that Utah had finished off the season winning nine of their remaining 12 games in addition to Corbin's ability to do so with much of the roster's status up in the air for next season and beyond. Here's more of what we've heard out of Salt Lake City tonight:
- Marvin Williams tells Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune that he hasn’t thought about his 2013-14 player option, but made sure to mention that he loves playing for the Jazz, coach Corbin, his teammates, and the city (Twitter links)
- DeMarre Carroll has made it known that he wants to return to Utah next season, writes Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- Luhm also notes that the team could take a closer look at point guard Jerel McNeal – a repeat 10-day contract signee late in the season – with Mo Williams, Jamaal Tinsley, and Earl Watson set to become free agents.
- Kurt Kragthorpe, another Tribune columnist, wrote that should both Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap leave via free agency this summer, the former would be missed more.
76ers Weighing Options On Bynum
According to Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com, the 76ers are currently undecided on the future of Andrew Bynum but would still consider re-signing him. Managing owner Josh Harris, who insists that he'd still approve last year's trade if given the chance again, told the media that the team is "going to look to bring Andrew back," despite the young center failing to suit up for Philadelphia this year due to injury. Harris adds:
“A healthy Bynum is a needle mover, a top 15 player…We’re going to weigh the positives and the negatives and try to make a reasoned assessment about what’s appropriate for Andrew. Certainly, we’re open to the prospect of bringing him back…I’m not saying we’re going to bring him back. I’m saying we haven’t ruled it out. Bringing Andrew back is an important risk that we’re not ignoring.”
Earlier this month, we heard that Bynum would consider a return to Philadelphia next season. Though with the former Lakers star slated to head into free agency coming off of arthroscopic surgery on both knees, it remains anyone's guess in terms of how interested teams will try to assess his value this summer.
Latest On Kings, Sacramento, Seattle
While the NBA Board of Governors met to discuss the future of the Kings, George Maloof told reporters that he's fine with the way the league has decided to handle deliberations as well as the process for both cities (tweets Nick Monacelli of News 10 Sacramento). It appears that today's meeting is over, but we'll keep track of more updates/Twitter links we've gathered up tonight involving the Seattle/Sacramento situation:
- Bryan May of News 10 Sacramento hears from George Maloof that he expects a final vote to be taken during the first week of May. Maloof would neither confirm nor deny if the proposed Sacramento offer was equal to Seattle's.
- According to Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee, sources close to the Maloof family say that the current Kings owners still keep their binding agreement with the Seattle group in mind and would prefer that the league decides to approve it.
- Lillis also says that Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson flew to New York last night after the Kings game in order to be ready if needed (Twitter links).
Adande On Nowitzki, Cuban, Mavericks
In this ESPN video, J.A. Adande spoke about the chances that Dirk Nowitzki stays with Dallas, Mark Cuban, and key factors that have been and could be in play with regard to the Mavericks' lack of luck in free agency. Here are the highlights:
- Though Dirk recently stated that he "belongs to this city," the star forward could be give himself the option to leave Dallas if Cuban isn't able to surround him with players that would make the Mavericks a title contender again.
- Although the team preserved cap space by acquiring players on short term contracts after striking out on their major targets last summer, Adande wonders what would happen if they miss out again. With the likelihood that both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul stay with their respective teams, it remains to be seen if Dallas can land premium free agents this year.
- Interestingly, Adande points out that not being able to play for Team USA put Dirk at a recruiting disadvantage, specifically because it didn't allow him to form the same type of friendships that certain other players – namely LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh – did while spending time on the Olympic team together before the summer of 2010.
- The appeal of Dallas as a free agent destination may have taken a hit considering that the franchise didn't necessarily reward the players that eventually led them to a title, in addition to the fact that they lost out on free agents afterward.
Dennis Lindsey, Jazz Endorse Tyrone Corbin
Although there have been a handful of newly created head coaching vacancies in the NBA, don't expect the Jazz to join the list anytime soon. Despite Utah coming up just two wins shy of a postseason berth, general manager Dennis Lindsey offered a strong endorsement of head coach Tyrone Corbin, reaffirming that he's "our coach" and has full support from team ownership (Jody Genessy of the Deseret News tweets). Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter) also noted Lindsey's support, hearing that Corbin is seen as the right person to lead the team and is growing as a coach.
After being swept in the 2011-12 playoffs, the Jazz returned this season competitively in the hunt for a return to the playoffs. While Utah held the seventh seed in the Western Conference as far as mid-February, a 3-12 record from late February into late March pushed them to ninth – where they would ultimately finish the season. Still, as Oram mentions, Lindsey believes that Corbin deserves credit for working with nine impending free agents and four quality big men.
According to Genessy, team brass will wait until next week to evaluate this year's performances and shortcomings.
Olshey On Offseason, Maynor, Williams
Joe Freeman of the Oregonian was among the reporters addressed by Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey about the team's priorities for the upcoming offseason, among them finding a starting center and adding depth to the bench in spots six through ten. Although it isn't likely that Portland will tender a qualifying offer to Eric Maynor this summer, Olshey spoke as though the team still hopes to keep him as part of their future. Also, he said that the Trail Blazers would consider retaining Elliot Williams, whose team option for 2013-14 had been declined earlier this season (All Twitter links here).
Though the team finished with nearly a two percent drop in winning percentage compared to 2011-12, this season marked Olshey's first as well as head coach Terry Stott's tenure with the franchise. With the viewpoint that the current roster isn't talented enough, all signs point to another busy offseason, especially with a bevy of cap space at their disposal to continue building around Rookie of the Year candidate Damian Lillard. Olshey relayed that he spoke with team owner Paul Allen yesterday and promised that the franchise would be more competitive next year.