Odds & Ends: Yi, McGrady, Turkoglu
- In that same piece, Sheridan says that former NBA superstar Tracy McGrady is mulling a return to the Qingdao Flying Eagles for another season.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel says that it's "highly likely" the Magic will part ways with Hedo Turkoglu during the offseason. The 34-year-old forward doesn't appear to fit into the team's long-term plans, and only $6MM of his $12MM contract next year is fully guaranteed.
- Dave McMenamin and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles report that Lakers reserve Antawn Jamison will play through pain after suffering a slight tear in his shooting wrist during Friday night's loss to the Wizards.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson thinks that Jason Kidd could "absolutely" play two years after this one (Ian Begley of ESPN New York tweets).
- Despite all the media attention converging onto Miami nowadays, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel doesn't think that the Heat approaching the NBA's all-time winning streak has created any unneeded pressure.
- Marc D'Amico of Celtics.com examines Jeff Green's performance against the Heat last Monday, calling it a game indicative of a potential superstar.
Odds & Ends: Hunter, Smart, Larkin
Here are a few more odds and ends to round up the latest on the Association tonight:
- Scott Bordow of AZ Central writes that the interim tag on Lindsey Hunter as the Suns head coach will remain for the rest of the season. GM Lon Babby says that the team will wait until the summer to determine Hunter's future.
- Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State suffered a sprain in his right wrist during the team's exit from the NCAA tournament today, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo. Though Smart struggled during the game, one scout maintained that the 6'4" guard is a top 5 prospect and would be "crazy" to not declare for the draft this year (Twitter link). ESPN's Chad Ford tweeted that Smart is still not a lock to leave and is contemplating a return to school next year.
- In an ESPN Insider article, Ford says that University of Miami guard Shane Larkin will not make a decision about his future until after the team's season is officially over.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston talks about how rookie center Fab Melo has "come back to earth" a bit after posting up monster numbers in the D-League earlier this year. Though still raw, there is hope that the Celtics' center can use his time in the NBDL to improve his footwork and rebounding.
- There are lingering questions about Richard Hamilton being able to return to action for the Bulls this season, notes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. With regard to the veteran shooting guard's back problems, coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters: "It’s not clearing up right now, so we have to wait.’’
- As for Derrick Rose, Sam Smith of Bulls.com says that the waiting game continues as the superstar point guard continues to fuel speculation about his return.
- Former Suns front office GM Steve Kerr says that while a return to management is unlikely, he would consider returning to basketball as a college coach (Michael Hiestand of USA Today reports).
Adelman To Consider Resigning This Summer?
10:28pm: Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets that team owner Glen Taylor recently told him that he expects Adelman to be back next year, considering that the last update on his wife's condition contained good news.
10:10pm: Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman could consider resigning if his wife's health issues persist, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The 66-year-old coach had taken a three week break from the team in January to be with his family and had contemplated quitting twice this season. Balancing his attention between his family and a team battling through an injury-riddled year, Adelman isn't sure where he stands right now: “there’s a couple times I really struggled whether I should come back…I’m sure I’ll be thinking more about it as we move on here (through the season).”
While he says that his wife is doing fine, Adelman remained non-commital about the possibility of returning to the team next season: “I think it’s something I’m just going to have to sit down with my wife and family and just talk about and see where we’re going with this. The most important thing is where we’re going with her health. Whatever happens will happen naturally."
He also added: “It’s unfair for me to talk about that when I’m asking these guys to finish the season off and compete…And that’s all I’m trying to do now. I think there will be a right time to look at everything. I don’t want to really talk about those types of things until it’s done.”
The former Trail Blazers, Warriors, Kings, and Rockets coach is currently finishing up the second year of a four-year, $20MM contract that he signed with Minnesota in 2011. Through 131 games with Adelman as the head coach, the team is 49-82.
Western Notes: Lakers, Dirk, Clippers
Mike Trudell of Lakers.com writes that with the exception of Jordan Hill, the Lakers appear on the verge of being the healthiest they've been all season when Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are expected return to the lineup on Friday. Though Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times noted that Kobe left practice early after his ankle stiffined during scrimmages, coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters after practice that the Lakers star will be ready tomorrow. We've got a few more links to share out of the Western Conference below:
- Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki briefly discussed his NBA future with Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. When asked about playing for three more seasons: "I’m not sure about all that. We’ll just have to wait and see…Hopefully I can finish this season strong and have a good summer like I basically did last year with a lot of lifting and running and hopefully not have a setback with a surgery. We’ll see how consistent I can be again next season."
- Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles says that the Clippers are still searching for an identity at this point in the season, mostly because of how their defense has regressed since their 17-game winning streak earlier in the year.
- John Reid of NOLA.com talks with Eric Gordon about being the Hornets' go-to-scorer, becoming familiar with his teammates this year after returning from his injury, and where he is in terms of his knee rehab.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com takes a look at what has motivated Warriors All-Star David Lee throughout his career, including a fear of failure.
Atlantic Links: Bynum, Knicks, Green
With an All-Star appearance and two championships on his resume, Andrew Bynum looked primed to stake his claim as the Eastern Conference's premier center after joining the 76ers last summer. Unfortunately, injury setbacks have kept Bynum from suiting up in a regular season game in Philadelphia, and a huge question mark looms over his future as he approaches free agency this summer. ESPN's Chris Broussard, who originally thought that the 76ers were the biggest beneficiaries of the Dwight Howard trade, spoke with six other NBA executives about how they would handle the 7-foot center's contract situation this summer (Insiders only). Although they each offer unique approaches, it's not much of a surprise that none would offer a max contract. Here's more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Jared Zwerling and Ian Begley of ESPN New York discussed the latest on the Knicks, most notably about the health of Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert. Begley also added that he thinks that the team will revisit adding another player before the playoffs start, being that it would be a big gamble to start the postseason with three players unavailable due to season-ending injuries.
- Newsday's Barbara Baker says that Shumpert appears healthy today after a scare during last night's game against the Magic, when the second year guard said he felt a "pop" in the same knee that he suffered an ACL injury almost one year ago.
- Tim Smith of the New York Daily News talks about Kenyon Martin's resurgence with the Knicks as the former number one pick fills in for the team's injured big men.
- Danny Ainge told Salk and Holley of 93.7 WEEI FM that Celtics swingman Jeff Green is starting to prove that he deserves to be on the court for "most minutes of the game" (Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com reports).
Odds & Ends: LeBron/Cavs, Wafer, Harrington
Without leading scorers Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters yesterday, the Cavaliers had the surging Heat against the ropes in Cleveland through three quarters, leading by nine before ultimately losing in a heartbreaker. The last few years have represented some trying times for Cavs fans, although with the rise of Irving as a young potential superstar, Dion Waiters showing flashes as a promising scorer, and Tristan Thompson continuing to improve, the horizon is beginning to look bright in Cleveland. A promising young core on a team with cap space could only be a selling point toward a possible homecoming for LeBron James in 2014, although ESPN's Marc Stein (Twitter link) believes that the Akron native and Dwyane Wade are too close for LeBron to just "bolt Miami." Here are more of tonight's miscellaneous notes from around the NBA:
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld highlights that several clubs have considered signing Von Wafer, particularly teams looking to bolster their rosters before the playoffs start. The former second-round pick had recently returned from a stint in China and last played in the NBA during the 2011/12 season. In the same piece, Kennedy identifies players who have helped their free agency stock with their strong play this year.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes that Al Harrington could decide to sit out the rest of the season for the Magic for the sake of their young players benefiting from major playing time. The 33-year-old forward, who overcame a staph infection after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, insists that his knees are fine now and that he will focus on preparing them for next year. Robbins adds that although Harrington is due about $14.7MM over the next two seasons, those years are partially guaranteed and could be bought out for nearly half that number this summer.
- Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro discusses his job status with Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times. Now in his third season in LA and nearing the end of his contract, Dwyre writes that Chris Paul's contract status, the level of preference for Del Negro, and the team's performance in the playoffs are all substantial factors that are in play with regard to the coach's future with the team.
- Pistons coach Lawrence Frank tells David Mayo of MLive.com that, considering their record this year, none of the players – as well as the coaches – should feel safe about retaining their role for next season.
Latest On Sacramento Arena
According to Ryan Lillis, Tony Bizjak, and Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee, a deal for a new arena at Downtown Plaza in Sacramento still hasn't been reached between city officials and billionaire Ron Burkle. The city had placed a self-imposed deadline to reach an agreement by today, but nothing appears imminent.
City Manager John Shirey, who wanted a term sheet that contained points of a deal today in time for review before a city council meeting next week, spoke about where he currently stands in these talks: "We continue to make progress and have productive discussions with the Investor Group…It is important to get this right and not rush to make an artificial deadline. The bottom line for me is to get the best deal possible while adhering to the Council’s adopted core principles, including a city commitment comparable to last year, no new taxes, and protection for the General Fund."
Another Potential Owner Emerges For Kings?
Sam Amick of USA Today reports that Vivek Ranadive – founder of the multi-billion dollar software company Tibco and a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors – has emerged as a new figure who could take the lead for the Sacramento group previously spearheaded by Mark Mastrov. Amick's source spoke on the condition of anonymity because there has been no official agreement as of yet.
Amick writes that while Mastrov and Ron Burkle are still involved in both the bid for the team and plans for a downtown arena, Ranadive agreed to enter the picture after strong efforts to have a larger influence in personnel matters. In order for Ranadive to purchase the team, he would first have to sell his minority stake in the Warriors. Yahoo's Marc J. Spears tweets that the Tibco CEO will only sell his share of Golden State if the city of Sacramento is able to retain the Kings. Otherwise, he would keep his investment with the Warriors.
Having another 'whale investor' can't hurt Sacramento's effort to keep the Kings, especially after David Stern recently commented that the initial bid offered by the Mastrov-led group was short of being a competitive offer. Amick mentions that although Kings minority owner John Kehriotis has been planning a bid of his own, Ranadive will be joining Mastrov and Burkle with Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, who will try to persuade owners at the NBA Board of Governors meeting in April to block the approval of the sale agreed upon by the Maloof Brothers and the Chris Hansen-led Seattle group.
Amick identifies other issues that would need to be addressed, namely the $77MM in loans that the Maloofs owe the city of Sacramento, along with the non-refundable $30MM that the Maloofs received from the Seattle group as a deposit for the team's sale earlier this month.
Pluto On Irving, Gibson, Impending Free Agents
The Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto believes that the Cavaliers will have to tread carefully with Kyrie Irving's health, as he says that the young star has missed a significant amount of time over his first two seasons due to several different basketball-related injuries. Whether it involves reducing his minutes or learning how to manage his game to take less hits, Irving's durability will have to take top priority for Byron Scott and the organization, opines Pluto. Here are a handful of more significant notes about the Cavs from his column on Cleveland sports:
- The team will likely part ways with Daniel Gibson this summer, when the 6'2 guard is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.
- Wayne Ellington, a restricted free agent, will probably be re-signed.
- C.J. Miles has a $2.25MM team option and will likely be kept.
- Whether or not the Cavaliers keep Shaun Livingston will depend on the price that the market sets for him.
- While Dion Waiters is still prone to making rookie mistakes, the rookie out of Syracuse has made noticeable improvements over the course of the season. With Kyrie out of the lineup, Pluto thinks this will be a key opportunity for Waiters to handle the ball more.
- Although the team's biggest needs include a small forward or a big man, Irving's injuries may prompt the team to draft a guard in June.
Odds & Ends: Redick, Kobe, Lottery Odds
J.J. Redick spent nearly six and a half seasons with the Magic before being dealt to the Bucks right before the trade deadline. According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, Redick says that he never felt any ill-will toward the Magic organization during the process and completely understands why they traded him: "Based on Arron (Afflalo) being there and who’s in the draft this year and where the Magic are likely to pick, there’s no way they would commit anything to me long-term — not just me, but just anybody in my situation. From a business standpoint, from a cap-building and rebuilding standpoint, it wouldn’t make sense. I get that. That’s fine."
You can find more of what we've gathered up from the Association tonight below:
- Mark Medina of the LA Daily News (via Twitter) provides a brief update of Lakers star Kobe Bryant's injury status, saying that his ankle sprain is considered serious enough to deem his return indefinite.
- Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets that the draft lottery odds will be affected on a nightly basis moving forward, as eight teams have between 22-24 wins. Most notably, those teams could be choosing as high as third or as low as tenth depending on how their season ends.
- Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW thinks that Brandan Wright's dependable play could very well make him a keeper for the Mavericks for the long-term.
- Marco Belinelli has relished his time in Chicago so far, and the Bulls shooting guard – once viewed as Kyle Korver's replacement as a perimeter shooter – has worked hard to remove the stereotype that he's just a one-dimensional player (Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports).
- Shaun Livingston has been the beneficiary of heavy playing time for Cavaliers coach Byron Scott, who has looked to the 6'7 point guard to fill in for the injured Kyrie Irving, observes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel catches up with former Bucks forward Tobias Harris, who appears to be thriving in a significant role with the Magic.
- Perry Jones III credits the Thunder veterans for preparing him before he filled in for the injured Hasheem Thabeet on Friday, says Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK. Coach Scott Brooks made note of the rookie's eight-point, five rebound performance, and despite saying that there currently isn't any room in the rotation, the Baylor product has "a very bright future" with the team.