Sixers Fire CEO Adam Aron?
7:55pm: Sixers spokesperson Michael Preston told Bob Cooney of the Daily News (on Twitter) that Aron has not been fired.
4:26pm: The Sixers have fired CEO Adam Aron, sources confirmed to Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter). It was rumored back in May that Aron was taken out of the basketball side of things but that was denied by a league source at the time. The move was first reported by Howard Eskin of WIP (on Twitter).
Last month, John Nash said in an interview that Aron had his role reduced after a clash with consultant and former coach Doug Collins. It's unclear if Aron's dismissal has anything to do with that rumored tiff or if it could be tied to the arrival of new GM Sam Hinkie. There has been quite a bit of change in Philly recently with both Collins and former team president Rod Thorn transitioning into advisory roles.
Northwest Notes: Shaw, Nuggets, Blazers
Here's a look at the latest out of the Northwest Division..
- New Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw told Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post (on Twitter) that he likely won't run the triangle offense in Denver. As a former Phil Jackson pupil, many expected Shaw to implement the Zen Master's patented gameplan where ever he went. Most recently, Shaw worked under Pacers coach Frank Vogel and helped take the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals.
- The Trail Blazers have interest in restricted free agents Tiago Splitter (Spurs) and Nikola Pekovic (Wolves), according to John Canzano of 750 The Game (on Twitter). Canzano warns, however, that the Blazers should be very reluctant to get involved in a free agent offer sheet that will be matched.
- Wolves president Flip Saunders doesn't sound as though he's looking to move up in Thursday's draft, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune. The Wolves have the No. 9 and No. 26 picks in the draft but Saunders sees this class as being full of players who are good, not great.
Atlantic Notes: Brown, Shaw, Celtics, Knicks
After a strong interview with the Nuggets, Spurs assistant Brett Brown has drawn the interest of the Sixers and led them to ask for – and receive permission – to interview him, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Brown met with Nuggets officials on Sunday and emerged as a significant candidate in the search process, according to league sources, making him a hot commodity this summer. Here's more out of the Atlantic Division..
- Brian Shaw's agent told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (on Twitter) that his client has yet to hear from the Celtics. However, he added that "there would be interest" if the C's called.
- The Knicks are seeking cheaper alternatives with Jason Kidd gone and Rasheed Wallace retired, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Quincy Douby will be brought in for a workout tomorrow following Shawne Williams' audition today. Douby, who has spent a good amount of time overseas, is no stranger to the New York area thanks to his starring role at Rutgers.
- Brazilian prospect Alexandre Paranhos is working out for the Nets today, the Sixers tomorrow, and the Knicks on Wednesday, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Clippers, Celtics Nearing Doc Rivers Deal
4:57pm: The Clippers and Rivers are working on the length of the deal, tweets Wojnarowski.
4:56pm: The Clippers believe that Chris Paul will soon notify them that the acquisition of Rivers clinches his signature on a max deal when he can legally sign on July 1st, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
4:30pm: The deal will see the Clippers trade a 2015 unprotected first-round pick to the Celtics, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
4:02pm: The Clippers and Celtics are nearing a deal to allow Doc Rivers to become the next coach of the Clippers, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Rivers and the Clippers are working on the language of a five-year, $35MM deal and no agreement will be in place until those details are finalized. It appears that the deal will send a first round pick out east to Boston in exchange for the rights to Rivers.
The longtime C's coach told the Clippers that he was no longer interested in the position on Friday, but Paul pressured L.A. management to fork over a first round pick to get the deal done. Wojnarowski concludes that Rivers' telling the Clps he no longer had interest in the job and the Celtics setting a Friday deadline for a deal were negotiating postures to get the Clippers to up their offer.
Rivers went into the weekend planning to decide his future with the Celtics and sources said he had been leaning strongly toward returning next season to fulfill the three years and $21MM left on his deal. With the Celtics set to rebuild, several sources say that Boston wanted draft-pick compensation over paying for an elite coach.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Here's a look back at the original analysis and reporting from the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Luke Adams was the first to learn that the Bucks officially exercised their team option on Gustavo Ayon.
- Dwyane Wade's value is at an all-time low, but he would be the star to go if the Heat decide to move one of their major pieces, writes Chuck Myron.
- Chuck previewed the summer ahead for the Magic.
- The Blazers are going to try to fill a lot of holes without spending too much in one spot, writes Adams.
- Luke sees the Grizzlies playing it safe this summer.
- I recapped the Kings' crazy season off-the-court and looked at their on-court possibilities going forward.
- The Wizards are a team on the rise and a few smart moves can make them a legit sleeper in 2013/14, Luke writes.
- A slight majority of you had the Spurs taking Game 7. Hope you weren't placing bets on it.
- Hoops Rumors readers picked the Finals MVP correctly though, as it went to LeBron James. Danny Green was in second place in a very narrow vote.
- Did you miss Luke's weekly chat? I'm sorry to hear that. No need to be upset though – you can still check out the transcript here. Be sure to join Luke every Monday at 4pm central.
Week In Review: 6/17/13 – 6/23/13
The talk of the basketball world over the last week has been a potential deal that would land both Kevin Garnett and Celtics coach Doc Rivers in Los Angeles. Talks have been on-and-off with the Celtics reportedly seeking two first-round picks in the deal, apparently a backbreaker for L.A. Even now, the situation is murky as some sources insist that the deal is dead and others saying that it could still go down. Here's a look back at the week that was..
- The Clippers have discussed contracts with both Byron Scott and Brian Shaw.
- The Nuggets will interview Vinny Del Negro.
- The Rockets have been offered a first-round pick for Thomas Robinson and are weighing the offer.
- The Nuggets have a new decision maker after hiring Tim Connelly.
- No surprise here: Monta Ellis decided to trigger his ETO and hit the open market.
- The Cavs and Mavs are having serious talks about Shawn Marion.
- The Blazers like Marcin Gortat.
- There's mutual interest between the Heat and Greg Oden.
- Restricted free agents aren't on the Mavs' radar.
- The Bucks decided to exercise their team option on Gustavo Ayon.
- Shawne Williams will audition for the Nets, Knicks, and other clubs.
- The Grizzlies' coaching search continues and they brought Ed Pinckney in for a second time.
- Darko Milicic says he's done with the NBA.
- The deadline for international prospects came and went. Rudy Gobert is among the exciting youngsters to stay in.
Shawne Williams To Work Out For Several Teams
2:29pm: The Nets are in the mix for Williams as well, HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus tweets.
11:57am: Former Knick Shawne Williams will return to New York on Monday to audition for the orange-and-blue, agent Happy Walters told Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks are trying to add more scoring pop to the roster at the small forward position now that Carmelo Anthony is viewed as their power forward.
“Shawne loved his time there,’’ Walters said. “He’ll be the first to tell you. But it is also about where he’d get playing time.’’
The Williams camp is concerned because the Knicks found a promising forward in Chris Copeland. However, Copeland is a free agent and the Knicks may be unable to re-sign him because they would have to dip into their $3.1MM mini mid-level exception to keep him.
There's plenty of competition for Williams, however. Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni coached Williams in New York and wants him back and has also has scheduled a workout for him. The Knicks also are competing against the Clippers and the Bulls for his services.
Williams has had personal troubles in recent years but thrived in New York in 2010/11, averaging 7.1 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 20.7 minutes per contest. His last NBA season was in 2011/12 with the Nets, where he didn't find the same success.
Lakers Notes: Howard, Goudelock, D’Antoni
Once again, we have a Dwightmare summer on our hands, and things are just as unclear as ever. Will he stay or will he go? Here's the latest out of L.A…
- Arash Markazi and Jovan Buha of ESPNLosAngeles.com debated the merits of re-signing Dwight Howard versus the Lakers getting what they can in a sign-and-trade deal. There's some question as to how hard it will be to get free agents to play for Jim Buss and Mike D'Antoni and the first franchise player who will give his answer to that question is Howard. If his answer is to go elsewhere, that could be a bad sign of things to come for the Lakers.
- Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News sizes up the Lakers' potential restricted free agents. Andrew Goudelock is among the players on the fence as he could stay with the Lakers, though he won't receive his $1.1MM qualifying offer. L.A. wants to leave things open and see how the summer shakes out before committing that money to him.
- Howard says there's nothing that one team can say to sway him away from another team, writes Janis Carr of the Orange County Register (via Kevin Ding's Sulia).
Heat Notes: LeBron, Bosh, Allen
Despite looking extremely vulnerable at times in the series, the Heat persevered and pulled off a seven-game series victory over the Spurs to capture their second straight title. While LeBron James and Co. take some time to celebrate, the front office is already hard at work to line things up for next season. Here's the latest out of South Beach..
- Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida looks at what's ahead for the back-to-back champion Heat, concluding that Ray Allen, who has a player option, and trade candidate Chris Bosh are likely to return to Miami.
- In his latest podcast, Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops debates whether the Heat should move Bosh.
- Top draft prospect Ben McLemore is garnering comparisons to Allen, writes Bob Finnan of the News-Herald.
- The next measuring stick for James will be to lead Miami to a three-peat, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen did it twice and Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant once, so James surely has it in his sights.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Ellis, Clippers, Celtics, Bucks
Earlier today, Bucks guard Monta Ellis informed the Bucks that he'll be exercising his early termination option this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The guard, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, has the Lakers on his wish list, but that seems pretty far fetched given their cap situation. Well, we can add another fiscal longshot to the bunch as Ellis likes the Grizzlies too, according to Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times (on Twitter). Ellis probably isn't a fit for the stats-driven Memphis front office either, as his 16.3 PER was good for 27th last season amongst point guards. Here's more from around the Association..
- Mohammadou Jaiteh received first round guarantees before withdrawing from the draft earlier today, agent Herman Manakyan told Shams Charania of RealGM.
- Time is on the Clippers' side in their trade talks with the Celtics, a source tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (on Twitter). "[The] Clippers can be patient and [the] C's will be in position to get something rather than nothing," the source says.
- The Bucks announced that they will host a mini-camp for free agents this week. Damion James, Dominique Jones, and Salim Stoudamire will be among those with NBA experience in attendance.
- J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter) isn't convinced that the Wizards have to target size after seeing the Heat and Spurs do well with small lineups.
- The Suns withdrew from contract talks to make Roy Rogers an assistant coach on Jeff Hornacek’s new staff, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.