Hoops Rumors Originals: 5/27/13 – 6/2/13
Here’s a look back at the original analysis produced by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Chuck Myron ran down NBA award-winners and their agencies.
- Luke Adams looked at the summer ahead of the Raptors as a new regime takes over.
- Here’s a timeline of guarantee dates for each and every player in free agency, courtesy of Luke.
- Luke revisited the predictions made for the 2012/13 season by the Hoops Rumors staff. Boy, the Lakers really burned all of us.
- Chuck profiled Georgetown product Otto Porter.
- Hoops Rumors readers are split on who the next head coach of the Clippers might be with Byron Scott, Brian Shaw, and Jeff Van Gundy all getting a significant amount of votes.
- It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the 76ers use 2013/14 as a transitional year, Luke writes.
- Here’s how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
Grizzlies OK Lionel Hollins To Speak With Teams
5:09pm: Hollins is likely done as the coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, league sources tell Wojnarowski. After several days of talks between the two sides, they were unable to seriously consider terms of a contract because of hurdles that they couldn't clear with how new management wants the coach to fit into the franchise's belief systems, sources said. Reading between the lines, there would appear to be a divide between Hollins and the stats-oriented members of the Grizzlies front office such as John Hollinger.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are eyeing Memphis assistant Dave Joerger as a possible replacement. Grizzlies management is expected to meet soon with Joerger to discuss the situation while Hollins tests his market value.
2:38pm: The Grizzlies have granted permission to coach Lionel Hollins to discuss openings with other clubs, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Talks between the two sides have been ongoing for several days but stalled over the weekend, Wojnarowski hears. Hollins figures to be in-demand as several clubs still have coaching vacancies, even after last week's flurry of hirings.
One recent report pegged Hollins as the favorite in Brooklyn, though that might not be the case. Neither the Nets nor the Clippers have made headway with the coach as of last week, but today's news could put things into high gear. Hollins didn't expect to get permission from Grizzlies brass to talk to other teams before his contract expiration on June 30th, but he'll get a jump on the coaching carousel a few weeks sooner.
Hollins owns a career 214-201 coaching record, counting his 1999/00 season at the helm in Vancouver and four game interim stretch with the Grizzlies in in 2004/05.
Week In Review: 5/27/13 – 6/2/13
The Raptors' fondness for Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri has been the worst kept secret in basketball over the last month and this week, the club officially got the top executive on their wishlist. Ujiri reportedly has a five-year deal with the club that will pay him $15MM in total. While he liked the opportunity in Toronto, he gave Denver a chance to match before accepting the contract. More from this week on Hoops Rumors..
- Dwight Howard is leaning towards the Rockets but will meet with every potential suitor starting on July 1st. Houston is increasingly hopeful that they'll be able to land DH.
- Mike Budenholzer has been a key part of the Spurs' success for some time and he'll take his expertise over the to the Hawks as their new head coach.
- The Bucks hired former Hawks coach Larry Drew to fill their vacancy. Drew agreed to a four-year, $10MM deal.
- The Bobcats grabbed Lakers assistant Steve Clifford to be their next head coach. Clifford takes over for former St. John's assistant Mike Dunlap, who was let go after just one year at the helm.
- The Suns tapped Jeff Hornacek as their next head coach.
- Sacramento informed Keith Smart that he won't be back as coach and quickly reached agreement with his replacement, Michael Malone.
- The Kings also bounced Geoff Petrie and reportedly have their eye on Larry Bird. They also like Chris Wallace for the job but another guy high up on their list, R.C. Buford, has already said he's not interested.
- The Cavs would give up the No. 1 pick for Kevin Love.
- Maurice Cheeks and Nate McMillan appear to be the frontrunners for the Pistons job.
- Grant Hill announced his retirement.
- Chris Paul is upset about the perception that he got Vinny Del Negro fired, so the club has publicly come out and taken responsibility for the move.
- The union is zeroing in on Steve Mills as their next executive director.
- Alvin Gentry and Jeff Van Gundy could be the leading candidates for the Clippers job while Nate McMillan and Byron Scott are on the outside looking in.
- The Nets reached out to JVG but his interest level is currently unknown.
- The Kings sale to Vivek Ranadive & Co. has been finalized.
- Ujiri's first order of business could be to move Andrea Bargnani. Good luck.
- The Raptors are likely to keep Dwane Casey.
- A report indicated that the Kings are looking to move DeMarcus Cousins, but that may not be the case. If Cousins is available, the Bobcats are among the clubs interested but the Cavs are not.
- The Rockets are trying to deal Thomas Robinson in an effort to clear more cap room for a run at Howard.
- Teams around the league have a "healthy interest" in Paul Pierce, but the Celtics won't just give him away.
- Monta Ellis could have interest in the Kings.
- George Karl's job status could be in jeopardy and the Clippers may have interest in him.
- The Raptors dismissed Ed Stefanski after hiring Ujiri.
- Carmelo Anthony wants the Knicks to add another scorer.
- Several candidates have emerged for the Nuggets' GM job and Stefanski could be among them now.
- Richard Jefferson will exercise his player option.
- The Bucks might prefer to keep Monta Ellis over Brandon Jennings.
- Flip Saunders is looking to hire a GM in Minnesota and likes Pelicans assistant GM Tim Connelly and Wizards VP of player personnel Milt Newton.
- Shane Larkin won't work out for the Knicks as he believes he'll be gone before the No. 24 pick.
Latest On DeMarcus Cousins
Despite reports and rumors to the contrary, the Cavs have zero interest in Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, a source tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Bobcats, on the other hand, have interest in the troubled big man. However, the Kings preference at this time is to keep him.
The source went on to tell Amico (link) that plenty of teams have or will ask about Cousins, but clubs like the Cavs are staying away from him due to “consistent issues with structure.” A report earlier this week indicated that the new regime in Sacramento is intent on moving Cousins, but that may have been floated out there by rival teams.
Raptors To Shop Bargnani Aggressively
Masai Ujiri has barely had a chance to change the nameplate on his desk, but he already knows what his first order of business will be as Raptors GM. The club will look to shop big man Andrea Bargnani everywhere possible in order to move him before July 1st, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
This is hardly the first time that the Raptors have been keen on trading Bargnani, but finding a trade that brings back a decent return has proved challenging for them in the past. The Italian forward is set to make $11MM next season and $12MM in 2014/15.
The former No. 1 overall pick has been beset by the injury bug and has often times looked out of place in the Raptors’ offense. This past season he averaged just 12.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 35 games.
Southeast Division: Magic, Bobcats, Thomas
Hawks coach Larry Drew was in a strange position for a few months as it was long believed that Atlanta would not re-sign him to a new deal for 2013/14 and beyond. The club got their man earlier this week in Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, but Drew wasn't out of work for very long. Yesterday, he agreed to become the next head coach of the Bucks and inked a three-year deal that includes a club option for year four. It's not a surprise to see that Drew wasn't between jobs for long given what he accomplished in Atlanta. Under his watch, the Hawks posted a 128-102 record and went to the playoffs in all three years. Here's more out of the Southeast Division..
- The HoopsWorld staff held a roundtable discussion on what the Magic should do with the No. 2 overall pick. Yannis Koutroupis goes outside of the box and suggests that Orlando should grab Victor Oladipo rather than Trey Burke or Ben McLemore. Koutroupis reasons that Oladipo is tough enough on the defensive end where he could potentially play with Arron Afflalo if needed, but more importantly could make Afflalo expendable if another team covets him in a trade.
- HoopsWorld also took a look at the Bobcats' No. 4 overall selection. Derek Page suggests that Charlotte should tab Alex Len, who would be a virtual lock to still be on the board at that time. The Maryland big man is expected to be a top-5 pick despite likely being on the shelf to start next season, but that isn't likely to scare away a Bobcats squad that’s not banking on contending next season.
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld ran down the teams still eligible to use the amnesty clause, including the Bobcats, Hawks, and Heat. Charlotte's Tyrus Thomas would appear to be a candidate for the amnesty clause.
Draft Notes: Knicks, Larkin, Hardaway Jr., Bucks
Otto Porter, Victor Oladipo, Ben McLemore, and Anthony Bennett will likely be among the candidates visiting with the Wizards in the second or third week of June, when the team will look at candidates for the No. 3 overall pick, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. For now, the team is concentrating on targets for its pair of second-round pick, and Lee lists more than a dozen such players scheduled for workouts with the team next week. The Wizards' pick may very well come down to a decision between who is left over between Porter and Nerlens Noel, but they'll leave no stone unturned when it comes to their top pick. Here's more draft news..
- Former Miami point guard Shane Larkin won’t work out for the Knicks, his agent told Adam Zagoria of SNY. “Currently, Shane’s not scheduled to work out for the Knicks,” agent Steve McCaskill said. “And we don’t have any intentions of scheduling one. We don’t feel like he’s going to be on the board when they select.” The Knicks have the No. 24 pick in the draft and while some view Larkin as a mid-round talent, it's worth noting that DraftExpress currently has him going at No. 23 to the Pacers.
- Tim Hardaway Jr. auditioned for the Bucks and told reporters, including Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, that he has already worked out for the Bulls and T'Wolves. The Michigan product is widely viewed as a fringe first-round talent.
- Murray State's Isaiah Canaan says he has already worked out for the Spurs and he has more workouts scheduled with the Pacers, Knicks, Cavs, Suns, Mavs, and Jazz, Gardner writes. Canaan, who auditioned for the Bucks, could be a candidate for the club's No. 43 selection.
- Former Creighton and Rutgers big man Gregory Echenique will work out for the Wizards, Suns, and Nets in the coming weeks, Zagoria writes. The 6-foot-9, 260-pound center has already worked out for the Celtics, Timberwolves, and Trail Blazers. At this time, Echenique figures to be a second round pick at best.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Kings Could Make Run At Larry Bird
While Chris Wallace is viewed as the frontrunner for the Kings GM job, owner Vivek Ranadive still has his eye on other potential candidates including Larry Bird, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Ranadive would like to make a splash and has already felt out the former Pacers executive about his willingness to return to front-office work in Sacramento.
However, the assumption in league circles is that Bird would return to the Pacers if he were to get back into a full-time position in the NBA. After all, he had a great deal to do with the roster that is still alive in the Eastern Conference finals against the Heat. But sources say the Kings owner has let it be known that he isn't afraid to spend major coin on a GM.
Sacramento's ability to lure someone like Bird could be a longshot after they already installed a coach rather than letting the incoming GM handle the process. Ranadive has already been shot down once after Spurs GM R.C. Buford publicly said that he isn't interested in the Kings job.
Masai Ujiri Accepts Raptors GM Job
7:27pm: The Raptors officially announced Ujiri as their new GM. The team sent out a press release including comment from Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the parent company of the Raptors.
"We feel very lucky to have Masai in our organization. He is a proven judge of talent and we look for him to be a big part of creating a winning atmosphere, leading us to the playoffs and, ultimately, delivering NBA championships for Toronto," Leiweke said. "I would also like to publicly thank the Kroenkes in Denver for being such a class organization that they would allow Masai to pursue his dream. They put him first in all of our discussions."
The Nuggets also released statements from team president Josh Kroenke as well as Ujiri.
4:27pm: Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri has decided to accept the Raptors' GM job, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The well-respected exec received a five-year offer from Toronto earlier this week.
It's believed that Ujiri will earn $15MM over the course of the deal, good for a $3MM average annual value. Ujiri gave the Nuggets an opportunity to match the deal, but that apparently wasn't in the cards. His deal was set to expire at the end of June.
Ujiri is coming off a tremendous season in Denver as the Nuggets finished with their best regular season record in franchise history, excluding their ABA days. The GM was given the league's 2013 Executive of the Year award for his work.
The spot became open in Toronto earlier this month when the club decided to transition former GM Bryan Colangelo over to a business role. While there were bright spots for the club during Colagelo's tenure at the helm, they never quite met expectations during his seven year tenure at the helm.
Colangelo told Hoops Rumors in a conference call that he was willing to offer his advice in the club's search for his successor, but it's not clear if he was ever asked. The Raptors were linked to Kevin Pritchard and Troy Weaver as well, but reportedly had a strong preference for Ujiri.
Bucks Hire Larry Drew
5:55pm: Drew's deal will cover four years and is worth $10MM, sources tell ESPN's Chris Broussard.
4:29pm: The Bucks have hired Larry Drew to be their next coach, GM John Hammond tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Drew was one of three finalists for the gig but the Bobcats' hiring of Steve Clifford left it as a two-horse race between Drew and Kelvin Sampson.
In three seasons as the Hawks' head coach, Drew compiled a 128-102 record and took the club to the playoffs all three years, including the conference semifinals in 2010-11. Drew's contract was set to expire on June 30th, but he has long been expected to be replaced as coach. Atlanta recently found their new man in Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer.
"After a thorough search and interview process, it was clear to us that Larry's track record in Atlanta, along with his experience as an assistant coach and player, make him the right choice to lead our club," Hammond said in a statement. "We look forward to what he will bring this franchise and we welcome him and his family to Milwaukee."
Drew's deal will give him a guaranteed three years with a team option for year four, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), as well as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Before he wound up with the Bucks, there appeared to have been mutual interest between Drew and the Pistons, who are still searching for their next head coach.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.