Northwest Notes: T’Wolves, Oladipo, Pelicans
The latest out of the Northwest Division..
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN hears that a couple NBA people are wondering why Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman has not yet publicly declared his intention to return for a third season. There also hasn't been any contact yet between Adelman and his long-time confidant, Elston Turner, about a spot on the staff with the Wolves.
- More from Wolfson, who writes that multiple sources say that Wizards VP Milt Newton is a good bet to be the Wolves' new GM. That wouldn't happen until after the draft, however. Newton was in town earlier this week for the draft workouts.
- Victor Oladipo's mentor told Wolfson (via Twitter) that the high flyer has only worked out so far for the Magic. The rest of his schedule for this weekend is TBD, but the Timberwolves hope to bring him in.
- If the Pelicans draft Trey Burke with the No. 6 pick, they should shift Greivis Vasquez over to shooting guard, opines John Reid of The Times Picayune. Many mock drafts have New Orleans grabbing the Michigan product, but he could very well be off the board before it's their turn.
Los Angeles Notes: Howard, Paul, Lakers
According to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, Chris Paul is upset that he’s being blamed for the firing of Vinny Del Negro. If he leaves, however, Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM says that it won't be because owner Donald Sterling has kept mum on the situation, it'll be because he found a better situation for himself. Ultimately, if CP3 thinks Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are a championship-caliber frontline, he’ll get over the talk about him being behind Del Negro getting axed, Tjarks reasons. Here's the latest out of the Staples Center..
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports (via Twitter) has a hard time dismissing the possibility that Paul and Dwight Howard could go to the Hawks. NBA players are fond of Atlanta and Amico notes (link) that a lack of fan enthusiasm didn't stop LeBron James and Chris Bosh from heading to Miami.
- Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link) believes that Howard would be the first All-Star player to ever take a pay cut to leave the Lakers. There's no telling how things could work out with DH, but the Rockets are increasingly hopeful that they can ink the big man.
- Del Negro isn't out of L.A. because of Paul, he's gone because he's not a great coach, and the Clippers need a great coach to win a championship, opines Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).
Nets Reach Out To Jeff Van Gundy
The Nets have reached out to Jeff Van Gundy about their coaching vacancy, a source tells Mark Heisler (via Twitter). For his part, Van Gundy told Josh Newman of SNY (Twitter link) via text that he isn't willing to discuss potential opportunities at this time.
"I don't just talk about jobs. If [Nets GM Billy King] wants to talk about who he has talked to, then that's up to him," said the coach.
We learned this week that JVG is atop the Clippers' wish list, along with Brian Shaw. Van Gundy, who has said in the past that he is content with his current position as an analyst and color commentator for ABC, is believed to have interest in the job. His level of interest in the Nets job – which Heisler says is only in an "introductory" phase at this time – is unknown, but he didn't say no to the Nets either.
Back in January, Sam Amick of USA Today reported that Van Gundy missed coaching and was expected to explore potential opportunities beginning this summer. His brother, Stan Van Gundy, says that he's not looking to coach in 2013/14, however.
Draft Notes: Zeller, Larkin, Bucks, Celtics
Here's a look at today's draft news as we close in on June 27th..
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) runs down some of the best big men in the 2013 draft. The list starts with Indiana's Cody Zeller who has honed his jump shot and ballhandling skills to make the leap from center to forward. Scouts have been impressed with his ability to round out his offensive skillset, but Zeller says that it has always been a part of his game.
- Miami's Shane Larkin is talking up what he could do for the Bucks, telling reporters (including Charles Gardner of the Journal Sentinel, via Twitter) that he could see himself as a fit. Milwaukee, of course, has an unsettled backcourt situation with the uncertain return of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings.
- Larkin worked out for the Celtics prior to auditioning for the Bucks, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY (on Twitter). Boston has the No. 16 pick while Milwaukee holds the No. 15 selection.
Bobcats Hire Steve Clifford
WEDNESDAY, 1:33pm: The Bobcats have made the hiring of Clifford official, announcing the move in a press release.
"We are excited to have Steve Clifford as our new head coach," said president Rod Higgins in a statement. "He brings a strong pedigree and a track record of success to our franchise. He has built a reputation as an innovator, especially defensively, and has experience in multiple systems. We look forward to utilizing his knowledge as we continue to build this team."
MONDAY, 5:13pm: The Bobcats are set to hire Steve Clifford as their next head coach, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Lakers assistant will receive a three-year, $6MM deal with a team option on the third year, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
The longtime assistant came to L.A. under head coach Mike Brown. Clifford spent most of the last decade working for Jeff and Stan Van Gundy as a defensive specialist before joining up with Brown and the Lakers. He'll now be charged with turning around a woeful Bobcats franchise that is coming off of a 21-61 campaign.
Clifford was also in the mix for the vacant Bucks job. With Clifford out of the running in Milwaukee, the Bucks search will now focus on Larry Drew and Kelvin Sampson, tweets Wojnarowski. Each candidate has second interviews coming up this week.
The Bobcats fired Mike Dunlap last month following just one year at the helm in Charlotte. The former St. John's assistant coach managed to improve upon the club's dreadful .106 winning percentage but rubbed people in the front office the wrong way and found himself at odds with veteran guard Ben Gordon.
Odds & Ends: Aldridge, Howard, Mavs, Hollins
Blazers big man LaMarcus Aldridge sat down with Leo Sepkowitz of Slam Online for a wide-ranging Q&A session earlier this week. Seven years after the 2006 draft, Aldridge has proven to be the only player taken in the top five that didn't fall short of expectations. Does the 27-year-old hold a grudge against the Bulls for passing him up? "I used to, but I don’t think I do anymore. I think someone named a stat that I average more points and rebounds against them and Dallas than anyone else. So people say that whenever I play them I have something to prove, but I don’t think I do anymore. But if the stats say I do, then I guess I do." Here's more from around the Association..
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com is stacking up the Mavericks, Lakers, and Rockets in different facets as they pursue Dwight Howard. Today, MacMahon weighs the allure of playing alongside Kobe Bryant vs. Dirk Nowitzki vs. James Harden. With age being a key factor, MacMahon gives the edge to Houston and Harden.
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News (on Twitter) believes the process is too far down the line for the Pistons to bring Lionel Hollins in for an interview. Hollins hopes to remain with the Grizzlies but a number of other teams are said to be interested in him.
- Kansas center Jeff Withey is set to workout for the T'Wolves on June 13th, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). Our own Chuck Myron profiled Withey who recently worked out for the Celtics. Minnesota's only pick in the draft is at No. 9, which means that they'll have to find their way into the mid-to-late portion of the first round to make the KU product a possibility.
- Scouts representing the Celtics, Mavs, Thunder, and Grizzlies were in Varese, Italy to watch the game between Cimberio and Montepaschi, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter).
Pacific Notes: Kings, Mullin, Hornacek, Jackson
Here's the latest out of the Pacific Division..
- Chris Mullin is in the mix to become the next General Manager of the Kings, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). If he pursues the job, Mullin will vie with Spurs President R.C. Buford, Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk, and Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace, who are said to be on Vivek Ranadive's wish list for the vacant position.
- Jeff Hornacek's experience in working with young players should put him in a good position to succeed with the Suns, writes Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune. The former NBA guard has been considered in the last year by the Magic, 76ers, and Bobcats but finally found the right fit with Phoenix this week.
- Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter) hears the Warriors have not begun talks with coach Mark Jackson, though something is expected to get done to avoid lame duck status next year. In Thompson's opinion (link), the Warriors can't do any better than Jackson and the coach's agent should angle for a multi-year extension. After Mike D'Antoni got a three-year, $12MM deal from the Lakers, Thompson (link) believes that Jackson is worth at least that much.
Draft Notes: Oladipo, Ledo, Johnson
Earlier today, Chad Ford of ESPN.com released his latest mock draft and he somewhat surprisingly had Indiana's Victor Oladipo going No. 2 to the Magic. The forward has long been thought to be a top ten talent, but this is the highest that we've seen him projected on any of the major mock drafts. The reason? Oladipo is said to be wowing NBA execs in interviews and his maturity and attitude could be enough to vault him past the likes of Trey Burke, Ben McLemore, and Otto Porter. Here's the latest draft news..
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld profiles the draft's mystery man, Ricky Ledo. The Providence product's draft stock has been on the rise recently, and he’s one of the most intriguing, and mysterious, players in this year's class. What makes his story so unusual is that Ledo has never played a second of college basketball after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA. However, the freshman stayed sharp by practicing with Providence last year. Ledo feels that he would have been a top pick this year if he had the opportunity to showcase himself, but even without having played competitively last year, he could still go in the first round.
- Meanwhile, Karron Johnson out of Division II Shaw University is another player that teams may be willing to take a gamble on, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. The 6-foot-8 forward, who was originally slated to attend Oklahoma, has scheduled workouts with seven teams that have let him know they will consider him as a potential second round pick.
Chris Hansen On Kings, Seattle, Next Step
Chris Hansen may not have been the big money behind the bid purchase the Kings and move them to Seattle, but he was unquestionably the face of the movement. Hansen has been largely silent since his group was shot down by the NBA Board of Governors but earlier today he gave a lengthy interview to Dave Mahler of KJR Radio. We've got all the highlights courtesy of NBCSports.com's Aaron Bruski with all links going to Twitter..
- While there has been speculation about other clubs that Hansen's group could zero in on, he says that they won't be going after another city's team as a "predator" again. "If we'd known that there would have been such strong support to keep the team in SAC, we'd have approached it differently," said Hansen (link). That would seem to imply that the Sonics will wait for an expansion opportunity to come their way, but that may not be anytime soon. Seattle could also wait for a club to already get the OK to move before pursuing them.
- Hansen didn't expect this level of backlash when it came to the Kings, saying that there was a belief inside and outside of the NBA that they were going to move (link). Before agreeing to purchase a team next time around, Hansen's group will make sure that they have gained pre-approval to move (link).
- David Stern isn't the most popular guy in the Seattle area, but Hansen doesn't believe that the commissioner has anything against the city (link).
- The investor says that he has never sued anybody and doesn't plan to start with the NBA.
- However, the group would like to recoup the non-refundable $30MM deposit that they gave to the Maloofs. But, again, they won't be suing. (Twitter links).
- When the NBA negotiates its next TV contract, Hansen believes that the league will be reminded of how valuable Seattle really is.
Clippers Eyeing Big Name Candidates
The Clippers have taken an ambitious approach in the early stages of their coaching search and they're eyeing names previously thought to be outside their price range such as Jeff Van Gundy, Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, and Pacers associate head coach Brian Shaw, multiple sources with knowledge of the team's thinking tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
The Clippers also are thinking about requesting permission to speak with at least one other current NBA head coach, one source said. Former Suns coach Alvin Gentry, former Cavs coach Byron Scott, and former Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan are also on the team's radar, sources said.
There's considerable skepticism around the league that Clippers owner Donald Sterling would be willing to fork over the kind of money it would take to land Van Gundy, Hollins, or Shaw. However, Los Angeles' front office has so far been acting as though money won't be a major issue, sources said. Sterling, who still hasn't entirely shaken his reputation for being cheap, has been reluctant to sign coaches or front office staff to contracts longer than one year after he was stuck with a $13.5MM payout to former coach and GM Mike Dunleavy.
The Clippers have yet to formally request permission from the Grizzlies to speak to Hollins, but intend to soon, sources said. The Clippers will also have to wait to speak to Shaw as the Pacers won't let him talk to clubs until the club's season is over. The Clippers would prefer a coach with NBA experience, sources said, but would make an exception for Shaw. Clippers players have given strong endorsements for Shaw, including Lamar Odom.