Hoops Rumors Originals: : 4/29/13 – 5/5/13
Here's a look back at the original analysis from the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Chuck Myron explained the Gilbert Arenas provision.
- Luke Adams broke down the qualifying offer.
- This year's free agent crop of small forwards is far from star-studded.
- The market for shooting guards, however, is deeper.
- Matt Barnes might have to pack his bags once more this summer, Chuck writes.
- It's not a great market for first round busts, according to Chuck.
- A number of teams could be searching for a point guard this summer.
- Roughly 44% of you said that neither the C's or Rockets would come back from 0-3 in their respective series, and you were right.
- Here's a refresher on the bi-annual exception.
- Luke gave us a refresher on Bird Rights.
- Most of you think Brian Shaw is the man for the 76ers.
- Chuck writes that Earl Clark seems like a good candidate for the bi-annual exception.
- Here's how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
Week In Review: 4/29/13 – 5/5/13
Boy, that was fast. Hours after being eliminated in Game 7 by the Bulls, the Nets decided to remove P.J. Carlesimo as coach. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Brooklyn as they figure to start weeding through candidates immediately. Here’s more from the week that was..
- The Timberwolves made it official and brought former coach Flip Saunders aboard to run the show. Saunders takes over for the much maligned David Kahn and hopes to find more success than his predecessor.
- The Bucks got rid of coach Jim Boylan after Milwaukee was bounced in the first round by the Heat.
- Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett said they weren’t thinking retirement last week, but there’s still speculation that they both won’t be back next season.
- The Pistons hired Phil Jackson to consult in their coaching search. Meanwhile, the Zen Master says he’s still open to other NBA opportunities. The Raptors are ramping things up.
- Jarrett Jack said no to in-season extension talks.
- The Pistons will talk with Nate McMillan.
- Despite all the talk to the contrary, the Lakers might be keen on keeping Pau Gasol.
- The Clippers will decide on Vinny Del Negro soon. But don’t expect Jackson to be in the mix.
- Here’s the official early entrant list for the 2013 draft.
- The Pistons like Kelvin Sampson but they’ve got a new candidate in the frey as well.
- Rockets GM Daryl Morey officially inked his four-year extension.
- No surprise here, Damian Lillard is the Rookie of the Year.
- The Cavs like Tony Allen.
- Danny Ferry is mulling his options when it comes to Larry Drew.
LeBron James Wins MVP Award
No surprise here, LeBron James has officially been named the NBA’s 2012/13 Most Valuable Player. This marks James’ fourth MVP award and he now becomes just the second player in NBA history to earn at least four NBA MVP awards before the age of 29, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
James earned the honor for the second consecutive year and the fourth time in five seasons, becoming just the second player, joining Bill Russell, to win the award in four of five seasons. Additionally, he becomes just the fifth player to capture four MVP’s and the first since Michael Jordan to accomplish the feat.
James totaled 1,207 points, including 120 first-place votes, just one first-place vote shy from becoming the NBA’s first unanimous MVP winner. The one vote that didn’t go to James went to Carmelo Anthony, though there’s no word on who the intrepid voter was. The panel consisted of 121 voters of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada as well as an NBA.com MVP fan vote.
Odds & Ends: Harden, Rockets, Howard, Millsap
Here's today's look around the Association..
- When asked if he'll be an active part of the Rockets' efforts to recruit free agents, James Harden answered in the affirmative, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. When asked specifically about joining the Rockets' plans to chase Dwight Howard, Harden cracked a smile and said: "Maybe. Possibly," Stein tweets.
- David Locke of 1280 The Zone (via Sulia) spoke to someone in the league who said a return to the Jazz for Paul Millsap might be tough. The market for the forward should be around $21MM for three years, which is less than the $24MM over three that Utah offered him last summer. The person reasoned that Millsap would take less than the $24MM offer from another club, but might not do that with Utah.
- Detroit native Steve Smith is scratching his head at the idea of Phil Jackson consulting with the Pistons in their coaching search, writes Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News.
Clippers Notes: Billups, Paul, Howard, Griffin
The Clippers are going to wait a little while before deciding what to do with coach Vinny Del Negro but its not too early for some to start speculating on possible replacements. Phil Jackson is unlikely for a number of reasons, but Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (on Sulia) has an equally eyebrow-raising idea for L.A.'s other team: Chauncey Billups. One NBA exec suggested that hiring the veteran guard to man the sideline would maximize the club's chances of re-signing star Chris Paul. Bucher doesn't know if Billups is going to retire or is even interested in becoming a coach, but he notes that the consensus around the NBA is that the Clips' early exit is almost certain to cost Del Negro his job. Here's more on the Clippers..
- With about $45MM on the books next year, the Clippers would have to move someone to re-sign Paul and make a run at Dwight Howard, but there's always a way, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Clippers, like everyone else, doubt that Howard would leave money on the table to leave the Lakers, but they can make a nice pitch if he's willing to talk. One way to free up space could be by moving DeAndre Jordan, who has lots of fans in front offices around the league (Twitter links).
- Blake Griffin sounded confident that Paul will re-sign with the club in his post-game comments after last night's loss. "He knows how we've done things, especially the last two years. I think he knows it's a great place to play," said the forward, according to Shelburne (on Twitter).
- While the free agent focus will be on Chris Paul, Matt Barnes is going to get paid this summer as well, notes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). The veteran capped off his season with a 30 point and 10 rebound performance last night.
Celtics Notes: Garnett, Pierce, Rondo
Could the early conclusion to the Celtics' 2012/13 season spell the end of the Big Three era? Here's the latest out of Boston..
- Boston needs to retool again, and Kevin Garnett could make it easy for them with retirement, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The big man has two years and $23.5MM left on a deal that includes a no-trade clause. Meanwhile, around the NBA, there's belief that the hire of Flip Saunders as GM of the Timberwolves will open the door for the club eventually offering KG the opportunity to invest in the franchise.
- If the C's don't believe that they can win with their existing core, they'll have to consider trading Rajon Rondo as he is their best asset, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
- Even if Garnett retires, the Celtics really aren’t left with a lot of options, writes Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld. Even if KG walks away and they amnesty Pierce, Boston still wouldn’t really have enough cap space to add a marquee free agent. With no other moves, the Celtics would basically be bringing back the same club sans Pierce and Garnett plus a player towards the bottom of free agency’s top tier.
- People close to Pierce are certain that he has played his final game as a Celtic, according to Greg Dickerson of CSNNE.com (on Twitter).
Clippers To Decide On Del Negro Soon
The Clippers' season ended last night with the Grizzlies' 118-105 victory and many have wondered if that would also spell the end for coach Vinny Del Negro's time in L.A. However, team sources insist that no decision has been made yet and that the club's early playoff exit won't be the only basis upon which he is judged, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
While the first-round exit is obviously disappointing, Del Negro steered the team to a franchise-record 56 wins this season and has always had a good relationship with the team's ownership. The team is expected to take "about a week" to evaluate things before making a decision on Del Negro, according to one source.
The coach might not be in limbo right now had things gone differently last summer. According to a source, the Clippers had preliminary discussions with Del Negro about a contract extension, but tabled them indefinitely, putting him in a make-good situation.
Some have speculated that Phil Jackson could be a fit for the Clippers if they wind up searching for a new coach, but that's unlikely, according to one source with knowledge of the team's thinking. Because of the Zen Master's relationship with Lakers executive Jeanie Buss, "it would just be too creepy," says one source.
Of course, much of what happens with the Clippers this offseason hinges on whether Chris Paul stays or goes. While one source said the franchise is "as confident as we can be under the circumstances," it's still going to be a nailbiter for the club.
Odds & Ends: Curry, Wolves, Ayon, Nash, Raptors
After Stephen Curry delivered the most electrifying one man performance of the 2013 playoffs, Timberwolves fans have been reminded of David Kahn's decision in the 2009 draft to take Jonny Flynn with the sixth overall pick instead of Curry. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) was reminded today of Kahn's reasoning: the GM was in his first year and got scared by Curry cancelling his workout in Minnesota. At the same time, he fell in love with the Syracuse standout. Here's more from around the Association..
- Bucks forward Gustavo Ayon expects his team option to be exercised and is looking forward to returning, despite speculation surrounding his future in the NBA, agent Emilio Duran told RealGM's Shams Charania. Ayon saw limited playing time in Milwaukee and the club holds a $1.5MM option on him for next year.
- With Lakers guard Steve Nash is on the books for 2014, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles (on Twitter) suggests that GM Mitch Kupchak should call the Raptors and gauge their interest in the Canadian. Nash is owed $9.3MM next season and $9.7MM in 2014/15.
- Former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy opined that the Hawks were unwise to let coach Mike Woodson go in 2010, writes Neil Best of Newsday.
Pistons To Meet With Nate McMillan
The Pistons have opened the interview process in their search for a new coach and are slated to meet with Nate McMillan, NBA coaching sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. McMillan would appear to be an early favorite for the job alongside Suns interim coach Lindsey Hunter this week.
McMillan was recently said to be the frontrunner for the job, however the former Sonics coach later said that he had yet to talk to Joe Dumars & Co. Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson is also projected to be in the mix when Houston's playoff run is over.
McMillan also openly campaigned to hook on with the Kings if they moved to Seattle. However, the vote earlier today from the league's relocation committee likely means that the team will be staying put in Sacramento.
Central Notes: Bucks, Jennings, Pistons, Bulls
After getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Heat, the Bucks gave their exit interviews with reporters. Milwaukee could look extremely different next season with several impact players bound for the open market and coach Jim Boylan reportedly on the hot seat. Here's more on the Bucks and other news out of the Central Division..
- As Brandon Jennings gets ready to start fielding offer sheets from clubs this summer, he says that he'll leave the process up to agent Jeff Schwartz, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. Jennings has been unsatisfied with the Bucks in the past but he recently expressed some fondness for the club in an interview with ESPN's Scoop Jackson.
- In today's column, David Aldridge of NBA.com suggested that Knicks assistant Darrell Walker would be a good fit for the vacant Pistons job. Aldridge writes that the 52-year-old is a no-nonsense coach who's not afraid to challenge players when they give less than their best. Detroit is looking for a new head coach after letting Lawrence Frank go earlier this month.
- The Milwaukee Association of Commerce recently met to discuss the idea of building a new arena for the Bucks and the ramifications of possibly losing their NBA franchise down the line, writes Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel. The city may also renovate the BMO Harris Bradley Center which was opened in 1988.
- While speaking about Jason Collins' decision to come out of the closet, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau revealed that the club met with him while he was a free agent last summer, tweets K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The spot that would have gone to Collins eventually went to Nazr Mohammed.