Texas Notes: Spurs, Mavs, Collison, Bertans
Here's a look at the latest out of the Lone Star State..
- Darren Collison was once believed to be the point guard of the future for the Mavericks, but he experienced an up-and-down season and he may have played his last game for Dallas, writes Earl K. Sneed of NBA.com. The guard was acquired from Indiana last offseason in a sign-and-trade deal for big man Ian Mahinmi.
- Latvian prospect Davis Bertans will fly to San Antonio when the season ends to work out with the Spurs, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 6'10" big man was drafted in the second round of the 2011 draft by the Pacers and was immediately dealt to the Spurs. Bertans currently plays for Serbia's KK Partizan.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com checked in on O.J. Mayo's stock as he heads towards the open market this summer. For his part, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle hopes to have the shooting guard back next season.
Lakers Notes: Howard, Nash, Peace, Clark
The Lakers' season ended in unspectacular fashion last night as the Spurs completed their first round sweep with a 103-82 victory in game four. Dwight Howard was ejected along the way and headed back to the Staples Center home locker room, possibly for the last time. Here's the latest out of L.A as we look ahead to what should be a
- No one knows if Howard will be back with the Lakers next season, but Steve Nash sounds optimistic about it, writes Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld. “I’m very hopeful that Dwight will be back,” Nash said at his season-ending press conference. “I think this is the place for him. He’s in the prime of his career, with his best years ahead of him. Playing for one of the greatest franchises in sports and an amazing city. I hope he sees it that way and hopefully as teammates we can be there to support him and find [him] back with us July 1."
- In his season-ending interview with reporters, Metta World Peace said that he'd like to be back with the Lakers next season, but declined to talk specifics about his player option and contract, tweets Mike Trudell of NBA.com. The forward holds a $7.27MM option for 2013/14 and as unpredictable as he may be, it's hard to imagine him turning it down.
- Earl Clark said that GM Mitch Kupchak told him that many teams would be interested in him this summer, Trudell tweets. For his part, Clark hopes to stay with the Lakers. The Louisville product enjoyed his best season to date in 2012/13, averaging 7.3 PPG with 5.5 RPG in 23.1 minutes per contest.
Committee Votes Down Kings Relocation To Seattle
A committee of NBA owners has voted against moving the Kings to Seattle today, according to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst (on Twitter). A full group of NBA owners have to vote on the proposed move next week, but the the NBA's Board of Governors is expected to follow the recommendation of (Twitter link).
The vote to keep the Kings in Sacramento was unanimous with all 12 owners shooting down the Seattle move, sources told Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The final vote from the league will come on May 13th, which will make the decision official.
The Maloof family reached agreement with a Seattle group led by hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft chairman Steve Ballmer that would have turned over a 65 percent controlling interest in the club. The Maloofs will not issue a statement on today's news, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
While the Seattle group has worked hard to lobby for the Kings, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson has fought hard to keep the team in his city. Johnson eventually lined up a Sacramento-based ownership group headed by businessman Vivek Ranadive and secured public financing to help build a brand new arena. Today's decision doesn't directly mean that Ranadive's group will come away with the club, but it certainly bodes well for them.
Hansen's Seattle group appeared to have a great deal of momentum, but in recent weeks commissioner David Stern has reportedly begun backing the Sacramento group in their efforts. Stern admitted that the Sacramento group's offer didn't match the Seattle bid, but claimed that it came close. Meanwhile, many in basketball believed that a Seattle team would mean more money being put into the league's revenue sharing system and that a new arena could be built more quickly there than in Sacramento.
A decision on the matter from the BoG was expected to come at a meeting in New York earlier this month, but it was postponed for undisclosed reasons.
Sixers Have Contacted Brian Shaw
The Sixers have contacted Pacers' associate head coach Brian Shaw about their vacant head-coaching position, a source tells Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. Because the Pacers are in the playoffs, Shaw will interview for the position when the time is appropriate, which presumably means that he won't sit down with the 76ers until the Pacers' season is over.
A source tells Lynam that although Shaw is ready to coach his own team, he is cautious and looking for the right job. While he has previously interviewed for nine head coaching positions and been passed over on most of them, that has not been the case with every opening. A year ago, Shaw was offered the Bobcats' job but for various reasons, he didn’t think it was the “right” fit. Charlotte instead wound up with Mike Dunlap, who was fired earlier this month.
Shaw is believed to be at the top of Philly's wish list along with Warriors assistant Michael Malone. They're not alone in their fondness for the Pacers assistant, however, as many people believe that he would be Phil Jackson's choice if the Zen Master winds up running an NBA club.
Draft Notes: Roberson, Saric, Gobert, Karasev
The deadline for NCAA underclassmen to declare for the NBA Draft came and a few prospects waited until the last minute to disclose their intentions. Michigan State forward Adreian Payne and Baylor center Isaiah Austin publicly announced that they would be staying in school but today we learned that another prospect quietly decided to throw his hat in the ring. Here's more on that and the rest of today's draft news..
- Colorado junior Andre Roberson has decided to forgo his final season of eligibility and make himself eligible for the draft, according to B.G. Brooks of CUBuffs.com. The 6'7" forward, who is projected to go late in the second round by DraftExpress, was just ten rebounds shy of becoming the school's all-time leading rebounder.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) looked at the top ten international players in the draft, starting with Croatia's Dario Saric. Other notable int'l prospects include French big man Rudy Gobert, Russian guard Sergey Karasev, and German guard Dennis Schroeder.
Celtics Notes: Rivers, Rondo, Collins, Wilcox
The Celtics staved off elimination last night by defeating the Knicks 97-90 in overtime, but a former C's big man is the talk of the NBA world today. Jason Collins made history with his piece in Sports Illustrated today as became the first active male athlete in a major U.S. sport to announce that he's gay. Will Collins, who is known for his tough defense, hook on somewhere for next season? Here's more on that and other news out of Boston..
- In an interview with Dennis & Callahan of WEEI, Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski weighed in on the future of the Celtics. While the Celtics have clear advantages over the Lakers thanks to coach Doc Rivers and a sharp front office, the Yahoo scribe sees L.A. getting back to prominence first because of the area's appeal. Going forward, Wojnarowski says Boston will probably center their rebuilding on guard Rajon Rondo.
- The Celtics wanted to put Chris Wilcox in their February deal with the Wizards instead of Collins, a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Unfortunately for Boston, Wilcox had a rare one-year deals that requires the player's consent to be dealt. In fact, the Celtics tried desperately to keep the 34-year-old out of the swap that brought them Jordan Crawford.
- Stein (on Twitter) anonymously surveyed six teams and only four are convinced that Collins will be in the league next season while the other six have doubts. The teams that aren't sure if the center will find a job say that it's about his age and whether he can make meaningful contributions on the court in 2013/14, not his sexuality, Stein tweets.
Odds & Ends: Sixers, Jack, Thunder, Johnson
Here's tonight's look around the Association as we marvel at Stephen Curry..
- The Sixers aren't rushing their decision on a new head coach, and John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer gives a thumbs-up to their deliberate strategy. The Sixers could have even more candidates to consider after the postseason when more than one currently employed coach could be shown the door.
- Keeping Jarrett Jack might be a problem for the Warriors, writes Marcus Thompson II of the Mercury News. The guard is playing out the final year of his contract, which pays him $5MM this season. Jack says that he would like an opportunity to start, but he also enjoys playing for Golden State.
- The Oklahoman's John Rohde examined the long-term future of the Thunder in the small market of Oklahoma City.
- In a conference call with reporters this afternoon, Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo was asked if guard Joe Johnson is worthy of the max contract he received from Atlanta in 2010. The coach, as one would expect, came to the defense of his player, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
Adreian Payne To Return To Michigan State
Michigan State forward Adreian Payne has decided to return to school for his senior season, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The 6'10" power forward would've been selected in the first round of the June draft according to Wojnarowski, though DraftExpress has him rated as a second round talent.
The forward struggled with his decision and went back and forth several times in recent weeks. Payne finally began to clue people in on his decision hours before the midnight deadline for draft entry on Sunday, according to sources. Payne averaged 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Spartans and will head back to school along with fellow talented underclassman Gary Harris.
Bucks Notes: Redick, Boylan, Ellis
Brandon Jennings predicted that the Bucks would topple the Heat in six games but things didn't go that way exactly. Miami completed their sweep of Milwaukee tonight, winning 88-77 behind a 30 point performance from LeBron James. This figures to be an interesting offseason for the Bucks, and here's the latest as they look ahead to the summer..
- Guard J.J. Redick fully intends to explore the free agent market and won't commit to staying in Milwaukee for next season, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times. It's no surprise to hear that Redick will put his toe in the water as he figures to garner serious attention on the open market this summer. Redick also didn't see the type of playing time in the playoffs that one would expect for a player of his caliber.
- More from Woelfel, who tweets that there are increasing whispers that coach Jim Boylan will be relieved of his duties in the next couple of days. Boylan likely could have shed his interim label with a competitive first round series, but that didn't happen for Milwaukee.
- Monta Ellis gave a similar non-answer to Redick when asked if he'd return for 2013/14, saying that it's a "decision he has to make," tweets Andrew Gruman of FOXSportsWisconsin.com.
Isaiah Austin To Return To Baylor
Center Isaiah Austin will return to Baylor for his sophomore year, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY (on Twitter). The freshman was projected to go No. 15 overall by DraftExpress in their latest mock draft.
Austin, a 7'1" big man, averaged 13 PPG in his frosh campaign along with 8.3 RPG and 1.7 blocks per contest. Another year (or more) in school will give Austin time to fill out his lanky frame which currently sits at just 220 pounds. The youngster holds tremendous potential and his 9'3" standing reach has NBA scouts salivating.