Hoops Links: Terry, Sonics, Rivers, Lin
On this date in 1966, Red Auerbach retired as Boston’s coach after guiding the Celtics to a 95-93 triumph over the Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Auerbach coached Boston to nine NBA Championships–including eight straight titles from 1959-66–more than any other coach.
Got a fantastic basketball blog piece that you want featured on Hoops Rumors? Send your submissions to HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the web..
- Dime Magazine gives the most disappointing players out of the East in 2012/13.
- Kingdome Of Seattle Sports looked at potential Sonics coaches.
- Singh Sports News was less-than-thrilled with Austin Rivers and other rookies this year.
- Hardwood Paroxysm hosted the first annual Fringe awards.
- Red94 implores you not to give up on Jeremy Lin.
- Forum Blue & Gold hopes that the Lakers go out on their shield.
- The Brooklyn Game looked back at the Nets' playoff overtime history.
- Blog A Bull reflected on the Bulls' amazing Game 3 win and how they got it done.
- The Basketball Post examined a Euroleague clash.
- Pounding The Rock knows the importance of ownership.
- Bright Side Of The Sun looks at Phoenix's GM search.
- Hoops Addict turns in their 2013 mock draft.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Week In Review: 4/22/13 – 4/28/13
Will one of the greatest coaches of all-time return to the NBA in a front office capacity? We'll look at that and more in our weekly recap..
- Coach Phil Jackson said that he has spoken to three or four teams about a potential front office position. Later in the week, we learned that the Raptors are among the clubs that are making a run at the legendary coach. Meanwhile, a return to the Lakers still looks highly unlikely for the Zen Master.
- The Cavs were said to be interested in Jackson but wound up bringing Mike Brown back. The coach will get $20-25MM over five years from Cleveland. Brown was said to turn down the Suns not once, but twice.
- The Wolves are expected to replace David Kahn with Flip Saunders. The move comes as something of a surprise as it was recently reported that Kahn would return.
- The Bobcats ousted Mike Dunlap.
- The Nets signed GM Billy King to a multi-year extension.
- There are a number of candidates for the Suns' GM opening after Lance Blanks was let go.
- Alvin Gentry is interested in the Bobcats job.
- Lindsey Hunter will interview with the Pistons but could still return to the Suns. Yes, you read that right.
- Brandon Jennings has softened his stance.
- Gregg Popovich may walk away from the Spurs when Tim Duncan does.
- The Raptors will keep Bryan Colangelo and Dwane Casey.
- The Pelicans won't rule out an Eric Gordon trade.
- Tony DiLeo's status in Philly is up in the air. Meanwhile, the 76ers have a pair of experienced coaches at the top of their wish list.
- Nate McMillan might be the frontrunner in Detroit.
- LeBron James is unlikely to sign with Jay-Z.
- The Bulls want Nazr Mohammed back.
- Miami's Shane Larkin is going pro.
- Marcus Smart will return to Oklahoma State.
- The Birdman hopes to touch down in Miami again next year.
- A recommendation on the Kings will come tomorrow.
- David Stern wants to see the Zen Master back in the NBA.
- Marc Gasol is the DPOY.
- Paul George was named the Most Improved Player of the year.
- Samuel Dalembert likes the Heat.
- J.R. Smith is the sixth man of the year.
- Andres Nocioni reportedly turned down an NBA offer.
- The Sixers will announce a new D-League affiliate.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 4/22/13 – 4/28/13
Here's a look back at the original analysis provided by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Luke Adams explained the non-bird rights exception.
- I looked at N.C. State's C.J. Leslie, who is coming out at a time when his stock is at its lowest in three years.
- Ryan Raroque checked in on J.R. Smith's free agent stock.
- Chuck Myron evaluated Mike Dunleavy as he looks ahead to the open market.
- Chuck and Luke broke down the minimum salary exception.
- Mo Williams is likely to end up with the full mid-level this summer, Chuck Myron writes.
- I profiled Michigan's Trey Burke.
- Louis Williams was among the best mid-level signings, according to Chuck.
- Chuck looked at midseason signees on playoff rosters, including Kenyon Martin of the Knicks.
- Most of you said that the Grizzlies are the 0-2 team with the best chance of coming back to win.
- We've updated the 2013/14 free agent list.
- Here are the protected picks transferring over to 2014.
- Here's a reminder of all the great features you'll find on Hoops Rumors.
- If you missed out on Luke's weekly chat, you can check out the transcript here.
Odds & Ends: Brown, Turkoglu, Celtics, Cavs
The Cavaliers bringing Mike Brown back as coach in an effort to woo LeBron James in the summer of 2014 is just the latest example of the NBA being a player's league, writes Jan Hubbard of Sheridan Hoops. Of course, Brown was fired three years ago in an effort to appease James, but since the star appears to be fond of him once again, Cleveland hopes that the hire will be enough to move the needle in their direction. Here's more from around the league..
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel outlined the issues facing the Magic this offseason. One of Orlando's toughest tasks will be finding a taker for Hedo Turkoglu and his $12MM salary for next season. Only half of the veteran's salary is guaranteed, however, and the club is expected to waive him if they cannot work out a trade.
- In time, aging Celtics veterans Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry will have to evaluate their futures in the league, writes Tom Layman of the Boston Herald. If the C's wind up getting eliminated in the first round by the Knicks, they may be forced to make significant changes this offseason.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer looked at the journey that Brown took from being the head coach of the Lakers to rehired by the Cavs.
Draft Notes: Porter, Smart, Stokes
Sixteen teams are fighting for their chance to come away with the 2013 Larry O'Brien trophy, but the rest of the NBA is looking ahead to the draft in June. Here's the latest draft news..
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld updates his mock draft, and has Georgetown small forward Otto Porter in the top three in place of Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart. That might change if Smart goes back on his decision to return to school, which he has until Sunday night to do.
- Tennessee junior power forward Jarnell Stokes is returning to school, notes Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com. Stokes checks in at No. 68 on Jonathan Givony's DraftExpress list of the top 100 prospects.
- Earlier tonight, I profiled Michigan standout Trey Burke in the latest installment of Hoops Rumors' Prospect Profile series.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Martin, Knicks, Celtics, Sixers
The Nets-Bulls series was panned as one of the less exciting first round matchups this year through the first three games, but that all changed with a triple overtime thriller in game four. After a grueling back-and-forth that saw Nate Robinson and Joe Johnson come up in the clutch for their teams, the Bulls ultimately wound up on top with a 142-134 victory. Here's a look at the latest out of the Atlantic as the Nets are now charged with winning three straight to extend their season..
- Knicks forward Kenyon Martin told Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com last month that he was "real close" to signing with the Celtics earlier this season. He characterized the negotiations differently this week when he spoke to reporters, including Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. "I didn't come close at all," he said. "They didn't offer me anything, so it wasn't close. I didn't talk to them per se; my agent did. It didn't happen, so it doesn't matter at this point."
- As they appear to be on the verge of getting swept by the Knicks, this is likely the end of the Celtics as we know them, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Deveney also suggests that Danny Ainge should have been more open to welcoming either Chris Andersen or Kenyon Martin to the Celtics’ fold when both were free agents to enhance their frontcourt depth.
- Tom Moore of Calkins Media could see the Sixers' coaching search coming down to Mike Malone and Sixers associate head coach Michael Curry. Philly hopes to land a solid prospect with their No. 11 pick as well and Moore believes that Victor Oladipo would be a strong choice if he falls that far.
Prospect Profile: Trey Burke
They say it's great to leave on a high note and no one understands that better than Michigan's Trey Burke. After guiding the Wolverines to a National Championship and picking up every national player of the year award along the way, the sophomore announced that he would enter the 2013 draft. In the last couple of months, Burke has vaulted up mock drafts all across the web and appears to be a mortal lock for the top ten.
There's no debate about it, Burke is universally regarded as the top point guard in this year's class. The 20-year-old has tremendous passing ability and has a knack for finding the open man in traffic. He also knows how to keep command of the basketball with his high-level ball handling and he has cut down on turnovers from his freshman to sophomore year. Burke completes the triple threat profile with his shooting ability and has tremendous range from outside. Offensively, his skill set projects extremely well to the next level.
The Michigan star isn't quite as promising on the other side of the floor and bigger opponents have given him trouble at various points this season. That's obviously going to come up even more often for the 6'0" guard in the NBA and he'll have to toughen up in order to keep his assignment in check. It's worth noting that while Burke is undersized, he does boast an impressive 6'5" wingspan which will be a major asset as he looks to improve his defense.
Despite his height disadvantage, Burke still holds more promise than the other true point guards in this class such as Syracuse standout Michael Carter-Williams and Miami's Shane Larkin. Burke is extremely well-rounded on offense and when we look back on this year's draft, Burke may stand out as one of a few memorable talents from a thin class. How high will he go? DraftExpress currently has him pegged at No. 5 while the latest mock draft from ESPN's Chad Ford puts Burke at No. 6. It's hard to imagine Burke surging ahead of Ben McLemore or projected No. 1 pick Nerlens Noel, but strong showings in workouts coupled with a favorable lottery draw could vault him as high as No. 3.
Odds & Ends: Pistons, Carlesimo, Lakers
We've got four great playoff games on the docket today, starting with the Nets and Bulls at 1pm Central. After that, it's Clippers-Grizzlies at 3:30, Pacers–Hawks at 6:00, and Thunder–Rockets at 8:30. Here's today's look around the Association..
- David Mayo of MLive.com doesn't necessarily expect the Pistons to rush when it comes to finding a new head coach. At this point it has become clear that there may be a wish list, but there is no clear front-runner for the gig.
- Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo finds himself in a must-win situation to keep his job, writes George Willis of the New York Post. General Manager Billy King recently got a contract extension but its believed that Carlesimo has to take Brooklyn deep into the playoffs in order to get a contract for next season and beyond.
- There will be plenty of finger pointing going on when it comes to the Lakers this summer, writes Brian Kamenetzky of SheridanHoops.com. Some will blame coach Mike D'Antoni for the teams woes while others will put the onus on the front office. No matter how things shake out, it figures to be an interesting offseason in L.A.
- This was a season that was never meant to be for the Lakers, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Spurs cruised to a 120-89 victory on Friday night to take a 3-0 lead in their first round series.
LeBron Unlikely To Sign With Jay-Z
Ever since rapper Jay-Z announced that he would be making a foray into sports representation with his Roc Nation company, there has been speculation that he could sign longtime friend LeBron James. However, there is no reason to believe that James will abandon Klutch Sports to sign on with Jay-Z, a source tells Sam Amick of USA Today.
The theory that James would hook on with Jay-Z's company centers around the star's relationship with William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley. Wesley is a part of CAA Sports, the company that has partnered with Jay-Z but also lost James as a client in September when he left for the newly formed Klutch Sports, captained by former CAA agent Rich Paul.
However, James has long since moved on from the "Worldwide Wes" chapter of his life and according to one source, the two hardly, if ever, speak these days. Without that bridge, there's little reason to believe that James would consider a reunion with CAA. Even if that connection was still in place, it would still be a stretch for him to come back to his old agency less than a year after parting ways.
You can keep up with the latest in NBA player representation with Hoops Rumors' brand new Agency Database.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Jackson, Nets, Wallace
Here’s a look at the latest out of the Atlantic as the Nets look to even up their series with the Bulls tonight in Chicago..
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star hears from a lot of people that Phil Jackson to the Raptors isn’t far-fetched at all. However, he also spoke to someone who suggested that Jackson wouldn’t leave his kids, grandkids, and fiancé on the West Coast. Because of that, the source suggested that Seattle – if the Kings wind up there– might be a more logical landing place for him.
- As the Nets find themselves down 2-1 to the Bulls, forward Gerald Wallace says that he doesn’t “have a clue” as to what his role is supposed to be, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Wallace signed a new four-year, $40MM deal with Brooklyn over the summer.
- Jackson looks primed for a return to the NBA, opines Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld. If anyone could make that return happen north of the border, Brigham writes, it’s new Raptors hire Tim Leiweke.