Odds & Ends: Lakers, Brown, Shaw
Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- The Lakers have been told they'd get "some" relief from the $6.5MM-$7MM they owe new Cavs coach Mike Brown, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Meanwhile, a league source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter) that L.A. won't know how much money they'll save until the Cleveland deal is finalized.
- To date, the Lakers maintain that Mike D'Antoni will return as coach next season, but Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times wonders if getting money back on Brown's contract could change their position. However, the actual decision may be tied to what center Dwight Howard wants to do in July and how he feels about D'Antoni.
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (on Twitter) writes that Pacers assistant Brian Shaw deserves a lot of credit for Paul George's improvement and wouldn't be surprised if he gets consideration for a head coaching job soon. Shaw was in the mix for a number of jobs last offseason and it stands to reason that he'll be considered once again this summer as there will be a number of vacancies.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Bynum, Knicks, Smith, Isiah
While the Nets, Knicks, and Celtics are busy vying for the NBA championship, the rest of the Atlantic is in offseason mode and trying to figure out what comes next. The 76ers figured they'd be in the field of 16 when the season started but Andrew Bynum's knees threw a wrench into those plans. Here's more on Philly and other notes out of the Atlantic..
- After a season full of lofty expectations and little in the way of results, John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer looks at who should stay and who should go. Mitchell wants to see Philly re-sign Bynum, provided that his knees check out. Meanwhile, he wants reserve center Kwame Brown gone, but that would likely require a buyout as he holds a $3MM option.
- Knicks fans should appreciate J.R. Smith while he's here, because he figures to get major money thrown his way this summer, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Meanwhile, Smith has repeatedly expressed his affinity for New York and his desire to remain a Knick.
- When asked by a reporter if he's heard from ex-Knicks president Isiah Thomas, coach Mike Woodson said "Isiah and I are friends, we talk all the time," tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
Draft Notes: Smith, Wiggins, 2014 Draft
Yesterday, Luke Adams went over the owed draft picks for 2013 that won't be changing hands thanks to the protections tied to them. The Bulls have a first round pick from the Bobcats coming their way thanks to the 2010 Tyrus Thomas trade, but they won't see that pick, which has a ~20% chance at being the No. 1 selection in June, come their way this year. Chicago may have to wait a while as it is top 10 protected in 2014, top eight protected in '15, and not completely unprotected until '16. Here's today's roundup of draft news..
- Russ Smith is feeling the tug of both Louisville and the NBA, writes Rick Bozich of WDRB. Smith, who is set to make his decision tomorrow, still quantifies the odds of him jumping into the 2013 draft at 50/50. Smith is ranked the 57th best prospect in this class by ESPN.com's Chad Ford but is projected to go No. 33 overall by DraftExpress.
- Hoops prodigy Andrew Wiggins is ready to take Canadian hoops to the next level, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Meanwhile, teams are already salivating over the projected No. 1 pick of the 2014 draft. "Everyone last year was trying to figure out a way to get him next year," a longtime NBA scout and ex-player said. "Teams are plotting and preparing for when he gets out of school. Character. Demeanor. Athleticism. Coachable. He makes the game look like it's insanely too easy. While everyone is sweating, he isn't and he jumps over your head. The total package."
- Earlier tonight, I profiled N.C. State forward C.J. Leslie in the latest installment of our Prospect Profile series.
Southeast Notes: Magic, Vucevic, Bobcats
Here's a look at the Southeast Division as the Heat look to go up 2-0 on the Bucks..
- While Nik Vucevic is getting noticed, he's not considered totally untouchable to the Magic, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (on Twitter). Orlando, of course, would require a star in exchange for their promising young big man.
- Schmitz tweets that if he was making the decisions for the Magic, he'd try to see what the Clippers want for guard Eric Bledsoe. Earlier this week, Chris Paul opined that Bledsoe should be starting somewhere and is likely to be wearing a different uniform next season. The guard is under contract for about $2.6MM in 2013/14.
- Bobcats executives Rod Higgins and Rich Cho sat down with Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer and the Associated Press and Bonnell has the highlights. Higgins indicated that player interviews factored into the club's decision to fire coach Mike Dunlap, but said that they weren't the only element involved. Meanwhile, Cho said that the team won't limit their search to a more experienced coach.
Prospect Profile: C.J. Leslie
N.C. State junior C.J. Leslie is no stranger to NBA scouts, as he has been on the map for the past two years. However, it would appear that staying in school has hurt Leslie's stock and the forward finds himself almost universally rated as a second-round prospect in a draft class that is believed to be the weakest in years. Leslie isn't interested in trying to boost his stock with one more year in school as he announced earlier this month that he won't be returning to the Wolfpack.
So why are teams down on the 6'8" (or 6'9", depending on who you ask) forward? His physical talent and all-around athleticism aren't in question, but his upside and overall motivation to get better are. Passing up the opportunity to jump into the 2012 draft was supposed to give Leslie the opening to vault himself into the top 20 of this year's class, but his junior year fell flat in the eyes of most observers. Leslie's numbers went up a tick but a deeper look at his stat sheet shows that his production per 40 minutes have dipped somewhat. His sophomore year saw him average 19.8 PPG, 10.1 RPG, and 2.2 BPG per 40 minutes. This past year, however, he averaged 17.8 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. That's not an alarming drop, but it's definitely not the step up that scouts were hoping to see.
On offense, his athletic ability is what sets him apart from many small forwards in his class. He has shown that he can beat just about any defender off of the dribble at the college level and his quick first step should serve him well in the pros. However, unlike most players at the three, he doesn't have a consistent outside jumper. His lack of a strong jump shot was always one of the big strikes against him and with three years to get it straight, he still hasn't been able to show that he can keep defenders honest. He also has to improve his ball-handling if he's truly going to take advantage of his ability to break towards the basket.
Leslie never showed himself to be a lockdown defender at N.C. State, but his athleticism leaves some to believe that he can become a disruptive player in the NBA. Armed with quickness and a wingspan of 7'2", it's not hard to see Leslie being able to clog up passing lanes and kickstart the offense in transition. Of course, he'll have to commit mentally to becoming a tougher defender if he wants to give opponents trouble and out-muscle them when necessary.
Some have wondered why Leslie would jump into the draft when his stock is at its low point, but it's not such a strange decision when you consider how strong the 2014 draft is expected to be. Leslie may not be able to work his way into the first 30 picks, but he could improve his draft stock enough to come off of the board early in the second round. As it stands, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has the forward going 34th overall (just ahead of teammate Lorenzo Brown) while Chad Ford has him rated 68th in this class, which leaves him as a fringe second round pick or potentially undrafted. In a group of players where athleticism is hard to find, I expect to see him come off the board in the early-to-mid portion of the second round.
Northwest Notes: Thunder, Harden, Davis, Jazz
There are a lot of strong matchups in this year's playoffs, but the Thunder squaring off with the Rockets could be the most intriguing of them all. It's a pairing that didn't seem likely until James Harden & Co. started stumbling down the stretch, putting Houston in line for the No. 8 seed. Now, Harden has a chance to make OKC regret their decision to trade him and the Thunder get to show their old friend that they can still be a contender without him. Here's more on that and other items out of the Northwest..
- The parting of the Thunder and Harden absolutely had to happen, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. OKC's four-year, $53MM offer to Harden wasn't enough and there was no way the Thunder could have afforded to pay four players a combined $59MM next season and $61MM in 2014/15.
- Derek Page of HoopsWorld questions if the Pelicans made the right choice in taking Anthony Davis No. 1 instead of Damian Lillard. Teammate and fellow top-10 pick Austin Rivers credited Lillard for having a strong rookie season but said that he is 100% confident that New Orleans made the right call.
- An exciting offseason awaits the Jazz and all of their free agents, writes Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News. Sorensen sees Utah letting Al Jefferson go and instead retaining either Paul Millsap or Mo Williams, but not both.
Odds & Ends: Bledsoe, Knicks, Spurs, McGrady
Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- Eric Bledsoe is showing that he's going to be a big money player at some point, even if he doesn't get that payday from the Clippers, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. Chris Paul echoed similar sentiments earlier today.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson knows first-hand how tough Kenyon Martin and Jason Kidd can be in the playoffs thanks to his time as an assistant coach for the Pistons, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday (on Sulia). “Both of them are still relentless and savvy,” Woodson said. “I go back to that 2004 Detroit team when they had our backs against the wall [in the conference semifinals] big time…That to me was really our championship series."
- Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni called Tracy McGrady a "wild card" but Gregg Popovich says that the veteran is "another body" and isn't sure how he'll integrate him into the rotation, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Sulia). The Spurs signed T-Mac shortly after cutting Stephen Jackson.
- Former Bulls veteran Keith Bogans is now an important part of the Nets' defense, writes Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune.
Hoops Links: Kobe, Smith, Nuggets, Warriors, Nets
Earlier today, the Spurs got the best of the Lakers in Game 1 as they cruised to a 91-79 victory. Those of you who watched the game while checking your timeline on Twitter probably caught wind of Coach Vino – née Kobe Bryant – giving advice to coach Mike D'Antoni as he watched at home. D'Antoni was asked after the game about his thoughts on Bryant's e-coaching and he rolled his eyes back far enough to see the front of his brain. "He's a fan. Just a fan right now," the actual Lakers coach quipped.
Bravo to D'Antoni for treating Kobe's tweets exactly how they should be treated: more unsolicited commentary from armchair observers. Bryant's basketball IQ is legendary, but he isn't the man charged with moving the Lakers' chess pieces at this time. If No. 24 wants to make a run at coaching after his playing days are through, then you can bet there will be more than one team interested in his services. However, we're (thankfully) at least a couple of years away from seeing Bryant retire. We all look forward to seeing Black Mamba on the court again, but we can do without Coach Vino on the keyboard.
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 looked at the most clutch players in the playoffs, including J.R. Smith.
- The Basketball Post says Nuggets-Warriors is the most fun of any first round series.
- The Brooklyn Game gets you up to speed on the Nets' season.
- Pounding The Rock isn't optimistic about the Spurs' chances.
- Hardwood Paroxysm reflects on the season that was.
- Blog A Bull reflected on Chicago's rough Game 1.
- Red94 explores what is as stake for the Rockets.
- 3SOB works the numbers.
- SLC Dunk previewed the best one guards in the draft.
- Rufus On Fire looks back at the highs and lows of the Bobcats' year.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Texas Notes: Mavericks, Spurs, Cuban, Jackson
Here's a look at some items on the Mavs and Spurs..
- The Mavericks have to make all the right moves this summer in order to get back to the postseason in 2013/14, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Price writes that the Mavs badly need a rim protector and dominant rebounder along with a point guard who can create his own shot off the dribble. They had those players two years ago in Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea, but they turned down one year offers from the Mavs.
- Former Mavericks forward Antawn Jamison believes that Mark Cuban will find a way to get Dallas back to the playoffs, Price writes. “I don’t ever count Mark out,’’ said Jamison, who is now with the Lakers. “That little rascal’s got something up his sleeves…You know him. He’s sitting there watching the playoffs like, ‘OK, they think I’m done.’ ‘’
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (on Sulia) disagrees with the Spurs' decision to cut Stephen Jackson loose.
Week In Review: 4/15/13 – 4/21/13
Earlier this week, Rasheed Wallace decided to call it a career for the second time. Wallace played in 1109 games for six teams over the course of his NBA career, averaging 14.4 PPG and 6.7 RPG. The 38-year-old big man won't be hurting for money after walking away from the game as he earned roughly $157MM over the course of his NBA career. Here's more from around the league as we enjoy more playoff action..
- The Pistons told Lawrence Frank that he's out as coach.
- Another former Nets coach, Byron Scott, is also out of a job after being let go by the Cavs.
- It's now official – Doug Collins won't be returning to the 76ers as coach. Collins, who walked away despite the club wanting him back for another year, will serve as an adviser to the team.
- Mike D'Antoni will stay on as Lakers coach.
- Phil Jackson is interested in returning to the NBA. The Cavs are planning to make a run at him and a source close to the former coach says that he'll absolutely consider them.
- Meanwhile, it looks like there's mutual interest in a reunion between the Cavs and Mike Brown.
- Things can always change, but right now it looks like Dwight Howard is staying with the Lakers.
- Pat Riley believes that he can keep the Miami core together.
- The Blazers waived Jared Jeffries.
- The Nuggets will tender a qualifying offer to Timofey Mozgov.
- The Spurs signed Tracy McGrady for the remainder of the season. The 33-year-old spent most of the 2012/13 season with China's Qingdao Double Star Eagles, averaging 25.0 PPG and 7.2 RPG in 29 games in the CBA.
- The Knicks also hit the way back machine and inked Quentin Richardson to a contract.
- The Raptors still hope to trade Andrea Bargnani.
- The earliest the league will decide on the Kings will be in the first week of May.
- Maryland center Alex Len is going into the draft.
- Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary are going to return to Michigan. Tim Hardaway Jr., meanwhile, is entering the draft.
- No surprise here, but Shabazz Muhammad is entering the draft.
- After Rasheed retired, the Knicks quickly turned around and signed Earl Barron.
- O.J. Mayo is going to opt out of his deal and test the open market.
- Gary Harris will return to Michigan State.
- Marcus Smart will stay in school.
- Grant Jerrett is entering the draft.
- Georgetown's Otto Porter is going pro rather than helping the Hoyas get some redemption next season.
- It's official: Nerlens Noel is entering the draft. He could go first overall, despite his season-ending ACL tear.
- North Carolina junior Reggie Bullock is going pro, even though he's a borderline first-round pick.
- Marquette's Vander Blue is entering the 2013 draft.
- The Grizzlies signed Donte Greene as well as Willie Reed.
- The Warriors re-signed Scott Machado.
- The Warriors signed Dwayne Jones for the rest of the year.
- Gonzaga junior Kelly Olynyk is jumping in the draft.
- The Hornets are officially the Pelicans.
- Brazilian center Lucas Nogueira says he's entering the draft.
- Georgia's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is leaving school.