Pacific Notes: Paul, Clippers, Kings, Jackson
Chris Paul has kept mum on his future so far, but he may have dropped some very telling hints when speaking to reporters this afternoon. The Clippers star remarked that guard Eric Bledsoe is likely going to wind up elsewhere next year because the club won't have enough money to sign him, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The way that Paul spoke of Bledsoe's future leads Markazi to believe (link) that Paul intends on staying in L.A. for the long-term. It's also worth noting that Bledsoe isn't a free agent this summer – he's under contract next season for $2.6MM. However, the Clippers are expected to shop him when/if Paul re-signs (link). Here's more out of the Pacific..
- An NBA owner expressed his doubts to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com about Sacramento's bid for the Kings, saying, "The check's in the mail, and that's not good enough. The check's got to arrive." Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson nonetheless believes most owners were "blown away" by the competitiveness of the city's offer, as well as the fast pace at which its come together.
- Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News (on Twitter) notes that the three-year, $28MM extension that Stephen Jackson signed with the Warriors is just expiring now after four trades and one release.
- Ike Diogu began the season in training camp with the Suns and played 41 games with the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China. Now, he's headed to Puerto Rico to play with Leones de Ponce, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports.
Latest On 2013 NBA Draft
In recent weeks, we've seen the usual flood of underclassmen declare that they'll be entering the upcoming draft. However, it seems that there are a lot of green youngsters going pro in an effort to take advantage of this year's soft talent pool. Will we see another borderline underclassman declare today? Here's the latest on the 2013 draft..
- HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis looks at some of the prospects who performed well at the Nike Hoops Summit this week, a showcase for top high school talent and international prospects. Perhaps no one performed quite as well as power forward Livio Jean-Charles, who's eligible for this year's draft.
- Connecticut point guard Shabazz Napier is close to deciding to stay in school, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. You can check out the rest of the highlights from Washburn's Sunday column here.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 4/15/13 – 4/21/13
Here's a look back at the original reporting and analysis provided by the Hoops Rumors staff this week..
- Luke Adams caught up with Alan Anderson and looked at his free agent stock.
- I asked Hoops Rumors readers if Phil Jackson will consider coaching the Cavs and most of you said he won't.
- Chuck Myron looked at recent postseason transactions.
- Need a refresher on the amnesty provision? Luke's recent post has you covered.
- Chuck found that the Mavs made the most moves in 2012/13.
- Most of you want to see Seattle end up with the Kings.
- Jeff Withey is the anti-Cody Zeller, Chuck writes.
- Here's a look at all the players who made the jump from China to the NBA this year, as compiled by Chuck.
- Luke explained qualifying offers and the starter criteria.
- Hoops Rumors readers are especially looking forward to Spurs-Lakers and Knicks-Celtics out of the eight first-round series on the docket.
- Alex Lee asked if Marcus Smart made the right decision in returning to Oklahoma State and most of you said no.
- Luke looked at the highest paid players by team for next season.
- Here's a recap of this year's 10-day deals.
- If you missed out on this week's chat with Luke, you can check out the transcript right here.
David Lee Out For Season
Warriors forward David Lee is done for the season after tearing his right hip flexor in last night’s playoff game against the Nuggets, a person with knowledge of the situation told Sam Amick of USA Today. An MRI taken earlier today revealed a Grade 3 tear, according to the source.
The Warriors came just short of beating Denver in Game 1 of their series, losing 97-95. Lee earned an All-Star selection this season and averaged 18.5 PPG while leading the Warriors in rebounding with 11.2 RPG.
Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Draft, Kidd, Martin
Links from around the Association as the Nets look to go up 1-0 on the Bulls..
- Mavericks General Manager Donnie Nelson told ESPN Radio’s Galloway & Company that he plans to come out with “both barrels” this summer to turn things around going forward, according to the Dallas News. He also said that the biggest priority for the club might be the point guard position as the club has been spoiled by the likes of Steve Nash and Jason Kidd in the past.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) looked at the top European prospects at the Hoop Summit. Dennis Schroeder is among the players profiled and the guard announced this week that he’ll be entering the 2013 draft.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson explained that veterans Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martn were brought aboard primarily for their defense, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post (via Sulia). “That was the whole reason for bringing them aboard. They have been in enough systems. Kidd has pretty much won everywhere he has been. Kenyon has been on some winning teams but not where he won the big one. It is a plus to have veteran guys,” said the coach.
Olshey On Jeffries, Aldridge, Offseason, Maynor
Blazers GM Neil Olshey addressed the media to wrap up the 2012/13 season, and we've got the highlights below, courtesy of Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge..
What went into the decision behind waiving Jared Jeffries?
"Jared was well aware that we were always going to have to waive him. He was part of a sign-and-trade where we had to do three years. His second year would have been guaranteed within five days after the end of the season. We felt it was appropriate to handle while he was here. He was a player that we we were going to have to renounce anyway to create the maximum amount of cap room. As we told Jared, we'll look into it again at the end of the summer. If we have a need and he doesn't have a job, it's something that we can discuss. Right now, where this organization is going, we need every ounce of cap room we can get to create the best roster possible."
What improvements do you need to make this summer?
"It's obvious. We had a tough time protecting the rim, we had a tough time giving up points in the paint. That's not an indictment of J.J. Hickson, we asked a 6-foot-9 power forward to play center every night in a league against the Marc Gasols, Roy Hibberts, Dwight Howards, etc. Even last night against Andrew Bogut. J.J. performed admirably but that's a hole we need to shore up. We've got to get our interior defense better. That's my job, whether it's by draft, trade or free agency, to make sure that's not a hole that Terry walks into next training camp having to address."
Does players recruiting other players actually work or is money the overriding factor in free agency decisions?
"Max money to max players is always a good idea. [Recruiting] is big, guys want to play with guys who are about the same stuff and who are trying to win. The best voice for your organization is your players. How they're treated, the resources they have, how they're coached, how they prepare for games, how aggressive the front office is, how invested the owner is.
All of those things, LaMarcus Aldridge has a larger sample size of anyone in the organization, he's been here the longest, and I think he knows that Paul is going to drive anyone who works for him to build this as quickly as possible. If LaMarcus can embrace and endorse what we're doing, there's more credibility there sometimes than a general manager who is recruiting or a coach or his agent who is negotiating the deal on a player to player level. I think that the bigger, stronger advocates of guys like Damian, LaMarcus and Nic can be for us, the easier free agent recruitment will be for us."
Will you tender a qualifying offer to Eric Maynor?
"It's more strategic than complex. Eric has a very significant cap hold. We really like Eric. We made the moves because we want him to be a part of our future but there are realities to how strategically we can maximize the amount of room we have, the mini-mid level that we have and the draft pick. Who knows? Our roster may look far different come July 1 which can affect what we do as well. Eric, Andy Miller, everybody knows we are going to maximize every tool that we have knowing that we are taking into consideration that we want Eric back with us."
Poll: Will Phil Jackson Consider The Cavs?
Starting today, 16 teams will begin their quest to win 16 games and capture the 2013 NBA Championship. Not among those 16 clubs are the Cavs, who canned coach Byron Scott after he led the club to just 64 wins across three seasons at the helm. Who do they turn to to help turn their fortunes around? We already heard one prominent name in Stan Van Gundy say that he’s not interested in the job and it may prove difficult for the Cavs to bring in a high-profile name.
That doesn’t mean they won’t try, however, and they’re going to make a serious run after the biggest name of them all – Phil Jackson. Earlier today, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio spoke with a source close to the legendary coach who said that he would “absolutely” listen if the Cavs come calling. The news that the Cavs would make a run at the Zen Master wasn’t a surprise, but the notion that the interest could be reciprocated is. After all, Jackson has had the pleasure of coaching in two of the league’s biggest markets and taking the reins of teams that already were stockpiled with talent. The source close to Jackson downplayed the notion that he would want to go to a big market team that’s close to winning a title, but it’s fair to be skeptical of that notion. After all, as one of the greatest coaches of all-time, Jackson can have the pick of his litter and wait for the perfect opportunity to arise.
On the other hand, the Cavs aren’t a talent-starved bunch in the mold of, say, the Bobcats, and a core of Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and Dion Waiters could go a long way with a quality big man alongside them. The odds are obviously against the Cavs actually landing Jackson as their next coach, so the question isn’t whether he’ll come to Cleveland. We want to know if the eleven-time championship winning coach will give serious thought to taking the job.
Will Phil Jackson Consider The Cavs?
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No 62% (421)
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Yes 38% (255)
Total votes: 676
Odds & Ends: LeBron, Kings, Draft, Wiggins
Here's today's look around the Association as we get set for the 2013 playoffs to get underway, starting with the Knicks and Celtics at 2pm central..
- If the Cavs really want to make a run at bringing LeBron James back to Cleveland in the 2014 offseason, it will be interesting to see how they replace coach Byron Scott, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. If John Calipari somehow winds up as the Cavaliers' choice, then it might be time to at least consider how deep the James-Calipari connections run.
- Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times is displeased with how commissioner David Stern has handled the Seattle-Sacramento battle over the Kings. Brewer opines that it's frustrating to see Stern continue to defend the Sacramento offer while inferring that it does not fully match the Chris Hansen deal.
- The latest mock draft from HoopsWorld still has Nerlens Noel going No. 1 but has some changes elsewhere in the lottery. Victor Oladipo is at No. 3 in the latest mock while Georgetown's Otto Porter is projected to go No. 6.
- Despite rumblings to the contrary, Canadian high school standout Andrew Wiggins says that he won't be announcing his college choice anytime soon, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Wiggins is universally projected to be the top pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Thunder Recall Jones, Lamb, Liggins
We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls here..
- The Thunder announced that they have recalled forward Perry Jones and guards Jeremy Lamb and DeAndre Liggins from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League. The three players have been jettisoned between Oklahoma City and Tulsa multiple times throughout the season. They'll be back in OKC for the Thunder's playoff run, however.
Northwest Notes: Thunder, Harden, Batum, Blazers
Thunder star Kevin Durant will likely wind up a distant second in MVP voting to LeBron James, but he just completed the most efficient and remarkable campaign of his career, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. This past season placed Durant in the exclusive 50-40-90 club with the likes of Larry Bird and Reggie Miller while also showcasing his versatility and expanding game. Here's more on the Thunder and the rest of the Northwest..
- Oklahoma City's James Harden/Kevin Martin swap with Houston worked out for both sides, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Despite all the focus that there will be on Harden, the fascinating part of the upcoming series is the fact that the Thunder are, as surprising as it may be, a better team with Martin playing Harden's role.
- Blazers star Nicolas Batum is thinking big for 2013/14, writes HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham. “This year we showed we could beat good teams. We beat New York. We beat Miami. We beat Memphis,” Batum said. “But then we lost against Sacramento, Detroit, Washington. If we focus, have a good training camp, and don’t do the same mistakes we made this year, it won’t be crazy if we’re in the top five in the Western Conference next year.”
- Blazers GM Neil Olshey explained the reasoning behind the team's decision to waive Jared Jeffries, and said adding rim protection will be a priority this offseason as he spoke to reporters today. Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge has the transcript.