Southeast Notes: Heat, Riley, LeBron, Korver, Kaman
Last night, Heat president Pat Riley released an official statement to the press that wasn't fit to print regarding Celtics president Danny Ainge. Ainge said that it was "almost embarrassing" that LeBron James complained about the hard fouls he received during the club's loss to the Bulls, and Riley fired back in defense of his star. "[Ainge] needs to shut the [expletive] up and manage his own team. He was the biggest whiner when he was playing, and I know that because I coached against him," said Riley, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Was there more to that comment than meets the eye? Here's more on that and other notes out of the Southeast..
- The aim of Riley's comment was to show his loyalty to James, who can become a free agent in the summer of 2014, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. While the image-conscious James was reluctant to attach himself to Riley's profane language, he was clearly appreciative of the gesture. "It was big-time to see that," James said after the Heat's win over New Orleans.
- The Hawks' Kyle Korver will be a free agent in demand, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld. The veteran believes that he has a good four or five years left and wants to spend them with a winning team.
- Chris Kaman could have been a free agent target for the Heat this summer, but it won't happen after recent comments made in a radio interview, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. "I’m not much of a Dwyane Wade fan, but I’m a [James] fan..I just never really got along with (Dwyane Wade). I guess I just don’t like his style or whatever. I didn’t like the year the Mavs lost when he got all the foul calls. I didn’t like that," Kaman told 104.1 FM The Ticket.
Nets To Sign Kris Joseph
The Nets are set to sign Kris Joseph from their D-League affiliate Springfield Armor, a source tells Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. The Armor acquired Joseph from the Maine Red Claws earlier this year in exchange for James Mays.
Joseph was selected in the second round of last year's draft by the Celtics and was cut loose by the team in January. In 14 games for Springfield, the forward averaged 19.4 points prior to Friday's 12 point performance.
The 6-foot-7 wing player spent four years at Syracuse, where he was named to the All-Big East First-Team as a senior.
David Kahn To Return As GM
David Kahn's position as General Manager of the Timberwolves is secure and the the one-year option on his contract will be exercised shortly, if it has not been exercised already, sources tell Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link). That presumably means that Flip Saunders won't return to the organization, as the club had interest in him as a possible replacement for Kahn.
Owner Glen Taylor insisted earlier this month that Kahn could return for 2013/14, despite a great deal of outside criticism for the exec. The Timberwolves have had the misfortune of being bit by the injury bug this season with Ricky Rubio missing the early part of the season and Kevin Love missing much of the second half. However, Kahn's personnel decisions during his time in Minnesota have led the club to a 58-172 record over the last three seasons.
Odds & Ends: Jazz, Hoiberg, Raptors, Gay
Earlier today, the Mavericks made their signing of Justin Dentmon official after letting Chris Wright's 10-day contract expire. The Mavs can give Dentmon a new deal in a week-and-a-half, but odds are that they'll let him walk as well. Dallas is reportedly looking to audition three different point guards and they'll likely go back to the D-League well to find their next pickup. Here's more from around the Association..
- Tyrone Corbin reiterated his comments from earlier this week about his team's free agents, saying that it "might" have impacted the squad while crediting them for blocking out distractions, tweets Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune. Both Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap will hit the open market this summer and all signs point to Utah keeping one or the other, not both.
- Fred Hoiberg has the tools to be a successful coach in the NBA, writes Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM.com. Last night we learned that the Iowa State coach is being targeted by multiple teams as a head coaching candidate this summer.
- While Raptors head coach Dwane Casey thinks that the club may shut Rudy Gay down for the season, the forward doesn't think that his year is over, writes Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun.
Prospect Profile: Nerlens Noel
A few months ago, there was little question that Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel would be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft. However, a gruesome knee injury suffered against Florida in February changed all of that. After chasing down Mike Rosario on a fast break layup and swatting his shot with authority, Noel slammed his left knee against the base of the hoop, resulting in a season-ending ACL tear.
The 18-year-old was close to a mortal lock to go first overall in the draft, but now no one is sure exactly where he'll go in the draft, or if he'll even enter. Kentucky's other standout freshmen, Alex Poythress, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Archie Goodwin, could all return to campus next season, despite being projected first round picks. Noel seems less likely to come back for his sophomore year on the surface, but he may be tempted to stay in school by the prospect of playing with the nation's most talented college team next season. Heck, if things really go John Calipari's way, next year's UK team could also feature top high schoolers Andrew Wiggins and Aaron Gordon.
Odds are, however, that Noel will play it safe and enter this year's draft. After all, it doesn't make a great deal of business sense for Noel to return to Lexington, risk aggravating his injury, and jump in with the hyper-talented 2014 group when he can instead go top five in a historically weak class on one leg. If Noel can show that his knee is back to 100%, he could easily reclaim his spot as the consensus No. 1 overall pick ahead of Kansas' Ben McLemore.
In the 24 games that he did play for the Wildcats, the 6'10" forward showed that he has very rare athleticism for a player of his size. With tremendous footspeed and a wingspan that is reportedly six inches larger than his height, he has a highlight reel that most NBA big man can't accumulate in an 82 game season. Defensively, he is a game changer with a mindset similar to that of a young Kenyon Martin. He won't just lock on to his assignment, he'll go wherever he is needed on the hardwood to pressure both big men and guards.
Offensively, well, it's a different story. His size should lend itself to a strong back-to-the-basket game that attracts multiple defenders, but he isn't much of a scorer. This year's Kentucky team was fairly thin on offense and they did not call on Noel for points on a regular basis. He doesn't have a mid-range game either, but he'll have to come up with something at the next level to be effective in a halfcourt set. Of course, at the age of 18, there's no reason to think that he can't develop his offensive tools over time. Noel probably doesn't have as high of a ceiling as Kentucky alum Anthony Davis, but he can eventually become an impact player in his own right.
Tiago Splitter Plans To Test Free Agency
Spurs center Tiago Splitter is in the midst of his best NBA season so far and certainly appears to have found a groove in San Antonio’s system. While the big man says that he’s happy with the club, he told Brazilian outlet Estado.com that he plans to test the open market this offseason, according to Jeff Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com.
“I spoke to my agent that I wanted to take a break, and not think about it during the season, and wait for the end of the season to see what are my options, what’s best for me. But surely, I am very well here in San Antonio. I will look at all of my options,” Splitter said.
In his third season with the Spurs, the 28-year-old is averaging 10.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest while shooting 73% from the free throw line and 57% from the floor. The Spurs can make Splitter a restricted free agent by extending him a $4.93MM qualifying offer this summer. Given his play this season, it seems likely that he’ll be in line for a raise from his current $3.9MM salary.
Atlantic Notes: Martin, Knicks, Nets, Pietrus
Deron Williams was bested by the Chris Paul-led Clippers on Saturday night but he bounced back in a major way yesterday against the Suns. Goran Dragic gave the Nets all they could handle, but D-Will's 20 point, 11 assist performance pushed Brooklyn to a 102-100 victory. It wasn't a pretty win, but the Nets will take it, especially considering that they were without Joe Johnson in Phoenix. Here's more from the Atlantic..
- Kenyon Martin told reporters, including Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) that he has thoughts that he "probably can’t say on camera" about teams that ignored him as a free agent. However, he says that he is now "in a happy place." Martin sat on the sidelines for most of the 2012/13 season before hooking on with the Knicks.
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post spoke with former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy about his thoughts on the Nets and he's not as enthused as some about the club's prospects going forward. “[There are] significant things that they have to find out about their team to try to make that next step up to what they want to be, which is a championship-caliber team,” said Van Gundy.
- Raptors forward Mickael Pietrus wants to finish out the season strong and show that he is once again healthy, writes RealGM's Shams Charania. Pietrus will be a free agent after this season when his one-year, minimum salary contract expires.
Mavericks Sign Justin Dentmon
MONDAY, 11:06am: The Mavericks have officially signed Dentmon to a 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release.
SATURDAY, 11:45am: The Mavericks are set to sign Justin Dentmon to a 10-day contract, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (on Twitter). Dentmon will fill the spot left by Chris Wright since the Mavs are not going to re-sign him to a second 10-day deal.
The Mavs are quite familiar with Dentmon, who plays for their D-League affiliate Texas Legends. The 27-year-old has been strong in 2012/13, averaging 22.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.7 APG this season for the Legends and the Austin Toros. Last year, Dentmon received 10-day contracts with the Spurs and Raptors and was named the MVP of the D-League.
Dallas is apparently looking to audition multiple guards between now and the end of the season. After Dentmon they'll likely test out one more backcourt option before making a final determination.
Odds & Ends: LeBron, Humphries, Gay, McRoberts
Many are buying into the speculation that LeBron James will give serious consideration to returning to Cleveland in the summer of 2014 and Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link) says that he can see it happening. Bucher believes that James wants to be universally liked, especially in his hometown, and it's hard to imagine that he won't at least think about making peace with the place he still calls home. Here's more from around the Association..
- Kris Humphries has been squeezed out of the Nets' rotation for much of the season after inking a two-year, $24MM deal in the offseason. However, Hump saw eleven minutes against the Clippers on Saturday night and coach P.J. Carlesimo wants to get him back in the rotation, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. One has to imagine that Humphries will be a trade candidate after this season, though he doesn't have a ton of value at present. If the big man is back in the mix for the Nets, however, they may prefer to keep him.
- Raptors coach Dwane Casey believes that the organization will consider shutting down prized acquisition Rudy Gay down for the season, according to the Associated Press. Gay missed his third game of the month on Saturday due to back issues.
- Bobcats forward Josh McRoberts is hoping to parlay his playing time into a multi-year pact this summer, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
NBA Teams Eyeing Fred Hoiberg As Coach
Iowa State's bid for a Sweet 16 spot was squashed by Ohio State today, but Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg has caught the eye of several NBA teams looking for a head coach, multiple front office executives told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
"If I had to make a hire this year, [Hoiberg] would be one of the first calls I'd make," one NBA general manager said. "He is a natural for our league."
Wojnarowski contacted seven GMs earlier today and there wasn't a single one who was skeptical about Hoiberg's ability to make an immediate leap to an NBA coaching job. Two GMs who expect to have openings say they plan to gauge Hoiberg's interest in the NBA once they begin search processes.
However, prying Hoiberg away from Iowa State won't be easy as he grew up in Ames, graduated from the school, and has shown a strong inclination to coach there for the long term. One assistant GM who stays in contact with Hoiberg says that it'll take a long-term commitment to get him to leave the Cyclones for an NBA job.