Odds & Ends: Van Gundy, Smith, Bynum
We have our first playoff elimination, as the Thunder defeated the Mavericks to advance to the second round. The victory wasn't without cost though, as Kendrick Perkins suffered a strained hip during the first quarter and didn't return to the game. As for Dallas, they become the first team since the 2007 Heat to be swept the following year after winning an NBA Championship. With that aside, here are tonight's noteworthy links:
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel writes that Stan Van Gundy, who he refers to as the "best coach the Orlando Magic have ever had," may have coached his last home game with the team. Bianchi adds that if the Magic are to remain a viable franchise, they must side with Dwight Howard in the standoff between him and Stan, which would all but seal Van Gundy's departure. Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel echoed similar sentiments about Van Gundy's reputation, saying that the team's performance against the Pacers today was evidence that the team did not quit on him.
- Hawks forward Josh Smith is eyeing a return for Game Four against the Celtics regardless of how his knee feels, according to Ben Golliver of CBS Sports.
- Lakers center Andrew Bynum attributed his poor performance in the first half of Game Three from not being able to complete his regular pre-game routine, says Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles. While teammate Kobe Bryant lauded Bynum for holding himself accountable, coach Mike Brown wasn't as thrilled: "You hope at this time of the season everybody who steps onto the floor is ready."
- Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston provides a closer look at Mickael Pietrus' value to the Celtics defensively.
- Enes Kanter went from sitting out last year's March Madness at Kentucky to being a part of a playoff team with the Jazz in his rookie season. Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune spoke with Kanter to elaborate more on this experience.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld ranks the most disappointing performers of the NBA playoffs thus far.
Kyler On Williams, Nash, Gordon, Mayo, Hibbert
In his NBA AM column at HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler shares the latest rumblings on a handful of this summer's top free agents. Here are the highlights:
- It's far from a done deal, but the general feeling around the Nets is that they're in the driver's seat for Deron Williams. Kyler names the Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Magic as other teams that figure to aggressively pursue the point guard.
- Steve Nash continues to tell people that returning to Phoenix is a "real and viable option." Kyler points out that even if Nash ends up elsewhere, the Suns could work out a sign-and-trade to get something out of it.
- It's nearly a lock that Eric Gordon will be retained by the Hornets, but it's not clear how high the bidding will go. The Hornets were unable to agree on an extension with Gordon earlier this season, and while that was due in part to not having new ownership in place yet, there are also questions about the 23-year-old's durability.
- According to Kyler, there's a good chance O.J. Mayo doesn't become a restricted free agent this summer, since a qualifying offer would put the Grizzlies over the tax line. If Memphis doesn't extend a qualifying offer, Mayo would be eligible for unrestricted free agency.
- Kevin Garnett would like to finish his career with the Celtics.
- The Pacers are prepared to match just about any offer for Roy Hibbert, and will let the market set the price for their center.
- The Nets hope to deal with Brook Lopez's free agency after working out some of their other situations, but Lopez could disrupt their plans if he signs an offer sheet with another club early in the free agent period.
Odds & Ends: Nuggets, Howard, Hornets, Celtics
It was a rough night for the Knicks in South Beach. First, the Heat went up 2-0 in their first round series with a 104-94 win behind 25 points from Dwyane Wade. Later, reporters were held out of the Knicks' locker room as Amare Stoudemire was being tended to for lacerations on his left hand. It appears that the big man took his frustrations out on a fire extinguisher and his status for Game 3 could be in jeopardy. Here's more from around the league..
- The Nuggets are using the playoffs to find their center of the future, writes Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post.
- Magic GM Otis Smith plans to visit Dwight Howard in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter). There's no word on what the two will discuss upon Smith's arrival, but some have speculated that Howard is once again estranged from the team.
- The Hornets got approval for a tax break extension that is essential to keeping them in New Orleans through 2024, writes Ed Anderson of The Times-Picayune.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com wonders aloud if Rajon Rondo has what it takes to be the Celtics' leader of the future following his one-game suspension. While Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen may not factor into the C's plans next year, the point guard will be in the mix for the foreseeable future.
- Michael Jordan should buck his trend of hiring friends as he did with GM Rich Cho if he hopes to turn the Bobcats' fortunes around, writes Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated.
- Blazers center Hasheem Thabeet reiterated his desire to return to Portland next season in a media scrum with outlets including CSNNW.com (video link), but the club has yet to talk about a new deal with the big man. The former second-overall pick came from the Rockets along with Jonny Flynn and a future second-round pick at the trade deadline in exchange for Marcus Camby.
- Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee outlined three possible scenarios for the Kings and their stadium situation.
- Kobe Bryant acknowledged that this playoff run will be crucial to coach Mike Brown's future in Los Angeles, writes Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Sonny Weems Drawing Interest
After spending the season in Lithuania, Sonny Weems is anxious to return to North America and test the NBA free agent waters this summer. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports that a number of teams have already expressed interest in Weems, with the Celtics among the clubs expected to pursue him.
Having sat out the season, Weems remains under the Raptors' control. He'll be eligible for restricted free agency, so the Raps would have the option to extend him a qualifying offer and then match any rival offers. It's not clear, however, whether Weems is a part of the Raptors' plan going forward.
"I haven’t heard anything (from the Raptors)," Weems said. "It doesn’t matter to me either way. My agent, Roger Montgomery, has been talking to many different teams and a lot of them are very interested. I’m just very excited for free agency. If I don’t go back to Toronto, it wouldn’t be a heart-breaker for me because it gives me a chance to start over and join another team."
Weems, 25, has played for the Nuggets and Raptors in his three NBA seasons. In 2010/11, he averaged 9.2 points in 23.9 minutes per game over the course of 59 contests.
Injuries Take A Starring Role In 2012 Playoffs
With horrific injuries spelling an early end to the season for Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert, let's take a look at the other 14 playoff teams to see how a missing player may mean the difference between a Finals appearance and a first-round exit.
- Heat: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade enter the playoffs healthier than usual thanks to some much needed rest during the final week of the regular season. The Heat stand to benefit the most from Shumpert and Rose's injuries as a sweep against the Knicks means less of a challenge for Wade on the offensive end and an easier path to winning a title. Look for the Heat to advance to at least the Finals if they can duplicate the success they enjoyed during the first half of the season.
- Pacers: The Pacers are injury-free heading into Game 2 against the Magic, who pulled off the upset Saturday evening in Indiana. Utilizing seven-foot-two center Roy Hibbert's size to their fullest advantage will be key for the Pacers as their big man only managed to score eight points but blocked nine shots as he dominated the paint defensively. With Dwight Howard on the shelf for the entirety of the playoffs, the Magic are severely undersized with six-foot-nine Glen Davis taking over at center for Superman.
- Celtics: Ray Allen is expected to miss Game 1 in Atlanta against the Hawks as he battles bone spurs in his right ankle. If the Celtics had missed the playoffs, Allen would have undergone surgery immediately to help alleviate the pain. The Celtics will turn to Avery Bradley and his burgeoning reputation as a solid three-point shooter for the majority of the series as Allen's status remains unknown.
- Hawks: The center position has been an area of concern for the Hawks with Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia currently sidelined with injuries. Horford, who has been out since January 11 with a torn left pectoral muscle, will miss the entire first round of the playoffs but may be able to return if the team advances. A foot injury to Pachulia that caused him to miss the team's last seven games will force the Hawks to rely on Jason Collins in order to solidify their frontcourt.
- Magic: The Magic's chances of making a run in the playoffs took a huge hit when Howard called it a season in mid-April as he elected to undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. Without Howard, the Magic will feature an undersized frontcourt against a much larger Pacers squad. Much uncertainty surrounds the future of the franchise given Howard's impending free agency in 2013 and his desire to replace head coach Stan Van Gundy.
- Sixers: Aside from rookie center Lavoy Allen spraining his thumb in Game 1, the Sixers feature a healthy roster as they return to action Tuesday night against the Bulls. With Rose out for the remainder of the series, the Sixers will look to capitalize on the perimeter as Lou Williams, Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner should benefit from having to guard John Lucas III rather than the league's reigning MVP.
- Spurs: After a series of injuries cost Manu Ginobili nearly half the season, the Spurs enter the playoffs with a fresh roster looking to make a title run. Future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, 36, played a career-low 28.2 MPG this season but is still performing at a high level. The addition of Stephen Jackson at the trade deadline along with the subtraction of Richard Jefferson may be enough to lead the Spurs to their fifth title under Gregg Popovich.
- Thunder: James Harden returned to action on Saturday night against the Mavs after missing his last two games with a concussion suffered against the Lakers last Sunday. He appeared to be completely recovered as he scored an efficient 19 points in 35 minutes of the bench. Beyond Harden, the Thunder lost backup point guard Eric Maynor for the season due to a torn ACL in January, but remedied the situation by signing veteran Derek Fisher to a contract in March.
- Lakers: A healthy Andrew Bynum and a rested Kobe Bryant may allow for the under-the-radar Lakers to make a run in the wide-open Western Conference playoffs. While not an injury, Los Angeles will be without Metta World Peace for the first six games of the playoffs due to suspension.
- Grizzlies: Memphis lost Darrell Arthur for the season after the power forward suffered a torn Achilles tendon in practice back in December. A healthy Zach Randolph has played himself back into shape after missing time earlier this season due to a knee injury.
- Clippers: Many critics expected the Clippers to implode after Chauncey Billups went down on February 6 with a torn Achilles tendon. While the Clippers slipped to the fifth seed, they reinvented the image of the franchise and gained respect from around the league thanks to MVP-like play from Chris Paul.
- Nuggets: After spending the majority of the season abroad in China, Wilson Chandler returned to Denver for a brief stint before suffering a season-ending injury to his hip in mid-April. The Nuggets will open against the Lakers without Rudy Fernandez, who had surgery on his lower back in March to end his season.
- Mavericks: A healthy Mavs squad will face a difficult journey in defending their title as they open the playoffs against the Thunder. Saturday night saw a missed opportunity by Dallas to steal Game 1 on the road as they lost in Oklahoma City by the score of 99-98. Any chance of exploiting Harden's concussion was nullified with a strong performance by the Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
- Jazz: Small forward C.J. Miles may miss the start of the playoffs against the Spurs with a strained calf. The team will look for strong production out of star Al Jefferson, who had the opportunity to rest late last week as the center only played limited minutes in the team's regular season finale.
Odds & Ends: Celtics, Lillard, 76ers, Howard
A look around the Association as the Dwight Howard-less Magic celebrate their Game 1 victory over the Pacers..
- The Celtics managed to stay afloat this season thanks in large part to newcomers Avery Bradley and Greg Stiemsma, writes Peter May of the New York Times. May also credits Danny Ainge for his signing of Mickael Pietrus before the start of the year.
- Damian Lillard was projected as a second-round pick entering his junior season at Weber State but is now out to show that he is the best point guard in the 2012 draft, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. The 6'2" scoring threat is widely projected to be a lottery pick.
- Doug Collins is looking to lead the 76ers to a first round upset of the Bulls but things could have turned out very differently for the longtime NBA coach if it weren't for Reggie Miller, writes John Finger of CSNPhilly.com. The former Arizona State head coach claims to have turned away from college basketball when he was beat out by UCLA in recruiting Miller.
- Josh Howard hits the free agent market again this offseason after inking a one-year, $2.15MM deal with the Jazz before the season and he could be a key player in the Utah's series against the Spurs, writes Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Assessing The 2011/12 Waiver Claims
The vast majority of players placed on waivers go unclaimed and become free agents, but this year, there have been more waiver claims than usual, including a pair of players claimed after their previous teams waived them using the amnesty clause. Last month, Luke Adams provided a rundown on how teams can claim players off waivers, so now let's take a look at how this season's waiver claims have worked out.
- The most prominent example is Jeremy Lin, who was twice claimed off waivers this season after originally being let go by the Warriors. The Rockets claimed him December 11th, waived him a couple weeks later, and the Knicks made their claim December 27th. Left knee surgery will likely keep him out for the rest of the season unless the Knicks make a deep playoff run, but he'll wind up averaging 14.6 PPG and 6.2 APG, not too shabby for a player twice on the NBA scrapheap.
- Knicks GM Glen Grunwald struck gold with yet another waiver claim in Steve Novak, whom they picked up December 21st. Novak’s rise coincided with Lin’s, as he broke loose for 19 points in Lin’s first start, and has kept up his consistent long-range bombing even without Lin on the floor. He led the league in three-point percentage at 47.2%, but his shooting has never been in question. The difference this year was that he did enough in other phases of the game to warrant significant playing time. A career 4.9 PPG scorer, he averaged 10.4 PPG in 21.7 MPG beginning with that 19-point game on February 6th. We can only imagine how much better the Spurs would have been had they not waived him December 19th.
- Waiver claims are so infrequent that teams will sometimes agree to terms with players before they clear waivers. That’s what appeared to happen in March, when J.J. Hickson was dressed in Warriors gear and ready for a shootaround with Golden State when word hit that the Blazers had claimed him. We’ll never know how it would have worked out for him with the Warriors, but Hickson has thrived since joining Portland on March 21st, more than tripling the scoring average he put up in the first half of the season with the Kings (15.1 PPG to 4.7 PPG). He averaged 17.6 PPG and 10.6 RPG as a starter over the final eight games, and will be a sought-after commodity this summer, particularly if the Blazers fail to extend a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
- Chauncey Billups warned teams not to claim him when the Knicks amnestied him before the season, hoping he could sign with a contender as a free agent, but the Clippers claimed him anyway December 12th. It all worked out, as the Clippers became the sort of contending team Billups wanted to play for anyway when they traded for Chris Paul a few days later. Billups slid over to shooting guard and adjusted smoothly to his new position, averaging 15.0 PPG before going down with a season-ending Achilles’ tendon tear on February 6th.
- The Kings had much less success with claiming an amnestied player, saddling themselves on Dec. 17th with Travis Outlaw for $12MM over the remaining four years of his contract. He was even less of a factor in Sacramento than he was for the Nets before they waived him, averaging just 4.3 PPG in 12.8 MPG, his worst numbers since he was a rookie in 2003/04.
- The Warriors tried to replace Jeremy Lin when they claimed Ish Smith, another backup point guard, off waivers from the Grizzlies on December 16th. Smith was there for only six games and 63 total minutes before the Warriors put him back on waivers on January 14th. He went unclaimed this time, and was signed as a free agent February 2nd by the Magic, with whom he’s played the rest of the season.
- The Blazers quietly let go of backup big man Chris Johnson at the trade deadline, and amid rumors the Celtics were interested, the Hornets snapped him up off waivers March 19th. Depleted as the Hornets were along the front line this year, Johnson still only saw 82 total minutes over seven games before New Orleans put him back out on waivers April 18th. He remains unsigned since.
- Rod Higgins, the president of basketball operations for the Bobcats, gave son Cory Higgins quite a present on Christmas Day when the team claimed him off waivers from the Nuggets. The undrafted 22-year-old rookie from Colorado stayed on the Bobcats roster the entire season, averaging 3.9 PPG in 11.1 MPG.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Knicks, Humphries
With Tyson Chandler battling the flu, the Knicks may be without their star center in Game 1 against the Heat when playoff action gets underway on Saturday in Miami. The Knicks would turn to Jared Jeffries to man the paint if the team's defensive star in unable to play. Let's take a look around the rest of the Atlantic Division to see what else is making news and headlines.
- The Celtics' continued success this season amidst injuries and setbacks can be traced to the team's tightly-knit roster, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Head coach Doc Rivers maintained a sense of calm and confidence in his squad even when the team's early season record had pundits convinced that the Celtics would struggle to make the playoffs. "I like our spirit," Rivers said. "We're showing resolve. You can see the camaraderie; it's just a good group, a good group to coach. And the future will say how good we are as a basketball team. But they're a good group to coach, and I'm a coach, so that's good."
- Newsday's Al Iannazzone says the Knicks need to see significant production out of offseason signings Baron Davis and Mike Bibby if the team hopes to be competitive against the Heat. The two veteran point guards have stepped up their play considerably in the wake of Jeremy Lin's season-ending injury, but need to continue to do so on a nightly basis heading into the playoffs. For Bibby, being a contributing factor means hitting open three-pointers, a likely scenario given the Heat's struggles defending beyond the arc, while Davis simply needs to keep himself healthy.
- The Nets are excited about the opportunity to move to Brooklyn and play in a new arena, especially unrestricted free agent Kris Humphries, who hopes to re-sign with the team, reports Nets.com's Ben Couch. "I've been to Brooklyn a lot," Humphries said. "We did a ton of stuff in the community there, and our community involvement staff and the PR team, everyone did a great job, getting us familiar with Brooklyn, helping connect us in the community, so I think we'll be able to hit the ground running, if I'm here, and for the guys who are here next year."
Atlantic Rumors: Williams, Lopez, Raptors, Wilcox
Earlier today, we heard that Gerald Wallace will seek a multiyear guarantee this summer. Here's a few more items out of the Atlantic Division:
- Deron Williams told reporters, including Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record, that he hopes to sign a new contract before the Olympics, which will get underway in late July (Twitter link).
- Brook Lopez "made it very clear" to the same group of reporters that he loves being a Net and hopes to re-sign with the team (Twitter link).
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star thinks the Raptors should trade their first-rounder if they don't land the first overall pick. He argues that the team will have a lottery pick arriving in Jonas Valanciunas, and would be better off with a veteran player rather than another rookie.
- Chris Wilcox, recovering from heart surgery, was waived by the Celtics a few weeks ago, but plans to attend the team's playoff games against the Hawks. Wilcox told Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com that he'd like to be a Celtic next season: "I want to finish what I’ve started here. I thought this was a great opportunity for me and things were working out well, and I went to the doctor to get a check up and things just changed."
- Asked by Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times if he'd exercise his early termination option this summer, Lou Williams said he has yet to decide. John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported last weekend that the Sixers guard would opt out of his deal.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Deron Williams, Sean Williams
The Nets are playing their final game in New Jersey tonight, against the Sixers, and many of the franchise's most prominent figures took part in a ceremony tonight, including Micheal Ray Richardson, Darryl Dawkins, Kenny Anderson and, via video, Jason Kidd. Here's the latest on the Nets of today, as well as other news from the division:
- Nets CEO Brett Yormark talks about reasons why the franchise found the New Jersey market so difficult in a Q&A with Dave D'Alessandro of the Star-Ledger.
- New Jersey governor Chris Christie had harsh words for the Nets upon their departure, saying "there will be no tears shed on my part," as Jenna Portnoy notes on NJ.com. The governor also tweeted a video of his comments (hat tip to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News).
- Avery Johnson is optimistic Deron Williams will re-sign with the Nets, Bondy tweets, though the coach won't say why he feels that way.
- Sean Williams was surprised to learn that the Celtics were interested in signing him, observes Peter May of ESPNBoston.com. Williams is looking to put his troubled past behind him, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes.