And Ones: Papanikolaou, Clark, Inglis, RFAs
Kostas Papanikolaou, whom the Nuggets waived last week, will return to Olympiacos in Greece, according to Sport24 (translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Papanikolaou, who won two Euroleague titles during his last stint with Olympiacos, will sign a contract that runs through June 2019. He was released twice this season by Denver, most recently on January 8th, just before the remainder of his veteran’s minimum salary of $845,059 would have been guaranteed for the season. Papanikolaou also played for the Rockets during his season and a half in the NBA, averaging 3.6 points in 69 games with the two franchises. The 6’8″ forward was sent to Denver in the July 20th trade that brought Ty Lawson to Houston.
There’s more from around the basketball world:
- Former lottery pick Earl Clark, who is playing in the D-League while hoping to earn a 10-day contract, was part of a trade Saturday, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Clark was sent from the Suns‘ Bakersfield affiliate to the Sixers‘ Delaware affiliate in exchange for a second-round D-League draft pick. The 27-year-old, who played 10 games with the Nets last season, hopes the move will give him a fresh start in his quest to return to the NBA. “It’s a grind,” Clark said of the D-League. “It’s definitely different from any other league. I just felt like [the NBA] was within my reach if I came down here and played well. I believe in my talent. I told myself I’m going to give myself another year to make this NBA thing work.”
- The Bucks have sent Damien Inglis to the D-League, the team announced Saturday. Because Milwaukee doesn’t have a direct affiliate, Inglis will be assigned to the Westchester Knicks. He played for the Canton Charge during an earlier trip to the D-League.
- Chasing restricted free agents is a risky way to pursue talent, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The danger is that while teams wait for other organizations to decide whether to match an offer, top talent could be signing elsewhere. Prominent RFAs this summer will include Andre Drummond, Harrison Barnes, Bradley Beal, Festus Ezeli, Allen Crabbe and Evan Fournier.
Atlantic Notes: Conley, Lopez, Raptors
The Knicks and Nets will be “all over” Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley when he hits the free agent market this summer, sources have indicated to the New York Post’s Marc Berman and Fred Kerber. The New York City clubs are two of the few teams searching for a high-level point guard, the story continues. Knicks coach Derek Fisher has an affinity to left-handed point guards like Conley since he was one himself, the story adds. Both teams have ample cap room to sign big-name free agents, as the Knicks have approximately $55.4MM in guaranteed salary commitments for next season while the Nets’ guarantees are slightly under $45.4MM.
In other news around the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets must decide whether center Brook Lopez is a cornerstone piece while also focusing their energies on acquiring younger players, two parts of a five-step plan outlined by RealGM.com’s Brett Koremenos to revive the franchise. The Nets should use the remainder of the season to evaluate whether they should build around Lopez or unload him, Koremenos opines, but can’t afford to throw away any more assets if they opt to trade him.
- Point guard Cory Joseph and power forward Patrick Patterson made major contributions off the bench in the Raptors’ trip to London this week and that bodes well for their bench, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun writes. Both have shown a reluctance to shoot but the club needs more offensive punch from the duo and the game provided a much-needed confidence boost, Ganter adds.
Nets Strongly Interested In Thibodeau As Coach
The Nets are strongly interested in Tom Thibodeau to be their next coach, according to Mike Mazzeo and Marc Stein of ESPN. Brooklyn is expected to pursue the former Bulls coach after it names a new GM.
Thibodeau compiled a 255-139 record in five seasons with Chicago before being fired after losing to the Cavaliers in last year’s Eastern semifinals. He led the Bulls to playoff appearances in all five seasons.
The Nets fired coach Lionel Hollins and reassigned GM Billy King in a shakeup last Sunday. It’s uncertain how soon a new GM might be hired, but reports on Wednesday linked former Suns and Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo to the position. Former Hawks GM Danny Ferry has also been rumored to be a candidate.
Other coaches reportedly being considered include Luke Walton, John Calipari, Monty Williams and Chris Mullin. However, Calipari “is not under serious consideration,” tweets Howard Beck of Bleacher Report.
Atlantic Notes: DeRozan, Hollins, Mills, ‘Melo
DeMar DeRozan has made no secret of his affection for Toronto, and he tells Michael Lee of The Washington Post that just because the Raptors have a history of star players leaving doesn’t mean he’ll follow suit. DeRozan is poised to turn down his player option worth only slightly more than $10MM and hit free agency this summer.
“One thing I never did was look at anybody else, what they did or what they followed, honestly,” DeRozan said to Lee. “I always stuck to what I believe in and what I’m comfortable with. If I see a hundred people walking left, that don’t necessarily mean I’m going to walk left. I may see this clear path and want to stay right.”
See more from the Atlantic Division:
- Nets higher-ups were angry about the way former coach Lionel Hollins would pin blame on his players, sources tell Brian Lewis of the New York Post, and several sources who spoke with Andy Vasquez of The Record couldn’t identify a single player on the team who was fond of Hollins. Many players thought the coach talked down to them and found it hard to respect him because of that, Vasquez writes.
- Knicks GM Steve Mills is very much involved with player personnel in his role under team president Phil Jackson, as agents tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Mills is the go-to guy when they talk to someone from the Knicks. James Dolan has done little meddling with Jackson around, and the team hasn’t had substantive talks regarding a Carmelo Anthony trade this year, Deveney adds.
- Nerlens Noel has long been a fan of Ish Smith, but the point guard has helped Jahlil Okafor‘s offensive game, too, observes Keith Bodner of Philadelphia magazine. The No. 3 overall pick has put up impressive numbers, albeit in a small sample size, since the Sixers traded for Smith on December 24th, as Bodner examines.
Nets Eye Danny Ferry For GM Job
FRIDAY, 8:31am: Ferry “isn’t the likeliest candidate” for the position, a source told Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
THURSDAY, 7:58am: The Nets are looking at Danny Ferry as they search for their next GM, sources tell Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Bondy words his report a bit differently in his full story, where he writes that two sources outside the direct search told him they expect the team to look at Ferry as well as Bryan Colangelo, whom Marc Stein and Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com reported earlier that the Nets are considering. Bondy’s tweet says the team is indeed looking at both Ferry and Colangelo. In any case, no one has emerged as the top candidate and the search has just begun, Bondy hears.
It’s no shock to see Ferry emerge as a candidate, as TNT’s David Aldridge pointed to the ties between Ferry and former GM Billy King, who remains with the organization. The Nets are indeed consulting King about the candidates to replace him in the GM job, Bondy hears from sources, confirming an earlier report that owner Mikhail Prokhorov had downplayed. Ferry’s father, Bob Ferry, serves as a scout for the Nets, and Prokhorov interviewed Danny Ferry for the GM job in 2010 before hiring King.
The younger Ferry comes with the baggage of the racially charged comments he uttered in a 2014 conference call while GM of the Hawks that led to a prolonged leave of absence and ultimately a buyout that ended his three-year tenure in Atlanta this past spring. Ferry nonetheless earned plaudits for his construction of last season’s 60-win Hawks team, and his close ties to the Spurs organization, where he served as a player and later a front office official, can’t hurt. He put together rosters that won 66 and 61 games in back-to-back years as GM of the Cavs, a job he held from 2005 to 2010.
John Calipari has also drawn mention as a candidate for the Nets’ front office vacancy as well as their open coaching job, but Prokhorov indicated that he’d rather have separate people in those positions. CEO Brett Yormark, a Calipari advocate, is one of three Nets officials conducting the search, according to Bondy, along with team chairman Dmitry Razumov and board member Sergey Kushchenko, who’s a trusted aide to Prokhorov. That conflicts with a report from Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, who wrote that Razumov and Irina Pavlova, president of Prokhorov’s ONEXIM Sports and Entertainment holding company, were in charge of the search. In any case, Prokhorov wants to hire a GM before he hires a coach, league sources tell Bondy.
Do you think the Nets should hire Ferry? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Eastern Notes: Brown, James, Pistons
Nets forward Thaddeus Young pulled no punches when discussing the difference in playing for interim coach Tony Brown versus former coach Lionel Hollins, who was fired on Sunday, Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily relays (via Twitter). When asked his feelings about suiting up for Brown, Young said, “When your coach is not panicking and he’s staying positive and he’s continued to motivate us, it’s huge for us as far as an energy standpoint. It makes us continue to want to go out there and continue to play, and it doesn’t keep us thinking about what happened before as much. But Tony’s mentality is, forget what happened before this and let’s try to push and try to win this game. That’s huge for us as a team. It says a lot that he believes in us, that he wants us to compete.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Cavs shooting guard J.R. Smith notes that the team’s excellent work ethic comes from following the example set by LeBron James, whose dedication has rubbed off on his teammates, as Marc Narducci of HoopsHype relays. When asked what it has been like to play alongside James, Smith told Narducci, “For one, he elevates everybody’s game and holds everybody to a higher standard. He makes you hold yourself to a higher standard. This is the first team I have been on where everybody stays after practice to work on their game. Everybody wants to be better every single day and a lot of that has to do with him. He is a credit to that. He holds himself to a high standard. We see how hard he works each and every day. If your best player is working twice as hard as the next person, it gives you enthusiasm and drive to work harder.”
- Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is using the Spurs’ track record of consistency as an organization as a model for how he wants to build Detroit’s roster, John Niyo of The Detroit News writes. “I do think, looking forward, one of things we’ve talked about in trying to build this team is we have a chance for continuity,” Van Gundy said. “And I think you see it when you see a team like San Antonio, that over time it allows you to build on what you’re doing.”
Nets Coaching Turnover Under Mikhail Prokhorov
No team has had more head coaches than the Nets have during Mikhail Prokhorov’s time as owner, even though Prokhorov downplayed the coaching turnover in Monday’s press conference that followed the Sunday firing of Lionel Hollins and installation of assistant coach Tony Brown as his interim replacement. Brown is the fifth head coach to have served under Prokhorov, joining Hollins, Jason Kidd, P.J. Carlesimo and Avery Johnson. The owner elected not retain Kiki Vandeweghe when he hired Johnson shortly after formally buying the team in 2010, so in some sense, Prokhorov has had six coaches.
Andy Vasquez of The Record cited six when he asked Prokhorov whether his new coach could be secure in his job, as Brian Fleurantin notes in his full transcription of the press conference for NetsDaily. Prokhorov responded that he only dismissed two coaches, since Kidd left of his own volition in 2014 and Carlesimo was an interim replacement for Johnson. Vandeweghe was also an interim coach, though it was the team’s decision not to retain him, just as it was with Carlesimo.
In any case, only the Kings, Lakers and Pistons have had as many head coaches as the Nets have since the start of 2010/11, Prokhorov’s first full season as owner. That includes interim coaches but not substitute coaches, like Luke Walton of the Warriors and Joe Prunty of the Bucks, since they’re serving because their respective head coaches are ailing, not because their teams decided to make a change.
Here’s a breakdown of every team’s coaching turnover since 2010/11:
Five coaches
- Kings — (Paul Westphal, Keith Smart, Michael Malone, Tyrone Corbin, George Karl)
- Lakers — (Phil Jackson, Mike Brown, Bernie Bickerstaff, Mike D’Antoni, Byron Scott)
- Nets — (Avery Johnson, P.J. Carlesimo, Jason Kidd, Lionel Hollins, Tony Brown)
- Pistons — (John Kuester, Lawrence Frank, Maurice Cheeks, John Loyer, Stan Van Gundy)
Four coaches
- Bucks — (Scott Skiles, Jim Boylan, Larry Drew, Jason Kidd)
- Hornets — (Larry Brown, Paul Silas, Mike Dunlap, Steve Clifford)
- Magic — (Stan Van Gundy, Jacque Vaughn, James Borrego, Scott Skiles)
- Nuggets — (George Karl, Brian Shaw, Melvin Hunt, Michael Malone)
- Timberwolves — (Kurt Rambis, Rick Adelman, Flip Saunders, Sam Mitchell)
Three coaches
- Cavs — (Mike Brown, Byron Scott, David Blatt)
- Jazz — (Jerry Sloan, Tyrone Corbin, Quin Snyder)
- Knicks — (Mike D’Antoni, Mike Woodson, Derek Fisher)
- Rockets — (Rick Adelman, Kevin McHale, J.B. Bickerstaff)
- Suns — (Alvin Gentry, Lindsey Hunter, Jeff Hornacek)
- Trail Blazers — (Nate McMillan, Kaleb Canales, Terry Stotts)
- Warriors — (Keith Smart, Mark Jackson, Steve Kerr)
Two coaches
- Bulls — (Tom Thibodeau, Fred Hoiberg)
- Celtics — (Doc Rivers, Brad Stevens)
- Clippers — (Vinny Del Negro, Doc Rivers)
- Grizzlies — (Lionel Hollins, Dave Joerger)
- Hawks — (Larry Drew, Mike Budenholzer)
- Pacers — (Jim O’Brien, Frank Vogel)
- Pelicans — (Monty Williams, Alvin Gentry)
- Raptors — (Jay Triano, Dwane Casey)
- Sixers — (Doug Collins, Brett Brown)
- Thunder — (Scott Brooks, Billy Donovan)
- Wizards — (Flip Saunders, Randy Wittman)
One coach
- Heat — (Erik Spoelstra)
- Mavericks — (Rick Carlisle)
- Spurs — (Gregg Popovich)
Nets Notes: Prokhorov, King, Offseason
The Nets won’t be able to move forward as a franchise and avoid making similar roster errors until the front office and ownership admit to the mistakes they have made in the past, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report writes. Much of the blame for the state of the team should fall on the shoulders of owner Mikhail Prokhorov, whose bold prediction of winning a championship within five years of purchasing the team influenced a number of unsuccessful personnel moves, Beck notes. For his part, Prokhorov declines to acknowledge the flaw with mortgaging the team’s future for an opportunity to make a quick turnaround. “Frankly speaking, I deserve championship now much more than six years ago,” Prokhorov said, according to NetsDaily. “I think we have been really bold and did our best in order to reach championship. And I still believe with some luck, our results might have been more promising.”
Here’s more from Brooklyn:
- No franchise in the NBA has a worse long-term outlook than the Nets, whose lack of talent and future draft picks could prevent anyone the team hires to replace GM Billy King from making an impact, Tom Ziller and Paul Flannery of SB Nation opine. The two scribes note that Prokhorov is responsible for much of the mess Brooklyn finds itself in, but King does not escape the blame, and the duo point to the lack of protections placed on the franchise’s traded first round picks as examples of how the former GM failed in his duties.
- The Nets sorely need for Prokhorov to maintain a more prominent presence around the team physically, and the owner’s absentee style has created a disjointed and dysfunctional organization, Ben Golliver of SI.com writes.
- One strategy that the Nets would be wise to emulate going forward is that of the Sixers, who have acted as a clearinghouse for numerous player-friendly contracts over the years, and have acquired a number of future draft picks by doing so, Danny Leroux of The Sporting News posits. This strategy would be practical if the team were to strike out in free agency this summer and find itself left with a plethora of leftover cap space as a result, Leroux adds.
Jarrett Jack Out For Season
JANUARY 13TH, 11:17am: Jack underwent surgery today, and the Nets anticipate that he’ll be ready to play by the start of next season, the team announced via press release.
JANUARY 3RD, 1:05pm: Nets point guard Jarrett Jack will miss the rest of the season because of a torn ACL and a small meniscus tear in his right knee, the team announced on its website. Brooklyn does not specify when Jack will undergo surgery, but NetsDaily reports it will happen on Monday (Twitter link).
The Nets have until January 15th to apply for a disabled player exception on Jack with the exception being worth $3.15MM, notes former NBA executive Bobby Marks (Twitter link). It would expire March 10th, Marks adds. The Nets, at 10-23 likely won’t make the playoffs, but Marks tweets that they should apply for the exception anyway because it might help make a difference during the trade deadline.
Jack, who is making $6.3MM this season, has a $500K guarantee for next season, NetsDaily points out in a full story. He averaged 12.8 points and 7.4 assists per game in 32 appearances (all starts) for the Nets this season. With Jack out, Shane Larkin and Donald Sloan will likely see more minutes.
Jack, 32, has been durable over the course of his 12-year career, as Andy Vasquez of The Record notes (on Twitter). Jack is the only player in the league to have played at least 79 games in nine of the last 10 seasons, according to Vasquez.
Nets Strongly Considering Bryan Colangelo For GM
The Nets have quickly begun to give former Suns and Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo serious consideration to fill their vacant GM job, report Marc Stein and Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. His emergence as a legitimate candidate isn’t a shock, as NetsDaily anticipated that he’d be in the mix (Twitter link). Colangelo’s name has come up often in regard to front office openings since the end of his Raptors tenure in 2013, most recently with the Sixers, who last month hired his father, Jerry, as chairman of basketball operations. Assistant GM Frank Zanin is running the Nets front office while the team conducts its search.
John Calipari is also connected to the Nets as a possibility for both the coaching and GM jobs, but owner Mikhail Prokhorov has indicated a desire to separate those positions between two people. Nets CEO Brett Yormark continues to make it clear he’s enamored with the University of Kentucky coach, but it’s uncertain whether anyone else among the Brooklyn higher-ups wants to pursue Calipari, Stein and Mazzeo write. Nets chairman Dmitry Razumov and Irina Pavlova, president of Prokhorov’s ONEXIM Sports and Entertainment holding company, are conducting the search for the team, with Nets board member Sergey Kushchenko growing increasingly influential, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reported earlier this week.
Bryan Colangelo became GM of the Suns in the mid-1990s, shepherding the roster from the end of Charles Barkley’s time with Phoenix to the recruitment of Steve Nash in free agency. He directed the Raptors to their first two playoff appearances in the post-Vince Carter era in his first two seasons as GM in Toronto, but the team failed to make it back to the playoffs before it replaced Colangelo with current GM Masai Ujiri in 2013. Still, Colangelo is a two-time NBA Executive of the Year award winner, having come away with the honor in 2005 with the Suns and 2007 with the Raptors.
Do you think Colangelo would be a wise choice for the Nets? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.