Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Nets, Celtics, McConnell
Former Warriors coach Mark Jackson could be a contender for the Nets‘ head coaching job, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. He notes that Jackson has expressed interest in the position in the past. The job opened earlier today with the firing of Lionel Hollins.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Nets GM Billy King and owner Mikhail Prokhorov are to blame for years of moves that led to today’s overhaul, writes Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo Sports. King behaved much the way he did as GM with the Sixers, trading draft picks for veterans and taking on large contracts like Joe Johnson‘s. It culminated with the 2013 deal that sent a package of picks to Boston for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry. Whoever steps into King’s GM role will have to have to dig out the franchise of a hole that Dwyer says may be the largest in recent history.
- The Celtics could be the biggest beneficiary of the Nets‘ chaos, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Boston owns Brooklyn’s unprotected first-rounder this summer and in 2018, along with the option to exchange first-round picks in 2017. The Nets currently have the league’s third-worst record at 10-27.
- T.J. McConnell built on his family’s basketball success by landing a spot with the Sixers, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Undrafted out of Arizona, McConnell made enough of an impression in Philadelphia to have his $525K salary guaranteed for the rest of the season. “You look at my son as an outsider,” said Tim McConnell, T.J.’s father. “You don’t know his drive. You don’t know his tenacity, his grit. When you just look at him, you look at him and say, this kid is not an NBA player, an NBA guy. But the reason why he’s able to do some of the things that he does is because he challenges himself day after day to be the best at whatever he’s doing.”
Nets Fire Lionel Hollins, Reassign Billy King
The Nets have fired coach Lionel Hollins and reassigned GM Billy King to another job in the organization, the team announced today. Assistant Tony Brown has been named interim head coach, while the GM position will remain open for now.
“After careful consideration, I’ve concluded that it’s time for a fresh start and a new vision for the direction of the team,” Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said. “By making this decision now, it enables our organization to use the rest of the season to diligently evaluate candidates with proven track records. It’s clear from our current state of affairs that we need new leadership. With the right basketball management and coach in place, we are going to create a winning culture and identity and give Brooklyn a team that it can be proud of and enjoy watching. We have learned a great deal during the past six years and our experiences will guide us for the future. Following the consolidation of team ownership last month, I can assure you that I’m more determined and committed than ever to build a winner.”
Hollins spent a year and a half as Brooklyn’s coach, compiling a 48-71 record. The Nets currently have the third-worst record in the league at 10-27. King was in his sixth season as GM after being named to the position in July of 2010. There are no immediate plans to fill the GM role, posts Mike Mazzeo of ESPN. While King has been officially “reassigned,” he won’t be making basketball decisions going forward, writes Andy Vasquez of NorthJersey.com. With about six week left before the trade deadline, it’s unclear who will be responsible for those decisions, Vasquez tweets.
“I want to thank Billy for his hard work in the development of the Nets,” Prokhorov said. “At every step of the way, he has been aggressive in his quest to build a winning team and has been a key factor toward the Nets making the playoffs for each of the last three seasons. Beyond this, he has been a tremendous friend, wonderful colleague, and loyal partner and we wish him success in the future. I also want to thank Lionel for his efforts and dedication on behalf of the Nets franchise. To our fans, I thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support and please know that brighter days are ahead. I’m excited to begin the process of choosing the best GM and head coach available.”
The moves expose chaos within the Nets, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. He says nearly everyone in the organization learned of the actions through a news release. A team insider called the moves “face-saving,” according to a story by NetsDaily.com.
King joined the team as GM in the summer of 2010, and the team has won just a single playoff series since. His contract is set to expire at season’s end. A report, later denied, surfaced earlier this week from Europe indicating that Prokhorov wants CSKA Moscow team president Andrey Vatutin as the club’s next GM. CEO Brett Yormark is reportedly enamored with John Calipari.
The Nets hired Hollins in the summer of 2014 shortly after the departure of Jason Kidd for the Bucks. He went 48-71 with Brooklyn during the regular season over a season and a half, and the Nets fell in six games to the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs last year.
And-Ones: Harrell, Rockets, Young
Rookie Montrezl Harrell has the ability to give the Rockets a boost in the rebounding department, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes. “We need to rebound,” interm coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Montrezl is a guy who is going to bring energy, he’s going to bring toughness, he’s going to bring grit. If he doesn’t get [the rebound], his guy sure as heck isn’t going to get it.”
The decision the Rockets made to sign Harrell to a three-year deal came with consequences, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors detailed in the offseason. Houston had to use its mid-level exception, which meant the team would be hard-capped and unable to carry a payroll of more than $88.74MM at any point during the 2015/16 campaign. The franchise currently has $87.26MM in guaranteed salary on the books this season, leaving little room should the Rockets look to add another player.
The rookie hasn’t been a factor in many games this season, but if he can become a contributor, it’ll make the decision to sign him for the long term look more favorable for the team and it should help the 18-19 Rockets climb the playoff ladder in the Western Conference. Here’s more from around the league:
- Harrell credits the Rockets‘ one-on-one affiliation with the D-League for allowing him to stay ready just in case his number is called, Feigen writes in a separate piece. “When I feel like I’m going through a stretch, a couple games, where I’m not running plays, I asked to go down,” Harrell said. “It’s about getting in that in-game situation, playing running plays, getting the in-game experience with the refs calling fouls. I know by going down, we’re running the same exact things we’re running here so it’s going to help me.”
- Thaddeus Young is having one of his best seasons as a pro in the first year of a four-year, $50MM deal, but the power forward is focusing on helping the Nets improve rather than his stats this season, Fred Kerber of The New York Post writes. “My biggest thing is I just want to win basketball games, and that’s how I’ve been throughout the course of my career, just trying to win as many games as possible to help put my team in a position to where we can be successful. Obviously it’s not happening this year, but no matter what, I’m still going to go hard, 110 %,” Young said. The Georgia Tech product is averaging 15.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and sporting a 19.1 player efficiency rating this season.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Lee, DeRozan, Lopez
With the addition of Elton Brand, which led to the release of Christian Wood, the Sixers are no longer the youngest team in the league by average age, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes in a piece that dissects the team’s moves since the hiring of Jerry Colangelo. The youngest team in the league may be the Bucks, but Philadelphia still has several inexperienced players in need of minutes. Jahlil Okafor, whom we examined as a trade candidate, has seen his playing time decreased of late, as he is averaging just 21.6 minutes per game over his last five.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Boston’s need for a go-to scorer, coupled with its logjam in the frontcourt, makes it obvious that a trade is necessary, A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sportsnet Northeast opines. The scribe names DeMar DeRozan as a player to watch, adding that if the Raptors get a feel that he is going to walk in the offseason, they could be inclined to move him in order to get something in return. The Celtics have several young prospects on the roster and they could potentially have four first-round picks in the 2016 draft, which puts the team in a good position should a marquee player become available on the trade market.
- The team has been open to moving David Lee for most of his time as a Celtic, which makes asking for a trade something that won’t do the big man any good, Blakely opines in the same piece.
- The Nets own a 10-26 record, which is good for second worst in the Eastern Conference. Still, Brook Lopez has no regrets about signing his three-year, $60MM-plus deal with Brooklyn over the summer, Andy Vasquez of The Record writes. “No, no, no. I’m happy to be here,” Lopez said. “Time and time again I’ve said I wanted to see something built here, I see a special opportunity, a great situation to be in.”
Southeast Notes: Kidd-Gilchrist, Fournier, Heat
The Hornets decided in the offseason to emphasize offense at the expense of defense as they made their personnel moves, and Charlotte has indeed taken a step back on the defensive end, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer examines. Part of that has to do with the absence of prime defender Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, but his return, which he’s promised to make before season’s end, won’t solve all of the club’s defensive problems, Bonnell writes. Nonetheless, the Observer scribe wouldn’t be surprised if the former No. 2 overall pick is playing within a month’s time. See more from the Southeast Division:
- The Magic aren’t entirely sure about keeping Evan Fournier in restricted free agency this summer, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. It’s expected they’ll at least look into other options before recommitting to him, just as with the team’s courtship of Paul Millsap that preceded the Tobias Harris re-signing this past summer, according to Kyler. In any case, the team’s use of Fournier at shooting guard instead of Victor Oladipo doesn’t signal that the franchise has lost faith in the former No. 2 overall pick and instead shows that the team is adjusting the way it’s developing young players as it focuses more on the present, Kyler explains.
- Soon-to-be free agent Hassan Whiteside‘s style of play, personality and general way of going about his business is “not congruent” with the way of the Heat, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com opined on a recent edition of “The Lowe Post” podcast with ESPN colleague Zach Lowe (audio link; transcription via RealGM).
- Wizards draft-and-stash prospect Tomas Satoransky has a deal on a four-year extension with Barcelona of Spain that includes NBA outs, according to international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). He’s put pen to paper, Pick reports, though Javier Maestro of Encestando counters that he hasn’t officially signed it yet (translation via HoopsHype). In any case, Satoransky is in no hurry to come to the NBA, Maestro writes.
Atlantic Notes: Turner, Raptors Picks, Holmes
A strong case can be made that soon-to-be free agent Evan Turner was the most valuable player on the Celtics last season, and his raw numbers don’t show his value the way advanced metrics do, particularly regarding his defense, contends Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Turner, whom the Nets are reportedly fond of as a potential free agent target, has a habit of making eye-catching statements, as Forsberg details. Still, he appeared genuine when he spoke Thursday of his affection for coach Brad Stevens, who’s away from the Celtics to tend to a player he coached at Butler University who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, notes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
“That guy’s lucky to be able to have coach; guys that played for him are lucky to be able to have a coach like that,” Turner said, referring to Stevens’ willingness to leave the Celtics to be with his ex-player in a moment of need. “It just speaks volumes, and I’m blown away by it. I’m lucky to play for him. That says a lot about his character, and obviously it puts him in a higher stature than I already have him.”
See more on the Celtics amid our look around the Atlantic Division:
- Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge understands the frustration that some of the team’s players are going through as they deal with a lack of playing time on a deep roster, as he explained to Bulpett for a separate piece. David Lee spoke up this week about his dissatisfaction with his removal from the rotation.
- The Raptors have one extra first-round pick in each of the next two drafts, and a source who spoke with Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun indicated that the Raptors don’t plan to add four rookies to the roster in the next two years, a signal that the club will trade one or more of those picks. However, the Raptors aren’t willing to make those selections available for cheap, and multiple other sources told Wolstat that the team would be unlikely to swap one of the picks for a stopgap player on a short-term deal. The team strongly prefers to keep its picks through the end of the season because of the rising value of rookie deals around the league, Wolstat adds.
- Richaun Holmes looks like a find for the Sixers, as his athleticism, his performance in the pick-and-roll, and his shot-blocking have been impressive despite his shortcomings as a defensive rebounder, observes Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine. Philadelphia has Holmes, the 37th pick in last year’s draft, on a four-year deal worth about $4.2MM. Holmes, whose stock surged during the lead-up to the draft, spoke with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors in April.
Lakers Have Longstanding Interest In DeRozan
The Lakers appear poised to become one of the teams to make a play for DeMar DeRozan in free agency this summer, given their long-held interest in the native of nearby Compton, California, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Speculation that DeRozan would seek to play close to home has existed for quite some time, and it’s not surprising that the Lakers, who’ve struggled to field competitive rosters the past few years, would want to add a 26-year-old who’s currently the NBA’s 11th-leading scorer at 22.6 points per game. A source close to DeRozan who spoke recently with Brian Lewis of the New York Post confirmed the widely held assumption that the shooting guard will turn down his player option of slightly more than $10MM for next season, and the Nets are also expected to pursue him in free agency this summer.
Still, despite DeRozan’s ties to Southern California, he’s also fond of Toronto and has shown no hesitation to express his affection for the city and the Raptors organization. The source who spoke to Lewis cited DeRozan’s loyalty to the Raptors, and with next month’s All-Star Game set for Toronto, DeRozan again paid homage Thursday to the only NBA city he’s ever represented, as Wolstat points out.
“I think I’m just excited for being in Toronto and people really getting a chance to see what Toronto is like,” DeRozan said. “The city, the culture, really, to put us on the main stage and let this city get the credit that it deserves that I feel like it never got.”
The Raptors have close to $70MM in guaranteed salary committed for next season against a projected $89MM cap, and they have fellow wing players DeMarre Carroll and Terrence Ross signed to long-term deals, but they hold DeRozan’s Bird rights and can exceed the cap to re-sign him. DeRozan won’t necessarily be the No. 1 priority for the Lakers, with the team no doubt eager to make a pitch to Kevin Durant, this summer’s top free agent prize. DeRozan is No. 8 in the latest edition of the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings.
The rising salary cap and the impending retirement of Kobe Bryant, which will allow the Lakers to remove his massive $26.25MM cap hold from the books next summer, will help give them no shortage of flexibility to sign multiple marquee free agents in the offseason. They have only about $23MM in guaranteed salary, not counting a $3.135MM player option for Brandon Bass and cap holds much smaller than Bryant’s. DeRozan will be eligible for a max deal with a salary of a projected $24.9MM for next season.
Nets Interested In Nicolas Batum, Evan Turner
The Nets are fond of soon-to-be free agents Nicolas Batum and Evan Turner, NetsDaily tweets, also confirming earlier reports of the team’s interest in Mike Conley and DeMar DeRozan. Brooklyn only has about $45MM in guaranteed salary committed for next season against a projected $89MM cap, and without a 2016 first-round pick thanks to the 2013 Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce deal, making improvements via free agency will be that much more important to the Nets. Still, questions remain about Brooklyn’s ability to attract marquee talent to a franchise that’s experienced declines in winning percentage three years in a row.
Batum is in the midst of a career year, having taken to Charlotte in his first season there after the Trail Blazers dealt him to the Hornets over the summer. It’s no surprise to see the Nets have interest in the 27-year-old who’s averaging 16.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 34.8 minutes per game, especially since Bojan Bogdanovic and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson are the team’s only wing players with fully guaranteed contracts for next season. Still, re-signing Batum will no doubt be a high priority for Charlotte, and the Bouna Ndiaye client has said that his fondness for Hornets coach Steve Clifford, who signed an extension this fall, “could be a big factor” in his decision.
Turner is a more surprising object of Brooklyn’s interest. He started most of the season for the Celtics last year, but he’s made only four starts this season, including the past three games as he’s filled in for an injured Avery Bradley. The former No. 2 overall pick has failed to live up to his draft position since joining the NBA in 2010, and he signed with Boston in 2013 for just $6.704MM over two years. The rising salary cap and a better performance with the Celtics than he gave the Pacers before signing his last contract should push the David Falk client’s price tag higher this summer, but compared to Batum, he’ll likely be much more obtainable.
Complicating matters is the unsettled situation in the Nets front office, where GM Billy King is on a contract that expires at season’s end. NetsDaily has countered a European report indicating that owner Mikhail Prokhorov wants CSKA Moscow team president Andrey Vatutin to succeed King. Nets CEO Brett Yormark, who’s apparently a major proponent of recruiting John Calipari back to the organization in a role that would likely include player personnel power, has begun to speak more often about the team’s basketball operations, as NetsDaily has also pointed out.
Nets Eye DeMar DeRozan, Who’ll Opt Out
The Nets are expected to make DeMar DeRozan one of their primary targets in free agency this summer, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post, who hears from a source close to DeRozan that he’ll turn down the player option for next season on his contract with the Raptors. However, DeRozan feels the Raptors have treated him well, and he has an uncommon loyalty, Lewis’ source cautioned. The Aaron Goodwin client has spoken about his loyalty in the past, saying at the start of camp this fall that he takes pride in being the longest-tenured player on the Raptors roster.
It’s no surprise to hear that DeRozan plans to opt out, since his option is worth only slightly more than $10MM and the 26-year-old is the NBA’s 11th leading scorer this season, averaging 22.6 points per game. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com wrote this summer that early indications were that he’d opt out. DeRozan is eligible for a maximum salary of a projected $24.9MM next season, and turning down the option would make him part of a relatively thin 2016 free agent class just as the NBA’s salary cap is set to surge, leaving teams with plenty of cash to burn. The Nets have only about $45MM in guaranteed salary committed for 2016/17 against a projected $89MM cap.
Bojan Bogdanovic and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson are the only Nets wing players with fully guaranteed salaries for next season, and the Nets, at 10-25, could use a major upgrade. Brooklyn, which doesn’t have much at the point guard position, either, is reportedly likely to make Mike Conley its top free agent target, though DeRozan, No. 8 in our 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings, probably wouldn’t be far behind. The Raptors have wing players DeMarre Carroll and Terrence Ross signed to long-term deals, but they’d surely be loath to watch DeRozan bolt, especially to another Eastern Conference team.
Where do you think DeRozan will be playing next season? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Nets Eye Andrey Vatutin To Replace King As GM?
WEDNESDAY, 8:25am: One insider was particularly direct in casting doubt on the idea of Vatutin joining the Nets as their GM this summer, calling it “BS,” NetsDaily tweets.
1:13pm: Team insiders who spoke with NetsDaily see Vatutin as an unlikely choice for GM (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 11:22am: CSKA Moscow team president Andrey Vatutin is Mikhail Prokhorov’s “top choice” to become the GM of the Nets with Billy King‘s contract up at season’s end, sources tell Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net. Vatutin has ties to Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who used to own the Russian team. He worked under Prokhorov and former CSKA president Sergey Kushchenko, now a Nets board member and chief sports adviser to Prokhorov, as NetsDaily points out. The Nets pursued Vatutin for an assistant GM job in 2010, the year King became GM, but Vatutin turned them down, according to Barkas and NetsDaily.
It’s unclear whether Vatutin would decide to head to Brooklyn this time around, as Barkas details. The Eurohoops scribe suggests that Prokhorov has already offered the GM job to Vatutin, though Prokhorov complimented King’s job performance as recently as October. The owner at that point declined to address the matter of an extension for King, though Zach Lowe of ESPN.com heard “serious rumblings” in May that the Nets and King were close to an extension deal. NetsDaily poured cold water on the idea shortly thereafter, reporting that a source had said the Nets and King hadn’t engaged in any extension talks.
Brooklyn, at 10-24, has the NBA’s third-worst record and is without its first-round picks in 2016 and 2018, thanks to the 2013 trade King engineered that brought in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Still, Prokhorov, who was the impetus for the team’s desire to make a splash upon its 2012 move from New Jersey to Brooklyn, said in April that he liked King’s “bold” approach to the roster. The Nets stuck by King when former coach Jason Kidd reportedly tried to usurp his power in 2014.
The Nets have nonetheless won only a single playoff series in the five full seasons since King came aboard. Brooklyn has a chance to open some $35MM in cap room for next season, but without draft picks or a winning roster, the team doesn’t appear to be a top free agent destination.
The 42-year-old Vatutin has been with CSKA Moscow since 2002 and became the organization’s CEO in 2007. The Russian powerhouse has collected a litany of championships since then, as Barkas details. The team is 14-1 in Russian league play and 9-2 in the Euroleague this season.