Central Links: George, Pacers, Bulls, Bucks
As the Cavs work toward officially re-hiring Mike Brown as their new head coach, here are a few more Tuesday updates out of the Central Division:
- Paul George was named the NBA's Most Improved Player of 2012/13 earlier today, and Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star tweets that a contract extension could be next for the 22-year-old. George will be entering the final year of his rookie deal this summer, making him extension-eligible, and Pacers owner Herb Simon "will be paying up," according to Wells.
- David Morway, the former Pacers GM who played a crucial role in Indiana's rebuilding process, talked to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld about the process of rebuilding an NBA franchise, suggesting that there isn't necessarily one specific way to approach the task.
- As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes in his latest column, two key contributors to the Bulls' Game Two win in Brooklyn last night, Tom Thibodeau and Nazr Mohammed, had been pursued by the Nets in the past.
- Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel doesn't expect the draft, free agency, or a new coach to make a huge impact for the Bucks, and wonders if a new ownership group would provide the sort of shake-up the franchise needs.
Eastern Notes: Pacers, Wall, Watson, Musselman
The Pacers have called a "major" press conference for tomorrow morning, leading Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com and HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy to speculate that Paul George will be named the league's Most Improved Player (Twitter links). While we wait to find out exactly what the presser is about, here's more from around the Eastern Conference:
- John Wall is eligible for an extension to his rookie-scale contract this summer, and has repeatedly expressed his belief that he's worthy of a max. J. Michael of CSNWashington.com wrote last month that "all the signals" indicate the Wizards would be open to such a deal. Now, Michael thinks Wall's recent comments suggest he'd be willing to take less if it meant greater flexibility for the team to pursue free agents.
- C.J. Watson told Stefan Bondy he'd love to return to the Nets next season, though Bondy doesn't believe that will happen (Twitter link). Watson has a player option for the minimum salary next season, but if he opts out, the most the taxpaying Nets could offer would be 120% of the minimum under Non-Bird rights.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio thinks former Kings and Warriors coach Eric Musselman would make sense for the Cavs, and points out that Musselman once offered Cleveland GM and fellow University of San Diego product Chris Grant a job on his staff in Golden State.
Pistons Rumors: Hunter, Budenholzer, Cheeks
For most of the 2000s, the Pistons were playoff regulars, but in the 2010s, the only way the team has drawn headlines at this time of year is through the draft lottery or with a coaching change. That's the case again in 2013, as we detail in the latest dispatches from the Palace.
- If the Suns let go of Lindsey Hunter, a move that seems increasingly likely, he could become a candidate for the Pistons coaching vacancy, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press suggests. Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer and former Sixers and Blazers head coach Maurice Cheeks, who's believed to want another head coaching job, could also emerge as candidates, Ellis believes.
- Two coaches who apparently won't have a shot at the Pistons job are Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson and Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo, according to Ellis.
- Zeljko Obradovic, who spent 13 seasons coaching Panathinaikos in Greece, tells El Juego de Naismith that he would consider taking a coaching job in the NBA this summer if a team with a chance to make the playoffs reaches out to him, (translation via Sportando). Obradovic pointed to his relationship with the Pistons, who invited him to observe training camp last fall and attend the team's game against the Knicks in London this past season. Still, Obradovic's agent, Alexander Raskovic, tweets that they won't negotiate any deal until after the season. It's unclear if Raskovic means the end of the NBA's postseason or the end of European play.
- Pistons assistant GM George David is excited about having won a pair of draft-order tiebreakers, particularly the one that gave the Pistons the No. 7 overall position heading into next month's lottery, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. "The difference between having six or seven, or seven or eight, or five or six, becomes – as Pistons fans, I’m sure, recognize – extremely valuable to our team over the last three or four drafts," the executive said. "If we were one slot lower than where we were in Andre (Drummond)’s draft, Brandon (Knight)’s draft or Greg (Monroe)’s draft, there’s a very, very high probability that none of those guys are on our roster. When you’re picking that high, the difference between one slot is really, really big."
Eastern Notes: Cavs, Nets, Pistons, Knicks
After a dominant performance in Game One of their series against the Bulls, the Nets are in action again tonight as they try to take a 2-0 lead before the series heads to Chicago. As we look forward to that game, let's check in on a number of Monday items out of the Eastern Conference….
- As the Cavaliers search for a new head coach, owner Dan Gilbert had dinner with Mike Brown last night, as first reported by Cleveland's WKYC. According to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard, the meeting was a positive one, though Brown hasn't been offered the job. The two sides agreed to deliberate and talk again later this week, perhaps as soon as today, reports Broussard.
- While the Cavs also reached out to Phil Jackson, that's viewed merely as due diligence, according to Broussard, who says Jackson is more interested in a front office role. Steve Kerr says the some thing of Jackson, telling Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he's not sure whether the Zen Master is physically up to the challenge of diving back into coaching.
- While Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov would like to see his team add another star, Brooklyn's current cap situation won't make it easy to do so, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
- In a pair of tweets, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press hints that Detroit isn't exactly a prime destination for free agents, and that the Pistons are more likely to try to use their cap space on trades this summer.
- In a column for the Detroit News, Terry Foster expands on the same point Ellis is making, pointing out that even though owner Tom Gores may be ready to spend, that doesn't mean free agents will begin flocking to the Pistons.
- Head coach Mike Woodson is happy that the Knicks' roster-building approach last offseason involved bringing aboard a handful of aging, but productive, veterans, as he tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. "We were able to do all these things thanks to ownership allowing us and field these guys who would be serious about winning a title," Woodson said. "I’m happy with the guys we chose, absolutely."
Odds & Ends: Bledsoe, Knicks, Spurs, McGrady
Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- Eric Bledsoe is showing that he's going to be a big money player at some point, even if he doesn't get that payday from the Clippers, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. Chris Paul echoed similar sentiments earlier today.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson knows first-hand how tough Kenyon Martin and Jason Kidd can be in the playoffs thanks to his time as an assistant coach for the Pistons, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday (on Sulia). “Both of them are still relentless and savvy,” Woodson said. “I go back to that 2004 Detroit team when they had our backs against the wall [in the conference semifinals] big time…That to me was really our championship series."
- Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni called Tracy McGrady a "wild card" but Gregg Popovich says that the veteran is "another body" and isn't sure how he'll integrate him into the rotation, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Sulia). The Spurs signed T-Mac shortly after cutting Stephen Jackson.
- Former Bulls veteran Keith Bogans is now an important part of the Nets' defense, writes Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune.
Eastern Rumors: Kenyon, Nets, Magic, 76ers
The playoffs are under way, and the Knicks have drawn first blood, going up 1-0 in their series against the Celtics. That's not the only playoff game in the Big Apple today, as the Nets take on the Bulls tonight in Brooklyn for Game 1 of their series. We rounded up news on New York's pair of NBA teams this morning, and we'll broaden the focus to the Eastern Conference as a whole here:
- Nets GM Billy King said he never considered signing Kenyon Martin, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Martin, who waited all summer and the majority of the season before the Knicks picked him up in February, had nine rebounds in 28 minutes to help New York open the playoffs with a win, and Bondy counts King's decision to pass up that kind of production as a mistake.
- The Magic have intriguing young pieces in Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris and Maurice Harkless, but they lack a sure-fire All-Star, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel concludes as he examines the state of the team's rebuilding effort.
- Still, Orlando's situation should be the envy of the Sixers, opines Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com. While owner Josh Harris asserts that there are "bunch of young assets on this team," Moore sees Jrue Holiday as the only one.
- The Sixers passed on Roy Hibbert, Paul George and Kenneth Faried in recent drafts, as Michael Kaskey-Blomain of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes, wondering what could have been if the team had made the right picks.
- With an eye toward what figures to be an active offseason for the Bobcats, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer assesses each of the players on the team's roster.
New York Notes: Carlesimo, Nets, Martin, Knicks
Here's a look at some items on the Nets and Knicks as they get set to take on the Bulls and Celtics, respectively..
- When asked what it will take in the playoffs to keep his job, Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo responded that he has "no idea", writes Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record. Carlesimo has had great success since taking over as interim coach, compiling a record of 35-19 since Avery Johnson was let go.
- In an interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post, Knicks forward Kenyon Martin had high praise for coach Mike Woodson. Martin explained that Woodson is unlike any other coach he has had and loves how he has a laid back demeanor but can also be stern when necessary. Martin will be a free agent this summer but has made it clear that he enjoys New York.
- The Knicks hope their age doesn't show as they get set for their playoff run, writes Mitch Lawrence of the Daily News.
Odds & Ends: Jackson, Wall, Hunt, Sixers
Here are a few more miscellaneous notes to pass along tonight:
- With the Nets basketball operations staff on expiring deals, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) wonders if Mikhail Prokhorov is preparing to offer Phil Jackson an offer to run the team and make his own hires.
- Wizards guard John Wall tells J. Michael of CSN Washington that he won't be one to recruit free agents, and would rather have players want to join his team.
- RealGM's Sham Charania mentions Nuggets assistant coach Melvin Hunt as someone who could draw interest from teams with head coaching vacancies (Twitter link).
- Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs outlines a list of potential coaching candidates for the 76ers, mentioning team assistant Aaron Mckie, Villanova coach Jay Wright, Michael Curry (who will be interviewed for the head coaching job), Warriors assistant Mike Malone, and Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer as names that could be considered.
- Grantland's Bill Simmons says that when Thunder GM Sam Presti was quietly shopping James Harden last October, he was quickly rebuffed after calling the Raptors to inquire about a deal involving a package centered on Jonas Valanciunas.
Phil Jackson Interested In Return To NBA
It's been nearly two years since Phil Jackson's Lakers were eliminated from the postseason by the eventual-champion Mavericks, effectively ending Jackson's coaching career. But after two seasons off, Jackson has become "increasingly interested" in working in the NBA again next season, according to Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
Stein and Shelburne clarify that Jackson may not be interested in returning in a coaching capacity, since he's more intrigued by the possibility of joining a front office and running a franchise. According to the duo's sources, Jackson is interested in the "opportunity to oversee an organization" like Pat Riley in Miami, or Larry Bird's former role with the Pacers. There was some speculation earlier in the year that if the Seattle ownership group landed the Kings, they may also pursue Jackson for a prominent front office position.
Jackson's interest in a front office role doesn't necessarily mean he has ruled out coaching opportunities. Although he told SheridanHoops.com in January that he had no intention of coaching again, that won't stop teams, such as perhaps the Nets and Cavaliers, from approaching the 11-time champion about potential vacancies this summer. A return to the Lakers, however, is highly unlikely, according to the ESPN.com report.
If no opportunties arise that Jackson views as ideal fits, remaining retired is also a possibility for the Zen Master, according to Stein and Shelburne.
Atlantic Notes: Teletovic, Nets, Carlesimo, 76ers
Here's a look at the latest out of the Atlantic..
- The Nets received more calls at the trade deadline about Mirza Teletovic than any other player, as other teams found his three-year, $9.687MM contract a bargain given his track record in Europe, reports Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Teletovic has only averaged 9.1 minutes per game this season, but he's intent on making it in the NBA and has no plans to return to Europe.
- Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo defended Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni from the criticism he's taken over Kobe Bryant's injury, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. “When you’re playing for a playoff position, and in particular you’re playing a guy that would play 48 minutes if you’d let him, I think there’s been a lot of unfair commentary directed towards Mike. The only way you get Kobe off the floor is if you pull him off the floor," said the coach.
- Julius Erving told John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter) that he wouldn't mind being involved in the vetting process for free agents for the 76ers.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.