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Draft Rumors: Harris, Young, Robinson, Smart

May 23rd, 2014 at 2:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

NBA executives are gathered in Southern California for a series of workouts involving draft hopefuls, and Chad Ford of ESPN.com passes along some intel in an Insider-only piece. Gary Harris has used hot shooting to impress and he’s a likely top-10 pick, Ford believes. He’ll work out for the Celtics and Bulls. among other teams, according to Ford. James Young is drawing interest from a slew of teams, including the Hornets, Sixers, Nuggets, Magic, Timberwolves and Suns, while many clubs are high on Glenn Robinson III after he performed well in a workout for the Bulls this past Monday, Ford writes. Here’s more on the draft:

  • Marcus Smart has workouts scheduled with the Magic and Celtics, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
  • Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times adds the Nuggets to the list of teams that interviewed Aaron Gordon at last week’s draft combine in Chicago.
  • The Clippers, Pacers, Pistons and Wizards are among the clubs interested in Virginia swingman Joe Harris, Woelfel writes in the same piece, reiterating that the Bucks are eyeing him, too. Harris spoke to Zach Links of Hoops Rumors recently for our Prospect Profile series.
  • Chane Behanan will work out for the Mavs next month, Goodman also tweets.
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Amico’s Latest: Cavs, Deng, Waiters, Thompson

May 23rd, 2014 at 8:38am CST by Chuck Myron

There might be more storylines surrounding the Cavs than any other team in the NBA. A third No. 1 overall pick in four years, a coaching search, tons of cap flexibility and the lingering specter of a LeBron James return figure to fill up our Cavs rumors page all summer long. We passed along some news about the Cleveland’s plans for the top draft pick from Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio last night, and he has plenty more on the team in his latest dispatch. We’ll run down the highlights here:

  • The Cavs will likely explore sign-and-trade possibilities for Luol Deng, Amico writes. Deng has given indications that he doesn’t want to re-sign with Cleveland, and the Cavs can still execute a sign-and-trade even if they renounce his Bird rights to clear cap space.
  • Teams around the league have interest in Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson, Amico writes. It’s nonetheless unclear how willing the team is to trade either of them.
  • The Cavs don’t appear to be ruling out a trade of Anderson Varejao, Amico suggests.
  • GM David Griffin has reportedly been planning a strong push to retain Spencer Hawes, but Amico hears the team is having second thoughts about the center.
  • The coaching search remains “in the very early stages,” Amico writes, but Tom Izzo isn’t a possibility, in spite of Cleveland’s reported pursuit, and John Calipari is highly unlikely to end up in the job, according to the Fox Sports Ohio scribe.
  • Bulls assistant coach Adrian Griffin remains a legitimate candidate for the Cavs head coaching position, but Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry, whom the Cavs want to interview, would have to dazzle owner Dan Gilbert to be hired, sources tell Amico.
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Latest On Grizzlies, Wolves, Dave Joerger

May 22nd, 2014 at 10:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:41pm: Mitchell has indeed interviewed for the T’Wolves head coaching job, notes Wojnarowski, though Joerger is still on track to sit down with Taylor this weekend in what could be a precursor to his hiring.

6:08pm: Sam Mitchell will be in the mix to join Joerger’s coaching staff if the latter becomes Minnesota’s next head coach, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, who also points out that Joerger and Mitchell are both represented by Warren Legarie (Twitter links).

5:30pm: Joerger’s meeting with Taylor could ultimately clear the way for him to become Minnesota’s next head coach, and the Grizzlies are likely to ask for a second-round pick in exchange for letting Joerger out of his contract, reports Wojnarowski.

3:22pm: Joerger met with Saunders today and will see Taylor this weekend, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

3:09pm: The Grizzlies have made no formal contact with any potential replacement for Joerger, reports Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal in a subscription-only piece. Tillery seconds Vernon’s report about the team’s interest in Karl, Van Gundy and Gentry, and writes that while the team hasn’t completely ruled out a reunion with Hollins, it’s still unlikely. A report this week indicated that the team would pursue Tom Thibodeau, but that’s off-base, according to Tillery.

2:50pm: Taylor likes Mitchell, but the Wolves owner won’t stand in the way if Saunders decides to hire Joerger, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, who hears that a formal announcement about Minnesota’s coaching vacancy isn’t likely to come today.

2:16pm: The Wolves are prepared to wait and see if the Grizzlies fire Joerger rather than give up too much in compensation while he’s still under contract with Memphis, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter).

11:23am: The Grizzlies haven’t spoken with Hollins about a return to Memphis, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.

11:07am: Spears clarifies that Hollins and Mitchell remain in the mix for the Minnesota job, but it appears the Wolves don’t necessarily have interviews scheduled for them, as they reportedly do with Joerger (Twitter link).

10:59am: The Wolves are likely to interview Mitchell and Lionel Hollins in addition to Joerger, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

10:47am: The Wolves have made “significant progress” toward hiring Joerger, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

THURSDAY, 8:36am: It is believed the Timberwolves will offer their head coaching job to Joerger, according to Tillery, even though The Commercial Appeal scribe notes Taylor’s reported preference for Mitchell (subscription-only link).

WEDNESDAY, 3:32pm: The Grizzlies would consider George Karl, Jeff Van Gundy and Alvin Gentry if they part ways with Joerger, reports Chris Vernon of 92.9 FM ESPN in Memphis, who seconds an earlier report that the team will not pursue Eric Musselman (Twitter links). 

3:21pm: The Wolves are set to interview Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger for their coaching vacancy Thursday, but Minnesota owner Glen Taylor prefers Sam Mitchell to Joerger, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who writes in a subscription-only piece. Joerger, a Minnesota native, is close with Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders, who wants to hire a young coach, Tillery says.

The Grizzlies will allow Joerger to continue as their coach if he fails to land the Wolves job provided he can repair his relationships with the Memphis players, Tillery adds. Grizzlies brass views Joerger as a “Jason Levien guy,” as Tillery puts it, referring to the ousted Memphis CEO. Levien denied Minnesota’s request to interview Joerger last week, but Grizzlies owner Robert Pera gave the Wolves the OK to meet with the coach after firing Levien on Monday.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace remarked to Tillery that the matter of Joerger’s interview with Minnesota is a “very unique situation” that’s in a “preliminary stage.” Still, a source suggests to Tillery that where the coach ends up will ultimately hinge on how much Memphis demands from the Wolves in compensation for letting Joerger out of his contract, which still has two seasons left on it. Earlier reports indicated that the compensation wouldn’t be a stumbling block and that the Grizzlies are prepared to facilitate a deal, but it sounds like Memphis won’t let the Wolves off too easy if they decide on Joerger instead of Mitchell.

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And-Ones: LeBron, Love, Garnett, Donovan

May 22nd, 2014 at 2:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

People around the league told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal that didn’t think the Cavs had any shot at re-signing LeBron James going into Tuesday’s draft lottery, but Cleveland’s third lottery victory in four years casts the idea in a new light, Lloyd figures. The Cavs have long believed that acquiring Kevin Love would be central to the team’s pursuit of the four-time MVP, and they thought all season that the Wolves would eventually trade their power forward. Still, Lloyd has heard from no one who believes that Love would stay in Cleveland long-term if the team can’t land James, so trading for Love before knowing what James wants to do would be a supreme gamble. There’s more on the Love sweepstakes amid the latest from around the NBA:

  • The Warriors are confident they can wind up with Love, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle hears. Love is reportedly high on Golden State, and the team has been resourceful in acquiring players in spite of a lack of cap flexibility, Simmons notes.
  • Next season’s $12MM salary and a productive stretch run lead Tim Bontemps of the New York Post to believe that Kevin Garnett will return next season for the Nets, even though he hasn’t dismissed talk of retirement.
  • Billy Donovan admitted contact with a couple of NBA teams, but he said he’s content as the coach at the University of Florida and “all but guaranteed” he’ll remain there for next season, observes Mark Long of The Associated Press (Twitter links; hat tip to Marc Stein of ESPN.com). The Wolves reportedly sought him for their vacancy earlier this spring.
  • The Warriors were one of five teams that reached out to Steve Kerr about their coaching vacancies, as Kerr said on ESPN Radio’s The Dan Le Batard show, tweets Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. The Knicks and Jazz were his other known suitors.
  • Draft hopeful Andre Dawkins will work out for the Bulls, Suns, Hornets, Pacers, Pistons and Mavericks, his agent tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Dawkins is No. 92 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com doesn’t have him among his top prospects.
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Western Notes: Wolves, Fournier, Warriors

May 21st, 2014 at 9:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor says the team doesn’t intend to trade Kevin Love, reports Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Actually, I haven’t had any offers. I’m waiting!” GM Milt Newton joked. According to the article, Newton also said that now that the draft lottery was completed it would accelerate the team’s search for a new head coach.

More from the west:

  • Former NBA coach Scott Skiles has not been contacted by the Timberwolves for their coaching vacancy, writes Greder in a separate article. Skiles has a lifetime 443-433 record and six playoff appearances across tenures with the Suns, Bulls and Bucks.
  • Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post takes a look back at the season that Nuggets shooting guard Evan Fournier had and what the player needs to work on this summer. In 76 games, Fournier averaged 8.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 1.5 APG in 19.5 minutes per night.
  • New Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is impressed with Michigan guard Nik Stauskus, tweets Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. Golden State doesn’t currently hold any picks in this draft, and Stauskus is projected as a late lottery pick.
  • With the Lakers coveting a top-three draft pick and instead ending up with the seventh overall pick, this puts the team in a difficult position as to whether or not they should trade the pick or retain it, writes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report.

 

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Draft Notes: Minimum Age, McDermott, Bulls

May 20th, 2014 at 6:16pm CST by Alex Lee

We’re less than an hour from the 2014 NBA Draft Lottery, where, if you buy into the hype, the fate of a handful of the league’s more unfortunate franchises hangs in the balance. This morning, our Chuck Myron outlined the odds each participant has of landing a top-three pick. Beyond that, the ping pong balls will also dictate the destination for some of the draft’s conditional selections, as listed in our reverse standings.

Let’s take a look at some other NBA draft-related notes leading up to tonight’s festivities in New York City:

  • Speaking to the press before the lottery, Adam Silver reiterated his preference to raise the age limit of draft-eligible players from 19 to 20, tweets Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Silver added that the NCAA must be involved in the discussions, citing an improving relationship with NCAA front man Mark Emmert, tweets Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
  • Silver met with seven of the draft’s top players before the lottery tonight and expects this class to be a bit more meaningful to him, tweets Moore. “This class has a special place in my heart. It’ll be my first as commissioner,” Silver said.
  • Creighton’s Doug McDermott expected to meet with the Cavaliers in Chicago during last week’s NBA Draft Combine but ultimately did not, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer. The sharpshooter does expect to work out in the near future for Cleveland, who will hold the ninth pick unless they get lucky tonight.
  • Although the Bulls will be armed with two first round picks in June’s draft, they are unlikely to use both selections themselves and are a good bet to be active between now and then, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
  • Jonathan Givony of Draft Express published his latest mock draft which, although it is bound to change depending tonight’s results, is complete with new and improved formatting and features.
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Grizzlies Eyeing Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau?

May 19th, 2014 at 3:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the Grizzlies announced that they have parted ways with CEO Jason Levien and assistant GM Stu Lash.  Reportedly, the shakeup may not stop there.

The futures of coach Dave Joerger and exec John Hollinger are also up in the air.  Sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com that owner Robert Pera expressed internal dismay with Joerger early in the season and contemplated firing him before the Grizzlies steadied themselves.  The Grizzlies announced that longtime team executive Chris Wallace has been re-installed as head of basketball operations “for the time being,” but Stein hears that Grizzlies general counsel Dave Mincberg will take a more prominent role in the team’s decision-making going forward.

Geoff Calkins of the Commercial Appeal (on Twitter) spoke with Wallace who told him that Joerger is and will remain the coach.  However, Bill Simmons of ESPN (on Twitter) hears that if the Grizzlies totally clean house, Pera will look to work out a trade with the Bulls for Tom Thibodeau and give him a role similar to what Stan Van Gundy now has with the Pistons.  If the Bulls traded Thibodeau, they would turn around and hire Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg as their next head coach, Simmons tweets.  By dealing Thibs, the Bulls can add extra assets that can help them in the chase for Wolves star Kevin Love.

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Eastern Notes: Bulls, Bobcats, Pistons

May 18th, 2014 at 10:00am CST by Eddie Scarito

Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times thinks Lance Stephenson or Thabo Sefolosha would be good backup targets for the Bulls if Chicago makes a failed attempt at signing Carmelo Anthony in free agency.

More from the east:

  • The Bobcats could have two first-round draft choices this summer. They own the Trail Blazers pick at number 24, and if the Pistons pick falls outside of the top eight it goes to Charlotte as well. Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer looks at who the team might select with their picks.
  • The Pistons are looking at players who can shoot three-pointers in the draft, notes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Two players on their radar are Doug McDermott and Nik Stauskas, according to Ellis.
  • Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com examines the possibility of Mark Jackson coaching the Knicks.
  • Despite all the focus on the upcoming NBA Draft, Celtics GM Danny Ainge still thinks the team’s biggest focus will be on improving the existing players on their roster, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald.
  • Time will tell if Stan Van Gundy and Pistons owner Tom Gores can co-exist, writes Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. The article examines the personality differences between the two men and how it may affect their relationship.
  • The biggest impediment in the Cavaliers coaching search might be owner Dan Gilbert‘s reputation, writes Mitch Lawrence of The New York Daily News. Gilbert is known as a non-stop screamer and the very definition of a hands-on owner, and that was one of the primary reasons that Kevin Ollie denied interest in the position, notes Lawrence.
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And-Ones: Aldridge, Assistants, Cavs

May 17th, 2014 at 1:41pm CST by Cray Allred

Clippers players told reporters, including Dan Woike of The Orange County Register, that they’re unsure what they would do if Donald Sterling isn’t removed from ownership by next season. Still, they expressed hope that the issue will be resolved sooner rather than later. “It appears that this will be a long process. Things will be in flux for a while,” J.J. Redick said. “I can’t imagine a scenario where we start the season next year and he’s the owner and all is kosher.” Here’s more from around the league:

  • The players union won’t demand a timetable on Sterling’s ouster as long as the league is acting “in good faith” on its promise to remove the Clippers owner, acting union executive director Ron Klempner told reporters, including Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link).
  • Extending LaMarcus Aldridge is the Blazers’ first priority moving forward, as Portland GM Neil Olshey tells Erik Gundersen of The Columbian (Twitter link).
  • Bobcats assistant coach Bob Beyer is a strong candidate to become Stan Van Gundy‘s top assistant on the Pistons bench, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
  • Andy Greer and Nick Nurse are possibilities to become Steve Kerr‘s assistant coaches with the Warriors, per another Wojnarowski tweet. Greer and Nurse are currently on staff as assistants with the Bulls and Raptors, respectively.
  • Mark Jackson won’t be a serious candidate for the Cavs head coaching job, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com hears.
  • James Posey could be an assistant coaching candidate for the Cavs, Pluto writes. Posey has been an assistant with Cleveland’s D-League affiliate, and GM David Griffin holds him in high regard.
  • Pluto adds that Griffin would love to find a shooter in the draft, and mentions Doug McDermott, Nik Stauskas, and Rodney Hood as intriguing prospects where the Cavs will be drafting.
  • In a series of tweets, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News casts doubt on an earlier report that Phil Jackson had “low balled” Kerr. Isola insinuates that if the Knicks played “hardball” with Jackson’s only coaching target, it would have been a result of ownership’s influence, not Jackson’s.
  • In another tweet, Isola relays an accusation from a person involved in the Kerr talks that Knicks owner James Dolan “sabotaged” the negotiations.
  • Chris Mannix of SI.com weighed in with a tweet of his own, agreeing with Isola that a tough negotiation strategy would have come from Knicks ownership, not Jackson.
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Draft Notes: Smart, Adams, Vonleh, Gordon

May 16th, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Marcus Smart doesn’t regret returning to college for his sophomore season, writes Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Smart said, “The reason I came back is my freshman year was the first time I played point guard. I wanted to embrace that role and become a better point guard, learn the position before I take my talents to the NBA where guys have been playing that role their whole life.“

More on the draft:

    • Two big winners of the Draft combine so far are Noah Vonleh and Aaron Gordon, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
    • Teams need to remember Doug McDermott‘s statistics when observing him at the combine, writes Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. McDermott doesn’t have the type of measurements or athletic ability that jumps out scouts in combine settings, notes Brigham.
    • Marc D’Amico of NBA.com breaks down some of the best individual draft combine numbers of the day.
    • The Bulls are looking for shooters in this year’s NBA Draft, reports K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Two names being mentioned in connection with the team are McDermott and Rodney Hood, per the article.
    • Thanasis Antetokounmpo interviewed with the Nets, Pacers, Pelicans, Wizards, Bobcats, Cavaliers, and Knicks while at the combine, tweets Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
    • Patric Young interviewed with the Knicks, Pelicans, and Grizzlies, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. On speaking with Phil Jackson, Young said, “He didn’t say much the first 20 minutes. He was just being calm and being himself. He would eat some chips while everyone else was asking questions. Then he popped in a question every now and then and made some comments. But it was good. It was great. They seemed to really like me and be really intrigued by me as a person.”
    • UCLA guards Zach LaVine and Jordan Adams did enough athletically at the combine to improve their draft stocks, writes Michael O’Brien of The Chicago Sun-Times.
    • The key to the Lakers offseason will be the draft lottery, writes Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. GM Mitch Kupchak said the team wouldn’t base their lottery selection by positional need, but rather the best overall player, notes Oram. Kupchak also said, “When you only have four or five guys on your roster, you really need seven to eight players, so we need to bring in players at every position really.”
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