Mutual Interest Between Tom Thibodeau, Knicks?
In his latest piece for the New York Daily News, Mitch Lawrence says there are rumors around the Bulls’ camp that Tom Thibodeau might have a deal in place to become the head coach of the Knicks next season.
Thibodeau was an assistant coach in New York from 1996-2001 and is represented by CAA, Knicks owner James Dolan’s favorite agency. Lawrence is quick to note that Thibodeau is under contract through the 2016/17 season, and a regular season transition is extremely unlikely because there would be a major tampering case that might prevent Thibodeau from returning to New York at all. Doc Rivers proved last summer that coaches under contract can be shipped to another squad for the right price, and after the season ends, Thibodeau will be a viable candidate to land a job leading the Knicks.
Lawrence hears from league sources that Thibodeau was “kept in the dark” about certain details during the development of the Luol Deng trade, namely when Deng was being shipped and where he was heading. Since Deng was one of Thibodeau’s favorite players, withholding these details surely rubbed him the wrong way. Plus, we heard last week that Thibodeau wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of rebuilding, and the Deng deal certainly indicates the Bulls are interested in changing the core of their team. It’s possible that the club might want to reshape itself and form a new identity that doesn’t include Thibodeau.
Of course, Mike Woodson would need to be fired by the Knicks before any of these rumors could come to life, and right now he’s under contract through the end of the 2014/15 season. It’s worth mentioning that Dolan spoke out and gave Woodson his full support in late November. However, no one from upper management has spoken publicly on Woodson’s job status since then, leaving some to speculate that he’s on the hot seat. These are only rumors right now, but it doesn’t seem out of the question that Thibodeau might land a job with New York sometime in the not-so-distant future.
Odds & Ends: Knicks, Nunnally, LeBron
The Knicks have been shopping J.R. Smith ever since he reacted negatively to the team’s decision to waive his brother, a source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Smith’s public and private responses to his brother’s dismissal put him in owner James Dolan’s doghouse, and evidence suggests it was Dolan who ordered Smith’s surprise benching Thursday, Isola writes. Carmelo Anthony nonetheless remains supportive of the troubled swingman, and that could be the key to Smith’s ability to stick around New York, Isola believes. While even Thursday’s win over the Heat apparently can’t stop the New York soap opera, there’s also plenty of scuttlebutt from elsewhere in the NBA:
- The Hawks are set to finalize their 10-day signing of James Nunnally on Saturday, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- LeBron James and Tom Thibodeau share mutual admiration, but the Bulls would have to OK repeated luxury tax payments and Derrick Rose would have to cede crunch-time shots for LeBron to wind up with Chicago, notes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Thibodeau indicated today that the Bulls plan to send Erik Murphy to the D-League soon, observes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link).
- Giannis Antetokounmpo would love to play with his brother, Thanasis, but he won’t pressure the Bucks to draft him this year, writes Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter links).
- Australian guard Dante Exum has been meeting with agents the past few weeks, as expected, and the projected top-five pick appears to be a “lock” to enter the draft this year, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com (on Twitter).
- There isn’t as much motivation for teams to tank as popular opinion suggests, and even when there is, the practice demonstrates a willingness to win as much as much as it does an intention to lose, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports opines in a piece for SB Nation.
Bulls Sign Cartier Martin
Three days after being released by the Hawks, Cartier Martin has found a new job. The Bulls have signed Martin to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Martin, 29, spent parts of four seasons with the Wizards prior to hooking on with the Hawks, appearing in 118 total games for Washington. In 25 contests with Atlanta this season, Martin averaged 6.6 PPG and 2.0 RPG while shooting a career-best 40.5% on three-pointers.
The Bulls had a two-week window after completing their trade of Luol Deng to add another body and increase their player count to 13, the minimum roster count allowed by the NBA. The Deng deal dipped Chicago slightly below the luxury tax, giving the team little room to add players. So unless the Bulls find another cost-cutting trade, we shouldn’t expect them to fill those last two open roster spots.
Eastern Links: Brown, Celtics, Bucks, Bulls
The Nets will look to become the second New York team in two days to knock off the Heat, when Brooklyn and Miami play at the Barclays Center tonight. While we look forward to that matchup, one of 12 games on the evening’s slate, here are a few notes from around the Eastern Conference:
- As expected, the Sixers have recalled Lorenzo Brown after a one-game stint with the Delaware 87ers, the team announced today in a press release. Philadelphia assigned Brown to the D-League yesterday, and he contributed 22 points and seven rebounds in a loss to the Texas Legends.
- In his latest mailbag for ESPNBoston.com, Chris Forsberg tackles questions on Jeff Green’s long-term fit in Boston and what sort of moves the Celtics will make next.
- The Bucks sit at the “top” of our 2013/14 NBA reverse standings, which means it’s probably time to start looking ahead to the draft rather than the playoffs. Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel does just that, examining a few potential candidates for Milwaukee if the team lands a top draft pick.
- Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com examines how the Bulls‘ decision to trade Luol Deng might affect the long-term future of Derrick Rose.
Berger On Lakers, Love, Spurs, Bulls, Miller
Last month, we heard that the Nets and Rockets discussed the idea of a trade that would have sent Deron Williams to Houston and Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik to Brooklyn. While it’s not clear how serious those talks were, or if they still had any legs at all, they’re probably “dead for good” after D-Will underwent multiple injections in his ankles, says Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Berger’s latest piece includes several other trade tidbits from around the NBA, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights….
- The Lakers are seeking an athletic power forward that would fit Mike D’Antoni‘s system, but league sources tell Berger that it’s unrealistic for the team to expect to land an impact player for Pau Gasol, whose trade value has “plummeted.”
- Rival execs are also skeptical that the Lakers would take on any long-term salary. One Eastern Conference exec even tells Berger that “everyone knows” Kevin Love wants to sign with L.A. in 2015, so if the Lakers believe they have a shot at the star forward, it’s unlikely they’d tie up their ’15 cap space and compromise their chances.
- Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group continues to work hard to try to find deals that would get two of his clients, Asik and Donatas Motiejunas, out of Houston.
- The Spurs have been “unusually aggressive” in pursuing roster upgrades via trades this season, which signals to rival executives that the team recognizes its window may be closing.
- As anticipated, J.R. Smith has generated “zero” trade interest, says Berger.
- The Bulls are receiving interest in guards Kirk Hinrich and Mike Dunleavy, according to Berger, who reiterates that the Warriors are eyeing Hinrich and the Rockets like Dunleavy.
- The Nuggets‘ talks with the Kings about Andre Miller have not gained any further traction, writes Berger. Meanwhile, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities says (via Twitter) that Denver coach Brian Shaw wants the club to land a skilled big man in any Miller deal.
- Team executives around the league are encouraged by a growing perception that new commissioner Adam Silver will be more open-minded than David Stern. Among the ideas gaining traction among front offices that could be considered by Silver: A 16-team playoff bracket that includes the league’s 16 best teams, not sorted by conference.
Odds & Ends: LeBron/Melo, J.R. Smith, Deng
Both Al Iannazzone of Newsday and Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News passed along some of LeBron James‘ comments on Carmelo Anthony with regards to free agency:
“You got to do whatever makes you happy…When you’re happy, the game of basketball is going to be fun for you. Strive to be great every day and live with whatever else happens. So we’ll see.”
Asked further if he’d recommend Anthony leave some money on the table when he signs his next contract, LeBron had this to say:
“I recommend it to me…It doesn’t work for everybody. The way I live my life don’t work for everybody. All I care about is winning. I came to Miami to win. Money didn’t make me happy. Winning made me happy, and it still does. That’s what matters to me.”
We’ve got more links to pass along out of the Association tonight, and you can find them below:
- Not surprisingly, George Karl deplored J.R. Smith‘s recent behavior, telling Michael Kay on 98.7 ESPN radio in New York that his former player is going to wake up one day and realize how much he’s wasted great opportunities because of this “mockery he brings to the game.” In spite of that, Karl added that Smith still has a “skill that championship teams need” and suggested that a team like the Heat or Spurs may be able to corral the erratic shooting guard: “There’s that possibility…I think right now that’s the position if I was J.R.’s agent [I would take]. I would be looking at a culture where there would be more peer pressure…I know San Antonio has always liked (J.R.) and I know they’ve thought about bringing him in…San Antonio doesn’t make a lot of mistakes” (Ian Begley of ESPN New York).
- Although Luol Deng‘s agent Herb Rudoy didn’t expand upon how far apart the numbers were with the Bulls regarding contract extension discussions, he mentioned Andre Iguodala‘s contract with the Warriors (four years, $48MM) as one that would be commensurate with Deng’s ability, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
- When asked about a potential return to Chicago for his client in the near future, Rudoy responded: “Never discussed…I have no idea. We didn’t talk about it.”
- Tom Haberstroh of ESPN explores the topic of whether or not Andrew Bynum would be a good fit with the Heat (Insiders only).
- Ian Begley and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York, Robert Silverman of Knickerblogger, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of TrueHoop, and Brian Windhorst of ESPN have a roundtable discussion on the Knicks and Nets‘ chances of making the playoffs, winning the Atlantic Division, getting to the second round of the playoffs, and which has the brighter future.
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune goes in-depth about how the Deng trade presents an enormous opportunity for Bulls rookie Tony Snell (Subscribers only).
Stein On Bulls, Bynum, Bledsoe, J.R. Smith
During a five-and-a-half minute interview earlier tonight, ESPN’s Marc Stein offered his thoughts on the Deng-Bynum trade, Eric Bledsoe‘s latest injury, and the latest on J.R. Smith and the Knicks (ESPN Radio link). You can find some of the highlights from the interview below.
On what the Deng-Bynum trade means for the Bulls:
“I really like this deal better for Chicago because they’ve reset themselves entirely as far as finances…nobody wants to part with first-round picks, but to be able to get a first-round pick for a guy who was headed to free agency, that’s a pretty impressive feat…when you look at what’s left over in Chicago, lets assume Derrick Rose comes back, they still have Jimmy Butler, they have Joakim Noah, they’ve got some picks coming in, they’re going to try to get Nikola Mirotic – who’s considered one of the top players in Europe…there’s still some pieces there…if they can hang onto Tom Thibodeau, they still have a good platform for a team moving forward.”
On Andrew Bynum‘s free agency prospects:
“…the issue with Bynum is I think everyone’s concerned because it’s been so long since he’s been motivated…the reality is that he’s still a very big guy who takes up a lot of space and did show enough flash in Cleveland to let you know he can still be a productive player when he’s in the mood…He wants to go to a contender and somewhere where he can (make more) than the league minimum. I know Dallas is very interested in him. Miami and the Clippers are two teams that have been mentioned, but I think in both cases there’s probably some hesitation as well…Miami already has Greg Oden there, do they really want two reclamation project centers on that team?
Doc Rivers has been very vocal this week saying that our concern is on the perimeter because we lost Chris Paul for six weeks…they’re not looking for a big man. Is that smoke screen from (Rivers)? I think we’ll find out pretty soon.”
On how Eric Bledsoe’s injury affects the Suns plans:
“It’s a crusher…there’s been all kinds of talk that Phoenix would move (one or two of their stash of future first-round picks) in order to try to get another frontline player and make a playoff push now…those plans are going to have to be revised most likely because it looks like Bledsoe (could) miss a significant amount of time.”
“…they won’t know exactly how bad (the condition) and they won’t know until the surgery takes place, but this is the first depressing downer to happen to Phoenix after a fairy-tale two months.”
On J.R. Smith and the Knicks:
“The reality is that I don’t think they’ll be able to move him. Now I would not co-sign on the notion that this is purely a Knicks ‘scare tactic’…the Knicks weren’t the ones who told me or Ian Begley that J.R. Smith was being shopped…I don’t think this was some sort of thing the Knicks strategically leaked because they’re trying to light a fire under (him)…They’re undoubtedly frustrated with him, they (feel) like it’s time for a fresh start for all parties, but the reality is that (Smith) has two more years left on his contract after this one, his production has dropped considerably, and off the cour there’s been four or five flareups already that have resulted in fines or negative headlines…the Knicks are realistic, they know that chances are they’re not going to find a trade partner for him, but they’re trying. They are trying and that is legitimate.”
Eastern Notes: Bulls, Brooks, Nets
ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell is joined by fellow ESPN writers Scoop Jackson and Doug Padilla to weigh in on a few questions surrounding the Bulls, particularly the likelihood of using the amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer, who won the Andrew Bynum–Luol Deng swap, and what the team’s next move should be.
Here are a few more miscellaneous links to share out of the Eastern Conference this evening:
- The Celtics have recalled guard MarShon Brooks from the NBDL today, the team announced via press release. Brooks had been lighting up the D-League as of late, averaging 27.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, while shooting 37.5% from long range through five games with the Maine Red Claws.
- While four games appears to be a small sample size, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes about how Jason Kidd may have found the right formula to win with the Nets by opting to utilize smaller lineups. With that being said, Brooklyn is currently riding a four-game winning streak.
- Jared Sullinger has been a starter for the majority of the 2013/14 season, though he began Wednesday night’s game against the Clippers as a reserve because of Kris Humphries‘ standout performance recently. Sullinger doesn’t have an issue with his role change, telling Mark Murphy of BostonHerald.com: “That’s absolutely fine with me…(head coach Brad Stevens) said there may be times when they change things with me coming off the bench.”
- Knicks head coach Mike Woodson wants to move past the topic of J.R. Smith‘s disciplinary issues, telling the media before tonight’s game against the Heat: “I’m not addressing anything else with JR. Just not gonna do it” (Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv via Twitter). During a local radio interview with ESPN yesterday, Woodson was critical of Smith’s recent on-court antics, which earned the nine-year-veteran a $50K fine from the league for “recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct” (Ian Begley of ESPN New York).
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports takes an in-depth look at the Cavaliers’ newest All-Star acquisition, Luol Deng.
Deng’s Agent On Bulls’ Offer, Cavs Negotiations
Luol Deng‘s agent, Herb Rudoy, believes the Bulls purposely low-balled his client with their take-it-or-leave-it extension offer. Rudoy tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Bulls likely knew Deng would turn down the offer, which gave the team a motive to trade him.
“I think the purpose of it was for us to say no,” Rudoy said of the offer. “They probably had some deal in the process already. That was the purpose — to make an offer that we absolutely would turn down without question, and then get into their trade process. Again, that’s fine.”
Deng told the Chicago Tribune yesterday that he was upset about a report suggesting he had been seeking $15MM annually from the Bulls, since his asking price wasn’t that high. Rudoy backed up those comments, admitting that he likely would’ve been seeking “a lot of money” for the free-agent-to-be, but telling Cowley that he never got the opportunity to get into specific figures.
“We never asked for anything,” Rudoy said. “Let me make that clear. We talked with them just before the start of the season, and we were told they weren’t interested in doing an extension, which was fine with us. Then I got a call this past weekend from [Bulls GM] Gar [Forman] giving me a three-year offer, and one he said was non-negotiable. It was their final offer, take it or leave it, and Lu decided to not accept it. I was never given an opportunity to propose a dollar figure. Never once. Never had that discussion.”
GM Chris Grant and the Cavaliers have already expressed a desire to keep Deng in Cleveland on a new contract, and while Deng said he hopes there’s a long-term future for him with the Cavs, he declined to comment on the prospect of extension talks. According to Rudoy, it’s still a little too early in the process to start negotiating an extension with Deng’s new club.
“Today was the first day of the rest of his life, so that wasn’t discussed,” Rudoy said. “We met the owners, they’re terrific guys. They’re like Jerry Reinsdorf, who was very good to [Deng] all his years in Chicago. I met with them just to say hello, and at some point there will be a discussion about [an extension]. But there have been no discussions at all.”
Deng, who is earning about $14.28MM this season, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he doesn’t sign an extension by then. The Cavs are allowed to extend his contract by three more years if the two sides reach an agreement before July, whereas the team could sign him to a five-year deal in free agency. Rival suitors could offer Deng up to four years.
Rockets To Target Mike Dunleavy?
The Rockets have interest in acquiring Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy, reveals USA Today’s Sam Amick. According to Amick, Houston GM Daryl Morey is interested in pushing his team to the elite level, and he believes acquiring Dunleavy will help bolster the team’s depth off the bench and provide relief for star guard James Harden.
Dunleavy is earning a modest $6MM over the next two seasons and is held in high regard by the Bulls front office, so it’ll be difficult to pry the three point specialist away from Chicago GM Gar Forman. Amick hears that the Rockets have yet to inquire about a possible deal, but apparently Dunleavy is “high on their wishlist.” So far this season, Dunleavy has averaged 10.7 points per night in 28.7 minutes.
Amick also hears the Rockets are likely to keep Omer Asik past the trade deadline. Earlier this season, Houston set a self-imposed deadline to move the disgruntled center by December 19th. The Rockets couldn’t find a way to put together a deal to their liking with another club, and they eventually wound up retaining him. However, Amick says this deal is unrelated to any potential Asik moves. Instead, the desire to acquire the veteran forward proves that Morey wants to push his team to the next level, and apparently he sees a potential Dunleavy acquisition as the first step in doing so.