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NBA Finals Notes: Warriors Centers, Williams, Kerr

June 4th, 2017 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

After being forced to unload Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli to create enough cap room to sign Kevin Durant, the Warriors were able to put together a competent center rotation for $4.9MM, writes Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated. Golden State devoted seven roster spots to the center position after adding Durant, with Zaza Pachulia, David West and JaVale McGee earning most of the playing time. All three signed one-year deals last offseason and will be free agents again this summer, as will James Michael McAdoo, who also saw playing time in Game 1.

There’s more this morning from the NBA Finals:

  • After six seasons of bouncing around the league on bad teams, Derrick Williams is enjoying his chance to play for a championship, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. The No. 2 pick in the 2011 draft, Williams spent a little more than two seasons with the Timberwolves before being traded to the Kings. He played for the Knicks in 2015/16, then signed with the Heat last summer. He joined the Cavaliers after being waived in February. “That’s the thing, you’re learning from other greats, All-Stars on this team,” said Williams, who turned 26 last week. “The difference between this organization and others I’ve played in is we know which direction we’re going in. We know what the goal is each and every year, coming back individually better, playing together as a team, getting better as a team.”
  • Even with their convincing win in the opener, the Warriors miss having Steve Kerr on their bench, writes Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. Kerr, who is dealing with chronic pain from back surgery in 2015, is considering a return for tonight’s Game 2. “We miss his voice, obviously,” Klay Thompson said. “His knowledge of the game is incredible. Just his demeanour — he has such a calming demeanour. No moment is too big for him. And he just knows how to keep us in line, keep us focused. So does [interim coach] Mike Brown. Mike is doing a great job. But we definitely miss Steve.”
  • Adam Silver talked about the need for parity when he took over as commissioner, but he is presiding over his third straight Cavaliers-Warriors Finals matchup, notes Paul Flannery of SB Nation. It’s also the seventh straight year that LeBron James has been in the Finals, which raises questions about the NBA’s long-term popularity if it remains dominated by a few teams. “From a league standpoint, you always want to see great competition,” Silver said. “It’s what our fans want to see. It’s what we provide in this league. But having said that, this is real life. It’s not scripted, and it happens. So, sure, the fan in me would love to see more competition at times, but on the other hand, I’ve said it before, I think we should also celebrate excellence.”
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Atlantic Notes: Ball, Sixers, Rubio, Knicks

June 3rd, 2017 at 2:57pm CST by Joshua Fischman

76ers adviser Jerry Colangelo said Friday that the people surrounding Lonzo Ball present challenges for teams heading into the draft, per ESPN.com. However, Colangelo is still high on Ball, the player:

“I think Ball is a terrific prospect and could have an outstanding NBA future,” Colangelo told the Carlin and Reese radio show on 94 WIP. “I think it’s going to be challenging with the people around him, without being specific. And yet, I don’t think teams should bypass the player because they have those concerns. At the end of the day, what wins in this league is talent, and this is a very talented young man.”

Here are some other choice tidbits from the Atlantic division:

  • In an interesting must-read column, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com argues that the 76ers should emulate the 2013/14 Cavaliers.
  • The Sixers have parted ways with their director of applied analytics, Lance Pearson, writes Keith Pompey of Philly.com. The holdover from Sam Hinkie‘s staff had worked for the team for the past four seasons.
  • Ian Begley of ESPN.com is reporting that some members of the Knicks organization remain interested in pursuing a trade for Ricky Rubio.
  • Melo Trimble will work out for the 76ers on Monday, reports Keith Pompey of Philly.com.
  • Jonathan Isaac recently worked out for the Celtics against Louisiana Tech forward Erik McCree, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reported Friday (link via Twitter).
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Central Notes: D. Griffin, Pistons, Pacers, Clarkson, Butler

June 3rd, 2017 at 1:46pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Cavaliers GM David Griffin faces an uncertain future, writes Joe Drape of The New York Times in a well-written piece detailing the executive’s background, approach, and accomplishments. Griffin’s contract with the Cavs expires at the end of this month and, as Drape states, “[Dan] Gilbert is a hands-on owner who has a history of letting player and executive contracts run out before going to the negotiating table.”

Since being named the Cavs’ GM in May 2014, Griffin has lured LeBron James back to the team, traded for Kevin Love, acquired many vital role players, fired David Blatt as head coach, hired Tyronn Lue to replace him, and most importantly brought a championship to Cleveland. For all the recent interest in Griffin, the general manager wishes to maintain a low profile, text messaging regarding comment on the story: “I really appreciate the opportunity to reconsider but I am trying desperately to keep a low profile and my quotes being in something about me just makes me uncomfortable. Ownership wouldn’t appreciate either, I am sure.”

Here are some other stories you’ll want to check out from the Central division:

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Cavaliers Notes: Williams, James, Griffin

June 1st, 2017 at 9:20pm CST by ChrisCrouse

After spending most of his career as a No. 1 option, Deron Williams has taken a reduced role on the Cavaliers. It’s been an adjustment, but one that he’s willing to take on because of his teammates, as Fred Kerber of the New York Post passes along. 

“You’re playing with the best player in the world, arguably the best point guard in the game [Kyrie Irving],” Williams said. “Superstars. It’s a team that was already established. They won it last year, so for me it was an adjustment. It was an adjustment coming over here [after being waived by the Mavericks in February] and learning to play where I did not have the ball in my hands for the whole game, didn’t know if I was going to play 20 minutes or 10 or 15. But after settling in and knowing what they need, it’s become easier.”

Here’s more from Cleveland as the franchise looks to repeat:

  • Most people within the Cavaliers‘ organization feel that GM David Griffin will return to the team next season, Sam Amico of Amico Hoops writes. Milwaukee has interest in adding Griffin to the same role, but Cleveland won’t allow him to interview until its season is over.
  • Irving knows LeBron James will be the clear leader of the Cavaliers while LBJ remains in his prime and he’s willing to wait for his turn to take over the team, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com relays. “Whenever that time comes and it’s my time to be the leader of the franchise, then I’ll be well-prepared. But for now, I’m cool with just being — I’m very, very cool with being — a great guy on a great team,” the point guard said.
  • James and Irving have a special bond and James believes the two of them will never end up like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal—players who squabbled over roles and egos—McMenamin adds in the same piece. “He’s 25. He’s got at least 10 more years. I don’t. So I want to give him the blueprint and see what he [can] do with it,” James said. “You know, no matter if we’re teammates for the rest of his career or for the rest of my career, listen, it won’t be because we didn’t want to play with each other no more. It will never be that.”
  • Five of the players on the Cavaliers‘ roster were acquired via trade, The Vertical’s Bobby Marks notes in a piece that examines how each player came to the organization. Kevin Love, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, Channing Frye and Kyle Korver all arrived in Cleveland in deals from other teams.
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Poll: Which Team Will Win NBA Finals?

June 1st, 2017 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

After a week without basketball, the Cavaliers and Warriors will square off tonight in Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals. While the lengthy layoff between the end of the Conference Finals and the start of this series provided plenty of opportunity to hype up these Finals, that hype is warranted.

This will be the third straight season that the Warriors and Cavaliers have met in the Finals. The two teams are a combined 24-1 in the postseason so far, and the series features seven 2017 All-Stars and three former MVPs. In spite of the Warriors’ dominance this season and in the playoffs so far, the Cavs appear capable of giving them all they can handle.

So which teams takes home the 2017 championship? Place your vote below!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

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Warriors Notes: Kerr, Brown, Irving, Luxury Tax

May 31st, 2017 at 8:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Steve Kerr hasn’t decided if he will try to coach the Warriors during the NBA Finals, according to Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News. Kerr’s physical condition has improved since he took a leave of absence from the team midway through the first round of the playoffs. He was able to run practice Monday and Tuesday and handled the coach’s media session Monday. However, he is still well short of being 100% and is being cautious about returning to the team in such an important situation.

There’s more Warriors news on the eve of the NBA Finals:

  • Kerr states in the same interview that he definitely plans to coach again next season. He remains optimistic about his long-term physical condition and has no plans to step aside. “You know, it’s a little trickier, since this has been going on,” Kerr explained. “I sort of assumed all last year that by the summer I’d get this thing knocked out. It’s been kind of a mystery and that’s what so frustrating. But I have every intention to coach for a long time. It’s scary stuff and still hoping for a better resolution to it.”
  • Interim coach Mike Brown doesn’t view this series as a shot at revenge, even though the Cavaliers fired him twice, relays Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Brown served as head coach in Cleveland for five seasons before being let go in 2010. He was rehired in 2013, but was fired again after just one season, reportedly with $12MM in guaranteed money left on his contract. Despite his history, Brown said he has no ill feelings toward owner Dan Gilbert or the city of Cleveland. “My son goes to school back there, I still have a house back there, I have fond memories back there,” Brown said at today’s “media day” at Oracle Arena. “And went back there a second time with a good buddy of mine, [former Cavs GM] Chris Grant, and saw them put this plan into motion that is going on now.”
  • Kyrie Irving regrets the rocky relationship he had with Brown when they were together for his rookie season, relays Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Irving called it a “learning experience,” as things got so bad that Brown recommended that the front office try to trade Irving. “I understand that things happen in this league sometimes, whether controlled or uncontrolled,” Irving said. “I was a 21-year-old kid, just trying to lead a franchise, and he was a new head coach that I had to get introduced to a new offense, new players, as well as new system.”
  • Once Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are re-signed this summer, the Warriors will be headed for uncharted territory in their salary and luxury tax bills, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Golden State could wind up paying more in tax penalties than salary for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, and the total could be more than $600MM over the two years.
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Shumpert, Smith: Carmelo Wants To Stay In New York

May 31st, 2017 at 7:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

Trading Carmelo Anthony out of New York may not be as easy as team president Phil Jackson is hoping, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.

Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith, two of Anthony’s friends and former teammates, believe he wants to remain with the Knicks and will use his no-trade clause to veto any deal.

“Sometimes you feel like it’s just unfinished business, and I feel like that’s what it is with Melo,” Shumpert said, referring to the Knicks’ 31-51 season. “He don’t want to leave on that note.”

Smith noted how hard Anthony worked to get to New York, forcing the Nuggets’ hands in a 2011 deal so he could be part of the league’s biggest market.

“He does want to stay in New York. He made the effort to get to New York,” Smith said. “Granted, it hasn’t gone as well as he hoped it would. But I’m sure that’s where he wants to be.”

Anthony will make more than $26.2MM next season and has an early termination option for his nearly $28MM salary in 2018/19. Jackson would like to get those figures off the Knicks’ salary cap, and contacted the Clippers, Cavaliers and Celtics before February’s deadline in an attempt to work out a trade.

Any team that does deal for Anthony would have to absorb his 15% trade kicker, which would bring his total cap hit to about $30MM.Anthony hasn’t made any public appearances since the season ended, Bondy notes, apart from a single workout session. He has also stopped posting on social media since mid-April.

While Anthony has chosen silence, Jackson has remained persistent about his desire to find a taker for his star. He began with a postseason press conference in which he stated that Anthony would be “better off somewhere else,” then repeated those sentiments to the media at the draft combine.

“I don’t think [Jackson] should’ve been so vocal about [wanting to trade Anthony],” Shumpert said. “That’s just me. I think a lot of stuff is better if everybody just assumes what’s going on and they don’t really know what’s going on. I didn’t like that it was publicized, but what am I going to do? He said some stuff about me too.

“I know it’s not going to bother Melo’s jumpshot next season. Melo is going to continue to work and get better, and continue to try to win. That’s all he can do.”

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Bucks Receive Permission To Interview GM Candidates

May 31st, 2017 at 12:06pm CST by Luke Adams

12:06pm: ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links) provides an additional update on the Bucks’ GM search, noting that there’s still one GM candidate that the team hasn’t been given permission to interview. As was the case when Atlanta and Orlando expressed interest, the Cavs still aren’t granting permission to speak to David Griffin during the playoffs.

We heard last week that Cavaliers GM David Griffin, a popular target this spring for teams seeking a top basketball exec, is among the names on Milwaukee’s wish list.

11:35am: With John Hammond headed to Orlando, the Bucks’ search for a new general manager is underway. And according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, Milwaukee has requested and received permission to speak to a handful of candidates about the open position.

The Bucks are eyeing Pacers president of basketball operations Peter Dinwiddie, Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas, Grizzlies VP of player personnel Ed Stefanski, and Hawks advisor Wes Wilcox, league sources inform Wojnarowski. Each of those four clubs has given Milwaukee permission to interview their respective execs.

According to Wojnarowski, Dinwiddie and Karnisovas have become two of the NBA’s “most respected” young executives. Wilcox and Stefanski are veteran execs — Wilcox was recently removed from Atlanta’s GM role, while Stefanski has a history with Bucks consultant Rod Thorn, having worked with him in New Jersey.

Although assistant GM Justin Zanik is currently running day-to-day operations for the Bucks, and is said to be a strong candidate to replace Hammond in the permanent GM role, the team is reportedly conducting a “broad” search for its new head of basketball operations.

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Thompson A Key Piece For Cavs; LeBron Interested In Ownership

May 30th, 2017 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams
  • Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson is by no means a prolific scorer, but he has developed into a key rotation piece for the club due to his ability to rebounding and defensive ability, as well as his high motor. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com takes a closer look at Thompson, providing a handful of interesting tidbits on the big man’s history with the Cavs, who considered taking Jonas Valanciunas over him in 2011.
  • Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson is by no means a prolific scorer, but he has developed into a key rotation piece for the club due to his ability to rebounding and defensive ability, as well as his high motor. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com takes a closer look at Thompson, providing a handful of interesting tidbits on the big man’s history with the Cavs, who considered taking Jonas Valanciunas over him in 2011.
  • LeBron James will be the subject of countless Michael Jordan comparisons by the time he retires, and those comparisons may eventually extend to endeavors beyond his playing career. As Ken Berger of Bleacher Report writes, the Cavaliers star has interested in being part of an NBA team ownership group down the road. Jordan, of course, is currently the principal owner of the Hornets.
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Cavaliers Notes: James, Durant, Lue, Blatt

May 28th, 2017 at 10:48pm CST by marksuleymanov

Kevin Durant, much like any other young player, sought out LeBron James for advice in the early part of his career. Now, both men will now face each for a second time in the NBA Finals starting next week when the Cavaliers and Warriors begin their series. Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal writes that James is fully prepared to take on Durant and company.

Recalling his past days and workouts with Durant, James understands that the former NBA Most Valuable Player is one of the elite talents in the game.

“I think it reaches a point where that guy thinks he’s good enough where he doesn’t want to talk to me,” James said to reporters, including Ridneour after practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts on Saturday. “I always have an open-door policy. When those guys get comfortable and they feel like they got enough of the blueprint, they’re like, ‘OK, I got enough, I’m done with you.’ ”

Durant made headlines this past offseason when he departed Oklahoma City to create a super team in Golden State. Durant joined Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, forming a foursome of talent that is four wins away from capturing a championship.

“He’s one of the most dangerous guys we have in the world already,” James said. “So it makes it even more dangerous when you equip that talent, that skill, with those guys.”

The series kicks off on Thursday evening in Oakland as the Warriors host the Cavaliers for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

  • The Cavaliers are also just four wins away from a title, which would mean back-to-back championships for Cleveland. George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal writes that coach Tyronn Lue‘s demeanor has helped the team in its chase for gold.“I just think it’s just his level of calmness no matter what’s going on,” James said. “He always talks about, at the end of the day, he’s already won in life so whatever else happens after this is extra credit.”
  • Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt has  reportedly left his role as head coach of Darussafaka Dogus in Turkey but is drawing interest from other EuroLeague teams, according to Sportando. Maccabi Tel Aviv — where Blatt has already coached — and Barcelona were reportedly in Istanbul to discuss their coaching vacancies. Blatt led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2014/15 but was fired midway through last season in favor of Lue.
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