Eastern Notes: Young, Jackson, Thompson
Sixers coach Brett Brown and GM Sam Hinkie have publicly expressed their desires to make Thaddeus Young feel as comfortable in his current situation as he can be, writes Christopher A. Vito of the Delaware County Daily Times. As the team overhauls its roster in preparation for this summer’s draft and the free-agency period, Young is the last remaining high-profile veteran on the roster. Young said, “They’ve been making a conscious effort to continue talking to me, keep trying to keep me on board as far as what’s going on with construction and rebuilding effort.” Young is posting career-best numbers of 17.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 2.1 APG, but he knows that his situation is less than desirable, writes Vito. “This is definitely a situation that, really, nobody wants to take on. Hey, sometimes this is how the cards are dealt to you and this is the situation that was dealt to me,” Young said.
More from around the Eastern Conference:
- According to Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News, the best way for Phil Jackson to change the culture of the Knicks is to step in and coach the team himself. Lupica thinks that if Jackson has the energy to work in the front office, then he has the energy to coach. The article also uses the Spurs’ Gregg Popovich as an example. Lupica notes that Popovich’s first important move as the team’s executive vice-president and GM was to hire himself as coach. Years later he made R.C. Buford the general manager and the two of them have been a formidable team for a long time, opines Lupica.
- In addition to working out a contract extension with Kyrie Irving and possibly pursuing LeBron James, another big offseason decision the Cavaliers will have to make is in regards to Tristan Thompson, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Thompson, like Irving, can be extended this summer. He is under the Cavs’ control for next season at $5.4MM, and any extension he signs would kick in for the 2015/16 season. By then Thompson could be in line to command upwards of $12MM a year and the team will need to decide if he’s worth the investment, writes Lloyd.
- Tim Bontemps of The New York Post examines the possibility and cap ramifications of the Nets re-signing Shaun Livingston this summer.
Central Notes: Delfino, Wolters, Curry
Cavs coach Mike Brown won’t be giving young players extra minutes to develop as the season winds down, telling Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio he will coach with the sole purpose of winning games, even after the Cavs become mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Here’s more from around the Central:
- Seth Curry, working on a 10-day contract with the Cavs, is a player that might not benefit from Brown’s philosophy, the coach told Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer. “There’s some little things he can help us with out on the floor, but only time will see how many minutes he gets for us with the bodies we have that are banged up,” said Brown.
- Contradicting an earlier report, Bucks officials tell Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journel Sentinel that injured guard Carlos Delfino will return to Milwaukee to rehab his foot. The earlier report indicated that Delfino would stay in his homeland of Argentina for the rest of the season.
- In the same piece, Gardner writes that Bucks rookie point guard Nate Wolters will miss the remainder of the season with a fractured hand. The 38th pick from the 2013 draft has played 22.6 minutes per game and started 31 times for Milwaukee this year.
Cavs Rumors: Curry, Edwards, James
It’s been a tough few seasons for the Cavaliers organization. No team has a worse record since 2010/11, as Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer points out, Cleveland is 90-209 in that stretch, good for just a .301 winning percentage. Let’s look at the latest on the Cavs:
- Cleveland signed Seth Curry to a 10-day contract yesterday, and the young guard is excited for the opportunity he’ll have to prove he belongs in the NBA, reports Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer. With five players sidelined for tonight’s game versus the Rockets, Curry will likely receive ample opportunity to showcase his abilities.
- An official team announcement confirmed that Shane Edwards has re-signed with the D-League affiliate of the Cavs, the Canton Charge. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio was the first to report that the forward would return to Canton, where he’s spent most of the season, if the Cavs decided not to retain him. Cleveland terminated his 10-day contract Friday to make room for Curry.
- LeBron James is surprised at the Cavs’ lack of success in 2013/14, but he doesn’t think it’s fair for him to judge the club, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “Who am I to say they should play better or not? I’m not there with them every day,” said James. “I’m not coaching them. I’m not playing. From the beginning of the season, I think we all would say they’d be in better contention in the East.” A rumored offseason reunion between James and Cleveland has been one of the most discussed topics this season, but he doesn’t sound overly impressed with the team as it stands.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Cavs Sign Seth Curry, Release Shane Edwards
The Cavaliers have officially signed Seth Curry to a 10-day contract, the team announced. To make room, Cleveland terminated its 10-day deal with Shane Edwards, which was set to expire tonight. Curry, the 23-year-old former Duke shooting guard, appeared to have a deal with the Cavs earlier this week, but the team seemed to waffle and considered re-signing Edwards instead. The Cavs also apparently had their eyes on another player. Ultimately, the Cavs circled back to their original target. Curry, brother of Warriors star Stephen Curry, had a brief stint with the Grizzlies earlier this season after going undrafted this past summer.
Seth Curry was also in camp with the Warriors in the fall, but he failed to make the opening-night roster. He appeared in just one game for a four-minute stretch with the Grizzlies, who waived him in January shortly before his contract would have become guaranteed for the rest of the season. Memphis decided against bringing him back on a 10-day, and he’s been playing with the Warriors D-League affiliate ever since. The 6’2″ client of Jeff Austin is averaging 19.4 points and 5.9 assists in 35.3 minutes per game for the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Today’s moves leave Cleveland with 15 players, 14 of whom are on guaranteed contracts. Edwards appears to be headed back to the D-League affiliate of the Cavs, where he played before signing his 10-day deal.
Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group initially reported that Curry and the Cavs had a deal (Twitter link). Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal followed with a report that Curry, Edwards and another player were all in the mix to fill Cleveland’s open roster spot. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio identified Edwards as the favorite and wrote that he’d head back to the D-League if he didn’t re-sign with the Cavs. The Plain Dealer followed with a report that Curry would sign, and Lloyd seconded that (Twitter link). The Plain Dealer’s Mary Schmitt Boyer followed up minutes later to note that Curry had put pen to paper on his contract.
And-Ones: Jeanie, Celtics, LeBron
Lakers president Jeanie Buss appeared on TWC Sports Net in Los Angeles tonight, addressing today’s most popular topic: “it was clear that (Phil Jackson) wanted to go back to work, but there was no role for him with the Lakers…He was not offered an official position… There (was) no role in the front office for him.”
As Jackson’s fiancee, Buss said that she recently met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to discuss a potential conflict of interest now that Phil is running the front office in New York. With regard to the Buss family’s ownership of the Lakers, Jeanie asserted that they aren’t going anywhere soon: “This is the family business and the family is going to own the team for as long as the family is together” (All Twitter links via ESPN LA’s Ramona Shelburne).
Here are more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes:
- Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck recently hinted at major roster changes this summer, telling Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe that there could be “fireworks” this June, as Holmes notes within a story on the challenges of playing for a team with so much uncertainty,
- LeBron James sidestepped a question about a potential return to the Cavaliers earlier tonight: “For me to take my mind somewhere else when I know what’s on its way [postseason] is almost impossible” (Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel via Twitter). Tonight marked LeBron’s final appearance in Cleveland before he can opt out this summer, and the Heat superstar didn’t count anything out: “Only time will tell” (Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio relayed on Twitter).
- Though Mark Jackson has been a target for ridicule in Golden State, the missteps of Warriors owner Joe Lacob and GM Bob Myers can’t be ignored either, writes Ric Bucher of the Bleacher Report.
- Bucher adds that it was Lacob who made the call to amnesty Charlie Bell‘s $4MM contract so the team could pursue then-free agent Tyson Chandler, who never planned on playing for the Warriors. Additionally, top management – whether intentional or not – provided the grist which brought forth questions about Jackson’s job security this year, specifically when Lacob expressed disappointment about certain losses and Myers suggested that Jackson has been given all he needs to succeed. The team is currently sixth in the Western Conference and holds just a three-and-a-half-game lead over the ninth-seeded Suns.
And-Ones: Rookie Scale, Griffin, Coaches
Phil Jackson and the Knicks have dominated headlines today, but that’s not the only story in the NBA. Here’s the latest from around the league, with four weeks and a day to go before the end of the regular season:
- Grantland’s Zach Lowe noted earlier that there are several draft-related ideas the league is kicking around to remove the incentive teams have to tank, and another is increasing rookie scale salaries, Lowe adds via Twitter.
- Everyone who signed with the Clippers this year was banking on Blake Griffin developing into a top-five player, and Griffin has been validating their decisions, as Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins writes.
- Precisely half of the league’s head coaches played primarily at point guard in the NBA, college or both, while three more played both guard positions, notes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, who examines why this is so.
- Warriors coach Mark Jackson is vilified for some of the same coaching traits that Phil Jackson drew adulation for, Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher opines.
- The Warriors have recalled Nemanja Nedovic and Ognjen Kuzmic from the D-League, the team announced via press release. Nedovic was in the D-League for the past six days, but Kuzmic returns after a stint that began February 21st.
- The Cavs have recalled Sergey Karasev from the D-League’s Canton Charge, the Charge announced via Twitter. The 19th overall pick in the 2013 draft has appeared in 18 D-League games this year, almost as many as the 20 he’s played for Cleveland.
Eastern Notes: LeBron, Jackson, Antetokounmpo
Most league insiders think it’s unlikely LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will opt in for another season on their deals with the Heat, though the same people feel like they’ll all sign new deals with Miami for at least one season, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Many feel as though James will stay with the Heat even if Bosh and Wade leave, with the Cavs as the next in line for his services, and all other teams as dark horses. Amico cautioned that his sources are merely making educated guesses, as James has offered few hints. It appears we’ll have to wait until the summer for clarity on that front, but there’s plenty of other news around the Eastern Conference in the interim:
- Phil Jackson strongly encouraged Pistons owner Tom Gores to hire Steve Kerr last summer when Detroit instead tapped Maurice Cheeks as coach, according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. Jackson has remained an adviser to Gores, though that ostensibly ends with today’s official announcement of the Zen Master as Knicks president.
- Most NBA teams thought Giannis Antetokounmpo had a promise from the Hawks that they’d take him with the 17th pick, and Raptors GM Masai Ujiri tried “frantically” to trade into the top 15 to draft him before the Bucks snagged him at No. 15. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has the details behind the scramble for the Greek prospect.
- Ujiri doesn’t deny that he was close to a deal in December to send Kyle Lowry to the Knicks, observes Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, who examines how a better attitude is enhancing the Raptors point guard’s free agent value for this summer.
- The Sixers are unlikely to spend a lot of money in free agency this summer, writes Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com, who thinks that’s a reason why the team should hold on to trade candidate Thaddeus Young.
Kyrie Irving Done For Season?
6:03pm: Kyrie Irving has been diagnosed with a biceps strain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). As of right now the Cavs have no plans to shut him down for the season tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
8:00am: The Cavs’ 102-80 loss to the Clippers last night is the least of their worries. Cleveland might have also lost star guard Kyrie Irving for the season, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer.
Irving exited the game with a left biceps injury late in the first quarter and left the arena with his left arm in a sling. While he is scheduled to have an MRI today in Cleveland, two NBA sources indicated the injury could be severe enough to end his season in the worst case scenario. That could turn out to be a death blow for the Cavs who are 4.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Hawks with 15 games to go.
The All-Star guard has been tough all season long, having missed just three games this year with a left knee contusion and even playing through a broken nose suffered back in November. In 64 games this season, Irving has averaged 21.2 PPG and 6.2 APG in 35.5 minutes per night with a PER of 20.0, a small step below the previous two seasons.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Draft Rumors: Gordon, Parker, Wiggins
Chad Ford of ESPN.com has used his insider-only “Tank Rank” column to pass along rumors connected the plans that teams have for this season, but this week’s edition is all about how clubs view the top prospects for the draft. We’ll pass along the highlights from Ford here:
- The Celtics and Jazz are high on Arizona power forward Aaron Gordon, according to Ford.
- Ford consistently hears that the Pistons would draft Jabari Parker No. 1 overall if they scored the No. 1 overall pick. That seems to assume that Joe Dumars would still be in charge of the team’s basketball operations, which isn’t a given.
- The Pelicans believe Parker would be the “perfect fit” for them, Ford writes.
- The Cavs envision using Andrew Wiggins, a small forward, as a shooting guard next to Kyrie Irving if they’re able to land the Kansas star, Ford suggests.
- If the Magic wind up with the No. 1 overall pick, they’d probably use it on Wiggins, Ford writes, identifying Dante Exum and Marcus Smart as others the team will likely target.
- The Lakers appear to have Joel Embiid, Wiggins, and Exum as their top three prospects, according to Ford, who pegs Parker fourth and Julius Randle fifth on L.A.’s board.
Eastern Rumors: Cavs, Jackson, Brown, Rondo
Here’s the latest slate of rumors out of the NBA’s Eastern Conference..
- The Cavaliers were interested in hiring Phil Jackson in some capacity, writes Bob Finnan of the Morning Journal. However, the Knicks moved in quickly and signed him before they could act.
- In the same piece, Finnan notes that Mike Brown has had to alter his coaching style to accommodate to a young and inexperienced Cavaliers team this season. Still, Brown is on the hot seat and might find himself out of the job in Cleveland, Finnan suggests.
- Charley Rosen of HoopsHype runs down the Knicks‘ roster and explores the likelihood that each player has of being retained by Jackson. Rosen notes many of the players on the team don’t appear to be fits for Jackson’s system.
- Rajon Rondo has consistently been the topic of trade rumors, but Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck recently spoke out and said that Rondo will continue to be the leader of the franchise going forward. Grousbeck’s words mean a lot to Rondo, reports Mike Petraglia of WEEI. “It means a lot, especially coming from the head guy,” Rondo said. “With all the rumors swirling, the criticism that I was having throughout the past couple weeks, he stuck his neck out. He didn’t have to say anything, but he did.”