Odds & Ends: Cavs, China, Akognon, Melo
The fates of GM David Griffin and coach Mike Brown hang in the balance, as does Cleveland’s appeal to free agents as the team embarks on a season-ending stretch run that’s one of the most important times in franchise history, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. The Cavs are 20-33 coming out of the All-Star break and will hope for a major turnaround in their last 29 games. Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
- The Chinese basketball season is through and Emiliano Carchia of Sportando rounded up a list of notable CBA players who will now be available for NBA clubs. The list includes Pooh Jeter, Delonte West, D.J. White, Lance Thomas, and Josh Akognon.
- Akognon has offers from Puerto Rico and Europe but may head to the D-League in an effort to keep his NBA hopes alives, Carchia writes. Akognon averaged 28 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 5.0 APG in 30 games for his Chinese clubs.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com gives props to LaMarcus Aldridge and Carmelo Anthony for caring about the wellbeing of the NBPA. Both stars were vocal about the union during the weekend in New Orleans.
- In his latest mock draft, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders dropped Duke’s Jabari Parker to No. 5 after executives told him that they were concerned he might be a tweener in the NBA.
- The Warriors announced that they have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Kuzmic has compiled averages of 6.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 21.4 minutes in nine games (one start) on previous assignments to Santa Cruz this season. He has appeared in 17 games for Golden State.
- The Rockets announced they have re-assigned guard Isaiah Canaan to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League. To keep up with all of this year’s D-League assignments and recalls, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Southeast Rumors: LeBron, Bosh, Beaubois
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert still believes strongly that LeBron James will entertain the idea of signing with the Cavs either this summer or next if the Heat‘s run of titles ends, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. There are plenty of hypotheticals in that statement, but if James does return, Kyrie Irving‘s development means the move would more closely resemble James’ decision to hook up with other stars in Miami than a simple homecoming, Berger opines. Here’s more from another of the Heat’s trio of big names:
- Chris Bosh won’t pester LeBron about where he’ll choose to play next, but Bosh offered up a hint about his own free agency, explaining to Sam Amick of USA Today that he’s moved past the idea of being a team’s No. 1 option. “I’m over it,” Bosh said. “It’s just all about winning at the end of the day. It’s about being in the game. I mean everybody isn’t meant to take the last shot. Everybody isn’t going to be the MVP. It’s only for a very, very small percentage, for a small percentage of guys. I understand that, and I’m just lucky enough to be in this situation I am now, just competing at the highest level in the league. That’s good enough for me.”
- There’s no chance Rodrigue Beaubois will work out for the Wizards, two sources tell J. Michael of CSNWashington.com, contradicting a weekend report that indicated Beaubois would audition for the Wizards and Grizzlies.
- Gerald Wallace is still upset with the Bobcats for what he says happened when they traded him at the 2011 deadline, as he tells Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders. Wallace says the Bobcats told him they wouldn’t trade him, then dealt him anyway without giving him an explanation.
Odds & Ends: Sixers, Spurs, Ilyasova, LeBron
Defense may win championships, but it doesn’t mean much in the All-Star game. Tonight the Eastern Conference topped the West 163-155 behind the stellar play of Kyrie Irving, who had 31 points and 14 dimes. Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
- The 76ers have held trade discussions with all 29 other NBA teams and are believed to be the most active in talks leading up to the deadline, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. General Manager Sam Hinkie & Co. are seeking future draft picks in compensation for Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, and Thaddeus Young. Teams view the 76ers as an organization willing to acquire an expiring contract and they’re still not budging on their demand of high first round picks.
- The Spurs would love to acquire Young or Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova, but no one is sure how they can make that happen, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- Cavs owner Dan Gilbert recently opened up about his decision to write an open letter after LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I would’ve reworded the language in The Letter, but I don’t regret sending a letter out to our fan base,” Gilbert said. “People forget the letter was not to LeBron, it was to our fan base. If I had to do it again, for sure, I would’ve reworded several parts of it. But I think it definitely needed a strong statement from me at that time. I keep a couple binders on my desk and I have a binder of the responses to The Letter from the people of Cleveland.” Late last week we rounded up more of Gilbert’s thoughts on the state of his franchise.
Cavs GM David Griffin On His New Position
Many believe that acting Cavs GM David Griffin has a 30-game audition to show majority owner Dan Gilbert he has what it takes to earn the job full time. Meanwhile, Gilbert has reportedly reached out to prominent agent Mark Bartelstein to gauge his interest in becoming the team’s new GM. Bartelstein is the kingpin of Priority Sports in Chicago. Bob Finnan of The News-Herald sat down to chat with Griffin about his new position, and here are some of the highlights:
On replacing his friend as the GM:
“On a personal level, this is bittersweet, obviously. Chris (Grant) is somebody I had a great deal of respect for and had a personal relationship with. I’m very much looking forward to tackling this opportunity at the same time.”
On what he has to do in his new position:
“It’s time to capitalize on all of the benefits we have and, more than anything else, I think it’s time to really bring this to a place where everybody wants to be, bring it to an environment and have the sort of symbiotic relationship with each other, where we believe in each other enough and trust each other enough to tell each other what they need to do here and to do it on the court. I think we have a group of kids that want to do that. I know we have a coaching staff that comes to work each day with the spirit of finding a way. We will find a way, and this team will succeed.”
On if he believes this is a 30-game audition:
“The indication I have is I’m here right now. Dan has shown a great deal of faith in me, and he and his ownership group have put me in a position to be very successful right now. I have full latitude to do this job. I have their support to do this job. I will not be taking calls as a secretary. I will be the general manager of the team. What that means moving forward, candidly, is very irrelevant to me. If I’m going to be successful in this position, it’s because we as a group have results. And if we have those results, then you tend to get to stay. If you don’t, you go away. That’s the nature of this beast. Dan doesn’t need to say anything to me. We need to produce. That’s how I know I’m going to be there.”
On if the team will be buyers or sellers at this year’s deadline:
“I don’t see how you get better and win more games selling. We’re going to buy to the extent that it makes us better for the long haul. I don’t think we’re going to do anything that’s an act of desperation. I think we’re going to be willing to buy the right asset at the right price. We are dedicated 100 percent from top to bottom to getting better and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Magic, Grant
Former Cavs GM Chris Grant has been taking a lot of heat for the state of the franchise. The team has underachieved and not all of his moves worked out, but Grant did a much better job than he’s getting credit for, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Grant walked into one of the worst situations in professional sports, opines Lloyd. Shortly after he was named GM, LeBron James departed and the rest of the roster was in shambles. The team had no pick in that summer’s draft and no players of real value left to trade away and begin the rebuilding process. According to Lloyd, Grant restocked an organization bereft of young talent and future draft picks and he never lost a trade. Grant isn’t employed anymore because the Cavs played terribly for most of this season given the preseason expectations, but those expectations existed thanks to the remarkable work he did for the past three years.
More from around the east:
- The Sixers have been rumored to be actively shopping Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, and Spencer Hawes. The team isn’t expected to retain Turner and Hawes past this summer, and would like to get something in return for them. Tom Moore of The Bucks County Courier Times examines how likely GM Sam Hinkie is to make a trade before Thursday’s deadline.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com has a different opinion on the possibility of the Sixers moving Turner. He tweeted that Turner wasn’t very likely to be moved by the deadline. The team is trying to get a first-round pick for him, and the Sixers are going to have trouble wrangling one in a trade.
- The Magic aren’t expected to be players at the trade deadline, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Kyler says they will listen to offers, but aren’t pushing to make any deals.
- Kyler also tweets that Arron Afflalo isn’t likely to be going anywhere. The Magic view him as a piece that fits their big picture plan, and his age and reasonable contract are a plus. Afflalo is averaging 19.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.7 APG, in 36.5 MPG. Chuck Myron had profiled him as a trade candidate earlier this month.
Dan Gilbert On Future Of Cavs
It’s been a tumultuous season in Cleveland. The team hasn’t lived up to expectations by posting a 20-33 record. The Andrew Bynum experiment was a failure. The team has had chemistry issues. The big trade for Luol Deng hasn’t paid off the way they hoped, and their first-overall draft pick Anthony Bennett is averaging 3.8 PPG. All these issues resulted in the firing of GM Chris Grant two weeks ago, and has coach Mike Brown on the hot seat. Things might be starting to look up for the team, as they entered the break riding a four-game win streak, and the players’ outlook seems to be improving. Team owner Dan Gilbert recently sat down with Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. The whole interview is worth a look, but here are some of the highlights from the piece:
On why the season has been such a disappointment:
“Up until the last week and maybe the road trip before that, the season overall has not hit our expectations. It’s hard to pinpoint the reason. We needed to figure out who we are. Who we are as a team and as a franchise and make sure we’re all headed in the same direction. I think it has taken a little bit longer to gel from a chemistry standpoint. Some of that is non-tangible, but to me not just basketball but all organizations, there has to be a chemistry where people trust each other, believe in each other from the front office to the coaching staff to the players. There was a lot of static this year. A lot of that is expected as normal growing pains from a young team, but I think there was more than people expected.”
On if he regrets saying the team wouldn’t be back in the lottery:
“I think that was in response to questions. Obviously when a reporter asks you a question when you’ve been at the lottery three years in a row, I don’t think it shows much confidence to your fan base or anything that you’re not going to feel pretty good about not being there for the fourth year in a row. We didn’t go pump our hands and say, ‘We’re winning the NBA championship this year!’ I think it’s a good goal to say we’re going to make the playoffs. No one said make the playoffs, do or die. I think it’s a reasonable goal, so no, I don’t regret it.”
On why it’s important to make the playoffs this year, in spite of what is deemed to be such a strong draft:
“It appears to be a rich class at the top, but nobody knows for sure. It’s not just being in the lottery. Most likely you’re going to have to be among the worst five to seven teams in the league to have a significant chance. We didn’t view it as, ‘You’re either going to get one of the top five guys or be in the playoffs.’ We didn’t think we’d be anywhere near the worst five to seven teams, so we think it’s a good goal to make the playoffs. Plus for these young guys, it’s going to be an important step to take to feel the organization is on the right path to feel confident about where we’re going and they’re going.”
On what he’s looking for in his next GM:
“We’re looking for somebody besides the basketball knowledge, who understands the human equation. Understands and feels the importance of culture and chemistry and connectivity and openness, is open to ideas from anywhere and anyone, from all places, and can connect with people and can understand how important it is. Someone who will turn over every possible stone and be open to every possible innovation, creativity, idea from anywhere to give us that edge that we’ll need.”
On if their four-game winning streak has changed their trade deadline approach:
“It’s hard to know for sure because you can’t live it two different ways. I don’t know if we’d lost four more what we’d be thinking now. Everyone thinks there’s long periods of time to think about the trade deadline, but you really don’t have that. Things are so fluid and changing and those other teams don’t show their hands until a day or two before. You can only have as good of a trade as your options or opportunities.”
On how important it is to re-sign Deng:
“We love Luol for a lot of reasons, which everybody knows. Besides the kind of player he is, the kind of person he is and the kind of leader he is by example. But you can’t make these decisions in a vacuum. You have to look at all the pieces and see where you’re going to be.”
Cavs Notes: Deadline, Waiters
We should expect the Cavs to make a deal prior to Thursday’s trade deadline, according to Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. Pluto says that interim GM David Griffin thinks the Cavs are primed to make up the three-game distance between them and the last playoff spot, and wants to convince owner Dan Gilbert that he should be the permanent GM. Here’s more from Pluto’s latest:
- The Cavs are trying to acquire a forward with 3-point shooting range, Pluto reports in the same piece. Shooting and floor spacing has remained a need since former GM Chris Grant struck out on adding free agents Kyle Korver and Mike Dunleavy this past offseason.
- The team believes second-year guard Dion Waiters is in the beginning stages of understanding the NBA game, leading Pluto to doubt he would be traded outside of a “monster deal.”
- Pluto says the Cavs are also in pursuit of another big, but thinks an Omer Asik deal is a “long shot,” and wouldn’t include Anderson Varejao.
- In an effort to build what was lacking in team chemistry earlier this season, Waiters and Kyrie Irving have been paired in constructive activities like an extra morning shootaround with an assistant coach, says Pluto.
Odds & Ends: Anthony, Williams, Hardaway Jr.
It was reported earlier that Carmelo Anthony might be willing to take a pay cut to remain with the Knicks if it would help the team contend for a championship. Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com examines what that would mean for the team going forward. According to Begley, it would be of no help to the team in 2014/2015 no matter how much money Anthony left on the table. If Amar’e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani remain on the roster by exercising their player options, the Knicks’ payroll would be over the projected salary-cap line of $62.9MM even without ‘Melo on the team. It is during the 2015/2016 season where the team could reap the benefits. If Anthony signs a max deal, his salary that season will be $24,142,789, and the team would have five players under contract at a total of $39,492,533. This is barring any high-priced additions between now and then with contracts that run through 2015/2016. If Anthony takes a pay cut, it would leave the Knicks enough room to pursue Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo, and would allow the team to add more depth to the roster, a necessary element to contend for a title.
More from around the league:
- LaMarcus Aldridge implored his team to make upgrades over the summer, but he doesn’t think the Blazers need to pull off a deadline move to make up for the loss of injured Joel Freeland, observes Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). Aldridge believes that Meyers Leonard can fill the void.
- The Lakers may re-sign Shawne Williams to a second 10-day contract, but may wait until their next game to do so, or even until after the trade deadline passes, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
- Despite the pressure to appease ‘Melo by swinging a deadline deal, one of the Knicks few desirable trade assets, Tim Hardaway Jr.has been deemed “virtually untouchable”, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post. This was prior to Hardaway Jr. dropping 36 points in the Rising Stars game.
- The Cavs took a four game winning streak into the All-Star break. Kyrie Irving believes the team meeting the players held after GM Chris Grant was fired is a big reason the Cavs are playing looser and enjoying the game again, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Irving stated, “We had a great team meeting and got a lot off our chest, things that needed to be said. I think it started a little bit of a change in our locker room.”
Eastern Notes: Gilbert, Wyatt, Bobcats
The Cavs are still trying to pick up the pieces in the wake of the firing of GM Chris Grant. Team owner Dan Gilbert is determined to learn from past mistakes, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The team is 3 1/2 seasons removed from LeBron James‘ departure for Miami and have only Kyrie Irving to show for their troubles. Gilbert is ferocious in his determination not to lose Irving the way he lost LeBron, writes Begrer, and Gilbert says the lessons learned from James’ decision to go to Miami in 2010 will be the guiding force behind his search for an executive to lead the franchise forward.
More from around the East:
- Also from the Berger article, he writes that the Bobcats will be aggressive buyers at the deadline, and their interest in the Sixers Evan Turner is real. Philadelphia GM Sam Hinkie wants a first-round pick for Turner (and the same for Spencer Hawes). The Bobcats can offer their Detroit pick (top eight protected) if they’re serious about making a push, opines Berger. The Bobcats could potentially have two other first-round picks, Portland‘s (top 12 protected), and their own, but that goes to the Bulls if it falls out of the top 10.
- Sixers camp invitee Khalif Wyatt, who signed with the D-League earlier this week, will play for the the Springfield Armor, the affiliate of the Nets, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports. Wyatt entered the NBA D-League player pool after playing in China for Guangdong Southern. In 27 games, he averaged 15.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 4.9 APG.
- With all the talk about whether or not Carmelo Anthony wants to remain with the Knicks, he seems to be sending mixed messages, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
- Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.com (via twitter), asked the Raptors DeMar DeRozan if the team has campaigned to keep their core together, and DeRozan said no, but also that he “didn’t think they had to.“
- Larry Brown thinks that Knicks owner James Dolan likes Mike Woodson and will “do the right thing by him“, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Speaking further about the Dolan-Woodson relationship, Brown also stated, “I think he has a great relationship with him. Woody’s a strong human being, man. He just focuses on what he can do to make things better. He doesn’t look at the bad stuff.” Despite Brown’s feelings, Zagoria opines that even if Woodson remains as coach through this season, if the Knicks fail to make the postseason, it’s entirely possible he could lose his job over the summer.
Cavs Consider Mark Bartelstein For Front Office
The Cavs are thinking about making a pitch to agent Mark Bartelstein to have him join the team’s front office, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. It’s unclear whether Cleveland envisions putting the founder and CEO of Priority Sports & Entertainment in the role of primary decision maker, or if he’d serve in an assistant capacity. In any case, it’s unlikely the team can convince Bartelstein to make the move, Stein writes.
Any significant change the Cavs might make to their management team probably wouldn’t happen until after the season, according to Stein. Cleveland hopes interim GM David Griffin is successful enough at the trade deadline and through the rest of the season to make a convincing case to retain his job permanently. Griffin apparently has a mutual desire to head up Cleveland’s front office for the long term, Stein says.
David Lee, Taj Gibson and Gordon Hayward are among the prominent names on Bartelstein’s list of clients, as our Agency Database shows. The notion of an agent joining team management is unusual, but not unprecedented. Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby and Warriors GM Bob Myers are former agents, as Stein points out.