Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: McDonough, Hunter, Wright

May 9th, 2013 at 10:13pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Not long after being officially introduced as the Suns' new general manager, Ryan McDonough addressed the topic of his head coaching search, saying that several people on his list of ideal candidates for the job have matched up with the list that had been in place before he was hired, adding that Lindsey Hunter still remains as "one of the top guys" (Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic via USA Today). McDonough also underscored the draft as a franchise's "lifeblood" for "sustainable success" and was complimentary of some of the current players on the roster. Here's more out of the Western Conference tonight:

Both Kevin Sherrington and David Moore of SportsDayDFW put themselves in Mark Cuban's shoes and give their theoretical free agent pitches to Chris Paul. Sherrington points to the differences in the Clippers' and Mavericks' ownership, while Moore emphasizes the opportunity to play with a shooter like Dirk Nowitzki and for a proven coach in Rick Carlisle.
Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW has his doubts about the Mavericks keeping Brandan Wright, noting that coach Rick Carlisle had issues with Wright's rebounding and inconsistency. With only six players under contract for next season as of right now, Cowlishaw expects the makeup of the team to be drastically different.
Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News makes the argument that the Warriors are a much more dangerous team now than they would have been with a healthy David Lee.
Lee told CSN Bay Area's Ric Bucher that he plans to return to action again this postseason and hasn't ruled out the possibility of getting surgery to repair his torn right hip flexor once the season is over (Sulia link).
Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com describes Masai Ujiri's journey toward becoming one of the league's top executives after humble beginnings ten years ago.

Ujiri Hopeful About Iguodala Returning

May 9th, 2013 at 6:21pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Fresh off from receiving his Executive of the Year award, Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri says that he's very optimistic that Andre Iguodala re-signs with Denver and that the team wants him back, tweets Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post. A few days ago, we also relayed that team president Josh Kroenke expressed his desire to keep the 6'6 forward as part of Denver's future moving forward.

Despite a disappointing first round exit for the Nuggets, Iguodala was very productive in six games against Golden State, averaging 18.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.0 SPG while shooting 50% from the field overall and an excellent 48.3% from long range on nearly five three-point attempts per game. It will be interesting to see how those numbers factor into determining Iguodala's worth in the free agent market this summer.

Masai Ujiri Named Executive of the Year

May 9th, 2013 at 12:08pm CST by Michael Pina

THURSDAY, 12:08pm: The Nuggets have officially announced that Ujiri has won the Executive of the Year award. Gary Sacks (Clippers) finished second in the voting, followed by Glen Grunwald (Knicks) and Daryl Morey (Rockets), who were tied for third.

WEDNESDAY, 8:45pm: Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri will be named Executive of the Year, according to the Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman.

Ujiri built the best team in franchise history this season, as Denver won 57 games in the regular season before losing 4-2 in the first round against the Warriors.

Last summer he nosed his way into the Dwight Howard trade, acquiring Andre Iguodala and giving up Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, and a 2014 first round pick. He also extended Ty Lawson to a contract that's widely viewed as a slight bargain for the Nuggets.

George Karl Named Coach Of The Year

May 8th, 2013 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets coach George Karl has officially won the 2012/13 Coach of the Year award, the team announced today in a press release. Karl beat out Erik Spoelstra (Heat), Mike Woodson (Knicks), Gregg Popovich (Spurs), and Frank Vogel (Pacers), who rounded out the top five.

Karl, who received 62 of 121 possible first-place votes, guided the Nuggets to a 57-25 record and a No. 3 seed in a competitive Western Conference. Although the team fell to the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, its regular-season results, without a legit superstar, were impressive.

This year's Coach of the Year race was viewed as wide open, so I'm surprised Karl received more than half of the first-place votes. Besides the coaches who finished in the top five, Lionel Hollins (Grizzlies), Mark Jackson (Warriors), Tom Thibodeau (Bulls), and Kevin McHale (Rockets) were among the candidates worthy of consideration. Those four, along with P.J. Carlesimo (Nets), all finished in the top ten.

The Nuggets will hold a press conference at 12:30 CST today to formally present Karl with the award.

Western Notes: Rockets, Perkins, Nuggets, Jazz

May 6th, 2013 at 3:42pm CST by Luke Adams

When discussing potential landing spots besides L.A. for Dwight Howard this summer, many pundits point to Houston as an ideal fit for the big man, given the Rockets' combination of young talent and cap space. Of course, the Rockets already have a solid defensive center in their starting lineup, but Omer Asik tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle that he's not letting the Howard rumors affect him.

"It’s all things that happen out of my control," Asik said. "I really don’t know and I really don’t care. Whether it happens, we’ll see. I’m just looking forward to rest and getting better for the next season."

Here's more on the Rockets and their Western Conference rivals:

Although the Rockets are unlikely to exercise a team option that would pay him $6.4MM, Francisco Garcia would still like to find a way to return to Houston, as he tells Feigen.
After explaining over the weekend why Kendrick Perkins is unlikely to be amnestied, Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman wonders if the Thunder big man is undervalued, at least by fans.
If the Jazz don't spend heavily this summer, it will be a "strategic decision" rather than an indication the team is financially strapped, according to GM Dennis Lindsey (Twitter link via Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune).
Despite an early exit from the postseason, GM Masai Ujiri isn't worried about the Nuggets, telling 9News in Denver that the team will "get ready for next season and figure out ways to fix it and get better." As Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post points out, a new contract for Ujiri figures to be one item near the top of the club's offseason to-do list.
Following another unproductive season, Xavier Henry doesn't have a clear spot in the Pelicans' future plans, writes Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Odds & Ends: Nuggets, Iguodala, Pistons, Bucks

May 5th, 2013 at 9:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's the latest from around the Association..

In an interview with Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com, Nuggets president Josh Kroenke expresses his desire to have likely free agent Andre Iguodala back next season, and details his close working relationship with GM Masai Ujiri, whose contract is up this summer.
Bucks GM John Hammond hinted that this summer he'll be seeking another interior defender to complement Larry Sanders, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who takes a look at the offseason ahead for the team.
Pistons owner Tom Gores needs to have faith in Joe Dumars' ability to turn things around in Detroit, writes Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. While the signings of Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon didn't pan out, Goodwill notes that the mandate of previous owner Karen Davidson resulted in no activity for two years and prevented Dumars from correcting those mistakes.

Coaching Notes: Sampson, Sloan, Drew, McHale

May 4th, 2013 at 4:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

Four teams have coaching vacancies, but that number could grow as more clubs are eliminated from the playoffs and start to make their offseason plans. That has put the names of a lot of coaches in the headlines, and we've got the latest here:

Kelvin Sampson has been among the top candidates for the Bucks coaching vacancy ever since it was created, and Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times hears the Rockets assistant would be the team's No. 1 choice (Twitter link).
One coach who apparently won't be in the mix for the Bucks is Jerry Sloan, according to Woelfel, in spite of his apparent willingness to return to the bench somewhere (Twitter link).
The Hawks are waiting a few days before making any decisions, but coach Larry Drew wants to know soon whether he'll be retained, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. If the Hawks let him go, he wants to coach for another team, and reportedly has interest in the Sixers.
Kevin McHale's willingness to remain as Rockets coach is at about 90%, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. According to owner Leslie Alexander, McHale won't be going anywhere, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle notes via Twitter.
Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post offers the bold opinion that George Karl should step down as coach of the Nuggets after yet another first-round exit. Many of his arguments ring true, but I disagree that the team's lack of a closer should be pinned on Karl's shoulders, as Kiszla suggests.
With the coaching market in flux, Dakota Schmidt of Ridiculous Upside wonders whether Nick Nurse, who's led two different teams to D-League titles, could surface as a candidate.

Nuggets Rumors: Free Agency, Karl, Iguodala

May 3rd, 2013 at 8:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

While the Nuggets' playoff run came to a disappointingly early end, the team is set up well fiscally for free agency, writes Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. Among the Nuggets headed for the open market this summer are Corey Brewer, Timofey Mozgov, and perhaps Andre Iguodala, who is a decent bet to exercise his early-termination option and get out of his contract for 2013/14. Here's more on the Nuggets and their plans moving forward:

Dempsey notes that outside shooting will be an area of focus for the Nuggets in free agency this offseason, and Grantland's Zach Lowe agrees, tweeting that he'd be "shocked if they don't make a meaningful upgrade" there this summer.
Nuggets president Josh Kroenke shot down any notion that the team will dump coach George Karl, telling Post scribe Benjamin Hochman that Karl should "hands down be the NBA coach of the year."
If Iguodala opts out, Hochman speculates that the Nuggets would offer four years and $48MM while other teams might be willing to do $50MM.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Kyler’s Latest: Howard, Hawks, Mozgov, Biedrins

April 30th, 2013 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

Having already examined free-agents-to-be on postseason teams at each of the other four positions, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld turns his attention to the playoff centers heading for free agency this summer. Here are a few highlights from his piece:

The Lakers will be able to offer Dwight Howard over $30MM more than any other team, as I outlined here, but that doesn't mean he's a sure bet to be back. As Kyler notes, money and market are usually deciding factors, but L.A. will have to convince Howard that he won't be signing up for five more years as bad as 2012/13.
Zaza Pachulia will be recovering from a partially torn Achilles, raising significant questions about his next contract. The Hawks are unlikely to bring him back for more than the minimum, according to Kyler.
With Pachulia out in Atlanta, Johan Petro has improved his stock recently and could be in line for a new deal with the Hawks, particularly if the team strikes out on higher-profile targets.
Despite a report suggesting the Nuggets will extend a qualifying offer to Timofey Mozgov, Kyler is skeptical that Denver will really make such an offer (one year for nearly $4MM), since Mozgov could accept it. A two-year deal from another team is the most likely scenario for Mozgov, in Kyler's view. There has been enough reported interest for Mozgov that it wouldn't surprise me if the Nuggets retained him and considered him a trade asset going forward.
Kyler hears from sources that when Samuel Dalembert worked out for the Heat prior to the 2011/12 season, the team decided he had put on too much weight, and passed. As such, it's probably unlikely that Dalembert ends up in Miami this offseason.
Although Andris Biedrins is viewed as a lock to opt in to the final year of his contract, worth $9MM, Kyler wonders if the Warriors could convince him to opt out if it meant adding an extra year to his deal. For instance, the team could re-sign him to a two-year, $10MM pact to reduce his cap hit for 2013/14. I'd be surprised to see that happen though.

Western Notes: McMillan, Kings, Kaman, Pekovic

April 26th, 2013 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

When I asked yesterday which playoff team down 2-0 in the first round had the best chance of coming back and advancing, over half of you picked the Grizzlies. Memphis delivered on the first step of that comeback last night, holding the Clippers to 82 points en route to a Game Three win.

Meanwhile, the Rockets only received about 5% of the votes in that poll, but their chances likely improved with word from the Thunder that Russell Westbrook will undergo surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee. As we wait for official word on a timetable for Westbrook's return, let's check out a few notes from around the Western Conference:

Nate McMillan may be a top contender for the Pistons' head coaching opening, but Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press says there's a "belief around the league" that McMillan will wait to see what happens with the Kings, since he could also be a strong candidate there if the franchise moves to Seattle.
The NBA's relocation committee is expected to make a recommendation to the Board of Governors next Monday on whether or not to approve the sale and relocation of the Kings. However, an official vote by league owners may not come until May 13th, as Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis, and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee outline.
While Chris Kaman has said he'd like to return to Dallas next season, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com thinks the veteran big man just doesn't want to close any doors. MacMahon predicts Kaman will have to take a pay cut this summer, and will end up signing a one-year contract with a team besides the Mavericks.
Speaking to Mondo.rs (translation via HoopsHype), Nikola Pekovic reiterated a desire to re-sign with the Timberwolves this summer, adding that he has no intention of leaving the NBA to return to Europe.
Andre Iguodala's performance in this year's postseason could go a long way to exhibiting whether or not he's worth a long-term, big-money contract, according to Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post.