And-Ones: M. Brown, China, Evans, BIG3
Former NBA head coaches have been popular candidates for this spring’s coaching openings around the league, with David Fizdale, Steve Clifford, Frank Vogel, Mark Jackson, David Blatt, and Mike Woodson among the many names said to be under consideration for at least one job. Top Warriors assistant Mike Brown would fit comfortably in that group, but hasn’t yet been identified as a candidate for any head coaching jobs.
The former Cavaliers and Lakers head coach tells Mark Medina of The Bay Area News Group that while he’d have interest in another head coaching opportunity, he’s perfectly happy to see things out with the Warriors as the club looks for its third title in four years.
“I want to be a head coach again. But if I hadn’t experienced that already and if I wasn’t in a situation that I’m already in right now, maybe the itch might be there more,” Brown said. “Maybe I might be focused more on that than the task at hand. But I’m really excited about trying to do what I can and do my part in helping us win again.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA will return to China during the 2018 preseason, with the Sixers and Mavericks set to become the 16th and 17th teams to play in the country since 2004, per a press release. Dallas and Philadelphia will play in Shanghai on October 5 and in Shenzhen on October 8.
- The Grizzlies made a surprising move at February’s trade deadline when they held onto Tyreke Evans rather than dealing him to a contender. The Grizzlies have maintained that they want to re-sign Evans, but they’ll likely face competition for his services. Frank Urbina of HoopsHype speculates that the Trail Blazers, Pacers, and Sixers could be fits for Evans this offseason.
- The BIG3 has officially announced its rosters for the upcoming 2018 season, with captains Kenyon Martin, Rashard Lewis, Corey Maggette, Mike Bibby, Chauncey Billups, DerMarr Johnson, Jermaine O’Neal, and Brian Scalabrine heading the legaue’s eight squads.
Community Shootaround: Possible First-Round Upsets
Game 1 is in the books for all eight of the NBA’s first-round playoff matchups, and several of those games set up potentially fascinating series. Six of the eight higher seeds held their home-court advantage in the first game, but some of those favorites looked a little shaky in their victories, leading to plenty of speculation about first-round upsets.
We’ll start with the weekend’s biggest upset, which took place in Cleveland, where the Pacers dismantled LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 1. It won’t be a surprise if the Cavs eventually pull out this series, but their 98-80 loss on Sunday was something we haven’t seen since James returned to Cleveland in 2014. In their last three first-round series, the Cavs have swept the Celtics, Pistons, and – one year ago – the Pacers.
Of course, these Pacers are a much different team than the squad swept out of the postseason a year ago. Victor Oladipo looked like the best player on the floor on Sunday, and players like Myles Turner, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Lance Stephenson looked great in supporting roles. This Pacers team was overlooked and underappreciated all season, and appear poised to give the Cavs all they can handle in round one.
The other Game 1 upset occurred in Portland, where the Pelicans edged out a two-point win over the Trail Blazers. Anthony Davis (35 points, 14 rebounds) was the best player on the court in that game, but Jrue Holiday‘s impact shouldn’t be understated. Besides posting 21 points and seven assists, Holiday also locked up Damian Lillard on the other end of the court — Lillard made just six of 23 shots.
The Pelicans don’t have a whole lot of standout talent behind Davis and Holiday, but Nikola Mirotic (16 points, 11 rebounds) stepped up as a reliable third option on Saturday. If he – or another Pelican – can continue to support Davis and Holiday throughout the series, New Orleans should have a chance.
Elsewhere, the Raptors, Rockets, and Thunder had to battle to the end to hold off the Wizards, Timberwolves, and Jazz, respectively, but came away with Game 1 victories. The Bucks pushed the Celtics to overtime before losing Eric Bledsoe and Giannis Antetokounmpo to foul problems and ultimately losing the game. None of those four favorites is a mortal lock to advance, though Houston is probably close.
The Warriors and Sixers took care of business with comfortable wins over the Spurs and Heat, respectively.
What do you think? Will we see an upset – or multiple upsets – in the first round of the postseason? Which lower-seeded teams do you think look like the best bets to advance to round two?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Curry On Track For Second-Round Return
The Warriors provided a medical update on Curry before today’s playoff opener, including the news that he “will intensify his on-court rehabilitation in the coming days.” The team’s medical staff examined Curry yesterday and plans a re-evaluation in one week. His rehab program will consist of “more running and lateral movement.”
“When he’s ready, he’s ready,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “But he’s making progress, which is a good sign.”
- Warriors forward Andre Iguodala appears to be OK after taking a hard hit to his leg in the first half of today’s game, tweets Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. He was diagnosed with just a charley horse, but Kerr said it’s fortunate that Iguodala wasn’t needed late in the game.
Green Could Face Pressure If Warriors Struggle In Postseason
- It’s not unreasonable to say that Draymond Green faces pressure to perform well for the Warriors heading into the 2018 postseason, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. A failure to win the Western Conference title could prompt leadership to consider a reshuffle. “I think there’s more unknown anywhere when you don’t win – whether you got the 30th highest payroll in the league or the highest,” Green said. “But I don’t think about that. It’s on them.“
- It’s a “dream come true” to sign a guaranteed deal with the Warriors through the 2018/19 campaign, Quinn Cook tells Mark Medina of The Mercury News. The 25-year-old had previously bounced around the NBA, signing short-term deals with the Cavs, Pelicans, Mavs and Hawks.
Stephen Curry Targeting Second-Round Return
Stephen Curry, who remains sidelined with an MCL injury, will look to get back on the court sometime during the Western Conference Semifinals, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Curry, who sprained his left MCL sprain in March, was initially ruled out at least three weeks, and his three-week re-evaluation will occur this Saturday, as Charania observes. While the two-time MVP had wanted to return for the Warriors’ first-round series, it sounds like he’ll remain on the shelf for at least a couple more weeks.
That timeline matches up with comments made by head coach Steve Kerr in the wake of Curry’s initial diagnosis. Kerr told reporters at the time that there was “no way” Curry would play in the first round, while the star guard responded to those comments by saying he hoped to prove his coach wrong.
Assuming Curry isn’t able to play until the second round, the Warriors will have to get by the Spurs without him in round one. For their part, the Spurs appear likely to take the court without their own star — no recent updates have been provided on Kawhi Leonard, who last played three months ago today, on January 13.
Details On Traded Picks, Upcoming Draft Tiebreakers
With the 2017/18 NBA regular season in the books, the postseason matchups are set in both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.
More importantly for fans of most non-playoff teams, the end of the regular season means that the 2018 NBA draft picture is clearer than ever. The 2018 draft order is close to being set and – with a small handful of exceptions – most of this year’s traded draft picks with protections on them have now officially changed hands or officially stayed put.
However, there are still some major question marks surrounding the draft order, since several clubs finished the regular season with identical records, and draft tiebreakers don’t work like playoff tiebreakers do. In order to break these ties, the NBA will conduct random drawings this Friday, as Jonathan Givony of ESPN notes (via Twitter).
[RELATED: 2017/18 NBA Reverse Standings]
For lottery teams, such as the 24-58 Mavericks and Hawks, who finished tied for third in the lottery standings, the implications of those drawings are huge. Whichever team wins that tiebreaker will have ever-so-slightly better odds at the first overall pick (13.8% to 13.7%), and will be in position to claim the higher first-round pick if neither team lands in the top three.
For instance, if the Suns and Grizzlies remain at No. 1 and No. 2 in the lottery and another team leapfrogs the Mavs and Hawks, the winner of the tiebreaker between Dallas and Atlanta would claim the No. 4 overall pick — the loser would get No. 5. For the second round, the loser of the tiebreaker would receive the higher selection.
Here are the draft tiebreakers that will be conducted on Friday:
- Mavericks vs. Hawks for Nos. 3, 4.
- Kings vs. Bulls for Nos. 6, 7.
- Bucks vs. Heat for Nos. 16, 17.
- Spurs vs. Timberwolves for Nos. 18, 19.
- Pacers vs. Pelicans vs. Thunder vs. Jazz for Nos. 20-23.
Several of those tiebreakers will also affect this year’s traded picks. Most notably, the Bucks/Heat drawing has massive implications for Milwaukee and Phoenix — the Bucks’ first-round pick will head to the Suns if it lands at No. 16, but Milwaukee would keep it if it ends up at No. 17. In other words, each team has a 50/50 shot at the pick. If the Bucks keep it, they’d owe their 2019 first-round selection to Phoenix, albeit with somewhat similar protections.
Here’s a breakdown of the traded first-round picks for 2018. A check mark indicates the pick will definitely be sent to the indicated team:
- Nets pick to Cavaliers (✔️): Eighth in lottery standings
- Lakers pick to Sixers (97.1%) or Celtics (2.9%): 10th in lottery standings
- Note: Celtics will receive pick if it lands at No. 2 or No. 3 via the lottery.
- Pistons pick to Clippers (97.5%): 12th in lottery standings
- Note: Pistons will keep pick if it lands in top three via the lottery.
- Heat pick to Suns (✔️): No. 16 or 17 (tie)
- Bucks pick to Suns (50%): No. 16 or 17 (tie)
- Note: Bucks will keep pick if it lands at No. 17 via a random drawing.
- Timberwolves pick to Hawks (✔️): No. 18 or 19 (tie)
- Thunder pick to Timberwolves (✔️): No. 20, 21, 22, or 23 (four-way tie)
- Pelicans pick to Bulls (✔️): No. 20, 21, 22, or 23 (four-way tie)
- Cavaliers pick to Lakers (✔️): No. 25
- Raptors pick to Nets (✔️): No. 29
- Rockets pick to Hawks (✔️): No. 30
Here’s a breakdown of the traded second-round picks that will change hands in 2018:
- Bulls pick to Knicks (✔️): No. 36 or 37 (tie)
- Nets pick to Sixers (✔️): No. 38
- Knicks pick to Sixers (✔️): No. 39
- Lakers pick to Nets (✔️): No. 40
- Hornets pick to Magic (✔️): No. 41
- Clippers pick to Nuggets (✔️): No. 43
- Bucks pick to Nets (✔️): No. 45 or 46 (tie)
- Heat pick to Rockets (✔️): No. 45 or 46 (tie)
- Nuggets pick to Lakers (✔️): No. 47
- Trail Blazers pick to Mavericks (✔️): No. 54
- Cavaliers pick to Hornets (✔️): No. 55
- Celtics pick to Thunder (✔️): No. 57
- Warriors pick to Nuggets (✔️): No. 58
- Raptors pick to Suns (✔️): No. 59
- Rockets pick to Sixers (✔️): No. 60
Western Conference Playoff Seeding
11:54pm: The Trail Blazers have defeated the Jazz in their regular season finale and clinched the No. 3 seed with the win. Here are the first-round matchups in the Western Conference:
- Rockets (No. 1) vs. Timberwolves (No. 8)
- Warriors (No. 2) vs. Spurs (No. 7)
- Trail Blazers (No. 3) vs. Pelicans (No. 6)
- Thunder (No. 4) vs. Jazz (No. 5)
9:47pm: The Timberwolves have beaten the Nuggets and clinched the final spot in the 2018 NBA Playoffs. We now know the following.
- The Nuggets will miss the playoffs
- The Timberwolves are the No. 8 seed.
- The Spurs are the No. 7 seed.
- If the Trail Blazers beat the Jazz:
- Pelicans are No. 6
- Jazz are No. 5
- Thunder are No. 4
- Blazers are No. 3
- If the Jazz beat the Trail Blazers:
- Thunder are No. 6
- Pelicans are No. 5
- Blazers are No. 4
- Jazz are No. 3
8:54pm: The Thunder lead the Grizzlies by 12 with less than nine minutes remaining, while the Pelicans lead the Spurs by 18 with less than 10 minutes remaining. Barring a surprise comeback by Memphis or San Antonio, here is how the playoff picture looks after wins by Oklahoma City and New Orleans.
Jazz: 3 or 5
Trail Blazers: 3 or 4
Thunder: 4 or 6
Pelicans: 5 or 6
Spurs: 7 or 8
Timberwolves: 8 or 9
Nuggets: 7 or 9
4:37pm: As we indicated earlier today, the Nuggets and Timberwolves will face-off tonight with the final spot of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on the line.
And while that game will be the only winner-gets-in, loser-gets-eliminated contest tonight, there are numerous other games with playoff seeding implications on the line. In the Western Conference, only the Rockets and the Warriors know their playoff seeding. Seeds three through eight are all still up for grabs, as follows:
Jazz: 3, 4, or 5
Trail Blazers: 3, 4, or 5
Pelicans: 5, 6, 7, or 8
Spurs: 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8
Thunder: 4, 6, or 8
Timberwolves: 6, 7, 8, or 9
Nuggets: 6, 7, or 9
We will be updating the Western Conference playoff seeding scenarios – in real time – as games finish this evening, so stay tuned to Hoops Rumors for all relevant up-to-the-minute developments. For now, here are some initial notes that are not conditional upon other game results:
- The Jazz and Trail Blazers winner gets the No. 3 seed.
- The Thunder will be the No. 8 seed with a loss to the Grizzlies.
- As noted above, the loser of the Nuggets and Wolves will finish ninth in the Western Conference standings.
Kevin Durant Plans To Opt Out, Sign New Deal With Warriors
For a third straight offseason, Kevin Durant is poised to reach the free agent market. According to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, Durant will decline his 2018/19 player option and become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
However, as was the case a year ago, Durant won’t entertain the possibility of leaving Golden State in free agency. Instead, the reigning NBA Finals MVP will opt out in order to sign a new contract with the Warriors, Haynes reports.
[RELATED: Kevin Durant confirms he’s not going anywhere in free agency]
After taking a discount in 2017 to help the Warriors re-sign Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala without going deeper into luxury tax territory, Durant is poised to receive a raise this time around. In turning down his $26.25MM player option, the star forward will be eligible to receive a starting salary of up to 35% of the salary cap. Currently, the cap is projected to be $101MM, which would result in a 2018/19 salary of $35.35MM for Durant — he could sign for up to four years.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes, if Durant wants to continue his streak of signing a two-year deal with a second-year player option, his maximum salary would be limited to $30MM, 120% of his current salary. In that scenario, the Warriors would have to use Non-Bird rights rather than Early Bird rights to re-sign Durant, since Early Bird deals must cover at least two seasons, not including option years.
According to Haynes, Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman will go over the possible contract scenarios and make a decision with the Warriors’ front office when the team’s playoff run ends. Even if Durant “settles” for a $30MM starting salary, Golden State projects to be way over the tax line again in 2018/19.
Adding a $30MM cap hit for Durant to the salaries for Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Iguodala, and Livingston would put the Dubs’ total team salary over $128MM, and that figure doesn’t include guaranteed minimum salaries for Damian Jones, Jordan Bell, and Quinn Cook. The Warriors would also have to add at least five more players to their roster in order to reach the 14-man minimum.
Lorenzo Brown Named 2017/18 G League MVP
Raptors 905 guard Lorenzo Brown has been named the NBA G League’s Most Valuable Player for the 2017/18 season, the league announced today in a press release. The NBAGL’s 26 head coaches and general managers voted on the award.
Brown, 27, has played for various G League teams since the 2013/14 campaign, having been named an All-Star twice. However, 2017/18 was arguably his most successful overall season in the G League. In 32 games for Toronto’s G League affiliate, the veteran guard averaged 18.8 PPG, 8.8 APG, and 5.2 RPG, making 46.8% of his shots from the floor.
Brown is currently on a two-way contract with the Raptors, appearing in 14 games this season for the NBA club. According to Basketball Insiders’ data, Brown’s two-way deal is only for one year, meaning he’ll become a restricted free agent this summer.
The Raptors 905 are currently down 1-0 to the Austin Spurs in the G League’s best-of-three Finals, so Brown will have a chance to lead the club to a series comeback beginning on Tuesday night — he’ll also receive his MVP trophy before tonight’s game. If the Raptors’ affiliate can extend the series, the deciding game would take place on Friday.
Current Warriors guard Quinn Cook and current Knicks guard Trey Burke finished second and third, respectively, in G League MVP voting.
Warriors Sign Quinn Cook Through 2018/19
APRIL 10, 10:28am: The Warriors have officially signed Cook to his new two-year deal, tweets Charania. As cap expert Albert Nahmad notes (via Twitter), Cook’s new contract will pay him just shy of $15K for this season, but will cost Golden State about $54K in additional tax penalties. He’ll get a guaranteed minimum salary for 2018/19.
APRIL 8, 3:10pm: The Warriors have agreed to a multi-year deal with point guard Quinn Cook that he is expected to sign by Tuesday, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports. As we noted earlier today, Golden State waived forward Omri Casspi to open a roster spot for Cook.
The guaranteed NBA contract makes Cook eligible for the NBA playoffs. With two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry sidelined for the first round of the playoffs, Cook will enter the postseason as the Warriors’ starting point guard.
Cook has filled in admirably for Curry, averaging 9.4 PPG and 2.7 APG while shooting 44.8% from three-point range in 31 games (16 starts).
The 25-year-old split last season between the Mavericks and Pelicans, appearing in just 14 games. The Duke University product went undrafted in 2015 and spent time in the G League until receiving his first NBA opportunity last season.