Durant 'Very Much In Play' As Free Agency Nears
- Chandler Parsons reiterated that he would love to remain with the Mavericks, but he expressed openness to going back to the Rockets, his original NBA team, as he spoke with reporters Wednesday, notes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Parsons, who’s expected to opt out and hit free agency this summer, has indicated he plans to speak with Dwight Howard about the possibility of teaming up, and Howard reportedly prefers to stick with the Rockets as he considers free agency this year. “I wouldn’t count [Houston] out,” Parsons said. “Obviously, playing there three years, I had a great time there. We had a lot of success. It will be interesting to see what they do with the head coaching job. I would love J.B. [Bickerstaff] to get that job. I wouldn’t count out that option.”
- The Jazz plan to have Alec Burks back in the lineup for Friday’s game against the Clippers, team sources tell Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News. It appeared as though Burks would miss only two months when he broke his left fibula in late December, but he’s remained out, and last week some within the organization raised the possibility of him missing the rest of the season, citing the rationale that so few games remain, according to Sorensen. The team’s thinking has changed as it’s drawn closer to clinching a playoff berth, Sorensen explains.
- The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office won’t pursue felony domestic violence charges against Clippers rookie Branden Dawson that stemmed from an incident last month, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times and Dan Woike of the Orange County Register detail. A lack of evidence prompted the decision, a spokesperson for the city attorney said. Dawson’s minimum salary for next season is non-guaranteed.
Warriors Don't Care About Positions, Only Winning
- There has been some debate about what Draymond Green‘s ideal position should be, but Warriors GM Bob Myers says all that matters is winning, not labeling players, Washburn writes in a separate piece. “I don’t know what position Draymond Green should play,” Myers said. “Is he a better 5, 4, or 3? Who knows? Who cares? He helps you win. Stephen Curry is just a basketball player who has developed a weapon that’s hard to defend. That’s the question that everybody is asking. What does [Green or Curry] do? The answer is that he wins. I think sometimes in our position, we lose sight of that skill. Winning is a skill. We need to put more emphasis on players who win. It doesn’t matter how they do it.”
Warriors View Varejao As Insurance Policy
- Despite not seeing much action for the Warriors since being signed in February, Anderson Varejao provides the team with a much-needed veteran presence off the bench as the playoffs near, Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group writes. When asked how Varejao was adapting to being in Golden State, coach Steve Kerr told reporters, “He’s a great insurance policy for us. It’s been good to get him minutes and get him some rhythm. He’s exactly who we were hoping for — a big who is smart, knows how to play and can fill in if we need him. We’ll see what happens in the playoffs with the rotation. But he’s got a lot of experience; we know he can play.”
Knicks Sense Walton Not Ready To Leave Warriors
The Knicks increasingly sense that Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton won’t leave Golden State for a head coaching job this summer, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Knicks team president Phil Jackson is in contact with Bulls executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson, who used to play for the Zen Master, and Jackson isn’t impressed with Tom Thibodeau, who worked for Paxson as Bulls coach, Berman writes. The Post scribe also implies Jackson isn’t about to go out of his way to hire former Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, leaving few options other than interim coach Kurt Rambis, whom Berman hears is closer with Jackson than just about any coach is with his boss and allows Jackson the level of input he’s longed for. However, Knicks players don’t respect Rambis as much as they did former coach Derek Fisher, sources indicated to Berman.
Andrew Bogut Reiterates He Wants Extension
- Andrew Bogut reiterated recently that he’d like to reach an extension deal with the Warriors in the offseason, reports Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Bogut becomes eligible to formally sign an extension October 25th, just as the regular season begins. He first spoke publicly of his desire for an extension in December with Sam Amick of USA Today.
Bogut Wants Warriors To Re-Sign Speights
- Andrew Bogut is bullish on the free agent stock of teammate Harrison Barnes, and the Warriors center also thinks reserve big men Festus Ezeli and Marreese Speights are in line for major paydays when they hit the market this summer, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays. “[Speights has] been absolutely huge for us this season, and someone’s obviously going to give him a lot of money,” said Bogut, who’s under contract through next season. “Hopefully, it’s us.” Speights spoke with Hoops Rumors about his contract year before it began.
Bogut Predicts Barnes Will Land Max Deal This Offseason
One of the biggest decisions the Warriors will need to make this summer is whether or not to re-sign Harrison Barnes, who will be eligible to become a restricted free agent at season’s end. Teammate Andrew Bogut believes the combo forward has done more than enough to command a near-maximum salary this summer, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle relays.
- David Lee would still be with the Warriors if the team hadn’t won the championship last year, he tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “If we lose the Finals, then I find a way to try to stick around there,” Lee said. “But I feel like, we went from a 23-win team to a championship team in five years. It couldn’t have been a better ending, contributing to helping my team win a championship. It was a fitting ending for both parties. I wanted to play minutes going into a contract year, and there was really no way they could keep me. I think it worked out great for both sides.”
Ex-Warriors Assistant Praises Walton
Warriors assistant Luke Walton is reportedly poised to become a top candidate for the Knicks coaching vacancy, and the Lakers, Suns, Rockets and Kings are expected to target him, too, but former colleague Alvin Gentry thinks Walton still doesn’t gets the credit he deserves, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Gentry, now head coach of the Pelicans, was on Golden State’s staff last year with Walton, who inherited Gentry’s role as lead assistant and guided the Warriors to a 39-4 record while head coach Steve Kerr recovered from back surgeries. “Luke did an unbelievable job of managing egos, of rotations he played,” Gentry said. “Everything that happened there, he pushed the right buttons, so I was disappointed when people said anybody can coach that team. That’s not true at all. He has an unbelievable understanding of the game. I think [Knicks president] Phil [Jackson] knows that. [Luke] stayed in the league for a long time because of the basketball IQ he has. He gets along great with players. He’s going to be a terrific coach in the league – I really do think that.”
David Lee Thought About Returning To Warriors
- No teams see Dwight Howard as a plan A for free agency this summer, according to Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher (video link). Howard would prefer to re-sign with the Rockets, but he finds the prospect of a return to the Magic intriguing, as Bucher reported last week.
- Dirk Nowitzki reiterated that the idea of playing 20 seasons in the NBA appeals to him in an appearance Sunday on ESPN Radio’s “NBA Insiders” show, echoing comments he made in December, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays. The 37-year-old who’s in his 18th season in the league addressed his future as it relates to the Mavericks last week.
- The premature end of Anthony Davis‘ season and his lack of progress this year serve as reminders that it’s still uncertain whether he’ll fulfill his potential as a superstar, argues Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. A five-year extension with the Pelicans will kick in for Davis next year, so questions about Davis inexorably become questions about New Orleans. Still, Davis said he’s played with a torn labrum in his shoulder for the past three seasons, so it’s fair to wonder if he’ll improve markedly when fully healthy.
Harrison Barnes Likely To See Multiple Offers
- Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes is eligible to become a restricted free agent this offseason and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes that he’ll command an average salary of around $20MM per year on his next deal and that the player will receive multiple free agent offers, as he told 95.7 The Game (Twitter link). Golden State, provided it submits a qualifying offer worth $5,194,227, will have the right to match any offer sheet that Barnes signs.