Pacific Rumors: Brown, D’Antoni, Kings, Warriors
The Lakers are the only team that's yet to win a game among the three Pacific Division clubs in the playoffs, but they have a chance to do so tonight against the Spurs. As always, the on-court action is just one of many stories making headlines in Lakerland, and we've got the rest of the news here, along with dispatches from around the division:
- The Cavaliers' decision to hire Mike Brown as their new head coach could grease the financial skids for the Lakers to fire Mike D'Antoni if they so choose, as Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld examines. Kennedy tabs the amount still left on Brown's contract with the Lakers at $11MM, while Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times says it's closer to $8MM, with around $6MM-$7MM guaranteed. The Lakers will be spared from shelling out a portion of that guaranteed money — perhaps as much as half, according to Pincus —now that Brown is with the Cavs (Twitter links).
- Still, that $3MM-$4MM would amount to nothing more than "a grain of sand on the beach" when it comes to the Lakers' books, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The precise amount won't be known until the league approves the contract, which could take a month, McMenamin hears. A more significant effect that Brown's new job could have on the Lakers might involve the desire of Brown's former assistant coaches, some of whom remain with L.A., to follow him to Cleveland.
- The fate of the Kings will have a significant impact on David Stern's legacy as NBA commissioner, writes Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee. One league executive told Voisin that Stern has been "anguishing" over the process that has Seattle and Sacramento groups competing for the franchise.
- Seattle's effort to build a new arena has cleared a major permitting hurdle, and Chris Daniels of KING-TV in Seattle has the details.
- Warriors front office adviser Jerry West gives his thoughts to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group about the team's sharpshooting backcourt duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Kyler On Paul, Teague, Jack, Billups, Bledsoe
In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler focuses on the playoff point guards that may be heading for free agency once their respective seasons end. Kyler has tidbits on those players, as well as notes on Eric Bledsoe and Phil Jackson, so let's check out the highlights:
- Chris Paul is essentially a lock to re-sign with the Clippers and he'll have a "tremendous amount of input" in the team's roster moves and overall direction.
- The Hawks will extend a qualifying offer to Jeff Teague, and while the club plans to keep its options open, it's unlikely that Teague will end up leaving Atlanta.
- Jerryd Bayless is expected to decline his player option in search of a longer-term contract.
- There's mutual interest in a new deal between Jarrett Jack and the Warriors, and the team will have Jack's Bird Rights, but the Warriors figure to be well into the tax unless they can make a cost-cutting move or two, which could complicate negotiations.
- If Chauncey Billups doesn't return to the Clippers, retirement is more likely for him than signing with another club.
- The Bucks will definitely match almost any offer sheet signed by Brandon Jennings, though if he receives the max from a rival suitor, Milwaukee will "have to seriously look at that."
- While Bledsoe is expected to be an offseason trade candidate, Clippers sources are adamant that they don't need to make a decision on Bledsoe until the summer of 2014, or at least next year's trade deadline.
- With a handful of head coaching jobs already opened up, Jackson's name will pop up frequently in the next several weeks, but Kyler hears that the odds of the 11-time champion accepting a coaching job aren't great.
Pacific Notes: Paul, Clippers, Kings, Jackson
Chris Paul has kept mum on his future so far, but he may have dropped some very telling hints when speaking to reporters this afternoon. The Clippers star remarked that guard Eric Bledsoe is likely going to wind up elsewhere next year because the club won't have enough money to sign him, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The way that Paul spoke of Bledsoe's future leads Markazi to believe (link) that Paul intends on staying in L.A. for the long-term. It's also worth noting that Bledsoe isn't a free agent this summer – he's under contract next season for $2.6MM. However, the Clippers are expected to shop him when/if Paul re-signs (link). Here's more out of the Pacific..
- An NBA owner expressed his doubts to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com about Sacramento's bid for the Kings, saying, "The check's in the mail, and that's not good enough. The check's got to arrive." Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson nonetheless believes most owners were "blown away" by the competitiveness of the city's offer, as well as the fast pace at which its come together.
- Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News (on Twitter) notes that the three-year, $28MM extension that Stephen Jackson signed with the Warriors is just expiring now after four trades and one release.
- Ike Diogu began the season in training camp with the Suns and played 41 games with the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China. Now, he's headed to Puerto Rico to play with Leones de Ponce, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports.
David Lee Out For Season
Warriors forward David Lee is done for the season after tearing his right hip flexor in last night’s playoff game against the Nuggets, a person with knowledge of the situation told Sam Amick of USA Today. An MRI taken earlier today revealed a Grade 3 tear, according to the source.
The Warriors came just short of beating Denver in Game 1 of their series, losing 97-95. Lee earned an All-Star selection this season and averaged 18.5 PPG while leading the Warriors in rebounding with 11.2 RPG.
Odds & Ends: Magic, Noel, Stan Van Gundy, Curry
The future of the Kings was far from the only issue on the table at the NBA's Board of Governors meeting this week. USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt rounds up the other issues that owners discussed, including human growth hormone testing for players, the effect of widespread reliance on three-pointers, and the possibility of a joint bid for the 2015 All-Star Game between New York and Brooklyn. Here's more from the Association on the eve of the playoffs:
- Magic GM Rob Hennigan has demonstrated a reluctance to pick up players with question marks surrounding their health, but Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel hears they wouldn't hesitate to draft top prospect Nerlens Noel, who tore his left ACL in February.
- Schmitz also hears Stan Van Gundy has no interest in becoming the next coach of the Cavaliers, Sixers or Pistons, the three teams with current coaching vacancies. The former Magic coach has been linked to the openings in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
- Sixers assistant coach Michael Curry will interview for the head job in Philly, but a source tells John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer that interest from other teams will be high.
- Jamaal Tinsley started 32 games in place of the injured Mo Williams for the Jazz this season, and the 35-year-old Tinsley is convinced he has plenty left, telling Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune he "realistically" thinks he can play for another three or four years in the league (Twitter link).
- A report earlier this season suggested Omri Casspi was thinking about returning to play in his native Israel, but he tells Walla Sport that as long as he receives an offer from an NBA club, he won't play overseas next season (translation via HoopsHype).
- Mike Dunlap is rumored to be in danger of losing his job with the Bobcats, but the team is in no hurry to make its decision about him, preferring to listen to exit interviews and watch the coaching market develop first, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- Warriors GM Bob Myers told Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group that he had every confidence Stephen Curry would remain healthy when he signed the point guard to his four-year, $44MM extension last fall.
Pacific Links: Dwight, Lakers, Warriors, Kings
Congratulations to the Lakers, who, after a season of nearly non-stop turmoil, have clinched a playoff spot with the Grizzlies' win over the Jazz tonight. That comes as no surprise to many Hoops Rumors readers, as the Lakers were the top choice when we asked two weeks ago which Western Conference team would grab the final playoff spot in the West. You were also right on about the Jazz, tabbing them in early March as the team most likely to miss the playoffs among a group that also included the Lakers, Warriors and Rockets. Now, as the Lakers attempt to move up to the seventh seed with a win over Houston tonight, here's more on them and a couple of their Pacific Division rivals.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak told Jim Rome of CBS Radio that he expects to re-sign Dwight Howard, echoing a pair of sources who said the same to Sam Amick of USA Today a few days ago.
- Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld concludes the Lakers can't win a title as constituted this year or next, and lays out three options for the team: a full rebuilding effort, a quick rebuild for next season, and the most likely option, a push for free agents in 2014. Regardless of what happens, re-signing Howard figures to be the first item on their offseason agenda, as Koutroupis writes.
- Dwayne Jones will be with Golden State when the playoffs begin this weekend, but Scott Machado will remain with the Warriors' D-League affiliate for its postseason run, tweets Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Warriors signed deals with both today for the rest of the season.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com figures the NBA's decision to delay a vote until next month on the future of the Kings is a positive for Sacramento, arguing the city will benefit from more time in its tug-of-war with Seattle (Twitter link).
Warriors Sign Dwayne Jones
3:31pm: The Warriors have officially signed Jones, the team announced today in a press release.
2:19pm: The Warriors will sign big man Dwayne Jones for the remainder of the season, agent Joel Bell tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link). Jones had been playing with the D-League's Texas Legends.
Jones, who will turn 30 in June, played for four different teams in parts of five NBA seasons, but hasn't seen regular-season action in the Association since appearing in two games for the Suns in 2009/10. In 21 games for the Legends this season, Jones has averaged 8.8 PPG and 12.6 RPG.
For the Warriors, it will be their second signing of the day, after they inked Scott Machado to a rest-of-season deal. Machado is the team's 14th man, so there's still a roster spot open for Jones, meaning no corresponding move is required.
Machado also remains assigned to the team's D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, as the D-League squad prepares to begin its second-round playoff series against Austin tonight. It's not clear whether Machado and Jones will be part of the NBA Warriors' postseason roster when the playoffs begin this weekend, or whether both players will remain with Santa Cruz. In any case, it looks like Machado and Jones were added with an eye toward next season, or at least July's Summer League. I would guess both players have non-guaranteed options for 2013/14.
Warriors Re-Sign Scott Machado
WEDNESDAY, 12:55pm: The Warriors have officially re-signed Machado for the season (and playoffs), the team announced today in a press release. For now, Machado remains with the team's D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, so it's unclear whether he'll be playing in the postseason in the D-League or NBA.
MONDAY, 1:17pm: Once Scott Machado's 10-day contract expires, the Warriors will re-sign him for the season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Machado's deal is set to expire tomorrow night, so his new contract will technically only be for one day, though it will allow him to play in the postseason, and could include an option for next year.
Machado, 22, has yet to appear in a game for the Warriors since joining the team last weekend. Prior to signing with Golden State, he had been playing for the team's D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. A rest-of-season contract for Machado seems to suggest that Warriors management liked what it saw from the 6'1" guard at Santa Cruz, and wanted the opportunity to secure his rights for Summer League and possibly training camp.
Even after locking up Machado, the Warriors will only be carrying 14 players, leaving one open roster spot. If the team wants to use that spot before season's end, it has three days to make a move.
Atlantic Notes: Bargnani, Lowry, Pierce, Collins
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes the Raptors will pursue a power forward this summer via trade in return for Andrea Bargnani, and he advocates that Toronto go after Carl Landry, as the team is reportedly considering (Twitter links). If Bargnani is successfully dealt, he joins Greg Oden, Andrew Bogut, Dwight Howard, and LeBron James on the list of #1 picks over the last ten seasons to either eventually leave or be traded from the team that drafted them. Here are a few more tidbits to relay from the Atlantic Division:
- Raptors guard Kyle Lowry tells Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun that he's hopeful about returning to Toronto next season and wants to be back, but acknowledged that the decision is out of his hands. Ganter, who argues that the 6'1 point guard must become a 'jack-of-all-trades' player to fit Toronto's needs, also mentions that Lowry has a $6.21MM team exception for next season.
- Celtics star Paul Pierce still finds it difficult to fathom that Ray Allen left for the Heat, saying that his former teammate could have gone anywhere else – citing the Lakers as another exception – and he wouldn't have felt betrayed, says Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
- Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com wonders why Doug Collins would want to return next season, when the 76ers may still be mediocre.
- Although P.J. Carlesimo would like to rest his key players as much as he can before the playoffs, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson aren't ready to sit just yet, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday. Williams and Johnson briefly mentioned the possibility of catching the Pacers, who are currently the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
D-League Moves: Machado, Baynes, Garrett
We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments here..
- After signing him yesterday, the Warriors assigned Scott Machado to their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, according to a press release. Machado will be in action for the Warriors' first round series against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Wednesday.
- The Spurs announced that they have recalled Aron Baynes from their D-League affiliate. Baynes has appeared in 11 games with the Austin Toros, averaging 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds in 26.9 minutes.
- Earlier this week, the Suns announced that they had assigned guard Diante Garrett to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA D-League. Garrett has now been recalled from the D-League. The 6'4" guard was first assigned on January 10th to the Jam, where he averaged 15.1 points, 7.4 assists, and 1.7 steals in seven games for the Jam (five starts).