Channing Frye Likely To Opt Out
Suns big man Channing Frye has until Monday to decide on his player option but a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that there is a “99%” likelihood that he’ll choose free agency.
Frye is on the radar of the Warriors and Cavs if he indeed opts for free agency (link). Both teams are in the market for stretch fours. Of course, opting out doesn’t mean he’ll be headed elsewhere and in fact the veteran has said that he’d like to hammer out a new, long-term deal with the Suns.
The Arizona product was one of many feel-good stories for the Suns this season. The 31-year-old missed all of 2012/13 with an enlarged heart but wound up playing and starting in all 82 of the Suns’ regular season games last season.
Frye averaged 11.1 PPG with 5.1 RPG and 0.8 BPG in 28.2 minutes per contest. He’s had slightly better marks in those categories and in PER, but he was nonetheless a bright spot for the Suns last season.
Draft Notes: Exum, Mock Drafts, O’Bryant
Dante Exum is one of the draft’s most talented, but riskiest prospects, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. One major question surrounding Exum is whether he’s better suited to play shooting guard than point guard, notes Robbins. A talent evaluator for an NBA team told Robbins, “He’s got to learn how to play point guard in the NBA. He’s somewhat similar to a lot of point guards working their way into the league now — guys who are looking to score the ball as well as pass the ball. Are they real point guards? In the traditional sense, no. But he’s the kind of point guard we’re getting into the league now.”
More draft notes and news:
- In a separate piece, Robbins released his mock draft, which is topped by Andrew Wiggins going to the Cavaliers.
- The staff over at Basketball Insiders released their updated mock draft, and also have Wiggins as their consensus top-pick.
- In his mock draft, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel has Wiggins being selected first as well, and predicts a number of trades, including the Lakers shipping the seventh pick to the Pacers for Roy Hibbert, and the Magic selecting Joel Embiid and trading him to the Celtics for Exum.
- Johnny O’Bryant had a strong workout for the Bucks, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link).
Eastern Notes: Pistons, Celtics, Blatt, Sixers
According to Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News, the Pistons need to find a small forward in the draft who would allow coach Stan Van Gundy to move Josh Smith into a role as the sixth man. This would maximize Smith’s potential by making him the best player on the floor when both teams play their second units, opines Goodwill.
More from the east:
- The Celtics would like to nab a small forward who can score, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. In the article he breaks down what players that fit that description might be available when Boston is on the clock at picks No. 6 and No. 17.
- Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders chimes in on why he thinks that David Blatt was the right hire for the Cavaliers.
- Joel Embiid‘s injury has complicated the lottery picture. Tom Moore of Calkins Media runs down the Sixers’ scenarios now that the draft’s landscape has changed.
- Serbian point guard Vasa Micic could be a draft possibility for the Hornets at No. 24, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
Berger’s Draft Notes: Cavs, Saric, Magic
The Cavs are leaning towards selecting Jabari Parker with the first-overall pick, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. He cites Parker being more NBA ready as the reason behind that pick.
More from Berger’s article:
- The biggest beneficiary of Joel Embiid‘s injury could be Australian shooting guard Dante Exum. Berger reports that the Magic are interested in Exum, who could be off the board prior to them selecting at number four. But Orlando’s dilemma is that they also want a frontcourt player to pair with Nikola Vucevic and may not be able to get one they’re comfortable with at No. 12. If that is the case, Berger has the Magic taking Noah Vonleh.
- Two players who are rising on teams’ draft boards are Jusuf Nurkic and Elfrid Payton. Nurkic could be a stash option for the Bulls at 19, opines Berger.
- The Knicks are trying to purchase a late first round pick, and Phil Jackson is interested in Tyler Ennis or P.J. Hairston, according to the article.
- Berger reports that Dario Saric‘s invitation to the draft-night green room might be the result of a promise from the Nuggets to grab him with the 11th pick. The article also notes that teams in the mid-to-late lottery have tried to get Saric to work out for them, but have been told he’ll be gone by the time they pick.
- With Kyle Lowry an unrestricted free agent and Greivis Vasquez becoming a restricted free agent, the Raptors are believed to be considering Ennis or Shabazz Napier with the 20th pick.
- The Bucks are looking at selecting Mitch McGary with the 31st pick, according to Berger. They are the only team known to have worked out McGary, notes Berger.
Latest On Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid had been the prohibitive favorite to be the first-overall pick in this year’s draft, but his foot injury and subsequent need for surgery has placed his likelihood of being a top-3 pick in serious doubt, as executives worry that he could be the next in a long line of talented big men to have their careers cut short by injury, Here’s the latest on Embiid…
- Initial concerns about Embiid centered on a stress fracture in his back — an injury that caused him to miss the final several weeks of the college season, including the NCAA tournament, but the foot injury is an even worse concern now, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. A Western Conference executive said, “The back thing wouldn’t have bothered me as much, to be quite honest. But big men and bad feet are a bad combination. And big men with two injury concerns (back and foot) are a worse combination. No way (the Cavs) take him. It costs people money and jobs.“
- In the same article, a Western Conference coach had a different opinion, telling Amico, “Embiid is a top-three overall talent. He’s the best big in the draft. I wouldn’t rule him out.”
- Another executive weighed in on the talents of Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, telling Amico, “How do you draft Embiid and his bad foot when you have two guys like (Parker and Wiggins) sitting there? If you take an injury-prone big man to pass on a healthy and talented wing … you could really set the franchise back. The Cavs want to start winning. Draft the healthy guy.” That same executive then said he wouldn’t risk taking Embiid prior to the sixth pick.
- J.A. Adande of ESPN.com thinks that Embiid fits what the Lakers need. Adande opines that with Kobe Bryant under contract for two more seasons, the team doesn’t need to think long-term right now. Rather, they need to maximize what’s left of Kobe’s career, which makes the possibility of Embiid having his career cut short by injury not as big a risk as it would be for many of the other teams drafting in the top-10.
- Embiid might fall to the Celtics who own the sixth pick, and GM Danny Ainge has a history of taking players with injuries in their backgrounds, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7 FM. The article cites Ainge’s selections of Jared Sullinger and Avery Bradley as examples.
Draft Notes: Embiid, Celtics, Trades
Joel Embiid‘s foot injury has shaken up the draft, with split opinions around the league regarding the seven-footer’s prospects for the draft and beyond. One league source tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe that Embiid’s health concerns place him in legitimate danger of plummeting out of the lottery, while others are confident he will still be selected in the top 10. More draft rumblings:
- Tyler Ennis will have his second audition for the Magic on Monday, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (H/T Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic).
- The international teams for Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic, Nemanja Dangubic, and Vasilije Micic will not put any barriers in place to keep the players from joining the NBA if drafted, per tweets from Yugobasket and Misko Raznatovic (H/T Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
- Marcus Smart, Noah Vonleh, and Aaron Gordon are the Celtics preferred group of draftees at No. 6, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
- Boston’s “most likely” scenario for the draft is to keep both of their picks, GM Danny Ainge tells Washburn (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- The Cavs are making efforts to trade down from the top spot to the No. 3-5 range in the draft, where they think Embiid would still be available, tweets Brett Poirier of Sheridan Hoops. The Magic, sitting at No. 4, have not been contacted by Cleveland, a source tells Poirier (Twitter link). The Sixers and Jazz own the third and fifth pick, respectively.
- The Lakers would consider taking Embiid at No. 7 if he fell that far, a source familiar with their thinking tells Mark Medina of Los Angeles Daily News. Unsurprisingly, LA’s choice would hinge on their confidence in the big man’s recovery.
- The Lakers are more likely to hang on to that seventh pick than deal it, despite their ongoing efforts to explore what they could net for it, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The pick was linked to Klay Thompson as part of the Kevin Love discussions earlier today.
- The Suns are willing to trade away the 27th pick for a future first-rounder, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- Jakarr Sampson, Niels Giffey, Glenn Robinson III, and Chane Behanan will work out for the Celtics today, tweets Holmes.
- As previously reported, the Warriors, Blazers, Pelicans, and Knicks are all looking to acquire first round draft picks, but the price tag is extremely high due to the deep draft pool, reports Alex Kennedy (via Twitter). Kennedy says that teams are asking for future picks that are unprotected or barely protected in return for first-rounders this year.
- The NBA has invited 21 prospects to the green room for the draft broadcast, Chad Ford of ESPN.com reveals in two tweets. The invite is a sign of consensus around these players as first round selections. The players invited were Andrew Wiggins Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Dante Exum, Noah Vonleh, Aaron Gordon, Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, Doug McDermott, Dario Saric, Gary Harris, Elfrid Payton, Nik Stauskas, James Young, Zach LaVine, Jusuf Nurkic, Adreian Payne, T.J. Warren, Tyler Ennis, Rodney Hood, and Shabazz Napier.
Cavs Hire David Blatt As Coach
The Cavs have named David Blatt head coach, the team announced. The 55-year-old Massachusetts native makes an unprecented jump from Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv straight into an NBA head coaching position despite a lack of NBA experience as a player, coach or executive.
Cleveland and the Mike Tannenbaum client were deep into discussions on a deal Thursday night and had resumed talks Friday morning following reports that the Cavs had offered him the job. It’s a four-year contract worth $3.33MM in base salary each season, with incentive clauses that would bump the annual salaries as high as $5MM. The fourth year is a team option.
Blatt beats out Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue, who briefly was the lone competition in a two-man race Thursday. Fellow Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry, whom like Lue received a second interview with the team, instead accepted a position Thursday night as an assistant for the Warriors. Blatt was on Cleveland’s radar from the start of its search, but he emerged as a strong candidate late in the process, and his announcement last week that he was leaving Maccabi Tel Aviv to pursue an NBA job appeared to accelerate the process. He said at that time that he’d spoken with GM David Griffin by phone, and this week he had a formal interview with the club.
Blatt has drawn raves for his work overseas, and as the head man for the Russian national team, he worked with Sergey Karasev, whom the Cavs picked 19th in last year’s draft. Still, multiple reports indicate that the hiring all but removes Cleveland from the race to land LeBron James this summer. Still, the Cavs aren’t concerned with adding either a coach or players to bend to the four-time MVP’s wishes, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
The Warriors were pushing Blatt to become an assistant coach for them, and people close to him were apparently advising him to pursue the Golden State job rather than become the first European coach to take an NBA head coaching position. The Timberwolves and Hawks were also reportedly eyeing him for assistant coaching positions, and in Minnesota’s case, he appeared to be Flip Saunders‘ top choice to become a coach-in-waiting of sorts who’d eventually take over as head coach for Saunders.
The Cavs reportedly also interviewed Mark Price, Alvin Gentry, Adrian Griffin, Tyronn Lue, Vinny Del Negro and Lionel Hollins for their head coaching job. Nate McMillan and Mark Jackson also drew mention as candidates. The Cavs also appeared to make a strong run at hiring marquee college coaches John Calipari, Kevin Ollie, Billy Donovan and Tom Izzo.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images. Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer first reported that the sides had reached an agreement, along with additional detail. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that it was a four year deal, later following with the annual numbers (Twitter links). Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com noted that the final year is a team option (on Twitter) and Sam Amick of USA Today confirmed the full value of the contract, including incentives (Twitter link). Sam Amico noted that the Cavs aren’t trying to impress LeBron James with the hiring or with the addition of any certain players this summer.
Western Notes: LeBron, Gentry, Honeycutt
If LeBron James opts out of his contract with the Heat, the Rockets will have as an enticing a situation to offer him as any team in the league, writes Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. Beck lays out what options Houston has to fit James’ salary in, plus notes the team views Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh as secondary options if they fail to land James, provided Bosh and Anthony also exercise their ETO’s.
More from the wild west:
- Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman hands out the grades for Andre Roberson’s 2013/14 season with the Thunder.
- Alvin Gentry will make more than $800K as a Warriors assistant this season, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). That’s a raise on his salary from the Clippers this season but not nearly as much as he would have made if he’d become head coach for the Cavs or Lakers, two jobs for which he was a leading candidate.
- Free agent small forward Tyler Honeycutt will be auditioning for the Rockets and Warriors, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Honeycutt last saw NBA action with the Kings during the 2012/13 season when he averaged 0.9 PPG and 1.1 RPG in nine appearances.
- The Lakers will bring in Shabazz Napier on Sunday for a workout, reports Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link).
- The Grizzlies have a workout scheduled on Saturday for Walter Tavares, reports Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Magic Eye Top-Two Pick Amid Embiid Concern
3:53pm: Embiid is expected to recover in four to six months, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
12:25pm: The Magic placed calls to the Cavs and Bucks about moving up to acquire their selections after news surfaced of Joel Embiid‘s broken foot, and the Jazz and Sixers made the same inquiries, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com in his latest Insider-only piece. Ford hears from teams who believe Embiid’s recovery timetable is anywhere from four months to a year. Reports have indicated that Utah and Philadelphia have made previous attempts at moving up, but it looks like Embiid’s injury prompted Orlando to pursue trade options it hadn’t been considering. Cleveland and Milwaukee hold the first and second picks, respectively, in Thursday’s draft.
Ford believes the Magic, who pick fourth, had narrowed their choices to Dante Exum and Noah Vonleh before Embiid’s injury, but Thursday’s bombshell apparently prompted desire on the Cavs’ part to bring Exum in for a workout. The Australian guard is the most likely candidate to break into the top three picks if Embiid falls to No. 4 or below, so it would seem Orlando wants to ensure it has a chance to take Exum.
The chances that Embiid goes first or second in the draft are “slim to none,” Ford writes, adding that there’s only a slight chance the Sixers take him at No. 3. The Magic would be 50-50 to take him presuming they stay at No. 4, according to Ford, who says that it’s doubtful the Jazz would draft him fifth. It sounds like Embiid’s floor is No. 6, as Ford hears Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge wouldn’t pass on him at that position as long as the big man’s surgery today goes as planned.
Eastern Notes: Embiid, Sanders, Fredette, Hawks
Sources in Cleveland tell Chad Ford of ESPN.com that it’s highly unlikely that the Cavs forge ahead and take Joel Embiid first overall now that he has a broken foot, as Ford writes in his latest Insider-only mock draft. It’s unclear just how far he’ll fall. Ford has him dropping to the Magic at No. 4, while our Alex Lee has him going to the Celtics at No. 6 in the most recent version of the Hoops Rumors Mock Draft. Embiid’s injury will have reverberations across the league, but especially in the Eastern Conference, as Eastern teams hold five of the top six picks. Here’s more from the East:
- The trade market for Larry Sanders is “virtually non-existent,” according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, running counter to reports that the Kings and Mavs have interest in the Bucks center.
- Panathinaikos of Greece is targeting Jimmer Fredette after Nick Calathes didn’t respond to the club’s apparent three-year $6.5MM offer, as Sport24 reports (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The Bulls guard hits free agency next month, while Calathes remains on a non-guaranteed contract with the Grizzlies that Memphis isn’t planning to waive.
- The Hawks are set to work out draft prospect Walter Tavares today, tweets Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops. That’s in spite of yesterday’s news that the 7’3″ 22-year-old has signed a three-year extension with a Spanish team.