Stein On Van Gundy, Clippers, Pistons, Grizzlies
In his Weekend Dime column, ESPN.com's Marc Stein takes us on a ride around the NBA coaching carousel. You must be this tall to check out the highlights..
- According to sources, Stan Van Gundy's availability already has the Clippers highly intrigued. That doesn't bode well for coach Vinny Del Negro, who might not even be able to save his job with a deep playoff run.
- No team in coaching circles is rated as more likely to make a change than the Pistons. Sources consistently say that Lawrence Frank is going to be ousted when the season is over based on the lack of responsiveness from his players. It would be a big surprise at this stage if the Pistons aren't soon in the market for a coach and they make target a former player.
- One coaching source says that it is "very likely" that Lionel Hollins will get a new deal from the Grizzlies after the playoffs. Word is that they'll still probably keep him in the event of a first round exit.
- More than one source says that Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap is a coach in potential jeopardy, which undoubtedly stems from Michael Jordan's recent promise to season-ticket holders that major offseason changes are on the way. Stein doesn't think that the criticism for Dunlap is fair considering the group that he has to work with.
- Sources continue to link Kelvin Sampson to the Bucks' opening, but interim coach Jim Boylan could get the full-time gig still.
- One source with knowledge of the Suns said this week that Lindsey Hunter has a "good shot" to become the permanent head coach at season's end.
- Byron Scott is believed to have the support of the front office, but there is a growing sense in Cleveland that owner Dan Gilbert will make a change regardless. The coach had had to deal with the absences of Kyrie Irving, Anderson Varejao, and Dion Waiters throughout the year.
- Wizards coach Randy Wittman appears to be safe and he should have less to worry about that the aforementioned coaches on the hot seat.
Central Notes: George, Rose, Cavaliers
As the Bulls take the court in Brooklyn tonight, here's a quick look around the NBA's Central Division.
- Pacers All-Star forward Paul George has been phenomenal on the defensive end all season long. Here he speaks with Indianapolis Star reporter Michael Pointer about how difficult it is to defend Thunder forward Kevin Durant, the game's premier scorer.
- ESPNChicago.com's Nick Freidell gives the latest on whether Derrick Rose will return to action this season.
- Bob Finnan, from The New-Herald, writes that Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson still has support for the team's head coach, Byron Scott.
Central Notes: Frank, Bucks, Scott, Cavs
The Pacers boast the second-longest current winning streak in the NBA at five games, but every other team in the division is on a losing streak, including the banged-up Bulls, who are down to sixth place in the Eastern Conference. There's news about the three Central Division clubs even further down in the standings, as we pass along:
- In response to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski and Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports that Pistons coach Lawrence Frank could be a "strong candidate" for the open coaching job at Rutgers, Frank said he has not been contacted by anyone and added, "I'm very happy as coach of Pistons," tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
- With expansion off the table for the NBA, HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler anticipates the Bucks will be the next team in the conversation to move once the future of the Kings is resolved. Kyler cautions that the Bucks have a lease that runs through September of 2017 (All Twitter links).
- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott isn't concerned with rumors questioning his future in Cleveland, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio notes via Twitter. "Not really. … Whatever happens happens," Scott said.
- Amico believes an attitude adjustment, rather than draft picks or cap space, is what the Cavs need in order to turn the franchise back into a winner. He points to the team's 10-game losing streak as a product of an "organization-wide collapse" that can't be pinned solely on Scott or anyone else.
Central Notes: Pistons, Calderon, Cavaliers
Last week, Pistons point guard Jose Calderon said that he wasn't ready to close the door on a reunion with the Raptors after spending an enjoyable seven-and-a-half years there. Even though Calderon might have an affinity for Toronto, it's unlikely that he'll be in red-and-black next year because of their cap situation. Besides, based on recent comments from Joe Dumars, it seems like he's appreciated in Detroit. Here's more on Calderon and the rest of the Central..
- The Pistons would like to re-sign Calderon, and even though the team's poor play of late hasn't dissuaded the point guard from coming back, Calderon is non-committal about his free agent plans, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free-Press details. Ellis suggests Calderon could command an annual salary of $6MM-$7MM.
- The summer ahead is crucial for the Pistons, opines MLive's David Mayo, who believes coach Lawrence Frank will be retained, albeit with a short leash for next season, despite rumors that he won't be back for 2013/14.
- Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal quotes an unnamed Cavs player who questions coach Byron Scott's grueling shootarounds and practices as well as his in-game strategy. Lloyd hears from another member of the organization perplexed by Scott's usage of Kyrie Irving. The Cavs picked up his $4.5MM option for next season, but it's not certain the team will retain him for 2013/14.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Amnesty Obligation Set To Expire For 3 Teams
The amnesty provision provides salary cap relief, but any team that uses the provision still must pay the player it waives. That extra money could be burdensome to owners who have to field rosters on top of their obligation to a player who is no longer around. As our amnesty tracker shows, precisely half of the league's 30 teams have used the one-time chance to erase a contract from the salary cap, if not the payroll. Some of those contracts were up after last season anyway, so those teams — the Knicks, Pacers and Warriors — are free of any amnesty-related burden. Three more teams will see their amnestied contracts expire at the end of the season. They're listed here, along with the player and the team's obligation in parentheses.
- Sixers: Elton Brand ($16,059,855)
- Cavaliers: Baron Davis ($13,900,000)
- Clippers: Ryan Gomes ($4,000,000)
The Clippers might have received a small portion of relief via set-off rights when Gomes signed last November to play in Germany. The value of Gomes' deal overseas is unclear, but it would have to be for more than $762,195 to let the Clippers off the hook for any of the money they owe him. I doubt Gomes earned that much from his German club, particularly since he and the team parted ways in January.
Getting released from the $4MM Gomes burden probably won't have much effect on the Clippers' offseason plans this year, but it will be interesting to see what the other two teams on that list do when they aren't paying eight-figure salaries to guys who aren't on the roster. Since Andrew Bynum is missing the entire season because of his troublesome knees, the Sixers actually have two high-dollar obligations that aren't paying dividends this year, totaling $32,948,855. Freed of that dead money, perhaps the Sixers will be willing to spend freely on Bynum or another sought-after free agent this summer. The same could be the case for the Cavs, who largely eschewed free agents last summer and, at little more than $54MM, have one of the smallest team salary totals this season. That number doesn't include Davis' amnestied salary, which, if it were applied to the cap, would bring Cleveland within a few million of the $70.307MM tax line.
Nine teams have to wait at least one more season for their amnesty burdens to disappear. Those squads are listed here with the amnestied player, plus the remaining salary obligation and the year the contract expires in parentheses.
- Magic: Gilbert Arenas ($43,154,456 — 2014)
- Mavericks: Brendan Haywood ($14,607,812 — 2015)
- Nets: Travis Outlaw ($8,000,000 — 2015)
- Nuggets: Chris Andersen ($4,818,000 — 2014)
- Rockets: Luis Scola ($1,847,619 — 2015)
- Suns: Josh Childress ($14,500,000 — 2015)
- Timberwolves: Darko Milicic ($1,755,000 — 2014)
- Trail Blazers: Brandon Roy ($37,206,258 — 2015)
- Wizards: Andray Blatche ($16,266,260 — 2015)
ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.
Eastern Links: Rose, Irving, Iverson
Thunder reserve Ronnie Brewer tells Shams Charania of RealGM he thinks that "it was unfortunate" that the Bulls announced Derrick Rose was cleared to play, elaborating that being 110% mentally ready is just as important as being physically ready: "I don’t think anybody really knows…I don’t think the doctors know. I don’t think any of the players know. Whatever it is, I don’t think he should rush back and not be confident to play, because if you’re not playing with confidence, then everything goes out the window.”
Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- There was some confusion about Kyrie Irving's status coming out of Cavaliers camp today, as forward Luke Walton hinted that Irving could be coming back soon shortly after Byron Scott told the media that there weren't any updates on the second year point guard (other than he was getting shots up at practice). Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer clarifies that Irving has been working out hard before games and made note that he has reached the third week of a three-to-four week recovery period since spraining his shoulder earlier this month.
- During tonight's game between the 76ers and Bobcats, Dei Lynam of CSN Philly caught up with Allen Iverson, who says: "If the road ends here (with regard to not playing again), I'm fine with it…I'm happy and content with everything that's going on in my life…If I get a chance to play again, then I would love the opportunity, but if not, I would continue to just be happy."
- Tom Moore of Philly Burbs looks at the options that Philadelphia has this offseason, whether it involves making a significant signing and filling out the roster with minimum contracts, dangling Spencer Hawes, Lavoy Allen, or possibly Evan Turner in trade talks, or look at one-year deals as a means of maintaining flexibility the following summer.
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel uniquely describes the value of cap flexibility for the Magic moving forward.
Central Rumors: Thibodeau, Jackson, Skiles, Scott
Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls agreed before the season to a four-year, $17.5MM extension, but Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reported about six weeks ago that the coach had yet to sign the pact. The contract still remains unsigned, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, though it's not uncommon for Thibodeau to hesitate on such matters, Wojnarowski points out. Wojnarowski's entire piece, in which he also notes NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson is looking for a front-office job with a team, is worth a read, and there are plenty of other stories out involving Central Division clubs, as we round up here:
- Thibodeau says it's a "non-issue" that he hasn't signed his contract, explaining that he just received the paperwork back from lawyers who were reviewing it, tweets Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. Thibodeau added that as soon as he gets an opportunity to forward the signed contract to GM Gar Forman, he'll do so.
- Plenty of NBA GMs like Scott Skiles' no-nonsense approach, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who wonders which NBA team the former Bucks coach will be piloting next year (Twitter link).
- The Cavs haven't given any indication Byron Scott is in trouble, but Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer, in response to readers questions, isn't certain he'll be back to coach the team next year.
Earlier updates:
- Chances are "beginning to look dicey" that Pistons coach Lawrence Frank will return next season, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Owner Tom Gores will decide at the end of the season whether to bring back Frank for the third season on his deal. It's the final guaranteed year on Frank's contract, which includes an option for 2013/14, according to Ellis. I'd assume that's a team option, though Ellis doesn't specify.
- Tobias Harris is seeing significantly more playing time with the Magic than he did before the Bucks traded him at the deadline, and Beno Udrih, who accompanied him from Milwaukee to Orlando in the same deal, thinks their old team wasn't giving Harris the minutes he deserved. Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post has the details. "When I was in Milwaukee with him, I always knew he had the potential and talent to be a great player," Udrih said. "And in Milwaukee, I think they were just holding him back. They didn't give him a real chance to show what he can do. Here, he got a chance and he's definitely proving himself and taking advantage of the chance."
- HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham catches up with Malcolm Thomas, who speaks about the uncertainties of a 10-day contract. On Friday, Thomas signed his second 10-day deal with the Bulls.
Eastern Notes: Pacers, Bobcats, Cavaliers
A few notes from around the Eastern Conference on this Tuesday evening.
- The Pacers have been hobbled by injuries to key players all season, but recently some more role players have begun to miss time. According to the Associated Press, a few key guys are coming back soon but the knee injury to Danny Granger, who's missed nearly the entire season, should force conversation this offseason regarding what to do with his expiring contract.
- The Cleveland Plain Dealer takes a look at the Cavaliers draft prospects in the lottery and Dion Waiters' emergence as a legitimate threat his rookie season.
- The Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell writes about Bobcats center Bismack Biyombo, who's only 20 years old and still improving each and every game.
Odds & Ends: LeBron, Humphries, Gay, McRoberts
Many are buying into the speculation that LeBron James will give serious consideration to returning to Cleveland in the summer of 2014 and Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link) says that he can see it happening. Bucher believes that James wants to be universally liked, especially in his hometown, and it's hard to imagine that he won't at least think about making peace with the place he still calls home. Here's more from around the Association..
- Kris Humphries has been squeezed out of the Nets' rotation for much of the season after inking a two-year, $24MM deal in the offseason. However, Hump saw eleven minutes against the Clippers on Saturday night and coach P.J. Carlesimo wants to get him back in the rotation, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. One has to imagine that Humphries will be a trade candidate after this season, though he doesn't have a ton of value at present. If the big man is back in the mix for the Nets, however, they may prefer to keep him.
- Raptors coach Dwane Casey believes that the organization will consider shutting down prized acquisition Rudy Gay down for the season, according to the Associated Press. Gay missed his third game of the month on Saturday due to back issues.
- Bobcats forward Josh McRoberts is hoping to parlay his playing time into a multi-year pact this summer, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
Central Notes: Cavaliers, Pistons, Frank
The Bulls are nipping at the heels of the Hawks for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and they're hoping to get one win closer with a W over the T'Wolves today. So far, so good for Chicago as they lead 56-43 at halftime behind 14 points from Luol Deng. Here's more out of the Central..
- Lawrence Frank may be out the door if the Pistons’ new owners decide to make major changes, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Washburn writes that the club is running in quicksand, playing a combination of prospects, and players who won’t be there at the end of their contracts. The team's struggles could also mean the end of Joe Dumars' tenure as president of basketball operations.
- The Cavaliers are a team on the rise, writes Richard Hardy of HoopsWorld. This offseason, the Cavaliers could potentially have as many as four first-round picks in the 2013 draft and they only have seven players with guaranteed contracts in 2013-14. On top of that, the Cavaliers will have more than $20MM in salary cap space.
- Earlier today, we learned that Dumars intends to re-sign Jose Calderon this summer.