Southwest Notes: Davis, Gentry, Ariza, Beverley
The Pelicans‘ Anthony Davis will be fully unleashed under new coach Alvin Gentry, writes Ben Golliver of SI.com. Golliver expects Gentry to bring an up-tempo attack to New Orleans, which had previously been one of the slowest teams in the league. He can foresee Davis thriving in that type of system, taking his athleticism and already impressive stats to new levels.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Gentry was a safe pick for the Pelicans, according to Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. Smith writes that Gentry will be agreeable with GM Dell Demps‘ unorthodox method of building a roster, which often involves dealing draft picks for young players with experience. The columnist would have preferred a strong-willed coach like Jeff Van Gundy, who was reportedly a finalist for the position, or Tom Thibodeau, whom the team didn’t pursue. Smith contends that the hiring of Gentry means Demps is more secure than ever in his general manager’s position.
- Trevor Ariza sees a bright future for the Rockets, even after a disappointing performance in the Western Conference Finals, writes Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle. Ariza was brought in as a free agent last summer to improve the team’s defense after Chandler Parsons signed with the Mavericks. Ariza inked a four-year, $32MM deal and is hopeful that Houston can take the next step while he is part of the franchise. “Not every team comes together and wins straight away,” Ariza said. “When you do have that and you do find something that works, you want to continue. You want to build on that. Hopefully for us, we’ll be one of those teams that builds on what we accomplished.”
- Parsons is trying to get former teammate Patrick Beverley to join him in Dallas, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Beverley will be a restricted free agent this summer, just as Parsons was last season, and the former teammates could reunite with the Mavericks. “I hear from Chandler every day,” Beverley said. “It’s hard, but I try not to think about it. I can’t talk about contracts. It’s going to be a fun summer.”
Southwest Notes: Rockets, Jones, Mavs
With the Rockets being eliminated from the Western Conference Finals, team owner Leslie Alexander said the team could add another star player to its roster provided the opportunity presented itself, Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston writes. When asked about making marquee roster additions, Alexander said, “Yes, but I don’t think the odds are as good as they were in the previous years. If you want to win big, you have to take big risks. I’ve always been willing to take the big risk to win big. I think most of the group will be intact. There’s always going to be change, obviously, but most of the group will be intact.” Alexander also believes his team would have advanced to the NBA Finals if not for injuries to Patrick Beverley and Donatas Motiejunas, Berman notes.
Here’s more from the NBA’s Southwest Division:
- Duke point guard Tyus Jones has workouts scheduled for next week with both the Mavericks and the Rockets, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. You can view our full prospect profile for Jones here.
- The Mavs held workouts on Friday for Brandon Ashley (Arizona), Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse), and D.J. Newbill (Penn State) Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (Twitter link).
- Rockets guard James Harden wants the team to add another playmaker to its roster so he won’t need to facilitate the offense as often as he did this season, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes. “That’s one of the conversations me and [GM] Daryl [Morey] are going to have [and] the coaches,” Harden said. “That’s one of the pieces to add, but that’s later conversations. We’ll be all right. We’re very confident in the group we have. This summer we have to work hard and be ready for next year.”
Western Notes: Rockets, Muhammad, Lakers
Now that the Rockets have been eliminated from the playoffs the franchise will begin working toward its offseason plans. Josh Smith, Jason Terry, and Corey Brewer, all of whom are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer, have indicated that they want to return to Houston next season, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle writes. “I like the future if we can keep all the pieces together,” Smith said. “I like what the future holds for us. You never know in free agency what may occur. The city of Houston and this team has definitely embraced me for my individuality and the way I play the game. It would be great to do something special for the city and for this team.”
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Wolves swingman Shabazz Muhammad has parted ways with agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports Management and signed with Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relays (Twitter link).
- The Lakers held workouts earlier today for Justin Anderson, Askia Booker, Anthony Brown, Charles Jackson, Stefan Nastic, and Delon Wright, the team announced (via Twitter).
- Arkansas forward Bobby Portis is scheduled to work out for the Thunder this Friday, Gary Washburn of Boston Globe tweets.
- The Nuggets brought in Florida guard Michael Frazier for a workout today, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (Twitter link).
- Center Andrew Bogut praised the Warriors‘ front office for keeping the core of the team intact and not going for a “home run” in the NBA draft, via trades, or through free agency, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays (on Twitter).
Southwest Notes: Gasol, Calathes, Draft
One comment that Marc Gasol made to Spanish media should be encouraging for the Grizzlies, while another appears to fuel Spurs hope. Gasol said that he hasn’t thought about changing teams and once more cited his deep roots in Memphis, according to Adriano Correal of Gigantes del Basket (translation via HoopsHype). Still, he called the Spurs a model franchise and expressed his admiration of Tim Duncan, as Abraham Romero of Diario As passes along (translation via Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News). The Spurs are the team the Grizzlies fear the most among Gasol’s suitors, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com recently reported. Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Nick Calathes told Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype that his primary goal is to remain in the NBA and denied a report from Javier Maestro of Encestando.es that he wanted to leave the NBA and that his camp had offered his services to Barcelona of Spain (translation via HoopsHype). Calathes, whose contract with Memphis expires at the end of next month, is nonetheless expected to draw pursuit from several European teams, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia, who says the 26-year-old stands to make more money overseas than he would remaining in the NBA. The Grizzlies can match competing NBA bids for him if they tender a qualifying offer worth more than $1.147MM.
- The Mavs on Wednesday were set to work out Florida shooting guard Michael Frazier, Villanova small forward Darrun Hilliard, Nebraska swingman Terran Petteway, Arkansas shooting guard Michael Qualls, Baylor small forward Royce O’Neale and Incarnate Word combo guard Denzel Livingston, a source told Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link).
- Terrence Jones questioned whether he would ever play again after suffering a nerve injury earlier this season that knocked him out for nearly three months, so he’s not too upset that the Rockets benched him during the playoffs, as Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle examines. Jones is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
Rockets Rumors: McDaniels, Terry, Beverley
K.J. McDaniels hopes to re-sign with the Rockets this summer when he’s expected to enter restricted free agency, as he said to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (All Twitter links). The Rockets can reserve the right to match competing bids for the rookie, who has missed the playoffs with a fractured wrist, if they tender a qualifying offer worth slightly more than $1.045MM.
In other news regarding the Rockets:
- Jason Terry will play again next season, he told Marc Stein of ESPN.com. “100%,” the veteran point guard said to Stein before Monday’s Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. Terry, an unrestricted free agent after the season, moved into the starting lineup when Patrick Beverley suffered a season-ending wrist injury. The Rockets will try to re-sign Terry, Stein adds.
- Beverley expressed his desire to remain with the Rockets but his value has gone up during his absence in the playoffs, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. The Rockets were able to advance to the conference finals without him but their weakened perimeter defense has been exposed by the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Feigen continues. “I think I have a gift very few people have,” Beverley said to Feigen. “I know I’m the best on-ball defender in the NBA. I’m the best point guard defender in the NBA. I think the whole league knows that.” Beverley had a bargain-rate contract of $915,243 this season and is seeking a substantial raise and long-term security. “I put myself in position these last couple years to be successful and take care of my family for the rest of my life,” he added to Feigen. “I’ve been here three years on a minimum contract. At the end of the day, I have to understand business is business.”
Draft Notes: Rozier, Looney, Timberwolves
The NBA draft is just one month from tonight. The lottery and the combine are finished, so team workouts will be the main focus from now until draft night. Now that we know where every team will pick, we debuted our mock draft this weekend, and we’re continuing with our Prospect Profile series. Here’s more on the draft as the event starts to get close:
- Louisville point guard Terry Rozier has made a habit of overcoming the odds, and he didn’t disappoint in his workout with the Jazz this weekend, according to Utah vice president of player personnel Walt Perrin, as Carter Williams of the Deseret News examines. The Jazz were one of 17 teams scheduled to audition Rozier, Williams writes, a group that apparently includes the Rockets and Spurs.
- Kevon Looney added the Nets, Wizards, Jazz, Suns, Bulls, Cavs, Raptors, Hawks and Knicks to the list of the teams he interviewed with at the draft combine earlier this month, as the UCLA power forward revealed to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Looney is a raw prospect, but even though he feels he could have improved if he’d stayed in college, he tells Medina that he’s confident he can also develop at the NBA level.
- Connecticut point guard Ryan Boatright, LSU power forward Jordan Mickey, Texas combo forward Jonathan Holmes and Louisville swingman Wayne Blackshear are among the players tentatively scheduled to work out Friday for the Timberwolves, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
Southwest Notes: Van Gundy, Hoiberg, Morey
The lure of Anthony Davis may be enough to get Jeff Van Gundy back into coaching, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein confirmed Friday that Van Gundy has interest in coaching the Pelicans. He is being considered among the top candidates, along with Alvin Gentry and possibly Tom Thibodeau. Van Gundy, a popular TV analyst with ESPN and ABC, last coached with the Rockets in 2006/07, but Stein writes that the chance to mentor a young superstar like Davis could be enough to bring him back him back to the sidelines.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Bringing Van Gundy on board would be the Pelicans‘ best personnel move to date, contends Jimmy Smith of NOLA.com. Smith notes that Van Gundy’s experience coaching big men like Patrick Ewing and Yao Ming would be valuable in molding Davis into an elite center. Smith also argues that Van Gundy is a big enough name to create excitement throughout the franchise and command the respect of players, along with being a progressive thinker who can adapt to the modern NBA.
- Although he has been rumored to be a coaching candidate in New Orleans, the Pelicans have not made contact with Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg, writes John Reid of NOLA.com. An ISU spokesman confirmed that the school has not received a request from New Orleans or any other NBA team. The 42-year-old Hoiberg has a 115-56 record at Iowa State and runs an up-tempo offense that should transfer well into the NBA, according to Reid. Hoiberg also has NBA ties — 10 years as a player and four years in the Timberwolves’ front office, where he spent one season as vice president of basketball operations and three as assistant general manager.
- Rockets GM Daryl Morey and Warriors GM Bob Myers have taken non-traditional approaches to building the Western Conference finalists, writes Brian T. Smith of The Houston Chronicle. Myers, the NBA’s Executive of the Year, and Morey have both put together deep rosters that fit well with the way the game is played today.
And-Ones: Mudiay, Llull, Anderson
It is difficult for NBA scouts to accurately gauge how good 2015 NBA Draft prospect Emmanuel Mudiay is because of his decision to play in China this past season, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. But Mudiay thinks his experience overseas has prepared him for the rigors of the NBA just as well as attending SMU would have, Pompey adds. “I got out of it what I wanted,” said Mudiay. “It definitely was a great experience. I wanted to do it for my mom at first. But after I made the decision and made sure she was financially stable, I just wanted to go on and pursue it, a basketball mind-set. It can definitely help me out in the NBA.“
Here’s more from around the league:
- Rockets draft-and-stash prospect Sergio Llull has been rumored to be in line to receive a three-year deal worth a total of at least $17MM to join the NBA next season, though Houston GM Daryl Morey denied that was the case. For his part, Llull isn’t too concerned about whether or not he plays in the U.S. in 2015/16. In an interview with Gigantes.com (translation by Enea Trapani of Sportando), Llull said, “The NBA is there, but I’ll sleep well in any case. I want to win titles and I’m in the best place to do that.” Llull currently plays for Real Madrid in the Euroleague.
- Virginia forward Justin Anderson can be looked at as “Tony Allen with a jump shot,” and the swingman is firmly on the Celtics‘ radar heading into the 2015 NBA Draft, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. Anderson enjoyed his sit down with Boston coach Brad Stevens at the draft combine, Blakely adds. “What stuck out to me most, is him [Stevens] and his relationship with his guys,” Anderson said. “Just coming out of college, playing for him would be similar to playing for coach [Tony] Bennett.”
- Pistons TV analyst and former NBA player Grant Long wants to become an NBA coach, and he is making the rounds this offseason hoping to land an assistant position to realize that dream, Terry Foster of The Detroit News writes. “What’s odd is when I was playing I heard all the time from coaches what a wonderful coach you would make,” Long said. “And when I finished playing I got nothing. Sometimes it’s just lip service until you get in. I know I am not ready to be a head coach, but I feel in time I will. That is why I want to be an assistant first. I know the game. I can convey it to players to make them better. I can motivate people and can relate to younger players.“
James, Curry, Harden Lead All-NBA Teams
LeBron James and Stephen Curry finished atop the voting for the All-NBA Teams, with James Harden, Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol joining them on the first team, the league announced via press release. Russell Westbrook, LaMarcus Aldridge, Chris Paul, Pau Gasol and DeMarcus Cousins comprise the second team. Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Tim Duncan, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving make up the third team.
Curry, the league’s MVP, and James each received 645 points through a system in which five points are awarded a first team vote, three points go for a second team vote and one point is given for a third team vote. The duo garnered 129 first team votes each, making them unanimous first team selections. They were followed closely by Harden, with 125 first team votes and 637 points, and Davis, who had 119 first team votes and 625 points. Marc Gasol, who’s heading into free agency, wasn’t as widely seen as a first-teamer by the media members who cast their ballots, rounding out the squad with 65 first-team votes and 453.
Every member of the second team received at least one first team vote, and Thompson and Irving were the only members of the third team not to get a first team vote. Al Horford also received a first team vote even though he didn’t make any of the teams. The NBA will soon display the votes of each media member on its website, but the league has already distributed the information via press release, so click here to check it out in PDF form.
Western Notes: Rockets, Clippers, Game 7
Glen Davis, who will become a free agent at season’s end, attempts to impart his wisdom from earlier in his career to the Clippers, Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram writes.
“We have our leaders on this team and so me, I just try to pick and choose when I feel like the moment’s right to lead from my experiences, so I just go out there and do what I can with my actions and try to help my team as much as possible,” Davis said. The LSU product also talked about the difficulty of closing out a playoff series. “The focus level has to go to a whole other level,” he said. “You know, attention to detail, energy. It’s a whole bunch of stuff that goes in a bag in order to finish a game.”
The Clippers will take on the Rockets in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals later today. Here’s some notes from both teams:
- Spencer Hawes has only played in six of the Clippers‘ 13 postseason games because he had a poor regular season rather than an injury, writes Morales in the same piece. Coach Doc Rivers still has faith that the big man can become a contributor. “He’s starting to play better. Spencer Hawes can play. Like I’ve said it all year, whether this year or the playoffs are going well for him or not, I still know he can play and I still believe he’ll be a better player for us this year, next year. I’ve never doubted that.,” Rivers said. Hawes signed a four-year deal worth nearly $22.7MM with Los Angeles last offseason.
- The Rockets need James Harden to dominate if they are to win today’s game, Calvin Walkins of ESPN.com opines. The shooting guard understands that he must put his teammates in a position to succeed. “That’s what it’s about: It’s about being unselfish, and you’re not going to get credit for every play,” Harden said. “So that’s what you have teammates for, and those guys showed a great case of that, especially in the fourth quarter. At this point, it’s about winning and doing the small things to get your team to victory.”
- Jason Terry hopes his Game 7 experience will rub off on his teammates, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. “My biggest advantage is I’ve been in two Game 7s and I’m undefeated,” Terry said. “I’m very confident going in. I understand what it takes to come out with a victory, how I have to approach it and hopefully my teammates will feed off of that.” Terry will become a free agent this offseason.