Eastern Notes: Pacers, Wall, Watson, Musselman
The Pacers have called a "major" press conference for tomorrow morning, leading Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com and HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy to speculate that Paul George will be named the league's Most Improved Player (Twitter links). While we wait to find out exactly what the presser is about, here's more from around the Eastern Conference:
- John Wall is eligible for an extension to his rookie-scale contract this summer, and has repeatedly expressed his belief that he's worthy of a max. J. Michael of CSNWashington.com wrote last month that "all the signals" indicate the Wizards would be open to such a deal. Now, Michael thinks Wall's recent comments suggest he'd be willing to take less if it meant greater flexibility for the team to pursue free agents.
- C.J. Watson told Stefan Bondy he'd love to return to the Nets next season, though Bondy doesn't believe that will happen (Twitter link). Watson has a player option for the minimum salary next season, but if he opts out, the most the taxpaying Nets could offer would be 120% of the minimum under Non-Bird rights.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio thinks former Kings and Warriors coach Eric Musselman would make sense for the Cavs, and points out that Musselman once offered Cleveland GM and fellow University of San Diego product Chris Grant a job on his staff in Golden State.
Cavs Rumors: Brown, Gilbert, Assistants
A majority of Hoops Rumors readers don't believe Phil Jackson will consider coaching the Cavs, even though a source tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that Jackson would "absolutely" listen if the team called. While the Zen Master is far and away the biggest name associated with the team's search, there are plenty of other candidates, and there's news on several of them this morning:
- The team has had informal conversations with former coach Mike Brown about a reunion, writes Bob Finnan of The News-Herald, who passes along a report from WKYC-TV in Cleveland that Brown and owner Dan Gilbert will meet Sunday.
- A source tells Finnan that Brown would be the top choice for the Hawks if they decide to make a coaching change. That's no surprise, given the ties between Brown and Atlanta GM Danny Ferry.
- The Cavs aren't expected to discuss the opening with any college coaches, and the hiring process will move swiftly, according to Finnan.
- Finnan adds Melvin Hunt of the Nuggets and Michael Curry of the Sixers to the list of assistant coaches who may receive interviews, which already included Michael Malone (Warriors), Brian Shaw (Pacers) and David Fizdale (Heat).
- The Cavs will indeed interview Shaw, just as they did when they hired Byron Scott in 2010, reports Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer.
- Flip Saunders, Nate McMillan and Avery Johnson have all either directly or indirectly expressed interest in the position, Pluto also writes.
- The Cavs have a chance to make an impression on Kyrie Irving with their coaching hire, so that means much is riding on the team's decision, opines fellow Plain Dealer scribe Bud Shaw.
Qualifying Offers And The Starter Criteria
As we explained a year ago when the 2011/12 regular season ended, new details of the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement have slightly modified the usual process for restricted free agency. The qualifying offers teams extend to potential restricted free agents are now based, in some instances, on a newly-defined "starter criteria."
The CBA describes a "starter" as either starting 41 games or playing 2,000 minutes in a season, and rewards players for meeting those criteria. If a player achieved one of those benchmarks in the season prior to his free agency, or averaged one of those benchmarks in the two seasons leading up to his free agency, his qualifying offer will be affected as follows:
- A top-14 pick who does not meet the starter critera will receive a same qualifying offer equal to 120% of the amount applicable to the 15th overall pick.
- A played picked between 10th and 30th who meets the starter criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to 120% of the amount applicable to the ninth overall pick.
- A second-round pick or undrafted player who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to 100% of the amount applicable to the 21st overall pick.
Because the 2009 class of first-round picks will be hitting restricted free agency this season, the 2009/10 rookie scale will dictate the qualifying offers received. Using RealGM's rookie scale chart for 2009, we can calculate the qualifying offers as follows:
- 120% of the amount applicable to the ninth overall pick is $4,531,459.
- 120% of the amount applicable to the 15th overall pick is $4,135,391.
- 100% of the amount applicable to the 21st overall pick is $2,785,146.
So which players will be affected by this new rule this summer? Using our list of free agents (restricted FAs are marked with R), the above calculations, and the starter criteria, this offseason's modified qualifying offers are listed below. Teams will have to offer these free agents a one-year contract worth the listed amount to make them restricted — otherwise they'll become unrestricted and can freely sign with any club.
Top-14 picks who failed to meet the starter criteria and will now be eligible for a QO of $4,135,391 (previously anticipated QO in parentheses):
- Tyler Hansbrough, Pacers ($4,225,423)
Players picked between 10th and 30th who met the starter criteria and will now be eligible for a QO of $4,531,459 (previously anticipated QO in parentheses):
- Brandon Jennings, Bucks ($4,330,469)
- Gerald Henderson, Bobcats ($4,267,426)
- Jeff Teague, Hawks ($3,469,568)
- Darren Collison, Mavericks ($3,342,175)
- Byron Mullens, Bobcats ($3,293,976)
Other free agents with three years or less in the NBA who met the starter criteria and will be eligible for a QO of $2,785,146:
- None. Although restricted free agents like Nikola Pekovic (Timberwolves) and Tiago Splitter (Spurs) also met the starter criteria, both players are already in line for higher QOs because they were signed to larger deals using cap space (Pekovic) or the mid-level exception (Splitter).
Eastern Notes: Nene, Sixers, Andersen, Walsh
A pair of Eastern Conference first-round playoff matchups have been locked in, and one is particularly intriguing, as the No. 2 Knicks will take on the No. 7 Celtics. The winner of that series will avoid playing the Heat in round two, but could eventually be the biggest threat to Miami in the East. Here are a few of today's notes out of the Eastern Conference:
- Ongoing injury woes had Wizards big man Nene considering retirement earlier this season, as he tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post. "Tough enough to think about the end of my career? Yeah, that’s how tough it was," Nene said. "It was so hard to play the way I did it. I thought to end my career because it’s so painful, my body can’t support. I’m glad I finished the season, but the way I suffer, I hope, never again."
- With coach Doug Collins seemingly on his way out of Philadelphia, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com suggests some potential replacements for the Sixers to consider.
- Chris Andersen hasn't given much thought yet to whether or not he'll remain with the Heat beyond this season, writes Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post.
- Donnie Walsh isn't sure if he'll be back as the Pacers president next season, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. "I took this job because Larry [Bird] wanted a year off," Walsh said. "If Larry wants to come back, I’m out. I’m leaving. If he doesn’t I don’t know what I’ll do."
- Rumors are swirling about the futures of Joe Dumars and Lawrence Frank in Detroit, but Greg Monroe tells David Mayo of MLive.com that he trusts the Pistons decision-makers.
Odds & Ends: Coaches, Mavericks, Pacers
The NBA has its first official playoff matchup cemented in the postseason schedule, as the Bucks' loss to the Bobcats tonight guaranteed them a first round dance with the Heat. Now that Boston is a lock for seventh place, five of the remaining playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference are still yet to be determined. We've got plenty of miscellaneous links to share tonight, and you can find them below:
- Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune thinks Tyrone Corbin will face plenty of scrutiny next season from the Jazz front office. Corbin appears likely to keep his job regardless of whether the team captures the final playoff spot this year.
- Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times figures on at least six coaching vacancies in the offseason, with the Pistons most likely to have one of them. Woelfel hears Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson is already drawing serious consideration from a couple of teams. Sampson was recently linked to the Bucks, where coach Jim Boylan appears on unsteady footing.
- According to Paul Franklin of The Times of Trenton, Lakers assistant coach Eddie Jordan is expected to be announced as the new head basketball coach at Rutgers University. Tom Luicci of the Star-Ledger heard about the possibility earlier this afternoon (Twitter link).
- Dirk Nowitzki believes the outcome of the Mavericks' attempt to retool this summer might determine the effectiveness of Mark Cuban's decision to break up his 2011 championship team, observes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- Even without a superstar, the well-balanced Pacers appear to be primed as a dangerous post-season matchup, writes Zach Schonbrun of the New York Times.
- Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register tweets that Kobe Bryant will likely seek advice from soccer star and friend David Beckham, who also suffered an Achilles injury but returned after six months. Dan Woike (also of the OC Register) says that Clippers guard Chauncey Billups – who also suffered the same injury last season – is also willing to lend his support (Twitter link). Lastly, the LA Times' Sam Farmer and Broderick Turner gathered some thoughts from NFL star Terrell Suggs, who shed some light on the process of recovery.
Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors contributed to this post.
Danny Granger To Miss Rest Of Season
Pacers small forward Danny Granger will undergo surgery on his troublesome left knee and will be out for the rest of the season, the Pacers announced via press release. Granger has played only five games this year following a procedure for patellar tendinosis in October.
Granger's inability to return to the court for the team's playoff run this season represents a significant hit to his trade value, observes Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). He'll make $14.022MM in the final season of his contract next season, but even teams that might want to trade for him simply because of his expiring deal could be less inclined to do so after today's announcement, according to Mannix. Granger reportedly drew interest from the Jazz as part of a package deal before the deadline this year, but it seemed then that the Pacers would wait until the summer to entertain offers for Granger. Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard insisted in February that he wouldn't trade the player who entered this season having led the club in scoring each of the past five years.
Granger made his season debut on February 25th, but he hasn't played since March 3rd because of continued soreness in the knee. The injury didn't respond to what the team calls "conservative" treatments, and surgery was decided upon after consultation between Granger, Pacers doctors and renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. The surgery doesn't have a "slam dunk-high success rate," another orthopedic surgeon told the Indianapolis Star.
Largely without Granger's help, the Pacers have maintained their strong play from last season, when they secured the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and gave the eventual champion Heat a stiff challenge in the playoffs. This year Indiana sits at 45-27, again in third place in the East. First-time All-Star Paul George and surprising starter Lance Stephenson have stepped up in Granger's absence, so today's news isn't the devastating blow it could have been. Still, Granger's sizable cap hit for next season could limit the club's flexibility if a trade can't be worked out. The Pacers say in their press release that Granger will be ready for training camp.
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.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Shaw, Ariza, Hennigan
While Charles Barkley continues to be one of the NBA's most outspoken and entertaining TV analysts, Sir Charles has indicated in the past that he'd love a chance to be hired as general manager of the Suns. If Barkley were running another one of his former teams, the Sixers, he'd be facing a big decision this summer, and he'd prepared to let Andrew Bynum walk in free agency, as John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Here are a few more items from around the Eastern Conference:
- In a Q&A with Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Pacers assistant Brian Shaw says his goal is to become a head coach someday. However, Shaw says he's in a "great situation" in Indiana, so he won't pursue a head coaching job that wouldn't be a good fit.
- In a week that featured Carmelo Anthony playing in Denver and Dwight Howard playing in Orlando, Trevor Ariza's first game against his former team, the Hornets, unsurprisingly isn't drawing much attention, and that's fine with him. "I’ve been on a number of teams," the Wizards forward told Michael Lee of the Washington Post. "Treat it like it’s a regular game. Not really worry about me, or individual things, but this is not an individual sport. It’s a team sport. Just stick to our game plan and do what I need to do."
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel details the close relationship between Thunder GM Sam Presti and Rob Hennigan, his Magic counterpart and former employee.
- Sam Smith's latest mailbag at Bulls.com is predictably heavy on Derrick Rose questions and answers.
Pacers Top David West’s Offseason Wish List
His impending free agency isn't drawing the headlines that players like Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, and Josh Smith are receiving, but David West will be hitting the open market this summer after two seasons with the Pacers. If it's up to West, he and the Pacers will reach an agreement that keeps him in Indiana, as he tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Sulia link).
"Oh yeah," West said. "For what I want to do in terms of this point in my career, I want to win and Indiana is going to give me an opportunity to win and compete. And I enjoy being around this group of guys."
West is in the second and final season of a two-year, $20MM contract with Indiana. There's reason to believe that the 32-year-old should land at least a similar deal as an unrestricted free agent this July. Although he saw his scoring average dip last season with the Pacers, he's upped it from 12.8 PPG to 17.5 PPG in 2012/13, and has recorded a career-high 20.8 PER to date. West has also been remarkably durable, starting all but one game for the Pacers over the last two seasons.
Having committed long-term money to Roy Hibbert and George Hill, and with Danny Granger under contract for one more season, the Pacers have about $49MM in guaranteed money on the books for 2013/14. That should still leave plenty of room to re-sign West without approaching tax territory, depending on who else the Pacers want to add or bring back.
Free Agency Links: Millsap, Smith, Bynum, West, Oden
With the trade deadline behind us, some teams are already looking toward this summer's free agent class. Here is a roundup of the latest buzz on that front:
- Acknowledging that Chris Paul and Dwight Howard aren't likely to leave their respective Los Angeles teams, Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld looks at a list of free agents who are more obtainable by other teams, including Atlanta's Josh Smith and Utah's Paul Millsap.
- Ben Golliver of SI.com runs down a list of free agents whose stock has risen or fallen this season. He points to Andrew Bynum as someone who has hurt his chances at a big payday, and Smith and David West as likely candidates for a big payday.
- Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer reports that Greg Oden, who is gearing up for a second attempt at an NBA career, recently attended a Cavaliers game and had positive impressions of the organization.
- Valade also profiles Rich Paul, a former member of LeBron James' marketing team who is finding success running his own sports agency.