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Money Time: Upcoming Free Agents In The Playoffs

By Chuck Myron | at June 9, 2012 2:50 pm

Throughout the playoffs, we've been tracking soon-to-be free agents week by week as they make their final impressions heading into the offseason. With 12 members of the Finals-bound Thunder possessing guaranteed contracts for next season, most of the cases have been closed. So, here's a look at the three impending free agents who made the most significant leaps throughout the entire postseason, and the three who took the greatest steps back.

Winners

Kevin Garnett, Celtics: Garnett and Tim Duncan were both carrying the banner for 36-year-old former power forwards getting it done at center in the playoffs, but in the conference finals Garnett has set himself apart. In the series, he's averaged 20.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, helping Boston to the cusp of the NBA Finals. For the playoffs as a whole, he's ninth in points per game (19.5), fourth in rebounds per game (10.5), and second in Basketball-Reference.com's defensive rating (93.5).

Roy Hibbert, Pacers (restricted): The most significant question surrounding Hibbert's postseason performance is why his 9.5 shot attempts per game were down from the 10.3 he saw in the regular season. That reflects much more poorly on his Pacers teammates than it does upon Hibbert, who shot 50% and controlled the boards to the tune of 11.2 RPG, the second highest rebounding average in the postseason. Though his team was eliminated in the conference semifinals, Hibbert is still second in total offensive rebounds for the postseason, with 45, and third in total blocks, with 34, in 11 games. His defensive rating of 94.8 slots fourth, right behind Garnett and the next man on this list.

Lavoy Allen, Sixers (restricted): One of Garnett's playoff combatants was almost equally as impressive in the playoffs, particularly considering he's less than a year removed from being the 50th pick in the draft. Allen logged just 19.7 minutes per game, but played them efficiently, posting a 17.2 PER. His defensive rating of 94.5 was the third best in the playoffs, between Garnett and Hibbert, and his 55.7 field goal percentage was fifth among qualifiers.

Losers

Ryan Anderson, Magic (restricted): Sure, he made 40% of his three-pointers, slightly better than the 39.3% regular season clip that helped him win the NBA's Most Improved Player award. Yet he was little more than a spot-up shooter in the postseason. He took only 2.8 shots per game from inside the arc, as opposed to 5.5 during the regular season. That explains why his 16.1 PPG for the season was cut to 9.6 in the playoffs. He also had drastic regressions in rebounding (7.7 to 4.6) and PER (21.2 to 7.2).

O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies (restricted): He had more turnovers (18) than made baskets (17) in the playoffs this year, making a strong case that he's unfit the spot duty at point guard he saw against the Clippers. Mayo made 27.4% of his field goals, 29.2% from three-point range, and compiled a PER of 7.9 — well below average. In a roundabout way, he may have created a little more bargaining power for himself this summer, as the Grizzlies may decline to tender him a qualifying offer to avoid the luxury tax, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Matt Barnes, Lakers: In the regular season, Barnes was an asset to the Lakers, rebounding and blocking shots at a higher rate than ever as he settled into the primary backup role at both wing positions. In the playoffs, he was so much of a liability that he barely saw the floor in the last four games against the Thunder. The extra rebounding and blocked shots disappeared, and Barnes shot just 27.1 percent from the field, including an atrocious 5-for-31 from three-point range.

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Odds & Ends: Mavs, Haywood, Pacers, Pistons

By Zachary Links | at June 9, 2012 12:00 pm

When the Thunder bench starts firing in the NBA Finals, it will be a case of what could have been for the Heat, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. For the Heat, Derek Fisher is the one that got away while Daequan Cook was given away. In order to create cap space in the summer of 2010, Miami sent Cook and the No. 18 pick to the Thunder for the No. 32 pick. Fisher, meanwhile, rejected the Heat that summer in order to re-up with the Lakers. More items from around the Association..

0 comments 2012 NBA Draft Dallas Mavericks Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers Brendan Haywood

Pacers Intend To Promote Kevin Pritchard To GM

By Luke Adams | at June 8, 2012 6:33 pm

6:33pm: Larry Bird and Pacers owner Herb Simon are expected to meet next week, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. Bird must finalize a deal to stay with Indiana for Pritchard's promotion to become official.

0 comments Indiana Pacers Orlando Magic Portland Trail Blazers David Morway Donnie Walsh Kevin Pritchard Larry Bird

Phil Jackson Renews Interest In Magic Position

By Daniel Seco | at June 6, 2012 6:19 pm

6:19pm: According to NBA.com's David Aldridge, "both the agents for Phil Jackson and an Orlando Magic source denied Wednesday any contact between the parties on a potential kingmaker role for Jackson with the Magic organization."

1:14pm: The Magic are unlikely to accept the latest proposal from Sam Vincent to have Phil Jackson join the organization, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The team wants someone who'll be in Orlando full-time, instead of one week per month, as Jackson would be. Though a half dozen candidates appear to be in the running for the GM job, Robbins tweets that a list of finalists has not yet been submitted to the Devos family, who owns the Magic. Even without Jackson around, Pacers assistant Brian Shaw could still wind up with the Magic head coaching gig, Robbins notes via Twitter.

8:40am: After seemingly removing himself from consideration for a position in the Magic's front office, Phil Jackson has renewed interest in becoming Orlando's lead personnel man and bringing a team of his closest confidants into the organization, reports Sam Amick of SI.com. A revised proposal was submitted to the Magic on Tuesday morning in which Jackson would work for the team remotely from California. Sam Vincent, the architect of the plan, would also join the Magic as a member of the front office with Brian Shaw coming on board as head coach and Scottie Pippen taking the lead assistant position.

Beyond salary, Jackson is interested in acquiring a portion of minority ownership in the franchise so that he can help convince Dwight Howard to stay with the Magic given the Zen Master's presence and commitment to the team. Yet, some in the Magic organization view Howard as a lost cause who wants out of Orlando as soon as possible and has no intentions of re-signing with the team. The risk of investing in Jackson with hopes of retaining Howard could get expensive beyond just a minority ownership stake as the former Lakers coach earned $12MM in his final season in Los Angeles.

One of the issues with the plan stems from Magic CEO Alex Martins dislike for having an executive working outside of Orlando. Since parting ways with former general manager Otis Smith on May 21, Martins has been looking for an executive who would be in the office every day. The team's finalists for general manager reportedly include Spurs vice president and assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey, former Hornets general manager Jeff Bower, Thunder executives Troy Weaver and Rob Hennigan, and former Trail Blazers general manager and Pacers executive Kevin Pritchard.

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2 comments Indiana Pacers Orlando Magic Brian Shaw Dwight Howard Phil Jackson Scottie Pippen

Prospect Profile: Will Barton

By Chuck Myron | at June 6, 2012 4:30 pm

Will Barton does not lack confidence. The University of Memphis swingman currently sits 38th on the DraftExpress.com prospect listing, but he recently told Lang Greene of HoopsWorld he believes he's the best wing player in the draft.

"If you look at stats across the board, I’m talking about every stat, every stat and you compare me to every shooting guard or even a small forward if you want to say," Barton said. "All the wings no matter which guys you choose, Kentucky, North Carolina, Washington, all those guys, I was clear cut better at every stat. Not one, not two, but every stat. Averaged the most assists, averaged the most points, averaged the most rebounds and we were winning."

If we assume by Barton's comments that he's referring to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of Kentucky, Harrison Barnes of North Carolina and Terrence Ross of Washington, he's correct; Barton's per game averages from this past season of 18.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, as well as his 50.9% field goal percentage, are better in each category than those three players he seems to point out. They're also better than the numbers of Bradley Beal, currently No. 5 on the DraftExpress.com list. Conference USA didn't exactly provide stellar competition, ranking ninth in conference RPI according to CBSSports.com, but the league rated ahead of the Pac-12, which produced Ross, and Memphis had the 20th best strength of schedule.

The primary reason Barton's stats are downgraded is probably because the Tigers were so dependent upon him, as he was the team's leading scorer and rebounder by wide margins. Chad Ford's player evaluation on ESPN.com criticizes Barton's shot selection and streak shooting, but his 50.9% shooting seems to address that. Earlier this season, Walker Beeken of DraftExpress.com applauded Barton's improved shot selection, noting his increased willingness to attack the basket. Barton shot 34.6% from the college three-point line this year, a concern as he adjusts to the longer NBA distance, but less than a third of his shot attempts this season came from behind the arc.

A common knock on the 6'6", 175-pound Barton is his lack of strength, but that's an issue that an NBA-level weight training program can help address. He may not be able to rebound at nearly the rate he did in college even if he does bulk up, given his height, but he seems to have plenty of other attributes to make up for that. Don't be surprised if a team drafting at the end of the first round that could use a shooting guard, like the Cavs or the Pacers, scoops Barton up. It may be seen as a reach at the time, but it could wind up looking like a steal.

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1 comment Cleveland Cavaliers Indiana Pacers Prospect Profile Will Barton

McMillan, Shaw Vying For Magic Coaching Job

By Chuck Myron | at June 2, 2012 4:35 pm

4:35pm: Brian Shaw is waiting to hear from the Magic as the Bobcats are out of the picture for him, tweets Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz also tweets a quote from a league source who believes Shaw is the only coach capable of reaching Dwight Howard.

4 comments Charlotte Hornets Indiana Pacers Orlando Magic Brian Shaw Nate McMillan

Odds & Ends: Pacers, Lakers, T’Wolves, Howard

By Zachary Links | at May 31, 2012 9:36 pm

Pacers president Larry Bird has yet to decide whether he will return to the club next season but he is apparently open to staying on if he and owner Herb Simon are on the same page. Today, Bob Kravitz of the Indy Star writes that Bird's conversation with Simon will center around the owner's willingness to spend on payroll. Predictably, point guard Deron Williams would be Bird's top target if Simon is willing to open up his wallet, but landing him would appear to be a longshot. Here's more from around the league..

3 comments Brooklyn Nets Indiana Pacers Los Angeles Lakers Minnesota Timberwolves NBA G League Orlando Magic

Amick On Bobcats, Sloan, Magic, Walsh, Blazers

By Zachary Links | at May 31, 2012 8:07 pm

Earlier this evening, we learned that former Lakers and Bulls coach Phil Jackson was approached with an offer from the Magic to join their front office. The basketball legend was reportedly considering the offer right up until this afternoon, when he informed Orlando that he would instead be taking another opportunity. As we anxiously await to see where the Zen Master lands, here's a look at the latest from Sam Amick of SportsIllustrated.com on other possibilities for the Magic and other news..

0 comments Charlotte Hornets Indiana Pacers Los Angeles Clippers Orlando Magic Philadelphia 76ers Portland Trail Blazers Jerry Sloan

Pacers Notes: Bird, Gordon, Shaw, Hill

By Luke Adams | at May 30, 2012 12:30 pm

Since early 2012, numerous reports have surfaced suggesting Pacers president Larry Bird will step down from his position at season's end. However, based on comments made by Bird today, it sounds like the Executive of the Year is open to staying put as long as he and owner Herb Simon are on the same page, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. Here's what Bird had to say, along with a few other Pacers updates….

0 comments Indiana Pacers New Orleans Pelicans Brian Shaw Eric Gordon George Hill Larry Bird

Blazers Moving Closer To GM Decision

By Luke Adams | at May 30, 2012 11:28 am

WEDNESDAY, 11:28am: Paul Allen has interviewed four GM candidates in person and is currently conducting reference checks, the Blazers owner tweeted this morning. While earlier reports suggested Portland had narrowed its search to three finalists, it appears both DiLeo and Olshey are still in the running along with Bower and Morway, assuming those are the four interviewees to whom Allen is referring.

0 comments Indiana Pacers Los Angeles Clippers Portland Trail Blazers Al Harrington David Morway Jeff Bower Neil Olshey

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