Pacific Notes: Clippers, Lakers, Young, Suns
The NBA received a letter from one of Donald Sterling’s personal lawyers last week informing the league of his intention to allow his wife to conduct a sale of the Clippers, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com reports in the latest version of her story from overnight. That runs counter to the assertion from another of Sterling’s lawyers Tuesday that his client “disavows” any agreement with his wife on the sale of the team. There’s more on the Clippers amid the latest from the Pacific Division:
- Shelly Sterling appears to be racing to close on a deal with a bidder for the Clippers in advance of Tuesday’s hearing to oust her and her husband, but the NBA would have to vet any new owner, a process that won’t be done by next week, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets. Still, the league has already vetted potential buyers Larry Ellison, Steve Ballmer and Lakers minority owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, Aldridge notes, so perhaps those three have an edge (Twitter link).
- A source close to Nick Young tells Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders that the swingman wants to return to the Lakers but will likely opt out of his contract for next season, seconding earlier reports.
- Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com adds the Suns to the list of teams working out Jarnell Stokes (Twitter link).
And-Ones: Draft, Yao, LeBron
James McAdoo, Roscoe Smith, James Bell, Chris Fouch, Luke Hancock, and Niels Giffey all worked out for the Sixers today, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. All project to be selected in the second round at best, where Philadelphia owns five draft picks. Here’s a roundup of the night’s news, including plenty from the draft:
- The Bucks are having some difficulty scheduling pre-draft workouts with Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, and Jabari Parker, director of scouting Billy McKinney tells Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel. “I still think there’s a lot of thinking on their agents’ part of, ‘Hey, he’s not going to be there [at No. 2].'” McKinney said. “We’re going to have to be a little creative…which you have to do certain times to go out and get your private discussion and workouts in. That’s all part of it.”
- C.J. Fair will workout for the Bucks and Hornets this week, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
- Wally Judge will work out for the Jazz, tweets Zagoria.
- A front office executive tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest that P.J. Hairston is expected to go either late in the first round, or early in the second.
- Former Pelicans forward Lance Thomas will be among players participating in a mini-camp at the Nets facility next week, Zagoria reports (via Twitter).
- Yao Ming earlier denied reports that he was assembling an investment group to purchase the Clippers, but told news outlets including ChinaDaily USA that he won’t rule out the possibility he will. “I know there are a lot of rumors, but I don’t think I have time to clarify the rumors one by one,” Yao said. “Nowadays, sports are globalized, and anything is possible, but so far, there is nothing substantial.”
- In the case that LeBron James decides to opt out and leave the Heat in the offseason, Dwyane Wade doesn’t want the blame to be laid on his performance or health issues, he told Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. “Just don’t solely put it on me,” Wade said, laughing. “That’s what I’m saying. Don’t put the X on me… There’s a lot that goes into [the decision], so just don’t say, ‘If Dwyane Wade doesn’t have the year that we’re accustomed to, it’s over.'”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Jazz, Cavs Plan Interviews With Gentry, Griffin
MONDAY, 5:20pm: The Cavaliers have scheduled an interview with Adrian Griffin for Tuesday, reports Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal (hat tip to Sam Amick of USA Today). GM David Griffin will also be meeting with Vinny Del Negro, Lionel Hollins, Gentry, and Tyronn Lue later this week, the article notes.
SUNDAY, 9:40am: Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that Gentry had interviewed with the Cavaliers and the Jazz earlier this month for their vacant head coaching positions.
THURSDAY, 7:41am: The Cavs have asked the Clippers for permission to interview Gentry, the Plain Dealer reports (Twitter link). I’d be surprised if it wasn’t granted, since it appears as though L.A. gave Utah the green light.
WEDNESDAY, 4:37pm: The Jazz are expected to interview Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry for their head coaching vacancy, sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Cavs have made contact with Gentry, too, but they haven’t arranged for an interview, according to Spears. Utah has completed an interview with Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin after receiving permission from Chicago to speak with him last week, Spears adds.
Gentry hadn’t been among the candidates formally linked to Utah, which is planning an extensive search and more than 20 interviews. Lionel Hollins, John Stockton, Jim Boylen, Ettore Messina, Brad Jones and Quin Snyder are other names in the mix. The Jazz are reportedly unlikely to hire someone with NBA head coaching experience, which perhaps makes Gentry a darkhorse, given that he spent parts of 12 seasons as an NBA head coach with the Heat, Pistons, Clippers and Suns.
The Cavs appear to have Gentry high on their list, and he worked with Cavs GM David Griffin in Phoenix, as Spears points out. The Warriors and Kings have interest in Gentry as an assistant coach, according to Spears, who notes that Gentry remains under contract with the Clippers.
Western Rumors: Clippers, Hill, Mincberg, Pera
Clippers co-owner Shelly Sterling met Sunday with former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who was part of a bid to move the Kings to Seattle last year, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, seconding an earlier report from TMZ Sports. Still, Sterling wouldn’t consider selling the team to anyone who would move it from Los Angeles, according to Shelburne, and the league has given no indication it will allow Sterling to facilitate the sale of the team, as her husband, banned owner Donald Sterling, would like. Shelburne has more on the Clippers, which we’ll pass along amid our look at the latest around the West:
- People within the league regard Grant Hill’s bid to buy the Clippers as a viable one, according to Shelburne. Hill’s consortium includes Antony Ressler, who’s reportedly a longtime friend of Donald Sterling.
- The Grizzlies have said that David Mincberg is only a scout and will have no significant front office role from now on, according to TNT’s David Aldridge. Mincberg, whom the team lists on its website as its director of scouting, reportedly had a growing influence over the team’s basketball decisions and has been at odds with coach Dave Joerger.
- Grizzlies owner Robert Pera took to Twitter to deny the assertions in an earlier report from Chris Mannix of SI.com in which Pera is said to have demanded more playing time for soon-to-be free agent Ed Davis, among other, more unusual suggestions.
Lakers To Interview Alvin Gentry
Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry spoke to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak by phone Friday, and he’ll sit down with Kupchak and co-owner Jim Buss on Wednesday to interview for the head coaching job, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. A weekend report from Marc Stein of ESPN.com indicated that Gentry had already interviewed with the Cavs and Jazz, and Gentry will take another meeting with the Cavs this coming Friday, Turner adds. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com first identified Gentry as having been on the initial list that the Lakers compiled in the wake of Mike D’Antoni‘s resignation.
Mike Dunleavy and Byron Scott have already interviewed for the Lakers job, while an interview with Lionel Hollins is also on the team’s agenda this week. Scott is the only one of the four who isn’t also being sought by other teams. Dunleavy met with Knicks president Phil Jackson about the coaching job in New York, while Hollins has spoken with the Wolves and appears to have an interview with the Cavs on tap, too. He was set to speak with the Warriors before they landed Steve Kerr, and it seemed there was an outside chance he would wind up in his old job with the Grizzlies before they patched up their differences with Dave Joerger.
All four Lakers interviewees are experienced NBA head coaches. Gentry is 335-370 in parts of a dozen seasons in the league, the last of which was 2012/13, when the Suns cut ties with him after 41 games. He’s only coached a team to the playoffs on two occasions, including 2010, when the Lakers eliminated his Suns in the Western Conference Finals. Still, the Lakers are high on his ability to orchestrate an offense, Turner hears.
And-Ones: Joerger, Hollins, Clippers, Lakers
After a strange week, it appears that the Grizzlies coaching situation is now settled. Dave Joerger and owner Robert Pera met today to hash things out and the coach couldn’t be happier with how things turned out. “What’s between Robert and I now is like WOW.” Joerger told Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (on Twitter). “This is how it’s supposed to be. There’s interaction and you talk about anything.” As Joerger and Pera enjoy their budding bromance, let’s take a look around the Association..
- Most people who know Grizzlies owner Robert Pera says that he has good intentions and wants to build a winner, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illusrated. Unfortunately, however, Pera isn’t overly familiar with how the NBA works.
- In addition to the Lakers’ vacancy, Lionel Hollins is also being considered for the Cavs‘ opening, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. The former Memphis coach has long been considered a top candidate for the Cavs job. Hollins will chat with the Lakers late next week and probably meet with Cleveland next weekend.
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter) learned that there are six serious bidders thus far for the Clippers. Shelburne adds that Shelly Sterling won’t use an investment bank to handle the sale.
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com looks back on Kent Bazemore‘s season with the Lakers. There wasn’t much expected from the guard when he came over in the Steve Blake deal with the Warriorrs, but he proved to be a valuable asset off the bench.
- Chris Reichert of Ridiculous Upside explains why Clint Capela has first round sleeper potential in the draft. Last season, the power forward logged nine double-doubles and shot an astounding 66% percent from the floor.
Grant Hill, Yao Ming Seek Purchase Of Clippers?
9:00pm: Grant Hill has partnered with billionaire investors and longtime Southern California residents Tony Ressler and Bruce Karsh to form an ownership group to bid on the Clippers, Marc Stein of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports.
SATURDAY, 11:41am: Yao has denied the report, telling Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle that the news took him by surprise. “I just heard about it in the morning my time,” Yao said via email. “I really don’t know where this news came from.”
FRIDAY, 6:45pm: Both Grant Hill and Yao Ming are lining up investor groups to try and purchase the Clippers, sources tell Stein. While the Clippers aren’t yet for sale, disgraced owner Donald Sterling will likely sell the team, either by cooperating with the league or by a forced ouster. Hill, who retired from playing just under a year ago, has made it known within league circles that he’s putting together a group to pursue the team once it’s available. Since retiring, Hill has been rumored as a front office executive for the Suns and, more recently, the Pistons.
It appears Yao could be further along in the process than Hill. Yao already owns a team in China, and is expected to pursue the Clippers with a group of Chinese investors. Stein reports that Yao was initially interested in purchasing the Bucks, but dropped out of the bidding when former owner Herb Kohl insisted a new owner would keep the team in Milwaukee.
Yao and Hill join a growing list of potential buyers that includes Magic Johnson‘s Guggenheim Partners, among others. The franchise is expected to sell for over $1 billion, and a large-scale bidding war is a possibility. While Yao and Hill might not be quite as compelling as Johnson in reversing the negative attention brought on the NBA by Sterling’s actions, both are highly respected potential Hall-of-Famers that the league would presumably be more than comfortable with as franchise owners.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Tyronn Lue To Interview With Cavaliers
Tyronn Lue is scheduled to interview for the Cavaliers vacant head coaching position late next week, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Lue is currently an assistant with the Clippers, and was also on Doc Rivers‘ staff when the coach was with the Celtics. Lue, 37, played 10 seasons in the NBA, and won two championships while with the Lakers, and is regarded as one of the league’s most well-respected young head-coaching prospects, according to the article.
The Cavs had been examining the college ranks for their next coach, and are now searching through the NBA’s assistant coaching ranks, writes Wojnarowski. The job may have a stronger appeal now that the team has secured the top pick in the NBA Draft for the third time in the last four seasons.
Another member of the Clippers’ coaching staff, Alvin Gentry, is also a candidate for the Cavaliers job. Gentry has a strong relationship with Cavs GM David Griffin extending back to their days together with the Suns, notes Wojnarowski.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Paul, Johnson
The Pacific Division figures to produce plenty of speculation heading into the draft. The Warriors and Lakers are potential landing spots for Kevin Love, and the Suns could turn their abundance of draft assets into an impact player to get them to the next level. Here’s a roundup of notes out of the division:
- A Sacramento judge threw out a lawsuit challenging the recently approved plans to build a new arena for the Kings, reports Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee. The opposition to the plans will continue via other legal strategies, but the plans don’t appear to face any substantial threat to be overturned.
- In an Insider-only piece, Larry Coon of ESPN.com looks at the NBPA’s precarious position regarding the Donald Sterling situation. Coon thinks aggressive moves by the union under president Chris Paul‘s direction would be risky, but that the star’s legacy could be damaged if he doesn’t do enough should Sterling continue to own the Clippers into next season.
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reviews Wesley Johnson‘s season with the Lakers. McMenamin suggests the unrestricted free agent has a chance at re-signing with Los Angeles thanks to his potential and sharing an agent with Kobe Bryant, but wonders if the team will be convinced Johnson will ever turn into a consistent role player.
Western Notes: Shaw, Nuggets, Pelicans
Lester Munson of ESPN.com explains some of the ramifications of Donald Sterling’s decision to try and have Shelly Sterling handle the sale of the Clippers. Munson writes that Adam Silver still has all the leverage, and thinks it’s possible that Silver is able to reach a settlement with the Sterlings prior to the June 3 vote to strip them of the team. Here’s more from out West:
- Nuggets GM Tim Connelly assured Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post that Brian Shaw will stay put as Denver’s coach, piggybacking on president Josh Kroenke’s assertion from earlier today. “Complete. Non. Story,” said Connelly.
- Kiszla thinks that the Nuggets should swing big this offseason, including testing the waters on a Kevin Love trade, trying to trade for Cleveland’s No. 1 pick, and even exploring just what value Denver could get in return for Shaw.
- Now that the pick sent by the Pelicans to the Sixers from last year’s Jrue Holiday/Nerlens Noel trade has settled at No. 10 in this year’s draft, Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune says that New Orleans is in a dangerous position following a one-sided deal. Smith worries that breakout star Anthony Davis will grow frustrated if the team stagnates, and the Times-Picayune scribe wonders if the Pelicans will find a way to move Eric Gordon‘s burdensome contract and trade their way back into the draft.