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Odds & Ends: 2014 Draft, CP3, Mavs, Warriors

June 28th, 2013 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

About 12 hours after the 2013 NBA draft officially came to an end, ESPN.com's Chad Ford was already looking forward to 2014. Ford's latest Insider-only blog at ESPN.com takes a very early look at the '14 draft class, which several scouts and GMs believe could be one of the strongest ever. While Andrew Wiggins in the consensus top prospect for '14, the rest of Ford's top 100 is considered well above average as well, with Julius Randle, Marcus Smart, Jabari Parker, and Andrew Harrison rounding out the top five.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

Speaking of next year's draft, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports that the NBA is considering moving the event back at least a week next year, since the current setup doesn't leave much time between the Finals and draft night. However, the league doesn't want to postpone free agency and Summer League play significantly, so it's unclear whether or not the timing will work. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the draft happen a few weeks after the free agency period begins, but it doesn't sound like that's an option.
Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show today, Doc Rivers said he talks to Chris Paul every day and that he believes CP3 wants to remain a Clipper (Twitter link via Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com).
Dirk Nowitzki addressed reporters, including Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, on draft night and revealed that he has talked to Dwight Howard about the possibility of D12 signing with the Mavericks. "I reached out to him and told him we'd love to have him," Nowitzki said. "That's really about it. It's not like we call each other every day."
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News has an excellent in-depth look into what happened in the Warriors' draft room last night, detailing how happy the team was with the end result of its series of trades.
Mike Brown's staff with the Cavaliers will include the following assistants, according to Bob Finnan of the News-Herald (via Twitter): Jim Boylan, Bernie Bickerstaff, Igor Kokoskov, Jamahl Mosley, Phil Handy, Vitaly Potapenko, and Bret Brielmaier.

Draft Night Leftovers: Rasheed, Bledsoe, Blazers

June 28th, 2013 at 12:11am CST by Luke Adams

If you're looking for the complete results of the 2013 NBA draft, you can find those right here.

Rasheed Wallace is in talks to join Maurice Cheeks' staff in Detroit as a Pistons assistant, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan told reporters, including Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links), that Orlando was "semi-close" twice to trading the No. 2 pick, and that the team could revisit Eric Bledsoe talks with the Clippers at some point this summer.
Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey confirmed tonight that Eric Maynor wouldn't receive a qualifying offer from the team, and will become an unrestricted free agent, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link).
Olshey added that the Blazers "didn't come close" to making any substantial trades (Twitter link via Joe Freeman of the Oregonian).
Don't expect Sergey Karasev to be stashed overseas next season. Shams Charania of RealGM.com tweets that the Russian forward will play in the NBA for the Cavaliers.
There's also no guarantee Nemanja Nedovic will be a draft-and-stash prospect for the Warriors. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com tweets that Golden State wants to evaluate Nedovic in Summer League play before making a decision.
The Lakers won't extend qualifying offers to Andrew Goudelock, Darius Morris, or Devin Ebanks, GM Mitch Kupchak confirmed (Twitter link via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News).

Berger On Knicks, Spurs, Plumlee, Hawks, C’s

June 27th, 2013 at 5:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com is passing along a number of draft-night updates via Twitter, so let's dive in and check out the latest from him….

The Knicks figure to keep their first-round pick and will likely target the best available shooting guard at No. 24. Berger suggests Jamaal Franklin or Allen Crabbe.
With the Spurs hoping to get younger and more athletic, teams view Tony Mitchell and Lucas Nogueira as possibilities for San Antonio at No. 28.

Earlier updates:

Mason Plumlee is a "strong possibility" for the Hawks at No. 17 or 18, according to Berger. The team's other pick would likely be a draft-and-stash international player.
Jamaal Franklin has drawn interest from the Hawks, Bulls, Knicks, and Clippers.
Berger says that NBA teams are eager to see what the Celtics do at No. 16. If Boston drafts a point guard, it could be an indication that the club is open to trading Rajon Rondo as part of its rebuild.
On the other hand, if the Celtics intend to rebuild around Rondo, rival teams believe Reggie Bullock is a likely target for the C's at No. 16.
The Pacers (No. 23), Clippers (25), Wolves (26), and Nuggets (27) are teams who could end up moving their first-round picks.

Eric Bledsoe Trade Not Expected Tonight

June 27th, 2013 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Eric Bledsoe remains one of the top trade candidates of the summer, but word is he's unlikely to be on the move tonight. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported earlier today that the "general feeling" was that Bledsoe was staying put tonight, while Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the Clips are unlikely to make a Bledsoe deal today.

According to Spears, the Raptors, Pelicans, Pistons, Magic, and Mavericks are among the teams that have expressed interest in Bledsoe. The Celtics also had interest in Bledsoe earlier this month, but when the C's and Clippers reached an agreement on Doc Rivers, they agreed not to swap players for the next year, so that destination is no longer in play for Bledsoe.

While the Magic have been linked to the young point guard most frequently, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets that those rumors may have been pushed in part by the Clippers to drum up better offers. Rivers is a fan of Bledsoe and may want to keep him on the club's roster.

With Chris Paul expected to re-up with the Clippers when the July free agency period gets underway, however, Bledsoe's name figures to continue to surface in trade rumors until he's dealt or extended.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Clippers, Howard, Bledsoe

June 27th, 2013 at 3:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's the latest out of the Pacific Division, which may or may not include Dwight Howard next season..

The Lakers will be the final team to meet with Howard, who will start visiting other clubs next week, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The big man will first meet with the Hawks, Rockets, and Mavericks and the list could grow beyond that. The Lakers have not yet been informed of the time or place of the pow-wow with Howard.
Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter) has no doubt that D12 would re-sign if Jackson was the coach or running things in L.A. The idea that the Lakers' pull alone isn't enough to sway Howard is a troubling sign for future free agents.
However, Markazi (link) isn't convinced that a coaching change alone would be enough to keep Howard in L.A. He notes that Howard pushed Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith out of Orlando before leaving.
The general feeling around the Clippers is that they won't trade guard Eric Bledsoe today, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. With Doc Rivers having just arrived, he probably wants to take some time to assess things before making major changes. We heard during the Celtics-Clippers talks that Rivers didn't want Bledsoe traded to Boston because he wanted to coach him in Los Angeles.
Mark Medina and Brian Martin of the L.A. Daily News looks at possible candidates for the Lakers in tonight's draft. DeShaun Thomas and Kenny Kadji are among the players highlighted.
Even though Larry Bird has been high on Jimmer Fredette in the past, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter) isn't so sure that there's a match for the Kings and Pacers now.

Doc Rivers To Have Final Say On Clips Personnel

June 26th, 2013 at 10:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

It appears Clippers coach Doc Rivers will have the final say within the team's basketball operations department, according to Gary Sacks, the team's vice president of basketball operations. Rivers was given the title of senior vice president of basketball operations upon his hiring this week, and as Phil Collin of the Los Angeles Daily News points out, that title indicates that Rivers is one spot above Sacks on the team's organizational hierarchy. Sacks said he believes Rivers "will have the final say," though everyone in the front office will contribute to decision making.

Sacks, who had taken over the role of primary decision maker in September, also said his role would remain the same, though I assume he's simply talking about his capacity as someone who works on player personnel. Former coach Vinny Del Negro had played a role in the Clippers front office prior to the team's decision not to renew his contract this spring. Sacks, Del Negro, and team president Andy Roeser formed a triumvirate that collaborated on the team's moves last summer after former GM Neil Olshey left for the Blazers.

As coach and primary front office decision maker, Rivers assumes a role similar to that of Mike Dunleavy, who was in charge of Clippers personnel decisions in the final two years of his coaching tenure, in 2008/09 and 2009/10.

Magic Resisting ‘Tempting’ Offers’?

June 26th, 2013 at 8:32pm CST by Luke Adams

8:32pm: The Magic continue to explore their options with the No. 2 pick, tweets HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy.

8:04pm: The Magic have no trades in the works and expect to use the No. 2 overall pick for themselves Thursday, sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweeted earlier this evening that though little is certain surrounding the team, it will not trade up to get the No. 1 pick.

3:10pm: Few, if any, trade rumors have surfaced more frequently over the last several days than one connecting Eric Bledsoe to the Magic and Arron Afflalo to the Clippers. However, according to Magic GM Rob Hennigan, he'd be "stunned" if his team made a deal with L.A. on or before draft night, since he hasn't talked trade with the Clips in about three weeks (Twitter links via Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel).

Although Hennigan downplayed the possibility of a trade with the Clippers, that doesn't mean the Magic won't be active this week. According to the GM, there are some tempting offers on the table for his team, with the Orlando front office seriously considering "three or four" different possibilities (Twitter links via John Denton of Magic.com).

Hennigan didn't go into specifics about the proposals on the table for the Magic, but it's a good bet that most or all of them include the No. 2 overall pick — reports earlier today indicated that the Magic were weighing the possibility of trading down in the draft. The Timberwolves are among the teams believed to be interested in trading up, reportedly dangling the ninth and 26th overall picks along with Derrick Williams.

In other roster-building news for the Magic, Hennigan suggested that Orlando is unlikely to use its mid-level exception in free agency this summer, according to Robbins (via Twitter).

Clippers Rumors: Aldridge, Rivers, Lue

June 26th, 2013 at 6:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Clippers pulled off the first offseason swap this year, though it didn't involve any players. New coach Doc Rivers, acquired for a future first-round pick, spoke with L.A. media as well as Boston reporters today, and we've got more on that along with other Clippers-related news:

The Clippers fielded a call about LaMarcus Aldridge, but a source who spoke to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com downplayed any trade talks, saying, "Where's the fit?" (Twitter link).
Clippers president Andy Roeser said the team's been after Rivers for quite some time, calling him "the apple of our eye before we even made a decision to change coaches," as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets.
Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com rounds up Rivers' remarks about his reasons for leaving the Celtics for the Clippers. The coach emphasized that the move had nothing to do with an alleged rift with Rajon Rondo.
Rivers elaborated some more on his decision on The Doug Gottlieb Show, and Royce Young of CBSSports.com shares some of what the coach said, including Rivers' suggestion that Celtics president Danny Ainge was the one who initiated the idea of Rivers leaving the C's.
Rivers says he told Ainge on Sunday that he had decided to come back to coach the Celtics, only to learn hours later that Boston's deal with the Clippers was done, as Forsberg notes.
Celtics assistant coach Tyronn Lue will be following Rivers to join his staff with the Clippers, a source tells TNT's David Aldridge (Twitter link). Lue was a candidate to join the Raptors staff earlier in the offseason.

Draft Updates: Wednesday Afternoon

June 26th, 2013 at 4:38pm CST by Luke Adams

We rounded up the morning updates on the draft earlier today, and passed along a few of the day's more notable draft-related rumors in their own separate posts. Now, a few more afternoon updates, with just over 24 hours to go until the 2013 draft:

If the Thunder are able to trade up and acquire a top-five pick, their primary target figures to be Alex Len, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter), Oklahoma City is likely dangling its two first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 29), along with Kendrick Perkins and perhaps its second-rounder (No. 32).
The Hawks are working out Jeff Withey, Kelly Olynyk, and Grant Jerrett in Atlanta today, tweets Wojnarowski.
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News writes in his latest rumor roundup that it's appearing more and more likely that the Cavaliers will keep the first overall pick.
Some sources believe that the Thunder won't let Deshaun Thomas get past them at No. 32 tomorrow night, according to Amico. However, many executives believe Thomas could go as high as No. 19 or as low as the mid-second-round.
Archie Goodwin's stock appears to be slipping as tomorrow night approaches, says Amico, adding that there's an outside chance he may not even get drafted.
The Clippers are said to be high on Allen Crabbe and it's possible he'll still be on the board at No. 25 for L.A., says Amico.

Odds & Ends: Fredette, Clippers, Terry, Oden

June 26th, 2013 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Following the hiring of Doc Rivers, the positive news keeps coming for Clippers fans. Rivers confirmed to the media today that he has spoken to Chris Paul since joining the franchise, which looks like a good sign for CP3's long-term future in Los Angeles (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com). The Clippers also appear poised to add Alvin Gentry to Rivers' staff, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter). Gentry had been deciding between assistant jobs with the Clippers and Lakers.

Here's more from around the NBA:

Despite reports to the contrary, Sam Amick of USA Today is hearing that the Kings haven't had talks about trading Jimmer Fredette. Amick adds that the new management group is willing to listen to anything, but there's no indication Fredette is being shopped or even discussed in trade talks at this point (Twitter links).
Appearing on KRLD-FM 105.3 in Dallas, Jason Terry said he hopes to wear a Mavericks uniform again before he retires. "You know what, I wear it every night anyway," Terry said (link via Dallas Morning News). "It's my home base. I'm with the Celtics for another two years. I would be more than happy to come back and put the Mavs jersey on and come back and get back on the runway for the Mavericks."
The Cavaliers have hired former Bucks head coach Jim Boylan to be the lead assistant on Mike Brown's staff, tweets Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Speaking to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor acknowledged that the Trail Blazers could be a thorn in Minnesota's side as the team attempts to lock up Nikola Pekovic this summer. Re-signing Pekovic remains the club's top priority, as Walters writes.
Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck appeared on WEEI in Boston today to address the departure of Rivers and the next steps for the C's, and Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com passed along Grousbeck's comments.
In addition to discussing several of the team's own free agents, Heat president Pat Riley confirmed that Miami has interest in Greg Oden, as Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida outlines (via Sulia).