Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Exercise Option On Vinny Del Negro

May 29th, 2012 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have informed Vinny Del Negro that they will pick up his contract option for the 2012/13 season, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The Clippers confirmed the decision today in a press release.

In his second season with the team, Del Negro led the Clippers to a 40-26 record, the best winning percentage in franchise history. The Clips topped Memphis in the first round of the playoffs before being swept by San Antonio in round two.

Despite Del Negro's success, reports earlier in the year indicated that his job could be in jeopardy. As recently as this week, Del Negro's future was unknown, with ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne suggesting potential alternatives for the Clippers' position. While a number of notable free agent coaches are available, Del Negro's positive relationship with owner Donald Sterling may have played a significant part in the Clippers' decision, as the ESPN scribes noted.

Los Angeles Rumors: Olshey, Gasol, Brown

May 28th, 2012 at 10:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

Neither of L.A.'s two teams has played a game in a week's time, but that hasn't stopped the news from coming out of the City of Angels, as the Lakers and Clippers plot their offseason plans.

Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com observes that Rich Cho, the last GM candidate who traveled abroad to speak with Blazers owner Paul Allen about the position, as Clippers GM Neil Olshey has reportedly done, wound up getting the job.
We passed along today that Sam Smith of Bulls.com hears Pau Gasol would be interested in playing for the Bulls, but Kyler doesn't think Chicago would take on Gasol's contract, which has two seasons and close to $38.3MM left on it (Twitter link).
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld would be "more than shocked" if the Lakers fire coach Mike Brown, despite the team's first-round struggles and second-round ouster in the playoffs (Twitter link).
Earlier this evening I examined the upcoming free agency of Lakers backup big man Jordan Hill.

GM Rumors: Olshey, Blazers, Magic, Kupchak

May 28th, 2012 at 7:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

Earlier today we rounded up the latest from Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld on the Magic's search for a new GM, and the news continues to come in from Orlando as well as from Portland, where the Blazers are also looking for a GM. Here's what we're hearing:

Clippers GM Neil Olshey recently spoke to Blazers owner Paul Allen about Portland's GM position, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who notes Olshey is not under contract for next season (Twitter links).
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has emerged as the No. 1 candidate for the Blazers GM job and the team is awaiting his decision, Kyler tweets. Kyler says Chris Mullin is next in line if Kupchak turns Portland down, contradicting what we heard last week about Mullin suggesting he was not in the running.
Kupchak is also a candidate for the Magic's GM position, but Kyler isn't sure he'd take that job, as he'd like to continue working with Andrew Bynum (Twitter link). That said, a swap of Bynum for Dwight Howard, as has been discussed, would allow Kupchak to bring the big man to Florida with him.
Kyler said earlier that the Magic would have to move quickly if they wanted Kevin Pritchard for their GM job, and now Berger tweets that the team has reached out to him.
Jeff Bower will interview for the Magic GM job this week, Berger reports (Twitter link). Bower interviewed earlier this month for same position with the Blazers.

Money Time: Upcoming Free Agents In The Playoffs

May 26th, 2012 at 1:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's time for another look at soon-to-be free agents and their playoff performances as we put a bow on the conference semifinals with the Sixers-Celtics Game 7 tonight. You can find previous Money Time posts by clicking on the tag at the bottom of this entry or by clicking here.

Winners

Danny Green, Spurs (restricted): Last year's D-League refugee doesn't have to worry about NBA job security anymore, especially after what he's done this postseason. In San Antonio's four-game sweep of the Clippers, Green delivered on 11 of 19 three-point attempts , shot 56.3% overall, and was fourth on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game.

Boris Diaw, Spurs: He's fit so seamlessly with the Spurs that GM R.C. Buford may regret signing Diaw to just a rest-of-the-season deal when he was bought out by the Bobcats. Diaw took over the starting power forward spot next to center Tim Duncan shortly before the playoffs, and really turned it on against the Clippers, averaging 10.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals. He had 12 rebounds in Game 1, and shot 7-for-7 for 16 points in Game 2.

Lavoy Allen, Sixers (restricted): He's forgiving about his preseason ranking as the worst player in the NBA by ESPN.com, and he didn't get down when he was benched after starting Game 1 against the Bulls. Allen has instead turned into one of the most important figures for the Sixers in their series against the Celtics, shooting 62.9% from the floor and averaging 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals in 23.5 minutes a game against Boston. He has a chance to make an even more profound impression with a strong performance in Game 7 tonight.

Losers

Kenyon Martin, Clippers: We'll circle back to catch up with one of the many Clippers done in by the Spurs. He averaged 1.5 blocks, but brought down fewer than three rebounds per game in that series, disconcerting for a big man even though he played just 16 MPG. He was nonexistant on offense, shooting just 40% and averaging 4.0 PPG.

Spencer Hawes, Sixers: We had him listed as a winner in a previous installment of Money Time, but he has not carried his encouraging play against the Bulls over to the second-round series with the Celtics. He's the team's eighth leading scorer, at 8.0 PPG, in the series, and has averaged just 24.3 minutes of court time. The Celtics are a poor rebounding team, but the 7'0", 245-pound Hawes is putting up just 5.5 RPG against them.

Leandro Barbosa, Pacers: The Pacers looked to him to spark the team's offense as a reserve, but Barbosa, a double-figure scorer for six of the last seven regular seasons, couldn't get it done. He shot 31.8% against the Heat, and the career 82.3% free-throw shooter went just 3-for-6 at the line. His 6'3", 176-pound frame made him a liability at shooting guard when he was defending Dwyane Wade, and as a 29-year-old who has long used his speed to his advantage, Barbosa's prospects look dim going forward.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Paul, Malone, Warriors

May 26th, 2012 at 12:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Items out of the Pacific as the Clippers decide whether to exercise Vinny Del Negro's option for next season..

Clippers guard Chris Paul has Warriors assistant Mike Malone on his short-list of preferred replacements for Del Negro, a source told Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. Malone was a part of the Hornets' staff during Paul's time in New Orleans.
Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com wonders what the Warriors will do if Malone lands a head coaching job elsewhere.
Even though many have speculated that Suns swingman Josh Childress could be an amnesty candidate, the 29-year-old is hopeful that there could still be a role for him with the club, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Childress is set to earn $21MM across the next three seasons, including his 2014/15 player option.

Clippers Interested In Re-Signing Nick Young

May 25th, 2012 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Nick Young has only been a Clipper for two months, but it sounds as if the team is open to extending his stay in Los Angeles. A source tells Dan Woike of the Orange County Register that the Clippers are interested in re-signing the unrestricted free agent.

Young, who turns 27 next week, was dealt from the Wizards to the Clippers at the trade deadline, and helped Los Angeles reach the Western Conference Semifinals. Because he had accepted a one-year qualifying offer and was then traded, Young lost his Bird rights in the deal, due to a quirky CBA detail. While the Clips won't have to use their mid-level exception to make Young an offer, the Non-Bird exception limits the amount they could offer to about $4.4MM for the first year.

Clippers GM Neil Olshey talked earlier this week about wanting to have a two guard with some size on next year's roster. Young may not be the specific player the GM had in mind, but at 6'6", the ex-Wizard has the height advantage on the other shooting guards the Clips used this season, such as Chauncey Billups, Mo Williams, and Randy Foye.

Los Angeles Notes: Del Negro, Brooks, Lakers

May 25th, 2012 at 8:29am CST by Luke Adams

While Los Angeles residents may have loved to see a Clippers/Lakers Western Conference Final, it wasn't meant to be, given how strong the Spurs and Thunder look this season. As the L.A. clubs look to make roster improvements this summer to make another run in 2012/13, let's check in on the latest out of the city:

A decision on Vinny Del Negro's job status will have to be made by next week, according to Marc Stein and Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN.com. The Clippers have until June 1st to decide whether or not to exercise the coach's option for next year, and the decision could rest largely in the hands of owner Donald Sterling. That's probably good news for Del Negro, given his positive relationship with Sterling.
If Del Negro doesn't return, the Clippers may look to currently-employed coaches rather than the strong crop of free agent candidates. Two potential targets are Thunder coach Scott Brooks and Hornets coach Monty Williams, according to Stein and Shelbourne. However, Brooks is widely expected to re-up with Oklahoma City, and the Clips would have to get permission from New Orleans to talk to Williams, which is no sure thing.
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times proposes five potential roster moves for the Lakers. While the list includes the usual Andrew Bynum/Dwight Howard proposal, many of the other suggestions are new ones, such as trading for Al Harrington or Beno Udrih.

Odds & Ends: Iverson, Clippers, Mavericks, Shaq

May 23rd, 2012 at 10:44pm CST by Alex Lee

The 76ers defeated the Celtics tonight in an ugly, defensive affair to force a Game 7 on Saturday night in Boston. Early in the game, an ESPN reporter spoke with Allen Iverson who was in town to deliver the game ball to tonight's referees. Iverson said he still wants to play basketball, whether in the NBA or elsewhere. Here are other links from late Wednesday night:

Arash Markazi and Pedro Moura from ESPN Los Angeles give their differing takes on whether Clippers stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will be teamed up in LA for the remainder of their careers.
Derek Page of HoopsWorld says that for the Mavericks, in lieu of letting key pieces of their championship team leave via free agency, anything in the offseason short of Deron Williams would deem that decision a "momentous mistake." Meanwhile, Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News says via chat that Pau Gasol would not be a good fit in Dallas.
Speaking of Deron Williams, Colin Stephenson of the Newark Star Ledger examined the Nets offseason uncertainties outside of their potential free-agent-to-be point guard. The Nets have only four players that are guaranteed to be under contact for next year's Brooklyn debut.
The Bird Rights hearing between the NBA and NBA Players Association will be in mid-June, says Ian Begley of ESPN New York, citing an unnamed source. Begley notes that the Knicks will be particularly impacted due to waiver pickups of Steve Novak and Jeremy Lin.
The 2012 Olympic schedule for Team USA was unveiled, according to Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops.
ESPN's Chris Broussard and Marc Stein offer their takes on Shaq as a potential fit as the future general manager of the Magic. Broussard says Shaq has acted as a mentor to Dwight Howard throughout the season as they apparently bonded over their dislike for Stan Van Gundy. Hiring O'Neal could be an attempt to persuade Howard to stay. Meanwhile, despite previous reports, Broussard adds that the Bobcats will in fact reach out to Van Gundy.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Hill, Ebanks, Clippers

May 23rd, 2012 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

The general consensus among NBA writers after the Lakers' second round loss against the Thunder was that Los Angeles needed to move Pau Gasol this offseason in an effort to shake up the roster and gain cap flexibility. However, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News believes the next move for the Lakers should be trading Andrew Bynum in a deal for Dwight Howard. Bonsignore points out that the worst-case scenario would be Howard leaving after a year, in which case, at least the team's cap situation would be a little more manageable going forward.

Here are a few more links related to the Lakers and their Pacific Division rivals:

As the Kamenetzky brothers relay on ESPNLosAngeles.com, unrestricted free agent Jordan Hill was positive in his exit interview about his time with the Lakers, expressing a desire to return: "It's definitely one of, if not the best organizations in the league and I had great time here, with the short time I was here. The staff, players, everybody. I just enjoyed it."
Restricted free agent Devin Ebanks is also open to returning to the Lakers, telling Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, "They seem pretty interested in me."
Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com poses eight questions facing the Clippers as the team prepares for the offseason.
The Warriors' announcement of a new, privately-funded arena set to open in 2017 is a tough blow for Kings fans, who saw Sacramento arena plans fall apart earlier this year, writes Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.

Clippers Rumors: Griffin, Paul, Young, Williams

May 22nd, 2012 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

We already rounded up a series of Tuesday morning Lakers updates, so let's take a look at what's going on with Los Angeles' other team. Here's the latest on the Clippers….

2:35pm:

Although Mo Williams has expressed a preference to pick up his 2012/13 player option and remain in Los Angeles, GM Neil Olshey isn't ready to take that as gospel yet. "Guys say a lot of things right after the season but I’m sure that [agent] Mark Bartelstein hasn’t really explored all his options yet," Olshey told Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. "But once those are on the table, Mo will make an informed decision."
The Clippers wouldn't mind adding a two guard with some size, and a floor-spacing power forward, or "stretch four."
Olshey isn't worried about being able to bring in additional talent: "We’ve got trade exceptions, we’ve got one-year contracts, we’ve got draft picks we can move and the most exciting thing is now we’re a destination."
While the Clippers don't figure to have Chauncey Billups' Bird rights, since they claimed him off amnesty waivers, Non-Bird rights will be more than enough if they want to re-sign him — amnesty rules allow the Clips to offer up to 120% total salary, including the amount the Knicks are paying, rather than just 120% of the $2MM+ he's earning in L.A.