Money Time: Upcoming Free Agents In The Playoffs
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Coaching Rumors: Woodson, Del Negro, Magic
Another job on an NBA bench opened up yesterday, when Orlando officially fired long-time coach Stan Van Gundy. The Magic and the Bobcats are now the only two clubs searching for a new head coach, but there's no guarantee they won't be joined by another couple teams as the offseason progresses. Here are the latest updates on the NBA's coaching carousel:
- After a report yesterday indicated that Mike Woodson and the Knicks were nearing an agreement, Marc Berman of the New York Post says the deal should be announced sometime "this week."
- Clippers GM Neil Olshey hasn't committed one way or the other to bringing back Vinny Del Negro for next season, as Billy Witz of FOX Sports writes. However, a source tells Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld that he believes the Clips will explore other coaching options.
- Van Gundy will be in demand, and the next team to hire him will be very lucky, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz adds though that Van Gundy is leaning toward sitting out next season.
- Charley Rosen of HoopsHype examines some potential candidates to replace Van Gundy in Orlando, noting that Nate McMillan could be the best fit for the Magic.
Dwight Howard Still Wants Out Of Orlando
Despite the exit of coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith today, Dwight Howard "desperately" wants to be traded before next season, a source tells Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com. While it seemed the moves were made with Howard in mind, the superstar center wants out of Orlando now more than ever, according to the source.
Sheridan says Magic execs are expected to meet soon with Howard in Los Angeles, where he's recovering from back surgery. If he reiterates then that he wants out, Sheridan says the team is expected to try to trade him to "the highest bidder." The source says the Nets are still the frontrunner for his services, but the Mavericks, Knicks and, to a lesser degree, the Clippers and Lakers, are destinations that also appeal to Howard.
Earlier today we heard that Magic CEO Alex Martins has called for Howard to make his decision regarding his future with the club. At the trade deadline this past March, Howard declined his early termination option for next season, committing himself to the last season of his contract with the Magic. The move appears only to have been a temporary stay of the drama surrounding his rumored departure. Howard missed the playoffs for the Magic this season after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back more than a month ago. He has been rehabbing in Los Angeles and has not returned to Orlando since the operation. The Magic said earlier he's staying there because he requires frequent checkups from his doctors in L.A., but Howard's choice of locations nonetheless fueled speculation he's estranged from the team.
Clippers Notes: Paul, Del Negro, Griffin, Young
Earlier today we passed along what we heard from the Clippers following their elimination from the playoffs last night. The news from L.A. continues to come in, so let's check in again, with the latest updates on top and earlier items below the jump:
- Chris Paul, who's indicated before that he'll sign a long-term extension with the team, was giving GM Neil Olshey suggestions on moves to improve the team in the wake of its sweep at the hands of the Spurs, writes Matt Stevens of the Los Angeles Times. Olshey takes that as a sign his star is "all in" heading into the final year of his contract.
- Speaking to reporters today, Olshey was non-committal on whether the team will pick up its option for coach Vinny Del Negro for next season, as Stevens writes in a separate piece. The report also examines the future for Blake Griffin, who's eligible for an extension to his rookie contract this summer.
- Sam Amick of SI.com this morning rounded up the questions surrounding Paul, Griffin, Del Negro and the future of the franchise.