Eastern Notes: Vasquez, Sixers, Magic
Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer details how Steve Clifford‘s preparation and demeanor has impacted his players and brought credibility to the Bobcats in his first season as coach. “He doesn’t screw around,” Charlotte’s president of basketball operations Rod Higgins tells Bonnell. “There’s no such thing as a loose shootaround, a loose practice, a loose film session. There are so many things you can’t impact [as a coach]. He makes sure not to waste an opportunity with what he can.”
- Greivis Vasquez, headed for restricted free agency this summer, is “having a blast” as a member of the Raptors, writes Eric Koreen of the National Post.
- Mark Deeks of SB Nation looks at the steps ahead for the Sixers, who have a wealth of draft picks and trade flexibility heading into the summer.
- Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel looks at the Magic‘s odds of landing Dante Exum in the draft [subscription only], taking into account Orlando’s likely draft position and the Australian point guard’s willingness to play for a team other than the Lakers.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Lakers Rumors: Nash, Gasol, D’Antoni
The Lakers won’t be playing postseason basketball for the first time since the 2004/05 campaign, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing happening in Lakerland. Let’s catch up on the latest:
- The Lakers were impressed with many of the players on this year’s lottery-bound squad, writes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report, who sizes up the chances each Laker has of returning next season. Steve Nash has an 80% chance to come back, while there’s only a 9% chance Pau Gasol stays, Ding surmises.
- Dan D’Antoni‘s hiring as the new head coach at Marshall isn’t related to Mike D’Antoni‘s potentially shaky situation with the Lakers, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Another tweet from Shelburne reveals that it was Mike D’Antoni who recommended his brother Dan for the role at Marshall, perhaps suggesting that the Laker head coach never actually had any interest in the position, despite rumors claiming otherwise.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Coaching Rumors: Jazz, D’Antoni, Boylen
Executives, coaches and other league insiders struggle to come up with names of intriguing coaching candidates after last year’s record volume of new hires, but Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com was able to pry the identities of a few well-regarded potential hires. Some of them have been in rumors in recent weeks, but University of Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, Bulls assistant Ed Pinckney, and Blazers assistant David Vanterpool are the names we haven’t heard. Potential head coaches with ties to the Spurs were already popular, and they’ve grown even more so this year, Arnovitz hears. Here’s more from the coaching rumor mill:
- The Jazz plan to interview more than 20 candidates fitting virtually every description, team president Randy Rigby said Wednesday on The Zone Sports Network radio, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Though a few candidates have reportedly emerged, Rigby insists the club hasn’t identified any potential targets. He also said the decision will be a group effort and won’t lie solely with GM Dennis Lindsey.
- Mike D’Antoni won’t be coaching Marshall University next season, but his brother Dan D’Antoni will be, the school announced. Dan D’Antoni is leaving his job as a Lakers assistant coach to take the new gig.
- The Pacers weren’t pleased when former assistant coach and current Jazz head coaching candidate Jim Boylen left last year to become a Spurs assistant, tweets Scott Agness of Pacers.com. “He did us dirty,” one Pacers player told Agness.
- Knicks president Phil Jackson said Wednesday that his coaching search could extend into July, but he adds that it’s not because he’s waiting around to see which, if any, coaches working in the playoffs become available, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
- Nets GM Billy King said on NBA TV that he, and not coach Jason Kidd, made the decision to reassign assistant coach Lawrence Frank earlier this season, fellow ESPNNewYork.com scribe Mike Mazzeo observes.
Draft Notes: Exum, Wiggins, College Returnees
There has been plenty of talk about the top of June’s draft and that it sure to continue. For instance, the Magic, Jazz, Bucks, in addition to Lakers, are high on Dante Exum, Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his latest chat with readers. Ford has linked the Magic to Exum in the past, and he says this time around that the team is indeed looking for a point guard in spite of its experiment with Victor Oladipo at the position. Meanwhile, Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times tweets that the Sixers are targeting Andrew Wiggins with their selection, a report that echoes what we heard a few months ago out of Philadelphia.
However, as Sunday’s Early Entry Eligibility Deadline approaches, we are also sure to hear a lot about the players on the other end of the draft spectrum. Let’s take a look at some of the college players who have chosen not to partake in June’s NBA Draft.
- LSU freshman Jordan Mickey will return to school instead of entering the draft, the Tigers announced (Twitter link). Chad Ford of ESPN.com has Mickey as the 23rd-best prospect for next year and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, who’s listed him as the 55th-best prospect for 2014, puts him 36th in his 2015 mock draft.
- Sophomore Alex Poythress and freshman Dakari Johnson will both return to Kentucky next year, the Wildcats announced in separate releases. Poythress kicked the tires on entering the draft a year ago as well before ultimately deciding to return. They will join teammates Willie Cauley-Stein and Marcus Lee in Lexington next year, both of whom also chose to stay in school. Johnson could flirt with the lottery next year, according to Givony, who has Poythress squarely in the second round.
- Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant will not enter the draft, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Grant was averaging 19 points per game before withdrawing from school for academic reasons in December. His brother, Syracuse’s Jerami Grant, announced last week that he would enter the draft. Givony has the 6’4″ shooting guard pegged as the 57th pick next June.
Pau Gasol Calls For Major Changes To Lakers
Pau Gasol wrote on his personal blog that there would have to be significant changes to the Lakers if they’re to re-sign him this summer, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News translates from Gasol’s native Spanish. He said that Kobe Bryant is the only person who could make him stay, and reiterated his desire to be on a winning team.
Gasol once more expressed that he doesn’t feel coach Mike D’Antoni‘s style is a match for his, and the 33-year-old said he’s unsure if the team’s decision about whether to keep the coach for next season will influence his own choice on whether to come back. Gasol insisted that he won’t simply go to the highest bidder, and he said that he’s looking for a long-term deal.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak heaped praise on the 7-footer last week, even making the specious claim that there will be no better free agents available this summer. Still, it appears likely that Gasol will have to take a significant cut in pay from the nearly $19.3MM he made this past season. The Bulls, Cavs, Bobcats are likely to pursue Gasol, and the Grizzlies will probably get involved, too, once Zach Randolph‘s potential free agency is resolved.
Mike D’Antoni Won’t Leave Lakers For Marshall
APRIL 23RD: D’Antoni told Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick that he won’t take the job, reports Chuck McGill of the Charleston Daily Mail. Borzello confirms that it’s unlikely D’Antoni ends up at Marshall next season. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com refutes the part of McGill’s report indicating that D’Antoni has met with Lakers co-owner Jim Buss and GM Mitch Kupchak several times regarding his future with the club (Twitter links). Shelburne says that they haven’t met with him outside of the team’s exit interviews last week, and that his return for next season remains undecided.
MARCH 27TH: 10:16pm: There is mutual interest between D’Antoni and Marshall, a source tells Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports, who also hears that there are donors willing to pony enough up money to woo the current Lakers coach back to his alma mater.
7:09pm: Marshall University has reportedly reached out to Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni to gauge his interest in coaching the team next year, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman and Marc Stein. The program is looking to replace former head coach Tom Herrion, who was recently fired after four seasons. This isn’t the first time that Marshall has pursued D’Antoni to coach their team, and sources tell Goodman and Stein that the latest inquiry was made because the school always “(sounds) him out” any time they have an opening. The 62-year-old coach D’Antoni attended Marshall from 1970 to 1973 before being selected in the second round of the 1973 NBA Draft and continues to be held in high regard by his alma mater.
Though Marshall’s interest coincides with D’Antoni’s uncertain future in Los Angeles, Goodman and Stein hear that it’d be highly unlikely for the embattled coach – who is still under contract for two more years after 2013/14 (one season guaranteed) – to make a move to the collegiate level even if the Lakers parted ways with him this summer.
After leading Phoenix to at least 54 wins each year and topping the 60-win mark twice between 2004 to 2008, D’Antoni has struggled to consistently replicate that success in New York in Los Angeles, respectively. Once coined an “offensive genius” by LeBron James and an “offensive mastermind” by Kobe Bryant, D’Antoni holds just a .430 winning percentage since 2008/09 and is yet to win his first playoff game in nearly six years.
And-Ones: Harper, Kerr, Rockets
Since Phil Jackson joined the Knicks, there has been ample speculation about him bringing along connections from his winning past to work for the organization. As we’ve noted recently, Steve Kerr appears to be the strongest candidate being considered for the team’s head coaching position. We also relayed that former Jackson-assistant Jim Cleamons has his sights set on joining the team in any capacity. Today, Ron Harper – who played for Jackson in Chicago and Los Angeles – told Marc Berman of the New York Post that he expects to interview for a position:
“I would expect so…A few guys are expecting to hear from (Jackson). We’re in a wait-and-see mode. Whatever he needs me to do, I will do. He knows that.”
Here are more of tonight’s miscellaneous notes:
- Though there are reports that the Kerr wants the Knicks job, Berman writes that his ideal preference would be a West coast team, echoing Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck. Kerr currently lives in San Diego, and an opportunity to stay close to home could present itself with Mike D’Antoni allegedly on thin ice in Los Angeles; however, it wouldn’t seem likely that Lakers president Jeanie Buss would try to compete with Jackson for Kerr’s services.
- If Carmelo Anthony doesn’t remain with the Knicks as expected, the Rockets would be in prime position to acquire him this summer, says Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW. Sefko imagines that the Mavericks would also try to land Anthony, but isn’t sure if putting hope in him as a number one guy would be the most prudent thing to do at this point.
- Kevin McHale doesn’t seem to be the right coach for Houston, opines Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders, who in his weekly chat addressed a scenario in which the Rockets attempted to pursue George Karl if they ultimately decided to make a coaching change. Such a courtship would be incompatible with the team’s interest in Carmelo, opines Ingram, to the point that Karl would not even consider accepting the job if they acquired the star forward.
- It’s worth pointing out that almost all of the potential coaching candidates for the Jazz opening are represented by Warren LeGarie, who also happens to be the agent of Utah GM Dennis Lindsey (Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune mentions via Twitter).
- Former NBA forward Dominic McGuire has signed with Gigantes de Guayana of the Venezuelan league, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Pacific Rumors: Griffin, Warriors, Lakers
Before drafting Blake Griffin with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, the Clippers gave him a personality test to better understand his mind, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. That test pegged the power forward as a classic perfectionist who tackles uncertainty with hard work. Head coach Doc Rivers learned of Griffin’s tireless work ethic when he came to Los Angeles and he is quite appreciative of it. More out of the Pacific Division..
- The Warriors have abandoned their former Piers 30/32 plan and instead have bought land a little further south, according to Joe Eskenazi of SF Weekly. The new proposed move will still put them in San Francisco and should take place in 2018/19.
- Even though Jim and Jeanie Buss say the family is committed to keeping the team, a “yes” vote by four Buss siblings could force the sale of the Lakers, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. If that happens, the Chicago investment group Guggenheim Partners, owner of the Dodgers, would eagerly jump into the bidding. The group envisions employing former Lakers star Magic Johnson as the ceremonial face of the franchise, a role he currently holds with the Dodgers.
- When Rivers was asked about J.J. Redick‘s claim that the Clippers coach was the reason he came to L.A., Rivers quipped, “You sure it wasn’t that $6 or $7MM?,” tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
Carmelo Anthony To Meet With Several Teams
The Knicks’ firing of Mike Woodson today will have no impact on Carmelo Anthony‘s willingness to remain with the team, and Anthony plans to meet with several other NBA clubs this summer, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Anthony wants to approach the process just as Dwight Howard did last summer, when he sat down with potential suitors after free agency began in July, Deveney hears. ‘Melo hasn’t made a list of the teams he’d like to hear from yet, but Deveney says the Knicks and Bulls are “certain” to be on it, naming the Lakers, Rockets and Clippers as others who might be in the mix.
Anthony spoke in support of Woodson last week, but the identity of next season’s coach will have little effect on Anthony’s free agency, according to Deveney. Anthony has long planned to opt out of his contract this summer, and summed up his thoughts regarding the Knicks and free agency succinctly last week when he said, “I want to come back. I want to come back. But I also want to win.” Deveney’s source reiterates that winning will be chief in the star’s mind, though it will be difficult for the Knicks to improve their roster, given their lack of both cap flexibility and a first-round pick in this year’s draft, as Deveney points out.
Howard’s contentment in Houston this year is helping dispel Anthony’s fears of a public backlash should he leave the Knicks, Deveney writes. The Rockets star endured a maelstrom of negative press amid his departures from the Magic and the Lakers, but that’s died down now that Howard is on a long-term deal in Houston.
And-Ones: Carr, Jackson, Lakers, Sixers
Former high school standout Aquille Carr has officially declared for the 2014 draft, his agent tells Adam Zagoria of SNY (on Twitter). Agent Joshua Wildes of Hazan Sports Management told Hoops Rumors via email that “Aquille is excited about this next chapter in his career and looks forward to fulfilling his dream.” The 5’6″ guard, who turned down a scholarship offer from Seton Hall to pursue overseas opportunities, is not featured on DraftExpress’ 2014 mock. Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
- According to an NBA source, new president Phil Jackson has talked recently about his disappointment in some of the Knicks’ conditioning — or lack thereof — this year, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. It’s unclear which players Jackson was talking about, though J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert were coming off of offseason surgery and coach Mike Woodson mentioned that Shumpert was dealing with minor injuries throughout camp, which may have hindered him early on.
- With the salary cap expected to rise to $63.2MM in 2014/15, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times looks at the decisions facing the Lakers this offseason. Waiving and stretching Steve Nash‘s salary would spread his salary over the next three seasons, reducing the Lakers spending power for 2015/16, when players like Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Rajon Rondo may be available, and 2016/17, when Kevin Durant could be a free agent.
- The Sixers managed to have a remarkably bad season in 2013/14, but now comes the tricky part for GM Sam Hinkie, writes Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Philly figures to have two top ten picks in this year’s draft and it’ll be up to Hinkie & Co. to choose wisely.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports (on Twitter) agreed with a follower who says that the Bobcats never should have taken Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at No. 2 last year since he’s a perimeter player in today’s NBA who can’t shoot. However, he can’t fault them too much (link) since several teams were trying to trade up to get him.
- Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype spoke with Euroleague standout Malcolm Delaney about his opportunity to sign with the Rockets earlier this year. Houston wanted to sign Delaney but FC Bayern, who was about to begin a playoff run, declined to let him out of his contract. The 25-year-old says he’s not bitter towards the German club and hopes to get another NBA opportunity this summer.