Draft Notes: Kentucky, Wiggins, Magic, Kings
There are no NBA games scheduled this evening as the spotlight falls on the NCAA title game between Kentucky and Connecticut. Eight players on the rosters of the two teams are among the top 61 prospects in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, though potential lottery pick Willie Cauley-Stein is injured and won’t play for the Wildcats. It’s nonetheless a bevy of talent on display, and with multiple sources telling Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times that just about every one of Kentucky’s decorated freshmen will declare for this year’s draft, it looks like it won’t be long before that talent is in the NBA (Twitter link). Here’s the latest on the next wave headed for the Association:
- The Magic have Andrew Wiggins, Dante Exum, Jabari Parker and Marcus Smart, in that order, atop their draft board, Chad Ford of ESPN.com reports in his latest Insider-only “Tank Rank” piece. Exum also has “some traction” with the Sixers, and the Lakers are high on him, too.
- The Kings don’t have Wiggins within their top three prospects, Ford hears. The ESPN.com scribe makes note of the draft plans for several other teams, too, though some of it appears to be educated guesswork.
- Wiggins has chosen BDA Management’s Bill Duffy for his agent, sources tell Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling (Twitter link). Duffy beat out Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports, and Wiggins was also linked to Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.
- Parker, Randle and Joel Embiid are all expected to sign with Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group, Woelfel tweets. Woelfel includes Smart’s name on that list, too, reiterating what Zwerling reported last week.
- TNT’s David Aldridge ranks the shooting guards expected to be available for the draft in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com, giving Michigan’s Nik Stauskas the slight edge for the No. 1 spot over Gary Harris of Michigan State.
Lakers, Jordan Farmar Have Mutual Interest
Jordan Farmar wants to re-sign with the Lakers when he becomes a free agent this summer, and the Lakers would like to accommodate him, reports Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. A reunion isn’t a slam-dunk, Medina cautions, writing that much depends on other players the Lakers target and the offers that the Southern California native receives on the market. Still, the Tony Dutt client tells Medina that he’s optimistic about his chances to remain with the Lakers for years to come.
Farmar could have earned a combined $10MM for this season and next had he remained under contract with a Turkish team last summer, but he says he doesn’t regret his decision to leave that club and instead sign with the Lakers for the minimum salary, Medina notes. The point guard inked a three-year, $12MM deal with the Nets in 2010, but it’s doubtful he’d approach such numbers this time around after missing half of this season with two left hamstring tears and a strained right groin. Farmar is averaging 10.4 points, 4.7 assists and 2.2 turnovers in 21.9 minutes per contest.
The 27-year-old felt constrained in Phil Jackson‘s offense in his first stint with the Lakers from 2006 to 2010, and he’s a fan of embattled coach Mike D’Antoni‘s go-go attack, Medina writes. Farmar is one of 10 Lakers with expiring contracts, so there figures to be plenty of shuffling this summer for GM Mitch Kupchak and company. The Lakers can clear significant cap space, but if they use it up, they have Farmar’s Non-Bird rights, allowing them to exceed the cap with a deal worth 120% of his salary this season, slightly more than he’d make on a minimum-salary contract next year. He doesn’t appear to be one of the team’s first offseason priorities, but it looks like the Lakers wouldn’t mind bringing him back if the opportunity presents itself.
Northwest Rumors: Wolves, Love, Corbin
Blazers GM Neil Olshey would deserve the NBA’s Executive of the Year award based on his acquisition of Robin Lopez alone, opines Jason Quick of The Oregonian, who believes Olshey scored with upgrades to the team’s bench, too. Coach Terry Stotts is similarly pleased, as Quick notes.
“I’ve said it many times: Getting Robin Lopez was the perfect fit for our team,’’ Stotts said. “Getting Mo Williams was the perfect fit for our team. Dorell Wright gives us the ability to play [him at either forward position]. And the young guys have improved. But those three guys in particular, for what we needed coming into the season … Neil did a terrific job of addressing those needs.’’
I think there are several other deserving candidates for the award, but after recording their 50th win of the season on Sunday, it’s clear that the Blazers have taken a significant step forward after last season’s 33-win campaign. Here’s the latest from elsewhere in the Northwest Division:
- Finding the proper successor to coach Rick Adelman will be critical for the Wolves, and some in the organization believe having the right coach in place will help convince Kevin Love to stay in Minnesota, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece.
- Kyler also suggests that it’s far from certain that Love would sign with the Lakers if he decides to opt out of his deal in 2015, and that other teams would be on his radar (Twitter link).
- Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin and his staff will know by the end of the month if they’ll return to the team for 2014/15, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, who includes the news in his latest NBA power rankings.
And-Ones: Oladipo, Rice, Daniels, Ollie
UConn is headed to the NCAA championship game under second-year head coach Kevin Ollie. Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times thinks that the Lakers should try and pry Ollie away from Connecticut to become their next head coach. Pincus believes Ollie would be a good fit, with the added bonus of being a potential draw for Kevin Durant down the road, since Durant has an affinity for Ollie since his time spent as an assistant with the Thunder. Here’s a roundup of the rest of the night’s notes:
- The Wizards have recalled rookie Glen Rice Jr. from their D-League affiliate, per a team release. Rice has spent multiple stints with both the D-League and NBA clubs, and has averaged 2.9 points and 9.9 minutes played in 11 games with the Wizards.
- An NBA scout tells Adam Zagoria that UConn’s DeAndre Daniels ought to declare for this summer’s draft (Twitter links). “He’s playing the best he’s ever played, he might as well go for it,” the scout said. “It elevates his draft stock. He is taking a big step on the biggest stage.”
- The Magic could have Rookie of the Year candidate Victor Oladipo play on their summer league team in the coming months, coach Jacque Vaughn tells John Denton of Magic.com. While it’s unusual for a player as established as Oladipo to see summer league action, it is being considered as an option in case Orlando decides to continue experimenting with him as a point guard.
- After going undrafted and spending time in the D-League, Carlon Brown has improved his game overseas, leading the Israeli league in scoring. Brown tells Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders that the path he hopes will lead to an NBA opportunity has been worth it. “Going from college to the D-League to here has definitely been a learning experience, a humbling experience, gratifying to know that my patience and my hard work has paid off,” says Brown. “For me as a person it just lets me know that I’m headed in the right direction, that if I really put my mind to it like I did this summer to change my ways and habits that I can improve and I can dramatically improve my stats and be a better player. Hopefully I can continue to do that.”
Pacific Rumors: Warriors, Nash, Kings
Public comments following Darren Erman‘s firing from both Mark Jackson and Warriors brass paint the situation as unrelated to basketball or performance, per Diamond Leung of Bay Area News Group. GM Bob Myers offered a statement of support to Jackson following the news. “We believe that Mark is fully capable, and we’re confident in his ability to keep going in the right direction, keep propelling us like he has all year, and we believe that he’s going to continue to be successful like he has been,” Myers said. “We believe in his ability the rest of the way.” Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Jackson told Leung he’s confident his team can overcome the latest shakeup of the Warriors coaching staff, which comes on the heels of the demotion of former assistant Brian Scalabrine. “This is not the norm,” Jackson said. “That’s OK because really in both decisions, the right decisions were made. You move forward. To me, I think it’s a great time for us as a team and an organization. To still be standing, this isn’t new.”
- Tim Kawakami of Bay Area News Group thinks that some of the turmoil facing the Warriors coaching staff is part of a conscious effort by owner Joe Lacob to put pressure on Jackson to see how he and the team handle it.
- Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni believes Steve Nash will play again this season despite his recurring injuries and soreness, and hopes the point guard won’t be forced into early retirement. He commented to reporters, including Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times, on the possibility of Nash being waived under the stretch provision, and not being picked up by another team. “I think it’s way too early to surmise that,” said D’Antoni. “If it happens, it happens and he’s had an unbelievable career, a Hall of Famer for sure.”
- After a blowout loss to the Warriors last night, Kings coach Michael Malone is still optimistic about what he’s building in Sacramento, he tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “We knew full well that it wasn’t going to be easy when we took over the job here in Golden State [where Malone was an assistant], and when I took the job in Sacramento,” said Malone. “You just have to lay a foundation and kind of pound that rock every day, and that’s what we’ve tried to do.”
And-Ones: Pacers, Lowry, Raptors, Magic
The Pacers started the season 41-13, but since the trade that brought Evan Turner to Indiana, the team has gone 12-11, and not looked at all like a championship contender, writes Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com. It’s not all Turner’s fault, opines Kaskey-Blomain, and in the article he breaks down what has gone wrong for the team.
More from the east:
- Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders breaks down the true cost of guaranteed contracts in the NBA.
- The news that the Raptors plan to re-sign Kyle Lowry doesn’t surprise Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). Wolstat mentions that there aren’t many eastern teams that have cap space and are in need of a point guard, which would limit Lowry’s options should he want to depart after the season.
- Wolstat also tweeted that while it’s always possible Lowry could depart, the player just built a home, which would make the Lakers a long shot because of the distance. Another team that has expressed interest in Lowry, the Knicks, don’t have the cap space to sign him, notes Wolstat.
- Jazz player development coach Alex Jensen has a bright coaching future in the NBA, writes Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News.
- It wasn’t that long ago when the Magic were a contender in the Eastern Conference, writes Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders. Taylor lays out the steps the team needs to take in order for the organization to rebuild quickly.
Kennedy Notes: Draft, Gasol, Sixers
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders held his weekly chat. He touched on a number of topics, and some of the highlights are listed below:
- Kennedy believes the biggest sleeper pick in the upcoming NBA Draft is Wichita State’s Cleanthony Early. He also believes the player most likely to be taken too high is Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein.
- Pau Gasol is most likely done with the Lakers after this season, opines Kennedy. He cites the Lakers’ desire to have cap flexibility heading into the summer of 2015, as well as Gasol’s reluctance to be part of a rebuild.
- On who the Sixers will take in the draft, Kennedy believes the team will simply select the best two players available. His draft scenario has the team selecting Andrew Wiggins and Dario Saric.
- He doesn’t believe that Victor Oladipo is the long term answer for the Magic at point guard. Kennedy believes the team should look at drafting Dante Exum and keeping Oladipo at shooting guard.
- Kennedy also believes the rumors that Kyrie Irving wants out of Cleveland. He opines that Irving might sign an extension and then demand a trade from the Cavs.
Western Notes: Lakers, Saunders, Henry
The Lakers know their fans and Kobe Bryant aren’t sold on Mike D’Antoni, but with the team’s free agency focus on 2015, they’re hesitant to bring on a new coach who might not mesh with the players they target then, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding writes. They’re also not sure that D’Antoni has performed poorly enough to warrant his dismissal, Ding adds, suggesting assistant Kurt Rambis as a possible replacement if D’Antoni is ousted.
More from out west:
- Xavier Henry will indeed miss the rest of the season, as Mike Trudell of Lakers.com confirms.
- Wolves owner Glen Taylor said on WCCO-AM that he doesn’t want president of basketball operations Flip Saunders to coach the team if Rick Adelman doesn’t return next season, notes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). Saunders was reticent to address the issue in an appearance with Dan Berreiro on KFAN-FM today, but he said that he enjoys his front office work, according to Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (on Twitter).
- Wolves forward Dante Cunningham was arrested on Thursday and was today formally charged with domestic assault. This will certainly have a negative impact on the pending free-agent’s options, writes Zach Harper of CBSSports.com. Cunningham is averaging 6.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 19.5 minutes this season. He’s in the final year of his contract, which pays him $2.1 MM. He was jailed and not with the team as it traveled to Florida for a two-game road trip.His attorney’s office said it’s possible that he posts bail of $40,000 this weekend.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Bulls, Cavs, Bobcats Likely To Target Pau Gasol
The Bulls, Cavaliers and Bobcats will likely court Pau Gasol in free agency this summer, executives from around the league tell Chris Mannix of SI.com. The executives add that the Grizzlies will be in the mix, too, if Zach Randolph opts out, echoing a report from last month. The Arn Tellem client, who’ll turn 34 in July, has a decent chance to receive an offer worth $10MM a year, a front office official from an Eastern Conference team says to Mannix.
That Eastern exec suggests that there are two schools of thought regarding Gasol, with his most aggressive suitors believing that the environment in Los Angeles and the Lakers’ style of play have hindered Gasol the past two seasons, and that an escape could revive his career. Others insist that Gasol is past his prime, the unnamed exec tells Mannix.
Gasol has said he won’t rule out a return to the Lakers, and according to Mannix, the Lakers feel the same away about re-signing the 7-footer. Teammate and friend Kobe Bryant has said he believes there’s an 80% chance the Lakers will bring back Gasol, but Bryant and Gasol reportedly would like to see coach Mike D’Antoni replaced, and the Lakers appear to be leaning toward keeping D’Antoni. Gasol, who appears likely to miss the rest of the season with vertigo, tells Mannix that a team’s chances of winning will be paramount as he makes his decision.
“I want to be in a team that is going to be built to win a championship,” Gasol said. “That’s my top priority. Money won’t be the main priority. Length and money are factors, but we’ll see. Until I know all the options, I won’t be able to measure them. But we’re getting close to the end of my career. I want to be in a good situation. It’s an important decision to make.”
The Bulls and Grizzlies appear to be closest to winning a championship among the suitors that Mannix lists. Executives have doubts about Charlotte’s ability to defend with Gasol and Al Jefferson as their primary rim protectors, as the SI.com scribe notes. The Cavs were deep in talks with the Lakers about acquiring Gasol via trade when Cleveland was shopping Andrew Bynum in January.
And-Ones: Adrian Griffin, Young, Murphy
Once a catalyst in the movement that paved a way for players to go from high school straight to the NBA, former NBA All-Star Spencer Haywood ironically supports the idea of raising the league’s age-limit to 20-years-old, details Sam Amick of USA Today. Haywood is currently concerned about the potential effects of the one-and-done rule on college basketball and in the NBA:
“You have no locker room camaraderie…You have no veteran leadership. It’s just young guys making up their own rules as they go. They don’t have the examples to show them what this game is all about. So it’s going to hurt the league, and it’s definitely hurting college basketball.”
Here are more miscellaneous news and notes from around the Association tonight:
- Current Bulls assistant and former NBA player Adrian Griffin spoke with Sean Deveney of the Sporting News about his aspirations of eventually becoming an NBA head coach: “It’s definitely my goal…I have been learning a lot in this role, this is my sixth year. I learned under (Tom Thibodeau), I learned under Scott Skiles and overall, it is great to see how things work in an organization, especially an organization like the Bulls. That’s something I could bring to any team.”
- Griffin may ultimately need more experience as an assistant before landing a head-coaching job, but he could definitely be active on the interview circuit if there are head coaching vacancies this summer, writes Deveney.
- Nick Young‘s agent, Mark Bartelstein, tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News that it still remains presumptuous whether or not his client will opt out of his contract with the Lakers this summer.
- It’ll be surprising if recently-waived Erik Murphy goes unclaimed, as he appears to be drawing interest from around the league (Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports via Twitter).
- The Rockets are not currently seeking a replacement on their coaching staff for former assistant Kelvin Sampson, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
- Sacramento city officials plan to unveil key details of an arena deal for the Kings in the next few weeks, leading up to a formal vote on the plan by City Council on May 13, reports Tony Bizjak and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee.
- Jazz rookie Trey Burke tells Spencer Checketts of 1280 The Zone that he loves Utah and “plans on staying here for as long as they’ll let me” (Twitter link).