Odds & Ends: Gasol, Suns, Bulls, Mirotic
At least three NBA GMs won’t be in New Orleans for All-Star weekend, as technology has changed the way deadline deals take shape, observes Ian Thomsen of SI.com. Thomsen’s piece is a revelatory examination of what goes on in the hidden world of NBA executives, and it’s worth a read. We’ll pass along another tidbit from it here among our look at the league’s latest:
- Executives think Pau Gasol is the most significant player with a strong chance to be dealt, Thomsen writes. The likehihood of a Gasol deal has grown as the Lakers have dropped further from contention, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding writes, identifying Chris Kaman, Jordan Hill and Steve Blake as other prime trade candidates on the Lakers.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com hears the Suns, who’ve been pursuing Gasol and his expiring contract, aren’t looking for short-term help and would prefer to trade for a player who can be a mainstay for years to come.
- Smith also says that the Bulls are targeting veterans and buyout candidates rather than D-Leaguers for their 13th roster spot, suggesting Marcus Camby as a possibility, though it’s unclear if the Bulls truly have interest in signing the 39-year-old big man.
- An NBA executive thinks that if Nikola Mirotic were eligible for this year’s draft, he’d be a top-three pick, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- Jameer Nelson says the Magic haven’t indicated to him they have any plans to trade him, and, according to Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling, he has no plans to test free agency this summer. Of course, Nelson might not have a choice, since the Magic can save $6MM of his $8MM salary for next season if they waive him on or before July 15th.
- Adam Silver isn’t quite sure why players would be opposed to the idea of raising the age limit to 20, which he supports, as the commissioner tells Sam Amick of USA Today. Silver also suggests that allowing teams an extra year to scout prospects will help clubs with high draft picks make the right choice more often, leading to more leaguewide parity.
Kupchak On Tax, Draft, D’Antoni, Tanking, Nash
Mitch Kupchak told reporters Thursday that the Lakers scouting staff isn’t attending more college games than in years past, in spite of the likelihood the team will end up with a rare top-10 pick. Still, he admitted his focus on the future probably means he’ll be dedicating more of his own time to the draft this year. The Lakers GM also said it’s “not a big concern at all” that the team move below the tax line this year. He had plenty more to say about the draft, the tax, and other subjects, and we already passed along a few snippets of his remarks Thursday night. We’ll provide much more here, courtesy of a pair of pieces from Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News and a single story from Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
On the repeater tax:
“It’s going to be very difficult for us to be a repeater in the next two years just by virtue of all the free agents we have. And then even if you’re in the repeater tax, if you’re in the repeater tax by $30MM, you get killed. If you’re in the repeater tax by a $1.5MM or $2MM, then it’s really inconsequential.”
On this year’s draft:
“I think it’s a really good draft. Like most drafts, it changes going into the season and when you’re in the middle of the season and I expect it to change still a little bit between the beginning of March until the end of March, but I think it’s a good draft and some players that I don’t think anybody expected to be formidable picks in the draft a month ago, you’re starting to see some guys you didn’t hear about play really well. So, I think it’s a good draft in general and I think there’s a couple, three name guys that really jump out at you.”
On Mike D’Antoni:
“I think he’s done a great job. Under very trying circumstances, I think he’s done a great job.”
On the notion of tanking:
“Winning is never a bad thing. I’m not a karma guy, but if you try to manipulate this thing, it doesn’t work out the way you think it works out. You’re better off doing the right thing to do and whatever happens, happens for the right reason.”
On the acquisition of Steve Nash in 2012:
“No regrets. We had a chance. You have to recognize where you are as a franchise. We felt we had a two year window, maybe three to go for a championship. That’s what we did. Looking back on it, which nobody can do, that’s a different story. But at the time, we knew exactly what we were doing.”
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Kupchak, Silver
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak told reporters, including Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, that if Los Angeles makes a deal, it’ll be one that address issues in “2014/15 and beyond” (Twitter link). Another tweet from Trudell explains that the club won’t be dealing for a player that can make an immediate impact, and Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears from Kupchak that it’s actually been pretty quiet around the office as far as trade talks go (Twitter link). Let’s round up a few more tidbits in our nightly look around the league..
- Adam Zagoria of Sheridan Hoops looks toward the 2020 Summer Olympics and sees Canada’s potential team as a formidable force. Zagoria hears that college studs Andrew Wiggins and Tyler Ennis are expected to join forces with current NBA players Anthony Bennett, Andrew Nicholson, Kelly Olynyk, Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph. It’s possible a similar team could assemble for the 2015 Olympic qualifiers, but Zagoria thinks 2020 is when the expected Canadian roster will be able to reach its full potential.
- Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu revealed he is interested in a potential NBA expansion into Europe. “Adam Silver, the new commissioner, is a great contributor to the sport,” said Bertomeu. “We have met and I think that we have a future together. We want to increase our cooperation and we want to see things realistically.” Lefteris Moutis of EuroHoops.net has the full story.
- Silver looks even beyond Europe and sees opportunity for the NBA in markets all over the world, he tells Sam Amick of USA Today in an exclusive interview. “To me, the U.S. is less than 5% of the world’s population. So when I look at markets like the billion people in Africa, the over billion people that live in India, the (1.3 billion) that live in China, just those markets alone where we’re just barely scratching the surface, there is so much opportunity out there for us.”
- Amick’s piece sees Silver address a variety of hot-button issues, including the lottery, the minimum age for draft eligibility, and the latest CBA.
Western Rumors: Udrih, Clippers, Gordon, Jazz
Beno Udrih played three seasons for the Spurs, and Marc Berman of the New York Post thinks the veteran journeyman might end up back in San Antonio before the deadline passes. The Knicks have been trying to find suitors for Udrih, and former New York GM Scott Layden, now in the front office of San Antonio, was at attendance for Wednesday’s Knicks game. It might be too early to make assumptions, but it’s certainly possible Udrih might be on the move some time soon. Here’s more out of the Western Conference..
- Chris Paul wasn’t necessarily a fan of the Hornets franchise, but his love for the city of New Orleans made for a difficult move to the Clippers. Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports recaps the blockbuster deal that paired Paul with Blake Griffin in Los Angeles.
- A well placed source tells Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders that the Bucks aren’t interested in Pelicans guard Eric Gordon (Twitter link). Ingram hears Milwuakee doesn’t have any interest in dealing for oft-discussed guard.
- The Jazz would be wise to find a suitor for Gordon Hayward, suggests Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders in his weekly chat. Kennedy thinks Hayward might command max dollars from a rival team as a restricted free agent, but there’s still some doubt whether he’s worth that kind of money.
- Kennedy also believes the Lakers would be better off trading Pau Gasol for some assets that could help the team down the road. At this stage in his career, Kennedy thinks Gasol would like to play for a winner, so he might be likely to leave LA in free agency.
Lakers Notes: Gasol, Deadline, Tax
Despite a surprising 13-13 start to the season, the Lakers find themselves limping into their last game before the All-Star break, having lost eight of their last 10 contests. With a tough matchup against the Thunder tonight, the Lakers are surely looking forward to a week long vacation. Let’s round up the latest notes out of Lakerland..
- Pau Gasol still feels the Lakers want him, even amid the specter of a potential trade to the Suns. Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times has the details.
- Unlike years past, this season’s trade deadline might feature a major move by the Lakers, opines Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. McMenamin observes that this is the first time in quite awhile that Los Angeles has been this far out of playoff contention, and he suggests their strategy at the deadline might change as a result.
- In the same piece, McMenamin notes the repeater tax set to be instated this summer could push the Lakers to make one or more trades that would land them underneath luxury tax threshold. Along with Gasol, McMenamin sees Steve Blake, Chris Kaman, and Jordan Hill as players that could be moved to help the team shed salary.
- Earlier today, we passed along news and notes on both Los Angeles teams.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
L.A. Notes: Nash, Vujacic, Williams
Steve Nash tells Grantland’s Bill Simmons he’s considered the possibility that the Lakers will waive him this summer and use the stretch provision to spread out his cap hit for next season. If that happened, Nash, who wants to continue living in Los Angeles, would probably either retire or play for the Clippers if they have interest, Simmons writes. There’s more on Nash amid our look at a pair of Los Angeles teams in distinctly different places with the deadline a week away:
- The Clippers were pleased with Sasha Vujacic while he was with them on a 10-day contract that expired last night, but they’ll wait until after the All-Star break to determine whether they’ll sign him to another one, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter links).
- Shawne Williams describes the reality check that his D-League stint this season represented, and he’s grateful to be back with the Lakers, as he tells Shahan Ahmed of NBCLosAngeles.com. The Lakers will probably hold off on deciding whether to give him a second 10-day deal until after the deadline, Ahmed writes.
- Nash might have saved the Lakers plenty of money if he had walked away from the game earlier this season, but he’s still worth rooting for, Shelburne argues.
Pacific Notes: Warriors, Bledsoe, Nash
Matt Steinmetz of Bleacher Report covers some of the growing concerns around Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala. The team currently sits in the sixth seed for the playoffs, and is on track to finish with about the same number of wins as last year despite inking the former All-Star to a four-year, $48MM contract this offseason. Steinmetz points out that his contract left Golden State no room for the team to retain key rotation players Jarrett Jack or Carl Landry, so the transition wasn’t simple roster addition. Still, Iguodala’s performance has dipped on his new team, with a near-career low in shot attempts a sign of his lack of presence on the offensive end. Here’s more from around the division:
- Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby echoed earlier remarks from owner Robert Sarver, telling the Doug and Wolf Show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that the team intends to match any offer for Eric Bledsoe this summer in restricted free agency. Adam Green of ArizonaSports.com has the transcription.
- Steve Nash left last night’s game early with nerve issues in his back and hamstrings, but his appearance nonetheless means the Lakers are ineligible to wipe his contract off their books for next season if he retires for medical reasons. Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times has the details on what would have been a long shot, anyway.
- The Warriors have recalled Kent Bazemore, MarShon Brooks, and Ognjen Kuzmic from the D-League, per the team’s site. This comes a day after the team sent the three-man group to Santa Cruz for a one-game stint.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Lawrence On Nash, Stotts, Gasol
During the All-Star break in New Orleans, the players will ask the league to try and put an end to the “Tennessee Tax,” writes Mitch Lawrence of the Daily News Every NBA player who visits Memphis for a game against the Grizzlies is subject to the tax, which takes up to $7,500 per season per player. Somehow, the money totaling $1.5MM per season, ends up in the pocket of Memphis owner Robert Pera. More from Lawrence’s column..
- Lakers guard Steve Nash has told a few friends that this season will be his last, even though he still has another season on his contract beyond 2013/14. Nash will be leaving $9.7MM on the table if he decides to hang them up after this season. Meanwhile, Nash has denied talk that he is planning on retirement, tweets Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News.
- No one with the Blazers is complaining about the job coach Terry Stotts is doing, but team sources tell Lawrence his standing in the locker room would be helped if he made more of a concerted effort to strengthen his relationship with LaMarcus Aldridge. The big man is nearing the end of his contract and no extension has been hammered out yet.
- Even as Pau Gasol misses the next ten days or so due to injury, the Suns and Lakers are expected to talk trade. Los Angeles was open to moving Gasol until they couldn’t get Phoenix to part with one of their first-rounders in the 2014 draft.
- High-profile attorney David Cornwell, who was part of Alex Rodriguez’s team in the Yankee’s steroid appeal, is among the candidates to head the player’s union. He’s not considered the favorite, however.
Mike Harris Drawing NBA Interest
Mike Harris is running roughshod over the Chinese league since signing with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls late last month, and the Kings, Lakers, Jazz and Chicago Bulls are among the teams that have inquired about the 30-year-old power forward, reports Carson Sofro of HSB Camps. Sofro tells Hoops Rumors that Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin has been in touch with Harris on a weekly basis since Utah waived him in January, shortly before his contract would have become guaranteed for the season.
Harris struck for 55 points and 17 rebounds for Zhejiang on Sunday, and he’s averaging 32.5 points and 15.5 rebounds per contest with 45% shooting from three-point range. The long-range ability is a new wrinkle to his game, since he’s largely shied away from three-pointers in parts of four seasons with NBA clubs, missing all five career attempts.
Most Chinese contracts don’t include an NBA out, but China’s season ends early, and Harris is scheduled to return to the States shortly after the All-Star break, Sofro notes.
Odds & Ends: Martin, Cavs, Lakers
New NBA commissioner Adam Silver is looking to Jerry Colangelo for help with the collegiate and professional relationship, per Dan Bickley of USA Today. “He wants me to broker everything going forward between the NBA, the NCAA and all the constituents,” said Colangelo, current chairman of USA Basketball. “He wants to lift the bar in terms of youth development and where the game is going.” Silver has already announced his desire to raise the age limit for NBA players another year, but Colangelo says his role is about more than the immediate talent influx for the league. “We want more young people interested in playing the game. I don’t have to tell you that the ball fields and playgrounds—the places were kids used to be all the time—are empty by comparison. There’s more organized activities taking place, but generally speaking, we need to re-engage and re-energize the general population of youth to participate.” Here’s a look around the league:
- Kevin Martin is out indefinitely for the Timberwolves, per an Associated Press release passed on by the Star Tribune. Minnesota’s starting shooting guard suffered a non-displaced thumb fracture and will likely be out at least through the All-Star break. Center Nikola Pekovic has already been out, and likely won’t return before then, either, per Andy Greder of the Star Tribune. Team president of basketball operations Flip Saunders just said that a trade isn’t imminent, but prolonged absence from the team’s starters could force the hand of the front office that is fighting to make the playoffs for the first time in Kevin Love‘s career.
- Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders takes a look at some of the valuable expiring and non-guaranteed contracts that could be moved prior to the trade deadline.
- Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal details a busy six months ahead for the Cavs, a stretch that got even busier following the firing of GM Chris Grant. Now the Cavs are tasked with additional front office personnel decisions to go along with the trade deadline, the draft, free agency, extension talks with Kyrie Irving, and more.
- The Lakers have won two in a row, enjoying some rare success with both Steve Nash and Steve Blake back in the lineup. Mike Bresnahan and Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times write that the good times could jeopardize the franchise’s draft outlook. A playoff berth is unrealistic at this point, but the added return of both Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant could boost the team’s performance even further, just enough to significantly hurt their draft lottery chances in a lost season.
- After a 12-year NBA career and multiple stints overseas, Ricky Davis is still hoping his time in the D-League this season will give him another shot in the NBA, telling John Naughton of USA Today, “It’s what’s inside that keeps me wanting to be on the court. I’m blessed to be able to play this game. It’s just a thing that keeps ticking in me.” Davis was once an exciting player, but injuries took their toll on his game. “Now I’m the old man. In my mind, I still feel like I’m a kid. My body’s like, ‘No way, kid.'” His latest recovery has him feeling good, and hopeful about his chances for another shot.
- Players coming to New Orleans for All-Star Weekend festivities are planning to continue the informal tradition of meeting with the league, and seeking an end to the “Tennessee Tax” they incur when playing in Memphis is on their agenda, per Mitch Lawrence of The New York Daily News. The tax costs up to $7,500 a year for players, and goes directly to Grizzlies owner Robert Pera. NFL players are already exempt from the tax, while NHL players are not.