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Odds & Ends: Celtics, Heat, Cuban

June 1st, 2013 at 10:57pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Celtics are at a crossroads and the shrouded future of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are a large reason why. Pierce is only guaranteed $5MM next year if the Celtics waive him before June 30th. But he's owed $15.3MM next year if they decide to make another run with this group, or deal him for assets.

Sources revealed to Jackie MacMullan at ESPNBoston.com yesterday, that Garnett will play next year even if Pierce doesn't come back. But it's likely the aging star would retire if the Celtics blow it up entirely. Garnett still has 2 years and over $24MM left on the 3-year deal he signed last summer.

Then again, anything that's considered "likely" for the Celtics will be "laughed at" because nothing is certain at this point. Plus, trading Pierce and excavating the rest of the Celtics' aging roster will be hard to do with the money still owed Jason Terry, Brandon Bass and Courtney Lee.

Chris Forsberg at ESPNBoston.com attacked the Celtics' offseason plans with a four-pronged approach, and he finally finished with his fourth hypothetical: a complete teardown. Starting over for the C's involves general manager Danny Ainge unloading the rest of the nucleus that won the Celtics a title in 2008, and was just one fourth quarter collapse away from a second in 2010.

Here's what else is happening around the league as the Pacers beat the Heat 91-77 to force a game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday night.

Heat owner Micky Arison doesn't care about the summer of 2014 when LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade all have early termination options. Arison told the Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman he's only focused on winning a title this year.
The Oklahoman continues their series of 2012/13 Thunder season reviews with beat reporter John Rohde looking at Nick Collison (also: Collison grades & roundtable with Rohde, Tramel and Mayberry).
Rohde also spent most of the night on Twitter answering questions about the Thunder's offseason questions.
Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, spoke with Ben & Skin at KRLD-FM 105.3, and the Dallas Morning News has the highlights of their chat.
Mike Malone will be formally introduced to the media as the Kings' new head coach on Monday.
The Bulls head athletic trainer, Fred Tedeschi, was named the 2012/13 Joe O'Toole NBA Athletic Trainer of the Year.

Odds & Ends: Jackson, Drew, Allen, Hollins

May 30th, 2013 at 7:45pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Although Phil Jackson recently criticized Mike D'Antoni and seemed skeptical about the thought of Dwight Howard wanting to re-sign with the Lakers, the eleven-time NBA champion coach appeared to backtrack on those comments during an appearance on the Willard and Thompson Show on 710 ESPN Radio in Los Angeles (Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News). Also, Jackson reiterated that he has no plans of coaching again and explained how he's still somewhat connected with his former team: "I’m playing a role regardless whether I’m hired and on the staff and part of the payroll, I’m here to be a sounding board and personal companion to my fiance, who’s the chief operating officer I guess you would say of the Lakers. As they ferry their way through these contract problems they have and the whole mess they have right now in the organization, I’m listening. There’s not a whole lot I’m doing. But my role right now is to be attentive and supportive.”

Here are more of tonight's miscellaneous news and notes:

The Pistons and former Hawks coach Larry Drew appear to have some mutual interest in an interview for Drew, sources tell Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Drew is believed to be one of two finalists for the Bucks' coaching opening, along with Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson.
Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida tweets that Heat guard Ray Allen hasn't thought about whether or not he'll pick up his $3.23MM player option this summer.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo tweets that the Nets, Clippers, and Bucks have not contacted the Grizzlies for permission to talk to Lionel Hollins as of yet. Coincidentally, we relayed a report yesterday which indicated that the 59-year-old coach doesn't expect to be granted permission to speak with other teams before his contract expires on June 30.
In light of the rumblings that the Nuggets might not match the Raptors' five-year, $15MM offer to Masai Ujiri, SBNation’s Tom Ziller makes the argument that coaches and general managers should be paid more.
Ben Couch of BrooklynNets.com reviews Gerald Wallace’s season in Brooklyn. Just over a month ago, Wallace had alarmingly admitted that he didn’t “have a clue” as to what his role on the team was, but as of today the veteran forward seemed to be encouraged about what his future holds with the Nets: "All in all I think this was kind of a down year for me, but I feel comfortable and excited about the way I finished the season," Wallace says."I'm going into the summer knowing the things I can do to get better."
Marcus Thompson of Mercury News reported that Warriors big man David Lee had surgery to repair a torn right hip flexor today and is expected to begin rehab within the next two weeks.
According to Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post, Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari had a slight setback in rehab and won't have surgery on his ACL for another two weeks. Consequently, an expected return date of January 1 has now changed to late January or February.

Odds & Ends: Howard, Rockets, Clifford, Heat

May 27th, 2013 at 10:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's tonight's look around the Association as the three-day weekend comes to a close..

Sources around Dwight Howard say that he is high on the Rockets, but those are the same sources who said that he would fight hard to go to the Nets, Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld notes. If he does end up in Houston, Ingram believes he'll be disappointed to learn that the offense will still run through James Harden.
While nothing is sure with Howard, Ingram (via Twitter) sees him winding up with the Rockets when all is said and done.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter) likes the Bobcats' hire of Steve Clifford. Clifford has done everything in the league and seems ready for the job, which Bonnell couldn't say for Mike Dunlap.
Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes that Chris Andersen has been a perfect addition for the Heat.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Knicks, Magic

May 25th, 2013 at 8:26pm CST by Spencer Lund

Following up on the NBA's review of the Dwyane Wade elbow to Lance Stephenson near the end of game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Heat and Pacers, we have a couple tweets with more info:

Ethan J. Skolnick the Sun-Sentinel says that just because nothing has happened tonight and may not, that doesn't mean the NBA won't take action tomorrow against Wade for the seemingly inadvertant elbow to Stephenson's head (Twitter link).
Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida says that because today is a travel day for the Pacers and Heat that might be the cause for the delay in announcements after the NBA's review of the play. (Twitter link).
Sports Illustrated columnist, Ian Thomsen, discusses the similarities between this season's Eastern Conference Final and last season's Eastern Conference Semifinal. Last year the Heat lost game 2 and home court advantage too, plus they lost game 3 in Indiana to go down 2-1 to the Pacers. They then rebounded to win three-straight to head to the Finals.

Here are some more notes from around the Eastern Conference..

The Bulls' winning percentage when Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose share the floor is 86% writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times. That's probably why the Bulls' general manager Gar Forman will keep Boozer and Deng this offseason.
Former Bulls coach, and man-about-town for open GM and coaching positions, Phil Jackson, discussed his new book and his future with the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson.
The Magic are a young team looking to rebuild through the draft with smart moves by their young general manager Rob Hennigan. The Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi writes that's why Magic fans should root for a Pacers–Spurs matchup in the Finals; their presence would prove that small market teams can be successful without "buying championships."
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com with part 1 of the Knicks' offseason notebook. Zwerling discusses who the Knicks might select with the 24th pick in July's draft and which players they may target in free agency, or through the draft, who could fulfill their need for a fast and explosive backup point guard for Raymond Felton.
Chris Forsberg at ESPNBoston.com already mentioned the dozen players the Celtics welcomed over the last two days as they continue to decide where they're headed in an uncertain offseason. A. Sherrod Blakely at CSN New England talks with two of those invites: guard, Shane Larkin of Miami, and Pittsburgh's center, Steven Adams.

Heat – Pacers Notes: Wade, Stephenson, Andersen

May 25th, 2013 at 6:10pm CST by Spencer Lund

According to an anonymous source familiar with the situation, USA Today Sports' Jeff Zillgitt reports the NBA is reviewing Dwyane Wade's elbow to Lance Stephenson's face last night in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

With 4:05 left in game 2, Wade turned the ball over to the Pacers. As he was sprinting back on defense, Wade jumped to avoid Stephenson and hit him in the head with his elbow. Stephenson remained in the game.

Zillgitt believes the hit by Wade appears "too nebulus to warrant a suspension," but the office of NBA vice president Stu Jackson is reviewing the specific play in question. Some other notes from the Eastern Conference Final entrants:

Ethan J. Skolnick with the Palm Beach Post reports that Pacers broadcaster, Mark Boyle, said at the end of game 2 (by way of PageQSports): "These losers are leaving,. They are flocking to the exits with their team down by three. This city does not only not deserve this team, they don’t deserve any team.” The Pacers were 24th in the league in attendance this season, Skolnick adds.
Chris Reynolds of the Associated Press looks at the impact Chris Andersen has had since joining the Heat on a pair of 10-day contracts mid-way through the year.
Chris Sheridan at SheridanHoops.com is dreaming of an NBA Finals match-up between the Pacers and Grizzlies just like the joke the New York Post's Marc Berman told on Twitter earlier today.

Heat Notes: LeBron, Howard, Wade, Bosh

May 25th, 2013 at 12:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, we rounded up the latest links out of Indiana and in the interest of equal time we'll do the same for Miami..

Paul George and the up-and-coming Pacers have earned the respect of LeBron James, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel wonders if the Cavs winning the 2013 lottery helps to improve the club's chances of landing James in the summer of 2014. While Cleveland figures to be a serious threat if James exercises his ETO, Winderman notes that the Heat will have one less competitor if Dwight Howard leaves the Lakers this summer. Without Howard, James likely wouldn't consider L.A. next year.
Sam Amico of FOX Sports (via Twitter) agrees with David Stern's assessment of Miami as a middle market since no one viewed them as a big market until the formation of the big three. Meanwhile, Amico argues that market size is largely irrelevant in today's world given the nature of television and social media (link).
In today's mailbag, Winderman writes that LeBron is being forced to put too much on his shoulders offensively with Dwyane Wade injured and Chris Bosh struggling.

Eastern Notes: Jackson, Dumars, Carlesimo

May 23rd, 2013 at 7:56pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Considering the rumblings that Pistons GM Joe Dumars had his sights set on either Nate McMillan or Maurice Cheeks as the team's next head coach, along with the notion that Dumars had apparently hoped to make a hire before the start of last week's NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago, ESPN's Chris Broussard wonders if the hold up with regards to a coaching decision gives any indication that Phil Jackson – recently tabbed as an adviser for the head coaching search - could soon be running Detroit's front office (Insiders only). According to popular thought around the league, Brian Shaw would be Jackson's first choice, and while some insist that Dumars is still in charge as the general manager, Broussard suggests that their next coaching hire will be a strong indicator of how much control the Pistons legend still has of the franchise. Here are more notes out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Jackson – a member of two championship Knicks teams as a player – spoke with Harvey Araton of the New York Times about the current makeup of his former team and how he compares them with their cross-town rival Nets: "(The Knicks) still have to find some accommodating group of guys that know how to play ball together, move the ball, play the game the right way…With Brooklyn, if you’ve got a point guard and a solid center, or a good point guard and a great center, you’ve got two of the pieces that you want to have toward a champion.”
According to an NY Post report (via the Associated Press), former Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo is interested in remaining as an ESPN analyst just through the postseason and would consider a coaching opportunity if it presented itself afterward.
Celtics big man Jared Sullinger tells Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com that he should be 100% healthy by September or October.
Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated profiles Chris Andersen, the Heat forward who has shined as one of Miami's key reserves during the current postseason.
Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago grades Carlos Boozer's season and touches on what's next for the Bulls' forward.

Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Jack, Bayless, Hollins

May 23rd, 2013 at 6:26pm CST by Ryan Raroque

In an article he released yesterday, Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram cited that two point guards who interest the Mavericks include Jarrett Jack and the Grizzlies' Jerryd Bayless. The source also said that after the Clippers released Vinny Del Negro, the feeling in Mavs camp is that Chris Paul would likely stay in Los Angeles considering he'd be given significant control over the next coaching hire. With that being said, Dwight Howard continues to be the team's top priority. Here are few more miscellaneous notes from around the league:

Though the future of Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins still remains uncertain, the impending free agent coach says that he's not worried about an extension or heading elsewhere and is currently focused on the playoffs, "I have a job…I'm happy with where we are and excited about what we're doing. That's my only concern. Everything else is irrelevant" (Teresa M. Walker of NBA.com).
Erik Spoelstra was pleased about James Jones' decision to not opt out at the end of this year and thus return to the Heat next season, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Sulia link). Spoelstra: "It's great news…J.J. is a Miami Heat guy. (He and Udonis Haslem), they're special. All of our guys are special in this organization, but they're Miami-bred guys. They're Miami true and blue."
Ken Berger of CBS Sports tweeted that Jeff Hornacek interviewed with the Bobcats today and that Steve Clifford is headed for his next interview with the Suns, respectively.
If there's any coach that isn't confident about his team making significant improvements next season, it's definitely not Wizards head coach Randy Wittman, who told CSN Washington: "It doesn't matter with the No. 3 pick. If we could stay healthy and come together as we did last year, have a full season right from the start, we should put ourselves in that (playoff) position…It doesn't matter if we pick eighth, third or 30th" (J. Michael of CSN Washington).
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside sheds some light on Mike Singletary (not to be confused with the current NFL assistant coach), who has been making waves for his standout play overseas. The 6'6 swingman, who recently won the NBDL title with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, has been playing for Barako Bull Energy Cola – a PBA team currently participating in a tournament in Dubai. With his solid production in the D-League (10.1 PPG and 4.9 RPG along with 41% shooting from long range in 49 games) and his experience with competitive international play, Schlosser thinks that the next step would involve an NBA summer league invite and is curious to see what kind of opportunities Singletary could find heading up to the start of NBA training camp in the fall.

Poll: Which Underdog Is More Likely To Advance?

May 23rd, 2013 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Coming into the Conference Finals, the Grizzlies were viewed by many pundits and observers as a decent bet to knock off the Spurs. Memphis had won eight of its last nine games against two top-five teams in the Western Conference – the Clippers and Thunder – and the Grizzlies' 2011 upset of the Spurs was still fresh in most fans' minds.

On the other hand, not many of us gave the Pacers much chance against the defending champion Heat. The presence of LeBron James and Indiana's lack of depth had most prognosticators taking Miami in five or six games.

So far, neither the Grizzlies or Pacers have managed to win a game in their respective Conference Finals, but there's reason to believe there's still hope for a comeback on each team's part. The Grizzlies are heading back home coming off a tight overtime loss, while the Pacers were a buzzer-beating LeBron layup away from stealing Game One in Miami.

With the Grizzlies down 2-0 and the Pacers down 1-0, there's a good chance neither team will complete a comeback. But if you had to bet on one of the two, which underdog do you feel has the better chance to pull off the upset?

Which team is more likely to advance to the Finals?

Indiana Pacers 63.07% (439 votes)

Memphis Grizzlies 36.93% (257 votes)

Total Votes: 696

James Jones Intends To Return To Heat

May 23rd, 2013 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

Back in February, James Jones suggested that if the Heat were to win a title again in 2013, he may be prepared to walk away and announce his retirement. But now, with Miami just seven wins away from capturing back-to-back championships, Jones tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that he's no longer considering retiring. According to Tomasson, Jones will pick up his $1.5MM player option and return to the Heat.

"Unless something crazy happens, I’ll be back," Jones confirmed.

Jones, 32, played an extremely limited role for the Heat in 2012/13. His 5.8 minutes per game were the fewest he's seen since he averaged 4.3 MPG in six contests during his rookie season in '03/04. However, Tomasson speculates that Jones could see the court a little more next season, depending on a pair of roster decisions on the team's other shooters. Ray Allen has a player option for next year that he may or may not exercise, while the Heat could use the amnesty provision to cut Mike Miller.

As for his next career move when his contract with the Heat expires in the summer of 2014, Jones was unwilling to commit to anything quite yet: "I got one more year, and we’ll see where it goes from there."