And-Ones: Suns, Summer League, Kidd
Jason Kidd met with members of the Bucks on Friday, and a resolution to the situation is expected within the next 24 hours, reports Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter links). Gardner also notes that Kidd was discussing only a coaching position, and the Nets were asking for a first-round draft pick, while the Bucks are offering a second-rounder as compensation.
More from around the league:
- Joe Rexrode of The Detroit Free Press looks at the draft outcomes for former Michigan State Spartans, Gary Harris and Adreian Payne.
- The Suns plan to pursue both LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony this summer, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. In the article, Wojnarowski weighs in on how the franchise could make both of their salaries fit while still retaining Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic.
- Marc Porcaro of SecretRival.com breaks down the current Summer League rosters for the NBA.
- Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee profiles the Kings‘ latest addition, Nik Stauskas, and looks at what he brings to the franchise.
- Marvin Williams, an unrestricted free agent, is garnering significant interest from some contending teams, reports Tony Jones of The Salt Lake City Tribune (Twitter link).
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com (video link) breaks down what compensation the Nets could be looking for if the Bucks want to hire Kidd as their new coach.
- The Jazz are prepared to match any offers that restricted free agent Gordon Hayward might get, reports Jody Genessy of The Deseret News (Twitter links). The Suns, Celtics, and Hornets are already interested in Hayward, Genessy reports. Phoenix might possibly offer a near max deal, according to the tweet.
Eastern Notes: Kidd, Celtics, Heat
Jason Kidd might look like the “bad guy” right now for trying to leave the Nets, but it might be the smartest thing for him to do, opines Mike Lupica of The New York Daily News. Lupica cites the Nets’ declining roster, absentee owner, and a franchise that seemingly prizes headlines over wins as reasons Kidd might be trying to leave Brooklyn.
More from the east:
- With the draft behind them the Celtics now look to free agency as their next step in rebuilding the franchise. Ben Rohrbach of WEEI 93.7 FM breaks down the available free agent small forwards the team could be targeting this offseason.
- The staff at Basketball Insiders (video link) discuss what’s next for the Heat now that their “Big Three” have all opted out of their deals.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel analyzes the Magic‘s draft night deal with the Sixers, and wonders if Orlando gave up too much to acquire Elfrid Payton.
- Ettore Messina has emerged as a potential candidate to replace Kidd as the Nets coach, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
- Lavoy Allen plans to attend the Pacers rookie and free agent camp next week, reports Scott Agness of NBA.com.
Latest On Jason Kidd
The Bucks offered no comment to David Aldridge of NBA.com regarding the Jason Kidd bombshell (Twitter link), but there is plenty of chatter elsewhere. Here’s the latest:
- Kidd’s demands for the Nets were about more than gaining control, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The first-year coach was miffed at the salary figures first-time coach hires have been bringing in, especially the contract Derek Fisher received. The Knicks are paying Fisher $4MM in guaranteed salary per year, substantially more than what Kidd earns.
- Michael Lee of The Washington Post points out (on Twitter) that Kidd’s total earnings as a player dwarf those of Steve Kerr and Fisher.
- Wojnarowski confirms that it is unlikely Kidd will remain with Brooklyn in any scenario (via Twitter). While the Yahoo! scribe’s source says GM Billy King is somewhat forgiving, ownership would not be open to keeping Kidd around.
- A source tells Wojnarowski that a realistic compensation package from the Bucks to the Nets would be “a bunch of second-round picks” (Twitter link).
- Mark Jackson‘s name is coming up in the Nets front office as a potential replacement for Kidd, reports Ohm Youngmisuk ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
- Howard Beck of Bleacher Report tweets that Lionel Hollins and George Karl would also draw interest from Brooklyn for a coaching vacancy.
- Lawrence Frank would not be a candidate to replace Kidd, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
Jason Kidd Denied Promotion, Bucks Interested
10:18pm: The Bucks have already begun discussing potential compensation to spring Kidd from the three remaining years on his contract with the Nets, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. One source believes the outcome will be known by Monday (Twitter links).
10:00pm: Bucks officials are under the belief that Kidd is seeking the role of president, which would give him the option of installing himself as coach, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
9:30pm: A source tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that Kidd isn’t looking to coach the Bucks, but is rather pursuing a role as president of basketball operations (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is told that Kidd is indeed seeking to both coach and lead the front office in a role where he is “running everything.” (Twitter link)
9:00pm: A source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com it would be difficult to imagine Kidd remaining with the Nets, regardless of how his talks with the Bucks go (Twitter link).
8:52pm: While it remains unclear what exact role Kidd is seeking in Milwaukee, Sam Amick of USA Today reports that the Bucks front office was unaware of the talks (via Twitter). Sources confirm to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com that coach Larry Drew and the Bucks front office were unaware that Kidd would be interviewing for their positions (Twitter link). Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times tweets that Bucks owner Marc Lasry is friends with both Kidd and Kidd’s agent.
8:18pm: Jason Kidd demanded to be placed in charge of Nets basketball operations in addition to his coaching duties, and Brooklyn did not grant his request, a league source tells Tim Bontemps of The New York Post. Nets ownership has given permission for Kidd to seek other opportunities, including with the Bucks, who have interest in hiring him, per Bontemps. It is not clear from the report if Milwaukee is interested in Kidd as merely a coach or in an expanded role like he was seeking in Brooklyn.
Reportedly, Kidd did not ask for GM Billy King to be fired, but did want to be placed in authority above King. The news is surprising considering Kidd’s inexperience as both a coach and executive. There are only a handful of people in the league with the kind of consolidated power Kidd was seeking, and they all possess much longer track records of success than the first-year coach has under his belt.
This isn’t the first turbulence Kidd has experienced since going straight from playing to coaching. The expensive Nets roster performed poorly out of the gate, and Kidd’s job was reportedly at risk as he adjusted to his new profession. Assistant coach Lawrence Frank was demoted in an ugly mid-season period, although there are conflicting reports as to whether Kidd or the Nets made the call. After the embarrassing start, Kidd managed to turn around the team’s performance, ultimately finishing 44-38 and advancing to the second round of the playoffs.
Draft Grades: Central Division
With the 2014 NBA Draft officially in the books, it’s time to take a look back and see how each team used the draft to make improvements and fill needs. I’ve already ran down the picks for the Atlantic and Pacific Divisions. We’ll continue on with a look at the Central Division:
Chicago Bulls
Team Needs: Scoring, Power Forward, Point Guard
Draft Picks:
- No. 11 Doug McDermott (Small Forward)*
- No. 49 Cameron Bairstow (Power Forward/Center)
*Pick obtained via trade with Nuggets for the No. 16 & 19 picks, plus a 2015 second rounder.
The Bulls gave up two first rounders to move up and select “McBuckets.” They had need of a scorer — badly, and McDermott certainly fits that bill. Scouts were divided about his potential, as he’s seen as a bit of a tweener, and might not possess enough quickness to be an effective defender, one thing that coach Tom Thibodeau places a high priority on.
The trade also makes their pursuit of Carmelo Anthony a bit more difficult, as the trade added approximately $1MM onto their cap above what they would have spent if they had kept their two picks as they were, thanks to Anthony Randolph‘s inclusion. If the Bulls can get ‘Melo, McDermott also becomes redundant, and would be relegated to the sixth man role, which is one he ultimately might be better suited for long-term anyway.
Bairstow is a tough player with little athleticism. He seems destined to play overseas or in the D-League. I don’t see him ever cracking the Bulls rotation.
Overall Draft Grade: B+ —The Bulls get their desired player, and one who fits their biggest need. I’m not so sure they wouldn’t have been better served keeping picks 16 and 19 and adding more depth. They could have had their choice of Adreian Payne, James Young, Tyler Ennis, Rodney Hood, and Gary Harris. Two of them seem like a better value to me than McDermott.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Team Needs: Talent, Shooting, Perimeter Defense
Draft Picks:
- No. 1 Andrew Wiggins (Small Forward/Shooting Guard)
- No. 33 Joe Harris (Small Forward)
- No 45. Dwight Powell (Power Forward)*
*Obtained via trade with the Hornets.
Despite all the rumblings about them trading down, the Cavs stuck it out and landed the player they wanted all along. Joel Embiid‘s injury might have been a blessing in disguise as it removed much of the temptation to draft him and the injury risk he carries.
Wiggins isn’t as sure a thing as the team would prefer. He has a world of upside and has the physical ability to become a top-10 player in the league. He can play and defend multiple positions and is a decent ballhandler and good passer. Wiggins needs to be more assertive and willing to be the “alpha” on the court. If he doesn’t change his mindset and become more of an attack oriented player, he’ll have a difficult time sharing the floor with Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, both of whom are ball stoppers. I do like the pick and he should fit in nicely with what Cleveland is building.
Harris is a decent outside shooter and a strong defender. With Cleveland’s roster he has the chance to see some backup minutes this season, though I see some serious minutes being logged by him in the D-League along the way. Powell is a reach, and a player I don’t see making the roster anytime soon.
Overall Draft Grade: A — It’s hard to fault this pick. Wiggins has the most upside in the draft and is a freakish athlete. He’ll be judged alongside Jabari Parker for his entire career, which is par for the course. I see Wiggins taking a little longer to peak, but when he does he should be a more dynamic player than Parker.
Detroit Pistons
Team Needs: Shooting Guard, Backup Center, Stretch Four, Point Guard
Draft Picks:
- No. 38 Spencer Dinwiddie (Shooting Guard)
The Pistons were unlucky, losing their first round pick to Charlotte thanks to the Pistons falling out of the top eight on lottery night. That one spot lost them the chance to nab a surefire rotation player. Ending up with Dinwiddie in the second round isn’t the worst possible outcome for the franchise.
Dinwiddie was projected as a mid first round pick, but an ACL injury that cost him the second half of last season caused his slide. Dinwiddie isn’t exceptionally athletic, but he’s a versatile player with a decent basketball IQ. If he can fully recover from his injury, he has the opportunity to be a contributor for a few years. It will most likely take him until the 2015/16 season to be at full-speed, so don’t expect much this year from him.
Overall Draft Grade: C+ —Under the circumstances, nabbing a first round caliber talent in the second round can be considered a small victory. That loss of the top-10 pick really hurts this year.
Indiana Pacers
Team Needs: Shooting Guard, Small Forward, Scoring, Stretch Four
Draft Picks:
- No picks.
The Pacers first rounder went to the Suns as part of the Luis Scola trade. So judging Indiana’s draft is a matter of measuring his contributions against the potential of what was available at No. 27. Looking at the list, if the Pacers had kept the pick they would be looking at a draft and stash selection. So Scola’s production is more valuable in this instance, though he’ll rate like the team drafted a reserve player.
Overall Draft Grade: C+ —Scola is more valuable than what they would have picked up at No. 27, but he’s not a star player. A valuable one, but not a long term franchise player.
Milwaukee Bucks
Team Needs: Talent, Point Guard, Shooting
Draft Picks:
- No. 2 Jabari Parker (Small Forward)
- No. 31 Damien Inglis (Power Forward)
- No. 36 Johnny O’Bryant (Power Forward)
I really like the Bucks’ draft. They stayed put and got exactly the player they wanted all along. Parker is probably going to end up as a stretch four, or in a role similar to ‘Melo’s when the Knicks go with one of their smaller lineups. Parker is ready to contribute immediately and though he needs some serious time in the gym, he’ll be a productive player and probable star for many seasons. If the “Greek Freak” continues to develop and Larry Sanders can stay on the court, the future in Milwaukee could be bright.
Inglis has a broken foot that will keep him out of the summer league, but he’s expected to be ready by the time training camp begins. Inglis is well-regarded by scouts, and has been compared to Boris Diaw as far as ability is concerned. His major flaw is that he’s not a good outside shooter. He’s shown flashes of being able to hit three pointers, but his mid range game is almost non-existent. Worth a flier because of his physical upside, but will see more D-League time than NBA time this season.
O’Bryant is a possible sleeper at No. 36. He’s not a big rebounder or defender, but he is a very good low post scorer. He’ll never be a starter, but has the makings of a solid rotation contributor.
Overall Draft Grade: A- —They did the smart and obvious thing on draft night and nabbed themselves a future star. The Bucks also took two potential rotation players, though Inglis might have been a reach considering K.J. McDaniels, Cleanthony Early, Jerami Grant, and Glenn Robinson III were still available. The Bucks did better than OK on Thursday, a small victory for fans of the franchise.
Eastern Notes: Bulls, Bucks, Magic
The Bulls trade that sent the No. 16 and 19 picks to the Nuggets for the chance to draft Doug McDermott actually hurt the teams chances of landing Carmelo Anthony, writes Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders.The article notes that by adding Anthony Randolph‘s $1.825MM salary to McDermott’s $1.898MM cap hold as the 11th pick and the roster charge of over $500,000, Chicago actually now has about $1 million less to offer Carmelo in free agency than they would have had if they kept both picks.
More from the east:
- Despite picking second, the Bucks got their number one draft target in Jabari Parker, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Coach Larry Drew said, “When the announcement came that Andrew Wiggins was the first pick by Cleveland, I looked around the room and Iooked at the faces, and I could see guys were really trying to hold their composure. When it came to our pick, faces just changed because we knew we got the man we really wanted.”
- Despite having had a successful draft, the Magic are looking at the Summer of 2015 as when they will take the next step forward, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. With an abundance of cap space and a number of promising young pieces in place, the team should be an attractive landing spot for big name free agents, opines Schmitz.
- Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal looks at what the Knicks have lost and gained in the wake of the draft and the trade of Tyson Chandler to the Mavericks.
- The Heat are making Norris Cole “very available” in trades, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Eastern Rumors: Rondo, Love, ‘Melo, Bucks
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told reporters Thursday night that he intends to keep Rajon Rondo around in spite of the team’s decision to draft fellow point guard Marcus Smart at No. 6, observes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Rondo’s name has come up frequently in trade rumors, but Ainge, as usual, did his best to dispel such talk, also dismissing the idea that Smart’s arrival is a harbinger of soon-to-be restricted free agent Avery Bradley‘s departure.
“Absolutely. No question,” Ainge said of whether Smart and Rondo could share the floor. “And [Smart] and Avery. No question. [Smart]’s a very versatile player. He can play off the ball. He can handle the ball. With his length and his size, he can probably play against a lot of small forwards — 6’3″, long wingspan, 230 pounds. He’s a very versatile player. Easily those guys can play together, and I think they would really thrive playing together, all of them.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Kevin Love is “100%” on board with the notion of signing a long-term deal with the Cavs if LeBron James returns to Cleveland, a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Trade talk between the Cavs and Wolves had reportedly halted when Love made it clear he wouldn’t remain in Cleveland past his current deal if Minnesota sent him there.
- Knicks president Phil Jackson reiterated his desire for Carmelo Anthony to take less than the maximum salary to re-sign with the club, notes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. “I think it puts limitations on a team,” Jackson said of a maximum-salary contract. “What happens is then you end up having two or three players that have big contracts and everybody else’s is either veteran minimums or young players coming in. You don’t have that middle ground for a player that’s veteran, comfortable leadership-quality people. Miami explored it. I think they got the most out of it.”
- The Bucks are looking to acquire a veteran big man, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, who believes that Larry Sanders would be a part of any deal to acquire one (Twitter links).
Bucks Trade No. 48 Pick To Hawks
FRIDAY, 12:24am: The deal is official, the Hawks announced in a press release. It’s a 2015 second-rounder headed to the Bucks, according to the release.
THURSDAY, 10:51pm: Milwaukee gets a future second-round pick in the deal, Ford tweets.
10:49pm: The Bucks and Hawks have agreed to send the No. 48 pick to Atlanta, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s unclear what Milwaukee’s getting, but deals at this stage of the draft often involve cash. University of Pittsburgh shooting guard Lamar Patterson is the selection, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
Latest On Mitch McGary, Potential Promise
THURSDAY, 5:36pm: Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders continues to hear that Mitch McGary has a promise from a team (Twitter link). Some believe it is indeed the Hornets, as Kennedy wrote earlier, while Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times hears from some who believe the Bucks, picking 31st, have promised him (Twitter link). The Thunder are “strongly considering” McGary at No. 29, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
WEDNESDAY, 8:24pm: A source tells Sean Deveney of Sporting News that McGary has been “all but assured” of being selected by a team in the 20s. Deveney mentions the Hornets and Thunder as possibilities.
TUESDAY, 3:12pm: Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer suggests that the Hornets are also targeting LSU’s Johnny O’Bryant III (Twitter link). That seems to contract the notion that Charlotte has issued a promise to McGary, though Bonnell doesn’t explicitly say so.
2:24pm: The Hornets have given former University of Michigan center Mitch McGary a promise to draft him with the 24th overall pick Thursday, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The 22-year-old has reportedly worked out for only one team prior to the draft, but that club is the Bucks, who are reportedly interested in him for the 31st overall pick. Still, it appears Charlotte has zeroed in on the big man in spite of back surgery that limited him to just eight games this season and a drug test that revealed his use of marijuana prior to the NCAA tournament.
McGary was a potential lottery pick prior to the back injury, so in a sense Charlotte might end up with a steal at No. 24. In any case, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress lists McGary as the 24th best prospect in the draft, suggesting the Hornets would at least receive fair value. He’s 29th in the Insider-only rankings of Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
Still, the promise is no guarantee that the Hornets will draft McGary, and there are no binding agreements involved, even if Ford’s reporting is indeed accurate. Another team could draft McGary earlier, and the Hornets might receive an enticing offer that prompts them to trade the pick, among the possible scenarios.
Eastern Notes: Embiid, Afflalo, Rondo
Joel Embiid is seriously in play for three spots in the top part of the lottery, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The 76ers at No. 3, Celtics at No. 6, and the Lakers at No. 7 are all giving serious thought to taking the KU center. Here’s more out of the East..
- The Sixers aren’t pursuing deals with the Bucks for their No. 2 pick, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. That could be an indication that they believe the Cavs are planning to take Andrew Wiggins No. 1 overall.
- The week before the Pistons fired Maurice Cheeks, they were looking to acquire Arron Afflalo, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Free Press. Of course, the Magic agreed to trade Afflalo to the Nuggets this morning.
- The Magic‘s continuous losing deeply bothered Afflalo, but Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (on Twitter) hears that he and his agent did not request a trade.
- Rajon Rondo‘s name has once again popped up in trade rumors, but a source close to the situation tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News that the guard has not been informed of any change of plans when it comes to the Celtics‘ future.
- Even though the Afflalo trade freed up a lot of money for the Magic, Robbins (on Twitter) still doesn’t expect them to make a major splash in free agency.
- Jameer Nelson should draw interest from teams looking to shed salary for free agency, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if it’s LeBron James or Pat Riley making the personnel decisions for the Heat.
- The Knicks could flip the newly-acquired Shane Larkin for a first-round choice, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.