Southwest Notes: Pelicans, McDaniels, Mavs
The Pelicans can kickstart a major culture change this summer, writes Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune. New Orleans has a strong, young leader in big man Anthony Davis. Now, they must make the right moves, surround him with talent, and build a winner. More from the Southwest Division..
- Clemson small forward K.J. McDaniels impressed in today’s workout with the Grizzlies, writes Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal. ”He’s a very solid defender. His shot isn’t broken but it can be improved,” Griz coach Dave Joerger said. ”He presented himself well. He has a nice game about him and is certainly a guy we’ll keep investigating.’‘ McDaniels could be a consideration at No. 22 but he also might not be available at that point.
- The Grizzlies coach also spoke highly of Tennesee forward Jarnell Stokes, writes Jason Smith of the Commercial Appeal. Stokes spoke with Hoops Rumors back in April about what he can bring to an NBA team.
- The Mavs pick at No. 34 and No. 51 in this month’s draft and history shows that they won’t come away with much, writes Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com. The Mavs have shown a willingness to mortgage their future in order to build a winner in the present, and that paid off in 2008 when they reacquired Jason Kidd from the Nets. Since then, however, they’ve been let down in varying degrees by the likes of Shan Foster, Rodrigue Beaubois, Dominique Jones, and Jared Cunningham.
Anthony Morrow Still Mulling Player Option
9:40pm: While Reid doesn’t foresee Morrow agreeing to the minimum salary, he does believe that the free agent will give the Pelicans the first shot at signing him. (Twitter link)
JUNE 4TH 4:05pm: Morrow has yet to decide what to do about his player option, as his agent, Wallace Prather, tells John Reid of The Times Picayune. The Pelicans likely would attempt to retain Morrow with a more lucrative deal than his existing minimum-salary arrangement, Reid writes.
”We haven’t specifically sat down and discussed it with (Pelicans GM) Dell Demps yet, so we don’t have anything to say about it right now,” Prather said.
MAY 29TH: Sharpshooter Anthony Morrow will turn down his player option with the Pelicans and become a free agent this summer, a source tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. The 28-year-old was set to earn nearly $1.146MM next season, but a bounce-back year behind the arc apparently has him confident he can earn more.
The six-year veteran hit 45.1% of his three-point looks this past season, more in line with the 44.7% accuracy from behind the arc that he displayed over his first three seasons. He only hit 37.1% of his long-range attempts in 2011/12 and 2012/13, leading the Perennial Sports & Entertainment client to sign two-year a minimum-salary contract with New Orleans last summer. The deal included clauses that would have made part of his salary non-guaranteed if he missed time because of back and hip injuries, but he played in a career-high 76 games this past season.
The Pelicans have about $54MM in commitments for next season, so Morrow’s decision preserves the team’s full flexibility beneath a projected $63.2MM salary cap. They can attempt to re-sign him using Non-Bird rights that would allow for a starting salary worth 120% of what he made this past season. I’d be surprised if Morrow doesn’t have his eyes on a larger raise than that, one which would force New Orleans to use cap space or another exception.
Central Notes: Irving, Pistons, Turner
Word around the league continues to indicate that the Cavs might not extend a max contract offer to Kyrie Irving, and Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal reports that there are two reasons behind Cleveland’s hesitancy. The Cavs aren’t positive that Irving is a max talent, and they also want the assurance that he is committed to Cleveland in light of persistant rumors that he is dissatisfied with the team. Here’s more from the Central Division:
- The Cavs have fielded multiple callers attempting to make a trade for Irving, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (on Twitter).
- Stan Van Gundy is closing in on hiring a day-to-day Pistons GM to his liking, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The ESPN scribe says that Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden and former New Orleans GM Jeff Bower are names being brought up frequently, with Otis Smith and Stu Jackson remaining as strong candidates. (All Twitter links)
- Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press wonders if Anthony Morrow would be an ideal player for the Pistons to use some of their cap space on this summer. Morrow will reportedly opt out of his player option with the Pelicans.
- Rodney Stuckey has switched agents, moving from Leon Rose to Paolo Zamorano, reports Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press.
- Evan Turner told Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star that he doesn’t know whether he’ll be back with the Pacers next season, and acknowledged that his limited playing time with Indiana could have hurt his value as he approaches free agency. “I really don’t know because I’m not a GM,” Turner said. “Clearly, you’re judged on, like, your last game. The last couple of months then [probably weren’t] ideal for me in regards to [the] contract but at the same time, I think it’s known that I can play basketball and everything will work itself out.”
Charlie Adams contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Draft, Celtics, Pistons
Joel Embiid‘s medical worries make it a risk for the Sixers to select the talented Kansas big man with the third pick, opines Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey acknowledges that if healthy, Embiid might turn out to be the best player in the draft, but Philadelphia would be safer selecting Julius Randle or Noah Vonleh if Embiid is still available when they pick.
More from around the league:
- Each of the three former Michigan players who are draft prospects took a different approach to the combine week and each emerged with an upward trend, writes Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press. Guard Nik Stauskas is a lottery candidate while Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III could be first round picks.
- Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald makes the case for the Celtics selecting Marcus Smart with the sixth overall pick in this June’s NBA Draft.
- Now that the Hornets own the Pistons first round pick, Detroit’s focus will turn to finding productive players in the second round, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Ellis looks at some of the franchise’s past second round successes and breaks down which players might be available with the 38th overall pick.
- The Pelicans gave away too much in the trade for Jrue Holiday last year, opines Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. This puts added pressure on the team to get production out of Pierre Jackson next season, who is in essence this year’s draft choice for the team, notes Smith.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Lawrence On Thibs, Irving, Love, Knicks
The Grizzlies are on a shoestring budget and don’t have the room necessary to bring coach Tom Thibodeau over from the Bulls, writes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. “Do they realize how much that will cost?’” said one Chicago official, when word surfaced that the Grizzlies will look at Thibs if Memphis winds up allowing Dave Joerger to take the Timberwolves’ head coaching position. An Eastern Conference president, factoring in Stan Van Gundy’s $7MM/year deal in Detroit, estimated that it would cost Memphis $8MM per year to have Thibodeau serve as their coach and president. Here’s more from today’s column…
- The Cavs are making noises that they aren’t going to offer Kyrie Irving “max money’’ this summer via a long-term extension. They don’t want to deal the 2014 All-Star Game MVP, but it could come to that, especially if the guard and his family continue to tell people that he wants out. Irving hasn’t been a leader in his first three seasons and he’s also gained the unwelcomed reputation as a locker-room problem. “He was just handed too much, too soon,’’ said one source. “You’ve got to make these young guys earn it, and that’s where this team did a bad job with him.’’
- The Cavs are not looking for a coach with a strong veteran presence who wants to do things only his way. That probably rules out Jeff Van Gundy, George Karl, and Lionel Hollins, although Lawrence is a fan of all three. New GM David Griffin is looking for a college or NBA coach who agrees to accept input and instructions from himself and hands-on owner Dan Gilbert.
- The Cavs know they can’t get Kevin Love from the Wolves in a deal for the No. 1 pick. If they keep it, they’re expected to take Kansas big man Joel Embiid, unless the stress fracture in his back injury from last season has the chance to become a long-term issue. Meanwhile, agent Arn Tellem might not make his client’s medical records available to teams with which he doesn’t want Embiid to play.
- The Nuggets aren’t going to allow coach Brian Shaw to come to the Knicks if they fail to land Derek Fisher, even if the Knicks offer compensation. “We didn’t hire Brian for a one-year position with our team,’’ Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said. “We see Brian being with us for years to come.’’ If Fisher turns Jackson down, Kurt Rambis is the next in line.
- Just because Bucks GM John Hammond and Pelicans exec Dell Demps came to New York for the lottery doesn’t mean that they’re going to be around for the long haul. Lawrence gets the sense that both are on the hot seat.
Western Notes: Shaw, Nuggets, Pelicans
Lester Munson of ESPN.com explains some of the ramifications of Donald Sterling’s decision to try and have Shelly Sterling handle the sale of the Clippers. Munson writes that Adam Silver still has all the leverage, and thinks it’s possible that Silver is able to reach a settlement with the Sterlings prior to the June 3 vote to strip them of the team. Here’s more from out West:
- Nuggets GM Tim Connelly assured Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post that Brian Shaw will stay put as Denver’s coach, piggybacking on president Josh Kroenke’s assertion from earlier today. “Complete. Non. Story,” said Connelly.
- Kiszla thinks that the Nuggets should swing big this offseason, including testing the waters on a Kevin Love trade, trying to trade for Cleveland’s No. 1 pick, and even exploring just what value Denver could get in return for Shaw.
- Now that the pick sent by the Pelicans to the Sixers from last year’s Jrue Holiday/Nerlens Noel trade has settled at No. 10 in this year’s draft, Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune says that New Orleans is in a dangerous position following a one-sided deal. Smith worries that breakout star Anthony Davis will grow frustrated if the team stagnates, and the Times-Picayune scribe wonders if the Pelicans will find a way to move Eric Gordon‘s burdensome contract and trade their way back into the draft.
Charlotte Officially Adopts Hornets Nickname
The Charlotte Bobcats have officially become the Charlotte Hornets, the team announced in a press conference today. The franchise will assume the statistical history of the original Charlotte Hornets from 1988 through 2002, when they moved to New Orleans, and those records will also encompass everything the Bobcats did from their inception in 2004. The franchise unveiled its new website and Twitter feed with the Hornets nickname.
So, Hoops Rumors will refer to the team as the Hornets from now on. You can find a link to our Hornets rumors page on the right sidebar, just as you can do with every NBA team, and we’ve updated our Facebook and Twitter feeds, too.
Lowe’s Latest: Bucks, Knicks, Grizzlies, Pelicans
Grantland’s Zach Lowe looks at instability in the executive suite, profiling the NBA’s six most volatile front offices in the wake of yesterday’s shakeup in Memphis. As usual, Lowe’s work is required reading, but we’ll hit some highlights here:
- Bucks owners Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens have held preliminary talks about potential replacements for GM John Hammond and assistant GM David Morway, but the more likely outcome appears to be that they stay for at least one more year, Lowe writes.
- Former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo is open to once more becoming an NBA GM, Lowe hears, but that’s no surprise, given that he was reportedly a candidate for the Cavs and Pistons front office searches. Lowe mentions him within his look at the Bucks, which is coincidental given an earlier report that linked him to an ownership group looking to buy the franchise when it was for sale. Still, it doesn’t appear as though there’s any particular link between the Bucks and Colangelo at this point.
- The Knicks will likely hire someone within the next year to replace Steve Mills as general manager and shunt Mills off into some other role with the organization, according to Lowe.
- Some high-level executives on teams around the league hadn’t heard about Grizzlies attorney David Mincberg, who’s reportedly assumed some power in the basketball operations department, Lowe hears.
- The job of Memphis GM Chris Wallace, whom the team has restored to a prominent role after the departures of CEO Jason Levien and assistant GM Stu Lash, is safe “until he wants to leave,” Lowe writes.
- There have been few reports alleging that GM Dell Demps is on shaky ground to return next year, but people around the league have been curious about whether the team would bring him back for 2014/15, according to Lowe. There have been disagreements between Demps and coach Monty Williams, and the team’s owners favor Williams, Lowe hears. In any case, he’ll probably return, though there will be pressure on him for the team to improve and perhaps make the playoffs next season, Lowe writes.
- Louisiana native Joe Dumars is close to executives with the New Orleans Saints, the NFL franchise that Pelicans owner Tom Benson also owns. That would make him a likely candidate for Pelicans GM job should the team decide to oust Demps, Lowe asserts.
- Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy says that the team’s ownership will have just as much say as he does in whom they hire as GM, as he tells Lowe.
Draft Notes: Smart, Adams, Vonleh, Gordon
Marcus Smart doesn’t regret returning to college for his sophomore season, writes Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Smart said, “The reason I came back is my freshman year was the first time I played point guard. I wanted to embrace that role and become a better point guard, learn the position before I take my talents to the NBA where guys have been playing that role their whole life.“
More on the draft:
- Two big winners of the Draft combine so far are Noah Vonleh and Aaron Gordon, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Teams need to remember Doug McDermott‘s statistics when observing him at the combine, writes Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. McDermott doesn’t have the type of measurements or athletic ability that jumps out scouts in combine settings, notes Brigham.
- Marc D’Amico of NBA.com breaks down some of the best individual draft combine numbers of the day.
- The Bulls are looking for shooters in this year’s NBA Draft, reports K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Two names being mentioned in connection with the team are McDermott and Rodney Hood, per the article.
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo interviewed with the Nets, Pacers, Pelicans, Wizards, Bobcats, Cavaliers, and Knicks while at the combine, tweets Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Patric Young interviewed with the Knicks, Pelicans, and Grizzlies, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. On speaking with Phil Jackson, Young said, “He didn’t say much the first 20 minutes. He was just being calm and being himself. He would eat some chips while everyone else was asking questions. Then he popped in a question every now and then and made some comments. But it was good. It was great. They seemed to really like me and be really intrigued by me as a person.”
- UCLA guards Zach LaVine and Jordan Adams did enough athletically at the combine to improve their draft stocks, writes Michael O’Brien of The Chicago Sun-Times.
- The key to the Lakers offseason will be the draft lottery, writes Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. GM Mitch Kupchak said the team wouldn’t base their lottery selection by positional need, but rather the best overall player, notes Oram. Kupchak also said, “When you only have four or five guys on your roster, you really need seven to eight players, so we need to bring in players at every position really.”
Eastern Notes: Ariza, Rondo, Wizards
Trevor Ariza is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the Wizards have a good chance to re-sign the forward, notes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Ariza said, “My family is definitely the most important thing to me before basketball, everything. That plays a big factor into a log of things. But when you build something with people that’s hard to let go, too. What we built in this locker room this season, this is a beautiful thing to me. I really enjoyed playing with those guys. I love those dudes like they’re my brothers.” Ariza averaged 14.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG and shot a career-high 40.7% from three-point range this season.
More from the east:
- The Wizards have a number of decisions to make this offseason, and besides John Wall and Bradley Beal, little else is guaranteed to be the same next year, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Team owner Ted Leonsis said that he won’t make any decisions until the “raw emotion” of the season has faded. This includes whether or not the team re-signs coach Randy Wittman, whose contract expires this summer.
- Andre Miller said that he believes he has a few more years left in him and that he’d love to finish his career with the Wizards, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post (Twitter link).
- Rajon Rondo might be more available than ever via a trade, writes Brian Robb from CelticsHub.com. The Celtics might be compelled to move the point guard this summer when his value will be higher than it will be during the season, opines Robb.
- The Bobcats-to-Hornets name change will officially take place on May 20th, the team announced (Twitter link).
- Unless the Pelicans land one of the top five picks in the lottery, their first-round pick goes to the Sixers. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at some of the players the Sixers might target with that selection.