Hornets guard Eric Gordon says that the team's draft lottery win last night won't affect his plans to test the free agent market this offseason, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Gordon has met with the club's new owner Tom Benson but they have not engaged in contract negotiations.
Earlier this week, Anthony Davis refused to acknowledge that he would definitely be the first overall pick in this year's draft, calling that just a "rumor" for now. But after the Hornets won the draft lottery and the right to pick first overall in June, Davis sounded like he was fully expecting to be the first pick, as Andy Katz of ESPN.com writes.
"I won a national championship in New Orleans," said Davis, referring to the site of Kentucky's NCAA title in April. "So why not win another one in New Orleans?"
Davis at #1 may be a lock, but there are plenty of questions surrounding the rest of the draft order. Here are a few draft-related items for Thursday afternoon….
The NBA's draft lottery played out nearly exactly as expected last night, given the odds. Only one team, the Hornets, moved up into the top three, with the top-ranked Bobcats, Wizards, and Cavaliers each sliding down a spot and the rest of the order holding to form. Despite the lack of drastic movement, the lottery results had major ramifications for a number of clubs besides the Hornets. Let's take a brief look at the teams whose fates were most affected by the ping pong balls….
The NBA draft lottery brought good fortune to the Hornets organization, robbed the Bobcats of a chance to quickly advance in the rebuilding process and saw teams like the Nets and the Jazz miss out on securing lottery picks. The Cavs will have to use the fourth pick in the draft to build around Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson and the Warriors should simply be happy they were able to keep their spot at seventh. Beyond the Hornets, count the Trail Blazers as the second biggest winner Wednesday night as Portland will make two selections among the first 11 picks.
As the talking heads put together their latest mock drafts, let's take a look around the NBA to catch up on the the news and rumors making headlines as Hurricanes and Hand Grenades flow freely on Bourbon St…
The city of New Orleans caught a rare break on Wednesday evening. In a place riddled by murder, inadequate public education and general blight, the redeeming nature of sports put everything else on hold if but for a moment when the Hornets won the draft lottery and the right to select Kentucky's Anthony Davis. The franchise that saw Chris Paul leave via trade and David West sign with the Pacers within the last year has the chance to build a foundation for success heading forward thanks to the pairing of a legitimate big man and a healthy Eric Gordon. With the addition of new owner and New Orleans businessman Tom Benson to rehabilitate the general health of the franchise, the future is surely bright for basketball in the Crescent City.
The results are in and New Orleans has won the right to draft Anthony Davis this June as the Hornets secured the top spot in the NBA draft. Count the Nets and Jazz among the lottery's losers as Brooklyn lost their draft pick to the Trail Blazers and Utah missed out on an opportunity to take the Warriors' selection. The Nets would have kept their pick if they had landed one of the top three spots in the draft whereas the Jazz would have netted a lottery pick if the Warriors fell outside of the top seven selections.
Since early 2012, numerous reports have surfaced suggesting Pacers president Larry Bird will step down from his position at season's end. However, based on comments made by Bird today, it sounds like the Executive of the Year is open to staying put as long as he and owner Herb Simon are on the same page, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. Here's what Bird had to say, along with a few other Pacers updates….
The Celtics make their third appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in the last five years when they open up against the Heat tonight. Here's the latest from other teams in the division hoping to build toward that kind of consistent success.
- If the Sixers decide to use the amnesty clause to wipe the $18.16MM due Elton Brand next year off their cap, Nets power forward Kris Humphries will be their No. 1 target to replace him via free agency, writes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Carl Landry is also the kind of power forward the Sixers like, Mitchell says.
- Mitchell, in the same piece, says he doesn't put too much stock in Lou Williams' comments suggesting he'll be back with the Sixers, and hears that the 25-year-old combo guard will seek "a nice, long-term deal" after turning down his $5.35MM option for next season.
- Giorgos Printezis, a 6'9" forward who hit the game-winning shot for Olympiacos of Greece in the Euroleague championship earlier this month, told Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops he would entertain offers this summer from the Knicks, who hold his NBA rights (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld believes the Knicks, who officially removed the interim tag from coach Mike Woodson's title Friday, were the only "real option" for luring Phil Jackson out of retirement (Twitter link).
- Luke Adams looked at the summer ahead for the Sixers earlier today in the latest installment of our Offseason Outlook feature.
While Los Angeles residents may have loved to see a Clippers/Lakers Western Conference Final, it wasn't meant to be, given how strong the Spurs and Thunder look this season. As the L.A. clubs look to make roster improvements this summer to make another run in 2012/13, let's check in on the latest out of the city:
- A decision on Vinny Del Negro's job status will have to be made by next week, according to Marc Stein and Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN.com. The Clippers have until June 1st to decide whether or not to exercise the coach's option for next year, and the decision could rest largely in the hands of owner Donald Sterling. That's probably good news for Del Negro, given his positive relationship with Sterling.
- If Del Negro doesn't return, the Clippers may look to currently-employed coaches rather than the strong crop of free agent candidates. Two potential targets are Thunder coach Scott Brooks and Hornets coach Monty Williams, according to Stein and Shelbourne. However, Brooks is widely expected to re-up with Oklahoma City, and the Clips would have to get permission from New Orleans to talk to Williams, which is no sure thing.
- Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times proposes five potential roster moves for the Lakers. While the list includes the usual Andrew Bynum/Dwight Howard proposal, many of the other suggestions are new ones, such as trading for Al Harrington or Beno Udrih.
A few Tuesday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- After reporting yesterday that Dwight Howard still wants to be traded out of Orlando, Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com outlines why the Nets and Knicks may be the most logical trade partners for the Magic.
- If Howard is dealt this summer, it's probably bad news for the Mavericks, writes Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. The Mavs could have the cap space for Howard next summer, but don't have the trade chips to get him right now.
- In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, David Thorpe examines some potential landing spots for Jeremy Lin, concluding that the Raptors, Nets, and Suns might be the best fits besides the Knicks.
- Rasual Butler has heard from several teams and plans to be ready to sign in July, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. The Raptors released Butler in March, in time for him to catch on with another team for the postseason, but the 33-year-old didn't sign another contract before season's end.
- In an interview with Gazzetta.it, Marco Belinelli said he expects to receive offers from the Hornets and other NBA teams, and wants to determine where he'll sign before trying to join the Italian national team for the Olympics. Hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando for the translation.