Knicks To Target Scoring Point Guard In 2020 Draft?
With the Knicks‘ playoff chances for 2019/20 essentially dead, the team has its eye on the 2020 draft class. And according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, the Knicks’ scouting staff has been informed that the top priority for the club’s lottery pick is a scoring point guard.
Despite using their 2017 lottery selection on Frank Ntilikina and acquiring former top-10 picks such as Elfrid Payton and Dennis Smith Jr., the Knicks have been unable to secure a long-term answer at the point guard spot in recent years. It remains to be seen whether New York will find its answer in this year’s draft, but there should be some options, especially if the team remains in position to pick in the top half of the lottery.
Berman singles out LaMelo Ball as one possible target, noting that Leon Rose was expected to be Ball’s agent at CAA before Rose agreed to become the Knicks’ next president of basketball operations. Cole Anthony (UNC), Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa State), Tyrese Maxey (Kentucky), and Killian Hayes (France) are other young guards who figure to be on the Knicks’ radar on draft day, says Berman. All those players are projected to come off the board between No. 4 (Ball) and No. 12 (Hayes) in ESPN’s latest mock draft (Insider link).
With the Knicks’ front office in a transition period, it can be tricky to know what to make of reports like these, since it’s unclear whether they reflect the preferences of interim head of basketball operations Scott Perry or incoming head of basketball operations Rose.
However, Berman writes that the Knicks’ aggressive pursuit of D’Angelo Russell at this month’s trade deadline was under Rose’s “consultation,” which suggests the veteran agent has had a voice in the front office even before he finishes tying up loose ends at CAA and officially joins the franchise. Russell, of course, would have perfectly fit the description of a scoring point guard.
According to Berman, the Knicks’ other priority in the draft will be a swingman with three-point range, something that RJ Barrett (.318 3PT%) hasn’t yet shown. Berman notes that New York could use the Clippers’ first-round pick to target that sort of player.
Vogel: Cousins Still Could Return For Playoffs
A torn left ACL has sidelined Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins for the entire 2019/20 season so far. However, head coach Frank Vogel still isn’t ruling out the possibility of a Cousins return this spring, as he said over the weekend in Chicago (video link; hat tip to CBS Sports).
“He’s on track to get healthy by the playoffs and we’ll have to see where he’s at with rhythm and conditioning and timing and all that stuff,” Vogel said. “But there’s a possibility he returns this season, yes.”
That ACL tear, suffered last August, is the third major left leg injury Cousins has dealt with since the start of the 2017/18 season. His ’17/18 campaign with the Pelicans came to an early end when he tore his Achilles tendon. After making it back from that injury for the Warriors in 2018/19, he suffered a torn quad at the start of the postseason.
While it would be great to see Cousins get healthy and return to action during the postseason, that sounds like a pretty aggressive recovery timeline, even if the Lakers make a deep playoff run. In recent years, players like Zach LaVine, Jabari Parker, and Kristaps Porzingis, who have suffered torn ACLs, have taken at least 11-12 months to make it back. And it has generally taken them much longer than that to look like their old selves.
Even if Cousins is ready to go at some point this spring, it’s unclear what sort of role he could have in a playoff series. Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee have done an admirable job handing the center position this season, with Anthony Davis also spending some time at the five, and Cousins won’t have any in-game experience with the current roster to develop chemistry.
Although I’m skeptical that Cousins will be able to make a comeback and make an impact for the Lakers this spring, Vogel’s comments – as well as Cousins’ close relationship with several teammates, including Davis – suggest that his roster spot should be safe if the team makes an addition on the buyout market in the coming weeks.
Spurs Officially Waive DeMarre Carroll
The Spurs have officially waived DeMarre Carroll, the team announced today in a press release. The move opens up a spot on the team’s 15-man roster.
As we outlined on Monday, Carroll’s agent Mark Bartelstein successfully negotiated a buyout with the Spurs, despite the fact that the veteran forward still had two years on his contract beyond 2019/20, including a fully guaranteed salary for next season. The exact terms of that buyout haven’t yet been reported.
Carroll intends to sign with the Rockets once he becomes a free agent. Now that his release from San Antonio is official, the 33-year-old is on track to clear waivers on Thursday afternoon, so he could theoretically be in uniform for Houston by the time the club faces Golden State on Thursday evening.
Coming off a couple solid seasons in Brooklyn, Carroll signed a three-year, $21MM deal with the Spurs during the 2019 offseason. However, he barely played at all in San Antonio and wasn’t effective in the limited minutes he did see. In 15 games (9.0 MPG), he averaged 2.2 PPG and 2.1 RPG with a .310/.231/.600 shooting line.
It’s not clear yet what the Spurs plan to do with their newly-opened roster spot. The team isn’t required to carry a 15th man, but figures to fill that opening at some point before the end of the regular season.
DeMarre Carroll Reaches Buyout, Looks To Join Rockets
Forward DeMarre Carroll has reached a buyout with the Spurs, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. He intends to sign with the Rockets once he clears waivers, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The news is not surprising, considering that Carroll had racked up 15 straight DNP-CDs and publicly expressed frustration with his lack of playing time. However, it’s still unusual for a team to agree to buy out a player with multiple years left on his contract.
Carroll agreed to a three-year, $21MM contract with the Spurs in a sign-and-trade from Brooklyn last summer.
Carroll is owed $2.3MM for the remainder of the season, $6.65MM next season and $1.35MM in guaranteed money for 2021/22, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Even with the buyout, San Antonio will incur a cap hit through the life of the contract.
The 33-year-old did not join the Spurs when they began their eight-game rodeo trip on February 2, as the club looked into moving him by the February 6 trade deadline.
Carroll holds career averages of 9.0 PPG and 4.3 RPG, while shooting 35.9% from deep. With the Spurs, he averaged just 9.0 MPG and appeared in only 15 games. Carroll appeared in 67 games with the Nets last season and averaged 11.1 PPG and 5.2 RPG in 25.4 MPG.
Carroll’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, negotiated the buyout.
Carroll could play both forward positions in Houston’s small ball lineup. The Rockets have two open roster spots and need to add at least one player, so Carroll could fulfill that obligation.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Knicks Interested In Jay Wright
2:10pm: A source tells Dana O’Neil of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Wright isn’t going anywhere. That doesn’t mean the Knicks won’t take a shot this spring, but it sounds like their potential pursuit might play out the same way it did in 2018.
9:35am: The Knicks, who figure to be in the market for a new head coach this spring, have strong interest in Villanova coach Jay Wright, sources tell Adam Zagoria of Forbes.
“There is a strong possibility that Jay Wright in New York could happen,” one league source told Zagoria.
Wright, who has been Villanova’s head coach since 2001 and is an assistant on Gregg Popovich‘s Team USA staff, has been linked to the Knicks in the past. The team reportedly reached out to Wright before hiring David Fizdale in 2018. At the time, the Wildcats were coming off a national title, their second in three years. Wright said that spring that the NBA piqued his interest, but he had no desire to leave Villanova.
“It’s not that you’re not interested, I just don’t want to leave,” Wright told The New York Post in 2018. “It’s the Knicks. You love the Garden, you love New York City, you love the Knicks. I just know I don’t want to leave Villanova.”
If the Knicks pursue Wright again, it’s possible the veteran college coach will repeat that line from two years ago. However, it’s worth noting that Wright has ties with Leon Rose and William Wesley, as Zagoria details in his story. Rose is on track to become the Knicks’ new president of basketball operations. “World Wide Wes” reportedly won’t join the franchise in a formal capacity, but may be an unofficial advisor.
The Knicks have also been linked to some other big-name head coaching candidates, including Jeff Van Gundy and Tom Thibodeau. Although interim head coach Mike Miller seems unlikely to remain in his current role, there’s support within the organization to keep him around in some capacity, according to one report.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Addresses Future With Bucks
The Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo have done a great job this season keeping the subject of Giannis’ next contract on the back-burner. However, as the captain of one of the All-Star teams this weekend in Chicago, the reigning MVP couldn’t entirely avoid the spotlight or dodge questions about his future.
Asked by Mackenzie Salmon of SportsPulse (video link) whether he’d want to continue building his legacy with the Bucks if the team were to win a championship, Antetokounmpo was initially noncommittal before suggesting he’d like to keep winning in Milwaukee.
“I can’t think that far ahead. I’m just trying to focus on the moment and get better,” Giannis said. “But why not? I’m a guy that wants to be with a team for a while. As long as we’re winning. And we’re winning so far, so I don’t think anything’s going to change.”
Antetokounmpo won’t be eligible for free agency until the summer of 2021. However, the Bucks will have the opportunity during the 2020 offseason to offer him a super-max extension worth an estimated $254MM over five years, and they intend to do so. If Giannis doesn’t accept that offer, the club will start to get a little nervous.
So far though, there’s no reason to believe Antetokounmpo isn’t happy with the Bucks, who have an NBA-best 46-8 record this season. His agent, Alex Saratsis, told Pete Zervakis of TMJ4 News that his client “believes in loyalty,” adding that he thinks Giannis feels a “kinship” to the city of Milwaukee, which has been his home since he came over from Greece. Asked if he could see Antetokounmpo staying with one team for his entire career, Saratsis confirmed it’s a realistic possibility.
“Yeah, I think so. Obviously everybody talks about his impending free agency, and I think everything is open,” Saratsis said. “I think he’s someone who could easily say, ‘I’d like to be in Milwaukee my entire career.’ I think he’s also someone who, depending on how the team does, could say, ‘I need a change.’ But for him, staying is absolutely a viable option.”
Although neither Antetokounmpo nor Saratsis suggests that Giannis has completely made up his mind yet, the fact that team success was a common thread in both their comments has to be an encouraging sign for the Bucks, who are on a 70-win pace. A deep playoff run – ideally one that ends with a championship – will be the next step in convincing the star forward that a long-term deal in Milwaukee is the right move.
John Beilein, Cavaliers Considering Parting Ways
FEBRUARY 17, 12:55pm: Beilein is expected to speak to Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert on Monday about potential options, according to The Athletic.
FEBRUARY 17, 7:20am: In a full story on the situation in Cleveland, ESPN’s Wojnarowski and Windhorst write that Beilein is expected to reach a decision within the next day or two. The Cavs’ head coach will likely speak with general manager Koby Altman about his future as soon as Monday, per the ESPN duo.
FEBRUARY 16, 10:03pm: John Beilein is not expected to remain the Cavaliers‘ head coach beyond the end of the 2019/20 season, according to a report from Shams Charania, Kelsey Russo, and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.
The Athletic’s report indicates that the terms and timing of Beilein’s departure aren’t known, but “momentum is building toward his exit.” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst suggest (via Twitter) that the Cavs and Beilein have discussed the possibility of him stepping down during the All-Star break. Though no decision has been reached, it’s possible he has coached his last game for the Cavs, Woj adds (via Twitter).
According to Charania, Russo, and Lloyd, several factors are contributing to Beilein’s tenure in Cleveland likely coming to an early end after he signed a five-year contract with the team last spring. Beilein, a longtime college coach who joined the Cavaliers after a successful run at the University of Michigan, hasn’t fully adjusted to or gotten comfortable with the NBA, people with knowledge of the situation tell The Athletic.
His son Patrick Beilein’s resignation from his head coaching job at Niagara in October has also taken a toll on the Cavs’ coach, per The Athletic. The younger Beilein stepped down for personal reasons before coaching his first game at Niagara.
On- and off-court issues for the Cavaliers have piled up during Beilein’s first year as well. The club sits dead last in the Eastern Conference with a 14-40 mark, and a report in December suggested that Beilein’s coaching style was alienating some players. About a month later, the 67-year-old head coach was at the center of a mini-controversy when he reportedly told his players they were no longer playing “like a bunch of thugs.” Beilein said he had intended to say “slugs” and apologized to the team.
On top of all that, the Cavaliers have struggled this season to balance developing their young prospects with keeping their veteran players happy. Kevin Love has publicly expressed his frustration with the situation in Cleveland multiple times this season, and both Love and Tristan Thompson reportedly wanted to be moved before the trade deadline. Both players remain on the roster.
Since it sounds like Beilein’s departure – if and when it happens – will be mutually agreed upon, the two sides may have to work out a buyout agreement of some sort — it seems unlikely that the Cavs will pay him for the next four years.
If Beilein steps down during the season, associate head coach J.B. Bickerstaff would likely be first in line to assume interim coaching duties, according to The Athletic. Charania, Russo, and Lloyd say that Bickerstaff would also be a strong candidate to become Cleveland’s next permanent head coach.
Bickerstaff has previously served as the head coach of the Rockets and Grizzlies. In both instances, he was an in-season replacement for a head coach who was fired, having succeeded Kevin McHale in Houston and David Fizdale in Memphis.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bulls Preparing For Front Office Changes
7:57pm: K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago echoes many of Cowley’s points in his own report, writing that talk has been “rampant throughout All-Star weekend” about the changes the Bulls are expected to make to their front office. The team is seeking someone to take on the day-to-day basketball operations and become a “fresh voice and face of the franchise,” writes Johnson.
7:21pm: The Bulls are in the early stages of adding a new executive to their front office, sources tell Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. According to Cowley, vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and COO Michael Reinsdorf have begun to do legwork – through back channels – on potential candidates.
Cowley, who suggests the Bulls are in the market for a general manager “with a louder voice,” writes that the search is expected to be widespread. Gar Forman still holds the GM role in Chicago for now, but senior advisor Doug Collins is among those who are in favor of a change, according to Cowley.
As Cowley explains, the idea would be for Paxson to “slip into the background” as the new general manager assumes media duties. Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf likes the model employed by the Chicago White Sox, with Ken Williams in the background as the VP while Rick Hahn has been more empowered in his GM role. For the Bulls, Paxson would take on a Williams-esque role, with the new GM playing Hahn’s part.
Forman, meanwhile, would likely be reassigned to a scouting position rather than being fired, per Cowley, who notes that the team wants to build up its scouting department this spring.
Paxson and Forman have headed the Bulls’ front office for over a decade, much to the chagrin of a significant faction of Bulls fans. During Friday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, when guard Zach LaVine was asked whether he has confidence in Chicago’s decision-makers, the fans in attendance began to boo and a chant of “Fire GarPax!” broke out (link via Madeline Kenney of The Chicago Sun-Times).
Assuming the Bulls do move forward with the front office changes Cowley outlines in his report, it’ll be interesting to see whether the club sticks with head coach Jim Boylen, who has received the full support of the current group. Boylen’s current contract isn’t a long-term deal, so it’s possible a new GM would be given the go-ahead to make the call on his future.
DeMarre Carroll, Frustrated In San Antonio, Hopeful For New Opportunity
Spurs forward DeMarre Carroll is making no secret of his frustration with his role in San Antonio, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Carroll has 15 straight DNP-CDs and counting,
Carroll agreed to a three-year, $21MM contract with the club in a sign-and-trade from Brooklyn this summer. The Spurs are only on the hook for $1.35MM in the final season of his deal (2021/22).
The 33-year-old was not with the Spurs when they started their eight-game rodeo trip on February 2, as the club looked into moving him by the February 6 trade deadline, per Orsborn. Before things had reached this point, Carroll was already vocal about his reduced role.
Carroll, known as a prototypical three-and-D forward who can play either position, holds career averages of 9.0 PPG and 4.3 RPG, while shooting 35.9% from deep on 3.2 attempts a night. Those numbers have cratered this season with the Spurs, where he is averaging just nine minutes a night and has appeared in only 15 games.
“I felt like San Antonio was going to be a great place for me, for my talents,” Carroll said of his frustrating tenure with the Spurs this season. “But it didn’t work out.”
Due to the length of Carroll’s current contract, a buyout that satisfies both sides may be difficult to achieve — an offseason trade may be more realistic. Carroll was noncommittal when asked about the possibility of his buyout, suggesting his agent Mark Bartelstein is at least exploring the idea.
“He is handling that,” Carroll said. “[He] and [Spurs general manager] Brian (Wright) and all of them. I don’t know what direction we are going to go. But at the end of the day, at 33, I don’t want to waste my talents just sitting at the end of the bench, knowing I could help a team produce.”
Marcin Gortat Announces Retirement
Former NBA center Marcin Gortat confirmed his retirement from basketball in an interview with TVP Info (hat tip to Eurohoops.net).
“It’s time to end my career,” Gortat said. “I think this is the moment when the year has passed – as I said at the beginning, I give myself a year [off] to see what life will bring me – and it brought me to this decision, that I am going to retire, I’m finishing my professional playing.”
The Polish native played 12 NBA seasons, spending most of his time with the Magic, Suns and Wizards. His career ended when the Clippers waived him before the end of the 2018/19 season. He reportedly had a chance to play in Poland last month, but turned it down because of health concerns.
After being taken with the 57th pick in the 2005 draft, Gortat went on to appear in 806 NBA games. He averaged 9.9 PPG and 7.9 RPG for his career.