Orlando Targeting Spurs, Thunder Executives
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports that the Magic are looking at Thunder vice president and assistant general manager Troy Weaver as well as Spurs assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey as candidates for their vacant GM position. Rob Hennigan, another assistant GM of the Thunder, is also being targeted.
Wojnarowski says that Weaver is one of the league's elite young executives and has a strong record as a talent evaluator, most notably pushing hard for the team to draft Russell Westbrook higher than most draft boards had projected. Lindsey has been the assistant to RC Buford in San Antonio for the last five years after an 11-year-stint with the Rockets.
Magic CEO Alex Martins reportedly plans to allow his new GM to control the search for the team's next head coach.
Rohde On Sam Presti, Connection To Spurs
A few days ago we asked for your predictions on the Thunder-Spurs matchup, and about 31% of you voted that San Antonio would win the series in six games. Jenni Carlson of NewsOK feels confident enough to disagree that she's compiled a list of 18 reasons why the Thunder can beat the Spurs. Her colleague, John Rohde (also of NewsOK), decided to look at the interesting connections between the two teams as we wait for the start of the Western Conference Finals:
- Rohde revists Thunder general manager Sam Presti's humble beginnings as a video coordinator intern with the Spurs before becoming the assistant general manager after seven years with the team.
- Here's a complete breakdown of how the current rosters of both teams were built.
- Rohde gives a list of specific members of the Thunder organization (Nazr Mohammed, Maurice Cheeks, and Mark Bryant to name a few) and talks about their history and ties to the Spurs.
Odds & Ends: Lowry, Raptors, Heat, Jennings
John Havlicek's famous steal in the 1965 Eastern Division finals might be the most storied of many Game 7 moments between the Celtics and Sixers, who look to add another chapter in tonight's Game 7. Still, many Boston fans have another theft on their minds as they file into the Garden this evening, since it's the 25th anniversary of Larry Bird's game-saving steal against the Pistons in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. Here's the rest of what's going on around the Association today:
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo and Daryl Morey, his Rockets counterpart, are likely to discuss a trade for point guard Kyle Lowry. Earlier today, we passed along a report from Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle about Lowry's dissatisfaction in Houston.
- Feigen disagrees with Kyle Lowry's conclusion that he can't flourish under Rockets coach Kevin McHale, pointing to Lowry's early-season play as evidence.
- Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier, who both signed multiyear deals when the lockout ended in December, are two of the role players who paid dividends for the Heat in this week's elimination of the Pacers, writes Steve Aschburner of NBA.com.
- Brandon Jennings isn't worried about whether the Bucks will offer him an extension this summer, as Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel reports. "I will let (agent) Bill Duffy handle that," Jennings said. "That's what he does. I will leave it up to Bill Duffy and (Bucks general manager) John Hammond. It's really not my department." Earlier this month Duffy said he was surprised by Hammond's comment than a Jennings extension "is not something we have to do."
- Howard Beck of The New York Times looks at what James Harden brings to the Thunder as the decision of whether to extend his rookie contract looms for GM Sam Presti this summer.
Los Angeles Notes: Del Negro, Brooks, Lakers
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.
Poll: Spurs Vs. Thunder
The Spurs have yet to lose a game in the 2012 postseason, dispatching the Jazz and Clippers with ease, averaging a margin of victory of an incredible 13.8 points. San Antonio has won every game they've played for the last six weeks, and will have home court advantage in the Western Conference Finals.
The Thunder, meanwhile, have dominated their first two opponents nearly as thoroughly as the Spurs have, winning eight of nine games against the Mavericks and Lakers. Oklahoma City's big two of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have averaged over 50 points per game between them, while the Thunder's front-line of Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins could cause problems for the Spurs.
The Western Conference Finals get underway on Sunday night, and could end up being the best series we see this spring. So today's poll question is simple: Which team will win, and how many games will it take?
Odds & Ends: Knicks, Bucks, Heat, Nicholson
Here's the latest news and headlines from around the NBA…
- There are five ways the Knicks' Big 3 can improve in their second season together, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Bradley Center will be now known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center in a step toward getting the Bucks a new arena in the near future.
- The Heat's success is predicated on strong play by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade but also relies on a different role player stepping up each night, suggests Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the Thunder and the Celtics are the two most likely teams to draft St. Bonaventure's Andrew Nicholson.
- Teams from smaller markets are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to winning an NBA championship, writes Richard Florida of The Atlantic.
- HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham gives his take on the top five comebacks in NBA playoff history.
- Commissioner David Stern filled the NBA's Competition Committee with his own people so that changes can be made to existing rules, writes Matt Moore of CBSSports.com.
- Kurt Helin of NBC's ProBasketballTalk blog says Mo Williams expects to pick up his player option of $8.5MM for the 2012/2013 season.
- Mike D'Antoni isn't up to much these days after resigning as the Knicks head coach in March, writes SI.com's Jack McCallum.
Odds & Ends: Diaw, Collison, Hornets
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday night:
- NBA.com's Fran Blinebury writes that midseason acquisition Boris Diaw has been key to the Spurs' dominant playoff run.
- Alberto de Roa of HoopsHype interviews Thunder forward Nick Collison, who reflects on the years the organization spent rebuilding under GM Sam Presti.
- John Reid of the Times-Picayune reports that Hornets coach Monty Williams isn't as high on the 2012 draft class as many analysts and executives are. The Hornets are expected to have a high lottery pick.
Odds & Ends: Celtics, Heat, Thunder, Spurs, Lakers
Let's go coast to coast to catch up on the latest news and headlines before King James and the Heat look to make it a series against Indiana…
- Celtics head coach Doc Rivers has been using whatever time off his team is afforded to allow them to rest and get healthier, reports the Associated Press (via the Boston Herald).
- ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst says Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra needs to make adjustments to his strategy if Miami wants to have any chance of winning against the Pacers.
- Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have matured and proven that they can co-exist in Oklahoma City, writes Sam Amick of SI.com.
- Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski believes the Thunder look like a team with legitimate title aspirations thanks to strong play by Durant and Westbrook.
- The Spurs relied on heavily-efficient play to overcome a 24-point deficit to the Clippers on Saturday, writes Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com.
- Tom Ziller of SB Nation says the Lakers should trade Andrew Bynum so that the 24-year-old center's talents don't go to waste in Los Angeles.
- Gregg Popovich's decision to sit Tim Duncan during the 2000 NBA playoffs proved to be the right decision 12 years later, contends J.A. Adande of ESPN.com.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com believes the Celtics need to find a better balance in terms of getting Kevin Garnett more involved in the game on Monday evening against the Sixers.
Odds & Ends: Deng, Magic, Ibaka, World Peace
With Tuesday night's second playoff game winding down, let's take a quick break from the action and catch up on the latest stories and headlines from across the league…
- The Bulls will sit down with Luol Deng to discuss his intentions of playing for Team Great Britain during the Olympics this summer in London, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel says the Magic's evaluation of general manager Otis Smith and head coach Stan Van Gundy is still ongoing as the organization has yet to make a decision about their fates for next season.
- Serge Ibaka continues to make impressive strides as the Thunder's starting power forward, reports Susan Bible of HoopsWorld.
- The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel says Metta World Peace and Thunder head coach Scott Brooks have forged an unlikely relationship over the years thanks to their time spent together in Sacramento.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld offers his latest NBA mock draft where he has Austin Rivers cracking the top 10 and heading to the Big Easy.
Grizzlies, T-Wolves, Thunder Eyeing Alexey Shved
CSKA Moscow, who blew a 19-point second half lead and lost the Euroleague final to Olympiakos this weekend, has at least one well-known player expected to sign in North America this summer, in Andrei Kirilenko. But Kirilenko isn't the only player CSKA is anticipating losing to the NBA. According to Jonathan Givony (via Twitter), Alexey Shved is drawing interest from NBA teams, including the Grizzlies, Timberwolves, and Thunder.
Shved, 23, was eligible for the NBA draft in 2010, but went undrafted and has played for CSKA Moscow ever since. 2011/12 was a breakout season for the 6'5" guard, who Givony says has developed into a "very complete" offensive player and an improved shooter (Twitter link).
Shved's asking price is $10MM for three years, according to Givony.