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.
Poll: Will The Lakers Beat The Thunder?
Fresh off their victory over the Nuggets on Saturday evening, the Lakers will head to Oklahoma City on Monday for Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs to take on the Thunder. A re-energized Pau Gasol has the Lakers looking dangerous even against a heavily-favored Thunder squad.
The return of Metta World Peace in the final game of the series proved to be critical to the Lakers' success against the Nuggets and could potentially be a difference maker against the Thunder. The Lakers will also need improved play from Ramon Sessions or he could continue to lose minutes to Steve Blake, who put together an outstanding performance Saturday night at the Staples Center. Andrew Bynum showed flashes of brilliance at times against Denver but still needs to prove that he can play at a high level for an entire series, not just a few games.
What do you think? Will Kobe's supporting cast be able to come through against the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden as they did against the Nuggets in Game 7?
Will The Lakers Beat The Thunder?
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No 65% (465)
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Yes 35% (250)
Total votes: 715
Odds & Ends: Rose, Bulls, Knicks, Terry
- The Knicks will be looking for another point guard to partner with Jeremy Lin, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Among Berman's list of targets are Kirk Hinrich, Gary Neal, Derek Fisher, A.J. Price, Jannero Pargo, and Jonny Flynn. He also mentions Ramon Sessions, Raymond Felton, Goran Dragic, Andre Miller, Jameer Nelson, and Steve Nash, but I think that the names on this latter list would only be sought after if contract talks with Lin were to somehow fall apart.
- After recently having his interim tag removed, Knicks GM Glen Grunwald has a lot of work cut out for him in the upcoming months, says Al Iannazzone of Newsday. He also adds that with the mid-level likely committed to Lin and no first-round pick, Grunwald will have to be creative with trades and free agency in order to address their back court needs. In another article, Iannazzone goes over the five biggest questions facing the team moving forward.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News speculates that Jason Terry could be on his way out if Deron Williams lands with the Mavericks (subscribers only).
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld engaged in his weekly NBA chat with fans. Here are some of his notable thoughts: the Magic may try to package their #19 pick along with Jason Richardson or Chris Duhon to create cap relief, Austin Rivers' game is comparable to Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford, and predicts that Dwight Howard will wind up signing with the Nets eventually.
- Bob Young of the Arizona Republic offers his input on the chances of reportedly interested teams in their pursuit of Steve Nash. Phoenix, Toronto, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, and Portland are given consideration.
- John Rohde of NewsOK explores how the support of his Thunder teammates has played a pivotal role in Eric Maynor's road to recovery from a torn ACL.
Coaching Rumors: Brown, Woodson, Jackson
- Warren LeGarie, the agent for Lakers coach Mike Brown, feels confident his client will return to the bench next season after LeGarie spoke with GM Mitch Kupchak about comments former minority owner Magic Johnson made suggesting Brown would be fired if the team didn't win tonight, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). Spears also tweets that the Lakers are expected to release a statement in support of Brown, and pointed out that Brown has two more guaranteed seasons left on his four-year, $20MM deal.
- Dave McMenamin of ESPN LA tweets that Brown's job is not dependent on the result of Game 7 tonight, according to a source with knowledge of the Lakers' thinking.
- Brown said earlier today he was unfazed by what Johnson said, and had no indication there was any truth to it, tweeted NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper.
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News scolds Knicks coach Mike Woodson for giving into owner James Dolan's wishes regarding his choice of agents.
- With Phil Jackson feeling better, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld speculates about where he might coach next if he returns to the bench, mentioning the Knicks, Thunder, Bulls, Mavs, Magic and Lakers.
- Rachel Shuster of USA Today wonders if the Bobcats might also be a landing spot for the Zen Master, since the owner is Michael Jordan, Jackson's first star pupil.
Northwest Links: Harden, Ibaka, Howard, Tinsley
We'll find out tonight if the Thunder and Nuggets will have a rematch of their first-round playoff series from last season. While Kevin Durant waits to see who his second-round opponent will be, he responded to the news that he finished second to LeBron James in the MVP voting. "I've been second since high school, man. I was drafted second. I was the second best player in high school. And second in MVP voting twice," Durant said to reporters, including Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (Twitter links). "So I'm over that being second stuff." Here's the rest of what's going on with Northwest Division teams:
- Justin Kubatko of The New York Times argues that James Harden and Serge Ibaka, both of whom are eligible for extensions to their rookie contracts this summer, hold the keys to the title for the Thunder.
- The Jazz gambled and won with this year's signings of Josh Howard and Jamaal Tinsley, a pair of players who have been the subject of controversy in years past, writes Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Utah, 27th in three-point percentage during the regular season, could use some outside shooting, and Brad Rock of the Deseret News advises the Jazz to go after Clippers sixth man Mo Williams, who has an $8.5MM player option for next year. One player Rock says the team should not pursue is former BYU star Jimmer Fredette.
Odds & Ends: Williams, Lorbek, Thunder
With the Grizzlies looking to stay alive in Los Angeles against the Clippers tonight, it sounds like Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will play. Here are some links from around the league as we wait for that contest to get underway:
- While we don't yet know who will be the Trail Blazers' new general manager or head coach, we do know who will not be their assistant coach. Chris Haynes from CSNNW.com reports that the team will not renew Buck Williams' deal, as they will let the new head coach choose his own staff.
- Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets that the Spurs signing 6-foot-10 center Erazem Lorbek is "very close to being a done deal." The Spurs acquired the rights to Lorbek via a 2011 draft day trade with the Pacers for George Hill. The Spurs figure to be desperate for size this summer, and bringing Lorbek over from the Spanish League could prove pivotal.
- HOOPSWORLD's Tommy Beer gives his take on a question we posed several weeks ago: Long term, should the Thunder pair Serge Ibaka or James Harden with their already-dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook? Ideally Oklahoma City would like to keep both promising youngsters, but given their emergence as impact players that doesn't seem likely.
James Harden Wins Sixth Man Of The Year
3:21pm: Harden has officially received the award at a Oklahoma City press conference. He received 115 of 119 possible first-place votes, with Williams receiving the other four. Williams was the runner-up, with Terry, Al Harrington, and Manu Ginobili rounding out the top five.
10:23am: The Thunder will hold a news conference this afternoon where the team is expected to officially announce that James Harden has won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, according to Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman. The news conference is scheduled for 3:00pm local time, Mayberry tweets.
Harden came off the bench in 60 of his 62 games for Oklahoma City this season, taking a giant step forward in his third season in the league. The 22-year-old averaged 16.8 PPG on .491/.390/846 shooting, and earned an invite to Team USA’s preliminary Olympic roster. In addition to winning the Sixth Man of the Year award, Harden also received a few votes for the league’s Most Improved Player award, finishing 18th.
Lou Williams of the Sixers, Jason Terry of the Mavericks, and Taj Gibson of the Bulls were among the other players expected to be considered for Sixth Man of the Year.