Latest On Warriors, Knicks, Steve Kerr
10:38pm: Kerr is waiting on a formal, written job offer from the Knicks, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. Kerr is believed to be looking for a four or five year offer similar to the four-year, $24MM contract Mike D’Antoni received from New York in the past.
It’s been reported that Kerr is somewhat uneasy with owner James Dolan’s style of doing business, and Berman’s source says Kerr is concerned that the Knicks haven’t yet produced a contract offer. Nonetheless, New York is expected to do so by the end of tomorrow. Surprisingly, Kerr has decided to finish out the postseason as a TNT analyst even if he is hired as a coach in the near future.
5:40pm: There is a difference of opinion on Kerr’s appeal as a coach between Warriors management and players, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Begley reports that some players aren’t sold on Kerr, a factor that could convince him to settle on the Knicks. Kerr is believed to be with his family “collecting information” and considering his options at the moment, a close friend told Begley.
3:48pm: Kerr told a close friend late Wednesday his preference is to coach the Knicks, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
11:41am: Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv also hears that the Knicks remain the favorites for Kerr, and that the Warriors haven’t made Kerr an offer. A source tells Zagoria that the Warriors are likely to interview several candidates, including Van Gundy.
10:53am: A source tells Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com that the Knicks remain the favorites to hire Steve Kerr, but fellow ESPNNewYork.com scribe Ian Begley writes in a joint report that the Warriors are confident that they have a legitimate shot at landing Kerr instead. Kerr’s admiration for Knicks president Phil Jackson is prompting him to lean toward New York, but his ties to Warriors president and COO Rick Welts are fueling the Warriors hopes, according to Begley.
Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob says that he might interview Kerr, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group reports, but there have been conflicting reports about whether the Warriors have already reached out. Golden State is well aware it can’t offer more money than the Knicks can, Begley writes, but the Warriors are counting on their status as a winning team and their location close to Kerr’s home in San Diego as selling points. The Warriors fear that Kerr is just using them as leverage against the Knicks, according to Begley, but an earlier report cast doubt on that notion.
Lute Olson, Kerr’s college coach and a close confidant, a week ago dismissed the idea that Kerr preferred to stay close to home and said that Kerr would more than likely take the Knicks job, but Olson seemed to take a different stance Wednesday. The former University of Arizona coach said that he was sure that the presence of Kerr’s daughter at the University of California in Berkeley was “tugging at” Kerr, and that he didn’t know what Kerr would decide to do, as Newsday’s Al Iannazzone and Barbara Barker report. Still, Olson told Marc Berman of the New York Post on Wednesday that he feels Jackson is the “trump card” that will lead Kerr to pick New York.
Berman also received confirmation from Suns owner Robert Sarver that Kerr still owns a tiny fraction of the Suns, for whom he served as GM from 2007-10. Kerr would have to sell the share, believed to be less than 1% of the franchise, within a league-mandated time frame after accepting a coaching job with another team, Berman notes.
No other candidates have emerged for the Knicks, but USA Today’s Sam Amick suggests that Jackson is growing impatient as Kerr hesitates. The Warriors are pursuing others, including Stan Van Gundy. The team has been in contact with the former Magic and Heat coach, but this morning he hedged a bit about his reported interest in the Golden State vacancy. Van Gundy made his latest comments on 740 AM radio near his home in the Orlando area, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel notes.
“I have not met with them or anything else,” Van Gundy said. “There have been calls to gauge interest, and until you get a chance to actually talk to somebody, it’s even hard to say if they’re interested or if I would be [interested]. So we’re not at that point of even sitting down and talking yet.”
Van Gundy, who seemed as of late February to be highly unlikely to coach next season because of his desire to be with family, said today that “part of me does, and part of me doesn’t” want to return to coaching. He acknowledged that he was a “huge fan” of the Warriors while growing up in the Bay Area.
George Karl expressed this week that he’s open to any coaching vacancy, and the Warriors have interest in him, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Warriors will consider Karl among as many as eight candidates for their open position, Spears says. Other reports have indicated that the Warriors have interest in 10 coaches: Kerr, Van Gundy, Karl, Mike D’Antoni, Nate McMillan, Kevin Ollie, Alvin Gentry, Fred Hoiberg, Tom Thibodeau and Lionel Hollins.
Cray Allred contributed to this post.
Mavs Rumors: Bledsoe, Stephenson, ‘Melo, Dirk
Mavs GM Donnie Nelson promises an “action-packed summer,” but he indicated today that he’s pleased with the roster as is, notes Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter links).
“I think if we had the same cast or crew come and lace ’em up next year, I’d feel real good about our chances,” he said.
Fellow ESPNDallas.com scribe Tim McMahon doesn’t buy it, writing that the Mavs front office knows it needs significant improvement to contend. There’s more from McMahon’s piece amid the latest on the Mavs:
- McMahon throws Eric Bledsoe‘s name into the mix of likely targets that already included Marcin Gortat and Luol Deng, though he acknowledges that it’ll be “extremely difficult” to pry Bledsoe, or even Gortat, away from their respective teams. The Mavs are unlikely to make a run at Lance Stephenson, according to McMahon.
- The Mavs would like to get involved in the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes, but not if he demands a max contract, McMahon writes.
- Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs have made it clear that they fully intend to strike a new deal this summer. Nowitzki acknowledged today that he doesn’t think it will resemble Kobe Bryant‘s massive two-year, $48.5MM extension, but he does want the team to respect his continued on-court prowess in negotiations, as Gutierrez observes (Twitter links). McMahon, in his piece, suggests Nowitzki is likely to sign a three-year, $30MM deal.
- Shawn Marion, who turns 36 on Wednesday, plans to play two more seasons, tweets Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com, noting that while there’s strong mutual interest in a return to the Mavs, the forward will also think about signing elsewhere. Still, he intends to retire as a Mav one way or another, Gutierrez notes (Twitter link).
- Soon-to-be free agent DeJuan Blair is hopeful that he’ll re-sign with the Mavs this summer, as Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram chronicles.
- We passed along news of the Mavs’ mutual interest in Devin Harris earlier today.
Mike D’Antoni Resigns As Lakers Coach
8:55pm: Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) reports that D’Antoni will receive an undisclosed portion of the $4MM he was set to earn next season as part of his resignation.
8:21pm: Mike D’Antoni has resigned as coach of the Lakers, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). D’Antoni had been having discussions with GM Mitch Kupchak over the phone in regards to his future, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. These talks were also scheduled to continue on Thursday, prior to his resignation. Although no timetable has been established, the search for a replacement will begin immediately.
The Lakers have confirmed the news on their website. Kupchak said, “Given the circumstances, I don’t know that anybody could have done a better job than Mike did the past two seasons. On behalf of the Lakers, we thank Mike for the work ethic, professionalism and positive attitude that he brought to the team every day. We wish him the best of luck.”
Medina reports (Twitter link) that D’Antoni’s agent Warren Legarie said D’Antoni hit an “insurmountable impasse” with Lakers refusing to provide assurances they will exercise his team option for the 2015/2016 season. D’Antoni had concerns about having a “lame duck” status next season.
D’Antoni, who was hired by the Lakers to replace Mike Brown on November 12, 2012, had a 67-87 record in his two seasons with the team. He previously was head coach of the Nuggets, Suns and Knicks, and has a career record of 455-426.
Goran Dragic Wins Most Improved Player Award
Suns guard Goran Dragic has won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, the league announced. He took the honor by a wide margin over Lance Stephenson of the Pacers, who finished second. Pelicans big man Anthony Davis came in third.
Dragic’s breakthrough season was a key for the Suns, who won 48 games in spite of Eric Bledsoe‘s lengthy absence with a torn meniscus. Dragic averaged 20.3 points, 6.6 more than his previous career high, set just last season. He also recorded a career mark with 40.8% shooting from behind the arc this year. He outperformed his $7.5MM salary, and he’ll make that much again next season before having the chance to opt in for one more season at that salary or hit free agency next summer.
Two other Suns garnered first-place votes for the award, as Gerald Green finished fourth while Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee was the lone voter putting Markieff Morris first on his ballot. DeAndre Jordan, Kyle Lowry, Blake Griffin, DeMar DeRozan, D.J. Augustin and Kevin Durant were the others who received first-place votes.
Rick Adelman Announces Retirement
Rick Adelman announced his retirement from coaching at a press conference today, the Timberwolves confirm (Twitter link). A parting of ways has been widely expected, and fellow Star Tribune scribe Sid Hartman wrote last week that there was “no chance” that Adelman would return. That followed a pair of reports last month that cast serious doubt on the coach’s future. The team and Adelman had a mutual option for 2014/15, and either side had the ability to walk away from the contract. He’ll remain with the team as a consultant, the team also says (on Twitter).
Tom Izzo, Fred Hoiberg and Stan Van Gundy are the team’s targets to coach next season, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported last week, though all three seem difficult targets. Hoiberg appeared unlikely to accept an offer from the team even before Iowa State gave him a raise, and report from February indicated Van Gundy probably won’t coach anywhere next season. Izzo vehemently denied rumors that he’d coach the Pistons. A more attainable replacement for Adelman could be Suns assistant coach Jerry Sichting, whom Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio identifies as a “name to really watch” in connection to the Wolves job (Twitter link). Wolves President of basketball operations Flip Saunders reportedly would like to take over as coach, but owner Glen Taylor prefers that two different people handle the top front office job and the head coaching gig.
Adelman, 67, is stepping away with the eighth-most wins in NBA history, having compiled a 1,042-749 record in 23 seasons. He arrived in Minnesota for the 2011/12 season after a three-year stint with the Rockets, but he failed to lift the Wolves into the playoffs during his tenure. He enjoyed much greater success elsewhere, leading the Trail Blazers to two Finals appearances in his first four seasons as an NBA coach and nearly guiding the Kings to the Finals in 2002, when they lost a seven-game heartbreaker in the conference finals.
Those Kings teams cemented Adelman’s reputation as an offensive wizard, but Zgoda suggested last month that if he hadn’t retired from the Wolves, the team would have declined to pick up his option for next season. In any case, the health of Adelman’s wife likely weighed heavily in his decision. He missed 11 games to tend to her during the 2012/13 season, when she was suffering from seizures, and Adelman missed time to deal with unspecified personal issues this season.
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune was the first to report the news, via Twitter. Sam Amick of USA Today confirmed the report (Twitter link). Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Western Notes: Spurs, Thunder, Bledsoe, Arthur
Spurs owner Peter Holt is stepping down as chairman of the NBA’s Board of Governors, notes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Timberwolves owner and former chairman Glen Taylor will replace him on an interim basis until a new chairman is selected in October (Twitter links)
More from out west:
- Several GMs are convinced that either Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook will leave the Thunder, given the difficulty of sharing top billing in small-market Oklahoma City, according to Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher. Neither can become a free agent until 2016.
- Suns GM Ryan McDonough is confident the team will be able to re-sign Eric Bledsoe this summer, writes Bob Baum of the Associated Press. McDonough said that the backcourt of Bledsoe and Goran Dragic is as good as any in the league, according to the article. Bledsoe is a restricted free agent and the team has repeatedly said they will match any offer another team may make, but the team hopes to work out a deal prior to the free agency period beginning, writes Baum.
- The Suns front office discussed the team’s season and their future, including the upcoming NBA Draft and the free agent signing period, writes Matt Petersen of NBA.com.
- Darrell Arthur expects to exercise his $3.5MM player option and return to the Nuggets next season, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post.
- Despite having ample cap space this summer the Lakers might just stand pat during free agency, writes Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders. It’s possible the team limits itself to possibly re-signing Pau Gasol, hoping to land a good player in the lottery, and waiting until the summer of 2015 to strike in the free agent ranks, opines Koutroupis.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Leonard, Jazz, Bledsoe, Nash
Kawhi Leonard is up for a rookie scale extension this summer, but it appears he envisions a long-term future with the Spurs, based in his comments to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. Gregg Popovich believes the small forward will become the face of the franchise once Tim Duncan retires.
“I’ve been working hard to be one of the focal points in the NBA, one of the top guys. For him to say that and see that I could be the face, it just brings joy to me,” Leonard said. “I’m just happy that someone else sees it other than myself.”
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin is on shaky ground in Utah, but soon-to-be free agent Gordon Hayward said Corbin did a “tremendous job” considering the circumstances this year, observes Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Eric Bledsoe has been non-committal in his public statements about the notion of re-signing with the Suns this summer, though teammate and neighbor Ish Smith is confident Bledsoe will return, observes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The Suns have said they intend to match any offer for Bledsoe, a restricted free agent.
- Steve Nash is fine with a reduced role on the Lakers next season, one he expects will be his last in the NBA, notes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. “They can’t rely on me, frankly,” Nash said. “Hopefully, I come back and play 82 games next year and the sky is the limit. But they can’t rely on me if they don’t know what I’m going to bring, so they got to evaluate those guys for next season.”
- There’s a “strong possibility” the Jazz will have a one-to-one affiliation with the D-League’s Idaho Stampede next season, reports Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (on Twitter). The Jazz shared the Bakersfield Jam with four other NBA teams this season.
- The Warriors recalled Ognjen Kuzmic from the D-League today, the team announced. Golden State has been shuttling him back and forth to help the Santa Cruz Warriors in the playoffs, and Kuzmic had 23 points and 18 rebounds in Thursday’s win.
- Santa Cruz beat the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who announced Thursday that the Rockets had assigned Isaiah Canaan and Robert Covington to play in the game (Twitter link). Houston brought them back to the big club today, the Rockets announced via Twitter.
Projected 2014 First-Round Draft Order
The NBA has announced the winners of random drawings that broke ties in the draft order among teams that finished with the same records. Only one of those drawings involved lottery teams, and the Jazz were the beneficiaries, snagging the fourth-most lottery combinations instead of the Celtics. It’s only a slight advantage, since the Jazz will have a 10.4% chance at the top pick, while the Celtics will have a 10.3% chance, but perhaps most importantly, Utah will pick ahead of Boston if neither move up on May 20th, when the lottery is held.
Here’s the complete order, with places determined by drawing in bold:
- Bucks
- Sixers
- Magic
- Jazz — won drawing against Celtics
- Celtics — lost drawing against Jazz
- Lakers
- Kings
- Pistons — will send pick to Bobcats if the fall to ninth or lower in lottery
- Cavaliers
- Pelicans — will send pick to Sixers unless they win one of top three picks in lottery
- Nuggets — will send least favorable of own pick and Knicks’ pick to Magic
- Knicks — will send pick to Nuggets
- Timberwolves — will send pick to Suns if Phoenix passes them in the lottery
- Suns
- Hawks
- Bulls — from Bobcats
- Celtics — from Nets; won drawing against Suns
- Suns — from Wizards; lost drawing against Celtics
- Bulls — won drawing against Raptors
- Raptors — lost drawing against Bulls
- Thunder — from Mavs
- Grizzlies
- Jazz — from Warriors
- Bobcats — from Trail Blazers; won three-way drawing against Rockets and Heat
- Rockets — finished second in three-way drawing against Bobcats and Heat
- Heat — finished third in three-way drawing against Bobcats and Rockets
- Suns — from Pacers
- Clippers
- Thunder
- Spurs
And-Ones: ‘Melo, Grizzlies, Stotts, Frye
The intersection of exit interviews for teams that missed the playoffs and a steady stream of draft-related news has made for a busy Thursday around Hoops Rumors. We’ll catch up on the latest from around the league here:
- Carmelo Anthony suggested today that he’s considered opting in for 2014/15, but he believes he’s better off hitting free agency this summer rather than waiting, according to Scott Cacciola of The New York Times (Twitter link).
- Zach Randolph‘s failure to make the All-Star Game and trigger a $438,333 bonus that had been considered likely gave the Grizzlies the flexibility to claim Beno Udrih off waivers without going into tax territory, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports explains in a piece for the Score.
- Blazers coach Terry Stotts appears nervous about his future with the club, which has yet to pick up its option on him for next season, as The Oregonian’s Jason Quick observes, wondering if the coach’s fate will be tied to the team’s postseason performance.
- Channing Frye has a $6.8MM player option for next season, but whether he opts in or not, Ryan McDonough would like to have him back, as the Suns GM said Wednesday on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, notes Dave Dulberg of ArizonaSports.com. Frye wants to negotiate an extension with the team.
- The league is considering a proposal that would tie an increased NBA age minimum to better D-League pay, sources tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Some D-Leaguers could earn between $100K and $200K per year under the plan, Deveney tweets.
- Pelicans GM Dell Demps said in a press conference Wednesday that he likes the team’s core and wants to see more of those players on the court together after an injury-plagued 2013/14, notes Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. Demps also said it would be unfair to judge coach Monty Williams, given all the injuries.
- Williams indicated Thursday that he’d like to see the Pelicans make a move to bolster their defense, particularly in the paint, as Eichenhofer writes in a separate piece.
- The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to the D-League, the team announced. The rookie center will assist the Santa Cruz Warriors in their playoff game tonight, fresh off his best performance of the year for Golden State on Wednesday.
Channing Frye Seeks Extension With Suns
Channing Frye was one of many pleasant surprises for the Suns this year, returning after having missed all of 2012/13 with an enlarged heart to play, and start, every one of Phoenix’s games so far in 2013/14. Frye has a player option worth $6.8MM for next season, the final one on his contract, but he’d like to remain with the Suns for longer than that, telling Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that he wants to discuss an extension with the team.
“I want to talk to the Suns and make sure we’re both on the same page about what I want,” said Frye, who grew up in Phoenix and went to college at the University of Arizona. “I’d love to stay here. It’s up to them and their future and what they want to do. I love wearing this uniform. I think I take a little more pride in it than everyone else because I’m from here. It’s looking for the future and if I could get something longer. I got kids and I want to be somewhere. I’ve been here for five years already so it wouldn’t be bad to kind of not be worried about being traded or buying a house.”
The Landmark Sports Agency client is eligible to sign an extension immediately, but it seems more likely that he’d do so in July after opting in, since that would allow the extension to run through 2017/18 rather than end a year earlier. If Frye opts out and signs an extension before July, the salary in the first year of the extension can’t be any less than what he’d make next season if he opts in. Otherwise, he can make anywhere from the minimum salary to 107.5% of his previous salary in the first season of an extension.
Veterans don’t often sign extensions in part because they can start out at no more than 107.5% of what they were making, though perhaps Frye, who turns 31 next month, wants to hedge against a decline in play, particularly given his medical history. Starting power forwards who can stretch the floor the way Frye does are usually worth salaries of greater than $7MM on the open market, so it seems there’s a decent chance that Suns GM Ryan McDonough and company will share his enthusiasm about an extension.