Pacific Notes: Young, Meeks, Hornacek, Kings
It appears likely that Nick Young will opt out of his contract, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, though there’s mutual interest in keeping him in purple-and-gold. The team also likes soon-to-be free agent Jodie Meeks, Bresnahan adds, and while Meeks has spoken of his desire to remain a Laker, the Times scribe believes the shooting guard will probably command a tidy raise from his $1.55MM salary this season. Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Within a story noting that Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg must pay the school $500K if he accepts an NBA head coaching or GM job, Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register reveals that Jeff Hornacek is making $2MM as coach of the Suns this year. Hornacek reportedly has a four-year deal with a club option in the final season.
- The Kings are debating whether to re-sign Royce White for the season, and they’re enamored with his play, professionalism and the way he’s meshed with teammates, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. White’s second 10-day contract with Sacramento expires tonight.
- Sean Cunningham of News 10 Sacramento hears it was a failed physical that derailed Chris Johnson‘s deal with the Kings (Twitter link). The team is reportedly adding Willie Reed instead.
Western Notes: Lakers, Suns, Lowry, Jordan
The NBA has parameters in place to ensure the relationship between Lakers president Jeanie Buss and now-Knicks president Phil Jackson doesn’t become an issue, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. NBA spokesman Mike Bass told Shelburne the following: “The Knicks’ hiring of Phil Jackson is subject to the league’s conflict of interest rules. To avoid even the appearance of a conflict, we have addressed the issue with the Knicks and Lakers to ensure that the relationship between Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson will not affect how the teams operate.”
We heard yesterday that Buss recently met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on this very topic. Shelburne followed up on Twitter, adding that Buss and Silver had similar conversations last year when Jackson considered working for Toronto or a new Seattle franchise. In short, because Buss’ role with the Lakers is on the business side, the league approves, Shelburne says, an explanation that agrees with what we heard from Buss earlier today.
Let’s take a look at what else is going on out west:
- In an interview with Zach Lowe of Grantland, Goran Dragic conceded that he was baffled this offseason when he heard the Suns acquired Eric Bledsoe, but his agent and Suns’ management swiftly assured him that the team envisioned an all-point guard backcourt not unlike the early ’90s Phoenix duo of Kevin Johnson and (current head coach) Jeff Hornacek.
- Two seasons after shipping him to Toronto, Daryl Morey unsuccessfully attempted to bring Kyle Lowry back to the Rockets at the trade deadline, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The Villanova product, who also nearly ended up in New York, is playing his way into a big-time contract this summer, when Lowry becomes a free agent. We heard earlier tonight that he could be a fit in Dallas.
- A lot of the credit for DeAndre Jordan‘s progression with the Clippers should go to Doc Rivers, writes Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated. Rivers, in his first year with the Clips, did his homework on the talented but underacheiving center prior to arriving in Los Angeles, and the results have been more than encouraging.
Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Brown, Green
Earlier today, the Sixers dropped guard Eric Maynor in order to sign forward James Nunnally to a 10-day deal. More from the Atlantic..
- Phil Jackson knows what it takes to win, but Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal wonders if he should be credited with building the teams that he has previously coached. Carmelo Anthony recently praised the Hall Of Famer as rumors swirled that he was Knicks-bound, but Schlosser wonders if he can do enough to live up to those expectations.
- Sixers coach Brett Brown told reporters, including Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com, that a true rebuild takes time. “That is the en vogue angle,” Brown said. “I think if you ask Kevin Durant about the 20-win season he had, he seems to be doing just fine. I think when you look at those teams that have had a chance to rebuild, losing is a long-gone memory. To truly rebuild and grow something is going to take three to five years. That is just the way it goes. It is too talented a league and too well-coached. The experiences we are going through now will be distant memories when these guys start getting older. They will find positives in this season and Michael Carter-Williams will be better for it.”
- In today’s column, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe catches up with Gerald Green, who seems to have found a home with the Suns. “When you go places in life that you think you’ll never go, you change a little bit,” the former Celtics draft pick said. “You mature a lot faster. I knew something had to change. It either was going to be me or I wasn’t going to be back in the league. That made it an easy decision for me to change. Two years ago, I was nowhere to be found. Now I’m older, more mature, understand that this is not a hobby, this is a job.”
Western Notes: Hayward, Wolves, White
Leandro Barbosa thought he was heading back to the Celtics when he received a call from Suns GM Ryan McDonough, he tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Barbosa knew McDonough from his stay in Boston, and didn’t know he had been hired as the GM in Phoenix. “I didn’t know that until I got the call,” Barbosa said. “So when I got the call, I was surprised. I thought Boston was interested in myself. But then he (McDonough) explained it to me. ‘Oh, you’re in Phoenix?’ I was happy either way, just to get the opportunity to go back to the NBA.” Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Jazz standout Gordon Hayward tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that he’s excited for his upcoming restricted free agency. “It’s weird to think about,” Hayward said, “just because it’s been four years and you kind of see yourself as staying with whatever team you get drafted by. But we’ll see where it goes. I can’t worry about it now. I’m just excited about where it can go.”
- Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders scouted the Big 12 Tournament yesterday, and is doing the same at the SEC tournament today, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
- The Kings’ addition of Royce White, who might get his first playing time in the NBA soon, on consecutive 10-day contracts is a small gamble that an organization like Sacramento must take, writes Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. While White is looking for a team that can accommodate his mental health issues and offer him an opportunity in the summer league and beyond, the Kings aren’t thinking much beyond the coming days. “I see Royce as a mature guy who is trying to get where he needs to go,” Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro said. “There is untapped potential. Can he get there? That’s really going to be up to him. I have to give him credit. A lot of players would not have been willing to come to the D-League, and we spoke about that from the beginning. And he’s already come in here and done some good things. We’ll look at the full 10 days, then make a decision on where to go from there.”
Western Notes: Fisher, Warriors, Barbosa
Thunder guard Derek Fisher has said that he plans on calling it quits after this season, but Kevin Durant plans on speaking with his family this offseason about allowing him to delay his retirement, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter) adds that the last time she spoke to Fisher, he joked that retirement was still the plan but he’d “go to Montana for a week after the year, then decide.” More from the Western Conference..
- The Warriors announced that they have assigned guard Nemanja Nedovic to the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League. Nedovic has appeared in seven games (five starts) for Santa Cruz this season, compiling averages of 15.6 points, 3.7 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.14 steals in 26.6 minutes.
- Leandro Barbosa, who is recovering from a hand injury, doesn’t expect to return until the playoffs, the guard told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. The 31-year-old is averaging 7.5 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.6 APG in 18.4 minutes per game this season for the Suns.
- The Blazers announced that they have assigned rookie guard Allen Crabbe to the NBA Development League’s Idaho Stampede. The 21-year-old is averaging 2.0 points, 0.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 4.9 minutes in 12 games for the Trail Blazers this season. Acquired by Portland in a draft day trade with Cleveland, Crabbe was the 31st overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft out of California
And-Ones: Harris, Murphy, Edwin, Dirk
With the D-League trade deadline in the rear view mirror, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest looks back at the biggest transactions of the year. The L.A. D-Fenders’ acquisition of Manny Harris tops the list. The Lakers‘ affiliate got Harris from the Canton Charge in exchange for a 2014 second round draft pick and the guard currently leads the NBA D-League in scoring average and even earned a call-up after a month in L.A. Here’s more from around the Association..
- The 76ers plan to workout D-League guard Kevin Murphy, an audition that could lead to 10-day deal, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Murphy is averaging ~26 PPG for the Idaho Stampede.
- James Nunnally will also get a workout with the 76ers, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Nunnally had two 10-day contracts earlier this season with the Hawks.
- Seton Hall standout Fuquan Edwin hasn’t seen a whole lot of Ws during his collegiate career but he’s still happy with his time in South Orange, New Jersey. “It’s definitely been a pleasure playing at the university with the great coaching staff that we have,” Edwin told Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders. “I think coach helped me tremendously in developing my game. We haven’t really won games or got far in my career, but it has definitely been a blast overall playing these last four years.” Barring a surprise run in the Big East tournament, Edwin’s collegiate career is on the verge of coming to an end. The small forward is currently projected to be taken late in the second round by DraftExpress.
- Stars who stick with one franchise are getting increasingly rare, but Mavericks
big man Dirk Nowitzki is an exception, writes Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer. “I basically grew up in Dallas,” Dirk said. “I came over here at 19 or 20 and now I’m 35. I’ve spent half of my life here. It is important for me to be a Maverick because I have deep connections with this franchise. The fans supported me through disappointing playoff losses. They were always by my side as I grew as a player. I can’t see myself playing for another franchise.” - Suns coach Jeff Hornacek is targeting Wednesday’s game versus Washington for a return of injured guard Eric Bledsoe, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Bledsoe will initially be coming off of the bench.
- Earl “The Pearl” Monroe threw his support behind former teammate Phil Jackson who could be taking over the Knicks front office, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Western Notes: Bledsoe, Daniels, Mekel
Suns guard Eric Bledsoe is expected to make his return from injury Wednesday night against the Cavs. His minutes will be limited at first, but the player is ready to go “full-throttle”, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. How Bledsoe performs the rest of the season will have a huge impact on his next deal, writes Coro. Before he went down with an injury, the future restricted free agent averaged 18.0 PPG and 5.8 APG. After starting the season 19-11, the team has cooled slightly and gone 17-14 without Bledsoe.
More from around the west:
- The Rockets have sent Troy Daniels to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA D-League, tweets Jason Friedman of Rockets.com. In two games with Houston, Daniels has averaged 2.5 PPG in 3.5 minutes.
- Gal Mekel has been recalled from the Texas Legends of the D-League by the Mavericks, the team announced via press release. In 30 appearances for Dallas, he has averaged 2.4 PPG, and 2.1 APG in 9.6 MPG. Mekel has appeared in three games for the Legends this season and averaged 9.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.3 APG, and 1.3 SPG in 27.7 minutes.
- One name that is expected to be mentioned in future free-agent rumors is Bobby Brown, whose season just ended in China, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Brown has already been mentioned as a possible target of the Clippers. Brown averaged 30.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 5.8 APG, and 1.6 SPG for Dongguan this season.
- Mavs owner Mark Cuban would like to see the NBA expand the draft from its current two round format, writes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’d like to see four rounds so you can draft guys overseas, get more guys drafted that are your property so you can try to develop them,” Cuban said.
Pacific Notes: Gasol, Bledsoe, Lakers, Gay
As expected, Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe tells Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic that he will likely return to the court this Wednesday (Twitter link). How well Bledsoe plays following a two month absence will impact both the Suns hopes for the playoffs as well as what kind of offers he will field during restricted free agency this summer. Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Rudy Gay has been having the best stretch of his career with the Kings, but it’s a bittersweet accomplishment considering he’s doing it for a losing team in Sacramento. For the second season in a row, Gay has been traded from a playoff team to a non-contender, and he spoke with reporters including James Herbert of SB Nation about being moved from the Raptors, only to see them turn around and contend for the Eastern Conference’s third seed. “They’re a playoff team,” Gay said. “Of course I’d like to be a part of that. I’m in Sacramento now and I have to build this team. We don’t know if that would have happened if I were there, too. It happened early in the season. Nobody knows.”
- Prior to Thursday night’s games against the Clippers game on TNT, Kobe Bryant told Ric Bucher he believes there’s an 80% chance Pau Gasol will return to the Lakers next season, per a broadcast transcription from Matthew Moreno of Lakers Nation. (H/T Serena Winters)
- In a series of tweets, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com laments the fact that Phil Jackson is likely headed to the Knicks instead of becoming a more influential part of the Lakers. The legendary coach was spurned by the Lakers in favor of Mike D’Antoni early last season, and it appears the complicated relationship he has with the Buss family will ultimately prevent a front office reunion.
Western Links: Bledsoe, Watson, Carter
Eric Bledsoe is scheduled to return to game action for the Suns sometime in the next week, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. He will be back on the court either Monday at the Clippers, or Wednesday at home against the Cavs. Before he went down with an injury, the future restricted free agent averaged 18.0 PPG and 5.8 APG. After starting the season 19-11, the team has cooled slightly and gone 16-14 without Bledsoe.
More from the west:
- Chris Haynes of of CSNNW.com details the choice that Blazers guard Earl Watson will have to make this off season between continuing his playing career or coaching.
- 37 year-old Vince Carter believes he can play two more seasons, according to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). The Mavs swingman is averaging 11.9 PPG in 24.3 minutes per contest this year. Carter will be an unrestricted free-agent after the season.
- Mike Trudell of NBA.com looks at the dividends the recently acquired Kent Bazemore is paying for the Lakers. Since being picked up, he has averaged 15.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 2.5 APG while playing 32.5 MPG. Trudell also looks at whether this production is worth the team considering keeping him around beyond this season.
Odds & Ends: Knicks, Dragic, Mavericks
This summer, the Knicks will have a load of expiring 2015 contracts, including Tyson Chandler, who could be used as a pawn in a trade bid for Timberwolves forward Kevin Love (Marc Berman of the New York Post). One league source didn’t mince words when commenting about New York’s chances at dealing for the 6’10 big man, telling Berman: “They’re selling New York fans land in New Mexico.’’
Carmelo Anthony recently spoke about Love’s game, and when specifically asked about the similarities between them as stretch-fours, Anthony didn’t see a comparison: “I didn’t know we had similarities…He’s a guy who became a stretch 4 but never was a stretch 4. He worked on his shot, his 3-ball and stretching the floor and spreading the floor out. He can also go inside. He’s one helluva rebounder. He’s a big load. He’s gotten better every year since been in the league and still is.’’
Here are more miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight:
- Former NBA coaches George Karl, Avery Johnson, and P.J. Carlesimo weighed in on the state of the Knicks, the Warriors‘ title hopes, and who should have been moved during the trade deadline, among other topics (ESPN Insiders only).
- The Suns are poised to make their first postseason appearance since the 2009/10 season, thanks in large part to an All-Star caliber season from Goran Dragic. The 27-year-old point guard recently shared his thoughts on the season with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, speaking with the confidence one would ideally expect from a seasoned veteran: “I’m more relaxed…I know all of the situations I’m put in and I know how the opposing teams are going to guard me. I’m just more relaxed. It feels like I’m playing basketball with my friends back home, with no pressure. I just go out there and do my job. I’ve gotten some great support from my teammates and I’m just having fun. It’s not like I’m thinking too much or anything. I’m just having fun.”
- Luol Deng and Marcin Gortat are two players that the Mavericks should go after in free agency this summer, opines Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW.
- Brad Stevens’ emphasis on establishing a winning culture along with the players’ continued commitment toward playing hard is proof that the Celtics haven’t given up on the season just yet, explains Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston.