Atlantic Notes: Nets, Van Gundy, Sixers, Celtics
Stan Van Gundy's name has been linked to the head coaching search in Milwaukee and the potential opening in Los Angeles, should the Clippers part ways with Vinny Del Negro, but it doesn't appear he'll be targeted by the Nets. ESPN.com's Chris Broussard reported earlier this week that Van Gundy wasn't on Brooklyn's list, and Chris Mannix of SI.com echoed that report on Mike Bianchi's Open Mike radio show in Orlando.
"I've spoken to sources who've told me … Stan Van Gundy is not a candidate," Mannix said. "It's possible that Jeff Van Gundy could get a call, but from what I understand Stan Van Gundy is not a top candidate for that job."
Here are a few more notes from around the Atlantic Division:
- A source tells Josh Newman of SNY.tv that there's a 90-95% chance of 2011 second-rounder Bojan Bogdanovic joining the Nets for the 2013/14 season. Earlier in the week, GM Billy King indicated he was hoping to bring Bogdanovic stateside this year.
- Sixers players won't be deciding on the team's next head coach, but if they did have a vote, it sounds as if it would go to current assistant Michael Curry. As John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes, both Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner endorsed Curry for the position.
- Most of the interviews conducted by the Sixers as they search for a new coach will take place during or after next week's predraft camp in Chicago, according to Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com.
- Will the long-rumored Celtics' rebuild finally get underway in earnest this summer? Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld makes a case for why the C's should let things ride with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett for one more year.
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Broussard spoke to one of the NBA's top assistant coaches about the most desirable current or potential head coaching jobs this summer. The unnamed assistant ranked the Nets' job as the top option, with the Raptors and Sixers coming in at fifth and sixth, respectively.
Nets Rumors: Blatche, Shaw, Bogdanovic
It was an eventful weekend for the Nets, who fell to the Bulls in the first round's only Game Seven, then announced that interim coach P.J. Carlesimo wouldn't be retained as the team's permanent coach going forward. This year's offseason won't be as eventful as last year's for the Nets, but it still figures to be a crucial one. Here are a few updates out of Brooklyn as the club looks ahead to its coaching search and to free agency:
- If it's up to free-agent-to-be Andray Blatche, he'll be a Net again next year, as he told reporters, including Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. "I can’t tell you 100% yet. But that’s the plan for me," Blatche said. "I like it here, I got my second chance here and I’m loyal to being here. We just have to see what happens."
- Pacers president Donnie Walsh told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that Pacers assistant Brian Shaw will be permitted to speak to the Nets about their head coaching vacancy once Indiana's season is over. Based on Bondy's report, it's not entirely clear if the Nets have already asked to speak to Shaw or whether Walsh simply expects Brooklyn to reach out.
- The Nets are hoping to add 2011 second-round pick Bojan Bogdanovic to their roster for the 2013/14 season, according to GM Billy King (Twitter link via Bondy). Previous reports have indicated that Bogdanovic, who was drafted 31st overall two years ago, has an NBA out this summer on his contract in Europe.
- Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post thinks current Celtics coach Doc Rivers would be an ideal fit in Brooklyn, and suggests that King ought to at least explore the possibility of prying Rivers away from the Nets' division rival.
Josh Smith Rumors: Tuesday
Last night, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that many teams around the NBA are convinced that the Hawks will move Josh Smith by Thursday's trade deadline. Stein cited the Celtics as one team with interest, but wrote that he couldn't see them giving up Paul Pierce in a deal for Smith. We'll likely hear a few more rumors and rumblings on Smith today, so we'll round all those up in one place, with the latest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Nets' latest offer includes Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and either a first-round pick or the draft rights to Bojan Bogdanovic, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy says the strangest rumor he's heard involves Josh Smith and filler (possibly Zaza Pachulia) going to the Knicks for Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert.
Earlier updates:
- ESPN's Chris Broussard tweets that although the Suns have been in touch with the Hawks regarding Smith, a deal is very unlikely.
- The Hawks called the Clippers and asked about acquiring Eric Bledsoe in a Smith trade, but the conversation was short, according to Broussard, who says the Clips aren't really interested in Smith (Twitter link).
- Broussard adds in a second tweet that Smith heading to the Suns in a package headlined by Marcin Gortat is "unlikely."
- Most of the offers the Hawks have received so far for Smith have been underwhelming, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
- Several members of the Warriors organization tell Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (Sulia link) that they think Smith would be an ideal fit in Golden State. However, the club wouldn't want to give up Klay Thompson or Harrison Barnes for a free-agent-to-be, so a trade is "improbable at best."
Odds & Ends: Timberwolves, Nets, Daniels
- In a Q&A with Mike Wells of IndyStar.com, Danny Granger said that he will try to take things slow through training camp after experiencing irritation in his knee this summer. He also mentioned that he would play if the Pacers were currently in the regular season, adding that the team is just being cautionary right now.
- Paul Flannery of WEEI.com provides a comprehensive breakdown of the Celtics' moves this offseason, complete with some input from coach Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge.
- Tyson Chandler told Tim Bontemps that his workouts with Hakeem Olajuwon have been going very well, says Marc Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link).
- After recently signing an extension in Boston, Keyon Dooling talked about his abrupt decision to retire from the NBA (Jessica Camerato of CSNNE reports).
- The Kamenetzky Brothers of 710 ESPN in Los Angeles took to their radio show to discuss Steve Blake's injury and the possible opportunities for Chris Duhon and Darius Morris, Kobe Bryant's ESPN ranking at number six, and Jason Terry's recent comments about the Heat and Lakers.
International Rumors: Okur, Mirotic, Owens, Uzoh
At various points during the offseason, Mehmet Okur has been linked to the Timberwolves and other clubs, but the reports usually point to the same roadblock: Okur is seeking more than the minimum salary. It's possible some NBA team makes Okur an offer worth more than the minimum, but it appears he may have a better chance at that kind of money overseas. TrendBasket.net passes along a Turkish report suggesting that Galatasaray Medical Park of Turkey is interested in Okur, and could potentially offer him $2-3MM per year. Here are a few more of the morning's international notes and rumors:
- Nikola Mirotic tells Enric Corbella of Marca.com (English link via HoopsWorld) that the Bulls know his situation with Real Madrid and respect his contract. Mirotic, the 23rd overall pick in 2011, has a number of years left on his contract in Spain, but will have the opportunity to opt out and join the Bulls before it ends.
- Two players that received 10-day contracts in 2011/12 may be on the verge of leaving their French teams. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along French reports suggesting that Gravelines may part ways with Larry Owens, and that Ben Uzoh's time with Cholet may be nearly over.
- Unicaja Malaga coach Jasmin Repesa said that his team would love to add Bojan Bogdanovic, who is under contract for two more years with Fenerbahce (link via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Bogdanovic was drafted with the 31st overall pick in 2011's draft, with his NBA rights now held by the Nets.
International Rumors: Marbury, Freeland, Koponen
A number of this morning's items of note relate to overseas players, so let's round them up in one place:
- Stephon Marbury has high praise for the Chinese Basketball Association and doesn't intend to return to the NBA even if there's interest, according to Sina.com (Chinese link; translation via HoopsHype).
- British forward Joel Freeland, who was picked by the Trail Blazers in the first round of the 2006 draft, would cost $1.5MM for Portland to buy out, according to Cesar Nanclares of TuBasket.com (Spanish link; translation via HoopsHype). A number of international clubs are also interested in Freeland, though his buyout to play elsewhere would be even more expensive ($3.1MM).
- Nets' 2011 second-rounder Bojan Bogdanovic confirmed to Kosarka.org (Croatian link) that he met with GM Billy King, but says coming to the NBA isn't up to him, according to HoopsHype.
- Earlier this week, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passed along an interview between Petteri Koponen and Il Corriere di Bologna, in which the point guard said he expects to talk to the Mavericks this summer. The Mavs own the rights to the 30th pick in the 2007 draft, and the Dallas Morning News looks at the possibility of Koponen coming to Dallas for next season.
Nets Rumors: Deron Williams, Bogdanovic, Lopez
The Nets, who hold the 57th overall pick, are holding a workout today at their practice facility for roughly two dozen fringe draft prospects. They'll also be hosting a free-agent mini-camp next week, the team announced, and it will likely involve another set of guys trying to play their way onto the end of a team's bench. Here's the rest of the day's news from Brooklyn:
- Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record rounds up what Deron Williams has said and done since the end of the season to indicate his willingness to re-sign with the Nets.
- GM Billy King said Bojan Bogdanovic, a 6'7" swingman currently playing in Turkey, would like to join the Nets, but he remains under contract with his European team, writes Sportando's Emiliano Carchia. The Nets acquired Bogdanovic's NBA rights through a draft-day trade last year, but King did not sound optimistic about him coming to Brooklyn for next season, Carchia says.
- Restricted free agent center Brook Lopez is "progressing nicely" in his recovery from the ankle injury that ended his season, King told reporters, including Brendan Prunty of the Star-Ledger. King qualified those remarks by saying Lopez is still not running or jumping, as we heard earlier today.
- Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News looks at Zack Rosen, a prospect whom the Nets could target to fill the backup point guard role. The 6'1" Rosen, who played through what might be a broken thumb at the combine today, hopes to follow the path of another Ivy League point guard: Jeremy Lin.
New York Notes: Williams, Nets, Bogdanovic
Yesterday, we learned that Nets point guard Deron Williams was set to meet with owner Mikhail Prokhorov and General Manager Billy King in Istanbul, Turkey. Here's more on the pow-wow and other items out of the New York area..
- Williams spoke with Prokhorov at the Euroleague game yesterday and had "a good conversation", but there was no formal meeting as other reports suggested, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
- King tweeted that he had a good meeting with 2011 second-round pick Bojan Bogdanovic. The swingman is currently under contract with Turkey's Fenerbahçe Ülker and came to the Nets through a pair of draft day trades.
- Phil Jackson's girlfriend Jeanie Buss told “Mason and Ireland” on ESPN 710 that she believes the former Lakers coach will eventually return to the sidelines, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. League sources told Kennedy that the Knicks haven’t contacted Jackson as of yet, but they’re expected to reach out to him in the coming weeks.
Williams Meets With King, Prokhorov In Istanbul
The Euroleague's Final Four is underway in Istanbul, and there are a few interesting names among those in attendance. Deron Williams, Nets GM Billy King, and Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov are at CSKA Moscow's semifinal today against Panathinaikos, according to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
We already knew King would be on hand in Istanbul to meet with Nets' 2011 draft pick Bojan Bogdanovic, but to have Williams and Prokhorov there as well is a promising sign for the Nets. Even if it's not necessarily a concrete indicator that the star point guard is leaning toward re-signing with Brooklyn, Williams' presence alongside the Nets' brass can't hurt. It also suggests the team's front office is continuing to keep him in the loop on potential moves and roster decisions.
Besides meeting with Bogdanovic, the Nets also will be keeping an eye on Andrei Kirilenko, who is playing for CSKA Moscow. Recent reports suggesting the Nets had a handshake agreement with Kirilenko were shot down, but Bontemps says the team has been monitoring the Russian forward's play overseas. For his part, Kirilenko is undecided about where he'll be playing next year, as he recently told Reuters' Zoran Milosavljevic.
"I have a huge history with the Utah Jazz and they are a priority for me among the 30 teams competing in the NBA, while CSKA are just as close to my heart in Europe," Kirilenko said. "When the Final Four is over I will weigh my options and make a decision."
Billy King Talks Nets’ Offseason
Nets GM Billy King took a look ahead to the offseason today, discussing the next steps for his team with a number of beat reporters. Here are the highlights, courtesy of Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, and Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger (all links via Twitter):
- Bondy tweets that King wanted to sign Gerald Green to a long-term contract but could only offer him the veteran's minimum.
- Earlier this morning, Bondy said he thought Deron Williams was leaning toward re-signing in Brooklyn. King also says he feels "pretty good" about the point guard returning to the Nets. The GM identified Williams, Brook Lopez, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, and Gerald Green as core pieces.
- The Nets don't expect Wallace to opt into the final year of his contract, and intend to sign him to a multiyear deal. Wallace, who said last week that he doesn't want to play on a one-year deal, has to make his decision official by June 15th, so the team could either extend him or negotiate a new deal in free agency.
- King doesn't know how many of the club's 11 potential free agents will be re-signed, but says the Nets have plenty of cap space and the potential to create even more.
- The goal is to "win now," says the GM.
- King will travel to Istanbul next week to meet with Bojan Bogdanovic. The Nets' 31st overall pick in last year's draft has another year remaining on his contract overseas.