Odds & Ends: Woodson, Van Gundy, Jazz, Perkins
With an exciting night of NBA playoff madness still underway, we take a break from the action to catch up on the latest news and happenings from around the league.
- Mike Woodson has done more than enough to get a shot at coaching the Knicks for an entire season, writes Neil Best of Newsday (subscribers only).
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today says Stan Van Gundy would like to return to the Magic next season but realizes that decision is not entirely up to him.
- The Jazz could have a busy offseason ahead of them as they look to add depth at the point guard and power forward positions, reports HoopsWorld's Derek Page.
- The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry thinks Kendrick Perkins' health is a big question mark as the Thunder look ahead to the second round of the playoffs.
- The Plain Dealer's Mike Pettica has the latest updates on the Cavs' plans for the upcoming NBA draft.
- Mavs center Brendan Haywood discusses in a radio interview why adding Deron Williams to the roster would pay huge dividends for the team in the immediate future.
- The signing of Shane Battier has proven to be fruitful for the Heat especially considering the defense he has been playing against Carmelo Anthony, writes Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News.
Mavericks Rumors: Mahinmi, West, Williams, Kidd
Here's the latest on the Mavericks, who are expected to be one of the NBA's busiest teams this summer:
- Ian Mahinmi reiterates to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he "really" wants to remain a Maverick.
- Delonte West would also like to return to Dallas, though Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas thinks it's unlikely. West is hopeful that he's played well enough to earn a multiyear deal in free agency, says Caplan.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News outlines how the Mavericks can create cap room to offer Deron Williams a maximum contract. Sefko argues the Mavs could have about $23MM in cap space to spend on free agents if they amnesty Brendan Haywood and renounce most of their own free agents, but I'm not sure the math adds up. Cap holds for empty roster spots and partial guarantees for players like Vince Carter and Lamar Odom will make it tricky to offer Williams a max deal without making another move or two.
- The Mavs' offseason isn't necessarily a case of Williams-or-bust, says Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- Jason Kidd still feels like he can help a team win, and hopes that happens in Dallas, writes Earl K. Sneed of NBA.com.
Mavs Rumors: Williams, Terry, Nowitzki
With the Mavericks' season in the books and an important summer looming, news and rumors continue to roll in from Dallas. We rounded up yesterday's Mavs-related items here, and today's can be found below:
- Mavs players are ready to roll out the welcome mat for Deron Williams, says Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News argues that this season's struggles and cap decisions will all be worth it if the Mavs can land Williams this summer.
- Earlier this weekend, Marc Stein of ESPN.com heard from a source that the odds of Williams signing in Dallas are considered no better than about 50-50.
- Sefko examines which free agents the Mavericks could target if they miss out on Williams.
- Mavs GM Donnie Nelson says the team would love to re-sign Jason Terry, but suggests the decision may come down to Terry's price tag.
- Price identifies five questions the Mavs will have to answer this summer, which he says could be the team's busiest offseason ever.
- Dirk Nowitzki would be very open to sharing the Dallas spotlight with another star player, writes Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
- We previewed free agency for two Mavs guards yesterday: Jason Terry and Jason Kidd.
Mavs Notes: Odom, Mahinmi, Kidd, Williams
There's been plenty of news out of Dallas today after the defending champion Mavs were swept out of the playoffs by the Thunder. Let's round up what we've heard today, with the latest news on top:
- Mavs players decided not to give Lamar Odom a share of the nearly $282K in playoff money the team earned in its first round loss to the Thunder, reports Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- Ian Mahinmi probably isn't atop the lengthy offseason to-do list of the Mavs, but the unrestricted free agent center says he'd like to return to Dallas, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (Twitter link).
- Despite speculation to the contrary, Jason Kidd says he won't have any influence on where fellow free agent Deron Williams signs, but Shawn Marion has a to-the-point recruiting message he hopes will inspire the Nets point guard to come to Dallas, as Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes.
- Jason Kidd plans to continue his career with the Mavs and hopes that he can recruit Deron Williams to join him and Nowitzki in Dallas, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. There is speculation, though, that Kidd will sign wherever Williams ends up even if that means returning to the Nets organization in Brooklyn. Kidd and Williams share the same agent in Jeff Schwartz, which would seemingly make negotiations easier.
- Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News says Nowitzki wants the Mavs to sign players that can create their own shots and do something dynamic on the court like the Thunder's Big 3. "We need some guys that can make plays for themselves," Nowitzki said. "That's pretty obvious. If you look at all the top teams now, they have at least two-three guys they can throw the ball to and they do their thing."
- Jason Terry may have played his last game for the Mavs after spending eight seasons with the team, reports Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. The former Arizona star is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career and will explore his options before settling on a new home. Terry, 34, was traded to Dallas in 2004 by the Hawks after spending five seasons in Atlanta where he was the team's first-round pick in 1999.
Kyler On Williams, Nash, Gordon, Mayo, Hibbert
In his NBA AM column at HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler shares the latest rumblings on a handful of this summer's top free agents. Here are the highlights:
- It's far from a done deal, but the general feeling around the Nets is that they're in the driver's seat for Deron Williams. Kyler names the Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Magic as other teams that figure to aggressively pursue the point guard.
- Steve Nash continues to tell people that returning to Phoenix is a "real and viable option." Kyler points out that even if Nash ends up elsewhere, the Suns could work out a sign-and-trade to get something out of it.
- It's nearly a lock that Eric Gordon will be retained by the Hornets, but it's not clear how high the bidding will go. The Hornets were unable to agree on an extension with Gordon earlier this season, and while that was due in part to not having new ownership in place yet, there are also questions about the 23-year-old's durability.
- According to Kyler, there's a good chance O.J. Mayo doesn't become a restricted free agent this summer, since a qualifying offer would put the Grizzlies over the tax line. If Memphis doesn't extend a qualifying offer, Mayo would be eligible for unrestricted free agency.
- Kevin Garnett would like to finish his career with the Celtics.
- The Pacers are prepared to match just about any offer for Roy Hibbert, and will let the market set the price for their center.
- The Nets hope to deal with Brook Lopez's free agency after working out some of their other situations, but Lopez could disrupt their plans if he signs an offer sheet with another club early in the free agent period.
Odds & Ends: Raptors, Bulls, Magic, Frye
Here are this evening's miscellaneous stories:
- Lang Greene of HoopsWorld had his weekly chat with fans tonight. Among the more significant things he talked about were the chances that Tyreke Evans gets shopped this summer, the Nets pursuing Kevin Garnett if Deron Williams leaves, the Hornets matching any offer for Eric Gordon, and Portland being the realistic destination for Goran Dragic.
- With $12MM in cap space before the draft, Bryan Colangelo talked about the Raptors' approach going into the offseason: "If there was going to be a year to make a bigger splash, whether in free agency or utilizing the space to acquire players by trade, I felt that would be better served in a subsequent season and that’s probably this summer" (Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld reports). Colangelo also told Brotherston that he and Ed Stefanski will be very active in terms of placing and entertaining calls with other GMs in the upcoming weeks and months.
- Scoop Jackson, Melissa Isaacson, and Jon Greenberg of ESPN cover a few topics on the Bulls, including how Derrick Rose's injury will affect Chicago's title hopes over the next two years, whether Luol Deng should immediately get surgery and skip the Olympics, and Carlos Boozer's reliability in the playoffs.
- Magic GM Otis Smith traveled to Los Angeles to check on Dwight Howard as he recuperates from surgery, according to Illiana Limón and Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. While there had been speculation that Howard is estranged from the franchise, Smith and Magic CEO Alex Martins say that he hasn't asked for a trade.
- Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times provides a "to-do list" for the Nuggets if they are to have any chance at beating the Lakers.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas wonders if the Mavericks should make strategic defensive adjustments on Russell Westbrook or just hope that he starts missing mid-range jumpshots.
- An article posted on Suns.com reports that Channing Frye underwent successful surgery on his right shoulder today.
Mavs Notes: Deron, Chandler, Barea
The latest news and notes surrounding the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night:
- SportsDayDFW's Eddie Sefko has a mailbag column in which he outlines several reasons why Deron Williams should consider signing with the Mavs, most notably Williams' roots in the area and the opportunity to play with Dirk Nowitzki.
- Sefko also notes that the contracts of Nowitzki and Shawn Marion expire the same year, which could potentially allow the team to sign another star to pair with Williams while the guard is still in his prime.
- SportsDayDFW's Brad Townsend writes that the Mavs are feeling the loss of Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea, both of whom left the team in free agency before the season.
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.
Deron Williams Leaning Toward Re-Signing?
The Nets made their Brooklyn move official this week, and now the summer's big question is whether Deron Williams will be joining them there next season. According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), everything he's hearing suggests Williams is "leaning toward" re-signing with the Nets. However, Bondy cautions that there are still plenty of variables in play, including the playoffs, the draft, and other free agent decisions (Twitter link).
Given the Nets' poor season and a handful of comments made by Williams over the course of the year, speculation has increased that the star point guard will be signing with the Mavericks or another non-Brooklyn team. When we asked last week whether Williams would re-sign with the Nets, more than 77% of poll respondents said no.
While it's still too early to say with any certainty what Williams is thinking, there have been some promising signs for Nets fans in the past week or two. The 27-year-old came away impressed after another visit to Brooklyn's Barclays Center, and told Bondy that he doesn't see a perfect situation out there in free agency. Nets coach Avery Johnson also expressed some optimism that Williams would be back next season.
Once he turns down his player option and tests free agency, as expected, Williams figures to have a handful of very interested suitors, but only the Nets could guarantee him a max contract of five years rather than four.
Odds & Ends: Cavs, Deron, Suns, Iverson
While we try to survive the first day in two months with no NBA games, let's check in on some odds and ends from around the league:
- Chris Grant spoke to Cleveland media today about the Cavaliers' future and Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal has a pair of interesting quotes from the GM. Grant says the team will have about $20MM in cap space but will be careful about how they use it, and adds that the Cavs "love" this year's draft.
- Asked if there was a perfect situation for him in free agency, Deron Williams replied, "No, not with enough cap space to sign a max player" (via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News).
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic talked to a handful of Suns facing free agency, all of whom expressed some interest in returning to Phoenix.
- Allen Iverson, currently in China for an NBA Legends Tour, didn't rule out the possibility of playing in the CBA next year, says Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com.
- Scottie Pippen told ESPN 1000 in Chicago that he could see Phil Jackson returning to coaching and thinks he'd be a great fit for the Knicks. ESPNChicago.com has the details.
- Restricted free agent D.J. Augustin would like to return to the Bobcats, telling Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) that he loves "the city, the people and the organization."
- With the draft odds set, ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider-only) takes a look at some potential targets for the lottery teams.