Southwest Notes: Conley, Gasol, Martin, Cuban
Mike Conley won’t commit to staying in Memphis until he sees what kind of offseason moves the Grizzlies make, according to ESPN.com. The 28-year-old point guard, who hasn’t played since March 6th because of an Achilles problem, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer for the first time in his career. “We need to be committed to doing the things, whatever it may be and however hard the decision may be,” Conley said, “to do the right things in order to get us where we need to go.” Conley’s situation has been compared to that of teammate Marc Gasol, who re-signed quickly after hitting the open market last summer, but Conley cautions that his decision is different because the Grizzlies have regressed as a team. Coach Dave Joerger remains confident that Conley will stay in Memphis.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Gasol has some free agent advice for his brother, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Pau Gasol has expressed plans to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Bulls, and Marc Gasol says he should sign with San Antonio.
- Spurs teammates have come to accept Kevin Martin‘s odd-looking shot since he signed with the team on March 9th, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. After agreeing to a buyout with the Wolves, Martin has become a valuable part of the Spurs’ rotation, averaging 6.2 points per game and helping them sweep Memphis in the first round. The 33-year-old shooting guard has been impressed by what he has seen during his short time in San Antonio. “The culture here is real genuine,” he said. “You wake up in the morning knowing there is one goal in mind, and everybody puts their sacrifices to the forefront. It makes you want to get up in the morning, come to the gym and just work hard for these guys.”
- Playoff results won’t have any effect on the Mavericks‘ postseason plans, relays Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Sixth-seeded Dallas currently trails its first-round series with the Thunder, 3-1. “We know the guys we like,” owner Mark Cuban said. “We know our core guys and we’ll try to add to it.”
Southeast Notes: Lin, Beal, Horford, Patterson
Hornets point guard Jeremy Lin says Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson helped lay the groundwork for “Lin-sanity,” relays Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Atkinson, who will become the Nets’ new head coach once Atlanta’s playoff run is complete, aided in Lin’s development when both were with the Knicks. “I’ll text after a game at midnight, one o’clock when I go home,” Lin recalls, “and I’ll say, ‘Hey, can I look at those turnovers? Can I look at the upcoming team? How they run pick-and-rolls?’ And he’ll have the film ready when I walk into the facility the next morning. When I wasn’t playing much, we were working out before practice, and after practice, he was picking apart my game, teaching me what it’s like to play in Coach [Mike] D’Antoni’s system.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Restricted free agent Bradley Beal said he and backcourt partner John Wall both have to play better for the Wizards to be successful, according to J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The fourth-year shooting guard was limited to a career-low 55 games this season and was placed on a minutes restriction after doctors found “the beginnings of a stress reaction in his lower right fibula” in December. “It’s been a rocky year in terms of injuries, offense changing, getting used to playing with new guys on the team and adjusting to a few things,” Beal said. “We both should’ve had a better year than we had. We should’ve carried the team a little better than what we did. We both can attest to it.”
- The Hawks‘ Al Horford stands to more than double his salary in free agency and may change the perception of who deserves a max contract, writes Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Horford is making $12MM this season, but when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer after completing his ninth NBA season, he will be eligible for a contract starting at approximately 30% of the salary cap, or about $26MM. Hamilton says that may seem expensive for a player who has never averaged 20 points per game, but Horford will likely define the market for fellow free agents Pau Gasol, Dwyane Wade, Mike Conley and Harrison Barnes.
- The Hawks sent Lamar Patterson back to the Austin Spurs of the D-League to finish their playoff series, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Journal Constitution. Atlanta recalled Patterson on Friday after Tim Hardaway Jr. suffered a groin injury.
Eastern Rumors: Bulls, Celtics, Pistons, Sixers
Bulls GM Gar Forman wouldn’t rule out the idea of trading Jimmy Butler when asked Wednesday night, notes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Both Forman and Executive VP of Basketball Operations John Paxson made it clear no one on the roster is truly off-limits for a trade, Johnson writes, and changes are coming to coach Fred Hoiberg‘s coaching staff, sources tell Johnson. Still, Hoiberg will be sticking around, Paxson confirmed, according to Johnson, and owner Jerry Reinsdorf issued a statement backing Forman and Paxson. Paxson confirmed the Bulls would like to re-sign Joakim Noah, Johnson also notes.
See more from Chicago amid news from the Eastern Conference:
- The Celtics refused to give up Jae Crowder in trade talks with the Bulls before the deadline, scuttling any realistic possibility of a trade, league sources tell Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago. Jimmy Butler‘s name reportedly was the center of those discussions, though Goodwill hears they spoke with teams about Derrick Rose and confirms earlier reports that they had Pau Gasol trade talks, too.
- The Bulls were on board with a trade that would have involved Pau Gasol, Tony Snell and Kirk Hinrich going out and Kosta Koufos and Ben McLemore coming in from the Kings, but Sacramento withdrew from those talks when the Sixers, who were to be included as a third team, insisted the Kings relinquish a second-round pick, Goodwill hears. Sacramento was also reluctant to give into the Bulls’ desire to reduce the top-10 protection on the 2016 first-rounder the Kings owe them, according to Goodwill.
- The Cavaliers made it a priority to sign a perimeter defender like Dahntay Jones as insurance for Iman Shumpert instead of a point guard to offset the injury to Mo Williams because they envision LeBron James running the point in a pinch, accoriding to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. The Cavs inked Jones earlier today as Williams reportedly headed to New York for further examination on his sore left knee.
- Coach Brett Brown said the replacement of GM Sam Hinkie with new president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo won’t result in a change to the team’s playing style, and he called for the front office to focus on strong defenders and veteran big men as they seek offseason upgrades, observes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Brown also spoke highly of Elton Brand, Pompey notes. Brand is heading back into free agency and isn’t sure he’ll keep playing.
Bulls Notes: Felicio, Gasol, Forman, Hoiberg
The recent performance of Cristiano Felicio offers more proof that the Bulls should have traded Pau Gasol before February’s deadline, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. The Brazilian rookie center had 16 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes in Saturday’s win over Cleveland, and coach Fred Hoiberg chose to use Felicio over Gasol late in the game. Friedell gives executives Gar Forman and John Paxson credit for finding Felicio, but contends it was foolish to keep Gasol as part of the future when he will turn 36 this summer and can become a free agent. Gasol has already expressed an intention to opt out, which means the Bulls may get nothing in return when they could have picked up assets and created playing time for Felicio and rookie Bobby Portis.
There’s more news out of Chicago:
- Forman worked hard to land Felicio, according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com. The Bulls GM had been watching him for several years as he moved to the United States and made a failed attempt to become eligible to play at Oregon. After Felicio returned to Brazil, Forman traveled there to scout him in several tournaments and signed him to the Bulls’ summer league team.
- There’s plenty of blame to go around for a failed season, contends K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Chicago is almost certain to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2007/08, and Johnson says the responsibility goes from the front office to the coaching staff to a mismatched roster. Forman has carried the most influence behind the scenes, according to Johnson, as he was the leading proponent of hiring Hoiberg and of passing on a chance to deal Gasol to the Kings. Johnson notes that the front office is now less enamored with Gasol, as re-signing center Joakim Noah has become a higher offseason priority. Forman also angered the locker room by trading popular veteran point guard Kirk Hinrich to Atlanta to cut the Bulls’ luxury tax payment by more than $2.5MM.
- Despite complaints about Hoiberg, the coaching staff is expected to remain mostly intact for next season, Johnson writes in the same story. Management believes the problem this year was that the core of the team was kept together too long. One possible change is assistant Randy Brown could return to a front-office position. Brown is liked by players, Johnson relays, and some view him as Forman’s direct link to the coaching staff.
Bulls Notes: Hoiberg, Butler, Gasol
Coach Fred Hoiberg believes the perception that he didn’t coach the Bulls hard enough began after Jimmy Butler‘s comments in late December, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Hoiberg then clarified his statement, downplaying the assumption that his remark was meant to be a shot at Butler, as Johnson passes along. (Twitter link). Butler was critical of Hoiberg’s laid-back demeanor following an early season loss to the Knicks. The Bulls are reportedly considering the idea of trading Butler this offseason, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical. However, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders hears that Butler is the last guy the team wants to trade.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- The playoff hopes for the Bulls are all but gone and Pau Gasol believes this year didn’t go as planned because the team played much of this season without a “sense of urgency,” writes Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. Gasol added that the team also lacked awareness and maturity.
- Hoiberg believes his relationship with his players is solid and he is going to emphasize nurturing those relationships over the summer, Friedell passes along in the same piece.
- When asked if he would change his coaching style, Hoiberg said he would at least evaluate it this summer, Johnson relays in a separate tweet. The Bulls have Hoiberg under contract through the 2019/20 campaign.
Bulls Favor Re-Signing Noah Over Gasol?
The Bulls have apparently cooled somewhat on their desire to re-sign Pau Gasol and now may be favoring an attempt to ink center Joakim Noah to a short-term deal instead, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. Chicago had resisted trade overtures for Gasol prior to the February trade deadline and GM Gar Forman referred to him as part of the team’s core, adding that the Bulls were the clear favorites to re-sign the big man this summer.
Gasol, who is planning to opt out of his deal for 2016/17, said in February that how the team played down the stretch would influence his decision. With Chicago going just 12-15 since the veteran made that proclamation, it would appear that Gasol is now considering alternative options to Chicago, Johnson notes. “Nothing is set right now. I will evaluate what I need to when the time comes,” Gasol said Thursday night. “The way the team has responded to adversity and finished up the season has been disappointing.” The 35-year-old has had a strong campaign for the franchise, averaging 16.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.0 blocks in 71 appearances.
The Tribune scribe notes that while the Bulls have yet to formalize their offseason plans, there is a strong bond between the front office and Noah, who has long been the emotional leader of the team. However, there is no guarantee that Noah will return to the Windy City, as he has had some issues with coach Fred Hoiberg this season. Johnson points to the apparent disconnect between Hoiberg and Noah regarding the center’s shift to a reserve role, with Noah disputing Hoiberg’s assertion that he had volunteered to do so. “I never said I want to come off the bench,” Noah said shortly after the start of the season. “I said I’ll do what’s best for the team.”
Noah has been linked to the Magic as a potential free agent target, though only speculatively at this point. The 31-year-old had surgery on his separated left shoulder on January 19th, with a projected recovery time of four to six months, and he’s only appeared in 29 games this season, notching averages of 4.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 21.9 minutes per contest. The Bulls already have $65,766,154 in guaranteed salary committed for 2015/16, and that will limit how much the team is willing and able to commit to Noah, whose injury history may make the notion of him inking a short-term deal a fallback option at best, though that is merely my speculation.
Which player would the Bulls be better served to re-sign for next season? Sound off with your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.
Bulls Notes: Gasol, Butler, Rose
It would be a surprise if Pau Gasol is on the Bulls next season, posits K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link), and the latest remarks from the All-Star big man seem to back that up. Gasol said after the trade deadline that the way the team played in the season’s final two months would affect his decision about whether to re-sign this summer after he opts out to hit free agency, and he conceded after Thursday’s loss that the Bulls have staggered to the finish, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com relays. The Bulls, for their part, aren’t as intent on re-signing Gasol as they were in February, Johnson wrote last week.
“Nothing is set right now,” Gasol said. “Definitely, I will evaluate what I need to when the time comes. But the way the team has responded to adversity and the way we finished up the season has not been so far great, and it’s been disappointing. So at the end of the day, when the time comes, I will evaluate things. It’s hard to finish the season like this. It’s not finished, but we’re in a very, as we know, extremely difficult position, so everything will be thought of and considered.”
See more from Chicago:
- Jimmy Butler is the last guy the Bulls want to trade, if they make a trade at all this summer, according to the prevailing thought from inside the team, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Chris Mannix of The Vertical earlier heard that the Bulls appeared to be considering the idea of trading Butler.
- The Bulls will probably look to draft a point guard this summer after changing their plan to do so last year when Bobby Portis fell to them at the No. 22 pick, Johnson writes. Still, coach Fred Hoiberg doesn’t think Butler is better off when incumbent point guard Derrick Rose isn’t on the floor, as Johnson relays. “We’ve gone with Derrick to finish off some games and obviously Jimmy to close out a lot,” Hoiberg said. “When they have played together, it’s basically whoever has the better matchup or whoever has it going. We’re obviously a better team when Derrick is out there.”
- Butler hasn’t shown the leadership befitting the five-year, $92.34MM contract he signed last year, but it makes more sense on a practical level to trade Rose than it does to trade Butler, the Tribune’s David Haugh opines.
Central Notes: Gasol, Butler, Caldwell-Pope, Cavs
The Bulls aren’t as intent on re-signing Pau Gasol, who plans to opt out and hit free agency this summer, as they were after the trade deadline in February, when GM Gar Forman referred to him as part of the core, sources tell K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Gasol is open-minded about hearing from other teams, Johnson adds, though it’s unclear if that’s a change from earlier, when Johnson identified the Bulls as the front-runners to re-sign him. Gasol said in February that how the team played down the stretch would influence his decision. Chicago has gone 11-12 since the All-Star break.
See more from the Windy City amid news from the Central Division:
- Bulls brass is reportedly thinking about trading Jimmy Butler, but teams would have to make overwhelming offers to get Chicago to bite, Johnson writes in the same piece. Some in the organization nonetheless believe Butler’s personality has changed over the last year, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Coach Fred Hoiberg denied Thursday that any idea about trading Butler would come from tension between them, Johnson notes, and for what it’s worth, Butler made it clear he wants to remain with the Bulls, as Friedell relays. “Jimmy and I have a very good relationship,” Hoiberg said. “Obviously I have a lot of trust in Jimmy, putting the ball in his hands late in games. I communicate with Jimmy as much as anyone on this team. I obviously think the world of him for how hard he pushes himself and how much he just has improved over the years with his work ethic. That rubs off on the other guys.”
- The Pistons often use Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to defend point guards, and his versatility and durability are earning high praise from coach/executive Stan Van Gundy, who thinks he should be in the discussion for the NBA’s All-Defensive teams, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press examines. “He should get consideration, for sure,” Van Gundy said. “I think that every night he draws our toughest perimeter assignment, and he’s played absolutely huge minutes. It’s not easy to do. It’s not like you can go out there and just use all your energy for 6 minutes and get a rest. Put those two things together, and I think he should definitely get consideration.” Caldwell-Pope will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
- LeBron James and the Cavaliers are essentially in the same position in their second year since reuniting as the Heat were in their second LeBron season, struggling to live up to expectations, observes SB Nation’s Tom Ziller. The key is the playoffs, where the Heat made a title run that year, Ziller writes.
J.R. Smith To Drop CAA, Hire Klutch Sports
J.R. Smith is in the midst of parting with agent Leon Rose and the Creative Artists Agency and plans to sign with Rich Paul of the LeBron James-backed Klutch Sports Group, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It’s the latest step in the growing bond between Smith and James, who’ve strengthened their connection on the court and off since Smith arrived in Cleveland via trade in January 2015, Haynes writes. Smith is on an unusual two-year contract that includes a player option and partially guaranteed salary for next season.
That deal came at the end of a frustrating summer for Smith, who turned down a player option worth nearly $6.4MM and lingered on the market for about two months before agreeing to a $5MM salary for this season. The partial guarantee on next season’s $5.375MM salary is worth only $2.2MM, though it increases to a full guarantee if he remains under contract through September 7th.
Smith will join James and fellow Cavs teammate Tristan Thompson as clients of Paul. The swingman represents the latest score for Klutch, which also landed Ben Simmons, a prime contender for the No. 1 overall pick who announced his selection of Klutch on Wednesday. John Wall left Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports to sign with Paul earlier this season. CAA has also otherwise had a strong year so far, landing Joel Embiid as well as soon-to-be free agent Pau Gasol.
The 30-year-old Smith has had a reputation for inconsistent play and stirred controversy in the past, but he was recently cleared of any wrongdoing in a case involving an incident outside a New York nightclub. Coach Tyronn Lue is impressed with Smith’s growth, as Haynes relays.
“Just talking to him the other day after the game, just hearing his maturity. I think him taking that step he took this summer, I think that’s helped him off the court,” Lue said. “And then on the court, every night, he’s giving us effort every single night. He’s playing hard. He’s competing and that’s all we can ask of J.R. It’s been good because I’ve known him since he was 18 years old, just to see the growth and how he’s matured over the years.”
And-Ones: Gasol, Kentucky, Johnson, D-League
The Bulls‘ Pau Gasol, who has said that he will likely opt out of his contract this summer, admits he probably won’t be fully healthy for the rest of the season, relays K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Gasol missed his fourth straight game tonight with a swollen right knee, but he’s not giving any thought to ending the season early. He believes he can return to the court this week, possibly by Monday. “I was trying to play through it, trying to manage it for a while actually,” he said. “But after that Miami game, the knee just gave out. I had that swelling and reaction and obviously the alarms went off. Hopefully, it’s not going to get worse.”
There’s more tonight from around the world of basketball:
- As many as six Kentucky players could be headed to the NBA draft after the Wildcats were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament today, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Combo guard Jamal Murray and big man Skal Labissiere, both freshmen, are projected to be lottery picks in the latest mock draft compiled by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. He ranks Murray as the seventh pick and Labissiere as No. 10. Sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis projects at No. 26 and freshman guard Isaiah Briscoe is No. 39. Junior Marcus Lee and senior Alex Poythress aren’t in Givony’s mock but could become draft-eligible if they choose.
- The Pelicans won’t sign Orlando Johnson to another 10-day contract, tweets Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate. New Orleans signed Johnson on March 9th using a hardship exception.
- The Kings have assigned power forward Eric Moreland to their D-League affiliate in Reno, the team announced today. A fractured metatarsal in his left foot has forced Moreland to miss 41 games this season. He has appeared in five games for the Kings, scoring four points in 24 minutes.
- The Spurs have recalled shooting guard Jonathon Simmons from their D-League team in Austin. The rookie is averaging 5.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 48 games with San Antonio.