Northwest Notes: Jazz, Thunder, Rubio, Blazers
It's been a disappointing postseason so far for the Northwest, one of two NBA divisions to only send a pair of teams to the playoffs. One of those teams, the Nuggets, was upset in the first round, while the other, the Thunder, lost its second-best player to a season-ending knee injury. Oklahoma City is still alive, but after last night's loss, the Thunder will head to Memphis needing to win a game at the FedExForum to recapture the upper hand in the series. As we look forward to that series continuing, let's round up a few items from out of the Northwest….
- Given Utah's "Core Four" and its cap flexibility, GM Dennis Lindsey believes there are plenty of teams who'd love to "trade spots" with the Jazz this summer, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News writes.
- Despite how well Nate Robinson is playing for the Bulls these days, the Thunder shouldn't regret negotiating a buyout with him prior to the 2011/12 season, according to Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman.
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link) hears from sources that Ricky Rubio's family was disappointed with the ouster of former Timberwolves GM David Kahn, since Kahn was the one who rolled the dice on drafting Rubio knowing he couldn't come stateside right away. While nothing may come of it, it's still a situation worth watching, says Bucher.
- In his latest mailbag at Blazer's Edge, Dave Deckard fields questions on Meyers Leonard, trade possibilities, and more Trail Blazers topics.
- The Nuggets and the NBA announced earlier this morning that George Karl has been named 2012/13's Coach of the Year.
Odds & Ends: Celtics, Wolves, Blazers, Hunter
The Celtics made quite an attempt at a comeback, both in the series and in tonight's Game Six, but ultimately the Knicks polished off Boston this evening to set up a second-round date with the Pacers. The loss left some in Boston's locker room wondering about their futures as they spoke with reporters. Coach Doc Rivers isn't entirely sure he'll want to come back for next season, but he anticipates he'll opt to return to the bench when he makes up his mind this summer. Rivers isn't certain Kevin Garnett will come back, either, though that decision is up to KG. For his part, Garnett says he's not ready to make up his mind, but suggests the team's decision on whether to keep Paul Pierce will have heavy influence.
Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com rounds up more comments from the C's as they begin their offseason, and as they ponder their next moves, here's what's happening elsewhere across the NBA:
- Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune examines Glen Taylor's decision to abandon the idea of selling the Wolves, and points out the owner's cryptic remarks about his plan to keep the team in Minnesota.
- Sources tell Henry Abbott of ESPN.com that the Trail Blazers paid the Wolves $1.5MM to settle their dispute over Martell Webster, and Abbott explains how the outcome can be considered a coup for ousted Wolves GM David Kahn.
- Lindsey Hunter isn't assured of remaining the coach of the Suns, but if he's bounced, he shouldn't count on a soft landing with the Pistons, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
- On the eve of Game Seven against the Nets, Sam Smith of Bulls.com answers reader questions about Derrick Rose and the Bulls' offseason plans.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders if soon-to-be free agent Kirk Hinrich's postseason performance has made him too expensive for the Bulls to re-sign.
Coaching Notes: Pistons, Bucks, Sampson
We'll have to wait until July for most of this summer's player movement, but a handful of coaches are already on the move. Here's the latest on a pair of head coaching searches and a Trail Blazers assistant heading south:
- A new candidate has emerged in the Pistons' head coaching search, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who reports that Detroit is eyeing Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer. Wojnarowski says Joe Dumars traveled to San Antonio and met for several hours with Gregg Popovich's top assistant earlier this week. The Pistons are also expected to line up a meeting with Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson when possible, says the Yahoo! scribe.
- Despite their reported interest in Sampson, the Bucks haven't asked for permission to speak to him yet, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, noting that the Bucks are still free to talk to Sampson's agent.
- Sampson himself told reporters, including John Rohde of the Oklahoman, that he won't talk to any interested teams until the Rockets/Thunder series is over "one way or the other."
- The Bobcats have requested and received permission to interview Lakers assistant Steve Clifford, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
- Former Blazers interim head coach and current assistant Kaleb Canales is leaving Portland to take on a similar assistant role with the Mavericks, according to Jason Quick of the Oregonian (Twitter link). Canales will replace offensive coordinator Jim O'Brien, who is retiring from coaching, Rick Carlisle tells Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (Twitter link). As TNT's David Aldridge points out (via Twitter), this isn't the first time Carlisle attempted to get Canales to Dallas.
Damian Lillard Wins Rookie Of The Year
Damian Lillard won a unanimous vote for the Rookie of the Year award, the Trail Blazers have announced (Twitter link). The honor comes as no surprise, since Lillard swept this season's Rookie of the Month awards. The only drama involved whether Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal or anyone else would garner a first-place vote or two, but that didn't happen. Davis and Beal finished second and third, respectively. Lillard is just the fourth unanimous selection for the award, joining Ralph Sampson (1984), David Robinson (1990), and Blake Griffin (2011).
The Blazers selected Lillard sixth overall last year, using a draft pick they acquired from the Nets at the trade deadline. The point guard from Weber State made an instant impression, averaging 26.5 points per game in four summer league contests. He put up 19.0 PPG during the regular season to finish second behind LaMarcus Aldridge on the team in scoring, and Lillard led the league in minutes played. He averaged 6.5 assists and 3.0 turnovers per contest, a ratio that proves there's still room for improvement.
Even so, Lillard is already one of the league's best bargains on his rookie-scale contract. He made just $3,065,040 this year, and his four-year deal is worth only $13,845,167
Blazers Notes: Lillard, Robinson, Babbitt
Here is the latest out of Portland, where the Blazers missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season:
- The Blazers released a statement that they will be making an announcement tomorrow at the Rose Garden. As Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge suggests, all signs point toward point guard Damian Lillard being announced as the NBA's Rookie of the Year on Wednesday. A couple of notes on Lillard courtesy of Golliver; the rookie led the NBA in minutes and won all six Rookie of the Month awards in the Western Conference. No surprise here.
- In a separate post, Golliver wonders whether the Blazers will have interest in Bulls guard Nate Robinson, who will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. Robinson went to school in Washington and is a Seattle native.
- Oregon Live asks Blazers fans whether the team should retain free agent to be Luke Babbitt in their "You be the GM" series. The Blazers declined Babbitt's fourth year option in October. If Babbitt walks, the Blazers will likely look to replace his outside shooting ability in free agency or the draft.
Western Notes: Suns, Morrow, Jamison, Smith
The Rockets avoided being the second Western Conference team to be swept out of the first round last night, defeating the Thunder to send the series back to Oklahoma City. While we wait for that series to resume on Wednesday, tonight's schedule features a pair of Western matchups, including a chance for the Warriors to pull off a first round upset and eliminate the Nuggets. Here are a few updates out of the conference as we look forward to the evening's games:
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (via Sulia) confirms reports that Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman is the frontrunner to be the next Suns' general manager, adding that president Lon Babby was eyeing Weltman back before the team hired Lance Blanks. Bucher also echoes another rumor we heard recently, writing that the valuation of the Kings has owner Robert Sarver wondering "if it's time to cash out."
- As he continues his look at the Mavericks' free-agents-to-be, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com predicts that Anthony Morrow will sign a veteran's minimum contract this summer.
- Antawn Jamison, who underwent wrist surgery today after missing his exit interview yesterday, isn't expected to return to the Lakers next year, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
- Nolan Smith won't be back with the Trail Blazers next season, but he's looking forward to free agency, as he tells Susan Bible of HoopsWorld.
Jermaine O’Neal Interested In Trail Blazers
After a pair of relatively unproductive years in Boston, Jermaine O'Neal bounced back this past season with the Suns, averaging 8.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and a 16.7 PER in 55 games. O'Neal will be a free agent again this summer, and the Trail Blazers are one team he'll definitely be considering, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
"I'm very open to Portland. They're definitely a team I'm looking forward to having talks with this summer," O'Neal said. "LaMarcus [Aldridge] and Damian [Lillard] along with [Nicolas] Batum are some great pieces to build around. All they need to do is shore up the bench and add a paint presence on defense and they'll be right there. It's hard to put that type of stress on your starting five and I know I can help ease some of that stress."
It was Portland that drafted O'Neal in the first round of the 1996 draft, taking him as an 18-year-old out of high school. The veteran big man hasn't played for the Blazers since the 1999/2000 season, but he hasn't forgotten the opportunity the franchise gave him.
"That city has always been in my heart because one: Mr. [Paul] Allen gave me my opportunity, and two: that city took me in as their second child," O'Neal said. "I didn't play for two or three years but you couldn't tell. The organization and the fans really allowed me to grow at my own pace. It's a special place to me. I met my wife in Portland. At this point for me, it's all about competing and winning and the Blazers are doing those things."
The Blazers figure to have a decent chunk of cap space to use in free agency this summer, and GM Neil Olshey has talked about trying to sign two or three bench pieces using that room. One area of need for the team is in the middle, so it wouldn't be a surprise if O'Neal's interest in Portland was reciprocated this offseason.
Western Notes: Mayo, Wright, Beverley
- Fresh off of his 16-point, 12-rebound, and six assists performance against Oklahoma City, Rockets guard Patrick Beverley isn't fazed at all by the playoff atmosphere, crediting the hostile environment from his experiences in Europe for his ability to handle the pressure now (Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets writes): “It’s different here. You have cities versus cities, states versus states. There, it’s countries against countries. I’ve played in games and got hit in the face with quarters, played with my face bleeding. I’ve played in hostile environments a lot. The first round of the playoffs I can deal with.”
- Max Ogden of Sheridan Hoops gives an update on Kostas Papanikolaou, the 48th selection of last year's NBA draft by the Knicks whose draft rights were later traded to the Trail Blazers. The 22-year-old forward has continued his progression for the defending Euroleague champion Olympiacos.
- NBA commissioner David Stern commended the Rockets for how they handled Royce White's situation, saying "we'll see what happens" with regard to White's future (Reid Laymance of Ultimate Rockets).
- This NBA.com article focuses on Andre Miller, who at age 37 is leading the third-seeded Nuggets in his quest to get out of the first round for the first time in nine playoff appearances.
Wojnarowski On LeBron, Cavs, Brown, Aldridge
Now that the Cavaliers have made it official, announcing that Mike Brown has returned as the team's head coach, one looming question is what effect the hire will have on Cleveland's potential pursuit of LeBron James in the summer of 2014. LeBron told the Associated Press (link via Cleveland.com) that he's "very happy" for Brown, adding that he's a "really good coach," but would James be interested in playing for his former coach again? Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tackles that subject in his latest column, so let's round up the highlights….
- One former Cavs staffer told Wojnarowski that "the way Mike had to bend for LeBron weakened him as a leader. They'd be crazy to put him through that again. It's pointless."
- One league source tells Wojnarowski "there are still some scars" when it comes to Brown and the Cavs, primarily centered on the coach's relationship with Dan Gilbert, who fired him in 2010.
- Agent Rich Paul has created anticipation for LeBron's possible return to the Cavs in 2014, but according to Wojnarowski, "the idea of returning as the conquering hero is probably much more romantic than reality." Wojnarowski suggests that it's "unfathomable" that James would trade Miami, Erik Spoelstra, and Pat Riley for a return to Cleveland.
- According to Wojnarowski, the Cavs have privately pitched the idea of trading young players and draft picks to the Trail Blazers for LaMarcus Aldridge.
- Such a deal with Portland is unlikely to ever happen, says Wojnarowski, since the Cavs value their young players like Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters more than other teams around the league do.
Olshey On Jeffries, Aldridge, Offseason, Maynor
Blazers GM Neil Olshey addressed the media to wrap up the 2012/13 season, and we've got the highlights below, courtesy of Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge..
What went into the decision behind waiving Jared Jeffries?
"Jared was well aware that we were always going to have to waive him. He was part of a sign-and-trade where we had to do three years. His second year would have been guaranteed within five days after the end of the season. We felt it was appropriate to handle while he was here. He was a player that we we were going to have to renounce anyway to create the maximum amount of cap room. As we told Jared, we'll look into it again at the end of the summer. If we have a need and he doesn't have a job, it's something that we can discuss. Right now, where this organization is going, we need every ounce of cap room we can get to create the best roster possible."
What improvements do you need to make this summer?
"It's obvious. We had a tough time protecting the rim, we had a tough time giving up points in the paint. That's not an indictment of J.J. Hickson, we asked a 6-foot-9 power forward to play center every night in a league against the Marc Gasols, Roy Hibberts, Dwight Howards, etc. Even last night against Andrew Bogut. J.J. performed admirably but that's a hole we need to shore up. We've got to get our interior defense better. That's my job, whether it's by draft, trade or free agency, to make sure that's not a hole that Terry walks into next training camp having to address."
Does players recruiting other players actually work or is money the overriding factor in free agency decisions?
"Max money to max players is always a good idea. [Recruiting] is big, guys want to play with guys who are about the same stuff and who are trying to win. The best voice for your organization is your players. How they're treated, the resources they have, how they're coached, how they prepare for games, how aggressive the front office is, how invested the owner is.
All of those things, LaMarcus Aldridge has a larger sample size of anyone in the organization, he's been here the longest, and I think he knows that Paul is going to drive anyone who works for him to build this as quickly as possible. If LaMarcus can embrace and endorse what we're doing, there's more credibility there sometimes than a general manager who is recruiting or a coach or his agent who is negotiating the deal on a player to player level. I think that the bigger, stronger advocates of guys like Damian, LaMarcus and Nic can be for us, the easier free agent recruitment will be for us."
Will you tender a qualifying offer to Eric Maynor?
"It's more strategic than complex. Eric has a very significant cap hold. We really like Eric. We made the moves because we want him to be a part of our future but there are realities to how strategically we can maximize the amount of room we have, the mini-mid level that we have and the draft pick. Who knows? Our roster may look far different come July 1 which can affect what we do as well. Eric, Andy Miller, everybody knows we are going to maximize every tool that we have knowing that we are taking into consideration that we want Eric back with us."