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Draft Notes: Combine, Machado, Jones, Blazers

May 22nd, 2012 at 7:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Many members of last year's draft class received recognition for their first NBA seasons today, when the league announced its All-Rookie squads. Kyrie Irving, Ricky Rubio, Kenneth Faried, Klay Thompson, Brandon Knight, Iman Shumpert, and Kawhi Leonard all earned first-team honors due to a three-way tie for the fifth spot. The second team consisted of Chandler Parsons, MarShon Brooks, Derrick Williams, Tristan Thompson, and Isaiah Thomas. Here's the latest on the 2012 draft class that will be eligible for All-Rookie accolades a year from now:

HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy interviews Kansas forward Thomas Robinson, who says he believes himself worthy of the top overall pick.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio examines Jared Sullinger's potential to succeed at the NBA level.
The NBA announced all the players who will participate in the Chicago draft combine on June 7th and 8th, and Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com passes along the list. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com points out (via Twitter) that, besides #58 Casper Ware, the top 67 prospects on DraftExpress' top 100 were all invited to Chicago.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link) takes note of a few prospects who may have improved their stocks during the weekend workouts in New Jersey. Iona point guard Scott Machado tops Ford's list.
Teams need to be careful of being wowed by Perry Jones' individual workouts and drafting him too high, one scout tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
2012 represents the Trail Blazers' most important draft since they selected Greg Oden in 2007, writes Joel Odom of the Oregonian.
Don't forget to follow Hoops Rumors' Prospect Profile series, where we've taken a closer look at many of the players expected to be drafted in the first round next month.

Latest On Trail Blazers’ GM Search

May 22nd, 2012 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

4:03pm: Mullin is not a candidate for the Blazers' GM opening, a source tells Haynes.

3:45pm: Blazers president Larry Miller says the team's process won't be accelerated or modified now that another team (the Magic) has interest in some of the candidates Portland has interviewed. Miller told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that he and owner Paul Allen could meet with a couple more candidates this week.

1:35pm: Earlier this month, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported that the Trail Blazers were eyeing current Hawks general manager Rick Sund for their GM opening. However, it doesn't appear that the interest is mutual. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com hears from a source that the Blazers' job is "not in [Sund's] plans."

Broussard initially reported that the Hawks denied the Blazers permission to speak to Sund because the team was still alive in the playoffs. It sounded at the time like that stance could change after the club's season ended, but it doesn't appear that the Hawks GM will interview for the Portland job. Sund's current deal in Atlanta expires on June 30th, so the two sides are in talks about a new contract. However, Haynes hears that retirement is also a possibility for the 60-year-old.

As for the Blazers' other potential targets, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link) reports that former Warriors GM Chris Mullin is in the mix for the Portland position. It's not clear yet if or when Mullin will be interviewing for the job.

Odds & Ends: Ainge, Gasol, Bird Rights, Shaw

May 21st, 2012 at 11:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's been a busy night both on and off the court in the NBA, as the Lakers appear to be on their way to elimination at the hands of the Thunder, while the Magic are making wholesale management changes. Here's the rest of the late-night story:

The Blazers have not asked for permission from the Celtics to speak with Danny Ainge about their GM opening, Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets.
The Rockets remain interested in trading for Pau Gasol, salary cap guru Larry Coon says, via Twitter.
Coon also believes the union will not prevail in its quest to secure Bird rights for players who were claimed off waivers (Twitter link).
Pacers assistant Brian Shaw is drawing interest for head coaching positions elsewhere, but the Pacers place a high value on him, Chris Mannix of SI.com notes (Twitter link).
Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld profiles the top five vote-getters for Executive of the Year.

GM Rumors: Blazers, Sund, Kupchak, Stern

May 19th, 2012 at 4:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

There's been plenty of front office news of late, so let's get right to the weekend's updates:

Hawks GM Rick Sund, whose contract with the team is up, has told the Hawks he's had no contact with the Blazers about their GM opening, according to Jason Quick of The Oregonian (Twitter link). Last week we heard the Blazers had asked for permission to speak with Sund, but the Hawks, who were still in the playoffs at the time, turned them down.
Quick also tweets that the Blazers have not asked for permission to interview Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak for the position.
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News writes that the NBA's new competition committee represents a power play by commissioner David Stern, who felt the old committee made up of the league's 30 GM's was too large to influence, Lawrence says. The commissioner would like to see the league adopt international goaltending rules and cut down on flopping, according to the report.

Odds & Ends: Oden, Magic, Jones, Bucks, Bosh

May 18th, 2012 at 10:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Links from around the league..

Earlier today we learned that Greg Oden will be undergoing a radical knee procedure to revive his career, but Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge (via Twitter) points out that the Trail Blazers were considering the operation way back in February.
Some out of the box thinking from Alex Kennedy of Hoops World (via Twitter) as he suggests that the Magic look into trading for Dwyane Wade or LeBron James this summer. However, Kennedy doesn't envision the Heat being forced to blow everything up.
Kentucky's Terrence Jones would give the Bucks some badly needed toughness, writes David Thorpe of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required).
Chris Bosh may have seemed like a third wheel to some, but the Heat are really missing the forward now, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

Blazers Notes: Lin, Oden, Batum, Hickson

May 18th, 2012 at 3:59pm CST by Zachary Links

It's a huge offseason for the Trail Blazers as they look to hire their next general manager and build from the ground up. Earlier this week, Luke Adams gave us an overview of what Portland will be facing this summer. Here's a look at the latest on the Blazers…

Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com wonders if the Blazers will go after point guard Jeremy Lin. Lin is likely to be retained by the Knicks but could be handcuffed by keeping him if the NBA players association's argument does not go in their favor.
Former Blazers center Greg Oden recently underwent the controversial knee procedure that Kobe Bryant underwent, sources told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Bryant has credited the operation with taking years of wear off of his body. Oden is not considering retirement, and while it's possible he could play by the middle of next season, there is no timetable for his return.
Team president Larry Miller joined Chad Doing on 750 AM The Game this morning and Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge has the goods. Miller discussed the futures of Nicolas Batum and J.J. Hickson and the club's ownership situation.

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Portland Trail Blazers

Odds & Ends: Kings, Batum, Bird, Ewing, Spurs

May 17th, 2012 at 10:02pm CST by Alex Lee

Let's keep track of some Thursday night odds and ends here as Heat-Pacers gets underway. The Clippers will look to rebound from a dissapointing game one loss later tonight in San Antonio.

Aaron Bruski of NBC Sports writes a piece providing great detail about the unfortunate business practices of the Maloofs with regard to the NBA franchise situation in Sacramento. Bruski says the Maloofs actions could lead the NBA to force them into selling.
The agent of Nicolas Batum will have all the leverage in negotiations with the Blazers this summer, writes John Canzano of the Oregonian. Batum will become a restricted free agent in the offseason.
Conrad Brunner from Pacers.com extols Larry Bird in an in depth look at the Pacers' President. In light of Wednesday's announcement that Bird won the 2012 NBA Executive of the Year award, Brunner says that the former Celtic great is as discreetly brilliant as a roster builder as he was as a player and coach. He credits Bird with changing the organizational culture by drafting wisely with middle of the first round picks and carefully managing the salary cap.
As we mentioned yesterday, Patrick Ewing interviewed for the vacant Bobcats' job today. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer says that Ewing, a prototypical NBA big man as a player, would be a coaching rarity should be get the job.
According to the New York Post, Charlotte owner and Ewing friend Michael Jordan did not plan to sit in on the interview. The Post adds that the Bobcats will also interview Memphis assistant Dave Joerger on Friday and have already interviewed Michael Malone, Nate Tibbetts, Mike Dunlap, Stephen Silas and has expressed interest in Brian Shaw.
A group of ESPN.com writers offered their take on the greatness of the San Antonio Spurs. The three popular picks for the biggest reasons for the organization's success are Tim Duncan, Greg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford, with honorable mention going to Tony Parker and owner Peter Holt. Teams should look no further than San Antonio for a blueprint on how to build a team.

Northwest Notes: Miller, Lawson, Blazers

May 17th, 2012 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The last team standing out of the Northwest, the Thunder head to Los Angeles having yet to lose a single game this postseason. As Oklahoma City looks to continue that streak, here's the latest on a couple of their Northwest Division rivals:

The Nuggets and Andre Miller have a mutual interest in bringing the point guard back to Denver for next season, according to GM Masai Ujiri (link via NBA.com).
The Nuggets' "other" point guard, Ty Lawson will be one of the top candidates for a contract extension among players heading into their fourth year, as Derek Page of HoopsWorld writes. Page estimates that five years at $60-65MM could be Lawson's price. A five-year deal would make Lawson Denver's "designated player," so we'll see if the team is willing to make that commitment.
Dave Deckard of Blazer's Edge explains why he doesn't think it makes sense for the Trail Blazers to pursue top restricted free agents this offseason.
Despite recent denials from team owner Paul Allen and commissioner David Stern, Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com sticks to his story that the Blazers' franchise might be available.

Odds & Ends: Mayo, Joe Johnson, Hawks

May 16th, 2012 at 11:03pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Here are some of tonight's miscellaneous links:

Lang Greene of HoopsWorld had his weekly chat with fans tonight. Among the significant things I took from his exchange: O.J. Mayo will most likely leave Memphis since the Grizzlies do not want to exceed the luxury tax and that Joe Johnson won't likely be dealt anytime soon.
Greene also took a look at what to expect from the Hawks this offseason. Aside from being committed to $61 MM in salaries with six roster spots to fill, the team could have some decisions to face with management and coaching as well. We reported earlier this week that current general manager Rick Sund has drawn interest from the Trail Blazers, and Greene thinks that his departure could also mean an end to Larry Drew's tenure with the team.
Kevin Sherrington of SportsDay DFW answered some questions from fans today, including an explanation of why he'd choose Rick Carlisle over Phil Jackson.
This Reuters article (via Simon Evans) examines Miami's struggles as a result of Chris Bosh's absence. The Heat players outside of Lebron and Wade were a combined 9-for-34, and Mario Chalmers was limited to 22 minutes because of foul trouble. Even with that in mind, the Heat don't appear to be fazed going into a road game against a confident Pacers team.

Mavericks, Nets Among Teams Eyeing Jeremy Lin

May 16th, 2012 at 4:36pm CST by Luke Adams

If the NBPA is successful in its appeal to allow players claimed on waivers to retain their Bird rights, the Knicks will head into the offseason in much better position to keep their free agents. But either way, New York figures to make locking up Jeremy Lin a top priority this summer.

The Knicks won't be the only team looking to sign Lin though. According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, the Mavericks, Nets, Raptors, Trail Blazers, and Warriors are among the clubs eyeing the point guard.

Because Lin will be a restricted free agent that has played two years or less in the NBA, he'll be subject to the Gilbert Arenas provision. Rival teams will be able to offer Lin lucrative, back-loaded deals, but the Knicks will be able to match any offer sheet using their mid-level exception, since the first-year salary can't exceed $5MM.

We've heard the Raptors mentioned as a possible suitor for Lin, and the Mavs and Nets both make sense, depending on whether they miss out on Deron Williams. The Blazers also figure to have plenty of cap space and a need for a point guard, as I outlined earlier today. It's hard to imagine the Warriors being serious contenders for Lin, since they won't have cap room, and have a more glaring hole at small forward.