Wojnarowski: Trail Blazers Dealing With ‘Rejection’
9:58pm: In a tweet, The Oregonian's Jason Quick says Donnie Walsh has not interviewed with the Trail Blazers, and that a former GM with a long history in the NBA was recently interviewed by owner Paul Allen.
9:30pm: Yahoo! Sports' NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski told John Canzano on Portland's 750 AM The Game radio show that the Trail Blazers are having difficulty in their search for a new general manager. Due to Portland's questionable hierarchy, and Paul Allen's looming uncertainty regarding whether or not he'll keep the team, Wojnarowski says the franchise is experiencing rejection from several current general managers who they've reached out to.
One possible candidate who's already been linked to the position is Indiana GM David Morway. According to Wojnarowski, with current team president Larry Bird expected to leave, Reggie Miller and Donnie Nelson are both in the mix to find work in the Pacers front office, overcrowding things and giving Morway incentive to leave. If they don't land Morway, the Trail Blazers could be forced to look at less experienced candidates who're currently serving in assistant roles.
Coach/GM Notes: McMillan, Petrie, Woodson, SVG
As teams continue to play their final games of the 2011/12 season, jobs on NBA benches and in NBA front offices will begin to open up. Already, rumors are swirling about who could be on the hot seat and who could be in line for a new position, so let's round up a few Monday morning coach and GM updates….
- It seems likely that Nate McMillan will return to an NBA bench soon, and the former Trail Blazers coach isn't necessarily interested in a win-now position, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. "Coaching is coaching," McMillan said. "It would be a new beginning for me. Young team or a veteran team….If you're saying, 'I'm just looking for a veteran team,' that's not true." There has been some speculation that McMillan could be a fit for the Bobcats.
- McMillan's old team in Portland is seeking a GM, and Kings president Geoff Petrie has been cited as a possible candidate. Victor Contreras of the Sacramento Bee says that if the Blazers are interested, Petrie should listen, given Sacramento's uncertain future.
- On a conference call with reporters this morning, Knicks coach Mike Woodson dismissed questions about his future with the team: "Right now, it's not about Mike Woodson and my contract… I'm still coaching this team and the job is not done."
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel doesn't believe Dwight Howard and Stan Van Gundy have "kissed and made up" and says it would be impossible for both to return to the Magic next season.
Central Notes: Morway, Bucks, Hamilton, Hammond
There's plenty of news out of the Central Division today, with the Bulls on the brink of elimination against the Sixers while the Pacers are in command against the Magic. The latest updates are at the top:
- Pacers GM David Morway responded to Friday's news that the Blazers are interested in him for their GM position, telling The Oregonian's Jason Quick that he's "flattered" but "right now I'm focused on the playoffs and focused on our team.'' He could also be in line for a promotion in Indiana if president of basketball operations Larry Bird steps aside, but Morway said no interview has been scheduled with Portland and he'll evaluate his options at a later date. (All Twitter links).
- Though Forbes ranks the Bucks as the NBA's least valuable franchise, there's little reason to worry that Milwaukee will go down the same path as Seattle did with the Sonics, writes Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Richard Hamilton, who's strugged in three straight losses, hasn't been giving the Bulls what they expected when signed him before the season, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes.
- In a roundup of candidates for the Blazers GM job, Sam Amick of SI.com says multiple sources have told him the Bucks have denied GM John Hammond permission to interview for the position. Last month we heard about the mutual interest between Hammond and the Blazers, but Friday's joint press conference between Hammond and Bucks owner Herb Kohl seems to indicate that the Bucks will be keeping their GM.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star sat down with commissioner David Stern to talk Pacers and other topics. Stern says he's not concerned about the team's lagging attendance, which ranked 26th in the regular season this year.
- John Paxson, vice president of basketball operations for the Bulls, recently underwent surgery to try to correct a heart arrhythmia, according to an ESPN.com report. Paxson said in a statement released by the team that the procedure has been planned for over a month. The news of his health trouble came out in comments made by Sixers coach Doug Collins after today's game.
Blazers Interested In Pacers’ GM David Morway
The newest reported candidate for the Trail Blazers' general manager opening is another current NBA GM — David Morway of the Pacers. According to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Portland has requested and received permission to speak to Morway, who is expected to meet with Blazers president Larry Miller in the next week or so.
Morway, who has been Indiana's GM for four years, is considered the right-hand man of Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird. Before he worked for the Pacers, Morway also had a front office MLB job for the San Diego Padres and served as the president of agency Professional Excellence Sports.
Miller said this week that he isn't sure how many candidates the Blazers will interview, noting that he wants the process to be thorough so the team doesn't have to go through it again anytime soon. However, the Blazers president added: "If we talk to somebody and this is our guy, that would be the end of it."
Steve Kerr, John Hammond, Mitch Kupchak, and Geoff Petrie are among the names that have been linked to the Blazers' search.
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: Wallace, Draft, Raptors, Blazers
Thursday afternoon links from around the NBA:
- Ben Wallace is still on the fence about retirement, Pistons teammates Tayshaun Prince tells Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. "One side is telling him it is time to spend time with the family and relax a little bit," Prince said. "And then the other side is saying I still have more left in the tank."
- With the NBA having officially released the full list of early entrants for June's draft, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link) and Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com provide brief commentaries on each of the players in the draft pool, from Anthony Davis to Erik Austin (who?).
- Speaking of the draft, this year's lottery has been officially scheduled for May 30th at 7:00pm CT at Times Square Studios in New York, as Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. You can find the tentative draft order and lottery odds here.
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun examines a number of free agents the Raptors might keep an eye on this summer.
- The Trail Blazers could look into signing one or both of former draft picks Joel Freeland and Victor Claver this offseason, acting GM Chad Buchanan told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune.
Latest On Trail Blazers’ GM Search
Team president Larry Miller and other members of the Trail Blazers' front office continue to conduct interviews for the club's general manager opening, says Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune. Eggers has a number of updates related to Portland's search, so let's round them up:
- Miller isn't sure how many candidates the team will interview. "We want to make sure with our decision. I don't want to have to do this again," Miller said, adding: "If we talk to somebody and this is our guy, that would be the end of it."
- The Trail Blazers met with Steve Kerr in April, and Kerr says the two sides "exchanged a lot of ideas" and that he learned a lot about the organization. However, he also reiterated that, while the situation intrigues him, he's not interested in the position right now.
- Geoff Petrie is considered a possibility for the opening and remains "highly regarded" by members of the Blazers' organization, says Eggers. Petrie expects to remain in his front office role in Sacramento though: "At this point in my career, I'd like to see us turn the corner (with the Kings), given our circumstances the last four years."
- While acting GM Chad Buchanan remains a candidate for the job, Miller says no interview is necessary for Buchanan, who has worked in the organization for eight years.
- Members of the Blazers' front office have been making visits to college campuses to learn more about potential draft targets, though Miller and Buchanan both say trading a pick or two for a veteran player is a possibility.
Odds & Ends: Nuggets, Howard, Hornets, Celtics
It was a rough night for the Knicks in South Beach. First, the Heat went up 2-0 in their first round series with a 104-94 win behind 25 points from Dwyane Wade. Later, reporters were held out of the Knicks' locker room as Amare Stoudemire was being tended to for lacerations on his left hand. It appears that the big man took his frustrations out on a fire extinguisher and his status for Game 3 could be in jeopardy. Here's more from around the league..
- The Nuggets are using the playoffs to find their center of the future, writes Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post.
- Magic GM Otis Smith plans to visit Dwight Howard in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter). There's no word on what the two will discuss upon Smith's arrival, but some have speculated that Howard is once again estranged from the team.
- The Hornets got approval for a tax break extension that is essential to keeping them in New Orleans through 2024, writes Ed Anderson of The Times-Picayune.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com wonders aloud if Rajon Rondo has what it takes to be the Celtics' leader of the future following his one-game suspension. While Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen may not factor into the C's plans next year, the point guard will be in the mix for the foreseeable future.
- Michael Jordan should buck his trend of hiring friends as he did with GM Rich Cho if he hopes to turn the Bobcats' fortunes around, writes Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated.
- Blazers center Hasheem Thabeet reiterated his desire to return to Portland next season in a media scrum with outlets including CSNNW.com (video link), but the club has yet to talk about a new deal with the big man. The former second-overall pick came from the Rockets along with Jonny Flynn and a future second-round pick at the trade deadline in exchange for Marcus Camby.
- Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee outlined three possible scenarios for the Kings and their stadium situation.
- Kobe Bryant acknowledged that this playoff run will be crucial to coach Mike Brown's future in Los Angeles, writes Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Blazers’ Crawford, Batum, Przybilla Talk Offseason
With the disapointing 2012 Blazers season in the books, Jamal Crawford, Nicolas Batum and Joel Przybilla all discussed their uncertain offseason outlooks with The Oregonian, who posted the videos online:
- Crawford owns a player option on his contract (which we already heard he may turn down) that he must opt into by June 15, or he will become an unrestricted free agent. Crawford called his year in Portland the "longest-shortest season ever" and said that he still plans to weigh his options before making a decision. Crawford goes on to say, "I don’t think this year was any one person’s fault. I just think it was a bad situation with the short training camp." Crawford still considers Portland's future bright and says that "seeing where the team is going" will be key to his choice.
- Batum is a restricted free agent and would be in high demand should Portland balk at matching offers for him. All indications are that Portland will try to keep the young forward. Batum indicated his desire to stay: "Of course I want to come back here. This team drafted me and put me on the court at 19 and gave me my chance in the NBA so we will see what happens." However, Batum went on to add that the basketball situation for him is more important than the city, implying he would have interest if another team had more to offer basketball-wise than the Blazers. Batum said he is "99 percent" sure he will be back, but is excited about the summer's prospects of a new contract and his first Olympic appearance.
- Przybilla signed with the Blazers in late February after considering sitting out the lockout shortened season. He now seems intent on playing next year, citing his knees feeling great and a newfound love for the game as the primary reasons. He is an unrestricted free agent and thinks he will draw some interest over the course of the offseason: "With a good summer of working out and a training camp with a team, I think there will definitely be opportunities out there for me." He added that he would definitely consider resigning in Portland.
Odds & Ends: Magic, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers
With Sunday afternoon's playoff action already underway, let's catch up on the latest news and headlines from around the league.
- FoxSportsOhio.com's Sam Amico writes why he believes the Cavaliers are headed in the right direction.
- Mike Tokito from The Oregonian gives a by the numbers rundown of the Trail Blazers and what they'll have to work with this offseason.
- The Magic's upset victory over the Pacers wasn't fueled by the team's desire to prove to Dwight Howard that they could win without him, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. Instead, the team is focusing on what they can control and attempting to eliminate any outside distractions that may keep them from achieving their goal of winning playoff basketball games. "We're not here to prove anything about Dwight," Hedo Turkoglu said. "He's our best player and we wish he were here. But we can't think about that. We have to accept who we are right now, move on and play our best."
- SI.com's Sam Amick says USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo is reconsidering adding players to the roster of Olympic team finalists after Derrick Rose tore his ACL on Saturday against the Sixers. While the loss of Rose weakens the point guard position, Colangelo is confident that the team has a deep enough backcourt to overcome his absence. Amick points to DeMarcus Cousins as a potential addition to the list of finalists after enjoying a season in which he averaged 18.1 PPG and 11.0 RPG for the Kings.
- The Grizzlies have put together a dangerous playoff team using a combination of discarded parts, role players and overachievers, contends Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. From Marc Gasol, acquired in a salary dump for his brother, to Tony Allen, not considered a highly-attractive free agent due to a perceived limited skill-set, the Grizzlies have seemingly come out of nowhere to take the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. "They played to their strengths," Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins said. "It's usually the best team that wins. Good basketball teams are good whether they have people noted as stars or not.
- Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld wonders if the Bulls can still contend in the Eastern Conference playoffs after losing their star point guard for the remainder of the season. As the team managed an 18-9 record without Rose during the regular season, Brigham says the Bulls still may advance beyond the second round in what would be a matchup against either the Celtics or the Hawks. The journey would end, however, in the Eastern Conference Finals if the Bulls have to face the Heat.