Blazers Notes: GM Search, Batum, Hickson
It's been a busy few days for the Trail Blazers, as the team deals with LaMarcus Aldridge's injury woes amidst reports that Steve Kerr isn't interested in Portland's GM vacancy and Jamal Crawford is expected to turn down his 2012/13 player option. A number of Blazers beat writers have a few more updates on the team this morning, so let's round them up….
- Blazers president Larry Miller says ideally the team would hire a general manager before deciding on a new coach, so the new GM could help with the coaching hire, as Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune writes.
- Miller added that he hopes to bring the new GM aboard "well before" the June 28th draft. The timetable is complicated by the team needing to be granted permission to talk to candidates currently with NBA clubs.
- Miller on restricted free agent Nicolas Batum: "Right now, our plan is to retain him. Hopefully, (another team) doesn't make him a crazy offer."
- The Blazers would like to pursue free agents using their cap room before turning to their own free agents like Batum and J.J. Hickson, potentially going over the cap to keep them.
- With his recent play on the court, Hickson is making a case to stay with the Blazers long-term, writes Mike Tokito of the Oregonian.
- Talking to Jason Quick of the Oregonian, Miller downplayed the team's current GM "vacancy": "If we decided tomorrow to name Chad [Buchanan] the GM, what would change? In essence, the reality is nothing would change other than we would promote Chad into that permanent role. It's not like we have nobody watching the store. That's not the case. We have a really effective person and an effective team who are managing our basketball operations…. So to the fans and to the people who are saying the answer is getting a GM … we have a GM."
- Earlier this morning, we discussed Jamal Crawford's potential free agent interest in the Warriors.
Jamal Crawford Interested In Warriors?
Jamal Crawford lit up the Warriors last night, scoring a season-high 34 points last night en route to a 118-110 Trail Blazers win. However, there's a possibility Crawford could be doing that scoring for the Warriors next year, rather than against them. Golden State is a potential free agent destination for the guard, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, who has heard the Warriors on Crawford's list of desired locations.
Crawford, 32, is expected to decline his $5.23MM player option for 2012/13, making him a free agent this summer. While the Warriors couldn't increase his annual salary much, since they'll only have the mid-level exception available, they could tack on a couple extra years at that price. However, Thompson points out that a two guard won't necessarily be a priority for Golden State in free agency.
Assuming he turns down his option for next season, Crawford will join Eric Gordon, Ray Allen, Jason Terry, and O.J. Mayo as a few of the top shooting guards available on the free agent market this July.
Jamal Crawford Expected To Decline Option
Jamal Crawford was the subject of a ton of trade rumors prior to March's deadline, but both the Blazers and teams interested in Crawford were unsure about whether the veteran scorer planned to exercise his $5.23MM player option for 2012/13. Teams wanting to clear cap room were hoping Crawford would decline the option, while teams not wanting to acquire Crawford as a two-month rental were hoping he'd pick it up.
The Trail Blazers ultimately ended up hanging on to Crawford, and Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports that the 32-year-old is expected to turn down his option for next season. While Crawford didn't confirm that report, he did talk to Kennedy about the upcoming offseason:
"If I opt out, I think it'll be really cool to have a traditional free agency," Crawford said. "Last year, everything was so rushed. A lot of people didn't even think we’d have a season and then, all of sudden, everything was thrown together. It happened so fast. If I choose to opt out, this year will be much different and more traditional."
The Timberwolves were one team that seemed on the verge of acquiring Crawford at the trade deadline, and the former Michigan Wolverine didn't rule out the possibility of joining the T-Wolves this summer.
"Anything is possible in the future," Crawford said. "Minnesota was a team that I almost signed with before I decided to come to Portland. I’m sure the interest is still there. I’ve always been a fan of coach [Rick] Adelman and how he goes about things. That’s a little ways away though. We’ll see what happens this summer. Right now, I’m just focused on Portland and trying to get as many wins as possible before the season is over."
The Blazers may be hoping Crawford turns down the option, since they're expected to have a ton of cap space to work with this summer, and taking Crawford off their books would clear an extra $5MM+.
Blazers GM Search Continues, Kerr Not Interested
11:13am: The Blazers' top choice for their GM vacancy, Steve Kerr, has told the team he's not interested in the job, according to Jason Quick of the Oregonian. Kerr, who was approached by the Blazers last year when the team was seeking a GM, had an informal phone interview with Portland last week, but has decided to continue working with TNT and spending time with his family.
"[Kerr] likes Larry [Miller], and certainly isn’t closing any doors, but right now he loves his life at TNT," said Mark Bartelstein, Kerr’s agent. "He will come back to the NBA in the future, whether it’s as a coach or in the front office, but that’s a few years down the road."
9:01am: Former Hornets general manager Jeff Bower is "very intrigued" by the Trail Blazers' GM opening, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes hears that Bower would definitely be interested in interviewing for the position if the Blazers were to call him. Bower drafted players such as Chris Paul, David West, and Darren Collison when he was with the Hornets.
Portland recently resumed its search for a permanent general manager. At least two candidates have already received interviews, and an "interesting list" has emerged for the position, says team president Larry Miller. Miller didn't confirm a report suggesting agent Noah Croom was the most recent Blazers interviewee, but said he has yet to reach out to candidates currently with NBA teams. I imagine that will happen when the regular season comes to an end.
The team's acting general manager, Chad Buchanan, may not be among the most high-profile candidates, but he also wouldn't mind the chance to interview for the permanent position, according to Haynes.
"I'm not going to ask, but if they want to interview me, I will," Buchanan said. "I love being a part of this organization and I hope to be here for a long time."
Atlantic Notes: Prokhorov, Nets, Celtics, Raptors
Nets majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov is in America this week and spoke to reporters yesterday about meeting with Deron Williams and his desire to turn the team into a championship contender. If you're looking for something substantial though, look elsewhere, says Dave D'Alessandro of the Star-Ledger. D'Alessandro calls Prokhorov an absentee owner who doesn't really follow the team closely, and wonders how that will affect players deciding whether or not to sign with the Nets.
Here are a few morning Wednesday morning links out of the Atlantic Division:
- Trail Blazers fans are hoping the Nets' first-round pick Portland holds turns into perhaps a fourth- or fifth-overall selection, but as a NetsDaily piece points out, that's not possible based on the current standings. The best the Blazers' could do with New Jersey's pick right now is seventh overall. I updated the status of this pick and other protected first-rounders yesterday.
- With the 2012 London Olympics approaching, a pair of Celtics teammates expressed a lack of interest in playing for Team USA, as Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida writes. Rajon Rondo said he loves his summers too much to consider playing in the Olympics, while Ray Allen said he believes players should be paid to participate, given the profit made off Team USA jersey sales.
- Unlike Toronto's NHL team, the Raptors shouldn't be sorry for the team's performance this season, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. While Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke took out an ad in the Star to apologize for his team's disappointing record, Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors have done exactly what they intended this season — develop young players, maintain cap flexibility, and incorporate the philosphies of new coach Dwane Casey.
Odds & Ends: Trail Blazers, Przybilla, Warriors
Let's round up a few Tuesday links from around the NBA….
- The Trail Blazers have interviewed agent Noah Croom for their general manager opening, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Blazers president Larry Miller didn't confirm that Croom was interviewed, but told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that Portland has yet to reach out to any candidates currently with NBA teams.
- Joel Przybilla told Jason Quick of the Oregonian that he plans to play in the NBA next season, but hasn't decided where yet. Przybilla added that he's "had fun" playing with the Blazers and doesn't regret choosing Portland over the Bulls and Heat (Twitter links).
- Warriors assistant coach Michael Malone could draw interest for teams looking for a head coach this offseason, writes Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com.
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) previews this year's Portsmouth Invitational, naming Jet Chang as his sleeper prospect in the tournament.
- The NBA announced today that the Las Vegas Summer League will return to action this July, after having been cancelled due to the lockout last summer.
- The league also announced that the NBA D-League has set new records this season for both assignments and call-ups.
Felton Would “Love” To Re-Sign With Blazers
After struggling for most of his first season with the Trail Blazers, Raymond Felton has raised his game lately, averaging 13.7 PPG, 8.7 APG, and 5.7 RPG on .478/.478/.833 shooting in six April contests. While his recent performance is a step up over what he's done the rest of the year, it likely won't be enough to warrant a return to Portland for the point guard. Still, as he's said before, Felton told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune that he'd love to re-sign with the Blazers:
"I have loved every experience I’ve had through my time in the league," Felton said. "I have never (been a player in) one city I didn’t like, but I love it here in Portland. It rains a lot, I will say that. But other than that, I love it here. I love playing in the Rose Garden. (Garden denizens) are some of the best fans in the NBA, if not the best. It’s been great."
Felton conceded that he didn't arrive at camp in the best shape, in part due to the lockout. He also cited learning a new system in a new organization as part of the reason for his early-season struggles, but said he didn't want to make excuses for his poor play. Over the course of the season, Felton has worked his way into better condition, and the veteran also credited new coach Kaleb Canales for his improved performance:
"Coach Kaleb tells me to go out and just play," Felton said. "And he wants to play fast-paced all the time. He said, 'This is your team; run it. You all call the plays.' I don’t have to look to the bench to call plays. He wants to play up-tempo, and that’s the strength of my game."
As Eggers writes, Felton's recent surge is probably a case of too little, too late for the 27-year-old. The Blazers will have a huge chunk of cap space to work with this summer and will likely be targeting top point guards like Steve Nash and Deron Williams before turning to the second- or third-tier free agents like Felton. Even then, there are a number of options available that would be more popular with the team's fanbase.
Blazers Notes: General Manager, Dragic, Camby
The Trail Blazers are in action tonight and looking to score their first W against Houston this year as they trail 2-0 in the season series. A look at what’s happening in Portland..
- Team president Larry Miller said that he interviewed two GM candidates last week, one face-to-face and one by phone, tweets Jason Quick of The Oregonian. Miller added that he is “hearing interest from a number of people I didn’t necessarily think about” and “an interesting list” has emerged for the position (Twitter link). Longtime GM Donnie Walsh is reportedly thinking about the job.
- Rockets point guard Goran Dragic figures to be on the Blazers’ radar this summer and said that his top priorities will be to find a coaching staff that can help him grow as a player as well as an opportunity to start and “run the team”, according to Quick (all Twitter links). Houston should have roughly $18MM in cap space this offseason while Portland will have between $15-20MM (Twitter link).
- Former Blazer Marcus Camby said that former coach Nate McMillan never lost the team and was surprised to see him let go, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Camby also admitted that he was a little bitter to learn that Portland traded him to the Rockets (Twitter link).
Donnie Walsh To Explore General Manager Options
Longtime general manager Donnie Walsh is interested in re-entering the profession on a full-time basis, according to CBSSports.com's Ken Berger. Walsh is still under contract with the Knicks, but has been granted permission by the organization to explore other opportunities with other organizations.
Walsh's current contract as a consultant with New York will expire on June 30. According to Berger, the 71-year-old executive will first look at the Trail Blazers, as they are soon believed to be conducting a search for a long-term general manager. But should something open up in Indiana, where rumors have recently been swirling of Larry Bird possibly stepping down from his general manger position, Walsh would strongly consider returning to the team he used to run.
Walsh will not speak with any teams until their general manager position is officially open, but some other options might be with the Wizards and Magic. Also, according to Berger, it's just a coincidence that the Knicks gave Walsh permission to seek work elsewhere on the same day that his predecessor as Knicks president, Isiah Thomas, was fired as coach of Florida International University.
Agent For Greg Oden Discusses Future
The agent for former Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Sr., spoke with CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes about his client's future in the NBA. Conley says that Oden, the former No. 1 overall pick who was waived by Portland in March, does not plan to retire from basketball.
“No he's not retiring. The only way that would happen is if he was forced to and I don't see that happening,” Conley said. “He's dedicated to making sure he's back on the court as soon as possible.”
Oden was drafted first overall by the Blazers in 2007, but repeated knee injuries have limited him to 82 games in five seasons. He has not played since November 2009. Despite being released by Portland last month, Conley did not close the door on an eventual return for Oden:
“There's a possibility. Obviously, that decision is up to the Blazers, but my job as his agent is to find him the best offer out there on the market. Absolutely, no way in the world is the answer no.”
Oden is currently an unrestricted free agent and recovering from his third microfracture surgery in five years. There is no timetable for a potential return to the court.