Latest On Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson is taking his time when it comes to deciding on his basketball future, and a source close to the situation told Marc Stein of ESPN.com that the possibility of the Kings moving to Seattle could have something to do with it. The Seattle group appears to have an uphill battle on their hands but Jackson may be waiting for the possibility to be completely ruled out before giving serious thought to where to he wants to be next season.
The Raps, though, are still in flux as they have yet to announce a decision on current team president Bryan Colangelo. One source briefed on the process expects the call on Colangelo's to come down this week in advance of the Chicago pre-draft camp. Jackson, who doesn't seem to be interested in coaching again, presumably wouldn't be a fit if Colangelo is retained for 2013/14.
Seattle Group Increases Offer For Kings
5:56pm: In spite of the increased offer from Hansen and company, the Sacramento bidders are still viewed as having the upper hand, according to TNT's David Aldridge. The Vivek Ranadive-led Sacramento group is buoyed by comments Heat owner and relocation committee member Micky Arison made on Twitter this week. Arison indicated the city had done what was necessary to keep the Kings.
2:12pm: The Seattle investment group led by Chris Hansen has increased its bid for the Sacramento Kings, according to Chris Daniels of KING5. Daniels reports that Hansen has informed the NBA that his new offer will increase the valuation of the franchise to $625MM, a $75MM increase on his previous bid. Because Hansen is attempting to buy 65% of the team, a $625MM valuation would mean the Seattle group's offer would increase to about $406MM.
The NBA's relocation committee has formally recommended that the Kings remain in Sacramento, and the Sacramento investment group is working toward finalizing its own bid for the team. Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game reported earlier today (via Sulia) that the Sacramento group is seeking additional investors before it puts the full purchase price into escrow, though Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com hears (Twitter link) that money isn't a problem for the group.
Even if the Sacramento group was able to match Seattle's previous offer, the new Seattle offer represents an increase of nearly $50MM for that 65% share. When the NBA's Board of Governors officially make its decision on the issue, which is expected to happen next Wednesday, it will be voting on whether to approve Hansen's purchase and whether to approve relocation. The league would clearly prefer the Kings to remain in Sacramento, so it will be interesting to see whether the Maloofs' sale to Hansen is voted down even if Seattle's offer is significantly higher than Sacramento's. One source told Bruski that "no matter how much they kick and scream, this is not about Seattle's offer" (Twitter link).
Daniels adds (via Twitter) that, in addition to increasing its offer, the Seattle group has agreed to pay revenue-sharing money should the team to move to Seattle, even in the initial years at Key Arena. The Sacramento group had agreed to eventually phase out the revenue-sharing money the Kings receive if the team remains in Sacramento.
Bucks Rumors: Ellis, Sanders, Coaching Search
According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, the Bucks have been prioritizing "strong-willed" candidates as they search for a head coach to replace ousted interim coach Jim Boylan. In his latest piece, Berger sheds some light on one reason for that requirement and touches on a couple other Bucks notes. Let's check out the highlights….
- Berger reports that Monta Ellis and Larry Sanders nearly came to blows in the locker room following the Bucks' Game Three loss to the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. According to Berger, Sanders called out the team for selfish play, saying that the Bucks needed "to start playing together as a team and stop worrying about next year."
- Ellis "took umbrage" with Sanders' comments, rightly assuming that they were aimed at him and fellow free-agent-to-be Brandon Jennings, according to Berger. Both Ellis and Jennings are likely to test the free agent market this summer, and reports have suggested that Milwaukee won't necessarily be either player's first choice.
- A member of the Sacramento group attempting to keep the Kings in the city has done some research on Ellis as a potential target if the team parts ways with Tyreke Evans, a source tells Berger.
- Berger notes that Nate McMillan and Kelvin Sampson have interviewed for the Bucks' head coaching job so far, and adds that the team is expected to reach out to Stan Van Gundy and Steve Clifford as well. Berger had reported both of those names previously, though last week he suggested Van Gundy would interview for the job, whereas now that doesn't seem quite so certain. Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times has indicated Van Gundy is unlikely to end up in Milwaukee.
Pacific Notes: Gasol, Kings, Barnes
A few notes from around the NBA's Western Conference.
- Speaking on ESPN radio, unrestricted free agent forward Matt Barnes said he'd like to return to the Clippers next season. He also thinks Chris Paul will return.
- According to InsideSoCal.com's Mark Medina, Lakers forward Pau Gasol is set to have two operations on both his knees this summer. Gasol has one more year on his contract, but will be the subject of trade rumors throughout the summer. It should be interesting to see if his knee surgeries temper any talk.
- The Kings face a big vote in roughly a week on whether they'll be relocating or staying in Sacramento, and the NBA has encouraged the local Sacramento buyers group to place all of their $341MM in an escrow account, according to The Sacramento Bee.
Odds & Ends: Draft, Ewing, Sloan, Kings
Two nights after the Bulls shocked the Heat in Miami and the Spurs outlasted the Warriors in a double-OT thriller, all four teams are back in action tonight. As we look forward to an encore of Monday's incredible doubleheader, let's check out a few odds and ends from around the NBA:
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford provided plenty of new draft-related content today, unveiling version 2.0 of his mock and chatting with ESPN.com readers about next month's draft. Of note: Ford believes Trey Burke's stock continues to rise and that the Michigan guard could go as high as first overall.
- With so many teams seeking a new head coach, Patrick Ewing tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that he's disappointed not to be receiving any interest for the open positions.
- While it appears no teams have contacted Ewing, former head coach Jerry Sloan has fielded calls from "a couple" teams, as Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune writes. Sloan characterized those calls as exploratory, with no offers forthcoming at the moment. He also added that he hasn't been contacted by the Nets, meaning there's "no reason to talk about" a potential reunion with Deron Williams.
- Speaking to reporters yesterday, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson suggested that Chris Hansen "take a step back" from his pursuit of the Kings and start exploring other ways to bring a team to Seattle. Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee has the details.
- In his latest mailbag, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com answered questions about potential targets in the draft and free agency for the Pistons.
Latest On Kings, Sacramento Group
As the Sacramento investment group led by Vivek Ranadive moves toward finalizing its bid for the Kings, the investors have offered to make a major concession to the NBA, according to Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal (hat tip to Dale Kasler and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee). Kaplan reports that the group is willing to limit the money ownership would receive through the league's revenue-sharing program.
According to the SBJ report, if the group should acquire the Kings, it would agree to accept a reduced amount of revenue-sharing money during the team's final years at Sleep Train Arena, then would receive no revenue-sharing money after moving to the proposed downtown arena.
Kasler and Bizjak note that the Kings would be in line for about $18MM per year under the NBA's revenue-sharing program, which means such a concession would be significant. As Zach Lowe of Grantland points out (via Twitter), during the 2011 lockout, the NBA consistently pointed to the need for balance and profitability, so having a smaller-market team offer to opt out of the revenue-sharing program would be a bit of a shock.
Kasler also reports that the meeting to decide the Kings' fate is scheduled for next Wednesday, May 15th. The NBA's Board of Governors will meet in Dallas to officially vote on whether to allow the team to relocate and whether to allow Chris Hansen's purchase of the franchise. Based on the relocation committee's recommendation, the Kings are expected to remain in Sacramento.
Pacific Links: Warriors, Kings, Kobe, Hornacek
The Clippers are fighting for their playoff lives tonight against the Grizzlies, but their division rivals aren't far from the spotlight. The playoff triumph of the Warriors, the future of the Kings, an offseason of uncertainty for the Lakers, and a possible coaching vacancy for the Suns are all making headlines out of the Pacific tonight:
- Andrew Bogut's performance as the Warriors' sealed their upset of the Nuggets last night provided vindication for Golden State co-owner Joe Lacob, who signed off on the unpopular swap of Monta Ellis for Bogut last year, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports examines.
- The Sacramento bidders for the Kings, led by Vivek Ranadive, have placed half of the purchase price for the team into escrow, tweets Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee.
- A group of Sacramento arena opponents have filed suit claiming the city withheld documents that show secret "sweeteners" in the deal with investors that enhance the public contribution to the project, as Kasler and fellow Bee scribe Tony Bizjak write. In a separate piece, Bizjak, Kasler and Ryan Lillis explain the dispute. Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com hears an attorney involved in the suit has already received the sought-after documents (Twitter link).
- In his NBA PM piece, HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram outlines the reasons why he thinks the idea that the Lakers would amnesty Kobe Bryant is "ludicrous." I don't think the team will do it, either, though I'm not certain the Lakers are as unwilling to save money as Ingram suggests.
- Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune notes Jazz assistant Jeff Hornacek's candidacy for coaching jobs with the Bobcats and Sixers, and speculates that the former Suns player could draw interest from Phoenix if the new GM there decides to change coaches.
Pacific Notes: Suns, Kings, Lakers, Jamison
As we wait to see if the Warriors can finish off the Nuggets tonight and set up a second-round date with the Spurs, let's check in on a few items out of the Pacific Division….
- Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman remains the frontrunner for the Suns' general manager opening, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Weltman is one of four candidates to have been interviewed by the team so far, according to Coro. Former Pacers GM David Morway, Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden, and Celtics assistant GM Ryan McDonough are the other interviewees so far.
- Potential Kings investor Chris Kelly tells David Bienick of KCRA in Sacramento that the Sacramento group expects to put half of its offer for the Kings into escrow by Friday. At this point, the group is still working with the NBA rather than the Maloofs, Kelly tells Bienick (Twitter links).
- In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Derek Page wonders if it's time for the Lakers to start rebuilding.
- After missing his exit interview earlier this week, Antawn Jamison had it today with GM Mitch Kupchak, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter). Jamison seems highly unlikely to return to the Lakers next season.
Odds & Ends: Pistons, Kings, Draft, Balkman
Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game reported in March that the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is adopting a tournament-style format this year, and the league confirmed the news today. The games will take place between July 12th and July 22nd, and while the move promises excitement, the contests won't necessarily have much meaning. Damian Lillard won the circuit's co-MVP honors last summer to kick off his Rookie of the Year campaign, but the other co-MVP was Josh Selby, who's been out of the NBA since March. While we wait to see how the revamped summer league shakes out, there's plenty of other NBA news:
- Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press compares Nate McMillan and Lindsey Hunter, the presumptive frontrunners for the Pistons coaching vacancy. The team is still expected to consider a wide range of candidates, and that list includes Pacers assistant Brian Shaw and Heat assistant David Fizdale, according to Ellis.
- Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee lay out the myriad contingencies still remaining in the Kings saga after the NBA's relocation committee recommended this week that the team stay in Sacramento.
- Four HoopsWorld writers have Nerlens Noel penciled in as the No. 1 pick, but Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com has the Kentucky center at No. 2, behind Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore.
- Renaldo Balkman has signed to play for Brujos de Guayama in Puerto Rico, Luis Modestti reports (translation via Sportando). The former Knicks first-round pick received a one-year ban from playing in the Philippines earlier this season after choking a teammate.
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com appeared on KESN-FM in Dallas this week, and pegged the Mavericks' chances of signing Dwight Howard at 10%, according to a Dallas Morning News transcription. Stein thinks Howard is still most likely to re-sign with the Lakers.
- Jeff Caplan of NBA.com takes an optimistic view of Howard's future with the Lakers, believing Howard will re-sign and, freed of speculation about his next destination, fulfill his promise as a superstar.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Del Negro, Warriors, Lakers
Three Pacific Division teams qualified for the postseason this year, but the Lakers have already been swept out of the first round, while the Clippers are a single game away from elimination. The division's best hope for sending a team through to the second round appears to be the Warriors, who will head back to the NBA's loudest arena looking to eliminate the Nuggets in Game Six tomorrow night. As we look forward to that game, let's check out a few updates on Pacific teams:
- Current NBA commissioner David Stern and future commissioner Adam Silver appeared on the Charlie Rose Show on PBS yesterday and discussed the relocation's committee recommendation to keep the Kings in Sacramento, as Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis, and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee detail.
- Silver on the committee's decision: "I think some people are surprised at the preliminary decision the relocation committee has made. They say, 'Look at Seattle — there's more corporate headquarters, there's more TV households, there's the potential to generate more revenue there. Shouldn't you move a franchise to the market where there's more revenue?' And our response is, 'Not necessarily, that if you look at total value over time, and brand building, and community support, and that continuity is important.'"
- Having seen the relocation committee's vote go against him, Chris Hansen is considering trying to persuade NBA owners to approve his purchase of the franchise, even if he isn't initially permitted to relocate it, according to a Reuters report. That sounds like a real reach to me, and Sactown Royalty agrees, providing its own take on the story right here.
- Vinny Del Negro can't remain the Clippers' head coach if the team is knocked out in the first round, says Tom Ziller of SBNation.com. Ziller also speculates that Chris Paul might flee in free agency after a first-round loss, but I'd be pretty shocked if that happened.
- In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Lang Greene explains why this offseason will be a crucial one for the Warriors.
- Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times argues that the Lakers ought to offer Phil Jackson the team presidency.