Poll: Will Duncan, Ginobili, And Popovich All Return?
The Spurs could be on the verge of winning their fifth franchise NBA championship and we still can’t help but harp on next season. Such is the bizarre nature of sports and the mindset of the sports fan. Rather than enjoy a beautiful and clear 80 degree sunny day, we want to know if there’s rain in the forecast for tomorrow.
We’ve heard the chatter all season long of will they/won’t they regarding Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and everyone’s favorite interview curmudgeon Gregg Popovich. In the last week, we got some news – we think – on which way everyone is leaning. Popovich, 65, says that he’s still full of energy and hopes to coach beyond this season. Ginobili told NBA Inside Stuff that he hopes to play for one or two more years. Tim Duncan, who indicated that he’s got a “couple” of seasons left in the tank not long ago, seems to be waffling somewhat, telling reporters this week that while he’s leaning towards a return in 2014/15, nothing is decided.
The outcome of this year’s Finals won’t influence LeBron James‘ decision but it could, in theory, weigh in for the Spurs’ aging trio. As we gear up for Game 5, how do you feel about the chances of Duncan, Ginobili, and Popovich all coming back for an encore in 2014/15?
Ginobili Plans To Play ‘One [Or] Two More Years’
The Spurs are far from finished and the same can be said of Manu Ginobili‘s career. The 36-year-old recently sat down with NBA Inside Stuff and told host Kristen Ledlow (video link) that he expects to play “one, two more years”.
There’s been retirement talk surrounding both Ginobili and teammate Tim Duncan all season long. Duncan previously made it known that he could see himself playing for a “couple” more years but indicated this week that nothing has been decided. If everything goes according to plan, however, it sounds like we’ll be able to enjoy the core of Duncan, Ginobili, and Tony Parker through the 2015/16 season. Assuming the elder statesmen stick around, the only variable left will be re-signing the trio to new contracts. All three are set to hit the open market after the 2014/15 season. Coach Gregg Popovich, 65, figures to stay in the mix as well as he has said that he’d like to continue beyond this year.
In 68 regular season games this year, Ginobili averaged 12.3 PPG and 4.3 APG and posted a PER of 20.0. He’s stepped it up even more in the postseason, helping to bring the Spurs within one game of their fifth NBA title.
Western Notes: Tucker, Draft, Spurs
P.J. Tucker is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but is expected to be back with the Suns, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Speaking about the free agent process, Tucker said, “It’s always kind of crazy. You don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t think teams know all the time when another team is going to jump out there. I’m excited to go through it. I don’t know what their (the Suns’) direction is. I know I had great years and that they like me, but they might look another direction. It’s a business. Always has been, always will be. Maybe they draft a player who they think can do what I do at my position. Maybe they move on, maybe they don’t. I don’t know. I’m excited to see, though.“
More from the wild west:
- The NBA is a copycat league, and the success of the Spurs will spark many imitators, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Dempsey analyzes how the franchise does business and opines on how difficult it will be for other teams to follow suit.
- The Timberwolves were “pleasantly surprised” by Adreian Payne‘s performance during his pre-draft workout with the team, and are considering taking him with the 13th pick, reports Enea Trapani of Sportando.
- With three first-round picks, the Suns are poised to be big players on draft night. Adi Joseph of USA Today looks at the team’s needs. Joseph opines the team should look to add a small forward and a backup point guard with their selections.
- In a separate article Joseph looks at the draft needs of the Warriors, who currently don’t have any picks that night. Their two biggest priorities are at center and point guard.
- Joseph also looks at the draft needs of the Clippers in a different piece. According to Joseph, the team has needs at center, point guard, and small forward.
Draft Notes: Embiid, Silins, Pelicans
Brad Stevens tells Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com that the Celtics haven’t yet established a draft board. “I have not sat down with our front office all in one room and talked about a draft board,” Stevens said. “We’ll sit down now, after probably next week’s workouts, and talk more as we continue to get closer to the draft. But clearly with two picks in the top 20, we’ve got a lot of evaluating to do.” Here a rundown of today’s draft notes:
- T.J. Warren, Scottie Wilbekin, Roscoe Smith, Davion Berry, and Isaiah Armwood will work out for the Nuggets, reports Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post (Twitter links).
- A league source confirmed to John Reid of The Times-Picayune that the Pelicans are in discussions with several teams looking to trade their first round pick (Twitter link). The Pelicans are reportedly taking an aggressive approach to trading into the first round.
- Magic executives are high enough on Marcus Smart‘s intangibles to consider selecting him with the fourth pick in the draft, reports Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Robbins adds that had Smart declared for last year’s draft, Orlando might have selected him at No. 2.
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald urges his readers to monitor whether Joel Embiid schedules work outs for the Bucks or Sixers between now and the draft. If Embiid shuts out those teams, Finnan believes it would indicate a promise from the Cavs to take him at No. 1. Such a development would be significant, considering Embiid is already scheduled to work out for Milwaukee.
- Adi Joseph of USA Today takes a look at the draft needs for the Hornets and Mavs.
Earlier updates:
- While the Cavs had some concerns when evaluating Joel Embiid‘s back, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer says there were no “red flags,” and that Cleveland was blown away by his workout. The belief that Embiid’s physical went well is mounting, after a report to the contrary initially surfaced.
- Ojars Silins has decided to keep his name in the NBA draft pool, reports Jānis Freimanis of Sportacentrs.com (translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Silins will take the Grizzlies up on their workout invitation, and will also work out for the Spurs and Pistons over the next couple weeks.
- The Pelicans are aggressively trying to trade into the first round in hopes of selecting a young small forward or center, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- Sean Deveney of The Sporting News is hearing rumors that a team has promised to take Elfrid Payton in the teens of the first round (H/T Basketball Insiders).
- T.J. Warren‘s stock is rising into the mid-first-round, sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- Kennedy tweets that league executives are “fascinated” by Walter Tavares. The 7’3″ center is projected as an early second round pick by both Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and ESPN Insider Chad Ford.
- Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com speculates that the conflicting reports out of Cleveland regarding Embiid’s health could be a smoke screen aimed at convincing the Sixers they need to trade up to the No. 1 spot in order to get Andrew Wiggins.
Spurs Notes: Ginobili, Popovich, Duncan
Earlier today, we learned that Tim Duncan could receive an unconventional raise next season. An extra $361,446 will be added to Duncan’s player option to bring the contract within CBA rules. Here’s more from San Antonio:
- Manu Ginobili refuted the idea that he, Duncan, and Gregg Popovich would all retire if the Spurs won the 2013/14 championship, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “You have no data to support that,” said Ginobili. “You haven’t talked to any of us to support that.“
- In fact, Popovich told reporters, including Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated, that he still wants to coach next season. Duncan, on the other hand, says he hasn’t made up his mind on whether he’ll return or not next year, but he indicated he feels good about it now, as Golliver passes along.
- In a Q&A with Dan McCarney of The San Antonio Express-News, Spurs GM R.C. Buford joked that he might retire if and when Duncan and Popovich hang it up. “There have been worse ideas. I might not show back up,” Buford said. “What will it be like [when those two are gone]? It will be numbing and changing. Those are the people we’ve worked with and battled with, and committed ourselves to as they’ve committed to us.”
- Buford downplayed San Antonio’s advanced international scouting as the significant cause for the Spurs’ sustained success, but did acknowledge how the team has benefited from international players. “I think the key has been [to] take advantage of the advantages that are available to us and not put any boundaries around where we can find basketball players,” said Buford. “Fortunately we have a coach who has not only a great appreciation for them as players, but as people and the contributions they’ve made to our culture.”
Charlie Adams contributed to this post.
Southwest Notes: Duncan, Randolph, Draft
The Spurs hope to wrap up a fifth NBA Championship tomorrow night in San Antonio. It will be interesting to see how a dominant Finals might sway the plans of Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich for next season. The thought of going out on top could be appealing, but maybe not as much as chasing a sixth ring. Here’s a rundown of the Southwest Division:
- Duncan’s player option for the 2014/15 season has been increased from $10,000,000 to $10,361,446 in order to meet the CBA’s requirement that a player option not pay less in salary than the year preceding it, multiple sources tell Mark Deeks of ShamSports.
- Zach Randolph also owns a contract that was approved despite violating the same restriction, but Deeks writes that no change has been made to Randolph’s deal at this point. As we mentioned in our Free Agent Stock Watch piece on Randolph, his steeper decrease in salary (from $18.2MM to $16.9MM) for next year’s player option could be a significant factor in his decision-making process heading into the offseason.
- Deeks speculates that the league may have opted not to adjust Randolph’s deal because it was signed under the 2005 CBA which is no longer active, whereas Duncan’s deal was signed under the current CBA.
- Adi Joseph of USA Today covers the draft needs of the Grizzlies, Spurs, and Rockets.
And-Ones: Lakers, Thibodeau, Duncan, Embiid
The Lakers never asked the Bulls for permission to interview Tom Thibodeau, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, who reported last month that they would. The L.A. brass is “all but sure” the Bulls would have asked for this month’s No. 7 overall pick, which the Lakers would be unwilling to give up, according to McMenamin. The ESPN scribe also believes that L.A.’s concerns about paying Thibodeau a lavish salary to coach a mediocre roster next season played a role, and suggests the Lakers are wary of the way their fans might react if Thibodeau rejected the team’s pursuit. Here’s more from around the league:
- The deadline for Tim Duncan to decide on his $10MM player option for next season is June 24th, but the Spurs are operating under the assumption that Duncan and coach Gregg Popovich will return, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Most option clauses give players until June 30th to decide, though Duncan’s date can be pushed back if he and the team decide to do so, Stein notes, adding that Popovich’s contract runs through next season.
- A source tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that Joel Embiid checked out fine when he took a physical this week for the Cavs, contradicting an earlier report from Tony Rizzo of ESPN Cleveland, who hears that the exam raised serious concerns (Twitter links).
- It appears as though the Bucks will work out Andrew Wiggins twice, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com hears that he’s auditioning for the team today in California and again next week in Milwaukee (Twitter link).
- A handful of top European teams have interest in soon-to-be free agent Nando De Colo, and it seems like they’re willing to give the Raptors guard a raise on the $1.463MM he made in the NBA this season, reports Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net.
- The Timberwolves have hired Sidney Lowe as an assistant coach, the team formally announced (Twitter link), confirming an earlier report. He spent last season as an assistant with the Jazz.
Western Notes: Spurs, Lowe, Togashi
With the Spurs core of stars nearing retirement the team will need to look ahead to the future, writes Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. That future will begin with Kawhi Leonard, as well as having a wealth of cap room in 2015, when only Tiago Splitter is under contract, notes Beck. The franchise also has Livio Jean-Charles, a 6’9″ forward from French Guiana, who was drafted 28th in 2013, and Davis Bertans, a 6’10″ forward from Latvia, a 2011 second-round pick who was acquired from the Pacers, to help jump start the team’s next phase, according to the article.
More from the west:
- The Wolves hiring of Sidney Lowe as an assistant coach could be announced as early as tomorrow, reports Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune (Twitter link).
- The Mavericks are going to take a look at Japanese point guard Yuki Togashi, with the hope that he could be developed as a potential NBA player with the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. The 5’8″ Togashi is expected to attend the D-league draft camp next week, and isn’t expected to be selected in this year’s draft, notes Sefko.
- Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman hands out grades for Reggie Jackson’s season with the Thunder. Jackson averaged 11.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 2.4 APG this season.
And-Ones: Messina, Embiid, Gordon
Fort Wayne Mad Ants president Jeff Potter is under the impression that his club will indeed have affiliations, with 13 NBA teams this coming season, as he tells Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Mad Ants will feature no more than four players on assignment from the NBA at any a time, with the spots alloted to NBA clubs on a first-come, first-served basis, Potter adds. Here’s more from around the league:
- Spurs GM R.C. Buford denied an earlier report that claimed Ettore Messina was joining San Antonio’s coaching staff as an assistant, telling Mike Monroe of San Antonio Express-News that there has been no contact made with Messina, let alone a hire. “Is someone leaving our staff that I don’t know about?” Buford said. “We have not had one conversation with anyone about a coaching position for next season.”
- Joel Embiid is in Cleveland to undergo a physical with Cavs doctors in the hopes of alleviating concerns about his back, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider only) says that it will take more than medical clearance for Embiid to land at No. 1 in the draft. Ford writes that owner Dan Gilbert’s anxiousness to win immediately has influenced Cleveland’s draft choices in recent years. While scouts tell Ford that Embiid has the most potential of any 2014 prospect, they don’t expect him to be a steady contributor in his rookie season.
- Dirk Nowitzki tells Dwain Price of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he is likely to meet with Mavs owner Mark Cuban hastily regarding his impending free agency (Twitter link).
- The Celtics will work out Isaiah Austin and Sam Dower tomorrow, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
- The Wolves have been trying unsuccessfully to arrange a workout with Aaron Gordon, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. The Wolves are struggling to convince top tier prospects to work out in general. Wolfson notes that the Wolves think more highly of Noah Vonleh and Julius Randle than they do Gordon (all Twitter links).
- John Calipari acknowledged that he had been approached by multiple NBA teams before signing an extension to stay with Kentucky in an interview with Kentucky Sports Radio (transcription via Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News). “It was significantly more money for me to leave than to stay,” Calipari said. “It kind of tells you where my mind is.”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Southwest Rumors: Messina, Nowitzki, Jock Tax
The Spurs will take another shot at slowing down LeBron James tonight in Game 3. James has scored 32 or more points in four of the last six Heat/Spurs Finals games dating back to last year. Here’s a look at the Southwest Division:
- Ettore Messina is close to being hired as an assistant coach with the Spurs, a development first reported by Daniele Labanti of Corriere di Bologna (via Twitter) and confirmed by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Messina was once considered a candidate for the Jazz head coaching vacancy, and still had the potential to become an assistant in Utah after Quin Snyder won the head job.
- The Rockets are reportedly targeting Dirk Nowitzki in free agency this summer, but the All-Star laughed off the idea that he’d wind up in Houston, observes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
- The Tennessee legislature has repealed the “jock tax” on visiting players who play in Memphis, and commissioner Adam Silver prevailed upon Grizzlies owner Robert Pera to support the end of the tax even though the revenue went directly to the team. TNT’s David Aldridge has that and other details about the end of the law, which won’t come off the books for another two years. It will nonetheless no longer apply to players on 10-day contracts, Aldridge adds.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.