Odds & Ends: Hollins, Nets, Allen, Raptors, Pacers
Game One of the NBA Finals will be ending about 24 hours from now, and while the Spurs will provide more evidence for the rest-versus-rust debate, many expect them to find their rhythm before long. The majority of Hoops Rumors readers who voted in today's poll say San Antonio will beat the Heat. While we wait to see if they're right, here's more from around the NBA:
- The Grizzlies rebuffed the Nets when they asked for permission to interview Lionel Hollins the day after the Western Conference Finals ended, but Memphis would likely grant that permission now if Brooklyn inquired again, TNT's David Aldridge hears (Twitter link).
- Ray Allen feels his return to the Finals with the Heat provides a measure of vindication for his decision to sign with Miami last summer, observes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun looks at what Tim Leiweke and Masai Ujiri have done and said since arriving in town and concludes that the Raptors will soon be rebuilding.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, writing for USA Today, details five key questions the Pacers must answer this summer.
- The shakeup continues for the Kings, as Jerry Reynolds will step down as the team's director of player development, he tells Chris Riva of KCRA-TV.
- The Knicks worked out Deshaun Thomas today and will get another look at him Friday, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link), who also notes that Cody Zeller will work out Thursday for the Suns. Thomas will also work out later this month for the Timberwolves, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, apparently clearing up earlier confusion involving Adonis Thomas.
- The Sixers auditioned Steven Adams, Colton Iverson, Alex Oriakhi, Mouhammadou Jaiteh and Jamelle Hagins today, tweets Jake L. Fischer of SLAM Online.
- Ray McCallum, who will work out sometime this month for the Pistons, has also worked out with the Spurs, Rockets and Pacers, notes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
Odds & Ends: Shaw, Kings, Curry, Raptors, Allen
You could make a convincing argument that no head coaching candidate has a higher stock than Brian Shaw right now. The Pacers assistant has been linked in one way or another to all four teams currently without a head coach, and his agent Jerome Stanley tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link) that several teams have contacted Indiana about interviewing his client. While no interviews have been formally scheduled yet, Shaw intends to explore all the opportunities available to him, according to his agent (Twitter links).
Let's round up a few more odds and ends from around the Association….
- According to veteran NBA reporter Peter Vecsey (via Twitter), Larry Bird is meeting with Kings ownership today. Bird has been mentioned as a possible Sacramento target for the position of head of basketball operations.
- Stephen Curry tells Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer that he can't picture himself playing for any team besides the Warriors.
- New Raptors head of basketball operations Masai Ujiri is making a "hard push" to bring Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman to Toronto as part of his team in the front office, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).
- Ray Allen remains undecided on his $3.23MM player option for next season, but will address it after the Finals, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- Manu Ginobili hopes to see fellow Argentine Pablo Prigioni continue to play in the NBA next season, rather than returning overseas, as he tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. "I think the last time he talked to the media (on Argentine radio) he was intending to get back in the (NBA)," Ginobili said. "If he wants to, he’ll be here."
Atlantic Notes: Ujiri, Raptors, Smith, Sixers
Here is what is going on in the Atlantic Division on Tuesday night:
- With Masai Ujiri introduced in Toronto this morning, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports that the one thing made clear was that Ujiri is the main man in charge of basketball decisions for the Raptors right now.
- Meanwhile, Mike Ganter, also from the Sun, writes that landing the NBA's Executive of the Year is a coup for the Raptors, and a sign that their ownership group is intent on shedding their mediocre label.
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York provides a primer to the free agency of J.R. Smith, who earlier today we heard will decline his player option with the Knicks, but will likely re-sign with the team. Begley points out that Smith will have plenty of suitors, and spells out the ramifications of whether or not Smith re-ups in New York.
- The Sixers will work out Kentucky's Archie Goodwin, Louisville's Peyton Siva and Temple's Scootie Randall, writes Nick Menta of CSN Philly. Since the Sixers pick No. 11, they could only be looking at this trio via trade in the first or with one of their two second round selections (No. 35 and No. 42).
Eastern Notes: Raptors, Bucks, Pacers, Hawks
At a morning press conference in Toronto today, the Raptors introduced new GM and president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, who returns to the Raps after having previously served as the team's assistant GM. Mike Ulmer of Raptors.com has the details on Ujiri's re-introduction to Toronto media, which included a noncommital response when asked if coach Dwane Casey would be back.
"I need two or three weeks where Coach and I are going to figure out whether this thing is going to go forward for the next year," Ujiri said. "Right now, I don’t see any reason why [he won't be back]."
Despite having only spent two seasons on the Raptors' bench, Casey ranks among the top half of the league's longest-tenured head coaches, as I outlined earlier this afternoon. As we wait to see what his future holds, here are a few more items from around the Eastern Conference:
- At yesterday's press conference introducing new head coach Larry Drew, Bucks owner Herb Kohl told reporters, including Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that undergoing a full-scale rebuild and bottoming out isn't an option for the team. "There are different ways teams conduct their business in the sports leagues," Kohl said. "And I like to see that we put a competitive product on the floor every season…. Often times teams that are really bad and losing find a bottom that they can't get out of."
- Grantland's Zach Lowe looks ahead to the Pacers' offseason, writing that the team figures to "tweak the edges" of its roster this offseason using the mid-level exception and minimum-salary deals.
- By specifically mentioning Dwight Howard and Chris Paul as free agent targets in an email to prospective ticket buyers, the Hawks may be in violation of the NBA's anti-tampering policy, as Chris Vivalmore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution explains.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com offers a few suggestions for how the Knicks might fill the hole created on the roster by Jason Kidd's retirement.
Atlantic Notes: Ujiri, Raptors, Knicks, Lawal
Masai Ujiri is the new man in charge in Toronto and he's not wasting any time in making changes to the Raptors organization. Here's more on that and other news out of the Atlantic..
- After letting Ed Stefanski and several scouts go, Ujiri is quickly moving to re-staff the front office, writes Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. League sources say the Raptors have already conducted interviews with assistant coach hopefuls Nick Nurse of the Rio Grande Vipers of the D League, Nets assistant Popeye Jones, and ex-NBA player Tyronn Lue. No one on the current staff is signed past June 30th and and it’s expected none will be in town this week when some players come back for workout sessions with the team’s training staff.
- Well-regarded scout Maury Hanks is among the people that have been let go by Ujiri, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Hanks spent more than a decade with the Nets before joining the Raptors organization.
- The Knicks are interested in Gani Lawal, agent Dan Curtin tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. The Knicks are "interested" in Lawal and will likely work him out after he finishes the season with Italian team Virtus Roma. Curtin said he could envision a one-year contract at the minimum level with an NBA team. Lawal played with the Iman Shumpert at Georgia Tech from 2008-10.
Raptors Dismiss Ed Stefanski
The Raptors have dismissed Ed Stefanski, the team's executive vice president of basketball operations, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Stefanski had a year remaining on his contract, and figures to be a hot commodity on the front office market, Wojnarowski tweets. The move appears to be the first major decision for GM Masai Ujiri, whom the team hired Friday.
Stefanski has served as the primary basketball decision maker for the Nets, from June 2004 to December 2007, and Sixers, from December 2007 to August 2010. He joined the Raptors in October 2011, during the lockout. HoopsWorld's Stephen Brotherston argued earlier this spring that Stefanski should receive a larger role within Toronto's front office, and while that's not going to happen, it appears he'll be in demand around the league. The Nuggets have an open GM position with Ujiri's departure, and the Kings look like they want to replace Geoff Petrie. The Grizzlies could have an opening, too, if they part ways with GM Chris Wallace.
Former Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo remains with the team in a business role, though he may retain some input on the basketball side, as he explained last month to Hoops Rumors. With Colangelo, Ujiri's former boss, still around, the new GM may have pushed for Stefanski's exit in an effort to limit the number of voices within the front office, though that's just my speculation. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun figured a front-office shakeup was coming in the wake of Ujiri's hiring.
Ujiri must decide on the fate of coach Dwane Casey, but it appears Casey will return.
Atlantic Rumors: Robinson, Pierce, Bargnani
Nate Robinson's first priority will be to re-sign with the Bulls, though he wouldn't mind another stint with the Knicks, agent Aaron Goodwin tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Both Chicago and New York are taxpaying teams, so it'll be difficult for either to fit in Robinson, who'll likely command more than the minimum salary he made this year. Goodwin's statement is a familiar one for agents this time of year, as Grantland's Zach Lowe points out via Twitter, so there's no reason to count Robinson as either a Bull or a Knick just yet. Here's more from the Atlantic:
- Teams around the league have a "healthy interest" in Paul Pierce, but the Celtics aren't about to just give him away, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Even if the C's can find the right deal and start over with younger players, the money tied up in Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee and Jason Terry would be a major obstacle to a rebuild, a general manager tells Bulpett.
- The Raptors will reportedly be aggressive in their attempts to trade Andrea Bargnani, and one possible destination could be Golden State, since, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, the Warriors have long been intrigued by him (Twitter link).
- Eric Koreen of the National Post outlines the five most important items on the to-do list for new Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, figuring that an amnesty of Bargnani is most likely the club's next step with the former No. 1 overall pick.
- Center A.J. Matthews played his college ball at Division III Farmingdale State and didn't receive an invitation to the league's pre-draft combine in Chicago, but he wowed teams at recent Nets-hosted combine. The Knicks are one of about a half dozen teams bringing the Arn Tellem client in for workouts, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- The Knicks are zeroing in on point guards with the 24th overall pick, and though they don't have a second-rounder, Berman expects them to acquire one via trade in return for cash.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com explains the reasons why Chris Paul signing with the Knicks is but a pipe-dream for New York fans.
Raptors To Shop Bargnani Aggressively
Masai Ujiri has barely had a chance to change the nameplate on his desk, but he already knows what his first order of business will be as Raptors GM. The club will look to shop big man Andrea Bargnani everywhere possible in order to move him before July 1st, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
This is hardly the first time that the Raptors have been keen on trading Bargnani, but finding a trade that brings back a decent return has proved challenging for them in the past. The Italian forward is set to make $11MM next season and $12MM in 2014/15.
The former No. 1 overall pick has been beset by the injury bug and has often times looked out of place in the Raptors’ offense. This past season he averaged just 12.7 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 35 games.
Masai Ujiri Accepts Raptors GM Job
7:27pm: The Raptors officially announced Ujiri as their new GM. The team sent out a press release including comment from Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the parent company of the Raptors.
"We feel very lucky to have Masai in our organization. He is a proven judge of talent and we look for him to be a big part of creating a winning atmosphere, leading us to the playoffs and, ultimately, delivering NBA championships for Toronto," Leiweke said. "I would also like to publicly thank the Kroenkes in Denver for being such a class organization that they would allow Masai to pursue his dream. They put him first in all of our discussions."
The Nuggets also released statements from team president Josh Kroenke as well as Ujiri.
4:27pm: Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri has decided to accept the Raptors' GM job, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The well-respected exec received a five-year offer from Toronto earlier this week.
It's believed that Ujiri will earn $15MM over the course of the deal, good for a $3MM average annual value. Ujiri gave the Nuggets an opportunity to match the deal, but that apparently wasn't in the cards. His deal was set to expire at the end of June.
Ujiri is coming off a tremendous season in Denver as the Nuggets finished with their best regular season record in franchise history, excluding their ABA days. The GM was given the league's 2013 Executive of the Year award for his work.
The spot became open in Toronto earlier this month when the club decided to transition former GM Bryan Colangelo over to a business role. While there were bright spots for the club during Colagelo's tenure at the helm, they never quite met expectations during his seven year tenure at the helm.
Colangelo told Hoops Rumors in a conference call that he was willing to offer his advice in the club's search for his successor, but it's not clear if he was ever asked. The Raptors were linked to Kevin Pritchard and Troy Weaver as well, but reportedly had a strong preference for Ujiri.
Raptors Likely To Keep Dwane Casey
The Raptors have a new GM, luring Masai Ujiri from the Nuggets with a five-year, $15MM offer, but it appears they'll keep their coach. Ujiri will likely allow coach Dwane Casey to remain in his job, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Casey is entering the final season of his contract and is a favorite of former GM Bryan Colangelo, who was reassigned. If Colangelo had kept his GM post, he said he would have hung on to Casey as well.
Despite the apparent status quo decision on the coach, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes the arrival of Ujiri signals a shakeup is coming in the Raptors front office (Twitter link). It's not exactly clear what those changes would entail, though Wolstat thinks Ujiri won't hesitate to go against Colangelo's wishes, even as the ex-GM retains an advisory role in the team's basketball operations department.
Though Casey may keep his job for the coming season, he could wind up in the same lame-duck situation as Larry Drew endured with the Hawks this past season. Drew's departure from Atlanta was rumored almost from the moment Danny Ferry took over as GM last summer. The defensive-minded Casey is 57-91 in two seasons as Raptors coach, and went 53-69 in parts of two seasons coaching the Timberwolves. Toronto finished in the middle of the pack defensively this year, giving up 98.7 points per game, 17th most in the NBA.