Cavs Rumors: Ferry, Jamison, Sloan
The idea that the Cavs might make a run at the playoffs this season has long since faded to a distant memory now that they have the fifth-worst record in the league. The focus is clearly on the future, with two first-round draft picks lined up for June. Here's the latest on Cavs past, present and, possibly, future:
- After looking at the progress former Cav J.J. Hickson has made since his arrival in Portland, as we noted earlier this evening, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio shares a pair of front-office rumors involving former Cavs GM Danny Ferry, now working in the Spurs front office. Ferry, along with Celtics GM Danny Ainge, is a candidate for the Blazers GM job, and Ferry could also be next in line for the Wizards GM job should they decide to replace Ernie Grunfeld.
- Antawn Jamison will turn 36 in June, right before he goes out on the market as an unrestricted free agent. Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer looks at how Jamison's offseason body maintenance helped him start every game of the season for the Cavs until coach Byron Scott gave him a night off for rest on Saturday. Ryan Raroque profiled Jamison for the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Stock Watch series last night.
- Donald Sloan has an unguaranteed minimum-salary contract for next season, but Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal believes he's performed well enough in place of injured Kyrie Irving to come back to the team next season as Irving's backup.
Prospect Profile: Bradley Beal
There aren't a lot of quality young shooting guards in the NBA right now, especially given the injuries Eric Gordon has endured this year. There's also only one shooting guard projected as a surefire lottery pick in this year's draft, so that player, Bradley Beal, could be even more valuable than his ability would otherwise suggest.
Even if he weren't playing at a sought-after position, the freshman from Florida possesses plenty of appealing attributes. His high basketball IQ is something both ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Jonathan Givony of Draft Express agree on. He can play the point as well, and his showing down the stretch for the Gators and his ability to handle traps and double teams have already caught the eye of the Wizards, who are "enamored" with him, writes HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler. Ford points to his rebounding prowess, as he averaged 6.7 RPG this year, and Givony likes the advanced fundamentals and maturity he shows at just 18 years old.
Still, there are question marks involved. Ford writes that the only concern scouts have is his relatively poor shooting this year, when he connected on 44.5% of his field goal attempts, including 34% from three-point territory. Those are disappointing numbers from someone who, according to Ford, evoked comparisons to Ray Allen coming out of high school. While Givony believes he will never shoot so poorly from behind the arc again, he also points to a need for him to finish better on his attacks at the rim, as well as defensive inconsistencies. ESPN has him listed at 6'5", while he checks in at 6'3.5" at Draft Express. NBADraft.net splits the difference and has him at 6'4". Givony expressed concerns about his height, and if he's closer to the shorter side of his measurements, that's a legitimate worry.
Size matters less in a wide-open transition game, and he's been effective playing that style, according to Givony, creating looks for himself and his teammates with smooth ballhandling and an ability to change speeds. He'd fit a team looking for an up-tempo attack, and the Wizards notion holds water here, as they could go with a small lineup of John Wall, Beal, Jordan Crawford, Jan Vesely and Nene Hilario. He'd be a tougher fit with a team like the Raptors, who have a defensive-minded coach in Dwane Casey and DeMar DeRozan occupying the two-guard spot. Still, ESPN's latest mock has him going to Toronto at No. 5. Draft Express has him going fifth as well. Ford believes he could go as high as No. 2, but much of that will depend on how he compares to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, another sought-after wing player.
It all comes down to the right fit with a player like Beal, unlike a must-have top pick like Anthony Davis. If a team needs a versatile guard who can make quick decisions and, at worst, take nothing away from you with his shooting, Beal is the guy. If a team is worried about size and wants to play a halfcourt game, they'll shy away from him.
Wizards Sign Morris Almond
3:03pm: The Wizards officially announced the signing of Almond this afternoon in a press release.
10:59am: Following the release of Roger Mason Jr., the Wizards will sign Morris Almond from the D-League, according to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. Almond spent most of the season for the Maine Red Claws, who failed to qualify for the D-League playoffs last week.
In 29 D-League games this season, Almond averaged 23.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, along with shooting percentages of .543/.464/.794. The 27-year-old was a former first-round pick by the Jazz, but appeared in only 34 games for Utah from 2007 to 2009.
Since the Wizards re-signed James Singleton, this move will give the team a full roster of 15 players.
Wizards Waive Roger Mason
MONDAY, 3:02pm: The Wizards have officially waived Mason, the team announced today.
SUNDAY, 7:22pm: Michael Lee of the Washington Post tweets that the Wizards plan to add another player to reinforce their lack of depth in the back court.
2:13pm: In a tweet from Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears, Wizards guard Roger Mason Jr. will have season ending finger surgery on Monday, and because of it, the team will waive him.
The 31-year-old guard signed as a free agent with the team last December, and is averaging 5.5 PPG in 52 games this season. With his contract scheduled to come off the books after this season, it's his third straight year with a field goal percentage below 40%.
Wizards Sign James Singleton
In a tweet by Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, the Wizards will sign James Singleton for the rest of the season.
Singleton had signed a 10-day contract with Washington on April 5. Since then, the 30-year-old forward has put up double figure scoring in four of his last six games, including a 12 point and eight rebound performance in a win against the Magic last Tuesday. This should be a great opportunity for James to showcase himself, as he has averaged 24.8 minutes under Randy Wittman since joining the club.
Grunfeld Facing Uncertain Future With Wizards
Ernie Grunfeld became the Wizards' president of basketball operations nearly nine years ago, in June 2003, but he may not be part of the organization for a tenth year. With his contract set to expire at season's end, Grunfeld tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post that he hasn't let speculation about his future affect him.
"I’ve been in this business a long time," said Grunfeld. "This has been a challenge, and we knew it was going to be a challenge when we got into it. I’m just working as hard as I can, to do the best job that I can…. Those things will take care of themselves in the future as we move along."
A prominent agent told Lee that there's "no way" Wizards owner Ted Leonsis can bring back Grunfeld, and that the position will be highly sought-after if and when it becomes available. An NBA executive said the Wizards' trade for Nene was a "step in the right direction" but likely wouldn't be enough to save Grunfeld's job.
"Nothing against Ernie," the exec told Lee. "But he’s worked there for nine years and if you work for AT&T for nine years and the stock is dropping every day and you’re losing, guess what? The board of directors is getting rid of you. That’s the reality…. The stock is falling in Washington."
Grunfeld has been one of the league's highest-paid general managers, with Lee's sources estimating that the Wizards exec is paid between $3.5MM and $4.5MM annually. If Grunfeld were to return to Washington next season, it would likely be for a reduced salary. Still, Grunweld would like the chance to turn the franchise around.
"I’m very competitive," Grunfeld said. "Everyone would love to have a championship contender every year and I’ve been part of those situations. It’s fun to be there and hopefully, we can get back there in the near future."
Southeast Notes: Maggette, Odom, Wade, Wittman
Eastern Conference playoff seeding will be on the line the next two nights, with a focus on Southeast teams. Tonight, the Heat take on the Bulls in what is a must-win game if Miami wants a shot at the East's top seed. Tomorrow night, the Hawks and Magic, who have identical 34-24 records, play in Orlando in a game Dwight Howard is expected to miss. While we await what should be some good on-court action, let's catch up on the latest off-court updates out of the Southeast Division….
- In a press release, the Bobcats announced that Corey Maggette will miss the rest of the season with an ongoing right Achilles injury. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer wonders if Maggette has played his last game for the Bobcats, identifying the veteran as a potential amnesty candidate.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks the Heat could be a good fit for Lamar Odom, if Odom was willing to accept a significant pay cut to come to Miami next season.
- After saying yesterday that he believed players should be compensated for playing in the Olympics, Dwyane Wade backtracked on those comments today. The Heat star released a statement clarifying that he didn't want to be paid to play for Team USA in London this summer.
- Wizards coach Randy Wittman isn't worried about his fate for next season, telling Michael Lee of the Washington Post that "whatever happens, happens."
Southeast Notes: Silas, Wade, Wizards, Seraphin
The Hawks head into Boston tonight on a three-game winning streak and a half-game ahead of the Magic in the Southeast Division. As Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes, it may not be a bad thing for the Magic if the standings hold their current position. Currently the East's sixth seed, the Magic would face the third-place Pacers if the season ended today, and Robbins figures the Pacers are the best matchup for Orlando among the East's present playoff squads.
While we wait to see how the playoff seeding shakes out, let's check in on the latest from the Southeast….
- Bobcats coach Paul Silas hasn't heard indications from Charlotte management whether he'll be back on the team's bench next season. Silas tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that he's okay with the uncertainty, but would like to continue coaching the club because he "wouldn't want to leave things as they are" (Twitter links).
- Echoing comments made by Ray Allen, Heat star Dwyane Wade told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that he also believes players should be compensated for playing in the Olympics.
- Discussing the recent contributions from Cartier Martin and James Singleton, Wizards coach Randy Wittman joked that next year all his players will be on 10-day contracts, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Earlier this afternoon, I named Martin and Singleton as two of the best 10-day signings of 2012.
- Wizards majority owner Ted Leonsis wrote the following on his blog, Ted's Take: "A lot of general managers around the league are now asking; 'How did we not draft Kevin Seraphin and how did he fall so far in the draft?' Kudos to our scouts. And congratulations to Kevin Seraphin for taking advantage of his minutes and playing with hustle and showing off his gifts. Both Kevin Seraphin and Jordan Crawford were a part of our series of transactions around the Kirk Hinrich trades."
Odds & Ends: Van Gundy, Villanueva, Fisher, Magic
- John Hollinger of ESPN explores the different coaching options Stan Van Gundy has if he leaves the Magic (Insider link). It is worth noting that Hollinger lists a TV gig with ESPN or TNT, the Clippers, and Wizards among several other possibilities.
- Charlie Villanueva is "dying to play," writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. The six-year veteran has played in just two games since returning from an ankle injury.
- While Derek Fisher hasn't shown a statistical improvement compared to his numbers with the Lakers this season, the Thunder remain hopeful that his intangibles and big-game experience will pay dividends toward the development of the team, says J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today.
- In what he considers to be a "sneakered soap opera," Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel shares his thoughts on what to expect from the Magic as they finish the rest of the season and head into the summer.
- Antoine Walker announced his retirement from the D-League, tweeted Marc J. Spears of Yahoo.
- Expected to file for retirement in June, Brad Miller briefly reflects on a storied career with Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
- Shabazz Muhammad of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School is the only NBA-ready player among the participants at the Nike Hoops Summit, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo.
Odds & Ends: Williams, Mavericks, Howard, Cavs
We've got nine games on the docket tonight, including Magic–Sixers in Philadelphia. Orlando will look to put the heightened drama of this past week behind them and snap a five-game losing skid. Here's a look around the league on this Saturday afternoon..
- There has been tons of speculation about Deron Williams joining the Mavericks this summer but Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld points out that several things have to happen in order to facilitate that homecoming. For starters, Dallas will have to get creative in order to have enough cap space to sign the Nets guard.
- The latest drama between Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard feels like a repeat of the clash of Van Gundy and Shaquille O'Neal in Miami, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
- Lester Hudson has likely bought himself more time with the Cavaliers after helping the club top the Raptors in Toronto, writes Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer. The 27-year-old is on day eight of his ten-day contract.
- Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com (via Twitter) points out that the Wizards' James Singleton makes it ten players who have signed in the NBA after playing in China this season.