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Williams, Brand Hope To Remain With Sixers

May 28th, 2012 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

Although one player has more agency than the other when it comes to deciding his future, both Lou Williams and Elton Brand would like to remain with the 76ers next season, according to an Associated Press report.

Williams, 25, has an early termination option worth $5.35MM for 2012/13. Even if he opts out of his deal, as he's expected to, he could negotiate a new deal and return to Philadelphia, and his comments suggest that will likely be something he explores.

"If I was a betting man, I think I would be back," Williams said. "Obviously, it comes down to a deal, but I don’t think that will be the hard part. This is home for me. I feel wanted here. I hope the feeling is mutual."

Brand, meanwhile, won't necessarily have the same decision-making freedom. Like Williams, he has an ETO for 2012/13, but his salary for next season will be about $18.16MM, making it a no-brainer to opt in. That doesn't mean he'll be back in Philadelphia though, as his exorbitant salary would make the veteran forward a likely amnesty candidate. Brand understands that the team could decide he isn't part of its future, but he hopes to play at least one more year with the Sixers.

"I want to be here, absolutely," Brand said, adding that if it's over, "I definitely loved my time here."

If Williams and Brand both waive their early termination options and opt into the final year of their respective deals, the Sixers would have nearly $56MM in salary committed to seven players. However, as we heard this weekend, major changes could be made to the team's roster in the coming weeks.

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Tim Duncan “Not Going Anywhere” In Free Agency

May 28th, 2012 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs continued to look unstoppable last night as the Western Conference Finals got underway, winning their ninth straight playoff contest and 18th straight game overall. While the team's postseason run means it's too early to start thinking about the offseason yet, Tim Duncan suggests to Johnny Ludden of Yahoo! Sports that he has little interest in testing the free agent market this summer.

"Though I shouldn't say that; I have to threaten them that I'll leave," Duncan joked. "No… I'm not going anywhere. You can print that wherever you want to. I'm here and I'm a Spur for life."

Duncan is an unrestricted free agent this summer, though he's rarely mentioned among potential targets for teams with cap space, since he was never expected to leave San Antonio. The biggest offseason question for Duncan may be the length and amount of his contract, rather than his destination. The veteran big man tells Ludden that he expects to play for another year or two, though three or four years may be stretching it. Still, even playing another year or two would be good news for the 36-year-old, who at one point thought knee problems might make this season his last.

"I got to the point where I was depressed and pissed off that my body wasn't doing the things that it used to do, and that I was deteriorating skill-wise," Duncan said. "I'm a competitor. I want to be a staple on a team, I want to be a go-to guy on a team. When that changed, that obviously hurt a little bit. But I found ways to be a part of this team and be a big part of this team."

Coming off a 2011/12 salary of $21.16MM, Duncan is eligible to earn up to about $22.22MM next season, though given his age and decreased playing time, I expect that figure will go down rather than up.

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Odds & Ends: Lin, Thunder, Bobcats, Magic

May 27th, 2012 at 9:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Links from around the league as the Spurs and Thunder kick start the Western Conference Finals..

  • Jeremy Lin's ability to play to the level of elite point guards such as Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook in a playoff series will dictate his level of success with the Knicks, says Jared Zwerling (Twitter links).  Zwerling adds (link) that one of the best things going for Lin is that he's healthy now and has the entire offseason to prepare for a bump in minutes.
  • Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) praises Thunder GM Sam Presti's draft record.  While drafting Durant was a no-brainer, Russell Westbrook (4th overall, 2008) and Serge Ibaka (24th overall) weren't exactly slam dunks.
  • The Bobcats could interview Pacers assistant Brian Shaw as soon as next week and plan to meet with Lakers assistant Quin Snyder in Chicago before the NBA pre-draft camp, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard.
  • Matt Moore of CBSSports.com tips his cap to the Magic for targeting Thunder vice president Troy Weaver and Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey.
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Sixers Notes: Collins, Thorn, Williams

May 27th, 2012 at 8:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at the 76ers as they look to take the next step as a franchise heading into 2012/13..

  • Despite their impressive run, the Sixers have a long way to go before they can truly be considered an elite team, opines Gordie Jones of CSNPhilly.com.  Coach Doug Collins and team president Rod Thorn seem to agree that the team needs to add size and athleticism to their front line and find a proven scorer in order to improve.  Jones also doesn't see Lou Williams opting out of his deal.
  • The Sixers' playoff run is a great example of why teams should never tank, writes Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops.  Plenty of people felt that the club would be better served by missing the playoffs and getting into the draft lottery rather than get bounced by the Bulls or Heat in round one.  Instead, the 76ers found themselves inches from the conference finals.
  • Earlier today, we learned that major changes could be on horizon for Philly next year, as implied by Collins.
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Prospect Profile: Marquis Teague

May 27th, 2012 at 5:58pm CST by Zachary Links

While the 2012 draft class is widely recognized as deep and talent-rich, teams aren't quite as enthused about this year's crop of point guards.  You can expect a good deal of movement and surprises between now and June 28th, but Damian Lillard and Kendall Marshall figure to be the first two point guards taken, unless Marshall's elbow injury is more serious than he is letting on.  After those two, teams will look to the other available floor generals such as Kentucky's Marquis Teague. 

The freshman had an up-and-down season as the Wildcats' starting one-guard and at times looked to be more than reckless with the basketball.  However, he managed to shine on a team loaded with star power in March as he held things together and scored when given the opportunity.  Teague was asked to be a distributor first and a scorer second in John Calipari's offense this season but showed that he could fill a stat sheet with the best of them in performances like his game against Iowa State where he had 24 points off of 10-of-14 shooting.

While it's an imperfect comparison stylistically, Teague has a knack for pushing the ball forward and weaving between defenders similar to Knicks guard Jeremy Lin.  It's a skill that serves Teague well in transition but most agree that the youngster doesn't thrive in the halfcourt set.  Any team that drafts Teague will have to have the patience to groom him into more effective ballhandler in slow offensive sets.

His inconsistency as a frosh at Kentucky raised a  few questions about his NBA potential but the promise he showed as a high school prospect has left many scouts drooling over his upside.  Teague didn't put up major points (10.0 PPG) in large part because he wasn't charged with scoring, but the guard put up 22.7 PPG in his senior year of high school.  It was that offensive ability and tenacity that led Rivals to rank the Indiana native as the fifth-best talent in the 2011 class.  ESPN's Chad Ford has Teague as the fourth-best point guard in the draft while DraftExpress has him at third, but virtually all evaluators agree that he must improve on his shooting ability and decision making in order to succeed at the next level.  It remains to be seen whether Teague will go ahead of Washington's Tony Wroten Jr., but you can expect to see him land somewhere between the late teens and mid-20s.

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Week In Review: 5/21/12 – 5/27/12

May 27th, 2012 at 4:30pm CST by Michael Pina

A look back at last week's biggest stories from around the NBA. 

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Odds & Ends: Warriors, Spurs, Green, Malone

May 27th, 2012 at 3:54pm CST by Daniel Seco

Let's catch up on the latest news and happenings from around the NBA…

  • NewsOk.com's Berry Tramel writes about how the Spurs and Thunder are so similar in their foundation. 
  • In a tweet, NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper says the Warriors will be conducting a workout on Monday. Some players expected to participate are Tony Wroten, Draymond Green, Royce White, and others. The Warriors currently hold the 30th pick from their trade deadline deal to acquire Richard Jefferson. 
  • Danny Green is enjoying a dream season with the Spurs after once wondering if he'd ever make it in the NBA, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. The former North Carolina star has gone from being cut by the Cavaliers after his rookie season to starting at shooting guard for the Spurs.
  • Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com wonders what the Warriors will do next if assistant head coach Michael Malone leaves the franchise for a head coaching job this offseason. Malone has been a major part of head coach Mark Jackson's coaching staff as the former point guard has only 66 games of coaching experience to draw from as he enters his second season guiding the Warriors.
  • The Bulls are exploring leaving their suburban practice facility, the Berto Center, in favor of a downtown location to cut down on commuting before home games, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. A move downtown would save the Bulls money as they currently provide players free access to a hotel room prior to home games so that they can avoid rush hour traffic.
  • Matt Moore of CBSSports.com wonders where the Sixers go from here now that they've been eliminated from by the playoffs by the Celtics. The team will continue to look for a star player to add to the roster while facing many decisions about its current roster heading into next season.
  • USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo is ready to field the most competitive roster for the 2012 Summer Olympics, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. While most of the players from the 2008 squad should be back on this year's roster, the team will be without Dwight Howard as he is currently rehabbing from back surgery in Los Angeles.
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Poll: Miami vs. Boston

May 27th, 2012 at 3:07pm CST by Michael Pina

When the Celtics emerged from their hard fought seven game series against the Sixers, they looked more relieved than jubilant. This was a series they were supposed to win, and waiting on the other side of the tracks was a Heat team that knocked them out in five games last season.

The upcoming Eastern Conference Finals will be a battle of will between two organizations loaded with veteran players who're more than familiar with the task at hand. How do you think it plays out? 

 

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 5/21/12 – 5/27/12

May 27th, 2012 at 1:55pm CST by Michael Pina

Here's a look back at all the original content produced by our writers over the last week.

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Sixers May Face Major Changes In Offseason

May 27th, 2012 at 11:31am CST by Daniel Seco

Still fresh off Saturday night's series-ending loss to the Celtics, the Sixers are already looking ahead to next year as their offseason got underway on Sunday. While the team may have exceeded expectations by pushing Boston to a Game 7, some critics may point to the fact that the Sixers faded in the second half of the season as a reason why the franchise needs to make changes to the roster. CSNPhilly.com's John Finger suggests that big changes may be on the horizon for the Sixers as the team looks to make a deeper run in next year's playoffs. Head coach Doug Collins was the first to admit that the group of guys currently on the Sixers roster will most likely not be the same heading into the 2012/2013 season. 

“I hope our guys are going to grow from this, I hope we grow as a team,” Collins said after the Game 7 loss to Boston. “We have to add some more pieces, we know that. [Owner] Josh Harris is totally committed to that. On a day like today I always tell our players to make sure they look around the locker room and look at your teammates. You’re forever bonded, but this team will not be the same team next year. That’s the nature of sports.”

Finger says Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand may not be on next year's team as the Sixers will look to add a big man like Pau Gasol and a scorer like Steve Nash to the roster. Iguodala could be used as a trading chip to acquire Gasol as the Lakers are looking to move the Spaniard with hopes of becoming younger and faster to better complement Kobe Bryant. Financially, the move would make sense as Gasol is owed $38MM over the next two seasons while Iguodala is set to earn $30.6MM during the same time frame. Brand's future may not be as kind as Iguodala's as the former Duke star may face becoming a salary dump for a team looking for an expiring contract.

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