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Month: November 2024

Knicks Will Not Pursue Allen Iverson

May 27th, 2012 at 10:42am CST by Daniel Seco

The Knicks, while in need of shoring up their backcourt, will not consider talking with Allen Iverson as they deem the former Sixers star too big of a gamble, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Creative Artists Agency client made an appearance on Wednesday night in Philadelphia during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals where he expressed his desire to get back into basketball. Iverson, 37 in June, has a history with Knicks head coach Mike Woodson as Woodson was an assistant coach to Larry Brown for two seasons while Iverson was with the Sixers.

Iverson last played professionally in 2010/2011 when he signed a two-year, $4MM contract to play for Turkish club Besiktas Cola Turka, the same franchise Deron Williams later called home during the 2011 NBA lockout. He managed to average 14.3 PPG and 4.7 APG in seven league games before returning to the United States in January 2011 after a calcium deposit in his calf required treatment from Dr. James Andrews. While Iverson thought he would be able to return to Turkey in time for the playoffs, the former Georgetown star has not seen the court of a professional game since suffering the injury.

Even if Iverson is not the answer, the Knicks still need to find help to build backcourt depth heading into next season. Knicks GM Glen Grunwald expressed the team's commitment to re-signing Jeremy Lin during Friday's conference call to announce Woodson's new contract, but the former Harvard star's return is not a guarantee. Berman suggests the Knicks will look to lesser guards to sign with the team's $2MM lower exception including Raymond Felton, Derek Fisher and Gary Neal. There is concern that if Steve Novak's Bird rights aren't restored then the Knicks won't be able to afford to retain him or J.R. Smith, who is presumed to be gone if he doesn't pick up his $2.5MM player option for next season.

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Cavs Notes: Nicholson, Beal, Irving

May 27th, 2012 at 9:40am CST by Daniel Seco

Here's the latest news and headlines out of Cleveland from The News-Herald's Bob Finnan…

  • While much of the buzz surrounding Andrew Nicholson has the former St. Bonaventure star heading to the Celtics or the Thunder, the Cavs are giving the 6-foot-9 power forward a hard look as they determine their plans for the No. 24 pick in the draft, reports Finnan. The team visited Nicholson at his college campus and worked him out to see if he would be a good fit for the rebuilding squad. Checking in at 240 pounds, the big bodied Nicholson has been compared to former Xavier star David West. 
  • Finnan says the Cavs would love to have former Florida shooting guard Bradley Beal if they end up with the No. 3 pick in the draft especially considering their lack of depth at the position. While listed at 6-foot-5 and a lot closer to 6-foot-3, Beal makes up for a lack of ideal height for a shooting guard with his athleticism that translated to 6.7 rebounds per game for the Gators. Ryan Blake, senior director of NBA scouting operations, predicts that if the Cavs draft Beal, he'll fit in perfectly as the starting two guard for the Cavs to form an imposing backcourt with Kyrie Irving. 
  • The evolution of Irving as an NBA player excites all those involved with the Cavs organization especially considering he's already one of the top point guards in the league, writes Finnan. "I was always such a shy guy," Irving said. "I came to practice three hours early getting my shots up because I was so nervous to come in, and I wanted to make everything perfect. Everybody knows I am the hardest critic on myself." While winning Rookie of the Year honors may lead to a celebratory offseason for some players, Irving plans to come into camp in even better shape than last season with hopes of taking his game to the next level. 
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Winderman On Bosh, Odom, James

May 27th, 2012 at 8:45am CST by Daniel Seco

The Heat will get underway in the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday against the Celtics after Boston knocked off the Sixers in Game 7 of the Conference Semifinals on Saturday evening. The series marks a rematch of sorts as the two teams faced each other in the playoffs last season when they met during the Conference Semifinals with the Heat winning the series 4-1. Let's check in with the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman for the latest news out of South Beach.

  • Winderman is unsure of Chris Bosh's status for the Eastern Conference Finals and thinks the Heat aren't expecting anything out of the former Georgia Tech big man against the Celtics. Without Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have stepped up their play to the next level and have seen improved efforts from the role players around them. While the Heat should be OK against the Celtics without Bosh, there's little chance that the squad could take down the Thunder or the Spurs without him in the NBA Finals.
  • Don't count on the Heat acquiring Lamar Odom during the offseason, writes Winderman, as the former Lakers Sixth Man of the Year probably won't come cheap even after a disastrous season in Dallas. Odom would have to be bought out by the Mavs and then willing to take a heavy discount to take his talents to South Beach. Look for the former Rhode Island star to return to the Lakers or sign with the Knicks as he needs to find an environment that he is familiar with so he can revive his career.
  • Winderman says it doesn't make any sense to compare James and Wade in terms of who is the better leader or who is the best player on the team. As we've seen over the course of the past week, the success of the Heat is predicated on both players working in unison at a high level. Simply put, it doesn't matter who the face is of the franchise is if the team is winning games.
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Odds & Ends: O’Quinn, Gibbs, McRoberts

May 26th, 2012 at 10:23pm CST by Ryan Raroque
Here are more of tonight's miscellaneous links: 
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Orlando Targeting Spurs, Thunder Executives

May 26th, 2012 at 9:36pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports that the Magic are looking at Thunder vice president and assistant general manager Troy Weaver as well as Spurs assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey as candidates for their vacant GM position. Rob Hennigan, another assistant GM of the Thunder, is also being targeted. 

Wojnarowski says that Weaver is one of the league's elite young executives and has a strong record as a talent evaluator, most notably pushing hard for the team to draft Russell Westbrook higher than most draft boards had projected. Lindsey has been the assistant to RC Buford in San Antonio for the last five years after an 11-year-stint with the Rockets. 

Magic CEO Alex Martins reportedly plans to allow his new GM to control the search for the team's next head coach. 

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Rohde On Sam Presti, Connection To Spurs

May 26th, 2012 at 9:31pm CST by Ryan Raroque

A few days ago we asked for your predictions on the Thunder-Spurs matchup, and about 31% of you voted that San Antonio would win the series in six games. Jenni Carlson of NewsOK feels confident enough to disagree that she's compiled a list of 18 reasons why the Thunder can beat the Spurs. Her colleague, John Rohde (also of NewsOK), decided to look at the interesting connections between the two teams as we wait for the start of the Western Conference Finals: 

  • Rohde revists Thunder general manager Sam Presti's humble beginnings as a video coordinator intern with the Spurs before becoming the assistant general manager after seven years with the team. 
  • Here's a complete breakdown of how the current rosters of both teams were built. 
  • Rohde gives a list of specific members of the Thunder organization (Nazr Mohammed, Maurice Cheeks, and Mark Bryant to name a few) and talks about their history and ties to the Spurs.
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Free Agent Stock Watch: Tracy McGrady

May 26th, 2012 at 8:41pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Almost 10 years ago, then-Orlando Magic superstar Tracy McGrady heard the story of Iran Brown, a 13-year-old who had been the victim of a sniper attack in Maryland. Upon learning that he was Brown's favorite NBA player, Tracy reached out to the fan with gifts and the Magic eventually paid to bring the boy and his family to Orlando to watch the team play on Christmas Day. I can recall a segment on ESPN documenting a meeting between the two during a shootaround, in which McGrady told Brown that he would try to score 50 points for him. That day, after missing three games and still recuperating from a strained back, he would go on to score 46 in a win.  

When you think of "T-Mac" in his prime, he was as gifted and talented as anyone in the league and appeared to be able to do whatever he wanted on the court. A seven-time All-Star, two scoring titles, and two All-NBA team selections are all a part of a testament to his capabilities at his peak. Today, the 33-year-old is only a shell of what he used to be and has struggled to carve out a comfortable role since his days with the Rockets, having played for three teams in less than two years after being dealt from Houston.

After a tumultuous 2010-11 season with the Pistons, McGrady willingly chose to sign with the Atlanta Hawks for the veteran's minimum, but would later become frustrated with coach Larry Drew in February over a lack of playing time. While the two were eventually able to settle their differences, it would seem likely that the 14-year-veteran will try to seek another team that can give him a consistent role in their rotation if the opportunity presented itself.

This season, Tracy averaged 5.3 PPG, 2.9 APG, and shot 43.7% from the field in 16.1 MPG. In this year's playoffs, he averaged 4.2 PPG and 15.2 MPG. Those minute-per-game averages don't look too far-fetched, although McGrady had been unhappy with sporadic fluctuations in his playing time during the season. A microcosm of his inconsistent minutes are glaringly apparent in March, where he would play just two minutes against the Thunder after playing 26 the night before against the Bucks; 16 minutes against the Pistons and none against the Kings two days later; 9 minutes against the Wizards after playing 25 minutes against the Clippers two nights before. Coach Drew was able to quell some of McGrady's qualms about playing time by the start of the playoffs, and in an interview before their first-round opener against the Celtics, McGrady appeared to be happy:

"I’m excited about being a valuable part of this ball club. Yeah, I’m not that guy averaged 28, 29 points in the playoffs. But I’m still a valuable piece that comes off this bench. Considering it’s my first year ever coming off the bench, it’s a very uncomfortable role that I just wasn’t familiar with and didn’t really know how to approach it mentally. When you are playing inconsistent minutes . . . I’m not just built that way. That’s why I think over the last couple weeks I’ve been more comfortable is because my minutes have been consistent. That’s what it was all about. All I wanted was to have consistent minutes is to get me comfortable on the basketball games." 

Although the days of playing above the rim and 50-point outbursts are long gone, I feel that McGrady can still be a decent contributor as a reserve player. His height at 6'8'' and ability to bring the ball up as a point guard in some instances can present matchup problems for other teams' second units. Also, being that he earned his reputation in the league as a scorer, I don't view him as a player who would shy away from being aggressive offensively in spot minutes. If he decides to leave Atlanta, McGrady could be a very interesting low-risk option for contending teams looking to add depth for the veteran's minimum. 

 

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Odds & Ends: Bird, Dwight, Kerr, Shaw

May 26th, 2012 at 6:30pm CST by Ryan Raroque
Tonight's matchup features a Celtics team with an experienced and playoff-tested core against a mostly young 76ers team looking further build a foundation of playoff success. This also may be the final page of a great chapter in Celtics history if Boston loses tonight, as the futures of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen will be question marks this upcoming offseason. With less an hour away from tip-off in the third Game Seven of this year's playoffs, here's what we've heard from around the league:
  • According to a series of tweets by Mike Wells of the Indianapolis star, Pacers owner Herb Simon hopes that Larry Bird will continue to work with the franchise in some capacity if Bird decides to step down as president, and that no meeting has been arranged between the two yet.
  • Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel believes that Dwight Howard must align himself with a winning team in order to repair his tarnished image and should therefore expand his list of preferred trade destinations. Also, Schmitz briefly discusses the idea of Steve Kerr and Brian Shaw joining the Magic as GM and head coach respectively. When recently asked about the GM vacancy, Kerr asserted that he is currently happy with his job as a TNT analyst, although the Magic are expected to still make inquiries. Shaw would accept the head coaching opportunity in a heartbeat, according to Schmitz.     
  • Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld presents a list of this year's top-shooting free agents. Ray Allen, Jason Terry, Steve Novak, and Randy Foye were listed as some of the top unrestricted free agents who displayed solid three-point shooting percentages along with a high volume of attempts this year. 
  • Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press writes that Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is confident in the team's chances to make the playoffs next season. Taylor also said that the team is "going to try" the free agent market. 
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Teams That Changed Execs, Coaches In Same Year

May 26th, 2012 at 4:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic will be replacing both GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy this summer, and there's a fair chance the Blazers will have a new GM and coach when next season tips off as well. So, let's look at teams that recently changed coaches and player personnel executives in rapid succession and see how they fared. In each instance below, the executive is listed first and the coach second, unless the same man occupied both jobs. 

Knicks, 2008: Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni replace Isiah Thomas: Walsh and D'Antoni may not have led the team back into the title hunt in their time together, but they deserve credit for cleaning up the mess made by Thomas, who went 56-108 coaching his handpicked roster for two seasons in New York.

Nets, 2010: Billy King and Avery Johnson replace Rod Thorn and Kiki Vandeweghe: King and Johnson inherited a scorched-earth situation, having gone 12-70 in 2009/10. King pulled off the Deron Williams trade in his first year, and if he can convince him to re-sign this summer, the franchise will keep its positive momentum going.

Sixers, 2010: Rod Thorn and Doug Collins replace Ed Stefanski and Eddie Jordan: The Sixers have been in the playoffs in both years under the new regime, and this year they're in the second round for the first time since 2003.

Bucks, 2008: John Hammond and Scott Skiles replace Larry Harris and Larry Krystkowiak: Aside from a seven-game challenge of the Hawks in the 2010 first round, the current Bucks leadership hasn't done much to improve over the former. Owner Herb Kohl said earlier this month he has no plans to extend either Hammond or Skiles as both enter the final year of their contracts.

Cavs, 2010: Chris Grant and Byron Scott replace Danny Ferry and Mike Brown: It was a rough initiation to the GM seat for Grant, who had been on the job for just a month when LeBron James skipped town. Still, Grant swung a deal in his first season for what turned out to be 2011 No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving, and under Scott's tutelage, Irving won Rookie of the Year.

Timberwolves, 2009: David Kahn and Kurt Rambis replace Jim Stack and Randy Wittman: The play of Ricky Rubio this year helped soften criticism of Kahn's point guard heavy draft in 2009, but that's little solace for Rambis, who won 28 games in two full seasons and was out of his job before Rubio ever played a game in the NBA.

Clippers, 2010: Neil Olshey and Vinny Del Negro replace Mike Dunleavy and Kim Hughes: Dunleavy lost his GM job a month after his coaching job was given to Kim Hughes on an interim basis. That cleared the way for the current regime that has overseen the emergence of Blake Griffin, the Chris Paul trade and the renaissance of the franchise. 

Hornets, 2010: Dell Demps and Monty Williams replace Jeff Bower: The Hornets made the defending champion Lakers sweat in a 2010 first-round series, but the past year has not been as much fun for Demps and Williams. Still, there's optimism now that league ownership is out of the way and new owner Tom Benson, who has committed to keeping both coach and player, is in place.

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Odds & Ends: Lowry, Raptors, Heat, Jennings

May 26th, 2012 at 4:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

John Havlicek's famous steal in the 1965 Eastern Division finals might be the most storied of many Game 7 moments between the Celtics and Sixers, who look to add another chapter in tonight's Game 7. Still, many Boston fans have another theft on their minds as they file into the Garden this evening, since it's the 25th anniversary of Larry Bird's game-saving steal against the Pistons in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. Here's the rest of what's going on around the Association today:

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