In his latest piece, Marcus Thompson II of the Contra Costa Times lays out a few reasons why Carl Landry is a near-lock to turn down his $4MM player option in search of a bigger payday. But Landry tells Thompson that he hasn't made a decision yet, pointing out that he took a lesser deal to initially sign with the Warriors and adding that his decision won't simply be about money — he'll also consider his potential coach, teammates, and the odds of playing in the postseason.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Association:
- Yesterday, our own Zach Links chatted with Todd Brommelkamp and Tyler Ryder of KGYM ESPN Radio and talked about the NBA Draft, what the Cavs might do with the No. 1 pick, and the courtship of Dwight Howard. You can listen to Zach live on KGYM Radio every other Wednesday at 4:30 central.
- Speaking to Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Stan Van Gundy acknowledged that there's a chance he could never coach an NBA team again.
- Eric Koreen of the National Post identifies a handful of candidates who could be considered – or are being considered – to replace Bryan Colangelo as the Raptors' head of basketball operations.
- The Raptors have indicated they're willing to exceed the luxury tax threshold by "a significant margin" if it helps Colangelo's successor build a winning team, reports Zach Lowe of Grantland.
- Lang Greene of HoopsWorld takes a look at the searches being conducted by the six Eastern Conference teams in the market for a new head coach.
- According to a report from Gigantes.com (translation via Sportando), longtime NBA forward Andres Nocioni intends to play another season in Spain in 2013/14.