Earlier this week, our own Chuck Myron looked at the free agent stock of Cavaliers small forward Luol Deng. The Cavs were in talks with several teams about flipping Deng at the deadline, a sign that the club isn’t confident about its chances to keep the small forward. We know that the The Lakers and Suns have interest, and the Mavs, Celtics, Magic and Bobcats are reportedly likely suitors as well, so things appear to be wide-open for the 29-year-old. Here’s the latest out of the Central Division..
- If Cavaliers acting General Manager David Griffin leaves the Cavs for the vacant Pistons job or isn’t retained, Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer says two names to keep in mind are Bryan Colangelo and Ed Stefanski. Both were most recently with the Raptors and both likely would be under consideration should the Cavs have an opening. Griffin actually worked in Phoenix for Colangelo. Stefanski, meanwhile, was previously was president and GM of the 76ers and GM of the Nets where he worked alongside Rod Thorn.
- New Bucks owners Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry spoke with Don Walker of the Journal-Sentinel about what fueled them to buy the club, their business philosophy, and their plan to land a new arena.
- The Journal-Sentinel staff graded the Bucks‘ 2013/14 season and the report card isn’t pretty. Milwaukee’s final grade is an F in part because the off-season moves to sign Larry Sanders and O.J. Mayo to long-term deals backfired in a hurry. There weren’t many bright spots, but the trade to land Brandon Knight and Khris Middleton yielded decent results and the draft picks of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nate Wolters were promising.