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Heat Notes: Dragic, Bosh, Deng

May 18th, 2016 at 1:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is pleased with the growth that Goran Dragic displayed in running the team’s offense during the second half of the season and in the playoffs, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays. “You want to leverage his strengths as much as possible,” Spoelstra said of Dragic. “He really improved in a lot of areas. He had to run a team different from the teams he has been successful on. That helped him immensely during the playoffs. He learned how to execute in halfcourt basketball. When we were able to play a different pace and tempo after the All-Star break, he had an improved skill set to play multiple styles of basketball, which is absolutely a necessity in the playoffs. You can’t just play one style. I’ve enjoyed seeing Goran’s growth as a basketball player. Now he’s learning how to impact winning on both sides of the floor. He’s been a joy to coach.”

Here’s more from South Beach:

  • Spoelstra wouldn’t address the reports that Chris Bosh may not be cleared by the team’s medical staff to return to action, but did note how difficult the power forward’s health woes have been on both the player and the organization, Jackson notes in the same piece. “There’s nothing new,” Spoelstra said regarding Bosh. “Right now, we’re going to get away and decompress. Obviously, it was very tough for the team. You really feel for CB because you know how much the game means to him. You really feel for him. It was a tough year emotionally for this team, starting with Coach [Keith] Smart, when he had to take his leave of absence for his cancer. I’ve never been through anything like that. At the same time, it was an extremely gratifying year. Everything we went through, we really developed some friendships and relationships through this almost eight months of a season. We were disappointed about the final result. We will always have bigger expectations here at the Heat.”
  • Small forward Luol Deng, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, said he prefers to re-sign with the Heat and that like his previous free agency decisions, what he does this summer won’t revolve primarily around money, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post relays (Twitter links). The 31-year-old earned $10,151,612 for his efforts this past season.
  • The Heat are likely to face stiff competition for unrestricted free agent big man Hassan Whiteside this summer, but the team intends to take advantage of the next six weeks when it will be the only franchise allowed to talk contract details with the player, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. “Well, we’ll get to July when we get to July,” Spoelstra said. “But, in the meantime, it’s going to be spending a lot of time in our building, still doing rehab, treatment and then we’re fully open, as we always are, to player development all the way up until that date. But I anticipate spending some more time with Hassan in the immediate future, as he gets healthy.”
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Mike D’Antoni Frontrunner For Rockets Post

May 18th, 2016 at 1:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

1:30pm: Van Gundy is no longer a candidate for the position, Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical reports (via Twitter). The former coach and current broadcaster was interested in the slot, but he and the team never formally spoke, the scribe adds.

12:48pm: Sixers associate head coach Mike D’Antoni has emerged as the frontrunner to become the Rockets next head coach, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays. Though the offensive-minded coach has moved to the front of the line for the vacant post, a number of steps need to be completed before any contract offer is made, Feigen adds.

Talks between D’Antoni and Houston have been ongoing, but there are two other coaches who can be considered finalists for the position, Feigen adds, though the scribe doesn’t relay the names of those finalists. D’Antoni has met with representatives from the organization twice, including a sit-down with team owner Leslie Alexander. The 65-year-old has an overall record of 455-426 in the regular season as a head coach and was named as the 2004/05 Coach of the Year.

The emergence of D’Antoni is an interesting development and could potentially cause friction between Alexander an GM Daryl Morey. The owner reportedly wants the team to run an up-tempo offense, which is D’Antoni’s forte, but Morey is said to be seeking a more defensive-minded coach who will instill greater accountability in the team’s roster. A compromise may be in order, with Houston likely to add a strong defensive assistant to the staff if D’Antoni is hired. Grizzlies assistant Jeff Bzdelik is among the coaches the Rockets would consider for that purpose, but they have not interviewed Bzdelik nor been granted permission from Memphis to meet with him, Feigen relays. Bzdelik will be among those considered for the Grizzlies vacant head coaching position, the scribe adds.

The Rockets have also met with former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, Clippers assistant Sam Cassell, Hornets assistant Stephen Silas and Rockets assistant Chris Finch. Former Pacers coach Frank Vogel and Spurs assistant Ettore Messina are also part of the process, a person with knowledge of talks told Feigen. Messina reportedly interviewed with the team on Saturday, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Former interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff and former Rockets guard Kenny Smith were also interviewed, but Bickerstaff withdrew from consideration and Smith was told he was no longer a candidate as the Rockets decided to focus on coaches with either head coaching experience or extensive experience as an assistant, Feigen notes.

Jeff Van Gundy, who is also a candidate, has received strong support from Morey for the position, but Alexander reportedly has yet to be fully sold on a reunion with the ESPN analyst, who has been away from coaching since he and Houston parted ways back in May of 2007.

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2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Grizzlies

May 18th, 2016 at 11:49am CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.

This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.

We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Memphis Grizzlies, whose D-League affiliate is the Iowa Energy:

The Grizzlies made 16 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending three players to the D-League for a total of 86 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Memphis for the 2015/16 campaign:

Here is how the Grizzlies’ players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:

  • James Ennis: In 24 appearances Ennis averaged 18.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 33.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .454/.321/.697.
  • Jarell Martin: In 10 appearances Martin averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 28.9 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .492/.286/.565.
  • Russ Smith: In 22 combined appearances with Iowa and Delaware (the Sixers’ affiliate), Smith averaged 27.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.8 assists in 37.0 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .460/.304/.778.
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Celtics Notes: Ainge, Olynyk, Draft Workouts

May 18th, 2016 at 10:45am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics were unable to jump ahead of the Sixers and Lakers to snag the No. 1 overall pick in Tuesday night’s NBA draft lottery and the team will draft third as a result. With Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram likely to be off the board when Boston picks, team executive Danny Ainge indicated that he doesn’t know who the team will look to select, Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7 FM relays. “We don’t know that yet. We’ll obviously explore that,” Ainge said. “We’re in the middle of that process right now of figuring out who’s in the draft and who’s the best fit for us. We’ll also probably get some calls for that pick I’m guessing, so there’ll be discussion of that too. But right now we’re really in the mode of preparing for the draft.”

Regarding the talent level of the second-tier of players in this year’s draft, Ainge told reporters, “Last year at this time I think everybody saw that [talent drop-off] and it sort of changed between what everybody thought at this time and what happened in the draft. So it’s still too early. There’s still a lot of evaluation. When you’re looking and evaluating in some cases 18 and 19-year-old kids there’s a lot that changes between the end of their college careers and the draft, so I wouldn’t say anything is in stone in how the draft order is gonna go. We’ll just evaluate them all and see how it falls.”

Here’s more out of Boston:

  • Center Kelly Olynyk underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair damage to his right shoulder, and though the Celtics didn’t announce a timetable for the big man to return to action, Ainge estimates Olynyk will be out for approximately five months, Petraglia relays in a separate article. A recovery time of that duration would mean Olynyk could return during the preseason and potentially be available to start the 2016/17 campaign.
  • The Celtics are hosting two group workouts today that will include 12 players, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). Displaying their wares for Boston will be Abdul-Malik Abu (NC State), Trevon Bluiett (Xavier), Nigel Hayes (Wisconsin), Malik Pope (San Diego State), Zhou Qi (China), James Webb III (Boise State), DeAndre Bembry (St. Joseph’s), Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Josh Hart (Villanova), Jake Layman (Maryland), Abdel Nader (Iowas State) and Taurean Prince (Baylor), Forsberg notes.
  • Former Louisiana-Lafayette center Shawn Long has a workout scheduled with the Celtics on June 9th, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets.
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Poll: 2016 Community Mock Draft (Pick No. 1)

May 18th, 2016 at 9:46am CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2016 NBA Draft lottery was held on Tuesday night and the Sixers finally landed the elusive No. 1 overall pick after missing out the past two seasons. Now that the exact draft order is locked in, teams can begin targeting specific players who are likely to still be on the board when it is their time to choose. Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. We at Hoops Rumors thought it would be fun to give our readers the chance to predict the results of this June’s draft, which is what we intend to do with a series of polls.

We’ll begin with the Sixers, who are likely to choose between former LSU forward Ben Simmons and former Duke forward Brandon Ingram at the top slot, though GM Bryan Colangelo could look to address the team’s void at point guard by nabbing Kris Dunn or Jamal Murray instead. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Philadelphia’s pick and check back Thursday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Lakers will select with the No. 2 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 1 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.

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Bryan Colangelo On: Draft Lottery Results, Simmons

May 18th, 2016 at 8:51am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers were the big winners on Tuesday night, snagging the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery. Now that the exact order of the draft is locked in, Philadelphia has the daunting task of making the right call this June. Fresh off the announcement that he would have the top pick to work with, Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo spoke with members of the media regarding the upcoming draft. Hat tip to DraftExpress for transcribing the session, along with a number of other team representatives’ thoughts on the draft lottery results. Here are some of the highlights from Colangelo’s Tuesday night chat with reporters:

On where the team is at regarding its pre-draft player evaluations:

“We’ve had a chance to already meet with Brandon Ingram and Kris Dunn among the top candidates. There are several others, Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield and several others that we’ve met with. Ben Simmons did not attend Chicago, so we did not have a chance for that to occur. I do plan on a trip to Cleveland soon, and a couple of these guys will obviously be coming into Philadelphia for visits in our home gym. A lot of work to do over the next 40 days or so. There’s a lo to do and we have our sleeves rolled up.”

On when he expects to make his call on who the team will select at No. 1 overall:

“We may decide before [draft night], but we’re certainly not going to announce it. Again, there is a lot of work that needs to be done. Physical testing, individual conversations with these two or three or four prospects. And I will tell you, we are going to continue to do out due diligence for the draft. We’re going to visit all the players. They are going to visit us. There are some draft workouts to be held. Don’t forget, we’ve got No. 24 and No. 26 in this draft as well. A lot of things could be in play. We need to determine what the best course of action is. But, the good news is, you’ve got resources in place. You’ve got the tools now clearly defined — one, 24 and 26. We’ve got those good young, developing players that continue to develop even as we speak today in our gym in Philadelphia.”

On if he is committed to retaining the No. 1 overall pick:

“It’s pretty obvious the answer is yes [to keeping it]. A lot of people jumped on the notion that we talked about looking at all alternatives as being open to moving the pick. I think, again, you have to look at every single option and everything in front of you. But, the bottom line is, now that we’re sitting in the number one position, it changes the dynamic. I think it was more in reference to, what would happen if we ended up with two top five picks, if there was maybe a decision to move one of those. It’s highly unlikely that anything is done with the number one pick except selecting the player.”

On what stands out about former LSU forward Ben Simmons:

“When you analyze the top two prospects, as far as all the reports go and the media speculation, you’ve got two guys [Simmons and Ingram] that are very talented players but very different players. One who is a ball-handling four, who actually would be in a position to initiate the offense. Very versatile. Plays multiple positions. He could actually play some three, some four and probably some five in some situations the way the league is playing right now. But, again, the notion that he’s a ball-handling four puts him in a unique position with our team, to be a distributor, etc. As yo look at Brandon Ingram, more of a shooter, a silky smooth small forward type. Probably can play multiple positions as well. I think you have to look at his versatility. But, the one thing that stands out is his ability to shoot the basketball, above all else. There is obviously two very interesting candidates there.”

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Community Shootaround: Phil Jackson

May 17th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks’ hiring of Phil Jackson as team president in March of 2014 was met with much initial excitement because of his Hall-of-Fame credentials as a coach. But there was some skepticism regarding how well he would fare as an executive, a role in which he had no prior experience. Team owner James Dolan certainly went all-in on the Zen Master, inking Jackson to a five-year, $60MM contract, a record salary for an executive.

New York has gone 49-115 under Jackson’s watch, and the fanbase, as well as star forward Carmelo Anthony, are growing increasingly restless. Jackson has often appeared aloof and on occasion, disinterested, which calls into question his commitment to the franchise. The executive didn’t help matters last week by failing to attend the annual college scouting combine last week in Chicago, though he may have done so in order to interview head coaching candidate Frank Vogel in Los Angeles.

Despite the Knicks not owning a pick in this year’s draft, the team could potentially purchase or acquire one via trade. By not attending the combine, Jackson may have missed an important opportunity to observe first-hand some of the talent that may be available. Even if the team is unable to snag a pick this June, Jackson declining to travel to Chicago — whatever the reason, doesn’t inspire confidence from the team’s fans, nor prospective free agents, many of whom will make their decisions based on what organization will give them the best opportunity to win.

This brings me to today’s topic: Should James Dolan, regardless of the money still owed Phil Jackson, part ways with the team president?

This offseason will be a defining one for Jackson as an executive. If he fails to make some significant additions to the roster this summer, it could usher in a complete rebuild of the team, as well as make it all the likelier that Jackson will opt out of his deal after the 2016/17 campaign. But should Dolan entrust such a critical task to Jackson, or should the owner step in and find someone new to lead the team into the future? If you believe Jackson should go, who should the team target to replace him. Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.

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Draft Notes: Lee, Williams, Bluiett

May 17th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kentucky junior power forward Marcus Lee has cancelled at least three scheduled workouts with NBA teams, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes. Lee told reporters that he was still weighing his options regarding the NBA Draft and wasn’t concerned about fighting for playing time on a stacked Wildcats squad next season if he does return to school, Zagoria adds. “I’m definitely weighing my options, it’s definitely a process,” Lee said. “Once I get back home I’ll be able to talk it through with my family and we’ll figure it out from there. We’ll kind of weigh the options and go from there knowing that there is a risk there in not knowing what might happen.” Lee is currently slotted as the No. 29 overall junior by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

Here’s the latest 2016 NBA Draft news and notes:

  • Indiana junior small forward Troy Williams is still undecided on whether or not he will remain in this year’s NBA draft, Scott Agness of VigilantSports tweets. Williams, who is the No. 86 overall prospect according to Givony, has upcoming workouts with the Lakers, Clippers, and Pelicans, Agness notes.
  • Xavier sophomore swingman Trevon Bluiett will work out for the Lakers on Friday, Zagoria relays (via Twitter).
  • The Timberwolves have workouts scheduled on Wednesday for Bryn Forbes (Michigan State), Amida Brimah (UConn), Angel Rodriguez (Miami), Williams and Tonye Jekiri (Miami), Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (Twitter link).
  • Working out for the Clippers on Wednesday will be Isaiah Taylor (Texas), Jaron Blossomgame (Clemson) and Robert Carter (Maryland), Dan Woike of The Orange County Register tweets.
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Latest On Rockets Coaching Search

May 17th, 2016 at 9:55pm CST by Eddie Scarito

9:55pm: The Rockets interviewed Messina on Saturday, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated relays (on Twitter).

9:15pm: Sixers associate head coach Mike D’Antoni has a second interview scheduled with the Rockets regarding their vacant head coaching position, Marc Stein and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com report. D’Antoni, whose stock is rising in the eyes of Houston’s front office, will sit down with franchise owner Leslie Alexander after impressing the team during his first interview, the duo note.

The offensive-minded D’Antoni doesn’t necessarily fit the mold of the strong defensive coach that Houston is reportedly seeking, and the team would look to hire a coach with strong defensive credentials to serve as D’Antoni’s defensive coordinator if he is hired, Stein and Watkins add. D’Antoni, the 2004/05 Coach of the Year, has an overall record of 455-426 in the regular season as a head coach.

Houston has also interviewed former Cavs coach David Blatt, former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, Clippers assistant coach Sam Cassell, Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, current Rockets assistant coach Chris Finch and TNT analyst Kenny Smith, Stein and Watkins note. The Rockets also have expressed interest in former Pacers coach Frank Vogel and Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina.

Jeff Van Gundy has received strong support from Rockets GM Daryl Morey for the position, but Alexander has yet to be fully sold on a reunion with the ESPN analyst, who has been away from coaching since he and Houston parted ways back in May of 2007, Stein and Watkins relay.

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Latest On Magic Coaching Search

May 17th, 2016 at 8:54pm CST by Luke Adams

8:54pm: Orlando interviewed Vogel on Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. The scribe also confirms that team officials sat down with Griffin today. Vogel, who has also had discussions with the Grizzlies and Knicks, is “seriously interested” in the Magic’s vacant post, Wojnarowski relays. The Pacers went 250-181 in parts of six seasons under Vogel.

3:19pm: The Magic have conducted an interview with Adrian Griffin for their head coaching vacancy, reports Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. According to Robbins, the sitdown between Griffin and the Magic took place earlier today.

Griffin, 41, joined the Magic a year ago as the lead assistant on Scott Skiles‘ staff in Orlando. With Skiles having resigned from the head coaching position last week, Orlando is in the market for his replacement, and Griffin was one of several potential candidates mentioned in the wake of Skiles’ departure. Jeff Hornacek, Patrick Ewing, James Borrego, and Frank Vogel are among the others viewed as options for the Magic.

Before joining the Magic last summer, Griffin spent several years in Chicago as an assistant coach on Tom Thibodeau‘s staff. Griffin was promoted to lead assistant in 2013 and was viewed as a possible candidate to replace Thibodeau as the Bulls’ head coach, though that ultimately didn’t pan out.

Griffin has been considered a prime head coaching candidate around the NBA for the last few years, reportedly interviewing with the Blazers in 2012, the Pistons and twice with the Sixers in 2013, and the Jazz twice as well as the Cavs in 2014.

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