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Month: November 2024

Stein’s Latest: West, Raptors, DeRozan, Budenholzer

May 15th, 2018 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

While president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and owner Steve Ballmer will ultimately make personnel decisions for the Clippers this summer, consultant Jerry West – who will represent the franchise at Tuesday’s draft lottery – figures to have a “significant say,” writes Marc Stein of The New York Times.

“I don’t just want to be a figurehead,” West said of his role with the Clippers. “You want to be a part of the decision-making process. I don’t have the final decision here, but I do have a voice.”

Within his look at West’s role in Los Angeles, Stein notes that the veteran executive helped convince the Clippers to go through with the Blake Griffin trade, even if it made the team look bad after having just extended Griffin seven months earlier. West, who felt his influence was fading in Golden State, elected to ink a two-year contract with L.A. last summer, and may ultimately stay with the franchise longer than that.

“If he still wants to do it, we can go beyond that,” said Clippers owner Ballmer. “Now that I know him better, I can’t see him retiring.”

Here’s more from Stein:

  • Within his weekly newsletter for The Times, Stein writes that “word is” the Raptors quietly explored the possibility of trading DeMar DeRozan during the 2017 offseason. That doesn’t mean that the Raps want to move DeRozan or that they’ll explore trade options for him again this summer. However, Stein fully expects Toronto to do its due diligence on the trade market — not just with DeRozan, but with everyone on the roster.
  • There’s a general belief that the Milwaukee head coaching job is the one Mike Budenholzer wants most, but that’s not a lock, according to Stein, who suggests that the former Hawks coach will have multiple meetings with both the Bucks and Raptors. Stein writes that Budenholzer “could well have preferences that outsiders aren’t privy to” after those meetings. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has said that the Raptors opened talks with Budenholzer over the weekend and continued those conversations on Monday, while Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweeted today that Toronto has already met with Budenholzer.
  • Speaking of the Raptors‘ head coaching job, Stein also reported on Monday that Toronto is interviewing assistants Nick Nurse and Rex Kalamian for that position today.
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Community Shootaround: Draft Lottery Scenarios

May 15th, 2018 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2018 NBA draft lottery will take place on Tuesday night, as we noted in our lottery primer earlier today. While the odds favor the Suns, there are 14 NBA teams that could ultimately end up with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, creating some fascinating drama.

In a piece for The Ringer on Monday, Paolo Uggetti broke down some of the most interesting potential scenarios for the draft lottery. As Uggetti observes, the two teams still alive in the Eastern Conference Finals have a chance to get some great news before they take the court on Tuesday, since the Cavaliers own the Nets’ first-round pick, while the Celtics will own the Lakers’ first-rounder if it lands at No. 2 or No. 3 overall. The possibility of one or both of those teams landing a top-three pick at the same time they’re looking to advance to the NBA Finals isn’t good news for the rest of the league.

Of course, the Sixers would keep that Lakers pick if it moves all the way up to No. 1. It’s currently 10th in the lottery standings, so the odds of it becoming a top-three pick are slim, but it would create some terrific drama if it lands in the top three, since the balance of power in the Eastern Conference could shift significantly depending on whether the pick ends up at No. 1 (Sixers) or Nos. 2 or 3 (Celtics).

Uggetti’s other intriguing scenarios include big-market teams like the Knicks and Clippers getting a top pick — L.A. could theoretically move into the top three while keeping a second lottery selection, courtesy of the Pistons. Uggetti points to the Magic or Kings getting the No. 1 pick as interesting scenarios too, since neither of those clubs has had much lottery luck in the last few years — despite several appearances near the top of the draft.

Outside of the teams we’ve already mentioned, the Grizzlies, Mavericks, Hawks, Bulls, Hornets, Pistons, and Nuggets all have a chance to land a top pick.

What do you think? What would be the most interesting draft lottery scenario? Which team deserves some good luck the most (or least)? Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Ettore Messina Gets Second Meeting With Bucks

May 15th, 2018 at 11:45am CST by Luke Adams

Mike Budenholzer isn’t the only head coaching candidate who will get a second meeting with the Bucks today. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Spurs assistant Ettore Messina will also meet with the Bucks today in New York. Both interviews will include team ownership, Wojnarowski notes.

[RELATED: 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Messina, a longtime coach overseas, was hired by the Spurs in 2014 following his second stint as CSKA Moscow’s head coach. While San Antonio has no shortage of well-regarded assistants, it was Messina who took over as the club’s head coach in the playoffs last month, following the death of Gregg Popovich‘s wife Erin.

Messina also received consideration from the Hornets this spring for their head coaching job, but Charlotte ultimately opted for another Spurs assistant, James Borrego. The Bucks, who also met with Spurs assistant Becky Hammon, had planned to interview Borrego during their first round of meetings before the Hornets hired him.

Besides Messina, Hammon, and Budenholzer, Milwaukee’s first round of interviewees included Joe Prunty, Steve Clifford, Monty Williams, David Blatt, and Jay Larranaga. So far, Budenholzer and Messina are the only known finalists who will meet with team ownership.

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2018 NBA Draft Lottery Primer

May 15th, 2018 at 11:18am CST by Luke Adams

The 2018 NBA draft lottery will take place on Tuesday night in Chicago before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals begins in Boston. Here’s what you need to know heading into tonight’s event:

Pre-Lottery Draft Order:

The top 14 picks in the 2018 NBA draft would look like this if tonight’s lottery results don’t change the order:

  1. Phoenix Suns
  2. Memphis Grizzlies
  3. Dallas Mavericks
  4. Atlanta Hawks
  5. Orlando Magic
  6. Chicago Bulls
  7. Sacramento Kings
  8. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Nets)
  9. New York Knicks
  10. Philadelphia 76ers (from Lakers)
    • Note: Celtics will receive pick if it lands at No. 2 or No. 3 via lottery
  11. Charlotte Hornets
  12. Los Angeles Clippers (from Pistons)
    • Note: Pistons will keep pick if it moves into top three via lottery.
  13. Los Angeles Clippers
  14. Denver Nuggets

For the full pre-lottery draft order, click here.

Draft Lottery Odds:

The Suns will have a 25.0% chance at the first overall pick and a 64.2% chance at a top-three pick. That puts them in the driver’s seat, as they won’t be picking any lower than fourth.

The Grizzlies (19.9% at No. 1; 55.8% at top-three), Mavericks (13.8% and 42.6%), and Hawks (13.7% and 42.3%) have the next-best odds at a top pick, with the odds for the remaining lottery teams declining from there.

For the full draft lottery odds for all 14 spots, click here.

Trades Affecting The Draft Lottery:

Three trades will have an impact on Tuesday night’s lottery results. They are as follows:

The Cavaliers own the Nets‘ unprotected first-round pick, so Cleveland will receive that selection no matter where it lands. It’s currently projected to be No. 8 overall.

The Sixers own the Lakers‘ unprotected first-round pick, but will send that pick to the Celtics if it moves up to No. 2 or No. 3 in the lottery. If it stays where it is (No. 10), moves up to No. 1, or moves down at all, the 76ers will keep it, which is the likely outcome (97.1% chance).

  • Note: If the Sixers keep this pick, the Celtics will receive a top-one protected pick from the Sixers in 2019 (the most favorable of the Kings and Sixers picks).

The Clippers own the Pistons‘ top-three protected first-round pick. If it moves up to the top three in the lottery, that selection will stick with Detroit. However, it’s currently projected to be No. 12, limiting the odds of it moving up. The Clips have a 97.5% chance of ending up with the pick.

  • Note: If the Pistons keep their pick, the Clippers will receive a top-four protected pick from the Pistons in 2019.

Draft Lottery Representatives:

The on-stage representatives for each of this year’s lottery teams are as follows, according to a press release issued by the NBA:

  • Atlanta Hawks: Jami Gertz (co-owner)
  • Boston Celtics: Rich Gotham (president)
  • Charlotte Hornets: Mitch Kupchak (president of basketball operations / GM)
  • Chicago Bulls: Michael Reinsdorf (president / COO)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers: Nick Gilbert (son of owner Dan Gilbert)
  • Dallas Mavericks: Michael Finley (assistant VP of basketball operations)
  • Denver Nuggets: Jamal Murray
  • Detroit Pistons: Luke Kennard
  • Los Angeles Clippers: Jerry West (consultant)
  • Memphis Grizzlies: Elliot Perry (minority owner / director of player support)
  • New York Knicks: Scott Perry (GM)
  • Orlando Magic: Jeff Weltman (president of basketball operations)
  • Philadelphia 76ers: Elton Brand (GM of Delaware Blue Coats)
  • Phoenix Suns: Josh Jackson
  • Sacramento Kings: De’Aaron Fox

Final Year For Current Lottery Format:

This will be the final year that the lottery uses the current odds, including a 25% chance at the No. 1 pick for the NBA’s worst team. Starting in 2019, the league’s three worst teams will have an equal shot (14.0%) at landing the first overall pick, and the top four spots in the draft will be decided in the lottery. That means the league’s worst team could slip as far as No. 5.

Additionally, the odds at a top pick will be smoothed out throughout the top 14. While the NBA’s very worst teams will still have the best chance to land the very best picks, the difference won’t be as significant as it has been. For instance, in the current format, the NBA’s eighth-worst team has a 10% chance at a top-three pick. In the new format, that club’s odds would increase to a 26% chance at a top-four pick.

For full details on the lottery changes for 2019, click here.

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Hawks Notes: Pierce, Defense, Schroder

May 15th, 2018 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

During his introductory press conference on Monday, new Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce talked about his passion for defense, and indicated that he’ll be looking for defensive-minded assistants as he starts putting together his staff in Atlanta, as Charles Odum of The Associated Press writes.

“If we weren’t doing this press conference right now, I’d probably have these guys doing some defensive drills,” Pierce said, referring to the Hawks players who attended the presser. “That’s who I am.”

In addition to the four Hawks who were in attendance on Monday, Sixers forward Robert Covington – who was in Atlanta visiting a family member – showed up to support the former Philadelphia assistant. Covington had nothing but praise for Pierce, calling him a “great coach” who is “absolutely” ready for his first head coaching job.

Here’s more out of Atlanta:

  • During Monday’s presser, Hawks GM Travis Schlenk said that he and Mike Budenholzer remain on good terms, despite the former head coach’s departure from Atlanta. “I talked with [Budenholzer] a couple days ago,” Schlenk said, per Odum. “No hard feelings at all.”
  • In a Q&A with Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Pierce spoke at length about the defensive strategies he employed in Philadelphia, which he’ll bring to the Hawks.
  • Dennis Schroder, who led the Hawks in points (19.4 PPG) and assists (6.2 APG) last season, made comments this week at a press conference in Germany that made it sound like he wouldn’t mind moving on from Atlanta. Schroder said he could imagine playing for teams like the Bucks and Pacers (Twitter link via David Hein), adding that he doesn’t want to keep finishing “second-to-last in the Eastern Conference” (link via Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net). Schroder is under contract for three more years at $15.5MM annually, but wasn’t drafted or extended by the current management group, so he could emerge as a trade candidate for the Hawks.
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Mike Woodson Not Returning To Clippers

May 15th, 2018 at 9:20am CST by Luke Adams

After serving as a top lieutenant for Doc Rivers in Los Angeles since 2014, Mike Woodson won’t be returning to the Clippers for the 2018/19 season, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). With Woodson out of the picture, the Clips will be seeking a “top-level, defensive-minded” assistant to replace him, Wojnarowski adds.

A veteran coach who has previously held the top jobs in Atlanta and New York, Woodson interviewed for the Knicks’ vacancy last month, but was never viewed as a serious contender to land that position. A reunion with the Knicks remains a distinct possibility, however, as Woodson indicated recently he’d be open to the idea of serving on David Fizdale‘s staff in New York. At the time, Fizdale was viewed as a frontrunner for the Knicks’ job, but hadn’t yet been hired.

Since formally being named the Knicks’ new head coach, Fizdale has reportedly started filling out his staff. Keith Smart and Nick Van Exel, two of Fizdale’s assistants in Memphis, are expected to join the Knicks as assistants.

As for the Clippers, it’s not clear yet who they’ll target as Woodson’s replacement, but it appears Rivers will return for at least one more year in L.A.

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2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Minnesota Timberwolves

May 15th, 2018 at 8:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves cashed in their cap space during the 2017 offseason, signing Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson to lucrative deals and trading for Jimmy Butler. With Andrew Wiggins now locked up to a max extension, and a new max contract for Karl-Anthony Towns likely to follow, it may be a while before Minnesota has cap room available again.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Timberwolves financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Cole Aldrich ($4,900,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.2
  • Total: $4,900,000

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: None

  • If we assume the Timberwolves waive and stretch Aldrich and keep their other eight players with guaranteed salaries, we can add cap charges for their first-round pick and three empty roster slots to arrive at a total team salary of $113,499,626. That takes the Wolves well over the cap, and projects to take them near the luxury tax line too if they want to use most or all of their mid-level exception.
  • The Timberwolves currently only have about $43MM in guaranteed money on their books for 2019/20. However, once Teague’s $19MM player option and new contracts for Butler and Towns are added to that total, Minnesota projects to have no cap room for the foreseeable future, barring major roster changes.

Footnotes:

  1. Wiggins will have a maximum salary worth 25% of the salary cap. This projected max salary is based on a $101MM cap, but it could be higher or lower depending on where the cap lands.
  2. Aldrich’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 20.
  3. Brown, who was on a two-way contract, is eligible for a qualifying offer equivalent to a standard, minimum-salary NBA contract, since he’s no longer eligible to sign another two-way deal.
  4. Crawford has reportedly decided to decline his 2018/19 player option worth $4,544,400.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Draft Notes: Ayton, Pinson, Spalding, Amius, Eubanks

May 14th, 2018 at 10:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DeAndre Ayton is the top pick in ESPN Jonathan Givony’s latest mock draft heading into the draft lottery on Tuesday. Givony has the Arizona center going to the Suns, Euro guard Luka Doncic being snapped up by the Grizzlies at No. 2 and Duke big man Marvin Bagley III heading to the Mavericks at No. 3. Naturally, the deck could be shuffled after Tuesday’s results. Michigan State big man Jaren Jackson Jr. (Hawks) and Texas center Mohamed Bamba (Magic) round out the Top 5.

In other draft-related developments:

  • North Carolina combo guard Theo Pinson will participate in the draft combine in Chicago, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Pinson is ranked the No. 89 prospect on Givony’s latest Top 100. Louisville’s power forward Ray Spalding has also been invited, Charania reports in a separate tweet. Spalding is currently ranked No. 58 by Givony.
  • Western Carolina junior forward Mike Amius has hired an agent and will remain in the draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN tweets. He averaged 12.7 PPG and 5.6 RPG last season. He is not among Givony’s Top 100 prospects.
  • Oregon State forward Drew Eubanks has signed with agent James Dunleavy and ISE Worldwide, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal tweets. The junior averaged 13.2 PPG and 6.8 RPG for the Beavers last season.
  • The Suns will send Josh Jackson and the Kings will be represented by De’Aaron Fox at the draft lottery on Tuesday, Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report relays. The Nuggets’ Jamal Murray and the Pistons’ Luke Kennard are the other current players who will represent their teams in Chicago. The full list of representatives can be found in Conway’s story.
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And-Ones: Silver, Cuban, NBPA, Coaching Changes

May 14th, 2018 at 9:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A New York resident was arrested for sending a threatening email to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Steve Gardner of USA Today relays via a New York Post report. David Pyant, who has served to time for robbery and has 13 prior arrests, sent the email to Silver last summer. He was charged with aggravated harassment for threatening to shoot Silver if he wasn’t allowed to play in the NBA.

In other NBA-related news:

  • Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the sports gambling ban will be a boon to sports owners, AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today reports. Cuban made the comments in a CNBC interview. “I think everybody who owns a top four professional sports team just basically saw the value of their team double, at least,” Cuban said, adding “I think this is something that benefits everybody.” The Supreme Court issued its decision on Monday.
  • The Players’ Association will “work to ensure our players’ rights are protected and promoted” now that states beyond Nevada can take legal sports bets, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal tweets. The NBPA issued a brief statement on the issue, saying it would work with other sports players’ unions to reach that goal.
  • Impatience from owners and GMs has led to the head coaching carousel currently going on in the NBA, Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders opines. It takes more than three or four years to build toward a championship, Davies continues, citing the Sixers’ Brett Brown as a prime example. Knee-jerk decisions from teams that take baby steps but don’t take a full step forward are misguided, Davies adds.
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Community Shootaround: Mike Budenholzer

May 14th, 2018 at 8:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mike Budenholzer has generated more headlines during this offseason than he did in recent years as the Hawks’ head coach.

Since Budenholzer and the Atlanta franchise mutually parted ways, he has been mentioned prominently for virtually every coaching opening. He withdraw consideration from the Suns job but was a major candidate for the Knicks’ opening before they hired David Fizdale.

Budenholzer is now reportedly the focus of coaching searches in Milwaukee and Toronto. The Bucks will meet with him for a second time on Tuesday, while he was first outside candidate linked to the Raptors after Dwane Casey surprisingly got fired last week.

Both jobs hold appeal. The Bucks, of course, have young superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and some other quality pieces, particularly Khris Middleton. The Raptors held the top seed in the East before LeBron James and the Cavaliers swept them out of the playoffs. Perhaps some fresh ideas could squeeze out better postseason results from a roster that won 59 regular-season games.

Budenholzer’s name has also been mentioned for the Pistons’ opening. He would inherit a roster there that includes the All-Star caliber big man duo of Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin.

That leads us to our question of the day: Which coaching job should Mike Budenholzer take if he receives offers from the Bucks, Raptors and Pistons? Or should he wait for another opening?

Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.

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