2018 May | Hoops Rumors

Western Rumors: Patterson, Burks, Kokoskov, Paul

May 14th, 2018 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Forward Patrick Patterson admits he’s disappointed with the way his first season with the Thunder played out, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman reports. Patterson appeared in every regular season game but averaged career lows in points, rebounds, minutes and field goal percentage after signing a three-year, $16.5MM contract last summer. “At the end of the day, it wasn’t what I expected,” Patterson said. “It wasn’t what my teammates and coaching staff expected, or even the fans.” Patterson saw very little playing time with the first unit at power forward due to Carmelo Anthony‘s presence, Horne notes.

In other Western Conference news:

Jazz guard Alec Burks, who has endured an injury-plagued career, headed into the offseason healthy but his future with the club is uncertain, according to Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News. Burks fell out of the rotation behind rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell and another rookie, Royce O’Neale. Burks has one year and $11.5MM remaining on his contract and his expiring deal could be traded in the offseason, Sorensen adds. “I’ve been here a long time, since I was 19, and hopefully it keeps going,” Burks told Sorensen. “I’ve seen a lot in seven years. There’s been high times, low times and even-keel times. Hopefully there’ll be more good times in the future.”
The Suns may have one of the youngest rosters in the league but new coach Igor Kokoskov insists that shouldn’t lower expectations, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic relays. Kokoskov, the NBA’s first European-born coach, made the comment during his introductory press conference. “This is not a development league. This is the NBA,” Kokoskov said. “We won’t ever hide it or use it as an excuse.”
Chris Paul knew what he was doing when he orchestrated a trade from the Clippers to the Rockets, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times writes. Pairing up with James Harden gave the perennial All-Star point guard his best chance to win an NBA championship, Woike continues. He has quieted the doubters by getting to the Western Conference Finals, Woike adds. “All the people who talk about it don’t know this game better than I do,” Paul said.

Central Notes: Thompson, Pistons, Bulls Pick, Turner

May 14th, 2018 at 5:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tristan Thompson will likely start at center for the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday, according to Joe Vardon of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Coach Tyronn Lue told reporters that Thompson’s return to the lineup is being strongly considered, mainly due to his past success in defending Celtics big man Al Horford. “It’s definitely something we have to weigh,” Lue said. “We weighed it before the series started, but we’d won seven out of eight and we weren’t going to adjust until someone beat us and we didn’t play well with that lineup that got us to this point.” Boston blew out Cleveland 108-83 in Game 1 on Sunday.

In other Central Division developments:

The Pistons could find themselves hiring a head coach before a new team president after getting involved late in the process, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. With the Pistons dealing with salary-cap issues, hiring a head coach that can maximize the potential of the current roster could loom as a higher priority, Ellis notes. Detroit and Stan Van Gundy, who held both positions, parted ways last week. Ex-Raptors coach Dwane Casey and former Hawks Mike Budenholzer are the top tier candidates, though both the Bucks and Raptors are reportedly interested in hiring Budenholzer. Ex-Piston Jerry Stackhouse, who coached the Raptors’ G League team last season, could also be a strong candidate, Ellis adds.
The Bulls need to hit a home run on their lottery pick this June in order to advance the rebuilding process, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times argues. Chicago is currently slotted at No. 6 unless it gets lucky in the draft lottery. “We’re going to find out [Tuesday] where we pick in the top 10,” VP of basketball operations John Paxson said. “That will obviously be a significant pick.” The Bulls also have the No. 22 pick, courtesy of the Nikola Mirotic trade with the Pelicans.
Pacers centers Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis could play together more often next season, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star reports. They bring varied skill sets to the floor, which could allow them to complement each other. Turner prefers to shoot jumpers and 3-pointers off of ball screens, while Sabonis rolls to the basket more often and shoots mid-range jumpers, Michael notes. “They’re different in how they play,” coach Nate McMillan said. “Part of it this season was allowing those guys to spend some time on the floor and possibly developing into a spread player at the 4 or the 5, depending on who was guarding who.”

2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: San Antonio Spurs

May 14th, 2018 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

It may be the end of an era in San Antonio, with Tony Parker headed for free agency and Manu Ginobili uncertain about playing another season. More troubling for the Spurs was Kawhi Leonard‘s 2017/18 season, which saw him appear in just nine games due to a lingering quad injury and has resulted in some apparent tension between the franchise and the superstar’s camp. While Parker’s and Ginobili’s futures in San Antonio are up in the air, resolving the Leonard situation will be the Spurs’ top priority this summer.

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

Guaranteed Salary

LaMarcus Aldridge ($22,347,015)
Kawhi Leonard ($20,099,189)
Pau Gasol ($16,800,000)
Patty Mills ($11,571,429)
Manu Ginobili ($2,500,000)
Tim Duncan ($1,881,250) — Waived via stretch provision
Derrick White ($1,667,160)
Dejounte Murray ($1,544,951)
Total: $78,410,994

Player Options

Danny Green ($10,000,000): Bird rights
Rudy Gay ($8,826,300): Non-Bird rights
Joffrey Lauvergne ($1,656,092): Non-Bird rights
Total: $20,482,392

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Brandon Paul ($1,378,242)¹
Total: $1,378,242

Restricted Free Agents

Kyle Anderson ($4,749,591 qualifying offer / $6,455,112 cap hold): Bird rights
Davis Bertans ($1,699,698 qualifying offer / $1,699,698 cap hold): Early Bird rights
Bryn Forbes ($1,699,698 qualifying offer / $1,699,698 cap hold): Early Bird rights
Total: $9,854,508

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Tony Parker ($23,179,689): Bird rights
No. 18 overall pick ($2,337,014)
Nikola Milutinov ($1,689,080)²
Total: $27,205,783

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: $11,302,947

With so many player options and free agents to consider, the Spurs’ projected cap room could change significantly – or disappear altogether – depending on who returns and who leaves. For our projection, we’ve counted the Spurs’ seven guaranteed contracts, the cap holds for Anderson and the team’s first-round pick, and cap charges for three empty roster spots. The result is a total team salary of $89,697,053.
That projection assumes that Green, Gay, and Lauvergne will all opt out, Paul will be waived, and all non-Anderson free agents – including Parker – will be renounced. That may not be realistic. If a couple of those players are back, the Spurs’ cap room figures to dissipate quickly.

Footnotes:

Paul’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 1.
Milutinov was the Spurs’ 26th overall pick in 2015, meaning his cap hold is equal to the rookie scale amount for this year’s No. 26 pick. That cap hold will be removed when it’s officially determined that Milutinov won’t sign with the Spurs for 2018/19.

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.

Patrick McCaw May Return During Postseason

May 14th, 2018 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

When Patrick McCaw suffered a scary fall and had to be taken off the court on a stretcher near the end of the regular season, it looked like his year might be over. However, McCaw continues to make progress in his injury recovery and is on track for a possible return during the postseason, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

As Charania details, McCaw was able to do non-contact drills at practice for consecutive days. Now, on Monday night, he’s expected to go through his first on-court pregame workout since his March 31 fall.

McCaw, who is dealing with a lumbosacral bone bruise, began modified shooting and running drills earlier this month, with the Warriors indicating on May 3 that he’d be re-evaluated in four weeks. It’s not clear if the second-year guard will be ready to return to action at that four-week mark, but if he is, he could suit up for the Dubs in the NBA Finals — assuming they can get past the Rockets.

The Western Conference Finals, which get underway tonight, are scheduled to run through May 28 if they go seven games, so McCaw is unlikely to get back on the court by the end of the series.

Jay Larranaga Met With Bucks About HC Job

May 14th, 2018 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

We can add another name to the list of candidates for the Bucks’ head coaching job, as Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link) reports that Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga met with Milwaukee on Friday. The meeting took place between the end of the second round and the start of Boston’s third-round series against Cleveland.

The Bucks interviewed several candidates last week as part of their first round of meetings for the team’s head coaching vacancy. In addition to interviewing interim coach Joe Prunty for the permanent job, Milwaukee also spoke to Ettore Messina, Steve Clifford, David Blatt, Becky Hammon, Monty Williams, and Mike Budenholzer.

The Bucks reportedly intend to narrow down their search to three or four finalists, potentially bringing back those finalists to meet with ownership at some point this week. So far, the only candidate known to get a second meeting is Budenholzer, who is believed to be the frontrunner. He’ll meet with team ownership on Tuesday.

If Larranaga doesn’t land the Bucks’ job, it will be the fourth time this spring he has interviewed for a head coaching position and seen that team hire someone else. Previously, he met with the Hawks, Hornets, and Knicks. He was believed to be a finalist for the Hornets’ job before Charlotte chose James Borrego.

Having been considered in the past for head coaching jobs with the the Celtics, Sixers, and Grizzlies, Larranaga would seem to be due for an opportunity to run an NBA team of his own. Still, if Larranaga isn’t hired by another team this offseason, the Celtics will certainly be happy to have him back, as he has been a key part of Boston’s staff since 2012.

Kings Announce Sacramento Summer League Schedule

May 14th, 2018 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have made official what was reported last week, announcing today in a press release that they’ll host a three-day Summer League this July called the California Classic Summer League.

The Sacramento Summer League will effectively take the place of the Orlando Summer League, which was cancelled this year. Like the Utah Summer League, the California Classic will serve as a precursor to the league’s main event, the Las Vegas Summer League. All 30 teams are set to play in Vegas this July.

The Sacramento event, which will take place at the club’s Golden 1 Center, will begin on July 2, with games also taking place on July 3 and July 5. No games will take place on Independence Day.

The Lakers, Warriors, and Heat will join the Kings in Sacramento for the inaugural California Classic, with each team playing every other club once. The Kings, who will play the late game all three days, will face the Lakers on July 2, the Warriors on July 3, and the Heat on July 5, with the remaining two teams playing in the earlier game on each of those days.

Raptors To Interview Nurse, Kalamian For HC Job

May 14th, 2018 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Raptors reportedly have serious interest in Mike Budenholzer as a potential head coach, the club is also doing its due diligence on possible candidates within the organization. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link), a pair of Raptors assistants will interview for the head coaching job on Tuesday, with Nick Nurse and Rex Kalamian getting meetings.

Nurse, who has been linked to the Magic, Hornets, and Suns already this offseason, received the most votes in a poll conducted earlier this spring by Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports on the NBA assistants who most deserve a head coaching opportunity. Viewed as an offensive specialist on Dwane Casey‘s staff in Toronto, Nurse received much of the credit for helping to implement the Raptors’ new-look offense during the 2017/18 season.

As for Kalamian, he’s a more defensive-minded assistant, so the Raptors’ regressions on that side of the ball in recent months may hurt his candidacy, as Eric Koreen of The Athletic observes (Twitter link). However, Koreen adds that Kalamian is a smart, capable coach who is respected around the league. Before arriving in Toronto, Kalamian served as an assistant for the Thunder, Kings, Timberwolves, Nuggets, and Clippers.

It’s not clear yet if the Raptors will also meet with Jerry Stackhouse about their coaching vacancy. Stackhouse has received some head coaching buzz after leading the Raptors 905 – Toronto’s G League affiliate – to a G League championship in 2017 and another NBAGL Finals appearance in 2018.

Latest On Bucks, Mike Budenholzer

May 14th, 2018 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

11:57am: Wojnarowski has tweeted a correction, writing that the Bucks aren’t discussing an ownership stake for Budenholzer after all. Woj’s story, which has now been updated, simply indicates that Budenholzer’s second meeting with the team will include ownership, as Velazquez indicated earlier.

11:29am: After reporting earlier this morning that Mike Budenholzer has emerged as the focus of the Bucks’ and Raptors’ head coaching searches, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has relayed another interesting tidbit within his full report on Budenholzer’s situation. According to Wojnarowski, the Bucks are working to re-engage Budenholzer in talks that “will include an ownership stake.”

Such an agreement wouldn’t be unprecedented — Jason Kidd, for instance, owned a small stake in the Nets when he coached the club several years ago. Still, it’s an interesting factor to consider if the Bucks and Raptors end up competing to hire Budenholzer. An ownership stake in Milwaukee would certainly increase the appeal of that job.

Before the Bucks began conducting head coaching interviews, a report indicated that Budenholzer and Monty Williams were viewed as the potential favorites. According to Wojnarowski, Budenholzer maintained his status as the frontrunner following the opening round of interviews last week — Woj’s report doesn’t mention Williams.

While there’s no indication that he has received a formal offer from Milwaukee at this point, Budenholzer is scheduled to meet with the Bucks for a second time on Tuesday, with team ownership to be represented at that meeting, as Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details.

Besides Budenholzer and Williams, the Bucks also met with Ettore Messina, Steve Clifford, David Blatt, Becky Hammon, and interim coach Joe Prunty last week.

U.S. Supreme Court Overturns Sports Gambling Ban

May 14th, 2018 at 11:41am CST by Luke Adams

11:41am: Adam Silver has issued a statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision, as our Chris Crouse tweets.

“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court opens the door for states to pass laws legalizing sports betting,” Silver said. “We remain in favor of a federal framework that would provide a uniform approach to sports gambling in states that choose to permit it, but we will remain active in ongoing discussions with state legislatures. Regardless of the particulars of any future sports betting law, the integrity of our game remains our highest priority.”

9:30am: The United States Supreme Court has voted in favor of overturning a federal ban on sports gambling, tweets ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. The full decision from the Supreme Court can be found right here.

As Windhorst details (via Twitter), the ruling states that Congress will have the power to regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each U.S. state is free to make its own laws, which is the expected outcome.

The Supreme Court’s decision came in response to a case brought by the state of New Jersey, which is now one of four states prepared to institute laws for legalized sports betting. The other three states are West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi, according to Windhorst, who adds that about 20 other states are in line to follow suit.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been a proponent of legalized sports betting for several years. As Michael Scotto of The Athletic detailed last week, Silver is aware that hundreds of billions of dollars are being bet illegally on the NBA, and feels it’s in the league’s best interest to have a voice in how that betting is regulated. As we noted earlier this year, the NBA also reportedly wants to receive a 1% share of each bet placed on one of its games.

“One of our issues is that because we are the producers of this intellectual property, the NBA will spend $7.5 billion this year creating this product, and because we’re going to have all these additional costs involving integrity we should be compensated in some way for the use of our property,” Silver said recently, per Scotto.

While it remains to be seen exactly how the NBA – and other sports leagues – will get involved in legalized betting and how each U.S. state will handle it, today’s Supreme Court decision could signal a landmark shift in how many fans consume and engage with sports.

For more on what today’s decision means, check out an FAQ from David Purdum and Ryan Rodenberg of ESPN.com.

Khyri Thomas To Remain In 2018 NBA Draft

May 14th, 2018 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

After entering the 2018 NBA draft last month without hiring an agent, Creighton shooting guard Khyri Thomas has announced that he’ll keep his name in this year’s draft pool. Thomas confirmed his decision on Twitter, thanking “everyone at Creighton for their incredible support” during his time in college.

Thomas is coming off a successful junior year with the Bluejays in which he averaged 15.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 2.8 APG. He also had the best shooting year of his college career, posting a .538/.411/.788 line.

Currently ranked as the 23rd overall prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, Thomas also comes off the board at No. 23 in Givony’s latest mock draft. Within that mock draft, Givony calls Thomas “a willing ball-mover and a promising spot-up shooter,” adding that the Creighton junior had become “one of the better defenders in college basketball.”

Thomas is one of 69 prospects expected to attend the draft combine in Chicago this week.

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