Andre Miller

And-Ones: LeBron, Wittman, Levien, Dunleavy Sr.

LeBron James didn’t have much to say about the Cavaliers’ recent NBA Draft lottery coup or the speculation that he could decide to return to Cleveland if he opts out this summer, telling Charlie McCarthy of FOX Sports Florida“I heard about it but I don’t really have thoughts about it. … I’m in the middle of the conference finals, I’m not worried about draft lotteries, draft conversations. That’s the last thing on my mind.

Interestingly enough, LeBron added, “(The Heat aren’t) the most talented team, I don’t think, in the NBA. ... There are other talented teams. We have some very, very high IQ basketball players. I think IQ is more important than talent.”

With that aside, here’s more of this evening’s miscellaneous news and notes:

  • The Wizards haven’t been in a rush to make a decision on Randy Wittman‘s future, and a source tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post that there is no current timetable to get something done. Wittman, who led the team to its first playoff series win since 2004/05, was given strong endorsements from John Wall, Bradley Beal, Andre Miller, and several other team veterans after the season had ended.
  • Although former Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien’s recent resignation sent shockwaves around the league, sources tell Sean Deveney of the Sporting News  that tension between Levien and team owner Robert Pera had actually been building for months.
  • On ESPN Radio’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Mike Dunleavy Sr. said that he hopes he has a shot at the Knicks head coaching job, adding that he’s very familiar with the triangle offense: “I played in the triangle system down in Houston, it was kind of left over from when Tex Winter coached there. All my teams, I’ve run it as a transition set. … Maybe I’m the outside guy from the other guys that [Phil Jackson will] talk to, former players who played in the system and other guys who coached under him in the system. But at least I do know the system. I have run it” (H/T to Al Iannazzone of Newsday). 
  • Timberwolves star Kevin Love may be the NBA’s most valuable player available for trade since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar requested out of Milwaukee in 1974, explains Kevin Pelton of ESPN (Insiders only).

Eastern Notes: Ariza, Rondo, Wizards

Trevor Ariza is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the Wizards have a good chance to re-sign the forward, notes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Ariza said, “My family is definitely the most important thing to me before basketball, everything. That plays a big factor into a log of things. But when you build something with people that’s hard to let go, too. What we built in this locker room this season, this is a beautiful thing to me. I really enjoyed playing with those guys. I love those dudes like they’re my brothers.” Ariza averaged 14.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG and shot a career-high 40.7% from three-point range this season.

More from the east:

  • The Wizards have a number of decisions to make this offseason, and besides John Wall and Bradley Beal, little else is guaranteed to be the same next year, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Team owner Ted Leonsis said that he won’t make any decisions until the “raw emotion” of the season has faded. This includes whether or not the team re-signs coach Randy Wittman, whose contract expires this summer.
  • Andre Miller said that he believes he has a few more years left in him and that he’d love to finish his career with the Wizards, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post (Twitter link).
  • Rajon Rondo might be more available than ever via a trade, writes Brian Robb from CelticsHub.com. The Celtics might be compelled to move the point guard this summer when his value will be higher than it will be during the season, opines Robb.
  • The Bobcats-to-Hornets name change will officially take place on May 20th, the team announced (Twitter link).
  • Unless the Pelicans land one of the top five picks in the lottery, their first-round pick goes to the Sixers. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at some of the players the Sixers might target with that selection.

Wizards Links: Gortat, Ariza, Wittman, Miller

Marc Stein of ESPN.com continues his Summer Scoop series with a look at the Wizards, who have little to be disappointed about in spite of last night’s playoff elimination at the hands of the Pacers. We’ll sum up the highlights here and pass along some additional insight:

  • The Wizards are indeed interested in re-signing Trevor Ariza as well as Marcin Gortat, but there’s concern that they’ll prove too expensive to retain, Stein writes, pointing to Gortat as the team’s top priority should it have to choose. Martell Webster shot a dreadful 23.1% from behind the arc in the postseason, but he looms as a superior plan B at small forward than anyone the Wizards have to replace Gortat, Stein suggests.
  • J. Michael of CSNWashington.com pegs the salary that the Wizards will have to shell out to retain Gortat at about $10MM. Executives around the league believe Gortat and Ariza will cost a combined $15-20MM in annual salaries, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe reported this week.
  • Coach Randy Wittman, whose contract is up, is likely to return as coach, Stein hears, but there was chatter entering the playoffs that a loss in the first-round would prompt the Wizards to dump Wittman and pursue George Karl and Alvin Gentry. Now the only question is whether the team will offer Wittman a one-year deal to align his contract with that of GM Ernie Grunfeld, which expires after next season, or make it a long-term pact for the coach.
  • The Wizards are leaning toward retaining Andre Miller, whose $4.625MM salary for next season is only guaranteed for $2MM, but they haven’t made up their minds yet, Stein reports.

Eastern Notes: Vasquez, Miller, Stoudemire

Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune details the close relationship between Pelicans coach Monty Williams and Raptors point guard Greivis Vasquez, who played for New Orleans last season. The trade that split up the pairing last summer stung Vasquez, who’ll be a restricted free agent at season’s end. “It hurt,” Vasquez said. “It really touched me a little bit. I was close not only with Coach Monty, but I was close with (assistant) Fred Vinson, all the coaching staff, the guys, messing around with Austin Rivers, Chief (Al-Farouq Aminu), Anthony Davis . . . . it was hard for me to let it go. But it’s part of the business.”

More from the east:

  • The WizardsAndre Miller says the Nuggets unfairly portrayed him as the bad guy, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. When Miller’s streak of playing in 239 consecutive games ended with the first “Did Not Play-Coach’s Decision” of his career, Miller screamed at coach Brian Shaw. The Nuggets suspended him for two games without pay after the incident before excusing him from team activities with pay until the trade to the Wizards. Miller said,”They gave me an opportunity to represent Denver. I tried to do that the right way, but I was looked at as the bad guy, a disgruntled player. [The Nuggets said] I was complaining about minutes and that was never the issue. They made it look that way, and that I was upset. I understand that they have to protect themselves as an organization, but don’t blast the player.
  • Sixers coach Brett Brown said the team will pick the best player available in the upcoming draft, and not for need, writes Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. Brown does not think need should influence who a team select in the NBA draft, and cites the example of the Spurs drafting Tim Duncan despite having David Robinson already, writes Lynam.
  • Amar’e Stoudemire says that it was his idea for the Knicks to trade for Carmelo Anthony, writes Brian Spurlock of USA Today. In an interview with Bleacher Report Stoudemire said, “I also knew that I needed a star teammate, and that’s something I talked to Mr. Dolan about when I signed. I mentioned a few players to Mr. Dolan who would be fun to play with, and Melo was one of them. Mr. Dolan and I talked about, ‘Which players in the near future are going to be available?’ Then we said, ‘Let’s make the move and try to trade for ‘Melo.’ That’s how things first started with the Knicks going after Carmelo Anthony.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Babb, Onuaku, LeBron

Chris Babb‘s 10-day contract ends on Monday, but the Celtics are high on him, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. Coach Brad Stevens said, “He’s a perfect fit for what we need as far as, he’s not going to play 38 minutes a game — he’s going to come in, get open shots, hopefully knock those open shots down, play off of other people, and then be a feisty defender for us. He really is an outstanding defender for a young guy.” There has been no official word on if the Celtics plan to re-sign Babb.

More from around the east:

  • The Cavs have assigned Arinze Onuaku to the Canton Charge of the NBA D-League, tweets Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. Onuaku hasn’t scored in 2 appearances for the Cavs and was re-signed for a second 10-day contract on Wednesday.
  • The Cavs were planning on using the ceremony to retire Zydrunas Ilgauskas‘ jersey as one means to recruit LeBron James back to Cleveland, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. But what little chance the team had to that possibility might have ended with the firing of former GM Chris Grant. Grant was one of the team executives who had the best relationship with James, according to Windhorst.
  • Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News also weighs in on how unlikely the chances are that James returns to Cleveland this summer. The team’s lack of a proven winner in the front office is the main deterrent to attracting James, writes Lawrence.
  • Michael Lee of The Washington Post takes a look at how the Wizards trade for Andre Miller is working out for him and for the team. So far, the pairing is paying dividends for both, opines Lee. The Wizards offer Miller a clean slate and a playoff opportunity, and Miller gives the team a proven veteran.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Iverson, Miller

The Heat essentially stood pat at the trade deadline. Outside of shipping Roger Mason Jr. to the Kings for a highly protected second-round pick, they didn’t do much to add to their rotation. The next few weeks could be as intriguing as some of the past offseasons have been for the Heat when it comes to personnel and rounding out the bench, as the team sorely needs to add some depth, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Winderman believes the team needs to add another wing player amid the current shaky shooting from both Shane Battier and Ray Allen.

More from around the east:

  • The Celtics continue to keep close tabs on Colton Iverson, the team’s second round pick in 2013, writes Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe. The 7-footer is playing with Besiktas of the Turkish League, and in 18 games, he’s averaging 6.5 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 3.1 APG over 17.3 MPG. Iverson is playing overseas because the Celtics didn’t have enough room on their roster to keep him after the draft, but the team likes his aggressive play, and he still factors into their future plans, opines Holmes.
  • Carmelo Anthony was surprised at the news the Knicks would be buying out the contracts of Beno Udrih and Metta World Peace, writes Matt Winkeljohn of ESPNNewYork.com. Anthony stated, “It’s sad to see them go, but this is the business of basketball … it happened, and we’ve got to move on. The buyouts kind of surprised me because [Friday] Metta seemed like he was in a good place. He was happy, he played . . . he was a different Metta.
  • Andre Miller scored five points, and dished out three assists in his first game with the Wizards. They’re not huge numbers, but he is already making a big impact with his new team, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The team’s rotation has changed, and the offense ran smoother than it had been when John Wall was off the court, but Miller’s biggest contribution may be him mentoring Wall, opines Michael. Wall stated, “That’s a guy you can learn from. It’s a guy that loves the game and is still playing at 37. I hope I can be playing at 37.

Wizards Notes: Maynor, Davis, Jamison

The Wizards saw trading Eric Maynor as an “imperative,” a source tells J. Michael of CSNWashington. That’s a strong indictment of his play, since Michael notes that Maynor didn’t cause trouble in the locker room. Maynor was never the team’s first choice last summer when they were seeking a backup for John Wall, he was just the first to accept their offer, writes Michael. Now that Andre Miller is on the roster, the team believes they have found the right player for them.

More on the Wizards:

  • The Wizards have a “lukewarm” interest in Antawn Jamison now that the Hawks have officially waived him, tweets J. Michael. The team will wait and see what other players are available prior to making a decision on Jamison.
  • J. Michael also tweeted that Glen Davis isn’t likely to be in the Wizards plans. He thinks Davis is most likely to sign with the Clippers.
  • Miller commented on his difficulties with former coach Brian Shaw, in an article by the Associated Press. Miller stated, “It was just an instance where I kind of lost my cool and was a little bit unprofessional and stepped out of character. And I apologized to my teammates for what happened. That’s not me. That’s not what I’m about.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Wizards Acquire Andre Miller In Three-Team Deal

The Wizards have acquired disgruntled Nuggets guard Andre Miller in a three-team trade involving the Sixers.  Washington gets Miller, the Nuggets receive  Jan Vesely, and Philly receives  Eric Maynor plus two second-round picks.  The Sixers will receive the Nuggets’ 2016 second-round pick and the Pelicans’ 2015 second-round selection.NBA: Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets

Miller, 37, is earning a $5MM salary and makes $4.625MM next year in the final year of his deal, but that’s only partially guaranteed for $2MM as long as he’s waived before July.  Before his clash with Denver coach Brian ShawMiller was averaging 5.9 PPG and 3.3 APG in 19 minutes per contest.  Heading into this season, Miller boasted career averages of 13.8 PPG and 7.1 APG in 33.4 minutes per game.

Maynor, the former VCU hero, now joins his fifth team in four years.  Washington inked the guard to a two-year deal worth the bi-annual exception with a player option for year two over the summer.

Vesely, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2011 draft, has averaged just 3.5 PPG and 3.4 RPG over the course of his NBA career.  Washington declined its $4.2MM option on the big man for the 2014/15 season so he’ll be a free agent after the season is through.

The future-minded 76ers now have a whopping nine second round picks in the second round of this year’s draft.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.  Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter) first reported that Miller was Washington-bound.  Additional details came from CBSSports.com’s Ken Berger and Sam Amick of USA Today (both links go to Twitter).

Nuggets, Wizards In Serious Andre Miller Talks

11:35am: The Wizards and Nuggets are close to a deal involving Miller, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

11:15am: The Nuggets and Wizards are engaged in “serious talks” about a deal that would send Andre Miller to Washington for Eric Maynor and Jan Vesely, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Wolves have fallen off the pace in the Miller sweepstakes, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities notes that they want to trade J.J. Barea to another team before taking on Miller (Twitter link).

There would probably need to be a third team involved, since the Nuggets don’t want to take Maynor, according to Marc J. Spears and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links).

The veteran guard left the club earlier this year and apparently has no interest in returning to them this season.  The 37-year-old isn’t the player he once was, but he has proven to be one of the most durable players in the league.  The guard is probably a bit overpaid at a $5MM salary and makes $4.625MM next year in the final year of his deal, but that’s only partially guaranteed for $2MM as long as he’s waived before July.

Wolves, Wizards In Lead For Andre Miller

The Wolves and Wizards are the favorites to land Andre Miller, though there’s nothing close yet, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. The Wolves would be Miller’s top choice, though that might not be a factor in Denver’s decision-making. The Nuggets have received mostly low-ball offers, given their clear desire to unload the veteran point guard, as Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post explains.

The Wizards have made no secret of their search for a backup point guard, and are reportedly offering Eric Maynor, Chris Singleton and Trevor Booker, among others. Denver would be short on point guards without Miller, and Washington appears to be competing with Denver for Beno Udrih. The Nuggets are in talks with the Knicks about a swap of Jordan Hamilton for Udrih, but that deal could depend on whether Denver can unload Miller.

The Timberwolves have been working multiple fronts as well, having engaged in talks with Memphis that appear to have reached a dead end. A report yesterday indicated that Minnesota preferred Jameer Nelson to Miller, but only if the Wolves could work a deal with the Grizzlies.