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Odds & Ends: Jaiteh, Celtics, Heat, Bucks

June 17th, 2013 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

With the deadline for international prospects to withdraw from the draft coming up in a matter of hours, Mouhammadou Jaiteh remains undecided on whether or not he'll keep his name in, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. As fellow HoopsWorld scribe Steve Kyler writes, Jaiteh is seeking a first-round guarantee, so if he exits the draft, he was probably unable to secure that promise. You can check out today's full list of draft decisions by international prospects right here.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

Assuming Doc Rivers parts ways with the Celtics, former Nets head coach and Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank may emerge as a candidate for the Boston job, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
Kevin McHale, on the other hand, wouldn't be a candidate for the Celtics' position, since the Rockets wouldn't let him leave, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel spoke to Ray Allen and James Jones about their player options for 2013/14, which they'll have to decide on within the next couple weeks. Allen was noncommital on his decision, but Jones told Winderman he expects to exercise his, which is no surprise. Jones played only 221 minutes for the Heat in 2012/13, so he's not about to turn down a $1.5MM salary.
The Bucks have added Nick Van Exel and Bob Bender to Larry Drew's staff as assistant coaches, according to the team (Twitter link). Drew worked with both Van Exel and Bender in Atlanta as well.
New MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke has fired longtime Raptors employee Alvin Williams, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, who thinks the decision to fire a fan favorite who wanted to spend his career with the franchise sends a bad message.
Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports has inquired with the NBA about the procedure for getting individuals certified as NBA agents, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal.

Odds & Ends: Mavericks, Jack, Bayless, Hollins

May 23rd, 2013 at 6:26pm CST by Ryan Raroque

In an article he released yesterday, Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram cited that two point guards who interest the Mavericks include Jarrett Jack and the Grizzlies' Jerryd Bayless. The source also said that after the Clippers released Vinny Del Negro, the feeling in Mavs camp is that Chris Paul would likely stay in Los Angeles considering he'd be given significant control over the next coaching hire. With that being said, Dwight Howard continues to be the team's top priority. Here are few more miscellaneous notes from around the league:

Though the future of Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins still remains uncertain, the impending free agent coach says that he's not worried about an extension or heading elsewhere and is currently focused on the playoffs, "I have a job…I'm happy with where we are and excited about what we're doing. That's my only concern. Everything else is irrelevant" (Teresa M. Walker of NBA.com).
Erik Spoelstra was pleased about James Jones' decision to not opt out at the end of this year and thus return to the Heat next season, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Sulia link). Spoelstra: "It's great news…J.J. is a Miami Heat guy. (He and Udonis Haslem), they're special. All of our guys are special in this organization, but they're Miami-bred guys. They're Miami true and blue."
Ken Berger of CBS Sports tweeted that Jeff Hornacek interviewed with the Bobcats today and that Steve Clifford is headed for his next interview with the Suns, respectively.
If there's any coach that isn't confident about his team making significant improvements next season, it's definitely not Wizards head coach Randy Wittman, who told CSN Washington: "It doesn't matter with the No. 3 pick. If we could stay healthy and come together as we did last year, have a full season right from the start, we should put ourselves in that (playoff) position…It doesn't matter if we pick eighth, third or 30th" (J. Michael of CSN Washington).
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside sheds some light on Mike Singletary (not to be confused with the current NFL assistant coach), who has been making waves for his standout play overseas. The 6'6 swingman, who recently won the NBDL title with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, has been playing for Barako Bull Energy Cola – a PBA team currently participating in a tournament in Dubai. With his solid production in the D-League (10.1 PPG and 4.9 RPG along with 41% shooting from long range in 49 games) and his experience with competitive international play, Schlosser thinks that the next step would involve an NBA summer league invite and is curious to see what kind of opportunities Singletary could find heading up to the start of NBA training camp in the fall.

James Jones Intends To Return To Heat

May 23rd, 2013 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

Back in February, James Jones suggested that if the Heat were to win a title again in 2013, he may be prepared to walk away and announce his retirement. But now, with Miami just seven wins away from capturing back-to-back championships, Jones tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that he's no longer considering retiring. According to Tomasson, Jones will pick up his $1.5MM player option and return to the Heat.

"Unless something crazy happens, I’ll be back," Jones confirmed.

Jones, 32, played an extremely limited role for the Heat in 2012/13. His 5.8 minutes per game were the fewest he's seen since he averaged 4.3 MPG in six contests during his rookie season in '03/04. However, Tomasson speculates that Jones could see the court a little more next season, depending on a pair of roster decisions on the team's other shooters. Ray Allen has a player option for next year that he may or may not exercise, while the Heat could use the amnesty provision to cut Mike Miller.

As for his next career move when his contract with the Heat expires in the summer of 2014, Jones was unwilling to commit to anything quite yet: "I got one more year, and we’ll see where it goes from there."

James Jones Mulling Retirement

February 24th, 2013 at 9:25am CST by Chuck Myron

James Jones has made a minimal impact this season for the Heat, totaling just 88 minutes of playing time spread out over 21 games. He occupies $1.5MM worth of space on Miami's payroll and has a player option to earn that same salary next year, but if the Heat win the championship again, Jones is prepared to walk away, as he tells HoopsWorld's Lang Greene.

The 32-year-old small forward nearly retired over the summer, but felt physically capable of returning. He said it's "bittersweet" to come back and play such limited minutes, though he acknowledged the well-stocked Heat have plenty of other options at the wing.

The Heat probably stand to benefit if the Miami native retires, since that would likely mean he'd decline his option and reduce the team's tax bill for next season. The Heat have $75.547MM in commitments for 2013/14, so they'll almost certainly exceed the tax threshold. That figure doesn't include a $4MM team option for Mario Chalmers or the player options for Jones, Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.

Winderman On Jones, Miller, Scola, Bosh

January 20th, 2013 at 3:41pm CST by Sean Highkin

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has a new mailbag column covering a variety of Heat-related topics. Here are the highlights:

James Jones and Mike Miller would be the most logical trade candidates on the Heat's roster, although Jones has repeatedly said he only wants to play in Miami, and Miller's contract would prevent the Heat from getting anything of value in return.
Winderman doesn't see Luis Scola as a viable option for the Heat, given the restrictions on trading him due to the amnesty clause, and the fact that he would have to take a buyout with the Suns in order to sign.
Winderman isn't buying the recent talk that the Heat should trade Chris Bosh, arguing that he makes them better and they wouldn't be able to get equal value on the trade market.

Eastern Notes: Blatche, Magic, Heat, Green

October 15th, 2012 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

We rounded up a few items out of the Western Conference earlier this morning, so let's head east and check in on the Nets, Magic, Heat, and a few other teams in the Eastern Conference….

So far in Brooklyn, Andray Blatche is enjoying being under less pressure than he was with the Wizards, as he tells Zach Braziller of the New York Post. "I have a new beginning, not as much stuff hanging over my head," Blatche said. "I can go out and play, I don’t have to think. It’s just fun."
Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com looks into the Magic's $17.8MM trade exception, pointing out that the team could use it to take on a bad contract (along with draft picks) or to land a free agent in a sign-and-trade deal next summer.
While Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel acknowledges that there may be better candidates for a roster spot than James Jones, he finds it unlikely the Heat will keep Rodney Carney or another player over Jones, given the financial implications. In a separate piece for the Sun-Sentinel, Winderman notes that comments by coach Erik Spoelstra suggest there are two roster spots up for grabs in Miami.
Gerald Green, who signed a three-year deal with the Pacers this summer, appreciates the opportunity he has to play in the "best league in the world" again after a few years away from the NBA. Conrad Brunner has the story and quotes from Green at ESPN 1070 The Fan.
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com poses the question of who the Knicks' 15th man should be.

Odds & Ends: Spurs, Perkins, Fields

July 12th, 2012 at 10:46pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Spurs were two wins away from an NBA Finals appearance this year, and while some fans may be alarmed that the team fell short of a Finals berth after going 50-16, R.C. Buford explained why there's little need to panic (Jeff McDonald of SpursNation reports). Along with the re-signing of Tim Duncan, Danny Green, Boris Diaw, the team announced the additon of point guard prospect Nando De Colo and appear to be excited at the continued development of Kawhi Leonard. Here's the rest of what we've heard tonight out of the Association..

Mike Miller To Decide On Future Soon

June 22nd, 2012 at 6:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Heat guard Mike Miller will meet with doctors soon to determine if his injured back needs surgery that includes a lengthy rehabilitation process, according to the Associated Press. Miller has dealt with a slew of injuries in recent years, including a foot problem that he played through this season.

Latest On Derek Fisher, NBPA

April 23rd, 2012 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA Players' Association is beginning the process of conducting an independent review of the union, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The NBPA is hoping Derek Fisher will voluntarily step down as union president now that the business review process is underway.

A group of player representatives headed by James Jones will begin the process of selecting a management consulting firm to conduct the review, potentially with input from the MLB or NHL players unions, according to Berger. Part of the reason the executive committe was initially upset with Fisher's call for a review was Fisher's decision to use the law firm Patton Boggs without consulting all the executives, says TNT's David Aldridge.

It's unclear what Fisher expects the business review to uncover. Aldridge hears that Fisher claimed to have sources inside the union that said things weren't right and a review concerning the appropriation of funds was needed. According to Berger, the NBPA's business relationships and "hiring the right people for the right jobs" are a pair of issues that concern Fisher. A report over the weekend suggested that Billy Hunter had multiple family members working for the NBPA, but Aldridge's source says "nepotism is not the issue [Fisher]'s calling for a review of."

Both Berger and Aldridge conclude that things may get messier before they get better. One of Aldridge's sources said Hunter and Fisher were "both guilty of not communicating better, making sure that everybody is on the same page." You can catch up on the discord in the players' union with our posts on the subject here and here.