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Western Notes: Mavs, Lakers, Presti

March 12th, 2014 at 9:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

It doesn’t matter whether the Mavericks go one-and-done, miss the playoffs or end up in the conference finals, the offseason game plan is the same, writes Eddie Sefko of Dallas Morning News. He says they are going to figure out a way to use the $34MM dollars of cap space they anticipate having to try and add a premier small forward and/or center. Sefko floats the possibility of Luol Deng and Marcin Gortat being their prime free-agent targets. The article also mentions that the deeper the team goes in the playoffs, the more appealing they will become to any free agent, including LeBron James, though Sefko admits that landing LeBron is a long shot at best.

Here’s some more from out west:

  • With the news from earlier that Kobe Bryant wants Mike D’Antoni gone, it seems that he’s not the only Lakers player that would feel that way, tweets Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. He mentions that Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill would also like to see a new coach next season.
  • Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times supports Bryant calling out Lakers management. He hopes the star player’s comments bring about the needed changes in the organization. Plaschke also thinks that it’s a good thing for the team that Kobe is done for the year as it will help them secure a higher lottery pick. The article also questions the decision to re-sign Bryant when they did. Plaschke believes that Bryant would have signed for less now in order to free up cap space to help the team sign players to make a run during his final years.
  • Thunder GM Sam Presti shared his thoughts on tanking with Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Presti said, “Oddly enough, I think it’s a narrative that was created to tweak the league office, and they are showing to be quite reflexive to it. I’m actually a bit surprised they have fed into it and devoted so much public energy to it given the lack of evidence. The records of the teams in the bottom four of the league are in line with those over the last 20 seasons. If anything, they are actually slightly above those averages. I’m missing the epidemic on this, really. I would hope we’d focus our attention on a lot of the great things our players are ding and that the league has in place now.“
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Kobe Bryant Wants Mike D’Antoni Fired

March 12th, 2014 at 4:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kobe Bryant has “no interest” in playing for Mike D’Antoni next season, and the Lakers star wants the team to change coaches, sources tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Bryant took several shots at Lakers management during a press conference today, but apparently his greatest frustration is with D’Antoni, whose contract runs through 2014/15. Bryant said today that he can’t understand why the Lakers haven’t brought former coach and soon-to-be Knicks executive Phil Jackson back to the franchise.

Bryant would like to see the Lakers re-sign Pau Gasol, who’s openly feuded with D’Antoni at times since the coach came aboard early last season. D’Antoni also never clicked with Carmelo Anthony when they were together with the Knicks, as Deveney points out, and Bryant wants the team to make significant improvements in the offseason, when Anthony figures to be the best free agent available.

The Lakers have long appeared deferential to Bryant, bidding against themselves when they granted him a $48.5MM extension in November. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote recently that D’Antoni didn’t seem to have much of a future in L.A., and D’Antoni met last week with GM Mitch Kupchak to discuss the state of the team after a blowout loss to the Clippers. Bryant’s most recent comments suggest he doesn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with the team’s brass, but his wishes are nonetheless an ominous sign for D’Antoni, who’s gone 62-74 in his time with the Lakers.

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Western Notes: Kobe, Thomas, Hayward

March 12th, 2014 at 4:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kobe Bryant didn’t hold back during the press conference that followed today’s official announcement that he’s done for the year. He said he has “not one lick” of patience for suffering through another losing season in 2014/15. With Phil Jackson agreeing to take a front office job with the Knicks, Bryant finds it difficult to understand why the Lakers haven’t hired him back, and he called upon co-owners Jim and Jeanie Buss to resolve their differences. He also wants to be in the loop on the team’s moves and expressed his frustration with the trade of Steve Blake. “I just want to get a phone call when somebody gets traded,” Bryant said (Twitter links via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, Beto Duran of ESPN radio Los Angeles, and Bill Oram of the Orange County Register).

There’s more Lakers-related news as we examine the latest from the Western Conference:

  • Soon-to-be restricted free agent Isaiah Thomas admits to SB Nation’s James Herbert that he grew up a fan of the Lakers and still likes the team. The Kings point guard calls Bryant his favorite player.
  • Gordon Hayward largely stayed out of negotiations between agent Mark Bartelstein and the Jazz on a possible extension this past fall, and he plans to be similarly scarce as Bartelstein talks with clubs this summer, when Hayward will be a restricted free agent. Grantland’s Zach Lowe has more from his interview with the former Butler star, who expresses his fondness for the small-town feel of Salt Lake City.
  • A report last month suggested the Nuggets don’t plan to give Kenneth Faried a major payday when he’s up for an extension in the offseason, but the power forward’s improved play will make the team think twice, writes Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post.
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Kobe Bryant Out For Season

March 12th, 2014 at 2:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:09pm: The league’s insurance policy will provide the Lakers with $4.75MM in compensation for Bryant’s absence, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bryant is making more than $30.45MM, and the full amount still applies to the team’s cap and luxury tax bill.

1:36pm: The Lakers have officially ruled Bryant out for the year, tweets Mike Trudell of Lakers.com. The team also issued a statement announcing the news. Bryant wanted to come back this season, but the team convinced him that sitting out would help his recovery, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

10:48am: Kobe Bryant will remain out for the balance of the season, a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. The news has been anticipated, and Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding wrote Tuesday that the Lakers would make a formal announcement sometime this week. USA Today’s Sam Amick wrote overnight that Bryant was not expected to return. The Lakers still haven’t confirmed Bryant’s status, but it appears they’ll be without their star guard for the last month of 2013/14.

Bryant has played just six games for the Lakers this year after signing a two-year, $48.5MM extension in November. He returned in December from a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg, but went down again soon thereafter with a tibial plateau fracture in the same leg. His latest malady was only supposed to keep him out for six weeks, but it’s apparently cost him the balance of the season instead.

The Lakers have little to play for at 22-42, in a four-way tie for the fourth-worst record in the league. They probably stand to benefit from Bryant’s continued absence, since every loss helps the team’s draft lottery chances. Lakers management has long shown a strong commitment to Bryant, but the decision to grant him the extension looks even shakier now than it did when the deal was struck. The Rob Pelinka client was set to hit free agency this summer, and a season lost almost in its entirety to injury would certainly have depressed his market value.

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And-Ones: Kobe, Lakers, Woodson

March 11th, 2014 at 10:02pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Lakers are expected to officially declare Kobe Bryant out for the rest of the 2013/14 season, as per Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. The 35-year-old guard is still dealing with discomfort after fracturing the tibial plateau in his left knee back in December. Ding adds that while the superstar guard has expressed hope in the team significantly re-tooling this summer via free agency, all signs point to the front office planning accordingly to have cap flexibility for the summer of 2015.

You can find more of tonight’s noteworthy links below:

  • With Kobe, Steve Nash, and Robert Sacre presently listed as the only guaranteed contracts for next season, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times looks at the rest of the current roster to determine who has the best chance of sticking around after this year.
  • Mike Woodson‘s reported mistrust of Steve Mills partially stems from the Knicks executive’s presence in coaches meetings, practices, and road trips for large chunks of the season, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. According to Kyler, Woodson’s camp viewed it as meddling in the process and casting doubt on the coach’s job from the start.
  • Marco Belinelli doesn’t hold a grudge against the Bulls for declining to make him an offer this past summer, but his first choice would have been to re-sign with the Bulls, in spite of Tom Thibodeau’s efforts to convince the team to do so. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News has the details, noting that when Gregg Popovich called Thibodeau for a recommendation, Thibs gave the shooting guard an endorsement.
  • Paul Millsap says he didn’t go “kicking and screaming” from the Jazz when they parted ways over the summer, adding that he respected the team’s decision not to pursue re-signing him, as Brad Rock of the Deseret News observes.
  • J.J. Hickson has hired Muhammad Abdur-Rahim and Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management as his new agents, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). They replace Andy Miller of ASM Sports, whom the Nuggets big man jettisoned earlier this season.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post. 

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Los Angeles Notes: Bazemore, Jackson, Gasol

March 11th, 2014 at 7:45pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Kent Bazemore played sparingly during his stint on the Warriors, averaging 4.4 MPG as a rookie in 2012/13 and 6.1 MPG in 44 games this season. After being dealt to the Lakers a few weeks ago, the 24-year-old guard is now seeing 29.8 MPG and has made quite an impression thus far. With 14.6 PPG on 45.9% shooting overall and 40.4% from long distance over his last 10 games, Bazemore may not only resemble a potential piece for L.A.’s future, but a possible free agency target for other teams as well.

With that being said, Bazemore wants to remain with the Lakers long-term, and his camp is confident that if he continues to play as he has so far for the team, L.A. will tender a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent this summer, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com.

Here’s more out of Los Angeles this evening:

  • Phil Jackson has been recently linked to a few front office opportunities around the league, and despite his lack of experience as an executive, the Lakers – with a dire need for stability and direction – can ill afford to let him get away again, opines Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
  • Though Pau Gasol‘s frustration for most of this season implies an infinitesimal chance that he re-ups with the purple and gold beyond this year, it could still be mutually beneficial for Gasol and the team if he were to return, explains Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. One idea involves re-signing the Spanish big man to a gargantuan one-year deal for next season, which would allow L.A. to eventually clear Gasol and Steve Nash‘s contracts at the same time and thus have ample cap space for 2015.
  • In the above piece, Bucher also shares a list of players who Kobe Bryant said he envisions returning after this season, including Jordan Hill, Chris Kaman, Jordan Farmar, and Wesley Johnson.
  • During a recent interview with Kustoo.com, Bryant admitted that he has been frustrated with the slow recovery process from his knee injury (hat tip to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times): “It’s progressing slowly. It really tests my patience…There’s only so much you can do, so I find myself relegated to riding the bike.”
  • Former Clippers swingman Sasha Vujacic has signed on with basketball agency Interperformances, according to Sportando (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post. 

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Amico On Deng, Lakers, LeBron, Bosh

February 24th, 2014 at 8:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Will Luol Deng stay in Cleveland beyond this year?  While there has been speculation that he’ll bolt this summer, execs tell Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio the Cavs can hang on to him if things change.  That means getting hot to close out the season and possibly shaking up the roster/coaching staff.  More from Amico’s column..

  • Most execs feel LeBron James will either return to the Heat or shock everyone and aim for the ultimate redemption story by returning to the Cavs.  The Heat, however, are believed to be way in front of everyone.
  • One GM told Amico that it’s hard to know whether the Lakers are a real possibility for Carmelo Anthony or if it’s just wishful thinking from Lakers fans.
  • It seems most GMs feel Chris Bosh, and not Anthony, is the second biggest potential prize on the upcoming market.  But if James goes back to the Heat, Bosh will, too.  If James flees Miami, the Lakers are secretly interested, sources tell Amico.
  • Kobe Bryant is probably the only one who can convince Pau Gasol to stay with the Lakers.  Gasol would love a return to Memphis, but the Grizzlies aren’t exactly big spenders.
  • If Kevin Garnett retires, Amico gets the sense that fellow Nets vet Paul Pierce could wind up anywhere.
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Lakers Notes: Young, Bryant, Brooks, Bazemore

February 22nd, 2014 at 8:45am CST by Cray Allred

In their first game with the Lakers, new trade acquisitions MarShon Brooks and Kent Bazemore both played a season high in minutes, helping lead Los Angeles to a win over the Celtics. It will be interesting to watch whether the young, athletic guards continue to make the most of the opportunities coach Mike D’Antoni gives them. D’Antoni has built a reputation of giving players a chance to shine, even if they haven’t lived up to previous expectations as in the case with Brooks. Here’s some more from L.A.:

  • The main reason Brooks and Bazemore will have opportunity in L.A. is that the Lakers roster has been in shambles all year. Kobe Bryant will miss at least another three weeks, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. He will be re-evaluated again at the three-week mark, so there’s a strong likelihood he misses more time than that. Even a return this year isn’t a given for the 18-year veteran, and the plummeting Lakers don’t have any competitive reasons to rush him back now that they are all but eliminated from the playoff hunt.
  • Both Bazemore and Brooks say that playing on Kobe’s team is one of the more exciting aspects of the trade, reports Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. “That’s a dream come true, growing up idolizing Kobe Bryant,” Bazemore said. Brooks offered, “I grew up a Lakers fan, a big Kobe Bryant fan, so I’m just excited to get to work.”
  • Nick Young wouldn’t comment on his player option for next year, which Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak believes the small forward will decline, per Mark Medina of Inside the Lakers (Twitter link). Young’s option is worth approximately $1.2MM, but there is mutual interest for a longer stay in Los Angeles, which will have plenty of cap space to work with should he opt out for a new deal.
  • In his “GM for a Day” series, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN Insider [subscription only] focuses on the Lakers.  Doolittle explores upcoming Lakers decisions, including whether to agree to buyouts with veterans they were unable to move or try and squeeze value out of their Bird Rights this summer. He also touches on whether they will waive the beleaguered Steve Nash at season’s end with the stretch provision and whether they’ll re-sign Pau Gasol this summer.
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Odds & Ends: Pacers, Smith, Deng, Lowry

February 20th, 2014 at 11:13pm CST by Zachary Links

We saw plenty of trades go down before the deadline and Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders looked at the winners and losers.  The Pacers top the list of winners for their acquisition of former No. 2 overall pick Evan Turner.  While the Wizards and Warriors also get nods, Koutroupis says that the Lakers and Knicks should have done more.  Here’s tonight’s look around the league..

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Los Angeles Rumors: Vujacic, Clippers, Kobe

February 17th, 2014 at 11:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier tonight, we learned that former Lakers and Clippers standout Lamar Odom has agreed to play in Spain for the remainder of the season.  Odom was once deadset on making his NBA return with Doc Rivers and the Clippers, but he’ll presumably be more open to other opportunities as he tries to work his way back.  Here’s the latest out of the Staples Center..

  • The Clippers won’t re-sign Sasha Vujacic to a second 10-day contract, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.  Coach Doc Rivers says that the club could re-sign the veteran guard later on if they don’t use the roster spot on someone else.
  • Word from the Clippers camp indicates that they won’t part with a meaningful asset like Reggie Bullock or a first-round draft pick to avoid the luxury tax, tweets Zach Lowe of Grantland.com.  However, Lowe is somewhat skeptical and believes that might not prove to be true.
  • Kobe Bryant thinks the Lakers are well-positioned for the summer ahead, but he says doesn’t want to have input on the team’s decision-making, observes Brett Pollakoff of NBCSports.com.
  • Former Lakers guard Kareem Rush says he isn’t through playing just yet, writes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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