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Eastern Notes: Knicks, Colangelo, Bulls

May 19th, 2013 at 10:56pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Knicks season ended last night when the Pacers defeated them in Indiana to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks were the oldest team in NBA history for the 2012/13 season, and they have a lot of offseason decisions to reach in lieu of their loss to the Pacers. 

The first such decision concerns the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year, J.R. Smith. Smith recently reiterated his desire to remain in a Knicks uniform next year despite the popular consensus he'll opt out of the contract that will pay him $2.9MM next season. He tweeted about wanting to return (Twitter link) today as SheridonHoops.com's Ben Baroff pointed out. But Smith isn't the only question mark as the Knicks head into the offseason after their best playoff performance in more than a decade.

  • Despite a postseason showing that saw them get out of the first round for the first time since the 1999/00 season, Howard Beck at the New York Times writes that with very little cap flexbility, the Knicks' window for continued postseason magic may have run out. 
  • Ian Begley at ESPNNewYork.com brings readers through five pressing issues the Knicks face this summer, including what to do with Amar'e Stoudemire, who didn't start a single game this season after Carmelo Anthony agreed to play power forward in Mike Woodson's small-ball lineup. Begley also discusses whether the Knicks will continue to go small next season.
  • One of the injuries hampering Knicks franchise star Carmelo Anthony this postseason, was his left shoulder. Frank Isola of New York Daily News says Anthony will have his injured left shoulder examined. 
  • Another Eastern Conference team that was eliminated in the conference semifinals, the Bulls, are looking to get healthy this offseason while figuring out what to do in free agency, writes Aggrey Sam at CSNChicago.com. The free agency questions center around their backcourt, since Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli are free agents this summer and the Bulls are not likely to pick up Richard Hamilton's $5MM option next year, but will have to pay him the $1MM that's guaranteed.
  • Aggrey Sam at CSNChicago.com also writes that the Bulls' draft picks, they hold the 20th and 49th overall selections this June, could be a lot better than expected in what is considered a down draft year. A lot of players predicted to be selected in the later rounds of the draft performed well in Chicago's predraft combine this past week.
  •  Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun, says it's time for Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo to go, and with reports the Raptors are pursuing current Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri, the end appears close for Colangelo. The Raptors are expected to make a decision about their future general manager some time tomorrow after Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reported the Raptors have until Monday to exercise or decline their option on Colangelo for the 2013/14 season. 
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Raptors Targeting Masai Ujiri For Front Office

May 18th, 2013 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

As deadline day for Bryan Colangelo's 2013/14 option approaches, the Raptors are pursuing current Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri to take over their basketball operations, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The head-hunting firm hired by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to whittle down the list of potential replacements for Colangelo identified Ujiri as the top choice, sources told Wojnarowski.

Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reported yesterday that the Raptors had until Monday to make a decision one way or the other on Colangelo, and that MLSE had hired a search firm to look into potential candidates — Wojnarowski identifies the firm as Korn/Ferry International.

Perhaps it's no surprise that the man who was named 2013's NBA Executive of the Year earlier this month would emerge as the top candidate for MLSE. But in addition to being more than qualified for the job, Ujiri is on an expiring deal. Although he has a strong relationship with Nuggets CEO Josh Kroenke, Ujiri is only under contract until June 30th. It had been assumed that he and the Nuggets would work out a new agreement, but perhaps MLSE president/CEO Tim Leiweke could make a pitch and offer that would be enough to present Ujiri with a difficult decision.

Prior to becoming the Nuggets' GM in 2010, Ujiri worked under Colangelo in Toronto for three years, including two as assistant GM, so he does have a history with the Raptors, which could work in Toronto's favor. The 76ers made a run at Ujiri a year ago in hopes of hiring him as their GM, but he turned down the team's interest.

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Western Notes: McDonough, Hunter, Wright

May 9th, 2013 at 10:13pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Not long after being officially introduced as the Suns' new general manager, Ryan McDonough addressed the topic of his head coaching search, saying that several people on his list of ideal candidates for the job have matched up with the list that had been in place before he was hired, adding that Lindsey Hunter still remains as "one of the top guys" (Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic via USA Today). McDonough also underscored the draft as a franchise's "lifeblood" for "sustainable success" and was complimentary of some of the current players on the roster. Here's more out of the Western Conference tonight: 

  • Both Kevin Sherrington and David Moore of SportsDayDFW put themselves in Mark Cuban's shoes and give their theoretical free agent pitches to Chris Paul. Sherrington points to the differences in the Clippers' and Mavericks' ownership, while Moore emphasizes the opportunity to play with a shooter like Dirk Nowitzki and for a proven coach in Rick Carlisle. 
  • Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW has his doubts about the Mavericks keeping Brandan Wright, noting that coach Rick Carlisle had issues with Wright's rebounding and inconsistency. With only six players under contract for next season as of right now, Cowlishaw expects the makeup of the team to be drastically different. 
  • Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News makes the argument that the Warriors are a much more dangerous team now than they would have been with a healthy David Lee.
  • Lee told CSN Bay Area's Ric Bucher that he plans to return to action again this postseason and hasn't ruled out the possibility of getting surgery to repair his torn right hip flexor once the season is over (Sulia link). 
  • Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com describes Masai Ujiri's journey toward becoming one of the league's top executives after humble beginnings ten years ago. 
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Ujiri Hopeful About Iguodala Returning

May 9th, 2013 at 6:21pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Fresh off from receiving his Executive of the Year award, Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri says that he's very optimistic that Andre Iguodala re-signs with Denver and that the team wants him back, tweets Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post. A few days ago, we also relayed that team president Josh Kroenke expressed his desire to keep the 6'6 forward as part of Denver's future moving forward. 

Despite a disappointing first round exit for the Nuggets, Iguodala was very productive in six games against Golden State, averaging 18.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.0 SPG while shooting 50% from the field overall and an excellent 48.3% from long range on nearly five three-point attempts per game. It will be interesting to see how those numbers factor into determining Iguodala's worth in the free agent market this summer. 

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Masai Ujiri Named Executive of the Year

May 9th, 2013 at 12:08pm CST by Michael Pina

THURSDAY, 12:08pm: The Nuggets have officially announced that Ujiri has won the Executive of the Year award. Gary Sacks (Clippers) finished second in the voting, followed by Glen Grunwald (Knicks) and Daryl Morey (Rockets), who were tied for third.

WEDNESDAY, 8:45pm: Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri will be named Executive of the Year, according to the Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman. 

Ujiri built the best team in franchise history this season, as Denver won 57 games in the regular season before losing 4-2 in the first round against the Warriors. 

Last summer he nosed his way into the Dwight Howard trade, acquiring Andre Iguodala and giving up Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, and a 2014 first round pick. He also extended Ty Lawson to a contract that's widely viewed as a slight bargain for the Nuggets.

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Nuggets Notes: Mozgov, Trades, Ujiri

January 25th, 2013 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Having gone 16-3 at the Pepsi Center so far this season, the Nuggets are in good position to gain some ground in the Western Conference standings, as their next six games will all be at home. Still, head coach George Karl doesn't want his club to take anything for granted, as he tells Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post.

"We're a young team trying to become a good team — a really good team," Karl said. "I think we all think we can get there, but sometimes I think we need a lot more work than (the players) think we do."

Here's the latest out of Denver:

  • Since the beginning of the year, teams have been calling the Nuggets about acquiring Timofey Mozgov, who is unlikely to be with the Nuggets past the trade deadline, says Dempsey.
  • While Mozgov says that he'd like to remain in Denver, that comes with a caveat: "More than I want to stay, I want to play." With Kosta Koufos and JaVale McGee seeing most of the minutes in the middle, Mozgov is averaging a career-low 9.6 minutes per game in 24 contests.
  • Although Masai Ujiri is in the last year of his three-year contract with the Nuggets, the two sides aren't expected to explore an extension for the general manager until after the season, reports Dempsey.
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Atlantic Links: Sixers, Ujiri, Wayns, White, Nets

October 2nd, 2012 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Before the 76ers promoted Tony DiLeo to general manager last month, we heard a report that the Sixers had made a run at Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri. However, Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said on Monday that Philadelphia's interest in Ujiri didn't get the Sixers far. According to Kroenke, the Nuggets didn't allow the Sixers to even talk to their GM, as Adrian Dater of the Denver Post writes.

"You hire good people for a reason, and sometimes other people take notice of that," Kroenke said. "But we never gave permission to Philly to talk to Masai."

Here are a few more Tuesday updates out of the Atlantic Division:

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Sixers Made Run At Denver GM Masai Ujiri

September 20th, 2012 at 11:17pm CST by Alex Lee

Before broadening the parameters of their search for a general manager, the 76ers made an aggressive attempt to land current Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri, says Adrian Wojnarowski.  The report confirms that Tony DiLeo is currently the front runner to replace Rod Thorn, but this is the first time that news of Ujiri's involvement has surfaced.

Ujiri is well respected in NBA circles despite being one of the lowest paid general managers in the league.  After losing the franchise centerpiece in Carmelo Anthony, Ujiri molded the Nuggets into an instant winner.  Apparently, the Sixers attempted to lure him to Philly with big bucks but his loyalty to Denver ownership (and presumably big money from the Nuggets in the near future) allowed him to resist.

Ujiri only has one year left on his deal.  The Nuggets will need to extend him to prevent other teams from poaching their architect.  Although Wojnarowski mentions the Dwight Howard blockbuster that both teams were involved in, it is unclear where this report fits in from a time perspective. 

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