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Southwest Notes: Hornets, Carlisle, Jones, Spurs

May 9th, 2012 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

A few Wednesday morning updates out of the Southwest Division:

The Hornets figure to draft the best players available rather than filling positional needs with their two lottery picks next month, according to Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com. "We don’t know where we’re going to be [drafting]," coach Monty Williams said. "We won’t find out until May 30th. So that will determine which positions we go after. We may go after a center or a power forward, but if we don’t get the pick we want, and the best player is a wing, then I’m pretty sure [GM] Dell [Demps] is going to be inclined to take that wing."
Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com is perplexed that Rick Carlisle doesn't have a deal yet to remain the Mavericks' coach for next season.
The fact that Kelenna Azubuike seems to have passed Dominique Jones on the Mavs' depth chart doesn't bode well for Jones' long-term future in Dallas, Caplan writes in a separate ESPNDallas.com piece.
If the Clippers are going to advance past the Grizzlies in the postseason, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich would prefer they do it sooner rather than later, says Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News. Popovich has some concern that, after playing so frequently in the lockout-shortened season, his players will lose their rhythm if they have to wait too long to resume game action.

Odds & Ends: Curry, Beal, Kidd-Gilchrist, Sloan

May 5th, 2012 at 6:03pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Warriors guard Stephen Curry had shown to be one of the league's most promising young talents after two years into his NBA career, but was limited by lingering ankle injuries during his third season. Rusty Simmons of SFGate reports that the former Davidson star views his recent ankle surgery as a relief and that he fully expects to be ready for training camp in October. Curry, who feels that backup power forward and depth are the team's biggest needs, also wants to be more involved with Golden State's draft process and plans to attend prospect workouts over the next two months (Sulia link). Here are the other significant links we've gathered up this evening:

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweeted that Bradley Beal from Florida has signed with Mark Bartelstein and Priority Sports. Beal is projected to be a top five pick in next month's NBA Draft.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist announced via his Twitter account that he has signed with Creative Artists Agency.
Following a season that likely included an innumerable amount of facepalms compared to high-fives, the Bobcats are now focused on adding a new head coach after recently parting ways with Paul Silas. Mitch Lawrence of the NY Daily News hears that Charlotte might try to pursue Jerry Sloan as a possible replacement, citing GM Rich Cho and Michael Jordan's admiration for the former Jazz coach. He also mentions that Sloan turned down six head coaching offers last season (among them Golden State and Detroit), which would imply that it will take a compelling proposal to convince him to join the league's biggest re-building project.
Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas briefly touches base on the possibility of Rick Carlisle becoming a free agent this summer. Carlisle is finishing up his last year of a four-year contract, and despite president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson continually saying that the Mavericks coach isn't going anywhere, there has been no mention of talks regarding a new deal. Owner Mark Cuban declined to elaborate on the situation today, saying that he "doesn't talk about free agent coaches or otherwise." In a separate article by Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas, Cuban insists that he does not regret letting Tyson Chandler leave because of the financial flexibility he was able to preserve.
David West has been one of the NBA's most significant free agent acquisitions from last year's offseason, helping the Pacers secure the third seed in the Eastern Conference and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld discusses how West's presence has benefited the culture and confidence of the team.
Despite a second straight lottery season for the Cavaliers, owner Dan Gilbert remains a popular figure in Cleveland, writes Plain Dealer columnist Bill Livingston. With such a close connection to the team's fan base, Livingston sees Gilbert as a more wealthy, modern-day version of legendary baseball owner Bill Veeck.

Mavs Links: Defense, Minutes, Ibaka

April 27th, 2012 at 7:50pm CST by Daniel Seco

After winning the NBA championship last season against the Heat, the Mavericks will begin their title defense Saturday on the road against the Thunder. The Mavericks fell to the seventh seed after losing four out of their last six games to close out the season. Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News has the latest out of Dallas with a series of updates from Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle.

Defense will be a key for the Mavs if they want to contain the Thunder's trio of stars that guided the team to the third-highest scoring average in the league at 103.1 points per game. Carlisle wants his squad to focus on defending the Thunder as a collective unit rather than attempting to guard them individually. Fouling won't help the Mavs as the Thunder rank first in the league for both free throws made per game (21.3) and free throw shooting percentage (.806).
Limiting the minutes of star players such as Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd will not be a consideration for the Mavs as the team looks to rely on their veterans for heavy usage throughout the playoffs. Carlisle rested Kidd the last two games of the season and decreased the 38-year-old point guard's minutes per game this season to 28.7. Nowitzki finished the season averaging 33.5 minutes per game as his time on the court decreased less than one minute from a year ago.
The Thunder's Serge Ibaka will be a test for the Mavs' big men after a season in which the 22-year-old rising star blocked 21 shots against the Mavs in four meetings. With defensive stalwart Tyson Chandler now on the Knicks, the Mavs will rely on Brendan Haywood, Ian Mahinmi and Brandan Wright to occupy space in the paint for the team. "Our center position is going to be very important in the series, because the way they defend, our centers have got to give us activity around the basket,'' Carlisle said.

Mavs Notes: Nowitzki, Terry, Carlisle

April 24th, 2012 at 8:00pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The last time an NBA Champion subsequently returned to the playoffs and repeated a title run without holding homecourt advantage in the first round was when the Rockets won as the sixth-seed in 1995. Currently, the Mavericks find themselves in a potentially similar scenario heading into the playoffs, as they can no longer finish higher than sixth this season. Dirk Nowitzki acknowledges that the significant offseason roster changes have had an effect on the team, and added that only time will tell if the decisions made this past off-season would have been worth it (Brad Townsend of SportsDay DFW reports). Here's more of the latest we've heard out of Dallas:

Mike Heika of SportsDay DFW quoted Nowitzki as he shed some light on teammate Jason Terry:"Hopefully, he'll play well, and we'll have a deep run. If I was in his shoes, that's what I would be focusing on, playing my best and helping this franchise ultimately win a couple playoff series." Terry, who will turn 35-years-old in September, is due to become a free agent this summer.
In a separate article, Heika documented coach Rick Carlisle's thoughts on Terry as the team's X-factor: "He's not just a scorer, he's a play-maker. He has the ability to be a difference-maker defensively for us, and when he's out there scrambling, and getting loose balls and putting himself into position to get steals, we're a different team out there. So we need his total game, and his focus should be a basketball player and not just a scorer.''

Southwest Links: Rockets, Hornets, Carlisle

April 20th, 2012 at 10:14pm CST by Alex Lee

With the Spurs, Mavericks and Grizzlies in action tonight, here are a few links regarding the Southwest division:

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says that the down-the-stretch pressure was simply too much for the Rockets, who have folded in April essentially closing the door at any hopes for postseason play.
Bill Ingram of Hoopsworld examines the Rockets' offseason needs, specifically replacing Yao Ming at center. With the futures of Marcus Camby and Samuel Dalembert uncertain in Houston, Ingram says that Houston could turn to Hornets' potential free agents Chris Kaman and/or Houston-born Emeka Okafor this summer. Kaman is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and while Okafor is under contract, he is considered a viable amnesty candidate.
Mark Cuban says that he would like to retain head coach Rick Carlisle, tweets the Star-Telegram's Dwain Price. Carlisle's contract is up at the end of the season. In his fourth year with the Mavs, Carlisle has led the team to the playoffs every year, winning the Southwest division in 2009-2010 and the NBA title in 2010-2011.

Mavs Notes: Playoffs, Carlisle, Kidd

April 15th, 2012 at 9:39am CST by Daniel Seco

The Mavs take on the Lakers at the Staples Center later this afternoon in a matchup with playoff seeding on the line for the two Western Conference rivals. Unfortunately for the Mavs, the Lakers have played well even with an injured Kobe Bryant on the shelf as players like Andrew Bynum and Matt Barnes have taken their game to the next level in their superstar's absence. Let's check in with the Mavs to find out what's making headlines with the reigning NBA champions.

Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com says the chances of the Mavs missing the playoffs has become highly unlikely as other contenders faltered in important contests on Saturday night. Caplan predicts the Mavs will take the sixth seed which would mean Sunday afternoon's battle against the Lakers could potentially be a preview of the first round of the playoffs. If the Mavs somehow collapse and fail to secure a playoff spot, it would mark the first time a reigning champion missed the postseason since the Bulls in 1999.
While he won't be taking home any hardware for his coaching performance this season, Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle has successfully handled a difficult season, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News (subscribers only). From losing six players off of a championship-winning squad to the Lamar Odom debacle, Carlisle has been able to keep his team focused on winning basketball games amidst myriad setbacks.
Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram says a healthy Jason Kidd has been a major reason why the Mavs can now breathe a little more easily about their hopes for the playoffs. With Kidd dealing with a strained right groin, the Mavs went 1-3 and fear set in surrounding their chances of making the playoffs. While he'll be in the starting lineup today against the Lakers, the Mavs plan to periodically rest Kidd over the remainder season with hopes of keeping the future Hall of Famer fresh for the playoffs.