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Western Notes: Nuggets, Westbrook, Clippers, Lakers, Pelicans, Meeks

September 29th, 2024 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Among the noteworthy developments revealed during the press conferences held by Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth and coach Michael Malone on Thursday was that the team is open to adding a 3-point shooter by the trade deadline, according to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.

“We are riding a fine line with our shooting when you have Russell Westbrook, Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson all in your rotation,” Booth said. “And I think Christian (Braun) should be left out of that conversation when he shoots 42.9% above the break last year. But it is gonna be a fine line. It’s something we have to monitor. If we need to address our shooting at the trade deadline, we’ll do it.”

Another interesting tidbit is that Westbrook wasn’t mentioned as a potential starter, but he could be in the closing lineup.

We have more from the Western Conference:

  • The Clippers have plenty of concerns heading into training camp, among them Kawhi Leonard‘s health status and whether James Harden can take an even bigger role at age 35 after the departures of Paul George and Westbrook. The Orange County Register’s Janis Carr explores five major storylines for the club.
  • The five-storyline motif was also the subject of Khobi Price’s preview of Lakers camp for the Register. Among the topics he dove into were Anthony Davis‘ usage, Jarred Vanderbilt‘s injury status and first-rounder Dalton Knecht‘s role.
  • Former NBA guard Jodie Meeks has been added to the Pelicans’ coaching staff, according to a team press release. The Pelicans announced a number of other staff additions and promotions. Former WNBA star Swin Cash has been promoted to senior VP of basketball operations and Rohan Ramadas has been elevated to senior director of analytics and innovation. New Orleans also officially announced Dan Geriot as an assistant coach and Greg Monroe as a player development assistant.
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Southwest Notes: Ingram, Cash, Rockets, Sheppard, Kennard, Clarke

June 27th, 2024 at 6:38am CST by Luke Adams

With trade rumors swirling around forward Brandon Ingram, Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin spoke to reporters on Wednesday night about where things stand with the former All-Star, as Christian Clark of NOLA.com relays (via Twitter). Griffin didn’t explicitly say Ingram wouldn’t be traded this offseason, but suggested the situation is a complicated one.

“Brandon wants to stay here,” Griffin said. “He believes in what we are building. That is meaningful to us. That’s meaningful to him. That’s meaningful to his agent. At the same time, there is a financial reality that we all deal with. I think we’re excited about Brandon. We know he’s excited about us. Usually, those things yield good results one way or the other.”

Reports have indicated that the Pelicans are unwilling to put a maximum-salary contract extension on the table for Ingram this offseason as he enters the final year of his current contract, making him a logical candidate to be on the move in a deal that upgrades another area of New Orleans’ roster.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • On the heels of losing a handful of front office executives this offseason, the Pelicans are promoting former WNBA star Swin Cash to senior vice president of basketball operations, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Cash, who has been in New Orleans’ basketball operations department since 2019, is one of the highest-ranking women by title in any NBA front office, Charania notes.
  • Speaking to reporters after the first round of the draft on Wednesday, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said Houston considered Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard to be the top prospect in this draft and would have likely tried to trade out of No. 3 if he hadn’t been on the board (Twitter link via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
  • With the deadline to exercise Luke Kennard‘s $14.8MM team option now just two days away, GM Zach Kleiman said the Grizzlies “still feel very strongly about Luke as someone who’s a great fit as part of this group,” writes Jonah Dylan of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. While Kennard is one of the NBA’s best shooters, Memphis has potential luxury tax concerns to consider as it weighs the decision on his 2024/25 option. One recent report indicated he might be a trade candidate if the option is exercised.
  • Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke hopes to get a chance to represent his home country in international competition at some point, but it won’t happen this summer. Clarke, who missed most of the 2023/24 season while recovering from an Achilles tear, explained on Tuesday why he wasn’t on the preliminary Olympic roster recently released by Team Canada. “It’s tough for me,” he said, according to Dylan. “I have to work on my rehab still. I’m still really working on my calf rehab, I didn’t get to have the summer that I wanted the past couple summers. There might be a time where I can play in the future, but as of right now my time is best spent doing my own thing and getting ready for the season.”
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Southwest Notes: Cash, Rockets, Mavericks, Morant

May 14th, 2023 at 4:08pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

WNBA Hall of Famer-turned-Pelicans executive Swin Cash is deftly juggling motherhood and her work with New Orleans, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscriber link).

“I’m not going to sit here and paint this rosy picture,” Cash said of her work-life balance. “Whenever I’m speaking or talking to other people, I tell them that it’s just about sacrificing. And if you’re willing to sacrifice, how much are you willing to sacrifice? My husband is an entrepreneur and we both played sports and understand teamwork, so we know what it’s like to be a team player and that helps us juggle it all.”

Now the Pelicans’ vice president of basketball operations and team development, Cash won three WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock and Seattle Storm while being named to four All-Star teams. She is the mother to two young sons.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

  • The rebuilding Rockets will know just how high they’ll be picking in the first round after the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday. In the meantime, Kelly Iko of The Athletic takes stock of what some hypothetical Houston lineups would look like if the team is able to add one of 2023’s top prospects, including Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, and Brandon Miller.
  • The Mavericks face an interesting offseason after falling from a 2022 Western Conference Finals berth to missing the 2023 playoffs entirely. In a new mailbag, Tim Cato of The Athletic wonders if Dallas might be best served by looking to build through the draft and retaining most of its free agents this summer, rather than undergoing a full roster teardown around All-Star Luka Doncic. He also addresses how he feels about the rest of the club’s personnel, Jason Kidd‘s top strengths as a coach, and more.
  • By not being named to an All-NBA team, Grizzlies All-Star point guard Ja Morant could actually help his Memphis’ future roster construction, as Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal details. By missing out on the accolade, Morant will also lose potentially up to $40MM over the five-year course of his current contract. That money could be allocated to other Memphis salaries, with several key players presently on rookie scale contracts.
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Basketball Hall Of Fame Announces Full Class Of 2022

April 2nd, 2022 at 12:33pm CST by JD Shaw

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has officially announced its 13 honorees for this year, including former players and coaches from the NBA, WNBA and NCAA, along with figures from different basketball committees.

As we previously relayed, Spurs legend Manu Ginobili and former Heat All-Star Tim Hardaway headline the class. They are joined by longtime NBA coach George Karl, former referee Hugh Evans and two-time NCAA National Coach of the Year Bob Huggins.

On the women’s side, three-time WNBA champion Lindsay Whalen, two-time Olympic gold medalist Swin Cash and former WNBA Coach of the Year Marianne Stanley will be inducted.

“Year after year, we are constantly reminded of the extraordinary and transcendent efforts of the remarkable men and women who have impacted the game of basketball from a global perspective,” Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame President and CEO John L. Doleva said in a statement.

“The Class of 2022 is ripe with individuals who have had a significant historical impact on the game we love. We congratulate and thank them for everything they’ve done to better the sport and look forward to honoring them during Enshrinement this fall.”

Lou Hudson (Veterans Committee), Theresa Shank-Grentz (Women’s Veterans Committee), Radivoj Korac (International Committee), Larry Costello (Contributor Committee) and Del Harris (Contributor Committee) will also be inducted. The full class will be enshrined on September 9 and 10 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

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Basketball Hall Of Fame Announces 11 Finalists For ’22

February 18th, 2022 at 5:55pm CST by Rory Maher

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its 11 finalists for the class of 2022 Friday evening (video link). They are as follows:

  • Leta Andrews, the all-time winningest high school coach, male or female
  • Swin Cash, a three-time WNBA Champion, four-time All-Star and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (Cash is currently the vice president of basketball operations and team development for the Pelicans)
  • Michael Cooper, a five-time NBA Champion and eight-time All-Defensive team member, who was Defensive Player of the Year in 1987
  • Hugh Evans, a former NBA referee who officiated over 2,200 games, including 35 in the NBA Finals
  • Manu Ginobili, a four-time NBA Champion, two-time All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist
  • Tim Hardaway, a five-time NBA All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist
  • Bob Huggins, a longtime NCAA coach with more than 900 career wins, whose teams have made 25 NCAA tournament appearances
  • Marques Johnson, a five-time NBA All-Star and NCAA Champion
  • George Karl, the 2013 Coach of the Year who’s sixth all time in wins for NBA head coaches
  • Marianne Stanley, the 2002 WNBA Coach of the year who led Old Dominion to the NCAA National Championship in 1985
  • Lindsay Whalen, a four-time WNBA Champion, five-time All-Star and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist

The selections will be announced on April 2, at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in New Orleans, per a league press release.

The Hall of Fame also announced that the ’22 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award went to Reggie Minton, who coached Air Force Academy from 1984-2020.

Finally, the three recipients for the ’22 Curt Gowdy Media Award were Dick Ebersol (Transformative), the former president of NBC Sports who created the NBA on NBC; Mechelle Voepel of ESPN (Print), a longtime women’s basketball writer; and Walt Frazier (Electronic), the longtime color commentator for the Knicks, who’s already in the Hall of Fame as a player.

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Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Culver, Cash, Nielsen

September 11th, 2021 at 6:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

No team has been more active this summer than the Grizzlies, who have made six trades and have a reported seventh deal looming with the Celtics, but the moves have mainly been to cut salary and collect future assets rather than to provide any immediate on-court benefit, writes Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Four of the players Memphis has acquired have already been traded or waived, assuming Juan Hernangomez gets shipped to Boston, Barnes notes. He adds that Daniel Oturu, who was part of a deal with the Clippers, is unlikely to remain on the roster when the season starts.

Barnes points out that the deals didn’t address the Grizzlies’ most pressing needs, which are three-point shooting and scoring off the bench. Starters Jonas Valanciunas and Grayson Allen were traded away, and Barnes sees their likely replacements, Steven Adams and Ziaire Williams, as a step down.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • Even if Jarrett Culver earns a roster spot with the Grizzlies after two disappointing seasons in Minnesota, it figures to be a short-term arrangement, Barnes adds in the same story. Memphis has a November 1 deadline to pick up Culver’s $8.1MM option for 2022/23, and Barnes doesn’t expect the team to make that commitment so early in the season.
  • Former WNBA star Swin Cash talked about her front office role with the Pelicans during an interview with Alexa Philippou of The Hartford Courant. “Coming in, the biggest thing was (executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin) let me know because of what I was bringing, he really needed me to be that person, that glue, that can see what we need, can get in front of it, can build it and understanding the player’s perspective, understanding the front office perspective,” Cash said. “And so that’s how I kind of approach my day. I wear multiple hats, but I’m never too far away from decisions that are being made within our organization and having a seat at that table and being able to contribute in a very organic way.”
  • Matt Nielsen is the latest young coach who should benefit from being on Gregg Popovich’s staff, observes Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express News. Nielsen, who is replacing Will Hardy, continues the Spurs‘ preference for hiring inexperienced coaches whenever they have an opening.
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Southwest Notes: Zion, J. Jackson, Belinelli, Cash

August 5th, 2020 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

After playing limited minutes and sitting in crunch time during the Pelicans‘ first two games – both losses – Zion Williamson logged 25 minutes and was a key contributor down the stretch as New Orleans closed out a Monday win over Memphis. After the game, Williamson told ESPN’s Malika Andrews that he “felt alive again,” per Andrew Lopez of ESPN.

“I ain’t gonna lie to you, it’s just different in a bad way when I’m on the bench in the fourth quarter, and there’s nothing I can do to help my team win,” Williamson said. “So I said I felt alive — it was just great to be out there doing whatever I can to help my team win.”

In addition to Williamson’s contributions, the Pelicans also got 24 points and some key late baskets from Brandon Ingram, while Josh Hart chipped in 15 points and Lonzo Ball was a game-best +15. The performances prompted head coach Alvin Gentry to praise his young core after the win.

“When you have two really young players (Williamson and Ingram) like that who stepped up for you, and Josh Hart, you know, Josh is a very young kid, too,” Gentry said. “I think if you look at it, we have a good, young nucleus of players along with some of the veteran guys we have.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer explores the impact that losing Jaren Jackson Jr. will have on the Grizzlies‘ push to secure a playoff spot. As O’Connor writes, Memphis is well ahead of schedule in its rebuild and should be pleased with the season as a whole, but there’s a chance it will end on a “decidedly sour note.”
  • Speaking of Jackson, he’s staying at the Walt Disney World campus for now, according to Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins (Twitter link via ESPN’s Malika Andrews). However, Jackson may need to leave at some point for treatment and/or rehab work related to his meniscus tear, Jenkins acknowledged.
  • Spurs guard Marco Belinelli, who sprained his left ankle during the team’s first game of the restart last week, is active today after missing a pair of games, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
  • David Aldridge of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at Pelicans VP of basketball operations and team development Swin Cash, who is the first Black woman to hold such a high-ranking basketball ops position for an NBA franchise.
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Southwest Notes: Aldridge, Finley, Rockets, Cash

April 17th, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked earlier this week by a fan which former teammate he’d like to add to the Trail Blazers‘ current roster, Damian Lillard named Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge. That tweet – sent from Portland’s official Twitter account – was soon deleted, but not before Aldridge replied to it with an eyeballs emoji.

Speaking to Michael C. Wright of NBA.com, Aldridge downplayed the significance of his response, but acknowledged that he wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to the idea of returning to Portland and finishing his career with the Trail Blazers. He also diplomatically didn’t rule out the idea of remaining with the Spurs for the remainder of his career.

“I think either one would be fine with me. I feel like I’ve made some good memories in San Antonio. I feel like I’m in a really good family in San Antonio. They understand me. I understand them. So, I like that,” Aldridge said. “I feel I have a lot of history in Portland. So, going back there to finish would be fine also. I’m perfectly fine with finishing my career in San Antonio riding it out until my next chapter, or if things have to change there, and if (the Spurs) decide to go young, then I wouldn’t mind going to (the Trail Blazers).”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • Appearing on the McNeil & Parkins Show on 670 The Score in Chicago, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was evasive when asked whether the Bulls have asked to interview Michael Finley for a front office position. However, he said he’d grant Chicago permission to speak to Finley if asked. Finley was identified last week as a potential candidate for the Bulls’ GM opening.
  • As Kelly Iko of The Athletic details, the Rockets only played 14 games after trading away Clint Capela before this year’s trade deadline. That small sample size could be problematic, especially if the season doesn’t resume, since the Rockets will have to make offseason decisions based on whether or not they feel the center-less lineup is a viable approach going forward.
  • William Guillory of The Athletic examines the role that Pelicans vice president of basketball operations Swin Cash has played in her first year with the franchise and the impact she has had on the team’s young players.
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And-Ones: Wiseman, Schwartz, Andrews, Hall Of Fame

December 20th, 2019 at 7:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It’s unlikely that James Wiseman will fall below the top five in the June draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reports. The freshman center decided to leave Memphis on Thursday and sign with an agent to prepare for the draft.

Wiseman could have solidified his draft stock had he finished the college season on a high note after his 12-game NCAA suspension ended. However, he could have also slipped some if the Tigers had started losing games with Wiseman in the lineup. Givony continues. The lack of quality big men in a draft and the need of several lottery teams to add an impact big man could also help him, Givony adds.

We have more from around the basketball world:

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Pelicans Adding Swin Cash To Front Office

June 10th, 2019 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

Former UConn and WNBA star Swin Cash is joining the Pelicans’ management group, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, who reports that New Orleans is hiring Cash for a senior front office role.

According to Lowe, Cash will assume the title of vice president of basketball operations and team development. Her responsibilities will include scouting and helping to guide player development “on and off the floor.”

Cash, who was a member of championship teams at the University of Connecticut in 2000 and 2002, later spent 15 years as a WNBA player, winning three titles and making four All-Star teams. As Lowe points out, she spent time as an analyst on NBA TV last season alongside David Griffin, who is the new head of basketball operations in New Orleans.

Cash represents the second notable addition to the Pelicans’ front office since Griffin was hired this spring. The club also lured Trajan Langdon away from Brooklyn, making him the Pelicans’ new general manager.

It is becoming increasingly common for NBA teams to add current or former WNBA stars to their front offices or coaching staffs. Sue Bird was hired by the Nuggets in a management role last fall, while Kristi Toliver (Wizards), Lindsey Harding (Sixers), Jenny Boucek (Mavericks), and Becky Hammon (Spurs) are part of the NBA’s assistant coaching ranks.

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