Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Leonard, Diallo, Felder, Davis

May 12th, 2016 at 9:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Impending free agent center Meyers Leonard is making progress with his injured shoulder, according to The Oregonian. In a video interview posted on the paper’s website, Leonard discusses the torn labrum in his left shoulder and what he expects out of restricted free agency this summer. “The frustrating thing is I’m not in pain, but it just takes time for things to heal,” said Leonard, who faces a six- to eight-month timetable to return after undergoing surgery last month. He admits feeling jealous while watching his teammates during the playoffs. The injury could limit the offers for Leonard, who declined an extension from the Blazers in October.

There’s more news from the Northwest Division:

Kansas freshman big man Cheick Diallo will have an interview with the Jazz on Friday, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Oakland junior point guard Kay Felder had meetings with the Jazz and Nuggets, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
Freshman big man Deyonta Davis of Michigan State talked with the Jazz, according to Beard (Twitter link).
The Jazz also interviewed Purdue freshman power forward Caleb Swanigan, according to Nathan Baird of The Lafayette Journal & Courier.
The Wolves, who own the league’s fifth-worst record entering the draft lottery, held interviews with Providence sophomore point guard Kris Dunn and California freshman swingman Jaylen Brown, tweets Jerry Zgoda of The Star-Tribune.
Minnesota also interviewed Dunn’s teammate, sophomore power forward Ben Bentil (Twitter link). Bentil joined several other players in a workout for the Wolves last week.
Also meeting with the Wolves was Henry Ellenson, a freshman power forward out of Marquette, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.

Paul Allen Impressed With Team's Season

May 12th, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen regaled his team with an emotional speech regarding how proud it made him by overachieving this season, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com relays. “What he said came from the heart,’’ point guard Damian Lillard said. “You could hear it in his voice. He really meant what he was saying. He saw that we left it out there, and he saw how bad we wanted it. And he felt it, he felt what we did.’’ The players noted that the owner’s faith in them never wavered, even when the team struggled early in the campaign, Quick adds. “All owners aren’t connected to their teams like that,” swingman Gerald Henderson noted. “To a lot, their teams are just an investment. But he is committed and invested into the team, not just with his money. He is a clear basketball fanatic, a Blazers fanatic. I think he loves his players, and that’s pretty cool.’’

Allen Crabbe is excited about his upcoming restricted free agency this summer but had all positives to say about the Trail Blazers, his incumbent team, in exit interviews today, notes Erik Gunderson of The Columbian (Twitter link). Henderson, who’s hitting unrestricted free agency, was a reserve this season for the Blazers but said he places less of a priority on starting than he used to, instead favoring a chance to win and play a role that fits, Gunderson tweets.

Blazers, Terry Stotts To Talk Extension

May 12th, 2016 at 7:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Trail Blazers and representatives for Terry Stotts will explore the idea of a contract extension that carries beyond next season, sources tell Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. That’s no surprise, given the job performance of the coach who guided the team to a higher finish in the Western Conference standings this season than last year despite the loss of four starters. The Blazers beat an injured Clippers squad in the first round before falling to the Warriors in a five-game conference semifinals series that ended Wednesday night. Stotts, who finished a close second behind Steve Kerr in Coach of the Year voting, has a team option for next season on his contract that the Blazers have yet to pick up.

GM Neil Olshey remained steadfast throughout the season that negotiations wouldn’t take place until the team was done playing, though agent Warren LeGarie, who represents both Stotts and Olshey, recently told Kerry Eggers of The Portland Tribune that he’s “probably going to take a bit of a stand” on Stotts’ behalf as pushes to secure a long-term deal. LeGarie, in that same interview, said other teams would have interest in working with the coach if the Blazers don’t, a not-so-subtle jab that appeared to be designed to spur the Blazers to the negotiating table. Still, little chance seemingly exists of Portland letting Stotts get away, and Olshey praised Stotts on multiple occasions this year.

The players have also credited Stotts, including Damian Lillard, who said before the season and after signing a five-year extension in July that he wants Stotts in Portland as long as he is. The coach, who joined the Blazers during the same offseason in 2012 that Lillard did, is 182-146 in the regular season and 11-16 in the playoffs for Portland. He has a 297-314 regular season record overall and is 12-20 all-time in the postseason, encompassing his previous jobs as head coach of the Hawks and Bucks.

Blazers Credit Stotts For Improvement

May 11th, 2016 at 6:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Trail Blazers successfully transformed their identity after the departure of LaMarcus Aldridge to the Spurs in free agency last summer, with the franchise focusing on adding players who would complement Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, Ian Thomsen of NBA.com writes. “Free agency was like the draft for us — we were looking for the best players available, high talent, character, chemistry,” GM Neil Olshey said. “We were going to acquire players that were going to be with us long-term that we can grow and develop in our system, no different than if we had drafted them. It speaks to the confidence we have in [coach] Terry [Stotts] and our staff, that we can take guys that were not finished products and know that if we got the evaluation right, that this coaching staff would help them attain and reach that ceiling.”

Freeman: Stotts Deserves Extension

May 9th, 2016 at 10:00am CST by Chuck Myron

The Trail Blazers haven’t had any negotiations about an extension with Terry Stotts, but Game 3 against Golden State served as another reminder why he deserves one and that it won’t be surprising if the extension happens soon after Portland’s postseason is over, posits The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman. “He’s got our trust,” Damian Lillard said. “I think all season long, he’s counted on so many guys, he’s shown his faith in so many guys, and everybody on this team is behind him 100%.”

Latest on Dave Joerger, Kings

May 8th, 2016 at 9:51am CST by Arthur Hill

The sudden availability of Dave Joerger has shaken up the timing of the Kings’ coaching search, reports Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Joerger, who will meet with Sacramento officials today, is among roughly two dozen candidates to formally interview or speak with GM/executive Vlade Divac about the position. Voisin writes that Divac plans to choose three or four finalists in the next few days and present that list to the Kings’ front office. Divac had hoped to fill the vacancy before leaving for the pre-draft camp in Chicago later this week, but the dismissals of Joerger in Memphis and Frank Vogel in Indiana forced him to alter the schedule to take a look at both candidates. According to Voisin, Divac has also been trying to schedule a meeting with Spurs assistant Ettore Messina during downtime in the San Antonio-Oklahoma City playoff series. She lists Joerger, Vogel and Messina among the front-runners to be the Kings’ next coach, along with Mike Woodson and Nate McMillan. Portland coach Terry Stotts is a possible darkhorse if the Blazers aren’t willing to extend his contract.

There’s more news this morning on the Joerger front:

Dissension between Joerger and the Grizzlies had been building throughout the season, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Joerger, who had just one guaranteed year left on his Memphis contract, reportedly angered team officials when he called the roster “a little bit old” earlier this season. More recently, Joerger told Memphis-area reporters that he wouldn’t be talking them them until July because he wasn’t part of the group preparing for the draft. Joerger’s request to be allowed to interview for coaching positions in Sacramento and Houston apparently sealed his fate in Memphis.
Joerger’s meeting with the Kings seems like a “mere formality,” tweets TNT’s David Aldridge, who hears that the team is prepared to make a three-year offer worth $12MM.
The arrangement between Joerger and Sacramento is virtually a done deal, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, who adds that it would take a “screeching halt” for Joerger not to get the job.
Joerger made a wise career move by orchestrating his firing in Memphis, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation. Owner Robert Pera never believed in Joerger and tried to undermine him from the time he replaced Lionel Hollins in 2013, according to Ziller. That’s why Joerger has been requesting permission to interview with other franchises, starting with the Wolves in 2014. Ziller points out that Joerger is now free to pursue an arrangement that will give him more money and security than he had with the Grizzlies.

Terry Stotts' Agent To Push For New Deal

May 3rd, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Agent Warren LeGarie will make a hard push to secure a long-term extension for Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts, and he hinted that he won’t be afraid to shop his client to other teams if Portland doesn’t show interest, as Kerry Eggers of The Portland Tribune relays. Stotts has one more year left on his contract, but it’s a team option that the Blazers have yet to pick up.

“You would hope his body of work says it all,” LeGarie said to Eggers. “This time, we’re probably going to take a bit of a stand. You can’t keep putting him in [a lame-duck] position. I’m hoping [Blazers owner Paul Allen and GM Neil Olshey] feel the same way. I’m always optimistic. If they’re not interested, there are a lot of teams that will be.”

LeGarie represents both Stotts and Olshey but insists that isn’t an issue, as Eggers details. Olshey has insisted that no contract talks will take place during the season even though he received an extension from the Blazers in January 2015, Eggers points out. Stotts doesn’t seem too concerned, acknowledging that many coaches end up in lame-duck situations as he expressed his affection for the city and the organization.

Soon-to-be free agent Chris Kaman has clashed with his coaches before, but the Blazers veteran is a strong advocate for Stotts, as Eggers chronicles in the same piece. “They should rip up his contract and give him a five-year deal — in player terms, a max deal,” Kaman said. “That’s my guy. He does a great job, and honestly, who thought we’d get 30 wins with this team, let alone 44? It’s a testament to what him and his staff are doing, and also to the players. We have a good group of guys. Everybody fits well. It’s been a pretty good year for everybody.”

Magic, Bucks, Blazers, Hornets In Lead For Howard?

April 27th, 2016 at 11:44am CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic, Bucks, Trail Blazers and Hornets are the favorites for Dwight Howard in free agency this summer, as Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes within a broader piece on the Rockets, Howard’s current team. Houston has long expected Howard to turn down his $23.282MM player option for next season in search of a max deal that would pay him about $30MM next season, and Howard and fellow Rockets star James Harden have a chemistry that one team source described to Watkins as “cordially bad.”

Howard would prefer to re-sign with the Rockets but would entertain the idea of returning to the Magic, his first NBA team, as Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher heard. Howard told Bucks play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson he wanted the Rockets to trade him to Milwaukee at the February deadline this year, Johnson said. The Hornets and Rockets had exploratory trade talks about Howard before the deadline, and Howard played under Charlotte head coach Steve Clifford when he was an assistant. This is the first reported link between Howard and Portland this year.

The 30-year-old former All-Star is known for indecisiveness regarding contract matters in the past, so it would be no shock if this list of front-runners undergoes drastic changes between now and July, when he can sign a contract with a new team. Howard was a client of agent Dan Fegan during his split with the Magic and one-year Lakers tenure, but earlier this year he dropped Fegan in favor of Perry Rogers, Shaquille O’Neal’s rep.

Chandler Parsons publicly campaigned Tuesday for Howard to join him on the Mavericks, but the Mavericks don’t want to give Howard a deal approaching the max, and Dirk Nowitzki, who’s spoken openly about potential free agents in the past, declined comment when asked about the possibility of Howard in Dallas, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.

The Magic are in line to have no shortage of cap room this summer, with enough flexibility to sign two max free agents. Portland doesn’t have quite that much but still has more than enough flexibility to afford a max contract for Howard, even with Damian Lillard‘s max extension kicking in. The Bucks would likely have to perform some cap gymnastics to accommodate Howard, since they already have close to $62MM in guaranteed salary committed against a projected $92MM cap. Charlotte only has about $46MM on the books, but that doesn’t include any money for soon-to-be free agents Al Jefferson, whom Howard would likely replace if he were to sign with the Hornets, or Nicolas Batum.

Regardless, it appears Howard would face a difficult atmosphere if he were to return to Houston next season. One source close to the Rockets told Watkins that Howard lost the respect of his teammates, though a Rockets player who spoke with Watkins offered a dissenting view. Harden and Howard have spoken about their on-court issues and Harden paid for Howard’s birthday dinner earlier this season, but the high-scoring guard feels Howard is too distracted and doesn’t demand the ball enough, according to Watkins. Howard doesn’t feel Harden respects him and solicits the opinions of former teammates about what he can do to fix that, as Watkins details.

What’s your best guess as to where Howard ends up? Leave a comment to share your idea.

Chris Paul Likely Done For The Playoffs

April 26th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Clippers suffered a devastating blow and the playoffs took another unexpected turn Monday when Chris Paul broke his right hand in Game 4 against the Trail Blazers, a Portland win that evened the first-round series. Paul is “most likely” out for the rest of the postseason, a source told ESPN’s J.A. Adande (ESPN Now link). A team source said much the same to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). It’s possible a better prognosis will emerge after further tests, and the team will know more today, Adande and Woike report, but the Clippers are in rough shape. Blake Griffin is just “50-50” for the next game because of a sore left quadriceps tendon, coach Doc Rivers said, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (Twitter link). It all adds up to a potential boost for the Warriors, who’ve lost Stephen Curry for at least two weeks with a sprained knee and will play either the Clippers or the Blazers in the next round, provided they dispatch the Rockets.

CJ McCollum Wins Most Improved Player Award

April 22nd, 2016 at 9:02am CST by Chuck Myron

Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum has won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, the league announced. He secured the honor by a wide margin over second-place finisher Kemba Walker, with Giannis Antetokounmpo coming in third. Reigning MVP Stephen Curry, a heavy favorite to win MVP again this year, is fourth. The award is a boost to McCollum as he heads into an offseason in which he’ll be eligible to sign a rookie scale extension.

“Being recognized as the Most Improved Player in the NBA is a testament to the dedication and commitment to his game CJ has shown since joining the Trail Blazers,” GM Neil Olshey said in the statement.

McCollum’s emergence this season helped Portland keep pace in the Western Conference despite the loss of four starters from last season’s 51-win team. The Blazers won only 44 games this year, but they had the West’s fifth-best record compared to last year’s sixth-place finish. McCollum zoomed from 6.8 points in 15.7 minutes per game to 20.8 points in 34.8 minutes per contest, improving his shooting percentage from the floor and from 3-point territory, where he canned a sterling 41.7% of his attempts this season. The 24-year-old was first on the Blazers with 1.2 steals per game and second to Damian Lillard in assists per game with 4.3.

The season for McCollum was in large measure a fulfillment of the promise he showed coming out of college that led Olshey and the Blazers to draft him 10th overall in 2013. A broken foot in his rookie season and the presence of eventual max-contract signee Wesley Matthews relegated him to a reserve role his first two years in the NBA, but McCollum had the green light this season and took full advantage. Olshey said recently that the team had faith in him all along and that had he not suffered the broken foot, he probably would have become a starter as a rookie.

A panel of writers, broadcasters and other journalists who cover the NBA voted for the award. A ballot-by-ballot summary is available here. Five points were awarded for a first-place vote, three points for a second-place vote, and one point for a third-place vote.

Below, see how each vote-getter ranked, with first-place votes noted where applicable.

C.J. McCollum (Trail Blazers) — 101
Kemba Walker (Hornets) — 7
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) — 4
Stephen Curry (Warriors) — 7
Will Barton (Nuggets) — 1
Jae Crowder (Celtics) — 1
Draymond Green (Warriors) — 2
Isaiah Thomas (Celtics) — 3
Hassan Whiteside (Heat) — 1
Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) — 1
Andre Drummond (Pistons) — 1
Gary Harris (Nuggets) — 1
Kent Bazemore (Hawks)
Evan Fournier (Magic)
Rodney Hood (Jazz) — 1
Russell Westbrook (Thunder)
Reggie Jackson (Pistons)
Ian Mahinmi (Pacers)
Zach LaVine (Timberwolves)
Kyle Lowry (Raptors)