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Rookie Coaching Performances Since 2007-08

Jacque Vaughn of the Magic and Mike Dunlap of the Bobcats are both looking to make their mark in the league as first-year head coaches this year. To have an idea of how rookie head coaches have performed in recent history, we've comprised a list of those who have made their debut within the last five seasons, in addition to how they've fared up to this point. 
 
2007-08
  • Scott Brooks replaced P.J. Carlesimo as the Thunder head coach after 13 games, finishing the year with a 22-47 record. With four seasons under his belt, his current coaching record stands at 174-125. 
  • With newly hired Marc Iavaroni, the Grizzlies complete the season at 22-60. He would only last an additional 41 games the following year upon going 11-30, being replaced by Johnny Davis and ultimately Lionel Hollins. He is now an assistant for the Clippers. 
  • Reggie Theus guided the Kings to 38-44. After starting 6-18 the following year, Theus was replaced by his assistant and another first-year coach, Kenny Natt. Theus was most recently an assistant for Kurt Rambis in Minnesota, but is not currently in the league. 
  • Jim Boylan finished with a 24-32 record upon replacing Pete Myers, who served as the interim coach for one game after the firing of Scott Skiles. Boylan was eventually replaced by Vinny Del Negro and is now an assistant for Skiles in Milwaukee. 
  • Sam Vincent went 32-50 in his lone year in the NBA as a head coach with the Bobcats. He is not currently in the league. 

2008-09

  • Erik Spoelstra became head coach of the Heat, starting his career with a 43-39 record. In a total of 312 games, Spoelstra stands at 194-118. 
  • Vinny Del Negro had his first chance at head coaching with the Bulls, guiding Chicago to 41-41. With the same 41-41 record in 2009-10, Del Negro was fired and is eventually hired by the Clippers. He is 154-158 overall. 
  • Kenny Natt served as an interim head coach in Sacramento, but was not retained after an 11-47 record to complete the season. Natt is not currently in the NBA. 
  • Tony Dileo took over for the final 59 games for the 76ers after Mo Cheeks is fired, winning 32 games and losing 27. Dileo is presently working for the team's front office in Philadelphia.
  • Jay Triano guided the Raptors to 33-49 after Sam Mitchell's 8-9 start. Triano was relieved of his head coaching duties after a 62-102 record over the following two seasons. He was recently hired as an assistant coach to Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts
  • Michael Curry lasted one year with the Pistons, going 39-43. He is now serving as an assistant for Doug Collins on the 76ers. 
  • Ed Tapscott took the reins of the Wizards upon the departure of Eddie Jordan, winning 18 of the final 71 games. He is not currently coaching in the NBA. 

2009-10

  • John Kuester led Detroit to 27 wins and 55 losses. After just a three-win improvement in 2010-11, Kuester is eventually fired and replaced by Lawrence Frank during the 2011 offseason. Last year, he served as an assistant under Mike Brown, and was most recently named an advance scout for the Lakers.   
  • Kiki Vandeweghe ultimately replaced Lawrence Frank and interim coach Tom Barrise on the Nets while still serving as the team's general manager, concluding the season with 12 wins and 52 losses. Vandeweghe was not retained in any capacity the following season. 
  • Jeff Bower was named head coach of the Hornets after Byron Scott's 3-6 start, finishing 34-39. Bower is not currently with an NBA franchise. 
  • Kim Hughes took over as the interim Clippers coach after Mike Dunleavy was fired, finishing at 8-25. Although Hughes was subsequently released that summer, he was recently hired as an assistant coach by the Trail Blazers. 

2010-11

  • Pacers coach Frank Vogel received his opportunity as an interim coach after Jim O'Brien started the season at 17-27, finishing with a 20-18 record. He remarkably led Indiana to a 42-24 record in 2011-12 and the third seed in the Eastern Conference. In a total of 104 games, Vogel has gone 62-42. 
  • Chicago's Tom Thibodeau made quite the debut, guiding the Bulls to 62-20. After 148 games, Thibodeau owns 112 wins and 36 losses. 
  • Atlanta's Larry Drew started his career with the Hawks at a record of 44-38. Drew followed up with a 6% improvement in winning percentage in 2011-12, and currently stands at 84-64.
  • Tyrone Corbin replaced Jerry Sloan in Utah, grabbing eight wins in the Jazz' final 28 games that year. In 2011-12, Corbin led Utah to the eighth seed at 36-30 and is 44-50 overall. 
  • Monty Williams was able to notch a playoff berth with the Hornets, going 46-36. In his second season, Williams finished 21-45. 

2011-12

  • Mark Jackson led the Warriors to a 23-43 record. 

Week In Review: 9/3/12 – 9/9/12

Here's a look at all the NBA's news from this past week. 

Which New Executive Has Done The Best Job?

Today we detailed the significant moves that a half-dozen new NBA executives made in their first summer on the job. It's been an offseason of change for NBA front offices, as seven clubs have replaced the man in charge of player personnel since the end of the regular season. We haven't had much of a chance to evaluate Dennis Lindsey, who became Jazz GM just over a month ago, but all the other new hires have already made several significant decisions. That includes Gary Sacks, who didn't formally take over as Clippers GM until this week, but was part of a three-man committee with team president Andy Roeser and coach Vinny Del Negro starting in June.

Vote below to let us know which executive you think is off to the best start.

How New Front Office Executives Have Fared

The front office carousel has been spinning quickly since the end of the regular season, as seven teams have come up with someone new in charge of player personnel. The Pacers, Clippers, Magic, Trail Blazers, Hawks, Warriors and Jazz have all undergone front-office reshufflings, and the Sixers appear poised to do so as well. There could have been even more movement. The Knicks removed the interim tag from GM Glen Grunwald's title, while the Wizards ended doubts that Ernie Grunfeld would return by extending his contract. There were rumors that the Bucks could make a change, with GM John Hammond a candidate for Portland's opening, and a report cited Kings GM Geoff Petrie was also in the running for the Blazers job.

With the offseason nearing its completion, here's a look at what each new front office executive has done this summer. We'll leave out Dennis Lindsey of the Jazz, who took over the GM role from Kevin O'Connor just a month ago, after most of the player movement had already taken place.

 

Remaining Preps-To-Pros Players In The NBA

The 2005 draft was the last to feature players jumping directly from high school to the NBA, and as time goes by, there are fewer of those players remaining in the league. The NBA, since 2006, has required high schoolers to wait at least a year after their class graduates before entering the draft, sending would-be draftees to the college ranks and a few, like Brandon Jennings, to professional leagues oversees.

There are still about two dozen players currently on NBA rosters who had no college or international experience prior to being drafted. That contingent includes the man who started a decade-long influx of high school players, Kevin Garnett, the fifth overall pick out of Farragut Career Academy in 1995. Most of these players are doing well financially, though the list obviously doesn't include those who washed out of the league early in their careers. All the remaining preps-to-pros are listed by team below, along with the draft statuses and their 2012/13 salaries in parentheses.

Bobcats
DeSagana Diop, drafted eighth overall in 2001 ($7.372MM)

Bucks
Monta Ellis, drafted 40th overall in 2005 ($11MM)

Cavaliers
C.J. Miles, drafted 34th overall in 2005 ($2.225MM)

Celtics
Kevin Garnett, drafted fifth overall in 1995 ($11.566MM) 

Hawks
Josh Smith, drafted 17th overall in 2004 ($13.2MM)
DeShawn Stevenson, drafted 23rd overall in 2000 ($2.240MM)
Lou Williams, drafted 45th overall in 2005 ($5MM)

Heat
LeBron James, drafted first overall in 2003 ($17.545MM)
Rashard Lewis, drafted 32nd overall in 1998 ($1.352MM)

Jazz
Al Jefferson, drafted 15th overall in 2004 ($15MM)

Kings
Travis Outlaw, drafted 23rd overall in 2003 ($3MM)

Lakers
Kobe Bryant, drafted 13th overall in 1996 ($27.849MM)
Dwight Howard, drafted first overall in 2004 ($19.536MM) 

Magic
Al Harrington, drafted 25th overall in 1998 ($6.687MM)

Knicks
Tyson Chandler, drafted second overall in 2001 ($13.604MM)

Pacers
Gerald Green, drafted 18th overall in 2005 ($3.5MM)

Raptors
Amir Johnson, drafted 56th overall in 2005 ($6.05MM)

Rockets
Shaun Livingston, drafted fourth overall in 2004 ($3.5MM)

Sixers
Andrew Bynum, drafted 10th overall in 2005 ($16.889MM) 
Kwame Brown, drafted first overall in 2001 ($2.819MM)
Dorell Wright, drafted 19th overall in 2004 ($4.106MM)

Suns
Jermaine O'Neal, drafted 17th overall in 1996 ($1.352MM)
Sebastian Telfair, drafted 13th overall in 2004 ($1.568MM)

Thunder
Kendrick Perkins, drafted 27th overall in 2003 ($8.301MM)

Wizards
Martell Webster, drafted sixth overall in 2005 ($1.75MM) 

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.

Players Still Eligible To Be Amnestied

Teams that haven't used their amnesty provision to clear an unwanted salary from their cap won't receive another chance to do so until next July, but it's never too early to preview which players could be on the chopping block.

As our amnesty tracker shows, 15 teams have taken advantage of the rule, clearing a total of more than $350MM from their respective salary cap totals. Since clubs can only amnesty one player over the course of this CBA, that means the other half of the NBA's 30 franchises will still have that opportunity over the next few summers.

You can visit our glossary for a full explanation of the amnesty clause, but the essential information is this: To be an amnesty candidate, a player must have signed his contract under the old CBA, and can't have changed teams since the lockout. So Ben Gordon isn't an amnesty candidate for the Bobcats, since the team acquired him via trade. And Landry Fields can't be amnestied by the Raptors, since he signed his deal under the new CBA.

With all that in mind, here are the remaining amnesty candidates for the 15 teams that still have the clause at their disposal. Outstanding salary (guaranteed or non-guaranteed) left on their deals after 2012/13 is noted in parentheses:

Bulls: Joakim Noah ($36.7MM), Carlos Boozer ($32.1MM), Luol Deng ($14.28MM)
Bobcats: Tyrus Thomas ($18.08MM)
Bucks: Drew Gooden ($13.37MM), Larry Sanders ($3.05MM)
Celtics: Rajon Rondo ($24.86MM), Avery Bradley ($2.51MM)
Grizzlies:
Zach Randolph ($34.3MM), Mike Conley ($26.08MM)
Hawks: Al Horford ($36MM)
Heat: LeBron James ($61.77MM), Chris Bosh ($61.77MM), Dwyane Wade ($60.49MM), Mike Miller ($12.8MM), Udonis Haslem ($8.96MM), Joel Anthony ($7.6MM)
Jazz: Derrick Favors ($6.01MM), Gordon Hayward ($3.45MM)
Kings: John Salmons ($14.58MM), DeMarcus Cousins ($4.92MM)
Lakers: Kobe Bryant ($30.45MM), Pau Gasol ($19.29MM), Metta World Peace ($7.73MM), Steve Blake ($4MM)
Pelicans: No players eligible
Pistons: Charlie Villanueva ($8.58MM), Greg Monroe ($4.09MM)
Raptors: Andrea Bargnani ($22.25MM), Amir Johnson ($13.6MM), Linas Kleiza ($4.6MM)
Spurs: Tony Parker ($25MM), Matt Bonner ($3.95MM)
Thunder: Kevin Durant ($56.99MM), Kendrick Perkins ($18.63MM), Nick Collison ($4.83MM), Thabo Sefolosha ($3.9MM)

Additional notes on this list:

  • Because the Pelicans have no players on their roster eligible to be amnestied, there are essentially only 14 teams left that can use the provision.
  • Many of the players on this list have team options for 2013/14. That makes them unlikely to be real amnesty candidates, barring a drastic injury or decline in production between the option decision and the 2013 amnesty period. If a team wants to get rid of one of these players, it could just decline his option.
  • World Peace, Villanueva, and Kleiza all have player options for next season. So if any of them end up being amnestied, it will happen just a couple weeks after they've exercised their options to remain with their respective teams.

Largest Expiring Contracts Of 2012/13

Prior to last year's trade deadline, we examined the largest expiring contracts of 2011/12, noting that some of those deals could be valuable chips in deadline swaps. That turned out to be the case in a handful of instances — Marcus Camby, Mehmet Okur, and Leandro Barbosa were among the players whose large expiring deals were moved. Meanwhile, some teams that held onto their expiring contracts, such as the Cavs with Antawn Jamison or the Hornets with Chris Kaman, were able to clear big chunks of cap space after the season.

With that in mind, let's take an early look at the largest expiring deals of 2012/13. These players are entering the last year of their contracts, with no team or player options available next summer. In some cases, the player's current team will simply want to re-sign him (think: Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, and Chris Paul), but many of these guys could be in play at the trade deadline or could allow their teams to create significant cap space in 2013.

Here's the list of all the expiring contracts worth at least $5MM (restricted free agents marked with an asterisk):

Dwight Howard, Lakers: $19.54MM
Chris Paul, Clippers: $17.78MM
Andrew Bynum, 76ers: $16.89MM
Al Jefferson, Jazz: $15MM
Manu Ginobili, Spurs: $14.11MM
Josh Smith, Hawks: $13.2MM
Kevin Martin, Rockets: $12.44MM
Corey Maggette, Pistons: $10.92MM
Jose Calderon, Raptors: $10.56MM
Stephen Jackson, Spurs: $10.06MM
David West, Pacers: $10MM
Paul Millsap, Jazz: $8.6MM
Devin Harris, Hawks: $8.5MM
Mo Williams, Jazz: $8.5MM
Lamar Odom, Clippers: $8.2MM
Chris Kaman, Mavericks: $8MM
DeSagana Diop, Bobcats: $7.37MM
Beno Udrih, Bucks: $7.37MM
Samuel Dalembert, Bucks: $6.7MM
J.J. Redick, Magic: $6.19MM
Luke Walton, Cavaliers: $6.09MM
* James Harden, Thunder: $5.82MM
Nick Young, 76ers: $5.6MM
Jarrett Jack, Warriors: $5.4MM
* Tyreke Evans, Kings: $5.25MM
Zaza Pachulia, Hawks: $5.25MM
Kyle Korver, Hawks: $5MM
Jason Maxiell, Pistons: $5MM

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this list.

Free Agents With The Most Playoff Experience

At this point in NBA free agency, intangibles can go a long way toward determining who gets one of the final available spots. Playoff experience is a commodity, and several players remaining on the market possess a wealth of it, led by Derek Fisher and his five NBA championship rings. He's played in 229 playoff games, more than any other current free agent. 

We've broken down the top five free agents at each position with the most playoff experience, and ranked them by the number of career postseason games played. If a player has won at least one championship, we've noted that here as well.

Point Guards
Derek Fisher: 229 — NBA champion in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010
Mike Bibby
: 105
Baron Davis: 50
Jannero Pargo: 40
Anthony Carter: 39

Shooting Guards
Leandro Barbosa: 75
Eddie House: 66 — NBA champion in 2008
Marquis Daniels: 62
Maurice Evans: 56
Larry Hughes: 49

Small Forwards
Mickael Pietrus: 69
Josh Howard: 66
James Posey: 65 — NBA champion in 2006, 2008
Matt Barnes: 46
Tracy McGrady: 44

Power Forwards
Kenyon Martin: 100
Juwan Howard: 49 — NBA champion in 2012
Chris Andersen: 31
Brian Cook: 31
Louis Amundson: 29

Centers
Ben Wallace: 130 — NBA champion in 2004
Mehmet Okur: 71 — NBA champion in 2004
Tony Battie: 56
Jamaal Magloire: 46
Francisco Elson: 30 — NBA champion in 2007

NBA Free Agents Signing Deals Overseas

A year ago, NBA players were flocking to China, Italy, Spain, and a handful of other countries where professional basketball was actually being played while the Association was locked out. With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, labor issues aren't a concern this year, but that doesn't mean that players aren't still heading overseas.

So far this offseason, a number of players that finished the 2011/12 campaign on NBA rosters have agreed to play in various countries all over the globe. Contract details aren't quite as readily available for these deals, but we're still keeping tabs on many of them using our Free Agent Tracker. Here's the list to date of players that finished the season on an NBA roster and have signed non-NBA contracts this summer:

Among the other notable international signings: Sonny Weems and Nenad Krstic, who both played overseas during the lockout and decided against returning to the NBA this year. Both players signed with CSKA Moscow (Russia). Former lottery pick Hilton Armstrong also flirted with a return to the Association before eventually landing with Panathinaikos (Greece).

Player Options As Insurance Policies

When Ronny Turiaf signed with the Heat for the stretch run last season, he inked a deal that included a minimum-salary player option for 2012/13. At the time of the signing, the option was referred to as an "insurance policy" for Turiaf. Presumably, if he'd suffered a major injury that would hinder his ability to land a new contract this summer, he could have picked up the option and still earned a salary for the year.

Turiaf didn't play particularly well for the Heat late in the regular season and in the playoffs, but he stayed healthy and ultimately declined the option. And this offseason, plenty of free agents have signed deals that appear similar in structure to Turiaf's — two-year contracts with a second-year player option. In many cases, those options seem cheap enough that they're likely to be declined if the player stays healthy and is at least relatively productive this season. But in the event of an injury or a sharp decline in productivity, the option serves as a safety net.

Listed below are this offseason's free agents that signed two-year deals with second-year player options. The value of the 2013/14 option is in parentheses.