Police: Ivy League player in critical condition
Brown University sophomore Joseph Sharkey punched in head early Sunday
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NBA Trade Rumors: Analyzing Latest Buzz Around the League
The 2013 NBA playoffs are intensifying, and the last place anyone is looking this May is in the rumor mill.
But that doesn’t mean the trade chatter hasn’t already started up. With 22 teams, including Pau Gasol and the Los Angeles Lakers, already in offseason mode, there’s plenty to dissect as the NBA draft and free agency draws closer.
Below we’ll take a break from postseason action and get you caught up on the latest NBA trade buzz.
Potential Blockbuster Deal Between Celtics and Clippers
On ESPN’s First Take earlier this week, Stephen A. Smith brought up rumors of a potential blockbuster trade between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers, one that would involve Blake Griffin, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and even Doc Rivers among others.
Smith took to Twitter not long after to clear things up, but it does seem that both teams are in talks.
With Chris Paul becoming a free agent this summer, the trade Smith discussed, which would send Blake Griffin, Eric Bledsoe, DeAndre Jordan and Caron Butler to Boston in exchange for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, would also feature Doc Rivers signing on to coach the Clippers.
The reason behind it would be to keep Chris Paul in L.A. as he’s set to become a free agent this summer.
A coaching change on top of adding two veterans with championships already under their belt would have to be enough to convince Paul to resign, wouldn’t it?
As far-fetched as it sounds, Smith mentions that you can’t rule anything out at this point. But as long as former No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin is involved, something tells me this deal won’t be happening anytime soon.
Paul Gasol Won’t Be Shocked If He’s Not a Laker Next Season
After a disappointing first-round playoff exit, the Los Angeles Lakers will likely be making some serious changes this offseason, and forward Pau Gasol is well aware, setting the stage for a summer full of trade rumors with these comments at his exit interview (via ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Dave McMenamin):
The future is uncertain. There’s no doubt about it. It’s a possibility that I could be gone and there’s a possibility that I could stay. I don’t know the exact percentages of it. But I’m prepared for either way.
The Lakers have serious financial concerns with a payroll around $100 million. At the moment L.A. would owe roughly $85 million in luxury-tax penalties according to McMenamin, so dumping Gasol is definitely a real possibility at this point.
After all, Gasol is set to make slightly over $19 million next season according to Spotrac.com, will turn 33 this July and is coming off a season in which he was plagued by injuries. Gasol played in just 49 regular season games in 2012-13, averaging a career-low 13.7 points per game on a career-worst 46.6 shooting from the field.
There’s no denying that Gasol was a key piece to the Lakers’ back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, but times are changing and the penalties are beginning to pile up in L.A.
Eric Gordon May Be On His Way Out of New Orleans
New Orleans Pelicans general manager Dell Demps has yet to rule out the possibility of the franchise parting ways with talented shooting guard Eric Gordon this offseason according to a report last month by NOLA.com’s John Reid.
Here is Demps on Gordon’s future:
To say if I anticipate him being back – I don’t know if that’s something I can answer right now, or him not to be back. We’re going to sit down and evaluate every situation and opportunity.
But for a guy to come back from injury like that, I thought he had some ups and some downs, but I still think his future is bright as an NBA player.
It’s tough to project where Gordon will end up playing next season based on all the concerns about his health and the size of his current contract.
Gordon will make roughly $15 million in each of the next two seasons under his current deal according to Spotrac.com but was only able to play in 42 games last season because of knee issues. On top of that, the 24-year-old shot just 40 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc for New Orleans.
The Hornets weren’t able to find any takers for Gordon prior to the February trade deadline, but the long offseason has just begun for most NBA teams.
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Big Ten, Horizon League commissioners will be deposed
O’Bannon attorneys will be allowed to question some of college sports’ top leaders.
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NBA Rumors: Latest on Phil Jackson and More Coaching Buzz Around the League
With just eight teams remaining in the 2013 NBA playoffs, the other 22 franchises across the league are scrambling to make changes that will excite their fans and hopefully turn their team into a contender next season.
The simplest and quickest way to shake things up is to fire the coach responsible for disappointing results during the 2012-13 campaign.
There are a handful of open positions—with the potential for a few more head coaches to be relieved of their duties over the next few weeks—and plenty of potential applicants for the now-vacant jobs.
With that said, let’s take a look at some of the most interesting rumors and buzz surrounding these coaching opportunities and the candidates that might fill them.
Phil Jackson Shuts Down Nets, Leaves Door Open for Return
The Zen Master reportedly rebuffed the Brooklyn Nets offer to become their next head coach, but he would still be willing to return to the NBA as a coach—under the right circumstances.
According to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, Nets general manager Billy King unsuccessfully contacted Jackson about the filling the void left by departed interim coach P.J. Carlesimo.
However, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles found that the 67 year old simply wasn’t interested in the role that King and owner Mikhail Prokhorov envisioned for him.
Shelburne also noted that the 11-time Finals-winner hasn’t completely ruled out a return to the sideline, but it would likely take a “say in the roster” to entice him back into coaching.
Considering Jackson was reportedly seeking a slice of ownership, an exorbitant salary and a limited travel schedule when he spoke with the Lakers after Mike Brown’s dismissal, the cost to retain his services will be high.
Prohibitively high in the Nets case, but there may be a desperate franchise looking to add a proven commodity to its bench in the offseason. If Jackson is still available, he could wind up getting the control—and cash—he desires to come back and coach.
Sixers May Tab Former Player as Next Head Coach
Jeff Hornacek may not have had the most successful tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers as a player, but there’s a chance he heads back to the City of Brotherly Love—this time as a head coach.
According to John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sixers are currently looking at a handful of assistant coaches to fill the vacancy created by Doug Collins’ decision to resign after the 2012-13 campaign ended.
One of those candidates happens to be Hornacek, who has been a part of the Jazz coaching staff since 2007, first as a shooting coach and later as a full-fledged assistant upon Jerry Sloan’s departure and Ty Corbin’s promotion.
He’s a bit inexperienced, but a hot name this spring, as the Phoenix Suns also may be interested in bringing in Hornacek. The Suns organization drafted him out of Iowa State in 1986, and he played guard for the team until the infamous Charles Barkley trade in 1992.
Don’t discount the Charlotte Bobcats either, as they are looking for their sixth head coach since the franchise was founded in 2004.
It’ll be interesting if Hornacek is able to rise above the rest of the pack and assume the role of head coach this offseason, but it may take him a few more years on the bench as an assistant until he’s fully ready to take over a team.
Vinny Del Negro May Be on the Outs in L.A.
After the Los Angeles Clippers respectable 2012-13 season went up in flames in the first round of the playoffs, coach Vinny Del Negro’s seat has turned from hot to scorching.
According to CBS Sports’ NBA insider Ken Berger, Clips owner Donald Sterling has plans to meet with the beleaguered head coach in the coming days to discuss his future with the franchise.
Considering Del Negro’s contract is up at the end of next month, it’s hard to imagine the notoriously cheap Sterling keeping him around—especially now that cutting ties comes free of financial ramifications.
One interesting wrinkle in all of this is Chris Paul, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
If the team wants to position itself better to retain his services, strongly considering CP3’s input into Del Negro’s future and possible decision on the franchise’s next head coach would be prudent.
If the Clippers want to distance themselves from the Del Negro era, they had better act quickly. There are only so many coaches capable of managing a star-studded roster like L.A. possesses, and many of them will presumably be snapped up in the coming weeks.
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Horizon League adds Oakland
Golden Grizzlies have been a member of the Summit League since 1998
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Oakland U joining Horizon League (Yahoo! Sports)
ROCHESTER, Mich. (AP) — Oakland University is moving to the Horizon League, giving the conference a second school from the state of Michigan.
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ACC schools agree to grant TV rights to league
The league said Monday each of the current and future schools has signed the deal.
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NBA playoffs: Seeding wars take hold of league
USA TODAY Sports makes picks for every major battle over seeding in the NBA playoffs.
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Shavlik Randolph’s Former Chinese League Coach Raves About the Boston Celtic
Many Boston Celtics fans have been lukewarm about bench player Shavlik Randolph, the final addition to this year’s roster. But not his former coach in the Chinese Basketball Association, Norm deSilva. He knows firsthand that No. 42 is the real deal.
“Guys like Shav are so hard to find,” deSilva told me on Friday. “He is very skilled and mobile for his size. He has a knack for finding a way to rebound against more athletic players, and is very difficult to guard when he faces up in the low post.”
DeSilva, a former NBA D-League assistant coach who started as the top assistant for the Foshan Dralions (Long Lions) in 2012, took over head coaching duties midway through the season. And Randolph, it appears, just plain took over the league.
The Duke alum averaged 32 points, 14.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game with the Long Lions. He did it all, utilizing his unique combination of strength, size (6’10”, 240 pounds) and agility.
“He led our entire league in scoring,” deSilva points out. “That doesn’t happen by accident—especially in a league with numerous ex-NBA All-Stars.”
The Long Lions are one of 17 teams in the CBA, an increasingly competitive league that featured former pros Stephon Marbury (Beijing Ducks), Gilbert Arenas (Shanghai Sharks) and Tracy McGrady (Qingdao Doublestars). Randolph was the only former NBA player for Foshan, having played 98 career games—79 for the Philadelphia 76ers, the rest scattered between the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers.
DeSilva, who currently lives back in his native town of Dartmouth in southeastern Massachusetts, will be watching with hopes that Randolph gets a shot at more playing time with the Celts. He notes that his former player can provide more than just an interior presence.
“If he gets a chance to start a few games or play significant minutes, people are going to be very surprised at how well he shoots the ball from the outside, and his ability to spot up on the perimeter,” he said. “He can really stretch the floor and present matchup problems for other big guys who have to come out and guard him.”
Boston fans have only witnessed small samplings of what Randolph brings to the table, but he has made the most of his limited opportunities.
As detailed by ESPN’s Chris Forsberg recently, the big man grabbed 34.8 percent of all available defensive rebounds and 27 percent of total rebound opportunities in the Celtics’ first three games without Kevin Garnett on the floor (due to an inflamed left ankle).
Then he absolutely exploded in Boston’s victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, March 29. He scored nine points, delivered two monstrous blocks and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds. His seven offensive boards ranks as a Celtics season high.
“I just try to be active underneath,” Randolph told WEEI Boston after the game. “That’s my job: to go manhunt every rebound.”
In the past four games, Randolph has provided the Celtics with a remarkable plus-19 in point differential—Boston is minus-26 when he’s on the bench. And deSilva feels that this breakout performance could be just the tip of the iceberg for his former player.
“Right now he is playing a complementary role in Boston,” deSilva said. “But if he is asked to start doing more offensively, he is really going to surprise some people with what he can do.”
And he can’t think of a player who deserves the extra opportunities as much as Randolph.
“The best part of it all is that he is a genuinely good person. The Celtics are extremely lucky to get such a high-character guy like Shav.”
This interview was conducted personally with Norm deSilva. Click here to read the author’s original piece on Shavlik Randolph, an introductory profile published on March 18.
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Xavier’s new AD will take Muskies to new league (Yahoo! Sports)
CINCINNATI (AP) — Greg Christopher didn’t even pause when Xavier asked if he had any interest in becoming director of athletics. Not many jobs out there like this one.
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