New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

[jadis]

If such were true, the guy is good, not in coaching, but in selling himself to the higher ups. One day he could be part owner.


Report: Jason Kidd's Bucks contract to be worth $4M-$5M per year
By James Herbert | NBA writer
June 30, 2014 5:13 pm ET


Jason Kidd and the Milwaukee Bucks are negotiating terms on a contract to become head coach, and he will be receiving a significant raise from what he made in Brooklyn, according to Bleacher Report's Howard Beck.

His deal with the Nets was for $10.25 million over four years, and he was not pleased that fellow first-time coaches Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher received far more lucrative salaries this offseason, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

Kidd wants to bring Nets assistant coaches Eric Hughes and Sean Sweeney with him to Milwaukee, according to Yahoo! Sports.

It'll be interesting to see whether or not Kidd eventually has a front-office role in addition to coaching. The agreement to come to the Bucks "has not affected the status of general manager John Hammond or asssitant GM David Morway," CBSSports.com's Ken Berger reported, but he added that "there is little doubt about Kidd's intentions to run the show."
Topics: Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA

 

[rblnr]

If such were true, the guy is good, not in coaching, but in selling himself to the higher ups. One day he could be part owner.


Report: Jason Kidd's Bucks contract to be worth $4M-$5M per year
By James Herbert | NBA writer
June 30, 2014 5:13 pm ET


Jason Kidd and the Milwaukee Bucks are negotiating terms on a contract to become head coach, and he will be receiving a significant raise from what he made in Brooklyn, according to Bleacher Report's Howard Beck.

His deal with the Nets was for $10.25 million over four years, and he was not pleased that fellow first-time coaches Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher received far more lucrative salaries this offseason, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

Kidd wants to bring Nets assistant coaches Eric Hughes and Sean Sweeney with him to Milwaukee, according to Yahoo! Sports.

It'll be interesting to see whether or not Kidd eventually has a front-office role in addition to coaching. The agreement to come to the Bucks "has not affected the status of general manager John Hammond or asssitant GM David Morway," CBSSports.com's Ken Berger reported, but he added that "there is little doubt about Kidd's intentions to run the show."
Topics: Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA

4-5 mil for failing to get past the first round for a team built to go further.

 

[MylesBAstor]

4-5 mil for failing to get past the first round for a team built to go further.

But to fair, the loss of Brook Lopez really hurt the team. Plus Deron Williams is the most overrated, if not injured PG in the league.

 

[rblnr]

But to fair, the loss of Brook Lopez really hurt the team. Plus Deron Williams is the most overrated, if not injured PG in the league.

Agreed about Lopez but part of his job as ex PG coach was to get more out of Deron Wlliams

 

[MylesBAstor]

Agreed about Lopez but part of his job as ex PG coach was to get more out of Deron Wlliams

Agreed on Williams. But it also seems that Williams is always playing on bum wheels.

 

[rblnr]

Agreed on Williams. But it also seems that Williams is always playing on bum wheels.

I think it's more the heart than the wheels.

 

[WLVCA]

Glad to see Shaun Livingston get a decent contract - a little sorry its with the Warriors (Clips rival in the Pacific Division).

Shaun was drafted by the Clippers out of high school at #4 in 2004 but went down with a horrific leg injury in 2007. He's made an incredible comeback from an injury that most thought would end his NBA career.

 

[jadis]

If true, this shows the willingness to sacrifice individual financial glory for team glory. Not often do we see this. Most players would want a max contract. The Heat are lucky to attract players that give up millions of dollars to make the team better. Ray Allen for one discarded $3m a year to take $3m instead of Boston's $6m a year. And that -$3m even salvaged a championship for the Heat, or they would have done only .250 instead of .500 in the Finals. And I am reminded of the fat and hyperextended contracts of players like Derron Williams, Amare, and Carlos Boozer, which are the reverse of this money/performance ratio.


Dwyane Wade And Chris Bosh Are Reportedly Willing To Take Huge Pay Cuts, And It's A Game-Changer For The Heat


Business Insider
By Tony Manfred 5 hours ago

It looks like the Miami Heat are going to have more flexibility in free agency than anyone anticipated.

A new report from ESPN's Brian Windhorst suggests that both Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would be willing to take significant pay cuts to stay with the team.

According to Windhorst, the Heat believe that they will have a maximum of $12 million in cap space after the Big 3 re-sign.

If you assume that LeBron James will get the maximum deal he reportedly covets, this is what the Heat's salary cap situation would have to look like:

James: $20.7 million
Wade/Bosh: ~$28.4 million
Norris Cole: $2.1 million
Cap space: $12 million

Wade and Bosh would earn $14.2 million each in this scenario. That's a pay cut of ~$5 million from the ~$19 million they each earned in 2013-14.

Under NBA rules, Wade and Bosh can only get 7.5% raises from the base salary in the first year of their contracts. So it's not like the Heat can simply give them a big salary bump down the line to restore their annual salaries to their 2013-14 levels.

It'd be huge for the Heat. LeBron opted out of his contract to put more pressure on Miami to build a good team around him. That $12 million in cap space gives Pat Riley the ability to do just that. He could spread that cap space around to a number of role players or add a fourth star like Luol Deng.

 

[jadis]

Nets moving from a coach who asked a player to shove him (to spill a cup of water) to a coach who shoved a player (Jerryd Bayless) to the bench. From Kidd to Hollins. Boy, it's tough to be a GM these days in the NBA.


Lionel Hollins, Nets agree to deal
Updated: July 2, 2014, 5:35 PM ET
ESPN.com news services

The Brooklyn Nets have agreed in principle to a deal making Lionel Hollins their next head coach.

Nets GM Billy King talks about the trade between his team and the Bucks, what Brooklyn wants in a new coach and the futures of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

Hollins' deal could be worth as much as 4 years, $20 million if the team picks up his fourth-year option, a source told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne.

"We have a nice nucleus to build with," Hollins told Shelburne. "We want to be better than last year, and obviously that's going to take work. We're going to work hard, be aggressive and we're never going to quit."

Hollins led the Memphis Grizzlies to three consecutive playoff appearances in his last three seasons with the team. In 2012-13, his final year at the helm, the Grizzlies won 56 games and advanced all the way to the Western Conference finals. The two sides ultimately decided to part ways, and Hollins' contract was not renewed, apparently because there were philosophical differences between him and ownership.

Hollins takes over for Jason Kidd, who left the team for the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this week.

Sources say the Nets wanted to move quickly in the wake of the Kidd saga and focused on Hollins immediately, meeting with him Monday and Tuesday.

Lionel Hollins will bring a defensive mentality to the table. In his last season in the NBA, Hollins' Grizzlies ranked in the top three in points allowed per 100 possessions, opponent field goal percentage and rebound percentage. The Nets could definitely use that.

Hollins has been a favorite of Nets officials for some time and was pursued by Brooklyn to serve as an assistant to Kidd after the in-season departure of Lawrence Frank, but the former Grizzlies coach was determined to wait for a head-coaching opportunity. Hollins was also chased hard this spring by the Houston Rockets to serve as the top aide to Rockets coach Kevin McHale in the event that Hollins didn't land a top position.

"I'm humbled," Hollins said. "The process to get back in the league was a long one. But I'm thankful to God because I believe this is the perfect fit for me."

Nets general manager Billy King, during an appearance Wednesday on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike," said experience would be key when making the team's next head-coaching hire.

"One, I think we're looking for experience, someone we'll build with for a long time," King said. "Someone who can develop young players, develop veterans and have a tough mindset. But someone also who has the experience who can take us to where we want to go."

On Tuesday, King praised Hollins' work in Memphis.

"If you look at his track record and what he did in Memphis, they consistently got better every year," he said.

A Look At Lionel Hollins

• 214-201 career record in seven seasons, all with Grizzlies
• Grizzlies reached playoffs in each of his final three seasons, including Western Conference finals berth in 2013
• Sixth overall pick in 1975 NBA draft by Trail Blazers
• 11.6 PPG, 4.5 APG, 2.4 RPG in 10 seasons (five with Trail Blazers)
• Starting guard on Trail Blazers' 1977 NBA championship team (franchise's only NBA title)

Hollins said his first order of business is to meet with players including Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez. He also said he'd help King in any way he can with free agents such as Paul Pierce, but will follow King's lead.

The deal with Hollins caps a tumultuous week for the Nets.

King learned of Kidd's intentions to leave for Milwaukee last Wednesday. After completing his rookie season as Nets coach, Kidd went to ownership and asked for final say in player personnel decisions, King confirmed during an interview on ESPN Radio on Wednesday.

The Nets said no and Kidd's agent, Jeff Schwartz, asked for permission to speak with the Bucks.

The teams eventually decided on compensation for Kidd, with the Bucks trading two second-round draft picks (2015, '19) for him in a deal that became official Tuesday.

ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne contributed to this report.

 

[jadis]

Despite his he'll-never-win-a-title-in-his-life tag, there seems to be big time interest in Melo.

http://www.csnchicago.com/bulls/what-lakers-will-sell-carmelo-anthony-thursday?p=ya5nbcs&ocid=yahoo


What the Lakers will sell to Carmelo Anthony on Thursday
July 3, 2014, 12:15 am


The Los Angeles Lakers will get their turn with free agent Carmelo Anthony on Thursday.

After stops in Chicago, Houston and Dallas, the seven-time All-Star will make his last pit stop for recruiting pitches in Hollywood before heading back to New York to hear from the Knicks.

And the Lakers, easily the team farthest away from competing for a championship of the other four teams in the mix, will have their work cut out for them.

That pitch likely will begin and end with Kobe Bryant. The future Hall of Famer is coming off a season in which he missed time recovering from a torn Achilles heel and also fractured his kneecap, injuries that limited him to a career-low six games in 2013-14.

But what else will the famed franchise have to offer Anthony? As ther LA Daily News' Mark Medina put it, coming off a franchise-worst 27-win season it's no longer enough for the Lakers to show off championship banners (though they do have 16 of them) and convince a star free agent he'll win in Los Angeles.

"They're very well aware that they can't just lean on their storied championship history because they're coming off the worst season in LA franchise history," Medina told Mark Schanowski on SportsNet Central. "So I would suspect that they'll talk about the fact that they have so much cap flexibility, they would mention how Kobe Bryant has really impressed the medical staff in terms of his rehab and the fact that, though the Lakers don't want to lean on the past, their history shows that they're willing to make the necessary spending to construct a championship roster."

[RELATED: Bulls' impressive presentation sets the bar in Melo sweepstakes]

Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson were all part of the Bulls' meeting with Anthony, while Dwight Howard and James Harden were around for Anthony's stop in Houston. Expect Bryant to show up to the meeting in L.A., as he tries to sell Anthony to be the No. 2 beside him as he goes for a sixth championship ring.

"Not just because of his friendship, but because (Bryant) obviously has such a strong prominence in the Lakers organization," Medina said. "Even though he and Dwight Howard did not get along last season when they played together, Kobe Bryant was part of that meeting because he obviously shapes a huge part of the direction the Lakers will ultimately face."

 

[WLVCA]

Glad to see Lionel Hollins get the Nets head coaching job. He didn't deserve to be fired in Memphis. Glad he's in the East because the Grizzlies were tough on the Clippers when Hollins coached them.

As for Kidd with the Bucks, good luck with that one, Jason.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Key players
are

Derrick Rose.. Kid is young cool and understands the game... Calm as a veteran who's seen it all. Good basketball IQ, can score, can pass , can rebound. Defense is not that good, not yet anyway. The real deal, one of the league future superstars.
Carlos Boozer, very good forward/Power forward. Can score, defend, rebound and play a mean game in the low post. Decent shooter from afar ..
Joaquin Noah, the lightning road, plays all over the field, rebound incessantly , runs up and down the floor in offense or defense, opportunistic player who can frustrate the opposing stars with his constant hounding. Not a scorer, has no shot to speak of but will score off any miss. Always around the ball whomever holding it be it a point guard or a 7', if the ball is around the rim you'll find him there and he never but never tires ..
A fun ream to watch.

Aren't they trying to dump Boozer? T sat Boozer's butt on the bench end of season.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Phil working magic?

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/ddsPJ?...edium=newsletter&utm_campaign=new-york-knicks

 

[MylesBAstor]

Think he's doing the Knicks a favor if he signs elsewhere. Next year they would have tremendous cap room.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...edium=newsletter&utm_campaign=new-york-knicks

 

[jadis]

Think he's doing the Knicks a favor if he signs elsewhere. Next year they would have tremendous cap room.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...edium=newsletter&utm_campaign=new-york-knicks

5 years, $130m is a lot of money for Melo to stay in NY, but somehow I'd rather see him elsewhere.

 

[jadis]

Quietly, Boris Diaw and Patty Mills extend their stay with the Spurs, with Duncan as well. Defending champs are intact.

 

[WLVCA]

Were I running the Knicks I would let Melo go. Great scorer but doesn't offer much more.

If he goes to the Bulls he and Thibs will butt heads - he'd be expected to play defense and team basketball.

 

[rblnr]

We'll take Melo (Chi).

 

[jadis]

This will be a big surprise if it happens. James returning to Cleveland. Cleveland now has cap space to give Lebron the max deal.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11192043/cleveland-cavaliers-miami-heat-nba

 

[Steve williams]

Bryant says he'd welcome Scott and Anthony

By SEAN LEWIS, AP

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Kobe Bryant feels great, would welcome Byron Scott as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, would love to play alongside free agent Carmelo Anthony and is pleased with the moves of the team's front office so far.

At least that's how the All-Star guard presented things at UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday, where Bryant is hosting his annual youth basketball camp.

But for anybody hoping for definitive answers, Bryant had nothing to offer.

"Obviously it's a hot topic of conversation in terms where everybody is going to go," he said. "Everybody is here to read tea leaves. I don't have much to tell you. I don't have any information you guys don't already know."

Bryant addressed a throng of reporters during a wide-ranging conversation delayed by about an hour as he watched the end of the World Cup semifinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands elsewhere.

He teased reporters asking him for his thoughts on the game.

"I missed it," he deadpanned. "I was trying to rush over here to get to you fine folk. I didn't get a chance to catch the end. Who won?"

His joke fooled nobody, as he had moments earlier tweeted his excitement for an Argentina-Germany final, followed shortly after by another tweet that expressed his boredom at a by-now all-too-familiar line of questions. The tweet included the hashtags "diffwritersamequestion" and "yawn."

Mostly, Bryant stressed patience in waiting to see who signs where.

"It's a little hard now because I think everyone is playing the waiting game to a certain extent, at least we are," he said. "You kind of want to see where the dominoes fall and then operate from there. You wind up operating in somewhat of a window. You start seeing other players going other places, players that you can use to fill out the roster, right? So you see these things happening and you're behind a bit, but it's worth the wait."

The 18-year NBA veteran didn't hide his sentiments about the possibility of playing alongside Anthony, the Knicks free agent and his two-time Olympic teammate.

"I would love to play with him," Bryant said. "We've really clicked since 2008. I would love to see that."

Bryant said he would also welcome his former teammate, Scott, as his next coach.

"He was my rookie mentor when I first came in the league, so I had to do things like get him doughnuts and run errands for him, things like that," he said. "We've had a tremendously close relationship throughout the years."

In terms of grading the performance of the Lakers front office this offseason, Bryant suggested that he was pleased, but that he would not be happy with another rebuilding year.

"I've never had patience; I'm not going to start now," he said. "But you do what you have to do as an organization. God forbid we end up with absolutely nothing, it's not for a lack of effort. That's something I would be extremely proud of. We put forth the effort and gave it our best shot. What can you do? You just go from there and do your best and try to win."

Bryant said he believed signing Anthony would go a long way to retaining unrestricted free agent Pau Gasol.

"My biggest message to (Gasol) was, 'Make sure you enjoy this process,'" Bryant said. "'The ball is in your court. This is your decision to make, don't feel like the weight is on your shoulders.' I'm sure if we got Carmelo that would help him make his decision."

Bryant said he feels as though his body is in midseason form.

"Physically, I feel great," he said. "I don't think about my knee when I'm training, I don't think about my Achilles when I'm training. I feel sharp and crisp and we'll just add on from there."