June 22, 2013 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

Milwaukee Bucks have big free agency decisions

Monta Ellis’ decision last week to opt out of the final year of his contract did provide some clarity for the Bucks. It instantly made the shooting guard position a priority, whether in the draft or free agency. Ellis started all 82 games at the 2 guard spot last season and played major minutes.

“It gives us options in the draft of different positions we can look at,” McKinney said. “There should be players at 15 of different variety that could help us.

“I think it’s a very good group (of guards). When you talk about the point guards, the shooting guards, the swing players, we’re comfortable.

“We’re still doing some homework on the selection at 15. But we feel much more comfortable now than we did even a week ago.”

Point guard Brandon Jennings is a restricted free agent and other NBA teams will be able to start discussions with his agent, Jeff Schwartz, on July 1.

And backup guard J.J. Redick is an unrestricted free agent as is sixth man Mike Dunleavy.

Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Nets want Lawrence Frank, Roy Rogers as assistant coaches

The Brooklyn Nets are “pretty close” to hiring Roy Rogers as an assistant coach on Jason Kidd’s staff, a league source confirmed Saturday.

The team is still awaiting a decision from Lawrence Frank on the other assistant coaching spot. The Nets interviewed both Rogers and Frank on Tuesday, Kidd said earlier this week.

Rogers was an assistant under Frank for two seasons with the New Jersey Nets. Most recently, Rogers served as an assistant to Frank with the Detroit Pistons.

Reported by Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York

Udonis Haslem savors his third championship with Heat

Mr. 305 can now boast of being a three-time champ.

In a locker room of cigar-toting, champagne-soaked Heat players late Thursday night, many of whom celebrated winning back-to-back rings, forward Udonis Haslem grinned as he reflected on his third title in his decade-long career.

The Miami native and Dwyane Wade are the only ones to have played on all three Heat championship teams, winning the franchise’s first together in 2006 and then the past two years as co-captains.

They’re two of just seven active NBA players with three or more championship rings — Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher have five, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan has four and Spurs teammates Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili each have three.

It’s something Haslem, who turned 33 years old on the day the Heat won Game 2 against the Spurs, didn’t envision after he left the University of Florida and played a year in France.

“I would have never guessed it,” Haslem said after the Game 7 triumph. “Undrafted, going overseas, I worked, man. I gave it my heart, my soul, sacrificed. And it all just paid off. I’m thankful. I’m blessed. I’m very blessed.”

Reported by Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Dwyane Wade hopes to leave knee problems behind

Dwyane Wade knocked on the table at the interview podium.

He then asked, `Is this wood?”

That was his thinking after being asked if he would need surgery on his left knee that bothered him since early March. Wade said he doesn’t expect another procedure in the offseason and that rest is all he needs.

“Hopefully no surgery,” Wade said. “Obviously there will be a few treatments me and Doc will talk about, but it won’t be surgery. Treatments, I hope. A lot of rest is going to be key for them. My knees right now, they’re still on fire because I have this hot stuff on my legs. But hopefully no surgery at all.”

It was the second straight year Wade dealt with knee issues. He had surgery last summer on his right knee after the Miami Heat won the title. He played through pain for most of the past four months, but was in the lineup every game in the playoffs except for Game 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.

Reported by Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Clippers interested in Byron Scott for head coaching job

The Los Angeles Clippers have intensified discussions with Byron Scott about their head coaching position, according to league sources.

Clippers president Andy Roeser has broached financial parameters of a potential contract with Scott’s representatives, sources said. After talks with the Boston Celtics regarding Doc Rivers broke down again Friday, Roeser reached out to Scott’s camp.

It is not clear whether the Clippers’ recent contact with Scott means he is the front-runner among the non-Rivers candidates, a source said.

Sources told ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne the Clippers still intend to revisit the Rivers talks one more time, but are using the weekend to make sure they can quickly move on to one of the other three candidates — Scott, Lionel Hollins and Brian Shaw — should the talks with Boston go nowhere.

Reported by Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine

Shawne Williams will work out for Knicks

Ex-Knick and current free agent Shawne Williams will work out for New York on Monday, agent Happy Williams confirmed.

Shawne Williams had a breakout season with the Knicks in 2010-11, averaging 7.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and nearly one block, while shooting 40.1 percent from downtown.

He has struggled in the two seasons since. He signed with the Nets in the 2011 offseason and was traded to Portland in the Gerald Wallace deal.

Williams, a 2006 first-round pick, was also arrested on drug charges late last year.

Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Dwyane Wade needed knee drained to play Game 7 of Finals

Dwyane Wade had his left knee drained one day before Game 7 of the NBA Finals, then got about eight hours of game-day therapy just so he could play in the title-clinching win for the Miami Heat.

Wade tells The Associated Press that his left knee was swollen ”like a coconut” after a collision with San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili in Game 6 of the finals. It was drained the following day, then was swollen yet again when he woke up on the morning of Game 7.

Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press