Inside Hoops – Page 1069 – NBA Blog

Jason Kidd wants control of Nets, may wind up with Bucks

Here’s the New York Post reporting a wild story that came out of the blue and has been confirmed by several other outlets:

Apparently Jason Kidd isn’t satisfied with just coaching, but he’ll have to be if he stays with the Nets.

According to a league source, Kidd recently approached ownership with a series of demands, including the role of overseeing the Nets’ basketball operations department in addition to his head coaching responsibilities. The source said Kidd didn’t want general manager Billy King to be dismissed, but wanted to be given a title and placed above him in the organizational hierarchy.

Ownership declined to grant Kidd that kind of power, which is rare for any coach in the league to have. The source said ownership felt Kidd wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility after having only one year of coaching experience — the team finished his first season on the bench with a 44-38 record, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference — and allowed Kidd to seek other opportunities.

The franchise then was approached by the Bucks for permission to speak with Kidd about the prospect of hiring him, and the Nets granted permission.

Pat Riley statement on Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem free agency

The following statement from Pat Riley was released by the Miami Heat this afternoon:

“Today we were notified of Dwyane’s intention to opt-out of his contract and Udonis’ intention to not opt into his contract, making both players free agents. Dwyane has been the cornerstone of our organization for over a decade, and we hope he remains a part of the Heat family for life. Udonis has been the heartbeat of this team for 11 years. He has sacrificed countless times to make this organization successful, and he is the epitome of what this organization stands for. We look forward to meeting with Dwyane and Udonis and their agent in the coming days to discuss our future together.”

InsideHoops.com note: Riley didn’t mention Chris Bosh, who may opt out as well. Perhaps that will be confirmed very soon.

Sixers acquire draft rights to Pierre Jackson from Pelicans

The Philadelphia 76ers announced that they have acquired the rights to Pierre Jackson from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for the 47th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Jackson was originally drafted 42nd overall in 2013 and was part of the trade between Philadelphia and New Orleans that netted the Sixers Nerlens Noel and the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft.

Jackson averaged 30 points, 7 assists, 2 steals, 2 rebounds and 1 block in 31 games for the NBA Development League’s Idaho Stampede in 2013-14. He scored a D-League single game record 58 points on February 4, 2014 and was named to the D-League’s Futures All-Star Roster in 2014. During his senior year at Baylor University, he was named First Team All-Big 12 and was named the Most Outstanding Player in the 2013 NIT.

Raptors extend qualifying offers to Greivis Vasquez, Nando De Colo, Patrick Patterson

The Toronto Raptors announced Saturday they have extended qualifying offers to restricted free agent guards Greivis Vasquez and Nando De Colo and forward Patrick Patterson. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, in order for a team to retain its rights of first refusal with respect to a restricted free agent it must tender the player a qualifying offer prior to June 30. A restricted free agent may sign an offer sheet with any team, but is subject to a right of first refusal in favour of the team that extended the qualifying offer.

Vasquez and Patterson came to the Raptors on December 9, 2013 in a seven-player deal with Sacramento. De Colo joined the Raptors in a February 20 trade with San Antonio.

In 61 appearances with Toronto, Vasquez averaged 9.5 points, 3.7 assists and 21.5 minutes. He paced the Raptors in bench points in 25 contests. He added averages of 10.1 points and a team-best 5.1 assists in the club’s playoff series against Brooklyn.

A first-round pick by Memphis in 2010, Vasquez has averaged 9.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 24.0 minutes in 293 regular season games with Memphis, New Orleans, Sacramento and Toronto.

De Colo played in 21 outings with Toronto where he contributed 3.1 points, 1.6 assists and 9.2 minutes. A second-round pick by the Spurs in 2009, he has averaged 3.8 points, 1.7 assists and 11.9 minutes in 119 career games in his two NBA seasons with San Antonio and Toronto.

Patterson averaged 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 23.3 minutes in 48 outings with the Raptors. In Toronto’s playoff series versus Brooklyn he upped his averages to 10.4 points, 6.7 rebounds (second on the team) and 28.5 minutes. He was a perfect five-for-five from the floor and six-for-six from the free throw line en route to 16 points in Game Seven.

Patterson was selected in the first round by Houston in the 2010 NBA Draft. In 252 career games with Houston, Sacramento and Toronto he has averaged 8.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 22.5 minutes.

Martell Webster out 3-5 months after back surgery

The Washington Wizards announced today that forward Martell Webster had successful microdisectomy surgery yesterday to repair a herniated disc in his lower back. He will begin the rehab process immediately and is expected to miss approximately three to five months before resuming basketball activity.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Watkins Jr. in Los Angeles following consultation with team doctors earlier in the week. Webster sustained the injury during a routine workout at the Wizards’ practice facility last week.

Webster averaged 9.7 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting .392 from three-point range in 78 games (13 starts) for the Wizards last season.

Suns extend qualifying offers to Eric Bledsoe and P.J. Tucker

The Phoenix Suns announced today that the team has extended qualifying offers to guard Eric Bledsoe and forward P.J. Tucker.

Bledsoe appeared in 43 games for the Suns in 2013-14, averaging career-highs of 17.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 32.9 minutes while also shooting a career-best 47.7 percent from the field. In his first season with the Suns, and fourth in the NBA after being acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers last July, Bledsoe became just the sixth player in Suns history to average at least 17.0 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals, and the first since Charles Barkley in his NBA MVP season of 1992-93.

Tucker started 81 games in his second season with the Suns of 2013-14, posting career-highs of 9.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.7 minutes. Tied for the Suns’ team-lead with a career-best 11 double-doubles, Tucker also had career-highs with 38 games of double-digit scoring and 15 games of double-digit rebounds. Recognized for his intensity and versatility on the defensive end, Tucker won the Dan Majerle Hustle Award for the second consecutive season in 2013-14.

In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, in order for a team to retain its right of first refusal with respect to a restricted free agent, the team must tender the player a qualifying offer prior to June 30. A restricted free agent may sign an offer sheet with any team, but is subject to a right of first refusal with the team for which the player last played.

Brooklyn Nets trade for draft rights to Markel Brown, Xavier Thames, Cory Jefferson

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired the draft rights to guard Markel Brown (#44 pick) from the Minnesota Timberwolves, guard Xavier Thames (#59 pick) from the Toronto Raptors and forward Cory Jefferson (#60 pick) from the Philadelphia 76ers in separate draft night trades, each in exchange for cash considerations, General Manager Billy King announced.

Brown (6’3”, 184) played in 134 games in four years at Oklahoma State, averaging 12.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.00 steals in 30.5 minutes per game. Brown averaged 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 35.3 minutes per game during his senior season, earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors for the second consecutive season. During his junior season, Brown averaged 15.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 34.1 minutes per game. He was named Louisiana’s Mr. Basketball in 2010 after a standout career at Peabody Magnet High School in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Thames (6’3”, 187) was named the Mountain West Player of the Year, All-Mountain West First Team and Mountain West All-Defensive Team after averaging 17.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.60 steals in 31.3 minutes per game during his senior season at San Diego State. Thames also earned Mountain West All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2012 during his sophomore season. He played his freshman season at Washington State before transferring to San Diego State for his final three seasons of eligibility.

Jefferson (6’9”, 218) played in 130 games in four years at Baylor, averaging 8.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.30 blocks in 19.9 minutes per game. Jefferson garnered All-Big 12 Third Team honors after averaging 13.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.30 steals and 1.30 blocks in 29.0 minutes per game during his senior season. During his junior season, Jefferson was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after averaging 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.90 blocks in 27.9 minutes per game.

Mavericks happy to have Tyson Chandler back

Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporting on the Dallas Mavericks:

Chandler was the emotional leader and one of the guiding forces when the Mavs won their only NBA title three years ago. The 7-foot-1 center provided the defensive presence and rim protection the Mavs used to vault past the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.

Following that championship season, however, Chandler left the Mavs via free agency and signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the New York Knicks.

But the Mavs and Chandler are back together again after they acquired the 13-year veteran and point guard Raymond Felton from the Knicks on Wednesday for Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington and the 34th and 51st picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Coach Rick Carlisle is more than elated to have Chandler back in his role as his team’s defensive vacuum cleaner.

Kings land sharpshooter Nik Stauskas

Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on the Kings and the 2014 NBA Draft, which took place last night:

After all the speculation the Kings would trade their pick, Sacramento kept it and selected Michigan guard Nik Stauskas at No. 8 in the 2014 NBA draft.

The front office believes the Canadian-born shooter will help fill multiple holes, but most importantly he can shoot from deep.

The Kings made improving their outside shooting a priority, and Stauskas was one of the best available.

When asked if he was the best shooter in the draft, Stauskas said: “Definitely. Without a doubt.”

Stauskas doesn’t want to be known simply as a shooter, but he realizes why the Kings coveted him.

Warriors still have Kevin Love in mind

Here’s the San Jose Mercury News on the Warriors and their continued interest in Timberwolves star Kevin Love:

His name was never uttered officially and certainly not by the Warriors on this night.

That would be tampering! Kevin who?

Yet … the shadow of Kevin Love hovered over all Warriors thinking and analysis during the NBA draft on Thursday.

And maybe the Warriors crept a little closer to Love by staying patient, sticking to their plotted course and waiting another day …

All this on a night when the Warriors had no draft picks and made no trades but stayed in the thick of the NBA chatter.

They didn’t trade for Love on Thursday, but that doesn’t mean they won’t at some point.