Inside Hoops – Page 1072 – NBA Blog

Pat Riley statement on LeBron James entering free agency

The following statement was released today from Pat Riley of the Miami Heat:

“I was informed this morning of his intentions. We fully expected LeBron to opt-out and exercise his free agent rights, so this does not come as a surprise. As I said at the press conference last week, players have a right to free agency and when they have these opportunities, the right to explore their options. The last four seasons have been historic and LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Erik Spoelstra have led the Miami HEAT to one of the most unprecedented runs in the history of the NBA. We look forward to sitting down with LeBron and his representatives and talking about our future together. At the moment, we are preparing for the opportunities in the Draft and Free Agency as we continue with our goal of winning NBA Championships.”

Rudy Gay staying with Kings for 2014-15 season

Here’s the Sacramento Bee with an important update on the Kings:

The Kings’ courtship of Rudy Gay did not begin with a meeting in Sacramento earlier this month.

It began in December, when the Kings traded for Gay in a seven-player deal with Toronto and knew he could become a free agent after the 2013-14 season.

The Kings’ effort paid off Sunday, when Gay informed the team he would opt in for the final year of his contract, worth $19.3 million, for next season, league sources confirmed. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been finalized.

Gay had until June 30 to decide whether to return to the Kings or become a free agent. With Gay on board for next season, the team will look to negotiate a contract extension this summer.

LeBron James to become free agent

What would you do if you were LeBron James? Continue on with your Heat contract, hope that Dwyane Wade’s knees hold up, and hope the team adds a better bench? Opt out, test free agency, but perhaps wind up staying with the Heat? Or leave South Beach (well, Miami) and take your talents elsewhere? Here’s ESPN.com with news on this situation:

LeBron James’ agent, Richie Paul, has informed the Miami Heat that James will exercise his early termination option and become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Opting out does not mean James has decided to leave the Heat, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, who spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the four-time NBA MVP nor the team had made any public announcement.

James had until June 30 to decide whether to opt out of the final two years of his contract with the Heat. He was scheduled to make $20 million next season.

Lakers like Byron Scott for head coach job

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on the Lakers, who have many needs, one of which is a new head coach:

Lakers interested in Byron Scott for coaching job

While the Lakers remain focused on Thursday’s draft and the start of free agency July 1, sources tell ESPN.com that former Lakers star Byron Scott has emerged as the leading candidate for the head-coaching job after impressing in three interviews with the team.

Talks with the former Nets and Cavaliers coach have not progressed to the contract stage, as the Lakers continue to weigh whether to hold off on hiring a coach before they make their pitches to free agents.

Carmelo Anthony free agency roundup

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on Carmelo Anthony free agency:

Carmelo Anthony has yet to publicly reveal the process by which he plans to entertain other teams in free agency now that he has opted out of his contract with the New York Knicks, but the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams that expect to have the opportunity to make their pitch to him starting July 1, according to sources close to the situation.

Teams can’t formally contact free agents until 12:01 a.m. ET July 1, but sources told ESPN.com that the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat are two more teams that could join the race for Anthony, depending on how things play out before, during and after Thursday’s NBA draft.

The Bulls are widely regarded as the early favorite to steal Anthony from the Knicks, with sources saying Monday that Chicago has been quietly planning for this free-agent pursuit for months, going back to the January trade of Luol Deng to Cleveland. Sources say every move Chicago made during the season’s second half — including the seemingly minor signings of veterans Ronnie Brewer, Lou Amundson and Mike James to very tradeable contracts — was made with the hope they might be helpful in a potential sign-and-trade with the Knicks for Anthony.

Sources say the Rockets, meanwhile, have begun working on trade exits for center Omer Asik and point guard Jeremy Lin to clear enough space under the salary cap to make a representative offer to Anthony. The Rockets have been confident for some time, sources say, that they can not only move both players if necessary in deals that create the requisite flexibility but also rival the Bulls’ sales pitch.

Kings open to trading No.8 draft pick

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on the Kings:

The Sacramento Kings are fielding offers from three teams for the No. 8 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, sources with direct knowledge told ESPN on Monday.

Sources said the Kings have two deals that could be done prior to Thursday’s 2 p.m. ET trade deadline to change the draft order and one would be a draft night deal, depending on which players are available when the Kings select.

Donald Sterling faces tough battle in Sterling Family Trust trial

With a $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers hanging in the balance, a judge suggested Monday that the terms of a family trust are clear enough to remove Donald Sterling as a trustee and allow his estranged wife to sell the team without his consent.

At one point, Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas said the Sterlings’ trust agreement is so unambiguous that “I could decide this case in five minutes.”

At the center of the volatile court battle are reports from three doctors who examined the 80-year-old Sterling and found he shows symptoms of early Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. His lawyers argued he should be able to call his own experts at a trial set for July 7.

The judge said the trust agreement provides that if two doctors examined Sterling and found he lacked the capacity to manage his own affairs, he would be removed as a trustee. There is no provision to contest the decision, he said.

— AP

Enes Kanter will have procedure on right knee

Following medical consultation, Jazz center Enes Kanter has elected to receive a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his right knee to treat quadriceps tendinitis. The procedure will be performed Tuesday in Chicago by Dr. Michael Terry, and Jazz head athletic trainer Gary Briggs will accompany Kanter.

Following the treatment, the estimated return-to-activity timeline is approximately two weeks.

Kanter (6-11, 247, Kentucky) appeared in 80 games (37 starts) for the Jazz in 2013-14, averaging career-highs of 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in 26.7 minutes. He registered 24 double-doubles last season, and scored in double figures in 53 games, reaching 20-plus points 12 times. The 22-year-old native of Turkey is entering his fourth NBA season, all with Utah, after he was originally selected by the Jazz in the first round (third overall selection) of the 2011 NBA Draft.

Cavs name Tyronn Lue associate head coach

Tyronn Lue has joined Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach David Blatt’s staff as associate head coach, Blatt and General Manager David Griffin announced today.

“Over the past several weeks, it became clear that Ty could play a key role in our team’s future success,” said Griffin. “Ty fits our culture and vision for the franchise. His successful experience as both a player and coach is going to help us tremendously. Tyronn Lue joining Coach Blatt’s staff is more than exciting to all of us here in Cleveland. The leadership and knowledge of Ty is going to be critically important as we move into a new era of competitive Cavaliers basketball.”

Lue was most recently an assistant coach on head coach Doc Rivers’ staff with the Los Angeles Clippers, who captured the Pacific Division title with a 57-25 record in 2013-14. Prior to the Clippers, Lue spent four seasons as a member of Rivers’ Boston Celtics staff, the last two as an assistant coach. Lue began his time in Boston as the Director of Basketball Development in 2009-10.

“I could not be happier that Ty will be joining the Cavaliers’ coaching staff as my top assistant. I look forward to leveraging all of his experiences and expertise into our team’s development,” said Blatt. “This is a character guy and winner himself who played and worked with some of the greatest talents and successful leaders in NBA history. I am thrilled to have him by my side as we get to work in Cleveland.”

A native of Mexico, Missouri, Lue played 11 seasons in the NBA and appeared in 554 career games with the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington, Orlando, Houston, Atlanta, Dallas and Milwaukee. The former University of Nebraska star won NBA Championships in 2000 and 2001 with the Lakers.

“First, I wouldn’t be in the position to make this career move and advancement without the deep support, mentorship and friendship that I have received and enjoyed from Doc Rivers. I want to thank Doc for helping prepare me so well for this next step and challenge,” said Lue. “Cleveland is a great opportunity. I am looking forward to joining Coach Blatt, David Griffin and the entire Cavaliers organization at a very exciting and promising time for the franchise. Through numerous discussions with David and Griff, I felt Cleveland is a great situation for me. I believe my background will help me play a key part in helping achieve the vision that the leadership of this franchise has for its team. I can’t wait to get to work with Coach Blatt and our players.”

Tim Duncan exercises player option to stick with Spurs next season

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that forward Tim Duncan has exercised his player option for the 2014-15 NBA season.

The 6-11 Duncan was selected by San Antonio with the first pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. In his 17 seasons, Duncan has led the Silver and Black to 11 division titles and the playoffs every year. After helping guide the Spurs to the 2014 NBA Championship, Duncan became one of only five players in NBA history to win five championships and five MVP awards (regular season or NBA Finals). Other players on the list include Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Over the 17-year span San Antonio has posted a 950-396 regular season record, giving the team a winning percentage of .706, which is the best winning percentage in all of professional sports over that span and the best winning percentage over any 17-year span in NBA history. Over the span, the team has accumulated four 60-win seasons and currently owns an NBA-record 15 consecutive campaigns of 50-plus victories.

The 38-year-old Duncan, who leads all active players in career wins (898), has captured the NBA’s MVP Award two times (2002, 2003) and has earned NBA Finals MVP honors three times (1999, 2003, 2005). Duncan has appeared on both an All-Defensive Team and an All-NBA Team in the same season an NBA-record 14 times. The 1998 Rookie of the Year, Duncan has been an NBA All-Star 14 times and has been named the NBA Player of the Week on 22 occasions over the course of his career.

In 1,254 regular season games Duncan has averaged 19.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.23 blocks in 34.8 minutes. He is the Spurs all-time NBA leader in games played, points (24,904), field goals made (9,651) and attempted (19,074) and rebounds (13,940). He ranks second in blocks (2,791), fourth in assists (3,832) and sixth in steals (915). Duncan leads all active players in career double-doubles (796) and this past postseason passed Magic Johnson for the most career double-doubles in NBA playoff history (158).

Duncan has appeared in 234 playoff games, averaging 21.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.33 blocks in 38.0 minutes. His 234 games played in the postseason ranks first among active players and fourth all-time in NBA history. After winning the 2014 title, Duncan joined John Salley as the only players in NBA history to win a championship in three separate decades.