$11 Million For Gordon? Bulls.com's Sam Smith dropped a little nugget in his draft workout report yesterday, suggesting that he's heard a rumor that Raymond Brothers, the agent for Ben Gordon, is telling people he has an $11 million per year commitment from the Detroit Pistons for Gordon.
It is important to again state that the NBA has very clear rules that teams cannot open discussions with free agents until July 1st, and that if talks with Gordon have taken place the NBA would come down hard on the Pistons.
That said, Brothers did have talks with teams last summer and this alleged promise could be a holdover from last year. That said, $11 million for Ben Gordon is a huge chunk of change and could set the bar fairly high for other free agents like Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu.
The other byproduct of an $11 million deal to Gordon means the Pistons would not have the $10 million+ needed to lure away Paul Millsap from Utah, and it would reduce the odds Detroit makes a run at Turkoglu, the only real threat for the Magic.
The timing of this news likely means this is chatter so don't get too excited, but it is interesting to hear that Gordon could fetch that much on the open market. This really comes off as Brothers setting the bar in hopes that Chicago will come to the table with an offer in the $8 to $9 million range.
The Board Will Shuffle: In talking to several league sources this week one comment kept coming up over and over: "If they keep the pick…" It seems this could be shaping up to be one of the busier drafts in terms of pick shuffling, so don't fall in love with anything outside of the top overall selection. Memphis at #2 is expected to trade down, the Wizards at #5 are talking about trading the pick, Minnesota at #6 could move down, New Jersey at #11 could move down, Minnesota's #18 could be sold or traded outright, the Hawks at #19 could move their pick, the Kings at #23 could move that pick, Portland at #24 could move up, Oklahoma City at #25 could deal that selection, Chicago at #26 could trade out of that pick, Memphis at #27 is expected to sell this pick, Minnesota at #28 is expected to keep this selection all though if the player they covet is gone so could the pick, and the Lakers at #29 are expected to deal this pick for future considerations. Looks to be a busy night, here are today's draft notes:
Jordan Hill and the Knicks: For a few weeks Arizona's Jordan Hill looked like he was going to tumble. Word is he did not interview well in Chicago and teams at the top of the class threw up some red flags that Jordan has had to deal with. Hill was initially projected to be a top-5 player but has expanded his workouts into the top 10 and seems to be drawing a lot of interest in the 6 to 10 range. The Golden State Warriors are said to be enamored with the 6'10 forward as are the New York Knicks. The Washington Wizards could be the wild card at #5, especially with rumors of them exploring trading Antawn Jamison. The smart money says Washington takes James Harden and hangs on to Jamison, although the draft is often an unpredictable machine and it seems that Jordan Hill is destined to go anywhere from 5 to 10, with most people close to the situation saying they doubt he's on the board passed Golden State at #7.
Jonny Flynn?: Last year most draft experts had Russell Westbrook going anywhere from 8 to 12, so when David Stern announced Russell's name at the #4 spot to Seattle/Oklahoma City most of the air came out of the WaMu Theater as Sonics'/Thunder GM Sam Presti surprised almost everyone. This year it seems Jonny Flynn may be that guy. League sources have indicated Flynn may have cemented himself into a top-6 selection, unless the team with interest moves down. Teams do consider the projections on a players when scheduling workouts but as Sam Presti proved last year when it's your turn to pick, you pick the guy you feel best solves your needs and problems and if that means the players goes several spots higher than projected that's rarely something teams consider. None the less when David Stern announces Jonny Flynn a lot earlier than #10 to Milwaukee, don't be surprised.
Portland Likes Blair: You have to feel for DeJuan Blair. He has done absolutely everything right in the draft process. He dropped a ton of weight (35 pounds), he's interviewed well and in workouts he has thoroughly dominated everyone and impressed every team he's met with. None of that changes the fact he has two surgically repaired knees and teams are worried that at some point in his rookie contract he could blow a knee and require a second ACL surgery. What that boils down to is DeJuan may slide on draft night as teams pass on Blair in favor of a guy with maybe less immediate impact, but with less risk – which honestly is BS because no one can predict when a ligament will tear, but no GM wants to potentially waste a top 10 pick. The other side of that is that Blair will be available a lot later in the draft than most projected meaning teams like Portland, who saw Blair recently, and Indiana are really considering Blair and could end up with a top 10 player at a far cheaper price. Blair will be seeing the Atlanta Hawks who draft at #19 and the New Jersey Nets who draft at #11 this week. Portland at #24 would have to trade up several spots to nab Blair, while Indiana at #13 seems to be the range Dejuan will go.
No Promises: There has been a lot of speculation that B.J. Mullens has a promise from the Chicago Bulls, which is why he opted not to work out in the New Jersey group workout. While Chicago was impressed and labeled Mullens a "lottery-type" talent, Mullens decision had more to do with the group workouts themselves than a team guarantee. Sources close to the situation said Mullens was hearing the kind of feedback he wanted to hear and that the group workout environment was not the best place for him to showcase, simply because of how these workouts have been assembled. The Bulls do have eyes for Mullens at #16, but so do the Phoenix Suns who at #14 could grab B.J. Typically when a "promise" is made the player shuts down workouts, but in Mullens case he has workouts scheduled for the balance of the week. Several agents have commented that they understand why teams have taken part in these group workouts, but most have said they feel the clutter may have added confusion to the process and that next year they may think twice about putting their top-tier players in. Several players who were on the outside of the draft picture have benefited from having so many teams see them in one sitting, but the upper tier guys may not have benefited as much as expected.
Casspi Drawing Interest: The San Antonio Spurs have had eyes for Omari Casspi since the beginning of the draft process and word is they want to trade into the first round to grab him. The problem is they are not the only team with interest in Casspi. Word is Rod Thorn and the Nets are enamored with Casspi and may trade down a few slots to grab him. Casspi is projected to go anywhere from #15 to Detroit to #20 to Utah meaning both the Spurs and the Nets may have to outbid each other if they want Casspi. The #18 selection from Minnesota is supposedly in play, the question becomes does New Jersey trade down to #18 or can the Spurs convince Minnesota to give the pick to them offering up a roster player.
McHale Out In Minnesota: Well it seems the Timberwolves got their answer. Late yesterday Timberwolves forward Kevin Love announced via Twitter that he'd been told by Kevin McHale that he would not return as the head coach next year. "Today is a sad day ... Kevin McHale will NOT be back as head coach this season."
"P.S. I am not a breaking news guy… I had no idea no one knew..I'll tell them I stayed at a holiday inn express (sic) last night. Always works...."
The Timberwolves and new team president David Kahn have yet to address the speculation, but are expected to make a formal announcement today. The news really should not be much of a surprise. McHale was not part of the Wolves draft process, and there has been an awkward distance between Kahn and McHale. The Timberwolves hold three first round selections this year and with McHale not involved it was pretty clear he was not coming back.
The NBA draft is in 8 days, and now the Wolves need a head coach. Word is David Kahn has already talked with some possible candidates, so its likely a coach is named before the draft. More on this as it emerges.
NBA Chats Today: It is Wednesday which puts me on deck for my weekly NBA Rumors chat. I will be down at IMG Basketball for the day so today's chat will come from the gym so bear with me if I am few minutes late. The game plan is to get started at 1:30 PM EST, so get your questions in early. Everything is fair game. HOOPSWORLD senior writer Tommy Beer brings up the late day chat at 8pm EST. Tommy covers the Knicks and the Nets for HOOPSWORLD as well as the NBA at large.
