Basketball

From the start, there was one thing most likely to keep Mike D’Antoni from returning as Lakers coach — free agent Dwight Howard. It may not have been that direct — and it may not change who is the Lakers coach next season — but apparently Howard let Lakers management know exactly how he feels…

We need a game in this series so we can talk about basketball and not this ridiculous game of telephone. As we explained before, LeBron James took umbrage at something a reporter told him Pacers’ coach Frank Vogel said — except Vogel never said it. What Vogel said was, “They’re the next team that’s in…

The Seattle group offered an astronomical $625 million for the Kings, so imagine what the expansion fee might be after the next TV contract. The Bucks’ cut might not offset a bad contract, but expansion is one temporary way to throw a bone to the league’s have-nots even as the TV money gets one more payee.

The Bucks are searching for a coach in a crowded marketplace, with six other NBA teams looking for head coaches. Atlanta coach Larry Drew was the latest candidate to interview with the Bucks on Monday.

I'm going to take back a comment I made in another thread about Jeff Teague and his decision making. I said in that thread that Jeff still has the same decision making issues that he had when he came out of Wake Forest. After watching film and reading various breakdowns of Jeff's game from this past season, as well as looking at his efficiency stats compared to other point guards, it is beyond obvious that I was wrong. Jeff Teague still has decision making issues at times, but he has improved tremendously since he was a sophomore early entry into the 2009 NBA draft out of Wake Forest. At Wake Forest, Jeff Teague was a guy who got by on his athleticism. He was a tremendous penetrating lead guard that dominated the ball. The extent of his playmaking ability was his ability to drive and kick. Of the guards that came out of that draft, Jeff lead them all in FTA/40 that season, and that was a testament to his ability to attack the lane aggressively. Jeff was a relatively poor perimeter shooter coming out. His biggest issue though was his decision making. He held a 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio while at Wake Forest. In his early time with the Hawks, Jeff had the same issues. He was sub par on the pick and roll. He lacked confidence in his ability to penetrate into the lane at will. He was very passive and deferred too much to his teammates. The playoff series against Chicago in 2011 was the first hint of what Jeff could eventually become. Going into his third season, Jeff improved in several aspects of his game, but his decision making was still lacking. He improved his efficiency numbers as a scorer in that season, but his AST% and TOV% were relatively stagnant from his first two seasons. In 2012-2013 though, what we saw out of Jeff was a lot more consistency and definitive improvement in his decision making ability. He improved his AST% from around 24% to almost 37%. His USG% increased by over 3 points, yet was was able to maintain his shooting efficiency overall. Both of these are very good signs. Here is a good link on Jeff's improvement as a playmaker as detailed the the author of the Hickory High blog: http://www.hickory-high.com/?p=5781 I won't go into any details that are already in that post. Essentially, Jeff Teague has gone from a player who was completely clueless on the pick and roll as a young player to a player that has become above average in his ability to recognize things off the pick and roll. The potential of Jeff Teague and Al Horford as a pick and roll tandem going forward is immense, IMO. The decision the Hawks have to make on Jeff this offseason is whether they go ahead and sign him to an extension, or if they sign him to his qualifying offer to hedge their bets on whether he will continue to show his upward trajectory. To look at what kind of contract Jeff could be looking at if he signs an extension, I decided to look at two players whose numbers were very close to Jeff's from this past season. Denver's Ty Lawson and Memphis's Mike Conley: Mike Conley 0.549 TS%, 0.497 eFG%, 0.295 AST%, 0.151 TOV%, 0.30 FTA/FGA, 0.210 USG% Ty Lawson 0.549 TS%, 0.505 eFG%, 0.302 AST%, 0.141 TOV%, 0.32 FTA/FGA, 0.222 USG% Jeff Teague 0.543 TS%, 0.496 eFG%, 0.361 AST%, 0.176 TOV%, 0.23 FTA/FGA, 0.230 USG% Ty Lawson signed a 4 year, $48 million extension recently. Mike Conley signed a 5 year, $40 million deal last year. I'm going to take back a comment I made in another thread about Jeff Teague and his decision making. I said in that thread that Jeff still has the same decision making issues that he had when he came out of Wake Forest. After watching film and reading various breakdowns of Jeff's game from this past season, as well as looking at his efficiency stats compared to other point guards, it is beyond obvious that I was wrong. Jeff Teague still has decision making issues at times, but he has improved tremendously since he was a sophomore early entry into the 2009 NBA draft out

Pre-Draft Workouts to Begin on TuesdayThe NBA draft lottery will take place Tuesday night in beautiful Secaucus, New Jersey, but there will be no drama for the Bucks: they'll be picking smack-dab in the middle of the first round (15th) no matter what. Note: this is the part of the story where you let out an audible sigh. Not that it's a great year to be bad either. Everyone and their mother seems to agree that the top of this year's draft is as weak as any in recent memory, which is why you won't hear the phrase "Nerlens Noel Sweepstakes" anytime soon. But quality players will no doubt emerge from this year's crop, and this is the part where you cross your fingers that the Bucks manage to find one from their perch in the middle of the first. So who is in the Bucks' wheelhouse? "Guards" would be an obvious answer, though expect to hear the usual chorus of "best player available" talk over the next few weeks, starting with Tuesday's session at the Cousins Center. As usual, the Bucks won't officially announce who is showing up until the morning of the workout, but Gery Woelfel tweets that first round prospect Glen Rice Jr. (SF/SG, D-League), James Southerland (Syracuse, SF) and Will Clyburn (Iowa State, SF/PF) will be among the guys in town. Let's do a quick review of the guys who have been rumored to have workouts planned in Milwaukee: Dennis Schröder, PG, GermanyThe 19-year-old German impressed at the recent Nike Hoops Summit and has been compared to a lesser Rajon Rondo for his quickness, defense and playmaking; it's unclear if he's in Rondo's ballpark when it comes to general weirdness but being German will presumably help on that front. Charles Gardner writes that Schröder plans to work out for the Bucks (around June 1) in addition to the Rockets and Jazz. But expect that list to grow plenty. A potential Brandon Jennings replacement, or a potential Brandon Jennings backup? Choose your own adventure, friends. Michael Carter-Williams, PG/SG, SyracuseMCW is one of the draft's more polarizing figures: his tremendous size, athleticism and playmaking abilities give him top five potential, but his inability to score and general inconsistency could allow him to slip into the Bucks' range. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, GeorgiaA breakout sophomore campaign helped Caldwell-Pope establish himself as one of the draft's best perimeter shooters and scorers, though his perceived lack of handle/driving game has kept him out of most lottery projections thus far. Still, he's a unique talent in that he can shoot and make plays defensively (7.1 rpg, 2.0 spg), two things the Bucks could use in a young shooting guard. Jamaal Franklin, SG/SF, San Diego StateFranklin's scoring inefficiency scares me (40.4% shooting at 27.9% from deep...basically Monta Ellis numbers), but his athleticism and versatility on both ends are difficult to deny. Boasting an exceptional 6'11.25" wingspan, the 6'5" wing led SDSU in scoring, rebounding (9.4!), assists (3.3) and steals (1.6). He's certainly flawed as a scorer, but I'm still interested. Glen Rice Jr., SF/SG, D-League Rio Grande Vipers / Georgia TechAs Dan previously wrote, Rice is one of the most intriguing players in the draft--for better or worse. He interviewed with the Bucks in Chicago and Gery Woelfel writes that he's also expecting to be in town for a workout. Rice can shoot (thanks Dad!), jump (40.5" max vert) and annihilated the D-League late last season in leading Rio Grande to the title, so there's reason to believe he can come in and contribute now and in the future. But the mere fact that he needed a D-League detour to begin with is a major cause for concern, as he was kicked off the Georgia Tech team and enters the draft as a slightly older prospect (22). Gorgui Dieng, PF/C, LousivilleDieng actually reminds me a bit of Ekpe Udoh in that both entered the draft as 23-year-old defensive big men who also flashed some abilities from the mid-post. That means he'd also be a rather

I have attached a link to an article about Lebron James. I know that Lebron has a polarizing effect. You either like him, or you don't. This article deals with some things he has said during the current playoff run. This seems to be relevant since they will be taking on the Indiana Pacers. What do you guys think? Do you think his attitude will affect the outcome of this series in any way? http://sportsfansnews.com/nba/lebron-takes-exception-to-coachs-comments-but-why/ I have attached a link to an article about Lebron James. I know that Lebron has a polarizing effect. You either like him, or you don't. This article deals with some things he has said during the current playoff run. This seems to be relevant since they will be taking on the Indiana Pacers. What do you guys think? Do you think his attitude will affect the outcome of this series in any way? http://sportsfansnews.com/nba/lebron-takes-exception-to-coachs-comments-but-why/

The Suns were not very good with basketballs this year so now they get to take their crack at ping-pong balls. The projected prizes in this draft, albeit no sure things, come in the top three spots. That makes having the fourth-best draft lottery odds a bad fit for the drawing (5:25 tonight on ESPN).

It has been about a month since the 2012-13 season concluded. I don’t know about you, but I miss our Utah Jazz. Desperately. That said, we are in the midst of one of the most intriguing off-seasons in franchise history. With the NBA Draft next month, followed by free agency in July, there will be a lot going on over the next few months. Here are some random thoughts: Tomorrow is the NBA Draft Lottery. The odds are certainly not in our favor– 0.5%. A team in the 14th slot has never moved up to #1, but as the cliche goes, there’s a first time for everything. FYI, the two teams with the lowest probability of nabbing the top pick but ended up doing so were the 1993 Orlando Magic (1.52%, resulting in Chris Webber, who of course was traded for Anfernee Hardaway) and the 2008 Chicago Bulls (1.7%, which ended up becoming MVP Derrick Rose).  Just two years ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers (via the horrific Los Angeles Clippers trade) saw a 2.8% probability become NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving. Last week’s NBA Draft Combine featuring many interesting players. For some amazing coverage, make sure to visit SLCDunk.com. Two of our friends at that site were able to attend the combine, sharing excellent insights and observations, while managing to interview some of said interesting prospects. No one knew who Dennis Schroeder was a month ago, but now he has become one of the most intriguing names out there, especially amongst Jazz fans.  The German point guard has good size (6′2″), a monstrous wingspan (6′7″), huge hands, blazing quickness, and he seems to pride himself on defense. Oh, and there were some insights shared by NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper: Schroeder has Utah as one of his preferred destinations. It’ll be interesting to see what happens on this front over the next month. He’ll be working out for the Jazz sometime soon and I imagine there will be other teams who will be inviting him to town, including another team looking for point guard help in the Dallas Mavericks. Other names that have me thinking: Rudy Gobert, Shane Larkin, Myck Kabongo, Tony Snell, Kelly Olynyk. Jeff Hornacek is drawing interest from Charlotte, Phoenix, and Philadelphia for their head coaching vacancies. As is the case with all our current free agents (Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Mo Williams, Randy Foye, Earl Watson, Jamaal Tinsley, DeMarre Carroll, Jerel McNeal, and potentially Kevin Murphy), I hope nothing but the best for Jeff–whether it is in Utah or elsewhere.

Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider) takes a look at who the Portland Trail Blazers would select if they jump up from the No. 10 slot into one of the top-three spots when the 2013 NBA Draft Lottery drawing is conducted on Tuesday. First choice: Ben McLemore (1.1 percent) Second choice: Victor Oladipo (1.3 percent) Third choice: Nerlens Noel (1.6 percent) Analysis: The Blazers are still recovering from the last time they had the No. 1 pick in 2007. They selected Greg Oden over Kevin Durant (and, by the way, so would have all 30 GMs in the league), and the rest is history. Durant became the second-best player in the NBA behind James and Oden has played a total of 82 games since the 2007-08 season. If they're fortunate enough to get the pick again, would they really gamble on a guy who is coming off ACL surgery? I'm told yes ... but I'm not sure Neil Olshey could really do that to Blazers fans. The team could still also use more help in the backcourt. McLemore has one of the best strokes in college basketball. Oladipo could provide some lockdown defense next to Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard. Ford wrote earlier this year that he expected the Blazers to take McLemore No. 1 overall if given the opportunity. The Blazers were linked to rumored interest in Oladipo last week. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter