With Andrew Wiggins joining Kansas, the Jayhawks should stay at the Top of the Big 12. But the projection for West Virginia, Kansas St., and Oklahoma is entirely different from last season. Read More. Written by Dan Hanner on May 19, 2013
Tyus Jones, the No. 2 overall recruit for 2014 and an excellent point guard, was selected by Paul Biancardi, Adam Finkelstein and John Stovall. Read More.
The event gives front offices the opportunity to evaluate D-League players with the possibility of offering Summer League or training camp invites. Read More.
Tyus Jones, the No. 2 overall recruit for 2014 and an excellent point guard, was selected by Paul Biancardi, Adam Finkelstein and John Stovall. Read More.
After a breakout season in Europe, Gani Lawal has intrigued NBA teams and could receive consideration for a contract, league sources told RealGM.
Lawal has already scheduled workouts – private and as part of mini-camps – with the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic, sources said. Four to five other teams have discussed bringing him in to work out, too.
Lawal, the 6-foot-9 athletic, scrappy forward, had his best professional season with Italy’s Virtus Roma, averaging 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. Virtus Roma has gone 20-10 this season and ranks third in the league standings.
Since leaving the Phoenix Suns organization that drafted him in the second round in 2010, Lawal, 24, has lost weight and added strength. Lawal played one game with the Suns two seasons ago and was in the San Antonio Spurs’ training camp in 2011, but he was derailed by injuries and didn’t figure into a long-term plan. He was drafted after three years at Georgia Tech.
Tim Leiweke doesn't officially begin his tenure as president of the Toronto Raptors until June 30, but he will have influence over the MLSE board's decision on whether to pick up Bryan Colangelo's contract option for the 13-14 NBA season at a mid-May meeting.
It had been assumed that the Raptors would give Colangelo and Dwane Casey one more season to produce better results, but the situation has presumably changed due to the presence of Leiweke.
Phil Jackson is one candidate to take over the Raptors' front office.
Phil Jackson is prepared to listen to a pitch from the Toronto Raptors about taking a lead role in their basketball operations, but a source says that he wants to listen to options from other teams as well.
Jackson would prefer an advisory role similar to Jerry West's current position with the Golden State Warriors rather than a more active role similar to Pat Riley with the Miami Heat.
Multiple sources doubt whether Jackson would be satisfied by a position with the Raptors. A similar position with the Charlotte Bobcats was not initially appealing to Jackson.
Jackson would seek a situation where he can hire a head coach that would implement his vision.
Speculation that Jackson could end up with the Raptors increased with the hiring of Tim Leiweke, former CEO of AEG.
"He's very well-connected in the league and he has to rebuild that franchise," a league source said of Leiweke. "... He's about championships. They didn't just bring him in there to mind the house."
Sources told ESPN that the Raptors perceived the Seattle-based ownership group that has been attempting to purchase the Kings as the Raptors' biggest threat for Jackson.
Tim Leiweke has been named president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
MLSE owns the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Leiweke was previously president of AEG, which runs Staples Center amongst many other venues.
ESPN's Marc Stein reports that he heard rumors of the Raptors having interest in hiring Phil Jackson as team president. Leiweke and Jackson are familiar with one another from their time in Los Angeles over the past decade.
Andrea Bargnani has $22.5 million remaining on his contract and sources say the Toronto Raptors would likely have to include an asset in order to trade him.
The Raptors pursued a trade of Bargnani throughout the season, something Bryan Colangelo even admitted.
Bargnani signed a $50 million extension with the Raptors in July of 2009.
Bryan Colangelo does not have a contract for the 13-14 NBA season, but sources say the MLSE board is unlikely to consider a regime change.
Colangelo had instant success with the Toronto Raptors and won Executive of the Year in 2007, but the team hasn't been back to the playoffs since 2008.
Colangelo and the Raptors were unable to successfully build around Chris Bosh and haven't been bad enough since his departure to draft a franchise player as a replacement.
The Raptors improved their winning percentage from .348 in 11-12 to .415 this season, adding Rudy Gay, Jonas Valanciunas and Kyle Lowry to their roster over the past 12 months.