- Indiana proved themselves to be a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference this season. However, if there was one glaring weakness with this Pacers team, it would have to be with their perimeter shooting.
The Pacers front office knows this and, according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, are prepared to heavily recruit sharpshooters Kyle Korver and J.J. Redick to bolster the offense. The 32-year-old Korver is coming off a season in which he averaged 10.9 points and 4.0 rebounds for the Atlanta Hawks and also finished second in the league with a .457% three point percentage. Redick, 28, was traded from Orlando to Milwaukee at the trade deadline. He averaged 14.1 points per game along with 3.8 assists over the course of the 2012-2013 season. While Korver would offer the Pacers more size off of the bench, he is not capable of facilitating in spurts like Redick is.
Even though David West’s contract is set to expire, both he and the team expect to work out a new deal over the summer. Meanwhile, reserves D.J. Augustin and Tyler Hansbrough will both become free agents and are considered to be replaceable.
- The NBA has come out with a new award to recognize the league’s best teammate. Steve Aschburner of NBA.com reports that the league will unveil the Twyman-Stokes award before Game 2 of the Finals. The 12 candidates for the award were selected by NBA legends on a criteria of selfless play, leadership, role as a mentor, and dedication to his team. Finalists for the inaugural Twyman/Stokes Award were Jerry Stackhouse (Brooklyn Nets), Luke Walton(Cleveland Cavaliers), Andre Iguodala (Denver Nuggets), Jarrett Jack (Golden State Warriors), Roy Hibbert (Indiana Pacers), Chauncey Billups (Los Angeles Clippers), Shane Battier (Miami Heat), Roger Mason, Jr. (New Orleans Hornets), Jason Kidd (New York Knicks), Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City Thunder), Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs), and Emeka Okafor (Washington Wizards).
- While Danny Ainge has publicly said that he expects Doc Rivers to be back in Boston next season
, Rivers has yet to formally announce his return. According to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, Rivers is waiting on Ainge to decide the fates of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett before he fully commits to remaining as the head coach of the Boston Celtics. Rivers is one of the league’s most respected coaches and understandably does not want to sit through a rebuilding effort in Boston when so many other playoff teams have coaching vacancies. Ainge has to renew Pierce’s contract by June 30 for him to remain with the team. The overwhelming sentiment surround the team is that Ainge will renew the contract but will subsequently trade Pierce for assets and cap relief. Sources close to the situation also insist that if Pierce leaves, Garnett will either seek a trade to a contender or retire. Rivers is very close to both Pierce and Garnett.
- Depending on whether Andre Iguodala decides to return to Denver, the Nuggets could very well have the most enticing roster among the current group of teams in search for a head coach. With Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, JaVale McGee, and Wilson Chandler all locked up under long term deals, Denver rightfully believes they can contend in the Western Conference for years to come. The Denver Post’s Benjamin Hochman reports that the Nuggets have received permission to interview Brian Shaw and Lionel Hollins for their head coaching vacancy. Shaw and Hollins are considered to be two of the most sought after coaches on the market and Denver might have the luxury of being able to pick which one they want to hire. Meanwhile, reports out of New York suggest that the Nets’ vacancy is Shaw’s to have if Shaw wants it.
- Shane Battier has been
mired in a terrible shooting slump for much of the postseason and has seen his playing time diminish considerably as the Heat have advanced. However, Battier is still considered to be one of the league’s best teammates and is a valuable leader in Miami’s locker room. Battier acknowledged yesterday that there is a strong possibility that he is coming toward the end of his career. Battier has one year left on his contract after the season ends and told USA Today’s Alex Kennedy that he could retire once his contract expires “I think I have one more year. My contract is up next year, and I’ll reassess where I am, but we’ll see. It’s a good possibility, a good possibility. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, and everything in this league is negotiable, but at that point I’ll be 36 and it may be time to do something else.”
