Melo came in shooting 41.3 percent in the first five games of the series -- he finished tonight's game 15-of-29 from the field and 8-of-8 from the FT line, but it wasn't enough to force Game 7. The reigning scoring champ is likely to have a familiar supporting cast next season -- Kenyon Martin is New York's biggest unrestricted free agent, while J.R. Smith has a $2.9 million player option, Chris Copeland will likely be a restricted free agent, and Pablo Prigioni has an affordable qualifying offer.
Melo scores 39 points in season-ending defeat
Carmelo Anthony | NY
(May 18, 2013 11:50 PM EDT)
Carmelo Anthony poured in a game-high 39 points in a futile effort on Saturday, as the Knicks' season ended with a physical Game 6 loss vs. the Pacers.
J.R. Smith goes out with a whisper vs. Pacers
J.R. Smith | NY
(May 18, 2013 11:43 PM EDT)
J.R. Smith finished the Knicks' season-ending Game 6 loss with 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting, 10 rebounds, and three assists.
Smith came in shooting 29.6 percent in the series but that didn't prevent him from launching nine 3-pointers, only two of which found their mark. His lousy playoffs may dim his value as a free agent this summer, but it is considered "very, very likely" that the 2013 Sixth-Man of the Year will decline his $2.9 million player option and test free agency this summer.
Source:
SheridanHoops.com
Pacers defeat Knicks, advance to face Miami
George Hill | IND
(May 18, 2013 11:39 PM EDT)
George Hill (concussion) played 42 minutes in Saturday's series-clinching victory, scoring 12 points with five rebounds and four assists.
Hill suffered his concussion during Game 5 on Thursday, but he cleared the NBA's rigorous post-concussion protocol very quickly. He shot just 2-of-10 from the field, but as usual he made his free throws (7-of-7), played strong defense, and committed just one turnover -- he boasted a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio this season, ahead of Deron Williams but just behind Rajon Rondo and Greivis Vasquez.
Kevin Garnett won't need foot/ankle surgery
Kevin Garnett | BOS
(May 18, 2013 12:48 PM EDT)
Kevin Garnett is not expected to need surgery on his foot/ankle.
The Celtics' medical staff thinks Garnett's injury issues will subside with rest, which is the first of three big offseason question marks for KG. The second and third ones, of course, are whether Garnett, who turns 37 on Sunday, will return to play next season and if that will be for the Celtics. It's unlikely Garnett will remain with Boston if Paul Pierce heads elsewhere and Pierce's future with the Celtics appears very tenuous at this point.
Source:
Steve Bulpett on Twitter
Dwyane Wade says rest won't help bone bruises
Dwyane Wade | MIA
(May 18, 2013 11:37 AM EDT)
Dwyane Wade said Friday that extra rest won't help his bone bruises heal.
"It is what it is. I had 10 days off last time," Wade said of Miami's break after the first round. "It really doesn't matter." The Heat were guaranteed two extra days off by eliminating the Heat in five games, the last of which Wade had to leave briefly in order to have his knee worked on in the locker room. The bottom line is there's no way Wade will be 100 percent again before next season. Truth be told, he's likely at his career where he'll constantly be dealing with some sort of knee injury at this time of the season. We expect Wade to suit up for Game 1 on the conference finals, but anything after that is a guess.
Source:
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Report: Raptors targeting Nuggets GM Ujiri
Dwane Casey | TOR
(May 18, 2013 11:13 AM EDT)
The Raptors are targeting Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri to run their basketball operations, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
This comes one day after the Toronto Star reported that Maple League Sports & Entertainment has until Monday to decide whether to pick up the option on GM Bryan Colangelo's contract. Ujiri was named 2013 Executive of the Year by the NBA only nine days ago but is without a contract beyond this summer. The Nuggets have said they're not concerned about keeping him, knowing full well they'll likely have to pay the price to do so. However, Ujiri spent three years in Toronto's front office before heading to Denver and sources tell Yahoo! that could make this a difficult decision for him.
Source:
Yahoo! Sports
Report: Nets to wait to talk to Shaw, Hollins
Deron Williams | BKN
(May 18, 2013 10:38 AM EDT)
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post expects the Nets to interview Pacers associate coach Brian Shaw and Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins once their respective playoff runs are over.
The Nets have been relatively quiet in their search to replace interim coach P.J. Carlesimo. There were reports of interest in Phil Jackson but the Zen Master dismissed those through back channels. Both Shaw and Hollins figure to be extremely popular names on the coaching market once they're available, although we can't imagine Memphis letting Hollins go with the Grizzlies currently in the Western Conference finals.
Source:
New York Post
Report: Bobcats are changing name to Hornets
Michael Jordan | CHA
(May 18, 2013 9:22 AM EDT)
The Bobcats started the process of changing their name to Hornet, a source with knowledge of the situation told Will Brinson of CBS Sports.
This isn't exactly a surprise. Once the Hornets changed their names to Pelicans, there were multiple reports the Bobcats were at least exploring the idea of returning to the name of the franchise that played in Charlotte from 1988 to 2002. According to Brinson, there's no timeline for the change but commissioner-in-waiting Adam Silver said in April that such a process can at least 18 months.
Source:
CBS Sports
Johnson announces Kings' sale deal is signed
Keith Smart | SAC
(May 17, 2013 4:50 PM EDT)
Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson announced Friday the deal to sell the Kings to a group led by Vivek Ranadive has been signed.
All that's left now is for the NBA to rubber stamp the deal, which should happen sometime next week. Once that's done, Ranadive's group will begin laying out plans for a new arena in Sacramento and likely part ways with GM Geoff Petrie and coach Keith Smart. Not only are the Kings staying put, but it looks like a new day is dawning in Sacramento.
Source:
ESPN.com
Phil Jackson confirms interest in Seattle job
Phil Jackson | LAK
(May 17, 2013 4:39 PM EDT)
Phil Jackson confirmed on "The Tonight Show" on Thursday night that he had interest in joining the Kings' front office if the franchise relocated to Seattle.
The mutual interest between Jackson and Chris Hansen, who headed the group trying to move the Kings, had become one of the league's worst-kept secret. However, the NBA rejected the move and the Kings were sold to a group that will keep them in Sacramento, which Jackson said doesn't interest him. It also seems unlikely Jackson will be joining the Raptors front office, which had been one of the rumored landing spots for the former Lakers and Bulls coach. One thing that is clear is Jackson is very much interested in returning to the NBA in one form or another. Stay tuned.
Source:
Los Angeles Times