Roy Hibbert averaged 12.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 29.8 minutes per game in 2011-12.1. Decision time: After the Pacers took Duke's Miles Plumlee with their first-round pick, at No. 26, in last week's draft, the reaction in Indiana was mixed -- between puzzled and angry. A typical comment on the Indianapolis Star website:
"I have a three year old at home who could have made a better selection than this. Terrible!"
It wasn't just the comments crowd, but also Star columnist Bob Kravitz, who concluded: "I don't get it."
But someone did stand up for the Pacers' pick. The next day, Pacers center Roy Hibbert took to Twitter to defend Plumlee, writing: "Y'all still mad about the draft last night.... Well get over it. Miles is a good player y'all will see."
What also remains to be seen is if Hibbert ever plays with Plumlee with the Pacers. As everyone in Portland knows, the Blazers have come to an agreement on a four-year, $58 million offer sheet with Hibbert, a restricted free agent. Once he signs the sheet on July 11, Indiana gets 72 hours to either match or let the All-Star center join the Blazers.
As you might imagine, there's a mix of emotions in Indiana. The Pacers are exploring Plan B's, starting with Chris Kaman, with the whom Indiana officials "hit it off" during a meeting, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
Meanwhile, there's even mixed opinion about Hibbert among the Star writers. Beat writer Mike Wells went on KXTG radio in Portland and told Brian Berger he believes Hibbert will be wearing a Blazers jersey next season. But Kravitz weighed in this morning with a column in which he said the Pacers have no choice but to pay Hibbert.
In many ways, it would be a shame if Hibbert leaves Indiana, which got him during the 2008 draft in a trade with Toronto, which took him at No. 17. Hibbert developed with the Pacers, improving every season until he made the All-Star Game this year.
Hibbert is considered a solid franchise and community guy in Indiana, and even appeared in two episodes of the NBC comedy "Parks and Recreation," (including this one; go to the 7:30 mark to see Hibbert handing out shrimp). The show is set in Pawnee, Ind., showing how Hibbert has become integrated in the state.
Of course, if he lands with the Blazers, there's always "Portlandia," as Lamarcus Aldridge showed in his guest stint on the IFC show.
2. Instant reboot: Has any new general manager made the kind of immediate impact that Danny Ferry did with Atlanta? He was hired last Wednesday, and on Monday Ferry completely transformed the franchise by trading away two of the most symbolic players in Hawks history.
He dealt forward Marvin Williams to Utah for point guard Devin Harris. In 2005, Atlanta drafted Williams with the second pick. That was in a draft in which Deron Williams and Chris Paul were taken directly after him (Of course, the Blazers can say the same about the No. 3 pick, which they dealt for picks that became Martell Webster and Jarrett Jack).
Williams had an OK seven seasons in Atlanta, but never panned out into the kind of special player you hope to get with the second pick.
Ferry also pulled off an even bigger deal, sending guard Joe Johnson to Brooklyn for (deep breath here) Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar, DeShawn Stevenson, Jordan Williams, Johan Petro and a lottery-protected first-round pick. Johnson has four years and about $87 million left on his contract.
The trades are turn-the-page moves meant to take Atlanta into its next phase, with much more financial flexibility. The Journal-Constitution's Michael Cunningham reports that Atlanta sent out about $100 million in future salary and took back $25 million.
Joe Johnson is a very good player, with six All-Star Games under his belt. He is often compared to Brandon Roy (a healthy one, anyway) as they are similar in size and have similar games. But there's a real difference in body language and demeanor between them. Roy, at his best, oozed positivity. Johnson always seems in a perpetual frown or scowl, and the mood he set always seemed to infect the rest of the team.
Broadcaster Vince Cellini sent out a telling tweet about Johnson, especially considering Cellini does work for NBA-TV. Cellini writes:
"Spent an entire season covering and traveling with the Hawks and Joe Johnson never said a word to me. Not hello, you suck..nothing."Well, that's Brooklyn's problem now. The Hawks might get a little worse, but at least they have a chance to start over and build around Al Horford, an All-Star and the one player who seemed immune to the team's weird moodiness.
Dwight Howard has asked to be traded to the Nets.Meanwhile, Orlando has apparently explored trades to send Howard to Brooklyn, in a very complicated deal involving sign-and-trades for Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez, plus Marshon Brooks and multiple first-round picks, CBSSports.com's Ken Berger reports.
The Nets could sweeten the deal by taking back Hedo Turkoglu -- or rather, his contract, which has $23.8 million and two years left on it.
But the urgency to make that deal rests with the Nets, not Orlando. The Magic, in fact, might be leaning another way. Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Orlando is turning its focus to a deal that would bring it Lakers center Andrew Bynum.
Wojnarowski adds that Magic GM Rob Hennigan would want more than just Bynum, but also draft picks and the Lakers taking back another high-salaried player (presumably Turkoglu, or even Jason Richardson). It's interesting that, even with Bynum's rise this season, the league's two best centers aren't seen as equals quite yet.
4. Strategery: Toronto has agreed to a three-year, $20 million offer sheet on restricted free agent Landry Fields. Why would the Raptors spend that much money on Fields?
Steve Nash.
The Raptors desperately want to sign Nash, who for national reasons would be a huge get. They offered him a three-year, $36 million deal.
The Knicks -- Fields' team -- want Nash, too. But they are a little more handcuffed by the salary cap. As CBSSports.com's Matt Moore explains, the Raptors eliminated the Knicks' ability to get Nash in a sign-and-trade with Phoenix.
There was talk that such a deal would send Fields to Phoenix. However, any player who stays with a team after it matches an offer sheet to keep him cannot be used in a sign-and-trade. So if the Raptors manage to get Nash, the Fields offer sheet will have been a pretty slick screen they set.
5. Old home, fresh start: With Neil Olshey gone and trying to remake the Blazers, the Clippers have hardly been sitting on their hands without a general manager. On Monday, they introduced Lamar Odom, who joined them -- after his horrible stint in Dallas -- via a four-team trade in which the Clippers sent Mo Williams to Utah.
Odom has one season and $8.2 million left on his contract, but only $2.4 million is guaranteed, making him a reasonable risk. If being back in Los Angeles gets him going, great. If he reverts to his disinterested Dallas mindset, well, it's a not a long-term issue.
Meanwhile, Jamal Crawford, who decided not to exercise his $5.2 million player option with the Blazers, could also join in. The L.A. Times' Broderick Turner reports that Crawford is in Los Angeles today to meet the Clippers officials, with L.A. planning to offer a three-year deal at the mid-level exception, worth about $5 million per season.
The Clippers are in a win-now mode, but they also have to show that they will be viable contenders for a few years to entice their two franchise guys to return. Point guard Chris Paul has one year left on his deal, and Blake Griffin is eligible for an extension. The Times' Turner reported that Griffin intends to sign a five-year, $95 million deal, but Paul turned down the team's three-year, $60 million offer, preferring to wait until next summer.
Things have been quiet on the Clippers' search for Olshey's replacement, with only Kiki Vandeweghe having interviewed.
-- Mike Tokito
