George to set Pace of moves
AT LEAST Paul George gets to make the last-second, game-winning shot in a Gatorade commercial. In real life…not so much.
George is 0-for-15 for his career in the final 20 seconds to give his team the lead. That doesn’t include the potential game-tying 3-pointer he missed in the final second of Sunday’s loss to Cleveland, which could be George’s final shot with the Indiana Pacers.
George declined to discuss his future following Cleveland’s four-game sweep even though the worst-kept secret in the NBA is that George, who will be a free agent next summer, would like to relocate to Los Angeles and play for the Lakers. George, despite his late-game failings, is still an elite talent who doesn’t turn 27 until next Tuesday. He has plenty to offer and thus, with all due respect to Carmelo Anthony, George will be the most highly sought after forward this summer.
The Lakers, with Magic Johnson running the show, will go hard after George, but they’re not going to go overboard considering they can just sign George next summer as a free agent. Johnson is dreaming big; he covets both George and UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball.
It’s a nice plan, but a lot of things have to fall in place for that to happen. The Lakers are in a difficult position because if they don’t finish in the top three in next month’s NBA Draft Lottery, that pick goes to Philadelphia. But George eventually ending up in purple and gold is still a very real possibility.
The Pacers spoke with the Boston Celtics about George before the February trade deadline. It makes perfect sense; Boston GM Danny Ainge and Pacers president Larry Bird are friends and former teammates. The Celtics have the assets to pull off a deal of that magnitude, but George also has the ability to let Boston know that he won’t sign a long-term extension.
The Clippers appear to be the perfect landing spot for George; it’s L.A. with an All Star point guard. George and Chris Paul would be lethal. But a sign-andtrade with Blake Griffin going to Indiana isn’t happening. If anything, Griffin ends up in Miami or perhaps Boston.
If Griffin leaves and George is not a legitimate option, the Clippers would certainly love to add Carmelo, who presumably would agree to play with Paul, his buddy. The Knicks, however, wouldn't be getting much in return except for undesirable contracts.
What most of the teams interested in Carmelo are hoping for is a buyout, which may be a longshot until you remember that Stephon Marbury and Amare Stoudemire ended their Knicks careers in similar fashion. If Carmelo ever became a free agent, Cleveland and the Clippers would be obvious suitors.
But nothing happens until Paul George’s future is determined. The Summer of George has begun.
PAT-TERN OF SUCCESS
Wright Thompson’s terrific story about Pat Riley in ESPN the Magazine reveals that the Miami Heat president is as determined as ever to win one more NBA Championship before he rides off into the Malibu sunset.
Don’t bet against him. Riley has rebuilt the Heat several times during his two decades in Miami and he has both the know-how and drive to make it happen again.
Always remember that Miami is the prime free-agent destination: great weather, winning tradition, no state income tax and a great organization that is committed to winning. The piece includes an anecdote from March about the Heat finally moving into eighth place in the Eastern Conference on the day that Riley, a tireless worker, headed out west to scout NCAA Tournament games.
Hopefully, Phil Jackson took notice because to be great at the job you have to leave your comfort zone and hit the road. Scouting is a crucial part of the job. As is taking a backseat and allowing your hand-picked coach to run the team.
Riley lost 88 games in his first three years in Miami and reached the conference finals by Year 2. Jackson has lost 166 games in three years and hasn’t come close to sniffing eighth place.
BEVERLEY ROW
Interesting: Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley was fined $25,000 by the NBA for getting into a verbal altercation with a fan, Stuart Scaramucci, who was identified as the son of Oklahoma City Thunder minority owner Jay Scaramucci, while Knicks owner James Dolan didn’t even receive a slap on the wrist for his verbal altercation with a fan... Celtics and SiriusXM NBA Radio broadcaster Brian Scalabrine will add either Marbury or Nate Robinson to his 3-on-3 team. A couple of other former Knicks, Latrell Sprewell and Charles Oakley, are also expected to play in the newly formed 3-on-3 league.