Olshey: Lillard a ‘Franchise point guard’

Damian Lillard is an NBA paradox, a relative unknown on the national stage during a 4-year college career who will enter his first fall training camp with the greatest of expectations.

“We found our franchise point guard,” Portland Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey said of Lillard, a 21-year-old from Weber State, shortly after selecting him with the No. 6 pick in June’s NBA Draft.

Lillard’s leap from “Have you ever heard of…?” to potentially being the face of a rebuilding franchise lacks a clear recent precedent. A survey of the league’s current franchise point guards bears little similarity to Lillard’s background. Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving came out of the blue blood ACC. Deron Williams played in an NCAA title game while at Illinois. Derrick Rose played for John Calipari (enough said). The enigmatic Rajon Rondo went to Kentucky and Russell Westbrook, often cited an off-the-radar recruit, wound up attending a little program known as UCLA.

Grizzlies Re-Sign Hamed Haddadi

The Grizzlies wanted to add more size to their frontcourt, and did so Saturday with a familiar face.

They finalized a two-year contract with Hamed Haddadi, re-signing the 7-2 backup center in a move that was expected and will likely conclude the team’s offseason dealings.

Haddadi will earn between $1 million and $1.3 million for the 2012-13 season — his fifth with the Grizzlies. The second year of his contract is partially guaranteed.

“We’ve invested four years in Hamed. We have continuity with him,” Griz general manager Chris Wallace said.

Bucks Considers Guard Jodie Meeks?

The Bucks explored the possibility of signing unrestricted free agent guard Jodie Meeks.

The Bucks selected Meeks in the second round of the 2009 draft before trading him that season to Philadelphia, where he has been a part-time starter since.

Meeks, who averaged 8.4 points last season, has drawn interest from several teams with the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers apparently at the forefront.

Are Big Men Being Overpaid in the NBA?

When Omer Asik is getting $25 million, you know the NBA is desperate for big men.

Nothing against Asik, a serviceable center who left the Bulls in free agency to sign a four-year contract with the Rockets. Then again, we’re talking about a guy who sports career averages of 2.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

But Asik is a true 7-footer, a hustling post player with an upside. And in today’s market, that really seems to count for a lot.

Nor is Asik the lone big man to have hit the jackpot this summer. Roy Hibbert (Pacers), Chris Kaman (Mavericks), JaVale McGee (Nuggets), and Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries (Nets) all received large and lengthy contracts. Even old standbys such as Kevin Garnett (Celtics) and Tim Duncan (Spurs) pocketed some serious cash – despite the fact each is viewed as a little past his prime. Or at least, no longer a legitimate reason to watch pro basketball in prime time.

James Harden: I’m Open to Joining Suns

A flicker of hope for Valley basketball fans:

Former Arizona State star James Harden would consider signing with the Suns if his contract expires after next season.

“Yeah,” he said. “Of course. I love it there. My mom lives there still. So that’s definitely my second home as far as my comfort level and going to school there. But obviously, I’m with the Thunder right now and what we have is special.”

This off-season, the team has a window of opportunity to extend Harden and Serge Ibaka, but league salary-cap restrictions and harsh luxury-tax penalties will make it difficult to sign both. At the least, it would require great sacrifice from the players involved.

If no deal is reached, Harden would become a restricted free agent after next season. A team such as the Suns could then make it hard on Oklahoma City by signing him to a lucrative offer sheet.

“That’s out of my hands,” Harden said. “That’s not my decision. That’s the front office. I’ll let them decide that.”

Magic Hire Jacque Vaughn As Head Coach

The Orlando Magic have hired Jacque Vaughn as their new head coach.

A team official said the Magic will hold a news conference Monday afternoon to introduce Vaughn, a former NBA point guard who spent the past two seasons as a San Antonio Spurs assistant coach.

Vaughn will take over a team that is expected to trade superstar Dwight Howard, go into rebuilding mode and begin to emphasize developing young players.

Vaughn, 37, is widely viewed within NBA circles as bright, hard-working and organized.

But, at the same time, some league insiders have noted that he brings limited coaching experience.

After retiring as a player in 2009, Vaughn was hired in 2010 by the Spurs as an assistant coach, working under Greg Poppovich.

D’Antoni Interested in Coaching College?

(Mike) D’Antoni, 61, never envisioned himself as a college coach. He can be stubborn and headstrong, and he badly wanted to prove his system could work in the NBA. But in the process of taking his son on college visits, his perspective began to change.

“You think about it,” D’Antoni said. “You look at it and think, ‘Oh, that could be fun.’ One thing I do know from taking my son around is that anytime you step on a college campus, you feel energy. You feel an excitement that’s not there, normally, where the business (of basketball) takes over. And obviously, when you feel the excitement; things go through your head.”

via Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic