Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Coaching Rumors: Woodson, Del Negro, Magic

May 22nd, 2012 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

Another job on an NBA bench opened up yesterday, when Orlando officially fired long-time coach Stan Van Gundy. The Magic and the Bobcats are now the only two clubs searching for a new head coach, but there's no guarantee they won't be joined by another couple teams as the offseason progresses. Here are the latest updates on the NBA's coaching carousel:

  • After a report yesterday indicated that Mike Woodson and the Knicks were nearing an agreement, Marc Berman of the New York Post says the deal should be announced sometime "this week."
  • Clippers GM Neil Olshey hasn't committed one way or the other to bringing back Vinny Del Negro for next season, as Billy Witz of FOX Sports writes. However, a source tells Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld that he believes the Clips will explore other coaching options.
  • Van Gundy will be in demand, and the next team to hire him will be very lucky, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz adds though that Van Gundy is leaning toward sitting out next season.
  • Charley Rosen of HoopsHype examines some potential candidates to replace Van Gundy in Orlando, noting that Nate McMillan could be the best fit for the Magic.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Adam Morrison Seeking NBA Comeback

May 22nd, 2012 at 9:20am CST by Luke Adams

Former third overall pick Adam Morrison hasn't played an NBA game since April 2010, but he hopes to change that this fall, as he tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Morrison is participating in a Nets' mini-camp this week, in an attempt to earn an NBA contract.

"I understand I’m never going to shake being a bust or being a failure in some people’s eyes," Morrison told Kerber. "I’ve experienced a lot of highs in basketball, so I guess you could call it a hardship, but it’s really not. I get to play basketball for money. That’s pretty good."

After being drafted by the Bobcats, Morrison also saw some playing time with the Lakers, but failed to crack the Wizards' roster in the 2010/11 preseason. Most recently, the Gonzaga product played overseas for Besiktas in Turkey.

The Nets expressed interest in Morrison two years ago, but an ankle injury derailed any chance he had of signing in New Jersey. However, Nets GM Billy King watched Morrison at the team's mini-camp yesterday, and offered a few encouraging comments.

"He knows how to play. Unfortunately he didn’t have a point guard who could find him because he came off screens open," King said. "But he knows how to set himself up, come off screens. He didn’t make some shots early, but he got them to go. One thing, we know he can do that."

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Lakers Rumors: Bynum, Brown, Sessions, Gasol

May 22nd, 2012 at 8:27am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals last night, sending the Lakers to their second consecutive second-round exit. Despite the loss, Kobe Bryant vowed after the game that L.A. would be back in contention next season: "This is not one of those things like where the Bulls beat the Pistons and the Pistons disappeared forever."

Before the team returns to the court for the 2012/13 season, the Lakers will have a number of roster moves and decisions to make. Here's the latest on a few of the issues facing the club:

  • Andrew Bynum told reporters last night, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, that he's not sure what his future in Los Angeles holds. According to Bynum's agent David Lee, the ball is in the Lakers' court when it comes to talking about a contract extension for the young center.
  • Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com looks at eight questions facing the Lakers as the team prepares for the offseason. Within the piece, he suggests that coach Mike Brown won't be fired, and wonders whether Ramon Sessions will pick up his player option after a poor postseason.
  • Over the luxury-tax threshold and with only the 60th pick in the draft, the Lakers will have to make trades if they hope to improve their roster, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
  • Pau Gasol's time as a Laker will likely end soon, since he's their only logical trade chip, says Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
  • Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets that he expects the Timberwolves to get involved in Gasol trade discussions again.
  • Gasol should be the first domino to fall, but the Lakers will be faced with other decisions too, writes McMenamin.
  • For his part, Gasol doesn't think the Lakers need to significantly overhaul the roster, as he tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Gasol, Bynum, and Bryant all suggested that a full training camp would've helped the Lakers, who were adjusting to Brown's system.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Odds & Ends: Ainge, Gasol, Bird Rights, Shaw

May 21st, 2012 at 11:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

It's been a busy night both on and off the court in the NBA, as the Lakers appear to be on their way to elimination at the hands of the Thunder, while the Magic are making wholesale management changes. Here's the rest of the late-night story:

  • The Blazers have not asked for permission from the Celtics to speak with Danny Ainge about their GM opening, Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets.
  • The Rockets remain interested in trading for Pau Gasol, salary cap guru Larry Coon says, via Twitter.
  • Coon also believes the union will not prevail in its quest to secure Bird rights for players who were claimed off waivers (Twitter link). 
  • Pacers assistant Brian Shaw is drawing interest for head coaching positions elsewhere, but the Pacers place a high value on him, Chris Mannix of SI.com notes (Twitter link).
  • Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld profiles the top five vote-getters for Executive of the Year. 

 

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Draft Updates: Cunningham, Ross, Jenkins

May 21st, 2012 at 11:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

The latest draft news as we count the days to next Wednesday's lottery:

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Latest On Warriors, San Francisco

May 21st, 2012 at 10:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors will hold a press conference tomorrow to announce the team's intention to move across the bay from Oakland to San Francisco, according to Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com. Last night we passed along a report that the Warriors have finalized plans for a new arena to be ready in time for the 2017/18 season. Still, Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News cautions that owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber face an uphill battle in their pursuit.

The reported location of the arena, between Piers 30 and 32, brings into play a number of obstacles, as Purdy writes. Those include traffic, parking, and the concern that the building would block the shoreline view for the public and residents in nearby neighborhoods. The Twitter account of the Mercury News fan blog, which first reported the arena plan last night, noted that it included room for only 1,000 parking spaces, not enough for NBA arenas, which usually seat close to 20,000 people.

Purdy also cites San Francisco arena efforts dating back to the 1940s that have run up against a hostile local political climate. Steinmetz noted today that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who once had interest in buying the Warriors, scrapped plans to build on the site for the 2013 America's Cup yacht race rather than fight through regulations.  

Still, San Francisco mayor Ed Lee and all 11 city supervisors sent a letter to the Warriors last week pledging their cooperation. Purdy says there's been little doubt from the time they bought the team that Lacob and Guber wanted to make the crossbay move. There's a long way to go before the Warriors play a game in The City, but ownership seems determined to see just how far they can get.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Atlantic Rumors: Woodson, Thorn, Nets, Morrison

May 21st, 2012 at 9:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Celtics took a 3-2 lead in their series with the Sixers tonight with a 101-85 victory in Game 5. There's plenty happening off the court for Atlantic Division teams as well, so let's dive in:

  • The Knicks and interim coach Mike Woodson are nearing agreement on a long-term deal, writes Newsday's Al Iannazzone. The deal could become official in the next couple days.
  • Sixers president Rod Thorn has no intention of retiring, as Tom Moore of phillyBurbs.com writes, denying a report to the contrary Sunday by the Philadelphia Inquirer that said coach Doug Collins would take over for Thorn, with assistant coach Michael Curry replacing Collins. 
  • The Nets held a minicamp for free agents who didn't play in the NBA this past season, headlined by 2006 No. 3 overall pick Adam Morrison, as Colin Stephenson of The Star-Ledger and Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv note. Morrison and others at the camp, like Al Thornton, Hilton Armstrong and Julian Wright could wind up on Brooklyn's summer league team and audition for an invitation to join the Nets in training camp.
  • Deron Williams, who was at Nets facilities this weekend as the team worked out draft prospects, was present again during today's free agent minicamp, fueling speculation he'll re-sign with the team, as Zagoria chronicles.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Magic Rumors: Malone, Shaw, Morway, Bower

May 21st, 2012 at 8:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Big news out of Orlando today as the club has fired coach Stan Van Gundy and agreed to part ways with GM Otis Smith.  The latest on the Magic..

  • Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that plenty of executives are interested in the Magic GM job, and they aren't scared away by the Dwight Howard saga. 
  • David Baumann of Bright House Sports Network says that Lakers assistant Chuck Person is on Howard's list of preferred coaches, noting D12's preference for candidates with no head coaching experience (Twitter links, and a hat tip to Sam Amick of SI.com). That might be moot, however, if Howard still wants to leave the Magic.
  • Warriors assistant Michael Malone and Pacers assistant Brian Shaw are candidates to replace Van Gundy, tweets Sam Amick of SI.com.
  • Amick also tweets that many of the same candidates for the Blazers GM job will be in the running for the same post in Orlando, and links to a story from earlier this month specifying Pacers GM David Morway and former Hornets GM Jeff Bower as candidates for the Portland gig.
  • Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio says that the Magic had interest in signing Greg Oden, but that's likely changed in the wake of today's news (Twitter link).
  • Orlando Sentinel columnist George Diaz encourages the Magic to be "creative, aggressive and different" with their GM and coaching hires.

Read more

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Dwight Howard Still Wants Out Of Orlando

May 21st, 2012 at 7:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Despite the exit of coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith today, Dwight Howard "desperately" wants to be traded before next season, a source tells Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com. While it seemed the moves were made with Howard in mind, the superstar center wants out of Orlando now more than ever, according to the source.

Sheridan says Magic execs are expected to meet soon with Howard in Los Angeles, where he's recovering from back surgery. If he reiterates then that he wants out, Sheridan says the team is expected to try to trade him to "the highest bidder." The source says the Nets are still the frontrunner for his services, but the Mavericks, Knicks and, to a lesser degree, the Clippers and Lakers, are destinations that also appeal to Howard.

Earlier today we heard that Magic CEO Alex Martins has called for Howard to make his decision regarding his future with the club. At the trade deadline this past March, Howard declined his early termination option for next season, committing himself to the last season of his contract with the Magic. The move appears only to have been a temporary stay of the drama surrounding his rumored departure. Howard missed the playoffs for the Magic this season after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back more than a month ago. He has been rehabbing in Los Angeles and has not returned to Orlando since the operation. The Magic said earlier he's staying there because he requires frequent checkups from his doctors in L.A., but Howard's choice of locations nonetheless fueled speculation he's estranged from the team.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Reactions To The Shakeup In Orlando

May 21st, 2012 at 7:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

The news of the day has been that GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy are out of their jobs with the Magic. We're keeping an eye on the moving pieces in the wake of the team's announcement, but there's also been a fair bit of criticism of the team, particularly over its firing of Van Gundy. Here's what NBA observers are saying:

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0
Load More Posts