Celtics GM Danny Ainge wants to turn things around this summer but he’s not putting a ton of pressure on himself, writes Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. “I understand that we have an opportunity [this summer], but we’ve still got to find trading partners. I don’t think people understand how difficult trades can be sometimes,” Ainge said. Here’s more out of the Atlantic, including an update on the Knicks‘ coaching search..
- Derek Fisher confirmed today that he won’t speak with Phil Jackson about the Knicks‘ head coaching job until the playoffs are through, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. “Obviously (Jackson) is busy in terms of trying to make the changes he needs to make there, but I have a day job as well and I think he respects that more than anybody,” Fisher told reporters in San Antonio. “He taught me a lot about how to operate during this time of year.”
- Former Knicks coach Mike Woodson told ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike that he would like to coach again in the NBA “extremely quick,” tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY. While other coaches who got the axe this offseason, like Mark Jackson, are content to do other things, Woodson is champing at the bit to get back in the game.
- As they enter an offseason of uncertainty, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post looks at five questions the Nets must answer. Aside from the obvious – the uncertain futures of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce – the Nets also have to worry about keeping free agent Shaun Livingston. After the season he had, the mini mid-level exception of $10MM over three years might not be enough to keep him in Brooklyn.