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Jacque Vaughn Withdraws From Head Coaching Searches

June 29th, 2021 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn has elected to withdraw his name from the ongoing head coaching searches around the NBA, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Vaughn is citing family reasons, including the opportunity to spend more time with his two teenage sons, as the motivator for his decision. The expectation is that he’ll return to Steve Nash‘s staff in Brooklyn for the 2021/22 season.

Three teams – the Pelicans, Wizards, and Magic – are still seeking a new head coach. However, there hadn’t been reports indicating that Washington and Orlando were considering Vaughn for their respective vacancies.

New Orleans, on the other hand, was said to have Vaughn high on its list of candidates. A report last week suggested that his candidacy for the Pelicans’ job was gaining traction, and a more recent report tabbed him as a potential frontrunner.

If Vaughn was their preferred candidate, the Pelicans will now have to turn to other options. Bucks assistant Charles Lee and New Orleans’ own assistant Fred Vinson are among those believed to be in the mix.

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Community Shootaround: Remaining Coaching Openings

June 29th, 2021 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

Seven NBA teams have parted ways with their head coaches – mutually or otherwise – since the regular season ended. Of those seven clubs, four have since hired replacements.

The Celtics and Trail Blazers are making Ime Udoka and Chauncey Billups first-time head coaches, while the Pacers and Mavericks are reuniting with Rick Carlisle and Jason Kidd, respectively.

That leaves three teams in search of new head coaches: the Pelicans, Wizards, and Magic.

[RELATED: 2021 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Of those three jobs, the one in New Orleans may be the most attractive. The Pelicans‘ core includes a pair of All-Star caliber forwards (Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram), along with several other young players and a boatload of future draft picks. While the Pelicans missed out on the postseason again in 2021, they’re well-positioned to continue improving their roster.

Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn has been the candidate most frequently linked to the Pelicans’ job. He has some head coaching experience, having coached Orlando for two-and-a-half years from 2012-15 and Brooklyn for 10 games in 2020. A former player who has spent over a decade in the coaching ranks since his retirement, Vaughn might be someone the Pelicans envision building a strong connection with their young roster. Bucks assistant Charles Lee and Pelicans assistant Fred Vinson are among the other candidates reportedly receiving consideration.

The Wizards, meanwhile, are the only one of the three teams without a head coach that is coming off a playoff appearance. The job comes with its share of pitfalls though. Bradley Beal could reach free agency in 2022, so his long-term future in D.C. isn’t assured. And the team, which had to win its second play-in game to sneak into the postseason, is capped out this offseason, with Russell Westbrook still owed $91MM+ over two years.

Still, the opportunity to coach one of the most talented backcourts in the NBA will be a draw, and Wizards ownership is willing to make the necessary investments to upgrade the roster wherever possible. Sixers assistant Sam Cassell, Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley, and Celtics assistant Scott Morrison are believed to be candidates for the Washington job, though the most intriguing name that keeps popping up is that of Nuggets associate head coach Wes Unseld Jr. His return to D.C., where his father spent the majority of his Hall-of-Fame career, would be a great story.

Finally, the Orlando job poses perhaps the most clear-cut challenge for an incoming coach: Help a roster that’s in the very early stages of a rebuild to grow and develop. With their moves at the trade deadline, the Magic tore things down and reset their timeline, so expectations will be modest for at least the next couple years. Whoever gets this job won’t be expected to turn this club into a title contender anytime soon.

The Magic appear to be conducting a wide-range search and are considering several assistants without NBA head coaching experience, though there’s a belief that they’d prefer a more experienced leader. Kenny Atkinson and Terry Stotts are among the former NBA head coaches who have been repeatedly cited as strong candidates for the job. Penny Hardaway, who has no NBA coaching experience but is a Magic legend and a head coach at the University of Memphis, is also said to be firmly in the mix.

We want to know what you think. Of the Pelicans’, Wizards’, and Magic’s head coaching jobs, which is most appealing? Which candidates do you think those clubs should be targeting? And which coaches do you expect to ultimately be hired?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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Hollinger’s Latest: Draft, Wiseman, Siakam, Trent, Combine

June 28th, 2021 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Sources who have spoken to John Hollinger of The Athletic are skeptical that the Pistons, Rockets, or Cavaliers will trade out of the top three spots in the draft.

As Hollinger notes, there are a lot of teams that figure to have interest in moving up in the draft, including several holding multiple first-round picks, such as the Magic, Thunder, and Knicks. However, it’s more difficult to find teams that will give serious consideration to moving down. Any trade up may require a substantial overpay, Hollinger adds.

Here are a few more tidbits from Hollinger following his time at the pre-draft combine in Chicago:

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Coaching Rumors: Magic, Atkinson, Pelicans, Blazers, Wizards

June 28th, 2021 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Although Penny Hardaway has reportedly emerged as a legitimate candidate for the Magic‘s head coaching job, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report says Kenny Atkinson‘s name continues to be the one most frequently linked to the Orlando job.

As Fischer notes – and as has been reported elsewhere – the Magic are believed to be seeking a candidate who has previous head coaching experience. While Hardaway holds the top job at the University of Memphis, he lacks the NBA experience that Atkinson has. Sources tell Fischer that former Blazers coach Terry Stotts also remains a strong option for Orlando.

Here are a few more coaching-related notes and rumors:

  • The Pelicans‘ search is expected to continue until at least later this week, with current New Orleans assistant Fred Vinson still to be interviewed, says Fischer. However, Jacque Vaughn appears to be the frontrunner for that job, sources tell Bleacher Report. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said last week that Vaughn’s candidacy was gaining traction.
  • Trail Blazers officials were caught off guard by Damian Lillard‘s public support for Jason Kidd early in the team’s coaching search, and several staffers were surprised the All-NBA guard didn’t name former Portland assistant David Vanterpool as his preferred candidate, according to Fischer. Lillard advocated for Vanterpool to be named Minnesota’s coach following Ryan Saunders‘ dismissal earlier in the year.
  • Spurs assistant Becky Hammon impressed the Trail Blazers during the interview process, but the background intel the team got on Hammon “was not nearly as complimentary pertaining to various aspects of day-to-day coaching responsibilities,” Fischer writes. While team owner Jody Allen liked Hammon, there were doubts about whether she was best suited to navigate “delicate waters” with Lillard, Fischer adds.
  • Fischer says that the Wizards‘ coaching search will be “lengthy and thorough,” which suggests that Washington may end up being the last team to fill its head coaching opening.
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Rosters Announced For Olympic Qualifying Tournaments

June 28th, 2021 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

Four qualifying tournaments to determine the final four teams in the men’s basketball pool at the Tokyo Olympics are set to tip off on Tuesday. In advance of the Olympic qualifiers, the 24 teams involved have officially set their 12-man rosters, according to a press release from FIBA.

More than two dozen current NBA players are participating in the tournament, and 11 of the 24 teams competing for Olympic spots have at least one current NBA players on their respective rosters. Of those clubs, Team Canada has the biggest contingent of NBA players — eight of the 12 players on Nick Nurse‘s squad finished the season on an NBA roster. Turkey is next with four NBA players.

The four qualifying tournaments will take place in Serbia, Lithuania, Croatia, and Canada. Only the winner of each six-team group will advance to Tokyo. Those four winners will join Japan, Nigeria, Argentina, Iran, France, Spain, Australia, and the U.S. in the 12-team Olympic tournament.

The teams that move onto the Olympics may tweak their rosters for Tokyo, depending on the availability of certain players. For instance, if Greece were to win its qualifying tournament, perhaps Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo – who remains active in the playoffs for now – would make an effort to join the team in Tokyo next month.

Here are the NBA players on the OQT rosters:

Belgrade, Serbia

Kaunas, Lithuania

Split, Croatia

Victoria, Canada

There are also many former NBA players among the 24 rosters, including Mario Hezonja (Croatia), Milos Teodosic (Serbia), Jan Vesely (Czech Republic), Timofey Mozgov (Russia), and Anthony Bennett (Canada).

To view the full rosters, be sure to visit FIBA’s official site and click through to each team from there.

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Penny Hardaway Emerges As Serious Candidate For Magic Job

June 27th, 2021 at 6:03pm CST by JD Shaw

The Magic interviewed University of Memphis coach Penny Hardaway for their head coaching position, with Hardaway now emerging as a serious candidate for the job, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Hardaway, who played six seasons with Orlando from 1993-99, has coached at the University of Memphis for the past three years. He’s considered to be one of the top guards in Magic history, making the All-Star team four times during his tenure with the franchise.

The Magic and coach Steve Clifford parted ways earlier this month after finishing the season 21-51 — that was the third-worst record in the league. The team has missed the playoffs in seven of its last 10 seasons and is currently in a rebuilding phase.

Along with Hardaway, Orlando has requested to interview Suns assistant Willie Green and Bucks assistant Charles Lee, according to The Athletic’s Josh Robbins.

The team has already interviewed Spurs assistant Becky Hammon and is expected to interview current assistants Tyrone Corbin, Pat Delany and Steve Hetzel, along with Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld Jr., says Charania. In addition, Marc Stein of The New York Times also reported (via Twitter) that Orlando requested to interview Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley.

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Magic, Wizards Ask Permission To Interview Jamahl Mosley

June 26th, 2021 at 7:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic and Wizards have both requested permission to talk with Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley about their head coaching vacancies, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.

A report earlier today indicated that Mosley is likely to leave Dallas after being passed over when the team hired hired Jason Kidd as its new head coach. Mosley, who has been a part of Dallas’ coaching staff since 2014 and has a strong relationship with Luka Doncic, didn’t receive the consideration for the job that he expected.

The 43-year-old has a strong reputation around the league and has been a candidate for other head coaching openings in the past. He began his post-playing career working in player development with the Nuggets in 2005 and was named an assistant coach two years later. He left for Cleveland in 2010 and spent four years there before coming to Dallas.

Mosley has been in charge of the Mavericks’ defensive schemes since 2018 and served as head coach of their Summer League team from 2017-19.

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Should They Target Rockets To Move Up In Draft?

June 25th, 2021 at 9:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • The Magic‘s best chance of moving up in the draft could be the Rockets’ pick at No. 2, Josh Robbins of The Athletic speculates. Orlando holds the No. 5 and No. 8 picks and might entice the Rockets to trade down if the Magic are willing to take on Eric Gordon‘s contract.
  • Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman is in no rush to hire a new head coach, Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel writes. It  has been nearly three weeks since the team announced it had parted ways with Steve Clifford.
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Magic Notes: Lottery, Weltman, Isaac, Coaching Search

June 23rd, 2021 at 5:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Among the teams with the best odds heading into Tuesday’s draft lottery, the Magic were the only one to fall out of the top three. Orlando slipped into the fifth spot and will have a second lottery pick after receiving the No. 8 selection from the Bulls. While president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman was disappointed with the results, he said that he’s glad to finally have some clarity on next month’s draft, as Roy Parry of The Orlando Sentinel writes.

“I’ll look at it now as we have a lot of work to do, and we get to put a finer point on the work,” Weltman said. “So we kind of are looking just to put this day behind us and really drill down on the two picks that we have now. Knowing that we have two top-10 picks, that part of it’s very exciting.

“And then the other part is the draft, and it very seldom works out in the way that you prognosticate it. You look back on pretty much any draft, and it doesn’t go that way so it’s our job to find the players in the draft and we will. Now that we know where we’re picking and how many picks we’ll have, we’ll be able to kind of get to the next layer of that.”

There’s more from Orlando:

  • In the same story, Parry suggests the team may try to package one of the selections and possibly a veteran such as Gary Harris or Terrence Ross in an effort to move up. “We always explore all options and it’ll be interesting to kind of start to engage with teams (with the Magic) having two top-10 picks,” Weltman said. “Sometimes it ends up in deals that get done and sometimes it’s a lot of close but no calls. So we’ll see how that goes but we will be busy and the busyness starts with evaluating these two draft picks.”
  • Injured forward Jonathan Isaac shared some encouraging news in a recent appearance on The Sixth Man Show podcast (hat tip to Philip Rossman-Reich of Orlando Magic Daily). Isaac missed the entire 2020/21 season with a torn ACL and there’s still not a definite timetable for him to return, but he believes he’s making progress. “I’m turning the corner,” he said. “It’s like every day I feel like I’m moving better and I can do more. I’m like a kid in the candy story wanting to run around and do so much. I feel good. I’m getting better every day.”
  • In the search to replace Steve Clifford, the Magic front office wants someone with previous head-coaching experience, Marc Stein of The New York Times writes in his latest newsletter. Lakers assistant Jason Kidd and Clippers assistant Kenny Atkinson are two candidates that Stein has heard mentioned frequently.
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Lottery Results Make Magic's Rebuild More Challenging

June 23rd, 2021 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams
  • The degree of difficulty for the Magic‘s rebuild increased a little on Tuesday, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. As Robbins writes, Orlando was fortunate to get the No. 8 pick from Chicago, but the team’s own pick slipping outside the top four will make it more challenging to land a future All-Star in the 2021 draft.
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