Hoops Rumors Chats

4:05pm: CLICK HERE to read this week’s chat transcript.

3:00pm: It appeared as though NBA head coaching candidates were down to three options late Friday when the Lakers announced their deal to hire Luke Walton. By Monday, the coaching job market appeared to loosen as Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird confirmed coach Frank Vogel‘s job is jeopardy. The coaching situation isn’t the only intriguing story connecting the Lakers and the Pacers, and we can discuss all of that and much more in today’s chat.

4:05pm: CLICK HERE to read this week’s chat transcript.

3:00pm: The Lakers made a decision Sunday that seemed inevitable at times this season but had appeared less likely in recent weeks, dismissing oft-criticized coach Byron Scott. Thus, the Lakers joined the Kings and Knicks among the teams looking for a coach, a group that could include the Rockets soon. All will be hard-pressed to do as well as the Warriors did two years ago when they hired Steve Kerr, who won this year’s Coach of the Year award, but Golden State’s position atop the NBA hierarchy looks as precarious as it has all season with Stephen Curry‘s health in doubt. We can discuss all this and more in today’s chat.

4:11pm: CLICK HERE to read this week’s chat transcript.

3:00pm: The Timberwolves are reportedly about to reel in the most sought-after coach in the market, giving Tom Thibodeau personnel control to boot, but they’re not the only ones making moves. The Nets hired Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson and the Suns removed the interim tag from Earl Watson. A handful of other teams are still deliberating, including the Kings, who are reportedly considering a whopping 17 known candidates. We can discuss those names and much more in today’s chat.

4:02pm: Click here to read this week’s chat transcript.

3:15pm: It’s a busy around the NBA on the final day of the regular season, Kobe Bryant‘s last as an active player. So, little introduction is necessary for today’s chat.

4:02pm: Click here to read this week’s chat transcript.

3:30pm: Early entrants for the NBA draft have dominated the headlines this week, but it’s been a newsy day in more traditional NBA circles, with the Knicks, Timberwolves and a possible reunion for Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons making waves. All the stories have left less than the usual amount of time to chat, but we can still cover lots of ground.

4:01pm: Click here to read this week’s chat transcript.

3:00pm: Dwight Howard is reportedly thinking about rejoining one of his former teams in free agency this summer, but it’s not the turmoil-stricken Lakers. Instead, the Rockets center is apparently considering the idea of playing for the Magic again, though staying with the Rockets would be his first choice. Houston has plenty of issues of its own, as The Dream Shake’s Ethan Rothstein examined in a talk with Hoops Rumors, but nothing like the Kings, the NBA franchise that has epitomized unrest lately but nonetheless signed GM Vlade Divac to an extension today. We can talk about all this and more in today’s chat.

4:02pm: Click here to read this week’s chat transcript.

3:00pm: LeBron James teamed with friends six years ago when he left Cleveland for Miami, and he’d like to play with his buddies again, though whether that happens in Cleveland, Miami or elsewhere, or whether it happens at all, remains to be seen. Others, including those on our growing list of draft entrants, are merely looking to join any NBA team. Some franchises are already gearing up for the summer ahead, while some are merely trying to have enough healthy bodies to finish the season. A multitude of different stories surround the NBA, and we can talk about a bunch of them in today’s chat.

4:03pm: Click here to read this week’s chat transcript.

3:00pm: The regular season ends five weeks from tonight, and “the rest of the season” is a popular term around the league these days. It applies to marquee signings, like Ty Lawson‘s contract with the Pacers, surprise comebacks, like Nazr Mohammed‘s Thunder deal, and injuries, like the length of time Michael Carter-Williams and Eric Gordon are expected to miss. Of course, some of the news this time of year has implications for far beyond the next month, like the latest update on Dwight Howard‘s free agency plans. We can talk about all that and more in this week’s chat.

4:07pm: Click here to read this week’s chat transcript.

3:00pm: Noteworthy buyouts that rivaled the trade deadline for significance dominated headlines over the past week, with Ty Lawson and Kevin Martin the latest major names to come available. The Heat worked financial gymnastics to sign Joe Johnson and still escape the tax, reportedly irking other teams, while Miami’s Florida rivals are looking ahead to summer free agency as they appear to be mounting a serious bid for Chandler Parsons. An ex-teammate of Parsons, Dwight Howard, has also apparently dropped some hints about where he might like to end up this summer. We can discuss all that and more in today’s chat.

4:04pm: Click here to read this week’s chat transcript.

3:00pm: This year’s trade deadline wasn’t the bonanza that last year’s was, but 16 players still wound up changing teams, and three more almost did. Monday’s nullification of the Donatas Motiejunas trade sent Joel Anthony back to Detroit and Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton, not to mention a tax burden, back to Houston. The Sixers lost JaKarr Sampson to the Nuggets amid the shuffle, created when the Pistons didn’t like what they saw from Motiejunas’ physical exam. Health has played a key role in the NBA landscape this week, with confirmation coming that Marc Gasol is done for the year and conflicting reports about whether the Heat are encouraging the ailing Chris Bosh to join Gasol on the sidelines. That gives us plenty to talk about in this week’s chat.