Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Bulls’ Front Office Search

April 6th, 2020 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have received permission to interview Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas, sources tell K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

Karnisovas was one of four men said to be on Chicago’s initial wish list for a top front office executive who will have full authority on basketball decisions. It’s not clear if the Bulls will get a chance to talk to any of those four potential candidates besides Karnisovas.

Pacers GM Chad Buchanan reportedly rebuffed the Bulls’ interest, opting to remain in Indiana. And there’s plenty of speculation around the NBA that the Heat will make an effort to retain assistant GM Adam Simon, according to Johnson (Twitter link).

As for the fourth candidate, Toronto’s Bobby Webster, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes that the Raptors may not grant the Bulls permission to speak to their general manager, who is under contract through 2021. With president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and head coach Nick Nurse also set to have their contracts expire after next season, and many of their players coming off the books in the coming months, the Raptors face some long-term uncertainty and might not want to risk losing a rising young executive. There’s a sense they’ll tell Chicago that “this is not a good time,” according to Grange.

Even if they’re only able to speak to one of their initial four targets, the Bulls have a longer list of candidates, per Johnson (Twitter link), who names Clippers GM Michael Winger, Clippers assistant GM Trent Redden, Magic assistant GM Matt Lloyd, and Jazz GM Justin Zanik as possibilities.

Chicago has received permission to talk to Zanik, Johnson reports, so the Utah GM will join Karnisovas in taking part in the first round of Bulls interviews.

The Bulls will conduct those meetings electronically due to the coronavirus pandemic and reportedly want to make a hire prior to the draft and free agency.

Knicks Notes: DSJ, Trier, Free Agent Targets

April 6th, 2020 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

Last year’s Kristaps Porzingis trade was ultimately the “undoing” for Steve Mills in New York, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who notes that Dennis Smith Jr.‘s inconsistent play for the Knicks didn’t help keep Mills off the hot seat leading up to his February ouster.

As Berman writes, former head coach David Fizdale and assistant Keith Smart were among Smith’s “key allies” within the franchise, and their departures – along with Mills’ – significantly reduce the odds that DSJ has a long-term future with the Knicks. Berman suggests Smith will be a trade candidate during the 2020 offseason, with the Magic among the teams that could have interest. Some teams still believe the former lottery pick can evolve into a solid pro, per Berman.

“He thinks too much about his shot and trying to score the ball,” one NBA scout said of Smith. “He needs to be more of lead pass-first guard and score second. Dennis also need a coach who shows him love and gives him confidence. The quickness and ability to dribble-drive is always there, but he wants to always be the highlight play with traffic dunks.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

While Fizdale was fond of Allonzo Trier, interim head coach Mike Miller preferred to play stronger defenders with more experience, Berman writes in a separate New York Post story. Given Trier’s lack of a regular role in 2019/20, he seems unlikely to stick with the Knicks as a restricted free agent this offseason, according to Berman.
Mike Vorkunov and John Hollinger of The Athletic take an in-depth look at the Knicks’ future, breaking down the upcoming head coaching search, identifying possible free agent targets, and discussing which of the club’s current players are long-term keepers. Fred VanVleet is one free-agent-to-be singled out by Holliner as a potentially nice fit for the Knicks.
2020’s free agent class isn’t a particularly strong one, but there will be some intriguing players available if the Knicks want to try to make a splash, writes Steve Popper of Newsday.
Rafael Canton of SNY.tv explores whether the Knicks’ financial flexibility could give them a chance to be in better position that the Nets three years from now.

Southeast Notes: Isaac, Augustin, Hornets, Carter

April 1st, 2020 at 8:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

In an interview with Josh Robbins of The Athletic, Magic forward Jonathan Isaac expressed hope that he can return if the season doesn’t resume for a while. Isaac is working his way back from a severe knee sprain he suffered in early January.

“If I’m ready to play when this thing adjourns, I want to play,” he said. “I can’t really speak for the front office. I can’t speak for everybody as a whole. At the end of the day, it really comes down to them because they want to make sure that everything is good, that I’m preserved and everything. And that’s great. But if I’m in a place where my knee is great, my mental (outlook) is great, my spirit is great and I’m in a place where I can play a game and I have a couple of weeks of conditioning, a couple of weeks of basketball where I’m like, ‘I’m set and I’m ready to play,’ then I’ll go ahead and play.”

This is the second injury-shortened season in three years for Isaac, who was averaging 12.0 PPG in 32 games before getting hurt. He added that his ability to train is limited right now because the team facility is shut down.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Magic guard D.J. Augustin hasn’t lost hope that the season will resume, writes Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “The only hard part if we do come back this season is guys having a rhythm and skills being on point,” Augustin said. “But in terms of being in shape, I will be in shape when we come back. I’m hoping we come back. We’re missing the game, and the fans are missing the game. I feel like we had a lot to prove this season. We were in a good spot. … I’m hearing things may pick up in July and go into September.”
To help his young team understand postseason intensity, Hornets coach James Borrego is having players watch old playoff games during the break, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN. He picked a seven-game series from 2012 between the Lakers and Nuggets. “Part of this is to show them what physical playoff basketball looks like,” Borrego said. “This is where we want to get to someday. Let’s study it.”
In the latest episode of his Winging It podcast with the Ringer, Hawks veteran Vince Carter talks about the possibility that he may have already played his final NBA game.

Isaac Continues His Rehab At Home

March 30th, 2020 at 7:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac is continuing his rehab from a severe knee sprain, even though the team’s practice facility is shuttered, as Josh Robbins of The Athletic details. Isaac, who suffered the injury at the beginning of the calendar year, is following a workout program designed by the team’s training staff from his home. “They’ve got a detailed layout of everything that I’ve got to do,” he said. “They send it to me and I get it done. But it works. I like it that way. I know what I’ve got to do each day, and I put some music on and I knock it out.”

Magic Will Face Tough Decision On Fournier

March 30th, 2020 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

Due to his player option for the 2020/21 season, Evan Fournier will be eligible to become a free agent as early as this offseason, and a possible next contract for him will be one of the toughest decisions facing the Magic, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

As Robbins notes, Fournier is one of the Magic’s top scorers — his 18.8 PPG in 2019/20 represented a career high and his .599 TS% was easily the team’s best mark. However, “many higher-ups” don’t think he’d be a top-three offensive option on a contending team, according to Robbins, who adds that some opposing scouts and executives believe Fournier would be better suited as a bench scorer on a championship-caliber club.

Robbins also points out that the Magic had a more effective offense and a 4-0 record in games Fournier missed this season, though that could be viewed as a small-sample anomaly. Still, it will be among the many factors the team figures to consider as it weighs whether to add another pricey, multiyear deal to its books. Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross are on long-term contracts and Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac will be up for extensions before long.

And-Ones: Blazers, Chandler, Magic, Grizzlies

March 24th, 2020 at 10:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Trail Blazers have started a COVID-19 emergency relief fund to support local non-profits which serve the community, as the team announced on its website. To date, more than $35MM has been raised by NBA and WNBA teams and players to combat organizations impacted by the coronavirus.

As we wait to see when the pandemic will subside and the NBA will return to action, let’s take a look at some basketball notes from around the league:

Wilson Chandler was experiencing a late-season surge with the Nets before the coronavirus forced the league to suspend the season, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Chandler will be a free agent come the offseason.
Josh Robbins of The Athletic breaks down the Magic‘s improved offense prior to the suspended season, exploring what it might mean going forward. Aaron Gordon spending the majority of his minutes at the four, which is his natural position, played a major role in the team excelling.
Regardless of how and when the season resumes (or doesn’t), the Grizzlies showed enough progress to be optimistic about their future, Michael Wallace of NBA.com contends. Memphis is in the playoff picture and No. 2 overall Ja Morant looks like a future star.

Steve Clifford Discusses Layoff, Isaac, Aminu

March 20th, 2020 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, Magic head coach Steve Clifford said that he and his staff are using the NBA’s layoff to “refresh mentally,” but admits he has spending some time every day on film study.

“You do get to watch film at a more leisurely pace when you don’t have a game coming up the next day, and there are certainly things that you can learn,” the Magic head coach said. “That will be part of all of our time. Then we’ll just start to plan for when, hopefully, we get to get back together.”

Clifford also spoke to Robbins about a handful of other topics, including how frequently he’s communicating with Magic players during the hiatus, the strides Markelle Fultz has taken this season, and the possibility of getting Al-Farouq Aminu and/or Jonathan Isaac back when play restarts. Clifford was noncommittal on potential return timelines for Aminu and Isaac.

“If those guys should come back, or one of them, obviously, that’d be great,” he said of the Magic’s injured forwards. “Both of them have been with us (on recent road trips and rehabbing at our facility). It would be like adding a new player from a talent standpoint.”

Aminu Could Return If Season Resumes

March 16th, 2020 at 10:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic forward Al-Farouq Aminu might be able to play if and when the season restarts, Josh Robbins of The Athletic speculates. Aminu underwent surgery to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his right knee on January 7 and he was not wearing a brace last week, Robbins notes. Forward Jonathan Isaac, who injured his knee in early January, was still wearing a brace and would be less likely to return, Robbins adds.

Hiatus Notes: Playoff Plans, G League, Magic

March 16th, 2020 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to assessing the availability of its own teams’ arenas, the NBA has begun to look into availability at G League venues and practice facilities through the end of August, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).

As we relayed on Sunday night, there’s a growing belief that the NBA’s hiatus will extend into at least mid-June, in which case the end of the 2019/20 season and postseason could run well into the summer. As such, the league is exploring all its options as it considers where it might play its games.

Stein explains in a follow-up tweet that venues like G League arenas and practice facilities would only become viable options to host NBA games if they’re closed off to fans. That’s one of many scenarios the league is looking into in an effort to save the playoffs, writes Ben Golliver of The Washington Post.

According to Golliver, some other measures being considered by the NBA include eliminating extra rest days between games, reducing the 16-team postseason field, or hosting a playoff tournament in a single site to reduce – or eliminate – travel between several markets. Commissioner Adam Silver is encouraging teams to be open to “experimental ideas” in when it comes to issues like scheduling format, venues, and television, says ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Here are a few more notes and updates related to the NBA’s coronavirus-related hiatus:

For now, like the NBA season, the NBA G League season has been postponed and not canceled. However, there’s an expectation that a cancellation is coming, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews, who say that teams are operating under the belief that they’ve played their final games of 2019/20. NBAGL players were informed over the weekend that they’ll receive their entire base salaries, per ESPN’s report.
Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days takes a look at why the G League can’t be treated in the same way as the NBA, and why it’s surprising that the NBAGL season hasn’t yet been canceled.
The Magic‘s ownership group – the DeVos family – has established a $2MM fund to compensate team and arena hourly workers for games and time missed, the team announced today in a press release. The club’s announcement indicates that multiple players are also providing financial assistance — we noted earlier today that Mohamed Bamba had vowed to help out.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN took a deep dive into the NBA’s decision last week to suspend season, examining how Rudy Gobert‘s positive coronavirus test changed the equation suddenly and drastically for the league.

Bamba Vows To Donate To Arena Workers

March 16th, 2020 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

Following the lead of stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, the rest of the Bucks‘ roster has also committed to making donations to impacted Fiserv Forum workers, per the team (Twitter link). Magic center Mohamed Bamba vowed to do the same for Amway Center employees (Twitter link).