Chad Forcier Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Fire Frank Vogel

April 12th, 2018 at 7:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic are making a change at head coach, announcing today in a press release that they’ve parted ways with Frank Vogel. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report that Vogel has been fired.

“We would like to thank Frank for his contributions to the Orlando Magic,” president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a statement. “We appreciate the sacrifices he made as head coach and certainly wish him and his family well going forward.”

In addition to Vogel, lead assistant coach Chad Forcier and assistants Corliss Williamson and Jay Hernandez have also been let go by the Magic, per Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel.

Like Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek, who was also fired once the 2017/18 regular season came to an end, Vogel was hired just two years ago but found himself on the hot seat after his team overhauled its front office during the 2017 offseason. Having been brought aboard by former head of basketball operations Rob Hennigan, Vogel will be replaced by Weltman and new GM John Hammond, who will hire their own candidate in the near future.

After compiling a 250-181 record (.580) with five playoff appearances during six years as the head coach of the Pacers, Vogel was unable to replicate that success in Orlando. His team failed to reach 30 wins in either of his two seasons — overall, the Magic had a 54-110 mark (.329) during Vogel’s tenure.

The Magic will begin a search for a new head coach immediately. Previous reports have linked the franchise to various candidates with Toronto connections — Raptors assistants Nick Nurse and Rex Kalamian have been identified as possible targets for Orlando, and Raptors 905 head coach Jerry Stackhouse has been cited multiple times as a viable candidate. Weltman was the general manager in Toronto before arriving in Orlando.

The Magic are the fifth NBA team known to be seeking a permanent head coach this offseason, joining the Suns, Grizzlies, Bucks, and Knicks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Southeast Rumors: Wizards, Beal, Wade, Horford

June 29th, 2016 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

As we heard on Tuesday, the Wizards – having conceded that they’re not in the mix for Kevin Durant – have shifted their focus to Ryan Anderson, viewing him as a top free target. ESPN’s Marc Stein follows up on that report today by suggesting that Anderson isn’t the only name near the top of Washington’s wish list. According to Stein (via Twitter), the names that keep coming up as prime targets for the Wizards this offseason are Anderson, Al Horford, and Nicolas Batum.

Stein also adds (in a second tweet) that that the Wizards are expected to “quickly” enter negotiations with Bradley Beal on a new contract, after extending him a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent. That echoes a May report, which indicated the Wizards won’t waste time in offering Beal a long-term, maximum-salary contract when the new league year opens.

Here’s more from around the Southeast division:

A Tuesday report suggested that Dwyane Wade is open to talking to teams besides the Heat in free agency, since discussions with Miami haven’t progressed so far. However, a source who spoke to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel downplayed concerns about those negotiations, confirming that the two sides have indeed had preliminary talks so far.
With Al Horford‘s free agency just days away, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution examines the situation, writing that the big man would prefer to stay in Atlanta and re-sign with the Hawks, if the two sides can work out an acceptable contract.
The Magic announced today in a press release that they’ve finalized Frank Vogel‘s coaching staff, with Chad Forcier, Corliss Williamson, and David Adelman coming aboard as assistants.
Now that Serge Ibaka is in the mix, the Magic‘s next roster moves will be designed with ensuring that Ibaka wants to re-sign in Orlando when he reaches free agency a year from now, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel.

Eastern Notes: Budenholzer, Crawford, Nets

June 28th, 2016 at 10:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Nets won’t necessarily be gunning for the top players in the free agent market this summer, but instead, will be seeking players with high character and a strong work ethic who are on the verge of breaking out, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). “I think veteran leadership is important,” coach Kenny Atkinson said regarding what kind of players the team would be targeting. “I think undervalued guys, guys that might be under the radar and can produce and maybe not necessarily the big star, maybe we’re not in position to get that guy and really guys like Isaiah Whitehead that fill the characteristics we’re looking for — hardworking, high character, high basketball IQ is important for us and competitors.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

After dealing Victor Oladipo to the Thunder, the Magic are extremely interested in unrestricted free agent guard Jamal Crawford, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets.
Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer has been found not guilty of DUI charges stemming from a 2013 traffic stop, The Associated Press relays. Budenholzer relayed that he believes the trooper may have been confused about him being impaired because the coach has chronic redness around his eyes, previous ankle injuries and a foot surgery that causes imbalance, according to the report.
Despite not being able to pull off a big draft night trade to land a star player, the Celtics‘ players are still behind team executive Danny Ainge and believe he did the right thing by not pulling the trigger on any of the rumored deals Boston was linked to, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com notes (ESPN Now link). “We trust Danny [Ainge] and we believe in Danny. And we know Danny made the right decision. We stand behind him 100%,” point guard Marcus Smart told Forsberg.
New Magic coach Frank Vogel is bringing over Spurs assistant Chad Forcier to join his coaching staff in Orlando, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
The Sixers are expected to exercise their 2016/17 team option for swingman Hollis Thompson, Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine tweets. Thompson is scheduled to earn $1,015,696 next season.

Southeast Notes: Batum, Forcier, Hornets

June 18th, 2016 at 1:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hornets GM Rich Cho, speaking at a pre-draft press conference on Friday, told reporters that the team is likely to draft the best available player and would not target a specific need given the large amount of the roster set to hit free agency, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “With eight free agents, I don’t know what’s going to happen, so we’re just trying to get more depth,” Cho said. “[Need] is a hard question to answer because we have so many free agents and don’t know how it’s going to play out.” The executive also reiterated that the team’s top offseason priority is re-signing unrestricted free agent swingman Nicolas Batum, Bonnell adds. “We hope to meet with him as soon as free agency starts,” Cho said of Batum. “Our goal is to get something done with him.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Hornets held a workout earlier this week that included Marshall Plumlee (Duke), Matt Costello (Michigan State), Frank Eaves (Appalachian State), Angel Rodriguez (Miami) and Wayne Selden (Kansas), Bonnell relays in a separate piece.
New Magic head coach Frank Vogel is pursuing Spurs assistant Chad Forcier to be his top assistant in Orlando, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter).
The uncertainty surrounding the health status of power forward Chris Bosh will hamper the Heat‘s offseason plans and could result in a number of the team’s free agents departing this summer, Keith P. Smith of RealGM writes. The scribe also notes that the potential for unpleasantness exists if Bosh is medically cleared to play and Miami is still unwilling to allow him to risk a return to the court.