Dwight Howard Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Durant, McHale, Watson

April 19th, 2016 at 9:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Rockets GM Daryl Morey said he moved rapidly to change coaches 11 games into the season in an effort to turn around the team’s season before it became a lost cause, as the executive explained via Quora. Houston dumped Kevin McHale, who’d overseen a 4-7 start after four straight winning seasons, in favor of interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “Kevin’s long tenure with the Rockets by NBA standards was no exception,” Morey wrote. “He was an amazing coach to work with who did a tremendous job. I believe he is the coach with the best winning percentage in Rockets history. Since owning the team, our owner has had fewer coaches than any team in the league except Utah. Bottom line, we have great coaches at the Rockets and they stay a long time.

“Obviously, given this history the decision to change coaches was not taken lightly. Our team was reeling at the time of the change — in just our first 11 games we had lost multiple games to nonplayoff teams, including two at home, and none of the losses were close, most were double-digit losses. In the West, you basically can’t do that for any stretch of the season and still reach our goals for the season. The prior year, for example, we had only two losses at home to nonplayoff teams the whole season — we had already done it in only two-plus weeks. I believed that if we waited until what would be considered a normal timetable to make a change that it would likely be too late. Our only focus is on winning and I felt a material change was necessary.”

Here’s more from out West:

Kevin Durant is arguably the top available prize available in the free agent market this summer, and while he has yet to make up his mind about next season, Wanda Pratt, Durant’s mother, says he’s loyal to the Thunder organization, Ben Standig of CSN Mid-Atlantic.com relays. “I don’t know what his ultimate decision will be,” Pratt said of her son. “Where he’s going to end [up] playing has still not been decided by him. He’s still playing in the playoffs as everyone knows. I don’t know [his plans] so don’t say Mama Durant said [he’s coming to Washington] because I didn’t say that. He’s focused on the playoffs right now and he’s pretty loyal to the Thunder with regards to that. When the time comes, he’ll make a decision best for him.“
Suns GM Ryan McDonough said the team didn’t formally interview anyone aside from Earl Watson but instead took two and a half months to examine coaching candidates, tweets Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Phoenix officially named Watson head coach earlier today, removing his interim tag.
The best free agent fit for Dwight Howard is likely to be the Mavericks, who can offer the center the more focal role he craves as well as provide an owner in Mark Cuban who can deflect negative attention, Jonny Auping of RealGM opines. The big man would in turn give the franchise the athletic center it has been seeking, Auping adds. Howard is expected to opt out of his contract this summer and become an unrestricted free agent.

Western Notes: Morey, McHale, Howard, Mavericks

April 17th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Early losses to nonplayoff teams doomed coach Kevin McHale in Houston, Rockets GM Daryl Morey explained in a Quora post. Morey said lopsided defeats at home influenced the decision to get rid of McHale. The GM didn’t cite the exact games, but he is probably referring to a 20-point loss to the Nuggets on opening night and an eight-point loss to the Nets on November 11th, both at the Toyota Center. “I believed that if we waited until what would be considered a normal timetable to make a change that it would likely be too late,” Morey wrote. “Our only focus is on winning and I felt a material change was necessary.” McHale led the Rockets to a division title and a spot in the Western Conference finals last season, but was dismissed on November 18th with a 4-7 record.

There’s more tonight from the Western Conference:

Rockets center Dwight Howard doesn’t plan to demand the ball more in Game 2 of the series with the Warriors, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Frustration over his declining role in the offense is one of the reasons that Howard is expected to opt out of his contract this summer. Howard had 14 points on 10 shots in the Game 1 loss, and Watkins notes that he hasn’t registered double-digit shot attempts in back-to-back games since early March. “As a competitor, I’m going to get the job done, no matter what it takes,” Howard said. “If I get the ball, if I don’t get the ball, if I score two points or I score 30 points. I got to go out there and play as hard as I can as long as I’m on the floor. That’s all that really matters.”
The Mavericks have problems that reach far beyond their Game 1 embarrassment against the Thunder, contends Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News. He says the team is looking at a “dismal future” that includes no first-round pick this June, hardly any young talent to build around and a desire to commit $96MM over four years to Chandler Parsons, who has finished the last two seasons needing knee surgery.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan noticed the difference in intensity during his first playoff game, relays Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Donovan won two NCAA titles at Florida but is in his first NBA season. “There was a different vibe when you walked in there in terms of the enthusiasm, the excitement and energy,” he said. “I really thought our environment was terrific last night.”

Coaching Rumors: Scott, Thibodeau, Kidd, Brooks

April 14th, 2016 at 10:28am CST by Chuck Myron

A strong belief exists within the Lakers organization that the team will keep Byron Scott, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, nonetheless revealing that next season is a team option on Scott’s contract. Still, too much discord exists within Lakers ownership for a consensus to form on a coaching change, sources tell Wojnarowski. Primary owner Jeanie Buss is advocating for Scott behind the scenes, and Scott has a “major chance” to remain in his job, one source told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

See more coaching rumors around the NBA with the regular season having come to a close:

Carmelo Anthony would prefer the Knicks hire Tom Thibodeau as coach, a source close to Anthony insisted to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Team president Phil Jackson doesn’t seem to have any interest in Thibodeau, as Isola points out, and strong indications exist that Thibodeau is looking for player personnel power as he seeks a coaching job, sources tell Chris Mannix of The Vertical (Twitter link).
Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry publicly backed coach Jason Kidd on Wednesday in the wake of rumors that Kidd is on shaky ground with the team, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. Lasry said it’s reasonable to assume the team will give Kidd an extension on the three-year, $15MM contract that expires after next season, Gardner notes. Lasry has long been close to Kidd, and it’s the other owners to whom Kidd hasn’t endeared himself, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times wrote this week, but Gardner indicates that fellow primary owners Wesley Edens and Jamie Dinan made it clear Wednesday that they also want Kidd to stay. “At the end of the day, Jason is our coach,” Lasry said. “I know there’s been a bunch of articles. We think he’s done a great job. He’s our guy. Everybody who keeps talking about it, it’s a non-issue. I never understand why in this league you have these issues.”
Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Nets interim coach Tony Brown are unlikely to have their interim tags removed, barring unforeseen events, according to Berger. Rockets candidate Scott Brooks is wary of the uncertainty about whether Dwight Howard will opt out, Berger writes, which suggests that it’s not an open-and-shut case that Howard will opt out as he’s long been expected to do.

Western Rumors: Durant, Parsons, Burks, Dawson

April 7th, 2016 at 2:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

The sense around the league is that Kevin Durant is “very much in play” and that a decent chance exists that he’ll leave the Thunder in free agency this summer, according to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck (video link; scroll to 1:50 mark). That’s a positive development for the 29 other teams in the league, particularly the Warriors, whom The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski identified in February as the former MVP’s top choice if he were to bolt from Oklahoma City.

While we wait to see how that plays out in the summer, see more from the Western Conference:

Chandler Parsons reiterated that he would love to remain with the Mavericks, but he expressed openness to going back to the Rockets, his original NBA team, as he spoke with reporters Wednesday, notes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Parsons, who’s expected to opt out and hit free agency this summer, has indicated he plans to speak with Dwight Howard about the possibility of teaming up, and Howard reportedly prefers to stick with the Rockets as he considers free agency this year. “I wouldn’t count [Houston] out,” Parsons said. “Obviously, playing there three years, I had a great time there. We had a lot of success. It will be interesting to see what they do with the head coaching job. I would love J.B. [Bickerstaff] to get that job. I wouldn’t count out that option.”
The Jazz plan to have Alec Burks back in the lineup for Friday’s game against the Clippers, team sources tell Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News. It appeared as though Burks would miss only two months when he broke his left fibula in late December, but he’s remained out, and last week some within the organization raised the possibility of him missing the rest of the season, citing the rationale that so few games remain, according to Sorensen. The team’s thinking has changed as it’s drawn closer to clinching a playoff berth, Sorensen explains.
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office won’t pursue felony domestic violence charges against Clippers rookie Branden Dawson that stemmed from an incident last month, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times and Dan Woike of the Orange County Register detail. A lack of evidence prompted the decision, a spokesperson for the city attorney said. Dawson’s minimum salary for next season is non-guaranteed.

Parsons To Discuss Teaming Up With Dwight

April 6th, 2016 at 2:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chandler Parsons answered affirmatively when Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com asked whether he and Dwight Howard would have conversations this summer about teaming up again. Parsons and Howard, who played together on the Rockets during the 2013/14 season, are both expected to turn down their respective player options for next season and hit free agency this summer.

The Mavericks are the front-runners to retain Parsons, as MacMahon previously reported, and while the Mavs have interest in Howard, they wouldn’t approach the maximum salary of nearly $30MM in a contract offer to him, MacMahon hears (ESPN Now link). Parsons, in his interview with MacMahon, expressed his affection for Dallas, the Mavs organization, coach Rick Carlisle and Dirk Nowitzki. Parsons called Mark Cuban the best owner in the NBA and said he wouldn’t want to play for anyone else, but he stopped short of committing to stay with the Mavericks. The versatile forward has played a key recruting role for the Mavericks as they’ve pursued free agents in the past, but he indicated that’s on hold until his own contractual situation is resolved.

“It’s tricky, because if I’m going out and I’m recruiting a free agent right in the beginning of free agency, and they obviously know that I’ve opted out of my contract and I’m still not signed with the Mavs, it’s difficult for them to get an understanding of what the foundation of the Mavs is going to be going forward when the main guy recruiting them still isn’t signed,” Parsons told MacMahon. “That’s something that [agent Dan] Fegan and Mark and [president of basketball operations] Donnie [Nelson] and everybody, they have to talk early on to maybe get something done. Obviously, Dan will be talking to every team in the league with there being so much cap space everywhere, but that’s a tricky thing. I can’t really recruit anybody to Dallas until I know that I’m coming back to Dallas.”

The Magic are reportedly Parsons’ second choice, and Howard apparently has interest in returning to Orlando if he can’t re-sign with the Rockets. Parsons also detailed the close relationship he still has with other former teammates still with Houston as part of his chat with MacMahon.

Southwest Notes: Harden, Durant, Howard, Spurs

April 3rd, 2016 at 11:52am CST by Arthur Hill

James Harden will play a key role in the Rockets‘ efforts to bring Kevin Durant to Houston, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Many teams will be chasing Durant in free agency, but the Rockets have several selling points. In addition to reuniting with his friend and former Thunder teammate, Durant will have the chance to go a state with no income tax and a large city with vast marketing opportunities. Watkins says the Rockets have talked to Harden about recruiting Durant and he has agreed to do his part. “In order to put yourself as an elite team, you always got to have talent, right?” Harden said. “You always got to get better and find ways to improve.” Houston will have plenty of cap space if Dwight Howard opts out as expected.

There’s more news from the Southwest Division:

Howard’s role in the Rockets‘ offense continues to decline, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Howard has averaged 9.3 points on 5.8 field goal attempts over Houston’s last 12 games. It’s a significant dropoff from earlier in the season and has led many to speculate that the 30-year-old center will seek a new team in free agency. “His impact can be felt more and should be felt more,” said interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “… We have to get him the ball in his spots and he has to finish when he gets there.”
Free agent addition LaMarcus Aldridge has teamed with Kawhi Leonard to become the nucleus of a record-setting Spurs team, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. The two All-Stars have eased the burden on the aging Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. San Antonio picked up a franchise record 64th win Saturday and is two victories away from posting the first perfect home record in league history. “There’s not much we’re allowed to care about,” Danny Green said. “… Being healthy and winning games in the playoffs – those are the things we care about.”
James Ennis had little time to prepare for his first game with the Pelicans after being called up from the D-League this week, relays Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com. “He just got here to the arena about 20 minutes ago,” coach Alvin Gentry said before Wednesday’s contest with the Spurs. “We’ll give him a quick overview of what we try to do, but he’ll definitely be in the game tonight.”

Bucks Notes: Howard, Antetokounmpo, Knight

March 31st, 2016 at 4:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

If the Bucks are looking to make a splash in free agency for the second straight summer, Dwight Howard could be the player to target, writes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. The Rockets’ center has expressed his intention to turn down a player option for next season worth $23.282MM and seek a maximum contract starting at about $30MM. Milwaukee was among the teams that expressed interest in acquiring him before last month’s trade deadline, and Howard said he was intrigued by the possibility. Bontemps believes Howard would be the kind of defensive anchor that Greg Monroe failed to become after he signed with the Bucks last offseason. Depending where the salary cap is set, Milwaukee could have more than $20MM to spend if it doesn’t re-sign Jerryd Bayless, Greivis Vasquez and O.J. Mayo.

There’s more news out of Milwaukee:

Giannis Antetokounmpo could be in line for a maximum contract extension over the summer, Bontemps writes in the same piece. Coach Jason Kidd recently anointed Antetokounmpo as the Bucks’ starting point guard for next season, and the franchise could reward him with a max deal. At age 21, the third-year pro has blossomed in Milwaukee, averaging 18.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.9 blocks per game since the All-Star break.
The Bucks had to make a choice last season between giving a long-term contract to Khris Middleton or Brandon Knight, according to Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee shipped Knight to Phoenix in a three-team trade in February of 2015 and re-signed Middleton at $70MM over five years. “We had a good time while we played,” said Knight, who on Wednesday returned to Milwaukee for his first game there since the deal. “I think we [the Bucks] were just scratching the surface. Who knows where we could have went to?”
Wednesday marked the first game for Vasquez since November 27th, Gardner notes in a separate story. The backup point guard had surgery on his right ankle in December and was sidelined for 58 games. “You miss that many games, and the coach gives you an opportunity to play the game that you love, it means a lot to me,” Vasquez said. “It also shows what a class act this franchise is, because they’ve been with me the whole time.” Vasquez is headed toward free agency after earning $6.6MM this season.

Western Notes: Pierce, Mitchell, Howard

March 28th, 2016 at 10:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paul Pierce‘s decision on whether to retire after the season may be tied to what Timberwolves power forward Kevin Garnett chooses to do, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports. The former Celtics teammates text each other at least once a week and have frequently considered the possibility of retiring at the same time, Murphy continues. But the Clippers’ veteran small forward admits that he has no idea what Garnett has in mind, Murphy adds. “I never know what KG is going to do, because he said he was going to retire four or five years ago,” Pierce said. “Every year he says he’s done, and every year he keeps coming back. It would be great.”

In other developments around the Western Conference:

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor will decide on interim coach Sam Mitchell’s future after the season, according to Kent Youngblood of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. While GM Milt Newton will give his input on Mitchell, Taylor will have the final word, as he told Youngblood. “Certainly it starts with Milt. But I don’t want to say it’s his call,” Taylor said. “It’s probably my call.’’
Dwight Howard switched agents because Perry Rogers doesn’t have a large clientele, he told NBA.com’s David Aldridge in a Q&A session. The Rockets center hired Rogers after parting ways with Dan Fegan. Rogers is also Shaquille O’Neal’s agent and O’Neal brought Howard and Rogers together, Howard goes on to tell Aldridge. “I just felt like he has an opportunity to just focus on me,” Howard said. “Any other agent, they have a lot of different clients and stuff like that. I felt like he was able to just focus on me.”
Jazz coach Quin Snyder believes fatigue may be the cause of center Rudy Gobert‘s recent swoon, Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News writes. Gobert, who’ll be up for a rookie scale extension in the offseason, averaged just 5.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks during the team’s last recent five-game road trip. “He’s probably hit the proverbial wall and had to make adjustments in season,” Snyder told Sorensen. “Last year after All-Star break was a very finite stretch of time with a completely different mindset in how [opponents] approach him. Last year people weren’t prepared to play against him and now he’s garnering much more attention.”

Southwest Notes: Lee, Dwight, Dirk, Davis

March 28th, 2016 at 10:51am CST by Chuck Myron

David Lee admits he thought about what it would be like to return to the Warriors, but NBA rules prevent him from going back to Golden State this season, and he’s content with the Mavericks, as Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group details. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders recently cleared up some confusion regarding Lee’s contract with Dallas, which runs only until season’s end instead of covering next season with non-guaranteed salary. “In my opinion, I’m playing as good a ball as I’ve played in a number of years,” Lee said. “After really getting back into shape, I feel great out there. I think I have three, four years left, one more deal, then we’ll see from there.” Lee could return to the Warriors this summer if he wants to and Golden State is willing, though the same is true of Lee and the Mavs. See more from around the Southwest Division:

No teams see Dwight Howard as a plan A for free agency this summer, according to Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher (video link). Howard would prefer to re-sign with the Rockets, but he finds the prospect of a return to the Magic intriguing, as Bucher reported last week.
Dirk Nowitzki reiterated that the idea of playing 20 seasons in the NBA appeals to him in an appearance Sunday on ESPN Radio’s “NBA Insiders” show, echoing comments he made in December, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays. The 37-year-old who’s in his 18th season in the league addressed his future as it relates to the Mavericks last week.
The premature end of Anthony Davis‘ season and his lack of progress this year serve as reminders that it’s still uncertain whether he’ll fulfill his potential as a superstar, argues Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. A five-year extension with the Pelicans will kick in for Davis next year, so questions about Davis inexorably become questions about New Orleans. Still, Davis said he’s played with a torn labrum in his shoulder for the past three seasons, so it’s fair to wonder if he’ll improve markedly when fully healthy.

Dwight Eyes Magic Return But Prefers Rockets

March 25th, 2016 at 2:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

Dwight Howard would prefer to re-sign with the Rockets this summer, but the Magic have heard that he’d entertain the idea of returning to Orlando, league sources told Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher for a video report (Twitter link). Howard is expected to turn down a player option worth about $23.282MM to seek a maximum salary deal that would pay him some $30MM next season. Previous reports have indicated his interest in the Bucks and Knicks.

A return to Orlando, where Howard spent the first eight seasons of his career and made his only Finals appearance, has seemed far-fetched ever since the team dealt him to the Lakers in August 2012. Magic GM Rob Hennigan was in his first offseason on the job when he traded Howard away, ending an acrimonious saga that dragged on over the final months of Howard’s tenure in Orlando. The Magic, with only mathematical hopes of a postseason berth this year, have yet to make the playoffs since.

Howard’s future plans have long been difficult to pin down. USA Today’s Sam Amick suggested earlier this week that the Rockets were merely a fallback option for the former All-Star, and Houston engaged in well-publicized trade talks with several teams about him before last month’s deadline. The 30-year-old former No. 1 overall pick was in the midst of changing agents while the trade talk was going on, dumping Dan Fegan for Perry Rogers, the representative for fellow ex-Magic center Shaquille O’Neal.

The Rockets were reportedly in touch with the Mavericks, Bulls, Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Heat, Bucks and Raptors about Howard as they engaged teams about their interest in him, but Houston found the market underwhelming. Howard is averaging 14.3 points and 8.8 shot attempts per game, his lowest numbers in either category since the 2004/05 season, when he was a 19-year-old rookie with the Magic.