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Magic Rumors: Nelson, Ewing, Clark, Foyle

May 9th, 2012 at 9:06pm CST by Luke Adams

With an unusual and drama-filled season finally in the books, the Magic look ahead to an offseason that could be just as eventful. As one NBA GM told Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, "You can take all of those stories from December and January and February and cut them out and paste them into May and June and July."

With the futures of Dwight Howard, Stan Van Gundy, and others up in the air, here's the latest out of Orlando….

9:06pm:

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel examines the dilemma facing Jameer Nelson, who has three days to decide on his option for next season.
Stan Van Gundy believes assistant Patrick Ewing is ready to take on a head coaching job, Robbins reports in the same piece.
Robbins passes along another note about Earl Clark, who said he hasn't thought about his $1.24MM option for next season, but added, "I definitely want to be here. I don't want to be anywhere else."

Odds & Ends: Howard, Profits, Suns, Draft

May 4th, 2012 at 11:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

It was another wild night of playoff basketball that included more unfortunate injuries, this time to the Bulls Joakim Noah and Avery Bradley of the Celtics. Here's what's been going on off the court while you've had your eyes fixed on the hardwood:

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel dissects the latest comments from Dwight Howard, who told TMZ that he would never quit on his team or Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, with whom D12 says he's had several conversations since the start of the playoffs.
Commissioner David Stern says that most NBA teams will turn a profit this year, and predicts all 30 franchises will be profitable within two years, according to a report from Jonathan D. Salant of Bloomberg News, who rounded up comments Stern made on a Bloomberg Television show airing this weekend. Stern had said during the latest CBA negotiations that NBA teams had lost a combined $300MM over the previous three seasons.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic examines the desire of the Suns to keep restricted free agent Robin Lopez.
HoopsWorld unveiled its mock draft, with all four contributors agreeing on Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bradley Beal for the top three spots. Steve Kyler adds a report that Arnett Moultrie and Andrew Nicholson are rocketing up some teams' draft boards.
Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune compares the approaches of Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor and Spurs GM R.C. Buford, both of whom share a connection with longtime NBA coach Larry Brown.
Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida breaks down the potential U.S. Olympic team roster, and Rob Mahoney of The New York Times examines what the team needs.

Odds & Ends: Raptors, Bulls, Magic, Frye

May 2nd, 2012 at 10:37pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Here are this evening's miscellaneous stories:

Lang Greene of HoopsWorld had his weekly chat with fans tonight. Among the more significant things he talked about were the chances that Tyreke Evans gets shopped this summer, the Nets pursuing Kevin Garnett if Deron Williams leaves, the Hornets matching any offer for Eric Gordon, and Portland being the realistic destination for Goran Dragic.
With $12MM in cap space before the draft, Bryan Colangelo talked about the Raptors' approach going into the offseason: "If there was going to be a year to make a bigger splash, whether in free agency or utilizing the space to acquire players by trade, I felt that would be better served in a subsequent season and that’s probably this summer" (Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld reports). Colangelo also told Brotherston that he and Ed Stefanski will be very active in terms of placing and entertaining calls with other GMs in the upcoming weeks and months.
Scoop Jackson, Melissa Isaacson, and Jon Greenberg of ESPN cover a few topics on the Bulls, including how Derrick Rose's injury will affect Chicago's title hopes over the next two years, whether Luol Deng should immediately get surgery and skip the Olympics, and Carlos Boozer's reliability in the playoffs.
Magic GM Otis Smith traveled to Los Angeles to check on Dwight Howard as he recuperates from surgery, according to Illiana Limón and Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. While there had been speculation that Howard is estranged from the franchise, Smith and Magic CEO Alex Martins say that he hasn't asked for a trade.
Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times provides a "to-do list" for the Nuggets if they are to have any chance at beating the Lakers.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas wonders if the Mavericks should make strategic defensive adjustments on Russell Westbrook or just hope that he starts missing mid-range jumpshots.
An article posted on Suns.com reports that Channing Frye underwent successful surgery on his right shoulder today.

Anthony Davis To Be Added To Team USA Pool

May 2nd, 2012 at 12:43pm CST by Sean Highkin

12:43pm: Monroe won't be the second addition to the U.S. Olympic pool, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

12:18pm: Anthony Davis will be one of the two finalists added to the Team USA pool, according to SI.com's Sam Amick. Along with Monroe, Al Jefferson is a candidate to be the second finalist, says Amick.

11:08am: Lamar Odom hasn't been ruled out for the 2012 Olympic roster yet, Colangelo tells Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Colangelo also said that Cousins won't be added to the player pool this year, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.

WEDNESDAY, 8:09am: DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, and Anthony Davis are among the big men being considered for the Team USA pool, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Hibbert, unfortunately, is ineligible to play for the U.S. team because he played for Jamaica's senior national squad during the 2010 Centrobasket tournament. FIBA rules prevent players from representing two different countries at the senior level.

TUESDAY, 8:29pm: Jerry Colangelo told reporters (Associated Press link via ESPN.com) that he is leaning towards adding a couple of players to the pool from which the final Olympic team will be drawn. He gave no indication as to who those players might be, however.

7:30pm: With the U.S. Olympic team's projected roster increasingly depleted due to injuries, Jerry Colangelo is reportedly reconsidering his stance against adding new players. According to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, Pacers center Roy Hibbert has expressed interest in joining the team should they look to add new talent.

“It would be nice to be able to do something like that,” Hibbert said. “I always said I wanted to play in the Olympics for the US. I played with Team Jamaica last year. Hopefully I can get a quick release. It would mean the world to me to be able to participate for Team USA.”

With Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge out for the summer, the frontcourt rotation for Team USA is looking thin outside of Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, and Tyson Chandler. If Colangelo does decide to bring on new players, Hibbert, who made his first All-Star appearance in 2011/12, would appear to be a logical candidate.

Odds & Ends: Nuggets, Howard, Hornets, Celtics

April 30th, 2012 at 10:54pm CST by Zachary Links

It was a rough night for the Knicks in South Beach. First, the Heat went up 2-0 in their first round series with a 104-94 win behind 25 points from Dwyane Wade. Later, reporters were held out of the Knicks' locker room as Amare Stoudemire was being tended to for lacerations on his left hand. It appears that the big man took his frustrations out on a fire extinguisher and his status for Game 3 could be in jeopardy. Here's more from around the league..

The Nuggets are using the playoffs to find their center of the future, writes Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post.
Magic GM Otis Smith plans to visit Dwight Howard in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter). There's no word on what the two will discuss upon Smith's arrival, but some have speculated that Howard is once again estranged from the team.
The Hornets got approval for a tax break extension that is essential to keeping them in New Orleans through 2024, writes Ed Anderson of The Times-Picayune.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com wonders aloud if Rajon Rondo has what it takes to be the Celtics' leader of the future following his one-game suspension. While Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen may not factor into the C's plans next year, the point guard will be in the mix for the foreseeable future.
Michael Jordan should buck his trend of hiring friends as he did with GM Rich Cho if he hopes to turn the Bobcats' fortunes around, writes Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated.
Blazers center Hasheem Thabeet reiterated his desire to return to Portland next season in a media scrum with outlets including CSNNW.com (video link), but the club has yet to talk about a new deal with the big man. The former second-overall pick came from the Rockets along with Jonny Flynn and a future second-round pick at the trade deadline in exchange for Marcus Camby.
Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee outlined three possible scenarios for the Kings and their stadium situation.
Kobe Bryant acknowledged that this playoff run will be crucial to coach Mike Brown's future in Los Angeles, writes Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Los Angeles Notes: Bynum, D12, Del Negro, Butler

April 30th, 2012 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

One Los Angeles team took a comfortable lead into the fourth quarter yesterday, while the other faced a 21-point deficit. Both clubs ended up with Game One wins though, as the Lakers cruised to a 15-point victory over the Nuggets and the Clippers came back in dramatic fashion to top the Grizzlies 99-98. As the two teams prepare for Game Two of their respective series, let's check in on a few updates out of Los Angeles….

The Lakers were willing to part with Andrew Bynum at the trade deadline in a deal for Dwight Howard, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. However, the Lakers wanted an assurance that D12 would sign a long-term extension, and he wouldn't give it, according to Wojnarowski.
In a separate piece, Wojnarowski writes about how Clippers GM Neil Olshey's decision to trade for Chris Paul continues to pay dividends. Within the column, Wojnarowski says Olshey never considered firing coach Vinny Del Negro this season.
The Clippers' miraculous comeback victory in Memphis came at a price: Caron Butler fractured his left hand and could miss four to six weeks, according to a Reuters report. There's been no official word from the team yet on how long Butler will be out, but it's possible we won't see him again this season.

Magic Notes: Davis, Bench, Turkoglu

April 27th, 2012 at 9:17pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Magic will limp into the playoffs as the sixth seed after Dwight Howard suffered a herniated disk in his back to prematurely end his season. Many pundits have the Pacers easily dismantling the injury-riddled Magic in the first round to send them into an offseason of uncertainty given Howard's desire to play elsewhere and head coach Stan Van Gundy's unknown status. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel has the latest news surrounding the Magic as their series gets underway on Saturday in Indianapolis.

The offseason acquisition of Glen Davis from the Celtics appeared to be a bust when he was suspended by the Magic for conduct detrimental to team in February, but the former LSU star has turned heads with his strong play in April. After Howard's season came to a close, Davis was afforded the opportunity to start and demonstrated his ability by averaging 16.4 PPG and 8.8 RPG over his last 12 games. Currently struggling with an ankle sprain, the six-foot-nine Davis will be at a severe height disadvantage when he matches up with the Pacers' Roy Hibbert, who checks in at seven-foot-two.
Van Gundy will need to see strong contributions out of lesser-known bench players if the Magic seek to be competitive against the much deeper Pacers. Earl Clark and Daniel Orton are two names that Van Gundy will have to reluctantly call upon to keep his starters fresh throughout the series. Orton, 21, provides size at six-foot-ten, but has never played in a playoff game after failing to see any action during his entire rookie season of 2010/2011.
The Magic are playing coy with Hedo Turkoglu's status heading into Game 1 against the Pacers. Van Gundy knows whether the former first-round pick will start, but refuses to offer any clues to the media, and in turn, the Pacers. Now in his second stint with the Magic, Turkoglu offers the team size at the small forward position against a Pacers squad chuck full of big bodies.

Odds & Ends: World Peace, Eyenga, MKG

April 24th, 2012 at 6:51pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweeted that Metta World Peace will be suspended for seven games as punishment for elbowing James Harden during Sunday's game in Los Angeles. One interesting thing to note is that the suspension could potentially carry over into the second round of the playoffs depending on if and how the Lakers advance past the first round. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes that Harden remains day-to-day and will continue to undergo evaluation and testing. You can find the rest of this evening’s news here:

Even with the suspension of World Peace and Matt Barnes ailing from a sprained right ankle, Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times tweeted earlier that Christian Eyenga isn't considered to be an option for the team. Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles delves into the ripple effect of World Peace's suspension as it affects the Lakers, saying that it makes them a vulnerable first-round matchup and that it may have an impact on his future with the team.
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress provides a breakdown of how Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's game could translate onto the NBA level and views him as the type of prospect who will maximize his potential.
While Dwight Howard is expected to miss the Olympics this summer, his surgeon is optimistic that Howard will be able to return for the 2012-13 season (Ric Bucher of ESPN.com reports).
Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman had no problem with J.J. Barea's postgame comments after a loss to the Warriors on Sunday (according to an ESPN.com report via the Associated Press). Barea had indirectly called out his teammates, claiming that "there are a lot of guys that don't care."
Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer writes that Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker are likely making their final farewell to Cleveland fans after the conclusion of Wednesday's game at home against the Wizards.
The Nuggets' underdog mentality heading into the playoffs isn't a feeling that's anything new to them, says Aaron J. Lopex of Nuggets.com.
Shaun Powell of NBA.com lists his second-half All-Stars.

Latest On Dwight Howard

April 24th, 2012 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

Having undergone surgery on his back, Dwight Howard will not only miss the rest of this season and the playoffs, but also won't rejoin the team in Orlando over the next few weeks, according to coach Stan Van Gundy.

Van Gundy told reporters (including Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel) today that Howard would remain in the Los Angeles area to rehab, since both Howard's camp and the team decided it would be impractical to fly back and forth across the country (Twitter links). Asked why D12 couldn't simply fly to Orlando and rehab there, the Magic coach said Howard requires frequent checkups by doctors in L.A. (Twitter link). Robbins acknowledges that the plan seems a little strange, and suggests it will fuel speculation that Howard is estranged from the team (Twitter link).

The latest on Howard's estrangement from the rest of the Magic comes from ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who says Howard felt like the organization and teammates didn't have his back after a report indicated he'd quit on the team. Smith expects Howard to ask to be traded out of Orlando "the minute this season is over" and doesn't anticipate "any flip-flopping" from the star center this time.

Whether or not Howard makes another trade request this summer, it certainly won't be an ideal time for Orlando to move him. Howard is unlikely to be fully recovered from his back surgery yet, so interested teams may be wary of his health. Additionally, I expect Van Gundy to be replaced this summer, and you'd think the Magic would like to see Howard coexist with the new coach before they consider dealing their superstar.

Latest On Dwight Howard

April 20th, 2012 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Dwight Howard has been ruled out for the rest of this season, undergoing back surgery that is also expected to remove him from consideration for the Team USA Olympic roster this summer. But just because we've received some closure on D12's on-court status doesn't mean the rumors and speculation about his long-term future will come to an end. Here's the latest on the Magic superstar:

SI.com's Chris Mannix is one of many reporters shooting down rumors that Howard called Magic owner Rich DeVos to tell him he won't play for coach Stan Van Gundy anymore. Of course, as Mannix points out, that doesn't mean Howard is interested in playing for SVG going forward.
A league source tells Mannix that Howard believes Van Gundy lied when he told reporters D12 had asked the Magic to fire him, since the Orlando center didn't specifically make that request. Sources close to Howard tell Mannix that it was the Magic front office that first approached Dwight about the possibility of replacing Van Gundy.
Management's silence on the topic may not sit well with Howard, writes Mannix, noting that perhaps a deteriorating relationship between the team and its star will lead to renewed trade rumors this summer.
According to Van Gundy, Howard is scheduled for surgery today in the Los Angeles area, tweets Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.