2:56pm: Lindsey and Hennigan will head to Michigan to meet with the DeVos family this week, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). According to Berger, Bower may meet with owner Rich DeVos later on, but not yet. The Magic are expected to wrap up their search either later this week or early next week (Twitter links).
Multiple reports have indicated Lou Williams will be opting out of the final year of his contract with the 76ers, though not necessarily to leave Philadelphia. Williams himself seemed to be laying the groundwork for such a decision yesterday, tweeting "Quick note. Opting out doesn't necessarily mean you're leaving. It's getting out of one contract to begin a new one." The Sixers will be faced with a number of free agent decisions besides Williams this summer, and Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News has updates on a few of those players and on the executives that will be making the roster moves….
Earlier today, we passed along tweets from HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler on Dion Waiters' possible draft-day guarantee. Kyler is hearing that the Suns may have made promised Waiters they'll draft him at 13th overall, resulting in the Syracuse guard shutting down his workouts. That wasn't Kyler's only update of interest this morning, however, as he tweeted a few more notes from the draft combine. Let's round them up….
Given the lack of competition for the top head coach candidates, the Magic have been able to proceed deliberately in their search for Stan Van Gundy's replacement. With the Knicks and Wizards retaining interim coaches and the 7-59 Bobcats the only other club interviewing candidates, Orlando hasn't had to worry about missing out on a head coach until now, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins writes that the Trail Blazers and new GM Neil Olshey could end up replacing Kaleb Canales, and that many of the same candidates the Magic are eyeing could have interest in the Portland job.
As the Magic decide whether to accelerate their coaching search, let's round up a few more odds and ends from around the Association….
MONDAY, 4:11pm: The agreement to keep Olshey in Los Angeles as the team's general manager is not yet finalized, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Considering the Clippers themselves announced the agreement in principle on Friday, I'd be surprised if the deal fell apart, but nothing is officially completed yet.
The Trail Blazers' search for a general manager became more difficult this week as we reported on Friday that Clippers GM Neil Olshey was being retained by Los Angeles. With the draft drawing closer and the team still without a permanent head coach, the Trail Blazers are expected to make a decision on both positions in the coming weeks. CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes has the latest news and rumors from Portland that sheds light on the future of the front office and sideline…
The draft lottery is dominating NBA headlines today, but the team with the best shot at landing the first overall pick isn't losing any sleep over tonight's drama. Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he's not stressed about the lottery since the results are out of his hands, and adds that he still expects Charlotte to add a solid player even without the top pick.
As we count down the hours until the winner of the Anthony Davis sweepstakes is announced, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the NBA….
WEDNESDAY, 11:28am: Paul Allen has interviewed four GM candidates in person and is currently conducting reference checks, the Blazers owner tweeted this morning. While earlier reports suggested Portland had narrowed its search to three finalists, it appears both DiLeo and Olshey are still in the running along with Bower and Morway, assuming those are the four interviewees to whom Allen is referring.
Earlier today we rounded up the latest from Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld on the Magic's search for a new GM, and the news continues to come in from Orlando as well as from Portland, where the Blazers are also looking for a GM. Here's what we're hearing:
- Clippers GM Neil Olshey recently spoke to Blazers owner Paul Allen about Portland's GM position, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who notes Olshey is not under contract for next season (Twitter links).
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has emerged as the No. 1 candidate for the Blazers GM job and the team is awaiting his decision, Kyler tweets. Kyler says Chris Mullin is next in line if Kupchak turns Portland down, contradicting what we heard last week about Mullin suggesting he was not in the running.
- Kupchak is also a candidate for the Magic's GM position, but Kyler isn't sure he'd take that job, as he'd like to continue working with Andrew Bynum (Twitter link). That said, a swap of Bynum for Dwight Howard, as has been discussed, would allow Kupchak to bring the big man to Florida with him.
- Kyler said earlier that the Magic would have to move quickly if they wanted Kevin Pritchard for their GM job, and now Berger tweets that the team has reached out to him.
- Jeff Bower will interview for the Magic GM job this week, Berger reports (Twitter link). Bower interviewed earlier this month for same position with the Blazers.
It's been a busy week for the Magic, who fired coach Stan Van Gundy and parted ways with GM Otis Smith on Monday. Dwight Howard still may want out of Orlando, however, and the team could be open to accommodating him. Meanwhile, the team's search for a new general manager has them targeting Mitch Kupchak of the Lakers, but not Shaquille O'Neal. Let's check in on the latest out of Orlando:
- The Magic will begin interviewing GM candidates next week, CEO Alex Martins tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The new GM will also try to sell Howard on his long-term vision for the team and try to convince D12 to sign a long-term extension.
- Martins has identified "championship experience" as an asset for potential GM candidates. Besides Kupchak, the following names could interest the Magic, according to Robbins: Pacers GM David Morway, former Pacers and Knicks exec Donnie Walsh, former Hornets GM Jeff Bower, Celtics assistant GM Ryan McDonough, and Pacers director of player personnel Kevin Pritchard.
- Howard told TMZ.com that his recovery from back surgery is going well and that his back is doing "a lot better." The big man also spoke briefly about Van Gundy, saying that he hates to see anyone lose a job, and reiterating that he had nothing to do with the decision.
- Making a radio appearance with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Jeff Van Gundy was critical of Martins and the Magic for the way they handled his brother's dismissal. Scott Schroeder of SBNation.com transcribed a number of Van Gundy's notable quotes, including the broadcaster's opinion on Howard's role in the firing: "To try to make everyone believe that Dwight Howard didn't have a part in this is absurd. Just say 'we fired this guy because we feel this is our best chance to keep Dwight Howard. Dwight Howard and I decided to fire him."