The Magic formally introduced new GM Rob Hennigan today, and the former Thunder assistant GM received a thorough vetting from the central Florida media. Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes about Hennigan's analytical, "Moneyball" approach and wonders whom he'll hire to coach the team. Fellow Orlando Sentinel writer Mike Bianchi says the 30-year-old Hennigan could age quickly, given the drama surrounding Dwight Howard. John Denton of Magic.com looks at the path Hennigan took to get to his new position, and the tasks that lay ahead. Clearly, Hennigan will be judged first on what he does with Howard, whether that means keeping him or turning him into assets or cap space that can help the team in the future. There's plenty of news concerning Hennigan's opponents in the Southeast Division as well.
Here are a few interesting bits from around the NBA's Southeast Division:
- From the Charlotte Observer, Tom Sorensen writes that the Bobcats didn't tank games this season. They just weren't a very good team. He follows that up by comparing possible number one pick Anthony Davis' impact with Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
- From the same outlet, Rick Bonnell writes about ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy's assertion that the Bobcats did in fact tank their season in order to have the best odds at tomorrow night's lottery.
- The Washington Post's Michael Lee brings Wizards center Kevin Seraphin's late season surge to light.
- Roger Mason would like to return to the Wizards after ending his season with some stellar play. Mason shot 42.5% from the three-point line in his final 31 games.
MONDAY, 3:02pm: The Wizards have officially waived Mason, the team announced today.
SUNDAY, 7:22pm: Michael Lee of the Washington Post tweets that the Wizards plan to add another player to reinforce their lack of depth in the back court.
2:13pm: In a tweet from Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears, Wizards guard Roger Mason Jr. will have season ending finger surgery on Monday, and because of it, the team will waive him.
The 31-year-old guard signed as a free agent with the team last December, and is averaging 5.5 PPG in 52 games this season. With his contract scheduled to come off the books after this season, it's his third straight year with a field goal percentage below 40%.