Draft Rumors: Boynton, Young, Beal
Tuesday is the last day for underclassmen who have officially entered their names in the draft to withdraw and still retain their college eligibility, and today, those who filed for reports from the Undergraduate Advisory Committee should be receiving them. Keep tabs on all the draft-related deadlines in this post, and check out today's latest news here:
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv passes along confirmation that Florida guard Kenny Boynton will return to school, and says fellow Gator Patric Young is expected to return as well. Draft Express has Young as the 13th pick in the 2013 draft while projecting Boynton to go in the middle of the second round next year.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com says Florida shooting guard Bradley Beal, projected as the No. 5 pick this June by Draft Express and No. 7 by NBADraft.net, is leaning toward entering the draft (Insider only). He rounds up the pending decisions from underclassmen considering the draft and looks ahead at some of the upcoming scouting showcases.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com unveils his latest mock draft, with Anthony Davis on top, followed by Thomas Robinson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Beal and Andre Drummond.
Latest On Howard/Van Gundy
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy's revelation that Dwight Howard wants him fired was the dominant story in the NBA yesterday. Many, including a slight majority of Hoops Rumors readers, believe Van Gundy will be gone before the end of the season. Here's what's happening as the saga continues to unfold:
- Magic executives have been more open to the idea of firing Van Gundy than even Howard has as the team looks to build a cooperative relationship with its superstar, notes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
- Howard also pushed the team to fire former coach Brian Hill, according to Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Van Gundy believes he'll finish the season as the Magic coach, HoopsWorld reports. He met with GM Otis Smith and Howard yesterday, the report states.
- The coach is expected to travel with the team to Philadelphia for its game with the Sixers tomorrow night, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com tweets, so it looks like Van Gundy's job is safe for the moment. Magic CEO Alex Martins doesn't want to make a change now, Berger also notes via Twitter.
- The Magic threatened Howard with a trade to the Lakers if he didn't opt in to his deal at the trading deadline, reports Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Despite the presence of the Lakers on his list of preferred teams, the Nets were far and away Howard's top choice, Kerber writes. The Magic favored the Lakers' offer of Andrew Bynum, Devin Ebanks and Steve Blake over New Jersey's package of Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, Mehmet Okur and two first-round picks.
- Howard and Van Gundy tried their best to deflect the glare of yesterday's events in their comments following last night's loss to the Knicks, notes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. While Howard simply declined to comment on the matter, Van Gundy tried to shift the topic to on-court matters when asked about his future with the team. “That’s not what’s important right now,” the coach said. “It’s not. My job security is not what’s important right now. What Dwight wants is not important. What’s important is that we focus on playing better as a team. That’s what is important.”
- J.J. Redick has Van Gundy's back, Kennedy also reports.
- On ESPN.com's Daily Dime, Zach McCann says the Magic locker room might be beyond repair now, with some players frustrated with Howard's power plays and others in agreement with D12 that it's time for Van Gundy to go. McCann also mentions assistants Brendan Malone and Patrick Ewing as possible interim replacements should the Magic let Van Gundy go this season.
- Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News calls on the Nets to end their pursuit of Howard in light of how he's tried to undermine his coach.
- Tom Ziller, writing for SBNation.com, says that the Magic would have been better off trading Howard at the deadline, despite his willingness to stick around for another season.
- Lang Greene of HoopsWorld gathers a few more reactions from around the league.
Central Notes: Lucas, Thibodeau, Hudson
The Bulls and Cavs are two teams heading in opposite directions of late, but there's some news coming out of both camps. Here's the latest:
- The impending return of Derrick Rose will likely send John Lucas III back to the end of the Bulls bench, but Lucas believes his performance this season has proven his ability to play in the league, writes Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times. Lucas, averaging 7.0 PPG and 2.1 APG in 14 minutes a game this year, is on a minimum-salary deal expires at the end of the season.
- It's no surprise, but Celtics coach Doc Rivers would like to see the Bulls extend the contract of coach Tom Thibodeau, a former assistant to Rivers in Boston, reports Melissa Isaacson of ESPNChicago.com. The Bulls have a team option on Thibodeau for next season.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com answers reader questions on the Bulls, free agency and the draft, among other topics.
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald examines the impact of guard Lester Hudson, who's with the Cavs on a 10-day contract. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal recounts Hudson's long journey to Cleveland.
- Both Manny Harris and Donald Sloan have non-guaranteed contracts for next season, according to the joint Twitter feed of Plain Dealer reporters Tom Reed and Mary Schmitt Boyer. Storytellers Contracts has the non-guaranteed contracts extending out another year, ending in 2014. Neither is slated to make as much as $1MM in any season.
- Sloan and presumably Harris will play for the Cavs' summer league team in the offseason, Reed and Boyer also note, via Twitter.
Raptors Re-Sign Alan Anderson, Ben Uzoh
The Raptors have re-signed guards Ben Uzoh and Alan Anderson to 10-day contracts, according to releases from the team. It's the second 10-day contract from the team for both players. Toronto also signed Justin Dentmon to a 10-day deal this morning, so the team has three players on the shortest of contracts as it looks to bolster its backcourt.
Anderson has seen significant playing time in his six games for the Raptors, getting the start against the Sixers the other night and averaging 5.8 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 16 minutes a game. Uzoh has somewhat better numbers, though, putting up 3.2 PPG and 2.6 APG in 12 minutes a game.
Raptors Sign Justin Dentmon
9:57am: The team has confirmed, via press release, that it's a 10-day contract.
9:37am: Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside tweets that the team has finalized the signing. No word yet on whether the deal is for 10 days or the rest of the season.
WEDNESDAY, 11:04am: The Raptors are hoping to sign Justin Dentmon by week's end, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside reports that the Raptors previously tried to call up Dentmon, but the University of Washington alum had already agreed to a 10-day deal with the Spurs (Twitter link).
As our 10-day tracker shows, Dentmon signed with the Spurs on March 24th, though the team terminated his contract early, according to RealGM's transactions log. Either way, Dentmon's 10-day deal would have expired by now, and it doesn't appear San Antonio is interested in bringing him back. The 26-year-old, who appeared in two games for the Spurs, has since rejoined the D-League's Austin Toros.
The Raptors currently have two guards on 10-day contracts, but both Alan Anderson's and Ben Uzoh's deal are set to expire this week, so perhaps Toronto will sign Dentmon to replace one of the two.
Minor Moves: Josh Selby
Keep an eye on this post throughout the day as we track D-League and international movement:
- The Grizzlies have sent rookie guard Josh Selby to the D-League, according to the D-League website. It's the third time the rookie has been assigned to the Reno Bighorns this year, meaning that if he's recalled to the big club, he can't be sent back down again this season. The 6'2", 183-pound Kansas University product has averaged 2.5 PPG and 1.2 APG in 8.8 minutes a game for the Grizzlies this year.
Odds & Ends: Ilyasova, Thornton, Thunder
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday night:
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel speculates on the future of forward Ersan Ilyasova, who is set to potentially earn a large payday as he hits unrestricted free agency.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News talks to journeyman Al Thornton, who is attempting to work his way back into the NBA.
- Fox Sports Ohio's Sam Amico wonders whether the Oklahoma City Thunder model of rebuilding is replicable.
Poll: Will Stan Van Gundy Last The Season?
The story of the day has been Magic coach Stan Van Gundy's revelation that Dwight Howard asked Orlando management to fire him. It's expected that Van Gundy will be fired at the end of the season, but it could come sooner if the situation is not resolved. Do you think Van Gundy will end the 2011/12 season as Orlando's head coach?
Will Stan Van Gundy Finish The Season As Orlando Magic Coach?
-
Yes 55% (260)
-
No 45% (212)
Total votes: 472
Howard Has Asked Magic To Fire Van Gundy
7:43pm: According to Mike Prada of SBNation (Twitter link), Van Gundy confirmed to TNT's David Aldridge that he's known all season that Howard wanted him fired.
5:51pm: CBSSports.com's Ken Berger writes that there's no chance Van Gundy will be back as head coach of the Magic next season.
3:13pm: Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski writes that Howard's attempts to get Van Gundy fired are just the latest development in a power struggle between the coach and star center.
11:34am: A source close to Van Gundy tells Wojnarowski that Howard has asked the Magic to fire Van Gundy multiple times since last summer (Twitter link).
11:17am: Just moments after Van Gundy spoke to reporters in Orlando, Howard talked to the same group, including Howard Beck of the New York Times (Twitter link), and denied that he'd asked management to fire the coach.
11:06am: Van Gundy told reporters, including Josh Robbins (Twitter link), that Howard has indeed asked Magic management to fire Van Gundy. This is a pretty surprising development — not just that Howard actually made the request, but that Van Gundy would publicly acknowledge it.
9:01am: During the height of the pre-deadline Dwight Howard drama, a report surfaced that suggested Howard had been offered the opportunity to determine the fates of GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy if he re-signed. The Magic quickly released a statement denying it, but with Howard locked into his contract for another year, the rumors persist.
David Pingalore of WKMG Local 6 in Orlando reported this week that Howard has conveyed to Magic ownership that he'd like a coaching change, and won't consider a contract extension unless the team fires Van Gundy this offseason. Magic owner Rich DeVos told Pingalore that Howard won't be given that type of decision-making power, though the team will seek his input on any major decisions.
"He can't make those decisions and choices," DeVos said. "We will make those, but we will let him know what we are making and we want his opinion on what fits and doesn't fit."
Orlando CEO Alex Martins echoed that sentiment to Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, noting that the futures of Van Gundy and Smith, who are both under contract through 2012/13, won't be discussed until after the season. The Magic didn't make any specific promises to Howard when he waived his early termination option, according to Martins.
SI.com's Chris Mannix tweets that the Magic will do "whatever it takes" to placate Howard over the next year. If that means firing Van Gundy, they'll do it, says Mannix. In a separate tweet, Mannix adds that several rival executives believe the Magic coach would be highly coveted if he were to find himself out of work in Orlando.
I think Mannix is right that the Magic will give strong consideration to Howard's opinion. If Orlando makes a deep playoff run, it would be hard to justify firing Van Gundy, but if D12 pushes for it, I think it'll happen. What we don't know yet is whether or not that's what Dwight wants — hopefully he won't be quite as indecisive on this topic as he was on his contract situation.
Agent For Greg Oden Discusses Future
The agent for former Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Sr., spoke with CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes about his client's future in the NBA. Conley says that Oden, the former No. 1 overall pick who was waived by Portland in March, does not plan to retire from basketball.
“No he's not retiring. The only way that would happen is if he was forced to and I don't see that happening,” Conley said. “He's dedicated to making sure he's back on the court as soon as possible.”
Oden was drafted first overall by the Blazers in 2007, but repeated knee injuries have limited him to 82 games in five seasons. He has not played since November 2009. Despite being released by Portland last month, Conley did not close the door on an eventual return for Oden:
“There's a possibility. Obviously, that decision is up to the Blazers, but my job as his agent is to find him the best offer out there on the market. Absolutely, no way in the world is the answer no.”
Oden is currently an unrestricted free agent and recovering from his third microfracture surgery in five years. There is no timetable for a potential return to the court.