Frank Vogel’s Job In Jeopardy In Orlando?
With the Magic wrapping up another lost season, there’s a sense in Orlando that it could be the last one for coach Frank Vogel, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel.
Vogel is 50-102 in nearly two full years with the Magic, operating against a background of change. The team replaced GM Rob Hennigan and cleared out several other members of the basketball operations department last summer. New team president Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond may prefer to select their own coach this offseason.
Neither would comment about the situation to Robbins, but speculation has been growing as Orlando quickly fell out of contention after an 8-4 start. When they assumed their new jobs, Weltman and Hammond said they planned to make this a season of evaluation, both for the roster and the coaching staff. Vogel signed a four-year contract in the summer of 2016, but the fourth season is a team option that hasn’t been exercised.
Robbins notes that the Magic made two important personnel errors that summer that left Vogel with a flawed roster. They traded Victor Oladipo to the Thunder for Serge Ibaka, then gave a four-year, $68MM contract to Bismack Biyombo, giving Vogel an abundance of big men at a time when the league was embracing guard play. Aaron Gordon was forced to play out of position at small forward and never adapted to the position.
The Magic have been hit heavily by injuries this season, with first-round pick Jonathan Isaac missing 47 games and Terrence Ross sitting out 48. Injuries also cost them 23 games for Gordon, 13 for Evan Fournier and 24 for Nikola Vucevic. Vogel has been in a difficult position since he came to Orlando, but even if the front office understands that, it may not be enough to save his job.
Warriors Notes: Cook, Casspi, Centers, McCaw
Two-way player Quinn Cook continues to make a strong push for a standard NBA contract, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. With three All-Star teammates sidelined by injuries, the second-year point guard had 28 points in Saturday’s win over the Suns, following up a 25-point performance the night before.
Cook is nearing his 45-day NBA limit, but that won’t be an issue once the G League season ends next week. The Warriors will be able to keep him for the rest of the regular season, but they must convert his contract by April 10 to make him eligible for the playoffs. Cook has a vocal supporter in teammate Draymond Green, who wants to see him on the postseason roster.
“I’ve said all along, I sit here and I watch so many other teams play and I wonder: ‘How is Quinn Cook a two-way player?’” Green said. “Then you have guys in the league who can’t dribble with their left hand or can’t go left, can’t go right. Then you have a guy like that is a two-way player? I’m happy for him, happy he’s showing the world and pray he gets rewarded.”
Slater passes on a few more items about the defending champs:
- The top candidate to be waived to make room for Cook is veteran forward Omri Casspi, who got some good news after an MRI Saturday. The team announced that his ankle injury is a tweak rather than a sprain and instead of missing a week, he is now day-to-day. Center Damian Jones, who has played in only five games, could also be waived, but he has more than $1.5MM guaranteed for next season and the Warriors are reluctant to create dead money. Slater doesn’t expect a decision until well into April.
- Zaza Pachulia has replaced JaVale McGee as the starting center over the past three games, but coach Steve Kerr said that move may not be permanent. He plans to wait until some of his star players return before deciding who will start heading into the postseason. “It’s very different depending on who is on the floor around those guys,” Kerr said. “Right now, the game is played in a much smaller radius for us because we don’t have all the shooting. In that smaller radius, we’re more dependent on screens and moving the ball and things that Zaza is good at. I’ve told all the centers that anything can happen, really, that anything can happen. They all have to stay ready based on matchups.”
- Shooting guard Patrick McCaw may return Monday after missing more than a month with a wrist fracture that he suffered in a G League game. He was putting up disappointing numbers before the injury, but the team is hoping he can be an asset off the bench in the playoffs.
Southwest Notes: Hill, Ferrell, Murray, Hammon
Pelicans forward Solomon Hill may make his first appearance of the season Sunday, according to Christian Boutwell of The Journal Times. Hill has been sidelined for the past 68 games by a torn hamstring that required surgery in late August. Coach Alvin Gentry told reporters tonight that Hill will undergo preliminary tests before the game to see if he’s able to play.
“Whenever I can get out there, it’s not just about playing, but it’s about contributing,” Hill said. “I’m not trying to take from the team. I don’t care where I am in my situation in recovery … Whatever minutes I play, if they don’t help the team, they hurt the team. That’s my goal, to help the team. If I can’t help the team and I hurt them more than I [help], then I’m going to have a talk with somebody and just be like the group is playing well and I don’t want to take from anybody — especially if I’m not in a situation to be 100 percent or close to it.”
Hill has been participating in practice on a limited basis and has seen most of his action in two-on-two games. He appeared in 80 games last season, starting 71, after signing a four-year, $48MM contract in the summer of 2016.
There’s more news from the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks guard Yogi Ferrell passed the 2,000-minute threshold this week, pushing him into the starter criteria for free agency, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Ferrell, who will be a restricted free agent, will have his qualifying offer and cap hold rise from $1.7MM to $2.9MM. He is averaging 10.1 points per game in his first full season in Dallas.
- Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray hasn’t been the difference maker that coach Gregg Popovich had hoped when he inserted him into the starting lineup in January, writes Frank Urbina of Hoops Hype. San Antonio is 9-12 since the move and is barely clinging to a playoff spot.
- Spurs assistant Becky Hammon has decided to remain with the team after having conversations with Colorado State about becoming the men’s head basketball coach, according to Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Hammon is in her fourth season with the Spurs and is considered a candidate to someday become the NBA’s first female head coach.
Pacific Notes: Casspi, Green, Suns’ Coach, Carter
Veteran forward Omri Casspi is the latest addition to the Warriors‘ growing disabled list, according to Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. Casspi underwent an MRI today after spraining his right ankle Friday. Doctors are still evaluating the results, but initial reports indicate that he will be out of action for about a week.
Medina notes that Casspi’s production and playing time have been inconsistent since signing with Golden State over the summer. He has appeared in 53 games, but is averaging just 14 minutes and 5.7 points per night.
The timing of the injury is especially unfortunate for Casspi, whose spot on the Warriors’ roster could be in jeopardy. Golden State may decide to give two-way player Quinn Cook an NBA contract before the playoffs, but first must open a roster spot. With an expiring, minimum-salary deal, the Warriors could get rid of Casspi at minimal cost.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- With three All-Star teammates sidelined by injuries, Draymond Green is taking responsibility for holding the Warriors together, writes Logan Murdock of The San Jose Mercury News. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are out until at least next week and Kevin Durant will be sitting until April, leaving Green as a leader in lineups where he is surrounded by role players. “I just try to still play my game and not think I’m going to be Stephen, Kevin or Klay,” he said. “I am who I am and bring to this team what I bring so just continue to play my game. It may mean a few more shots here or there. It’s just not my goal to say, ‘I need to jack up my scoring.’ If it happens, it happens – if not, I’m going to try and lead the guys and play the best that we can.”
- Suns GM Ryan McDonough says the team will conduct a “wide-ranging” search for its next coach once the season ends, relays Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Interim coach Jay Triano will be included in that process, along with former NBA head coaches, current assistants and maybe some college coaches. McDonough indicated the team plans to talk to several candidates before the list is trimmed to ‘two or three” who will receive second interviews.
- Vince Carter has become a mentor with the Kings in his 20th NBA season and is offering his younger teammates advice on how to lengthen their careers, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Carter, who has a one-year deal with the Kings, may be on the move again this summer as he searches for more playing time. “I’m not going to sit here and deny that I want to play more,” he said. “Things changed. We aren’t winning and the younger guys need to get better. I get that, but at the same time, I try to make the best of it. That way if it doesn’t work out here, I can still play on another team, maybe a contending team, in a lesser role.”
Hoops Rumors Originals: 3/10/18 – 3/17/18
Every week, the writing team for Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are the original segments and features from the past seven days:
- In this week’s Community Shootaround Series, we asked:
- Which NBA prospects are you most looking forward to watching during the NCAA Tournament?
- Which six backcourt players will make-up this season’s All-NBA teams?
- Luke Adams took an in-depth look into the Lakers’ 2018 Cap Room projections.
- Arthur Hill’s Weekly Mailbag addressed questions on whether LeBron James would consider joining the Knicks, the Knicks’ chances of drafting Mikal Bridges, and the future of Nerlens Noel.
- Luke Adams looked in on the current 10-day contract situation around the NBA.
- Chris Crouse passed along some late-season advice for fantasy basketball, including analysis on Anthony Davis, the Celtics, Ed Davis, Larry Nance Jr., and Luke Kornet.
- Luke Adams examined the disabled player exceptions used or expired during the 2017/18 season.
- Luke Adams listed the seven players who boosted their free agency value for this offseason.
- We introduced our 2018 NBA Draft Early Entrants List.
- In our one poll, we asked whether the Spurs will make the playoffs?
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/17/18
Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Raptors have assigned rookie forward Nigel Hayes to their G League affiliate, Raptors 905, in time for tonight’s game against the South Bay Lakers, per an official tweet from the team. Hayes, 23, has averaged 15.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 2.2 APG in 39 G League games so far this season.
- The Knicks have recalled rookie guard Damyean Dotson one day after assigning him to the G League, according to an official tweet from the team. Dotson, 23, is averaging 8.5 MPG and 2.9 PPG in 35 games in the NBA this season.
- Lakers‘ rookie big man Thomas Bryant has been assigned to the South Bay Lakers in time for tonight’s game against Hayes and Raptors 905, the team announced today. Bryant, 20, has averaged 19.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 33 G League games this season.
Five Key Stories: 3/10/18 – 3/17/18
In case you missed any of the past week’s top stories from around the NBA, we have you covered with our Week in Review. Below are the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
The Warriors will be without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant for the foreseeable future after Thompson was diagnosed with a fractured right thumb and Durant suffered an incomplete rib cartilage fracture. Thompson will miss the next several games at the very least and Durant will be out at least two weeks. The Warriors lost to the Kings last night, at home, without the three All-Stars.
Celtics’ guard Marcus Smart is expected to miss six to eight weeks after being diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right thumb. Based on this timetable, Smart would be on track to return around the end of the first round of the playoffs. The Celtics will also be without forward Daniel Theis for the remainder of the season after he tore the meniscus in his left knee.
Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who has missed 19 games with a broken bone in his left hand, is planning to return to action this week, approximately seven to eight weeks after suffering the injury. Love hopes to be ready for the team’s March 23 game against Phoenix, but isn’t ready to set an exact return date.
The Mavericks are expected to be without swingman Wesley Matthews for the remainder of the 2017/18 season while he rests and rehabs a stress fracture in his right leg. Dallas is out of the playoff picture and has already been warned for tanking, so the absence of Matthews shouldn’t be a big issue for the team.
Kent Bazemore will miss the remainder of the 2017/18 season after suffering a bone bruise in his right knee against the Bulls on Sunday. Like Dallas, the tanking Hawks are not in the playoff hunt, so the club likely won’t be too devastated to lose one of their more productive rotation players.
Here are 14 more headlines from last week:
- The Bucks waived forward Mirza Teletovic in order to make room for newly-signed point guard Brandon Jennings.
- The Hawks signed rookie guard Jaylen Morris to a second 10-day contract.
- The Trail Blazers have filled the open spot on their 15-man roster by signing former first-round pick Wade Baldwin to a rest-of-season contract.
- Suns’ rookie guard Shaquille Harrison has signed a multi-year contract with the team.
- The Lakers signed forward Travis Wear to a second 10-day contract with the team.
- The Knicks will retain Troy Williams, who has signed a two-year contract with the team that runs through next season.
- The Clippers, as expected, will be without guard Avery Bradley for the remainder of the 2017/18 season after he underwent surgery to repair muscles related to a sports hernia.
- The Grizzlies have signed guard Briante Weber to a 10-day contract.
- The Hawks signed Antonius Cleveland to a multi-year deal.
- The Clippers have signed guard Sean Kilpatrick to a second 10-day deal.
- The Pelicans signed guard Larry Drew II to a 10-day contract.
- The Wizards have signed point guard Ramon Sessions to a rest-of-season contract.
- The Raptors signed Nigel Hayes to a second 10-day contract.
- The Jazz have signed guard David Stockton to a 10-day contract.
And-Ones: Davis, Roberts, Maker, Referees, Travel
NBA veteran Glen Davis was arrested in a Maryland hotel room last month on drug possession charges, reports Brian Kuegler of ABC 2 WMAR in Baltimore. The former NBA champion reportedly gave signed consent for his room to be searched after the hotel owner called police complaining of a strong scent of marijuana coming from Davis’ room.
“They recovered 126 grams of marijuana,” Aberdeen Police Lieutenant William Reiber said. “In addition to that, there was a briefcase that contained 92,164 dollars of U.S. currency along with a ledger that contained language which is consistent with someone involved in the sale and distribution of narcotics.”
The 32-year-old last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 season, averaging 4.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 74 games for the Clippers. He had signed on to participate in the BIG3 this season.
Davis’ attorney said that his client is innocent of the charges and looks forward to his day in court. Davis is due back in court next month.
Check out more news around the basketball world:
- The executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, Michele Roberts, plans to seek a new deal when her current contract expires in September, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Roberts, 62, assumed her post in 2014 and seemed to be interested in leaving the job when her deal expired, but she has reportedly changed her mind, Wojnarowski writes.
- Thon Maker‘s younger brother, Matur Maker, will be eligible for the NBA Draft in June and the Bucks’ young center feels his brother can be a first-round pick, Gery Woelfel of Woefel’s Press Box writes. “He does a lot of things well at both ends of the floor,’’ Thon said. “Offensively, he handles the ball well; he’s a playmaker. When I say playmaker, I don’t mean like he just passes first or passes only. He makes the right play every single time. He’s very unselfish.”
- There may be an issue brewing between the NBA and its referees. After the official Twitter account for the NBA’s referees criticized the Last 2 Minute report and its effectiveness, an official NBA Twitter account fired back, calling the referees’ take “inaccurate.”
- It’s possible that the NBA changes its playoff format in the near future but going to a 1-16 format seems unlikely, Sam Amico of Amico Hoops writes. Commissioner Adam Silver indicates that the league is not ready to make a change and that geographically, it would be a difficult proposition.“We’re serious about looking at it. We’re far from a place where there’s a solution,” Silver said. “Of course it makes sense to seed teams 1-16 in the league but we have two conferences that are geographically apart.”
Jazz Sign David Stockton To 10-Day Deal
MARCH 17: The Jazz have officially signed Stockton to a 10-day contract, the team announced.
MARCH 16: The Jazz will sign point guard David Stockton, the son of Jazz legend John Stockton, to a 10-day deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Stockton, 26, has played for the G League’s Reno Bighorns this season, averaging 16.2 PPG and 5.3 APG in 39 games. After four years at Gonzaga, Stockton went undrafted in 2014 before ultimately signing a 10-day contract with the Kings in Feb. 2015. He appeared in just three NBA games in 2014/15, averaging 2.7 PPG and 3.0 APG.
Stockton latched on with a pair of international clubs in 2016 but the rest of his professional time in the states has been in the G League with the Bighorns.
David’s father John is the NBA’s all-time assist leader with 15,806. The 10-time All-Star and Hall of Famer spent all 19 of his NBA seasons with the Jazz.
Raul Neto (fractured left wrist) and Ricky Rubio (left knee contusion) are sidelined with injuries, but 22-year-old Dante Exum made his season debut on Thursday. Exum will likely see the most action as the Jazz deal with injuries with Stockton serving as a depth piece.
Knicks Notes: Hernangomez, Beasley, Point Guards
Entering the 2017/18 season, Willy Hernangomez seemed to be the exact type of the player the Knicks wanted on their roster. A talented, young and cheap big man who needed more work but had tremendous upside. Instead, he fell out of the rotation and was sent to Charlotte before the trade deadline.
Hernangomez will return to New York on Saturday, this time as a member of the Hornets. The Spaniard has found even less playing time in Charlotte, seeing the court less than five minutes per game. Former teammate Enes Kanter spoke glowingly of Hernangomez and his potential, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.
“I still talk to him,’’ Kanter said. “He’s doing an unbelievable job working out and an unbelievable job of working on his body. I think he’s a young version of Marc Gasol. If he works hard enough, he can be as a good as Marc Gasol.”
The 23-year-old averaged 8.2 PPG and 7.0 RPG in 72 games for the Knicks last season but his numbers have dropped to 3.5 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 35 games split with New York and Charlotte.
Check out more Knicks notes below:
- Leo Sepkowitz of SLAM Magazine profiled Knicks swingman Michael Beasley, who had one of his best games of the season, posting 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists in a loss to the Sixers. Beasley has carried a reputation as a potential liability due to his off-court exploits earlier in his career. However, Beasley tells Sepkowitz he hopes the reputation is changing.
- The Knicks could be on the verge of shaking up their point guard situation, Berman writes in a separate story. Deadline acquisition Emmanuel Mudiay has struggled as the starting point guard since the All-Star break. Meanwhile, Jarrett Jack has not played one minute since the break and Trey Burke — who has not started a game yet — has continued his strong performance. “Kind of everything is on the table,’’ head coach Jeff Hornacek said.