Top Bloggers: Zach Oliver On The Magic
Anyone can have a blog about an NBA team, but some set themselves apart from the rest with the dedication and valuable insight they bring to their craft. We’ll be sharing some knowledge from these dialed-in writers on Hoops Rumors with a feature called Top Bloggers. As with The Beat, our ongoing series of interviews with NBA beat writers, it’s part of an effort to bring Hoops Rumors readers ever closer to the pulse of the teams they follow. Last time, we spoke about the Clippers with Lucas Hann, who is the editor-in-chief of SB Nation’s Clips Nation. Click here to see the entire Top Bloggers series.
Next up is Zach Oliver, the managing editor of SB Nation’s Orlando Pinstriped Post, a Magic blog. You can follow Zach on Twitter at @ZachOliverNBA. Click here to check out his stories.
Hoops Rumors: There has been some talk that Dwight Howard may seek a return to Orlando as a free agent this offseason. Could this reunion work for both sides? What odds do you give this of happening?
Zach Oliver: I do think this is a reunion that could work for both sides. The Magic are clearly a piece, if not more, away from being true contenders, and some of the things Dwight brings would help fill that void for the Magic. Obviously Dwight isn’t the same player he used to be, and that’s probably going to have an impact on it, as well as him likely wanting the four-year max.
That being said, if there is clear interest from Dwight, and he is going to come back and be engaged, the Magic are in no position to say no. They need a guy who is a splash and can make an impact, and Dwight would be that guy.
As for odds, I’d say they’re pretty slim, just based on the things that happened previously between the sides. If he’s willing to take less than the max, and the Magic could still get another free agent, then I think it would be a no-brainer.
Hoops Rumors: The trade of Tobias Harris so soon after he signed a new deal came as a surprise to many. Was this trade a signal that the power is shifting from GM Rob Hennigan to coach Scott Skiles, as Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post recently suggested?
Zach Oliver: I don’t think so. This was something that was likely going to happen either way. The deal that Tobias signed was very cap friendly, and a deal that would clearly be movable in a year or two.
The fact that they moved on from him that soon is surprising, and I think it shows more of a power shift between Hennigan and Magic CEO Alex Martins. They’re in a position where they need to take the next step, and getting an impact guy in free agency is the next step.
Now, if this is the summer that’s right for doing that is a completely different conversation for a completely different day.
Hoops Rumors: Skiles has the reputation of wearing out his welcome rapidly, thanks to his gruff demeanor and no-nonsense approach. Given the Magic’s core of young players, who will need stability as they grow together, was Skiles the right choice for the long term in Orlando?
Zach Oliver: Long-term? No. Short-term? I think so.
Skiles is a guy who’s going to come in and try to set an example and get the team in the right direction with a clear path to becoming a real contender. That hasn’t happened, and at this point, I think that you have to start asking questions about the players.
It’s been up and down already, and it’s probably going to continue for another season before the sides part ways.
Hoops Rumors: After a promising rookie season, Elfrid Payton has regressed in several areas. Is he the team’s long-term answer at point guard? If not, who is?
Zach Oliver: Yes and no. I think, if you keep Evan Fournier this summer, then Payton can be your long-term answer. If they keep Victor Oladipo, they might need to move on from Payton, unless either he or Oladipo becomes, at the very least, a league-average shooter.
He’s shown some real upside but has been so inconsistent this season, and that raises a lot of questions about if he can be the guy.
At the end of the day, unless they’ve got a clear chance to get someone like a Mike Conley in free agency, I think Payton is going to be their guy. When he’s engaged, he’s a threat in a lot of ways, and his shooting is starting to come around, albeit slowly.
Hoops Rumors: The Magic have drawn mention as a potential trade suitor for Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler this summer. What sort of package would Orlando need to put together to land Butler? Would it be worth surrendering all those assets to land the two-way star?
Zach Oliver: I’ve talked with some people about this, actually.
If the Magic are to go and try to get Butler, they’re going to have to give up a sizable package. It’s going to have to start with Nikola Vucevic because of salary reasons, but beyond that, they’ll likely need to part with Oladipo to get the deal done as well. I also think they’d likely throw in their first-round selection, because Chicago moving on from Butler would be a clear sign they’re going to rebuild.
Now, another option could be packaging Vucevic, Ersan Ilyasova — who has just $400K guaranteed next season — and their pick, plus another future pick, for Butler. That could give the Bulls some cap space this summer, and more future assets to move forward with their rebuild.
The Magic, along with the Celtics, have the assets to get Butler. It’s just a matter of them being willing to. If they’re serious about accelerating their rebuild, they should be. If they aren’t, then they’d be better off standing pat.
Hoops Rumors: The Magic are currently slotted No. 11 in the draft lottery order but seem to have a reasonable shot at moving up to No. 8 before the end of the season. Assuming they don’t luck out in the lottery, who do you think the team should target in that range come June?
Zach Oliver: I don’t think they keep the pick. They’re in a position where they need to bring in guys who can make an impact right away, and there’s just not going to be anybody in that range that can do that to the extent they need it.
If they did keep it, then maybe someone like Skal Labissiere would fit some of their needs. Even Ivan Rabb or Diamond Stone could be options, should they keep the pick, the chances of which I think are slim.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this interview.
Central Notes: Williams, Butler, Drummond
Mo Williams insists he has no plans to retire after the season, even though multiple people suggest otherwise, reports Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Williams visited well-known orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Monday, and it’s believed this is the third time he’s seen Andrews about his sore left knee, which has been bothering him for the last couple of years, Lloyd writes. No surgery is planned at this point, but if he were to undergo a procedure, he’d miss the playoffs and perhaps the start of next season, according to Lloyd. Williams, 33, has a player option worth nearly $2.195MM for 2016/17 on his contract with the Cavaliers.
See more from the Central Division:
- The Bulls head into the offseason with uncertainty, but they have enough talent to win as constituted, Jimmy Butler said when asked Monday, suggesting that the team instead must work harder and avoid selfishness, as the Chicago Tribune relays via video. That conflicts with the front office’s view, which is that they held the core of the team together one year too long, as the Tribune’s K.C. Johnson relayed earlier.
- Soon-to-be free agent Andre Drummond endured criticism for the lack of enthusiasm he showed after Friday’s playoff-clinching win, one in which Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy sat Drummond for much of the fourth quarter because of his poor free-throw shooting, but Drummond was upset about the death of a friend, notes Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link). The center nonetheless apologized to his teammates about his demeanor, as Beard points out (Twitter links here), and Van Gundy isn’t upset, MLive’s David Mayo notes. “I’m sure that getting the criticism he got in the newspapers and things like that, I’m sure it does help him to understand that he’s being watched at all times and part of his responsibility as a cornerstone guy in the franchise is to lead and set an example and everything else,” Van Gundy said. “So I do think it’s a good learning experience. But I think the criticism is — look, I think commenting on it is fine. But to really get deep into that it reveals some flaw in his character or something I think would be going way too far.”
- Our latest Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround invites your input on Drummond’s value as a maximum-salary player.
- The Cavs have once more assigned Sasha Kaun and Jordan McRae to the D-League, the team announced. Cleveland sent them to the D-League Canton Charge on Monday but recalled them later in the day, reportedly because of the injuries to Iman Shumpert, who’s expected to return to play at the start of the postseason, and Williams.
Michigan State F/C Deyonta Davis To Enter Draft
Michigan State freshman forward/center Deyonta Davis will enter this year’s draft and sign with an agent, the school announced. The 6’10” 19-year-old is 11th in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings and 13th with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. He won’t be able to return to college ball once he formally hires an agent.
Davis had been “50-50” on the idea of entering the draft, Spartans coach Tom Izzo said earlier this month, and Davis told Jake Fischer of SI.com in December that he planned to stay in college for two years (Twitter link), but it’s no surprise to see him head to the NBA, since few turn down strong chances to become lottery picks. The native of Muskegon, Michigan, played a limited role for his home-state school, averaging just 18.6 minutes per game, but he still managed 1.8 blocks per outing, the third-best average in the Big Ten. His 64 total blocks this year were the most ever by a Michigan State freshman and the second-most that any Spartan has ever recorded in a single season. He also collected an impressive 5.5 boards per game in his short minutes.
The Recruiting Services Consensus Index listed Davis at just No. 26 coming out of high school last year, though he was a McDonald’s All-American. His physical tools and defensive versatility have impressed NBA types, as Givony wrote last month, but questions surround his offensive polish inside, according to Ford. Davis notched just 7.5 points per contest and scored in double figures only three times in 12 games during February and March. One of those occasions was his 10-point, 15-minute performance in Michigan State’s first-round upset loss to Middle Tennessee State in the NCAA Tournament.
Heat Sign Dorell Wright
10:24am: The signing is finally official, the team announced (Twitter link). A mistake involving either spelling, translation or both on the FIBA clearance paperwork caused the delay, tweets Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald.
TUESDAY, 9:43am: Winderman confirms FIBA clearance is the holdup (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 1:45pm: The Heat will sign Dorell Wright, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The move has been widely expected, as Winderman and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) have both written in the wake of this weekend’s deal with rookie point guard Briante Weber, which seemed to preclude the idea that veteran point guard John Lucas III would sign, as Winderman observed then (Twitter link). Wright and the Heat were reportedly set to meet in recent days about the possibility of a deal.
Winderman suggests that complications stemming from Wright’s deal to play in China earlier this season have held up an official signing with the Heat. The Chinese season is over, so Wright is no longer under contract, but FIBA clearance is required whenever a player jumps from one country to another to play.
In any case, the Heat have the financial flexibility to sign Wright to either a prorated minimum-salary deal or a slightly more lucrative one that encompasses a portion of the prorated mid-level exception. The mid-level exception contract could run three years and be worth as much as $33,751 without the Heat going over the tax line and incurring repeat-offender penalties. Wright has said he’d like a multiyear deal.
The 30-year-old Wright averaged 24.3 points in 30.8 minutes per game this season for North Control Beijing, the team formerly known as the Chongqing Dragons. The 11-year NBA veteran went to China after his playing time dipped in two seasons with the Trail Blazers, for whom he saw just 12.3 minutes per game in 48 regular season appearances last year.
Wright has a history with Miami, which drafted him out of high school in 2004 and had him for the first six seasons of his NBA career, and he’s close with Dwyane Wade. The addition of Wright would give the Heat a full 15-man roster heading into the playoffs.
Arkansas F/C Moses Kingsley To Test Draft Waters
Arkansas junior forward/center Moses Kingsley will enter the draft but won’t hire an agent, the school announced. The 6’9″ 21-year-old will likely have to impress in predraft workouts and, if invited, the NBA combine, if he’s to end up getting drafted in June, since he’s just 123rd in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress doesn’t give players an overall ranking beyond the top 100, but he does list Kingsley as the 27th-best junior. Kingsley can retain his college eligibility if he withdraws by May 25th and doesn’t hire an agent.
He entered college in 2013 at No. 47 in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index, two spots below Christian Wood, who re-signed with the Sixers last week, and two spots above Zach LaVine, whose stock surged before he became the 13th pick in the 2014 draft. Kingsley didn’t have any such fast rise, averaging just 11.1 minutes per game his first two years in college before becoming a starter this season.
His performance proved worth the wait, as he finished second in the SEC with 2.4 blocks per game and third with 9.3 rebounds per outing. Ford calls him an excellent defender, and Kingsley also averaged 15.9 points, eclipsing 20 points eight times. His offensive skill has been a question mark, according to Ford, so the big man will seemingly have to prove to NBA types that his production can translate to the next level.
Latest On Knicks Coaching Situation
David Blatt is a long shot for the Knicks head coaching job unless team president Phil Jackson defers to GM Steve Mills, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reported Monday that the Knicks are considering the former Cavaliers coach and that Jackson views him favorably. Kurt Rambis, the interim head coach, remains a strong candidate to secure the job on a long-term basis, Begley wrote, but even if he doesn’t, he’ll remain with the Knicks as either the top offensive assistant or assistant GM, sources tell Berman.
That’s despite the general feeling in the locker room that Rambis talks down to the players, as one Knicks player told Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Sources previously indicated to Berman that Rambis doesn’t have the same level of respect from the players that former coach Derek Fisher did. Carmelo Anthony has said he’d like for the Knicks to at least listen to candidates aside from Rambis, though Anthony delivered praise for the interim boss Sunday, as Begley chronicles (ESPN Now link).
“He was kind of a big-time influence in what we had going on early in the season and even last year, being the associate head coach,” Anthony said. “But just the way that he was able to jump right in there [after taking over], get guys’ attention and get guys to play — usually in that situation it takes time. Most people put in a new system, a new offense, a new defensive scheme. He jumped right in there because it was the same system.”
Rambis has close ties to Jackson, sharing the same agents, as Berman points out, but renewed speculation emerged Sunday that Jackson, who can opt out after next season, will remain team president for no more than another year, Isola relays. Berman suggests that hiring Blatt would represent a transition of sorts to Mills, who played college ball with Blatt at Princeton. Blatt was an usher at Mills’ wedding, according to Berman. Isola advocates for the Knicks to hire Tom Thibodeau, but Jackson, who remains in contact with Bulls executive John Paxson, isn’t impressed with the ex-Bulls coach, as Berman pointed out recently.
Uncertainty Surrounds Jason Kidd, John Hammond
League sources who spoke with Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times believe Bucks GM John Hammond will either be fired or resign soon, and people close to the team tell Woelfel that coach Jason Kidd is also on shaky ground. The news on Kidd jibes with a February report from The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski indicating that Kidd was losing his influence with Bucks owners in the wake of player personnel moves that haven’t panned out. Kidd has exerted control over the composition of the roster, as Woelfel told Hoops Rumors earlier this season.
Some around the league speculate that Hammond will end up with the Pelicans, who’ve long been linked to Joe Dumars, Hammond’s former boss, Woelfel hears. The Bucks signed Hammond to an extension this past September that carries through next season, which is also the last on Kidd’s deal. Lottery-bound Milwaukee has disappointed this year and can finish no better than 35-47 after last season’s 41-41 record.
Woelfel indicates the Bucks plan to shop Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams this summer, though it’s unclear if that plan would persist if neither Hammond nor Kidd is around to execute it. The Bucks reportedly had talks with the Pelicans about Monroe before the trade deadline, and Wojnarowski heard Bucks owners vetoed a would-be trade with the Pelicans that Kidd was spearheading, though it’s unclear if that would have involved Monroe.
Knicks Consider David Blatt For Coaching Job
The Knicks are giving David Blatt consideration for their head coaching job, sources tell Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Team president Phil Jackson has a favorable view of the former Cavaliers coach who played with Knicks GM Steve Mills at Princeton, according to Begley. Interim head coach Kurt Rambis remains a strong candidate to win the removal of his interim tag, but Jackson plans to do his due diligence and consider others, league sources tell Begley.
Jackson has reportedly been pulling for Rambis from the start of his interim gig, and Begley and ESPN colleague Marc Stein reported just last week that Jackson was pushing for Rambis to get a long-term deal as head coach. However, owner James Dolan is reportedly researching potential front office replacements for Jackson, and Rambis hasn’t distinguished himself with a 9-18 mark since taking over on the bench.
A wide-ranging search would seemingly be the preference of Carmelo Anthony, who’s said he’d like Jackson to at least listen to other candidates for the head coaching job. Sources recently indicated to Marc Berman of the New York Post that former head coach Derek Fisher drew more respect from Knicks players than Rambis does.
Blatt didn’t always have command of the locker room in Cleveland, where his relationship with LeBron James was a matter of close scrutiny. Blatt’s camp believes James was the sole catalyst for the team’s coaching change from Blatt to Tyronn Lue earlier this season, as TNT’s David Aldridge reported.
In any case, Blatt comes to the table with a much more impressive record than Rambis has. The Cavs made the finals last summer under Blatt’s watch and went 83-40 overall during his tenure. Rambis is 65-163 all-time as an NBA head coach, though with decidedly less talent on his rosters. Blatt, the former Russian national team coach, also figures to be a candidate for the head coaching job of the Russian-owned Nets, who have an interim coach of their own in Tony Brown.
Celtics Sign John Holland
3:54pm: The signing has formally taken place, the team announced (Twitter link). Holland will see $9,266 this season, not including his playoff share, and a non-guaranteed $874,636 next season, provided he signed for the minimum, as is standard for midseason signees.
1:37pm: The deal would cover the rest of 2015/16 plus next season, and next season’s salary would be non-guaranteed, league sources tell Charania (Twitter link).
1:00pm: The Celtics plan to sign former Boston University swingman John Holland into their open roster spot, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). The deal is contingent upon him passing a physical, notes Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). The 27-year-old was with the Spurs in the 2014 preseason and has been playing with the D-League affiliate of the Cavaliers this season.
The contract would cover the playoffs, and the Celtics had a desire to carry a full 15-man roster in the postseason in case of injury, Himmelsbach tweets. Coach Brad Stevens said recently the team would prefer a versatile forward, seemingly a hint that former 10-day signee Coty Clarke might return, but instead the team is going with Holland, who is 6’5″ and can play two-guard and small forward but would be significantly undersized at power forward.
Holland averaged 16.0 points in 30.2 minutes per game with 36.9% shooting in 37 regular season appearances with the D-League Canton Charge this season, and he turned it up in two playoff games last week, making 10 of 17 total 3-point attempts and averaging 28.5 points.
It’s unclear whether the deal would carry into next season. Either way, he’d likely receive a prorated rookie minimum salary this season plus a share of the team’s playoff earnings.
Central Notes: Novak, Hoiberg, Kaun, McRae
Steve Novak made it into only three games with the Bucks before a sprained left MCL prematurely ended his season, but the sharpshooter who played his high school and college ball in the state of Wisconsin has a strong desire that those games not be the only ones he ever plays in a Bucks uniform, as he makes clear to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The 32-year-old is on an expiring contract but wants to re-sign with the Bucks, even though they won’t have more than non-Bird rights to him, and it appears he doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon. “Being home has been unbelievable,” Novak said. “I see the team that we have and hopefully I can be a big part of that. I am a free agent this summer, but that’s my goal [to stay with the Bucks].”
See more from the Central Division:
- Coach Fred Hoiberg accepts blame for the struggles of the Bulls, pointing to the team’s underwhelming offense and lack of killer instinct, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune relays (Twitter link). His willingness to acknowledge and work to remedy those problems endears him to management, Johnson observes.
- The Cavaliers won’t rule out signing a player to fill their open roster spot, but it’s likely they won’t, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). That’s even though Mo Williams is suffering from continued soreness in his left knee that’s prompted a visit to noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, the team announced. No surgery is set for Williams at this point, however. Iman Shumpert will miss the rest of the regular season with left knee trouble, but he’s expected to be ready for the start of the playoffs, according to the team.
- The Cavs have assigned Sasha Kaun and Jordan McRae to the D-League, the team revealed in separate announcements. They’ll provide playoff help to the Canton Charge, who are reportedly poised to lose John Holland to an NBA contract with Boston.