Magic Make No Promise About Job For Vaughn
Magic GM Rob Hennigan didn’t directly answer a question from Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel today about whether coach Jacque Vaughn‘s job is safe for the balance of the season, though Hennigan described Vaughn’s performance as “solid.” Hennigan echoed Robbins’ report from Monday that the team is delving deep for answers to its continued struggles.
“Look, we’re clearly in a rut and we need to find our way out of it together,” Hennigan said in response to Robbins’ question about his job security. “The buck starts and stops with me. I’m responsible for the team and its performance, plain and simple. I’m constantly evaluating myself and ways in which I can do a better job for our team, and that will continue to be the case, and I’ll continue to make sure I’m evaluating every inch of the organization. It’s my job to make sure that we’re constantly evaluating every aspect of the organization from top to bottom. So, to your question, I’d say that everyone and everything is being evaluated right now. I wouldn’t be doing my job if that weren’t the case. I’ll also say that there’s not one isolated problem or issue and that we need to collectively be part of generating the solution.”
The Magic are coming off Monday’s upset win over the Bulls and sit just three and a half games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but their 14-27 record doesn’t otherwise indicate progress. It’s the third season for Hennigan and Vaughn, who came aboard the same offseason that the team traded Dwight Howard and began a rebuilding effort. Hennigan told Robbins that he believes the team has experienced more frustration than encouraging signs this year. Orlando exercised its team options for 2015/16 on both Hennigan and Vaughn during the past offseason, and Vaughn said recently that he’s not concerned about his job, as Robbins wrote in Monday’s report. Several players say Vaughn isn’t to blame, as Robbins also noted.
“I think Jacque has done a solid job. I think there are certainly areas that we can improve as a team,” Hennigan said when Robbins asked for his thoughts on Vaughn’s performance. “But it’s not our nature to rush to judgment on things. I think we understand there’s a lot of emotion, and we certainly acknowledge that. But as we evaluate anything, it’s our job to kind of eliminate that emotion. I’ve said that quite a few times, but I really do mean that when I say it’s our job to eliminate the emotion as much as we can, especially when it comes to evaluating the team and the staff and especially when we’re trying to troubleshoot challenges that we’re having.”
The Magic brought back only seven players from last season, and while Hennigan told Robbins he believes the turnover on the roster is “a little bit of a factor” in the team’s performance, he doesn’t see it as an excuse. He said that marquee offseason signee Channing Frye “will be just fine” in spite of his sharp decline in scoring this season in the first year of a four-year, $32MM contract, as Robbins relays.
Latest On Clippers, Celtics Austin Rivers Talks
TUESDAY, 8:30am: Clippers officials have begun conversations with other teams about sending them Jordan Farmar, sources tell Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link), as the Clips hunt for an expiring deal to send to Boston. A third team may not be required to pull off the Rivers trade, and the Clippers may pull off a separate transaction to acquire the assets the Celtics are looking for, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt (on Twitter), who hears the chances are “really good” that Rivers ends up with the Clips. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge acknowledged some uncertainty surrounding Rivers and said the Celtics are engaged in a dialogue with him, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald relays.
MONDAY, 1:59pm: The Clippers are “very confident” they’ll reach an agreement to acquire Austin Rivers this week, a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Rivers didn’t travel with the Pelicans, who officially traded him to the Celtics today, on their flight to Boston, where the Pels and Celtics will play tonight, notes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. It’s expected the Celtics will eventually convey Rivers to the Clippers, where his father Doc Rivers is both coach and president of basketball operations, with a second-round pick likely to head to Boston, Murphy writes. The Clippers have been working to find a third team that would send an expiring contract to Boston, too, since the Celtics don’t want to take back salary that runs past this season, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote this past weekend.
The Clips are less than $2MM shy of a hard cap they triggered when they used the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception on Spencer Hawes and the biannual exception on Jordan Farmar this summer, so they can’t take on Austin’s salary, worth nearly $2.44MM, without giving up salary in return. DeAndre Jordan, Glen Davis, Ekpe Udoh, Hedo Turkoglu and Chris Douglas-Roberts are the Clips without any guaranteed salary beyond this season, though it would be a shock to see the Clippers part with Jordan. Should the Clippers acquire Austin, whose deal expires at season’s end, they couldn’t re-sign him for a salary greater than the nearly $3.111MM rookie scale team option the Pelicans declined for 2015/16.
Clippers GM Dave Wohl and assistant coaches Lawrence Frank and Mike Woodson are encouraging Doc to overcome fears about the perceptions that would surround a father trading for and coaching his son, as Wojnarowski also reported Sunday. Doc said to reporters on Saturday that he’s more open to the idea of coaching Austin than he had been in the past, Wojnarowski noted.
Andre Dawkins To Play For Heat’s D-League Team
Andre Dawkins has signed with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the D-League affliate of the Heat, according to the team’s website. The Duke product signed with Miami back in September but was waived last week.
Dawkins previously played eight games with the Skyforce while on assignment from the team. The shooting guard averaged 23.5 points per game and 3.1 rebounds per game while in Sioux Falls.
In the NBA, Dawkins hasn’t really had the opportunity to capture success. He played in four games for the Heat and shot 1-6 from the field; all of his shots being three-pointers.
Lakers Ask Pistons About Monroe, Jennings
The Lakers have asked the Pistons about Greg Monroe and Brandon Jennings in the past month, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). They also inquired about Dion Waiters, Shelburne adds, presumably indicating that the Lakers contacted Cleveland before the Cavs shipped him to Oklahoma City a week ago.
Monroe has a de facto no-trade clause because he signed his qualifying offer from the Pistons this past offseason, and he and agent David Falk have let it be known they don’t want a trade this year. The big man would forfeit his Bird rights if he were to approve a trade, but the Lakers, with only about $35.1MM in cap flexibility for 2015/16, are set to have enough cap flexibility to sign him using cap space. The Lakers were reportedly uninterested in signing Monroe this past summer.
There have been conflicting reports about whether the Pistons were shopping Jennings, though the most recent dispatch indicates that Detroit is at least open to the idea of letting him go. Jennings makes $8MM this year and nearly $8.345MM in 2015/16, but his contract comes off the books in advance of the heavily anticipated summer of 2016, when the salary cap is set to surge. Monroe’s qualifying offer gives him almost $5.48MM this season, a bargain price, but he’s due for a significant raise in unrestricted free agency this coming summer.
Waiters is on a rookie scale contract and will be extension-eligible this summer before the deal runs out after next season. Still, it seems unlikely the Thunder would part with him so quickly after his acquisition. The Pistons, 8-1 since waiving Josh Smith, probably aren’t inclined to make a move right now, either, but the interest from the Lakers signals that L.A. isn’t content to languish at the bottom of the standings to protect its draft position. The team owes its first-round draft pick to the Suns if it doesn’t fall within the top five selections, and the Lakers are currently fourth in the Reverse Standings.
Heat, Clippers, Hornets Eye Arron Afflalo
The Heat, Clippers and Hornets have all discussed Arron Afflalo as the Nuggets field numerous trade calls on Afflalo and Wilson Chandler, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). Afflalo has a player option for next season worth $7.36MM and was rumored to be interested in hitting the open market.
The Clippers were in discussions with the Celtics about acquiring shooting guard Austin Rivers. The team seems interested in adding depth at the guard position and there’s no word yet whether one move would exclude the other.
Charlotte has been linked to Afflalo since last season when he was a member of the Magic. The Hornets have won five games in a row and find themselves just two games behind the Nets for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Miami is already in position to make the playoffs but would most likely need to add reinforcements if the team is to make any sort of deep postseason run. Mario Chalmers ($4.0MM) or Chris Andersen ($5.38MM) seem like candidates to be in a trade for Afflalo based on their salaries, although that is just my speculation.
Afflalo is having a rough season so far. He is averaging 15.5 points per game and his player efficiency rating is down to 12.75. However, based on his past history, he should have plenty of interest from teams as the trade deadline approaches.
Chris Crouse contributed to this post
Fallout/Reaction To The Jeff Green Trade
The Grizzlies and Celtics had cursory discussions about Jeff Green two years ago when Memphis was nearing its Rudy Gay trade, and the teams engaged in more serious discussions about Green last year, according to Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal, who writes in a subcription-only piece. The Grizzlies thought they might acquire Green as part of the Courtney Lee swap that took place in January 2014, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Memphis probably isn’t done dealing, though the Green deal seems to have extinguished the chances that the team will give up Kosta Koufos, Herrington believes. The Grizzlies “kicked the tires” on Thaddeus Young, Herrington writes, echoing a hint from earlier report, but they appear to have moved on from that, the Commerical Appeal scribe adds. Here’s more in the wake of today’s three-team deal:
- Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger had a major voice in the trade talks, as he said Sunday to reporters, including Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).
- Green isn’t a massive upgrade over what the Grizzlies had at his position, but he’s the right fit, especially given the savings that the team reaps on this year’s team salary and in the long term with the offloading of Quincy Pondexter, opines Ben Golliver of SI.com. It’s also a signal to soon-to-be free agent Marc Gasol that the team is committed to winning, Golliver believes.
- The flurry of trades the Celtics have made in the past few weeks have left the team positioned to clear cap space for the first time in several years, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com points out. The growth of some of the players eligible for restricted free agency this summer makes that cap flexibility all the more intriguing for the C’s, as Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com explains.
- The Pelicans made an upgrade at small forward a priority as they sought Pondexter, writes John Reid of The Times-Picayune.
Southeast Notes: Magic, Whiteside, Payne
Three Southeast Division teams would make the playoffs if they started today, and a fourth, the Hornets, are but two games out of the final postseason spot. The fifth-place Magic are within hailing distance at four and a half games out, but key decision-makers in Orlando appear to be getting antsy, as we detail amid the latest from the Southeast:
- Magic officials feel as though the team has lost its way over the past few weeks, and while they believe that the inexperience of the roster is responsible for the team’s struggles, they’re looking deeper to find the genesis of the problems, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Speculation surrounds the job security of Jacque Vaughn, but Vaughn says he’s not concerned and many players tell Robbins that the coach is not to blame. Vaughn’s contract runs through 2015/16 after the team picked up his option this past offseason.
- Hassan Whiteside had a one-day stint with the Grizzlies in November but says that no one else wanted him when the Heat picked him up shortly thereafter, observes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. “It’s different because I got a coach who will play me, so I get to play,” Whiteside said. “You can’t get on the court without a contract. I called the Clippers for a workout, they said no. I called every team for a workout, they said no, except the Heat. The Heat gave me a chance and, I mean, it’s only right for me to give 110% effort every time.” Whiteside’s 23-point, 16-rebound performance Sunday seemed like a turning point for him and the Heat, as Goodman and Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel examine.
- The Hawks have recalled Adreian Payne from the D-League, the team announced via press release. The 15th overall pick of the 2014 draft had been on his fourth assignment of the season since December 30th with the D-League affiliate of the Spurs, who took him in under the new rules in place for the Hawks and the 12 other NBA teams who share a D-League affiliate.
And-Ones: Drummond, Monroe, Prince
The idea of waiving Josh Smith didn’t catch Pistons owner Tom Gores off guard when coach/executive Stan Van Gundy presented it to him, given the frequent communication Gores and Van Gundy share, as TNT’s David Aldridge writes within his Morning Tip column for NBA.com.
“We didn’t really toy around with it,” Gores said. “We knew that’s what we wanted to do. We could have negotiated for more. We just said we don’t think this is the best thing to do. And after the decision was made, I think, early that morning, Stan met right away with Josh.”
Aldridge has more on the Pistons, who are up to 8-1 since parting with Smith, as we detail amid the latest from around the league:
- There have been whispers about Andre Drummond‘s level of contentment in Detroit over the past year or so, Aldridge writes in the same piece. The Pistons center will be up for a rookie scale extension this summer.
- Gores isn’t giving up on the notion of a long-term future for Greg Monroe in Detroit, as the Pistons owner tells Aldridge. Monroe will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. “We’ve always wanted Greg. We weren’t able to make the deal in the summer, but we always have,” Gores said. “He, by the way, has great character. He’s a true professional. Even though we weren’t able to make the deal, he’s been there every day. Given the new culture with Stan, I think we have a great shot with Greg. Of course, it’ll be his choice.”
- A buyout deal involving Tayshaun Prince and the Celtics is a possibility, but not a foregone conclusion, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com, who adds that Prince and Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will discuss the veteran forward’s situation.
- The Thunder recalled Grant Jerrett from the D-League, the team announced Sunday (on Twitter). Jerrett averaged 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in two D-League games on his weekend assignment, the sixth time Thunder sent him down this season.
- The Rockets assigned Isaiah Canaan to the D-League on Sunday, the team announced (Twitter link). It’s the first trip to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers this season for Canaan, who’s averaged 15.6 minutes per game in 23 appearances for Houston this year.
Glen Rice Jr. To Play For Rockets D-League Team
Glen Rice Jr. has joined the D-League affiliate of the Rockets, the team announced. Rice remains eligible to sign with any NBA club after clearing waivers last week following his release from the Wizards. The 24-year-old rejoins the same D-League club that he played for prior to entering the NBA draft in 2013.
Rice played mostly in the D-League even while he was on Washington’s roster the past season and a half, as the Wizards sent him on multiple D-League assignments while affording him infrequent appearances on NBA hardwoods. The shooting guard made it into only 19 NBA games, averaging just 9.5 minutes per contest, while he saw 26.2 MPG across 33 D-League games since joining the Wizards.
The Wizards gave the Jeffrey Wechsler client a $400K partial guarantee for this season, so there wasn’t as much incentive for him to seek a lucrative overseas deal. Rice joins fellow recent former NBA player Toure’ Murry, whom Houston’s affiliate also added this week.
Cavs Notes: Blatt, Love, LeBron, Mozgov
Cavs coach David Blatt didn’t rule out the notion of LeBron James returning to action for Tuesday’s game, notes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), but Blatt drew more attention for a comment he made about one of the team’s other stars. Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group pointed out after the Cavs lost in blowout fashion Sunday to the Kings that though the team didn’t have James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were players who’d signed maximum-salary deals who took part in the contest. “Kev’s not a max player yet, is he?” Blatt rejoined. It’s true that Love signed for four years instead of five when he inked his extension in 2012, and that he isn’t yet eligible for the NBA’s 35% max that’s reserved for veterans of 10 seasons or more, but he’s making the maximum salary allowable this season for a player of his experience. Blatt might not have meant to insult the power forward, but it’s a rookie mistake for the first-year NBA head coach, as USA Today’s Adi Joseph writes, particularly with Love possessing the ability to opt out and hit free agency this summer. There’s more on that amid the latest on the tumult in Cleveland:
- Executives around the league maintain belief that there’s a decent chance Love will leave Cleveland this summer, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes within his mailbag column. Love is expected to opt out, and it’s unlikely he signs a long-term deal, since a one-year contract would set him up for free agency in 2016, when executives reportedly assume the salary cap will surge to around $90MM, Lloyd writes. However, that’s not cause for the Cavs to panic, given Love’s continued insistence that he envisions a long-term future in Cleveland, Lloyd says in a separate piece.
- Blatt should have known better than to tweak Love with his comment, given the sensitivity Love showed when former Timberwolves GM David Kahn refused to give him a fifth year on his extension, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller opines.
- LeBron is ecstatic about Cleveland’s trade for Timofey Mozgov, a source tells Vardon for the above-linked piece.