Bulls Rumors

Bucks Eye Taj Gibson, Norris Cole, Enes Kanter

February 16th, 2015 at 4:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:18pm: The Jazz are unlikely to trade Kanter, and while they’ll listen to offers for the big man, he remains in their plans for the future, sources tell Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Team officials are confident they can alleviate Kanter’s frustration, and it would take a “pretty amazing offer” for the Jazz to even think about parting with him, Jones also hears.

3:56pm: The Bucks have a strong interest in Taj Gibson and some interest in Norris Cole, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, while Sam Smith of Bulls.com indicates that Milwaukee would like to have Enes Kanter. The Bulls are particularly hesitant to part with Gibson, as Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote recently, in spite of apparent interest from other teams, though there are conflicting reports regarding the willingness of the Heat to part with Cole. Kanter is trying to force the issue in Utah, having publicly expressed a desire to be traded.

Chicago hasn’t initiated any talks about Gibson, according to Cowley, though the Raptors, Suns, Pistons and Trail Blazers are among the teams to have been linked to him over the past few months, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News wrote recently. He’s making $8MM in year two of a reasonably priced four-year extension with salaries below $9MM each season.

The Pistons reportedly offered Jonas Jerebko for Cole, but the Heat’s insistence that Detroit take Danny Granger along with him short-circuited any potential deal there. Heat team president Pat Riley denied that Miami proposed a deal to the Nets that involved Cole, who’s due for restricted free agency this summer, and the Hornets had interest prior to their Mo Williams trade.

Kanter is also poised to become a restricted free agent at season’s end after he and the Jazz failed to come to terms on an extension. Smith also indicates that the Celtics are in the mix for him, though there are conflicting reports about that.

The interest in all three players, each of whom plays a different position, seems to indicate that the Bucks are seeking a number of avenues to upgrade as they fight for playoff position in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee, a year removed from having the worst record in the NBA, stands sixth in the East at 30-23. The Bucks are about $6.7MM under the cap, and though their roster is full, they’re reportedly in buyout talks with Larry Sanders.

Nuggets Talk Afflalo With Thunder, Others

February 16th, 2015 at 12:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

MONDAY, 12:12pm: Shelburne mentions the Thunder among the teams that have discussed Afflalo with the Nuggets in her latest tweet. The Kings, Bulls and Clippers are the others Shelburne names, though she cautions that none of the talks have become serious. Grantland’s Zach Lowe indicated this morning that the Nuggets are seeking multiple first-rounders for Afflalo. Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes that the Nuggets are seeking only a mid-to-late first-rounder, but that teams are hesitant to pay even that price.

WEDNESDAY, 8:59am: The Nuggets have discussed Arron Afflalo with the Blazers, Bulls and Kings, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link), who also reiterates her earlier report that Denver has heard from the Clippers and Heat about the shooting guard, too. That dispatch also had the Hornets in the Afflalo discussion, but Shelburne doesn’t mention Charlotte this time around, perhaps an indication that the Hornets have moved on in the wake of their Mo Williams acquisition. The Nuggets seek a first-round pick for Afflalo, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post reported earlier and as Shelburne alludes to, but even given that sort of cost to other teams, Afflalo is more likely to end up in a trade before the deadline than Wilson Chandler, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link).

Indeed, the Nuggets would prefer to move Afflalo instead of Chandler if they had to choose, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News wrote a week ago. The general belief is that Denver is also seeking a first-rounder for Chandler, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported last week and as he reiterated overnight (on Twitter), echoing another report from Dempsey that the Blazers and Clippers, also apparent Afflalo suitors, are interested.

The Bulls have all of their own first-rounders for the coming years, plus they have a first-round pick coming from the Kings as soon as this year. Portland also has all of its own first-rounders. The Kings owe their pick to Chicago but otherwise have all of their first-rounders, too, while the Heat are in a similar position, with all of their own first-rounders except one that they owe to the Sixers that could go out this year. The Clippers are in the worst position among the latest teams connected to Afflalo, owing this year’s first-round pick to the Celtics and their 2017 pick, with protections that carry through 2019, to the Bucks.

I profiled the trade candidacies of Afflalo and Chandler, but they’re not the only Nuggets liable to move between now and the February 19th deadline, as Stein names Randy Foye and Jameer Nelson trade candidates, too (Twitter link). Denver can’t aggregate Nelson’s $2.732MM salary with any other player, since the team acquired him via trade less than two months ago, but there are no such restrictions on Foye, who makes $3MM. Foye’s $3.135MM salary for next season is non-guaranteed while Nelson has a player option worth nearly $2.855MM.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Butler, Celtics

February 15th, 2015 at 9:27pm CST by Zachary Links

At Canada’s Lakehead University, coach Scott Morrison took one of the nation’s worst programs and developed them into one of the better teams in just two seasons. Now, he seems to be working a similar turnaround with the Celtics‘ D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. In his first season as the team’s head coach, Morrison has led the squad to an impressive 20-10 record in addition to leading the “Futures” D-League All-Star team to a 129-94 win over the “Prospects” All-Star team on Sunday.

“Learning how to win is what coaching is,” said Danny Ainge, Boston’s president of basketball operations. “When you win, that’s fun. That keeps players’ attention; that gives the coach credibility when you win. Scott has guys listening a little bit more because he’s had some success.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division..

The Sixers did not sign Tim Frazier to a second 10-day deal, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). The Penn State product appeared in three games for the Sixers and started in two of those contests. He averaged 5.0 PPG, 8.7 APG, and 4.7 RPG in 35.7 minutes per game. Pompey notes that by not re-signing Frazier, the 76ers now have an available roster spot to take on an expiring contract before Thursday’s deadline. That could be an indication that the 76ers won’t be inking anyone to another 10-day pact in the coming days.
In an alternate universe, Bulls standout Jimmy Butler could have been a member of the Knicks this season, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes. If Carmelo Anthony had decided to go to Chicago, Butler quite possibly would have been one of the pieces coming to the Knicks in a sign-and-trade with the Bulls. Butler, of course, has emerged as a rising star in the NBA while the Knicks are out of playoff contention.
With Celtics coach Brad Stevens and his players making a public pitch for continuity, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com wonders if Ainge might take the cautious approach at the deadline. If a team offers a first-round pick for Brandon Bass or Marcus Thornton, Forsberg thinks he should jump on it. If it’s just a mid-to-late second round pick for a player like that, however, there’s little reason for the C’s to do it, especially when they’ll likely have to take back salary to complete a swap.

Trade Candidate: Nik Stauskas

February 13th, 2015 at 7:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

When Adam Silver read aloud the name on the card denoting the Kings’ first-round draft selection last June, it was a bit of a surprise when Nik Stauskas‘ name was the one the commissioner intoned. This wasn’t due to Stauskas lacking lottery-level talent, but rather because Sacramento had previously selected Ben McLemore, another shooting guard, in 2013’s draft lottery. McLemore certainly didn’t set the league on fire during his rookie season, averaging only 8.8 points on 37.6% shooting, but a single season seemed like a rather brief trial period for such a significant investment. Now it would appear that the Kings’ patience may have withered to only half of a season’s time for their younger players with the report from Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that the team has been willing to deal Stauskas.

From all outward appearances, the Kings organization as a whole currently seems rife with dysfunction, and their apparent willingness to deal Stauskas only reinforces this viewpoint. One would think that seeing how McLemore has improved in year two of his NBA career would make Sacramento think twice about parting with a player it selected with the No. 8 overall pick after just 48 games, but that isn’t necessarily the case.

The Kings appear to have soured just a bit on the rookie since the beginning of the season. This summer, Sacramento GM Pete D’Alessandro spoke about Stauskas, saying, “We have high hopes for Nik. He’s very young so we’re not going to put a lot of pressure on him this year, but I don’t think we don’t need to. He puts a lot of pressure on himself. We have very high hopes for him as a player, as a shooter, and as a guy who can help us to stretch the floor, so there’s a lot of opportunities for him. What stands out about him right now is confidence. If he gets three shots, he feels like he’s going to make all three. If he gets 20 shots, he feels like he’s going to make 20. He’s not a guy that will ever have the ball in his hands and feel like he’s not going to succeed with it and you saw that in Summer League. We didn’t go to him as often as we might have, but nothing really fazed him. He continued to shoot the ball well and do what he does. So we’re looking forward to his development.”

Berger’s report relayed that the Kings had fielded numerous calls regarding the 21-year-old Stauskas since the beginning of the season, but that Sacramento had initially declined to deal him. The Nets were reportedly requesting the rookie out of Michigan during trade talks that potentially had Deron Williams heading west to join Sacramento, but D’Alessandro was hesitant to give him up at the time. This was likely a very wise move by the GM, considering how far Williams’ game has slipped, and the veteran still having two years, and approximately $43MM, remaining on his contract after this season.

At some point, Sacramento changed its stance on holding onto its young guard. Either the Kings have seen enough of Stauskas to believe that he isn’t going to be a player in the league, and decided to try and deal him while his value is still relatively high, or Sacramento feels that dealing the rookie is its best chance to nab the parts that the franchise feels that it is missing. Berger’s report also noted that Sacramento was seeking to upgrade its frontcourt, and that in any deal involving Stauskas the Kings sought either a stretch four or an above-the-rim defender to pair alongside star center DeMarcus Cousins.

It was to be expected that Stauskas would struggle on the defensive end; most rookies do. But what the Kings didn’t expect is for the rookie to average a meager 3.5 points per game while shooting a dreary 33.1% from the field and an anemic 26.4% from beyond the arc. Personally, I’m not sold on Stauskas as a long-term NBA star, nor was I ever. He’s not quick enough or strong enough to guard the upper-level two guards in the league, and he hasn’t demonstrated the ability to be able to create his own shots consistently. Stauskas’ ceiling is likely as a situational shooter off of the bench. While that is a valuable asset to have in the league, it’s hardly what the goal is when selecting a player in the top 10. The best case scenario I see for Stauskas is him becoming a shorter version of Steve Novak.

If my read on Stauskas’ potential is correct, then it may in fact be wise for the Kings to kick the tires on dealing the player. While his value isn’t at a premium right now, his youth and upside can be used to net Sacramento a player who could help the team immediately. In today’s NBA, where players eschew multiple years of college development in favor of an early NBA payday, a steep learning curve encompassing multiple seasons is no longer an outlier and is now the norm. D’Alessandro could use that in his sales pitch and try to entice another GM to overpay for a recent lottery pick like Stauskas. But I can’t help thinking that if the team wanted a stretch four, it should have tried to trade down in last year’s draft and simply selected a player like Adreian Payne, who was taken by Atlanta with the No. 15 overall pick, and who was recently dealt to Minnesota. Payne has been showing steady improvement in the D-League as the season wears on, and he’s exactly the kind of player the Kings could use.

The current market for Stauskas is difficult to gauge. He’s a young player with upside, which could make him attractive to a rebuilding franchise, but playoff contenders wouldn’t likely see him as a missing piece in their pursuit of a postseason berth. In addition, Sacramento’s desire to obtain a stretch four or a rim protector isn’t a unique need, and this is definitely a case of the demand far exceeding the supply around the league. There are a few potential trading partners for Stauskas that could be fits. But these teams are merely my speculation, and not based on current reports.

Heat: The offseason signing of Josh McRoberts hasn’t quite worked out the way Miami had hoped. “McBob” hasn’t found his niche with the Heat, and injuries have limited him to just 17 appearances this season. But the 27-year-old has shown the ability to nail three’s and would certainly fit the bill as the stretch four the Kings desire. McRoberts is out for the remainder of the season, but Sacramento could acquire him with an eye on 2015/16. Additional players would need to be included to make the trade work under the cap, but with both teams in need of a makeover, that isn’t necessarily an issue.
Lakers: The Lakers are in a state of flux as a franchise, and with the future of Kobe Bryant unclear, acquiring a young shooting guard like Stauskas could be a wise move. While Los Angeles doesn’t have the stretch four the Kings desire, it does have Jordan Hill, who would fit the bill as a rim protector. Hill possesses a $9MM team option for next season, which could make him a valuable trade chip this summer for the Kings if they didn’t feel he was the proper fit.
Bulls: While Chicago may not have an immediate need at shooting guard, it wouldn’t hurt for them to nab a young shooter whom the team could groom for the future. For Sacramento, Bulls forward Taj Gibson would be the ideal trade target. The 29-year-old would bring a solid work ethic, stout defense and rebounding, as well as add some scoring punch from the four spot for Sacramento. With the rise of rookie Nikola Mirotic and the presence of Pau Gasol, Gibson has become somewhat expendable in Chicago. Though, with Arron Afflalo reportedly on the market, Chicago would almost certainly be better served to add the veteran for the stretch run than Stauskas.
Nuggets: As I just mentioned, with Afflalo a trade candidate, Stauskas could be included in a deal to nab the veteran shooting guard. The sticking point in any deal between Denver and Sacramento would be the Nuggets’ desire to obtain a first-rounder in return for Afflalo. The Kings owe this year’s first round pick to the Bulls, though it is top-10 protected through 2017. The Nuggets also have a young swingman in Gary Harris already, and they may not want to add more youth to that spot on the floor.

When the dust settles and the NBA trade deadline has passed, there’s a better-than-average chance that Stauskas remains a member of the Kings. I also believe that if the Kings indeed trade him, they would include him as the sweetener necessary either to nab a player who can help the Kings long-term or, in a more likely scenario, to entice another team to take on a less desirable contract. I don’t think that the Kings simply wish to rid themselves of his presence. Stauskas hasn’t shown that he was worthy of being a top-10 pick yet, but there is still plenty of time for him to develop into a serviceable pro. Unless the Kings can significantly improve their roster, they would be better served to see how Stauskas progresses over the summer and through a second NBA training camp.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Central Notes: Monroe, LeBron, Haywood, Allen

February 13th, 2015 at 2:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Stan Van Gundy insists that the Pistons won’t trade Greg Monroe, citing his hope that the big man will re-sign this summer as well as the team’s playoff chase, as Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News observes. Monroe has a de facto no-trade clause and agent David Falk has said he doesn’t want to be dealt.

“It’s not gonna happen,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t know where Greg’s head will be in the offseason, but we’re still hopeful of Greg Monroe for the long term. And with him going into free agency, you won’t get a lot, maybe a pick. I’m not gonna walk in that locker room and give up a piece like that and then tell the guys we’re trying to make the playoffs. They deserve the chance to ride this out. You never say never to anything, but I can tell you about 99.9%, Greg Monroe’s not going anywhere.”

The Lakers reportedly asked the Pistons about Monroe earlier this month, but it seems like their chance to nab him won’t come until the summer, when he’ll be an unrestricted free agent. There’s more on the Pistons amid the latest from around the Central Division:

Van Gundy also said that he won’t trade a first-round pick but is willing to take on a short-term salary dump from another team, Wojnowski notes in the same piece.
LeBron James expressed fondness for Madison Square Garden today while speaking to reporters for All-Star weekend, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com relays (Twitter link). Still, it’d be a stretch to suggest that the Cavs star, who has a player option for next season, has any interest in playing for the Knicks. “If I could have 82 regular season games anywhere they’d be at Madison Square Garden, because it’s the mecca of basketball,” James said.
The Cavs believe Brendan Haywood is “done” as an on-court contributor, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes in his Final Thoughts column. Of course, Haywood continues to have value thanks to his unique contract, and the Cavs are reportedly shopping him in advance of the deadline.
The Bulls seem like a less likely contender for Ray Allen than they had been, as Sam Smith of Bulls.com opines in his latest mailbag column.

Knicks To Pursue Jackson, Butler, Matthews

February 10th, 2015 at 11:24am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks plan to target Reggie Jackson, Jimmy Butler and Wesley Matthews, among others, this summer, league sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops. Scotto also hears the team will go after Greg Monroe, echoing an earlier report. A pursuit of Matthews would be contingent on the team missing out on Butler, Scotto adds, but Butler is a long shot at best. The Bulls are poised to make a max offer to the soon-to-be restricted free agent and executive VP of basketball ops John Paxson has already said he’ll match any offer sheet he signs. Scotto also names the Knicks as a potential free agent suitor for Draymond Green, though Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob has hinted that he intends to retain Green, who’s also due for restricted free agency, and all signs point to the Warriors matching any offer for the third-year forward.

There are conflicting reports about the likelihood that the Thunder will trade Jackson before the deadline, but the Knicks came close enough to trading for Jackson last month that he thought he was on his way to New York, and the Knicks are likely to make another go at trading for him. Jackson, too, is in line for restricted free agency, but he’s apparently open to signing his qualifying offer, which would give him a discounted salary in exchange for unrestricted free agency in 2016. In any case, the Knicks probably don’t have the assets to make a play for Jackson at the deadline, as I wrote when I examined Jackson’s trade candidacy, so a free agent pursuit makes more sense.

Matthews, the only unrestricted free agent aside from Monroe whom Scotto mentions, has expressed a desire to return to the Blazers based on their winning ways, which contrast sharply from the performance of the 10-42 Knicks this season. Marc Berman of the New York Post mentioned Matthews as an example of the sort of second-tier free agent whom Berman says many believe the Knicks will target this summer, couching the report amid a piece on the team’s plan to go after Tobias Harris, yet another restricted free agent.

The Knicks have a little more than $32.717MM committed for next season against a projected $66.5MM salary cap, leaving room for multiple so-called second-tier free agents. Scotto hears from several GMs who estimate Green will receive salaries anywhere from $10MM to $14MM. Some teams reportedly believed at the beginning of the season that Jackson would command between $13-14MM. It’s unclear just how much it would take to sign the others the Knicks are eyeing, aside from Butler, who appears in line for the max from the Bulls.

Kings Intensify Coaching Search, Eye Karl

February 7th, 2015 at 10:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:56pm: Cousins didn’t confirm or deny his behind-the-scenes role in the Karl situation after Saturday’s loss to the Jazz, Bruski reports. (Twitter link). “I’m waiting just like you guys,” Cousins told reporters. “There’s gonna always be allegations, there’s always going to be he said/she said.” The Sacramento center wasn’t surprised to be the target of rumors, saying, “Of course my name is being thrown into it. (I’m) franchise center piece…” (Twitter link).

10:22pm: There is opposition to Karl inside the Kings organization from minority owners, Amick reports (Twitter link). There was hope that Karl could talk to Cousins on Sunday — either in person or by telephone — but it’s uncertain now if that will occur (Twitter link).

9:34pm: The resistance from Cousins’ camp has slowed negotiations between Karl and the Kings, Wojnarowski confirms (Twitter link). He adds that the two sides were closing the gap on money and contract length this afternoon (Twitter link).

9:12pm: It seems less and less likely that Karl will be the Kings’ next coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), who says representatives of the team, Karl and Cousins all share that belief. He adds that a resolution is expected Sunday, and the Kings are willing to finish the season with Corbin behind the bench. (Twitter link).

5:27pm: There is a significant gap between the two sides when it comes to salary and length of contract, reports Sam Amick of USA Today. D’Alessandro, who’s pushing for the team to bring on his former Nuggets colleague, has traveled to Denver to talk about the job with Karl, Amick also writes. The two agents for Cousins have opposed a Karl hiring, Amick hears, pointing out that Karl reassigned Jarinn Akana, one of those agents, from the coaching staff to a scouting position when Akana worked for the Nuggets. Karl’s son, former NBA player Coby Karl, once was a client of Dan Fegan, the lead agent for Cousins, before replacing him with another representative, according to Amick. D’Alessandro is prepared to forge ahead without the support of those agents, but there’s concern within the Kings organization about the conflict that would engender, and the GM would prefer to convince them Karl is the man for the job, as Amick explains. Karl has told the Kings that he likes Cousins quite a bit, Spears tweets.

2:10pm: The Kings are in “serious back-and-forth” discussions with Karl, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! sports.

SATURDAY, 11:22am: Talks between the Kings and Karl have intensified, Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee reports. The combination of Karl’s innovative coaching and immediate availability has won over team officials, Voisin notes. While it was previously reported that Sacramento wished to wait until after the season to make a change, the Kings’ ongoing slump and “jarring absence of competitiveness” has prompted principal owner Vivek Ranadive and D’Alessandro to move the search along more rapidly, Voisin adds.

3:57pm: Kings officials want to see whether Tom Thibodeau or other desirable coaches become available this summer, giving them further motivation to stand pat for now, Jones tweets.

3:47pm: Sacramento’s front office is not pleased with the play of the team but is nonetheless concerned about firing another coach during the season, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee reports (Twitter links). In addition to Karl, Alvin Gentry and Nate McMillan will also be candidates for the Kings’ coaching slot, Jones adds.

FRIDAY, 2:37pm: The Kings are picking up steam in their search for a long-term solution at head coach, as Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com hears (Twitter link). There’s a decent chance that the team will make a hire at the All-Star break, Bruski adds, cautioning that Sacramento has no definitive timetable to make a move. Bruski suggests that the Magic’s coaching search has spurred the Kings into action, and George Karl, who’s openly campaigning for the Orlando job, remains a candidate, according to Bruski (Twitter links). Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro has said that Tyrone Corbin, who took over for the Kings when they fired Michael Malone in December, would remain in charge of the team until season’s end. Still, another report indicated that owner Vivek Ranadive wanted to bring in someone else in the immediate wake of Malone’s dismissal before the team’s front office talked him into keeping Corbin.

Sacramento is just 6-18 under Corbin, and sits in 12th place in the Western Conference at 17-31 after a strong start under Malone that ended when an illness knocked DeMarcus Cousins out of 10 games. Cousins, who was a supporter of Malone, told reporters after Thursday’s blowout loss to the Mavs that this has been his most frustrating time as a King, as Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee notes (Twitter link).

Bruski wrote in December that Mark Jackson, another rumored candidate for the Magic job, had “no chance” of becoming the next Kings coach, in spite of his close ties to D’Alessandro and Kings adviser Chris Mullin. D’Alessandro denied that a meeting he had with Mullin and Jackson, as well as Cousins, had any connection to the team’s head coaching position. Ranadive became intrigued with the idea of Mullin coaching the team, but the Hall-of-Famer apparently has no desire to take over at midseason. Vinny Del Negro, whom multiple reports have connected to the Magic job, also heard from the Kings in December.

Latest On Magic Coaching Search

February 7th, 2015 at 1:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 1:25pm: Despite the Kings reportedly intensifying their talks with Karl, the Magic aren’t going to rush to beat Sacramento to the punch and hire him, Sam Amick of USA Today reports. Orlando still wishes to take its time in considering multiple candidates over the next few days, Amico adds.

1:15pm: Karl made it clear via Twitter that he is indeed interested in the job (hat tip to Robbins). “Love and miss the NBA rodeo!” Karl wrote. “It’s no secret I would love the opportunity to coach one more time. Love the skills and speed of the Magic and the great young players throughout the league!”

FRIDAY, 10:38am: Several league sources think Orlando might pursue Tom Thibodeau if he shakes free from the Bulls at season’s end and if the Magic haven’t already made a long-term hire by then, as Chris Mannix of SI.com writes in his Open Floor column. Several league sources recently told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune that the relationship between Thibodeau and the Bulls is “beyond repair,” though the Bulls have denied that. The prevailing sense within coaching circles is that the Magic are prepared to ride with interim coach James Borrego for the time being, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.

Three different people have suggested to Kyler that Skiles won’t take the Magic job without personnel control, while one source told Kyler that Magic ownership seemed to be the driving force behind the appearance of Skiles’ and Jackson’s names in connection with the opening (Twitter links). Still, Mannix seconds earlier reports indicating that Skiles is a leading candidate, and writes that Jackson, Malone and Del Negro figure to eventually receive interviews.

THURSDAY, 3:55pm: Sources have informed Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that George Karl would be interested in coaching the Magic (Twitter links). In the past, Karl has stated his preference was to coach out west, but he finds the Orlando position an attractive one, Kennedy relays.

1:51pm: The Magic will consider Scott Skiles, Mark Jackson and Michael Malone to take over the head coaching job that came open today when the team fired Jacque Vaughn, a source tells Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Assistant coach James Borrego holds the job on an interim basis. Orlando had yet to make contact with any potential candidates or their representatives before today, and the team has just begun gathering information, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It remains a “wide-open process,” Wojnarowski adds.

Several executives speculated to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com last week that Skiles would become a candidate, and Broussard also identified Jackson among the “names to watch.” Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports called Jackson a “serious candidate” earlier today, and suggested Malone could wind up in the running. Wojnarowski also mentioned Vinny Del Negro, though it’s not clear if that was just speculation.

In any case, the Magic are looking for a proven veteran for their next coach, Kennedy hears (Twitter link). Many believe that Vaughn still has the capacity to become a successful head coach but think he would have benefited from more time as an assistant with the Spurs, with whom he spent two seasons before taking the Magic job, Wojnarowski writes.

Vaughn released a statement today that was complimentary of the Magic, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel relays. The ex-coach drew praise from soon-to-be restricted free agent Tobias Harris, who took to Twitter after the firing (Twitter link; hat tip to Robbins). “I want to thank Coach Vaughn for being a first class individual not only to myself, but everyone associated with the Magic,” Harris wrote.

Eastern Notes: Gibson, Prigioni, Muscala

February 7th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls have made no calls to other teams about trading Taj Gibson , a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, who indicates that the team is especially reluctant to part with Gibson given health concerns surrounding Joakim Noah. The Raptors, Suns, Pistons and Trail Blazers are reportedly interested in the sixth-year veteran.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni, whom the team has reportedly been trying to trade for a second round draft pick, says that he is extremely focused on staying in New York, and doesn’t wish to be dealt, Marc Berman of The New York Post reports (Twitter link). Prigioni also revealed that he recently injured his hip during a workout, Berman notes. The full extent of his injury, nor its impact on the Knicks’ efforts to find a taker for Prigioni, isn’t yet known.
Steve Kerr was Knicks team president Phil Jackson‘s first choice to replace Mike Woodson as head coach this past offseason, but Kerr accepted the coaching job in Golden State instead. Kerr’s Warriors currently possess the NBA’s second best record, while the Knicks have floundered to a 10-40 mark. When asked if he has thought about what might have been if he had come to New York instead of heading to Oakland, Kerr said, “Sometimes I lie when I say I haven’t thought about stuff. But I’m not lying this time. I haven’t thought about the Knicks at all,” Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group relays (Twitter link).
The Hawks have assigned Mike Muscala to the Iowa Energy, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This will be Muscala’s fourth trek of the season to Iowa.
Marcus Thornton knows that his expiring contract makes him a likely candidate to be dealt by the Celtics, but the veteran would love to remain in Beantown, Ben Rohrbach of WEEI 93.7 FM writes. “No, I’m not thinking about that,” Thornton said regarding the February 19th trade deadline. “Whatever happens, happens. I would like to stay here. Who wouldn’t? We’ve got a good thing going, but like I said, it’s not controllable. I can’t control it, so whatever happens, happens.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Hawks Trying To Woo Ray Allen

February 6th, 2015 at 4:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:56pm: The Hawks have indeed had discussions with Allen’s representatives about coming to Atlanta, but nothing appears to be imminent at this time, Vivlamore tweets.

8:27am: The Hawks are trying to convince Ray Allen to consider signing with them when and if he decides to play in the NBA this season, though the Cavs remain the favorites to land the 39-year-old, tweets Ryen Russillo of ESPN Radio. Still, coach Mike Budenholzer, acting as the team’s GM in place of Danny Ferry, who’s on a leave of absence, said he’s reluctant to tinker with a roster that’s won 34 of its last 37 games, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes.

“For us to be open to improving the group and adding more depth, with Thabo [Sefolosha] healthy or without Thabo healthy or without Thabo having this injury, it’s kind of the same mindset,” Budenolzer said. “We really like our group. You are hesitant to do anything. There is a little more opportunity for a six- to eight-week window but I don’t think it changes much if at all.”

Sefolosha, who plays the same position Allen does, is about a week into a six-to-eight-week timetable for recovery from a strained calf. Still, Sefolosha plays a much different style than the sharpshooting Allen, the league’s all-time leading three-point shot-maker. The Hawks have a full roster of 15 players signed through the end of the season, as our roster counts show, so they’d have to eat someone’s salary to accommodate Allen. Still, they have slightly more than $3MM worth of cap space to throw at the Jim Tanner client, who this past summer signaled a strong desire for more than the minimum salary should he return to the NBA this season.

Cleveland only has the minimum to give, and the same is true of the Wizards, who are reportedly Allen’s most aggressive suitor. Russillo wrote in December that he’d heard that Allen would make his decision in February, though Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote last week that people around the league increasingly believe that Allen knows the team he’d like to play for, and is simply deciding whether he wants to play at all. The Clippers, Grizzlies, Bulls and Spurs are other teams linked to Allen within the past few months. The Warriors seemed to have abandoned their earlier interest.

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