Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Coaching Rumors: Ewing, Magic, D’Antoni, Drew

May 18th, 2012 at 9:46am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Bobcats are still the only NBA team actively searching and conducting interviews for a new head coach, a number of other clubs could be looking to make a change in the coming weeks. Here's the latest on a few coaches and potential openings:

Marc Berman of the New York Post hears that Patrick Ewing has a "good chance" of becoming the Bobcats' next coach. According to Berman, the Magic likely wouldn't consider Ewing for their position if they were to part ways with Stan Van Gundy.
Speaking of Van Gundy and the Magic job, Berman adds that Mike D'Antoni would be on Orlando's "short list" if the team were to make a change. Word out of D'Antoni's inner circle suggests the former Knicks coach is content sitting out next season unless a "very compelling opportunity" arises, says Berman.
Hawks coach Larry Drew is still awaiting word from the team about whether they'll pick up his option for next season. Drew tells Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he considers his relationship with Atlanta's players to be strong: "That’s something I take a lot of pride in and spent a lot of time talking about and trying to work on. Player relationships are so important on this level, how you deal with your best player all the way down to the guy who might not even dress out during games. I thought I did a good job with that. I thought my staff did a good job with that."
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer examines why former NBA big men rarely become head coaches.

Odds & Ends: Olympics, Howard, Bulls, Mavericks

May 17th, 2012 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

A few Thursday afternoon odds and ends from around the Association….

When Mike Krzyzewski steps down, Gregg Popovich is the logical choice to coach Team USA, argues Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.
Roy Hibbert told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that he attempted to get his release from Team Jamaica so he could potentially play for Team USA, but that it's a dead issue and he has moved on.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel wonders why, if Dwight Howard truly wants to stay with the Magic, he doesn't come out and say so.
Ronnie Brewer told ESPN 1000 in Chicago that he hopes both he and Kyle Korver can return to the Bulls next season, as ESPNChicago.com notes. Both players are on non-guaranteed contracts for 2012/13.
According to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com, Rick Carlislie's comments on Dallas radio open the door for speculation that the Mavericks could explore packaging Lamar Odom in a trade for a player on a large contract.

Odds & Ends: Deron Williams, Hawks, Harrington

May 16th, 2012 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

A few Wednesday afternoon odds and ends, as we prepare for tonight's Celtics/Sixers and Lakers/Thunder contests….

The Nets believe that re-signing Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace and upgrading at power forward could be enough to convince Deron Williams to re-sign, says Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution previews the Hawks' offseason, noting that the team won't have much flexibility to sign free agents this summer.
Al Harrington underwent successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, the Nuggets announced today.
In an ESPN.com chat, Chad Ford touches on a number of topics, including how he thinks the Magic's offseason will play out.
Sam Smith of Bulls.com examines what the Bulls' 2012/13 season could look like if Derrick Rose is out for a significant chunk of the year.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Van Gundy, Smith, Wizards

May 16th, 2012 at 10:36am CST by Luke Adams

In losing Game Two of their series against the Pacers last night, the Heat mustered just 75 points on their home court, and will head to Indiana with the series tied at one. With Chris Bosh out, Miami looks vulnerable — currently, over 58% of respondents to our Heat/Pacers poll believe Indiana will win the series. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel addressed concerns about the team's offense in a mailbag, calling Tuesday's game a "wake-up call." While we wait to see how the Heat respond on Thursday, here are a few more updates out of the Southeast Division:

Magic CEO Alex Martins tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that the team has yet to make decisions on the futures of coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith. According to David Pingalore of WKMG Orlando, Smith will meet with ownership today.
John Wall would like the Wizards to bring in a veteran point guard capable of mentoring both him and backup Shelvin Mack, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. "It was tough," Wall said of the past season. "Because basically, I’m the veteran guy to try to help Shelvin, and it would be better if we had a guy helping both of us out."
Kyrie Irving had high praise for Bobcats coaching candidate, and current Cavs assistant, Nate Tibbetts, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer notes.
Earlier today, a report from Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune suggested that coach Larry Drew may not have his option for 2012/13 picked up by the Hawks.

Odds & Ends: Deng, Magic, Ibaka, World Peace

May 15th, 2012 at 10:54pm CST by Daniel Seco

With Tuesday night's second playoff game winding down, let's take a quick break from the action and catch up on the latest stories and headlines from across the league…

The Bulls will sit down with Luol Deng to discuss his intentions of playing for Team Great Britain during the Olympics this summer in London, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel says the Magic's evaluation of general manager Otis Smith and head coach Stan Van Gundy is still ongoing as the organization has yet to make a decision about their fates for next season.
Serge Ibaka continues to make impressive strides as the Thunder's starting power forward, reports Susan Bible of HoopsWorld.
The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel says Metta World Peace and Thunder head coach Scott Brooks have forged an unlikely relationship over the years thanks to their time spent together in Sacramento.
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld offers his latest NBA mock draft where he has Austin Rivers cracking the top 10 and heading to the Big Easy.

Odds & Ends: Rockets, Hornets, Magic

May 14th, 2012 at 11:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

It was a night of youth over experience, as the young Sixers evened their series with the veteran Celtics, while the up-and-coming Thunder was impressive in Game 1 against the battle-tested Lakers. There were a few stories of interest from off the court as well, so let's take a look:

The NBA has suspended Rockets scout David Patrick for a year after determining he had impermissable contact with players during the lockout, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweeted. The team will not be punished because the league ruled that Patrick's communication was personal and not part of team business, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
The Louisiana Senate has passed a bill that includes $36.5MM in tax breaks for the Hornets, Ed Anderson of The Times-Picayune reports. Gov. Bobby Jindal is expected to give final approval to the measure that includes the breaks, which were part of the deal between the team and the state that keeps the Hornets in New Orleans through at least 2024.
Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld looks at the Magic's offseason plans, and says executives from other teams "openly joke" about the Magic's failure to hold workouts or conduct interviews with recent first-round picks.

Coaching Rumors: Brown, Woodson, Jackson

May 12th, 2012 at 4:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

With a bunch of big-name coaches who aren't under contract for next year and the season coming to a close, there should be plenty of news on the coaching front for a while. Here's the latest:

Warren LeGarie, the agent for Lakers coach Mike Brown, feels confident his client will return to the bench next season after LeGarie spoke with GM Mitch Kupchak about comments former minority owner Magic Johnson made suggesting Brown would be fired if the team didn't win tonight, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). Spears also tweets that the Lakers are expected to release a statement in support of Brown, and pointed out that Brown has two more guaranteed seasons left on his four-year, $20MM deal.
Dave McMenamin of ESPN LA tweets that Brown's job is not dependent on the result of Game 7 tonight, according to a source with knowledge of the Lakers' thinking.
Brown said earlier today he was unfazed by what Johnson said, and had no indication there was any truth to it, tweeted NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News scolds Knicks coach Mike Woodson for giving into owner James Dolan's wishes regarding his choice of agents.
With Phil Jackson feeling better, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld speculates about where he might coach next if he returns to the bench, mentioning the Knicks, Thunder, Bulls, Mavs, Magic and Lakers.
Rachel Shuster of USA Today wonders if the Bobcats might also be a landing spot for the Zen Master, since the owner is Michael Jordan, Jackson's first star pupil.

Southeast Notes: Redick, Magic, Hawks, Bobcats

May 11th, 2012 at 4:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Friday afternoon odds and ends out of the Southeast Division….

J.J. Redick has one non-guaranteed year remaining on his contract and the Magic haven't indicated whether he'll be brought back, as he tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: "I think I'm down the totem pole. Obviously, the Magic have a decision to make about my contract. It's pretty much out of my hands. I think I've done everything I can do at this point."
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel is "hearing whispers" that Mike D'Antoni would be interested in coaching the Magic if the job opened up (Twitter link). Of course, even if that were true and the team fires Stan Van Gundy, there's no guarantee the interest would be mutual.
An NBA.com column examines the decisions the Hawks will have to make on their front office and roster this offseason.
Heat players and coaches aren't bothered by comments made by Pacers coach Frank Vogel about the team's propensity for "flopping," writes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
The Bobcats likely won't hire a coach this month, according to Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer, who implores the team to take its team and make sure they find the right candidate for the job.

Southeast Notes: Nelson, Magic, Howard, Bobcats

May 10th, 2012 at 9:29pm CST by Zachary Links

A few items out of the Southeast division as the Hawks' offseason gets underway..

Magic point guard Jameer Nelson has until June 15th to notify the team of whether he will opt out of contract, tweets John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com. The language in Nelson's contract in Jameer's contract says that he must notify the team of his intentions by three days after the team is eliminated or by June 15th, whichever is later, Denton tweets.
In an interview on 610 The Fan in Charlotte, Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops discussed Patrick Ewing interviewing for the Bobcats head coaching job. Sheridan points out that if Charlotte lands the No. 1 pick, Ewing could be a solid pick to help groom big man Anthony Davis.
Magic center Dwight Howard needs to let the club know what his intentions are ASAP, opines Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.

Odds & Ends: Woodson, Van Gundy, Jazz, Perkins

May 8th, 2012 at 10:38pm CST by Daniel Seco

With an exciting night of NBA playoff madness still underway, we take a break from the action to catch up on the latest news and happenings from around the league.

Mike Woodson has done more than enough to get a shot at coaching the Knicks for an entire season, writes Neil Best of Newsday (subscribers only).
Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today says Stan Van Gundy would like to return to the Magic next season but realizes that decision is not entirely up to him.
The Jazz could have a busy offseason ahead of them as they look to add depth at the point guard and power forward positions, reports HoopsWorld's Derek Page.
The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry thinks Kendrick Perkins' health is a big question mark as the Thunder look ahead to the second round of the playoffs.
The Plain Dealer's Mike Pettica has the latest updates on the Cavs' plans for the upcoming NBA draft.
Mavs center Brendan Haywood discusses in a radio interview why adding Deron Williams to the roster would pay huge dividends for the team in the immediate future.
The signing of Shane Battier has proven to be fruitful for the Heat especially considering the defense he has been playing against Carmelo Anthony, writes Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News.