Odds & Ends: Wizards, Smith, Christmas, Brooks
Matt Moore and CBS Sports continued their offseason report series today by taking a look at the Washington Wizards. The Wizards haven't made the playoffs since 2008 and have been relatively irrelevant over that time period, but they raised some eyebrows in the offseason with a series of moves that should put them in position to contend for the playoffs this coming season.
Here are some other links and rumblings from this Sunday evening…
- Josh Cohen from NBA.com addresses the Orlando Magic offseason by evaluating the importance of superstars in today's NBA, specifically mentioning how the Orlando franchise has thrived in recent history.
- J.R. Smith, who signed a two year extension with the Knicks in July, said the team has the pieces in place to win it all in an interview with ESPN New York, Ian Begley writes. Smith also conveyed his pleasure on hearing the news that the Knicks signed his younger brother, Chris Smith on August 1.
- Former Temple guard Dionte Christmas landed a partially guaranteed deal with the Celtics earlier this week. Greg Payne of ESPN Boston analyzed Christmas' prospects for the upcoming season with Boston and detailed his European journey that ended with his first NBA deal.
- Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman writes that with the Thunder going cheap in free agency, the growth and development of head coach Scott Brooks will be of increased importance.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Williams, Songaila
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Saturday night:
- George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel writes that the Magic need to move on from Dwight Howard as soon as possible.
- John Manasso of Fox Sports South has quotes from the Hawks' press conference introducing Lou Williams and Devin Harris, and an analysis of the guards' ability to fit together.
- ESPN's Marc Stein tweets that, after a strong performance against the United States, Lithuania's Darius Songaila says he intends to play in the NBA again.
Odds & Ends: International, Celtics, Sixers, Heat
As Olympic basketball is underway this Saturday morning, Hoopsworld.com's Alex Raskin takes a look at a few international prospects who could someday make it to the NBA.
Here's a look around the rest of the league.
- With almost all of the market's free agents already signed to contracts, Hoopsworld.com's Lang Green takes a look at a few unsigned players, such as Andray Blatche, Jermaine O'Neal, and Carlos Delfino, who could still have an impact next season.
- CSNPhilly.com has a piece asking whether or not the Sixers, a team that was minutes away from an Eastern Conference finals berth a few months ago, have an uncertain season ahead of them.
- ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg writes that the Celtics have done a great job of re-tooling their roster in spite of Ray Allen's departure.
- Sun-Sentinel.com's Ira Winderman explores Heat president Pat Riley's recent comments regarding the belief that his team doesn't need a true, dependable center. Is Riley right?
- NBA.com's Josh Cohen writes that no matter what the Magic do moving forward, they shouldn't rush any important decisions.
Odds & Ends: Magic, Green, Raptors, Mavs
The Magic may be subject to criticism in some areas, but the team's current problems can't be blamed on player development, says Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Robbins looks back at the team's draft picks and projects over the last few years and concludes that the club has done a reasonably good job of developing young talent, even if not all the success stories still play in Orlando. Here are a few more Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Willie Green spoke to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times about joining the Clippers and how the perception of the franchise has recently changed.
- The Bulls top SI.com's Zach Lowe's list of teams whose offseason moves were a little disappointing.
- Raptors coach Dwane Casey downplayed the supposed point guard controversy in Toronto while GM Bryan Colangelo acknowledged that a controversy is inevitable with two starting-caliber players at one position. As Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes, neither Casey or Colangelo indicated that there's any rush or need to trade Jose Calderon to clear room for Kyle Lowry.
- With Joel Przybilla's free agent decision reportedly imminent, Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com wonders if the Mavericks are serious about adding another center.
- Salary cap expert Larry Coon answered plenty of questions in a chat at HoopsWorld.com today.
- There's still plenty of time for the Pistons' Khris Middleton and other second-round picks to be signed, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
Southeast Notes: Wizards, Howard, Ferry, Teague
In a piece that calls upon Dwight Howard to act professionally as he seeks to move on from the Magic, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com revisits the big man's decision to waive his early termination option this past March. Broussard says Howard wanted to give the team a chance to improve the roster and was open to staying, but when former coach Stan Van Gundy told the media a team executive had let him know Howard wanted him fired, Howard lost all trust and confidence in the Magic. There are a few other items concerning the Magic's Southeast Division rivals this evening:
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune expects former Wolves assistant coach Jerry Sichting to wind up in that same role for the Wizards (Twitter link). That appears to be the "tweak" to his staff Wizards head coach Randy Wittman was referring to (link below).
Earlier updates:
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio applauds Hawks GM Danny Ferry, hired barely a month ago, for assembling a competitive team for the upcoming season while freeing cap space to make a major move next summer.
- This coming season will be the last of Jeff Teague's rookie contract, and with all the new faces on the Hawks this year, including fellow point guard Devin Harris, Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution takes a look at how Teague can make the most of 2012/13.
- Roger Mason, who agreed to sign with the Hornets today, thought when last season ended that he'd be back with the Wizards, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. With the team drafting Bradley Beal at his position and adding other veterans who can assume his leadership role, the eight-year veteran decided to turn elsewhere.
- Wizards coach Randy Wittman held forth on a number of topics, and Lee has the details. Wittman hinted that the team may keep a roster spot or two open heading into training camp, and said he's still considering another "tweak" to the coaching staff after hiring former Spurs assistant Don Newman earlier this summer.
- In the same piece, Wittman addressed the team's decision to use the amnesty clause to waive Andray Blatche, saying, "I hope and wish the best for Dray. And maybe this can be the best thing for him in turning his career back around and being the player I think we all think he can be."
- Wittman expressed a preference for having three point guards on the roster, and said that's one reason the Wizards signed A.J. Price.
Southeast Notes: Bobcats, Heat, Magic, Howard
On this day 12 years ago, the Heat and Hornets consummated a blockbuster swap that was, at the time, the largest trade in Heat history. The nine-player deal saw Jamal Mashburn, P.J. Brown, and three others head to Charlotte in exchange for four players, including Anthony Mason and Eddie Jones. We're certainly not expecting a move that big out of the Southeast or any other division today, but there are a few links worth passing on out of the Southeast, so let's round them up….
- The Bobcats made "a big push" to sign Carl Landry, but there was mutual interest between Landry and Warriors since the start of free agency, writes Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks the Heat would still like to add a veteran big man, if possible.
- While the exact details of the Magic's long-term plan remain unclear, the team intends to follow the model established by the Spurs, says Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Chris Broussard suggests the steps Dwight Howard should take to rehabilitate his image and part ways on good terms with the Magic.
Magic, Mavs Met To Discuss Howard Trade
The Magic and Mavericks met to discuss a possible Dwight Howard trade last week, and "will probably talk again," Mavs GM Donnie Nelson tells Mike Fisher of FOXSportsSouthwest.com. The Mavs have taken a back seat to teams like the Nets, Lakers, and Rockets in Howard trade rumors this year, but have expressed "repeated interest" in the star center, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
Still, acquiring Howard this offseason or before the trade deadline seems very unlikely for the Mavericks. According to Nelson, "there's just not much there," which isn't surprising — while the Lakers could offer Andrew Bynum and the Rockets could offer a combination of potential lottery picks and young, affordable players, the Mavs don't have a ton of attractive assets outside of a few expiring contracts. If Orlando was unmoved by the Lakers' and Rockets' offers, I can't see the team being too tempted by a package from Dallas.
As I suggested when I outlined the Howard situation last week, the Mavericks' best chance of acquiring D12 is in free agency next summer. If Dwight isn't traded to the Lakers or Nets, there's a very good chance he chooses to sign with the Mavs as a free agent, rather than re-upping with the Magic or (if he's traded to Houston) the Rockets.
Odds & Ends: McGuire, Wafer, Hinrich, Magic
The Metropolitan King County Council took the initial step towards bringing an NBA arena to Seattle, according to the Associated Press. Investor Chris Hansen's $490MM plan calls for nearly $300MM in private funds and $200MM in public contribution. Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- If the Warriors re-sign Brandon Rush, they'll have 15 players on the roster and virtually no wiggle room under the luxury tax threshold. With that in mind, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group looks at moves that Golden State can make to keep Dominic McGuire.
- Von Wafer's deal with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese league will be for one-year at $2MM, a source tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). The Chinese season wraps up much earlier than the NBA season, giving the 27-year-old a chance to sign with a team down the home stretch.
- Kirk Hinrich's new two-year deal with the Bulls is fairly balanced as he will make $3.94MM in year one and $4.06MM in the second season, according to HoopsHype (via Twitter).
- The Magic need to move Dwight Howard in order to give their new coach Jacque Vaughn a fresh slate to work with, opines Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
Magic Hire Jacque Vaughn
MONDAY, 3:43pm: The Magic have officially hired Vaughn, introducing him in a press conference today (link via NBA.com). According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter), Michael Curry was the only other coaching candidate to meet with the DeVos family.
SATURDAY, 9:55am: The Magic are set to hire Jacque Vaughn as their next head coach, a team official told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Orlando has issued a press release confirming the news and will introduce their new coach to the media on Monday afternoon.
Vaughn, 37, has spent the last two years as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. While the former point guard shared responsibilities with the rest of the Spurs assistant coaching staff, he was not technically among the top three to sit on the bench as those spots belonged to Mike Budenholzer, Don Newman, and Brett Brown.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan has history with Vaughn as he was working for the Spurs when the signed the guard in the summer of 2006. Hennigan cast a wide net in his coaching search, also conducting first-round interviews with Michael Curry, Jeff Hornacek, Michael Malone, Lindsey Hunter, and Brian Shaw. Hunter and Curry both made the final three, but Vaughn was reported to be the frontrunner for some time.
Vaughn will become the successor to Stan Van Gundy, a coach who compiled a 259-135 record during his time in Orlando and guided the club to the 2009 NBA Finals. Of course, Van Gundy's breakup with the Magic was anything but smooth as the coach battled with star center Dwight Howard and upper management.
The question now is whether Vaughn will have the opportunity to coach Howard. Earlier this week, Luke Adams ran down the possible destinations for the six-time All-Star.
Mayberry On Howard, Thunder, Lakers
As the Dwight Howard saga drags on, Lakers, Rockets, and Mavericks have emerged as the teams with the best chances of landing the superstar center from the Magic. The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry has posted two new columns on Howard's future:
- In the first column, Mayberry writes that landing Howard would be contradictory to the Thunder's long-term plans.
- In the second column, Mayberry argues that Howard ending up in Los Angeles will be bad for Oklahoma City's title chances in the next several years.