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Odds & Ends: Van Gundy, Villanueva, Fisher, Magic

April 7th, 2012 at 9:13pm CST by Ryan Raroque
Several of tonight's NBA matchups have intriguing stories to follow. The Sixers, losers of three out of their last four games, collide with the Magic, who have lost five in a row. The Celtics hold a half-game lead over Philadelphia for the Atlantic Division crown, but face a challenge tonight as they play the surging Pacers, who are on a four-game winning streak. Tonight's Grizzlies–Mavericks matchup has a full-game impact on both teams in the Western conference standings.  The Clippers and Kings complete their home-and-home series tonight at Staples Center, just a few days after DeMarcus Cousins had some unflattering words for Blake Griffin following Thursday night's game. With that aside, we'll keep you updated on today's miscellaneous stories here:
  • John Hollinger of ESPN explores the different coaching options Stan Van Gundy has if he leaves the Magic (Insider link). It is worth noting that Hollinger lists a TV gig with ESPN or TNT, the Clippers, and Wizards among several other possibilities.
  • Charlie Villanueva is "dying to play," writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. The six-year veteran has played in just two games since returning from an ankle injury. 
  • While Derek Fisher hasn't shown a statistical improvement compared to his numbers with the Lakers this season, the Thunder remain hopeful that his intangibles and big-game experience will pay dividends toward the development of the team, says J. Michael Falgoust of USA Today. 
  • In what he considers to be a "sneakered soap opera," Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel shares his thoughts on what to expect from the Magic as they finish the rest of the season and head into the summer. 
  • Antoine Walker announced his retirement from the D-League, tweeted Marc J. Spears of Yahoo. 
  • Expected to file for retirement in June, Brad Miller briefly reflects on a storied career with Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
  • Shabazz Muhammad of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School is the only NBA-ready player among the participants at the Nike Hoops Summit, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo. 
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Stan Van Gundy Intends To Return As Magic Coach

April 7th, 2012 at 2:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy wants to coach the Magic again next season despite the knowledge that Dwight Howard has been trying to fire him, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports. The contracts of both Howard and Van Gundy expire after next season.

“They’re going to have to make decisions," Van Gundy said of the team. "But I’m a basketball coach and I know this: I don’t want to go anywhere else. I mean, I love Orlando, and this is where I want to be. And I want to coach.”

While finishing this season as coach appeared a shaky proposition after he revealed Thursday that Howard has been asking management to fire him, the team seems content to keep him for now. Whether the team wants him around longer is unclear. Yesterday, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reported that team executives have been more open to the idea of firing Van Gundy than even Howard has been, so if that's true it would be hard to see Van Gundy back in Orlando next year.

Robbins notes that earlier this season, Van Gundy characterized it as his most challenging as a coach, as the team has dealt with uncertainly concerning Howard's future. Now, the team is dealing with speculation about both its coach and its superstar. If the Magic can somehow overcome this and make a deep run in the playoffs, perhaps to the conference finals, it might be enough to save Van Gundy. Still, the locker room dynamic will seem dysfunctional at best until Howard and Van Gundy either settle their differences or one of them departs.

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Odds & Ends: Williams, Mavericks, Howard, Cavs

April 7th, 2012 at 12:04pm CST by Zachary Links

We've got nine games on the docket tonight, including Magic–Sixers in Philadelphia.  Orlando will look to put the heightened drama of this past week behind them and snap a five-game losing skid.  Here's a look around the league on this Saturday afternoon..

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HoopsWorld On Howard, Smith, Gasol

April 6th, 2012 at 6:31pm CST by Sean Highkin

HoopsWorld's Derek Page has compiled a column about the futures of several prominent NBA players featuring input from other writers:

  • Alex Kennedy thinks the Magic will once again attempt to acquire a player via trade or free agency to appease Dwight Howard, although the possibility is still open for him to be dealt.
  • Lang Greene says the Hawks should give serious consideration to moving Josh Smith this summer, as his trade value will be high and he is unhappy in Atlanta.
  • Eric Pincus finds it unlikely that Pau Gasol has a long-term future with the Lakers, due to the luxury-tax implications of keeping him.
  • Bill Ingram thinks the emergence of Courtney Lee will make it easier for the Rockets to move Kevin Martin for the right price.
  • Page believes Shawn Marion's contract makes him relatively easy for the Mavericks to trade, but with Howard off the market, it's not as necessary for the purpose of clearing cap space.
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Odds & Ends: Van Gundy, Jazz, Suns, Bradley

April 6th, 2012 at 4:14pm CST by Michael Pina

Judging from the NBA's past, head coaches rarely win out when they battle superstar players. Going from this, it's assumed that Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy will not be working in Orlando next season. ESPN.com's John Hollinger takes a look at a few possible destinations for Van Gundy should he soon leave his current position (Insider piece). Ira Winderman from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel says the chance of Van Gundy making a return to Miami are next to nothing. 

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Donnie Walsh To Explore General Manager Options

April 6th, 2012 at 2:31pm CST by Michael Pina

Longtime general manager Donnie Walsh is interested in re-entering the profession on a full-time basis, according to CBSSports.com's Ken Berger. Walsh is still under contract with the Knicks, but has been granted permission by the organization to explore other opportunities with other organizations.

Walsh's current contract as a consultant with New York will expire on June 30. According to Berger, the 71-year-old executive will first look at the Trail Blazers, as they are soon believed to be conducting a search for a long-term general manager. But should something open up in Indiana, where rumors have recently been swirling of Larry Bird possibly stepping down from his general manger position, Walsh would strongly consider returning to the team he used to run. 

Walsh will not speak with any teams until their general manager position is officially open, but some other options might be with the Wizards and Magic. Also, according to Berger, it's just a coincidence that the Knicks gave Walsh permission to seek work elsewhere on the same day that his predecessor as Knicks president, Isiah Thomas, was fired as coach of Florida International University. 

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Latest On Howard/Van Gundy

April 6th, 2012 at 11:12am CST by Chuck Myron

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy's revelation that Dwight Howard wants him fired was the dominant story in the NBA yesterday. Many, including a slight majority of Hoops Rumors readers, believe Van Gundy will be gone before the end of the season. Here's what's happening as the saga continues to unfold:

  • Magic executives have been more open to the idea of firing Van Gundy than even Howard has as the team looks to build a cooperative relationship with its superstar, notes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
  • Howard also pushed the team to fire former coach Brian Hill, according to Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com. 
  • Van Gundy believes he'll finish the season as the Magic coach, HoopsWorld reports. He met with GM Otis Smith and Howard yesterday, the report states. 
  • The coach is expected to travel with the team to Philadelphia for its game with the Sixers tomorrow night, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com tweets, so it looks like Van Gundy's job is safe for the moment. Magic CEO Alex Martins doesn't want to make a change now, Berger also notes via Twitter.
  • The Magic threatened Howard with a trade to the Lakers if he didn't opt in to his deal at the trading deadline, reports Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Despite the presence of the Lakers on his list of preferred teams, the Nets were far and away Howard's top choice, Kerber writes. The Magic favored the Lakers' offer of Andrew Bynum, Devin Ebanks and Steve Blake over New Jersey's package of Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, Mehmet Okur and two first-round picks.
  • Howard and Van Gundy tried their best to deflect the glare of yesterday's events in their comments following last night's loss to the Knicks, notes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. While Howard simply declined to comment on the matter, Van Gundy tried to shift the topic to on-court matters when asked about his future with the team. “That’s not what’s important right now,” the coach said. “It’s not. My job security is not what’s important right now. What Dwight wants is not important. What’s important is that we focus on playing better as a team. That’s what is important.”
  • J.J. Redick has Van Gundy's back, Kennedy also reports.
  • On ESPN.com's Daily Dime, Zach McCann says the Magic locker room might be beyond repair now, with some players frustrated with Howard's power plays and others in agreement with D12 that it's time for Van Gundy to go. McCann also mentions assistants Brendan Malone and Patrick Ewing as possible interim replacements should the Magic let Van Gundy go this season.
  • Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News calls on the Nets to end their pursuit of Howard in light of how he's tried to undermine his coach.
  • Tom Ziller, writing for SBNation.com, says that the Magic would have been better off trading Howard at the deadline, despite his willingness to stick around for another season.
  • Lang Greene of HoopsWorld gathers a few more reactions from around the league.
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Poll: Will Stan Van Gundy Last The Season?

April 5th, 2012 at 9:03pm CST by Sean Highkin

The story of the day has been Magic coach Stan Van Gundy's revelation that Dwight Howard asked Orlando management to fire him. It's expected that Van Gundy will be fired at the end of the season, but it could come sooner if the situation is not resolved. Do you think Van Gundy will end the 2011/12 season as Orlando's head coach?

 

Will Stan Van Gundy Finish The Season As Orlando Magic Coach?
Yes 55.08% (260 votes)
No 44.92% (212 votes)
Total Votes: 472
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Howard Has Asked Magic To Fire Van Gundy

April 5th, 2012 at 7:43pm CST by Luke Adams

7:43pm: According to Mike Prada of SBNation (Twitter link), Van Gundy confirmed to TNT's David Aldridge that he's known all season that Howard wanted him fired.

5:51pm: CBSSports.com's Ken Berger writes that there's no chance Van Gundy will be back as head coach of the Magic next season.

3:13pm: Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski writes that Howard's attempts to get Van Gundy fired are just the latest development in a power struggle between the coach and star center.

11:34am: A source close to Van Gundy tells Wojnarowski that Howard has asked the Magic to fire Van Gundy multiple times since last summer (Twitter link).

11:17am: Just moments after Van Gundy spoke to reporters in Orlando, Howard talked to the same group, including Howard Beck of the New York Times (Twitter link), and denied that he'd asked management to fire the coach.

11:06am: Van Gundy told reporters, including Josh Robbins (Twitter link), that Howard has indeed asked Magic management to fire Van Gundy. This is a pretty surprising development — not just that Howard actually made the request, but that Van Gundy would publicly acknowledge it.

9:01am: During the height of the pre-deadline Dwight Howard drama, a report surfaced that suggested Howard had been offered the opportunity to determine the fates of GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy if he re-signed. The Magic quickly released a statement denying it, but with Howard locked into his contract for another year, the rumors persist.

David Pingalore of WKMG Local 6 in Orlando reported this week that Howard has conveyed to Magic ownership that he'd like a coaching change, and won't consider a contract extension unless the team fires Van Gundy this offseason. Magic owner Rich DeVos told Pingalore that Howard won't be given that type of decision-making power, though the team will seek his input on any major decisions.

"He can't make those decisions and choices," DeVos said. "We will make those, but we will let him know what we are making and we want his opinion on what fits and doesn't fit."

Orlando CEO Alex Martins echoed that sentiment to Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, noting that the futures of Van Gundy and Smith, who are both under contract through 2012/13, won't be discussed until after the season. The Magic didn't make any specific promises to Howard when he waived his early termination option, according to Martins.

SI.com's Chris Mannix tweets that the Magic will do "whatever it takes" to placate Howard over the next year. If that means firing Van Gundy, they'll do it, says Mannix. In a separate tweet, Mannix adds that several rival executives believe the Magic coach would be highly coveted if he were to find himself out of work in Orlando.

I think Mannix is right that the Magic will give strong consideration to Howard's opinion. If Orlando makes a deep playoff run, it would be hard to justify firing Van Gundy, but if D12 pushes for it, I think it'll happen. What we don't know yet is whether or not that's what Dwight wants — hopefully he won't be quite as indecisive on this topic as he was on his contract situation.

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Kyler’s Latest: Williams, Nash, Nelson, Hibbert

April 5th, 2012 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

Within his preview of a few of the summer's top free agents, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld shares some rumors on the potential landing spots for those players. Let's check out the highlights….

  • The Deron Williams sweepstakes are the Nets' to lose. If the team can't surround Williams with satisfactory talent, expect the point guard to sign elsewhere.
  • Kyler hears the Suns have "put the idea of a two-year, $20MM offer on the table" for Steve Nash. Nash is said to be seeking a three-year deal, and if Phoenix were to add an extra year, it would almost certainly be the best offer the veteran would receive. Still, Kyler points out that Nash has earned well over $100MM in his NBA career, so he won't necessarily just take the highest salary.
  • Jameer Nelson has yet to decide on his player option for next season. While he's very unlikely to find a higher salary for 2012/13 on the open market, Nelson could potentially land a larger guarantee over multiple years. Declining the option would also give him more agency in determining where he plays, since he'd be a trade candidate with the Magic.
  • The Nets' Gerald Wallace is also undecided on his 2012/13 player option, though opting in seems more likely at this point.
  • It's very unlikely that another team poaches restricted free agent Roy Hibbert from the Pacers.
  • The Nuggets will probably match any offer for JaVale McGee of $7MM or less annually, but it's unclear whether they'd go much higher than that.
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