Coaching Rumors: Woodson, Del Negro, Magic
Another job on an NBA bench opened up yesterday, when Orlando officially fired long-time coach Stan Van Gundy. The Magic and the Bobcats are now the only two clubs searching for a new head coach, but there's no guarantee they won't be joined by another couple teams as the offseason progresses. Here are the latest updates on the NBA's coaching carousel:
- After a report yesterday indicated that Mike Woodson and the Knicks were nearing an agreement, Marc Berman of the New York Post says the deal should be announced sometime "this week."
- Clippers GM Neil Olshey hasn't committed one way or the other to bringing back Vinny Del Negro for next season, as Billy Witz of FOX Sports writes. However, a source tells Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld that he believes the Clips will explore other coaching options.
- Van Gundy will be in demand, and the next team to hire him will be very lucky, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz adds though that Van Gundy is leaning toward sitting out next season.
- Charley Rosen of HoopsHype examines some potential candidates to replace Van Gundy in Orlando, noting that Nate McMillan could be the best fit for the Magic.
Magic Rumors: Malone, Shaw, Morway, Bower
Big news out of Orlando today as the club has fired coach Stan Van Gundy and agreed to part ways with GM Otis Smith. The latest on the Magic..
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld tweets that plenty of executives are interested in the Magic GM job, and they aren't scared away by the Dwight Howard saga.
- David Baumann of Bright House Sports Network says that Lakers assistant Chuck Person is on Howard's list of preferred coaches, noting D12's preference for candidates with no head coaching experience (Twitter links, and a hat tip to Sam Amick of SI.com). That might be moot, however, if Howard still wants to leave the Magic.
- Warriors assistant Michael Malone and Pacers assistant Brian Shaw are candidates to replace Van Gundy, tweets Sam Amick of SI.com.
- Amick also tweets that many of the same candidates for the Blazers GM job will be in the running for the same post in Orlando, and links to a story from earlier this month specifying Pacers GM David Morway and former Hornets GM Jeff Bower as candidates for the Portland gig.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio says that the Magic had interest in signing Greg Oden, but that's likely changed in the wake of today's news (Twitter link).
- Orlando Sentinel columnist George Diaz encourages the Magic to be "creative, aggressive and different" with their GM and coaching hires.
Dwight Howard Still Wants Out Of Orlando
Despite the exit of coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith today, Dwight Howard "desperately" wants to be traded before next season, a source tells Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com. While it seemed the moves were made with Howard in mind, the superstar center wants out of Orlando now more than ever, according to the source.
Sheridan says Magic execs are expected to meet soon with Howard in Los Angeles, where he's recovering from back surgery. If he reiterates then that he wants out, Sheridan says the team is expected to try to trade him to "the highest bidder." The source says the Nets are still the frontrunner for his services, but the Mavericks, Knicks and, to a lesser degree, the Clippers and Lakers, are destinations that also appeal to Howard.
Earlier today we heard that Magic CEO Alex Martins has called for Howard to make his decision regarding his future with the club. At the trade deadline this past March, Howard declined his early termination option for next season, committing himself to the last season of his contract with the Magic. The move appears only to have been a temporary stay of the drama surrounding his rumored departure. Howard missed the playoffs for the Magic this season after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back more than a month ago. He has been rehabbing in Los Angeles and has not returned to Orlando since the operation. The Magic said earlier he's staying there because he requires frequent checkups from his doctors in L.A., but Howard's choice of locations nonetheless fueled speculation he's estranged from the team.
Reactions To The Shakeup In Orlando
The news of the day has been that GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy are out of their jobs with the Magic. We're keeping an eye on the moving pieces in the wake of the team's announcement, but there's also been a fair bit of criticism of the team, particularly over its firing of Van Gundy. Here's what NBA observers are saying:
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel takes Magic CEO Alex Martins to task for informing Van Gundy of his firing via cell phone.
- Fellow Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi said the future of the franchise is up to Dwight Howard, now that the team has seemingly bent to his will.
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today provides a dissenting voice, arguing that the time had come for the team to move on from Van Gundy and Smith. He also thinks the franchise might be better off moving on from Howard, too.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com predicts that in six months, Howard will be gone, the Magic will have a coach inferior to Van Gundy, and the franchise will be starting over.
- Zach Lowe of SI.com says the Magic just broke up a rare partnership of superstar player and elite coach.
- Shannon J. Owens of the Orlando Sentinel follows along that same line, wishing the drama-filled relationship between Howard and Van Gundy had been more like the placid, successful partnership of Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich of the Spurs.
- As we noted earlier, George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel wants to see the Magic make bold hires when they replace Smith and Van Gundy.
Bobcats Notes: McMillan, Bickerstaff, Van Gundy
Earlier today we heard that Nate McMillan is in the midst of a two-day interview with the Bobcats for their coaching vacancy. Here's more from the Queen City:
- McMillan has an advocate in former Bobcats coach and GM Bernie Bickerstaff, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes.
- Bonnell believes the Magic's firing of Stan Van Gundy today could harm the Bobcats' search, since the Magic job is probably more attractive (Twitter link).
- Mike Tokito of The Oregonian seconds that thought, arguing that the Magic could be a more enticing destination for McMillan. He also speculates whether McMillan could wind up with the Clippers and Wizards.
- One coach the Bobcats wouldn't have to compete over with the Magic is Van Gundy, and Bonnell looks at how the former Magic boss would fit in Charlotte. Bonnell hears that Van Gundy may prefer to sit out the coming season rather than take another job right away.
Magic Fire Van Gundy, Part Ways With Smith
Magic CEO Alex Martins announced today that coach Stan Van Gundy has been let go while GM Otis Smith and the club have mutually agreed to part ways.
"On behalf of the DeVos Family, we sincerely appreciate and thank Otis and Stan for all that they have done on and off the floor for the Orlando Magic,” said Martins. "These are the days you dread in this business, but we feel it's time for new leadership and new voices. "
Van Gundy was named head coach on June 7, 2007 and coached the Magic to a 259-135 record in five seasons. The charismatic coach led Orlando to five postseason berths, three Southeast Division titles, and the 2009 Eastern Conference crown, but could not survive the turmoil of the 2011/12 season. The Magic were surrounded by drama as Dwight Howard flip-flopped between remaining in Orlando and forcing a trade to the Nets. In April, Van Gundy told reporters that his star player was actively working to get him fired.
Meanwhile, Smith has been telling people that he was considering retirement and may have been fired by the club anyway, according to Sam Amick of SI.com (via Twitter). Smith's career in Orlando's front office began as the director of player development and in May of 2006 he was promoted to General Manager. In total, the Magic were 299-177 during Smith’s time as GM.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Wade, Heat, Howard
Links out of the Southeast division as the Heat get set for Game 4 in Indiana tomorrow afternoon..
- Hawks General Manager Rick Sund’s contract expires next month but he has yet to commit to a return or publicly address his future, writes Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Sund may also retire, take a part-time role with the Hawks, or jump ship to another team.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel wonders whether playing in the Olympics makes much sense for Dwyane Wade, who could use the rest for his 30-year-old body. Winderman notes the pressure that sponsors put on Wade and other superstars to play for their country.
- If the Rockets take a stab at trading for Magic big man Dwight Howard, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel believes that the package would be centered around Kevin Martin and Luis Scola because the salaries match up. Even if Howard doesn't sign a long-term extension with Houston, they would at least have Martin and Scola off of the books for a proper rebuild.
Odds & Ends: Oden, Magic, Jones, Bucks, Bosh
Links from around the league..
- Earlier today we learned that Greg Oden will be undergoing a radical knee procedure to revive his career, but Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge (via Twitter) points out that the Trail Blazers were considering the operation way back in February.
- Some out of the box thinking from Alex Kennedy of Hoops World (via Twitter) as he suggests that the Magic look into trading for Dwyane Wade or LeBron James this summer. However, Kennedy doesn't envision the Heat being forced to blow everything up.
- Kentucky's Terrence Jones would give the Bucks some badly needed toughness, writes David Thorpe of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required).
- Chris Bosh may have seemed like a third wheel to some, but the Heat are really missing the forward now, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Coaching Rumors: Ewing, Magic, D’Antoni, Drew
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
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.