Odds & Ends: Deron Williams, Hawks, Harrington
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
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
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
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
- 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
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
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
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.
Stan Van Gundy’s Future In Orlando
The Magic take on the Pacers this evening in what could potentially be Stan Van Gundy's final game as the team's head coach. HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler predicts Van Gundy will lose his job shortly after the team finishes its season. This isn't necessarily a bad thing for Van Gundy, writes Kyler, as the Magic and SVG may both benefit from parting ways this offseason.
Van Gundy's looming dismissal has little to do with his coaching ability but rather represents the beleaguered franchise's lone chance to win favor with Dwight Howard as he enters the final year of his contract with the team. Howard's disdain toward Van Gundy has been made clear over the course of the season, leaving the Magic front office with little choice but to appease its superstar in hopes of improving the team's chances of re-signing him in 2013. Simply put, a very good coach is replaceable in the NBA but a superstar talent like Howard is not.
Since becoming head coach in 2007, Van Gundy has won 259 regular season games with the Magic, a number that will make him an attractive candidate to teams looking for a new head coach. Van Gundy has also enjoyed success in the postseason as he's taken the Magic to the Eastern Conference Finals twice during his tenure in Orlando along with an appearance in the NBA Finals against the Lakers in 2009. While it's unlikely that Van Gundy would be interested in turning around the Bobcats' fortunes, he may be a good fit for the Trail Blazers.
Replacing Van Gundy won't be an easy task for the Magic, but there are a few viable options for Orlando to consider this offseason. If the team is looking for an experienced head coach with a track record of success, then they should consider hiring Nate McMillan, writes Kyler. Patrick Ewing, who is a candidate for the Bobcats' opening, would be better off staying in Orlando if the team looks to stay in-house and seamlessly transition from the Van Gundy regime.
Coach/GM Notes: McMillan, Petrie, Woodson, SVG
As teams continue to play their final games of the 2011/12 season, jobs on NBA benches and in NBA front offices will begin to open up. Already, rumors are swirling about who could be on the hot seat and who could be in line for a new position, so let's round up a few Monday morning coach and GM updates….
- It seems likely that Nate McMillan will return to an NBA bench soon, and the former Trail Blazers coach isn't necessarily interested in a win-now position, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. "Coaching is coaching," McMillan said. "It would be a new beginning for me. Young team or a veteran team….If you're saying, 'I'm just looking for a veteran team,' that's not true." There has been some speculation that McMillan could be a fit for the Bobcats.
- McMillan's old team in Portland is seeking a GM, and Kings president Geoff Petrie has been cited as a possible candidate. Victor Contreras of the Sacramento Bee says that if the Blazers are interested, Petrie should listen, given Sacramento's uncertain future.
- On a conference call with reporters this morning, Knicks coach Mike Woodson dismissed questions about his future with the team: "Right now, it's not about Mike Woodson and my contract… I'm still coaching this team and the job is not done."
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel doesn't believe Dwight Howard and Stan Van Gundy have "kissed and made up" and says it would be impossible for both to return to the Magic next season.