Tuesday May 22, 2012
We all saw this coming, right?
The Orlando Magic have parted ways with coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith, the team announced Tuesday.
Smith's fate was most likely sealed when the high-risk acquisitions of players like Gilbert Arenas didn't pan out. Van Gundy was done in by a souring relationship with star center Dwight Howard - a player the team is desperate to re-sign, however unlikely that appears at this point.
If you're thinking, "This is remarkably similar to the situation in Cleveland immediately preceding LeBron James' departure" you're far from alone. I expect the Howard saga to continue along a similar path, and that the all-star center will be leaving Orlando when he hits free agency.
If not sooner.
Van Gundy is generally regarded as one of the top coaches in the league and will likely have his pick of jobs if and when he decides to return to the bench. In the meantime, anyone that has watched his press conferences knows he'd be a great addition to the broadcast booth - possibly alongside his brother Jeff?
Monday May 21, 2012
Ex-Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni spoke with Sports Illustrated's Jack McCallum, going on the record for the first time about his departure from Madison Square Garden:
I absolutely resigned. I was in my car driving to shootaround and it just came to me. That's it. It's inevitable. I have to resign. We're not going anywhere. I made the decision then and there. I called Glen [Grunwald, the Knicks' general manager] and told him that I was coming in to do it. Then I called Laurel [his wife] to tell her. Glen called in Mr. Dolan [Knicks owner James Dolan] and I met them after shootaround and told them that I was resigning.
D'Antoni also said that he does plan to coach again, but that the likeliest short-term scenario would be him staying on the sidelines for one more year while his son finishes high school.
Monday May 21, 2012
The next NBA team to move could be the Golden State Warriors. But it doesn't sound like they'll go very far.
ESPN's Ric Bucher is reporting that the Warriors are close to a deal to relocate to San Francisco, possibly to a new waterfront arena.
The move would be a return home, of sorts. The franchise was known as the San Francisco Warriors from 1962 - when they moved to the Bay Area from their original home in Philadelphia - until 1971, when they took on the non-specific "Golden State" nickname and began playing most of their home games in Oakland.
It is not known whether a name change would be part of the move.
Oakland officials are reportedly "committed" to keeping the Warriors on their side of the Bay Bridge.
Monday May 21, 2012
Chris Paul was the biggest acquisition of the year... but his season is over thanks, in part, to some excellent defense from unheralded Cleveland Cavalier castoff Danny Green. Green picked up a deflected pass and forced a miss on two of the Clippers' final two possessions, helping the Spurs close out Los Angeles and advance to the Western Conference Finals.
San Antonio swept the series 4-0, and has now won eight consecutive playoff games and 18 straight overall. They'll face the winner of the Lakers/Thunder series, which Oklahoma City leads, 3-1.
The Miami Heat tied their series with the Indiana Pacers at two games apiece as Dwyane Wade shook off a dreadful shooting slump. He and LeBron James combined to score 70 points for Miami, while Udonis Haslem added 14 points in his best game of the postseason.
Tonight's Games:
