Hello and welcome to the Evening News.
As the playoffs are now officially under way, we’ll keep you updated every evening. What’s happening today?
Here’s the latest news around the league:
Derrick Rose “most likely out” for the playoffs.
Yesterday, we discussed Chicago’s concerns with Joakim Noah’s health for the first round. Today, Tom Thibodeau gave Chicago fans another piece of bad news: Derrick Rose is not expected to return at any point in the postseason.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports that Thibodeau made his most ominous statement to date regarding Derrick Rose’s health status saying that his point guard is “most likely out” for the postseason. Still, Thibodeau did not want to sound definitive with his prediction. “But you never know,” Thibodeau said. “The playoffs are stretched out too, so you have to factor that in. Who knows another week from now where he is? You always want to leave that possibility open.” 
Rose tore his left ACL last postseason and was expected to return at some point after the All-Star break. While Rose has admitted that he feels physically recovered for the most part, he does not feel mentally prepared to return to action.
The news of Rose’s absence from the postseason should not come as a surprise to fans. Rose has been non-committal about returning this season and does not want to feel pressured into overextending himself in the playoffs.
Stan Van Gundy not interested in several coaching vacancies.
According to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, Stan Van Gundy is uninterested in several of the available coaching positions around the league. 
Schmitz says, “The Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavs and Philadelphia 76ers are looking for coaches — three more possibilities for former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. I’m told that Van Gundy has no interest in those openings at this time. More jobs could open after the playoffs end.”
Van Gundy has a career 371-208 record in eight seasons of coaching between the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic. He has never coached a sub-.500 team. Moreover, he coached the 2008-09 Magic to the NBA Finals.
Phil Jackson would listen to Cavaliers if they called.
Sam Amico of FoxSportsOhio.com reports Phil Jackson would “absolutely” listen if the Cavaliers gave him a call, according to a source close to Jackson.
While Jackson won his 11 championships in the big cities of Chicago and Los Angeles, the source insists that Jackson would not discriminate against Cleveland for being a smaller market.
“He grew up in North Dakota and coached a minor-league team in Albany (N.Y.),” the source said. “Trust me, Phil has nothing against mid-sized American cities.” 
However, when Amico asked Luke Walton — who played under Jackson in Los Angeles — about their potential reunion in Cleveland, Walton didn’t sound as optimistic.
“I would be surprised if he’d come to such a young team on that side of the process,” Walton said. “But I get shocked every day in this league, so I won’t say it’s not going to happen.”
If Jackson were to head to Cleveland, he would likely want to assume a large role in the front office. With Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, and an early lottery pick in the upcoming draft, the Cavaliers certainly have a bright future.
