The other big news of the day came from off the court, and involved Phil Jackson. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Toronto Raptors are eyeing Jackson: “Now that heavyweight sports executive Tim Leiweke has been hired as the new president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment — the Canadian conglomerate that owns and operates the Raptors, NHL’s Maple Leafs and Toronto FC in Major League Soccer — Toronto’s chances of successfully luring Jackson north of the border appear to be much more realistic.”- More from Stein: “Sources told ESPN.com this week that the Raptors have interest in talking with Jackson about the Pat Riley-style role he craves in charge of a team’s basketball operations. ESPN.com reported last week that Jackson, after nearly two seasons in retirement, is itching to return to the NBA next season, preferably in a role similar to Riley’s in Miami that allows him to oversee both the basketball department and the coaching staff or perhaps as a high-level consultant such as Jerry West in Golden State.”
Three games into the playoffs, Brooklyn’s Gerald Wallace has no idea where he fits in with the Nets. That can’t be a good sign, according to the Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: “Following a rejuvenating performance in Game 1, the small forward has typified the Nets’ struggles in successive defeats to the Bulls. He scored two points on Monday in 19 minutes, shooting just 1-of-7 from the floor. On Thursday, he shot 2-for-8 and was benched for the entire fourth quarter – when the Nets made an improbable run that ended with CJ Watson’ potential game-tying 3-pointer missing at the buzzer.”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you my role now,” Wallace said Friday at the team’s hotel in Chicago. “I don’t have a clue what my role is on this team.”
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“My shot just ain’t falling,” he said. “Execution is poor offensively. They’re doing a good job defensively disrupting our rhythm. …Playing in a halfcourt set where they kind of load up. They’re pretty good defensively of pushing you to one side of the court. We haven’t been able to get in transition the past two games, and they’ve done a great job of keeping us from doing that.”
Gerald Wallace isn’t the only one feeling down on the Nets. According to star point guard Deron Williams, they are desperate: “The Nets used their pregame interviews to talk about urgency and adjustments, about ways to improve an offense that squandered home court advantage just three days ago. But their play was a giant, crippling contradiction for three quarters, and the result was predictable”
“We got to win on Saturday (Game 4),” Deron Williams said. “That’s it.
“We’re very desperate. That’s the perfect word. We need to play with some desperation.”
- The Houston Rockets are still in the playoffs, and there are rumors that head coach Kevin McHale may step down after the season. If that is the case, Houston would like to pursue Stan Van Gundy, despite the conflict of interest it would be in courting Dwight Howard this offseason. More from ESPN’s Chris Broussard: “While it’s unlikely that Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale will step down, sources say the Rockets will have strong interest in Stan Van Gundy if he does. Of course, the Rockets will be major suitors of Dwight Howard in free agency. Howard and Van Gundy have been on friendly terms this season, texting often, and sources say Howard has gained a newfound respect for Van Gundy’s coaching ability this season.”
If things weren’t bad enough for Golden State after losing David Lee for the rest of the postseason, star point guard Stephen Curry has been diagnosed with a sprained ankle and was questionable for Friday night’s pivotal game three against Denver. More from the San Jose Mercury-News: “Curry was not on the court at the team’s morning shoot-around as he received what coach Mark Jackson called “round-the-clock treatment” due to a sprained left ankle suffered in the second half of Game 2 in Denver Tuesday night. Even with the magnitude of the game, Jackson said he would not put his point guard at undue risk.”
“There’s nothing you can do if you can’t play,” Jackson said. “He’s going to do everything possible to put himself in position to play, and coming over to the arena, we will see how it feels and we will make a decision. I wish I was holding something back, but if you look at the film, it was a pretty nasty sprain.”
While rumors surfaced today that Minnesota has relieved president of basketball operations David Kahn of his duties and replaced him with Flip Saunders, ESPN is reporting that Saunders has been noncommittal on the proposition: “NBA.com reported that Saunders has been negotiating a contract, with option years, that could run through the 2017-18 season and be worth more than $9 million over five full years, according to sources. “What develops right now is yet to be determined,” Saunders told ESPN. Saunders, the most successful coach in franchise history, said he has continued his long-standing relationship with Minnesota owner Glen Taylor. He also said they have talked about various issues. Saunders would replace David Kahn, who has failed to build the Timberwolves into a winner. Minnesota has gone a woeful 89-223 and not reached the playoffs in four seasons with Kahn at the helm.”
Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.