SH Blog: Will Chris Paul and/or Vinny Del Negro be Clippers next season?

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Chris PaulSuddenly, everything is a whole lot clearer. Four teams were eliminated last night, and we’ve got just one more game in the first round of the playoffs. It’s tonight, between the Bulls and Nets, and the winner gets to face the Heat. So maybe not the best reward, but every team in the East knows they’ll have to go through the Heat if they want to reach the Finals.

The rest of the second round is set, and we’ve got previews all ready for you. First we’ve got the Grizzlies and the Thunder out west, and in the east we’ve got the Pacers and the Knicks.

Now here’s all the latest news from around the NBA:

  • With the Clippers’ season now over, they may be another team riding the coaching carousel, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com: “Clippers sources insist no decision has been made on (Vinny) Del Negro yet and that this early playoff exit won’t be the only basis upon which he’s judged. The team won a franchise-record 56 games this season and Del Negro has always had a good relationship with the team’s ownership. The team is expected to take “about a week” to evaluate the season before making a decision on Del Negro, according to one source. Officially Del Negro’s contract runs a few more months, and the Clippers have been known to take their time with such matters — interim coach Kim Hughes famously worked several months after he was dismissed as interim head coach — but “that’s not going to happen this time,” the source said.”
  • Ric Bucher of CSN Bay Area weighs in on the Clippers’ coaching situation: “A tantalizing candidate to be the Clippers’ next head coach posited by one NBA executive if the team would like to maximize its chances of Chris Paul re-signing with the franchise: Chauncey Billups. I can’t tell you if Billups is interested in retiring as a player at this point, or even if being a head coach is what he wants to do next, but he certainly knows the game well enough, has long held unusual authority among his peers on the court and in the locker room. Then there’s this: no one is closer on that team than Paul and Billups. I also know that Paul’s control of the franchise, by virtue of the fact the Clippers will do anything to keep him, is nearly absolute. As for the current head coach, Vinny Del Negro, the consensus around the NBA is that this first-round ouster is almost certain to cost him his job.”
  • Blake on CP3 re-signing: "He knows how we've done things, especially the last two years. I think he knows it's a great place to play."
    @ramonashelburne
    Ramona Shelburne

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SH Blog: David Lee does a Willis Reed; Flip Saunders returns to Wolves

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The first round of the playoffs has turned out to be as tense as could have been hoped, with six of the eight series going six games and at least one going the full seven.

Meanwhile, the other 14 NBA teams are getting ready for next season, and for quite a few, that means new coaches, or possibly new management. While the Raptors continue to court Phil Jackson, Jackson himself is signing on with the Pistons in what is described as a favor to his friend, Pistons owner Tom Gores, to aid in the franchise’s search for a new coach.

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SH Blog: What’s next for the Lakers? Aaron McKie or Larry Drew next Sixers coach? Splitter to miss 2nd round?

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Paul PierceThe Celtics aren’t done yet. Despite blowing a 20-point lead, Boston hung in there to pull out an OT win and send the series back to New York for Game 5.

The Bucks and Lakers, on the other hand, are done. The Lakers never had much of a chance without Kobe Bryant, and the Bucks got stuck by the wrecking ball known as the Heat.

Speaking of the Bucks, here’s a column from Chris Sheridan that questions whether Brandon Jennings is really more valuable than Nate Robinson. He doesn’t think so.

The other series that’s still 3-0 is Rockets-Thunder, and to this point it’s been way more competitive than that 3-0 indicates. But, as Keith Calkins writes, the Rockets still find themselves staring a sweep straight in the face.

Today’s blog is fairly playoff-centric, as is to be expected during the first round of the playoffs, but let’s kick things off with some news about a non-playoff team:

  • There’s a couple names popping up in the Sixers’ coaching search. The first is current Hawks coach Larry Drew. John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes: “If the Atlanta Hawks part ways with coach Larry Drew when the Hawks are bumped from the NBA playoffs, Drew would be interested in coaching the 76ers, a source with knowledge of the situation said on Saturday. “Larry loves coaching, and he wants to continue as a head coach,” said the league source. “He’s in a difficult situation, and it’s hard to say what will happen in Atlanta.” The Sixers are looking for a replacement for Doug Collins, who resigned one day after the regular season ended earlier this month. Drew is in the final year of his contract. The Hawks hired Danny Ferry as the general manager last summer, and there has been speculation ever since that Ferry would look to hire his own coach.”
  • Here’s another name in that search, courtesy of Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe: “A coaching search remains in Philadelphia after Doug Collins stepped down, and the 76ers are seeking a dynamic young replacement who could help upgrade a flawed roster. While Brian Shaw’s name has been mentioned, someone to watch is former assistant, and former 76er, Aaron McKie, who is familiar with the roster and is a Philadelphia native.”

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SH Blog: Westbrook timetable a mystery; Metta, J.R. Smith to miss Game 4s; Jennings done as a Buck?

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Image.logomanApart from the 1 vs. 8 and 2 vs. 7 series, the first round of the NBA playoffs has been incredibly competitive, just as much so as anyone could have reasonably hoped.

The Clippers and Grizzlies are showing everyone how good they are – and how unfair it is that one will lose this series. The Warriors and Nuggets are playing must-see basketball. And just today, Chicago and Brooklyn went to three overtimes. 

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SH Blog: Prigioni likely for Game 2; Clippers beat Grizzlies at own game; Cavs casting wide coaching net?

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David LeeWe’re one and a half-days into the playoffs, Miami and Milwaukee just tipped off, and so far there haven’t been any big surprises result-wise. But like last year, when Derrick Rose tore his ACL in the first playoff game, one team has already lost a key contributor, with the Warriors’ David Lee going down to a hip injury.

For more details on Lee’s injury, head over here. Also on Sheridan Hoops, we’ve got a roundup of what we learned on the first day of the playoffs from Chris Sheridan, and a column from Jan Hubbard on the Thunder-Rockets matchup.

Now here’s all the latest NBA news and rumors as we wrap up the first weekend of the playoff season. There’s lots more to go, folks.

 

  • In what was anticipated to be perhaps the tightest of the first-round series, the Clippers knocked off the Grizzlies in Game 1. Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes: “It wasn’t exactly the bruise-fest we expected it would be. The officials didn’t really allow for that, calling 57 fouls and four each on Blake Griffin and Zach Randolph well before the end of the third quarter. It seemed every time Griffin and Randolph were about to go at it, one was called for a foul that led them to the bench. Griffin eventually fouled out with 3:32 left after scoring only 10 points and grabbing five rebounds. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan had an equally subpar game, scoring three points, grabbing eight rebounds and sitting out nearly the entire fourth quarter. Despite those performances, the Clippers not only dominated the game but dominated the boards, outrebounding the Grizzlies 47-23. “It’s going to be physical every single game, that’s the way he likes to play and that’s the way you have to play him,” Griffin said. “As long as at the end of the game we’re winning that rebounding battle and we’re up, I’m cool with it.” “
  • Marc Gasol: "We got beat at our own game."
    @MadelynBurke
    Madelyn Burke

Some more interesting Clippers talk:

CP3 on Bledsoe: "There’s no way he can be here next year because we probably won’t have enough money to pay him."
@ArashMarkazi
Arash Markazi

CP3 on Bledsoe: "He should be a starting point guard in this league next year.”
@ArashMarkazi
Arash Markazi

CP3 won't talk about his future but the way he's talking about Bledsoe's would lead you to believe CP3 is here long-term.
@ArashMarkazi
Arash Markazi

Bledsoe is under contract next season at $2.6 million but Clippers will certainly be in the market to deal him after CP3 re-signs.
@ArashMarkazi
Arash Markazi

  • Another one of the more exciting matchups on the first day of the playoffs (on paper, going in) was the Nets and the Bulls, and in this one, the Nets came out on top. Here’s Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: “(Deron) Williams ripped Chicago’s defense to shreds, finishing with 22 points and seven assists, highlighted by that jam in the third quarter that would have been unthinkable just one month ago while he battled ankle injuries. “It just happened,” Williams said. “I just was trying to show some guys in the NBA I might be able to compete in the dunk contest next year. My legs feel good, my ankles feel good right now. I’m excited to be back in the playoffs.” Brook Lopez, competing in his first playoff gamer, pounded the paint, adding 21 points and five rebounds. The Nets shot 56%. “Brooklyn hit us with a haymaker,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.”
  • Noah's foot is absolutely killing him. He iced it twice in the locker room. He says he will play Monday but it looks hard for him to move.
    @NickFriedell
    Nick Friedell
  • Here’s Marc Berman of the New York Post with some Knicks news: “Knicks coach Mike Woodson said if yesterday had been a Game 7, starting guard Pablo Prigioni likely would have suited up on his balky right ankle in the first-round playoff opener against the Celtics. Woodson said he believes Prigioni will be ready for Game 2 on Tuesday and for the Knicks, that is a good thing. That’s because Woodson started Chris Copeland at the wing, and he appeared hampered by a recent shoulder surgery and seemed a bit overwhelmed in his playoff debut. Copeland, recently a scoring beast, was scoreless in 12:46, going 0 for 3 in the Knicks’ 85-78 win.”
  • Jennings on comments: "What am I supposed to say? Let's try our best and hope to win a game? Everybody's writing us off anyway."
    @EthanJSkolnick
    Ethan J. Skolnick
  • Bob Finnan at the News-Herald in northern Ohio looks at some candidates for the Cavs’ now-open coaching job, which he notes is widely rumored to be led by Mike Brown: “A source close to former Miami and Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said Van Gundy has no interest in coaching any of the three current openings in the NBA: in Philadelphia, Detroit or Cleveland. Ex-Portland and Seattle coach Nate McMillan might have some interest in the Cavs’ job, but if the Sacramento Kings move to Seattle, he’d be earmarked for that position. Former Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles is available. He’s hard-nosed and a defensive coach, but he is known to wear down everyone around him with his relentless style. There are several up-and-coming assistant coaches who could draw interest from Cavs general manager Chris Grant. One of them could be Denver assistant coach Melvin Hunt, who spent several years on Brown’s staff in Cleveland. Hunt also worked under Phil Jackson with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is currently Nuggets coach George Karl’s lead assistant and is well-respected around the league. Hunt has a good background in coaching defense and in developing young talent. He works very closely with the Nuggets’ young stable of big men.”

  • Byron Scott will be candidate in Milwaukee if interim coach Jim Boylan not retained, Bucks sources say.
    @SamAmicoFSO
    Sam Amico