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: Pistons hire Phil Jackson as advisor, Lala Vasquez calls out Jordan Crawford

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Phil JacksonIt may be playoff season for 16 teams right now – well, 13 now that three teams have been eliminated – but it’s the offseason for other teams around the league, as they try to figure out the best course of action for next season.

[Related: NBA players react to wild Game 6 between Warriors and Nuggets]

The biggest news come in the way of hiring and firing of management positions, and we start with the biggest surprise – the hiring of Phil Jackson by the Detroit Pistons, from Vince Ellis of USA Today:

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Suns name Lindsey Hunter interim head coach

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PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns have named former NBA player and Suns Player Development Coordinator Lindsey Hunter the club’s interim head coach, the team announced Sunday.

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SH Blog: Rudy Gay trade rumors, and is this the best team Melo’s played on?

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When I first heard the Grizzlies were looking to move Rudy Gay, I was surprised.

This is the best year the Grizzlies have had in recent memory, right? For a while they were sitting atop the vicious Western Conference, right? And even having cooled off a bit after their blistering 14-3 start, they’re still sitting in fourth in that vicious Western Conference, right?

So why would they want to deal one of their best players? Of course, I thought the same sort of thing a few months ago when the Thunder traded James Harden to the Rockets. So I guess I’ll wait and see (a) what the Grizzlies actually do and (b) how it works out for them before I rush to judgment.

There’s a good bit of Gay trade rumors in today’s blog. But first, it’s never too early to think about the NBA draft, and to help you out with that, Joe Kotoch has a piece up looking at the top point guards in the college ranks. Also, we’ve got new Sixth Man rankings up, so check those out as well.

Now it’s time for all the latest NBA news:

  • Marc Stein’s Weekend Dime for ESPN.com tackles the Rudy Gay rumors (as well as tons more so as always, this is a necessary clickthrough): “Something tells me Heisley ultimately would have realized it, too. He’d have eventually deduced, just like Oklahoma City did in October when the Thunder traded away James Harden against their will, that a team in a market as small as Memphis can’t afford the luxury-tax bills and corresponding restrictions that come with three max contracts: Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Not if said team wants to have the flexibility to make changes/upgrades when required. The Grizz might not move Gay before the Feb. 21 trade deadline, but rest assured he’ll be dealt before next season. (Or maybe it’ll ultimately have to be Randolph if it’s not Gay). If new management opts to give this core one last shot at a long playoff run, it’ll be because it couldn’t swing a palatable deal before the deadline, not nostalgia. The bottom line is that the Grizz, like OKC before them, know they have to make the necessary payroll adjustments before the new labor agreement’s more stringent tax penalties are implemented after Year 3 of the deal introduced last December. Which approach would you take? All in for this season … or Thunder-style planning for the long term?”
  • Ric Bucher of CSN Bay Area also takes a look at the Gay situation: “Source with a team interested in Rudy Gay: the Gay-for-Jared Dudley/Michael Beasley deal was leaked in order to generate more offers from around the league. The response when other GMs heard about the offer was, “Hey, we can do better than that.” The Grizzlies, if they are going to move Gay, want a young SF on a smaller contract and a draft pick.”

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Alvin Gentry out as coach of Suns

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SunsAlvin Gentry became the fourth coach to fail to make it to the All-Star break as he mutually agreed Friday to part with the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns did not immediately name a replacement – and really don’t have to. They don’t play again until Wednesday at Sacramento, giving the new coach several days to acclimate himself.

A release from the Suns said an interim will be named in the next 24 to 48 hours.

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