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 from around the league:
The Evening News: Cavs and Brown agree; Raptors likely to keep Colangelo; McMillan front-runner in Detroit
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Bernucca: Time for NBA referees to snap out of it
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Having coached high school basketball for the last two seasons, I have gained a true appreciation for the quality of officiating by NBA referees.
Until this week.
This was a bad week for the league and its referees, as the NBA admitted there were blown calls that changed the outcome of two games.
SH Blog: Suns want Josh Smith, Rubio says Lakers misusing Pau Gasol
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Now that Rudy Gay has finally been traded, who is the next significant player to go before the trade deadline?
How about Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith, who thinks he deserves a max deal because, well, because he’s Josh Smith?
The Phoenix Suns were highly interested in acquiring the services of Gay, but with that option out the door, their desires may be shifting towards Smith, according to Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld:
The Suns are pursuing Josh Smith, according to multiple league sources. Phoenix will try to acquire Smith before the deadline or, if that fails, through a sign-and-trade deal next offseason.
The Suns are very interested in Smith and have had exploratory talks with the Atlanta Hawks about the 27-year-old forward. Phoenix views Smith as a franchise player who can be one of the cornerstones of the team for years to come. The Suns have been searching for a face of the franchise since Steve Nash’s departure last summer, and Smith could be exactly that. If the Hawks decide it’s time to part ways with Smith, the Suns will be one of the teams on the phone.
If the Suns trade for Smith and re-sign him over the summer, they could have as much as $20 million in cap space still left over, assuming all of their current options are declined and next year’s cap sits at $59 million as projected. That means they can add Smith and still have money to sign a second big-name free agent such as Dwight Howard or more realistic options like Monta Ellis, Andre Iguodala or Paul Millsap.
Josh Smith may or may not be a max-contract type of player, but for the Suns, it certainly beats leaving the team as is.
Onto other news from around the league:
SH Blog: D’Antoni introduced as coach, says Howard can be in every play
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We all have a general idea of what Mike D’Antoni wants to do as the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Get them to score a whole lot more, for one.
D’Antoni is a well-documented offensive wizard, so if anyone can figure out how to best utilize the endless amount of talent on the roster, it would be him, no matter what Magic Johnson wants to say about it.
We don’t know, however, of his plans in greater detail – mostly because we haven’t heard him say anything about it yet.
That changed on Thursday when he was officially introduced as the newest head coach of the team.
Tweet of the Night: DeMar DeRozan
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To explain DeMar DeRozan’s anger towards ESPN’s John Hollinger, we’ll have to go back to what happened earlier on Wednesday.
Toronto Sun writer Ryan Wolstat said Raptors head coach Dwane Casey was insulted by ESPN’s prediction of his team going 33-49 for the upcoming season. Here is exactly what Casey had to say on the matter:
“I saw today someone predict we’re going to win 33 games, so, with that lack of respect, that should get us motivated to come in this gym each and every day to bust our tails … I’m just telling you guys that, Hollinger report or whatever it was. That right there tells us how much lack of respect the league has for us and how much we’ve got to continue to work each and every day we walk on the floor.”
Apparently, some were simply more insulted than motivated. It’s one thing to have a desire to prove the critics wrong – that’s always a good thing.
