Lakers will debate overhaul after playoff exit (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 09:54:57 PDT)
LOS ANGELES (AP) Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol spent the final minutes of the Los Angeles Lakers' final game arguing in Oklahoma City, disagreeing on the best way to run a pick-and-roll play.

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers face uncertain future after early playoff exit
(Tue, 22 May 2012 03:11:03 PDT)
The Lakers will likely need to make some changes after losing to the Thunder in the second round.

With Stan Van Gundy and Otis Smith Gone, Who Should Orlando Cut Ties with Next? - Fan Perspective (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 19:51:00 PDT)
After a tumultuous and lackluster season that cumulated in Orlando being ousted from the playoffs in the first round, it should have come as no surprise that the franchise would part ways with Head Coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith. Both Van Gundy and Smith had a problematic relationship with superstar Dwight Howard this year which reverberated throughout the whole team in a negative way. In the end, both seemed to lose the respect of the team and needed to go, though Van Gundy was hoping to stay on for another year. ...

NBA roundup: Orlando fires coach Van Gundy, GM Smith (The SportsXchange)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 15:30:20 PDT)
The Orlando Magic said so long to coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith on Monday.

Magic fire coach Stan Van Gundy; GM also gone (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 15:05:46 PDT)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) For months the Orlando Magic have been trudging through the aftermath of a preseason trade request by Dwight Howard that sapped the life out of the franchise as internal team issues quickly affected the product on the floor.

The Orlando Magic finally part ways with both Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith (Ball Don't Lie)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 13:30:33 PDT)
In a move anticipated by just about everyone, the Orlando Magic have relieved coach Stan Van Gundy of his duties -- a line used in the team's press release that could have applied even when Van Gundy was coaching the team. In more surprising news, the Magic and GM Otis Smith have "parted ways." Smith may or may not have been fired, and if the former is true, it's a bummer of a fallout considering he appeared to adhere to the company line, which meant doing just about anything to keep All-Star center Dwight Howard happy. There is no question that Howard is to blame for this mess. Smith's personnel misfires — wasting a lottery pick on Fran Vasquez, signing former forward Rashard Lewis to a contract that looked as legendarily bad the day of its inception as it does five years later, attempting to stay afloat by bringing in Howard-approved rotation parts at too high a price — certainly hamstrung the Magic on the court and in the payroll ledger. Howard, though, made sure the team was a living and quacking lame duck once he declined to sign a contract extension (claiming on record that he didn't know one was available, telling lies with a very telling lie) during the 2010-11 season, while complicating things even further with his will-he/won't-he trade demands during this season. Orlando, frankly, made the right choice in dumping one of the league's finest coaches even if only for a last-ditch attempt to keep an immature and mercurial center. Though pandering to Dwight's whims won't guarantee he'll lead a team to a championship, much less stick around once his contract expires after the end of the 2012-13 season, the other way wasn't going to work. At least not with Van Gundy demanding Howard take responsibility for leading his team. And, at best, hiring a coach as demanding as Stan could kick in some guilt mechanism that turns his attitude around. So who do the Magic turn to?

Magic fire coach Van Gundy, GM Smith
(Mon, 21 May 2012 13:21:13 PDT)
The NBA's Orlando Magic fired coach Stan van Gundy and agreed to part ways with general manager Otis Smith on Monday after they were eliminated from the first round of the play-offs by the Indiana Pacers.

Magic fire coach Van Gundy after five NBA seasons
(Mon, 21 May 2012 13:10:36 PDT)
(Reuters) - The Orlando Magic fired head coach Stan Van Gundy following a season where he clashed with All-Star center Dwight Howard, the National Basketball Association (NBA) team said on Monday.

Orlando Magic fire coach Stan Van Gundy (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 12:43:47 PDT)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Orlando Magic fire coach Stan Van Gundy.

Mike D’Antoni breaks silence on New York Knicks exit: ‘An obstacle had to be removed’ (Ball Don't Lie)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 12:40:18 PDT)
Mike D'Antoni has maintained a pretty low profile since resigning from the post of head coach of the New York Knicks two months ago, on the heels of a six-game losing streak, the day before the NBA's trading deadline. While everyone else talked — about where the Knicks would turn next in their ceaseless search for a savior , about how the refusal to look inward for solutions has poisoned the Knicks' organizational culture , about whether D'Antoni really stepped down or a certain isolation-loving forward who never seemed at peace with the coach's spread pick-and-roll, ball-movement-dependent system demanded his ouster, etc. — D'Antoni just exited stage left, watched as the Knicks ripped off an 18-6 run under interim head coach Mike Woodson before being eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Miami Heat, and kept quiet. Until now. D'Antoni recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview with legendary basketball scribe Jack McCallum of Sports Illustrated. McCallum spent a season in the coach's hip pocket while writing a pretty cool book about how D'Antoni was evolving the modern conception of NBA offense with the Phoenix Suns. In the resultant piece, D'Antoni shoots down rumors that he's interested in leading the Orlando Magic ("When I saw those stories, I immediately texted Stan [Van Gundy, the Magic coach] and told him it was bull----"), bristles over McCallum's description of his exit ("Could you use the word 'resign?' It hurts when I even hear the word 'quit'") and recalls his wife Laurel's response when he told her he was resigning ("She told me I should stop at the store on my way home because we were out of milk"). [Adrian Wojnarowski: LeBron James delivers for Heat at the most critical time ] And, of course, he addressed the elephant in the room — what role that iso-loving forward played in the process:

NBA: Oden having surgery in hopes of reviving career (The SportsXchange)
(Fri, 18 May 2012 15:50:12 PDT)
Former No. 1 NBA draft pick Greg Oden reportedly has undergone a controversial procedure to try to kick-start his waning basketball career.

Report: Ewing has 'good chance' to be Bobcats coach (The SportsXchange)
(Fri, 18 May 2012 11:30:11 PDT)
Orlando Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing reportedly has a "good chance" of getting the Charlotte Bobcats head coaching job.

Roy Hibbert wants to play for Team USA, seeks release from Jamaican national team (Ball Don't Lie)
(Thu, 17 May 2012 12:50:39 PDT)
Between injuries to Dwight Howard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Chris Bosh, and the implosion of Lamar Odom, the U.S. national basketball team that will compete in this summer's 2012 London Olympics looks like it could be suffering from a perilous dearth of big men. The current Team USA roster includes one healthy center, Tyson Chandler, and only three other players — power forwards Blake Griffin and Kevin Love, and recent addition/putative draftee Anthony Davis — who stand 6-foot-10. Even the ranks of non-national-program-approved prospective American big men seem to be thinning, given the apparently impending Filipino naturalization of JaVale McGee. [Related: Oft-injured center Greg Oden wants to join the Miami Heat ] Man, it's a shame that Roy Hibbert, who earned his first NBA All-Star selection this year and has become an integral piece for an Indiana Pacers team playing in the Eastern Conference semifinals, isn't eligible for Team USA duty as a result of the appearances he has made for the Jamaican national basketball team in international competition over the past four years, including a run as that squad's captain . Hibbert was born in Queens, N.Y., to a Jamaican father and a Trinidadian mother, and he made his first appearance with the Jamaican national team in 2008. A 25-year-old dude who is 7-foot-2 and averaged 15.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per 36 minutes in the best league in the world would sure seem like someone worth considering for some minutes in the middle against the rest of the world's best. Oh, well. /walks away, kicks a rock, frowns not quite imperceptibly BUT WAIT! In an interview with Robert Bailey at the Jamaica Gleaner , Jamaica Basketball Association President Ajani Williams — a 6-foot-10 former forward who earned training camp invites with the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks before retiring, and whom noted international hoops source ShamSports.com referred to as "a basketball vagabond with an enormous vertical leap" — said that Hibbert has asked to be released from his responsibilities to the Jamaican side "in order to become eligible to play for the United States at this summer's Olympic Games." As you might expect, though, it's not quite as simple as all that:

Harrington undergoes surgery on right knee (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 16 May 2012 14:43:10 PDT)
DENVER (AP) Denver Nuggets forward Al Harrington underwent surgery to fix a torn meniscus in his right knee on Wednesday.

Report: Bobcats to interview Ewing (The SportsXchange)
(Wed, 16 May 2012 13:50:07 PDT)
Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing will interview Thursday for the Charlotte Bobcats' coaching vacancy, according to an ESPN.com report.

Column: Loss of Bosh turns up heat on Miami (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 16 May 2012 10:19:28 PDT)
It came down to a last shot and who was going to take it, an all-too-familiar dilemma for the Miami Heat.

Nash, Rivers, Bucks win PBWA awards (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 14 May 2012 17:12:39 PDT)
NEW YORK (AP) Phoenix All-Star Steve Nash and Boston coach Doc Rivers have won awards from the Professional Basketball Writers Association for excellence in their field combined with cooperation with media and fans.

Colangelo thankful for more time to pick US Olympians
(Mon, 14 May 2012 11:23:53 PDT)
US Olympic men's basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo is thankful for a few extra days to consider a final roster after a flurry of injuries during the NBA playoffs.

Lakers back Brown after Magic's prediction (The Associated Press)
(Sat, 12 May 2012 19:18:53 PDT)
LOS ANGELES (AP) The Lakers issued a statement publicly backing Mike Brown on Saturday after Magic Johnson declared the first-year head coach would be fired if Los Angeles lost Game 7 of its first-round playoff series with Denver.

LeBron James wins 3rd NBA MVP award (The Associated Press)
(Sat, 12 May 2012 14:23:16 PDT)
MIAMI (AP) LeBron James spent two days trying to figure out the right words. An assistant jotted some ideas on notecards, which were ignored. So when the moment came to deliver his MVP acceptance speech, James spoke emotionally about family, charity, history and what the Miami Heat organization means to him.

LeBron James wins 2012 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award (NBA)
(Sat, 12 May 2012 13:41:53 PDT)
LeBron James wins 2012 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award

‘Deep Thoughts’ and Cheap Thoughts: Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers (Ball Don't Lie)
(Sat, 12 May 2012 09:15:10 PDT)
For every postseason matchup, Ball Don't Lie's resident dummy will offer a topically appropriate entry from the best-selling series of "Deep Thoughts" books written by legendary humorist Jack Handey, plus some of his own original thoughts on the playoff series. The combination will cost you literally nothing; we suggest you use the savings to purchase one of Mr. Handey's life-changing books . No. 2 Miami Heat vs. No. 3 Indiana Pacers