Headlines
Aldridge on Spurs Home Woes: ‘Got to Figure it Out’
Pau Gasol shrugged off the home woes of the San Antonio Spurs at the team’s shootaround Tuesday and called the situation “just a matter of us bringing the juice.”
But no matter how ripe for defeat the backsliding Orlando Magic seemed, the Spurs failed to squeeze out their 10th consecutive victory Tuesday night, and they fell 95-83 to a team that had lost four in a row to losing teams, including three at home. For a Spurs squad that reeled off 40 wins with one loss at home in 2015-16, the current state of affairs is baffling, especially considering that each of San Antonio’s four losses have come inside the confines of the AT&T Center.
“Usually teams are better at home than on the road,” power forward LaMarcus Aldridge said after finishing with 16 points and six rebounds. “This team has played better on the road so far. I don’t know what it is. But we’ve got to figure it out.”
Source: Michael C. Wright of ESPN
Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer has withdrawn from consideration for the Phoenix Suns head coaching job, league sources tell ESPN.
Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer has withdrawn from consideration for the Phoenix Suns head coaching job, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 20, 2018
Sources: Among the coaching candidates the Suns are still considering: Interim coach Jay Triano, David Fizdale, Steve Clifford, Kevin McHale, Frank Vogel.
Sources: Among the coaching candidates the Suns are still considering: Interim coach Jay Triano, David Fizdale, Steve Clifford, Kevin McHale, Frank Vogel. https://t.co/m55OviqGWH
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 20, 2018
Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter
Former Lakers coach and star Byron Scott, for one, said this week that he believes the team has targeted this summer for a quick jump-start rebuild, suggesting that LA will wind up with both Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James this summer.
Around the league, front-office sources agree with at least half that assessment.
“I think they go in hard for Leonard once the season is over and once the dust settles in San Antonio,” one executive told Sporting News. “[Leonard] wants to go to LA. There probably won’t be public demands on that, but he has leverage. He is going to be a free agent [in 2019]. He’s an LA guy and he can just let teams know he won’t re-sign next year with anyone but the Lakers.”
Source: Sean Deveney of Sporting News
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy have set a meeting for next week to discuss Van Gundy’s future with the franchise, league sources told ESPN.
The two had initially planned to sit down late this week, but the meeting was pushed back, leaving the Pistons organization to await word on how, if at all, the franchise’s structure could be altered.
Most of Van Gundy’s front-office staff, including general manager Jeff Bower, are in the final year of their contracts and are operating without clarity on whether they’ll be employed beyond the spring.
The Pistons were 39-43 in an injury-plagued season that ended with Detroit missing the playoffs for the third time in four years under Van Gundy’s watch. Nevertheless, Van Gundy inherited a franchise stranded in the lottery with few assets on the roster. He is 152-176 with Detroit, where he was hired after eight seasons as head coach of Orlando and Miami.
Source: Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN
