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The Clippers are saying there's no guarantee that Vinny Del Negro will return as their coach. Should they bring him back?
- jetman5312: "There are not many long term options available for coaching. I don't like SVG or d'antoni. SVG is a drama queen, and d'antoni doesn't know what defense is. I say hire sloan, and see what opens up for coaching options a few years from now."
- Croatia27: "Vinny Del Negro has been exposed by the Spurs. He had no answer for the Spurs. Average coach at best and average coaches don't win NBA titles."
- mgupo: "Fire him if clipp want any chance of keeping cp3 or criffin. Del Negro is average coach at best, the bull was a very average team under his watch but after he leave, the team become much better."
- Martin10231971 "I don't get it. Del Negro has been relatively successful with the Clippers, an he didn't fair that badly with the Bulls. The Clips won a series that there were not suppose to win against Memphis, and Del Negro coached an excellent game 7. He gets a bad rap for no good reason. If the Clips regress rather than progress, then fire him next year, but they progressed this year."
- plazapt: "I like VDN, but I think he made need to go back into the front office. He just has too much emotion for the bench."
- shared_gum: "If they keep Vinny, that will basically mean that a great player in his prime will not have a shot at winning the title. "
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The Celtics and 76ers will match up in a Game 7 after Philadelphia pulled off an 82-75 win at home. Allen Iverson's presence energized a crowd that Kevin Garnett had earlier criticized as lackadaisical and fair-weather, but that likely won't be a factor when the series returns to Boston. What might be a factor is the possible absence of Avery Bradley, whom the Celtics could lose for the remainder of the playoffs because of a shoulder injury. We'll find out what all of this means Saturday night.
Which team wins?
The Celtics missed several opportunities to put this series away, as their horrible shooting percentage doomed them in Game 6.
Contenders without Bradley?
Avery Bradley has been the Celtics' secret hero on more than one occasion this season. His absence could be huge.
Could Iverson come back?
Allen Iverson's most recent stint playing basketball in Turkey ended when he underwent calf surgery. Could he still play in the NBA?
Shaquille O'Neal is apparently discussing a general manager position with the Orlando Magic. Would Shaq be a good GM?
- GregWms285: "First and foremost, Shaq is respected throughout the league by NBA Players and because of that, he would be able to convince Top Players to come to Orlando. Second, he would most certainly bring in a coach to run a successful system (Triangle with Brian Shaw and maybe the man himself, Phil Jackson) or Jerry Sloan (Former Utah HC), and third, if Dwight still wants to be traded, Shaq would trade him to the Lakers for Bynum and Gasol, straight up and then try to persuade D-Will to come to Orlando to play with those them. "
- MDuke311: "There isn't a quicker way to get Dwight Howard to leave Orlando than by hiring Shaq as your GM."
- NJGiant99: "I wonder if having Shaq around would help with free agent acquisitions simply by the relationships hes had with some players? I'm sure it may also destroy said acquisitions though, too."
- Giants21Joe10: "Is Shaq at all qualified to be a GM? Just because he was a great player it doesn't mean he'll be a good personnel guy (*cough* Michael Jordan *cough*)."
- mguinard10: "That would be a horriable move by the magic. Get a good GM in there trade Dwight get some pieces and build from there."
- apex.late: "This Shaq GM / part-Gm talk is a perfect example of the Magic's horrible management in action, and another prime reason why Howard wants OUT."
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The Pacers have been giving the Heat a lot of trouble in their series, but if last night's 115-83 Heat win is any indication, Miami is fully prepared to bring the hammer down. The teams traded three flagrant fouls, with Dexter Pittman roughing up Lance Stephenson, Tyler Hansbrough going after Dwyane Wade, and Udonis Haslem retaliating against Hansbrough when the latter went in for a layup. Larry Bird thought his upstart Pacers were soft in this game, but was it just a fluke?
A soft team?
"I can't believe my team went soft. S-O-F-T. I'm disappointed. I never thought it would happen. That's all I have to say." -- Larry Bird
Harsher penalties?
Tyler Hansbrough and Udonis Haslem were both called out for their physical play.
Crucial injury?
Both David West and Danny Granger suffered sprains in Game 5. West thought his injury was due to a cheap shot, although replays were somewhat less than conclusive.
Game 6 winner?
After such a decisive loss in Game 5, the Pacers will have to come out with a different approach in Game 6.
On Tuesday, "First Take" debated the proper people to blame for the mess that is the Orlando Magic. Skip Bayless thinks the Magic got rid of their primary problem in coach Stan Van Gundy, while Stephen A. Smith places the blame above Van Gundy's pay grade. What's your take?
Usually, when Kobe Bryant drops 42 points on an opposing team, it results in a solid, decisive win. That's what happened on Monday night, except this time, the Thunder were the ones running away with it. The Lakers looked slow and and out of sorts throughout the series, with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum coming under fire more than once for lackluster play. Kobe still seems to have his killer instinct, but do the Lakers need a major overhaul if he's going to get another ring?
Gasol or Bynum?
The Lakers have big decisions to make regarding the dual futures of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
Is Bynum essential?
Andrew Bynum showed his stuff in several games this season, looking like the best player on the court for extended periods of time.
Kobe's mileage?
Kobe Bryant isn't getting any younger, and some additional minutes at the London Olympics may make him that much more tired next season.
Brown's future?
Mike Brown came under some criticism this season, but still led his team into the second round of the playoffs.
The Jeremy Lin phenomenon captivated Knicks fans this season, but his agent is telling fans that it's no guarantee that Lin will be back in New York. Lin is a restricted free agent this summer, and while New York gave him the shot that made him a household name, he could potentially use his star status to land in a more appealing situation. Knicks coach Mike Woodson said that Lin would "definitely" be back with the Knicks, but is the coach's confidence in Lin's return misplaced?
Lin's future?
Lin could see where his marketability would take him. Teams are always looking for talented point guards to run their offenses.
Where would Lin thrive?
That being said, Lin could have something special with the Knicks -- if he ends up meshing well with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, the Knicks could be championship contenders.
Would Lin have made a difference?
This year, the Knicks were definitely not championship contenders. They managed to win onyl one game against an (apparently) beatable Heat team despite several close misses. Tellingly, Lin was out with an injury the entire time.
On Monday, "First Take" debated LeBron James' legacy and his chances of winning a title this season. LeBron's lack of a ring has been a sore spot in assessing his legacy, one that Skip Bayless has brought up time and time again. With James' performance in Game 4, Stephen A. Smith doesn't think he can blame LeBron if the Heat don't end up winning it all. Does LeBron need to hoist the trophy over his head this season in order to cement his status as an all-time great? What's your take?
The Clippers are out of the running, which is normally a sentence one would say sometime around December. This season, however, they made it all the way to the conference semifinals, taking care of a tough Grizzlies team in seven games before falling to the aging but still effective Spurs juggernaut. Seriously, 18 straight wins since mid-April? That's somewhat notable, don't you think? Anyway, the Clippers clearly must be pleased with how their season turned out overall, but there are questions about their long-term future, as neither Blake Griffin nor Chris Paul has signed a long-term contract extension. Will both reside in Lob City for the long haul?
Paul's and Griffin's futures?
Blake Griffin is eligible to sign an extension this summer, while Chris Paul is under contract for only one more year.
Championship potential?
Paul and Griffin meshed well in their first season, but it'll take more than a barrage of alley-oops to win a championship.
Are the Spurs favorites?
The Spurs have been written off as done before, but they're looking like the mid-2000s team of old in these playoffs.
On Friday, "First Take" discussed the amount of blame LeBron James deserves for the Heat's Game 3 loss against the Pacers. Much of the fault seems to lie at the feet of Dwyane Wade, who scored only five points in the contest, but whenever the Heat lose, it's inevitable that LeBron will draw some fire. Skip Bayless thinks LeBron deserves the majority of the blame, but Stephen A. Smith gives him only about 20 percent. What's your take?
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