Jerry Sloan Pulls Out of the Running for Bobcats Coaching Job

Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan told SI.com he pulled out the running for the Charlotte Bobcats head coaching job. He was believed to be one of the finalists to replace Paul Silas after he was let go in late April.

There are other coaching jobs that would be more attractive to Sloan. The Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic are both looking for coaches this off-season. Could he be the lead coaching candidate for either of the teams or does he just not want the headache of trying to coach a team with the least amount of talent in the league? I would assume that it is a little of both.

Charlotte has a few other coaching candidates. If they would have been able to hire Sloan, it would have been a mandate that the front office is doing everything they can to turn the franchise around. Since Sloan is out of the question, which two young coaches does Michael Jordan have his eye on?

Charlotte's open head coaching job will most likely be filled by someone without head coaching experience. The two lead candidates are Brian Shaw, who was an assistant under Phil Jackson with the Los Angeles Lakers and most recently the associate coach of the Indiana Pacers, and Quin Snyder, former University of Missouri Tigers coach and most recently an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Shaw missed out on the vacant Los Angeles Lakers coaching job last offseason when he was leapfrogged by Mike Brown. He licked his wounds and took an assistant job with Indiana last offseason. Indiana was one of the most improved teams in the NBA, further helping Shaw's coaching stock. He is also a candidate for the vacant coaching jobs in Portland and Orlando. He is rumored to prefer either of those jobs over Charlotte. His #1 destination would be Portland, even though he has ties to the Orlando area since he once played for the Magic.

The biggest surprise is the emergence of Quin Snyder as a coaching candidate. He has only been an assistant with the Lakers for one season, but Kobe Bryant has been outspoken about Snyder's coaching ability. Jordan is been rumored to be impressed that he has impressed Bryant so fast. Snyder has experience coaching at the NCAA level (Mizzou), NBA D-League (Austin Toros), and two seasons as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers and Lakers.

Shaw could be viewing the Charlotte job as a dead-end. If he doesn't get either the Portland or Orlando job, he has a lot going for him in Indiana. The Pacers will be good again next season and his name will be at the top of the list for coaching vacancies next offseason.

My educated guess is that Charlotte hires Snyder to be its next coach. He is young and energetic, which will keep the young talent from getting discouraged through the long rebuilding process the team will endure. It is the perfect job for a guy to cut his teeth coaching at the NBA level.

It is unknown if Charlotte plans to hire a new coach before the NBA Draft later this month. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Andre Drummond, and Thomas Robinson are the three favorites to be picked at #2 if the Bobcats keep the pick. Although, Charlotte doesn't see the value of picking either Kidd-Gilchrist, Drummond, or Robinson with the second pick. They could move the pick for a player and a mid-round first round pick and/or a 2012 first round pick.

Whomever is hired as Charlotte's next coach will be given a minimum of three years to improve the team. The organization realizes they have dug a pretty deep hole for themselves. There are no fast and easy fixes for the team, so expect the same from them in 2012-13.

Will Phil Jackson Coach the Orlando Magic Next Season?

The Orlando Sentinel reported last week that Phil Jackson was a serious candidate for either the Orlando Magic's coaching vacancy or to fill a spot in their front office. The talks were rumored to fall apart last week, but former Magic player Sam Vincent sparked them back up.

Vincent played with the Chicago Bulls while Jackson was an assistant and he spent the final portion of his playing career with Orlando. He is trying to broker a deal that would land Jackson and other well-known basketball figures in Orlando.

Jackson has a large compound in Montana and his girlfriend is in the Los Angeles Lakers front office. Would Jackson be able to commit enough time in Orlando? Would Dwight Howard stay if the Magic hired Jackson?

Vincent's proposal to the Magic would land Jackson and himself in the Magic's front office. The head coaching vacancy would be filled by current Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw, who was Jackson's lead assistant during his tenure as coach of the Lakers. Shaw has ties to the Orlando area. He played on the Magic during their successful run with Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee Hardaway leading that squad.

The crazy part of Vincent's proposal would be the inclusion of Scottie Pippen. He would be Shaw's lead assistant. Pippen hasn't had any coaching experience and his only post-playing career NBA job has been as the Bulls team ambassador. He played most of his career under Jackson, so he could be there to help teach how to play the 'triangle offense.'

Jackson will come with a hefty price tag. He made $12 million in his last season as the coach of the Lakers. He wouldn't be in the same position with the Magic, but having him associated with the franchise won't come cheap.

Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins is rumored to be looking for a front office staff that would spend a lot of their time locally. In Vincent's proposal, Jackson would dedicate one week every month in Orlando along with various community appearances sprinkled throughout the year.

Dwight Howard and Jackson have communicated throughout the young center's career. Jackson has told Howard that he would love to coach the him at some point. If the Magic hired Jackson as an employee, even as a figurehead, Howard could change his mind about leaving Orlando.

If Vincent's proposal is turned down, a person could argue that Brian Shaw would accept a coaching job in Orlando. The GM position will be filled before the coaching vacancy is addressed. Shaw would be on any newly-hired GM's list. Shaw was in line to get the head coaching job with the Lakers, but he was leapfrogged by Mike Brown. He went to the Pacers as an assistant and along with coach Frank Vogel, improved the team.

Martins is rumored to be looking at a laundry list of front office candidates. Former New Orleans Hornets general manager Jeff Bower, San Antonio Spurs vice president/assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey, Oklahoma City Thunder vice president/assistant general manager Troy Weaver, Thunder assistant GM Rob Hennigan and Indiana Pacers director of player personnel Kevin Pritchard are on his short-list.

Multiple People Shot After Thunder Win Series

The Seattle Supersonics were moved to Oklahoma City a few years ago. This was the first time that their team reached the Western Conference Finals...but none of that is important anymore. After the Thunder beat the Lakers, shots were fired and some rioting occurred. So far, many are injured from gunshot wounds, but no fatalities have been announced.

Rioting after WINNING a sporting event is the most moronic thing a fanbase/city could do.

I will keep updating this blog post as more information spills in about this horrible tragedy in OKC.

As many as eight people were wounded by gunfire shortly after the Oklahoma City Thunder game Monday night. NewsOK.com reported that the victims are still being located and turning up at hospitals. Two people are in police custody in connection with the shooting, police said. As of 3:200am EST, no one has been announced as a shooter.

As of this moment, police said that multiple people were shot downtown shortly after the Thunder game let out. Before midnight, another round of shorts were fired near Mickey Mantle Drive. The shooting could have started less than five minutes after the game ended.

The injuries that have been announced have yet to claim a life. One person was shot in the back, another in the upper arm and a third in the hand. There are also reports that a pregnant lady was kicked during the melee. Victims are still turning up to hospitals.

Oklahoma City police Capt. Lisa Camacho said that two suspected shooters are in custody at the Bricktown Harkins Theater.

NewsOK.com have interviewed some eye witnesses and they claim that this was not the first time this has happened. After Game 2, a witness said that traffic was backlogged because of fights breaking out.

I will never understand why cities riot after winning a sporting event. Vancouver's riot after last year's Stanley Cup loss was bad, but it would have been worse if they actually won. Let's end the stupidity and celebrate responsibly and watch out for one another.

This is amateur video of the scene after the Thunder game.

Tyler Maxwell, one of NewsOK.coms's eyewitnesses, summed everything up perfectly. He said, "The playoffs are (good) for our city but they're starting to bring violence...I can't imagine what would happen if this was the NBA Finals.” Let's hope that the city has extra police force on duty when the Thunder hosts the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.


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NBA Trade Frenzy : Pack Your Bags

In between Christmas and the trade deadline in February, expect many NBA teams to jockey for position by making a few trades to improve their teams going down the stretch. A lot of contenders have some key players, and more importantly, expiring contracts, to dangle out there for the best deal. Who will make the trades and what players will go? Who will clear more cap-space for the 2010 free agency period? Here are the top eight expiring contracts likely to be traded before the deadline.

8. Ben Gordon - Chicago Bulls ($6,404,750) - Chicago could make a starting line-up filled with guards, and need front-court help. They have just a one-year qualifying offer and it will be hard to trade Gordon since he had what is the equivalent of a "no-trade clause," since he would get Larry Bird rights at the end of this season. It will be hard to trade him, but I have a hard time believing that if Chicago lines up a trade that would put Gordon on a contender, that he would decline the trade.

7. Bobby Jackson - Sacramento Kings ($6,487,888) - The Sacramento Kings are off to one of their worst starts in the team's history and looked like they have already packed it in. Their coach was already fired and appears to be playing for more ping-pong balls in the lottery. The Kings could move Jackson to clear cap space for 2010 and maybe get a draft pick in the process. He has been a deadline gem the last fe seasons and it seems like that could be the case again this season.

6. Andre Miller - Philadelphia 76ers ($10,333,334) - Philadelphia had high hopes coming into the 2008-09 season with a positive showing in the playoffs last year and the signing of Elton Brand. The season didn't start off as they hoped and their coach was fired just a few weeks ago. The 76ers aren't going to be players in the 2010 free agency bonanza, so if they move Miller, it would be a move to build for next year. Philadelphia would be looking for first round picks and maybe a young point guard, something similar to the Devin Harris/Jason Kidd trade last year.

5. Lamar Odom - Los Angeles Lakers ($14,148,596) - The Lakers could be looking to make a move if some other Western Conference teams start improving their rosters. Odom, who hasn't played well in the playoffs, is now the Lakers sixth-man and looks like the most movable piece. Odom seems like he is content with his role with the team, but that could change with a more prominent 4th quarter role for Andrew Bynum. If Portland, New Orleans, or Boston make some moves, look for the Lakers to dump Odom to compete.

4. Eric Snow - Cleveland Cavaliers ($7,312,500) - Eric Snow is basically the Keith Van Horn of this season. He hasn't played in a game this year, but with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, it could be worth dangling out there for teams looking to make a run at free agents this off-season (Carlos Boozer) or the coveted 2010 off-season. Snow's contract isn't Cleveland's only expiring contract worth-noting as you will find out later.

3. Shawn Marion - Miami Heat ($17,610,000) - Miami has had its share of deadline trades and Marion's move has been rumored since the end of last season. The Heat are currently floating around .500 and in the Eastern Conference its good enough to make the playoffs, but probably not get out of the first round. Marion is the biggest impact-players currently on the market and I'm positive that a deal will come across Pat Riley's desk that will be too good to pass up. Shawn Marion will not be in South Beach by mid-February.

2. Wally Szczerbiak - Cleveland Cavaliers ($13,275,000) - It's amazing that Wally Szczerbiak actually signed a contract where he is getting paid this kind of money, but worst contracts have been signed. He is still a great shooter and can put up 20 points on any given night, but Cleveland doesn't need him and can use him to obtain a player to help them win a championship. Rumors of a possible deal with Milwaukee for Michael Redd could be where Szczerbiak lands. His contract is the ace up Cleveland's sleeve, the other elite teams (Boston and L.A. Lakers) can make a trade and improve their club as much as the Cavaliers.

1. Raef Lafrentz - Portland Trailblazers ($12,722,500) - Once the apple of Mark Cuban's eye, Lafrentz is relegated to the bench. His expiring contract could lead to a large power shift in the Western Conference. Portland is a young, explosive team and a trade of Lafrentz could land them some veteran leadership that they desperately need. A veteran point guard would be first on their list, someone to spell Rudy Fernandez and can maximize their offensive ability, since they have some great defenders in the low-post. If Portland can get a veteran or two in a trade, the Blazers instantly jumps up a few spots and could guarantee a spot in the playoffs.

The trade activity this season has only just begun. I think there will be more trades this season than in year's past and will change the playoff landscape. I wonder if Keith Van Horn will make a comeback for some of this action?