There were a number of important accomplishments that garnered NBA headlines this week. Gregg Popovich secured his 1000th career win as the San Antonio Spurs topped the Indiana Pacers 95-93 on Monday, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 66 points in a 124-114 win over the Denver Nuggets that pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to within 1.5 games of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference and the Miami Heat needed the biggest comeback of the year to clinch a 109-95 win over the lowly New York Knicks on Monday.
While all of those storylines were developing, there was bigger news that got the Twitter feeds burning, starting with the potential return of Ray Allen. Let’s take a look at the hottest headlines of the week:
Allen Close To A Decision On His NBA Future
After considering all of his options over the past few months, it appears Ray Allen is finally ready to make a decision on his future. According to a source, he will announce his plans following the All-Star break. The 39-year-old hasn’t decided whether he will return for a 19th season but he is still in excellent shape and would be a valuable veteran addition for a playoff team looking to add to its depth. The Washington Wizards are reportedly among the frontrunners to land Allen, although the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, and San Antonio Spurs are all still very much in the mix.
Allen’s role within whatever team he potentially signs with is expected to be the biggest factor in his decision as he wants to play. He’s not interested to sit on the end of the bench while everyone else participates in a playoff run. It will be interesting to see which team is able to land his services for a playoff run.
Raptors Keen On Making A Move
One team that is trying to make a major splash before the NBA trade deadline is the Toronto Raptors. General Manager Masai Ujri is always working the phones and he could be close to bringing in some familiar faces. The Raptors are reportedly closing in on a deal with Ujiri’s former team, the Denver Nuggets, for a trade that could potentially see them land Arron Afflalo, Kenneth Faried or both. The price tag for Faried is considerably higher than Afflalo because he’s a formidable big man and is signed through 2018-19.
Afflalo has a player option at the end of the season that he’s expected to opt out of, so he’s essentially a rental. The Raptors have also been involved in rumors surrounding Indiana Pacers forward David West and the possibility that Ujiri could pull the trigger on one or two deals before the deadline has to have the Toronto fans excited about the team’s playoff prospects.
Skiles Could Be The Magic Man
After finally deciding to pull the plug on Jacque Vaughan’s coaching tenure in Orlando, the search is now on for general manager Rob Hennigan as he looks for the team’s next head coach. Assistant James Borrego will handle the duties in the interim but several league executives have speculated that former Magic player and veteran coach Scott Skiles is the frontrunner for the job. Skiles played five of his 10 NBA seasons with Orlando and compiled a 443-433 career record as a head coach with the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Kings Closing In On Karl
The Sacramento Kings and George Karl are reportedly close to reaching an agreement on a four-year deal that will pay him between $4 million and $5 million per year. Kings general manager Pete D’Allesandro has full control of the coaching decision and reportedly had Karl pegged as his man from the outset after the two had previously worked together in Denver. Karl hasn’t coached since he was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2012-13 when he led the Nuggets to a 57-25 record.
There have been rumors that DeMarcus Cousins and his camp have put the brakes on this deal, believing that Cousins might not be a great fit in Karl’s type of offense. That could be conjecture. At any rate, the Kings have had so many scrubs as coaches that having a legitimate, respected leader like Karl would be a great hire.
