NBA notebook: Knicks eyeing Nova's Wright for coach opening

[April 13, 2018]  The New York Knicks will reach out to Villanova coach Jay Wright about their head coaching opening, according to the New York Daily News.

The Knicks, who fired head coach Jeff Hornacek after two seasons on Thursday, are said to believe Wright would be perfect for the rebuilding club.

Wright just finished guiding the Villanova Wildcats to their second national championship in three years in the NCAA Tournament. The 56-year-old is 422-165 in 17 seasons at Villanova. Before that, he went 122-85 in seven seasons at Hofstra, his only other coaching job.

The Knicks are also said to be targeting former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt, former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson and former Memphis Grizzlies coach David Fizdale as candidates, among others.

--Head coach Frank Vogel was fired by the Orlando Magic after going 25-57 in 2017-18 and 54-110 in two seasons with the team.

Orlando finished outside of the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. Injuries played a significant role in the product Orlando put on the floor in 2017-18: A total of 227 games were missed due to injuries or illness.

Rumors persisted in Orlando that the Magic wanted Vogel out and former NBA guard Jerry Stackhouse to take the reins. Stackhouse is considered a top coaching candidate after he guided Toronto's G League team to a championship last year. He is also connected to Jeff Weltman, the Magic's president of basketball operations and a former Toronto Raptors executive.

--The Oklahoma City Thunder addressed play-by-play announcer Brian Davis calling Russell Westbrook "out of his cotton-pickin' mind" during Wednesday's broadcast with a statement calling the remark "offensive and inappropriate."

"We think obviously the use of that term was offensive and inappropriate, and I expressed that to Brian last night," team vice president of broadcasting Dan Mahoney told The Norman Transcript. "Brian assures me that it was not meant in any derogatory way, and he apologizes. But again, we feel strongly that it's inappropriate and offensive."

Davis made the comment after a Westbrook steal during the second quarter of Oklahoma City's win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday. The phrase "cotton-picking," usually used to provide emphasis, carries negative connotations related to black slavery in the United States.

--Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is unlikely to be medically cleared to play in the first game of the team's NBA playoff series with the Miami Heat.

Embiid is recovering from a fractured orbital bone in his left eye and has practiced on a limited basis with a dark protective mask, dubbing himself "The Phantom of the Process." The best-of-seven, opening-round series begins Saturday in Philadelphia.

Embiid is in the concussion protocol, and the team will not offer a timetable for his return until he's fully cleared. The All-Star averaged 22.9 points and 11.0 rebounds in the regular season. The Sixers claimed the No. 3 seed in the postseason by pounding the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

--The Washington Wizards added backcourt depth by signing point guard Ty Lawson, according to Yahoo Sports.

The deal allows Lawson, who recently finished a playoff run in China with the Shandong Golden Stars, to join the Wizards in time to make the playoff roster.

Lawson, 30, has played eight seasons in the NBA with four teams since being drafted 18th overall in 2009. His last stint was with the Sacramento Kings in 2016-17, when he averaged 9.9 points and 4.8 assists in 69 games.

--Atlanta Hawks forward DeAndre Bembry has been diagnosed with a fractured right wrist for the second time this season, the team announced.

A Wednesday MRI revealed the fracture, but the team did not announce when or how Bembry was injured. The 23-year-old played in the team's final three games, including 22 minutes in Tuesday's season finale against the 76ers.

He suffered a fractured right wrist in the season opener on Oct. 18 and missed 14 games before being worked slowly back into the lineup. Bembry, who averaged 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game this season, is expected to be recovered in six to eight weeks.

--Field Level Media

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