Dan D’Antoni

Lakers Rumors: Nash, Gasol, D’Antoni

The Lakers won’t be playing postseason basketball for the first time since the 2004/05 campaign, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing happening in Lakerland. Let’s catch up on the latest:

  • The Lakers were impressed with many of the players on this year’s lottery-bound squad, writes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report, who sizes up the chances each Laker has of returning next season. Steve Nash has an 80% chance to come back, while there’s only a 9% chance Pau Gasol stays, Ding surmises.
  • Dan D’Antoni‘s hiring as the new head coach at Marshall isn’t related to Mike D’Antoni‘s potentially shaky situation with the Lakers, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
  • Another tweet from Shelburne reveals that it was Mike D’Antoni who recommended his brother Dan for the role at Marshall, perhaps suggesting that the Laker head coach never actually had any interest in the position, despite rumors claiming otherwise.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Coaching Rumors: Jazz, D’Antoni, Boylen

Executives, coaches and other league insiders struggle to come up with names of intriguing coaching candidates after last year’s record volume of new hires, but Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com was able to pry the identities of a few well-regarded potential hires. Some of them have been in rumors in recent weeks, but University of Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, Bulls assistant Ed Pinckney, and Blazers assistant David Vanterpool are the names we haven’t heard. Potential head coaches with ties to the Spurs were already popular, and they’ve grown even more so this year, Arnovitz hears. Here’s more from the coaching rumor mill:

  • The Jazz plan to interview more than 20 candidates fitting virtually every description, team president Randy Rigby said Wednesday on The Zone Sports Network radio, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Though a few candidates have reportedly emerged, Rigby insists the club hasn’t identified any potential targets. He also said the decision will be a group effort and won’t lie solely with GM Dennis Lindsey.
  • Mike D’Antoni won’t be coaching Marshall University next season, but his brother Dan D’Antoni will be, the school announced. Dan D’Antoni is leaving his job as a Lakers assistant coach to take the new gig.
  • The Pacers weren’t pleased when former assistant coach and current Jazz head coaching candidate Jim Boylen left last year to become a Spurs assistant, tweets Scott Agness of Pacers.com. “He did us dirty,” one Pacers player told Agness.
  • Knicks president Phil Jackson said Wednesday that his coaching search could extend into July, but he adds that it’s not because he’s waiting around to see which, if any, coaches working in the playoffs become available, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
  • Nets GM Billy King said on NBA TV that he, and not coach Jason Kidd, made the decision to reassign assistant coach Lawrence Frank earlier this season, fellow ESPNNewYork.com scribe Mike Mazzeo observes.

Odds & Ends: D’Antoni, Roy, Fisher, Gasol, Bucks

Mike D'Antoni was expected to make his debut as Lakers coach tonight, but his balky knee forced Bernie Bickerstaff to continue as interim coach for one more night. D'Antoni, who'll try to hit the sidelines again Tuesday, has told Bickerstaff he'll remain on the staff this season, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. D'Antoni did make one change to the coaching staff, however, bringing brother Dan D'Antoni aboard as expected, the team announced. Here's more from an eight-game day and night around the NBA.