Ron Adams

Pacific Notes: Kerr, Milojevic, Bridges, Allen, Dinwiddie

Warriors coach Steve Kerr will miss tonight’s game at Utah so he can attend the funeral of former assistant coach Dejan Milojevic in Serbia, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Kenny Atkinson will run the team in Kerr’s absence. Assistant coaches Chris DeMarco and Ron Adams, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and basketball operations consultant Zaza Pachulia are also representing the team at the funeral.

Players admit there’s a surreal feeling to being back in Salt Lake City, where Milojevic suffered a heart attack at a team dinner following a January 16 game. He died in a hospital the following morning, and the team’s next two games were postponed. The Warriors welcomed members of Milojevic’s family to their practice facility on January 22, and his son, Nikola, spent time shooting and rebounding with Klay Thompson.

“Just to be able to tell him how much I loved his dad, all the great memories we built and made together, I just told him how grateful I am for his family and how proud of them he was,” Thompson said.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Suns were heavily rumored to be pursuing Hornets forward Miles Bridges, but general manager James Jones declined to confirm those trade talks, preferring to concentrate on the deals he actually made (video link from Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). “We explored everything,” Jones said, “but at the end of the day, we’re talking about Royce O’Neale and David Roddy. Two guys I think are going to be exceptionally well for us, but yeah, we talked about a lot of guys.”
  • Jones also responded to a question about a potential extension with Grayson Allen this summer, indicating the Suns will be open to the possibility (video link from Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports). “We don’t want him to go anywhere, which is why he’s here,” Jones said. “There’s plenty of interest in Grayson Allen, but no one values him more than we do.”
  • Lakers players are excited to welcome Spencer Dinwiddie to the team, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The former Nets guard, who signed with L.A. on Saturday, is expected to participate in today’s practice and be in uniform for Tuesday’s game against Detroit. “He’s a big guard, a shot-maker,” Anthony Davis said. “We’ve seen what he did with Brooklyn, what he did with Dallas, making big plays for them. He’s a well-established player, a vet in this league.”

Warriors Notes: Adams, Wiggins, Haliburton, More

Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams transitioned into a new role this year, traveling with the team less and stepping away from coaching on the bench as he assumed more player development responsibilities. As he tells Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, Adams found that transition challenging at times.

“I think when you’re used to being in the fight and you’re not in the fight, that adjustment is a hard one,” Adams said. “But having said that, I enjoyed the year. … Change is difficult, especially when you’ve done the same thing for a number of years, as I have. But it was probably necessary. We have a lot of good young coaches; they need to develop. And hopefully, I can be a part of that process. But yes, not being in the fight was difficult.”

Adams, who signed a one-year contract with the Warriors last summer, expressed interest in returning to the team for the 2020/21 season, despite the fact that he’ll turn 73 years old later this year.

“I would like to come back, yeah,” he told Kawakami. “I have no reason not to. I want to be involved.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

  • During his conversation with Kawakami, Adams offered some interesting insights on a number of Warriors players, including newly-acquired forward Andrew Wiggins, whom Adams referred to as “a really, really outstanding all-around player,” specifically praising his defense. “I was elated to get him into our program,” Adams said of Wiggins. “I think he’s a star player. I think he’s gonna flourish with more shooting on the floor. But I was personally really happy with the all-around nature of his game and what he showed in that regard more so that his scoring, even.”
  • Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle has heard that the Warriors have Tyrese Haliburton ranked as the top point guard on their 2020 draft board, ahead of LaMelo Ball, Killian Hayes, Cole Anthony, and others. Letourneau says he expects Golden State to “seriously consider” Haliburton if the team is drafting between No. 2 and 5.
  • Elsewhere in his mailbag, Letourneau discusses whether the Warriors would consider trading Draymond Green, why the team reopened its practice facility even though its season likely over, and whether Marc Gasol is a realistic target in free agency.

Warriors Notes: Russell, Durant, Lee, Adams

While there has been heavy speculation that D’Angelo Russell will have a short run with the Warriors, GM Bob Myers insists he didn’t agree to a sign-and-trade with the Nets simply to flip him, ESPN’s Nick Friedell writes. Myers admits he’s not sure how Russell fits into the team’s long-term plans, particularly once Klay Thompson returns from knee surgery. But he wants to see how Russell, who entered the summer as a restricted free agent, will mesh with Stephen Curry in the backcourt.

“We didn’t sign him with the intention of just trading him,” Myers said. “We haven’t even seen him play in our uniform yet. And a lot of people have us already trading him. That’s not how we’re viewing it. Let’s just see what we have. Let’s see what he is. Let’s see how he fits.”

Russell signed a four-year, $117MM contract.

We have more on the Warriors:

  • Myers said the organization did its best to convince Kevin Durant to stay put but the All-Star forward was looking for a change, Friedell reports in the same story. “He just felt like it was something inside of him, in his heart, that he wanted to try something different,” Myers said. “Nothing wrong with that. I have a peace about it personally. I hope our fans can, too.”
  • Damion Lee is a candidate for the Warriors’ second two-way contract, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. A decision will be made in the next few days. The shooting guard appeared in 39 games with Golden State last season, averaging 4.9 PPG in 11.7 MPG. Lee was one of the team’s two-way players and received a qualifying offer in June, making him a restricted free agent. Small forward Julian Washburn currently has the other two-year deal.
  • Assistant coach Ron Adams will travel less next season and the staff will have reconfigured roles, Slater reports in another tweet. Adams, who recently turned down an offer to join the Lakers’ staff, will prioritize player development for an increasingly younger team.

Ron Adams To Remain With Warriors Despite Lakers’ Interest

Highly regarded Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams will remain in Golden State, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, who reports that Adams has turned down an opportunity to join Frank Vogel‘s Lakers staff.

Adams, who has been an NBA assistant coach since being hired by San Antonio way back in 1992, is considered one of the league’s top defensive minds. He has been a key member of Steve Kerr‘s staff since 2014, having won three titles with the Warriors. He’ll remain with the franchise in a “revised” role, according to Youngmisuk.

Youngmisuk and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski had reported in June that the Lakers – who previously hired Jason Kidd and Lionel Hollins as assistants – received permission to speak to Adams.

At that time, the ESPN duo suggested that Adams’ interest level in joining the Lakers was unclear, but speculated that L.A. could make a compelling case by extending a “significant financial offer.” Details of the Lakers’ offer aren’t known.

Lakers Notes: Irving, Russell, Horton-Tucker, Adams

Kyrie Irving or D’Angelo Russell? The Lakers may wind up chasing whichever free agent point guard doesn’t sign with the Nets, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Rumors have had Irving headed to Brooklyn for a few weeks, but there were rumblings recently that the Nets’ front office isn’t sold on Irving without Kevin Durant.

If Brooklyn adds Irving, that means Russell, a restricted free agent, will likely be renounced. If Irving goes elsewhere, the Nets are expected to work out a new deal with Russell. Either way, that puts a talented guard on the market for the Lakers, who are looking for someone to pair in a Big Three with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Russell had a checkered history during the two years he spent in L.A., but Nick Young is gone, along with the other former teammates he feuded with.

Irving has championship experience and has played with LeBron before. However, at 27, he’s four year’s older than Russell and probably much more expensive. He won’t take less than a max deal, while Pincus suggests the Lakers may be able to land Russell for about $80MM over four seasons.

There’s also a sense that Irving is more difficult to handle, with a rival executive telling Pincus, “They’re both divas, but Irving takes it to another level. Russell may be high-maintenance, but he’s no Kyrie.”

There’s more from L.A.:
  • The Lakers are trying to convince the Hawks to become part of the Davis trade, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said on Sports Center (video clip tweeted by Lakers Outsider). Lakers GM Rob Pelinka wants to open more cap room by sending Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones to Atlanta in a three-team deal. The Hawks agreed to a trade with New Orleans for the No. 4 pick on draft night, so it’s possible those moves will turn into a single transaction.
  • L.A. sent $2.2MM to the Magic for the rights to the rights to the 46th pick, McMenamin tweets. They used that selection to take Iowa State’s Talen Horton-Tucker.
  • The Lakers received permission from the Warriors today to talk to assistant coach Ron Adams, according to Ohm Youngmisuk and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. There’s no indication that Adams is interested in leaving Golden State, but L.A. could change his mind by making a large offer.

Pacific Notes: Walton, Rondo, Cousins, Clippers

Luke Walton has managed to stay focused on his duties as lead assistant with the Warriors, even as his head coaching job with the Lakers awaits, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Walton had his first interview on April 18th — more than two months ago — when he had a phone conversation with Knicks president Phil Jackson. “Luke is a real loyal guy,” said fellow Golden State assistant Ron Adams. “And he’s real loyal to the Golden State Warriors — has been since he was named coach of the Lakers. It might be hard for people to understand that. I would say he’s atypical in that regard. A lot of people, if a team would’ve allowed what the Lakers allowed, I think [the person] would’ve been more fixated on that team than this team. That’s not Luke. That’s not what Luke has been.” Walton will coach his final game with the Warriors tonight, then will likely be introduced as the Lakers’ new coach later this week.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Kings point guard Rajon Rondo pronounced himself fully healthy as he prepares for his second straight year of free agency, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Rondo signed a one-year deal with Sacramento last summer, which gave him a first-hand view of the turmoil in the organization, especially between DeMarcus Cousins and former coach George Karl“Obviously it didn’t go the way we wanted it as an exit [missing the playoffs], but I was able to bounce back, I believe,” Rondo said. “I am very healthy. I’ve been working extremely hard on my body and my game. I’m 30 years old and I feel great.” Rondo’s numbers had declined since tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament in 2013, but he bounced back to average 11.9 points and 11.7 assists per game this season.
  • Cousins’ younger brother, Jaleel, worked out for the Kings on Saturday, according to James Jones of The Sacramento Bee. The 6-11, 250-pound center was a senior this season at South Florida.
  • Dee Brown and Pat Sullivan have emerged as assistant coaching candidates with the Clippers, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Kevin Eastman, a longtime assistant to Doc Rivers, announced his retirement earlier this week.
  • The Clippers will hold two workouts Monday, tweets Rowan Kavner of Clippers.com. The morning session will feature Alabama’s Retin Obasohan, Miami’s Sheldon McClellan, Kentucky’s Alex Poythress, Maryland’s Jake Layman, Villanova’s Daniel Ochefu and UNLV’s Stephen Zimmerman. Working out in the afternoon will be Tulsa’s James Woodard, West Virginia’s Jaysean Page, UNLV’s Patrick McCaw, Louisiana’s Alex Hamilton, SMU’s Markus Kennedy and Iowa’s Jared Uthoff.

Western Notes: ‘Melo, Mavs, Bledsoe, Kaman

The offer the Mavs are making to Carmelo Anthony involves a starting salary of slightly more than $18MM, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). That would mean a max of $77MM over four years, though McMahon pegs the likely value of the offer at $75MM. In any case, that’s significantly less than the nearly $96MM over four years the Lakers are reportedly offering in a max deal, and about $50MM less than the five-year max that the Knicks have apparently put on the table. There’s more from MacMahon on the Mavs amid the latest from the Western Conference:

  • The Mavs have confidence they’ll strike a deal to re-sign Devin Harris, presuming they don’t land Anthony or LeBron James, even if some of the inflated agreements around the league this week have pushed his market value higher, MacMahon writes. The team sees Isaiah Thomas as its primary fallback option should Harris sign elsewhere, and Dallas has also been in contact with the agent for Wasserman client D.J. Augustin, MacMahon adds.
  • There are some who believe that agent Rich Paul’s talks with teams about LeBron are instead intended to pitch clubs on Suns restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe, whom Paul also represents, tweets USA Today’s Sam Amick.
  • The Blazers came to terms with Chris Kaman believing they wouldn’t be able to sign Spencer Hawes or Channing Frye, according to TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link).
  • The Warriors have officially hired Alvin Gentry, Ron Adams and Luke Walton as assistant coaches, the team announced. Gentry, who spent last season as a Clippers assistant, was a candidate for multiple head coaching vacancies this summer. Adams was an assistant with the Celtics last season while Walton was an assistant for the Lakers D-League affiliate.
  • Marcus Camby, 40, still harbors aspirations of returning to the NBA after missing last year as he recovered from left foot surgery, an injury that prompted the Rockets to waive him just before the start of the regular season.

Atlantic Notes: Carmelo, Nets, Sixers, Love

Despite recent reports that he will not return to New York, Carmelo Anthony had some encouraging things to say about the Knicks on Wednesday, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Asked about his meeting with team president Phil Jackson, Anthony said, “It was a great meeting with Phil. It went well.” Anthony was also questioned about the addition of new head coach Derek Fisher, who was also part of the sit down. “I like what Phil is doing,” Anthony said.

Here are some other tidbits from the Atlantic division:

  • The Nets are trying to buy their way into the latter portion of the first round next Thursday, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Bondy indicates that Brooklyn has $2MM to offer for a selection — presumably to a contending team with cap and/or roster issues — but cautions that it might not be enough. Brooklyn currently does not have a pick in either round of the draft.
  • Tom Moore of Calkins Media examines whether or not Sixers GM Sam Hinkie‘s paranoia will pay off in next week’s draft after Philadelphia media, hoping for a chance to interview Andrew Wiggins, were forced by police to leave the team’s practice facility on Monday afternoon.
  • Indiana product Noah Vonleh could be a nice backup plan for the Sixers should Wiggins and Joel Embiid go off the board before they pick, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • A league source tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe the Celtics are “not even in the top three” of the Kevin Love sweepstakes. According to Holmes’ source, the Timberwolves want to win now, which makes Boston’s best trade asset — a bevy of draft picks — much less appealing. However, Holmes opines that the C’s are determined to create an enticing offer for Minnesota and may look to get creative.
  • All signs point towards the Celtics retaining veteran assistant coach Ron Adams according to Holmes (via Twitter), who reported last week that Adams would interview with the Warriors about a position on Steve Kerr‘s staff.

Western Notes: Clippers, Jones, Adams

The Clippers won’t allow the ownership and legal situation involving Donald Sterling impact their offseason moves, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Reynolds points out the situation is different from the one in New Orleans a few years ago when the league ran the team. Of the situation, commissioner Adam Silver said, “It’s not a level of concern for us. Doc Rivers is the head of basketball operations of the Clippers. We’ve installed Dick Parsons as the interim CEO. He’s on the same page as Doc. They’re working together. Dick Parsons has the absolute authority from the league office to operate the Clippers in the best interest of the organization.

More from out west:

  • Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman grades Perry Jones III’s second season with the Thunder. In 62 games, Jones averaged 3.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 0.4 APG in 12.3 minutes a night.
  • The Grizzlies have invited Ojars Silins to work out for them on June 22nd, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The Latvian forward is still undecided if he will keep his name in the draft, or withdraw prior to the June 16th deadline, reports Carchia.
  • Celtics lead assistant coach Ron Adams will interview with the Warriors next week about a position on Steve Kerr‘s staff, reports Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, J.R. Smith, Rondo

The Raptors are 9-3 following the Rudy Gay trade, with impressive wins over the Thunder and the Pacers, who are tied for the best record in the NBA. It’s easy to portray last month’s trade of Gay to the Kings as addition by subtraction for Toronto, but that’s not how DeMar DeRozan sees it, as Eric Koreen of the National Post notes.

“You really can’t say that,” DeRozan said. “People will speculate and say this, that and the third about the trade. One thing: We still had a lot of talent before the trade. Things just weren’t clicking. We didn’t play a full season and figure it all out, either. This is our team now, and we’re steadily learning and growing every day.”

Koreen is skeptical that the departure of the statistically inefficient small forward hasn’t helped the team during its recent stretch, pointing to the improved play of DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas since the trade. Regardless, the Raptors have reached the .500 mark, putting them in command of a weak Atlantic Division. Here’s more from the Atlantic:

  • J.R. Smith says he’s gotten over his frustration with the Knicks for waiving his brother, and that he’s “ready to go to war” with Jeremy Tyler, who replaced Chris Smith on the roster, observes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
  • It was Rajon Rondo who first proposed the idea of sending him down to the D-League, Celtics GM Danny Ainge said today on 98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com passes along. It’s unclear whether the point guard will play for Boston’s D-League affiliate this season, but Ainge said he supports the notion of teams sending star players on rehab assignments.
  • Celtics assistant coach Ron Adams shared his bitterness about Bulls GM Gar Forman‘s decision to let him go this past offseason with K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune“It’s still a bit mystifying to me,” Adams said. “And I don’t understand it. And if the intent was to be hurtful to me and my family, it succeeded.” The Celtics were one of a half-dozen teams with interest in Adams when Forman elected not to renew his contract, the sort of decision that usually rests with a team’s head coach.