Nets Notes: Sampson, Van Gundy, Jackson
The Nets handed the Bobcats their 17th straight loss last night under newly-minted interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo. Here's a look at the latest out of Brooklyn as we wonder how long the former Seton Hall head man will get to keep that mantle..
- Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson is not among the candidates to coach the Nets this season, reports Sam Amick of SI.com, despite earlier indication that he was receiving strong consideration. Amick also notes that Jeff Van Gundy, who doesn't want to lobby for the job while Carlesimo is in place, would prefer to stay out of coaching while his daughter finishes her senior year of high school.
Earlier updates:
- If Phil Jackson doesn't agree to coach the Nets this season, as he is reportedly relucntant to do, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that the Nets may decide to finish the season with Carlesimo on the bench and renew their coaching search in the offseason, when Jackson would be more willing to come aboard. The list of coaching hopefuls could be longer by then, but at the moment, GM Billy King is expected to propose Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Nate McMillan and Mike Dunleavy as candidates to owner Mikhail Prokhorov.
- Gerald Wallace, who was said to be one of Avery Johnson's biggest supporters, isn't thrilled with how his tenure came to an end, according to the Associated Press. "To me, it's kind of frustrating and sad because that's the first time in my career that a coach's been let go in the middle of the season like that," Wallace said. "But I understand the business part of it. We move on and obviously regardless of who's sitting at the head of the chair, we know what we got to do as players."
- Avery Johnson was said to be surprised by the Nets' move to fire him, but he shouldn't be, writes HoopsHype's Peter May. Johnson should have seen the writing on the wall when Prokhorov denied his request for a contract extension, May opines.
- Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) spoke with guard MarShon Brooks, who is excited about a new opportunity to play after being buried on the bench by Johnson. Brooks and Kris Humphries both seemed to be strong trade candidates as their roles were significantly reduced this season.
Odds & Ends: Raptors, Jamison, Wolves, Bennett
It's a busy 48 hours on the court, with a dozen games last night and another 11 games on tap this evening. There's plenty of news off the court as well, and we'll round it up here.
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears that Andrea Bargnani is "a lock to be moved," and wonders whether the Raptors might try to package him with Kyle Lowry instead of Jose Calderon. The other Raptors appear to prefer playing alongside Calderon, Stein observes, and the team's defense has improved since Bargnani went down with torn ligaments in his right elbow.
- Antawn Jamison expressed confusion about his diminished role with the Lakers 10 days ago, and now he doesn't appear pleased as he continues to stay chained to the bench, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reports. "It doesn't make sense at all," the power forward said. "They're pretty much telling me my services are no longer needed."
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN believes the Wolves may wait to sign a replacement for Josh Howard until January 5th, when teams can begin handing out 10-day contracts. He also thinks Minnesota is high on Mickael Gelabale, whose agent has reportedly been in touch with all 30 teams (Twitter link).
- The Wolves made a half-hearted effort to sign O.J. Mayo over the offseason, making just one phone call, according to Wolfson (Twitter link).
- UNLV power forward Anthony Bennett is gaining momentum with scouts as he contends for No. 1 overall spot in June's draft, tweets Aran Smith of NBADraft.net.
Pistons, Celtics Interested In DeMarcus Cousins
The Celtics and Pistons have both made it known that they are highly interested in Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins if he becomes available, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein expects to see many more to inquire between now and the February trade deadline.
Cousins has had a tumultuous year in Sacramento to say the least. The center was suspended from the team after a run-in with head coach Keith Smart but was quickly reinstated. Cousins also dropped agent John Greig in favor of Dan Fegan. Fegan doesn't have the greatest history with the Kings' front office, leading some to speculate that the move is a precursor to a trade request.
This isn't the first time we've heard that Boston and Detroit are possible fits for Cousins, but it is the first word of them directly expressing interest. For their part, the Kings say they're not pushing Cousins out of the door, but they are reportedly listening to offers.
Hoops Links: Nets, Love, Jazz, Spurs, Hamilton
Earlier this week, the Nets decided that the NBA's Coach of the Month in November was no longer deserving of his job in December. Yes, the Nets skidded to a 14-14 record behind repetitive play calling and questionable lineups in recent weeks, but a few missteps from Avery Johnson shouldn't have cost him his job just past the quarter-mark of the season. The dismissal of Johnson is also a dismissal of the club's 11-4 record in the opening month and quality wins over the Celtics (twice), Knicks, and Clippers.
The Nets' offseason acquisition of Joe Johnson not only raised expectations for the club, it completely changed the dynamic of the team's offense. Johnson is best served by a good dose of isolation sets, allowing him to get a clean look at the basket. Deron Williams voiced his displeasure over the playcalling, but even he publicly admitted (albeit, after the firing) that Johnson's game demanded extra space on the floor.
Johnson is just one player, but it was obvious from the get-go that his addition would drastically alter the look of the offense. We all knew that adding him to the mix meant less pick-and-roll plays, less touches for former staples of the offense (like Kris Humphries), and much more shooting from the outside. The Nets didn't tune the offense to Johnson at the start of the year, and his play suffered. When the rest of the team's play started to dip, the Nets swung the pendulum back towards their sweet-shooting two-guard. One has to think that given some more time, Johnson and his staff would have found the happy medium and found the right mix to get all of the main offensive contributors in sync.
Now the Nets reportedly see Phil Jackson as the answer and, as I outlined on Thursday, this isn't their first flirtation with the Zen Master. Plenty of things have changed for the Nets in the last 13 years – they now have a new home, new color scheme, and, hey, they actually draw a decent crowd. But they shouldn't be surprised when they get the same answer as they did in 1999: No.
If you've had your fill of Nets talk for the week, you're in luck – this week's edition of Hoops Links covers issues from every corner of the Association. If you have a great blog piece that you think we should feature next week, then send it to me at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here's this week's look around the blogosphere..
- The Brooklyn Game reflects on Johnson's tenure with the Nets.
- The True Fan's Sports Blog looks at four trade candidates, including Kevin Love.
- The Basketball Post says its decision time in Utah.
- Pounding The Rock breaks down the Spurs' D.
- Bright Side Of The Sun wonders if Phoenix is a good fit for Richard Hamilton.
- 3 Shades Of Blue talks Grizzlies and references my favorite comedy of all-time.
- Long Distance Jayhawk comes to the aid of Jim Boeheim.
- NBA 24 7 365 appreciates a good windmill.
- Red 94 has a holiday wish list for the Rockets.
- Celtics Life looks at the dynamic between Rajon Rondo and Jason Terry.
- The NBA Geek has a bone to pick with DeMarcus Cousins.
- SLC Dunk has perfect Christmas gift ideas for the Jazz player in your life.
- Hoops Addict discusses the Rockets' strong play as of late.
- Hardwood Paroxysm doesn't think Avery was the problem in Brooklyn.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached here.
Latest On Phil Jackson, Nets
Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game reported earlier tonight that if Phil Jackson coaches the Nets, it probably won't be this season, yet he remains the team's top candidate, and some of Jackson's friends indicated to Howard Beck of the New York Times that Jackson may indeed have interest in Brooklyn. At least two other teams have approached Jackson about roles that wouldn't include coaching, and "it is believed" he's considering those options, Beck writes.
Jackson's agent Todd Musburger said Thursday that his client has no interest in the Nets opening, but Musburger's statement, which came in the form of a text to TNT's David Aldridge, included the caveat that there was no interest "at this time," and that's been widely interpreted as a hedge, according to Beck. Jackson's friends said money isn't a priority for Jackson, who doesn't expect to equal the $12MM he received in his final season with the Lakers. He instead will seek a role in player personnel decisions and may seek a promise of a front-office job once he retires from coaching. One friend said Jackson wants to make sure any team he coaches has a "path to the championship."
The Nets won't look at any other candidates until they've determined whether Jackson wants the job, Beck notes. Owner Mikhail Prokhorov gave his support to interim coach P.J. Carlesimo this evening, and while Carlesimo characterized himself as "assistant that's minding the store," he didn't rule out the idea of permanently taking over if the owner is willing to discuss the idea.
"Am I anxious to hear what he's got to say? Of course . . . I certainly don't want to lobby for it or anything like that. I'm sorry that I'm in this position right now. I'm very happy to be coaching in the NBA, but I'm sorry that I'm the one sitting up here right now," Carlesimo said, as Newsday's Roderick Boone documents.
Western Notes: Barnes, Douglas-Roberts, White
The Clippers erased a 19-point deficit to the Jazz to win their 16th straight game tonight, but the NBA's best team still only has a one-game lead for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder are tied in the loss column with the Clippers, and the Spurs are just a game and a half back of L.A. As usual, the West is stacked at the top. Here's more on the Clips and the teams trying to chase them down.
- Clippers forward Matt Barnes believes he was "stuck in a bad situation" under former Lakers coach Mike Brown, as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times writes. "Last year, playing with the Lakers, I was told when I could shoot. If I made mistakes, I'd come out of the game," Barnes said. "This year Vinny (Del Negro) has installed a lot of trust in me. He lets me go out there and play my game. If I mess up, he still sticks with me and that goes a long way with any player."
- New Mavericks swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts, writing on his Tumblr account, chronicles his experiences in training camp with the Lakers this fall. He also reveals his decision to turn down a seven-figure contract from a team overseas to play in the D-League, which he felt offered the fastest route back to the NBA (hat tip to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com).
- Royce White's grandfather told Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that White expects to work out with the Rockets next week (Twitter link). It's unclear whether that means he'll be formally returning to the team.
- JaVale McGee is playing less than 20 minutes per game after re-signing with the Nuggets for four years and $44MM this summer, but coach George Karl said the team doesn't regret committing so much money to him, HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram tweets.
- Michael Scotto of RealGM.com chronicles the journey of Mavs rookie and former Air Force Staff Sergeant Bernard James, including his early experiences in the NBA.
Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, Johnson, Brooks
While much of the attention across the NBA has been focused on the struggles of the Nets, they're not the only Atlantic Division team performing below expectations this year. The prevailing wisdom entering the season was that the Atlantic would be the league's toughest division, but entering tonight, only the Knicks had a winning record. Here's more from what might be called the NBA's most disappointing division so far.
- The Knicks, who are at the 15-man roster limit, aren't in the market for another point guard in the wake of Raymond Felton's injury, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- On Thursday, Avery Johnson thought he and Nets GM Billy King were going to talk about the team's plans for January 15th, when Kris Humphries becomes eligible to be dealt. Instead, King told Johnson he was fired, as Stefan Bondy recounts via Twitter.
- It's unclear how long P.J. Carlesimo will remain interim coach of the Nets, but his presence likely means more minutes for MarShon Brooks, TNT's David Aldridge tweets. Brooks' name has come up as a trade candidate, and he was reportedly among the most disgruntled players in the team's locker room under Johnson.
- Doc Rivers' ability to withstand a pair of sub-.500 seasons before the Celtics went after talent and won the title in 2008 skewed expectations for coaches in similar positions, like Mike D'Antoni with the Knicks and Avery Johnson with the Nets, opines Michael Lee of The Washington Post.
- Speaking on CSNNE.com's SportsNet Central, Chris Mannix of SI.com advocates a Pau Gasol deal for the Celtics. Boston has had interest in the Lakers big man in the past, but appears to have cooled on him since.
D-League Moves: Pacers, Warriors, Cavaliers
Here are Friday's D-League assignments and recalls:
- Miles Plumlee is headed to the D-League, while fellow rookie Orlando Johnson has been recalled to the Pacers, the team announced. It's the third assignment to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for Plumlee this year, who's averaged 14.4 points and 10.4 rebounds in five D-League contests so far. Johnson led the Mad Ants to victory tonight with a game-high 24 points.
- The Warriors have recalled Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler to the D-League after being assigned to the Santa Cruz Warriors yesterday, the team announced today in a press release. The duo combined for 49 points in Santa Cruz's 113-101 win last night.
- The Cavaliers have assigned Samardo Samuels to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Samuels will join the Canton Charge in time for tonight's game against the Tulsa 66ers. Samuels, 23, has seen his playing time in Cleveland reduced this season, as he's averaging career-lows in MPG (10.9), PPG (3.2), and PER (6.4), among other categories.
Nets Coaching Search Rumors: Friday
While it's been less than 24 hours since the Nets dismissed Avery Johnson, plenty of rumors are already swirling about how the team will replace its head coach. For now, P.J. Carlesimo has the interim job, but the Nets are reportedly expected to launch a "broad" search that will begin in earnest in the new year. Yesterday, multiple reports suggested that Phil Jackson was the Nets' number one choice, though TNT's David Aldridge said the club didn't necessarily have a top target. In any case, it seems Jackson is very much on Brooklyn's radar. Here are Friday's updates on the NBA's second head coaching search of the season, with any new items added to the top throughout the day:
- We've heard already tonight that Jeff Van Gundy is unwilling to coach the Nets this season, and now Ric Bucher of 95.7 Game, appearing on the NBC Sports Network, said Phil Jackson won't coach the team this year either, no matter how much money owner Mikhail Prokhorov is prepared to offer. Jackson instead prefers to wait until the end of the season, like Van Gundy. Bucher identified Van Gundy and Mike Dunleavy as the Brooklyn's next favorite choices, but notes that Brooklyn would much prefer Jackson.
- Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, speaking at a press conference, said, "Now P.J. (Carlesimo) is the head coach and if it becomes necessary, you know who the usual suspects are," as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com tweets. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News rounds up Prokhorov's open remarks via Sulia.
- Prokhorov said he backs Carlesimo. and refused to talk about Phil Jackson, Bondy tweets. The owner wouldn't answer questions about other candidates, either, reports Howard Beck of the New York Times (Twitter link). Prokhorov said he liked Johnson, but that the results weren't acceptable, according to Newsday's Rod Boone (Twitter link).
- Prokhorov said he made the decision to fire Johnson last week, Andy Vasquez of the Bergen Record notes via Twitter.
- Deron Williams yesterday expressed surprise at Johnson's firing, and had more on his support for his deposed boss today, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post documents. "Nobody asked me what they should have done with Avery, because if they’d asked me I would have said he needs to be our coach," Williams said.
- Jeff Van Gundy has interest in coaching the Nets, but he doesn't want to interview as long as interim coach P.J. Carlesimo is on board, as we passed along earlier.
- While the Nets are expected to take their time with their coaching search, "the Jackson aspect of the equation has the potential to move quickly in one direction or another," says Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
- Nets officials will begin meeting with owner Mikhail Prokhorov over the next couple days to identify candidates and set parameters for the search, according to Berger. No candidates will be contacted until Prokhorov is "formally looped in" to the process.
- Industry sources believe that Jeff Van Gundy is getting closer to considering a return to coaching, and the Nets are more interested in the former Knicks coach than his brother Stan Van Gundy, according to Berger.
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported today that Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson is a "significant" candidate for the Nets' opening. However, the Nets have yet to contact the Rockets to ask permission to speak to Sampson, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Still, if there's mutual interest between Brooklyn and Sampson, the Rockets won't stand in his way, according to Berger (Twitter link).
- Appearing on Sirius XM Radio today, Mike Dunleavy, who is from Brooklyn, said that coaching the Nets would be a "dream come true" (Twitter link).
- In addition to Jackson, the Nets' list of potential targets includes Mike Dunleavy, Jeff Van Gundy, Nate McMillan, and Jerry Sloan, according to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. Sloan, who Broussard calls a long shot, declined to comment on the Nets or Deron Williams, but said he'd be opening to coaching in the NBA again (Twitterlinks).
- A source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that the Nets' job would definitely interest Jackson and that it's something he figures to explore. Jackson's rep, Todd Musburger, said yesterday that his client didn't have interest in the position "at this time," but Berger says that statement should be taken quite literally — just because he wasn't interested immediately doesn't mean that Jackson wouldn't be intrigued after doing his due diligence on the franchise.
- Jackson would prefer to run a franchise from a front-office position and mentor a younger head coach, rather than coach himself, according to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link), though he doesn't rule out the Zen Master for the position. Bucher also adds Mike Dunleavy's name to the mix as a potential candidate.
- Sam Amick of USA Today reiterates that the Nets' coaching search is expected to be "wide-ranging."
Jermaine O’Neal Wants To Retire With Pacers
Jermaine O'Neal's heyday with the Pacers is far behind him, but the 34-year-old center still carries fond memories of his time in Indiana, and he'd like to end his playing career in a Pacers uniform, reports Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. O'Neal is on a one-year deal with the Suns for the minimum salary.
"I would be honored if the organization would allow me to (retire with them), the city allowed me to do that," said O'Neal, who played with Indiana from 2000 until 2008. "I can go anywhere in the world and people recognize me from my Pacers days. My heart and soul is here, and if I can get an opportunity to retire as a Pacer that would be fantastic."
A Pacers return doesn't seem likely any time soon, since Indiana already has a pair of centers on long-term contracts in Roy Hibbert and Ian Mahinmi. O'Neal, a 17-year veteran, has never won a title, but said he isn't interested in chasing a championship, and just wants to "go somewhere and have fun." O'Neal feels like he's accomplished that so far with the Suns this season.
"The spirit here is great, (though) we’re not where we want to be with the record," he said. "It’s a great atmosphere and makes you feel young all over again."
O'Neal didn't say when he wanted to retire, so he might be interested in returning to Phoenix next season before pursuing a return to the Pacers, as long as the rebuilding Suns would want him back. He's played well in his limited playing time for Phoenix, posting an 18.5 PER and 7.1 points per game in 16.8 minutes per contest. Still, the Suns might want to go with a younger option next year, and O'Neal will be hard-pressed to get more than the minimum wherever he winds up.