Jeff Van Gundy Unlikely To Coach Nets This Year
8:18pm: Van Gundy wants to know more about Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and the way the Nets organization functions before determining his interest in the job, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com.
6:54pm: Jeff Van Gundy is interested in the Nets job, but he probably wouldn't take it until season's end because he doesn't want to upstage interim coach P.J. Carlesimo, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Nets haven't contacted Van Gundy, but the team's front office holds him in high esteem, and he's on the team's shortlist, Wojnarowski writes. Van Gundy's reluctance to cast his shadow on Carlesimo stems from his background as the son of a small college coach as well as the Knicks' fliration with Phil Jackson when Van Gundy was interim coach of the team.
Van Gundy hasn't coached since 2007, and in 2010 turned down entreaties from the Rockets, Raptors and Nets. According to Wojnarowski, Van Gundy believes the Nets opening is more attractive now than it was when he said no two years ago because the team has made its move to Brooklyn.
If the Nets do bring Van Gundy aboard, he'll likely hire Patrick Ewing as an assistant, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Ewing has openly campaigned for head coaching jobs since the end of his tenure as an assistant with the Magic for Jeff's brother, Stan Van Gundy.
Bulls Rumors: Bogans, 2014, Hamilton, Cousins
The Bulls, at 15-12 following a Christmas Day pasting at home at the hands of the Rockets, aren't too far ahead of the 14-14 Nets, who felt compelled to change coaches. But Chicago is only a half-game behind the Pacers for first-place in the Central Division even without Derrick Rose, so there's a lot more optimism in the Windy City than there is in Brooklyn. We've got more on the Bulls here, including another tie-in with the Nets.
- Former Bulls shooting guard Keith Bogans came close to returning to Chicago in the offseason, telling Shams Charania of RealGM.com that agent Dan Fegan had talks with the Bulls. Bogans has a strong relationship with Tom Thibodeau, and though they didn't talk over the summer about the possibility of his return, the coach pushed the front office to bring him back, Charania reports. When Bogans chose the Nets instead, the Bulls signed Marco Belinelli.
- The Bulls are unlikely to take on any long-term contracts in trades this year, Sam Smith of Bulls.com writes in his mailbag column. Smith theorizes that the team has its eyes on the 2014 free agent market, when LeBron James and other flashy names may become available.
- Though the Suns reportedly have interest in trading for Richard Hamilton, Smith doesn't think a swap that would send Hamilton to Phoenix would work for either team.
- Answering a question about whether the Bulls could be players for DeMarcus Cousins as long as he comes cheaply, Smith said he doesn't think the Kings are willing to dump him for a pittance just yet, though he believes Sacramento will be active on several fronts between now and the trade deadline.
Odds & Ends: Thunder, Cousins, Mavs, Brackins
A few links from around the NBA on the last Friday of 2012:
- The Thunder don't have any interest in making trades at the moment, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins were supposed to be the cornerstones of the Kings' rebuilding project, but with Evans injured and Cousins benched, things have been rocky in Sacramento, says Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
- The Mavericks' front office is flexible and opportunistic, which could make Dallas a logical suitor for Cousins, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes. However, as MacMahon outlines, there would likely to have be a lot of moving parts involved to find a trade between the Mavs and Kings.
- For his part, Mark Cuban tells Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News that the Mavericks are "not going to do something just to do something. It’s got to be something that helps us."
- David Mayo of MLive.com also fielded a question about the possibility of a Cousins trade in his latest Pistons mailbag.
- Former Sixers first-round pick Craig Brackins was waived today by Italian team Angelico Biella, according to Emile Martano of Sportando.
2013/14 NBA Team And Player Options
Our list of 2013/14 free agents includes players that have options or non-guaranteed contracts for next season. However, mixed in with all the rest of the free agents, it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of which players may continue playing on their current contracts. So we'll use this space to round up all the players who have a player option, an early termination option, or a team option for 2013/14.
The decision to exercise a team option can only be made by the club, while a player option can only be exercised by the player. An early termination option is a type of player option that can only be included in contracts of five years or more. If an option is picked up, the player will remain under contract for at least the 2013/14 season, while turning down an option means the player is eligible to become a free agent next July.
Listed below are the player, early termination, and team options for the 2013/14 season, along with each player's team and the amount of the option.
Player
Ray Allen (Heat) – $3.23MM: Exercised
Trevor Ariza (Wizards) – $7.73MM: Exercised
Jerryd Bayless (Grizzlies) – $3.14MM: Exercised
Kwame Brown (76ers) – $2.95MM: Exercised
Boris Diaw (Spurs) – $4.7MM: Exercised
Ben Gordon (Bobcats) – $13.2MM: Exercised
Aaron Gray (Raptors) – $2.69MM: Exercised
Richard Jefferson (Warriors) – $11.05MM: Exercised
James Jones (Heat) – $1.5MM: Exercised
Andrei Kirilenko (Timberwolves) – $10.22MM: Declined
Linas Kleiza (Raptors) – $4.6MM: Exercised
Carl Landry (Warriors) – $4MM: Declined
Rashard Lewis (Heat) – $1.4MM: Exercised
O.J. Mayo (Mavericks) – $4.2MM: Declined
Patrick Mills (Spurs) – $1.13MM: Exercised
Brandon Rush (Warriors) – $4MM: Exercised
J.R. Smith (Knicks) – $2.93MM: Declined
Marreese Speights (Cavaliers) – $4.52MM: Declined
Charlie Villanueva (Pistons) – $8.58MM: Exercised
C.J. Watson (Nets) – $1.11MM: Declined
Early Termination
Andris Biedrins (Warriors) – $9MM: Declined/Opted In
Monta Ellis (Bucks) – $11MM: Exercised/Opted Out
Andre Iguodala (Nuggets) – $16.15MM: Exercised/Opted Out
Shawn Marion (Mavericks) – $9.32MM: Declined/Opted In
Emeka Okafor (Wizards) – $14.49MM: Declined/Opted In
Marvin Williams (Jazz) – $7.5MM: Declined/Opted In
Metta World Peace (Lakers) – $7.73MM: Declined/Opted In
Team
Mario Chalmers (Heat) – $4MM: Exercised
Dante Cunningham (Timberwolves) – $2.18MM: Exercised
Francisco Garcia (Kings) – $6.4MM: Declined
John Lucas III (Raptors) – $1.57MM: Declined
Jodie Meeks (Lakers) – $1.55MM: Exercised
Storytellers Contracts and ShamSports were used in the creation of this list.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, King, Rivers, Lowry
The Nets' firing of Avery Johnson and search for a new coach has been the major post-Christmas story in the NBA, with the latest reports linking Brooklyn to top Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson. There's plenty going on around the rest of the Atlantic Division though, so let's round up a few Friday links related to the Nets and their division rivals:
- In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh puts forth some options for fixing the Nets, including trading for a major frontcourt piece, standing pat, or blowing up the roster.
- ESPN.com's 5-on-5 panel, which includes Sean Highkin of Hoops Rumors, isn't entirely in agreement on whether the Nets should become buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.
- With Johnson gone in Brooklyn, Dave D'Alessandro of the Star-Ledger wonders about GM Billy King's job security.
- Although we've seen a couple unexpected early-season coaching changes from teams believed to be contenders, don't expect the Celtics to be next. Unsurprisingly, team president Danny Ainge tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com that Doc Rivers' job is completely secure, despite Boston's recent struggles.
- As he prepares to return from a bicep injury, Kyle Lowry says he's okay with coming off the bench for the Raptors, writes Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
Nets Strongly Considering Kelvin Sampson
Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson has emerged as a "significant" candidate for the Nets' head coaching job, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Brooklyn GM Billy King is intrigued by Sampson and is expected to reach out to him, among others, as the team searches for Avery Johnson's replacement.
Sampson took over for Kevin McHale on the Rockets' bench earlier this season when McHale left the team to be with his ailing daughter. The Rockets were 7-6 while Sampson was the team's acting head coach.
According to Wojnarowski, Rockets officials praise Sampson's ability to connect with star players, something that would prove useful in Brooklyn, where Deron Williams and Johnson didn't always seem to be on the same page.
The rest of today's Nets coaching rumors can be found right here.
Poll: Should Nets Have Fired Avery Johnson?
When the Lakers fired Mike Brown five games into the 2012/13 season, many observers felt that the team should have given Brown more time to get everyone on an overhauled roster on the same page. Avery Johnson received a little more time from the Nets than Brown did from the Lakers, but it was still a surprising decision.
The Nets fired Johnson mere weeks after he was named Coach of the Month for November, and Avery Johnson Jr. isn't the only one that feels the move was premature. The Nets were just 14-14 when the change was made, a pace not far off from what many predicted for the team, as Grantland's Zach Lowe pointed out yesterday. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich lamented the Nets' impatience with Johnson at San Antonio's shootaround today, calling Johnson a "very good coach" who was victimized by circumstances (link via Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News).
On the other hand, the Nets were coming off a pair of embarrassing losses, and Deron Williams had publicly questioned Johnson's offensive system last week. Throw in Kris Humphries' demotion and the mixed results of Johnson's small-ball lineup, and there were enough factors in play to make a case that coaching decisions were becoming a real concern in Brooklyn.
What do you think? Should the Nets have given Johnson more time to right the ship, or was it time to make a change?
Sixers Looking For Point Guard Help
Before Shaun Livingston was claimed off waivers by the Cavaliers earlier this week, the veteran point guard thought he was on his way to Philadelphia. According to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (via Sulia), the 76ers planned to sign Livingston after he was cut by the Wizards, but didn't get a shot at him when he didn't clear waivers.
While they didn't land Livingston, the Sixers are looking for point guard depth, according to Bucher. Jrue Holiday is having a career year in the starting role, but neither Royal Ivey or Maalik Wayns has been particularly productive off the bench. The Sixers have an open roster spot, and could create another one if they decide not to guarantee Wayns' contract by January 10th, so there's room to make a move.
As Bucher points out, the Sixers seem to be more in need of a frontcourt player than a point guard, but the team is still counting on Andrew Bynum to return at some point this season. As such, Bucher writes, Philadelphia doesn't want to acquire a big man that would eventually be destined for the bench.
Odds & Ends: Crawford, Smith, Knicks, Miller
J.R. Smith‘s production so far this season clearly outweighs his pay this season and the guard looks like a mortal lock to opt out of his $2.9MM option for 2013/14. However, Smith tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he hopes to stay in New York beyond this season. “Right now, I’m just trying to play it out and do the best I can throughout this year and hopefully I’ll be back here. That’s my plan. I don’t want to play anywhere else. I love it here,” said Smith. Here’s more (non-Nets) news from around the Association..
- The Celtics could have had Jamal Crawford for the right offer, but they were still going after Ray Allen when Crawford inked his deal with the Clippers, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- Amick also spoke with guard Andre Miller about his reasons for re-signing with the Nuggets despite his desire to be a starter. The 36-year-old explained that at this stage in his life, stability was a major factor for him and his children.
- Blazers center J.J. Hickson is playing exceptionally well as of late and Sam Amico of FOX Sports (on Twitter) sees him as a a trade candidate. The big man, who is set to hit the open market at the end of the season, has nine straight double-doubles.
- Blazers veterans Sasha Pavlovic, Ronnie Price, and Jared Jeffries have been good soldiers in taking a backseat to Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Hickson, and Nicolas Batum, writes Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
Nets Notes: Jackson, King, Johnson
Within hours of Avery Johnson‘s dismissal as head coach, there was instantly speculation that the Nets would reach out to Phil Jackson about the vacancy. If they do, it won’t be the first time that the Nets have made a bid for the Hall of Fame coach. In the summer of 1999, the Nets offered Jackson what would have been the most lucrative deal in the NBA – a three-year contract worth $21MM – to take over for John Calipari‘s interim replacement, Don Casey. Jackson spoke with Lewis Katz, the charismatic principal owner of the Nets for about a month leading up to that but ultimately turned them down. Based on comments from Jackson’s rep Todd Musberger earlier today, it sounds like they can expect a similar outcome if they go down that road again. Here’s more out of Brooklyn..
- Johnson speculated that players went above his head to ownership to get him fired, tweets Stefan Bondy of the Daily News (on Twitter). Johnson’s biggest supporters on the team included Jerry Stackhouse, Gerald Wallace, and Joe Johnson, Bondy tweets.
- In today’s press conference to announce Johnson’s dismissal and P.J. Carlisemo‘s promotion to interim coach, General Manager Billy King made it known that he’s willing to make a move in order to turn things around, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. “I’m not one to shy away from a trade… its figuring out what pieces to change,” King said.
- Charley Rosen of Sheridan Hoops isn’t so sure that Jackson won’t entertain the idea of coaching in Brooklyn. Rosen argues that the Zen Master isn’t the type to rush into any decisions and is likely to consider any interesting oppportunity that comes his way.
- Johnson has a history of clashing with point guards, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. Johnson butted heads with Devin Harris in Dallas, leading to him being traded to the Nets for Jason Kidd. Kidd and Johnson lasted together just three months before the coach was let go.