Jazz, Tyrone Corbin Officially Part Ways
The Jazz have decided to part ways with coach Tyrone Corbin, the team announced. He was on an expiring contract this season, as rumors of his cloudy future with the team swirled after the Jazz decided to embark on a rebuilding project this past summer. Utah went 25-57, finishing in last place in the Western Conference this year.
Corbin took over in the middle of the 2010/11 season after longtime coach Jerry Sloan stepped down. The Jazz made Corbin only their fourth head coach since the franchise moved to Utah for the 1979/80 season. The team went 8-20 the rest of the way that year, but Corbin guided the team to winning records the following two seasons. Utah appeared in the playoffs only once during Corbin’s tenure, and they were swept by the Spurs in the opening round in 2012.
Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward, a restricted free agent this summer, praised the job Corbin did this season, after a summer in which the team let Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Mo Williams and others sign elsewhere. The Jazz sacrificed their cap flexibility this past offseason to acquire draft picks attached to player-friendly contracts in a trade with Golden State, leaving the team with a mix of untested young players and mediocre veterans.
Richard Jefferson, at 33, started 78 games and received the third-most minutes on the team this season, and Marvin Williams saw significant playing time for Corbin, too. That led center Enes Kanter, up for a rookie scale extension this summer, to make a public call last week for the team to feature more of its young players on the floor together.
The Jazz also parted ways with Corbin’s assistant coaches, according to Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). It’s unclear if the team’s player development staff will return, Falk adds (on Twitter).
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reported Friday that Corbin was out as coach, (Twitter links), though the team and Corbin’s agent denied the report to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Photo Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Steve Kerr Interested In Coaching Knicks
2:47pm: Kerr said that he anticipates hearing from Jackson about the team’s coaching vacancy, reiterated his desire to coach, and said that he’d be interested in the Knicks job in radio appearances today on SiriusXM’s NBA Radio and ESPN Chicago 1000. Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com passes the news along via Twitter.
MONDAY, 8:44am: Kerr’s friends say he may wait to see which other coaching jobs come open before saying yes to the Knicks, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Kerr intends to work his full playoff schedule for TNT, which runs through the conference finals, and he hasn’t spoken to his bosses about adjusting it to accommodate a coaching gig, Isola hears.
FRIDAY, 8:17am: Steve Kerr “absolutely expects” the Knicks to offer him their head coaching job, and he intends to accept such an offer, a source tells George Willis of the New York Post. Kerr has already spoken to TNT about adjusting his broadcasting schedule for the playoffs so he can start working for the Knicks, Willis hears.
Kerr has reportedly been the front-runner for the job for a while, and his name was linked to the Knicks as a possible candidate even when the team was still negotiating its deal with Phil Jackson. Mike Woodson is under contract to coach the team in 2014/15, but the Knicks had reportedly been planning to fire him if they failed to make the playoffs. Even after falling short of the postseason, Woodson received strong public support from Carmelo Anthony, who on Thursday referred to Woodson as “almost a father figure, a friend, a guy I can bounce stuff off of,” notes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Woodson still appears on his way out, according to Isola, who hears from a source who says that Woodson and Jackson will speak Friday, and either set up a meeting for next week or discuss the terms of their parting.
Several teams apparently would like to bring Kerr aboard as an executive, but his focus is on coaching. Marc Berman of the New York Post suggests Jim Cleamons as a potential candidate to become the top assistant coach for the Knicks if they hire Kerr as head coach.
Carmelo Anthony To Meet With Several Teams
The Knicks’ firing of Mike Woodson today will have no impact on Carmelo Anthony‘s willingness to remain with the team, and Anthony plans to meet with several other NBA clubs this summer, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Anthony wants to approach the process just as Dwight Howard did last summer, when he sat down with potential suitors after free agency began in July, Deveney hears. ‘Melo hasn’t made a list of the teams he’d like to hear from yet, but Deveney says the Knicks and Bulls are “certain” to be on it, naming the Lakers, Rockets and Clippers as others who might be in the mix.
Anthony spoke in support of Woodson last week, but the identity of next season’s coach will have little effect on Anthony’s free agency, according to Deveney. Anthony has long planned to opt out of his contract this summer, and summed up his thoughts regarding the Knicks and free agency succinctly last week when he said, “I want to come back. I want to come back. But I also want to win.” Deveney’s source reiterates that winning will be chief in the star’s mind, though it will be difficult for the Knicks to improve their roster, given their lack of both cap flexibility and a first-round pick in this year’s draft, as Deveney points out.
Howard’s contentment in Houston this year is helping dispel Anthony’s fears of a public backlash should he leave the Knicks, Deveney writes. The Rockets star endured a maelstrom of negative press amid his departures from the Magic and the Lakers, but that’s died down now that Howard is on a long-term deal in Houston.
Coaching Rumors: Warriors, Wolves, Knicks
The week began with the creation of a pair of coaching vacancies, as the Knicks fired Mike Woodson an hour before Rick Adelman announced his retirement from the Wolves. There will probably be other jobs opening up, but Jermaine O’Neal gets the sense that Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob isn’t down on Mark Jackson, as the veteran center tells USA Today’s Sam Amick.
“When I speak to Joe, he likes what we have,” O’Neal said. “But hey, it’s a different era right now. We have a new breed of owners in our league and their patience is a lot shorter. So I don’t know ultimately what his plan is — that’s up to him. He pays the bills. He can do whatever he wants to do with his team. But from the conversations I’ve had with him, he likes Mark.”
Here’s more on the Warriors and other coaching news from around the league:
- Andre Iguodala has Jackson’s fate on his mind as the Warriors go through the playoffs, observes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. “We’re trying to save our coach,” Iguodala said. “Every game is pressure for us.”
- Fellow Bay Area News Group scribe Tim Kawakami suggests that Steve Kerr and Fred Hoiberg would top the Warriors‘ list of targets if the team parts ways Jackson (Twitter link). Jackson would “almost surely” want an extension that includes a pay raise if the team decides to keep him, Kawakami writes.
- Adelman said he made his decision to retire in part because he didn’t think it would help the Wolves to have both him and Kevin Love on expiring contracts next season, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune notes. Adelman also said he probably would have retired regardless of his wife’s health, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter links).
- Flip Saunders hinted that the Wolves will prioritize coaching candidates who’d continue to run an offense similar to Adelman’s, Zgoda tweets.
- The Knicks will encourage whomever they hire to replace Woodson to re-hire longtime assistant coach Herb Williams, who was let go along with the rest of the team’s coaching staff today, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. However, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News casts doubt on the report, suggesting that the idea that team wants Williams back comes from neither Phil Jackson nor Williams (Twitter link).
Rick Adelman Announces Retirement
Rick Adelman announced his retirement from coaching at a press conference today, the Timberwolves confirm (Twitter link). A parting of ways has been widely expected, and fellow Star Tribune scribe Sid Hartman wrote last week that there was “no chance” that Adelman would return. That followed a pair of reports last month that cast serious doubt on the coach’s future. The team and Adelman had a mutual option for 2014/15, and either side had the ability to walk away from the contract. He’ll remain with the team as a consultant, the team also says (on Twitter).
Tom Izzo, Fred Hoiberg and Stan Van Gundy are the team’s targets to coach next season, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported last week, though all three seem difficult targets. Hoiberg appeared unlikely to accept an offer from the team even before Iowa State gave him a raise, and report from February indicated Van Gundy probably won’t coach anywhere next season. Izzo vehemently denied rumors that he’d coach the Pistons. A more attainable replacement for Adelman could be Suns assistant coach Jerry Sichting, whom Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio identifies as a “name to really watch” in connection to the Wolves job (Twitter link). Wolves President of basketball operations Flip Saunders reportedly would like to take over as coach, but owner Glen Taylor prefers that two different people handle the top front office job and the head coaching gig.
Adelman, 67, is stepping away with the eighth-most wins in NBA history, having compiled a 1,042-749 record in 23 seasons. He arrived in Minnesota for the 2011/12 season after a three-year stint with the Rockets, but he failed to lift the Wolves into the playoffs during his tenure. He enjoyed much greater success elsewhere, leading the Trail Blazers to two Finals appearances in his first four seasons as an NBA coach and nearly guiding the Kings to the Finals in 2002, when they lost a seven-game heartbreaker in the conference finals.
Those Kings teams cemented Adelman’s reputation as an offensive wizard, but Zgoda suggested last month that if he hadn’t retired from the Wolves, the team would have declined to pick up his option for next season. In any case, the health of Adelman’s wife likely weighed heavily in his decision. He missed 11 games to tend to her during the 2012/13 season, when she was suffering from seizures, and Adelman missed time to deal with unspecified personal issues this season.
Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune was the first to report the news, via Twitter. Sam Amick of USA Today confirmed the report (Twitter link). Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Knicks Fire Mike Woodson
The Knicks have announced the firing of coach Mike Woodson and his staff. The move has been expected nearly all season long, as the team struggled to a 37-45 record after winning 54 games and advancing to the conference semifinals last year. Woodson was under contract through next season, and presumably he’ll still receive his $3.4MM salary for 2014/15.
The move follows a meeting between Woodson and Knicks president Phil Jackson, notes Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s Jackson’s first major move with the club, which hired him to run the front office last month.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mike Woodson and his entire staff,” Jackson said in the team’s statement. “The coaches and players on this team had an extremely difficult 2013/14 season, and blame should not be put on one individual. But the time has come for change throughout the franchise as we start the journey to assess and build this team for next season and beyond. Everyone in this franchise owes a great deal of gratitude to what Mike and his staff have done. We wish him the best.”
Carmelo Anthony threw his support behind Woodson last week, but it wasn’t enough to save the job of the coach who went 109-79 in parts of three seasons with the Knicks. He was an assistant coach with the Knicks when he took the head coaching job late in the 2011/12 season after the team let go of Mike D’Antoni. Woodson went 18-6 that year and guided the team to the playoffs, where they lost to the eventual champion Heat in the first round.
The narrative was a positive one for Woodson until last year’s playoff loss to the Pacers. Marc Berman of the New York Post suggested Sunday that when the Knicks exercised their 2014/15 team option on Woodson before this season began, they knew it was unlikely he’d actually coach the team that season unless the team made it to the conference finals this year. Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops reported earlier this month that the Knicks planned to fire Woodson if the team’s late push for the playoffs fell short, and indeed the ax fell soon after New York finished in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, a game out of the final playoff spot.
Assistants Herb Williams, Jim Todd, Darrell Walker, Jerry Dunn, David Hopla and LaSalle Thompson join Woodson in exiting the Knicks, who begin their search for a new head coach at once, according to the team’s statement. Steve Kerr appears to be the front-runner, though there are conflicting reports about whether he’d jump at the job.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Prospect Profile: Mitch McGary
While shooting guard Nik Stauskas figures to be the first member of the Michigan Wolverines off the board in this year’s draft, teammate Mitch McGary also figures to garner some serious attention. While McGary was a virtual lock for the first round in the underwhelming 2013 draft, his draft position is a little more tenuous this time around.
The 6’10” big man returned to Michigan for another season of seasoning but things unfortunately didn’t go as planned. McGary came into the year battling back issues which caused him to miss the first two games of the season. While he showed grit by battling through the pain, he ultimately had to undergo surgery in December 2013, shutting down his season prematurely. While he chose to stay in school last time around, McGary might not want to chance things yet again and decide to enter his name in the draft along with teammates Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III.
McGary offers an extremely high motor and boasts the kind of skill set that should make him an ideal role player at the next level. With his athleticism, McGary is able to disrupt shots on a regular basis and has shown that he can rebound with the best of them. He also boasts a solid understanding of the game and his learning curve shouldn’t be as steep as others in the class.
During his freshman year and his abbreviated sophomore campaign, McGary showed that he can get boards on both the defensive side and the offensive side. In roughly 20 minutes per contest over the past two years, McGary has averaged 6.6 boards per game, which averages out to 12.9 boards per a full 40 minute game. During his freshman year, his offensive rebounding output put him amongst the very best in the Big Ten even though he wasn’t playing star minutes.
While he’s undersized to play the five at the next level, McGary’s overall strength should help him keep pace with bigger opponents. It’s common to hear that collegiate frontcourt prospects need to “toughen up” and/or “bulk up,” but McGary probably won’t need to do much in either area. The Wolverines big man isn’t a fully polished product, but he comes more NBA ready than most.
On the flipside, McGary’s offensive profile isn’t as impressive as his rebounding, defense, and overall hustle. The 21-year-old’s post game still leaves much to be desired and it would be a surprise to see him used as a consistent offensive option early in his pro career. Meanwhile, when McGary is further out, he has displayed less-than-ideal shot selection. Rather than reacting to what he’s given, McGary willingly settled for some bad jumpers during his frosh campaign.
His free throw shooting is also cause for concern. No one expects a 6’10” big man to shoot from the charity stripe like Reggie Miller, but the 44.2% rate he offered from the line in 2012/13 is problematic. McGary’s physical style will give way to a lot of hard fouls when he’s on offense and when that happens he’ll have to convert on the opportunities given to him.
All things considered, McGary doesn’t appear to offer the same kind of upside as other late first round options in this year’s class. That’s thanks in part to McGary’s age – academic setbacks held back his schooling, so the sophomore is actually going to turn 22 over the summer. He’s the same age (or older) than most college seniors, but only has 47 regular season NCAA games to his credit.
No one will mistake the sophomore for a potentially game changing type of talent like Kansas’ Joel Embiid, but he can help round out a team’s bench and contribute right off of the bat. Much of McGary’s stock will likely hinge on how well he can move in workouts and how he checks out when he undergoes some rigorous physical exams. Look for McGary to go late in the first round but not any higher.
And-Ones: Carr, Jackson, Lakers, Sixers
Former high school standout Aquille Carr has officially declared for the 2014 draft, his agent tells Adam Zagoria of SNY (on Twitter). Agent Joshua Wildes of Hazan Sports Management told Hoops Rumors via email that “Aquille is excited about this next chapter in his career and looks forward to fulfilling his dream.” The 5’6″ guard, who turned down a scholarship offer from Seton Hall to pursue overseas opportunities, is not featured on DraftExpress’ 2014 mock. Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..
- According to an NBA source, new president Phil Jackson has talked recently about his disappointment in some of the Knicks’ conditioning — or lack thereof — this year, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. It’s unclear which players Jackson was talking about, though J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert were coming off of offseason surgery and coach Mike Woodson mentioned that Shumpert was dealing with minor injuries throughout camp, which may have hindered him early on.
- With the salary cap expected to rise to $63.2MM in 2014/15, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times looks at the decisions facing the Lakers this offseason. Waiving and stretching Steve Nash‘s salary would spread his salary over the next three seasons, reducing the Lakers spending power for 2015/16, when players like Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Rajon Rondo may be available, and 2016/17, when Kevin Durant could be a free agent.
- The Sixers managed to have a remarkably bad season in 2013/14, but now comes the tricky part for GM Sam Hinkie, writes Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Philly figures to have two top ten picks in this year’s draft and it’ll be up to Hinkie & Co. to choose wisely.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports (on Twitter) agreed with a follower who says that the Bobcats never should have taken Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at No. 2 last year since he’s a perimeter player in today’s NBA who can’t shoot. However, he can’t fault them too much (link) since several teams were trying to trade up to get him.
- Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype spoke with Euroleague standout Malcolm Delaney about his opportunity to sign with the Rockets earlier this year. Houston wanted to sign Delaney but FC Bayern, who was about to begin a playoff run, declined to let him out of his contract. The 25-year-old says he’s not bitter towards the German club and hopes to get another NBA opportunity this summer.
Jazz Could Decide Corbin’s Fate Tomorrow
Tyrone Corbin‘s job security in Utah has come into question and we could have a resolution sooner rather than later. Multiple sources tell Tony Jones and Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune that Corbin and General Manager Dennis Lindsey are scheduled to meet on Monday and an announcement concerning Corbin’s future could come soon after that meeting.
A report late last week indicated that the Jazz already decided to part ways with Corbin, but both the club and the coach’s agent came out to deny the story. It’s very possible that the Jazz will let Corbin go after a 25-57 season and a last place finish in the Western Conference, but nothing has been decided yet. The sources told Jones and Luhm that Lindsey wanted to take the Easter weekend as a short cooling off period heading into tomorrow’s meeting.
Corbin took over in the middle of the 2010/11 season after longtime coach Jerry Sloan stepped down. The team went 8-20 the rest of the way that year, but Corbin guided the team to winning records the following two seasons. Utah appeared in the playoffs only once during Corbin’s tenure, and they were swept by the Spurs in the opening round in 2012.
Central Rumors: Cavs, Colangelo, Bucks
Earlier this week, our own Chuck Myron looked at the free agent stock of Cavaliers small forward Luol Deng. The Cavs were in talks with several teams about flipping Deng at the deadline, a sign that the club isn’t confident about its chances to keep the small forward. We know that the The Lakers and Suns have interest, and the Mavs, Celtics, Magic and Bobcats are reportedly likely suitors as well, so things appear to be wide-open for the 29-year-old. Here’s the latest out of the Central Division..
- If Cavaliers acting General Manager David Griffin leaves the Cavs for the vacant Pistons job or isn’t retained, Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer says two names to keep in mind are Bryan Colangelo and Ed Stefanski. Both were most recently with the Raptors and both likely would be under consideration should the Cavs have an opening. Griffin actually worked in Phoenix for Colangelo. Stefanski, meanwhile, was previously was president and GM of the 76ers and GM of the Nets where he worked alongside Rod Thorn.
- New Bucks owners Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry spoke with Don Walker of the Journal-Sentinel about what fueled them to buy the club, their business philosophy, and their plan to land a new arena.
- The Journal-Sentinel staff graded the Bucks‘ 2013/14 season and the report card isn’t pretty. Milwaukee’s final grade is an F in part because the off-season moves to sign Larry Sanders and O.J. Mayo to long-term deals backfired in a hurry. There weren’t many bright spots, but the trade to land Brandon Knight and Khris Middleton yielded decent results and the draft picks of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nate Wolters were promising.