Draft Combine Updates: Thursday
The Chicago draft combine is underway, and teams can meet with up to 18 players. With 30 teams, that means there could be as many as 540 interviews this week. We’ll try to keep track of as many as possible here, and we’ll update this post throughout the day as news filters in. Here’s the latest:
- Ennis will meet with the Bobcats and at least four other teams in addition to the organizations listed below, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports.
- Vonleh interviewed with the Wolves, Bucks, Lakers, and Blazers, tweets Robbins, who adds that the big man is scheduled to meet with the Sixers.
Earlier updates:
- LaVine shot very well, and Seth Davis of SI.com hears that he may have helped his stock more than any other prospect today (Twitter link; H/T Wolstat).
- In Exum’s extended quotes transcribed by Sean Deveney of The Sporting News regarding the point guard’s willingness to pressure certain teams not to draft him, Exum said he doesn’t see any of his potential destinations as a bad fit, and is willing to play behind an established point guard.
- LaQuinton Ross will work out for the Cavs on Monday, tweets Jason Lloyd of Akron Beacon Journal.
- The Raptors plan to meet with K.J. McDaniels, McDermott, Payton, Anderson, McDaniels, and possibly Hood, reports Wolstat (via Twitter).
- Hood will meet with the Bulls on Friday, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
- Randle interviewed with the Cavs and will do so with the Bucks, too, as the Plain Dealer and Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel note (Twitter links).
- Patric Young spoke with the Pelicans and has a sit-down with the Grizzlies scheduled, according to Robbins (Twitter links).
- Blakely adds Hood and Noah Vonleh to the Celtics interview list, while Randle and T.J. Warren are talking to Boston, too, according to Holmes (All Twitter links).
- Vonleh says he also has an interview scheduled with the Magic, Robbins notes, adding that Orlando wanted to interview Stauskas, but his meeting schedule is too full (Twitter links). The Magic sat down with Randle on Wednesday, Robbins adds (on Twitter).
- Aaron Gordon met with the Sixers on Wednesday, Pompey tweets.
- Exum will also interview with the Kings, according to Howard-Cooper (on Twitter).
- Julius Randle is meeting with the Sixers today, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- Doug McDermott said he met Wednesday with the Bulls, Hawks and Timberwolves, Robbins observes, and McDermott added that he’s looking forward to a meeting with the Cavs, as Robbins and the Plain Dealer observe (Twitter links).
- Rodney Hood is set to interview with the Wolves tonight, Zgoda tweets. Hood interviewed with the Bobcats on Wednesday, as Bonnell details (Twitter links).
- Kyle Anderson met with the Celtics and he’ll also see the Wolves tonight, Washburn and Zgoda note (Twitter links).
- The Pistons met with Glenn Robinson III on Wednesday, as he tells Langlois (Twitter link).
- Add the Celtics and the Bucks to Exum’s interview agenda, as Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe and Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel report (Twitter links). Exum thinks he’ll sit down with the Cavs, too, the Plain Dealer notes (on Twitter).
- The Wolves will interview Lavine on Friday after having spoken with James Young on Wednesday, Zgoda tweets.
- The Bobcats have expressed interest in P.J. Hairston, as he tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
- Dante Exum‘s wingspan measured out at nearly 6’10”, and he’ll draw consideration for the No. 1 overall pick from some teams, ESPN’s Chad Ford said on the network’s combine coverage today, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes (Twitter link). He denied that he’s angling for the Lakers in the draft, but he wouldn’t rule out pressuring some teams not to take him, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Exum met with the Sixers, Pistons and Suns on Wednesday, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The Celtics, Lakers, Magic and Jazz will also speak with him, report Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel and Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune (All four Twitter links).
- Marcus Smart has interviewed with the Rockets, Raptors, Lakers, Suns and Nuggets, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The Cavs, Jazz and Bucks are also on his agenda, as the Plain Dealer, Falk and Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times report (All Twitter links). The Timberwolves won’t interview Smart in Chicago, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities hears the team is hoping to get him to come to Minnesota for a workout (Twitter link).
- Ontario native Tyler Ennis is excited about the idea of playing for the Raptors and has interviewed with them, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. He’s also met with the Bobcats, Kings, Suns, Thunder and Nuggets, according to Kennedy (on Twitter).
- Nik Stauskas has met with or will meet with the Kings, Pistons and Raptors, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com and Doug Smith of the Toronto Star (All Twitter links).
- The Nuggets, Spurs, Warriors and Nets have met with Shabazz Napier, Kennedy tweets.
- The Hawks, Spurs, Thunder, Raptors, Magic, Cavs and Timberwolves met Elfrid Payton, Kennedy reports (Twitter link).
- Zach LaVine interviewed with the Celtics, among others, Wednesday, he tells Blakely (Twitter link).
- Russ Smith sat down with the Suns, Celtics and Blazers, according to Kennedy (via Twitter).
Coaching Rumors: Kerr, Ollie, Thibodeau
Stephen Curry went on the record in his support of new Warriors coach Steve Kerr, telling Marcus Thompson of Bay Area News Group he’s on board despite the star’s frustration with the firing of Mark Jackson. “I just want to see [Kerr] build that relationship with the players. To be able to get the most out of us,” Curry said. “We’re in good hands. I’m not worried about that. He just has to develop his coaching style. I agree with the decision [to hire Kerr].” Here’s more on the coaching front:
- Sources tell Marc Berman of The New York Post that Phil Jackson isn’t ready to consider himself as a candidate for Knicks coach in the wake of Kerr declining to join the Knicks.
- Jerry West thinks Jackson should coach the Knicks if his health will allow, he told Marc Berman of The New York Post. West added that Jackson will have to change his demeanor as an executive to be as successful as he was as a coach.
- West acknowledged to Berman that Stan Van Gundy was the Warriors‘ first head coaching choice over Kerr.
- Kerr tells Berman in a separate piece that he received Jackson’s blessing to meet with the Warriors while deep in discussions with the Knicks, and that the Zen Master wasn’t bitter with his eventual decision to choose Golden State over New York.
- Kevin Ollie is having his resolve to stay at UConn tested by strong interest from an unnamed NBA team, a league source tells Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. “A team has come at him hard,” the source said. “He’s always preferred UConn. But he may have a decision to make.”
- Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com expects speculation around Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau to linger until the coach signs another extension with Chicago, even though Thibodeau has three years remaining on his current deal. Both Thibodeau and GM Gar Forman declined to comment on rumblings of tension between the coach and front office, increasingly fueled by other teams’ plans to pursue Thibodeau.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak continued to downplay Kobe Bryant‘s influence on L.A.’s coaching search, telling Andy Katz of ESPN.com the star’s wishes to be involved won’t be catered to. “He really won’t weigh in on something like this,” said Kupchak. “I’m not even sure that we’ll talk to him prior to interviews.”
Central Rumors: Karl, Brown, Bulls, Pistons
George Karl would like to coach the Cavs and is high on Kyrie Irving, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears (Twitter link), but a source tells Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer that Kevin Ollie doesn’t envision taking the Cleveland coaching gig. It’s unclear whether the team has interest in either Karl or Ollie. Here’s more from the Central:
- Former Cavs coach Mike Brown is open to listening to coaching opportunities, but plans to take a year off from coaching, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links).
- Bulls GM Gar Forman is optimistic Chicago can select two rotation players in the draft, but is open to other possibilities, including trading up or doing a draft-and-stash, he tells K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. “If we want to try to create more cap room, we may look at doing something with one or both of those picks,” Forman said (Twitter links).
- The Bulls are prioritizing added shooting this offseason, tweets Johnson.
- Stan Van Gundy will retain Ken Catanella as the Pistons cap specialist, reports Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Van Gundy will meet Friday with Detroit’s assistant GM George David, who has a “solid chance” to stay in the front office, according to Ellis (Twitter links).
- At today’s introductory press conference, Van Gundy said he is excited about the dual role he will have with the Pistons. “I think the position gives us a chance to create the most unified organization in sports,” Keith Langlois of Pistons.com quotes Van Gundy as saying. “That’s what the dual role is all about. I came into the NBA in an organization like that in Miami with Pat Riley running it and I think there are tremendous advantages there.”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Nets Open To Trading Deron Williams?
The Nets won’t rule out trading away former All-Star point guard Deron Williams, sources tell Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. Williams just finished a hugely disappointing season, his fourth with Brooklyn and the second on his five-year, $99MM contract. While the Nets advanced beyond last season’s disappointing first-round exit, they lost swiftly to the Heat and Williams shot under 40% for the playoffs.
Williams was once thought to be one of the top two or three point guards in the game, but his play has deteriorated of late. He only managed to average 14.3 points and 6.1 assists per game this season, bringing his career totals down to 17.4 PPG and 8.7 APG. Ankle injuries have lingered with Williams in recent seasons, and he told reporters including Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press that he is considering having his ankles surgically repaired to try and regain his mobility and confidence.
No reports suggest the Nets are aggressively seeking to move Williams at this point, but an openness to moving what was meant to be their foundational piece in constructing a roster for immediate title contention is a telling sign. Beck reports that the alternative to keeping Williams in place as the starting point guard would be to retool the roster around Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez, while pushing to hold onto both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for a final run at a title. The Nets wouldn’t likely get much in return for a player making close to $20MM a year with a PER under 18. Still, some teams may be intrigued with the 29-year-old as a buy-low candidate, aside from his massive salary. The Rockets inquired about Williams in talks involving Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin this winter, but at the time the Nets were unwilling to move the former All-Star.
Wesley Edens, Marc Lasry Purchase Bucks
MAY 15TH, 6:12pm: The league has unanimously approved the sale of the Bucks to Edens and Lasry, per the team (Twitter link).
APRIL 16TH, 3:02pm: Edens says he’d like to see the arena built within a couple of years, and suggests that the $200MM puts the team halfway toward the price of the new building, as Woelfel tweets.
2:49pm: Edens and Lasry will put $100MM toward the construction of a new arena in addition to the purchase price of the team, Gardner tweets. Kohl will also give $100MM for the arena, the team announced (Twitter link).
2:43pm: Kohl announced in a press conference that he’s transferring full ownership of the club to Edens and Lasry, pending league approval, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes via Twitter.
11:34am: Longtime Bucks owner Herb Kohl will announce the sale of the team to Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry later today, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The sale of what’s presumably a majority stake in the team to the hedge fund billionaires will be subject to league approval, but Kohl made keeping the team in Milwaukee a condition of the deal, Stein adds (Twitter link). Grantland’s Bill Simmons first identified Edens and Lasry as having been close to purchasing the team last week. The sale price is $550MM, according to Stein.
Edens is a principal and co-chairman of the Board of Directors of Fortress Investment Group LLC, while Lasry is the CEO of Avenue Capital Group. Forbes.com pegs Lasry’s net worth at $1.7 billion. Other suitors made late bids to purchase the team, Simmons wrote, but it appears that Edens and Lasry have emerged with a deal.
Part of the cost of the team will be redirected into funding a new arena in Milwaukee, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. It seems likely that Edens and Lasry aren’t shelling out the full $550MM, but rather paying a percentage of that based on a valuation of the entire franchise at that price. Vivek Ranadive and his partners last year paid about $348MM to purchase 65% of the Kings, who were valued at a total of more than $534MM.
There have been several rumored to be in the mix for all or part of the Bucks in recent months, including Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, agent Arn Tellem, former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo, former Wolves GM David Kahn, one-time Bucks player Junior Bridgeman, and Milwaukee health care executive Jon Hammes.
Kohl announced in December that he was seeking to sell minority shares in the club, but Woelfel reported about a month ago that Kohl was close to selling a majority stake. He’s campaigned for a new arena to replace the nearly 25-year-old Bradley Center, though it appears that finding public funding to built it will be difficult. Kohl’s apparent decision to use a portion of his take from the sale to foot the bill for the arena fits with Woelfel’s report from January that suggests the former U.S. Senator wants the new home for the Bucks to be an important part of his legacy in the area. Woelfel wrote then that Kohl was considering giving more than $100MM toward the building’s construction.
Nets Links: Livingston, Collins, Bogdanovic
Shaun Livingston will almost certainly receive better offers than the $3.278MM taxpayer’s mid-level to which the Nets will be limited, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The 28-year-old guard said today that he’d like to re-sign with Brooklyn, as Newsday’s Rod Boone observes, making clear a desire at which he’d hinted earlier, and while he added that money isn’t necessarily a priority, it seems he’ll have to turn some down to remain in Brooklyn (Twitter link). Here’s more from the Nets:
- Jason Collins, whose contract doesn’t carry over into next season, isn’t sure he wants to continue playing, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com observes. The 35-year-old made history this season as the first openly gay athlete in major North American pro sports.
- A report earlier this week indicated that the Nets don’t expect to sign draft-and-stash forward Bojan Bogdanovic anytime soon, but GM Billy King said today that Bogdanovic will be an “option” for the team this summer, Boone tweets.
- The Nets are without a pick in next month’s draft, but King indicated the team will consider trading for one, Boone adds via Twitter.
- The Nets biggest disappointment has been Deron Williams, writes Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. A Brooklyn official tells Beck that the potential for Williams to return to All-Star form next season is the true “X-factor” for their contention hopes, and Beck wonders if the team could even retool and trade away the 29-year-old this offseason.
Cray Allred contributed to this post.
Stan Van Gundy On Monroe, Drummond, Smith
There are conflicting reports about what Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy intends to do with soon-to-be restricted free agent Greg Monroe. Van Gundy has already spoken with the big man, and the new Pistons boss revealed in his introductory press conference today that he’s also had a chat with his agent, notes Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News (Twitter link).
“I had a lengthy talk with David Falk,” Van Gundy said. “I want them to know I value him highly.”
The first-time executive won’t have an opportunity to ease in the job with a summer of key decisions ahead, and we’ll share more of what he revealed about his plans:
- Van Gundy is also high on Andre Drummond, as MLive’s David Mayo observes (Twitter link). “There’s nothing about Andre Drummond that doesn’t appeal to me.”
- The former Heat and Magic coach said that he’ll keep the future in mind but he wants to win as much as possible right away, Mayo tweets.
- Van Gundy believes Monroe, Drummond and Josh Smith fit together in some situations, but he also acknowledged a need for perimeter spacing, as Mayo observes (Twitter link). “You can take that any way you want,” Van Gundy said.
- Reports have indicated that Van Gundy is considering Otis Smith to assist him in the front office, and Van Gundy confirmed in a radio appearance with Mike Bianchi on 740 The Game in Orlando that he’d indeed consider hiring his former Boss with the Magic.
Offseason Outlook: Atlanta Hawks
Guaranteed Contracts
- Al Horford ($12,000,000)
- Paul Millsap ($9,500,000)
- Jeff Teague ($8,000,000)
- Kyle Korver ($6,253,521)
- Louis Williams ($5,450,000)
- DeMarre Carroll ($2,442,455)
- Dennis Schröder ($1,690,680)
- John Jenkins ($1,312,920)
Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Pero Antic ($1,250,000)*
- Mike Muscala ($816,482; guaranteed for $408,241)
Free Agents / Cap Holds
- Elton Brand ($4,800,000)
- Gustavo Ayon ($2,850,000)
- No. 15 pick ($1,546,100)
- Lucas Nogueira ($1,468,900)**
- Shelvin Mack ($1,148,163 – QO)***
- Mike Scott ($1,115,243 – QO)***
- Cartier Martin ($915,243)
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (15th overall)
- 2nd Round (43rd overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $47,057,817
- Options: $0
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $1,658,241
- Cap Holds: $13,843,649
- Total: $62,559,707
Rarely does much optimism surround a team that went 38-44 in the regular season and enters the draft without a lottery pick. Yet such is the case with the Hawks, whose injury-depleted roster just barely held off the Knicks for the last playoff berth in the Eastern Conference but nearly toppled the No. 1 seed Pacers in the first round. Much of Atlanta’s success in that series was likely a product of Indiana’s disturbing late-season malaise, but Jeff Teague once more proved a more valuable player in the playoffs, where it really counts, than in the regular season. Team’s all-out attack from behind the three-point arc engendered faith in first-year coach Mike Budenholzer and the team’s trio of inside-out big men. All three — Paul Millsap, Pero Antic and Mike Scott — were on bargain deals.
Millsap has one more year left at the team-friendly rate of $9.5MM, and the Hawks intend to keep Antic past the point when his paltry $1.25MM salary becomes fully guaranteed this summer. Scott’s contract is up, but he’s a restricted free agent, and Hawks GM Danny Ferry can match any offer. But it would be far-fetched if Ferry were content to take a passive approach this summer and hope improved health and the return of Al Horford would be enough for the team to win a round or two in the playoffs.
The Hawks can free up close to enough cap room to register a maximum offer for restricted free agents coming off rookie scale contracts, and it appears as though the team is considering a run at Pistons big man Greg Monroe. Ferry’s agent from his playing days, David Falk, is Monroe’s representative, and there are conflicting reports on just what new Pistons boss Stan Van Gundy intends to do with the former seventh overall pick. Still, the Hawks have Millsap and Horford firmly entrenched at either starting position that Monroe would occupy, and after competing for time with Andre Drummond and Josh Smith this past season, I’d be surprised if Monroe jumped into another crowded frontcourt.
A trade, of course, could change that dynamic, and Ferry would surely have no shortage of intriguing offers for either Horford or Millsap, both underpaid, if he were to put them on the block. A max deal for Monroe, who turns 24 this summer, would give Atlanta a young building block to pair with Teague, who’s facing his 26th birthday, with both on long-term deals. The trick would be finding a trade partner who can provide a piece that fits in exchange for one of the team’s incumbent big men. In that scenario, the Hawks would ideally bring in a wing player who can complement Kyle Korver‘s expert outside shooting with defense and dribble penetration at a level of production and a price point similar to Horford’s or Millsap’s. That’s a lot to ask of Ferry or any basketball executive.
Still, the team knows it needs one more star. The idea of playing with Teague, Horford and Millsap reportedly intrigues free agents, and while the Hawks probably won’t land LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony this summer, Ferry’s pursuit of Dwight Howard last year showed that he’s not afraid to make a pitch to anyone. It wouldn’t be shocking if the team made a run at Gordon Hayward, Luol Deng or Lance Stephenson, all of whom have appeared in the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings as among the 10 best free agent options for the summer ahead. I’m just speculating about those names, but they’d probably be within Atlanta’s price range.
The Hawks are also well-positioned to attack the more star-studded 2015 free agent class, as the team only has Horford, Teague and Korver with guaranteed contracts beyond next season. The prospect of staring at those three plus upward of $35MM in cap flexibility 12 months from now will surely make Ferry think hard before committing long-term money to anyone other than a superstar. Even so, signing a free agent with the cap room likely available to the Hawks this summer wouldn’t preclude the team from clearing enough or nearly enough cash next year to go after the likes of Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo, or even LeBron.
All of that make it critical that the team not overspend on Scott or Shelvin Mack, another soon-to-be restricted free agent. Scott, whom the team unearthed at pick No. 43 in 2012, represents the most productive of the players from the team’s brief draft history under Ferry. He promises to develop into a valuable rotation-level role player who can contribute to even the best of teams, but the Hawks would be wise to let him sign elsewhere if another team shows strong interest. Mack made a valuable contribution this past season as a backup for Teague and as a spot starter, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hawks decline to tender qualifying offers for him and for Scott, clearing $2.5MM worth of cap flexibility. That extra room could make all the difference for a more desirable free agent. Atlanta may also elect to float the qualifying offers with the intention of withdrawing them should one of their primary free agent targets show interest, but that would be a greater risk, since Scott and Mack would be free to quickly accept the offers during the July Moratorium.
Ferry acquired a pair of projects in the draft last year, trading for 16th overall pick Lucas Nogueira, who didn’t sign and spent the season overseas instead, and taking Dennis Schröder at No. 17. Last year’s draft was unusually talent-poor, and this year’s prospects are much more promising, even if they aren’t quite as ballyhooed as they were a year ago. The Hawks are set up to find a more valuable player this year even though they’re drafting at more or less the same position, and Ferry will surely enter draft night with a player or two he’d love to see fall to No. 15. Still, trading the pick seems a distinct possibility, perhaps in exchange for a future first-rounder. The Hawks have a chance to make a move toward title contention in the next year or two, and extra cap flexibility, plus the trade bait that a future first-round pick represents, seem more attractive than a mid-first-round rookie.
Ferry entered last summer with much the same aspirations, and though he accomplished plenty, swiping Millsap at a discount, retaining Teague and Korver, and plucking Antic out of Greece, the Hawks fielded a team that was no better in 2013/14 than it was the year before. Injuries pushed the team even farther down the standings. The Hawks could have ended up with a lottery pick if they’d been just a game or two worse, but it was a stroke of luck for them to make the playoffs and draw a Pacers team that’s wheezed toward the finish line. The Hawks didn’t win, but their showing against Indiana piqued the interest of a long-dormant Atlanta market. The Hawks aren’t a hot ticket quite yet, but their playoff momentum probably bought enough patience for the franchise to allow Ferry to hold on to his cap flexibility for 2015 if his aggressive pitches fall on deaf ears this summer. The offseason ahead could be a pivot point for the Hawks, but it doesn’t have to be.
Cap footnotes
* — Antic’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before July 15th.
** — The Hawks hold the draft rights to Nogueira, who’s yet to sign an NBA contract. He was the 16th overall pick last year, and his cap hold is equal to 100% of the rookie scale for the 16th overall pick in this year’s draft.
*** — Mack and Scott’s cap holds would be $915,243, respectively, if the Hawks do not tender a qualifying offer.
ShamSports and Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ were used in the creation of this post.
Knicks Coaching Rumors: Van Gundy, Walton
The best offer the Knicks made Steve Kerr was for four years and $20MM with incentives, reports Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter links), well short of the five-year, $25MM deal he wound up with from the Warriors. It was even farther away than the five years and $30MM the Mike Tannenbaum client reportedly would have liked. The Knicks insist team president Phil Jackson, and not owner James Dolan, held the line on their offer, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, who adds that while Dolan wasn’t pleased with Kerr’s lack of coaching experience, he would have approved the hire. A friend of Kerr’s told Berman that the new Warriors coach likes the Spurs flow offense, leading Berman to suggest that Jackson’s insistence on the triangle might have been a stumbling block for Kerr.
In any case, it’s on to Plan B for New York, and here’s the latest on who might coach the team now that Jackson’s No. 1 choice is no longer an option:
- Jeff Van Gundy indicated that he would consider coaching the Knicks, as part of his remarks in an appearance today on ESPN Radio with Colin Cowherd, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Still, he doesn’t appear to fit the profile of the sort of young coach with ties to Phil Jackson that the team is seeking.
Earlier updates:
- The Knicks will also consider Luke Walton, report Shelburne and ESPN.com colleague Marc Stein. The team is mostly likely to hire a younger coach with whom Phil Jackson has worked in the past.
- The Knicks will also see if there’s a compensation package that would interest the Nuggets in allowing Shaw out of his contract, Shelburne and Stein write in the same piece. Shaw would have been even with Kerr, if not higher, in the eyes of the Knicks had he not already been employed in Denver, the ESPN scribes hear.
- There’s no indication that Phil Jackson will pursue an established coach like Mark Jackson or Tom Thibodeau, despite the fondness that some in the Knicks organization have for the Bulls coach, according to Stein and Shelburne.
- Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg is on the Knicks radar, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard (Twitter link).
- The Knicks will consider Clippers assistant coach Tyronn Lue for their opening, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, seconding a report from colleague Marc Stein on ESPN’s SportsCenter. Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis and Thunder guard Derek Fisher will also draw a look from the Knicks, as we passed along earlier.
- Brian Shaw, a former Lakers assistant under Jackson, tells Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post that he will remain as head coach of the Nuggets and won’t pursue any opportunity with the Knicks (All Twitter links).
- A source told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com last month that Carmelo Anthony, set to hit free agency in July, is high on playing for Mark Jackson. It’s also not out of the question that Phil Jackson would coach the team, Begley writes, though the Zen Master has said repeatedly that he won’t do that.
Steve Kerr, Joe Lacob On Deal, Curry, Warriors
Steve Kerr thought at one point that the Warriors preferred to hire Stan Van Gundy instead of him, as ESPN.com reports, but when the Pistons swooped in and hired Van Gundy, Kerr became Golden State’s clear-cut No. 1 option. Kerr appeared to be leaning heavily toward the Knicks all along, and it was “agonizing” for him to say no to Knicks president Phil Jackson, as Kerr told Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group, but he wound up accepting a five-year, $25MM offer from Golden State. The deal is devoid of team or coach options, as USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets, and a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that Stephen Curry, a vocal supporter of Jackson, is excited about Kerr (Twitter link). Kawakami scored a one-on-one with the new Warriors coach, while Amick spoke with Golden State co-owner Joe Lacob. The full interviews are tantamount to required reading for Warriors fans, and perhaps Knicks fans, too, and we’ll pass along a few highlights from them that detail how the deal went down:
Kerr on the relationships that led him to Golden State:
“What helped is that I have previous relationships with Joe and Kirk and definitely Bob. Bob and I have known each other for years–he was Robin Lopez’s agent; I drafted Robin in Phoenix, so we spent some time together then. So I knew Bob. And I’ve known Joe actually a long time through a mutual friend, a venture capitalist in the Bay Area. So we’ve been on golf trips together. The familiarity for sure was helpful and it helped everybody relax and just sort of … be themselves. I’ve been preparing for this for the last year. I knew I wanted to coach and I had some prepared materials that I showed them. But more than anything we just talked about the opportunity and the team and the possibilities. We were just all very comfortable with one another.”
Lacob on his relationship with Kerr:
“I knew him through friends — and through golf, quite frankly. I’ve been on golf trips with Steve before, so I know him socially for many years. He’s best friends with one of my best friends and some other people, so I’ve known him, but not necessarily that close or that professionally as has been portrayed. He is certainly somebody who we have always liked, sort of a great, intelligent guy. So he was on our list, and when we decided to make a change he was on our short list of people who we wanted to talk to.”
Kerr on the draw of Stephen Curry, whom Kerr, then Suns GM, tried to acquire in 2009:
“It was huge. I talked to him tonight and I told him this is retribution for that deal falling through back in ’09. [Laughs.] A big part of the pull was not just Steph but the whole roster. It’s a really skilled, talented team. They’ve done a lot of good things the last couple years, they play both ends which was very important. This is not a renovation by any means. This is more just this team has done great things the last couple years and let’s try to build on that. I love the mentality. I think Mark really instilled a defensive identity and the emphasis on rebounding. He did a lot of really good things. That makes my job a lot easier. I’m able to build on that rather than starting to try to build a foundation. The foundation is already there. It’s really an attractive job.”
Lacob on player support for Kerr:
“[Curry] is extremely supportive. That’s all I can tell you. We got Steve Kerr because of our players. We have great players, great character individuals. They all want to win, and I can just tell you that they’re very supportive.”
Kerr on whether he’ll have front office input:
“Yeah, but not as a decision-maker and I wouldn’t want that. I’m going to have a busy enough job as it is. I think to me the healthiest situation for any coach is to have a say, but not have the ultimate decision. I think that’s what the GM is for and I got a really good sense from all the guys that it’s about a consensus. And I’ll be part of that.”
Lacob on hiring another first-time coach:
“Yes, it’s true, [Kerr] has not coached before. But this is what management is all about. You have to be able to pick people, and he is incredibly prepared…Every detail you can imagine. He knew our roster in and out. He had assistant coaches he wanted to go after. It was like a tour de force. Look, at the end of the day I know he knows a lot about basketball. We’re taking a little bit of a risk on his coaching ability, but we did that with Mark and it worked. So it’s just about finding the right fit for the organization and a guy who has extremely high potential, is a hard worker and is very prepared. That’s what we have got.”