Paul Pierce Interested In Clippers
The future of 36-year-old Paul Pierce‘s playing career is closely tied to that of Kevin Garnett, who’s giving no indications about whether he’ll retire, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes. Garnett’s return will make re-signing with the Nets a more attractive option as Pierce enters free agency this summer, but if KG walks away, Pierce would have greater interest in pursuing his already-burgeoning interest in signing with the Clippers, according to Stein. Such a move would reunite him with Doc Rivers, who coached Pierce and Garnett on the Celtics.
Pierce appeared unsure if he wanted to stay in Brooklyn as he spoke to reporters after Wednesday’s season-ending loss to the Heat, observes Andy Vasquez of The Record. He also said that while he still feels he can help a team, he senses the number of years he has left is down to “maybe one or two at the most.”
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post wrote this week that all indications were that Garnett and Pierce would be back with Brooklyn next season. There nonetheless appears to be mutual interest between Pierce and the Celtics, and Stein mentions a return to Boston as a possibility in his piece. Stein also points to the Lakers, noting that Pierce is a Southern California native, but it’s unclear if he has any real interest in wearing purple-and-gold.
Nets GM Billy King has expressed his interest in re-signing the 16-year veteran, pointing to Brooklyn’s Bird rights on Pierce as an advantage. Pierce seems unlikely to command a salary close to the more than $15MM he made this season, but Brooklyn can outbid the Clippers, particularly given Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s willingness to pay whatever it takes. The Clips have more than $66MM in commitments for next season, limiting them to the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception.
Still, Pierce has made nearly $185MM in his career, per Basketball-Reference, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned down an aggressive bid by the Nets to join a Clippers team that appears closer to a championship, especially if Garnett retires. The league might have stepped in had Pierce wound up on Rivers’ team this season, given the NBA’s sensitivity to the idea that there would be more than draft compensation involved in the trade that sent Rivers from Boston to L.A. A year’s removal and Pierce’s unrestricted free agency probably means the league will let him play for Rivers if that’s what he wants to do, though that’s just my speculation.
Eastern Notes: Boycott, LeBron, Draft
The Heat‘s James Jones, who is also the secretary treasurer of the NBAPA, shot down the notion of a LeBron James led boycott next season if Donald Sterling was still the owner of the Clippers, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Jones said, “There is no boycott. There isn’t a lot of talk about a boycott. The union wanted to see the league step up and did what they did what we felt was appropriate – which was to remove Donald Sterling. They did that. It’s a process and we know it’s going to take time. But there is total trust between the union and the league and commissioner and the owners, knowing that eventually it will all play out the way we agreed – which is Donald Sterling no longer being the owner of an NBA team. We’re all on the same page. The Donald Sterling situation is a league situation. It’s not basketball.”
More from the east:
- Roger Mason clarified his previous statement that James would lead a players boycott next season. Mason tweeted, “LBJ never said anything about boycotting. He’s a friend and I would never want to imply something he didn’t say.”
- The Celtics are set to interview Marcus Smart and Dante Exum at the Chicago Combine this week, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (twitter link). Blakely also tweets that Boston is “really big” on Exum.
- Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at the Sixers approach to this year’s Draft Combine, as well as speculates on who the team might select with their multitude of draft picks.
- With the Nets being eliminated from the playoffs this evening, the focus turns to whether or not Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will return to the team, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
And-Ones: Hairston, Wolves, Draft
One player whose draft stock might benefit from the pre-draft interview process is P.J. Hairston, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. In 26 games this past season with the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League, Hairston averaged 21.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.8 APG, and 1.5 SPG in 32.3 minutes per contest.
More from around the league:
- The Timberwolves plan on interviewing Aaron Gordon, Gary Harris, and James Young this week at the Chicago Combine, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). All three players are projected lottery picks and you can check out our prospect profiles on each here.
- RealGM takes a look at the Lakers lottery history.
- The draft combine is crucial to the Magic despite the big names not showing up, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. The Magic are set to interview the league maximum 18 players while in Chicago, the article notes. These names will likely include Dante Exum, Julius Randle, Gordon, Noah Vonleh, and Marcus Smart, per Robbins.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com (video link) breaks down draft prospect C.J. Wilcox. The senior guard from Washington averaged 18.3 PPG this season and is a projected second-round pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
- The Thunder, Bobcats, Lakers, and Cavaliers were among the teams that met with Rodney Hood at the draft combine, reports Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- Jarnell Stokes met with the Knicks and the Hawks today, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Stokes is projected as a second-round pick.
Reactions To Kerr Heading To Warriors
It was reported earlier that Steve Kerr accepted the Warriors five-year, $25MM offer to become their new head coach. This news comes as a blow to the Knicks who had been the favorites to sign Kerr.
The latest on Kerr:
- In an article by ESPN.com, multiple sources said Kerr told Knicks president Phil Jackson he chose the Warriors for family reasons. Sources also said that Kerr preferred the Warriors’ job to the Knicks job all along, but it was a difficult decision because of his relationship with Jackson.
- The article also notes that the draw of working close to his San Diego home factored heavily into his decision.
- In regards to Kerr’s hiring, Warriors owner Joe Lacob said, “We love Kerr. Incredibly prepared. We got him because of our players. The Golden State Warriors’ future is bright,” per a tweet by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- The Knicks are regrouping after the Kerr announcement, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Shelburne’s sources told her that Kurt Rambis and Derek Fisher will be among the candidates considered for the team’s head coaching position.
- Kerr will stay in his broadcasting position through the Western Conference Finals before reporting full-time to Warriors, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link).
- The five-year, $25MM contract Kerr signed makes him one of the best paid coaches in the league, writes Nick Schwartz of USA Today.
- Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops thinks the Knicks should be glad that Kerr passed on their position. This leaves the door open to hire the best candidate, Mark Jackson, opines Sheridan.
- One of the points that the Warriors were going to make to Kerr was that Knicks owner James Dolan had gone through eight coaches since 2001, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
- Kerr showed how smart he was by picking Golden State’s superior roster over the Knicks’, writes Mike Lupica of The New York Daily News.
Eastern Notes: Van Gundy, Knicks, Cavaliers
Stan Van Gundy hit a home run when he interviewed in Los Angeles with Pistons owner Tom Gores and representatives from his Platinum Equity firm, as Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press details. He broke down every player on the roster and presented a detailed plan for his first 100 days as he convinced the team he could handle the front office and coaching duties at the same time, Ellis writes.
More from the east:
- The Knicks have officially named their new D-League team the Westchester Knicks, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer breaks down the coaching candidates for the Cavaliers head coaching position.
- Balancing coaching with running the Pistons might prove too difficult for Van Gundy, writes Drew Sharp of USA Today. Sharp looks at the reasons why he thinks things could get ugly for Van Gundy as an executive in Detroit.
- Now that Steve Kerr is headed to the Warriors, Al Iannazzone of Newsday looks at some coaching candidates that Phil Jackson might turn to next.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Warriors, Pelicans, Jazz
The Warriors could hire one of the known coaching candidates, but Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area Newsgroup (Twitter link) thinks team owner Joe Lacob would love to do a “stealth hiring” if he’s unable to lure Steve Kerr. Kawakami also tweets that just because certain names keep being mentioned, that doesn’t mean those are the only ones in play for the position.
More from out west:
- When Stan Van Gundy met with the Warriors, the Pistons had already presented him with their plan of a dual executive/coach role, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reports. Van Gundy wasn’t a product of the team’s search committee, led by Phil Norment and Bob Wentworth, but owner Tom Gores forged ahead, according to Lowe, who says Van Gundy has told the Pistons he’ll take an analytical approach to both his front office and coaching jobs.
- The Pelicans have no interest in trading for Josh Smith, Lowe writes in the same piece.
- The Jazz‘s one-to-one affiliation with Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League still remains likely, reports Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (Twitter link). The Jazz shared the Bakersfield Jam with four other NBA teams this season.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Steve Kerr Rumors: Wednesday
The focus is on Steve Kerr for both New York and Golden State now that Stan Van Gundy has joined the Pistons. Here’s the latest on the former Suns GM:
- The Knicks have agreed to guarantee the salary in the fourth year of a deal for Kerr, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The team previously had insisted on a three-year deal with a fourth-year team option, Wojnarowski writes. That’s slightly different from previous reports that suggested the Knicks were offering four guaranteed years and that the stumbling block was a fifth season.
- The Warriors and “several other teams” pursuing Kerr were already willing to guarantee at least four seasons, Wojnarowski adds in the same piece. The Jazz are the only other team known to be in on Kerr, so perhaps there are other suitors. In any case, Wojnarowski says that Kerr has narrowed his choices to the Knicks and the Warriors, and executives involved in process tell the Yahoo! scribe that money isn’t central to Kerr’s thinking as he weighs his options.
- Tuesday’s meeting with Kerr further convinced the Warriors of his capabilities, but his bond with Knicks president Phil Jackson continues to loom over Golden State’s pursuit, as Wojnarowski writes.
Latest On Cavs Coaching Search
4:16pm: There’s no front-runner for the Cavs job, and the team doesn’t have a “short list,” either, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who adds that the team hasn’t spoken to any candidates.
1:45pm: The Cavs are indeed considering Gentry and Del Negro, whose names drew mention earlier as possible candidates, USA Today’s Sam Amick reports (Twitter link).
THURSDAY, 1:00pm: The Cavs have interest in John Calipari, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Calipari just reiterated his assertion that he won’t leave Kentucky to Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer, but the Cavs apparently want to test that assertion and see if Calipari, who’s close with LeBron James, will come north.
TUESDAY, 4:04pm: Potential coaching candidates include former Suns coach Scott Skiles, current Suns assistant Jerry Sichting, former Warriors coach Mark Jackson, former NBA Coach of the Year George Karl, and former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, who has already expressed an interest in the job, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
3:20pm: Salary won’t be an issue for the Cavs as they search for a coach, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, who suggests the team might be willing to hire a team president as well as a coach and make a run at Kerr.
3:15pm: The Cavs want their next coach to install a faster-paced offense than Mike Brown ran, notes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Cavs were 18th in pace last season, according to NBA.com.
2:39pm: Bulls assistant coach Adrian Griffin is likely to be a prime candidate to fill the just-created head coaching vacancy in Cleveland, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Griffin and Cavs small forward Luol Deng, set to hit free agency in July, were together with the Bulls, as Amick notes.
Griffin has been linked to the Jazz’s opening as well. He was a candidate for head coaching jobs with the Sixers and Pistons last year and the Blazers in 2012. Griffin isn’t related to David Griffin, who had the interim tag removed from his GM title in Cleveland.
David Griffin’s experience in Phoenix, where he worked for 17 years before joining the Cavs front office, gives him ties to a number of possible candidates. Marc Stein of ESPN.com names Mike D’Antoni, Vinny Del Negro and Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry among them, though it appears as though none of them are candidates for the Cavs opening quiet yet (Twitter links).
Latest On Kevin Ollie
NBA teams have been in touch with University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, who’s engaged in “firm” discussions and is nearing the interview stage with one club, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. That team isn’t the Lakers, who haven’t reached out, according to Charania, in spite of an earlier report that they plan to interview Ollie, among other candidates. Ollie acknowledged that he’ll listen to inquiries but insisted that he wants to continue to coach Connecticut and said he’s telling recruits that he’ll remain at the school, as Dom Amore of The Hartford Courant observes.
“I love this university,” Ollie said today. “I’m not looking for another job. Of course, you listen to different things — I got two ears so I’m going to listen — but I’m not going out there soliciting any other job. I want to be here at the University of Connecticut.”
The primary sticking point in talks on a new contract with UConn is the amount of his NBA escape clause, currently set at $2.55MM, Amore reports. Ollie made about $1.6MM including bonuses last season, according to Amore, but there’s reportedly a decent chance that the Huskies will double his salary on a new contract.
Ollie has no interviews with any NBA team lined up for this week’s draft combine, Charania hears. Charania makes mention of the Cavs as “highly aggressive” in their pursuit of a coach, but it’s not clear whether they’re connected to Ollie. A recent report categorized him in the first tier of Warriors candidates, and the Thunder apparently would have interest if they were to fire Scott Brooks.
Jazz, Cavs, Warriors, Wolves Eye Lionel Hollins
The Jazz, Cavs, Warriors and Wolves have shown interest in Lionel Hollins for their coaching vacancies, while the Lakers and Knicks have not, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities heard that the Wolves had not made contact with the former Grizzlies coach as of Monday night (on Twitter), but perhaps that’s changed. The Warriors were the only team among the four apparently eyeing him whose interest was known, and they’re reportedly set to interview him on Thursday.
Hollins has been connected to many openings since the Grizzlies cut ties with him last summer, and he and the Pistons appeared to have mutual interest after the team fired Maurice Cheeks. Hollins would like a crack at the Lakers job, but the team has yet to reach out to any candidates, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). The Knicks have focused entirely on Steve Kerr.
The Jazz are unlikely to hire a former NBA head coach, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News hears (Twitter link), but Utah is planning to interview more than 20 candidates, so it would be somewhat surprising if they didn’t talk to at least one ex-NBA coach. Hollins’ reputation grew in his last three seasons with Memphis as the team went to the playoffs each year, culminating in a Western Conference Finals appearance after last year’s 56-win regular season. He was 214-201 over parts of seven seasons in two separate stints with the Grizzlies.
Hollins’ best teams excelled defensively, but the Warriors reportedly prefer an offensively minded coach. He’d look to bring Paul Westphal aboard as an assistant to design the Golden State offense, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, but it’s unclear if Westphal would be a part of the plan if Hollins ends up elsewhere.