Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 6/8/2021
Hoops Rumors’ weekly live chat took place today at noon central time (1pm ET).
Click here for a transcript of today’s live chat.
Poll: Utah Jazz Vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Whichever team wins the second-round series between the Jazz and Clippers, which gets underway on Tuesday night, is viewed as the betting favorite to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. But even just winning one more round would represent a major step forward for these two franchises.
The Jazz are in the postseason for a fifth consecutive year, but they haven’t advanced past the Western Conference Semifinals since the 2006/07 season, and haven’t appeared in the NBA Finals since being defeated by Michael Jordan‘s Bulls in back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998.
The Clippers have a far more extensive track record of playoff disappointments. Since the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1984, the Clippers have made it beyond the first round only five times and have never made it past the second round. If they can win this series, the Clippers will be in the Western Finals for the first time ever.
Of course, while advancing to the Western Finals will be huge for the team that makes it through, losing this series would represent a major disappointment for the team that falls short.
The Jazz had the NBA’s best regular season record in 2020/21 and are nearly at full strength entering the second round (Mike Conley is listed as questionable for Game 1 with a mild right hamstring strain). The Clippers went all-in two summers ago to land Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, with aspirations of winning the first title in franchise history. Neither team entered the postseason expecting to only win one series.
The Jazz will enter the series as slight favorites, per BetOnline.ag, but as John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, it’s not the most comfortable matchup for Utah. The Clippers don’t rely on getting to the rim to score, which will nullify the impact of star rim protector Rudy Gobert to some extent. And the Jazz’s options for guarding Leonard and George are limited beyond Royce O’Neale and Bojan Bogdanovic.
Still, Gobert is capable of punishing smaller Clippers lineups, and the Jazz have the offensive firepower necessary to take advantage of switches, as Hollinger writes. Additionally, the Clips had to push their key players much harder to get out of the first round. Leonard and George played big minutes in elimination games on Friday and Sunday, while Conley, Donovan Mitchell (who returned from an ankle sprain in round one), and the rest of the Jazz got a few days of much-needed rest.
This series seems like a strong candidate to be a seven-gamer. But we want to know what you think. Which team are you picking to advance to the Western Conference Finals, the Jazz or the Clippers? How many games do you expect the series to last?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your predictions!
Which team will win the series?
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Jazz in 6-7 games 50% (482)
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Clippers in 6-7 games 35% (341)
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Jazz in 4-5 games 11% (103)
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Clippers in 4-5 games 4% (42)
Total votes: 968
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Blazers Rumors: Billups, Lillard, Roster Changes, Kidd
On Monday, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said there have been whispers among league personnel for weeks about Chauncey Billups being the most likely candidate to replace Terry Stotts as the Trail Blazers‘ head coach.
Today, John Hollinger of The Athletic echoed that point, writing that league sources view Billups as the likeliest choice for the Blazers. That belief may be one reason why Jason Kidd removed his name from consideration for the Portland job so quickly, Hollinger speculates.
Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said on Monday that the team will look at upwards of 20-to-25 candidates, so it doesn’t sound like he has zeroed on Billups quite yet. However, it’s worth noting that Billups – along with Kidd – was one of the candidates Damian Lillard endorsed last week. And Olshey confirmed during his press conference on Monday that Lillard will have a say in the hiring process, as Jason Quick of The Athletic details.
“Obviously, Dame’s opinion is very important,” Olshey said. “If you ask him, we have very rarely made a big free-agent decision, very rarely made a trade without his participation and his insight. And it will be the same thing (with this coaching hire).”
According to Olshey, when the team made its decision on Stotts, Lillard was the first player to be informed.
“I called Dame to let him know we were making a coaching change, and I kind of told him the model of what we are looking at in terms of profile and the kind of candidates we would be looking at,” Olshey said, per Quick. “And I said, ‘Hey, if you have a few names, let me know.’ And he gave me a couple names. It’s unfortunate it was made public, because it didn’t actually serve the guys whose names were thrown out there. It certainly didn’t serve them well in the ensuing 48 hours.”
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- Olshey said on Monday that finding a coach capable of improving the Blazers’ defense will be a top priority. As Quick writes, Olshey pointed to certain teams – such as the Knicks and Hawks – that made defensive improvements after changing coaches without major roster shakeups. “Teams that made big jumps on the defensive end were led in part by coaches who players knew on day one they were going to have to defend and be held accountable on that end of the floor because that’s what the coach valued,” Olshey said.
- Although Olshey didn’t close the door on roster changes, he argued on Monday that the Blazers’ first-round loss “was not a product of the roster,” according to Hollinger. He also suggested that the coaching hire is Portland’s top priority since it’s a decision that the team can fully control. “We don’t control whether or not a superstar player wants to come to Portland or not. Or whether we have the pieces to get a deal done for that level of player,” Olshey said, per Quick. “But right now, we do control one element where we think we can find someone who can make more of an impact — with the current group, with improvements coming in the offseason — to get us to the level we expect to be at.”
- Asked on Monday about changes to the roster, Olshey declined to specifically discuss any players, stating his preference not to do in a public forum. “We are going to look to make our team better; nothing is ever off the table if it advances us closer to a championship,” he said, per Quick. “But I’m not going to start bandying names about because people in the media think that there is some predetermined resistance to making a trade.”
- Following Lillard’s public endorsement of Kidd, there was some back-and-forth between Lillard’s camp and the Blazers’ front office, according to Quick, who believes that conversation may have revolved around the team’s concerns about Kidd’s domestic violence history.
2021 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker
With another regular season in the books, a handful of teams around the NBA are making head coaching changes in advance of the 2021/22 campaign.
In the space below, we’ll provide daily updates on the head coaching searches for each club that has yet to give anyone the permanent title. Some of these searches could extend well into the summer, so be sure to check back each day for the latest updates.
You’ll be able to access this page anytime under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site, or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu.
Updated 7-22-21 (2:40pm CT)
Active Searches:
None
Completed Searches:
Boston Celtics
- New coach:
- Ime Udoka (story)
- Previous coach:
- Brad Stevens (moved to front office role)
- Also reportedly considered:
- Celtics assistant Jerome Allen (story)
- Celtics assistant Scott Morrison (story)
- Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga (story)
- Celtics assistant Joe Mazzulla (story)
- Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups (story)
- Bucks assistant Darvin Ham (story)
- Bucks assistant Charles Lee (story)
- Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley (story)
- Lakers assistant Jason Kidd (story)
- Former Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce (story)
- Sixers assistant Sam Cassell (story)
- Duke women’s coach Kara Lawson (story)
- Nets assistant Mike D’Antoni (story)
Despite a disappointing season in Boston, Stevens wasn’t expected to be in any danger of losing his job this spring. And technically, he didn’t lose his job — he actually received a promotion, as he was named the Celtics’ new president of basketball operations and led the search for his replacement.
He ultimately landed on Udoka, who has extensive experience as an assistant coach for the Nets, Sixers, and Spurs. Udoka was also a member of the Team USA staff at the 2019 World Cup, reportedly impressing a number of Celtics players at that event.
Dallas Mavericks
- New coach:
- Jason Kidd (story)
- Previous coach:
- Rick Carlisle (stepped down)
- Also reportedly considered:
Carlisle’s resignation was just the latest bombshell in one of the most eventful off-the-court weeks in Mavericks history, following closely on the heels of Donnie Nelson‘s exit from the franchise. Carlisle had spent 13 years in Dallas and was the NBA’s third longest-tenured head coach at the time of his exit.
Replacing him will be Kidd, who played under Carlisle in Dallas from 2008-12. Carlisle actually endorsed Kidd for the job shortly before word broke that the Mavs were finalizing a deal with the former start point guard. The hope is that Kidd and current Mavs point guard Luka Doncic will be a great match and will benefit from the union.
Indiana Pacers
- New coach:
- Rick Carlisle (story)
- Previous coach:
- Nate Bjorkgren (parted ways)
- Also reportedly considered:
Bjorkgren lost his job as the Pacers’ head coach after just a year, reportedly due in large part to poor communication issues and a tendency to micro-manage. Indiana, seeking a more experienced, established head coach to replace a first-timer who didn’t work out, found their man in Carlisle, who has the 15th-most career wins among all NBA head coaches and also coached the Pacers from 2003-07.
Carlisle, who reportedly received a four-year, $29MM contract, will be tasked with helping to turn a veteran-heavy Pacers squad that missed the playoffs in 2021 into a club that can legitimately contend for a spot in the NBA Finals.
New Orleans Pelicans
- New coach:
- Willie Green (story)
- Previous coach:
- Stan Van Gundy (parted ways)
- Also reportedly considered:
- Withdrew from consideration:
- Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn (story)
Van Gundy failed to connect with the young players on the Pelicans’ roster and failed to make good on his goal of improving the team’s defense, resulting in a short-lived stint as the head coach. New Orleans will replace him with Green and will have to hope the former Suns assistant is the right long-term choice, since the team wants to avoid subjecting its young stars to more turnover. Green will be Zion Williamson‘s third head coach in three years.
Orlando Magic
- New coach:
- Jamahl Mosley (story)
- Previous coach:
- Steve Clifford (parted ways)
- Also reportedly considered:
- Spurs assistant Becky Hammon (story)
- Nuggets associate head coach Wes Unseld Jr. (story)
- Suns assistant Willie Green (story)
- Bucks assistant Charles Lee (story)
- Magic assistant Tyrone Corbin (story)
- Magic assistant Pat Delany (story)
- Magic assistant Steve Hetzel (story)
- Former Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts (story)
- Nets assistant Mike D’Antoni (story)
- Former Warriors assistant Jarron Collins (story)
- Received consideration before joining another team or withdrawing:
The Magic and Clifford reportedly discussed a contract extension before going their separate ways. Clifford apparently wasn’t ready to sign up for a protracted rebuilding process, so Orlando shifted its focus to a coach with a strong track record of player development who is willing to be patient with a young roster.
The Magic ultimately identified Mosley as their man following his exit from an assistant role in Dallas, where he worked closely with Luka Doncic in recent years. He reportedly signed a four-year contract with Orlando.
Portland Trail Blazers
- New coach:
- Chauncey Billups (story)
- Previous coach:
- Terry Stotts (parted ways)
- Also reportedly considered:
- Withdrew from consideration:
- Lakers assistant Jason Kidd (story)
Long rumored to be on the hot seat if Portland didn’t make a deep playoff run this spring, Stotts was let go by the Blazers shortly after the team was knocked out of the postseason by Denver.
Initial reports stated that Damian Lillard‘s input would play a major part in the Blazers’ coaching hire, and the All-Star guard expressed public support for Kidd and Billups. However, Kidd subsequently withdrew his name from consideration, reportedly uncomfortable with the idea of pursuing the job following Lillard’s public endorsement. That left Billups as the frontrunner, and he ultimately beat out finalists D’Antoni and Hammon for the job.
The Blazers, who agreed to a five-year deal with Billups, faced some backlash due to a 1997 sexual assault case involving the former All-Star guard. However, the team reportedly investigated that incident and didn’t find anything they felt disqualified Billups from being offered the position.
Washington Wizards
- New coach:
- Wes Unseld Jr. (story)
- Previous coach:
- Scott Brooks (not retained)
- Also received consideration:
- Bucks assistant Darvin Ham (story)
- Bucks assistant Charles Lee (story)
- Celtics assistant Scott Morrison (story)
- Sixers assistant Sam Cassell (story)
- Hornets assistant Ronald Nored (story)
- Heat assistant Chris Quinn (story)
- Bulls assistant Chris Fleming (story)
- Suns assistant Willie Green (story)
- Suns assistant Kevin Young (story)
- Received consideration before joining another team:
- Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley (story)
The 2020/21 season was the final one in Brooks’ contract, so unlike most of the other coaches on this list, he wasn’t technically dismissed — he and the Wizards just ended up not negotiating a new contract.
Star guards Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal had a voice in the process to hire Brooks’ replacements, which focused on several experienced assistants and ultimately landed on Unseld. The former Nuggets associate head coach has an extensive résumé as an NBA assistant and is also the son of D.C. legend Wes Unseld Sr., making this union a homecoming for the Unseld Jr., who grew up in Maryland.
Daryl Morey, Sixers Fined For Tampering Violation
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey received a $75K fine on Monday evening for violating the NBA’s anti-tampering rules, the league announced in a press release. The 76ers were also hit with a separate $75K fine for the violation.
The NBA explained in its statement that the penalty was a response to a social media post Morey made on June 3 regarding Warriors star Stephen Curry.
Morey, on Twitter, shared a screenshot of an Instagram post in which Curry praised his brother, Sixers sharpshooter Seth Curry, following Seth’s 30-point outburst in Game 5 of the 76ers’ first-round series vs. Washington. Morey added the caption, “Join ’em,” which was widely interpreted as a call for this season’s scoring champ to join his younger brother in Philadelphia.
Morey later responded to his tweet with the following clarification: “My goodness folks I am talking about the fact that we are all thrilled @sdotcurry is here with the @sixers — nothing else.” However, that wasn’t enough to dissuade the NBA from fining both the Sixers and their head of basketball operations.
This is the second time this season that Morey has been fined for a violation of the NBA’s anti-tampering rules. He was also hit with a $50K penalty in December for a tweet about James Harden.
Central Notes: Joseph, Doumbouya, Bulls, Bucks
Cory Joseph has a partially guaranteed contract for next season and the Pistons could retain him, depending upon how the draft shakes out, Rod Beard of The Detroit News opines in a mailbag post. Only $2.4MM of Joseph’s $12.6MM is guaranteed and the Pistons will have decide whether to give him the full amount prior to free agency.
However, Joseph earned respect with his production and professionalism after being acquired in a mid-season deal with the Kings. If the Pistons draft Cade Cunningham or Jalen Suggs, they’ll probably pass on Joseph’s guarantee. Otherwise, there’s a good chance the Pistons will keep him.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Pistons forward Sekou Doumbouya finished his second season on a high note and next season will be pivotal regarding his future with the franchise, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. He averaged 11.8 PPG and 4.9 RPG over the final eight games. Doumbouya needs to be in top condition to accentuate his strengths as a cutter in half-court situations and finisher in transition. He also needs to improve his 3-point shooting to gain a rotation spot. Detroit will have to decide by the start of next season whether to pick up the fourth-year option on Doumbouya.
- Even with All-Stars Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls have virtually no shot at reaching the top three in the Eastern Conference in the next few seasons, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes. Chicago will even have difficulty breaking into the next tier of teams, considering that franchises such as the Hawks and Knicks are on the upswing and the Celtics and Heat are committed to winning.
- Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer says his team needs to have a “short-term memory” after its disastrous outing in Game 2 against Brooklyn on Monday, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. “Whether you get beat by a point or by 40, you have to be ready for Game 3,” he said. “You’ve got to have a short-term memory. You’ve got to get yourself ready, understand what we need to do to go home and win Game 3.”
Pacific Notes: Collins, Ibaka, George, Caruso, Drummond
The Warriors and assistant coach Jarron Collins have mutually agreed to part ways with Collins setting his sights on a head coaching job, Marc J. Spears of ESPN reports. Head coach Steve Kerr indicated last week that there would be changes on his staff.
Collins, 42, joined the Warriors staff prior to the 2014/15 season as a player-development coach and was promoted to assistant coach the following season. He’s been in charge of the defense the last two seasons.
“For me, this is about taking the next journey and next step in my career,” he told Spears. Collins has interviewed for head coaching jobs with the Bulls, Grizzlies and Hawks in recent years.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Serge Ibaka has been listed as doubtful to play in Game 1 against Utah on Tuesday and he didn’t even travel with the Clippers to Salt Lake City, Mark Medina of USA Today tweets. Ibaka, who has battled a back injury during the second half of the season, played only 19 minutes in the first round.
- The Clippers needed seven games to get out of the first round and Paul George won’t mind doing the same against the Jazz as long as his team prevails, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register writes. “It’s a marathon,” he said. “We’re not worried about how long it takes to get to what we want to get to. We’ve just got to get it done. We’ve got to be the best team in any seven-game series, that’s just what it comes down to. It’s not going to be easy, and I think (Dallas) did a great job of reiterating that, that this isn’t going to be easy.”
- Re-signing Alex Caruso will be a high priority for the Lakers, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. The unrestricted free agent could receive a contract in the $12-$13MM per season range, Buha anticipates. It’s unlikely Andre Drummond will be back unless he accepts the veteran’s minimum or one of the team’s exceptions, in Buha’s estimation. The Athletic writer takes a look at all the team’s free agents in the story.
Northwest Notes: Blazers, Lillard, Conley, Barton, Dozier
The Trail Blazers are compiling a list of candidates to replace coach Terry Stotts and the first round of virtual interviews could begin this week, according to Anne Peterson of The Associated Press.
“We’re running a very expansive, diverse search,” Portland GM Neil Olshey said. “We’ll probably have anywhere from 20 to 25 candidates in there with biographical data, background, intel, impact studies, coaching records, playing records, etc., so that we all are speaking the same language as we vet these candidates.”
Olshey won’t reach out to teams or agents requesting permission to conduct formal interviews until he reviews all of that information.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Damian Lillard is expected to have a major say in the Trail Blazers’ coaching search and even went public with his affinity for Jason Kidd, who has since pulled himself out of consideration, and Chauncey Billups. However, Lillard is not making demands of any kind when it comes to the coaching hire, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports. He’ll let the front office and ownership handle the search and they’ll communicate with their franchise player during the process.
- Jazz point guard Mike Conley participated in parts of Monday’s practice, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. Conley suffered a mild right hamstring strain during Game 5 of the first round against Memphis. The team has listed him as questionable for Game 1 against the Clippers on Tuesday (Twitter link). He averaged 20 PPG and 10.25 APG during the first four games of the playoffs.
- Not only did the Nuggets eliminate the Trail Blazers without Jamal Murray, they were also missing Will Barton (hamstring) and PJ Dozier (adductor). That could change for the second-round matchup with the Suns, coach Michael Malone said to Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post. They won’t play in Game 1 on Monday but they have returned to practice. “There is definitely hope and optimism that they will be available at some point during the series,” Malone said.
Tom Thibodeau Named Coach Of The Year
Tom Thibodeau has been named Coach of the Year, according to a league press release.
Thibodeau guided the Knicks to their first postseason appearance since the 2012/13 season. The Knicks finished the regular season with a 41-31 record, ending a string of seven consecutive losing seasons. They were 21-45 last season and 17-65 in 2018/19.
It’s the second Coach of the Year award for Thibodeau, who also earned the honor in the 2010/11 season with the Bulls in his first season as a head coach. No one had previously won the award in his first season with two different franchises.
Suns coach Monty Williams actually received more first-place votes (45) than Thibodeau (43). However, Thibodeau earned 351 total points while Williams had 340 points. The 11-point difference between the first- and second-place finishers was the smallest margin since the voting format was introduced in the 2002/03 season.
The Jazz‘s Quin Snyder finished third with 161 points (10 first-place votes). Four other coaches received votes — Doc Rivers (Sixers), Nate McMillan (Hawks), Steve Nash (Nets), and Michael Malone (Nuggets).
Thibodeau is the first Knicks coach since Pat Riley (1992/93) to win the award.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Spurs Won’t Give Weatherspoon Qualifying Offer
The Spurs won’t extend a qualifying offer to guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. That will make Weatherspoon an unrestricted free agent.
The 2019 second-round selection appeared in 20 games this season, but he only averaged 2.3 PPG in 6.1 MPG. He scored a season-high 13 points against Phoenix on May 15.
The qualifying offer is a modest $1.67MM but the organization has apparently decided Weatherspoon wouldn’t make its roster next season.
Weatherspoon, who played 11 games for the Spurs during his rookie season, was on a two-way contract during his first two seasons in the league. He missed some time this season after being placed under the league’s health and safety protocols.