Hornets Considering Jay Triano For Coaching Staff
As first relayed by international basketball journalist David Pick, the Hornets are reportedly in discussions to hire former Suns’ interim head coach Jay Triano to new head coach James Borrego‘s coaching staff.
In a story for The Charlotte Observer, Rick Bonnell adds that the Hornets wouldn’t comment earlier today when asked about Triano, but that the report makes sense given the fact that it’s common for first-time head coaches in the NBA like Borrego to hire former head coaches to their staff as a resource.
An example cited by Bonnell is this past season’s head coach for the Hornets, Steve Clifford, having both former Spurs, Hawks, Clippers, and Sonics’ head coach Bob Weiss and former Kings, Wizards, and Sixers’ coach Eddie Jordan on his staff in Charlotte.
Triano, 59, coached all but three games for the Suns last season after Earl Watson was fired and was a candidate for the permanent job in Phoenix before the Suns hired former Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov.
Co-Owner Wyc Grousbeck Confident About Celtics’ Future
Celtics co-owner, managing partner, and CEO Wyc Grousbeck appeared today on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston before tonight’s Game 2 between the Celtics and Cavaliers to discuss a bevy of topics, as relayed by Adam Kaufman of WBZ-AM NewsRadio 1030 (click here for links).
Perhaps most interestingly, Grousbeck uncovered the fact that the Cavs were interested in obtaining/would have accepted Jayson Tatum instead of the Nets’ upcoming pick in the 2018 NBA Draft in last summer’s blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Celtics. Ultimately, the Celtics preferred to send the pick instead of their prized rookie, which sure appears to have been the right decision as we sit here today.
Faced with the upcoming free agency of Marcus Smart this summer and the potential free agency of Irving, Al Horford, and Terry Rozier next summer, Grousbeck was also asked to discuss the Celtics’ willingness to dip into the luxury tax if necessary. Per Kaufman, Grousbeck said the Celtics are prepared to “pay for performance” and “to do whatever it takes to win again.”
As for Irving’s knee injury that has kept him out of this year’s postseason, Grousbeck said that he has no long-term concerns about Irving’s knee, which parallels the report from about a month ago that Irving was already seen walking around without a noticeable limp just a little over a week after his surgery.
Given Irving’s positive prognosis, the relative youth of the Celtics’ roster and head coach, and the prowess the team has exhibited so far this postseason without Irving, Gordon Hayward, or Daniel Theis, it’s no surprise that Grousbeck feels very confident about his team’s future, even going as far as to say he’d be disappointed if the Celtics aren’t back in the same position they’re in now for the next five years.
Poll: Boston Celtics Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Seven months ago, nobody would have been surprised to learn that the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals would pit the Celtics against the Cavaliers. In fact, most probably would have expected these two teams to be where they are.
Yet, after a season filled with drama for both franchises, with the Cavs trading away half of their team midway through the season and the Celts losing both Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving to injuries, the match-up isn’t quite what many would have expected in the preseason.
The Cavaliers, looking to reach their fourth consecutive NBA Finals, are considered to be the favorite by most, as they still have the best player in the world on their side. LeBron James is averaging a ridiculous 34.9/9.4/9.0 so far this postseason and the Celtics and head coach Brad Stevens will have their hands full trying to contain him throughout the series.
The regular season series finished in favor of Cleveland, with the Cavaliers blowing out the Celtics in Boston back in February after the teams each won a game on their home floor earlier in the season.
However, the first game the teams played – in the season opener – was marred by Hayward’s injury, and the win in February by Cleveland saw huge contributions by newly acquired players Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, and Larry Nance – players who have seen their minutes reduced this postseason.
So what do you think? Which team do you expect to represent the East in the NBA Finals? Place your vote, then jump into the comment section below to discuss the series.
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Hoops Rumors Originals: 5/5/18 – 5/12/18
Every week, we here at Hoops Rumors strive to create interesting original content to complement our news feed. Here are the original segments and features from the past seven days:
- Luke Adams took a look at the 2018 free agents who have boosted their stock the most this postseason.
- In several different Community Shootarounds, we asked:
- How would you fix the Raptors?
- What moves would you make to brighten the future of the Pistons?
- If you ran the Sixers, would you let Simmons and Embiid develop as team leaders or try to rush the process and add another star?
- In his weekly mailbag, Arthur Hill answered readers’ questions regarding the Wizards’ interest in DeAndre Jordan, the Pacers’ offseason plans, and the Knicks’ hire of David Fizdale.
- We continued our 2018 Offseason Salary Cap Digest with the following franchises:
- Luke Adams checked in on this offseason’s NBA head coaching searches.
- We continued our annual NBA Award Picks with:
- Austin Kent continued his 2018 Free Agent Stock Watch:
- In our only polls this week, we asked:
- Which team will win the Western Conference Finals?
- Did the Raptors make the right decision in firing Dwane Casey?
Southeast Notes: Borrego, Wall, McGruder, Monk
As we wrote yesterday, the Hornets have no immediate plans to blow up their roster. Yet, a culture change is definitely in the works with new head coach James Borrego, who brings with him the winning culture of Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs, a franchise with five championships and a sixth NBA Finals appearance since the 1998-99 season.
While Borrego is not Popovich, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer opines that there are four great habits he learned from Popovich that he can bring to the Hornets – great ball movement, getting the best out of your players, the ability to positively impact a locker room, and perhaps most importantly, develop talent.
As Bonnell notes, the more important quality the Hornets were looking for in its next head coach was player development. And while the Spurs front office gets a lot of credit for its ability in the draft, having a coaching staff adept at developing players is just as important.
Some examples of players who the Spurs drafted low and turned into serviceable NBA players include Tony Parker (28th overall), Manu Ginobili (57th), George Hill (26th), Tiago Splitter (28th), and Dejounte Murray (29th). Moreover, the Spurs developed Danny Green (46th) after acquiring him as a free agent. To that end, the Hornets hope that the hiring of Borrego will help develop its two young players drafted last summer – Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Candace Buckner of The Washington Post opines that although the leadership of John Wall was at times questionable this season for the Wizards, the situation would’ve been helped if Wall was able to play more, using his on-court leadership skills as opposed to trying to lead off the court.
- Heat swingman Rodney McGruder is looking forward to returning to the hardwood next season and working to win back a spot in the rotation after missing 64 games during the 2017/18 campaign, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel.
- In another piece for The Charlotte Observer, Bonnell looks at how Monk will fit into the Hornets’ plans. According to new head coach Borrego, “I see him as a playmaker, who can play with Kemba (Walker) and also be on the court without Kemba, creating offense for us. (Or) pairing him and Nic Batum in a lineup where Nic is facilitating. He’s a combo (guard). I don’t know until I get my hands on him where I’m going to put him or how we’re going to play him. But he’s just going to be a very good basketball player who fits today’s NBA.”
Five Key Stories: 5/5/18 – 5/12/18
In case you missed any of this past week’s top stories from around the league, we have you covered with our Week in Review. Below are the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
The Raptors fired head coach Dwane Casey after the team was swept for the second straight postseason by the Cavaliers. Ironically, Casey was fired despite winning the peer-voted NBCA Coach of the Year Award just days earlier. Casey, who took over as the Raptors’ head coach in 2011, is the winningest coach in team history, leading the club to five straight seasons with at least 48 wins. Yet, despite Toronto’s regular season success, the Raptors have struggled to make deep playoff runs, ultimately dooming Casey’s future with the franchise.
Stan Van Gundy and the Pistons have parted ways, with the team ultimately making the decision to move on from the former head coach and president of basketball operations. Van Gundy’s job security had been a source of speculation for much of this year after the team posted a disappointing 37-45 record in 2016/17 and again failed to make the postseason this season. The Pistons will conduct separate searches for its new head coach and new head of basketball operations. It was later reported that Van Gundy was willing to give up his front office position after that issue was originally reported as a point of contention.
Former Spurs’ assistant coach James Borrego has been named the new head coach for the Hornets, replacing Steve Clifford. Borrego began his NBA coaching career in San Antonio from 2003 to 2010 before returning to the Spurs in 2015. He has head coaching experience, having led the Magic to a 10-20 record as Jacque Vaughn‘s interim replacement the season before returning to San Antonio. Borrego also interviewed with the Knicks and Suns and reportedly received interest from the Hawks and Bucks.
Sixers’ assistant coach Lloyd Pierce will be named the next head coach for the Hawks, replacing Mike Budenholzer. The team named four finalists earlier in the week, but ultimately came back to Pierce after a third meeting with him yesterday. The pairing makes sense on the surface, as Pierce has been with the Sixers through their long rebuild and the Hawks are in the midst of a similar rebuild in Atlanta.
Thunder veteran big man Nick Collison is retiring after 15 seasons with the franchise that originally drafted him. Collison will retire with career averages of 5.9 PPG and 5.2 RPG and was a member of the Thunder team who made it to the NBA Finals in 2012. Because Collison signed a one-year contract last summer, the team won’t carry any dead money for the veteran and won’t have to waive him.
Here are 15 more headlines from the past week:
- The Suns are planning to offer a maximum or near-maximum offer for Rockets big man Clint Capela this offseason.
- The Heat declined next season’s team option for forward Jordan Mickey.
- The Sixers will exercise next season’s team option worth $1.6MM for point guard T.J. McConnell.
- The Hawks waived rookie forward Tyler Cavanaugh.
- Budenholzer and former Pelicans’ head coach Monty Williams are reportedly the favorites for the Bucks’ head job.
- Kosta Koufos officially exercised his player option for 2018/19.
- While nothing official has been inked, Doc Rivers has apparently reached an agreement on a multi-year extension with the Clippers.
- The Knicks officially named David Fizdale as the franchise’s next head coach.
- Cavaliers’ swingman Rodney Hood will not be punished for refusing to enter the team’s Game 4 win against Toronto.
- Paul George will delay offseason activities for six to eight weeks after undergoing a scope on his left knee.
- Clippers forward Wesley Johnson officially opted in to his contract for next season.
- Johnson’s teammate, Danilo Gallinari, says his broken right hand is still not fully healed from an injury that occurred back in March.
- Despite a new coach in New York, the stretch provision remains the most likely option for Joakim Noah.
- The Sixers and head coach Brett Brown are discussing a potential contract extension.
- Klay Thompson and the Warriors are also discussing a contract extension.
Jaylen Brown To Remain On Minutes Restriction In Game 3
After originally being listed as doubtful for Game 2 of the Celtics’ series against the Sixers, swingman Jaylen Brown ended up playing 25 minutes in the team’s Game 2 come-from-behind win.
And, according to multiple reports, including an official release from the team’s Twitter account, head coach Brad Stevens has told reporters that Brown is again only expected to be available for about 25 minutes in tonight’s Game 3. Chris Forsberg of ESPN adds that in order to help manage Brown’s minutes, he will again come off the bench.
Brown, who missed Game 1 because of a right hamstring strain, played in Game 2 against medical recommendation, per Tom Westerholm of MassLive.com.
“I’m not really sure what the numbers are and the risk is,” Brown said of the injury. “Pretty sizable risk probably. (But) it was my call. The doctors didn’t want me to play, I told them I’d be fine. It was all on me, but you manage it right, be smart with it, I don’t expect to miss any games.”
The Celtics go into tonight’s Game 3 in Philadelphia with a 2-0 series lead on the Sixers.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 4/28/18 – 5/5/18
Every week, we here at Hoops Rumors strive to create interesting original content to complement our news feed. Here are the original segments and features from the past seven days:
- We began our annual NBA Award Picks, with members of the Hoops Rumors writing staff selecting their choices for the following end-of-season awards:
- In his weekly mailbag, Arthur Hill answered readers’ questions regarding a needed self-evaluation for Carmelo Anthony, potential landing spots for Kawhi Leonard, and the possibly uncertain future for Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich.
- Austin Kent continued his 2018 Free Agent Stock Watch:
- We also continued our 2018 Offseason Salary Cap Digest, carrying on with additional lottery teams:
- In our only polls of the week, we asked which teams will reach the Eastern Conference Finals:
- We asked, via a Community Shootaround, what kind of changes, if any, you would make if you were in charge of the Pacers?
- In another Community Shootaround post, we asked whether Darius Bazley jumping from high school to the G League will start a trend.
- Luke Adams took a look at the odds for the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery.
Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams Favorites For Bucks Job?
According to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, former Hawks’ head coach Mike Budenholzer and Spurs’ vice president of basketball operations Monty Williams appear to be the favorites for the Bucks‘ head coaching job, according to league sources.
We’ve noted the Bucks’ interest in Budenholzer several different times in the recent past, and we just relayed yesterday the team’s plan to interview Williams, so the report isn’t altogether surprising. However, it’s interesting to see that some NBA sources view Budenholzer and Williams as higher on Milwaukee’s wish list than other previously named candidates such as Steve Clifford or David Blatt.
Budenholzer, 48, was the head coach of the Hawks for five seasons from 2013 to 2018, while Williams, 46, last coached for the Thunder during the 2015/16 season after being the head man in New Orleans for five seasons from 2010 to 2015.
Other candidates for the Bucks’ head coaching vacancy include Spurs’ assistants Ettore Messina, Becky Hammon, and James Borrego, as well as interim coach Joe Prunty.
Keep up with all the latest coaching developments with our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.
Five Key Stories: 4/28/18 – 5/5/18
In case you missed any of this past week’s top stories from around the league, we have you covered with our Week in Review. Below are the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
The Suns are hiring Jazz assistant coach Igor Kokoskov as their new head coach. Kokoskov, 46, interviewed with the Suns for a second time during the Jazz’ series against the Rockets and was named head coach shortly thereafter. Kokoskov is signing a three-year deal with no options and will be the first head coach in NBA history to be born and raised outside North America.
The Knicks and former Grizzlies’ head coach David Fizdale have come to an agreement naming Fizdale as the team’s next head coach. Fizdale, 43, will sign a four-year contract and will become the Knicks’ 11th head coach since the 2001/02 season. In addition to his recent head coaching experience, Fizdale was an assistant coach with the Heat for eight seasons, helping the team reach four NBA Finals, winning two of them.
Stephen Curry missed Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Pelicans, but returned in Game 2 to help Golden State take a 2-0 series lead. Curry, coming back from a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee, scored 28 points off the bench in 27 minutes.
Three more players made decisions on their player options for the 2018/19 season. Clippers forward Wesley Johnson intends to pick up his option worth about $6.1MM, while Pacers point guard Cory Joseph officially picked up his player option worth roughly $7.9MM. Meanwhile, Wolves guard Jamal Crawford will turn down his player option worth about $4.5MM and become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Highly touted 2018 NBA Draft prospect Luka Doncic will not work out for NBA teams due to his commitment to Real Madrid in Spain. Real Madrid is scheduled to compete in the Euroleague Final Four later this month, then will play in the Liga ACB postseason after that. The Liga ACB playoffs are scheduled to begin on May 27, and could end as late as June 23, two days after the NBA draft, and Doncic refuses miss any postseason games with his current team.
Here are 11 more headlines from the past week:
- The agent of Nuggets’ big man Nikola Jokic has advised the franchise not to pick up Jokic’s 2018/19 team option.
- Trail Blazers assistant coach David Vanterpool has received permission to interview for the head coaching vacancies in Orlando and Charlotte.
- The Magic will also interview Spurs assistant coach Ime Udoka for their head coaching job, while the Hornets will interview Udoka’s colleague, Spurs’ assistant James Borrego, for their opening at head coach.
- The Hornets have also been granted permission to interview Bulls’ associate head coach Jim Boylen.
- The Hawks will interview Trail Blazers’ assistant coach Nate Tibbetts and Warriors’ assistant Jarron Collins for their head coaching vacancy.
- The Hawks will also interview Hornets’ assistant coach Stephen Silas, Celtics’ assistant Jay Larranaga, and Sixers’ assistant Lloyd Pierce for the team’s head coaching position.
- Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio injured his left hamstring in the team’s first round series win against the Thunder and has yet to return for the Western Conference Semifinals against the Rockets.
- Pistons head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy is resisting team owner Tom Gores‘ plan to make structural changes within the organization.
- Thunder head coach Billy Donovan will return to coach the team next season.
- The Bucks will interview Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, former Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, and former Pelicans head coach Monty Williams for their head coaching vacancy,
- The Bucks will also interview Spurs assistants Becky Hammon and James Borrego.