Rockets Coaching Rumors: Saturday
11:23am: Houston also intends to interview Magic assistant coach Adrian Griffin, Mark Berman of FOX 26 reports (via Twitter).
9:00am: The Rockets’ search for a new head coach continues and the latest candidate to join the process is Spurs assistant coach James Borrego, who has an interview scheduled with the team on Monday, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. Houston had reportedly whittled down the prospective candidates to Sixers assistant coach Mike D’Antoni and Hornets assistant coach Stephen Silas, but apparently the team intends to cast an even wider net in its search by adding Borrego to the mix.
The Spurs assistant will be the 11th known candidate to interview for the Rockets’ opening, joining D’Antoni. Silas, new Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek, former Cavs coach David Blatt, Raptors assistant coach Rex Kalamian, Grizzlies assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik, San Antonio Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, TNT analyst Kenny Smith, Clippers assistant Sam Cassell and current Rockets assistant Chris Finch, Stein notes. Jeff Van Gundy reportedly received strong support from GM Daryl Morey for the job, but team owner Leslie Alexander could not be sold on a reunion with the former coach.
Borrego is reportedly a finalist for the Grizzlies vacant head coaching post as well, having impressed team officials during his interview. He previously spent 30 games as interim head coach in Orlando during the 2014/15 campaign before joining the Spurs at the start of this season. The Magic went 10-20 under Borrego during his brief tenure.
Week In Review 5/15/16-5/21/16
The Sixers landed the top overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft lottery, having had a 25% chance of the ping-pong balls dropping in their favor. Philadelphia will have its choice of the consensus top-two of former LSU combo forward Ben Simmons and former Duke small forward Brandon Ingram. While snagging the top pick in June is certainly a boon, the excitement of the night should be tempered by the fact that no team with the No. 1 overall pick has won the NBA title within two years of making that pick since the Spurs took home the championship in 1999 after drafting Tim Duncan in 1997. Also notable from the lottery results is that the Lakers will retain their 2016 first-rounder, with Philadelphia being set to take it if the pick fell out of the top three.
Here’s more from the week that was:
NBA Draft News
Withdrawals
- NC State sophomore power forward Abdul-Malik Abu.
- New Mexico State junior point guard Ian Baker.
- North Carolina sophomore forward Justin Jackson.
- Memphis freshman small forward Dedric Lawson.
- Utah State junior small forward Jalen Moore.
- Rutgers freshman point guard Corey Sanders.
- Ohio State sophomore center Trevor Thompson.
Workouts
- Abdul-Malik Abu: Worked out for the Celtics.
- Josh Adams: Worked out for the Warriors.
- Ryan Arcidiacono: Worked out for the Pacers.
- Ron Baker: Worked out for Nuggets and Bucks.
- Wade Baldwin: Worked out for the Pacers.
- Anthony Barber: Worked out for the Pacers, Nuggets and Bucks.
- Anthony Beane: Worked out for Jazz.
- DeAndre’ Bembry: Worked out for the Sixers, Celtics and Raptors.
- Ben Bentil: Has a workout scheduled with the Pacers.
- Jaron Blossomgame: Worked out for the Clippers and Sixers.
- Trevon Bluiett: Worked out for the Lakers and Celtics.
- Jaylen Bond: Worked out for the Sixers.
- Joel Bolomboy: Worked out for the Bucks.
- Nathan Boothe: Worked out for the Jazz, Nets and Pistons.
- Amida Brimah: Worked out for the Wolves.
- Malcolm Brogdon: Worked out for the Celtics.
- Mike Bryso: Worked out for Kings.
- Trahson Burrell: Worked out for the Bucks.
- Robert Carter: Worked out for the Clippers and Nuggets.
- Matt Costello: Worked out for the Pacers and Nets.
- Isaiah Cousins: Worked out for the Pacers. He has workouts scheduled with the Nuggets, Spurs, Rockets, and Suns.
- Vince Edwards: Worked out for Jazz.
- A.J. English: Worked out for the Pelicans and Bucks.
- Nick Faust: Worked out for the Warriors.
- Dorian Finney-Smith: Worked out for the Pacers.
- Bryn Forbes: Worked out for the Wolves.
- Quincy Ford: Worked out for Jazz.
- Michael Gbinije: Worked out for the Pacers.
- Brannen Greene: Worked out for the Warriors and Kings.
- Josh Hagins: Worked out for Kings.
- Josh Hart: Worked out for the Sixers and Celtics.
- Nigel Hayes: Worked out for the Celtics.
- Max Hooper: Worked out for the Warriors and Kings.
- Tonye Jekiri: Worked out for the Wolves.
- Melvin Johnson: Worked out for Sixers. He has workouts scheduled with the Cavaliers, Nets, and Celtics.
- Nikola Jovanovic: Worked out for Suns and Nuggets.
- Jake Layman: Worked out for the Celtics.
- Shawn Long: Worked out for the Sixers. He has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Celtics, Bucks, Nuggets, Rockets and Mavericks.
- Thon Maker: Worked out for the Pacers.
- Patrick McCaw: Worked out for the Pacers.
- Sheldon McClellan: Worked out for the Pacers.
- Codi Miller-McIntyre: Worked out for Suns.
- Abdel Nader: Worked out for the Celtics.
- Alec Peters: Worked out for Nuggets.
- Malik Pope: Worked out for the Celtics and Jazz.
- Taurean Prince: Worked out for the Celtics and Sixers.
- Zhou Qi: Worked out for the Celtics.
- Tim Quarterman: Worked out for Bucks.
- Angel Rodriguez: Worked out for the Wolves.
- Josh Scott: Worked out for Nuggets.
- Adam Smith: Worked out for Suns.
- Caleb Swanigan: Worked out for Suns.
- Kaleb Tarczewski: Worked out for the Pacers and Cavaliers.
- Isaiah Taylor: Worked out for the Clippers.
- Ethan Telfair: Worked out for Jazz.
- Matt Tiby: Worked out for the Bucks.
- Melo Trimble: Worked out for the Pacers.
- Jarrod Uthoff: Worked out for Jazz.
- Fred VanVleet: Worked out for the Warriors and Sixers.
- David Walker: Worked out for the Warriors and Jazz.
- Tyrone Wallace: Worked out for the Pacers.
- Jameel Warney: Worked out for the Bucks.
- Wes Washpun: Worked out for the Grizzlies.
- James Webb III: Worked out for the Celtics.
- Isaiah Whitehead: Worked out for the Sixers.
- Devin Williams: Worked out for Bucks.
- Troy Williams: Worked out for the Pacers and Wolves.
- Gabe York: Worked out for Kings.
Miscellaneous News
- Karl-Anthony Towns was officially named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year for the 2015/16 season in a unanimous vote.
- The Magic hired Frank Vogel as head coach.
- The Knicks formally offered their head coaching slot to Jeff Hornacek.
- The Pacers hired Nate McMillan as their new head coach.
- The Blazers signed coach Terry Stotts to a three-year contract extension.
- Celtics center Kelly Olynyk underwent successful surgery to repair damage to his right shoulder.
- The Suns hired Trail Blazers assistant Jay Triano as associate head coach.
- Seth Curry and James Anderson both reportedly opted out of their contracts with the Kings for next season.
- The NBA announced the selections to the 2015/16 All-Rookie teams.
Central Notes: McMillan, Pistons, Draft
It remains to be seen how well new Pacers coach Nate McMillan has evolved since his stint with the Blazers, given how much the league has changed since then, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star writes. “The interesting thing is that Nate went to Portland and had a pretty decent run of success there but played a very methodical, slowed-down, precise type of offense,” said former player Brent Barry, who was coached by McMillan for four seasons, “and I think that’s why a lot of people are interested in how it is after Larry’s comments with regards to coach Vogel, wanting to be a more up-tempo offensive, quick-strike team, how it is that Nate has changed and evolved during his time on the bench in Indiana.”
McMillan acknowledged that the game has changed on offense, telling reporters, “In 2005, nobody was talking about spread lineups. There’s no way, back in the day, I’d allow my center to be out here working on 3s. [Now] every team in the league’s center works on 3s. It’s just a different game.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers will hold their third predraft workout on Monday and participating will be Anthony Barber (North Carolina State), Ben Bentil (Providence), Kay Felder (Oakland), Armani Moore (Tennessee), Rasheed Sulaimon (Maryland), and Caleb Swanigan (Purdue), the team announced.
- The Pistons‘ roster is relatively set for the 2016/17 season, which means that the team could look to get creative with its second round pick this June, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. Detroit’s options with the No. 49 overall pick include drafting an international player who’ll spend at least one more season in development overseas or trading it for a future second-round pick containing reasonable protections, Langlois adds. The Pistons are without second-rounders in 2017, 2019 and 2020, the scribe notes.
- Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt reached out to Tyronn Lue, the man who replaced him in Cleveland, to offer his support and praise for the team’s postseason play, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group relays. “He’s just a good person,” Lue told Haynes. “Always encouraging, always supportive. He just said how proud he was of me and what we’re doing, and that means a lot coming from him. His friendship is something I truly appreciate and value.“
- The Bucks, who hold the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft, are likely to hold onto the pick rather than trade it, Jim Paschke of NBA.com relays (video link). According to GM John Hammond, due to the difficulty involved in moving up in the draft, any deal involving Milwaukee’s pick would likely be to trade down.
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Atlantic Notes: Atkinson, Jackson, Qi
Nets coach Kenny Atkinson acknowledged that the team’s lack of draft picks makes rebuilding more difficult, adding that the front office would just need to get creative in remaking the roster, NetsDaily relays. “We’re going to have to look under every rock, and that’s a great thing about the NBA today. I think there’s a lot of different ways to acquire players — D-League, international, free agency,” Atkinosn told reporters. “So I’m excited. I think we can get it done, and I’m ready to get to work. I think we have to focus on our future and think of the different ways we can get players here. We’re not focused on that. Past is the past, and we’re trying to be really creative.”
The new coach tried to temper expectations, noting that it would not be an overnight process to turn things around in Brooklyn, NetsDaily notes. “I think we can build something,” Atkinson said. “It’s not going to happen overnight. I want to see steady improvement on a daily basis. I think we can find some players for the way we want to play. The first thing we have to sell is the change in culture. They have to feel that. A bunch of our players yesterday were saying, ‘we want to be a part of this.’ We have to put it into action now.”
Here’s the latest out of the Atlantic Division:
- The success or failure of hiring Jeff Hornacek as the Knicks new head coach will be one of the major career-defining moves for Phil Jackson as an executive, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- One of the most intriguing players the Celtics worked out this week was Chinese big man Zhou Qi, whose size, soft shooting touch and shot-blocking ability has caught the team’s eye, Taylor C. Snow of NBA.com writes. “I went to China and saw him play,” said director of player personnel Austin Ainge. “We’ve known about him for a couple of years. He’s probably the third- or fourth-most recognized name in Chinese basketball, so he’s a known commodity, but it was great to have him in today to workout.“
- The Raptors scored the No. 9 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft from the Knicks as part of the Andrea Bargnani trade, and GM Masai Ujiri views it as a solid chip the team can utilize this summer to improve, Chris O’Leary of The Toronto Star relays. “I think everybody talks about [having that pick],” Ujiri said. “I think this is a good, good asset for our organization and something else to add to some of the little things we can do.”
- If Mike D’Antoni accepts a coaching post elsewhere, the Sixers could look to replace him as lead assistant with former NBA head coach P.J. Carlesimo, Marc Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
Wolves Announce Multiple Front Office Changes
The Timberwolves are under new management in Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden. As is often the case with new regimes, they wish to bring in their own people to surround themselves with. In keeping with that theme, the team has announced via press release that a number of front office personnel have been let go from their respective positions. The franchise did not name any replacements in its official statement:
“Effective immediately, the following individuals will be relieved of their respective duties: previous General Manager Milt Newton, Vice President of Basketball Operations Rob Babcock, Vice President of Sports Performance Arnie Kander, assistant coach Sid Lowe, Director of Sports Performance Koichi Sato, Manager of Team Travel/Facilities Coordinator Bill Hohenecker, Head of Video Department and Manager of Basketball Technology Brice Long and Scouts Milton Barnes and Jason Hervey. We Would like to thank all of these individuals for their contributions to our organization and wish them well in their future endeavors.”
Team owner Glen Taylor had stated back in March that Newton would be in charge of the draft and free agency for the team this summer, but that was well in advance of Thibodeau being hired. Newton wasn’t assured of holding onto his post beyond this season anyway, after he inherited the role this past fall upon the death of president of basketball operations Flip Saunders. One potential landing spot for Newton is in Washington, where he had previously served as vice president of player personnel for the Wizards, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
Northwest Notes: Olshey, Jazz, Hield
Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey acknowledged that the organization has traditionally had difficulty landing upper-tier free agents, Jen Beyrle of The Oregonian relays. “It’s absolutely a hurdle. Whenever we get that first guy to come, it will be unprecedented when you look at the history,” said Olshey. “I think we’ve gotten good free agents. We’ve gotten guys but they’ve had the right sensibility and we knew that they would work in this market place and would fit with the team.” Olshey noted that last year’s free agent crop elected to join playoff teams, which hurt Portland’s recruiting efforts, but pointed to the team reaching the second round of the 2015/16 postseason as a boon heading into the offseason.
The executive isn’t letting frustrations of the past color his attitude this offseason, noting that the franchise will be extremely aggressive in the free agent market this summer, the team relayed (on Twitter). Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Jazz have a workout scheduled on Saturday for Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova), Nathan Boothe (Toledo), Michael Carrera (South Carolina), Vince Edwards (Purdue), Retin Obasohan (Alabama) and Malik Pope (San Diego State), the team announced.
- New Wolves coach/executive Tom Thibodeau has offered Travelle Gaines, who is Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler’s personal trainer, a post as the team’s strength and conditioning coach, Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago tweets.
- The Timberwolves hold the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft and Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune makes the case for the team to select former Oklahoma shooting guard Buddy Hield. The scribe opines that Hield is the best available combination of talent, maturity and polish available where the team’s pick falls.
Magic Hire Frank Vogel
FRIDAY, 4:15pm: The hiring of Vogel is official, the team announced via press release. “While we were conducting our search, it became very evident that Frank is a terrific fit for our organization,” said Hennigan. “He is a strong, hard-working and experienced leader, who will continue to instill smart, physical, unselfish and defensive-minded basketball in our group. We welcome him into the Magic family, as we move forward in a positive direction.”
5:03pm: Orlando hopes to retain Griffin as the top assistant on Vogel’s staff, Wojnarowski tweets.
4:54pm: Vogel will receive a four-year deal worth approximately $22MM, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports (Twitter link).
THURSDAY, 2:53pm: The Magic have reached an agreement in principal with Frank Vogel that will make him their new head coach, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reports (on Twitter). The length and terms of the proposed arrangement are not yet known. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported earlier today that the two sides were nearing an agreement.
Orlando was scrambling to recover from former coach Scott Skiles‘ sudden resignation and were said to be targeting a coach with a track record of developing young players and who was a strong defensive coach. “Sort of the fulcrum of what we’re looking for,” GM Rob Hennigan said, “is someone who puts an emphasis on the defensive end of the floor, someone who puts an emphasis on player development and also someone who puts an emphasis on building lasting connections with the players on our roster.” The GM didn’t specifically say that description fit Vogel, but the coach certainly did well developing a young Indiana squad into an Eastern Conference contender during his time with the Pacers.
The Pacers went 250-181 in parts of six seasons under Vogel, who inherited the head coaching job, his first in the NBA, when the Pacers parted ways with Jim O’Brien in January of 2011. That record doesn’t include his postseason mark of 31-30, with Indiana making back-to-back conference finals under Vogel in 2013 and 2014.
Orlando also interviewed former Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool and current Magic assistant Adrian Griffin. Griffin was reportedly Vogel’s stiffest competition for the post, with the assistant speaking formally with team officials on Tuesday. The team is reportedly extremely fond of Griffin, but the front office was intrigued by Vogel’s résumé and the fact that he is an established NBA head coach, a claim that Griffin cannot make. Griffin has been considered a prime head coaching candidate around the NBA for the last few years, reportedly interviewing with the Blazers in 2012, the Pistons and twice with the Sixers in 2013, and the Jazz twice as well as the Cavs in 2014.
Poll: 2016 Community Mock Draft (Pick No. 3)
The 2016 NBA Draft lottery was held on Tuesday night and the Sixers finally landed the elusive No. 1 overall pick after missing out the past two seasons. Now that the exact draft order is locked in, teams can begin targeting specific players who are likely to still be on the board when it is their time to choose. Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. We at Hoops Rumors thought it would be fun to give our readers the chance to predict the results of this June’s draft, which is what we intend to do with a series of polls.
Now that the first two picks are out of the way, things will start to really get interesting. We’ll continue with the Celtics, who are still seeking to land a star player to build around. While Boston is a prime candidate to make a trade involving the No. 3 pick, for our purposes today we’ll assume they keep it. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Boston’s pick and check back Saturday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Suns will select with the No. 4 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 3 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Selections
- Sixers — Ben Simmons (LSU)
- Lakers — Brandon Ingram (Duke)
Latest On Rockets Coaching Search
5:25pm: D’Antoni is still expected to be the team’s head coach, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Stein adds that Houston interviewed Memphis’ Jeff Bzdelik today, in addition to Silas and Kalamian, and the scribe reports that Houston is eyeing all three as candidates to serve as an associate head coach if D’Antonio is hired (Twitter links).
4:59pm: The team may be interested in Kalamian as a lead assistant if D’Antoni is hired, Stein tweets. Kalamian is close with shooting guard James Harden, Stein adds.
4:48pm: Raptors assistant coach Rex Kalamian also interviewed with the team today regarding its head coaching vacancy, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
11:27am: The Rockets are bringing in Hornets assistant coach Stephen Silas for a second interview today, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Silas, who made a strong impression on team officials during his first sit-down, will meet with team owner Leslie Alexander and GM Daryl Morey, the scribe adds. The 43-year-old is the son of longtime NBA coach Paul Silas. He has served as an assistant for the Hornets, Pelicans (prior to the team being re-named), Warriors and Cavaliers, as well as serving a brief stint as an advance scout for the Wizards.
Sixers associate head coach Mike D’Antoni has reportedly emerged as the frontrunner for Houston’s vacant post, and the Rockets may also be exploring the possibility of hiring Silas as D’Antoni’s top assistant, Wojnarowski posits. Due to concerns over D’Antoni’s lack of defensive focus, the franchise is reportedly entertaining the idea of bringing in a strong defensive-minded assistant to aid in that department. D’Antoni has met with representatives from the organization twice, including a sit-down with Alexander. The 65-year-old has an overall record of 455-426 in the regular season as a head coach and was named as the 2004/05 Coach of the Year.
The Rockets have also met with former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, who is reportedly close to joining the Knicks, former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, Clippers assistant Sam Cassell and Rockets assistant Chris Finch. Former Pacers coach Frank Vogel and Spurs assistant Ettore Messina are also part of the process, with Messina having interviewed with the team last Saturday. Former interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff and former Rockets guard Kenny Smith were also interviewed, but Bickerstaff withdrew from consideration and Smith was told he was no longer a candidate as the Rockets decided to focus on coaches with either head coaching experience or extensive experience as an assistant. Jeff Van Gundy was also mentioned as a candidate, but he and the team never formally spoke about the post.