Chris Quinn Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Pacers’ Head Coaching Search

October 15th, 2020 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

After conducting initial interviews with a lengthy list of head coaching candidates, the Pacers are expected to bring back three finalists to meet with team ownership before the end of the month, reports J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

It’s not clear yet which three candidates will be part of that group of finalists. However, Michael hears that Mike D’Antoni thinks he’ll be one of the three. Michael also believes that – despite reports he’ll join Tyronn Lue‘s staff in Los Angeles – Chauncey Billups remains in the running for Indiana’s top job and could be a finalist.

Pelicans assistant Chris Finch and former Grizzlies and Kings coach Dave Joerger look like other contenders to be finalists for the Pacers’ coaching vacancy. A report earlier this week indicated that Finch may be Indiana’s frontrunner, while Joerger was identified earlier this month as a strong contender for the position.

[UPDATE: Dave Joerger joining Sixers’ staff as assistant]

Heat assistants Dan Craig and Chris Quinn were reportedly scheduled to meet with the Pacers this week and may also still be in the mix.

For what it’s worth, Scott Agness of VigilantSports tweeted 12 days ago that the six names he continued to hear connected to the Pacers’ head coaching opening were D’Antoni, Billups, Finch, Joerger, Craig, and Quinn. It sounds likely that Indiana’s three finalists will come from that group, though the team has considered no shortage of other candidates, as our tracker shows.

Chris Finch Considered Frontrunner For Pacers Job

October 13th, 2020 at 5:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pelicans assistant Chris Finch is considered the frontrunner for the Pacers coaching job, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets. This is the first indication which way Indiana’s front office is leaning as it searches for Nate McMillan‘s replacement.

We’ve heard about about a number of candidates, including former head coaches Mike D’Antoni, Mike Brown, and Dave Joerger as well as top assistants around the league, including Darvin Ham, Ime Udoka, and David Vanterpool. ESPN analyst and 2004 Finals MVP Chauncey Billups also reportedly received an interview.

Joerger had been considered a strong contender for the job.

As Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com tweeted earlier this week, Heat assistants Chris Quinn and Dan Craig are next in line for interviews, O’Connor confirms.

Finch has also been mentioned as a candidate for the Rockets’ head coaching job. After the Pelicans parted ways with Alvin Gentry following the seeding games in Orlando, VP of basketball operations David Griffin spoke highly of Finch and indicated that he wanted to retain him, while acknowledging the assistant would draw interest from other teams as a head coaching prospect.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Thibodeau, Bane, Nets

October 4th, 2020 at 5:16pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra believes his assistants rightfully deserve consideration for head coaching vacancies around the league, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes.

Both Dan Craig and Chris Quinn have seen their names linked to various teams this year, with Spoelstra backing the idea as a whole.

“I think on our staff we have several future head coaches,” Spoelstra said, as relayed by Winderman. “I don’t want them to just be assistant coaches their whole career. I want them to be able to grow and have opportunities to be head coaches at some point.”

The Heat have previously lost coaches such as Juwan Howard, who left for Michigan, and David Fizdale, who left to become head coach of the Grizzlies and Knicks. Spoelstra credits the coaching tree to team president Pat Riley, a former coach himself.

“I think it’s just the whole Heat program, and that started with Pat,” Spoelstra said. “I think he’s taught us all how to become basketball coaches, at all levels, where you have to learn scouting, offense, defense, tendencies in the league, learning how to coach on the floor and teach.

“That was all demanded from Pat. And then growing, that culture of growing you.”

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

For the Knicks, it won’t be business as usual with Tom Thibodeau now at the helm, Steve Popper of Newsday opines. Thibodeau is looking to ramp up the team’s offseason workload and work closely with the players, though he’ll have to adhere to the league’s COVID-19 guidelines first. “Obviously, we’d have to follow the protocol that’s set forth by the league, but we will have an opportunity to do the individual stuff with guys that are in the bubble up until October 6,” Thibodeau said. “Then we’re waiting on what we’ll be able to do with the guys that are out of the market. So whatever the league tells us we can do, we will certainly do. And if not we’ll find other ways to get to our development piece whether it’s through film, communications with the players. But we‘re planning on spending a lot of time with our players this offseason.”
TCU forward Desmond Bane could be the perfect 3-and-D player for the Nets to draft, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Bane credits current Nets forward Joe Harris for a key part of his game, explaining how he’s studied Harris’ ability to work off screens and make shots off different movements. The Nets have the No. 19 pick in this year’s draft, while Harris is set to reach unrestricted free agency.
NetsDaily.com examines the Nets‘ draft situation and which player could be selected, suggesting that Bane, Maryland big man Jalen Smith and others could fit nicely with Brooklyn, a team that’s expected to be at the forefront of contention next season. The draft will take place on Wednesday, November 18.

Pacers Identify 14 Head Coaching Candidates

September 9th, 2020 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers are set to begin a wide-ranging search for a head coach that will include more than a dozen candidates, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. As Wojnarowski details, Indiana is looking to interview the following candidates as the team seeks a replacement for Nate McMillan:

Former Kings and Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger
Timberwolves associate head coach David Vanterpool
Nets associate head coach Jacque Vaughn
Trail Blazers associate head coach Nate Tibbetts
Spurs assistants Becky Hammon and Will Hardy
Heat assistants Dan Craig and Chris Quinn
Mavericks assistants Jamahl Mosley and Stephen Silas
Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee
Sixers assistant Ime Udoka
Magic assistant Pat Delany

It remains to be seen whether the Pacers will be granted permission to speak with all of their potential targets. If they do, the team’s first round of virtual meetings would feature at least 14 interviews.

Many of the Pacers’ coaching candidates identified by Wojnarowski have been linked to other vacancies around the league. Vanterpool, Craig, Mosley, Silas, Ham, and Udoka, for example, are all believed to be interviewing for the Bulls’ job. Udoka and Ham have also been mentioned as potential 76ers candidates, as has Joerger. Vaughn was seriously considered for the Nets job before the team hired Steve Nash, while Hardy and Delany interviewed with the Knicks before they hired Tom Thibodeau.

Others on Indiana’s list, such as Tibbetts and Hammon, have interviewed in past years for various NBA head coaching openings. Only a couple candidates – Quinn and Lee – haven’t received head coaching consideration in the past, as far as I can tell. Meanwhile, Joerger and Vaughn are the only names on the list with previous head coaching experience.

Mike D’Antoni has also been mentioned as a potential target for the Pacers, but he remains active in the postseason with the Rockets and there’s no guarantee he’ll leave Houston when his contract expires.

Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard has spoken about wanting to hire a head coach who takes a “modern approach” to the game and has the ability to connect with younger players. McMillan’s old-school approach to offense was believed to be one reason why Indiana made a change.

And-Ones: Hawks, Douby, Heat

September 17th, 2014 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The league’s players have mixed opinions on whether or not they would consider signing with the Hawks, Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report writes. The majority of players polled agreed with Carmelo Anthony‘s assessment that players would avoid signing with Atlanta in the wake of GM Danny Ferry and majority owner Bruce Levenson’s racist remarks, notes Bucher. But there were a few that said they wouldn’t let the incident get in the way of their potential earnings, but also added that they “wouldn’t shake Ferry’s hand” when the deal was completed.

Here’s more from around the league:

Former Rutgers star and NBA player Quincy Douby has signed with the Tianjin Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to his agent Bill Neff, Zach Links of Hoops Rumors reports (Twitter link). Douby last appeared in the NBA during the 2008/09 season with the Raptors.
The partial guarantee on Khem Birch‘s two-year deal with the Heat is worth $50K, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
Keith Smart and Chris Quinn have been added as assistant coaches to Eric Spoelstra‘s staff with the Heat, the team announced.
The Bulls are hoping for a healthy season out of Derrick Rose, and that their new additions of Pau Gasol and Doug McDermott will help them contend in the Eastern Conference. The crew over at Basketball Insiders previews the upcoming season, and the majority opinion is that Chicago will finish second in the Central Division.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Central Links: Cavs, Pistons, Bulls, Quinn

October 30th, 2013 at 8:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert held court with Cleveland-area reporters before tonight’s opener, touching on a variety of topics, as we noted this evening. Gilbert said he has yet to begin talking about a contract extension for Kyrie Irving, who’ll be eligible for one next summer. Of course, we’re a year and a day away from the deadline for the Cavs and Irving to strike a deal, so Gilbert has plenty of time. Here’s more from another NBA owner as we look around the Central Division:

Pistons owner Tom Gores followed up on his comments to Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News with an address today before the media, including MLive’s David Mayo. He expressed support for Joe Dumars but says he doesn’t want to discuss an extension to the GM’s contract, can’t envision selling the Pistons at any point, and isn’t keen on the idea of moving the team downtown.
Gores also believes his own recruitment of free agents “has made a difference, in terms of folks coming on board, in knowing that ownership does care and we don’t just use our basketball players as assets.”
We heard from Shams Charania of RealGM.com earlier that Patrick Christopher will join the Bulls‘ D-League affiliate after failing to make Chicago’s opening-night roster, and the same is the case for Kalin Lucas, who’ll also play for the Iowa Energy, Charania reports. The Bulls waived both on the second day of training camp, leading Mark Deeks of ShamSports to speculate that the team signed them only to facilitate an out in case its other camp invitees got injured. It seems now that Chicago didn’t entirely view them as pawns, since the team apparently wants to keep an eye on their development.
The Cavs waived Chris Quinn this summer after he briefly reappeared in the NBA last season, and it looks like the 30-year-old is transitioning into his post-playing career. He’s joined the coaching staff at Northwestern, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Cavaliers Waive Kevin Jones, Chris Quinn

July 19th, 2013 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have shed two non-guaranteed contracts from their books, waiving Kevin Jones and Chris Quinn, according to a team release. The moves coincide with the team's introduction of Andrew Bynum, so it appears a little extra cap space was required to squeeze in Bynum's salary.

Jones, 23, appeared in 32 contests with the Cavs last season, averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG. He also played 12 games for the team's D-League affiliate, recording an impressive 22.4 PPG and 11.2 RPG for the Canton Charge. Quinn's stint with the Cavs was briefer, as he appeared in just seven games for the club. Both players' contracts were fully non-guaranteed, and weren't set to become guaranteed until January.

Jones' impressive D-League numbers could result in him drawing some interest around the NBA, at least as a training camp invitee. Meanwhile, Quinn is reportedly receiving some attention from foreign teams, according to a Thursday report. Both Jones and Quinn suffered concussions during Summer League action, so they may need to get healthy first before signing new deals anywhere.

Eastern Rumors: KG, Mo Williams, Hawks, Cavs

July 18th, 2013 at 7:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

In his introductory press conference with the Nets today, Kevin Garnett admits he "absolutely" considered retirement this spring, and indicated that Paul Pierce's uncertain future with the Celtics was a major reason why. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe has more from Garnett. Washburn rounds up Pierce's comments as well, and we'll take a look at the rest of the East:

The last we heard on Mo Williams was that he's prepared to take a discount to sign with a contender, and HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler reiterates that, tweeting that Williams is telling people he'll look to sign with the Heat if offers from other clubs don't improve.
The Hawks are mulling whether to sign 16th overall pick Lucas Nogueira this summer or let him play overseas this year, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution examines (subscription required).
Atlanta paid $550K to buy 15th pick Dennis Schröder out of his European deal, and a larger buyout would be probably be necessary for Nogueira, Vivlamore writes in the same piece. NBA clubs can only pay up to $575K in a buyout without money coming out of the player's check.
The Cavs are high on undrafted guard Matthew Dellavedova, and would like see him play for their D-League affiliate, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. The St. Mary's product is drawing offers from overseas that could complicate matters, Lloyd notes.
Foreign clubs are also showing interest in Chris Quinn, who's with the Cavs on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal. Quinn isn't likely to last long in Cleveland, and the Cavs may cut him soon to allow him to pursue other opportunities, according to Lloyd (Twitter link).
Talks between the Knicks and Bobby Brown are gathering steam, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. The Creative Artists Agency client was among a group who worked out for the Knicks this week, though five other teams have interest, Zwerling says.
Toure Murry has also made a positive impression on the Knicks, Zwerling adds.

Cavs Sign Chris Quinn For Rest Of Season

March 20th, 2013 at 10:11am CST by Alex Lee

10:11am: The Cavaliers have officially signed Quinn, the team announced in a press release. The deal will be for the remainder of the season, according to the Cavs.

WEDNESDAY, 8:23am: Quinn is expected to finalize his deal and be in uniform tonight against the Heat if he passes a physical today, tweets Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

TUESDAY, 8:24pm: The Cavaliers will sign Chris Quinn of the NBDL's Tulsa 66ers, reports Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside (via Twitter). With Kyrie Irving potentially sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Cavs just learned that Dion Waiters will now miss at least a week. Per Schlosser, Quinn will serve as a short term fix in Cleveland.

Quinn, a Notre Dame product, has five years of NBA experience on three teams but has not played in the league since 2010-11 with the Spurs. Since then, he has bounced between the NBDL and overseas and was one of the final cuts last fall in training camp with the Jazz. At 29 years old, this audition might be the last in the regular season for Quinn if he cannot prove his worth.

Chris Quinn Signs With Spanish Team

November 3rd, 2012 at 10:21am CST by Zach Links

Spanish team Valencia BC has announced the signing of guard Chris Quinn, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Quinn was a late addition to the Jazz roster this offseason and was one of the final players to be released along with Darnell Jackson. From a numbers perspective, the one-guard seemed to have a decent chance of making the club as they had just 14 guaranteed contracts including Raja Bell.

In five NBA seasons, Quinn averaged 4.6 PPG and 1.9 APG for the Heat, Nets, and Spurs. The 29-year-old wound up going overseas last season rather than waiting for the lockout to end and helped Russia’s Khimki capture a Eurocup title.