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.
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.
Bulls OK Jazz To Interview Adrian Griffin
The Bulls will allow the Jazz to interview assistant coach Adrian Griffin for their head coaching vacancy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Griffin also appears to be a leading candidate for the Cavs job, as USA Today’s Sam Amick reiterates (on Twitter).
The Jazz are set to conduct introductory interviews at the Chicago combine as their search begins to gather steam. They’re planning to contact John Stockton amid a broad search that will involve interviews with more than 20 candidates, team president Randy Rigby says. Spurs assistant Jim Boylen has appeared to be the favorite, while CSKA Moscow head coach Ettore Messina also seems to be in the mix along with in-house candidate Brad Jones, who served as an assistant to former head man Tyrone Corbin. Hawks assistant Quin Snyder remains a solid candidate for the job, too, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News tweets. The Jazz are reportedly eyeing Steve Kerr, but he doesn’t appear reciprocate their interest.
The Bulls might be fielding plenty of calls about their staff, with Griffin and head coach Tom Thibodeau on the wish list of multiple teams. The Warriors and Lakers have reportedly planned to ask them for permission to speak with Thibodeau, but it’s unclear whether those teams have followed through and reached out to Chicago.
Central Rumors: Bucks, Pistons, Calipari
The NBA is set to announce approval on Thursday of the $550MM sale of the Bucks from Herb Kohl to Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Lasry, who’ll have to divest his minority share of the Nets, and Edens had prioritized taking control before Tuesday’s lottery, Windhorst writes. Still, opposition groups are lining up against public funding for a new arena in Milwaukee, and the NBA has the right to buy the team for $575MM if a deal for a new building isn’t in place by November 2017. Kohl put that clause in the purchase agreement to keep the new owners from moving the team, Windhorst notes. Here’s more from the Central Division:
- A league executive told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press that Stu Jackson is a possibility to serve as Pistons GM under Stan Van Gundy, noting that Van Gundy worked under Jackson as an assistant at the University of Wisconsin in the 1990s (Twitter link).
- The fate of John Loyer isn’t immediately clear in the wake of Van Gundy’s hiring, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who notes that Loyer has one season left on his contract. Loyer had been serving as Pistons interim head coach, and it’s possible he’ll return to the role of assistant coach that he occupied before the team fired Maurice Cheeks in February, according to MLive’s David Mayo.
- It’ll be business as usual at this week’s draft combine for Pistons assistant GM George David and director of basketball operations Ken Catanella, who jointly ran the team’s front office following the end of Joe Dumars‘ tenure, Ellis tweets.
- John Calipari would love to coach LeBron James someday, as he tells Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer, but he’s committed to Kentucky and won’t be in the mix to replace Mike Brown on the Cavs, who loom as a possible free agent destination for James.
And-Ones: Cavs, Nets, T’Wolves
There are plenty of head coaching options for the Cavaliers to consider, as the league’s current list of free agent coaches includes Mike D’Antoni, Lionel Hollins, Mark Jackson, and George Karl. Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio briefly profiles each of the above-mentioned candidates according to their chances of landing in Cleveland next season. Additionally, Amico mentions Alvin Gentry, Jerry Sichting, Mark Price, Alex Jensen, and Steve Kerr as other names to keep in mind.
Here are some more miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight:
- Despite talk that Kevin Garnett could potentially retire after this season, with Paul Pierce slated to hit unrestricted free agency, all signs point toward both returning to the Nets next year, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
- Timberwolves brass will be heading to Chicago tomorrow in preparation for the NBA’s pre-draft combine and are expected to request interviews with many players, including Michigan State’s Gary Harris, Michigan’s Nik Stauskas, Kentucky’s James Young, Creighton’s Doug McDermott, and Duke’s Rodney Hood, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
- In the same piece, Zgoda writes that the Wolves are looking to acquire their own D-League affiliate.
- Don’t be surprised if LeBron James chooses to distance himself from Roger Mason Jr.‘s recent comments about boycotting the 2014/15 season if Donald Sterling still owns the Clippers, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
- Assuming he re-signs with the Thunder in 2016, Kevin Durant could earn somewhere around $143.75MM over five years, as Berry Tramel and Jon Hamm of NewsOK explain.
- During an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Magic Johnson revealed that he declined an offer from Pistons owner Tom Gores to be part of his ownership group in Detroit (H/T to The Detroit News). Magic had been responding to the claim from Donald Sterling that the former Lakers star had been conspiring to purchase the Clippers.
And-Ones: LeBron, Hollins, T’Wolves, Klimenko
During an interview on Jim Rome on Showtime, NBPA vice president Roger Mason said that the players would boycott next season if Donald Sterling is still in place, adding that he had spoken about it with Heat superstar LeBron James:
“If it’s not handled (by) the start of next season, I don’t see how we’re playing basketball…Leaders of the teams, they’re all saying the same thing, ‘If this man is still in place, we (are not) playing’…LeBron and I talked about it…He (isn’t) playing if Sterling is still an owner.” (interview transcribed by James Herbert of CBS Sports).
Here are some more noteworthy links to pass along this evening:
- With Stan Van Gundy and Steve Kerr looking like distinct possibilities for the Warriors’ head coaching position, the team should shift their focus toward Lionel Hollins, says Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. As we noted a few days ago, Hollins is scheduled to interview with Golden State on Thursday.
- The Warriors are reportedly seeking an offensive-minded coach, and although Hollins’ defense-first mentality wouldn’t make him the most ideal fit for the job, Thompson hears that Hollins would look to bring on a respected offensive mind as one of his assistants, and would likely consider former Kings coach Paul Westphal for that particular position.
- The Timberwolves haven’t had any contact with Kerr and don’t seem to be considering him for their head coaching opening, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.
- Agent Bill McCandless says that draft prospect Artem Klimenko has reached a buyout agreement with Avtodor of the Russian Super League. The 7’1 center is scheduled to travel to the U.S. next week to work out for six to eight teams before the start of Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy (Twitter links via Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype).
- 2013 summer league standout Jack Cooley will participate in mini-camp workouts with the Spurs, Nets, Cavaliers, and Jazz, says RealGM’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
- Elston Turner has received an invite to work out for the Warriors in June and will participate in the upcoming NBA Summer League, writes Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (H/T to Il Messagero).
- Suns guard Archie Goodwin was arrested on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest in his hometown of Little Rock, according to a report from the Associated Press. Goodwin recently completed his rookie season in Phoenix and will be due in court on June 3.
Eastern Notes: Cavs, Pistons, Knicks, Nets
Cavs GM David Griffin was especially vehement when he told reporters today that Kyrie Irving wasn’t behind the team’s decision to fire Mike Brown, pounding the table in front of him as he spoke, observes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer. People close to Irving weren’t pleased with Brown, but Irving himself expressed a mix of positive and negative feelings on the former coach, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal details. Here’s more on the Cavs and the rest of the Eastern Conference:
- Former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo and Bucks assistant GM David Morway were rumored to be in the mix for the Cavs front office job before the team removed GM David Griffin‘s interim tag, according to Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal.
- Pistons owner Tom Gores was torn on what to do about Greg Monroe and Josh Smith in addition to how to fill his coaching and front office vacancies before Stan Van Gundy entered the picture, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt tweets. In any case, Gores has been looking to hire a “name,” according to Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News (Twitter link).
- The Knicks are seeking to trade cash for a pick late in this year’s draft, as Marc Berman of the New York Post reports amid a story on the team’s pursuit of Steve Kerr. New York is without a pick in either the first or the second round.
- The Nets hold the draft rights to Bojan Bogdanovic, but they don’t expect to sign him anytime soon, and Bogdanovic is nearing a new deal with Turkey’s Fenerbahce Ulker that will cover two or three seasons, reports Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net. The pact will likely include a lower NBA buyout price than the $2MM called for in his existing contract with the team, Varlas adds.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel thinks the Magic should consider trading up to pick Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker or Joel Embiid if Orlando misses out on one of the top three picks in the lottery. The Magic are in line for the No. 3 pick but could fall as low as No. 6.
Cavs Rumors: Coaching Search, Irving, Brown
New Cavs GM David Griffin spoke about the team’s head coaching vacancy this morning, less than 24 hours after the team fired Mike Brown and removed the interim tag from Griffin’s title. We’ll round up the highlights from Griffin’s press conference and pass along more on the Cavs coaching search here:
- Griffin will lead the search, but he says owner Dan Gilbert will have input, as Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer notes in a live blog of the press conference.
- The GM hinted at change, saying that there are pieces that don’t fit on the Cavs roster, as Valade chronicles.
- Griffin says he may Interview coaching candidates later this week at the draft combine in Chicago, Valade notes.
- Kyrie Irving didn’t have anything to do with Brown’s firing, and the star point guard won’t be involved in any decisions regarding the next coach, Griffin insists. Bob Finnan of The News-Herald and Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweet the details.
- The Cavs have no timetable for selecting their next coach, Griffin says, as Lloyd tweets.
- The Cavs have yet to compile a list of coaching candidates, but it appears that when they do, Mike D’Antoni‘s name won’t be on it, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Lloyd suggests that Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry is in better position than other would-be candidates given Griffin’s fondness for him.
- Brown’s firing had nothing to do with his ties to former GM Chris Grant, whom the team fired in February, as Lloyd writes in the same piece.