Nuggets Hire Brian Shaw As Head Coach
TUESDAY, 3:13pm: The Nuggets have officially named Shaw as their new head coach, the team announced today in a press release.
MONDAY, 7:01pm: The Nuggets will hire Brian Shaw to be their next coach, according to Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post (via Twitter). Shaw beat out former Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins, ex-Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro, Spurs assistant Brett Brown, and Nuggets assistant Melvin Hunt for the job.
The longtime assistant has been considered for several top head coaching jobs over the years and found himself as a leading candidate for several vacant positions this summer. Shaw was a finalist for the Clippers' job along with Byron Scott before L.A. cemented their deal to bring Celtics coach Doc Rivers out west.
Shaw's hire is the first major move by new Denver decision maker Tim Connelly. Connelly takes over for a franchise at a pivotal time after his predecessor Masai Ujiri bolted for Toronto, coach George Karl was fired, and Andre Iguodala decided to decline his player option for 2013/14. There's still a lot in flux for the Nuggets, but they've at least taken care of one pressing matter in advance of Thursday's draft.
Odds & Ends: Rivers, Granger, Ellis, Muhammad
Doc Rivers is sold on the "new" Clippers, but still isn't sold on owner Donald Sterling. That could be part of the delay in the two sides hammering out the final details of his contract. A source close to Rivers told Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald he was getting pulled hard in different directions last week as the Celtics and Clippers were negotiating a deal.
On one hand, Doc had coaching types telling him he had to jump at the opportunity to coach Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. However, others told him he would be crazy to step into the asylum that has been the Clippers over the years. Regardless, the contract seems like nothing but a formality at this point and we should see Rivers introduced as the new head man in L.A. this week. Here's more from around the Association..
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com hears that the Cavs are engaged in trade talks with a number of teams and sources say the Thunder, Timberwolves, and Blazers have been the most proactive in trying to get the No. 1 pick. Meanwhile, Ford still believes that Cleveland will go with Nerlens Noel if they keep the top selection.
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) asked an NBA executive for some names that are hot-and-heavy in trade talks. The names he got back were the Pacers' Danny Granger, the Bucks' Monta Ellis (sign and trade), the Rockets' Thomas Robinson, and the Wizards' Jan Vesely.
- Brian Shaw's deal with the Nuggets will be either three years or four years, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Nuggets hired the Indiana assistant earlier this evening.
- A source tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) that UCLA product Shabazz Muhammad worked out for the Pistons today. The source said that the audition went well for the guard/forward.
- The Wolves are still offering Derrick Williams around the league to see what they can get for him, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. The T-Wolves reportedly believe that Williams and the No. 9 pick can vault them into the top three.
- Recently appointed Kings assistant GM Mike Bratz said he's more of a see and "feel" guy in evaluating talent, but does use stats and analytics, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
- Former Celtics standout Antoine Walker told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (on Twitter) that he is "serious" about becoming an NBA coach.
Northwest Notes: Shaw, Nuggets, Blazers
Here's a look at the latest out of the Northwest Division..
- New Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw told Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post (on Twitter) that he likely won't run the triangle offense in Denver. As a former Phil Jackson pupil, many expected Shaw to implement the Zen Master's patented gameplan where ever he went. Most recently, Shaw worked under Pacers coach Frank Vogel and helped take the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals.
- The Trail Blazers have interest in restricted free agents Tiago Splitter (Spurs) and Nikola Pekovic (Wolves), according to John Canzano of 750 The Game (on Twitter). Canzano warns, however, that the Blazers should be very reluctant to get involved in a free agent offer sheet that will be matched.
- Wolves president Flip Saunders doesn't sound as though he's looking to move up in Thursday's draft, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune. The Wolves have the No. 9 and No. 26 picks in the draft but Saunders sees this class as being full of players who are good, not great.
Atlantic Notes: Brown, Shaw, Celtics, Knicks
After a strong interview with the Nuggets, Spurs assistant Brett Brown has drawn the interest of the Sixers and led them to ask for – and receive permission – to interview him, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Brown met with Nuggets officials on Sunday and emerged as a significant candidate in the search process, according to league sources, making him a hot commodity this summer. Here's more out of the Atlantic Division..
- Brian Shaw's agent told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (on Twitter) that his client has yet to hear from the Celtics. However, he added that "there would be interest" if the C's called.
- The Knicks are seeking cheaper alternatives with Jason Kidd gone and Rasheed Wallace retired, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Quincy Douby will be brought in for a workout tomorrow following Shawne Williams' audition today. Douby, who has spent a good amount of time overseas, is no stranger to the New York area thanks to his starring role at Rutgers.
- Brazilian prospect Alexandre Paranhos is working out for the Nets today, the Sixers tomorrow, and the Knicks on Wednesday, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Nuggets Make First-Round Pick Available
Although Andre Iguodala, Corey Brewer, and Timofey Mozgov are among the players the Nuggets could lose via free agency this summer, Denver isn't necessarily interested in adding a first-round prospect to shore up its rotation. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the Nuggets are happy with their young core and have made the No. 27 pick available. The team is interested in either landing a future first-rounder or moving back into the second round, says Wojnarowski.
With over $52MM in guaranteed salaries on their books for 2013/14, the Nuggets will be approaching tax territory if they're able to re-sign Iguodala and bring back Brewer and/or Mozgov, or add an outside free agent. Shedding the guaranteed salary that 27th overall pick would earn (likely $1.08MM) in favor of a non-guaranted contract for a second-rounder could give the club just a little more wiggle room.
One potential trade partner for the Nuggets could be the Cavs, who have been linked to a number of teams already this offseason. Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com reported recently that Cleveland would have interest in packaging their two second-round picks (31st and 33rd) for a late first-rounder, if the team sees a player they like slipping.
This isn't the first indication we've had that the Nuggets are open to moving their first-round pick in this week's draft. The team reportedly offered the pick to the Celtics in an effort to land Doc Rivers, but Rivers was uninterested in coaching in Denver.
Nuggets Considering Brett Brown As Head Coach
After the Nuggets' bid to land Doc Rivers failed, the team will turn its attention to at least five other candidates for their head coaching opening. As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports, the latest contender to emerge for the job is Spurs assistant Brett Brown, who met with Nuggets CEO Josh Kroenke and GM Tim Connelly on Sunday. Brown is being considered a "serious candidate" for the position, according to Wojnarowski.
Brown is the fifth potential head coach to receive an interview with the Nuggets. Former Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins, Pacers assistant Brian Shaw, ex-Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro, and Nuggets assistant Melvin Hunt have also met with the team about the opening.
One Spurs assistant, Mike Budenholzer, has already landed a head coaching job this offseason, having been hired by the Hawks. With Budenholzer in Atlanta, Brown, who has served as an assistant under Gregg Popovich for seven years, is expected to become the top assistant on Popovich's staff, unless he lands the Nuggets job. Brown also acted as the head coach for the Australian national team at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Western Notes: Warriors, Suns, Nuggets
A few notes from around the NBA's Western Conference.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com tweets that Warriors assistant coach Bob Beyer is going to the Bobcats.
- The Suns could be interested in selecting a point guard with the fifth overall pick in this week's draft, writes AZCentral.com's Paul Coro. The team already has Goran Dragic, who they signed to a four-year deal last summer, and drafted Kendall Marshall with their first round pick last season.
- The Nuggets reached out to Boston over the weekend to discuss making Rivers their head coach by dangling a first round pick, but Rivers had no interest in coaching that team, tweets SI.com's Chris Mannix.
Kings Rumors: Cousins, Evans, Execs, Muhammad
New Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro provided the media with plenty of information today about the issues facing the team as it turns its focus away from ownership and management changes and toward typical NBA offseason business. Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee passed along several highlights, as we round up here:
- Dan Fegan, the agent for Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, appears to be going after a maximum-salary extension for his client this summer, and D'Alessandro says he has a good relationship with Fegan and plans to meet with Cousins in person. Fegan has advised Cousins to stay quiet about the Kings, but his silence doesn't mean he wants to be traded, Jones writes.
- D'Alessandro has already met with soon-to-be restricted free agent Tyreke Evans.
- Former Nuggets executive Mike Bratz will be D'Alessandro's assistant GM with the Kings, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, a holdover from the previous regime in Sacramento, is in talks to join them in the front office, as Cowbell Kingdom's Jonathan Santiago tweets. If D'Alessandro had wound up with the Nuggets GM job, he said he would have tried to keep Bratz in Denver and recruit Abdur-Rahim.
- An ankle injury kept Shabazz Muhammad from working out as scheduled with the Kings today, but he met D'Alessandro for lunch.
- D'Alessandro also spoke about new scout George McCloud, who worked for D'Alessandro when they were both with the Warriors.
Nuggets To Interview Vinny Del Negro
The Nuggets will interview Vinny Del Negro this weekend for their coaching vacancy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Del Negro is the third coaching candidate to sit down this week with Tim Connelly, the Nuggets new executive vice president of basketball operations. Lionel Hollins did so on Wednesday, while Brian Shaw had his interview Tuesday.
Del Negro has been out of work for exactly a month, after he and the Clippers parted ways. A client of well-respected agent Lonnie Cooper, Del Negro has also been linked to the Celtics, who could be seeking a head coach if Doc Rivers doesn't return.
When the Clippers let go of Del Negro, they told him they'd do whatever they could to help him find his next job. It appears that policy may wind up benefiting the Clippers as much as Del Negro, since blocking Hollins and Shaw from the Nuggets job could leave them available for the Clippers, who've interviewed the two of them along with Byron Scott. The Clippers are reportedly using the availability of all three candidates as leverage in their negotiations with the Celtics over Rivers.
The Nuggets have suffered from an exodus of coaches and executives in the past month. Former GM Masai Ujiri left to take over the Raptors front office, and Denver forced out coach George Karl. Pete D'Alessandro, who had been serving as an assistant to Ujiri in Denver, became GM of the Kings, bringing another Nuggets executive with him. Today the Kings officially hired Nuggets director of player personnel Mike Bratz as assistant GM, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee notes.
Odds & Ends: Rivers, Nuggets, Roc Nation
Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald refers to a source that says Doc Rivers had no intention of being a part of an eventual rebuilding process with the Celtics, and that the team knew he felt that way when he signed his latest contract. The same source also said that Rivers did not intitiate the process that led to talks between Boston and the Clippers, adding that he had been contemplating between returning to coach the Celtics and stepping away from the game before team brass asked him if he was interested in any of the coaching opportunities around the league.
According to Bulpett's source, Rivers then learned that the front office had already held preliminary discussions with the Clippers about making him available (by releasing him from his contract) and seeing what they could get in return. At that point, Rivers was reportedly intrigued at the prospect of moving west and allowed Danny Ainge to try to work out the best possible deal. In the meantime, the 51-year-old coach was given permission to see if he could reach a separate agreement with the Clippers, which he eventually did (most notably, it would allow him to have control over player personnel).
With the deal now slowed by the fact that the agreement doesn't exactly comply with the rules of the CBA, Bulpett writes that Rivers could choose to do television work for the next one to two years rather than decide between coaching the Celtics or stepping away from the game altogether – that is, if the deal with the Clippers falls through. Interestingly enough, on the notion that Rivers had once said he'd be willing to continue coaching in Boston during a rebuilding process, some sources have called it an obligatory statement that was meant to preserve the stability of the team at the time, all while the front office would work to find pieces to complement Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce accordingly.
As we gear up for the seventh and deciding game of the NBA Finals, here are more of tonight's miscellaneous notes from around the Association:
- Mike Bratz, currently the director of player personnel for the Nuggets and former Kings backup point guard, has reached an agreement with Sacramento to become the team's assistant general manager (Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports).
- Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that shortly after firing George Karl, the Nuggets had offered the Celtics a first round draft pick as compensation to pry Rivers out of his contract. Once Denver's offer was rebuffed by Danny Ainge, they quickly moved their focus onto Brian Shaw and Lionel Hollins, who both are said to have made strong impressions on team president Josh Kroenke and general manager Tim Connelly. Sources have said that at the time Kroenke had made his bid for Rivers about ten days ago, Boston was not ready to start the process of letting Rivers leave, and the negotiations never went beyond one brief conversation between Kroenke and Ainge.
- There has been growing confusion (as well as anger, in some cases) among outside agents about who exactly the Roc Nation Sports agency represents and which athletes are part of its partnership with CAA Sports, writes Liz Mullen of SportsBusinessDaily.com. Some agents have privately expressed anger that Roc Nation has been reported to represent athletes who are still clients of other firms.
- Janis Carr of the OC Register writes that Dwight Howard is still undecided on his future (subscribers only).
- Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News tweets that Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni will be continuing interviews to fill out the rest of his coaching staff through next week, and that much of it will depend on how the head coaching hires around the league turn out.
- The city of Sacramento is being asked to write its first big check toward the development of a downtown sports arena, says Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. City development staff is expected to ask the council for $6.5MM in city funds, of which some will be used to hire a team of financial, design, and legal consultants. The team of consultants are said to be needed as the city begins negotiations on "definitive agreements" of an arena financing and construction plan with the private investment team that owns the Kings.
- The Grizzlies should strongly consider selecting D.J. Stephens on draft night, opines Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.