Pacific Notes: Hornacek, Curry, Lakers, Draft
Three Pacific Division teams hold three lottery picks this year, giving the Lakers, Kings and Suns weapons to try to chase down the power axis of the Warriors and Clippers in the next few years. The Clips are without a pick, while Golden State has only the final selection of the first round. The Lakers, in particular, can add plenty of young talent with picks Nos. 2, 27 and 34, though whether they’ll have the patience to let all of them develop remains to be seen. Here’s the latest from the division:
- Jeff Hornacek is heading into the final guaranteed season of his contract, but he’s made the Suns better, and even though he’s dismissed the idea that he would leave Phoenix for Iowa State, his alma mater, the Suns need to resolve his lame duck status, argues Paula Boivin of the Arizona Republic. Boivin calls for the Suns to either pick up Hornacek’s 2016/17 team option or grant him an extension.
- More than four dozen NBA players drew higher salaries this season than MVP Stephen Curry did, a key to helping the Warriors build their Finals roster, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders examines. Curry’s bargain deal runs two more years, so Golden State will continue to benefit, but the point guard is set for free agency in 2017, just as preliminary projections show the salary cap hitting its peak, so he’ll eventually rake in the cash, Kennedy writes.
- Brazilian point guard George Lucas, Nebraska swingman Terran Petteway, Syracuse big man Rakeem Christmas, Eastern Washington shooting guard Tyler Harvey, North Carolina shooting guard J.P. Tokoto and Arizona power forward Brandon Ashley worked out for the Lakers in the first of two sessions Monday, the team announced (Twitter link). We passed along the participants in session two in the post linked here.
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv adds the Suns to the list of teams working out Arizona small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Twitter link).
Draft Rumors: Towns, Payne, Mudiay
People close to No. 1 overall pick contender Karl-Anthony Towns deny a report that he won’t work out for any teams, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who writes in an NBA PM piece. Towns isn’t trying to convince the Timberwolves to pass on him so that the Lakers can take him at No. 2, Kyler also hears. There’s plenty more from the draft, including some pretty hefty names, as we pass along here:
- Sources suggested to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders last month that point guard Cameron Payne has a promise from a team, and that indeed appears to be the case, Kyler writes in the same piece. There’s a decent chance it’s from a team picking higher than the Thunder, whom Chad Ford of ESPN.com linked to him at No. 14, Kyler adds.
- Emmanuel Mudiay is expected to work out for the Knicks, Lakers and Sixers, Mudiay’s would-be college coach Larry Brown tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link), but for now, he won’t work out for the Timberwolves, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (on Twitter).
- French swingman Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot will pull out of the draft by the June 15th deadline to do so if he doesn’t receive a first-round guarantee from a team, a league source tells NetsDaily.
- UNLV shooting guard Rashad Vaughn is working out with the Warriors today and the Lakers on Wednesday, Zagoria tweets, correcting an earlier report. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities adds the Bulls and the Wizards to the list of teams previous reported to have workouts with Vaughn on their schedule (Twitter link).
Western Notes: Warriors, Lakers, McCollum
Alvin Gentry‘s hiring as the coach of the Pelicans will leave a major void on Steve Kerr‘s coaching staff and Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group offers Luke Walton, Brian Shaw and Mike D’Antoni as possible replacements for the Warriors. Walton is currently the No. 3 assistant, but he has a strong feel for offense, is somebody Kerr has hand-picked for coaching success in the future and is the front-runner for the position, according to Kawakami. Shaw, a former Nuggets coach, visited the Warriors’ practice on Saturday and stayed for a while afterward, Kawakami reports. Kawakami describes D’Antoni as “a long shot” for the position. Kerr will focus on bringing someone in who is offensively-minded, Kawakami writes, because that was primarily Gentry’s role with the team.
Here’s more on the Western Conference:
- All signs point to C.J. McCollum, who had his $3.2MM option picked up by the Blazers in October, getting more playing time next season because of his strong playoff run, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com writes. McCollum said he wants to get stronger, increase reaction to pick and rolls, and improve his mid-range shooting during the offseason, Young adds. “I’m going to work on everything like I always do,” said McCollum. “… “I got to step it up. It’s going to be a new year, I’m going to be in the league for two years now, so a better understanding of the game and how I can make my impact.”
- The Lakers should target an overseas prospect to stash with the 27th pick of the draft, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com (insider piece) writes, because GM Mitch Kupchak said it’s unlikely the team carries three rookies on next season’s roster and although the option is risky, an overseas project offers long-term payoff. Candidates include Macedonian point guard Cedi Osman and French center Mouhammadou Jaiteh, Doolittle adds. The Lakers also own the second and 34th picks. At No. 34, Kupchak can target a high-risk, high-reward player with little financial consequence, Doolittle writes. Washington’s Robert Upshaw would be an ideal fit for those reasons, Doolittle adds.
Draft Notes: Holmes, Christmas, Mickey, Vaughn
Richaun Holmes, Rakeem Christmas, Jordan Mickey and Rashad Vaughn have improved their stocks considerably, as one Eastern Conference GM tells Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.
“All four have helped themselves so far during the workouts,” the anonymous GM said. “Vaughn has a chance to go in the first round. The other three are second-round picks. Although Christmas has apparently intrigued some teams at the bottom of the first round.”
Here’s more from Scotto on these prospects:
- Holmes will work out for the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, Raptors and Grizzlies as well as other teams that should bring him to roughly 15 workouts. He has already worked out for the Jazz, Spurs, Suns, Pacers and Mavericks. Holmes previously spoke with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors about how he changed his form to improve his shooting.
- Mickey will work out for the Wolves and Spurs. He has already worked out for the Bulls, Rockets and Celtics. “I like Mickey,” an Eastern Conference GM told Scotto. “He’s an NBA shot blocker and rebounder. He’s a more athletic Taj Gibson.”
- Vaughn has already worked out for the Heat and Pacers. “I really like Vaughn,” one GM told Scotto. “He’s a good shooter with range. He can get his own shot and is athletic.”
Pelicans Hire Alvin Gentry As Coach
SUNDAY, 8:17am: The hiring is official, the team announced overnight. Gentry will take his new position after the Finals.
11:08pm: Gentry will receive a four-year contract, Spears tweets.
7:55pm: Although Thibodeau was rumored to be a candidate for the job, there was no communication between the Pelicans and him, Amick reports.
SATURDAY, 6:40pm: Alvin Gentry will be named the new coach of the Pelicans, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Gentry, the lead assistant under Steve Kerr with Golden State, will take over in New Orleans after the NBA Finals (Twitter link).
This will be Gentry’s fifth head coaching job in the NBA. He previously coached the Heat, Pistons, Clippers and Suns and has a career record of 335-370. Last summer, he signed a three-year deal to be an assistant with the Warriors. Gentry will replace Monty Williams, who led the team to 45 victories and a playoff spot, but was fired shortly after being swept by Golden State in the first round.
Gentry was in New Orleans Friday for his second interview with the franchise, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune. Other coaches who were rumored to be in the running for the job, according to Reid, were ABC/ESPN broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy, former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and ex-Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro. Wolves assistant Sam Mitchell was also interviewed, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link), and only Gentry and Van Gundy received second interviews. The hiring of Gentry likely means that Thibodeau will be out of coaching for at least a year, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
Reid reported last week that Gentry saw the chance to coach young NBA first-teamer Anthony Davis as a career defining opportunity. Gentry has a reputation as an offensive-minded coach, leading Phoenix to a league-best 110.2 points per game during the 2009-10 season, and is reportedly very interested in the chance to mold Davis into an offensive force.
Mike D’Antoni and Luke Walton are intriguing possibilities to become the Warriors’ new lead assistant, tweets Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group. D’Antoni has been out of coaching since resigning from the Lakers after the 2013/14 season. Walton is already an assistant on Kerr’s staff. Former Nuggets coach Brian Shaw would also be interested in the position, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Pacific Notes: Dellavedova, Lacob, Thompson
Australian center Andrew Bogut tried to get the Warriors to sign countryman Matthew Dellavedova in 2013, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. After Dellavedova went undrafted, Bogut petitioned GM Bob Myers to take a chance on the guard, but Golden State didn’t have a roster spot available. Instead, Dellavedova signed with the Cavaliers’ summer league team, earned a place on the roster and will face the Warriors in the NBA Finals.
There’s more tonight from the Pacific Division:
- Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob hasn’t addressed a crowd since he was booed off the court three years ago, writes Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group. With Golden State in the NBA Finals, the response would assuredly be different, but Lacob wants to wait until he has a championship trophy in hand to speak to fans again. The booing incident came during Chris Mullin’s jersey retirement ceremony in March of 2012, less than two years after Lacob and Peter Guber purchased the team. Public opinion about ownership has changed since then, especially after the Warriors compiled the NBA’s best record and lost just three games while storming through the Western Conference playoffs. “I don’t think he thinks about it as redemption in any sense like that,” said Joe’s son, Kirk Lacob. “I think the booing thing just adds … it’s just another cool part of the story, hopefully.”
- With Game 1 of the NBA Finals five days away, Warriors coach Steve Kerr is confident that Klay Thompson will be ready, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Thompson suffered a concussion in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals and will not be able to practice until he is symptom free. “He’s going through the [concussion protocol] process, but all is going well,” Kerr said today.
- Julius Randle, the Lakers‘ top pick in the 2014 draft, is almost fully recovered from a broken leg, writes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. Randle has made steady progress since fracturing his tibia in the team’s season opener and hopes to be ready for summer league action in July. “The last time I checked probably about a month ago, the bone was 95% healed,” Randle said. “I feel great.”
Pelicans Interview Alvin Gentry, JVG
MAY 29TH, 7:30pm: Gentry was in New Orleans today for a second interview with the team, Fletcher Mackel of WDSU NBC New Orleans tweets. Van Gundy is also still in contention for the job, Mackel adds.
MAY 22ND, 6:04pm: The Pelicans interviewed Van Gundy on Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. The two sides had previously spoken over the phone, but this was the first face-to-face meeting, Wojnarowski’s sources relayed.
10:16pm: Van Gundy has expressed interest in coaching the Pelicans, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
MAY 21ST, 12:50pm: Gentry sees the chance to coach Davis as career-defining and is “more than interested” in the job, a source close to Gentry told John Reid of The Times-Picayune. The source pointed to clear indications that Gentry will meet again with Pelicans management after the season is over for the Warriors, Reid adds. New Orleans wants a coach who’ll install an exciting, up-tempo attack while further developing Davis, Reid hears from league sources, and Gentry’s last NBA head coaching gig came with the fast-paced Steve Nash-era Suns.
8:34pm: Gentry is being interviewed by Pelicans president Mickey Loomis and GM Dell Demps tonight in San Francisco, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Gentry, who was granted permission by the Warriors to interview in between playoff series, will try to sell the Pelicans’ brass on offensive strategies that he would institute to expand Anthony Davis‘ game, Wojnarowski continues. Loomis is also interested in Thibodeau, who is waiting to hear from the Bulls about his future with the franchise, but Demps isn’t as sold on the hard-edged Chicago coach after having endured much internal conflict with former coach Monty Williams, Wojnarowski hears. The Pelicans have also made calls on Jeff Van Gundy and have an interest in Scott Brooks, Wojnarowski adds.
5:11pm: There was a lot of talk at the combine that the Pelicans would be hesitant to give up compensation to Chicago in return for the Bulls allowing them to hire Thibodeau, Johnson reports (Twitter link). That doesn’t mean the team will necessarily hire Gentry instead, but it supports the idea that the Pelicans will wait to see how things shake out between the Bulls and Thibs, Johnson tweets.
4:40pm: The Bulls and Thibodeau are still operating as though Thibs remains Chicago’s coach, Stein writes in a full story. Stein still says the sides are widely expected to part ways. It’s unclear just when Gentry’s interview with the Pelicans will take place, Stein notes.
MAY 18TH, 4:15pm: The Pelicans have received permission from the Warriors to interview assistant coach Alvin Gentry, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Most of the reports regarding the New Orleans vacancy have centered on Tom Thibodeau, so it appears the Pels are expanding their base of candidates. Gentry is reportedly a front-runner for Chicago should the Bulls part ways with Thibodeau, so perhaps the Pelicans’ interest in Gentry is brinksmanship of sorts to entice the Bulls to let Thibs go for minimal compensation, though that’s just my speculation.
Gentry has reportedly drawn interest from the Nuggets and Magic, too, as he helps head coach Steve Kerr guide the Warriors toward a title. The sought-after candidate has made it clear he enjoys coaching in Golden State even though he’d like to return to a head coaching capacity. Gentry is a veteran of parts of 12 seasons as an NBA head coach with the Heat, Pistons, Clippers and Suns. He took Phoenix, where he made his last head coaching stop, to the Western Conference Finals in 2009. Gentry left a job as an assistant for the New Orleans franchise, then known as the Hornets, after one season in 2004 to join Mike D’Antoni‘s staff with the Suns, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic points out (on Twitter).
New Orleans was reportedly waiting for clarity on Thibodeau’s situation with the Bulls as of last week. There’s apparent mutual interest between Thibs and the Pelicans, and a pair of reports Friday indicated that if he’s not coaching in Chicago, he’ll most likely end up on the Pelicans bench. However, his contract with the Bulls runs through 2016/17, so Chicago controls his fate if he wants to coach in the NBA anytime soon. Thibodeau isn’t about to walk away from the money remaining on his deal, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link), an amount Stein last week pegged at close to $9MM. Still, Johnson suggests it’s possible that Thibodeau will sit out next season if the Bulls indeed decide to go with someone else.
Draft Notes: Vaughn, Randle, Heat, Sixers
The draft is less than four weeks away, and Hoops Rumors has you covered. Check out our full log of draft news right here. Our Eddie Scarito runs down the first round in his Mock Draft, and we dive deeper into key figures with our Prospect Profile series. We’ve gained insight from a wide array of prospects through their interviews with our Zach Links, and, as always, we’ll pass along the latest news, including these reports on team workouts:
- UNLV shooting guard Rashad Vaughn will work out Monday for the Lakers and will soon do so with the Warriors, Suns and Spurs, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
- Chasson Randle auditioned for the Thunder and also plans to show off for the Sixers, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). The Celtics have already worked out the two-guard from Stanford, as we noted earlier.
- Shooting guards K.T. Harrell of Auburn and Josh Richardson of Tennessee worked out Thursday for the Heat, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hears.
- The Sixers are taking a look today at Delaware State big man Kendall Gray, sources told Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (on Twitter), and they’re doing the same with Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
- Syracuse big man Rakeem Christmas is working out for the Spurs today and already got a look from the Mavericks, Pompey reveals in a separate piece.
Western Notes: Rockets, Muhammad, Lakers
Now that the Rockets have been eliminated from the playoffs the franchise will begin working toward its offseason plans. Josh Smith, Jason Terry, and Corey Brewer, all of whom are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer, have indicated that they want to return to Houston next season, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle writes. “I like the future if we can keep all the pieces together,” Smith said. “I like what the future holds for us. You never know in free agency what may occur. The city of Houston and this team has definitely embraced me for my individuality and the way I play the game. It would be great to do something special for the city and for this team.”
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Wolves swingman Shabazz Muhammad has parted ways with agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports Management and signed with Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relays (Twitter link).
- The Lakers held workouts earlier today for Justin Anderson, Askia Booker, Anthony Brown, Charles Jackson, Stefan Nastic, and Delon Wright, the team announced (via Twitter).
- Arkansas forward Bobby Portis is scheduled to work out for the Thunder this Friday, Gary Washburn of Boston Globe tweets.
- The Nuggets brought in Florida guard Michael Frazier for a workout today, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (Twitter link).
- Center Andrew Bogut praised the Warriors‘ front office for keeping the core of the team intact and not going for a “home run” in the NBA draft, via trades, or through free agency, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays (on Twitter).
Fallout From Tom Thibodeau Firing
Bulls GM Gar Forman and executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson didn’t say as much in their press conference today, but the now-vacant Bulls coaching job is Fred Hoiberg‘s to lose, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. There has been some doubt about whether Hoiberg, coming off heart surgery last month, would head to the Bulls this year, but sources close to the Iowa State coach tell Randy Peterson of The Des Moines Register that they believe Hoiberg would accept if, or when, offered. Indeed, several close to Hoiberg are confident that he’s ready for the challenge of the NBA, Johnson hears (Twitter link). There’s much more on Hoiberg, the fired Tom Thibodeau, and the Bulls, as we relay:
- There’s no way Hoiberg would turn down the Bulls job, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press, and the coach was ready to jump to the NBA if the Warriors had offered him their job last season, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (on Twitter). However, the Warriors got the sense then that Hoiberg wasn’t quite ready, notes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter). Still, Hoiberg last month told recruiting target Cheick Diallo that he couldn’t guarantee that he’d remain the school’s coach for 2015/16, sources told Travis Hines of the Ames Tribune (hat tip to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv).
- The Bulls have also fired assistant coach Andy Greer, Forman confirmed at the press conference today, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com notes (on Twitter).
- Forman also said that Bulls management got the sense they needed to make a change after meeting with players and other team personnel, Friedell tweets. That would jibe with Johnson’s report that some players conveyed in their exit meetings this month that they didn’t endorse Thibodeau’s return.
- The GM denied that the Bulls viewed Thibodeau as an asset they could use to extract compensation from other teams and confirmed that no team had called to ask permission to interview the coach this year, Friedell passes along (on Twitter).
- Paxson suggested that the Bulls would have kept Thibs if they’d won the title this year, advancing the idea that the team’s inability to get past the Cavs in the playoffs further lowered Thibodeau in the eyes of management. “We wouldn’t be sitting here if we won a championship,” Paxson said, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com (Twitter link). “I feel like we had a real chance.”