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.
Pistons Hire Stan Van Gundy As Coach, President
The Pistons have officially hired Stan Van Gundy as head coach and president of basketball operations, the team announced. The deal is for $35MM over five years. Van Gundy had previously been considered the leading candidate for the Warriors’ head coaching position, though talks stalled when Golden State proved unwilling to grant him full autonomy over all basketball decisions. Van Gundy’s deal with Detroit is also significantly more lucrative than the reported $25-$30MM that the Warriors were willing to offer.
“Stan is a proven winner in our league. He instills his teams with passion, purpose and toughness. He is a great teacher who will help our players grow and develop,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “Stan is more than just a great coach, he’s a great leader. What I’m most excited about is how Stan can help us shape the franchise and instill what it means to be the best. He’s also a great communicator. My time with Stan has me convinced that he will bring our players, team and community to a very proud place.”
The Pistons reached out to Van Gundy about their coaching vacancy several weeks ago, but those talks ended after Van Gundy requested some degree of player personnel control. Detroit evidently had a change of heart as they warmed to the idea of hiring someone as both coach and primary front office executive.
Gores became determined to do whatever it took to land the former Heat and Magic coach, and while he outbid the Warriors, the opportunity to lead the Pistons basketball operations department was most appealing to Van Gundy. That led him to turn down the Warriors, even though they have a superior roster and they’re the team he’d grown up rooting for. Golden State’s front office is crowded with GM Bob Myers, adviser Jerry West and assistant general managers Kirk Lacob, son of co-owner Joe Lacob, and Travis Schlenk, a one-time candidate for the Pistons top front office job. Joe Lacob also takes a hands-on role.
“It is an honor to be chosen to help Tom Gores build the Pistons into a team that competes for championships,” Van Gundy said in the Pistons statement. “Tom’s vision of building for the future, while seeking immediate improvement is a challenge that I embrace. We will work to put a team on the floor that reflects the franchise’s rich tradition and embodies the toughness and work ethic of fans in the Detroit area.”
Van Gundy said earlier this year that he was highly unlikely to coach, but it appears as though the opportunity to take on player personnel duties for the first time in his career was too attractive to pass up. He spoke recently of his desire to have a strong working relationship with the front office in whatever coaching job he would take, and with the Pistons, he won’t have to worry about anyone other than owner Tom Gores looking over his shoulder. Former Magic GM Otis Smith is one of the candidates Van Gundy is considering as an assistant front office executive.
Van Gundy takes the reigns from assistant GM George David and director of basketball operations Ken Catanella, who’d been running the front office on an interim basis after longtime president of basketball operations Joe Dumars stepped aside last month. Today’s hiring also displaces interim coach John Loyer, who took over when the Pistons fired Maurice Cheeks in February. David, Catanella and Loyer were all candidates to have their interim tags removed.
Van Gundy’s name has come up frequently in regard to coaching vacancies ever since the Magic fired him in 2012. He took the Magic to the Finals in 2009 and won 50 games five times in his seven full seasons as an NBA head coach. He publicly feuded with then-Magic star Dwight Howard, but the two have since repaired their relationship.
In additon to Schlenk, the Pistons were also rumored to be considering former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo and Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren, who had appeared to be the front-runners for the job. Cavs GM David Griffin, NBA senior vice president of basketball operations Kiki Vandeweghe and Magic assistant GM Scott Perry were also candidates to replace Dumars, who remains with the organization in an advisory capacity. The Pistons were reportedly considering Michigan State coach Tom Izzo for their coaching job. Gores had retained Phil Norment and Bob Wentworth, partners in his private equity investment firm, to conduct the search for a new top basketball executive.
Ryan Raroque contributed to this post. Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press tweeted the news that Van Gundy and the Pistons had a signed contract. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported that Van Gundy and the Pistons had reached an agreement in principle, Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News was the first to report they were close to a deal, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports originally had the story that the Pistons were pitching Van Gundy on the dual executive/coach role. Wojnarowski noted that the sides were working on a five-year, $35MM arrangement. He also tweeted that Van Gundy is considering Otis Smith for an assistant executive role, while Ellis clarified that Smith is one of several candidates for that position. Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reported the initial talks between Van Gundy and the Pistons. Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today and Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group provided additional detail.
Pistons, Stan Van Gundy Reach Deal
WEDNESDAY, 8:02am: Van Gundy and the Pistons have a signed contract, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, and a formal announcement is set to come this morning, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
TUESDAY, 8:37pm: The deal will be signed in a few hours, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.
8:28pm: Van Gundy has reached an agreement in principle to become the Pistons’ head coach/president of basketball operations, sources tell ESPN’s Marc Stein. Stein also reports that an official announcement is expected this week and confirms that the deal is worth an estimated $35MM over five years.
7:43pm: Per Wojnarowski, the Pistons and Van Gundy are nearing an agreement centered on five years and $35MM.
2:45pm: Van Gundy hasn’t entirely ruled out the Warrors yet, according to Wojnarowski. Gores is ready to do whatever it takes to land Van Gundy, Wojnarowski hears, and while Detroit’s offer trumps Golden State’s willingness to pay Van Gundy $25-30MM on a five-year deal, money isn’t Van Gundy’s primary concern, according to Wojnarowski. The chance to control a front office and build a roster is what’s luring Van Gundy to Detroit, Wojnarowski writes.
2:15pm: Van Gundy and the Pistons are working toward a five-year, $35MM deal, Wojnarowski tweets.
1:55pm: Smith is only one of several names in the mix for the Pistons GM job if Van Gundy ends up overseeing basketball operations for the team, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter).
1:36pm: The Pistons are merely waiting on Van Gundy to sign their offer, and he’s likely to do so, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
1:30pm: The Warriors met with Van Gundy on Monday in Florida and emerged convinced that Van Gundy was leaning toward the Pistons job, Wojnarowski tweets.
1:27pm: If he reaches a deal to run the Pistons front office and coach the team, Van Gundy’s thinking about hiring Otis Smith to work under him as GM of the Pistons, Wojnarowski reports (on Twitter). Smith, the former Magic GM, oversaw Van Gundy when they worked together in Orlando.
1:21pm: Van Gundy was impressed with Golden State’s management structure and ownership when he spoke with the team recently, Wojnarowski notes in the latest version of his piece, though the Pistons intrigue him as well.
1:16pm: The Pistons and Van Gundy are close to a deal, tweets Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News, who hears there’s a chance it’s finalized in a day or two.
12:09am: Van Gundy is undecided between the Pistons and the Warriors, Wojnarowski tweets. He’s seriously considering Detroit’s offer, but he’s torn between taking that and coaching the Warriors, according to Wojnarowski.
11:33am: The Pistons are pitching Stan Van Gundy on becoming both coach and the team’s top basketball office executive, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Warriors appeared to be progressing swiftly toward an agreement with Van Gundy to coach their team, but a report minutes earlier indicated that no deal was imminent between Golden State and the former Heat and Magic coach.
Van Gundy has strong interest in the Warriors, Wojnarowski writes, though it’s unclear how much the Pistons intrigue him. It would be a lucrative arrangement in Detroit, according to Wojnarowski, although just what sort of terms the Pistons are floating is unclear. Van Gundy spoke on NBC Radio recently of his desire to have a strong working relationship with the front office in whatever coaching job he would take, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group notes. The Pistons gig, which would give him complete control of the team’s basketball ops, Wojnarowski says, would give Van Gundy no one other than owner Tom Gores looking over his shoulder. Van Gundy said when he left his job as Heat coach that he wanted to spend more time with his family, but widespread speculation suggested that Heat team president Pat Riley forced him out so he could take over coaching duties instead.
Van Gundy asked the Warriors for total control over their basketball operations, but they declined to give him that, reports Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). The Warriors put heavy pressure on former coach Mark Jackson, and with activist co-owner Joe Lacob, GM Bob Myers and adviser Jerry West, among others, in place, Van Gundy would seemingly have little room for personnel input if he were to take the Golden State job.
Pistons interim coach John Loyer has been a candidate to retain his job on a more permanent basis. Pistons assistant GM George David and director of basketball operations Ken Catanella have assumed the responsibilities of former president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, and they have also been in the running to formally replace Dumars atop the team’s front office.
Former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo and Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren appeared last week to be the front-runners for the top Pistons front office job. Cavs GM David Griffin was a candidate before Cleveland removed the interim tag from his job. NBA senior vice president of basketball operations Kiki Vandeweghe, Magic assistant GM Scott Perry and Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk were also reportedly in the running. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo seemed to be in the mix for the Pistons coaching job.
Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today first noted a few weeks ago that the Pistons were considering hiring someone in a dual coaching/front office role. Detroit reached out to Van Gundy earlier, according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, but Van Gundy’s request for a degree of control over personnel decisions closed those brief talks. It seems the Pistons have had a change of heart.
Coaching Rumors: Warriors, Knicks, Jazz
Now that Stan Van Gundy has reached an agreement with the Pistons, the Warriors are again in pursuit of Steve Kerr for their head coaching job, writes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. Although plenty of signs point to Kerr being the favorite to land with the Knicks, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News alludes to reports that New York remains steadfast in offering a four-year deal, rather than the five-year agreement that Kerr’s representatives are looking for. Keeping in mind that Golden State had been reportedly willing to offer Van Gundy a five-year deal, the Warriors’ latest pursuit may be enough to cause the Knicks to eventually meet Kerr’s asking price.
Here’s more out of the NBA’s coaching carousel tonight:
- Sources have told Isola that Kerr is concerned that the team has cycled through seven head coaches and GMs since Dolan took control of the franchise; those reservations likely have upset the Madison Square Garden chairman,
- Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey tells Jody Genessy of the Deseret News that the front office is getting closer to beginning their interview process for a new head coach but declined to elaborate on any specific names linked to the job: “I’m optimistic and I think there’s a good talent pool of coaches available…Because we don’t know right now, there’s no one else that really knows. All the speculation is very premature…We’re getting closer to moving to the part where we’ll reach out.”
- Expect the Timberwolves’ coaching search to wait until next week’s lottery, where landing in the top three could be enough to change Kevin Love‘s feelings about the team’s future as well as the team’s coaching prospects, opines Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune..
- When asked if the Warriors considered Jerry Sloan for their head coaching job, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group reminded that team co-owner Joe Lacob is targeting someone relatively young (Twitter link). Sloan turned 72 this past March.
- No one has requested permission to speak with Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry about head coaching openings, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. According to Spears, Doc Rivers isn’t opposed to his assistants participating in interviews during the playoffs.
- There are some notable complications that will arise should the Lakers attempt to dangle trade assets in their pursuit of Tom Thibodeau, details Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders.
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.
Warriors, Van Gundy Talks Stall; Kerr Back In Mix
4:37pm: A source tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that it would be shocking if Kerr wound up turning down the Knicks, and the reason they haven’t reached an agreement yet is because Kerr and team president Phil Jackson are otherwise occupied. Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com passes along the details (all Twitter links).
1:44pm: The Warriors are heading to Oklahoma City today to meet with Kerr, in town to broadcast tonight’s game for TNT, and make another push to hire him as coach, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link)
1:34pm: Kerr is still more likely to take the Knicks job than to end up in Golden State, even as the Warriors maintain hope that they can sway him, Stein tweets.
12:57pm: Golden State is prepared to pay market rate or higher for Kerr or any of the team’s coaching targets, according to Kawakami (Twitter links).
12:46pm: The Warriors plan another aggressive push at Kerr if Van Gundy takes the Pistons job, Wojnarowski tweets. Kerr and the Knicks are hung up in negotiations over the length of his would-be deal to coach New York, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Kerr is seeking a five-year deal, while the Knicks only want to give him four.
12:04pm: Kawakami suggests the Warriors and Van Gundy are no longer talking, and that it doesn’t sound as if they’ll restart the conversation (Twitter link). The report is in the wake of a report of the Pistons’ interest in Van Gundy for a dual coach/executive role. The Warriors were unwilling to fulfill Van Gundy’s request of total control over basketball decisions, as Kawakami noted.
11:28am: The Warriors aren’t on the verge of hiring Van Gundy or anyone else, reports Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. The team is indeed high on Van Gundy, but it appears the Warriors aren’t finished with their search, Kawakami adds, pointing to Golden State’s last coaching search, in which there were premature reports about leading candidates (All four Twitter links). The news would appear to indicate that the team’s interview with Hollins is still on for Thursday, though that’s just my speculation.
9:02am: The Warriors have come to regard Stan Van Gundy as the clear-cut top choice for their head coaching position, and talks are intensifying as they progress toward a deal, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. Marc Stein of ESPN.com and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported early Monday that Golden State was zeroing in on Van Gundy, and it appears the sides are moving swiftly as the chances of Steve Kerr ending up in Golden State continue to fade.
Van Gundy drew support from several in the organization soon after the Warriors fired Mark Jackson, and Warriors players, many of whom were strong supporters of Jackson, appeared to be among the first ones in Van Gundy’s corner. The front office and co-owner Joe Lacob eventually shifted their support from Kerr to Van Gundy, too. The Warriors reached out to Van Gundy last week as the team eyed an experienced coach to help foster its continued growth toward title contention.
Van Gundy, who in March deemed himself highly unlikely to return to the bench next season, downplayed his interest last week. The former Heat and Magic coach nonetheless acknowledged his connection to the Warriors, whom he’d grown up rooting for as a child in Northern California.
Golden State reportedly has an interview scheduled with Lionel Hollins on Thursday, but it’s unclear whether that remains on the agenda. Others linked to the job include Jerry Sloan, David Fizdale, George Karl, Mike D’Antoni, Nate McMillan, Kevin Ollie, Alvin Gentry, Fred Hoiberg, Tom Thibodeau. Van Gundy, Kerr, Hoiberg and Ollie appeared to be in the upper echelon among those candidates.
Latest On Warriors, Knicks, Van Gundy, Kerr
The Warriors are coalescing behind Stan Van Gundy as their primary coaching target as their chances of landing Steve Kerr become increasingly remote. A formal interview between Golden State and Van Gundy is “imminent,” as Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets, while it seems as though Kerr is choosing between coaching the Knicks and remaining in broadcasting, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. There remains a slight chance Kerr could end up with Golden State, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes, but the Warriors are moving forward with other candidates.
The Warriors haven’t had serious discussions with Kerr in days, and co-owner Joe Lacob is coming over to the side of his front office staff, who believe Van Gundy is the best option to coach the team, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. A report on Thursday indicated that some of the Warriors players were Van Gundy’s most significant proponents, with the front office sold on Kerr. That suggests the team’s brass is especially sensitive to the players’ wishes following the ouster of Mark Jackson, who was popular among those in uniform, but that’s just my speculation.
Kerr and his representatives are hoping for a resolution with the Knicks soon, Berman writes, a reversal of the dynamic from last week, when it appeared as though Knicks president Phil Jackson was becoming impatient as he waited for an answer from his would-be coach. The Knicks are wary of overpaying Kerr, and they’re reluctant to give him a long-term deal, preferring a contract that accords him more like the coaching neophyte that he is an less like a sought-after commodity, Wojnarowski reports (on Twitter).
Kerr and the Knicks discussed a five-year, $25MM deal earlier this month, Begley hears, suggesting that those terms probably escalated when Golden State became involved. Kerr has reportedly been seeking a five-year deal with money similar to the four-year, $24MM contract that the Knicks gave former coach Mike D’Antoni in 2008. Salaries between $5MM and $6MM on a contract that lasts four or five years would make him one of the league’s most well-compensated coaches, seemingly counter to the Knicks’ desire.
Pacific Rumors: Van Gundy, Lakers, Clippers
It wasn’t long ago that the Kings appeared to be Seattle-bound, but owner Vivek Ranadive‘s group brought that talk to a definitive end. This weekend it was reported that the Kings finalized a 35-year lease agreement to build a new arena in Sacramento. The measure still needs to be approved by the city council, but there’s no indication that it won’t go through. Here’s tonight’s glance at the Pacific Division..
- Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News feels that Stan Van Gundy is the current frontrunner for the Warriors‘ head coaching job among the known candidates out there. However, he adds that there could be under-the-radar names who are currently employed and therefore cannot publicly discuss their interest in the gig.
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com rounds up the Lakers‘ quest for a new coach, and surmises that the candidate they decide to pursue will be heavily affected by their position in the lottery.
- Shelly Sterling‘s resistance to surrender ownership of the Clippers means she’ll likely be in control of the team for the foreseeable future, opines Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Any ousting process could take over a year, says Mannix, who also adds the NBA isn’t buying her claimed outrage at her husband’s comments (all Twitter links).
- LeBron James, meanwhile, doesn’t want to see anyone with the Sterling surname involved in the Clippers, writes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press.
- At this point, the over/under on the number of years it will take the NBA to excise the Sterlings from the Clippers is around two, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
- Yesterday, we rounded up news on the Lakers and Clippers.
Charlie Adams contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Hollins, Nuggets, Butler
Lionel Hollins will interview with the Warriors for their head coaching position, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The interview will take place at the Chicago pre-draft combine that starts Thursday, according to the article. This confirms an earlier report made by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
More from the west:
- Nuggets GM Tim Connelly wants the team to pick up an “impactful piece” in this year’s NBA Draft, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The Nuggets are currently slotted with the 11th pick in June’s draft.
- In the same article, Dempsey notes that Nate Robinson and Darrell Arthur plan to return to the Nuggets next season. Both have player options for 2014/15 they plan on exercising.
- Billy Witz of The New York Times looks at the effect that Caron Butler is having on the Thunder‘s playoff run, as well as a look back on his time with the Clippers.
Western Notes: Kerr, Trail Blazers, Rockets
The Warriors are growing increasingly pessimistic about their chances of convincing Steve Kerr to turn down the Knicks in favor of Golden State’s coaching job, report Ian Begley and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Warriors fear Kerr is “too deep” into talks with the Knicks at this point, according to the article. Begley and Stein also note that their sources also stressed that Stan Van Gundy is actually the closest thing to a top target at this early stage of Golden State’s search. This feeling is based on the premise that an experienced coach can ensure that the Warriors maintain upward momentum in the competitive Western Conference, per the article.
More from out west:
- The Trail Blazers should have utilized the NBA D-League to better develop their young players, writes Chris Reichert of SB Nation. Instead of getting players like C.J. McCollum, Meyers Leonard, Victor Claver, and Will Barton some experience and playing time, the team let them sit on the end of the bench, notes Reichert, who believes this is hurting the team’s playoff chances.
- The Rockets have fired assistant coach Dean Cooper, citing problems with the team’s defense, reports Fran Blineberry of NBA.com (Twitter link). The Rockets ranked 23rd in the league this season in points allowed, giving up an average of 103.1 per contest.
- The writers at The Commercial Appeal (subscription required) look at the Grizzlies core and the offseason ahead from a GM’s perspective.