Byron Scott Has Second Interview With Lakers
Byron Scott interviewed with the Lakers for a second time today, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Scott is the only candidate to receive a second interview to this point. Scott had expressed enthusiasm and optimism about his chances to land the job following his first discussions with Los Angeles.
Scott’s progression in the interview process isn’t necessarily a sign that he’s significantly closer to landing the job. After the Lakers planned to “make a splash” with a big name hire soon after Mike D’Antoni‘s resignation, they have shown a commitment to taking a patient approach in the hiring process. The Lakers are in no rush to select their next coach, and a report from yesterday suggests they could wait until after they pursue marquee free agents in the offseason to move forward with a hire.
Scott is a well known, popular coaching veteran as evidenced by our reader poll that ranked him as the second best coaching prospect for Los Angeles. Scott guided the Nets to two Finals appearances early in his coaching career and took New Orleans into the playoffs in consecutive seasons later in his career, but still sports a 416-521 overall coaching record thanks to losing seasons every other year. Scott’s Cavs teams never produced more than 24 wins in his most recent three-year stint as an NBA coach.
Draft Notes: Gordon, Kings, Napier, Stauskas
Aaron Gordon reveals some of the experiences he had while working out for the Kings, Lakers, and Jazz to Tzvi Twersky of SLAM Magazine. Gordon mentions shooting alongside Chris Mullin and playing defense against Doug McDermott among other details. Here’s a rundown of tonight’s other draft notes:
- Cleanthony Earl and Glenn Robinson III will work out for the Kings next week, reports Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (subscription only).
- Xavier Thames will work out for the Kings and Pacers, tweets Sean Cunningham of News10 Sacramento.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com adds the Thunder, Grizzlies, and Celtics to the list of teams that have auditioned Shabazz Napier (Insider only).
- Nik Stauskas has rescheduled his scrubbed workout with the Lakers, the ESPN scribe adds.
- The Wolves will be working out K.J. McDaniels, Rodney Hood, and P.J. Hairston this weekend, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Wolfson adds that more players could be lined up for workouts in Minnesota in addition to those three.
- Stephen Holt will work out for the Warriors, tweets Diamond Leung of Bay Area News Group.
Eastern Notes: Rambis, Jefferson, Snell, Sixers
The Lakers have granted the Knicks permission to interview assistant coach Kurt Rambis for a job on head coach Derek Fisher‘s staff, reports Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Rambis is willing to listen, Medina hears. Rambis also remains a candidate for the Lakers head coaching job, but it’s uncertain whether he’d be retained as a Lakers assistant if they go with someone else for the head job, as Medina points out. Here’s more news related to Eastern Conference teams:
- Al Jefferson is recruiting free agents to come to Charlotte, and Hornets coach Steve Clifford is confident that the mere presence of the Third-Team All-NBA center makes the Hornets more attractive to potential signees, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
- The Bulls remain sold on Tony Snell as a rotation-caliber talent, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune details in his latest mailbag column. Johnson also says he’d be “shocked” if the Bulls don’t address their shooting via the draft.
- The New Jersey state government gave the OK this morning for the Sixers to build a practice facility in Camden, reports Julia Terruso of the Philadelphia Inquirer, prompting the team to announce plans for the facility. GM Sam Hinkie and coach Brett Brown have contended that the facility will be key to attracting free agents.
- The Celtics are among the teams that have worked out draft lottery prospect Doug McDermott, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com notes in his Insider-only mock draft.
- Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson will audition for the Pistons, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Wizards will work out LaQuinton Ross, Devyn Marble, Jarell Eddie, Okaro White and Kendall Williams, the team announced.
- Semaj Christon, DeAndre Kane, Drew Crawford, Sebastian Koch and Talib Zanna are among those who’ll perform for the Hornets on Wednesday, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter links). Crawford was also scheduled to show off for the team last week.
- Alex Kirk is working out for the Hornets this week, too, and he’ll also do so for the Raptors, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Ford On Sixers, Nuggets, Bulls, Lakers, Kings
The Sixers inquired with the Cavs about the No. 1 overall pick, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com reveals in his latest Insider-only mock draft. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio wrote last week that a team with a top-three pick had done so, so it was either Philadelphia or Milwaukee. The Sixers aren’t willing to give up picks Nos. 3 and 10 to acquire the top selection, Ford writes. The ESPN.com scribe adds that it’s possible the team would offer Thaddeus Young and the No. 3 pick, though it’s unclear whether that’s just speculation. Andrew Wiggins is Philly’s prime target in the draft, but if they can’t take him at No. 3, they’ll go with either Joel Embiid or Jabari Parker, Ford hears, adding that while Dante Exum “isn’t out of the question” for that pick, he’d need to “wow” the team in his workout to get the nod. Ford has more significant news from the draft and elsewhere, as we detail here:
- The Nuggets and Bulls have had serious talks about a trade that would send the No. 11 pick to Chicago in exchange for the 16th and 19th overall selections, Ford hears. The Bulls want to move up in the draft so they can take a top-flight shooter, Ford says. Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post first reported that Denver was shopping the 11th pick last week.
- The Lakers are shopping the No. 7 pick, according to Ford, but the Kings are merely listening to offers for the eighth selection, Ford writes, clarifying his report from last week. The No. 8 selection has been linked to rumors involving Kevin Love.
- Sacramento is interested in point guards Dennis Schröder of the Hawks and Brandon Knight of the Bucks, Ford reports.
Knicks Rumors: Fisher, ‘Melo, Jackson
Derek Fisher insisted during his introductory press conference today that he’s ready to take on the task of coaching the Knicks in spite of just having finished his playing career, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News relays (Twitter link). The new Knicks bench boss had plenty more to say about the job and how he wound up with it, and we’ll hit the highlights of his joint press conference with Knicks president Phil Jackson and GM Steve Mills:
- The new coach made it clear that he wants Carmelo Anthony to stay with the team, and said that he’ll be a part of an effort to “do everything we can to keep him,” as Chris Mannix of SI.com observes. Jackson and Mills plan to meet with ‘Melo soon, the Zen Master said, according to Newsday’s Rod Boone (Twitter links).
- Anthony reportedly sees the strength of the team’s roster as a key factor in his decision whether to remain with the Knicks, but Fisher expressed confidence about the players he’s set to coach, as Jared Diamond of The Wall Street Journal tweets. “I’m not as down on the roster and the team as some of you in the room are,” Fisher said to the gathering of reporters.
- The Lakers reached out to Fisher only on an informal basis, the new Knicks coach said, and he found the team’s choice against an all-out pursuit surprising. Still, Fisher admitted that the Lakers would have had an uphill battle to hire him, given how far along he was with the Knicks when L.A. called. Medina has the details in three separate tweets.
- Fisher said that the presence of Jackson helped accelerate his decision to take the Knicks gig, Medina notes (on Twitter). “This is not for Phil and I just to hang out again as friends,” Fisher said, according to Diamond (Twitter link). “We want to add more banners to this ceiling.”
- A recent report indicated that Fisher is more comfortable with James Dolan than Steve Kerr is, but Fisher downplayed his relationship with the Knicks owner, and Mills said he and Dolan didn’t talk about Fisher. Mannix and Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com pass along the news via Twitter.
Knicks Hire Derek Fisher As Coach
The Knicks have hired Derek Fisher as head coach, the team announced. The 39-year-old, who retires from his 18-year playing career to take the gig, is taking a five-year, $25MM deal, the same terms that New York’s first choice for coach, Steve Kerr, signed for when he spurned the Knicks for the Warriors. Fisher will likely hire Bill Cartwright and Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis for his staff.
“Today marks the next step of this journey for the New York Knicks franchise as we name Derek to lead the team as its head coach.” Knicks president Phil Jackson said. “Our relationship began 15 years ago, and over time, it has come clear to me that he and I can form a great partnership once again.”
Fisher has been considered the front-runner for the Knicks’ job for a few weeks now but nothing could be safely assumed after Jackson & Co. whiffed on Kerr. Kerr seemed like a lock to take the position earlier this offseason but he shocked everyone by accepting a five-year, $25MM offer from the Warriors instead.
In Fisher, Jackson has landed another former pupil without any coaching experience. That lack of experience, strangely enough, is part of what appealed to Jackson. The Zen Master has been looking for a young, malleable coach who will be open to his instruction since an NBA retread would be less open to doing things Jackson’s way. It has been widely speculated that Jackson would instruct whatever coach he hired to run his beloved triangle offense.
Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, who is a free agent this summer, was said to be in favor of the club hiring Kerr as its head coach. It remains to be seen how Melo feels about Fisher and whether he’ll be enough to convince him to sign a new deal or opt in for his final season. If Anthony opts in, he’ll earn $23.333MM next year, which would mean more money in the short term. That might not be a risk that he wants to take after recently celebrating the big 3-0, however. If Carmelo wants a big, cushy deal with another club, this summer is probably his best opportunity.
It’s certainly conceivable that the likable Fisher could appeal to Melo and maybe other free agents down the line. Fisher has a very strong bond with Thunder star Kevin Durant, who becomes a free agent in the summer of 2016. Of course, that’s not the key consideration for the Knicks at this juncture, but it’s certainly something to keep in mind. Fisher was also linked to the Lakers’ vacancy, though in recent weeks it started to sound as though they weren’t all that interested.
The deal demonstrates the quickly escalating value of first-time coaches. Jason Kidd was elated to land the Nets’ job this time last year, but he might be feeling a little shortchanged now. Kerr and Fisher have each netted $25MM contracts but Kidd signed with Brooklyn for $10.5MM over four years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Chuck Myron contributed to this post. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News was the first to report that Fisher and the Knicks were nearing agreement (via Twitter) and that they had struck a deal. Isola’s report on the agreement also includes the news that Cartwright and Rambis would likely join the Knicks as assistant coaches under Fisher. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported the contract terms (on Twitter). Bleacher Reports’ Howard Beck provided additional detail (Twitter links).
Pacific Notes: Lakers, LeBron, Suns, Warriors
The Lakers haven’t been in a rush to find a replacement for Mike D’Antoni since the team still maintains hope that they have a shot at signing one or more superstars this summer, a source tells Sam Amick of USA Today. Management fears hiring a particular coach right now might dissuade superstars such as Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James from signing in LA this summer, hears Amick. Let’s take a look at more from around the Pacific:
- Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders sees the Suns as a much more viable trade partner for the Wolves in a Kevin Love deal than the Bulls. Phoenix has Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and three first-round picks in this year’s draft (No. 14, No. 18, and No. 27) to offer.
- Today’s Suns workout included UCLA’s Kyle Anderson and Travis Wear, Syracuse F C.J. Fair, Ohio State forward LaQuinton Ross, Cal guard Justin Cobbs, and Oregon forward Mike Moser, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter).
- The Warriors don’t have any selections in the 2014 draft, and it’ll be difficult for the team to purchase or trade for one, says director of scouting Larry Riley on KGO-TV (h/t Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group). In 2011, the W’s bought second-round pick Jeremy Tyler for $2 million, and last June, they traded for the rights to first-round pick Nemanja Nedovic.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Draft, Lakers, Free Agency
The full list of available free agents won’t be complete until the end of June when players and teams decide whether or not to exercise their respective contract options, writes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Pincus breaks down all the players with options and gives his predictions for who will end up on the free agent market come July.
More news from around the league:
- Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal released his first mock draft of the year.
- The staff at Basketball Insiders debate which draft prospect will have the biggest impact next season.
- Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders looks at the free agent options the Lakers will have this summer. Davis notes that the team should have a particular interest in Trevor Ariza, Kyle Lowry, and Greivis Vasquez.
Alvin Gentry Gets Another Interview With Cavs
Alvin Gentry will interview again with the Cavs, sources tell Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. The Clippers assistant will meet with Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert (Twitter links). Gentry recently lost out on the Jazz head coaching job, where he was one of four finalists including the eventual hire Quin Snyder. Gentry first interviewed with Cleveland in mid-May.
Gentry might be distancing himself from some of the other candidates including Adrian Griffin, Vinny Del Negro, Lionel Hollins, and Tyronn Lue, among a wider pool of potential names. None of his rumored competitors have been ruled out, but it is possible that reaching this stage to get an in-person sit down with Gilbert could mean Gentry moved beyond a round of cuts, although that’s just my speculation. Gentry has been linked with the Cleveland opening dating back well into last month, and the veteran coach worked with Cavs GM David Griffin when both were with the Suns.
Gentry is also still in the running for the Lakers coaching vacancy, and they recently decided to move in the direction of finding an experienced head coach. That would also bode well for Gentry, who has a 355-370 career record as an NBA head coach.
Lakers Won’t Pursue Derek Fisher
The Lakers have decided they need a head coach with previous experience leading an NBA team, ending Derek Fisher‘s candidacy for their vacancy, reports Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. L.A. was interested in Fisher, the Knicks’ front-runner at the moment, but has opted against exploring a repeat of Jason Kidd‘s immediate transition from player to head coach with the Nets last season. It is unclear if Los Angeles ever reached out to Fisher as planned, or if this decision was made before such contact could be made. The Lakers’ narrowed focus on experience also eliminates any college coaches as potential candidates, Bresnahan writes.
Fisher has yet to officially announce his retirement, but Phil Jackson has spoken with the veteran point guard about the job. Jackson received permission from the Thunder to contact Fisher after getting dinged for tampering by making public comments regarding the player still under contract in Oklahoma City. If Fisher does decide to join the coaching ranks, the Knicks appear to be the most serious contender for his services. The possibility of Fisher playing another year in Oklahoma City to function as an informal assistant coach has been raised, but such a scenario doesn’t seem likely by any current reports.
Although Fisher was largely expected to end up with the Knicks anyway, this should come as welcome news to Jackson. Steve Kerr was Jackson’s first choice to come lead the team under the Zen Master’s authority and tutelage, but made the surprising choice to accept Golden State’s job offer instead. Jackson reportedly wants to reach an agreement with Fisher very soon, although Fisher has maintained publicly that he doesn’t want to rush to a decision so soon after what was presumably his last season as a player.