Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Garnett, Williams, Longabardi

May 22nd, 2014 at 11:25pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Here’s what else we’ve heard from around the Association tonight:

Despite his drop in production, all indications still point to Kevin Garnett returning to the Nets in 2014/15 for his 20th NBA season, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
With Deron Williams scheduled to undergo dual ankle surgery soon, it obviously complicates Brooklyn’s chances of moving him this summer, says Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
It’s difficult to understand why Suns assistant Mike Longabardi hasn’t been on the radar of any NBA teams with head coaching openings right now, opines Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Longabardi, who previously served as an assistant coach to both Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau, is credited for improving Phoenix’s defense last season (Twitter link).
Mannix suggests (via Twitter) that the Grizzlies should consider surrendering a first round draft pick in exchange for Thibodeau.
The Knicks were not one of the teams that contacted Florida coach Billy Donovan about their coaching vacancy, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Latest On Grizzlies, Wolves, Dave Joerger

May 22nd, 2014 at 10:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:41pm: Mitchell has indeed interviewed for the T’Wolves head coaching job, notes Wojnarowski, though Joerger is still on track to sit down with Taylor this weekend in what could be a precursor to his hiring.

6:08pm: Sam Mitchell will be in the mix to join Joerger’s coaching staff if the latter becomes Minnesota’s next head coach, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, who also points out that Joerger and Mitchell are both represented by Warren Legarie (Twitter links).

5:30pm: Joerger’s meeting with Taylor could ultimately clear the way for him to become Minnesota’s next head coach, and the Grizzlies are likely to ask for a second-round pick in exchange for letting Joerger out of his contract, reports Wojnarowski.

3:22pm: Joerger met with Saunders today and will see Taylor this weekend, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

3:09pm: The Grizzlies have made no formal contact with any potential replacement for Joerger, reports Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal in a subscription-only piece. Tillery seconds Vernon’s report about the team’s interest in Karl, Van Gundy and Gentry, and writes that while the team hasn’t completely ruled out a reunion with Hollins, it’s still unlikely. A report this week indicated that the team would pursue Tom Thibodeau, but that’s off-base, according to Tillery.

2:50pm: Taylor likes Mitchell, but the Wolves owner won’t stand in the way if Saunders decides to hire Joerger, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, who hears that a formal announcement about Minnesota’s coaching vacancy isn’t likely to come today.

2:16pm: The Wolves are prepared to wait and see if the Grizzlies fire Joerger rather than give up too much in compensation while he’s still under contract with Memphis, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter).

11:23am: The Grizzlies haven’t spoken with Hollins about a return to Memphis, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.

11:07am: Spears clarifies that Hollins and Mitchell remain in the mix for the Minnesota job, but it appears the Wolves don’t necessarily have interviews scheduled for them, as they reportedly do with Joerger (Twitter link).

10:59am: The Wolves are likely to interview Mitchell and Lionel Hollins in addition to Joerger, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

10:47am: The Wolves have made “significant progress” toward hiring Joerger, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

THURSDAY, 8:36am: It is believed the Timberwolves will offer their head coaching job to Joerger, according to Tillery, even though The Commercial Appeal scribe notes Taylor’s reported preference for Mitchell (subscription-only link).

WEDNESDAY, 3:32pm: The Grizzlies would consider George Karl, Jeff Van Gundy and Alvin Gentry if they part ways with Joerger, reports Chris Vernon of 92.9 FM ESPN in Memphis, who seconds an earlier report that the team will not pursue Eric Musselman (Twitter links).

3:21pm: The Wolves are set to interview Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger for their coaching vacancy Thursday, but Minnesota owner Glen Taylor prefers Sam Mitchell to Joerger, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, who writes in a subscription-only piece. Joerger, a Minnesota native, is close with Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders, who wants to hire a young coach, Tillery says.

The Grizzlies will allow Joerger to continue as their coach if he fails to land the Wolves job provided he can repair his relationships with the Memphis players, Tillery adds. Grizzlies brass views Joerger as a “Jason Levien guy,” as Tillery puts it, referring to the ousted Memphis CEO. Levien denied Minnesota’s request to interview Joerger last week, but Grizzlies owner Robert Pera gave the Wolves the OK to meet with the coach after firing Levien on Monday.

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace remarked to Tillery that the matter of Joerger’s interview with Minnesota is a “very unique situation” that’s in a “preliminary stage.” Still, a source suggests to Tillery that where the coach ends up will ultimately hinge on how much Memphis demands from the Wolves in compensation for letting Joerger out of his contract, which still has two seasons left on it. Earlier reports indicated that the compensation wouldn’t be a stumbling block and that the Grizzlies are prepared to facilitate a deal, but it sounds like Memphis won’t let the Wolves off too easy if they decide on Joerger instead of Mitchell.

And-Ones: LeBron, Wittman, Levien, Dunleavy Sr.

May 22nd, 2014 at 7:05pm CST by Ryan Raroque

LeBron James didn’t have much to say about the Cavaliers’ recent NBA Draft lottery coup or the speculation that he could decide to return to Cleveland if he opts out this summer, telling Charlie McCarthy of FOX Sports Florida, “I heard about it but I don’t really have thoughts about it. … I’m in the middle of the conference finals, I’m not worried about draft lotteries, draft conversations. That’s the last thing on my mind.

Interestingly enough, LeBron added, “(The Heat aren’t) the most talented team, I don’t think, in the NBA. ... There are other talented teams. We have some very, very high IQ basketball players. I think IQ is more important than talent.”

With that aside, here’s more of this evening’s miscellaneous news and notes:

The Wizards haven’t been in a rush to make a decision on Randy Wittman‘s future, and a source tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post that there is no current timetable to get something done. Wittman, who led the team to its first playoff series win since 2004/05, was given strong endorsements from John Wall, Bradley Beal, Andre Miller, and several other team veterans after the season had ended.
Although former Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien’s recent resignation sent shockwaves around the league, sources tell Sean Deveney of the Sporting News that tension between Levien and team owner Robert Pera had actually been building for months.
On ESPN Radio’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Mike Dunleavy Sr. said that he hopes he has a shot at the Knicks head coaching job, adding that he’s very familiar with the triangle offense: “I played in the triangle system down in Houston, it was kind of left over from when Tex Winter coached there. All my teams, I’ve run it as a transition set. … Maybe I’m the outside guy from the other guys that [Phil Jackson will] talk to, former players who played in the system and other guys who coached under him in the system. But at least I do know the system. I have run it” (H/T to Al Iannazzone of Newsday).
Timberwolves star Kevin Love may be the NBA’s most valuable player available for trade since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar requested out of Milwaukee in 1974, explains Kevin Pelton of ESPN (Insiders only).

Grizzlies Eye Eric Musselman?

May 21st, 2014 at 2:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:42pm: Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders hears Musselman isn’t a legitimate candidate (Twitter link).

1:24pm: Former Warriors and Kings head coach Eric Musselman is emerging as a candidate for the Grizzlies should the team let go of Dave Joerger, who’s set to interview Thursday with the Timberwolves. Musselman is “indeed being mentioned” as a possible candidate for Memphis, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, ostensibly referring to conversations taking place in and around the Grizzlies organization. Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal, in a subscription-only piece, first noted the close bond between Musselman and David Mincberg, the attorney-turned-scouting director for the Grizzlies who’s asserting more power within the team’s basketball operations department of late. Mincberg and Joerger are on the outs, as Calkins has noted.

Musselman left his job as an assistant coach at Arizona State University this spring, and he pursued college head coaching jobs at Cal and South Florida. He was a D-League head coach in 2010/11 and 2011/12, but he hasn’t been with an NBA club since his stint as Kings head coach in 2006/07. He’s 108-138 in three full seasons as an NBA bench boss.

Joerger said in radio interviews Tuesday that he was staying in Memphis, Calkins notes. That sets an odd backdrop to what appears to be a burgeoning coaching change 24 hours later. A report in the immediate aftermath of the departures of CEO Jason Levien and assistant GM Stu Lash indicated the Grizzlies were considering a run at Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.

Grizzlies OK Wolves To Interview Dave Joerger

May 21st, 2014 at 1:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:45pm: The Grizzlies will probably seek compensation if the Wolves decide to hire Joerger, but it wouldn’t be a first-round draft pick, Zgoda tweets, and Memphis isn’t looking to stand in the way, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

12:59pm: The Timberwolves spoke with Izzo last night, but there’s no chance now that he’ll take the Minnesota job, according to Dan Barreiro of KFAN (Twitter link; hat tip to Zgoda).

12:53pm: The Wolves made their request for permission to speak with Joerger prior to this week’s front office chaos in Memphis, though it’s unclear if the Grizzlies gave Minnesota the green light before the turmoil began, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter links). Joerger is set to interview with the Wolves on Thursday, Amick adds.

12:19pm: Joerger is scheduled to interview with the Wolves within the next 24 hours, Wojnarowski tweets.

11:23am: It appears Joerger is at odds with Grizzlies scouting director David Mincberg, as they share mutual “hate,” tweets Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal.

10:27am: Joerger appears to be the favorite at this point, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link), and his affection for the state of Minnesota runs deep, Stein tweets.

9:59am: The Grizzlies have granted the Wolves permission to interview coach Dave Joerger for their coaching vacancy, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Joerger is eager to leave Memphis and Grizzlies ownership wants him out, too, but neither side wants to vacate his multiyear contract, according to Zgoda. Joerger has two years left on a three-year deal with Memphis that’s worth approximately $6MM. Joerger apparently received assurances from the attorney for Grizzlies owner Robert Pera that he would remain as coach of the team in the wake of the front office turmoil in Memphis, but it seems there’s mutual interest in a parting of ways. Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders has a longstanding relationship with Joerger, who grew up in Minnesota, and the interview will probably take place later this week, Zgoda hears.

Joerger just finished his first season as Grizzlies coach, overcoming concerns about his readiness for the job early in the season and an injury to Marc Gasol to complete a late run at 50 wins. Memphis pushed the Thunder to seven games in the opening round of the playoffs, but the success masked turmoil within the organization that’s come to light this week.

Marc Stein of ESPN.com first suggested earlier this week that Joerger would become a coaching candidate for the Wolves if the Grizzlies let him go. The club had reportedly been waiting on Tuesday’s draft lottery for clarity, and with the No. 13 picked locked in, it seems Saunders and company are ready to move forward. The same weekend report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that noted openness toward trading Kevin Love identified Sam Mitchell as a coaching candidate. Saunders interviewed Lionel Hollins several weeks ago, and though a report two weeks ago indicated that the team was waiting on an answer from Michigan State coach Tom Izzo before proceeding, the team isn’t holding back from looking at others.

And-Ones: Love, Celts, Cavs, Blatche, Clips, Grizz

May 20th, 2014 at 9:02pm CST by Alex Lee

Some thought tonight’s NBA Draft Lottery results could have major Kevin Love implications, though salary cap guru Larry Coon of ESPN doesn’t believe the Timberwolves star can be moved before the draft. According to Coon, such a deal would require cap room that teams will not have before July (Twitter links here).

The Celtics, who pick sixth, are a “sleeper” team in the Love sweepstakes, but owner Wyc Grousbeck says he isn’t hurrying the rebuilding effort, as he tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe. “That KG deal might be once in a lifetime, but I think over the next four or five years, we will get back to being contenders, if not three years,” he said. “I think we can get back there. I think this summer, one way or another, we’ll take positive steps, whether we just draft two players and continue to build, or whether we make a blockbuster deal.”

Here is what else is going on around the Association tonight, as the Heat and Pacers battle it out in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals:

ESPN’s Chad Ford considers Andrew Wiggins the favorite to land in Cleveland after the Cavaliers won Tuesday night’s lottery (via Twitter). Ford tweeted before the results were in that the Cavs preferred Jabari Parker, however he indicated afterwards (also on Twitter) that he was a corrected by a trusted source in Cleveland.
The admirable play of Andray Blatche down the stretch and into the postseason for the Nets could set him up for a decent pay day, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Blatche has said he will opt out of his one-year player option for next season, though Brooklyn controls his Early Bird Rights according to Bontemps.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News provides the transcript of today’s post-television interview session with new Warriors coach Steve Kerr, which is a bit juicier than what we relayed earlier on. Per Kawakami, Kerr covets a big man that can shoot. Meanwhile, Golden State GM Bob Myers also indicated the team will pursue shooting this summer, tweets Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group.
Speaking before the lottery proceedings, commissioner Adam Silver detailed the process that comes with a forced sale of the Clippers. However, Silver did indicate that he will continue to urge owner Donald Sterling to sell the team on his own, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Though he hasn’t been assured that his role is permanent by Grizzlies owner Robert Pera, GM Chris Wallace said at a Thursday afternoon press conference that he believes Memphis can win the NBA title next season, writes Zack McMillin of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We’re a very formidable team. We just have to find a way to make that next step. Is it easy? No, but it’s attainable and we’re not going to rest until we hang that championship banner and have this parage this town deserves,” Wallace said.

Grizzlies Notes: Joerger, Wallace, Hollinger

May 20th, 2014 at 1:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jason Levien is no longer CEO of the Grizzlies, but he does retain a small minority ownership share of the team, as Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal notes via Twitter. It’s just one piece of an odd-looking puzzle in the wake of the Grizzlies’ announcement Monday that Levien and assistant GM Stu Lash are no longer at the controls. Calkins gives a fuller picture in a pair of subscription only pieces, pointing out that owner Robert Pera only let one of the Grizzlies’ multitude of minority owners, other than Levien, know about the shakeup ahead of time. Joe Nicosia and Pitt Hyde, speaking for a group of Memphis-based minority owners, issued a press release minutes ago.

“We would like to thank Jason for his contributions to Memphis and wish him well in his future endeavors,” the statement reads. “We fully support Robert in his building of a world-class organization and look forward to continuing to work in concert to achieve our ultimate goal of bringing a championship parade down Beale Street. We are confident that as the 2014/15 season draws near, all of Grizz Nation will share in our excitement regarding the future of this organization.”

Here’s more from Calkins’ pieces:

Coach Dave Joerger hasn’t met with Pera, but he did meet with Pera’s attorney, Joe Abadi, who assured him that he’ll remain as coach, according to Calkins.
The last time GM Chris Wallace set foot in the Grizzlies offices was last summer, as he tells Calkins. Wallace had been marginalized under Levien’s regime.
Wallace is fully confident that vice president of basketball operations John Hollinger will stay with the organization after speaking with him, as Wallace tells Calkins, and the organization would like to retain the former ESPN.com writer, Calkins adds. Still, Calkins casts doubt on Hollinger’s willingness to stick around.
Neither Levien, Lash or Joerger saw Monday’s developments coming, Calkins hears.
Calkins’ sources are split on whether Levien’s rancorous history as part of the Sixers and Kings organizations repeated itself in Memphis, leading Pera to oust him.
Levien’s supporters allege that David Mincberg, whom Levien hired as a protege of sorts, helped force Levien out, Calkins reports.

Lowe’s Latest: Bucks, Knicks, Grizzlies, Pelicans

May 20th, 2014 at 10:17am CST by Chuck Myron

Grantland’s Zach Lowe looks at instability in the executive suite, profiling the NBA’s six most volatile front offices in the wake of yesterday’s shakeup in Memphis. As usual, Lowe’s work is required reading, but we’ll hit some highlights here:

Bucks owners Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens have held preliminary talks about potential replacements for GM John Hammond and assistant GM David Morway, but the more likely outcome appears to be that they stay for at least one more year, Lowe writes.
Former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo is open to once more becoming an NBA GM, Lowe hears, but that’s no surprise, given that he was reportedly a candidate for the Cavs and Pistons front office searches. Lowe mentions him within his look at the Bucks, which is coincidental given an earlier report that linked him to an ownership group looking to buy the franchise when it was for sale. Still, it doesn’t appear as though there’s any particular link between the Bucks and Colangelo at this point.
The Knicks will likely hire someone within the next year to replace Steve Mills as general manager and shunt Mills off into some other role with the organization, according to Lowe.
Some high-level executives on teams around the league hadn’t heard about Grizzlies attorney David Mincberg, who’s reportedly assumed some power in the basketball operations department, Lowe hears.
The job of Memphis GM Chris Wallace, whom the team has restored to a prominent role after the departures of CEO Jason Levien and assistant GM Stu Lash, is safe “until he wants to leave,” Lowe writes.
There have been few reports alleging that GM Dell Demps is on shaky ground to return next year, but people around the league have been curious about whether the team would bring him back for 2014/15, according to Lowe. There have been disagreements between Demps and coach Monty Williams, and the team’s owners favor Williams, Lowe hears. In any case, he’ll probably return, though there will be pressure on him for the team to improve and perhaps make the playoffs next season, Lowe writes.
Louisiana native Joe Dumars is close to executives with the New Orleans Saints, the NFL franchise that Pelicans owner Tom Benson also owns. That would make him a likely candidate for Pelicans GM job should the team decide to oust Demps, Lowe asserts.
Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy says that the team’s ownership will have just as much say as he does in whom they hire as GM, as he tells Lowe.

Coaching Rumors: Joerger, Scott, Lakers

May 19th, 2014 at 7:15pm CST by Cray Allred

The recently fired Mark Jackson returned to ESPN for the NBA playoffs and he’s not the only talker turned coach/GM turned talker again, the Detroit Free Press staff writes. Longtime Bears coach Mike Ditka was fired in 1992, signed on with NBC, left to coach the Saints in 1997, and eventually came to ESPN. Staying in the NBA, Doug Collins, now with ESPN, knows a thing or two about going back and forth from the booth to the sidelines as well. Here’s more from around the league:

The sense in coaching circles is that Dave Joerger would become a head coaching candidate for the Wolves if he were to be let go by the Grizzlies, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. Stein notes that Joerger is a long-time associate of Minnesota president of basketball operations Flip Saunders.
Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times has heard that the Lakers haven’t and won’t open formal talks with any coaches before the lottery, but they have put out feelers for some (Twitter link).
In another tweet, Pincus says it’s safe to consider Byron Scott a fallback coaching option for the Lakers, presuming that Scott will be around no matter how lengthy L.A.’s process becomes.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On Grizzlies Turmoil

May 19th, 2014 at 6:37pm CST by Cray Allred

Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien and assistant GM Stu Lash parted ways with Memphis earlier today, and the potential exists for the shakeup to extend even further. Here’s the latest:

Chris Mannix of SI.com tweets that the turmoil in Memphis is surprising everyone around the league. Levien represented the Grizzlies in GM meetings as recently as a week ago.
Grizzlies owner Robert Pera has been operating in an abnormally hands-on manner for an owner of late, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Sam Amick of USA Today. Pera conducted his own end-of-season player interviews independent of the Memphis front office and coaching staff, per Amick.
Amick adds that the ouster of Levien and Lash were tied to the increased influence of Grizzlies lead attorney David Mincberg, who has been granted involvement in duties normally reserved for front office personnel.
Levien and Pera have been at odds for over a year, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com insinuated in a tweet that former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins could be a candidate to return to the Memphis bench just a season removed from being fired.