Alvin Gentry

Pelicans Interview Alvin Gentry, JVG

May 29th, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

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.

Southwest Notes: Gentry, Gasol, Mavs

May 22nd, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr confirmed Thursday that lead assistant Alvin Gentry has interviewed for the Pelicans head coaching job, as Kerr told reporters, including Antonio Gonzalez of The Associated Press. Kerr said he’s OK with Gentry taking time to interview on off days, Gonzalez notes, and a source close to Gentry told John Reid of The Times-Picayune that it appears as though Gentry will again interview with New Orleans after Golden State’s season is over. Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:

Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger feels as though Marc Gasol has essentially already made up his mind about what he’ll do in free agency, but he’ll head to Spain sometime soon to pitch the All-NBA First Team center on re-signing with the Grizzlies, notes Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal in a subscription-only piece. The Grizzlies don’t seem too nervous, but Gasol isn’t giving any promises, and his departure would be a devastating blow to the franchise, Calkins argues.
Count GM Chris Wallace among those in the Grizzlies organization with confidence in Gasol’s return. “I firmly believe we will re-sign Marc Gasol this summer,” Wallace said on WHBQ-AM radio, according to host Peter Edmiston (Twitter link).
Unless the Mavericks can lure Gasol or DeAndre Jordan to Dallas this summer, they should prioritize re-signing Tyson Chandler, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News believes.
A panel of ESPN.com writers, in an Insider-only piece, agree that the Pelicans coaching job is more attractive than a would-be opening for the Bulls and that New Orleans should look to re-sign Omer Asik this summer.

Bulls Interested In Alvin Gentry

May 15th, 2015 at 12:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:17am: Some are skeptical the Bulls will land Hoiberg, Beck tweets, which jibes with what Kyler reported earlier.

WEDNESDAY, 11:54am: Hoiberg is Chicago’s top choice, Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck writes, though he hears from one source who considers Gentry the favorite to end up in the Bulls job (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 10:02am: Warriors assistant coach Alvin Gentry would be among the front-runners for the Bulls head coaching job if the team were to part ways with Tom Thibodeau after the season, sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who writes in his NBA AM piece. Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg has appeared to be Chicago’s top Thibodeau alternative, as multiple reports have indicated, but Kyler hears that Hoiberg may not be willing to jump to the NBA, given the condition of his heart. The 42-year-old underwent open heart surgery last month to replace his aortic valve, the school announced then.

Gentry is a contender for the Nuggets vacancy, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last month, not long after a pair of reports identified him as a likely candidate. The Magic are considering Gentry, too, Kyler reported earlier. The former Heat, Pistons, Clippers and Suns bench boss is still working with the Warriors in the playoffs and has expressed affection for his place in Golden State even as he’s said he’d like to be a head coach again. He’s 335-370 over parts of 12 seasons as an NBA head coach, but he went 158-144 with Phoenix, his last stop.

Grantland’s Zach Lowe heard from people close to Tom Thibodeau who were convinced the Bulls would fire their coach at season’s end, as Lowe reported last month, but that scenario would be somewhat unrealistic given the two years left on the coach’s contract, Kyler writes. The sides could part ways as part of a de facto trade in which another team that wants to hire Thibodeau gives the Bulls compensation for letting him out of his contract, and the Magic would be willing to give up assets to Chicago in such an arrangement, sources tell Kyler. Indeed, the Magic job would be Thibodeau’s to turn down if he becomes available, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times reported earlier. Orlando would likely be willing to surrender a second-round pick or two, according to Kyler. Kyler had earlier questioned the Magic’s willingness to surrender too much for the chance to bring Thibs aboard. Thibodeau is expected to command an annual salary of $7-8MM, and the Magic would be willing to pay that, sources also tell Kyler.

It’s believed Thibodeau is the front-runner for the Nuggets job, too, according to Kyler, though there has been doubt about whether he’s a fit for Denver’s plan to return to a high-tempo approach. The Pelicans also regard Thibodeau highly as the future of Monty Williams remains unresolved, Kyler writes.

Jimmy Butler likes Thibodeau, but his decision in restricted free agency this summer wouldn’t be tied to the team’s coach, sources close to Butler tell Kyler. However, Derrick Rose is among a number of Bulls who would have a “significant problem” if the team pushed out Thibodeau, Kyler writes, echoing Wojnarowski’s recent report. Rose’s backing of Thibodeau wouldn’t prevent the coach’s departure, Wojnarowski wrote, and Rose is under contract through 2016/17.

Western Notes: Kerr, D-League, Asik

May 12th, 2015 at 7:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Steve Kerr dished to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group about the dynamics of the coaching staff he assembled after he took over as head coach of the Warriors last year. The group includes Alvin Gentry, in whom the Bulls reportedly have interest for their head coaching job should Tom Thibodeau no longer be there. The Nuggets and Magic are also reportedly eyeing Gentry.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Sacramento picked up its team option on D-League coach David Arseneault Jr., the Kings announced.
Despite his ineffectiveness during the Pelicans‘ playoff series against the Warriors, Omer Asik remains in the organization’s plans, and the team still wishes to re-sign the unrestricted free agent, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”It’s not the time to talk about it right now,” Asik said about heading into free agency this summer. “But I think there is good stuff going on here. It’s a young team and the future is good.”
If the Clippers advance to the conference finals it would be the first time in the history of the franchise, Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press Telegram writes. But coach/executive Doc Rivers refuses to look ahead, and is instead focused on notching one more victory over the Rockets to close out the series, Morales adds. “No, no, I think that’s a silly thought,” Rivers said. “We haven’t done it, so for us, we’ve gotta stay focused. We’ve gotta win the series, and that hasn’t happened yet. Honestly, they can say nine more wins and one more win. At the end of the day, that’s fine. But once you get to the individual game, to me that’s where you have to have your focus.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Latest On Tom Thibodeau, Bulls, Magic

May 5th, 2015 at 3:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:43pm: Bulls GM Gar Forman once more dismissed the idea of a rift between the coach and management, telling Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com that, “We’re in total agreement with Tom that it’s all just noise.” Thibodeau had made a similar comment in Wojnarowski’s report.

11:31am: A parting of ways between the Bulls and coach Tom Thibodeau is “inevitable,” as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes, though “maybe — just maybe” it will prove tougher to oust the coach from his job than to knock the Bulls out of the playoffs, Wojnarowski adds at the end of his column. Regardless, Bulls management is eager to be rid of Thibodeau, and its choice to replace him is Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg, according to Wojnarowski. That largely falls in line with two reports from late last month, when Grantland’s Zach Lowe heard that people close to Thibodeau were convinced the Bulls would fire him at season’s end and Tim Bontemps of the New York Post wrote that many view Hoiberg as his likely replacement.

The Magic are waiting to see how the dynamic between Thibodeau and the Bulls plays out, Wojnarowski reports, just as many have been speculating, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel recently noted. It’s believed that the Bulls will seek some sort of compensation for letting Thibodeau out of his contract, which runs through 2016/17, to coach elsewhere, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece. Kyler suggests that the Bulls wouldn’t demand as much as other teams have sought for coaches lately, given Chicago’s apparent eagerness to move on from Thibodeau, though the Basketball Insiders scribe also suggests the need to pony up compensation might dissuade Orlando from pursuing the coach. The Clippers relinquished this year’s first-round pick for the right to hire Doc Rivers, and the Bucks gave up two second-round picks for Jason Kidd. Thibodeau is close with former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, whom Orlando fired in 2012, Lowe points out, speculating that the dynamic could pose another hurdle to Thibodeau ending up with the Magic.

Former Thunder coach Scott Brooks is second behind Thibodeau on the Magic’s list of preferred candidates, sources tell Kyler, and the team is considering Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry, too, Kyler adds. Kyler hears the Magic, like the Nuggets, the other team with a coaching vacancy, have had “small informal talks” but that neither team is expected to begin formal interviews soon.

Thibodeau’s future with Chicago is in serious doubt in spite of support from Bulls star Derrick Rose, as Wojnarowski details. That backing has helped prolong Thibodeau’s stay in Chicago to this point, but it wouldn’t forestall the end for the coach this summer, Wojnarowski writes. Rose is also under contract through 2016/17.

Thunder Notes: Brooks, Malone, Gentry, Kanter

April 24th, 2015 at 3:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Thunder GM Sam Presti admits that former coach Scott Brooks had plenty of positive influence on the franchise, and The Oklahoman’s Jenni Carlson believes that Brooks’ development of Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams and others is a testament to his value. Carlson argues that at full health, the team was better in 2012/13 and 2013/14 than it was when it went to the Finals in 2012, and that Brooks was central to the Thunder’s continued improvement. While we wait to see if Oklahoma City’s next coach wins the title that the Thunder didn’t get under Brooks, here’s more from OKC:

Grantland’s Zach Lowe suggests that the Thunder will take a close look at former Kings coach Michael Malone and Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry if their top choices don’t pan out. Kevin Ollie, one of those reported top targets, has pulled out of the running.
There was little grounds for termination in this injury-plagued season for the Thunder and Brooks, Lowe argues in the same piece, contending that if the Thunder had decided he wasn’t fit to lead them to a championship, they should have reached that conclusion earlier. The Grantland scribe wonders if the cost of paying off more than one year of Brooks’ contract made Oklahoma City hesitate to make the move sooner.
Accountability from players had become a problem in Oklahoma City under Brooks, sources tell Royce Young of ESPN.com, but the team’s move to cut ties with the coach is about the future and not the past, Young writes. The stakes are high as Kevin Durant enters a contract year, and the Thunder won’t settle for continuity, as Young details.
It’s no surprise that the Thunder would want to hold on to soon-to-be restricted free agent Enes Kanter, who excelled after the midseason trade that brought him to Oklahoma City, and Presti envisions the big man sticking around, as The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater relays. “We wouldn’t have traded for him if we didn’t feel like we’d be in a position to have him with us going forward,” Presti said. Kanter has expressed a desire to stay, though he just underwent left knee surgery that will sideline him for four to six weeks.

Latest On Nuggets Coaching Search

April 17th, 2015 at 2:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 2:56pm: The Nuggets are willing to spend on their next coach in spite of the $2MM they still owe to Shaw next season, Dempsey hears (Twitter link).

3:30pm: Connelly says that the team will take its time in searching for a new coach, and that Hunt will indeed be considered as a candidate, Dempsey relays in a series of tweets. “We’re going to be pretty patient,” Connelly said. “Certainly Melvin is going to be one of the finalists. I think he deserves that, he’s earned that. But we’re going to talk to anybody and everybody…candidates that could potentially help us take the next step.”

THURSDAY, 2:05pm: NBA coaching veteran Scott Skiles, Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg and Blazers assistant coach David Vanterpool are among the candidates for the Nuggets coaching job, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Denver will also indeed give serious consideration to interim coach Melvin Hunt as the Nuggets formally begin their search today, Wojnarowski hears. Billy Donovan, Michael Malone, Mike D’Antoni, Alvin Gentry and, if the Thunder let him go, Scott Brooks are also candidates, according to Wojnarowski, seconding earlier reports.

There have been conflicting reports regarding Hunt. Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote overnight that sources said this week that the Nuggets aren’t expected to keep him, but according to Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post, the Nuggets will interview Hunt for the position that he’s filled on an interim basis since the team decided to fire Brian Shaw in March. Dempsey’s story jibes with the tenor of most reports and GM Tim Connelly‘s admission that the team will at least consider keeping Hunt.

Skiles is a leading candidate for the Magic’s vacancy, and Donovan, Malone and Brooks have been mentioned in connection with the Orlando job, too. Hoiberg, whose name has surfaced frequently for NBA jobs of late, has been linked to the Bulls as a possible replacement if the team parts ways with Tom Thibodeau, and it appears as though he’ll be selective and won’t take just any NBA opening. Vanterpool interviewed for the Sixers job in 2013 and seemed at one point to be the front-runner, but the 42-year-old, who’s been on the Blazers bench since 2012/13, hasn’t been an NBA head coach.

Western Notes: Conley, Powell, Gentry

March 13th, 2015 at 7:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The five-year, $45 million deal that the Grizzlies inked Mike Conley to is looked upon as one of the great bargains around the league, and has allowed Memphis to add high-level role players to its roster without entering luxury tax territory, Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) writes. His deal will also allow the team to offer Marc Gasol a max contract this summer when he hits free agency, Elhassan adds. But it’s when Conley’s contract expires in 2016 that he’ll be expensive to retain, and the veteran could command a salary in the $25MM per season range, the ESPN scribe notes.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Mavericks have once again recalled big man Dwight Powell from the Texas Legends, their D-League affiliate, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com reports (Twitter link). This concludes Powell’s ninth journey of the season to the D-League.
Bojan Dubljevic extended his contract with Valencia of Spain for three more seasons, his agent Misko Raznatovic announced via Twitter. The final season of the deal includes a mutual option, Raznatovic added. Dubljevic, 23, is a draft-and-stash pick who was selected with the No. 59 overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Wolves, who still hold his rights.
The success that the Warriors have enjoyed this season could lead to another head coaching opportunity for Golden State associate coach Alvin Gentry, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. Gentry has coached four different teams and owns a lifetime record of 335-370.
Gentry admits that he would like another opportunity to be a head coach, but added that he is very happy with the Warriors organization, Leung notes. “If there’s a good situation, yeah, I would like to be a head coach again,” Gentry said. “But it would have to be a situation that would have to be very good. What we got here is very special, and I’ve been in the league long enough to know that I wouldn’t want to go into a situation that I didn’t think had potential to be this way.“

Nuggets Likely To Target D’Antoni, Gentry, Others

March 3rd, 2015 at 3:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:38pm: Denver is expected to make former Bulls and Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro a candidate for the job, and according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who also hears mention of ex-Kings coach Michael Malone. Berger hints that’s true of Pelicans assistant Bryan Gates, Pacers assistant Nate McMillan and Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, too, though that’s not entirely clear. In any case, the Nuggets will likely give Gentry “heavy consideration,” Berger writes.

1:10pm: The Nuggets have yet to any consider long-term candidates, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

1:01pm: Former Warriors coach Mark Jackson, current Warriors assistant coach Alvin Gentry and Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin are believed to be likely candidates to replace the fired Brian Shaw as Nuggets head coach, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick. One-time Mavs and Nets coach Avery Johnson and former Nuggets, Suns, Knicks and Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni are other likely candidates, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, and a source who knows D’Antoni’s thinking told Amick that he would certainly be interested in the job. Still, the Nuggets indicated when they announced Shaw’s firing that Melvin Hunt would remain as interim coach through season’s end and that they would begin a search for a more permanent replacement after that. Sources confirm to Stein that the Nuggets will take a “long-term view” on their search (Twitter link).

D’Antoni recently suggested in a radio appearance with Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck and Ethan Skolnick that he had interest in returning to coach in the NBA (Twitlonger link; Twitter link). That was before Shaw’s firing, Beck cautions (on Twitter). D’Antoni resigned as Lakers coach last spring, and he got his start as an NBA coach with the 1999 Nuggets.

Jackson also coached as recently as last season, though his three-year Warriors stint is his only head coaching experience. Still, his name was linked to both the Magic and Kings openings earlier this season. Gentry has spent parts of 12 seasons as an NBA head coach, the last coming in 2012/13 with the Suns. That was Johnson’s last year of coaching, too, though he was only in charge of the Nets for the first 28 games that season. Johnson had more success in Dallas, where he took the team to the 2006 NBA Finals and won 67 games in 2006/07. Griffin has so far only served as an assistant coach with the Bucks and Bulls since the 2008/09 season, but Chicago promoted him before this season to lead assistant.

Kings Intensify Coaching Search, Eye Karl

February 7th, 2015 at 10:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:56pm: Cousins didn’t confirm or deny his behind-the-scenes role in the Karl situation after Saturday’s loss to the Jazz, Bruski reports. (Twitter link). “I’m waiting just like you guys,” Cousins told reporters. “There’s gonna always be allegations, there’s always going to be he said/she said.” The Sacramento center wasn’t surprised to be the target of rumors, saying, “Of course my name is being thrown into it. (I’m) franchise center piece…” (Twitter link).

10:22pm: There is opposition to Karl inside the Kings organization from minority owners, Amick reports (Twitter link). There was hope that Karl could talk to Cousins on Sunday — either in person or by telephone — but it’s uncertain now if that will occur (Twitter link).

9:34pm: The resistance from Cousins’ camp has slowed negotiations between Karl and the Kings, Wojnarowski confirms (Twitter link). He adds that the two sides were closing the gap on money and contract length this afternoon (Twitter link).

9:12pm: It seems less and less likely that Karl will be the Kings’ next coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), who says representatives of the team, Karl and Cousins all share that belief. He adds that a resolution is expected Sunday, and the Kings are willing to finish the season with Corbin behind the bench. (Twitter link).

5:27pm: There is a significant gap between the two sides when it comes to salary and length of contract, reports Sam Amick of USA Today. D’Alessandro, who’s pushing for the team to bring on his former Nuggets colleague, has traveled to Denver to talk about the job with Karl, Amick also writes. The two agents for Cousins have opposed a Karl hiring, Amick hears, pointing out that Karl reassigned Jarinn Akana, one of those agents, from the coaching staff to a scouting position when Akana worked for the Nuggets. Karl’s son, former NBA player Coby Karl, once was a client of Dan Fegan, the lead agent for Cousins, before replacing him with another representative, according to Amick. D’Alessandro is prepared to forge ahead without the support of those agents, but there’s concern within the Kings organization about the conflict that would engender, and the GM would prefer to convince them Karl is the man for the job, as Amick explains. Karl has told the Kings that he likes Cousins quite a bit, Spears tweets.

2:10pm: The Kings are in “serious back-and-forth” discussions with Karl, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! sports.

SATURDAY, 11:22am: Talks between the Kings and Karl have intensified, Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee reports. The combination of Karl’s innovative coaching and immediate availability has won over team officials, Voisin notes. While it was previously reported that Sacramento wished to wait until after the season to make a change, the Kings’ ongoing slump and “jarring absence of competitiveness” has prompted principal owner Vivek Ranadive and D’Alessandro to move the search along more rapidly, Voisin adds.

3:57pm: Kings officials want to see whether Tom Thibodeau or other desirable coaches become available this summer, giving them further motivation to stand pat for now, Jones tweets.

3:47pm: Sacramento’s front office is not pleased with the play of the team but is nonetheless concerned about firing another coach during the season, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee reports (Twitter links). In addition to Karl, Alvin Gentry and Nate McMillan will also be candidates for the Kings’ coaching slot, Jones adds.

FRIDAY, 2:37pm: The Kings are picking up steam in their search for a long-term solution at head coach, as Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com hears (Twitter link). There’s a decent chance that the team will make a hire at the All-Star break, Bruski adds, cautioning that Sacramento has no definitive timetable to make a move. Bruski suggests that the Magic’s coaching search has spurred the Kings into action, and George Karl, who’s openly campaigning for the Orlando job, remains a candidate, according to Bruski (Twitter links). Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro has said that Tyrone Corbin, who took over for the Kings when they fired Michael Malone in December, would remain in charge of the team until season’s end. Still, another report indicated that owner Vivek Ranadive wanted to bring in someone else in the immediate wake of Malone’s dismissal before the team’s front office talked him into keeping Corbin.

Sacramento is just 6-18 under Corbin, and sits in 12th place in the Western Conference at 17-31 after a strong start under Malone that ended when an illness knocked DeMarcus Cousins out of 10 games. Cousins, who was a supporter of Malone, told reporters after Thursday’s blowout loss to the Mavs that this has been his most frustrating time as a King, as Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee notes (Twitter link).

Bruski wrote in December that Mark Jackson, another rumored candidate for the Magic job, had “no chance” of becoming the next Kings coach, in spite of his close ties to D’Alessandro and Kings adviser Chris Mullin. D’Alessandro denied that a meeting he had with Mullin and Jackson, as well as Cousins, had any connection to the team’s head coaching position. Ranadive became intrigued with the idea of Mullin coaching the team, but the Hall-of-Famer apparently has no desire to take over at midseason. Vinny Del Negro, whom multiple reports have connected to the Magic job, also heard from the Kings in December.

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