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Coaching Rumors: Hollins, Nets, Clippers, Shaw

June 5th, 2013 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

As I noted yesterday when examining the longest-tenured coaches in the NBA, four teams – the Pistons, 76ers, Nets, and Clippers – are still in the market for a new head coach, while a couple other positions could open up later in the offseason. In addition to those head coaching openings, plenty of assistants are being hired, or moving from one NBA team to another. Here are today's rumors on those head coaching searches and the assistant coaching carousel:

Although the Clippers have asked and received permission to speak to Lionel Hollins, the Nets' initial request to speak to Hollins was turned down, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter links). Tillery adds that Brooklyn has yet to make another request since being denied on the day after the Grizzlies' season ended.
No teams have requested permission yet to speak to Grizzlies assistant Dave Joerger, but the Sixers are believed to have interest, tweets Tillery.
A report yesterday indicated that the Nets and Sixers were among the teams that have contacted Larry Brown about their head coaching openings. Brown threw cold water on that report today though, according to John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer, saying he's happy at SMU. CSNPhilly.com, meanwhile, reports that Brown would likely have interest in returning to the NBA if it meant running a franchise. I'd be surprised if anything came of this.

Earlier updates:

Less than 24 hours after ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Chris Broussard reported that Brian Shaw was a "serious target" for the Nets, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that Shaw also appears to be the Clippers' top choice at this point. Since no official interviews have been conducted yet, the situation remains fluid, but the Clippers are intrigued by Shaw's youth, championship experience, and developmental skills, according to Shelburne.
Talks between Jeff Van Gundy and the Clippers have cooled, and the team has yet to ask permission to speak to Nuggets coach George Karl, though he remains a possible target. Lionel Hollins, Byron Scott, and Alvin Gentry also remain under consideration for Los Angeles, says Shelburne.
Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times provides the same list of contenders for the Clippers' job, though he's even more bearish on the likelihood of the team hiring Van Gundy, writing that he's essentially "out of the running." Shaw, meanwhile is gaining momentum for the position, according to Turner.
Although the Pistons' search appears to have been narrowed down to Nate McMillan and Maurice Cheeks, there's no guarantee a decision happens this week, sources tell David Mayo of MLive.com.
Following up on a report from Frank Isola of the New York Daily News last week which suggested Patrick Ewing could be hired as an assistant in Charlotte, Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com says Ewing is interviewing for the Bobcats' lead assistant job today. The former Knicks big man has also received interest from the Kings, writes Haynes.
Newly-hired Kings head coach Michael Malone is also talking to Ohio State assistant Chris Jent about joining his staff in Sacramento, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Yet another Lakers assistant coach appears to be on his way out of L.A., as Darvin Ham will talk to the Bobcats and Hawks about a spot on their respective staffs, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Latest On Lionel Hollins

June 3rd, 2013 at 4:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported yesterday that the Grizzlies had given head coach Lionel Hollins permission to speak to other suitors, after talks between Hollins and the team reached an impasse. With Hollins seemingly unlikely to return to Memphis, plenty of this morning's links relate to the futures of the coach and the club. Here are a few of them:

Hollins' representatives called the Clippers today to inquire on their coaching vacancy, two NBA execs told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Hollins and his agent are waiting for the Clippers’ front office to hear back from owner Donald Sterling before any decisions could be made, one executive said. Meanwhile, the Clippers' reported interest in Nuggets Coach George Karl appears to be going nowhere, another NBA executive says.

Earlier Updates:

Appearing on AM 560 Sports 56 WHBQ in Memphis, Hollins told Peter Edmiston (Twitter link) that he's not really interested in speaking to other teams, and would prefer to work out a fair deal to return to the Grizzlies, unlikely as that seems. The full conversation with Hollins, which featured a number of other interesting comments, can be found under "Featured Audio" on the right-hand sidebar here.
Among the other comments made by Hollins, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, was this one, in reference to Grizzlies assistant Dave Joerger: "Why would you move a proven coach, who has shown what he can do, to bring in an 'upcoming superstar?' To me, that's ludicrous. … It's puzzling when I hear comments like that."
Chris Herrington of the Memphis Flyer takes an extended look at the Hollins situation, concluding that it appears a divorce between the Grizzlies and their head coach is likely. Herrington also thinks there's a scenario possible in which Hollins isn't an NBA coach next season.
The reason Hollins' time in Memphis appears over is because of a difference in philosophy between Hollins and management, rather than the coach's increasing price tag, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
The way Hollins needled the front office throughout the year made it virtually impossible for the Grizzlies to bring him back, according to Tom Ziller of SBNation.com, who thinks team management will be unfairly blamed if the team doesn't return to the Western Finals next year without Hollins.

Lionel Hollins Hopes To Remain With Grizzlies

May 28th, 2013 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies' 2012/13 season ended last night in Memphis, and now that the team has been eliminated, rival clubs in search of a head coach figure to waste no time in pursuing Lionel Hollins. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the Clippers and Nets are expected to request permission to speak to Hollins shortly, while Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports adds the Bucks to list of the teams hoping to talk to the Grizzlies coach.

For his part though, Hollins would prefer to remain in Memphis and continue on as the Grizzlies' coach, sources tell Spears. Hollins confirmed as much in a text to Spears: "I hope things get worked out quickly. I love our team and the possibilities."

Although there seemed to be a disconnect between Hollins and the team's new management group earlier in the season, Memphis would like to work something out with the coach, according to both Spears and Stein. Hollins will meet with Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien this week to discuss the coach's future, though it's unclear if the club will offer an extension at that point, says Spears. The Grizzlies do have the right to deny other teams permission to speak to Hollins until his current contract expires on June 30th.

While the Grizzlies would like to keep Hollins, it's unclear if they'd be able to compete with a big-money offer from a rival suitor. An aggressive offer from the Nets and owner Mikhail Prokhorov would be the "worst-case scenario" for Memphis, according to Stein. Either way, Hollins looks like he'll receive a nice raise on a '12/13 salary that Spears says was worth $2.3MM. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld says there's a growing sense Hollins could end up somewhere besides Memphis due to his increasing price tag.

If the Grizzlies were to lose Hollins, assistant coach Dave Joerger would receive "strong consideration" to replace him, writes Stein. As for the Clippers and Nets, both teams are expected to pursue Brian Shaw among other candidates, while Kelvin Sampson and Larry Drew are reportedly finalists for the Bucks' opening.

Blazers Notes: Sloan, Joerger, Griffin, Batum

July 13th, 2012 at 4:49pm CST by Luke Adams

We heard yesterday that Jerry Sloan withdrew his name from consideration for the Trail Blazers' head coach opening. Today, GM Neil Olshey revealed that Sloan was more seriously considered than we originally thought. Olshey told reporters, including Mike Tokito of the Oregonian, that he offered Sloan the job, but the former Jazz coach declined the offer after sleeping on it (Twitter links). Here are a few more Blazers updates, primarily involving the team's coaching search….

The Bobcats’ Head Coach Search

May 28th, 2012 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

It's been about a month since the Bobcats announced they wouldn't be bringing back Paul Silas to coach the team next season. Since then, the Bobcats have conducted an extensive search for their new head coach that has seen them interview eight candidates, with more to come. In case you've lost track of all the names in the running for the Charlotte job, here's a round-up of what we've heard to date:

Mike Dunlap, St. John's assistant: Interviewed on May 16th. Dunlap is probably a long shot for the Bobcats' job.
Patrick Ewing, Magic assistant: Interviewed on May 17th. A source told Marc Berman of the New York Post shortly after Ewing's interview that it was hardly a courtesy meeting and that Ewing has a "good chance" of becoming Charlotte's next coach.
David Joerger, Grizzlies assistant: Interviewed on May 18th. We haven't heard much about how his meeting went, so I wouldn't think he's a frontrunner.
Michael Malone, Warriors assistant: Interviewed on May 8th. Malone is considered one of the top potential head coaches available, and also has has some interest in the Trail Blazers job.
Nate McMillan, former Trail Blazers coach: Interviewed on May 22nd. One of the more high-profile candidates, McMillan has ties to the Charlotte area, having played college ball at NC State.
Brian Shaw, Pacers assistant: The Bobcats are in the process of setting up an interview with Shaw, who wanted to wait until the Pacers' season ended to explore coaching opportunities. The Magic also figure to have strong interest in the Indiana assistant.
Stephen Silas, Bobcats assistant: Interviewed on May 21st. Paul Silas was hoping his son would take over for him, but I'd be pretty shocked if the Bobcats went in this direction.
Jerry Sloan, former Jazz coach: Interviewed on May 25th. Sloan said his interview went well but that he didn't receive an offer and he expected the Bobcats to meet with more candidates.
Quin Snyder, Lakers assistant: The Bobcats plan to meet with Snyder sometime before the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago.
Nate Tibbetts, Cavaliers assistant: Interviewed on May 14th. Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving had high praise for the Cavs assistant, which suggests Tibbetts is adept at working with young talent.
Stan Van Gundy, former Magic coach: The Bobcats are expected to at least reach out to Van Gundy, if they haven't already. However, it continues to look like the ex-Magic coach will take a year off.

In McMillan and Sloan, the Bobcats have interviewed a pair of respected veteran coaches, but the team has also sought out under-the-radar options and up-and-coming assistants. I expect the search to wrap up sometime in mid-June, and considering their wide list of candidates, it'll be interesting to see which direction Michael Jordan and the Bobcats go.

Odds & Ends: Kings, Batum, Bird, Ewing, Spurs

May 17th, 2012 at 10:02pm CST by Alex Lee

Let's keep track of some Thursday night odds and ends here as Heat-Pacers gets underway. The Clippers will look to rebound from a dissapointing game one loss later tonight in San Antonio.

Aaron Bruski of NBC Sports writes a piece providing great detail about the unfortunate business practices of the Maloofs with regard to the NBA franchise situation in Sacramento. Bruski says the Maloofs actions could lead the NBA to force them into selling.
The agent of Nicolas Batum will have all the leverage in negotiations with the Blazers this summer, writes John Canzano of the Oregonian. Batum will become a restricted free agent in the offseason.
Conrad Brunner from Pacers.com extols Larry Bird in an in depth look at the Pacers' President. In light of Wednesday's announcement that Bird won the 2012 NBA Executive of the Year award, Brunner says that the former Celtic great is as discreetly brilliant as a roster builder as he was as a player and coach. He credits Bird with changing the organizational culture by drafting wisely with middle of the first round picks and carefully managing the salary cap.
As we mentioned yesterday, Patrick Ewing interviewed for the vacant Bobcats' job today. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer says that Ewing, a prototypical NBA big man as a player, would be a coaching rarity should be get the job.
According to the New York Post, Charlotte owner and Ewing friend Michael Jordan did not plan to sit in on the interview. The Post adds that the Bobcats will also interview Memphis assistant Dave Joerger on Friday and have already interviewed Michael Malone, Nate Tibbetts, Mike Dunlap, Stephen Silas and has expressed interest in Brian Shaw.
A group of ESPN.com writers offered their take on the greatness of the San Antonio Spurs. The three popular picks for the biggest reasons for the organization's success are Tim Duncan, Greg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford, with honorable mention going to Tony Parker and owner Peter Holt. Teams should look no further than San Antonio for a blueprint on how to build a team.

Latest On Bobcats’ Coaching Search

May 16th, 2012 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bobcats' coaching search continues this week with a handful of interviews, including Mike Dunlap of St. John's today, Magic assistant Patrick Ewing tomorrow, and Grizzlies assistant David Joerger on Friday, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.

Warriors assistant Michael Malone and Cavs assistant Nate Tibbetts have already been interviewed by the Bobcats, and assistant Stephen Silas is expected to interview for the open position as well. The Bobcats have also been said to have interest in Pacers assistant Brian Shaw, along with former head coaches such as Nate McMillan and Jerry Sloan.

Speaking to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer yesterday, Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins said the team's coaching search was moving at a "nice, slow pace." Broussard's report backs up that statement, suggesting that Charlotte isn't expected to make a hire for "several weeks." It's possible that the club has other candidates in mind that, like Shaw, are employed by a team still alive in the playoffs, which could drag out the process.

Lawrence On Bobcats, George Hill, Joe Johnson

May 14th, 2012 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday, we covered a report from Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News about the Raptors' potential interest in Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin. That wasn't Lawrence's only rumor of note this weekend though. Here are a few more items of interest from the Daily News scribe:

The Bobcats' coaching search continues with Charlotte requesting and receiving permission to speak with Grizzlies assistant David Joerger.
According to Lawrence, George Hill turned down a $6MM-per-year extension offer from the Pacers earlier this season. Hill will be a restricted free agent this summer, and Lawrence wonders if the Spurs, his old team, will have interest.
Expect to hear Joe Johnson's name in trade rumors this offseason, potentially with the Knicks if Mike Woodson remains the head coach, says Lawrence. Even with about $89MM and four years remaining on Johnson's contract, it's hard to imagine the Hawks trading him in a deal for Amare Stoudemire.