Ime Udoka Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Pistons’ Head Coaching Search

June 5th, 2018 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons are still considering former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, Michigan coach John Beilein, and Spurs assistant Ime Udoka for their head coaching vacancy, as we heard on Monday. When we asked Hoops Rumors readers this morning about who would become the next head coach in Detroit, we passed along a note on Casey from Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press, who said the ex-Raptors coach exceeded expectations and was “impressive” in his interview.

Ellis has more updates on the Pistons’ search for a new head coach, so let’s dive in…

Casey wasn’t the only candidate who had a very strong interview. Ellis tweets that Udoka also impressed the Pistons’ search team and emerged as a serious option for the club.
According to Ellis, Udoka will meet with Pistons owner Tom Gores on Wednesday in Los Angeles, while Casey will meet with Gores today. Beilein previously met with Gores prior to last months’ Memorial Day weekend, so a second sit-down with ownership has been deemed unnecessary, per Ellis, who clarifies that the Michigan coach is definitely still in the running.
A source tells Ellis that the Pistons will likely fill their head coaching opening before they hire a new head of basketball operations. While that would mean the new GM wouldn’t get a say on the coaching hire, the Pistons have a strong group leading the coaching search, with special advisor Ed Stefanski, vice chairman Arn Tellem, and ownership representative Bob Wentworth involved.
Rod Beard of The Detroit News says (via Twitter) that he’s getting “more and more indications” that Casey is the frontrunner for the Pistons’ job. Our readers seem to agree — Casey has received nearly 69% of the votes in this morning’s poll on which candidate will become Detroit’s next head coach.

Pistons Want More Talks With Casey, Beilein, Udoka

June 4th, 2018 at 9:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

9:35pm: Spurs assistant Ime Udoka also remains on the short list and the Pistons are making plans to advance the three candidates to meet with owner Tom Gores, according to Wojnarowski.

6:04pm: The Pistons would like to have additional conversations with former Raptors coach Dwane Casey and current Michigan coach John Beilein regarding their head coaching job, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Both coaches have already met with Detroit’s front office, Wojnarowski adds.

This suggests that the duo may be emerging as the top candidates for the position, despite their very different resumes. Casey was named NBA Coach of the Year by the National Basketball Coaches Association after guiding the Raptors to the Eastern Conference’s best record, then was abruptly fired after Toronto was swept by the Cavaliers during the conference semifinals.

Casey, who had coached the Raptors since 2011, was the winningest coach in team history, leading the club to a 373-307 (.549) regular season record. He had one year left on his contract with Toronto, worth $6MM.

Beilein has been a long-time college coach and led the Wolverines to the NCAA title game before they fell to heavily favored Villanova. Beilein has compiled a 248-143 record in 11 years at Michigan, including two trips to the Final Four.

Newly hired special advisor Ed Stefanski said that hiring a new head coach was a priority over hiring another front office executive. Stan Van Gundy held the positions of head coach and president of basketball operations before he was fired last month. GM Jeff Bower was let go last week.

Former Bucks coach Jason Kidd, Spurs assistants Becky Hammon and Ime Udoka, Heat assistant Juwan Howard, and TNT broadcaster Kenny Smith have also been connected to the position.

Pistons Part Ways With GM Jeff Bower

June 1st, 2018 at 3:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have decided to cut ties with GM Jeff Bower, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Bower was hired to be Stan Van Gundy’s right-hand man when he took charge four summers ago. Owner Tom Gores fired Van Gundy last month and is currently conducting a search for a coach and front-office executive.

Ed Stefanski was hired last week as a senior advisor in charge of overhauling the team’s basketball operations. Van Gundy served as both head coach and president of basketball operations but Gores now wants separation between the two jobs.

Bower had continued his duties after Van Gundy’s departure but his contract was expiring at the end of June and Gores had to make a decision whether to retain him or move on.

Searches to fill the coaching and front office vacancies are ongoing.

On the coaching front, the team has lined up or already interviewed TNT analyst Kenny Smith, Heat assistant Juwan Howard, Spurs assistant Ime Udoka, Michigan coach John Beilein and former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey.

Nets assistant Trajan Langdon , TNT analyst Brent Barry, Hawks executive Malik Rose, Grizzlies assistant Tayshaun Prince and ESPN analyst Chauncey Billups are among the candidates for the front-office job.

Pistons To Interview Howard, Casey, Udoka

May 30th, 2018 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat assistant coach Juwan Howard will interview with the Pistons about their head coaching vacancy, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Howard is expected to receive an interview in the next few days, Wojnarowski adds. He is the second prominent name to emerge as a candidate for the job today, following TNT broadcaster Kenny Smith. Former Raptors coach Dwane Casey and Spurs assistant Ime Udoka will also receive interviews, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.

Howard has been part of Erik Spoelstra’s staff in Miami for the past five seasons. He and Smith were among 11 candidates to interview for the Knicks’ head coaching position before they hired David Fizdale.

Howard, 45, played 19 NBA seasons before retiring in 2013. Casey coached Toronto for the past seven seasons before being fired after a second-round playoff ouster, and Udoka has been on Gregg Popovich’s staff for six years.

Raptors Interview Messina, Udoka For Head Coach Job

May 25th, 2018 at 11:46pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Raptors officially interviewed Spurs assistant coaches Ettore Messina and Ime Udoka for the team’s vacant head coaching position, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Messia interviewed on Thursday while Udoka met with the Raptors on Friday, Wojnarowski notes.

With several teams seeking to fill head coaching vacancies, Messina and Udoka have been popular names this summer.

Messina interviewed with the Bucks and Hornets before those teams hired Mike Budenholzer and James Borrego, respectively. Messina received a second interview with Milwaukee before the team decided on Budenholzer. Long considered one of the top international coaches in basketball, the 58-year-old has served as an assistant under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio the past four seasons. Messina stepped up to coach the Spurs for Game 3-5 during the first round of the playoffs after Popovich’s wife, Erin, passed away.

As for Udoka, he has interviewed with the Magic and Hornets about their openings. Udoka has been an assistant to Popovich the past six years after he finished his playing career with the Spurs in 2010/11. Udoka played seven NBA seasons, spending time with the Trail Blazers, Kings, Knicks and Lakers.

The Raptors fired Dwane Casey after another early postseason exit, despite finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Casey, who was named Coach of the Year by his fellow coaches after his dismissal, is also one of three finalists for the official award. Budenholzer was reportedly a top target for the Raptors before he accepted the Bucks job.

Toronto recently interviewed Jerry Stackhouse –– a former assistant to Casey — who coached the organization’s G League squad this season. Stackhouse was one of three internal candidates considered by the Raptors as Nick Nurse and Rex Kalamian have also interviewed for the job.

Stay up to date with all the latest developments on the coaching front with our Coaching Search Tracker.

Magic To Interview Ime Udoka For Coaching Job

May 1st, 2018 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic are scheduled to interview Spurs assistant Ime Udoka for their head coaching job this week, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Udoka, a former NBA player for the Lakers, Knicks, Trail Blazers, and Spurs, transitioned to coaching in 2012 following his retirement. He has been a member of Gregg Popovich‘s coaching staff in San Antonio since then, spending the last six seasons as a Spurs assistant.

Like fellow Spurs assistants Ettore Messina and James Borrego, Udoka has been a popular candidate so far this spring for teams seeking a new head coach. As Wojnarowski notes, Udoka has spoken to the Hornets already. He has also been identified as a potential target for the Hawks.

As for the Magic, they’ve been taking their time with their head coaching search, carefully weighing their options since parting ways with Frank Vogel last month.

A mid-April report indicated that Raptors 905 coach Jerry Stackhouse would meet with Orlando about the team’s coaching job, and we heard a few days ago that the club would also speak to Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool about the position.

Hawks Expected To Consider Fizdale, Tibbetts, Others

April 26th, 2018 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

2:13pm: Vanterpool won’t be among the Hawks’ head coaching candidates after all, tweets Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

9:30am: The Hawks are the latest NBA team to embark on a search for a new head coach, having confirmed on Wednesday that they’ve parted ways with Mike Budenholzer, who had held the position since 2013. While there’s no presumed frontrunner to replace Budenholzer yet, a number of potential candidates have already emerged for Atlanta.

The Hawks are expected to talk to former Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale and current Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts about their head coaching position, a source tells Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Fizdale has been one of this spring’s most popular head coaching candidates, having previously been linked to the Knicks, Suns, and Hornets. It’s the first time we’ve heard Tibbetts connected to one of the ongoing searches, however.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski adds a few more names to the Hawks’ list of candidates, reporting that the club is also expected to consider Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, Spurs assistants Ime Udoka and James Borrego, and another Trail Blazers assistant, David Vanterpool.

Borrego has been another assistant whose name has frequently popped up in coaching rumors this spring — he has been linked to the Knicks and Suns. Meanwhile, Silas was identified as a possible head coaching candidate in the wake of Steve Clifford‘s ouster in Charlotte. As Amick and Zillgitt note, Silas is “widely respected” around the NBA and was with the Warriors at the same time as current Hawks GM Travis Schlenk.

It’s no surprise that the initial group of candidates for the rebuilding Hawks includes a number of NBA assistants. Wojnarowski writes that the team wants to hire an up-and-coming coach who can evolve along with Atlanta’s young roster. Vanterpool, Silas, and Tibbetts all showed up near the top of a recent list of NBA assistants who should receive head coaching consideration — that list was voted on by about three dozen executives around the league.

Ime Udoka To Interview With Hornets

April 22nd, 2018 at 11:23am CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets will interview Ime Udoka for their head coaching vacancy this week, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. An assistant in San Antonio, Udoka joins fellow Spurs assistant Ettore Messina and former Grizzlies coach David Fizdale on Charlotte’s interview list.

Udoka has been an assistant to Gregg Popovich for the past six years after concluding his playing career in San Antonio in 2010/11. He played seven NBA seasons, also spending time with the Trail Blazers, Kings, Knicks and Lakers.

Keep up to date with all the latest coaching news with our NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.

Latest On Kidd, Bucks’ Coaching Job

January 22nd, 2018 at 8:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Grizzlies coach David Fizdale is considered the early favorite to get the Bucks job after this season but there are some other viable candidates, according to Hoops Hype’s Bryan Kalbrosky.

Milwaukee fired Jason Kidd on Monday and replaced him on an interim basis with lead assistant Joe Prunty. Fizdale was fired in late November, in part because of a strained relationship with the team’s star, Marc Gasol.

Former Pelicans coach Monty Williams, Raptors G-League coach Jerry Stackhouse, Hawks assistant Darvin Ham, Thunder assistant Adrian Griffin, Clippers assistant Sam Cassell and Spurs assistants Ettore Messina and Ime Udoka are some of the other candidates that Milwaukee may consider, Kalbrosky adds.

Here are some nuggets regarding Kidd and the Bucks job:

Bucks franchise player Giannis Antetokounmpo offered to help Kidd save his job, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne tweets. Kidd and the All-Star starter spoke 15 minutes before Kidd was officially notified he’d been fired, Shelburne adds.
Milwaukee’s front office had been mulling over a coaching change for at least two weeks, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports.
Williams, who has been working in the Spurs’ front office, has been patiently waiting for another opportunity and is a name to remember, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets.
Kidd leaves with no regrets and added “we took an organization that was in a bad place and shined a light on it,” according to another Shelburne tweet.
Tensions between Kidd and the front office had been building for months, according to the Washington Post’s Tim Bontemps. There was friction between Kidd and forward Jabari Parker, Bontemps continues. Kidd also rubbed management the wrong way by lobbying for roster changes and harping on the lack on experience among the front office staff, Bontemps adds.
Jeff Van Gundy and Rick Pitino are two other candidates the Bucks might consider, Forbes’ Mitch Lawrence reports. However, the organization does not have a stellar reputation and potential replacements for Kidd will likely want to know who’s calling the shots on personnel, Lawrence adds.

Latest On Kings Coaching Search

April 21st, 2016 at 5:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 5:34pm: McMillan intends to wait until the Pacers’ playoff run is over before interviewing for the Kings’ post, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets.

6:50pm: There has been no official contact yet, but the Kings are also interested in former Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter links). The interest is mutual, Amick says.

WEDNESDAY, 10:19am: Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton and Kings GM Vlade Divac are expected to meet to discuss Sacramento’s head coaching vacancy, likely after Golden State’s first-round playoff series with Houston, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Walton is “extremely fond” of Divac, who was briefly his Lakers teammate, and the location of Sacramento is increasingly appealing to Walton, who is fond of life in Northern California and has several close relatives in the Sacramento area, Voisin writes. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Monday that no team had asked permission to interview his top assistant, but Voisin reported Tuesday that Walton was among the coaches to whom the Kings had reached out.

Divac is especially interested in Walton, Spurs assistant Ettore Messina and NBA coaching veterans Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks, but he’s planned to speak with several others. Divac is inquiring about the interest of Monty Williams, Jeff Van Gundy, Spurs assistant Ime Udoka and at least two college coaches, among other names previously reported as Kings coaching targets, Voisin relays. The Kings are poised to interview Sam Mitchell, Vinny Del Negro and Mike Woodson, according to reports. Mitchell’s interview is to take place today, a source told The Bee’s Jason Jones.

Sacramento has natural appeal to Brooks, who’s from the nearby city of French Camp, California, but Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported last week that he’s not interested in coaching the Kings, with the Wizards apparently the front-runner for the former Thunder head coach. Thibodeau and Van Gundy, apparent co-favorites for the Timberwolves job, don’t want to coach Sacramento either, according to Wojnarowski.

The Kings have reached out to Messina, as Voisin reported previously, though Messina and fellow Spurs assistant Udoka are busy with the playoffs. Both were reportedly candidates for the Nets vacancy, with Udoka the apparent front-runner at one point before the job instead went to Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson, who also reportedly drew interest from the Kings.

Williams is a Thunder assistant but has been away from the team since his wife died in February. He won’t rejoin the team for the playoffs and, as The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater hears, he’s not expected to return to Oklahoma City for next season, either. Top free agent Kevin Durant has a close bond with Williams, the former Pelicans head coach.

Kevin McHale, Mark Jackson, David Blatt, Jeff Hornacek, Patrick Ewing, Nate McMillan and Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga are the other candidates in whom the Kings are reportedly interested. Sources who spoke with Marc Stein of ESPN.com have speculated that Heat assistant David Fizdale and former Cavs and Lakers coach Mike Brown could become Kings candidates as well.

Which of the many names mentioned here do you like best for the Kings? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.