Lawrence Frank Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Green, Kings, Clippers

October 19th, 2017 at 7:48pm CST by Austin Kent

The results from Draymond Green‘s MRI have come back negative, Chris Haynes of ESPN writes. The Warriors forward injured his knee in Tuesday’s season opener, missing the entire fourth quarter.

While it’s likely Green misses time as a result of the injury that had him limping in the team’s first game, the good news for the Warriors is that there was no structural damage that would necessitate a longer absence.

In 76 games for the Warriors last season, Green averaged 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists. If Golden State is going to survive an even stronger Western Conference than last year’s they’ll need to do it at full health.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Kings won’t be a playoff team in 2017/18 but that doesn’t mean they can’t still be successful, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. With so many new faces on the roster, the club will be happy to develop their young players and see a true culture shift.
The Clippers are finally (mostly) healthy and head coach Doc Rivers is eager to see how they perform together under the spotlight of the regular season, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes.
According to president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, the Clippers view Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan as Clippers for life. The recently promoted executive spoke extensively about his role with Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register.

Lawrence Frank Replaces Doc Rivers As Head Of Clippers’ Basketball Ops

August 4th, 2017 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers will no longer oversee the team’s basketball operations, owner Steve Ballmer tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, Clippers executive VP of basketball operations Lawrence Frank will assume control of the club’s basketball ops going forward.

Although Rivers will continue to have a “strong voice” in personnel and basketball matters, and will work closely with Frank, he’ll no longer have the title of president of basketball operations, and will instead focus primarily on coaching, as Wojnarowski details. Both Frank and Rivers will report directly to Ballmer. Rivers confirmed his re-assignment and endorsed the decision, as Bill Oram of The So Cal News Group tweets.

“I’ve owned the team for three years now, and I really better understand what an owner’s responsibility is — and it turns out that running a franchise and coaching are two enormous and different jobs,” Ballmer told Wojnarowski. “The notion that one person can fairly focus on them and give them all the attention they need isn’t the case. To be as good as we can be, to be a championship franchise, we need two functioning strong people building teams out beneath them. There needs to be a healthy discussion and debate with two strong, independent minded people.”

This is the second time this offseason that a team has removed a president of basketball operations title from its head coach, assigning those duties to someone else. The Hawks did the same thing with Mike Budenholzer before hiring Travis Schlenk to run the front office. With Budenholzer and Rivers focused on coaching again, only Gregg Popovich, Stan Van Gundy, and Tom Thibodeau hold dual roles as head coach and president of basketball ops for their respective clubs.

For Frank, it represents another step forward in what has become an interesting career path. A longtime assistant coach and head coach, Frank transitioned into a front office role with the Clippers last year, handling day-to-day operations for the franchise. He was impressive enough in that capacity that he’ll be charged with overseeing the entire department now, though Rivers – and presumably consultant Jerry West – will remain involved in the process.

“There are different relationships that a player needs to have with the coach and the front office,” Ballmer said. “Doc put Lawrence in charge of the non-coaching aspects of the front office last year, and he’s done a fantastic job. I want each of them to dig in and do what they do best. Lawrence has come on so strong in that role, and that has helped us go down this path.”

Pacific Notes: D. Green, Warriors, Clippers

December 7th, 2016 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

It has been an interesting week for B.J. Armstrong of the Wasserman Media Group, who weighed in on on Derrick Rose‘s potential long-term future in New York and confirmed that Donatas Motiejunas isn’t reporting to the Rockets after having his offer sheet matched. Earlier in the week, Armstrong also provided his thoughts on another client, Draymond Green, telling Sam Amick of USA Today that the NBA’s rule changes are designed to make money rather than to improve the game. Specifically, Armstrong criticized the league’s “unnatural acts” rule which has penalized the Warriors big man for flailing his limbs and kicking opponents.

“People flail, people do things, and their bodies respond in certain ways,” Armstrong said. “I think it (Green’s play with James Harden last Thursday) is a no-call. … When I played, I would never, ever try to run Reggie Miller off the line because I knew Reggie. If I ran at him, and I was trying to run him off the line, I was going to get kicked. I knew that, and people around the league knew that. And players always adjust.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific division:

In an interesting piece for The Vertical, Adrian Wojnarowski notes that the Warriors – along with the Spurs – made an effort to trade up in the 2011 NBA draft to select Jonas Valanciunas with the No. 5 pick. Ultimately, the Raptors kept that selection and took Valanciunas themselves, while Golden State and San Antonio got decent consolation prizes — they ended up with Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard, respectively.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is “dead serious” about trying to move the club into a new arena when its lease with the Staples Center expires, writes David Aldridge of NBA.com. Aldridge’s piece provides plenty of other interesting tidbits on the Clippers, including a look at Lawrence Frank‘s role in the team’s basketball operations department.
The fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft, power forward Thomas Robinson is still just 25 years old, but he has lived a nomadic existence in the NBA so far, having spent time with seven teams in just five seasons. Mark Whicker of The O.C. Register examines how Robinson is fitting in this year with the Lakers as he looks to find a consistent role in the NBA.

Coaching Notes: Frank, Iske, Lucas, Pistons

June 29th, 2016 at 4:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers and assistant coach Lawrence Frank have reached an agreement that will see him promoted to executive vice president of basketball operations, reporting directly to team president and coach Doc Rivers, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Frank will be tasked with reorganizing the franchise’s front office, including building out the infrastructure of its scouting, sports science and long-term strategic planning, Wojnarowski notes.

Frank, 45, has been a two-time head coach in the NBA with the Nets and Pistons, and had been working toward a transition to the front office in recent years, the scribe notes. As Nets coach, Frank reached the Eastern Conference semifinals three out of his first four seasons on the job. He won 279 games as a head coach, including an 18-20 (.474) playoff record. Frank has been an assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the past two seasons with Los Angeles.

Here’s more coaching news from around the league:

The Pistons announced via press release that the team has named Jon Phelps as GM and Rex Walters as head coach of the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s D-League affiliate. “We’re fortunate to be able to fill these two positions with guys we feel very comfortable with,” said coach/executive Stan Van Gundy. “Jon was in Grand Rapids with the Drive the last two years so there’s familiarity and continuity there. We’re confident he will continue to do a good job and transition well into this new role. “Rex Walters brings a wealth of basketball knowledge and experience and has a passion for developing young players. He’s spent some time with us here and already has a good understanding of how we operate. We look forward to working with both of them.”
The Wizards will be adding former Kings assistant Chad Iske to Scott Brooks‘ coaching staff in Washington, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post relays (on Twitter).
Former Wizards assistant coach Roy Rogers has reached an agreement to join Mike D’Antoni‘s staff with the Rockets, Wojnarowski tweets.
Former NBA player and coach John Lucas is joining the Rockets‘ staff as the head of player development, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays.

Clippers To Move Lawrence Frank To Front Office

June 12th, 2016 at 3:28pm CST by Will Joseph

The Clippers plan to shift assistant coach Lawrence Frank from the bench to a high-ranking post in the front office, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The move would be part of a shuffle that would have Frank assist head coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers in personnel and move Brendan O’Connor to the bench, Stein tweets.

It is unclear what specific role or job function Frank would have. O’Connor would seemingly fill Frank’s void, Stein notes in a full story. He joined the Clippers as an assistant in September 2014 after reaching a buyout arrangement with Brooklyn, where he was previously an assistant. The Nets reassigned Frank in December 2013 into a role in which he filed daily reports for the club, in spite of a contract that had called for him to make more than $1MM a year for six seasons as an assistant coach under Jason Kidd.

Rivers and Frank have a previous relationship, too. Frank served as an assistant under Rivers for the 2010/11 season on the Celtics bench and Rivers had reportedly sought Frank as an assistant coach in the summer of 2013, too. Frank’s greatest success in coaching came in his first stint with the Nets, when he guided the team to the playoffs four straight years as head coach. He also served as a head for the Pistons, and is 279-335 in parts of nine seasons as an NBA head man.

Pacific Rumors: Clippers, Lee, Thompson

September 29th, 2014 at 7:50pm CST by Cray Allred

Forbes revealed its list of the 400 wealthiest Americans today, and new Clippers owner Steve Ballmer ranks as the richest NBA owner at number 18 overall. Here’s more from around the Pacific Division:

The Clippers announced the additions of Sam Cassell, Lawrence Frank, and Mike Woodson to their assistant coaching staff in a team release.
David Lee told reporters including Diamond Leung of Bay Area News Group that he’s not upset with Warriors brass, who floated his name for much of the summer in trade talks for Kevin Love that never came to fruition. “There was no hard feelings,” Lee said. “There can’t be. Our front office is trying to improve the team, and Kevin Love is a great player. It happened, and I’m not mad at anybody. I don’t feel bad. It’s just this is a business.”
Warriors point guard Steph Curry backed up Klay Thompson‘s insistence that the Love trade talks, which also heavily involved Thompson’s name, did not anger him as reported. “[Thompson] showed me the little link on his phone and then started laughing,” Curry said, as quoted by Leung on Twitter.

Atlantic Notes: Rondo, Nets, Sixers

September 26th, 2014 at 9:52pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics guard Rajon Rondo has suffered a broken hand, and had surgery to repair it earlier today, Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe reports (Twitter link). The player injured it in a fall at his home according to the team’s official statement regarding the matter. Rondo is expected to miss six weeks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports adds. That would slot Rondo’s return to be during the second week of the season. This development certainly complicates any possible deals for the veteran for the time being.

Here’s the latest from the Atlantic Division:

Boston had been considering waiving John Lucas III today, but Rondo’s injury could change those plans, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today notes (Twitter link).
Alan Anderson said he turned down an offer for more money to re-sign with the Nets, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News reports (Twitter link). Anderson inked a two year, $2.6MM deal with Brooklyn in July.
New Nets coach Lionel Hollins said that he never considered adding Lawrence Frank to his staff, Bondy tweets. Frank had a falling out with former coach Jason Kidd, and appears to be on the way to the Clippers as an assistant after reaching a buyout arrangement with Brooklyn.
The Sixers are set to hire Blazers analytics manager Ben Falk for a role that will put him second in command to GM Sam Hinkie in the team’s front office, according to The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman. Grantland’s Zach Lowe believes it’s another in a series of shrewd hires of late for Philadelphia’s front office (Twitter links).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Nets, Lawrence Frank Reach Buyout Deal

September 25th, 2014 at 9:45am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets and former assistant coach Lawrence Frank have reached a deal on a buyout that will allow the sides to part ways after a contentious one-year stint, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). Frank appears headed to the Clippers, as the team is expected to name him one of its assistant coaches in the coming days, according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (on Twitter). Brooklyn reassigned Frank in December into a role in which he filed daily reports for the club, in spite of a contract that had called for him to make more than $1MM a year for six seasons as an assistant coach under coaching neophyte Jason Kidd.

The buyout is no surprise, since Frank had reportedly hired “high-powered” attorney David Cornwell to try to negotiate a way out of his deal shortly after his reassignment late last year. It’s unclear whether that sort of legal counsel was ultimately involved in the buyout, but this summer’s departure of Kidd, with whom Frank apparently clashed, didn’t seem to repair the relationship between Frank and the team. Nets GM Billy King said in April that it was his decision, and not Kidd’s, to strip Frank of his coaching duties.

The Clippers have been eyeing Frank for a while, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reported earlier this summer that they were considering him for their staff, and Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote earlier this month that Frank was expected to join the team. Clippers head coach/executive Doc Rivers had reportedly sought Frank as an assistant coach in the summer of 2013, too. Frank served as an assistant under Rivers for the 2010/11 season on the Celtics bench.

The 44-year-old Frank’s greatest success in coaching came in his first stint with the Nets, when he guided the team to the playoffs four straight years as head coach. He also served as a head for the Pistons, and is 279-335 in parts of nine seasons as an NBA head man.

And-Ones: Leonard, Wallace, LeBron, Randle

June 16th, 2014 at 10:12pm CST by Zachary Links

It sounds like the Spurs will be able to get the band back together when it comes to the core, but they will have to tackle Kawhi Leonard‘s extension this summer, writes Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders. Leonard is eligible for an extension starting July 1st and it’s obviously in their best interests to lock up the Finals MVP. Koutroupis believes that a five-year, deal in the neighborhood of $78.8MM would get it done. Here’s tonight’s look around the NBA..

Chris Wallace is in charge of basketball operations on an interim basis for the Grizzlies but when it comes to the draft, it’s a collaborative effort involving coach Dave Joerger and owner Robert Pera, writes Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal.
LeBron James joining the Clippers makes sense to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Between Dwayne Wade being over the hill and the deterioration of Chris Bosh‘s shooting, Blakely believes that James will seek greener pastures.
The Lakers will work out Julius Randle tomorrow, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Randle will complete an individual workout, unlike the Lakers’ first pre-draft workout that put a dozen prospects up against each other.
Darnell Mayberry and Anthony Slater debated the odds of Thabo Sefolosha returning to the Thunder next season. Mayberry says there’s no shot while Slater thinks there’s a slim chance he could return. It would probably be in OKC’s best interest to let Sefolosha walk, Slater writes, but there’s a small chance he stays since his asking price is so low.
With assistant Kevin Eastman moving up from the Clippers‘ bench to the front office and assistants Tyronn Lue and Alvin Gentry both up for head coaching jobs elsewhere, there could be more changes on the way, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
The Clippers are giving some thought to hiring Lawrence Frank as an assistant coach, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Frank was the Nets’ lead assistant last season until he was reassigned by Jason Kidd. Frank and Clips coach Doc Rivers previously worked together in Boston.

Coaching Rumors: Jazz, D’Antoni, Boylen

April 24th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Executives, coaches and other league insiders struggle to come up with names of intriguing coaching candidates after last year’s record volume of new hires, but Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com was able to pry the identities of a few well-regarded potential hires. Some of them have been in rumors in recent weeks, but University of Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, Bulls assistant Ed Pinckney, and Blazers assistant David Vanterpool are the names we haven’t heard. Potential head coaches with ties to the Spurs were already popular, and they’ve grown even more so this year, Arnovitz hears. Here’s more from the coaching rumor mill:

The Jazz plan to interview more than 20 candidates fitting virtually every description, team president Randy Rigby said Wednesday on The Zone Sports Network radio, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Though a few candidates have reportedly emerged, Rigby insists the club hasn’t identified any potential targets. He also said the decision will be a group effort and won’t lie solely with GM Dennis Lindsey.
Mike D’Antoni won’t be coaching Marshall University next season, but his brother Dan D’Antoni will be, the school announced. Dan D’Antoni is leaving his job as a Lakers assistant coach to take the new gig.
The Pacers weren’t pleased when former assistant coach and current Jazz head coaching candidate Jim Boylen left last year to become a Spurs assistant, tweets Scott Agness of Pacers.com. “He did us dirty,” one Pacers player told Agness.
Knicks president Phil Jackson said Wednesday that his coaching search could extend into July, but he adds that it’s not because he’s waiting around to see which, if any, coaches working in the playoffs become available, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
Nets GM Billy King said on NBA TV that he, and not coach Jason Kidd, made the decision to reassign assistant coach Lawrence Frank earlier this season, fellow ESPNNewYork.com scribe Mike Mazzeo observes.