Luke Walton Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Griffin, Horford, Bazemore, Walton

January 27th, 2016 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

People who work for the Clippers are “miserable” about the embarrassment that the reported altercation between Blake Griffin and equipment manager Mathis Testi has brought upon the franchise, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding writes. Griffin, who’s expected to miss four to six weeks recovering from the broken hand he apparently suffered in the incident, issued a statement of apology through his verified Twitter account.

“A situation among friends escalated and I regret the way I handled myself towards someone I care about,” Griffin wrote. “I want to apologize to the Clippers’ organization, my teammates and the fans for creating a distraction. I am working with the team on a resolution and getting back in the game as soon as possible.”

The Clippers earlier seemed to express frustration with Griffin in a sharply worded response to the affair when they announced Griffin’s injury Tuesday. See more from around the NBA:

The Hawks aren’t entirely sure that Al Horford will re-sign in free agency this summer, and they’re making it a priority to re-sign fellow soon-to-be free agent Kent Bazemore, too, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports says in the latest edition of his “The Vertical” podcast (audio link, scroll ahead to 48-minute mark). Wojnarowski and Yahoo Sports colleague Chris Mannix also elaborated on the Atlanta’s trade talks involving Jeff Teague.
Luke Walton said that he had fun as interim Warriors head coach but acknowledged that he still has much to learn as he spoke in a radio appearance on 95.7 The Game. Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group has the partial transcription (Twitter links). “I’m not in a rush to go out and do anything different,” Walton said. “I enjoy the assistant role too … I’d love to be back again next season.”
Matthew Dellavedova was “definitely shocked” when the Cavaliers fired David Blatt and said to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he’s sure he’ll cross paths with the coach again. “Coach Blatt was huge for me,” Dellavedova said. “He gave me a great opportunity. He really believed in me and 100% supported me. It was really great for my career, so I’m always going to be appreciative for what he did for me.” Dellavedova is set for restricted free agency at season’s end.

Luke Walton On Nets Coaching Radar

January 12th, 2016 at 10:12am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets are eyeing Warriors interim coach Luke Walton, whom they’re likely to consider as they seek a long-term replacement for the fired Lionel Hollins, sources tell Sam Amico of Amico Hoops and Fox Sports Ohio. Other reports have linked the Nets to John Calipari, Monty Williams and, more loosely, Chris Mullin. Nets assistant Tony Brown is serving as Brooklyn’s interim coach in the wake of Sunday’s dismissal of Hollins and reassignment of GM Billy King.

Walton, the NBA’s Western Conference Coach of the Month for November, has the Warriors at 36-2 while Steve Kerr continues to recover from two back surgeries. That’s the best 38-game start in NBA history, and it’s all the more remarkable given Walton’s relative inexperience. He’s just three years removed from having played in 50 games for the Cavaliers in the 2012/13 season, and last season was his first as an NBA assistant. He spent one season as a player development coach for the D-League affiliate of the Lakers in between the end of his playing career and the time Kerr added him to his staff in the summer of 2014.

The 35-year-old has expressed an interest in formally becoming a head coach some day, though it’s “nothing I’m trying to rush into,” as he told Ben Golliver of SI.com in November. Coaching the Nets would seemingly pose a much stiffer challenge than the Warriors do, since Brooklyn is mired in a 10-28 season and without its first-round pick this year. Still, the Nets have $45MM in guaranteed salaries against a projected $89MM cap for this summer, and it would seem likely that the Nets wouldn’t hire Walton until the offseason, though that’s just my speculation.

Walton has a tie to the recently deposed Nets coach. His father, Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton, was a teammate of Hollins’ on the Trail Blazers.

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Chandler, Walton

January 2nd, 2016 at 3:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Kings are at a critical point in relation to the direction of the franchise, and the question must be asked if center DeMarcus Cousins is the player the team should be building around, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. Cousins is on his fifth coach since entering the league and Sacramento has yet to eclipse the 30 win mark with the big man as the focal point, which isn’t a glowing endorsement of his ability to be the franchise’s anchor going forward, Amick notes.

Coach George Karl is also questioning the team’s demeanor and the roster’s lack of defensive-minded players, Amick adds. “My thought, and I told the team my thought, is inconsistent intensity, inconsistent focus, inconsistent toughness and mental discipline,” Karl said. “Too many times we’ve come out on this court and we’ve been the quiet team, or the soft team, or the cool team, and not the man team. My feeling is we have too many offensive players. We don’t have enough guts to make stops.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Suns find themselves in a difficult spot regarding rebuilding the roster, and with approximately $110MM committed to the backcourt duo of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight through 2018/19, the team’s best course of action would be to attempt to deal Tyson Chandler and Markieff Morris in order to clear cap space, writes Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. Phoenix should also consider waiving small forward P.J. Tucker and his partially guaranteed pact this offseason, which would free up an additional $3.7MM in cap room, Greene adds.
Warriors interim coach Luke Walton was the perfect choice for the franchise to fill in for Steve Kerr while he recovers from back surgery, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. Leung cites Walton’s humble demeanor and excellent preparedness as reasons why he was able to find immediate success, though Golden State’s talented roster certainly was a major benefit for the young coach as well.

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround: 12/27/15

December 27th, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The positive momentum the Suns gathered from nearly landing LaMarcus Aldridge this past summer was short-lived. Markieff Morris demanded a trade later in the offseason, and though he seemingly recanted that at the start of training camp, Phoenix has apparently engaged in serious talks about dealing him away, and coach Jeff Hornacek is reportedly in danger of following him out the door. Eric Bledsoe isn’t going anywhere, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be on the court anytime soon, as the initial belief is reportedly that he’ll be out until the All-Star break is through with an injured left knee.

Suns ownership and management has been reluctant to fire Hornacek, but owner Robert Sarver and GM Ryan McDonough had one-on-one meetings with Suns players today to try to understand why the team has fallen to 12-20, a record that includes an ugly home loss to the Sixers on Saturday, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

Assistants Mike Longabardi and Earl Watson are possible replacements if the Suns oust Hornacek, Wojnarowski writes. A source with ties to the Suns who spoke with Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck a few weeks ago speculatively predicted that the Suns would get rid of Hornacek and go after Warriors interim coach Luke Walton in the offseason (Twitter link). Morris is in the middle of a two-game suspension the team handed down after he threw a towel that connected with Hornacek during Wednesday’s game, though Morris says he didn’t mean to hit the coach.

It all leads to our question for the day: What do the Suns need to do to fix their issues? Should they fire Hornacek? If so, with whom should they replace him for the short term and long term? Should they trade Morris? If so, who or what should they realistically try to obtain in return? If they keep Hornacek and Morris, what’s the solution to their problems?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.

Warriors Notes: Draft, Kerr, Walton, Iguodala

December 23rd, 2015 at 2:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Warriors GM Bob Myers received a lot of messages of praise from other executives around the league after he drafted Draymond Green 35th overall in 2012, but he was dubious about why they were lauding the selection of a player many of them failed to take, as Myers told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports on “The Vertical” podcast (audio link via Twitter at two-minute mark). Green illustrates the importance of the draft, as Myers explains.

“You have to hit the draft right. It’s the easiest way to build a team, so it’s easy to sit here and say how great Draymond Green is for the Golden State Warriors, but that guy was the 35th pick in the draft, and that can change a franchise,” Myers said to Wojnarowski. “Whoever got him in the draft, at that number, at that value, it can change the next 10 years of your franchise.”

Golden State is entrenched in the 30th spot in the 2016 order for now, as our Reverse Standings show, and they owe their 2017 pick without protection to the Jazz, so Myers faces a challenge to continue to find overlooked prospects. Here’s more on the champs:

Steve Kerr said his absence from games will stretch past New Year’s Day, notes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link), but he’s closing in on a return, observes fellow Bay Area News Group scribe Carl Steward. Kerr filled in for interim coach Luke Walton at practice this week when Walton was sick, a reversal of the dynamic that’s gone on all season as Walton guides the team while Kerr recovers from two back surgeries.“I felt pretty good, but I’m not 100% health-wise,” Kerr said, according to Steward. “But I’m getting better and building some strength. I’m going to keep going. I still have symptoms that I’m learning to deal with.”
Walton is “destined to be a head coach” of his own team someday, Kerr said, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle relays.
Andre Iguodala wants to play three more seasons after his existing contract expires at the end of next season, he said to Kawakami and Marcus Thompson on the Bay Area News Group’s “Warriors Plus/Minus” podcast (audio link). The swingman, who turns 32 next month, stopped short of specifically declaring that he wants to remain with the Warriors, but he said he’s comfortable where he is.

Pacific Notes: Kerr, Monroe, Kobe, Lieberman

December 16th, 2015 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Steve Kerr isn’t thinking at all about sitting out the entire season and believes he’ll return from his leave of absence at some point before it’s over, as he said to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. The progress the Warriors coach has made of late in his recovery from two back surgeries is plain to see, observes Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.

“He’s acting more like himself and joking more like himself,” interim coach Luke Walton said Tuesday, as Simmons relays. “As far as what that means for his return, we still have no idea — but it’s nice to see more of his old self.”

See more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers focused on basketball in their free agent pitch to Greg Monroe, unlike their ill-fated business-oriented approach to LaMarcus Aldridge, Byron Scott said Tuesday, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News relays (Twitter link). “There wasn’t anything they did wrong. I just made the best decision for me,” Monroe said to Medina about his choice of the Bucks over the Lakers and others. “It wasn’t anything they didn’t do or did do.”
Kobe Bryant is playing much better of late, and that has to do with his greater comfort with the Lakers‘ young players, Scott believes, as Bill Oram of the Orange County Register details. No. 2 overall pick D’Angelo Russell is also looking improved, and that has Scott looking smart, at least for now, Oram writes. “So [Kobe]’s kind of … stepping to the side a little bit and letting them have a little more say in what they do out there,” Scott said. “There’s a lot of times in the game where he just kind of defers to those guys.”
George Karl had thought about hiring a female assistant coach for years before he and the Kings brought Nancy Lieberman onto the staff this past summer, notes Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. “I think it’s been good,” Karl said. “Sometimes I think we [head coaches] have been too macho about this for too long. Everybody connects with people differently, and some players communicate better with women. That’s why you want three or four assistants. With Nancy, obviously she knows the game. But the best thing she does is connect one-on-one with the players. She can take hard subjects and go to a player, and that’s very unusual in a young coach.”

Pacific Rumors: Lakers, Walton, Dukan

December 7th, 2015 at 9:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Power forward Julius Randle and point guard D’Angelo Russell were not happy with Lakers coach Byron Scott’s decision on Monday to remove them from the starting lineup, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Scott made the surprising announcement that Randle, the team’s lottery pick last year, and Russell, the No. 2 overall pick this season, would be replaced in the lineup by another rookie, power forward Larry Nance Jr., and veteran point guard Lou Williams. “You’re never going to be thrilled about it as a competitor,” Randle told the team’s traveling media. “But it’s out of your control. What I can control is go out there and play hard like we’ve been doing.” Russell felt he was developing better chemistry with his teammates, Medina continues. “I started to figure it out and this happened,” Russell said. “I don’t feel like this will get in the way of my growth.” Scott did not tell either player his thought process for the lineup changes but he could alter it again during the next five to 10 games, Medina adds.

In other news around the Pacific Division:

Nick Young admits that exasperation over his team’s 3-17 start led to his ejection against the Pistons on Sunday night, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes. The Lakers’ backup shooting guard was tossed in the fourth quarter of a 111-91 loss when he shoved Detroit forward Anthony Tolliver in the neck after a hard foul. Young was not suspended by the league. “It’s tough,” he said to Holmes and other members of the media. “There’s a lot of frustration. It’s a struggle and it’s building up.”
Luke Walton credits his former Lakers coach, Phil Jackson, with showing him how to comport himself in his current job, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports. The interim Warriors coach discovered the value of staying grounded through Jackson. “Phil was the first coach I had — well, I shouldn’t say the first coach that I had, but the first one who made me recognize it as a bigger picture,” Walton told Berger. “He never got too upset; he never got too excited. He was just even-keel all the time. His beliefs as a teacher, that you’re at your most dangerous when you’re level-headed and can make decisions … I believe wholeheartedly in that.”
The Kings recalled rookie forward Duje Dukan from their D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, the team announced on its website. Dukan, an undrafted 24-year-old power forward, averaged 13 points and 3.8 rebounds in four games with the Bighorns. He has not made his NBA debut.

Pacific Notes: Kobe, Lieberman, Walton, Green

November 25th, 2015 at 9:29am CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors keep on rolling, but the same can’t be said for Kobe Bryant, whose game has fallen off sharply in what figures to be his final season. Bryant matched the worst shooting performance of his career, going 1 for 14 Tuesday as the Lakers fell to the Warriors, 111-77, sending Golden State to the first 16-0 mark in NBA history. Bryant is shooting just 31.1% this season, a career low, but he leads the Lakers in field goal attempts per game.

“I’m not really worried about it, honestly,” Bryant said, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). “My shooting will be better. I could’ve scored 80 tonight. It wouldn’t have made a [expletive] difference. We just have bigger problems. I could be out there averaging 35 points a game. We’d be what, 3-11? We’ve got to figure out how to play systematically in a position that’s going to keep us in ballgames.”

The Lakers are 2-12, but coach Byron Scott said he still has “so much confidence” in Bryant, his former teammate, who remains the NBA’s highest-paid player at $25MM this season, as Bill Oram of the Orange County Register relays. See more from the Pacific Division:

An agent with ties to the Kings predicts chaos if the team were to make Nancy Lieberman the interim coach in the event of a George Karl firing, reports Chris Mannix of SI.com, who writes in his Open Floor column. Mannix finds it difficult to envision Lieberman getting the nod, despite a report that owner Vivek Ranadive would favor such a move if he dismisses Karl.
Warriors interim coach Luke Walton reached out to Phil Jackson before the 2014/15 season to ask whether he should reach out to Steve Kerr, and Jackson, who’d wanted to hire Kerr for the Knicks, told Walton to do so, notes Marcia C. Smith of the Orange County Register. Kerr wound up hiring Walton as an assistant coach, setting in motion the events that would put Walton in charge of the team’s historic run.
Draymond Green is one of the six or seven most valuable players in the NBA, as Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group observed Tuesday before Golden State’s game. Green re-signed with the Warriors for $82MM over five years this summer, more than $14MM less than his five-year max.

Warriors Notes: Walton, Kerr, Iguodala, Myers

November 24th, 2015 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Steve Kerr still isn’t coaching the Warriors, but he’s a consistent presence around the team, and GM Bob Myers tells USA Today’s Sam Amick he’s grateful that Kerr and interim coach Luke Walton work together as well as they do.

“We’re talking normally a couple times a day now,” Walton said to Amick about Kerr. “And if it’s a home game, we talk at halftime, we talk pregame, we talk at shootarounds. It’s getting more and more.”

The NBA record-tying 15-0 start officially goes on Kerr’s ledger, not Walton’s, but no one on the team is making that an issue, and Walton remains essentially “the same guy” he was when he wasn’t in charge, Stephen Curry said to Amick. See more on the Warriors before they go for an unprecedented 16th straight win to start the season tonight when they play the Lakers:

The Warriors have a collaborative front office, and that sensibility extends to the coaching staff as well, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com details. Assistant coach Jarron Collins credits Kerr. “If you have an idea and you’re in our organization, he wants to hear about it and he’s willing to listen,” Collins said to Berger. “Steve values input from everybody. When you’re in an environment like that, it makes for a very, very special environment and atmosphere to learn.”
Warriors players, cognizant that Harrison Barnes is headed to restricted free agency this summer, are intent on helping him as much as possible on the court, Andre Iguodala said in a recent postgame interview with Rosalyn Gold-Onwude of CSNBayArea (video link), as Dan Feldman of ProBasketballTalk transcribes.
Before he became Executive of the Year, Myers was an agent at Wasserman Media Group, where he made an impression on chairman and CEO Casey Wasserman, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes in a profile of Myers. “He had impeccable relationships with the clients. More importantly, he became a friend and valuable part of the company,” Wasserman said. “His success he’s having now is no surprise to me or to anyone else who [has] worked with him.”

Warriors Notes: Lacob, West, Walton

November 15th, 2015 at 3:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

This week marked the five-year anniversary of the transfer of Warriors ownership to Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, and Lacob doesn’t apologize for the bold talk that marked his tenure from the start, when the Warriors were still a losing team, as Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group relays. Thompson, in his wide-ranging interview with the co-owner, asked Lacob if he considers himself a power broker among owners in the league.

“Winning gives you respect amongst your peers,” Lacob said. “People are kind of blown away in the league by how we’ve been able to do it this fast and this well.”

See more on Lacob and his team amid news on the defending champs:

Lacob is delivering results similar to late Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss but doing so with a much different personality, observes Warriors executive board member and front office consultant Jerry West, who’s worked under them both, in a podcast with Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group.
Phil Jackson first encouraged Luke Walton to explore the idea of coaching while he was still a player, and Walton’s style leans more toward the Zen Master’s than Lute Olsen’s, his college coach, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Still, Walton’s coaching philosophy is changing over time. “I think it’s a natural progression,” Walton said. “It’s probably been developing in me before I even realized I wanted to be a coach just from the coaches I played under. But since I’ve gotten into this coaching business, I kind have spent more thinking about it and trying to pick up as much as I can from different people.”
Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com wonders what might have been if the Warriors had hired second-choice candidate Stan Van Gundy instead of Steve Kerr, noting that Van Gundy and Kerr both believe in having space and movement on offense and power forwards who can shoot 3-pointers.