Mike Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Mavs, Brown, Telfair

July 20th, 2013 at 5:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Amin Elhassan of ESPN (hat tip to SportsDayDFW) spoke about the Mavericks' signing of Samuel Dalembert, calling him a player who will be well-suited for a role as an impact player on the defensive end. Elhassan also doesn't think that bringing Dalembert on board will impact the team's pursuit of Greg Oden, who could be "the steal of the century" if healthy. Here are some more news and notes from around the Association this evening:

Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown addresses his relationship with LeBron James and his stint as coach of the Lakers in part one of an interview with Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Knicks, Heat, and Thunder have shown interest in Sebastian Telfair, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets.
Kennedy, as part of his NBA PM piece, passes along comments from Chris Douglas-Roberts, who's confident that the Lakers will bring him to training camp for a second straight year.
Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York tweets that contrary to reports, the Bulls, Clippers, and Rockets are all front runners for Marcus Camby, and that the 39-year-old center is still weighing opportunities. It isn't clear as to what reports Zwerling is alluding to, as his list of frontrunners hasn't appeared to change much from this past week (with the exception of the Heat).
The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer touches on LeBron James and Andrew Bynum and a broad spectrum of Cavs-related topics in her mailbag column.
Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets that former NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway Sr. networked with several teams in Las Vegas about potentially joining an NBA coaching staff and is optimistic about his chances.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Cavs, World Peace

July 13th, 2013 at 11:41pm CST by Spencer Lund

A source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that the Knicks have expressed interest in Samuel Dalembert. Knicks GM Glen Grunwald was chatting with Dalembert’s agent from Pinnacle Management Corporation, at Summer League yesterday (Twitter link).

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News believes Isiah Thomas is the best chance the Knicks have to snag Metta World Peace, if he clears waivers, with the remaining $1.7MM from their mini mid-level exception.

Metta recently spoke with Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. They discussed Metta’s working with LeBron James and Kevin Durant as a player development coach, what competition means to him, and why he’s such a big fan of LeBron (all Sulia links)

Here's some more from around the Eastern Conference…

Jim Baubach of Newsday on why the undrafted C.J. Leslie might be a keeper for the Knicks.
The Cavs should return to relevance much faster than the NBA standard writes the Akron Beacon Journal’s Jason Lloyd
Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Andrew Bynum and the friction he’s already experienced while on the Lakers with new Cavs head coach Mike Brown.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer with a roundup of what he learned about some of the Sixers’ new additions during Orlando Summer League action.
Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets that Larry Sanders was cheering on his Bucks teammates at Las Vegas’ Summer League from the bench.
A noticeably slimmed down Carlos Boozer was watching his younger brother Charles Boozer play for the Bulls Summer League team in Las Vegas today reports K.C Johnson at the Chicago Tribune.

Odds & Ends: Thompson, Ellis, Hollins, Turkoglu

May 9th, 2013 at 10:54pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski looks back to June 2011, when Warriors' GM Bob Myers had worries about not being able to select Klay Thompson knowing that either the Spurs could possibly trade up in the draft to get him or that the Bucks were planning to select him with the 10th overall pick. As it would turn out, San Antonio would wind up trading for the 15th pick (Kawhi Leonard) and the Kings landed the 10th pick to select Jimmer Fredette, leaving the sharpshooting Washington State forward right into the hands of Golden State. Here are a few more miscellaneous notes to share along this evening:

AJ Mitnick of Sheridan Hoops fills us in on the "best of the bunch" in terms of international prospects in this year's draft.
The 76ers aren't expected to hold most of their interviews for their head coaching search until after the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp, writes Tom Moore of phillyBurbs.com, although there is a possibility that the team could conduct some during camp.
According to this report by the Detroit Free Press, the Pistons are widely known to be seeking perimeter help heading into the draft but could look to add more to their frontcourt.
Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reports that the Lakers have granted the Cavaliers permission to interview Phil Handy about joining Mike Brown's coaching staff in Cleveland.
When asked about the trade that sent Monta Ellis to Milwaukee for Andrew Bogut, Warriors head coach Mark Jackson told reporters that letting Ellis go helped change the culture of the team, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (Sulia link).
ESPN's Chris Broussard tweets that Lionel Hollins will be highly coveted if the Grizzlies opt to not re-sign him this summer, adding that the Nets would figure to be among the interested teams.
Heat owner Mickey Arison engaged in some civil discourse with a fan on Twitter regarding the possibility that Seattle loses out on their bid for the Kings (credit goes to SportsRadioKJR.com). Arison made it clear that he believes that the city of Sacramento has done enough to warrant keeping the team, and refuted the notion that Seattle had put forth the same effort in 2008 before the Sonics franchise ultimately moved to Oklahoma City.
John Denton of NBA.com writes that Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu understands the current youth movement of the franchise and that his time in Orlando could be over within the next coming months.
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter) reports that Lakers big man Pau Gasol will be held out of basketball activities for the next three months after undergoing an operation on his knee today.

Boyer On Cavs, Mike Brown, Oden

May 4th, 2013 at 10:49pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer answered a handful of questions from Cavaliers fans earlier, pointing out that the team will most likely build through the draft and trades. If they were to find someone in free agency, Boyer opines, the Cavs definitely don't want to overpay in order to land their target. She also doesn't see Dwight Howard being a real option, nor does she think Kevin Love or LaMarcus Aldridge will be available on the trade market. You can find more of her noteworthy points below:

With four draft picks in June, Boyer thinks that the team will look to package some picks in order to move up or make a trade.
Mike Brown appears to be putting his wish list of prospective assistant coaches together, and although former assistant John Kuester has been mentioned, it's not clear if he's interested.
Though mutual interest remains between the Cavs and Greg Oden, the team won't be willing to give him an opportunity at just any price.
The team is in full support of Anderson Varejao and wants to see him fully healthy and ready to play as soon as possible.

Lakers Rumors: Dwight, Brown, Goudelock

April 27th, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

Teams facing an 0-3 deficit have never won an NBA playoff series, and the Lakers appear to face even longer odds than usual. Steve Nash, Metta World Peace, Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks and, of course, Kobe Bryant, will all miss Game 4 against the Spurs. Even those who will play aren't necessarily healthy, as Pau Gasol is considering an offseason procedure to address a degenerative condition in both knees. As the Lakers season crash lands, here's the latest on the purple and gold:

Dwight Howard's future will be a central topic in the coming months, but Howard told reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, that he hasn't given thought to where he'll sign next season (Twitter link).
Wherever he winds up, the Hack-a-Howard fouling strategy figures to follow, though NBA president of basketball operations Joel Litvin wishes it wouldn't. Litvin expressed distaste for the rules that allow teams to intentionally foul players away from the ball, but commissioner David Stern seems to favor the status quo, as Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times observes.
In the same piece, Bresnahan provides more details on the set-off rights the Lakers have on their contract with Mike Brown now that he'll be coaching the Cavs. Brown was slated to receive about $7MM from the Lakers over the next two seasons, but L.A. could recoup anywhere from $1.5MM to $3.5MM of that. As we've heard before, the precise amount of the relief for the Lakers won't be known until the league finalizes Brown's contract, which could take a month.
Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com chroncles the journey of Andrew Goudelock from getting waived in training camp to winning the D-League MVP award to starting in the NBA playoffs.

Coaching Rumors: Hollins, Snyder, Jensen, Brown

April 24th, 2013 at 8:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

As many as a third of the league's teams could be looking for coaches this summer, and that doesn't include the Cavaliers, who've already hired Mike Brown, Grantland's Zach Lowe writes. An agent told Lowe that the Brown/Cavs pairing could spur movement in the rest of the coaching market. Lowe has plenty more on coaches who could be coming or going, and takes a closer look at the Bobcats and Cavs in his latest column. We'll pass along the highlights here, along with news from other NBA scribes:

The Grizzlies are more likely than not to retain Lionel Hollins, though that could change if the Clippers sweep them in the first round.
Hawks GM Danny Ferry may turn to Quin Snyder if he decides to let go of Larry Drew, now that Brown, his preferred target, is no longer available.
Alex Jensen, this season's D-League Coach of the Year, could be on an NBA bench as soon as next season, and earns consistent mention among defensively minded coaches on the rise.
The final season of Brown's five-year deal with the Cavs is partially guaranteed, as Charley Rosen notes for HoopsHype. Brown can take the Cavs to "the outer fringes of respectability" at best, Rosen opines.
Alvin Gentry, who was let go by the Suns earlier this season, has the resume, the presence, and the local ties necessary to make him a candidate for the Bobcats' coaching opening, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Bobcats assistant coach Stephen Silas has shown a knack for player development and, despite his team's struggles, is considered a strong candidate for head coaching jobs, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link).
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio has the latest on Brown's effort to build his staff with the Cavs, reporting that former Pistons head coach John Kuester is expected to join Brown in Cleveland.
Brown isn't short on coaching acumen, but his success with the Cavs will ultimately come down to whether the team can give him a roster that's talented enough to win, Pat McManamon of Fox Sports Ohio believes.

Pacific Rumors: Brown, D’Antoni, Kings, Warriors

April 24th, 2013 at 5:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers are the only team that's yet to win a game among the three Pacific Division clubs in the playoffs, but they have a chance to do so tonight against the Spurs. As always, the on-court action is just one of many stories making headlines in Lakerland, and we've got the rest of the news here, along with dispatches from around the division:

The Cavaliers' decision to hire Mike Brown as their new head coach could grease the financial skids for the Lakers to fire Mike D'Antoni if they so choose, as Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld examines. Kennedy tabs the amount still left on Brown's contract with the Lakers at $11MM, while Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times says it's closer to $8MM, with around $6MM-$7MM guaranteed. The Lakers will be spared from shelling out a portion of that guaranteed money — perhaps as much as half, according to Pincus —now that Brown is with the Cavs (Twitter links).
Still, that $3MM-$4MM would amount to nothing more than "a grain of sand on the beach" when it comes to the Lakers' books, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The precise amount won't be known until the league approves the contract, which could take a month, McMenamin hears. A more significant effect that Brown's new job could have on the Lakers might involve the desire of Brown's former assistant coaches, some of whom remain with L.A., to follow him to Cleveland.
The fate of the Kings will have a significant impact on David Stern's legacy as NBA commissioner, writes Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee. One league executive told Voisin that Stern has been "anguishing" over the process that has Seattle and Sacramento groups competing for the franchise.
Seattle's effort to build a new arena has cleared a major permitting hurdle, and Chris Daniels of KING-TV in Seattle has the details.
Warriors front office adviser Jerry West gives his thoughts to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group about the team's sharpshooting backcourt duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Michael Malone, Brian Shaw Top Sixers’ List

April 24th, 2013 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 2:05pm: Having been hired by the Cavaliers, Brown is no longer in the mix for the Sixers' job. However, another name has joined Shaw as a top candidate for Philadelphia, according to Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. Lynam reports that Warriors assistant Michael Malone is "high on the Sixers' list" for the head coach opening.

TUESDAY, 9:46am: The Sixers are still in the early stages of their search to replace former head coach Doug Collins, but according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), two names have risen to the top of the team's list: Mike Brown and Brian Shaw.

Brown appears to be a popular target these days, as the Cavaliers have reportedly made the former Lakers coach their top priority early in the offseason. Shaw, meanwhile, has received plenty of head coaching buzz before, and it seems to be only a matter of time before the current Pacers assistant gets his shot.

Sixers assistant Michael Curry, who has the support of many Philadelphia players as well as Collins, is expected to interview for the club's head coaching position.

Central Notes: Brown, Cavs, Bucks, Shaw

April 24th, 2013 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks lost again in Miami last night, falling behind 2-0 to the Heat in their first round series, but the Central's other two playoff teams are still in decent shape. The Bulls are heading to Chicago having split two games with the Nets in Brooklyn, while the Pacers will look to take a 2-0 series lead on the Hawks tonight. As we look forward to that game, let's check in on a few more Central Division items….

According to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link), had the Cavaliers' position not been available, Mike Brown likely wouldn't have pursued another coaching job for next season, even though he would have drawn interest and perhaps received offers.
The Cavs can't worry about what effect hiring Brown will have on their potential down-the-road pursuit of LeBron James, since Brown is the right fit for the current team, says Sam Amick of USA Today. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports had some thoughts earlier today on the Cavs' future, which he doesn't believe will include a reunion with LeBron.
Tom Ziller of SBNation.com wonders what the Bucks were thinking when they gave up a young asset in Tobias Harris to acquire a rental (J.J. Redick) that interim coach Jim Boylan is barely playing in the postseason. I think Ziller undersells the likelihood of Milwaukee re-signing Redick using his Bird rights, which the team also acquired in the deal. But Redick's lack of playing time so far against the Heat has indeed been surprising.
No teams have contacted the Pacers yet to ask permission to interview assistant Brian Shaw for a head coaching opening, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. It's possible that clubs are simply waiting until after Indiana is out of the postseason, which is Donnie Walsh's preference.

Cavaliers Name Mike Brown Head Coach

April 24th, 2013 at 8:18am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have officially announced that Mike Brown will return as the team's head coach, confirming the news in a press release. Reports yesterday indicated that the two sides had reached an agreement in principle, and were working to finalize the details of a five-year contract worth between $20-25MM.

"I am more than excited about Mike Brown’s return to the Cleveland Cavaliers," owner Dan Gilbert said in a statement. "Mike has done nothing but win in this league since he was a first-year assistant many years ago. He is going to instill a much-needed defensive-first philosophy in our young and talented team that is going to serve as our foundation and identity as we continue down the path of building the kind of franchise that competes at a championship level for many years to come."

For Brown, it will be his second stint as the Cavs' head coach. In his first five seasons with the club, during LeBron James' time in Cleveland, Brown led the Cavs to a 272-138 record. Brown's time with the Cavs coincided with the team's only five playoff berths since the 1997/98 season, including one appearance in the Finals.

Because he was let go by the Lakers with nearly three years remaining on his contract, Brown was still owed a reported $10MM+ by Los Angeles. The Lakers figure to receive some relief now that Brown will be receiving a salary from the Cavs, though it's not exactly clear yet how much money the Lakers will save as a result of offset.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link), the Cavs will introduce Brown to the media at a 2:30 press conference today.