Mike Woodson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Coaching Rumors: D’Antoni, Corbin, Woodson

March 7th, 2014 at 12:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

Doc Rivers has quickly become the singular voice of authority for the Clippers, but what Lakers counterpart Mike D’Antoni says carries no such weight, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com examines. D’Antoni, who’ll be in the final year of his contract next season, doesn’t seem to have much of a future with the team, Shelburne writes. It’s been nearly a year since the start of the most prolific offseason coaching purge in NBA history, and while it’s unlikely there will be 13 new sideline bosses next season, there will probably be at least a few. Here’s more on where a couple of other coaches stand:

Tyrone Corbin said he hasn’t had discussions with the Jazz about a new contract to replace the one that expires at the end of the season, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Corbin casts the decision to hold off on talks as his, as Genessy also notes, and the coach insists that his uncertain future hasn’t affected the team’s performance. Corbin said he isn’t feeling any extra pressure, either (Twitter links).
Mike Woodson has been mistrustful of the Knicks front office, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, who wonders what GM Steve Mills‘ chat with Phil Jackson about the coaching job will do to Woodson’s relationship with his bosses (Twitter link).
There was more than a year between the end of Woodson’s tenure with the Hawks and the start of his time with the Knicks, but he didn’t receive any NBA head coaching offers during that period, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Latest On Carmelo Anthony, Mike Woodson

March 7th, 2014 at 8:56am CST by Chuck Myron

Carmelo Anthony is looking for reasons to stay in New York, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who hears from people close to the superstar that he doesn’t want to make it seem as though he’s tacitly admitting that he needs to find a better team to win. Knicks owner James Dolan is planning to try to convince Anthony that one reason to stay is the notion that the team’s disaster of a season is Mike Woodson‘s fault, Stein hears.

Sources tell Stein that Dolan is only keeping Woodson around this year so that Knicks brass can make the case to Anthony that the team’s problems are almost entirely because of Woodson. Making a coaching change now would give the Knicks a chance to fail without Woodson, opening up the potential for Anthony to conclude that his teammates are the main issue. The Knicks are 22-40, in 11th place in the Eastern Conference and five and a half games out of the playoffs.

In addition to pinning the blame on Woodson, Dolan plans to sell Anthony on his financial incentive to re-sign with the Knicks, promise to bring in another superstar no later than 2015, and vow that he’ll hire a marquee coach this summer, Stein hears. Anthony is reportedly more interested in what the Knicks can tell him about the reinforcements they can bring in this year rather than 2015, which lends credence to the significance of a coaching change. There’s been some sentiment within the organization since Christmas that Woodson should be fired, but the team isn’t hesitating to make a move now just because it doesn’t feel it has a qualified assistant coach ready to take over, Stein writes.

Knicks Rumors: Woodson, Anthony, Chris Smith

March 5th, 2014 at 12:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mike Woodson was the odds-on favorite to be the first coaching casualty of 2013/14 until the Pistons axed Maurice Cheeks a month ago, and even then, there were sharks circling the Knicks coach. Still, Woodson remains, and with 21 games to go, it’s starting to look as if he’ll finish the season on the job. Here’s more on Woodson and other figures from around the Knicks:

Woodson acknowledged his shortcomings but insisted he won’t quit and said he still feels like the man for the job, as he told reporters today, including Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Fellow Post scribe Mike Vaccaro finds it vexing that the team hasn’t fired Woodson yet, but Sean Deveney of The Sporting News points to Carmelo Anthony‘s fondness for the coach as the reason why Woodson’s still around. Owner James Dolan has met with Anthony at least once this season to get his input on Woodson and the future of the team, Deveney notes.
Chris Smith is set to clear D-League waivers today, and a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest that it’s unlikely another D-League club takes a chance on him after the Knicks affiliate cut him loose Tuesday (Twitter link).

Pistons Considering Isiah Thomas For GM Job?

March 2nd, 2014 at 7:03pm CST by Charlie Adams

SUNDAY, 7:03pm: A co-owner of the Pistons denied the report in an email to David Mayo of MLive.com. “He is not a candidate for any job with the Pistons,” Mark Barnhill wrote. Barnhill acknowledged that he, principal owner Tom Gores, and Thomas recently had dinner, but he says that it was only to discuss an event to celebrate the Bad Boys era Pistons.

“If people are gonna manufacture rumors every time we are seen in the same room as someone, it’s gonna be a long few weeks as we head into the Bad Boys reunion and beyond,” Barnhill wrote.

SATURDAY, 4:41pm: League sources say that Pistons owner Tom Gores is seriously thinking of making a major front office shakeup after this season and bringing in former Knicks GM Isiah Thomas to run the team, reports Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. Current boss Joe Dumars has taken a lot of heat over the years due to his penchant for firing coaches and his sometimes questionable draft selections, and one league source says Detroit is definitely looking to bring in Thomas once Dumars’ contract expires at the conclusion of the season.

Thomas was in control of the Knicks from 2003 until 2008. His tenure as boss in the Big Apple isn’t generally revered as a very successful one, and his unpopularity with New York fans is well known. In exchange for Eddy Curry, Thomas traded two draft picks to the Bulls that would eventually wind up being LaMarcus Aldridge and Joakim Noah. Thomas was involved in the sexual harassment lawsuit that ended up costing the Knicks $11.6MM, to which Lawrence attributes his eventual firing.

If Detroit is to bring in Thomas, Lawrence notes that his ties with likely-to-be-fired Knicks coach Mike Woodson might result in yet another coaching change for the Pistons. Thomas and Woodson were teammates in college and still talk regularly about basketball matters, Lawrence says. Woodson would have to lose his gig in New York, but that certainly isn’t out of the question.

The Pistons looked like a potential playoff team this season after a busy summer landed them a new point guard in Brandon Jennings and an upgraded frontcourt with the addition of Josh Smith. While Detroit still has a shot to sneak into the postseason, not many would argue that the 2013/2014 campaign hasn’t been a disappointing one, so much so that it led to the firing of Maurice Cheeks midway through the year. Ownership could see replacing Dumars as the shakeup Detroit needs to turn into a winning team.

Knicks Notes: ‘Melo, Woodson, Felton

February 26th, 2014 at 11:27pm CST by Cray Allred

LeBron James is impressed with Carmelo Anthony‘s willingness to take less money with the Knicks in order to get more talent around him in New York, he tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. “What I got out of it is, he wants to win,’’ James said. “Everyone says they want to win, but that’s what it’s about.’’ James, who spurned New York for the Heat in “The Decision” four summers ago, made it clear that he was rooting for Anthony, and not the Knicks: “I don’t worry about their franchise. I worry about Carmelo Anthony. I always want him to win and succeed. Obviously he’s been playing great basketball. I don’t like seeing him lose like they’ve been losing, but I really don’t care about the franchise.’’ Here’s more from the team that continues to make headlines for its struggles:

Coach Mike Woodson‘s next three to five games could be another perilous stretch, a source tells Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). The source believes that owner Jim Dolan could make a knee-jerk firing if it appears New York is truly, finally out of playoff contention soon.
The Knicks tried to trade Raymond Felton to the Magic for Jameer Nelson before the trade deadline, per John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com. The decision by Orlando to turn down the offer made sense at the time, but it looks even better now considering Felton’s recent legal troubles.
Harvey Araton of The New York Times thinks that the failures and foibles of the Knicks supporting cast around Anthony are drawing blame away from Anthony and owner Jim Dolan, whom Araton believes are equally at fault for the team’s struggles this year. Araton cites the 2011 trade for ‘Melo that stripped the Knicks of valuable assets and ‘Melo’s failure to develop into a player who makes his teammates better as reasons the Knicks haven’t developed into contenders.

Atlantic Rumors: ‘Melo, Woodson, Knicks, Sixers

February 15th, 2014 at 2:20pm CST by Charlie Adams

Carmelo Anthony assured reporters that both he and Mike Woodson would be present at the Knicks’ Monday morning’s practice after the All-Star break, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. Woodson has been on the hot seat seemingly all season, and trade rumors involving Anthony have started circulating in recent months. For the time being, it looks like both Woodson and Anthony will remain in New York. Here’s more on the Knicks and the Atlantic Divsion:

The Knicks roster looks to be set for now, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports (via Twitter) that no trades appear imminent in New York.
By contrast, the Sixers are looking for potential deals, passes along Kyler (via Twitter). We heard last Tuesday that Philly was set to be “super active” in the days leading up to the trade deadline.
Strong seasons by Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk prove that the Celtics are able to make the most out of their drafts, regardless of the position they’re picking from, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Sullinger was taken with the 21st pick in 2012, and Olynyk was taken 13th overall last summer.

Atlantic Notes: Woodson, Knicks, Humphries

February 12th, 2014 at 10:17pm CST by Cray Allred

Losing to the Kings at home was not a great way for the Knicks to quiet speculation about coach Mike Woodson‘s future heading into the All-Star break. Their turmoil continues, and Frank Isola of the New York Daily News doesn’t expect an end to the “nonsense” until owner Jim Dolan gives full autonomy to a head coach (via Twitter). Let’s take a look at more from the messy division:

Dolan would rather keep Woodson for the rest of the season and does not want to make a change now, per Marc Stein of ESPN (via Twitter). Stein isn’t sure that he won’t be swayed by recent losses to the lowly Bucks and Kings, though.
The Knicks are still targeting Rajon Rondo as their preferred upgrade at point guard according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, although it’s unclear if Iannazzone is passing along new information or working from previous reports of the Knicks’ interest in Rondo. The Celtics have sent consistent signals that they wouldn’t give up Rondo for the kind of value the Knicks could offer.
In the same piece, Iannazzone speculates that every Knicks player outside of Carmelo Anthony could be available, and thinks any one of Iman Shumpert, Raymond Felton, Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih could be in their final days with New York.
Celtics power forward Kris Humphries wished team employees good luck heading into the All-Star break, “in case I don’t see you again,” as quoted by Scott Souza of MetroWest Daily News (via Twitter). The nine-year veteran is on an expiring $12MM contract, and is one of many Celtics players rumored to be available as Boston seeks to be active at the trade deadline.

Odds & Ends: David Griffin, Deng, Mbah a Moute

February 11th, 2014 at 9:41pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Since drafting Kyrie Irving in 2011, ex-Cavaliers GM Chris Grant made one draft mistake after another in the following years and spent his final months in Cleveland offering overvalued young players in lopsided proposals for LaMarcus Aldridge, Anthony Davis, and Andre Drummond, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Eventually, Wojnarowski says, few NBA executives had the inclination to listen to Grant’s one-sided offers.

Now that the Cavs have elevated David Griffin into the role of interim GM, the team may have a chance to make some improvements through trades based on Griffin’s superior standing with other executives from around the league. Wojnarowski reports that until the deadline, Griffin will be working the phones with a mandate to keep pushing for the playoffs.

You can find tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes below, including more from the above piece:

Though one Eastern Conference executive views Griffin’s current situation as an opportunity to impress Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, Wojnarowski writes that Gilbert’s plan nevertheless is to search the NBA landscape for Grant’s replacement.
Wojnarowski says that in order to keep Luol Deng in Cleveland after this season, the Cavs would likely have to exceed his market value; letting him walk would be too embarrassing after paying such a steep price to acquire him, the Yahoo! scribe adds.
Timberwolves forward Luc Mbah a Moute could be the most likely to be dealt from Minnesota right now, says Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
Knicks head coach Mike Woodson said on ESPN 98.7 FM’s “The Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco Show” that if New York makes a deal between now and the trade deadline, he expects to be involved in the discussion: “I would like to think that if something goes down, I’m sure they will include me…It’s been that way since I’ve been here and I don’t see that changing. We just have to let it play out and see what happens” (Ian Begley of ESPN New York). Woodson’s job security has been a hot topic as of late on Hoops Rumors, and multiple reports over the last week suggest that his days in New York could be numbered.
Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders outlines several potential trading partners and scenarios for the Knicks if they were to trade Carmelo Anthony.

Odds & Ends: Camby, Rookies, Conroy

February 10th, 2014 at 5:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Going into the 2013 NBA draft, experts had viewed it as one of the weakest in recent memory. There was no franchise savior available, and the lottery was looked on as a guessing game at best. A little more than halfway through the season, the rookie class hasn’t done anything to dispel this notion. Outside of Michael Carter-Williams, Victor Oladipo, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, there hasn’t been much rookie production. Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders.com believes there are five rookies who might be able to turn their seasons around. The players he examines in the piece are Anthony Bennett, Cody Zeller, Ben McLemore, Alex Len, and Otto Porter.

Knicks Notes: Woodson, JVG, MWP

February 9th, 2014 at 5:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Mike Woodson‘s job security appears to be very much in question and today’s contest against the Thunder probably didn’t help his case. Kevin Durant put up 41 points to lead his squad to victory in OKC, bringing the Thunder to 41-12 and dropping the Knicks to 20-31. Here’s more on Woodson and other notes out of MSG..

Woodson knows he’s on borrowed time with the Knicks, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. While he thinks that he’ll still be at the helm after the All-Star break, Isola writes that he doesn’t believe that he’ll be coaching the club beyond this season.
Jeff Van Gundy knows a thing or two about surviving pressure as Knicks coach and he offered up some advice for Woodson. “Just do your job and don’t feel the need to update the media on your feelings because it doesn’t matter,” Van Gundy told ESPN Radio, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. “Just do your job. You know how to coach and you’ve done it very well there. I wouldn’t apologize to anyone if I was him because I think he’s handled himself very, very well in a difficult situation.”
With reports that Metta World Peace is unhappy in New York, Begley wonders if Woodson should give the veteran more playing time.