Lakers Notes: Ayton, Bennett, Front Office, Reaves
While Deandre Ayton has had some big games for the Lakers this season, including a 21-point, 13-rebound outing in Tuesday’s 110-109 loss to Orlando, there are still questions about whether he’s fully committed to the role the team wants him to play, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
That disconnect between what the former No. 1 overall pick believes he’s capable of and what the Lakers want from him – starting with screen-setting and rim-running – was on display after Ayton wrapped up his post-game media session following the loss to Orlando, McMenamin notes.
“They’re trying to make me Clint Capela,” Ayton said as he made his way toward the showers, referring to the veteran NBA center who has a reputation as a solid rim-runner and rebounder. “I’m not no Clint Capela!”
Now 27 years old and in his eighth NBA season, Ayton hasn’t become a star at the NBA level, having developed a reputation as a “talented but unserious” player who can be engaged and productive in one game before disappearing in the next game, McMenamin writes. Still, the Lakers have been happy with his performance when’s willing to do the sort of “dirty work” the team wants him to focus on, a source told ESPN.
“When he’s at his best, and we’ve seen it, we’ve seen glimpses of it, he’s playing with force,” that team source said. “And that’s playing with great force on both ends of the floor when it comes to screening. Then rolling and putting pressure on the rim; (when the) shot goes up, crashing the glass; sprinting back in transition; loading to the basketball; calling out your communication; being in the right positioning; contesting shots; boxing out. Those things for a big are just really thankless when you’re a skilled big. But on this team, that’s what his role is. He has to be a dirt worker.”
As McMenamin writes, when Ayton commits to doing those little things that don’t involve scoring, he’s often rewarded for it, earning more minutes and getting more looks from his teammates. However, there’s still a sense that he doesn’t care as much about “the grind” as he does about putting the ball in the basket.
“He picks and chooses when he wants to lock in and play,” a Western Conference scout told McMenamin. “Which is not what most dominant centers do.”
Ayton had two points and four rebounds and was a -24 in 23 minutes in the Lakers’ 113-110 loss to Phoenix on Thursday.
We have more on the Lakers:
- Following up on the Lakers’ hiring of Tony Bennett as a draft advisor, Dan Woike of The Athletic reports that the longtime UVA head coach won’t be leading the organization’s draft room or scouting department. As Woike explains, Bennett will be playing more of a supporting role, with his track record of identifying players who possess “toughness, energy and IQ” viewed as an asset for a Lakers team looking to restock its collection of young talent.
- Woike adds in the same story that reforming the college scouting staff, building up a “modern” pro scouting department, and expanding the current analytics department are among the Lakers’ goals as they bring in more front office executives under new majority team owner Mark Walter.
- After the Lakers wrapped up 4-4 home stand with Tuesday’s loss to Orlando, head coach JJ Redick referred to the club as a “work in progress,” according to Benjamin Royer of The Southern California News Group (subscription required). Thursday’s game provided a reminder of that point, as the Lakers lost a tight contest to a Suns team playing without its two leading scorers, Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks. As Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times relays, guard Austin Reaves said after the latest loss that the team’s level of frustration is “very high.”
Former UVA Coach Tony Bennett Joins Lakers As Draft Advisor
The Lakers have hired former University of Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, announcing today in a press release that he’ll take on the role of NBA draft advisor for the team.
“We’re thrilled and honored to welcome Tony as an advisor to the Lakers basketball operations department,” president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “As we refine and build out our NBA draft and scouting processes, we could think of no better basketball mind than Tony Bennett to have as a resource.
“Tony’s track record of forming culture, with high-character, high-skill, and high-IQ players is revered and respected across all basketball circles. Tony will be an incredible asset to our basketball leadership, to our scouts, and to our draft department as a whole. We are truly excited.”
Bennett, who had a brief NBA playing career as a member of the Hornets from 1992-95, has had a longer and more successful career in coaching.
After a brief stint as the coach of the North Harbour Kings in New Zealand, he was an assistant at Wisconsin (1999-2003) and Washington State (2003-06), then spent three seasons at the head coach at Washington State (2006-09) and a decade and a half in the lead coaching role at Virginia (2009-24).
Bennett compiled a 364-136 (.728) record for the Cavaliers and led the team to a national championship in 2019 with a roster that featured future NBA players like De’Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome, Jay Huff, Mamadi Diakite, and Kyle Guy. Bennett was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year in both 2007 (with the Cougars) and 2018.
As we detailed earlier today, Pelinka is expected to remain in his role atop the Lakers’ basketball operations department amid changes at the ownership level and in business operations. However, new controlling owner Mark Walter wants to build a deeper front office that emulates the group compiled by the Los Angeles Dodgers, his MLB team. With that in mind, Bennett figures to be one of many additions to the basketball operations staff in the coming months.
The Lakers own a single pick in the 2026 draft — their own first-rounder. It currently projects to land 21st overall, per Tankathon.
Coaching Rumors: Magic, Bucks, Suns, Knicks
When Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports polled executives around the NBA recently on rising head coach candidates, Raptors assistant Nick Nurse and Raptors 905 head coach Jerry Stackhouse were among the top names on the list. According to Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times, both Nurse and Stackhouse will likely be among the the candidates the Magic consider if the club elects to replace Frank Vogel this offseason.
In addition to the fact that current Magic president Jeff Weltman was formerly the GM in Toronto, Stackhouse also has a connection to Orlando general manager John Hammond, who was the GM in Milwaukee when Stackhouse played for the Bucks. Woelfel adds that some NBA officials believe the Magic are “leaning toward” replacing Vogel with Stackhouse, though Orlando’s list of preferred targets figures to become clearer if and when the club formally moves on from its current head coach.
Here are a few more coaching notes and rumors from Woelfel:
- Multiple sources tell Woelfel that Clippers coach Doc Rivers and Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer would have “more than a passing interest” in the Bucks‘ position if they move on from their current teams this offseason. Some NBA officials believe that Budenholzer wouldn’t want to be part of an “extensive” rebuild in Atlanta, according to Woelfel.
- While the Suns are expected to conduct a wide-ranging head coaching search, multiple NBA executives and coaches think David Fizdale, Jason Kidd, and Villanova’s Jay Wright will receive strong consideration, says Woelfel.
- Besides Wright, Virginia’s Tony Bennett is among the college coaches expected to draw NBA interest. “Everybody knows he’s an exceptional defensive coach, but he does some really nice things offensively, too. He can flat-out coach.” one longtime NBA executive told Woelfel. “I think almost every team that is in the market for a new coach will take long, hard looks at Wright and Bennett. They’re both great coaches and they’re both great guys.”
- A league source expects Mark Jackson and David Blatt to be among the finalists for the Knicks‘ job if the team dismisses Jeff Hornacek, according to Woelfel.
Gasol, Fizdale Tensions Went Far Beyond Benching
Grizzlies center Marc Gasol and former coach David Fizdale had such a strained relationship that they rarely spoke to one another, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Geoff Calkins. Fizdale was fired on Monday, one day after he benched his leading scorer, rebounder and shotblocker in the fourth quarter against the Nets. The benching served as the breaking point and Gasol, who has a tight relationship with owner Robert Pera, had expressed major concerns about the team’s direction under Fizdale, Calkins continues.
Commercial Appeal beat writer Ronald Tillery confirms the longterm disconnect between coach and star player. A team source told Tillery that the tension between them and Sunday’s benching weren’t the only reasons that Fizdale was axed. That source said the team was “trending down in several categories.” However, Tillery tweets that as recently as Saturday, a source close to the owner said that Fizdale’s job was safe because of the team’s injury issues. That’s an indication that Sunday’s incident swiftly changed Pera’s thinking.
In other reactions to Fizdale’s dismissal:
- Cavaliers stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade both expressed their dismay on social media, demanding answers regarding the firing, as Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com relays. Both played under Fizdale when he was an assistant with the Heat.
- Interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff is one of the potential long-term replacements for Fizdale but Sean Deveney of the Sporting News lists several other intriguing names. Former head coaches Mark Jackson, David Blatt and Monty Williams, former player Shane Battier, and several current college coaches such as Tony Bennett, Patrick Ewing and John Calipari are some of the candidates Memphis could look at, according to Deveney.
Coaching Rumors: Rambis, Brown, Dolan
Within their story on the Knicks and Lakers coaching situations, Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com categorize the Lakers’ previously reported interview with Kurt Rambis as mere “discussions” along the same lines of the team’s informal phone call with George Karl. Still, a formal interview might not be necessary, since Rambis is already a Lakers assistant and has plenty of history with the Lakers franchise.
As noted yesterday, the Lakers also reportedly have Larry Brown on their radar. The former NBA and current SMU head coach spoke with Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer and offered some general comments about coaching in the NBA, but did not specifically mention anything about the L.A.’s interest. However, Brown implied what would be important to him if he were to consider a return to the Association.
“We can see the way the NBA is now…If you’re not really connecting with the owner, you’ve got no shot. I was so fortunate to be around (former 76ers owner) Mr. (Ed) Snider. I look now and I think it’s so simple: If the coach, the president, and the owner are all on the same page, it seems to me there’s no way you can fail. I don’t see that. When I look back at my life in pro sports, whenever I’ve been involved with an owner who cared about me and was there for me, it made it pretty easy.”
- Knicks owner James Dolan told WFAN that Phil Jackson is in charge of the team’s coaching search, adding that he “has no idea who (Jackson’s) talked to” (Al Iannazonne of Newsday via Twitter).
- In an appearance on ESPN 700, Yahoo’s Marc J. Spears said not to “sleep on Jim Boylen” becoming the next head coach of the Jazz (hat tip to David J. Smith of Salt City Hoops via Twitter).
- University of Michigan’s John Beilein was unmoved by recent rumors linking him to the NBA’s head coaching carousel and plans to fulfill his current commitment to the Wolverines, reports Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press. Beilein – whose contract with Michigan expires in 2019 – has drawn some attention with his program’s recent performance in the NCAA tournament as well as the success he’s had in coaching future NBA players.
- College coach Tony Bennett reached a new deal with the University of Virginia that runs through 2021, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Beilein, Sterling, Wizards, Nets
Two college coaches are intriguing NBA executives, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Michigan’s John Beilein and Virginia’s Tony Bennett seem to be drawing interest from clubs – some who have openings and some that don’t, according to Wojnarowski. Here’s more from around the league..
- NBA commissioner Adam Silver released a statement in response to Donald Sterling’s interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN (from Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe on Twitter). Within the interview, Sterling made several disparaging comments about the iconic Magic Johnson.
- The Sterling saga is unlikely to come to full resolution anytime soon, and players union vice president Roger Mason Jr., speaking to Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling, once more raised the specter of widespread protest if Sterling isn’t ousted. “We could definitely boycott if that happens,” Mason Jr. said. “I could see not only Clippers players, but the league banding together.”
- Clippers interim CEO Dick Parsons says he has not yet spoken with either of the Sterlings, tweets Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News. He added that he will likely speak with Shelly, but not with Donald.
- Parsons also said he thinks “the outcome is inevitable” that the Clippers will eventually move into new ownership (link).
- The Wizards think they’ll be able to re-sign Marcin Gortat and Trevor Ariza this summer, but bringing both of them back won’t be easy, as TNT’s David Aldridge observes amid his Morning Tip column for NBA.com.
- A real estate development company that has a 20% stake in the Nets is putting its share of the team up for sale at $200MM, meaning its valuation of the full franchise is a record $1 billion, reports Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal. There’s been speculation that the Clippers could sell for more than $1 billion.
- Eric Griffin, who was a late cut last pre-season with the Heat after playing for their Summer League team, will join the Raptors‘ Summer League squad, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM. Griffin attended Campbell and played this season in Puerto Rico.
- The Nuggets are seeking a long, defensive-minded shooting guard and locker room leadership this summer, as Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post details.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Coaching Rumors: Jazz, D’Antoni, Boylen
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.