Top Target McHale Pulls Out Of Race For Kings Job
The Kings made Kevin McHale their top target as they seek a new coach, as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link), but McHale has withdrawn his candidacy, league sources told Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The ex-Rockets coach had reportedly had extensive discussions with Sacramento about the opening, if not a formal interview, though doubt about his willingness to ultimately take the position has existed for weeks.
McHale’s withdrawal comes shortly before a 10am Central time press conference that Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird has scheduled. Coach Frank Vogel‘s job is in jeopardy, and belief around the league is rising that the Pacers will let him go, Stein writes. McHale and Bird were Celtics teammates from 1980-92.
Sacramento also reportedly had interest in Tom Thibodeau, Scott Brooks, Kenny Atkinson and Luke Walton, but all have since taken head coaching jobs with other teams. Still no shortage of Kings candidates remain. Sam Mitchell, Vinny Del Negro and Mike Woodson have already interviewed, according to earlier reports. The same appears to be true of David Blatt and Mark Jackson. The team reportedly has plans to interview Ettore Messina, James Borrego, Henry Bibby, Patrick Ewing, Mark Jackson, Nate McMillan, Jeff Hornacek and Corliss Williamson.
Sacramento has reportedly received permission from the Grizzlies to interview assistant Elston Turner, but USA Today’s Sam Amick reported Monday that he’s a candidate to serve as lead assistant for the Kings, casting doubt on the idea that he’s in the running for the head coaching job. Jay Larranaga, Brian Shaw, Ime Udoka, Jeff Van Gundy and Monty Williams are the other reported head coaching candidates for Sacramento.
Kings To Interview Ettore Messina, James Borrego
The Kings have been granted permission by the Spurs to interview assistant coaches Ettore Messina and James Borrego for their vacant head coaching position, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The specific dates and times for the interviews have not been set due to San Antonio’s ongoing playoff series against the Thunder, Stein adds.
Messina had declined to comment Monday on a report that the Kings planned to speak with him about their head coaching position, other than to make it clear that he’s content in San Antonio. Sacramento certainly has no shortage of other candidates for its vacancy, but Kings GM Vlade Divac is said to be especially fond of Messina. “There is nothing more I can tell you other than that I am very, very happy [with the Spurs],” Messina had said.
This is the first mention of Borrego being part of the Kings’ ever-expanding list of candidates. Borrego went 10-20 as the Magic’s interim coach in 2014/15 and was replaced by Scott Skiles this past offseason. Borrego had reportedly garnered interest from the Magic, Pelicans and Thunder to join their respective coaching staffs, but he chose to head to San Antonio and join coach Gregg Popovich instead.
Sam Mitchell, Vinny Del Negro and Mike Woodson have already interviewed, and Kevin McHale has spoken extensively with the team, earlier reports indicated, and it would appear as though David Blatt‘s interview took place Monday. The team reportedly has plans to interview Henry Bibby, Patrick Ewing, Mark Jackson, Nate McMillan, Jeff Hornacek and Corliss Williamson. Sacramento has reportedly received permission from the Grizzlies to interview assistant Elston Turner, but USA Today’s Sam Amick reported Monday that he’s a candidate to serve as lead assistant for the Kings, casting doubt on the idea that he’s in the running for the head coaching job.
Jay Larranaga, Brian Shaw, Ime Udoka, Jeff Van Gundy and Monty Williams are the other reported candidates who haven’t already taken jobs elsewhere.
Kings To Interview Mark Jackson
MAY 3RD, 6:25pm: Jackson’s interview is scheduled for Wednesday, Jones tweets.
APRIL 28TH, 5:27pm: The Kings’ reported list of coaching candidates is a wide-ranging one that continues to grow, with Mark Jackson the latest to land an interview with Sacramento, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays via Twitter. The interview hasn’t been scheduled yet, but the Kings want to hire a coach by sometime next week, as Jones previously reported. That would appear to mean any sit-down between the two parties will likely occur in the near future, though that is merely my speculation.
Jackson reportedly interviewed with the Wolves prior to Tom Thibodeau being hired and was in the mix for the Nets job that’s since gone to Kenny Atkinson. He’s been Jeff Van Gundy’s broadcast partner on ABC and ESPN since the Warriors fired him following a 51-win campaign two seasons ago. Jackson’s dismissal came primarily because his personality clashed with key members of the organization, and it was in spite of the widespread support he had from players. Jackson was 121-109 in three seasons with Golden State.
The Kings have received permission to interview Grizzlies assistant coach Elston Turner and have asked the Pacers for permission to interview assistant Nate McMillan, as Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago reported earlier today. They’ve interviewed Sam Mitchell, Vinny Del Negro and Mike Woodson and would like to do so with Luke Walton, Kevin McHale and Jeff Hornacek, according to earlier reports. Van Gundy, Brian Shaw, Ettore Messina, Ime Udoka, Monty Williams, Patrick Ewing, David Blatt, Jay Larranaga and Henry Bibby are the other names the team is said to be considering.
Kings To Interview Henry Bibby
The Kings will interview Henry Bibby for their head coaching vacancy, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Jones reported last week that the team had reached out to the former USC head coach who’s served as an NBA assistant for multiple clubs. The interview, which Jones hears will take place Monday (Twitter link), is one of several the Kings are conducting in a wide-ranging search.
Bibby, 66, last served as an NBA coach during the 2013/14 season, when he was an assistant for the Pistons under Maurice Cheeks and later interim coach John Loyer. He was previously an assistant for the Sixers and Grizzlies after serving parts of 10 seasons as head coach at USC, where he went 132-120 and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. He’s also coached extensively in minor leagues and was a scout for the then-Bullets in the 1980s. Bibby is the father of former Kings point guard Mike Bibby.
Sam Mitchell, Vinny Del Negro and Mike Woodson have already interviewed, and Kevin McHale has spoken extensively with the team, as I noted when I rounded up reports on the expansive coaching search last week, and it would appear as though David Blatt‘s interview took place Monday. The team reportedly has plans to interview Patrick Ewing, Mark Jackson, Nate McMillan, Jeff Hornacek and Corliss Williamson. The Kings apparently plan to at least speak with Ettore Messina, too. Sacramento has reportedly received permission from the Grizzlies to interview assistant Elston Turner, but USA Today’s Sam Amick reported Monday that he’s a candidate to serve as lead assistant for the Kings, casting doubt on the idea that he’s in the running for the head coaching job.
Jay Larranaga, Brian Shaw, Ime Udoka, Jeff Van Gundy and Monty Williams are the other reported candidates who haven’t already taken jobs elsewhere.
Kings Candidate Ettore Messina Happy With Spurs
Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina declined comment Monday on a report that the Kings plan to speak with him this week about their head coaching vacancy, other than to make it clear that he’s content in San Antonio, as Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News relays. Sacramento has no shortage of other candidates for its vacancy, but Kings GM Vlade Divac is said to be especially fond of Messina. “There is nothing more I can tell you other than that I am very, very happy [with the Spurs],” Messina said.
Kings To Interview Corliss Williamson
7:59am: The interview with Williamson will take place this week, sources told Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
9:58pm: Kings assistant coach Corliss Williamson will receive a formal interview for the head coaching job, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Kings are also conducting interviews this week with David Blatt, Mark Jackson, Jeff Hornacek and Patrick Ewing for their opening, league sources told Stein (Twitter link).
Williamson has been an assistant coach with the Kings since the 2013/14. Prior to joining Sacramento’s staff, the 42-year-old Williamson was the head coach at Central Arkansas. Williamson began his playing career with the Kings in 1995 and played for five teams, winning a championship with the Pistons in 2004.
Willliamson would seem to be a long shot, considering all the big names under consideration for the position. He’s the only known candidate from George Karl’s staff.
Pacers assistant Nate McMillan is also expected to get an interview in the near future. Other possible contenders for the job, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors detailed last week, include Henry Bibby, Vinny Del Negro, Jay Larranaga, Kevin McHale, Ettore Messina, Sam Mitchell, Brian Shaw, Elston Turner, Ime Udoka, Jeff Van Gundy, Monty Williams and Mike Woodson.
Blatt is also expected to interview with the Rockets, and he’s under consideration for the Knicks’ job.
Kings Rumors: Blatt, Turner, Messina, Cousins
The Kings plan to speak with Spurs assistant Ettore Messina this week, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). It’s not entirely clear whether it’ll be a formal interview, as San Antonio has just begun its second-round series against the Thunder, though the series will be in hiatus between tonight’s Game 2 and Friday’s Game 3. Sacramento reportedly reached out to Messina weeks ago, suggesting that the Spurs have granted Sacramento permission to at least contact their assistant. San Antonio granted the Lakers permission for an interview, and one was scheduled for the gap between Games 2 and 3 of the Spurs-Thunder series before the Lakers called it off and hired Luke Walton instead, a league source told Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. The European coaching legend apparently holds particular appeal to Kings GM Vlade Divac.
See more from the California capital:
4:06pm update:
- David Blatt‘s interview with the Kings is today, as USA Today’s Sam Amick hears, advancing a Sunday report from Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
- Elston Turner is a candidate for the job of lead assistant for the Kings, Amick tweets, which suggests that he isn’t in the running for the head coaching job. Turner, a Grizzlies assistant, emerged among the many in the mix for Sacramento last week, and Memphis has reportedly granted the Kings permission to interview him.
10:26am update:
- DeMarcus Cousins indicated that he’d prefer to stay with the Kings as he spoke in an interview with Carmichael Dave of CBS Sacramento (audio link; scroll to 6:24 mark). People in the Kings organization reportedly believe Divac will test the trade market for Cousins this summer. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve grown an attachment to the city, like, the way these people treat me, the love they give out to me, and vice versa,” Cousins said to Dave. “I feel like I have an attachment, and it’s something that I do owe to this city. I want to be the person to bring this city back to the glory days. I want to grow myself and this city all together. I want to bring us back to those glory days. So, that’s where I’m at with it. This is like a personal vendetta for me.”
- Seth Curry said he wants to return to the Kings next season and that it would be difficult to do otherwise, but he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of moving on as he spoke at a basketball camp in India to Akash Khanna of Follow Your Sport. Curry reportedly intends to turn down his player option and hit free agency this summer.
- Curry also told Khanna that he doesn’t want to sign with the Warriors and play with brother Stephen Curry, preferring to compete against him instead. The Currys were teammates with Golden State during the 2013 preseason.
Kings To Interview David Blatt
The Kings have scheduled an interview for early this week with former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Blatt was one of the first names connected to the Sacramento coaching vacancy and has been a rumored candidate for several jobs since Cleveland fired him in January.
Blatt met with the Knicks this week to discuss the possibility of replacing interim coach Kurt Rambis and was believed to be a candidate for the Lakers’ job before they hired Luke Walton. During his brief stay in Cleveland, Blatt led the Cavaliers to the 2015 NBA Finals and compiled an 83-40 record.
Blatt will be at least the fifth candidate to interview for the head coaching position, according to James Ham of CSNBayArea. Ham reports that Sam Mitchell, Mike Woodson, Kevin McHale and Vinny Del Negro have all gone through formal interviews.
Indiana assistant Nate McMillan may soon join that group, Ham reports, depending what the Pacers do in tonight’s Game 7 with the Raptors. McMillan has a 266-269 career record in 12 years as head coach of the SuperSonics and Blazers.
The Kings are also planning to interview Charlotte assistant Patrick Ewing, whose team was eliminated from the playoffs today. Ham says Mark Jackson of ESPN and Grizzlies assistant Elston Turner are also on the list to be interviewed.
Once the interviews are complete, GM/executive Vlade Divac plans to whittle the list down to three finalists that he will present to Sacramento management. Despite earlier reports that the Kings wanted to find a coach this week, Ham says there is no timetable. The organization has been without a coach since it fired George Karl after the season ended.
Kings Notes: Coaching Search, Rondo, Cousins
Ex-Rockets coach Kevin McHale continues to be the most often discussed name by those inside the Kings organization, reports James Ham of CSN California. At 58, however, McHale is coming off a rough season in Houston, where he was fired after only 11 games and it’s still unclear how interested he is in returning to the bench, Ham cautions. McHale is one of several names Hoops Rumors has listed in our primer for the Kings’ coaching search.
Here’s more on the Kings:
- Hornets coach Steve Clifford confirmed that Patrick Ewing will interview for the Kings’ coaching job, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays (on Twitter). It was reported Saturday that Ewing would interview with Sacramento.
- The Kings would be smart to let Rajon Rondo walk via free agency if they cannot bring him back on a short and manageable contract, Bobby Marks of The Vertical writes. Heading into the summer, the Kings need to establish an identity, have defined roles for players and develop mental toughness, Marks adds.
- The Kings’ front office must also determine whether DeMarcus Cousins is a player who can be the focal point of a playoff contender at this point of his career, writes Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders. Cousins is one of the league’s top big men, but the franchise has not seen any success with him as its star player, Davis adds. The organization’s dysfunction over the years is not all Cousins’ fault, but as the face of the team, he likely deserves some of the blame, Davis surmises.
George Karl Speaks Out On Kings’ Situation
Former Sacramento coach George Karl discusses his firing, his relationship with DeMarcus Cousins and the turmoil inside the Kings organization in a wide-ranging interview with Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. It represents Karl’s most extensive comments since the team dismissed him April 14th.
- Karl says executive/GM Vlade Divac has a huge task ahead in trying to rebuild a team that hoped to be a playoff contender this season, but sputtered to a 33-49 record and finished tied for 10th in the West. Divac’s most pressing offseason decision will be whether to keep or trade Cousins. “The roster needs to be tinkered with,” Karl said. “[Divac] is going to be in for an NBA free agency unlike anything we have ever seen. If the decision is made to keep Cuz, you have to put the right players around him. But it can’t be about Cousins. You have to make basketball decisions.” Karl believes the Kings have too many guards and that Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore and Marco Belinelli are too similar to function on the same roster.
- Karl said his relationship with Cousins was doomed from the beginning because Cousins’ agents, Dan Fegan and Jarinn Tasi Akana, lobbied hard to prevent Karl’s hiring. Former Sacrmento GM Pete D’Alessandro signed off on the move, but he was demoted weeks later and replaced by Divac. D’Alessandro left for a job with the Nuggets just before the draft, taking valuable information on the Kings’ strategy with him and leaving Divac with an inexperienced staff. Meanwhile, Karl was failing to set down new borders with Cousins and didn’t respond forcefully to early incidents of disrespect. “I never felt I got into a good place with Cuz,” Karl said, “and some of that was my stupidity when I said that no player is untradeable. I still believe that. But I should have been smart enough not to say it, and I in no way, at any time, thought DeMarcus was going to get traded.”
- The situation escalated when Divac orchestrated a public handshake between Cousins and Karl on NBATV at last year’s Las Vegas Summer League. Cousins reluctantly shook Karl’s hand, then embarrassed his coach by quickly turning away. “Vlade thought he was helping me,” Karl said, “but that looked really bad.”
- Their relationship became more poisoned when Cousins unleashed a profanity-filled tirade at Karl following a November 8th loss. Karl wanted to impose a two-game suspension, but Divac opted for an undisclosed fine. “When they supported Cousins instead of me, I felt, ‘OK, I’m in the compromise position. Cuz has the power,’’’ Karl said. “They sent that message many times, too many times sent it to the players. And the players wanted someone to stand up to Cuz, and they wanted it to be their coach. But at that point, I realized that you either compromise or you blow it up, and my job was to make us a better basketball team and get to the end of the year.”
- Karl believes Sacramento’s front office expected too much too soon after an aggressive summer of trying to rebuild the team. He hopes a better atmosphere greets whomever the Kings select as their next head coach. “Whether or not they trade Cuz,” Karl said, “they have to empower their coach. They have to let him coach. It takes a few years to build a program. It becomes a culture, an energy force. [Owner] Vivek [Ranadive] wanted magic to happen, but in the NBA magic happens once in a while, and usually is associated with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan.”