The Mavericks are working on adding former Suns head coach and current Fenerbahce coach Igor Kokoskov to Jason Kidd‘s staff as an assistant, according to multiple reports. Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) first reported that Dallas was targeting Kokoskov, while Marc Stein (Twitter link) said there’s “tangible optimism” the Mavs will be able to hire him.
As Stein explains (via Twitter), Kokoskov is technically still under contract with Fenerbahce in the EuroLeague, so the Mavs and the Turkish club would have to come to some sort of agreement releasing him from that deal.
In addition to coaching the Suns for one season (2018/19), Kokoskov has worked as an assistant for seven other NBA teams. He and Kidd never overlapped at any of those spots, but Kokoskov does have one noteworthy connection to the current Mavs — he was the head coach of the Slovenian team that won gold in the 2017 EuroBasket tournament, led by Luka Doncic.
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- The Mavericks are also expected to hire Greg St. Jean to their coaching staff, Stein reports (via Twitter). As Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group observes (via Twitter), St. Jean has been a player development coach and advance scout for the Lakers for the last two years and is tight with Kidd.
- At a Mavs’ press conference on Thursday, Nico Harrison was introduced as both the team’s general manager and president of basketball operations, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News notes (via Twitter). However, team owner Mark Cuban said he’ll still be the one making the final call on basketball decisions, tweets Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. “I always do because it’s a lot of money,” Cuban said.
- Cuban declined to say whether Haralabos Voulgaris is still with the Mavs, according to Caplan (Twitter link). A report last month indicated Voulgaris had gained an outsized influence within the team’s front office but wasn’t yet under contract beyond 2020/21.
- While there has been speculation that the Mavs may explore trading Kristaps Porzingis this offseason, the team gave no indications on Thursday that such a move is in the cards. Kidd raved about Porzingis’ fit in Dallas and said he expects to see “a different KP” going forward, while Cuban said the big man has been “unfairly maligned” (Twitter links via Caplan).
Why not trade Kristaps for Ben Simmons? The salaries match up well.
Because he fits horribly besides Embiid and Tobias Harris…
Does he? Having a stretch 4 next to Embiid and Harris is a bad fit? You can argue Porzingas isn’t a great rebounder and is injury prone and all that, but in theory a healthy Kristaps (who can stay healthy) would be what the Sixers are looking for I would think.
Right, at least he can shoot. The Sixers are desperate for anyone who shoots threes.
Well the problem is Harris is better suited as a 4 than a 3, so it’s not a good fit.
2 slow 7 footers on the court at the same time just sounds like worst case.
I guess since the didn’t win with Carlisle after all that time, they needed to make a change, but I don’t like this. Kidd and Harrison do not seem like the guys needed to move the needle in the right direction.
The first thing anyone needs to figure out about KP6 is how to keep him healthy. Kidd, I’m sure, can devise ways to use his special talents, but it will never be worth it for the team to commit to any role for him (beyond the most generic) when he misses every other game, and rarely practices. The focus has to be on the guys you can count on.
I just don’t get it, Kidd wasn’t great with the Bucks and the Mavs needed a home run with all the other uncertainty, why not try something different. Mavs are gonna mess around and lose their best chance at being great, Luka clearly hates losing and they have limited assets.
Let’s hope Luka leaves comes to NY. It very very unlikely though he leaves Dallas to go anywhere. He wants to be next Dirk.
Agreed
Luka would be happy with 1 championship?
Dirk had the personality to put up with losing in the playoffs every year.
I’m not sure Luka does.
Why wouldn’t he be happy getting just 1 ring? Dallas isn’t exactly a dynasty in the making here. They’re not winning multiple championships, even with Doncic.
Going elsewhere to do so is problematic. What would it take for Dallas to trade him?
He is going into the final year of his Rookie contract, he can take the QO and be a free agent in less than 2 years from now. He can also accept the super max and demand a trade in about two years with 3 left and they would likely move him in that scenario if they are still lacking playoff success.
There is no home run hire. I read nothing here; Just an apparent match to Doncic.
KP is never going to have sustained success. Until he puts on 30-40 LBs. He is a Center. He can’t cover 4s or wings. That’s where he will get get hurt. He’s long and not built to play D laterally. He’s a center that can step out and shoot. Like all Euro centers are taught to do. They are taught to play outside. KP won’t last unless he gets the weight. At least then he can play inside some and become a better rebounder.
Think it’s a little late for that…