Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs Receive Permission To Interview Nuggets’ Unseld

May 2nd, 2019 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have received permission to interview another candidate for their head coaching vacancy, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the Nuggets will allow Cleveland to meet with assistant Wes Unseld Jr.

Unseld’s inclusion in the Cavs’ head coaching search doesn’t come as a surprise. Shortly after word broke last month that Larry Drew wouldn’t return to the team’s sidelines next season, Wojnarowski identified Unseld as a potential target for Cleveland.

A veteran NBA assistant – and the son of Hall-of-Famer Wes Unseld – the younger Unseld served on coaching staffs in Washington, Golden State, and Orlando before arriving in Denver. He has been Michael Malone‘s lead assistant on the Nuggets’ bench since 2016.

The Cavaliers appears to be casting a wide net as they seek Drew’s replacement. Having already met with Juwan Howard, Jamahl Mosley, and J.B. Bickerstaff, the club has a Friday meeting lined up with Alex Jensen and has also received permission to speak to Unseld, David Vanterpool, and Nate Tibbetts.

Nuggets assistant Jordi Fernandez and Bucks assistant Darvin Ham have also been mentioned as possible candidates for the Cleveland job. Both of those teams remain alive in the playoffs, but now that they’ve requested permission to meet with Unseld, the Cavs could do the same with Fernandez and Ham.

Latest On Suns’, Cavs’ Head Coaching Searches

May 2nd, 2019 at 8:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns met with Monty Williams for a second time on Wednesday night, with team owner Robert Sarver in attendance for the interview, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter), league sources say the Suns’ job will be Williams’ if he wants it, and the possibility of a union between the two sides is one that’s gaining real momentum.

However, Williams is in high demand this spring, having also interviewed with the Lakers. Plus, he’d likely be a strong candidate to replace Brett Brown in Philadelphia if the Sixers bow out in the second round and the team decides to make a change on the sidelines. In other words, Williams can afford to be deliberate about his next move.

For what it’s worth, the Suns have yet to formally put an offer on the table to Williams, according to Wojnarowski. Stein and Woj both confirm that Williams is Phoenix’s top target, so the club may be waiting to see if the Lakers make him an offer that can be countered, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic hypothesized earlier this week.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers – one of the other four teams in the market for a new head coach – continued their search this week by interviewing former Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff on Tuesday, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Vardon also reported that Jazz assistant Alex Jensen would be interviewing with the Cavaliers later in the week — that meeting will take place on Friday, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

The Cavs are being patient as they go through the interview process, and appear likely to meet with their finalists for a second round of interviews once they’ve talked to all the candidates once. Stein reports (via Twitter) that Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley, who met with Cleveland earlier in the process, is expected to advance to the next round.

Grizzlies Interview Alex Jensen For Head Coaching Job

April 30th, 2019 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

After a front office shakeup that saw top decision-maker Chris Wallace re-assigned to the scouting department, the Grizzlies have taken their time addressing their head coaching vacancy. However, we can now add at least one name to their list of candidates.

Jazz assistant Alex Jensen was in Memphis today to interview for the Grizzlies’ head coaching position, league sources tell Tony Jones and Omari Sankofa II of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jensen becomes the first known candidate to replace J.B. Bickerstaff, who was dismissed by Memphis nearly three weeks ago.

Jensen, who has been on the coaching staff in Utah since 2013, has also been identified this month as a candidate for the Cavaliers‘ head coaching job. Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported today (via Twitter) that Jensen’s interview with the Cavs will take place later this week.

Prior to joining the Jazz, Jensen served as the head coach of the G League’s Canton Charge from 2011-13. He has also worked with the German national team in recent years, serving as an assistant coach for the squad since 2015.

Latest On Cavs' Head Coaching Search

April 25th, 2019 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers and J.B. Bickerstaff are working to set up a meeting for next week, sources tell Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Bickerstaff said on Wednesday that he’s “definitely interested” in Cleveland’s head coaching job. Vardon also confirms that Juwan Howard and Jamahl Mosley are the only candidates who have formally interviewed with the Cavs so far.
The Cavaliers remain interested in Nuggets assistant Jordi Fernandez, but have yet to officially line up an interview, league sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Denver remains alive in the playoffs, so the Cavs will have to work around the Nuggets’ schedule.

Cavs To Interview Jazz Assistant Alex Jensen

April 25th, 2019 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers requested and were granted permission to interview Jazz assistant Alex Jensen for their head coaching position, league sources tell Joe Vardon and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to the Athletic duo, the meeting is expected to take place sometime next week.

The news doesn’t come as a surprise, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier this month that the Cavs were expected to meet with Jensen sometime after Utah’s season ended. The Jazz fell to the Rockets on Wednesday night, bringing their first-round series – and their season – to a close.

As Vardon observes (via Twitter), Jensen is one of many candidates with pre-existing ties to Cleveland — he served as the head coach of the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate from 2011-13 before joining the Jazz.

Of the Cavaliers’ other head coaching targets, Jamahl Mosley and Nate Tibbetts were previously a part of coaching staffs in Cleveland, while J.B. Bickerstaff‘s father Bernie Bickerstaff was also a Cavs assistant a few years ago.

Heat assistant Juwan Howard and Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool are among the other coaches who have either interviewed for the Cavs’ job or will do so soon.

Bickerstaff Expresses Interest In Head Coaching Job

April 24th, 2019 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff is “definitely interested” in the Cavaliers’ head coaching opening, he said in a SiruisXM interview with Mitch Lawrence, Zach Harper and Sarah Kustok (Twitter link). “It would be an honor to have an opportunity to work with that group,” said Bickerstaff, who was fired by Memphis two weeks ago. Bickerstaff is reportedly on Cleveland’s radar screen, though there has been no indication if he’ll be interviewed for the job.

Coaching Notes: Suns, Cavaliers, Kings

April 23rd, 2019 at 10:10pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Suns let head coach Igor Kokoskov walk after just one season and Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the team will also let go of all of his coaching and player development staff. Phoenix’s next head coach will have the ability to build his or her staff from the ground up.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Cavaliers are interested in J.B. Bickerstaff for their head coaching gig, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Bickerstaff, who spent the past two seasons as the Grizzlies’ coach, may “formally” be added to the team’s coaching search, which Stein hears is in its early stages.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Luke Walton‘s job with the Kings remains safe, Sam Amick of The Athletic hears. The franchise is working with the league to investigate the accusations against Walton and unveil the truth.
The Kings had interviews for assistant coaching positions scheduled prior to the allegations surfaced and those took place today with GM Vlade Divac and Walton conducting the meetings. Former Suns and Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek was one of the interviewees, Amick writes in the same piece.

Cavs To Interview Pair Of Blazers Assistants

April 23rd, 2019 at 6:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Cavaliers have received permission from the Trail Blazers to interview Nate Tibbetts and David Vanterpool in their search for a new head coach, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Both Tibbetts and Vanterpool were previously mentioned as potential targets for the role, as our Head Coaching Search Tracker shows.

Cleveland plans to conduct an interview with each candidate, but the franchise will be sensitive to Portland’s playoff run in the scheduling, writes Tom Withers of The Associated Press.

Tyronn Lue, who is in the running for the Lakers’ gig, began the season as the Cavs’ coach before the team fired him and handed duties over to Larry Drew. Drew was always seen as a stopgap coach, guiding the team through a season of injuries.

Heat assistant Juwan Howard and Mavs assistant Jamahl Mosley are among the candidates Cleveland is considering for the position. The franchise has no timetable to make a hire.

Cavaliers Deny Interest In Rick Pitino

April 21st, 2019 at 10:31am CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers are denying a report that they have talked to Rick Pitino in their coaching search, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “False. We are, respectfully, not interested in him at all,” a source told Fedor. “No conversations with him by (team chairman) Dan (Gilbert) or anyone else.”

Cavaliers To Re-Examine Trade Market For J.R. Smith

April 20th, 2019 at 3:50pm CST by JD Shaw

The Cavaliers are expected to re-examine the trade market for guard J.R. Smith, who mutually agreed to part ways with the team this season. “We have a trade chip in J.R. Smith, and his contract, where we can take on some money that other teams are trying to get some cap relief from,” general manager Koby Altman said last week, as relayed by Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “We are actually the only team in the NBA that can provide guaranteed cap relief until July 1. We can guarantee that right now and we actually had a phone call (Thursday) on that trade chip, so, we’re going to keep on being aggressive adding those assets because we do eventually want to consolidate and be really good at some point.” Smith, who turns 34 in September, is set to make $15.6MM next year in the final season of his contract, but most of that money is non-guaranteed.