Hoops Rumors Polls

Poll: Steve Kerr’s 2014/15 Expectations?

May 22nd, 2014 at 8:58pm CST by Ryan Raroque

It will presumably be baptism by fire for rookie head coach Steve Kerr next season, as he looks to lead a team coming off of 51 wins and an ultra-competitive seven-game series against the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. Although Kerr’s strong relationship with Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob and team GM Bob Myers has been highly publicized, it’s interesting to note that not many of the players have publicly commented much on Kerr’s hiring, reportedly out of support for Mark Jackson. Thus, in addition to the challenge of winning the players over, Kerr understands that the team’s expectations will be high.

“I know I have big shoes to fill…Mark was very successful there and has done a great job with the players. They all appreciated him…But I look at that as a positive because I’m inheriting a good team. I’d rather inherit a good team with expectations than a bad team with a low bar. It’s not even close. So I’m aware there are going to be expectations. That comes with the territory. I would challenge anybody to find a job in the NBA that isn’t rife with challenges. They’re all just a little different,” Kerr recently told Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area.

When Jackson was hired by Golden State in 2011, he boldly predicted that the team would make the playoffs in his first year. Soon after the 2011/12 season began, he predicted that then-rookie Klay Thompson would win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award. Kerr refrained from making his own bold predictions, choosing instead to focus on continuing the franchise’s improvement over the last two seasons.

“My view is not ‘we have to win 52 games next year’ or we have to get to the second round…My view is ‘What are we going to do the next decade?’ ‘What are we going to do the next five years?’ My goal is to continue this upward trend the organization is on.”

Though Kerr wouldn’t admit a specific goal for next season, it’s still an interesting topic worth discussing. With that in mind, what will signify that upward trend in his first season as a rookie head coach in Golden State?

Poll: Did Mark Jackson Deserve To Be Fired?

May 6th, 2014 at 9:01pm CST by Charlie Adams

Mark Jackson had long been rumored to be on his way out of Golden State, so it was no shock when the team announced his dismissal this afternoon. A report implied he didn’t have any supporters in the front office, and the dysfunctional state of the Warriors’ organization this season is rumored to have even potentially hurt his stock going forward. Multiple disputes with assistant coaches over the past few months helped to damage Jackson’s image, even though it was later discovered that he wasn’t exactly responsible for either issue.

Ideological differences with the front office seemed to be the most important factor in Jackson’s discharge. It’s hard to blame him for a lack of success, since the team went 121-109 during his tenure, and reports indicated he had the support of players in the Warriors’ locker room. The club did suffer an early exit in the playoffs, but pinning all the blame on Jackson is unrealistic since the W’s were facing a tough Clippers squad with Andrew Bogut sidelined. In fact, Joe Lacob and Bob Myers sat down with Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News and revealed they simply didn’t feel Jackson was the best fit for their organization going forward.

Did Mark Jackson deserve to get the ax in Golden State? The Warriors won more games this year than they had since 1991/92, and it will surely be tough to completely sell the locker room on the dismissal of a well-liked coach. At the same time, it’s hard for a team succeed when management has different fundamental views than the coach does, and a change in leadership will help distance the club from the “dysfunctional” image they acquired over the course of the season. It’s certainly a difficult question, but Hoops Rumors wants to know what the readers think. Vote below and tell us whether or not Golden State made the right call giving Jackson the boot.

Poll: Which Game 7 Loser Will Advance In 2015?

May 6th, 2014 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

A thrilling weekend of Game 7’s has given way to exit interviews and thoughts about the future for the five teams that lost deciding games in the first round of the playoffs. Some of those teams, like the Hawks and Mavs, can take encouragement that a seven-game series means they’re farther along than they probably thought they were. Others, like the Warriors and Grizzlies, probably didn’t envision sitting at home for the second round when they laid out their plans for the season.

Regardless of where the Hawks, Raptors, Mavs, Grizzlies and Warriors began the season, they’re all in similar positions now. Each team has reason to believe it can be better next year.

Atlanta is on target to have a healthy Al Horford for next season, with close to $15MM in potential cap space this summer. Toronto appears to be a team on the rise, with young talents like DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas and seemingly the inside track to re-sign Kyle Lowry. Dirk Nowitzki remains an elite talent for Dallas, which can clear enough cap room to once more pursue another major star, or at least recruit free agents who can upgrade the team’s defense. The Grizzlies might have advanced beyond the first round if Marc Gasol had been healthy all season and they’d earned a higher seed, and the Memphis front office showed a knack for acquiring useful rotation players on the cheap this year. Golden State is another team on the come, and the series against the Clippers might have been drastically different if Andrew Bogut hadn’t been injured.

All five teams enter the offseason poised to make improvements that can take them beyond the first round next season. Let us know which club you think has the greatest chance to achieve that goal in 2014/15, and feel free to elaborate on your choice in the comments.

Poll: Best Lakers Coaching Candidate?

May 2nd, 2014 at 7:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The resignation of Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni this week has opened up a floodgate of rumors as to who the team will target as their next coach. D’Antoni, who was hired by the Lakers to replace Mike Brown on November 12, 2012, had a 67-87 record in his two seasons with the team. The primary reason for his resignation was the Lakers refusal to provide assurances they would exercise his team option for the 2015/2016 season. D’Antoni had concerns about having a “lame duck” status next season.

The Lakers are going after marquee names and want to “make a splash” with their next coaching hire, with Connecticut’s Kevin Ollie and Kentucky’s John Calipari at the forefront, reported Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. The team still plans to reach out to Calipari even though he denied interest in the vacancy on Thursday. The Lakers intend to hold back and focus on the draft and free agency while they gauge the coaching market, Stein and Shelburne write.

The Lakers are also considering holding off on a decision in case a high-profile free agent indicates he wants to join the team, sources told Stein and Shelburne. In that instance, the free agent would be able to influence the team’s choice of coaches.

There are plenty of other names that have been mentioned to be possible targets for the team. Here’s a quick rundown of the main candidates that the Lakers might take a look at:

Kevin Ollie: Ollie is open to hearing from the Lakers, but is very committed to UConn, a person familiar with Ollie’s thinking said, writes Mark Medina of Los Angeles Daily News. Ollie is a hot name amongst NBA teams right now, and beyond his ability as a coach, he reportedly has a strong relationship with Kevin Durant, and that could be a boon in attempting to lure Durant to Los Angeles when he becomes a free agent in 2016. In two seasons at UConn, Ollie’s record is 52-18, including winning the NCAA Championship this past season.
George Karl: Karl has been out of coaching since the 2012/13 season. He was let go by the Nuggets after winning Coach of the Year honors that year. He would certainly qualify as a big name coach and would most likely meet with the approval of Kobe Bryant. Karl’s lifetime record is 1131-756.
Jeff Van Gundy: Van Gundy hasn’t coached since the 2006/07 season when he led the Rockets to a 52-30 record. His career numbers are 430-318. It isn’t known if Van Gundy is interested in the job as he has made it known that he is happy as a broadcaster.
John Calipari: Calipari has already stated via his own Twitter account that he wasn’t interested in the position and would be staying at Kenucky. “Before it starts, I’m totally committed to helping this group of young men reach their dreams,” Calipari wrote. “I wouldn’t and couldn’t leave this group!” But Nina Mandell of USA Today Sports noted earlier that Calipari accepted the Kentucky job after proclaiming his plans to stay put at Memphis. Calipari previously coached the Nets for 2+ seasons and had an overall record of 72-112.
Byron Scott: Scott, in an interview with Time Warner Cable Sports Net, confirmed a report that he’s interested in the job (video link). He’s also a favorite of the Buss family, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding noted. In 13 seasons as a head coach, Scott has a record of 416-521. He last coached the Cavaliers during the 2012/13 season, leading the team to a 24-58 record before being fired.
Kurt Rambis: Rambis wouldn’t necessarily be the “big splash” that the team was reportedly looking to make, but his ties to the organization and desire to become a head coach again make him someone that will get some consideration. Rambis coached the Lakers during the 1998/99 season, and had a record of 24-13. He also coached the Timberwolves from 2009/10 to 2010/11. His lifetime record as a coach is 56-145.
Steve Kerr: Ben Higgins of San Diego’s Channel 10 News (Twitter link) reported that Kerr said he would be interested in speaking to the team about the now vacant position. Kerr has repeatedly been liked to the Knicks since Phil Jackson was hired. Multiple reports suggested that Kerr would prefer to work for a team on the West Coast, but more recently Lute Olson, Kerr’s college coach, said that he didn’t believe that was the case. Marc Berman of the New York Post noted that the Lakers don’t view Kerr as a candidate for their coaching vacancy, believing he’s too far along in his negotiations with New York.
Derek Fisher: Stein and Shelburne have noted that the Lakers are also considering Fisher, for whom the job reportedly holds “tremendous appeal.” Fisher has made it known that he is interested in pursuing position as an NBA front-office executive after he retires, but Fisher has previously stated that he had no interest in coaching, so it’s unknown if he would have a change of heart.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Poll: Which Underdog Will Win In Round One?

April 23rd, 2014 at 9:30pm CST by Alex Lee

With the Mavericks blowing out the Spurs in San Antonio tonight, it looks like the defending champion Heat are the only one of the eight higher seeds that will hold home court advantage in the first two games of the NBA playoffs. And believe it or not, it’s really no surprise.

After all, the top seed in the East, the Pacers, went ice-cold down the stretch and face a Hawks team that is no stranger to postseason play. Meanwhile, the Thunder, owners of the NBA’s second-best record and the two-seed in the West, face a white-hot Grizzlies team that has been playing at an elite level since Marc Gasol‘s mid-January return. And those are just two of the riveting first round matchups.

We still have a long way to go in round one, but with a logjam of great teams out West and a whole lot of uncertainty in the East, this postseason is shaping up to be an unpredictable one. The question is, can teams like Atlanta and Memphis shock the world in round one? Or will they simply put a scare into a superior opponent before bowing out? And if not them, which lower-seeded team is most likely to pull off the upset?

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Hoops Rumors Polls

Poll: Can Knicks Find Taker For J.R. Smith?

April 22nd, 2014 at 10:54pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Back in mid-January, we heard that there was reportedly no market for J.R. Smith. The 28-year-old guard was reportedly being shopped around the league at the time as the Knicks had grown increasingly frustrated with his on-and-off the court transgressions. Smith’s first five games of the new year proved to be forgettable while he dealt with criticism, as he averaged just 5.1 PPG on 31% shooting and received a DNP-CD during a 102-92 win against the Heat at Madison Square Garden. His season appeared to reach a low point that night, as Smith told the press during the postgame that he was unsure of his future with the Knicks.

Fortunately, Smith was able to move past those incidents and finish the rest of the season on a strong note, and his scoring averages increased every month from then on. He averaged 12.9 PPG while shooting .431 from the field and .391 from three in January, 14.6/.417/.397 in February, 15.5 PPG/.451/.402 in March, and 23.4/.496/.463 in April. More importantly, Smith delivered standout performances as the Knicks went 16-7 over the final 23 games, falling just two wins short of earning the eighth seed.

Though Smith’s behavioral issues this season might be cause for concern, his former coach George Karl said back in January that the 6’6 guard has a “skill that championships need” and implied that a team with a stronger locker room would make a big difference. Karl specifically mentioned San Antonio as an ideal situation:

“I would be looking at a culture where there would be more peer pressure…I know San Antonio has always liked (J.R.) and I know they’ve thought about bringing him in…San Antonio doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.”

The nine-year veteran is on the books for about $5.98MM next season and has a player option worth nearly $6.4MM for 2015/16. Last month, a report from Frank Isola of the New York Daily News suggested that the team will look to trade him this summer. There’s certainly the possibility that Smith will be on the opening night roster this November, but considering his play over the final months of the season, will the Knicks be able to successfully trade J.R. Smith this summer?

Poll: Which Contenders Could Panic?

April 19th, 2014 at 7:32pm CST by Cray Allred

There are a handful of teams that have built towards a window of title contention that they hope to see pay off this postseason. When expectations are high, failure can motivate ownership and management to make drastic moves to a team’s roster or coaching staff. Teams have gone from planning for the Finals to pressing the panic button before, and it’s possible again this year.

While big changes could be coming to a lot of this year’s playoff teams, some of that depends more on the players’ free agency decisions than any philosophical shifts from the team. For instance, the Heat could lose LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, or Chris Bosh in free agency, but that wouldn’t be because of a lack of commitment from Miami’s front office to their big three. We’ll focus on some of the teams that would have to incite a truly drastic change from the front office, specifically those that have been more active in both the market and rumor mill:

Pacers. Indiana barely held onto the one seed in the East, going 15-13 down the stretch. The moves that resulted in the loss of Danny Granger and the addition of Evan Turner, Andrew Bynum, and Lavoy Allen have not paid off thus far. Lance Stephenson has cooled off after his breakout start to the season, and will become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. Frank Vogel has seemed like one of the more untouchable coaches in the last couple years, but a total collapse could put even his job in jeopardy.
Warriors. Coach Mark Jackson might have the most riding on this postseason of any NBA professional. Loud rumblings and staff turnover have clouded Jackson’s status with a team that expected to become a contender by adding Andre Iguodala last summer. Harrison Barnes has been extremely inconsistent, and his name surfaced in trade deadline rumors. David Lee‘s contract is considered essentially untradeable, but if the Warriors wanted to radically shake things up, Klay Thompson‘s rookie deal would be a highly valued trade asset.
Clippers. Los Angeles has bolstered its roster under the direction of Doc Rivers, adding rotation pieces like Granger, J.J. Redick, Glen Davis, and Jared Dudley to the core of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan. Any blockbuster moves would likely center around the frontcourt if the front office became convinced that the Griffin/Jordan pairing can’t hold up against the league’s best interior players.
Nets. First-year coach Jason Kidd and the Hall-of-Fame-heavy roster struggled mightily early in the year before turning things around and earning the sixth seed in the East. The Nets have very limited flexibility after ballooning their salary sheet and relinquishing trade assets in a slew of splashy moves since owner Mikhail Prokhorov bought the team. Brook Lopez has frequently been the subject of trade rumors, and the team took off when Lopez was sidelined with his latest injury. There isn’t much speculation in Brooklyn at the moment, but we know Prokhorov isn’t afraid to swing for the fences.

What do you think? Which of these teams is most likely to disappoint in the playoffs, and then react with radical front office moves?

Poll: Who Should Be The No. 1 Pick?

April 8th, 2014 at 1:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

The college season is over, and the time for evaluating top prospects in live game conditions is through. The 2014 draft class didn’t live up to astronomically high expectations, but it still appears to be the best group in the past few years. There will be a lot riding on the decisions that teams holding lottery picks will have to make, and the greatest amount of pressure will rest on the shoulders of the GM with the No. 1 overall pick.

Andrew Wiggins entered as the most ballyhooed of them all and a surefire top overall pick, but he stumbled, and found himself behind Kansas teammate Joel Embiid, a relative basketball neophyte from Cameroon who surged to the No. 1 spot on draft boards in the middle of the season. Jabari Parker was up and down, but he appears more NBA-ready than Wiggins and Embiid. All three have been the leading candidates for the top pick for much of the season.

Chad Ford of ESPN.com has moved Wiggins back to No. 1 in his latest rankings, and that’s where Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him, too. Still, Wiggins is third behind Embiid and Parker on Aran Smith’s board at NBADraft.net. Teams remain undecided, and the Kings apparently have Wiggins outside their top three picks, according to Ford.

Much depends on the health of Embiid’s injured back, and the identity of the team picking first overall won’t be known until the May 20th draft lottery. There are plenty of variables that will go into the equation in the 79 days remaining before the draft, but if you were the GM picking first overall and the draft were tonight, whom would you select?

Feel free to consult our prospect profiles on Embiid, Parker and Wiggins to help you make your decision. When you’re ready, cast your vote below, and explain your choice in the comments.

Poll: Who Coaches The Knicks Next Season?

March 15th, 2014 at 8:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Seeing how under-the-radar it was, you may have missed hearing that Phil Jackson finally agreed to join the Knicks front office this past week. The “Zen Master” has already had a positive effect with the team winning six straight since all the chatter began about Jackson heading to New York. This surge has the team just three games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Even if the Knicks continue on this torrid pace and make the playoffs, not many expect it to be a deep run, especially if they draw Miami or Indiana in the first-round.

What does this mean for coach Mike Woodson‘s future with the team? He has been on the hot-seat for most of the season, and every loss added to the talk that team owner James Dolan would cut Woodson loose. Lately the rumors have been that the team is holding onto Woodson in order to make him the scapegoat for the team’s problems, and use that to convince Carmelo Anthony to re-sign with the team.

No matter how you look at it, the Knicks coaching position will be a hot topic of conversation until Dolan or Jackson come out and definitively say that Woodson will be the coach next season, or until the ink is dry on the contract of whomever they bring in to replace him. Even then the talk might not die down, these are the Knicks after all.

Here are some of the candidates who could be walking the sidelines for the Knicks next season:

Mike Woodson: In parts of three seasons with the Knicks, Woodson has a 98-74 record. His lifetime record is 304-360, which includes his time with the Knicks and six seasons with the Hawks. Woodson has been criticized for his lack of in-game adjustments by some of the players as well as the media. There also have been reports that the coach has lost the locker room.
Phil Jackson: A long shot, but there have been rumors that Jackson might be willing to coach for a short time just to get the team moving in the right direction. The “Zen Master” has a career record of 1155-485, including 11 NBA titles as a coach, plus one as a player. The other possible reason Jackson could return to the sidelines is a ploy to re-sign Anthony, or to possible try and lure LeBron James, or other big name free-agents to the team. This is also a long shot, because the Knicks won’t have enough cap room to make a big name signing until 2015.
Tom Thibodeau: The rumors of Thibs replacing Woodson started before Phil Jackson was hired, so it’s unknown if Jackson would see him as a fit. There’s also the matter of Thibodeau being under contract with the Bulls next season. Thibodeau is regarded as one of the best defensive coaches in the NBA, and his players have extremely positive things to say about the locker room environment he creates. In four seasons of being a head coach, all with the Bulls, he has a 193-102 record.
Steve Kerr: Kerr has never been a head coach at any level. He was GM of the Suns for four seasons, and though it has been rumored he wants to try his hand at coaching, he could join the Knicks as a GM instead.
Jeff Van Gundy: Van Gundy has been out of coaching since the 2006/07 season. He has a career record of 430-318, and had previously coached the Knicks for seven seasons. He has stated he regrets leaving the team during the 2001/02 season, and reportedly has a good relationship with Dolan.
Stan Van Gundy: He’s been out of coaching since the 2011/12 season and is also well regarded around the league. Van Gundy has a career record of 371-208 over eight seasons with the Heat and the Magic.
Mark Jackson: A former Knicks player and the current coach of the Warriors in his third season with the team. Jackson’s job has been rumored to be in jeopardy thanks to the team not performing up to preseason expectations, despite their 41-26 record. His career coaching numbers are 111-104.
Kurt Rambis: Rambis served as the Lakers’ assistant GM when Jackson was hired as coach He later became an assistant coach under Jackson between 2001 and 2009. He then became head coach of the Timberwolves, and in two seasons with the team compiled a record of 32-132.
Brian Shaw: Shaw also served as an assistant coach under Jackson, then spent two years as an assistant with the Pacers before landing his first head coaching job with the Nuggets this year. He is well versed in the triangle offense, which was one of Jackson’s staples with the Lakers. His record with Denver is 29-36, but the team has been devastated by injuries this season.
John Calipari: The general consensus is that it’s only a matter of time before Calipari makes a return to the NBA as a coach. Prior to Jackson being hired, it was rumored that the Knicks would pursue Calipari after the season. In 22 seasons as a college coach, Calipari has a 591-175 record. He coached the Nets for parts of three seasons and had a record of 72-112.
Jim Cleamons: He won nine championship rings as an assistant under Jackson with the Lakers and the Bulls. He is another coach who is an expert at the triangle offense. Cleamons also played for the Knicks, and was a teammate of Jackson’s as well. He coached the Mavericks during the 1996/97 season, going 24-58. He was fired early the next season after the team went 4-12 to begin the year. There’s a possibility that he could be brought in as an assistant coach as well now that Jackson has taken over.

Who do you think will coach the Knicks next season? Cast your vote and sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts.

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Hoops Rumors Polls

Poll: Are Phil Jackson, Knicks A Good Match?

March 9th, 2014 at 10:09am CST by Eddie Scarito

The biggest news of the week is that Phil Jackson is contemplating a return to the NBA. He has been rumored to have been offered the position of president of basketball operations for the Knicks. It’s still unclear if the deal includes Jackson returning to the sidelines as coach or if it is just for an executive position. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported that Jackson’s made it clear to any team that has approached him that he prefers a front-office role that would allow him to shape and mold a franchise the way Heat president Pat Riley has, but he is open to the possibility of coaching for a short period of time if it were necessary in a transition period for a franchise with championship aspirations.

Jackson is considering the role in New York under the condition that the “setup is right,” and that he will have final say on basketball decisions. It’s possible that Jackson would want full assurance that owner James Dolan wouldn’t interfere or undermine his role, considering Dolan’s reputation as a meddler in team affairs. Jackson also wants assurances that the team will be able to retain Carmelo Anthony when he opts out of his deal after the season.

The responses to the idea of Jackson becoming a front office executive have been mixed. Some league officials have disparaged Jackson’s temperament and lack of qualifications to become a GM. “Phil has never scouted, has zero agent relationships and can’t recruit. He should coach or go fishing in Montana and let the fish deal with his ego. He’s not Pat Riley. Doesn’t have his charm or charisma and Riley became a full-time exec at 58, not 68 like Phil wants.”

More positive opinions have cited Jackson’s ability to be an effective recruiter for free-agents, as well as Jackson being smart enough to surround himself with quality basketball people to help offset his inexperience in the position. Most of the debate has focused on Jackson’s ability to coexist with Dolan, as well as his inexperience being an added difficulty in functioning within one of the more difficult front office positions in the league.

There can be no denying Jackson’s impressive coaching accomplishments though. He has a career record of 1,155-485 in 20 seasons with the Bulls and Lakers, and has won 11 NBA championships on the sidelines. Jackson previously had said health considerations precluded him from seriously considering a return to coaching, saying “my stock answer has been I have no intention of coaching again.” But a source with knowledge of his thinking told Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that after having several surgeries over the past few years, Jackson is “ready to go back to work.”

So what do you think? Is Jackson the right fit for the Knicks? Will his lack of experience hamper him and the team’s efforts to build a champion? Or is he the right man for the job? Vote below and also feel free to expand on your opinions in the comments section below.