Jay Larranaga Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hornets To Interview Jay Larranaga For Head Coaching Job

April 9th, 2024 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

Another veteran assistant has joined the Hornets‘ list of head coaching candidates, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga will interview for the top job in Charlotte.

A former professional basketball player in Europe, Larranaga coached the Erie BayHawks from 2010-12, then spent nine seasons as an assistant in Boston under Brad Stevens. Following Stevens’ ascension to the Celtics’ front office, Larranaga made the move to Los Angeles, where he has spent the last three seasons on Tyronn Lue‘s Clippers staff.

The Hornets are getting a head start on their coaching search since Steve Clifford announced last week that he would step down from his role at the end of the regular season. The team has already been granted permission to speak to several assistant coaches around the NBA.

In addition to Larranaga, the Hornets are reportedly interviewing – or have already interviewed – Charles Lee, Jordi Fernandez, Kevin Young, David Adelman, and Lindsey Harding. That list of confirmed candidates may continue to grow in the coming days.

Celtics Notes: Udoka, Stoudamire, Larranaga, Mazzulla

September 29th, 2022 at 5:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Suspended Celtics coach Ime Udoka‘s head coaching days in the NBA at large may be numbered, according to one connected source. During an interview with “DJ Vlad” Lyubovny on Lyubovny’s YouTube channel VladTV (YouTube link), player-turned-podcaster Matt Barnes voiced his skepticism regarding a long-term coaching future for Udoka, who led his team to a 51-31 season in 2021/22 and an NBA Finals appearance.

“It’s not about what he did, it’s about who he did it with,” Barnes said. “If everything comes out, he’ll be lucky to coach in the NBA again to be honest with you.”

There’s more out of Boston:

Celtics assistant coach Damon Stoudamire, who is close friends with Udoka, wants to help Boston continue its trajectory as a perennial contender, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Stoudamire enjoyed a 13-year playing career during which he was named the 1996 Rookie of the Year. “Nothing has changed in the room in what the expectations and the goals are,” Stoudamire said. “We’ve got to be prepared from that standpoint, mentally more than anything, because I think physically things will be there. We’ll get to that point.”
Although Clippers assistant coach Jay Larranaga has opted to remain in Los Angeles, the Celtics are talking to additional assistant coach prospects to bolster the bench behind interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, reports Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).
Mazzulla is retaining the structure and pacing of Udoka’s practices during training camp, but players have noticed differences in approach as the new interim coach strives to establish himself, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “There’s similarities, but there’s some differences as well,” star wing Jaylen Brown said. “But at the end of the day, this group has been together for a while, so we hold each other accountable for what we need to do and the energy level practice gotta be at every single day.”

Jay Larranaga Staying With Clippers After Talking To Celtics

September 28th, 2022 at 9:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 28, 9:07pm: Larranaga will be sticking with the Clipppers after speaking to the Celtics, sources tell Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link).

SEPTEMBER 28, 10:40am: The Clippers are granting the Celtics permission to speak to Larranaga, a league source tells Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

SEPTEMBER 27, 10:45pm: The Celtics are apparently looking to hire another veteran coach to assist interim head coach Joe Mazzulla.

They are seeking permission to talk to Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga about joining Mazzulla’s staff this season, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Larranaga is a familiar face in Boston. He joined Tyronn Lue‘s staff last season after spending nine years with the Celtics, including seven seasons as Brad Stevens’ top assistant.

Mazzulla was thrust into the spotlight when Ime Udoka was suspended for the season for violating team policy.

Clippers Notes: Leonard, Ibaka, Preston, Offseason Grade, New Coaches

September 24th, 2021 at 9:09pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers made it to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history last season, but they’ll have to wait quite a while for Kawhi Leonard to return from the partially torn ACL he suffered in the playoffs — possibly until the 2022/23 season.

President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank says the team doesn’t even broach the subject of Leonard’s recovery timeline, stating that “no one knows” when he’ll return, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

In the same piece, Youngmisuk relays that Serge Ibaka, who’s recovering from back surgery, will be limited to non-contact drills at the start of training camp, according to Frank.

Youngmisuk also notes that rookie Jason Preston, the 33rd pick in the draft, suffered a foot injury in a group workout recently and will not be available for the start of training camp, which begins next Tuesday, September 28th. Frank said team physicians will determine the severity of the injury in the next couple of days.

Frank declined to say whether all of the players and staff members on the team are fully vaccinated, per Youngmisuk, although he did say that he’s a “huge advocate of the vaccinations.”

There’s more on the Clippers:

Zach Harper of The Athletic gave the Clippers a B-minus for their offseason moves. He liked their draft picks and thought Justise Winslow and Harry Giles were decent “buy-low” pickups, but states that ultimately their offseason will depend on how Leonard and Ibaka recover from their surgeries.
The Clippers announced in a press release that Brian Shaw and Jay Larranaga will be assistant coaches under Tyronn Lue. The team also promoted Shaun Fein to assistant coach. Shaw’s and Larranaga’s additions were reported in July. Shaw played 14 seasons in the NBA and was the former head coach of the Lakers and Nuggets. He spent last season as the head coach of G League Ignite. Larranaga was an assistant with the Celtics the past nine seasons.
In the same release, the Clippers said former NBA player Wesley Johnson will be joining the team in a coaching and development role, along with Cookie Belcher.
Frank loves Patrick Beverley and said it wasn’t easy parting with him, but he’s excited for what new addition Eric Bledsoe will bring to the team, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (via Twitter).

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Lacob, Moody, Larranaga

July 31st, 2021 at 9:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

Prior to the draft, the Warriors’ top players were reportedly urging the front office to make a major deal by using assets such the No. 7 and 14 picks in the draft. Golden State ultimately didn’t make a deal, instead drafting Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.

Majority owner Joe Lacob said it’s “unlikely” will swing a big deal this offseason, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports. The Warriors don’t want to give up an established star for another one.

“I know this isn’t popular with a lot of people. They think we ought to go get the next star,” Lacob said. “We already have the stars. And we have a payroll that’s — and I’ve said this when I was interviewed before, but nobody listened. It’s very unlikely, I’ve said that we’re not going to trade for anybody that people are expecting. Very unlikely.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

In the same story, Lacob said he’s ecstatic how the draft unfolded. “We’ll probably never have two lottery picks again. If we do, we’ll have a problem,” he said. “The thing that’s most amazing to me is how it worked out. I shouldn’t say where they were on our board, but it’s hard for me not to say it. I’ll just tell you they were both clearly in our top 10. We feel like we got really fortunate on Kuminga. Then with Moody, I think it’s pretty common knowledge we were seriously considering him at seven.”
Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson attended Moody’s draft workout, Alex Didion of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. Moody also has the same representative as Draymond Green and they had conversations leading up to the draft.
Jay Larranaga is joining Tyronn Lue’s coaching staff with the Clippers, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets. Larranaga has been Brad Stevens‘ top assistant with the Celtics over the past seven seasons.

Jamie Young, Jay Larranaga Won’t Return As Celtics Assistants

July 2nd, 2021 at 1:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Longtime Celtics assistant coaches Jamie Young and Jay Larranaga won’t be part of Ime Udoka‘s new staff, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Both coaches told Himmelsbach that their contracts won’t be renewed for next season.

A league source confirms the rumor that Spurs assistant Will Hardy will join Udoka in Boston, and assistant coach Joe Mazzulla is expected to be retained.

Young started with the Celtics in 2000 and became an assistant coach in 2011. He served as an advance scout and video coordinator prior to the promotion. Larranaga, who has been with the team since 2012, was the top assistant under Brad Stevens.

“The experience was incredible,” Young said. “You don’t usually get to be in one place this long in this business. It was everything anybody could’ve wished for.” (Twitter link)

Outside Names Emerge In Celtics’ Coaching Search

June 9th, 2021 at 7:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

New Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has begun reaching out to other organizations for permission to interview coaching candidates, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojanarowski.

The early group of candidates will likely be expansive, according to Woj. A few names he has heard from sources include Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups, Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee, Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley, and Nets assistant Ime Udoka.

Billups and Udoka have been mentioned before in relation to Boston, but the other three names are new. Ham, who played 12 NBA seasons, has been an assistant coach for the past decade, starting with the Lakers and then working under Mike Budenholzer in both Atlanta and Milwaukee. Lee is also a former NBA player with seven years as an assistant, all under Budenholzer. Mosley started his coaching career with the Nuggets in 2005 and has been with Dallas since 2014.

Stevens, who is in the unusual position of hiring his own replacement, recently completed interviews with several assistants who were on his staff this season. Prominent names in that group include Jay Larranaga, Scott Morrison, Jerome Allen, and Joe Mazzulla.

Follow the developments on all the coaching vacancies throughout the league with our Head Coaching Search Tracker.

Celtics Will Start Coaching Search With Internal Interviews

June 2nd, 2021 at 8:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

The first step in the Celtics‘ search for a new head coach to replace Brad Stevens will begin with several internal candidates, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Chris Mannix of SI.com suggested as much earlier today.

Boston’s head coaching position opened up this morning when Danny Ainge resigned as president of basketball operations and Stevens was chosen to replace him.

Weiss notes that Stevens’ staff has several strong candidates. Jay Larranaga interviewed for the Hornets’ head coaching spot before James Borrego was hired, and Scott Morrison and Brandon Bailey both coached at the team’s G League affiliate in Maine. Jerome Allen is a former NBA player with college head coaching experience at the University of Pennsylvania, while Jamie Young has been with the team since 2008.

Among external candidates, the most interesting name is Kara Lawson, who would become the first female NBA head coach if she gets the job. Lawson spent a year as an assistant in Boston before leaving in 2020 to become head coach of the women’s team at Duke. Others to watch, sources tell Weiss, include former Celtics players Sam Cassell, currently an assistant with the Sixers, and Chauncey Billups, who is on the Clippers‘ staff.

Weiss also expects interest in former Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce, Timberwolves assistant David Vanterpool, Lakers assistant Jason Kidd, Nets assistant Ime Udoka, Spurs assistant Becky Hammon and Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee. According to Weiss, another potential outsider is Juwan Howard if he’s willing to leave Michigan.

Celtics Notes: Leonard, Irving, Draft, Summer League

June 16th, 2018 at 7:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

President of basketball operations Danny Ainge is wary of paying a steep price for Kawhi Leonard without a guarantee that he’ll stay more than one season, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Leonard has asked for a trade out of San Antonio and the Celtics may be able to put together the best offer, but Ainge will probably be cautious, according to Washburn.

He suggests Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum would have to be part of the package, along with the rights to the Kings’ first-rounder in 2019. It might be easier to match salaries by including Gordon Hayward, but his trade value has dropped after missing the season with a severe ankle fracture.

Kyrie Irving can already opt out next season, and the Celtics might be reluctant to have two stars on their roster who could leave at the same time, especially if it means breaking up a young core that looks like it will be a contender for several years.

There’s more today from Boston:

Irving hopes to resume playing again “in like a month,” he said in an appearance this week on The Bill Simmons Podcast. NBC Sports Boston relayed a few of his comments, including an explanation of what it was like to deal with a knee infection that forced him to miss the entire playoffs. “I was leaving the games at halftime because I had eight-hour shifts of antibiotics I had to take for my infection,” Irving said. “I had a PICC line in my arm for two months and I’m just like… every day is like OK, I can’t necessarily lift, I can’t run, I can’t do anything. If I didn’t have my PICC line in for my infection I would have definitely tried to go after being ready for at least the Eastern Conference Finals.”
The Celtics have a recent history of going the draft-and-stash route late in the first round, but the overseas talent doesn’t warrant it this year, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. Apart from Luka Doncic, the only foreign players with a shot at being taken in the first round are French point guard Elie Okobo and Bosnian wing Dzanan Musa, according to Blakely.
Guerschon Yabusele, Kadeem Allen and Jabari Bird are all expected to be part of the Celtics’ summer league team in Las Vegas, Washburn notes. Bird has a two-way contract, so Boston has to make a qualifying offer before he is eligible. Jay Larranaga will coach the team.

Jay Larranaga Met With Bucks About HC Job

May 14th, 2018 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

We can add another name to the list of candidates for the Bucks’ head coaching job, as Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link) reports that Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga met with Milwaukee on Friday. The meeting took place between the end of the second round and the start of Boston’s third-round series against Cleveland.

The Bucks interviewed several candidates last week as part of their first round of meetings for the team’s head coaching vacancy. In addition to interviewing interim coach Joe Prunty for the permanent job, Milwaukee also spoke to Ettore Messina, Steve Clifford, David Blatt, Becky Hammon, Monty Williams, and Mike Budenholzer.

The Bucks reportedly intend to narrow down their search to three or four finalists, potentially bringing back those finalists to meet with ownership at some point this week. So far, the only candidate known to get a second meeting is Budenholzer, who is believed to be the frontrunner. He’ll meet with team ownership on Tuesday.

If Larranaga doesn’t land the Bucks’ job, it will be the fourth time this spring he has interviewed for a head coaching position and seen that team hire someone else. Previously, he met with the Hawks, Hornets, and Knicks. He was believed to be a finalist for the Hornets’ job before Charlotte chose James Borrego.

Having been considered in the past for head coaching jobs with the the Celtics, Sixers, and Grizzlies, Larranaga would seem to be due for an opportunity to run an NBA team of his own. Still, if Larranaga isn’t hired by another team this offseason, the Celtics will certainly be happy to have him back, as he has been a key part of Boston’s staff since 2012.