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Monty Williams Out As Suns’ Head Coach

May 14th, 2023 at 6:55am CST by Arthur Hill

MAY 14: The Suns made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve parted ways with Williams. Jones issued a statement accepting responsibility for the decision, despite reporting indicating that it was Ishbia’s call (as detailed below).

“Monty has been foundational to our success over the past four seasons,” Jones said in a statement. “We are filled with gratitude for everything Monty has contributed to the Suns and to the Valley community. While it was difficult for me to make this decision, I look forward to continuing the work to build a championship team.”

Williams could become a “prominent candidate” in the Raptors‘ coaching search, Wojnarowski writes in a full story.

MAY 13: The Suns have decided to make a coaching change after their second-round loss to Denver, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The team has dismissed Monty Williams, who had served as head coach since 2019.

New owner Mat Ishbia made the decision to fire Williams, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). As first reported by John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 and confirmed by Wojnarowski, Williams still had three years and more than $20MM left on his contract.

Williams compiled a 194-115 record in his four years in Phoenix and took the team to the 2021 NBA Finals. He also earned Coach of the Year honors in 2022.

However, Ishbia opted to go in a different direction after the team was eliminated from the playoffs in embarrassing fashion in back-to-back second rounds. The Suns lost their last game of the season at home by 25 points this spring and by 33 points last year.

With Kevin Durant and Devin Booker under long-term contracts, Charania believes the Suns’ vacancy instantly becomes the most attractive in the league (Twitter link). Ishbia and general manager James Jones are focused on building a championship roster this summer, and they want to find the right leader to guide it.

The Suns will explore whether it’s possible to land current Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, tweets Marc Stein. Lue stated that he wants to return as the team’s head coach after L.A. was knocked out of the playoffs last month, and the organization hasn’t indicated that it’s considering a change. Lue signed a five-year deal when he joined the Clippers in 2020, so he’s under contract for two more years.

One potential candidate to replace Williams is Mike Budenholzer, who was dismissed by the Bucks earlier this month after his team’s first-round loss, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. A report on Friday from Jake Fischer indicated that Milwaukee was closely monitoring Williams’ status in Phoenix, so it’s possible that the two NBA Finals coaches from 2021 will end up exchanging teams.

Toronto and Detroit are the other franchises currently in the market for a head coach, and Williams may emerge as a candidate for those jobs as well. The Pistons reportedly scheduled interviews with their three finalists this week, but James L. Edwards of The Athletic suggests that the team may reach out to Williams before making a decision (Twitter link).

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Central Notes: LaVine, Bucks, Pistons, Bird

May 13th, 2023 at 3:56pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After falling short of a playoff appearance this year, the Bulls are open to reconfiguring their personnel to better fit maximum-salaried shooting guard Zach LaVine, writes Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.

Deveney notes that Chicago may be open to moving on from its two other priciest players, 32-year-old center Nikola Vucevic and 33-year-old All-Star small forward DeMar DeRozan. Vucevic is an unrestricted free agent, and Deveney writes that the Bulls are not necessarily interested in keeping him around long-term.

The team could consider flipping DeRozan for young Suns center Deandre Ayton, Deveney speculates.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

  • After firing title-winning head coach Mike Budenholzer, Bucks GM Jon Horst is expected to conduct an expansive search in looking for his replacement. Eric Nehm of The Athletic examines a variety of possible Milwaukee head coaching candidates, including decorated longtime assistant coaches like Chris Quinn and Adrian Griffin and recent champion head coaches Frank Vogel and Nick Nurse, among others.
  • This past week, as was previously reported, Pistons owner Tom Gores met with the team’s head coaching finalists: Bucks assistant Charles Lee, former Overtime Elite head coach Kevin Ollie and Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins. The team is not expected to hire a new coach until after the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
  • Former Pacers head coach and team president Larry Bird is serving as a consultant with Indiana’s front office once again, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (subscription required). The Hall of Famer and former Pacers coach and executive recently attended the team’s first pre-draft workout workout at their practice facility on Friday. “Larry has been a consultant to basketball operations since the beginning of this past season,” head coach Rick Carlisle revealed. “It’s always great to have him in the gym!”
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Fischer’s Latest: Bucks, M. Williams, Lue, Ayton, Suns

May 12th, 2023 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Monty Williams‘ name has been “gaining steam” when rival personnel discuss possible candidates for the Bucks‘ head coaching vacancy, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. League sources tell Fischer that Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue is also on Milwaukee’s radar.

Previous reporting from Adrian Wojnarowski and Eric Nehm indicated that the Bucks are keeping an eye on coaches currently employed by rival franchises, a point which Fischer reiterates. This is the first time we’ve heard which specific targets Milwaukee may be eyeing.

Williams remains under contract with the Suns for multiple seasons and Lue isn’t a free agent either, so if the Bucks hope to get an opportunity to hire one of those coaches without sending out some form of compensation, they’ll have to hope they part ways with their respective clubs this spring.

Here’s more from Fischer, with a focus on the Suns:

  • In a look at Deandre Ayton‘s possible market, Fischer names the Mavericks as a team that’s frequently mentioned as a potential suitor for the Suns center. While the Pacers, who signed Ayton an offer sheet last summer, have since extended center Myles Turner, Turner’s new contract is considered one of the more movable deals in the NBA due to its declining salary structure, Fischer observes.
  • Even before they acquired Kevin Durant at the in-season trade deadline, the Suns gave rival teams the impression they were seeking a long-term replacement for Chris Paul at point guard, per Fischer, who adds that Phoenix has been linked to veterans like Fred VanVleet and Terry Rozier.
  • One rival team strategist is skeptical that the Suns have a path to make major roster upgrades this offseason, given their cap position and lack of valuable trade assets. “I think they’ll have to leverage veteran minimums and hope they can get something good in return for Ayton,” the strategist told Fischer.
  • Suns associate head coach Kevin Young is viewed as a strong candidate to get a head coaching job with an NBA team sooner or later, according to Fischer, who notes that Young has received consideration from Houston and Toronto this spring.
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Bucks Notes: Griffin, Coach Search, Giannis, Budenholzer, More

May 11th, 2023 at 12:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks have been granted permission to interview Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin for their head coaching vacancy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).

After a nine-year NBA career, Griffin quickly made the transition to coaching. He actually got his start as an assistant with Milwaukee back in 2008/09, Wojnarowski notes.

Griffin has also been an assistant with Chicago, Orlando, Oklahoma City. He has been with Toronto since ’18/19.

The 48-year-old has interviewed (or was expected to interview) for nearly every open head coaching job over the past season-plus, including the vacancies that popped up after the ’22/23 season concluded for the Rockets, Pistons, Raptors and now the Bucks. Griffin just completed his 15th season as an assistant.

Here’s more on the Bucks:

  • While general manager Jon Horst has shown an openness to interviewing a wide range of candidates, the fact that he went with an experienced head coach who’d had previous success during Milwaukee’s coaching search in 2018 might inform how he’ll approach the process this time around, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Horst has stated that expectations are much higher now than five years ago, so he will likely once again value experience and winning, Nehm notes.
  • Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo took to Instagram to thank former head coach Mike Budenholzer, posting photos of the two embracing after winning the championship in 2021, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. “Thank you for five meaningful years Coach,” Antetokounmpo wrote. “We accomplished something unbelievable and I’m forever grateful.”
  • Antetokounmpo had been named to the All-Defensive First Team for four straight seasons prior to ’22/23, but despite finishing sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, he didn’t make either of the two All-Defensive teams this season. He took to social media again to voice his apparent displeasure at the snub, per Christopher Kuhagen of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’m tired of the disrespect. I’m coming,” the former Defensive Player of the Year wrote.
  • Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently joined Michael Scotto on the HoopsHype podcast to discuss the Bucks’ coaching search, possible offseason moves, how the new CBA will affect the team, and more.
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Bucks’ Jrue Holiday Named Teammate of the Year

May 11th, 2023 at 11:29am CST by Rory Maher

Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has been voted the 2022/23 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year, the NBA announced in a press release. A panel of league executives select the 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, while current players vote on the winner.

The award “recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and a role model to other players, and commitment and dedication to team,” per the NBA.

Here are the 12 finalists, listed in order of their total points received (players received 10 points for a first place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth, and one point for fifth place):

It’s the second straight Teammate of the Year award for Holiday, and third in the past four seasons. Lillard won in ’20/21. The only other active player to have won the award is Minnesota guard Mike Conley, who took it home in ’18/19 with Memphis. The award was introduced in ’12/13.

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Bucks Get Permission To Interview Scott Brooks

May 11th, 2023 at 9:34am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bucks have received permission to interview Trail Blazers assistant Scott Brooks in their search for a new head coach, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Brooks joined Chauncey Billups’ staff in Portland after being fired by the Wizards in 2021. He spent five years as the head coach in Washington and seven years in Oklahoma City, compiling a 521-414 career record.

Brooks was mentioned as a potential candidate for the Rockets’ head coaching vacancy before they hired Ime Udoka last month.

[RELATED: 2023 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Brooks joins a growing list of candidates to replace Mike Budenholzer, who was dismissed last week following a first-round playoff exit. Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that Milwaukee is considering its own assistant coach, Charles Lee, for the job as well as Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and former Hornets head coach James Borrego. 

More names could still be added to the list, as Wojnarowski has speculated that the Bucks have their eyes on one or more veteran coaches who are still involved in the playoffs.

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NBA Announces 2022/23 All-NBA Teams

May 10th, 2023 at 6:10pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA has officially announced its All-NBA teams for the 2022/23 season.

A total of 100 media members vote on the All-NBA awards. Players received five points for a First Team vote, three points for Second Team, and one point for Third Team, for a maximum total of 500 points. This year’s three All-NBA teams are as follows:

First Team

Second Team

Third Team

A total of 37 players received at least one vote, per the NBA. The top vote-getters who wound up missing out on All-NBA spots were Lakers center Anthony Davis (65), Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (49) and Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (44).

Morant had Rose Rule language in his rookie scale extension, meaning his five-year deal would have started at 30% of next season’s cap had he been voted in; instead, he’ll receive 25% of the cap, which is projected to be a difference of about $39MM across five seasons.

Other players receiving 20-plus points include Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (39), Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (23). The next three highest were Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (15), Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (15) and Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves (14), who is listed under forward but spent most of the season at shooting guard.

As we noted earlier today, both of the Celtics’ top two players will now be eligible for Designated Veteran Extensions, also known as the super-max: Brown will be eligible to sign a five-year extension this offseason that starts at up to 35% of the 2024/25 salary cap, while Tatum will be eligible to sign a super-max extension in 2024 after earning All-NBA nods each of the past two seasons.

Like Brown, Siakam would have been eligible for a super-max extension this summer had he made an All-NBA team. He finished a distant ninth, so his maximum extension will now be worth a projected $192.2MM over four years, tweets Eric Koreen of The Athletic. As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca observes (via Twitter), Siakam could still qualify for a super-max deal if he makes an All-NBA spot next season as an impending free agent.

This will be the last season under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. In the new CBA, All-NBA voting will be positionless and players will be required to play a minimum of 65 games to earn major regular season awards. Five of the players honored today — Antetokounmpo, Curry, Butler, Lillard and James — played fewer than 65 this season and would have been ineligible if the new requirements had been in effect, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

LeBron extended his own NBA record with his selection, earning a spot on an All-NBA team for the 19th straight season, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link). No other player has more than 15 total All-NBA awards (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan are tied for second at 15 apiece).

Giannis was a unanimous First Team selection for the fifth straight season, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link), and the only unanimous choice in 2022/23. Antetokounmpo now has more First Team berths than any European-born player, tweets HoopsHype, and only trails Hakeem Olajuwon among international players (six). The Bucks superstar finished third in MVP voting behind Embiid and Jokic, but Jokic received some First Team votes over the Sixers’ MVP winner, which is why Embiid wasn’t a unanimous pick.

According to HoopsHype (Twitter link), this is the first season in league history that only one American player (Tatum) was voted to the First Team. Doncic (Slovenia) and Antetokounmpo (Greece) are European, Embiid was born in Cameroon, and Gilgeous-Alexander is Canadian.

Despite earning an All-NBA nod for the first time, Mitchell wasn’t happy that he didn’t make the First Team, sending out a tweet on the matter.

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Bucks Expected To Interview Atkinson, Borrego, Lee, Others

May 10th, 2023 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have been granted permission to meet with Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson about their open head coaching job, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

According to Wojnarowski, Milwaukee’s own assistant Charles Lee and former Hornets head coach James Borrego are among the other candidates expected to interview with the Bucks as they seek a replacement for Mike Budenholzer. The team’s search will extend beyond those three candidates and will include additional interviews, Woj adds.

Atkinson, Lee, and Borrego have been popular candidates for teams seeking a new head coach this spring. Atkinson and Borrego both met with the Rockets before they hired Ime Udoka, and Atkinson was reportedly set to interview with Toronto as well. Lee, meanwhile, interviewed with the Raptors and is considered a finalist for the Pistons’ open position.

[RELATED: 2023 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Atkinson and Borrego have previous head coaching experience, while Lee has served as an assistant under Budenholzer since 2014, first in Atlanta and then in Milwaukee. Atkinson coached the Nets from 2016-20; Borrego coached the Hornets from 2018-22. Like Lee, Atkinson previously worked on Budenholzer’s staff with the Hawks.

Wojnarowski previously speculated that the Bucks’ wish list could include at least one candidate who is currently the head coach of another NBA team, which is a rumor that Eric Nehm of The Athletic has heard as well. However, it’s unclear which coach(es) those reports might be referring to.

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NBA Announces 2022/23 All-Defensive Teams

May 9th, 2023 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2022/23 season.

A total of 100 media members vote on the All-Defensive awards, with players receiving two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote. This year’s All-Defensive teams are as follows:

First Team

Second Team

Unsurprisingly, Jackson – who was this season’s Defensive Player of the Year – received the most First Team votes (96) and showed up on the most overall ballots (99). Only one voter didn’t have Jackson on either All-Defensive team.

Milwaukee teammates Holiday (94) and Lopez (85) received the second- and third-most First Team votes. No other player earned more than 50.

While the Bucks have two players on the First Team, it’s a bit surprising to see former DPOY Giannis Antetokounmpo miss out altogether. Antetokounmpo earned 16 First Team votes and 28 Second Team votes for a total of 60 points, the most of any player who didn’t earn All-Defensive honors. Although he received more total points than Brooks or Adebayo, Giannis didn’t make the cut because there were four forwards with more points than him.

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (40 points), Celtics guard Marcus Smart (35), Nets guard Mikal Bridges (33), and Nets center Nic Claxton (25) would have joined Antetokounmpo on a hypothetical All-Defensive Third Team as the highest vote-getters who fell just short.

A total of 38 players showed up on at least one ballot — the full voting results can be viewed here.

Being named to an All-Defensive team will benefit a pair of players financially, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). White earned a $250K bonus for his Second Team nod, while Holiday will receive $129,600 for making the First Team.

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NBA Announces All-Rookie Teams

May 8th, 2023 at 1:12pm CST by Rory Maher

Rookie of the Year winner Paolo Banchero was a unanimous choice for the 2022/23 All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

Players receive two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote, and Banchero received the maximum possible 200 points.

Here’s the full five-man squad, listed in order of their total points received via voters:

The All-Rookie Second Team was announced as well, with a couple of teammates headlining the group (Twitter link).

In my opinion, the most surprising omission from the All-Rookie Second Team was Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, who received 46 points. Nembhard was actually listed on one more ballot than Eason, but Eason received two First Team votes versus Nembhard’s zero, giving him a narrow edge.

That’s not to say Eason (or anyone else) was undeserving — he had a strong season as a tenacious offensive rebounder and defender. I just thought Nembhard should have been honored because he started the majority of the season for a competitive Indiana team and was frequently tasked with guarding the opposing teams’ best player, as Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter).

According to the NBA (Twitter link), others receiving votes included Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe (36), Hawks wing AJ Griffin (26), Nuggets forward Christian Braun, Thunder center Jaylin Williams (seven), Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (four), Spurs guard Malaki Branham (three), Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (two), Hornets center Mark Williams (two) and Bucks wing MarJon Beauchamp (one).

In case you missed it, more NBA awards will be coming later this week. The All-Defensive teams will be announced on Tuesday, followed by All-NBA on Wednesday and the Teammate of the Year award on Thursday.

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