- Some Magic fans have contemplated the idea of bringing back former head coach Stan Van Gundy. David Whitley of The Orlando Sentinel writes that a reunion with the bench boss who led Dwight Howard and company to the Finals back in 2009 would not be a good idea.
- A source tells Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press that Jerry Stackhouse “interviews well” for coaching jobs, but “does rub some people the wrong way.” Stackhouse entered the offseason as a popular rising head coaching candidate, but has yet to gain traction for any open jobs. In fact, despite a mid-April report indicating Stackhouse would meet with the Magic, that interview has yet to happen, per Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel.
The Raptors have fired head coach Dwane Casey, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The move had been anticipated, with reports earlier this week indicating that Toronto was leaning toward making a coaching change. The club has issued a press release confirming its decision.
“After careful consideration, I have decided this is a very difficult but necessary step the franchise must take. As a team, we are constantly trying to grow and improve in order to get to the next level,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said in a statement. “We celebrate everything Dwane has done for the organization, we thank him, and we wish him nothing but the best in future. He was instrumental in creating the identity and culture of who we are as a team, and we are so proud of that.”
Although it’s not a total surprise, it’s still remarkable that Casey will be looking for a new job just one month after he finished the regular season with a 59-23 record, establishing a new Raptors franchise record for wins in a season. On Wednesday, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced that Casey was its pick for Coach of the Year; he’s a strong candidate to also win the official award, which is voted on by media members.
Casey, who took over as the Raptors’ head coach in 2011, is the winningest coach in team history, leading the club to a 320-238 (.573) regular season record during his tenure. The Raps have enjoyed the best run in franchise history during the last five years, winning between 48 and 59 games each season and making five straight postseason appearances.
However, despite their regular season success, the Raptors have struggled to make deep playoff runs. After consecutive first-round exits in 2014 and 2015, Toronto has won at least one series in each season since then, but have been unable to mount a serious challenge against the Cavaliers, winning just two total postseason contests in three years against Cleveland. The Raptors were swept out of the playoffs by the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals this spring.
While we’ll have to wait to see how expansive the Raptors’ search for a new head coach is, the team has a pair of strong internal candidates in assistant Nick Nurse and Raptors 905 head coach Jerry Stackhouse. Assistant coach Rex Kalamian could also receive consideration.
As for outside candidates, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link) says to keep an eye on Mike Budenholzer, sources tell Wojnarowski that the former Hawks head coach will likely get a “close inspection” from the Raptors.
Casey’s dismissal may also have an impact on other head coaching searches around the NBA. The Magic continue to seek out a new head coach, and former Raptors GM Jeff Weltman is currently the head of basketball operations in Orlando, so he knows Casey well. Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press notes (via Twitter) that the Pistons had been monitoring the Casey situation in Toronto, so they could have interest as well.
Casey had one year left on his contract, worth $6MM, Wojnarowski notes.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
- The Magic have been strategically tight-lipped when it comes to their head coaching search, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Team president Jeff Weltman has made an effort to avoid leaks throughout the process and it’s highly likely that the team has interviewed more candidates than the few that have been reported.
It has been nearly four weeks since the NBA regular season ended, and while a few head coaching situations have been resolved since then, several more remain unsettled. With so many candidates being linked to so many separate jobs, it’s time to check in on this spring’s coaching searches to see where they stand.
Let’s dive in…
Completed searches:
Memphis Grizzlies
- Named interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff the permanent head coach.
- The Grizzlies’ search wasn’t much of a search at all. Rather than bringing in outside candidates, the team doubled down on Bickerstaff, having been impressed with his developmental work, if not his record (15-48).
New York Knicks
- Hiring David Fizdale to replace Jeff Hornacek.
- An extensive search resulted in the hiring of Fizdale, who was perhaps the most coveted candidate on the market this spring — the Suns reportedly made Fizdale an offer for their job, and he spoke to multiple other teams. The former Grizzlies coach will be officially introduced as Hornacek’s replacement this week.
Phoenix Suns
- Hiring Igor Kokoskov to replace interim head coach Jay Triano.
- While the Suns reportedly offered the job to Fizdale before deciding on Kokoskov, they sound pleased with how their search turned out. An assistant in Utah, Kokoskov is finishing up his playoff run with the Jazz. His deal with the Suns figures to be made official once Utah is eliminated.
Ongoing searches:
Atlanta Hawks
- While Sixers assistant Lloyd Pierce appeared to be emerging as the frontrunner for the Hawks’ job over the weekend, a Sunday evening report suggested three more assistants – Nate Tibbetts (Blazers), Stephen Silas (Hornets), and Jay Larranaga (Celtics) – are also in the mix. Those appear to be Atlanta’s finalists, though Jarron Collins and Darvin Ham have also interviewed.
Charlotte Hornets
- Ettore Messina, David Vanterpool, Ime Udoka, Jim Boylen, Nick Nurse, and Jerry Stackhouse have reportedly talked to the Hornets about their head coaching job. However, Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga and Spurs assistant James Borrego are viewed as the current frontrunners. Charlotte is conducting second interviews with both Larranaga and Borrego, with owner Michael Jordan present at those meetings.
Detroit Pistons
- The Pistons’ search just got underway today, as the team parted ways with Stan Van Gundy. They’re on the lookout for a new head of basketball operations too, so they may address that position before hiring a new coach.
Milwaukee Bucks
- A playoff team, the Bucks got a late start on their head coaching search, but they’re making up for lost time, reportedly lining up interviews with Ettore Messina, Steve Clifford, David Blatt, Becky Hammon, James Borrego, and more. Two former NBA head coaches, Mike Budenholzer and Monty Williams, are said to be among the favorites for the Milwaukee job.
Orlando Magic
- The Magic indicated at season’s end that they’d be in no rush to hire a new head coach, and they’ve made good on that promise, with very few reports surfacing on their candidates. They reportedly received permission to interview Blazers assistant David Vanterpool and Spurs assistant Ime Udoka, and have also been linked to Nick Nurse and Jerry Stackhouse of the Raptors. No clear frontrunner has emerged yet though.
To follow updates on the head coaching searches beyond this snapshot, be sure to check out our tracker.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
In David Fizdale, the Knicks landed a coach who was coveted by multiple teams with job openings this spring, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. We’ve previously heard that Fizdale turned down an offer from the Suns and met with Hawks ownership. A source tells Berman that Fizdale was also a “frontrunner” for the Hornets and Magic positions.
So why did Fizdale opt for the Knicks’ job? Former Nets guard Elliot Perry – a current Grizzlies broadcaster and Fizdale confidant – tells Berman that he believes the former Grizzlies coach wants the challenge of being on a big stage in New York.
“That’s the one thing I mentioned to him,” Perry said. “You’re never off stage in New York as [the Knicks’] head coach. You’re not always on the stage in Memphis. He wanted the challenge. He thinks there’s talent there. He thought it was a good fit.”
Let’s round up a few more items from out of the Atlantic, including another note on Fizdale…
- In a piece for Newsday, Al Iannazzone examines why the Knicks felt that Fizdale was the right pick for their job, with one source downplaying the head coach’s tension with Marc Gasol in Memphis. “He gets along great with players,” that source told Iannazzone. “He’s a good developmental guy and is good at working with the players. He comes from Miami, where they put an emphasis on that. He’s still unproven as far as X’s and O’s. But he’s good with players.”
- The Celtics are missing a pair of difference-making players on the court, with Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving on the shelf, but the team also has a difference maker on the sidelines in Brad Stevens, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. “He knows each player like the back of his hand, so he’s going to put you in the right position, he’s going to put you in the right spot, to be great,” Terry Rozier said of his head coach.
- Raptors president Masai Ujiri received a $25K fine from the NBA for walking on the court during halftime of Game 3 to “verbally confront” the game’s referees, the league announced today in a press release. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey expressed his displeasure with the officiating throughout the game, and Ujiri joined the act as the second quarter ended.
A number of NBA players with recent big league experience have been named to the G League’s Elite Mini Camp roster. In mid-May, about 40 players from the developmental league will get the chance to strut their stuff in front of NBA personnel.
A total of 13 players from the initial roster have had at least some NBA experience, including the always intriguing likes of K.J. McDaniels and Archie Goodwin.
Other players, like Marcus Thornton and Naz Mitrou-Long who signed 10-day contracts in 2017/18 will look to prove that they deserve another crack at a rotation spot.
While it will be tough for a significant number of these players to make final rosters next season, there are plenty of opportunities between training camp and the regular season, especially now with the introduction of two-way contracts last season.
Jonathon Simmons, the G League is quick to mention, once participated in this event, prior to latching on with the Spurs and spinning that into a role with the Magic last summer.
There’s more from around the league this afternoon:
- While it’s become commonplace for highly regarded draft prospects to skip out on the combine, a number of reputable players from last year’s class were in attendance, including Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo. Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype broke down some of the best players from this year’s rookie crop that are actually expected to participate in the pre-draft event later this month.
- The dust has settled after LaVar Ball‘s decision to move his non-Lonzo sons to Lithuania. According to Donatas Urbonas of 15min.It, LiAngelo Ball may have been slightly underrated prior to arriving in Europe while LaMelo Ball isn’t prepared to perform at the pro level yet. Urbonas connected with USA Today’s Andrew Joseph to discuss the Ball family’s Lithuanian adventure.
- The NBA offseason is a lot closer than you might think. In fact, players like Cory Joseph and Wesley Johnson have already made key decisions on contract options for the 2018/19 campaign. For a rundown of what we expect from each team’s pending free agents, check out your respective team’s recap in our Free Agent Stock Watch series. Similarly, Hoops Rumors writers have ranked who we think the top available 2018 NBA free agents are.
The Magic will add David Fizdale to their pool of head coaching candidates, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes, the two parties have a forthcoming interview scheduled.
Fizdale will have at least one leg up on other reported candidates in that he’s served as a head coach in the NBA previously, although there’s no indication that that would necessarily impact the team’s decision. While Jerry Stackhouse, David Vanterpool and Ime Udoka have all logged time as assistant coaches, Fizdale coached the Grizzlies through one and a half seasons until his dismissal last November.
Prior to the head coaching gig in Memphis, Fizdale served as an instrumental assistant coach with the state rival Heat. He’s said to be in the mix for several other vacancies around the league, having been reported to agree to interviews with the Knicks, Hornets, Hawks and Suns.
The Magic remain a forlorn pile of young assets and bloated contracts heading into the second year of general manager John Hammond‘s tenure with the franchise. Adding a passionate young coach like Fizdale could serve the organization eight seasons removed from its last 40-win campaign well.
The Magic are scheduled to interview Spurs assistant Ime Udoka for their head coaching job this week, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Udoka, a former NBA player for the Lakers, Knicks, Trail Blazers, and Spurs, transitioned to coaching in 2012 following his retirement. He has been a member of Gregg Popovich‘s coaching staff in San Antonio since then, spending the last six seasons as a Spurs assistant.
Like fellow Spurs assistants Ettore Messina and James Borrego, Udoka has been a popular candidate so far this spring for teams seeking a new head coach. As Wojnarowski notes, Udoka has spoken to the Hornets already. He has also been identified as a potential target for the Hawks.
[RELATED: 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]
As for the Magic, they’ve been taking their time with their head coaching search, carefully weighing their options since parting ways with Frank Vogel last month.
A mid-April report indicated that Raptors 905 coach Jerry Stackhouse would meet with Orlando about the team’s coaching job, and we heard a few days ago that the club would also speak to Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool about the position.
- Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman will have final say in the head coaching hire, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Orlando is searching for a coach after firing Frank Vogel. “If you’re asking do I have autonomy to do this job, I can tell you simply that I would not have come here had I not,” Weltman told Robbins.