Billy Donovan Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Thunder, Mavs, Blazers

August 23rd, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Will Joseph

There’s a lot of excitement surrounding Oklahoma City and what new Thunder coach Billy Donovan will bring to the team. He has already received rave reviews from the community. In a lengthy profile, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman discusses how Donovan’s up-tempo, fan-friendly style of play transformed Florida into a national power in college basketball.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

With Al-Farouq Aminu now with the Blazers, the Mavs find themselves needing to replace Aminu’s spark off the bench, with the hopes that one of their new additions can fill the void, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com writes. Aminu signed a four-year, $30MM deal with Portland. Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson believes coach Rick Carlisle‘s track record of developing players will help the growth of some of Dallas’ young players like rookie Justin Anderson, Sneed adds.
Maurice Harkless was listed by Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders as a player who is in a better situation after changing teams this summer. Portland acquired Harkless in a trade with the Magic. Harkless is better off now, Brigham writes, because he has a solid opportunity to leap from a relative unknown in the league to a significant contributor for a respected team since the Blazers are rebuilding.

Northwest Rumors: Burke, Huestis, Donovan

August 1st, 2015 at 1:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trey Burke views the Jazz’s logjam at point guard as a source of motivation, Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune reports. This summer and upcoming season is crucial to Burke’s future with the club, Falk continues. Burke was a lottery pick in 2013 but lost his starting spot to 2014 lottery selection Dante Exum. The Jazz also have point guards Bryce Cotton, Raul Neto and Olivier Hanlan on the roster. Burke shot just 36.8% from the field and 31.8% on 3-point attempts last season while averaging 12.8 points and 4.3 assists in 30.1 minutes. His shooting percentage was the lowest of any player attempting at least 1,000 shots since 1965, Falk adds. “I just look at it as another test. A stepping stone. You can use it as motivation going into training camp,” Burke said during a conference call. “Right now, I’m really dedicating myself and, come training camp, I know I’ll be prepared, and that’s all that matters.”

In other news around the Northwest Division:

The Thunder gave Josh Huestis the full 120% bump on his rookie scale contract and thus he will make about $1.1MM this season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Huestis made a pre-draft arrangement with Oklahoma City in 2014 to be taken in the first round and then delay signing a rookie contract. He spent last season with the Thunder’s D-League affiliate while making approximately $25,000. Huestis, who signed a four-year deal with a team option after the second season, is glad he took that gamble, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. “Obviously I was the first to do it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a more common practice,” Huestis said to Mayberry of the domestic-draft-and-stash route. “Not only does it give you an opportunity to stay close to your organization and stay in America, but you get to play against great competition and learn from great coaches and a great staff.”
The focus on the Thunder this offseason has centered on new head coach Billy Donovan, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman writes. Donovan has already drawn rave reviews from people around Oklahoma City for his personality and seems to be a good fit with the community, Carlson adds.

Northwest Notes: Roberson, Jazz, Grant

June 11th, 2015 at 10:34pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thunder swingman Andre Roberson is excited to see what changes Billy Donovan, the team’s new coach, will bring to the franchise, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman writes. “He’s a great guy,” Roberson said. “I think he’ll be a great fit for us. A guy that definitely knows the game. He’s willing to learn. And he’s all about the program. I think that’s what we need. And I’m glad he’s a part of this Thunder organization.” Roberson isn’t sure if his role as a starter will change under the new regime, Mayberry adds. “We’re going to have to see,” Roberson continued. “Nobody knows where they’re set besides Russell [Westbrook], Kevin [Durant] and Serge [Ibaka]. It’s going to be a new coach, new system. I think we’re all up for the challenge. We’re all in this together. So it doesn’t matter if I’m starting, whether I’m not starting, I’m going to go out there and do what I do every night and provide for my team. So it’s going to be good.”

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

Timberwolves coach/executive Flip Saunders, who had previously been leaning toward selecting Jahlil Okafor with the No. 1 overall pick, is now enamored with Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Mark Heisler of Forbes.com relays. The change in Saunders’ thinking occurred after watching Towns work out last week, Heisler adds.
Penn State guard D.J. Newbill took part in a group workout held by the Thunder on Wednesday, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets.
Steve Starks, the president of Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment, wants to return the Jazz franchise to the success it had enjoyed back in the 1990s, Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. “It’s no secret that we want to build a consistent championship-caliber team,” Starks said. “Our ultimate goal is to raise a banner. I wake up in the morning thinking about how we do that.“
The Thunder traditionally like to carry three point guards, and Notre Dame playmaker Jerian Grant could fit the bill when the team selects at the No. 14 overall pick this June, Mayberry writes in a separate piece. One of the concerns NBA scouts have relating to Grant is his age, 22, which somewhat limits his ceiling compared to a number of other point guards in this year’s draft, Mayberry notes. “I work harder than anyone in this draft so I know that I’m going to continue to get better,” Grant said. “Me being old, I think, is just I’m ready to go right now. I’m ready to help a team right now. But at the same time, a few years down the road I think I’ll be even better [able] to help a team.”

Coaching Rumors: Nuggets, Donovan, Cheeks

June 9th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Michael Malone‘s candidacy for the Nuggets head coaching job is gathering momentum, but an increasing number of coaches around the league envision interim coach Melvin Hunt getting the position, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. In any case, it appears that Denver is drawing closer to a hire, as it’s believed that the team would like to have its new coach help with draft prep, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Here’s more coaching news from around the NBA:

Mike Miller lauded Billy Donovan‘s demeanor, preparation and communication when Kevin Durant asked him about the incoming Thunder head coach, as Miller tells Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. Miller makes it clear he harbors no shortage of affection for his college coach, saying to Slater that it will be “very weird” to go against Donovan in the NBA. Miller wouldn’t necessarily have to do so if he declines his player option, worth nearly $2.855MM, and signs with the Thunder this summer, of course, but the Cavs reserve didn’t suggest that such a scenario was on his mind.
The Thunder are increasingly serious about rehiring Maurice Cheeks as an assistant coach, according to Stein, who notes the strong relationship between Cheeks and Russell Westbrook (Twitter links). Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first identified Cheeks as a possible candidate for an assistant’s job in Oklahoma City, a role that would reprise the one he filled from 2009/10 to 2012/13.
Remaining with the Magic to serve as an assistant under Scott Skiles remains a “strong option” for James Borrego, Stein also reports (Twitter link). Borrego, who was Orlando’s interim coach and a candidate to remain in the head coaching position on a long-term basis before the Skiles hire, has drawn interest from the Pelicans and had talks with the Thunder about assistant coaching jobs, as Stein previously reported.

Western Notes: D-League, Donovan, Williams

May 8th, 2015 at 9:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Billy Donovan‘s track record of success at the University of Florida bodes well for his chances as the Thunder‘s new coach, Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald writes. In addition to leading his team to back-to-back championships, Donovan also has proven adept at getting his star players to remain longer than they otherwise would have, Goodman notes. The organization certainly hopes this ability will carryover to the pros, since the pending free agency of Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016 is sure to be a hot-button topic in OKC all season long in 2015/16.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The L.A. D-Fenders, the Lakers‘ D-League affiliate, informed coach Phil Hubbard that the franchise would not be exercising its team option for him next season, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter links). The D-Fenders struggled to a record of 17-33 under the first-year coach, though NBA callups for Jabari Brown, Jamaal Franklin, and Vander Blue certainly didn’t help Hubbard’s cause, Spears notes.
If the Nets and Deron Williams were to agree to a buyout or if the franchise waives him via the stretch provision, the point guard returning to play for the Jazz is a possibility, posits Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link). Williams spent the first five and a half seasons of his career in Utah before being dealt to Brooklyn back in 2011.
Blazers big man Chris Kaman went to Portland with the intention of being a reserve and mentoring the team’s younger big men, but injuries derailed that plan, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com writes in his review of Kaman’s season. While many players would be thrilled to become a starter, even if it was due to injuries, Kaman wasn’t a huge fan of the change, Young adds. When discussing his role change, Kaman said, “It’s not bad, but it’s not what I came here to do. I knew I came here to back up [Robin] Lopez. And that’s where I see myself and that’s where I feel comfortable.” The veteran has one year remaining on his current deal, though only $1MM of his $5,016,000 salary for 2015/16 is guaranteed.

Northwest Notes: Donovan, Matthews, Durant

May 2nd, 2015 at 5:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

New Thunder coach Billy Donovan indicated that he had no second thoughts about making the jump to the NBA this time, unlike his previous flirtation with the Magic back in 2007, Royce Young of ESPN.com writes. “I think the Orlando situation really had nothing to do with Orlando,” Donovan said. “It had a lot more to do with me and I think where I was at, at that time in my life. We were coming off two national championships and I didn’t feel like my job was completed there. I felt like I had more to do. This time around, when Sam [Presti] called and said he wanted to meet and talk, I knew it was going to have to take something very, very special.”

Here’s what else is happening around the Northwest Division:

Donovan also understands that his new job with the Thunder comes with a level of pressure and expectations that he didn’t have to deal with coaching at the NCAA level, Young notes. “I think any time you walk into the unknown, there’s going to be a level of uncertainty — I don’t think there’s any question about that. I’m OK with that,” Donovan said. “I’m excited for the challenge, I’m excited to bring value.“
Unrestricted free agent Wesley Matthews says that his ideal outcome would be to re-sign with the Trail Blazers this summer, Sean Meagher of The Oregonian writes. The swingman also acknowledged that he has the ideal setting for him in Portland as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered this season. “So much stuff can happen between now and when free agency starts,” Matthews said. “Ideally, perfect situation, yeah. Who doesn’t want to go for the perfect situation?“
One of Donovan’s most important jobs as coach of the Thunder will be to build rapport with Kevin Durant, who can depart as an unrestricted free agent after the 2015/16 campaign, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman notes. The new coach addressed his star’s pending free agency, saying, “Whatever decision that he [Durant] has to make, I feel very, very strongly about the organization, about [GM] Sam Presti, about Mr. [Clay] Bennett and the [franchise’s] commitment. I think a lot of those things probably line up with Kevin and how he feels. So I feel very, very confident in the organization and I think the organization and Kevin – from an outsider because I’m just coming in right now – are a great match.”

Northwest Notes: Donovan, Blazers, Thunder

May 1st, 2015 at 8:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Billy Donovan was officially introduced today as the new coach of the Thunder, and he views his jump from the college ranks to the NBA as an exciting challenge, Royce Young of ESPN.com relays. “It’s been a complete whirlwind for me the last four or five days,” Donovan said. “I am extremely thankful the way [OKC GM Sam Presti] laid out the organization to me over about a two-and-a-half-day period because, to be honest with you, I really did not know a lot about the Oklahoma City Thunder. I knew of Sam, I obviously knew of the players and organization, but I didn’t know what it was about. And it was that — that really made me turn my head when I started to find out more, that I think the qualities, the values, what this organization is about is directly in line and mirrors what I believe.”

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Thunder‘s hiring of Donovan shows that Presti is more concerned about the overall future of the franchise than of Kevin Durant departing as a free agent after the 2015/16 season, Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. If Presti was going to make a coaching hire simply to placate Durant, the GM would have likely gone with Kevin Ollie or Mark Jackson instead, both of whom are well-respected by the star forward, Lee adds.
As the Trail Blazers enter the summer with uncertainty regarding a number of players on the roster, C.J. McCollum and Meyers Leonard are two players whom the team expects to build around heading into the 2015/16 campaign, Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes. “It validates what we’ve believed the whole time,” GM Neil Olshey said of the duo’s playoff performances. “Seeing what C.J. and Meyers were able to do in this playoff series against one the most physical, well-coached, defensive minded teams in this league should inspire everybody in this marketplace that we have a very strong core of youth that we can move forward with.” Leonard is eligible to ink a rookie scale extension with Portland this offseason.
The injuries suffered by Durant this season scuttled the Thunder‘s plans to evolve offensively, and instead the team had to simply try and survive the season, Young writes in a separate piece. While the team’s offensive stagnation wasn’t the primary reason for the dismissal of former coach Scott Brooks, it certainly played a large part, Young adds.

Northwest Notes: Wiggins, Budinger, Lopez

May 1st, 2015 at 12:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Timberwolves “hit a home run” when they made the Kevin Love/Andrew Wiggins trade, GM Milt Newton told Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press, and Wiggins, the newly crowned Rookie of The Year, seems enamored with the Wolves franchise.

“I hope I’m here forever,” Wiggins told Krawczynski. “I hope. It would be nice.”

That would conflict with reports of whispers that he’d love to play for his hometown Raptors someday. That won’t be his decision for quite sometime, anyway, and Newton and coach/executive Flip Saunders made it seem as though Wiggins will get his wish to stay in Minnesota for years to come, as Krawczynski details. Here’s more from the Northwest:

Krawczynski expects the Timberwolves to trade Chase Budinger at some point this summer (Twitter link). Budinger is opting in to his $5MM salary for next season, but the Wolves reportedly sought to honor his trade request before the deadline.
Robin Lopez suggested that he’d prefer to re-sign with the Trail Blazers but didn’t make it seem as though he was confident in any particular outcome as his free agency looms, The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman relays in a slideshow. “Nothing’s 100% certain,” Lopez said. “Obviously, so far, I’ve loved my time here in Portland. I would love to come back. I’m very open to coming back. But it’s hard to say 100%. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. I think that’s something to put off until a little later.”
Blazers GM Neil Olshey plans to stay in touch with all of the team’s free agents between now and July 1st and believes he’ll have a strong idea of what each of them wants to do once other teams can begin contacting them then, as he told reporters Thursday and as The Oregonian’s Sean Meagher transcribes. Olshey nonetheless noted that he has contingency plans for each of them in case they sign elsewhere, as Meagher relays. The GM also expressed his belief in growth from within the roster and pledged no shortage of activity at the draft, Meagher notes.
Thunder GM Sam Presti and new coach Billy Donovan aren’t quite as close as many reports have indicated, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. Presti met Donovan on a scouting trip years ago and they’ve chatted on occasion since then, but the GM has admired the coach largely from afar, as Slater details.

Reaction To Thunder’s Billy Donovan Hiring

May 1st, 2015 at 9:53am CST by Chuck Myron

People around former Thunder coach Scott Brooks believe he never had a chance this year and that GM Sam Presti had long planned to replace him with Billy Donovan or Kevin Ollie, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Ollie’s sizable buyout, which Wojnarowski refers to as $5MM but previous reporting indicated was $4MM, was a “non-starter” for the Thunder, according to Wojnarowski. The Pistons made a run at hiring Donovan last year, Wojnarowski reveals in the same piece. Here’s more in the wake of the Thunder’s hiring of Donovan on Thursday:

Kevin Durant tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com that he wants to gather as much information on Donovan as possible and that he isn’t thinking about how the hire could affect his decision as free agency looms in a year (See all six Twitter links here). He also expressed a trust in Presti, who didn’t consult with him during the hiring process. “I know what my job is,” Durant said to Goodman. “I let him do his.”
Durant downplayed Donovan’s lack of NBA experience in an interview with Royce Young of ESPN.com and said he spoke with Mike Miller and Chandler Parsons, both of whom played under Donovan at Florida. “I met him one time out in Vegas. He was there for USA Basketball,” Durant said of Donovan in his chat with Young. “And I’ve heard good things about him. I’m sure we’ll click pretty quickly. But I don’t have a relationship with him. I don’t know him. He didn’t recruit me at Florida, so I don’t really know him too well. I’m just going off of what guys that played for him said. And I’m looking forward to meeting him and getting a feel for him myself.”
The Thunder’s choice of Donovan is a bold but worthwhile gamble, USA Today’s Sam Amick argues. There’s risk in hiring just about any coach, The Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel believes, but Donovan’s success with and without NBA talent made him stand out to Presti, Tramel writes.

Northwest Notes: Donovan, Blazers, Pleiss

April 30th, 2015 at 6:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Billy Donovan‘s deal to coach the Thunder is for five-years and worth approximately $30MM, or roughly $6MM per season, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). The fifth season is a team option, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets. The ex-Florida coach was reportedly seeking that amount annually if he was to make the jump from the NCAA, and it’s certainly a hefty raise from Donovan’s $4MM per season wage for coaching the Gators.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

During his exit interview today, Chris Kaman said that he would like to return to the Blazers next season, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com tweets. The 33-year-old big man said he’ll need to wait and see if Portland wants to retain him for 2015/16, Young adds. Kaman’s $5,016,000 salary for next season includes a partial guarantee of $1MM.
Damian Lillard says that he is confident that he and the Blazers will be able to reach an agreement on a contract extension this offseason, Joe Freeman of the Oregonian relays (Twitter link). “For me, this is where I want to be,” said Lillard. “Whatever we need to do to make that happen, we’ll make happen.” The point guard is set to enter the final year of his rookie deal with the team, and will earn $4,236,287 in 2015/16.
German center Tibor Pleiss could look to join the Jazz next season if his contract is indeed bought out by Barcelona, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net relays (hat tip to Jody Genessy of The Deseret News). Utah acquired the rights to the 25-year-old from the Thunder in the Enes Kanter trade earlier this season.
The Thunder‘s coaching switch from Scott Brooks to Donovan was done to get a different voice for the players to respond to, as well as for the franchise to create a new identity next season, Shelburne relays in a series of tweets. The plan is for the team to make a change now, rather than spend the year in organizational limbo, and to show Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook what the future will look like in OKC, Shelburne adds.