Billy King Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Notes: Johnson, Prokhorov, Calipari, Bargnani

January 11th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Joe Johnson didn’t know about the Nets’ firing of Lionel Hollins until he found out about it on TV, Johnson said today to reporters, including Andy Vasquez of The Record (Twitter link). Still, no indications existed as of late Sunday that the former All-Star has any interest in a buyout from the team, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Owner Mikhail Prokhorov said today that he began to consider the firing of Hollins and reassignment of GM Billy King a month and a half ago, notes Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com, and Prokhorov added that when he finally made the call, it was a “very easy” decision, notes Andrew Keh of The New York Times. See more on the changes in Brooklyn:

Prokhorov, who pledged a more active role with the Nets, said he plans to meet with every candidate for the team’s vacancies, as Brian Fleurantin of NetsDaily relays in within a transcript of the owner’s press conference today.
The owner also reiterated that he has no plans to sell the team, cited a desire for chemistry between the next GM and coach, and said, curiously, that, “I’m sure for the next season, we’ll be, I hope, [a] championship contender,” Fleurantin notes.
Nets CEO Brett Yormark told WFAN radio today that he hasn’t spoken with John Calipari about rejoining the team “yet,” observes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Yormark has reportedly wanted to make a strong pitch to Calipari, though the CEO is apparently not heavily involved in the team’s search.
Italian team Olimpia Milano plans a run at Andrea Bargnani, a native of Italy, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Milano would love to somehow acquire him by January 28th, when the Eurocup’s transfer window closes, but that’s highly unlikely, and a move during the summer, when Bargnani can opt out of his contract with the Nets, is more realistic, Carchia notes.

New York Notes: King, Westphal, Murry

January 10th, 2016 at 5:46pm CST by Will Joseph

Former Nets GM Billy King was reassigned today and part of his new role will include advising ownership in the search for his own successor, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports. The situation is quite odd, considering King was pushed out of the job by owner Mikhail Prokhorov, Wojnarowski writes. It’s not unusual for an exiting executive to help in the search for a replacement, however. As Wojnarowski points out, former Nets GM Rod Thorn had played a part in hiring King upon Thorn’s departure from the Nets in 2010, but the difference in that example is that Thorn had resigned from his position and was not forced out, Wojnarowski adds.

Here’s more news from a busy day out of the Big Apple:

Respected and longtime coach Paul Westphal will no longer serve as an assistant coach for the Nets in the wake of Lionel Hollins‘ firing earlier today, Westphal’s wife, Cindy, writes on Facebook (h/t Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily). After parts of 10 seasons as a head coach, Westphal had no desire to coach again until Hollins approached him to be his top guy with the Nets, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com wrote in 2014. Westphal’s loyalty to Hollins was too strong to allow him to stay with Brooklyn, Puccio writes.
The Knicks, who have reportedly been shopping for backcourt help, scouted shooting guard Toure’ Murry at the D-League Showcase event in Santa Cruz, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets. Of course, it’s important to note that nearly every team is scouting someone at the event and that does not necessarily mean a deal is imminent, as Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor tweets. Murry is averaging 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game with the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ D-League affiliate. Murry, whom the Jazz mulled signing in December, played in 51 games with the Knicks in 2013/14, his rookie season.
It likely doesn’t matter whom the Nets hire as their next head coach because the organization is still paying for mistakes made in the early days of moving to Brooklyn, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post opines. The Nets’ history of acquiring flashy names such as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson has had long-term consequences, Bontemps adds. There is no one in the organization that is capable of stepping into the general manager’s job at the moment, according to Bontemps.

Reactions To Nets Shakeup

January 10th, 2016 at 2:01pm CST by Will Joseph

Former Nets coach Lionel Hollins told Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link) that he received a call from former GM Billy King, who was reassigned today, telling him that he had been let go, but expressed gratitude nonetheless. Hollins, as Mazzeo points out, still has one and a half years left on his contract.

“I’m thankful to Billy and Mikhail [Prokhorov] and Dmitry [Razumov] for the opportunity to have coached the Nets,” Hollins told Mazzeo. “I’m disappointed to where it didn’t work out to where we didn’t have playoff success and fans weren’t celebrating in the streets of Brooklyn.”

Here is more news and reactions to Brooklyn’s decision to fire Hollins and reassign King:

Nets assistant GM Frank Zanin will be retained, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reports (on Twitter). Zanin has been involved with most of the day-to-day team business, including trade talks, according to Mannix.
Still, it’s unclear who would be answering the phones if a team called regarding trade talk, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post hears after speaking with multiple sources (Twitter link).
While the timing of the moves was surprising to some, considering how close the trade deadline is, some executives around the league were always surprised King was able to keep his job with Brooklyn for as long as he did, Ian Begley of ESPN.com passes along (on Twitter).
Nets CEO Brett Yormark, who is reportedly enamored with John Calipari, is someone who is having his voice heard more now within the organization, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets.
Tom Thibodeau would be an ideal fit as the next coach for the Nets because of his ability to maximize players’ talents on defense, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News writes in a list of top candidates to replace Hollins. Thibodeau is seen as a logical choice for other potential openings and will come at a hefty price, Deveney adds. Among other names Deveney mentions as top candidates are: Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy and Patrick Ewing.
Prokhorov did not like Hollins’ public criticism of players, NetsDaily tweets.
Former Hawks GM Danny Ferry, who interviewed with the Nets before the job went to King, is still unemployed and has some baggage, but it’s worth noting his father, Bob, is a Nets scout, Bondy tweets.

Nets Fire Lionel Hollins, Reassign Billy King

January 10th, 2016 at 11:10am CST by Arthur Hill

Kelley L Cox / USA Today Sports Images

The Nets have fired coach Lionel Hollins and reassigned GM Billy King to another job in the organization, the team announced today. Assistant Tony Brown has been named interim head coach, while the GM position will remain open for now.

“After careful consideration, I’ve concluded that it’s time for a fresh start and a new vision for the direction of the team,” Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said. “By making this decision now, it enables our organization to use the rest of the season to diligently evaluate candidates with proven track records. It’s clear from our current state of affairs that we need new leadership. With the right basketball management and coach in place, we are going to create a winning culture and identity and give Brooklyn a team that it can be proud of and enjoy watching. We have learned a great deal during the past six years and our experiences will guide us for the future. Following the consolidation of team ownership last month, I can assure you that I’m more determined and committed than ever to build a winner.”

Hollins spent a year and a half as Brooklyn’s coach, compiling a 48-71 record. The Nets currently have the third-worst record in the league at 10-27. King was in his sixth season as GM after being named to the position in July of 2010. There are no immediate plans to fill the GM role, posts Mike Mazzeo of ESPN. While King has been officially “reassigned,” he won’t be making basketball decisions going forward, writes Andy Vasquez of NorthJersey.com. With about six week left before the trade deadline, it’s unclear who will be responsible for those decisions, Vasquez tweets.

“I want to thank Billy for his hard work in the development of the Nets,” Prokhorov said. “At every step of the way, he has been aggressive in his quest to build a winning team and has been a key factor toward the Nets making the playoffs for each of the last three seasons. Beyond this, he has been a tremendous friend, wonderful colleague, and loyal partner and we wish him success in the future. I also want to thank Lionel for his efforts and dedication on behalf of the Nets franchise. To our fans, I thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support and please know that brighter days are ahead. I’m excited to begin the process of choosing the best GM and head coach available.”

The moves expose chaos within the Nets, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. He says nearly everyone in the organization learned of the actions through a news release. A team insider called the moves “face-saving,” according to a story by NetsDaily.com.

King joined the team as GM in the summer of 2010, and the team has won just a single playoff series since. His contract is set to expire at season’s end. A report, later denied, surfaced earlier this week from Europe indicating that Prokhorov wants CSKA Moscow team president Andrey Vatutin as the club’s next GM. CEO Brett Yormark is reportedly enamored with John Calipari.

The Nets hired Hollins in the summer of 2014 shortly after the departure of Jason Kidd for the Bucks. He went 48-71 with Brooklyn during the regular season over a season and a half, and the Nets fell in six games to the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs last year.

Nets Eye Andrey Vatutin To Replace King As GM?

January 6th, 2016 at 8:25am CST by Chuck Myron

WEDNESDAY, 8:25am: One insider was particularly direct in casting doubt on the idea of Vatutin joining the Nets as their GM this summer, calling it “BS,” NetsDaily tweets.

1:13pm: Team insiders who spoke with NetsDaily see Vatutin as an unlikely choice for GM (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 11:22am: CSKA Moscow team president Andrey Vatutin is Mikhail Prokhorov’s “top choice” to become the GM of the Nets with Billy King‘s contract up at season’s end, sources tell Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net. Vatutin has ties to Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who used to own the Russian team. He worked under Prokhorov and former CSKA president Sergey Kushchenko, now a Nets board member and chief sports adviser to Prokhorov, as NetsDaily points out. The Nets pursued Vatutin for an assistant GM job in 2010, the year King became GM, but Vatutin turned them down, according to Barkas and NetsDaily.

It’s unclear whether Vatutin would decide to head to Brooklyn this time around, as Barkas details. The Eurohoops scribe suggests that Prokhorov has already offered the GM job to Vatutin, though Prokhorov complimented King’s job performance as recently as October. The owner at that point declined to address the matter of an extension for King, though Zach Lowe of ESPN.com heard “serious rumblings” in May that the Nets and King were close to an extension deal. NetsDaily poured cold water on the idea shortly thereafter, reporting that a source had said the Nets and King hadn’t engaged in any extension talks.

Brooklyn, at 10-24, has the NBA’s third-worst record and is without its first-round picks in 2016 and 2018, thanks to the 2013 trade King engineered that brought in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Still, Prokhorov, who was the impetus for the team’s desire to make a splash upon its 2012 move from New Jersey to Brooklyn, said in April that he liked King’s “bold” approach to the roster. The Nets stuck by King when former coach Jason Kidd reportedly tried to usurp his power in 2014.

The Nets have nonetheless won only a single playoff series in the five full seasons since King came aboard. Brooklyn has a chance to open some $35MM in cap room for next season, but without draft picks or a winning roster, the team doesn’t appear to be a top free agent destination.

The 42-year-old Vatutin has been with CSKA Moscow since 2002 and became the organization’s CEO in 2007. The Russian powerhouse has collected a litany of championships since then, as Barkas details. The team is 14-1 in Russian league play and 9-2 in the Euroleague this season.

Eastern Notes: DeRozan, Nets, Jefferson, Curry

January 5th, 2016 at 4:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Coach Dwane Casey isn’t quite sure why DeMar DeRozan has been playing better of late, but the Raptors nonetheless believe his improved shooting and overall play are sustainable, based on an uptick that dates back to this past March, observes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. DeRozan has a player option worth slightly more than $10MM for next season, but it seems a near-certainty that he’ll decline it and hit free agency in the summer. See more from around the Eastern Conference:

Nets CEO Brett Yormark spoke about the need for the team to play better in an interview with Crain’s New York Business, and while his remarks weren’t particularly substantive, they demonstrate a continued increase in Yormark’s basketball chatter, NetsDaily points out (Twitter link). Yormark, if given basketball decision-making power, would like to offer “everything under the sun” to bring John Calipari back to the Nets, as Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post wrote in a chat last week (hat tip to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops). However, owner Mikhail Prokhorov wants to make CSKA Moscow team president Andrey Vatutin the next Brooklyn GM, with current GM Billy King‘s contract up after the season, as Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net reported earlier today.
Al Jefferson‘s history of injuries juxtaposed against a rising salary cap suggest that the Hornets face a difficult choice as they ponder whether to re-sign him in free agency this summer, writes Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders.
Stephen Curry has no shortage of affection for Charlotte, where he grew up, but a multitude of reasons that extend even beyond his idyllic basketball situation with the Warriors convince Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that Curry won’t give the Hornets a second thought when he hits free agency in 2017.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Carroll, Nets, Railey

October 29th, 2015 at 10:40am CST by Chuck Myron

Draft picks, cap space, and “Trader Danny” Ainge, the team’s president of basketball operations, leave the Celtics in fine shape as they seek to add marquee players, co-owner Wyc Grousbeck believes, as he explained Wednesday in a radio appearance on the Felger & Mazz show on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston. Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com has the details and transcription that shows Grousbeck defending the team’s approach to rebuilding and indicating that a major free agent run isn’t the team’s preferred path.

“Free agency is the last choice and it’s when you haven’t made a trade that locks up your cap, or you haven’t developed guys enough who then are max guys to re-sign them,” Grousbeck said. “We’re not saving for free agents. It’s not like we’re saying no to expensive people. We brought in [David] Lee and [Amir] Johnson but on one year. We’re going to take a look at those guys. Two good players. We have the option to probably re-sign them next summer. We can extend some of the guys on the roster or we can make a trade in February and take on a bunch of money. So all those things. At the end of it all if there’s free agency dollars left then you can go the free agency route.”

See more from the Atlantic Division:

DeMarre Carroll took a hard fall in Toronto’s opener Wednesday, but it turned out just to be a bruised elbow, and his ability to shrug off that and play his usual hard-nosed defense underscored why the Raptors signed him to a four-year, $58MM deal, DeMar DeRozan said, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.
The playoffs are still the goal for the Nets, GM Billy King told reporters this week, but he acknowledged that the team still must develop its young players, as The Record’s Andy Vasquez relays. Brooklyn owes its unprotected first-round pick to the Celtics this year.
The contract that Jordan Railey was briefly on with the Sixers was a non-guaranteed deal for one year at the minimum, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Philadelphia announced Monday that it had signed and quickly waived the former Washington State center for the purpose of securing his D-League rights. The Sixers incurred a small cap hit for doing so, since the deal came after Saturday’s deadline for teams to remove non-guaranteed salary without it counting against the cap.

Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Joseph, Nets

October 28th, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Talk about a scenario in which Knicks team president Phil Jackson would return to work for the Lakers and fiancee Jeanie Buss has resurfaced in NBA circles over recent weeks, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Jackson can reportedly opt out of his five-year deal with the Knicks after this season, Isola notes. Speculation emerged earlier this year that Jackson won’t finish out his contract, though he said in June that he wanted to stay around long enough to help the Knicks turn around their fortunes. While we wait to see what the Zen Master does, see more from around the Atlantic Division:

Raptors offseason signee Cory Joseph is planning to play a role for Toronto that’s similar in some ways to the one his former Spurs teammate Manu Ginobili has long embodied for San Antonio, as Sportsnet’s Donnovan Bennett details. “There was no big exchange when that first and second group switched off the court because of him,” Joseph said of Ginobili. “That’s what I want to do here. I want to bring energy with that second unit and uplift because that’s what we are going to need. Manu brought energy, but also a sense of calmness to the second group and managed time and score.”
Nets GM Billy King didn’t factor Andrea Bargnani‘s long history of injuries into his decision about whom to keep for the opening night roster, observes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter links). Bargnani is healthy for now, as is shooting guard Markel Brown, so King didn’t feel the need to keep power forward Justin Harper and swingman Dahntay Jones, whom the Nets waived, as Bontemps explains.
Fellow Nets power forward Willie Reed‘s partial guarantee of $500K increased to a fully guaranteed $947,276 when he stuck on the Nets roster for opening night, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (Twitter link) and as our leaguewide schedule of salary guarantee dates shows. Reed is about two weeks into a six-to-eight-week timetable for recovery from thumb surgery.

Atlantic Notes: Isiah, King, Sixers, Raptors

October 21st, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Knicks owner James Dolan doesn’t hide his affection for Isiah Thomas, but he can’t envision a scenario in which he ever hires him for the Knicks again, telling Bryant Gumbel of HBO’s Real Sports that he doesn’t think fans in New York would give him a fair chance, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News relays (Twitter link). Thomas, to whom Gumbel also spoke, ruled out coaching the Knicks again, but didn’t say he wouldn’t seek a front office position with the team, Bondy notes. See more from around the Atlantic Division:

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov complimented the job performance of GM Billy King in an interview with NetsDaily, but he wouldn’t address the matter of whether he’ll give King an extension. King is in the final year of his deal and conflicting reports emerged in May about whether he and the team were close to an extension.
Brett Brown has said the Sixers plan to keep only three point guards for opening night, but with top options Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall injured and T.J. McConnell closing in on a regular season spot, Brown suggests the team could keep more because of their ability to slide to shooting guard, observes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “You know you look at [Scottie] Wilbekin … and say he’s a two-guard,” Brown said. “He can shoot, and that’s true. I can look at Isaiah [Canaan] and say he’s not always a point guard. Let him go be, pick him, Lou Williams. He’s a barrel-chested scorer.”
The Raptors had mixed results with two point guards on the floor at the same time last season, but with Cory Joseph having replaced Williams and Greivis Vasquez, coach Dwane Casey is more optimistic about such lineups, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca examines. “The problem last year going small wasn’t Kyle [Lowry], it was the other small guys with him,” Casey said. “Now we have speed and quickness with Kyle, we have toughness with Kyle defensively so you don’t get burned as much defensively when you do go small.”

Lance Stephenson Trade Fallout/Reaction

June 16th, 2015 at 11:27am CST by Chuck Myron

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers made a gamble Monday, trading for Lance Stephenson, who was a profound disappointment this past season with the Hornets. Of course, Spencer Hawes, who went to Charlotte in the deal, didn’t exactly validate the contract he signed for the full mid-level exception last summer in his time with the Clippers. Perhaps the greatest sacrifice in the trade for the Clips was Matt Barnes, their starting small forward, though that carries a touch of irony, since it appears the Hornets will waive Barnes soon. Here’s more on Monday’s swap, already the second of the offseason after Thursday’s Bucks/Pistons move:

Rivers backed out of a proposed trade with the Hornets during the season that was similar to the deal that went down Monday, sources told Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Rivers and his staff called people around the league this past week to gauge their opinions on Stephenson, Markazi writes.
The 15% trade kicker in Hawes’ deal gives him an additional $1,698,926 that’s spread over the 2014/15 season as well as the next two for the Hornets, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders details (All four Twitter links). The $1,698,926 bonus is equivalent to 15% of his salary for 2015/16 and 2016/17, which is the remaining guaranteed salary on his contract, though because it’s still technically the 2014/15 season until June 30th, the bonus is spread over this season, too.
The Hornets wisely cut their losses with Stephenson, and the team’s desperation to rid itself of Stephenson was clear, opines Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer, who doesn’t have faith that the former Pacer will resurrect his career with the Clippers.
Some people at the ownership level in Brooklyn wanted to trade for Stephenson this past season, but GM Billy King never felt comfortable about bringing him on, tweets Robert Windrem of NetsDaily. The Nets and Hornets reportedly discussed Stephenson proposals multiple times.