Billy King Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Rumors: Kidd, King, Collins

November 20th, 2014 at 10:35am CST by Chuck Myron

Jason Kidd‘s controversial leap from the Nets to the Bucks this summer is a flashpoint for an issue that new union executive director Michele Roberts would like to resolve, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com details. The union has a rule that bars player agents from representing coaches or executives so that no agent is ever representing people on both sides of the negotiating table, but it’s rarely enforced, as Roberts and agents who spoke with Berger contend. Kidd said that his player agent, Jeff Schwartz, had a role in negotiations for him this summer, as Berger points out. Sources tell Berger that Schwartz kept the Kidd talks separate from discussions surrounding Schwartz clients Shaun Livingston and Paul Pierce, who also left the Nets this summer, but the conflict of interest nonetheless troubles Roberts and others.

“We can’t allow the status quo to remain, i.e. people to act in defiance of the rule because the rule is the rule,” Roberts said. “But I also want to try to do it in a way that makes sense for everyone. If it appears that the rule is not something that we can work around, then it’s time to enforce it.”

There’s more on the Nets and their former coach in the wake of Milwaukee’s three-overtime win Wednesday in Brooklyn:

Kidd cited rumors that the Nets thought about firing him during last season as reason for his distrust of the organization, but in reality the Nets were highly supportive of the first-year coach, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Mannix, writing in the same piece, hears from a Nets official who’s curious whether Kidd knew he would join the Bucks when the coach suggested during a meeting of Nets brass in June, while he was still working for Brooklyn, that the Nets trade Brook Lopez for Larry Sanders. In any case, Nets GM Billy King rejected the idea of such a swap.
Kidd insisted Wednesday that he never tried to convince the Nets to promote him above King, despite reports to the contrary this summer, but the Bucks coach added that he didn’t have much of a relationship with King last year, Newsday’s Roderick Boone observes.
Jason Collins admits that he knew this past summer that he wanted to retire but decided to wait to make an announcement until Wednesday’s meeting of Kidd’s Bucks and the Nets because of his respect for Kidd, a former teammate and coach, Boone notes.

Nets Rumors: Pierce, Hollins, Bogdanovic

July 7th, 2014 at 10:51am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets aren’t in the running for either LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony, but given their role in reported talks with the Cavs involving Jarrett Jack as Cleveland attempts to clear salary cap room for James, Brooklyn is still at the forefront of NBA conversation. Here’s the latest:

Paul Pierce remains high on the notion of re-signing with the Nets, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, adding that the 36-year-old would like to play at least two more seasons (Twitter link). Brooklyn has rebuffed the Clippers’ attempts to acquire Pierce via sign-and-trade.
New Nets coach Lionel Hollins was reportedly a strong candidate for the Lakers job before he wound up with Brooklyn, but in his introductory news conference today, he indicated that the Lakers didn’t push hard enough for him, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. “I’m all about who wants me,” Hollins said. “If they wanted me, they would have hired me.”
Hollins also made it clear he wouldn’t attempt to usurp the role of GM Billy King, as predecessor Jason Kidd apparently tried to do prior to Kidd’s exit, notes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter link).
Brooklyn’s discussions with draft-and-stash prospect Bojan Bogdanovic center around what would be a deal for the $3.278MM taxpayer’s midlevel exception, as Bontemps details.

Lowe’s Latest: Kidd, Blatche, Hammond, Profits

June 30th, 2014 at 1:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

Departing Nets coach Jason Kidd planned to eventually fire most if not all of the team’s front office as he sought control of the club’s basketball operations, several league sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe. The Grantland scribe has plenty more revelations on Kidd’s shocking change of address as well as insight on revenue and profitability for several NBA franchises. We’ll hit the highlights here:

Kidd suggested to Nets ownership at midseason that they replace GM Billy King, though he didn’t pitch himself for the job at that point, Lowe writes. The Bucks sought permission to talk to Kidd earlier this month, and when the Nets hesitated to respond, Kidd made his push to assume control of Nets front office.
The Nets publicly termed Andray Blatche‘s midseason absence a product of “personal reasons,” but it was instead because Kidd had essentially suspended him out of concerns over the big man’s conditioning and preparation, according to Lowe. Kidd’s move impressed Nets brass, Lowe adds.
The jobs of Bucks GM John Hammond and assistant GM David Morway are safe for the time being, Lowe hears, adding that those two nonetheless had no knowledge of ownership’s negotiations with Kidd.
The Nets are projected to have lost a league-high $144MM this year, Lowe reports. The Wizards are next on that list, projected to have lost just $13MM.
The Bucks are set to make about $18MM from the league’s revenue sharing program and $3MM from luxury tax payouts, making up for the $6.5MM the team is projected to have lost this year.
The Hornets are projected to have lost almost $34MM while taking in only about $22MM in revenue sharing income. The Pistons are set to tally $26MM in losses and recoup only $10.6MM.
The Lakers lead the league with a $100.1MM projected profit, followed by the Bulls at $61MM, Rockets at $40.7MM, Celtics at $33.1MM and Thunder at nearly $29MM. The Spurs, Jazz and Nuggets also are in line to profit.
The high-revenue Knicks are expected to have lost $3.5MM.

Jason Kidd Denied Promotion, Bucks Interested

June 28th, 2014 at 10:18pm CST by Cray Allred

10:18pm: The Bucks have already begun discussing potential compensation to spring Kidd from the three remaining years on his contract with the Nets, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. One source believes the outcome will be known by Monday (Twitter links).

10:00pm: Bucks officials are under the belief that Kidd is seeking the role of president, which would give him the option of installing himself as coach, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

9:30pm: A source tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that Kidd isn’t looking to coach the Bucks, but is rather pursuing a role as president of basketball operations (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is told that Kidd is indeed seeking to both coach and lead the front office in a role where he is “running everything.” (Twitter link)

9:00pm: A source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com it would be difficult to imagine Kidd remaining with the Nets, regardless of how his talks with the Bucks go (Twitter link).

8:52pm: While it remains unclear what exact role Kidd is seeking in Milwaukee, Sam Amick of USA Today reports that the Bucks front office was unaware of the talks (via Twitter). Sources confirm to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com that coach Larry Drew and the Bucks front office were unaware that Kidd would be interviewing for their positions (Twitter link). Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times tweets that Bucks owner Marc Lasry is friends with both Kidd and Kidd’s agent.

8:18pm: Jason Kidd demanded to be placed in charge of Nets basketball operations in addition to his coaching duties, and Brooklyn did not grant his request, a league source tells Tim Bontemps of The New York Post. Nets ownership has given permission for Kidd to seek other opportunities, including with the Bucks, who have interest in hiring him, per Bontemps. It is not clear from the report if Milwaukee is interested in Kidd as merely a coach or in an expanded role like he was seeking in Brooklyn.

Reportedly, Kidd did not ask for GM Billy King to be fired, but did want to be placed in authority above King. The news is surprising considering Kidd’s inexperience as both a coach and executive. There are only a handful of people in the league with the kind of consolidated power Kidd was seeking, and they all possess much longer track records of success than the first-year coach has under his belt.

This isn’t the first turbulence Kidd has experienced since going straight from playing to coaching. The expensive Nets roster performed poorly out of the gate, and Kidd’s job was reportedly at risk as he adjusted to his new profession. Assistant coach Lawrence Frank was demoted in an ugly mid-season period, although there are conflicting reports as to whether Kidd or the Nets made the call. After the embarrassing start, Kidd managed to turn around the team’s performance, ultimately finishing 44-38 and advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

Coaching Rumors: Jazz, D’Antoni, Boylen

April 24th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Executives, coaches and other league insiders struggle to come up with names of intriguing coaching candidates after last year’s record volume of new hires, but Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com was able to pry the identities of a few well-regarded potential hires. Some of them have been in rumors in recent weeks, but University of Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, Bulls assistant Ed Pinckney, and Blazers assistant David Vanterpool are the names we haven’t heard. Potential head coaches with ties to the Spurs were already popular, and they’ve grown even more so this year, Arnovitz hears. Here’s more from the coaching rumor mill:

The Jazz plan to interview more than 20 candidates fitting virtually every description, team president Randy Rigby said Wednesday on The Zone Sports Network radio, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Though a few candidates have reportedly emerged, Rigby insists the club hasn’t identified any potential targets. He also said the decision will be a group effort and won’t lie solely with GM Dennis Lindsey.
Mike D’Antoni won’t be coaching Marshall University next season, but his brother Dan D’Antoni will be, the school announced. Dan D’Antoni is leaving his job as a Lakers assistant coach to take the new gig.
The Pacers weren’t pleased when former assistant coach and current Jazz head coaching candidate Jim Boylen left last year to become a Spurs assistant, tweets Scott Agness of Pacers.com. “He did us dirty,” one Pacers player told Agness.
Knicks president Phil Jackson said Wednesday that his coaching search could extend into July, but he adds that it’s not because he’s waiting around to see which, if any, coaches working in the playoffs become available, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
Nets GM Billy King said on NBA TV that he, and not coach Jason Kidd, made the decision to reassign assistant coach Lawrence Frank earlier this season, fellow ESPNNewYork.com scribe Mike Mazzeo observes.

Atlantic Notes: Young, Woodson, Nets

April 18th, 2014 at 7:56pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thaddeus Young is confident that the Sixers would meet any demands he makes on the organization, as he told reporters, including Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. Young indicated that he might use the possibility of declining or exercising his player option for 2015/16 as leverage, and he also raised the possibility that he’ll ask for a trade, as we noted last night.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Anthony, Young, Raptors

April 15th, 2014 at 6:23pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The general consensus among several NBA executives is that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh will presumably re-sign with the Heat, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. As for Carmelo Anthony, most executives reportedly believe that the seven-time All-Star will re-up with the Knicks (Twitter links).

Unfortunately, the Knicks reported today that an MRI revealed a small tear in Anthony’s right labrum; however, no surgery is needed and he’ll be re-evaluated in a month (Twitter links via the official Knicks PR account). Depending on how one looks at it, it may be considered a blessing that the star forward will not risk aggravating the injury by trying to play through pain had New York made the playoffs this year. Al Iannazzone of Newsday (via Twitter) notes that Anthony decided to continue playing on a torn labrum in his left shoulder at the end of last season.

Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Thaddeus Young isn’t sure if his time with the 76ers is running out, but the veteran forward tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that he’ll remain with the team as long as they want him and he’s under contract. Young is still on the books for 2014/15; however, the Sixers could look to deal him this summer if they feel that he’ll eventually choose to turn down his $9.8MM player option for 2015/16, adds Pompey.
Soon-to-be restricted free agents Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez are “immensely open” to re-signing with the Raptors on long-term deals this summer, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Charania also hears from DeMar DeRozan, who says he never thought about trying to push for an early escape from his four-year extension when the team was struggling early this season.
Nets GM Billy King is exploring all of the team’s options in the NBDL right now, relays Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (via Twitter). King added that an announcement will be made as soon as a decision is reached.
Toney Douglas considers himself to be in a more advantageous position heading into free agency this summer after making the most of his chance to revive his career with the Heat this season, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Rumors: Nets, Celtics, J.R. Smith

January 16th, 2014 at 3:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mikhail Prokhorov, in London for today’s Nets-Hawks game, said that he was never close to making changes when the Nets were playing their worst this season, and the owner also expressed confidence in GM Billy King and coach Jason Kidd. Prokhorov added that he has no intention of selling the team anytime soon. Newsday’s Roderick Boone and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News round up his comments via Twitter, and there’s more from Nets ownership suite among the day’s news from the Atlantic Division:

Gerald Wallace is upset with his role on the Celtics, and also feels the Nets “disrespected” him by trading him to a rebuilding club, observes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. “This season is a slap in the face, having to change my game and fine-tune it,” Wallace said. “First of all, it has to come mentally. You accept your situation, but there’s two sides to your brain. One side is fighting the other side because of the predicament you’re in. You feel you can still perform at the level you always have, but at the same time, you’re doubting yourself.”
One of Prokhorov’s advisers seems to have overtaken the role of another, with Sergei Kushchenko now exerting more influence on the Nets than Dmitry Razumov has, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post explains.
There was no chance the Celtics were going to keep soon-to-be restricted free agent Jordan Crawford beyond the season, writes Herald scribe Steve Bulpett, who sees Wednesday’s trade of Crawford and MarShon Brooks as a move made with only the future in mind.
An Eastern Conference personnel man tells Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News that if Knicks GM Steve Mills finds a taker for J.R. Smith, “he’ll be pulling a fast one” on whatever team ends up with the swingman.
Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if Mike Woodson‘s public support for Smith has to do with their mutual ties to the Creative Artists Agency. The Knicks would be better off waiving Smith this summer and using the stretch provision to spread out his remaining cap hits, O’Connor believes.

Nets’ Patience With Jason Kidd Running Low?

December 27th, 2013 at 6:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Patience is running low within the Nets organization on the belief that Jason Kidd can deliver the structure and organization the team needs, writes Adrian Wojnarowski in his latest piece for Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, Kidd has “increasingly isolated himself within the locker room and organization” and hasn’t exhibited the ability to handle crises and keep his players’ respect.

While it doesn’t appear Kidd’s job is in imminent danger, he won’t survive until the All-Star break if he doesn’t restore order to the Nets, according to Wojnarowski, who says that players have told Kidd they don’t understand their roles on the team. The Yahoo! scribe also suggests that the removal of Lawrence Frank from his role as Kidd’s top assistant was the result of the first-time head coach wanting to surround himself with “yes men.” The club’s other assistant coaches pleaded with Kidd not to demote Frank, writes Wojnarowski.

The Nets are heavily invested in Kidd, and would certainly rather see him turn things around than have to consider replacing him, but the club is off to a 9-19 start, and the 40-year-old seems to be losing the locker room, according to Wojnarowski.

In a series of tweets, Grantland’s Bill Simmons says players like Deron Williams, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett should shoulder some of the blame for the Nets’ struggles (Twitter links). However, he adds that he keeps hearing that Kidd isn’t working hard, which is a sticking point for the Nets’ veteran players (link). Simmons also says Pierce could soon ask for a trade or buyout, and that Brooklyn would likely replace GM Billy King before firing Kidd (Twitter links). It’s not clear whether all that info is coming directly from sources, but if Simmons is simply speculating, we can assume it’s at least informed speculation.

King: Nets Won’t Break Up Roster At This Point

December 26th, 2013 at 11:42pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Nets GM Billy King was asked on Tuesday if he would consider blowing up Brooklyn’s expensive roster amidst the team’s struggles and Brook Lopez‘s season-ending injury: “Not at this point…We’re not there.”

Despite King’s comments, Bondy thinks the team could still reach that point by the February trade deadline, regardless of whether or not King and/or Jason Kidd will still be around by then. There’s also the matter of Mikhail Prokhorov having the final say, and it’s worth noting from the above piece that the Nets’ billionaire owner has remained silent since sending an e-mail to the New York Times earlier this month in which he advocated patience.

Brooklyn hasn’t kept out of the spotlight this season as far as trade rumors are concerned, especially with reports about being in the running for Kyle Lowry not too long ago. Although those talks with Toronto didn’t seem to include anything other than young players, draft rights, and draft picks, the recent Nets’ discussions with the Rockets about a potential (but now defunct) trade involving Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik for Deron Williams suggests that Brooklyn has already considered being a big time seller.

The combined contracts of Williams and Joe Johnson alone account for roughly 68% of the team’s salary cap for the 2013/14 season, and considering that both are under contract with the Nets simultaneously through 2016 (as well as progressive increases in their annual salaries respectively until then), it’d arguably be in the team’s best interests to see what the market can offer this year if things don’t turn around soon.