Brett Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Odom, Brown, Mudiay, Mavs

August 24th, 2013 at 10:50pm CST by Spencer Lund

A number of outlets have relayed the TMZ report last night that 33-year-old free agent forward Lamar Odom has been battling a "hardcore" drug addiction for the past two years. Odom hasn't failed an NBA-mandated drug test since 2001, but the report claims he entered a drug treatment facility in San Diego last summer and was clean during the 2012/13 season with the Clippers before beginning to use again this summer.

Odom averaged a career low 4.0 PPG and 1.7 APG in 19.7 MPG while appearing in all 82 games with the Clippers last season. Here's what else is happening around the league during a quiet, late-August Saturday night:

Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer spent the day with new Sixers coach Brett Brown's family in Portland, Maine.
Adam Zongoria of Zagsblog.com describes how SMU coach Larry Brown landed the top class of 2014 high school point guard, Emmanuel Mudiay, who announced his decision at halftime of Brooklyn's Elite 24 game tonight. Zongoria opines that Mudiay will be a one-and-done player and a likely lottery pick in the 2015 draft.
The Trail Blazers made a lot of moves to improve their league-worst bench from last season. One of those additions, Dorell Wright, is profiled by the Oregonian's John Canzano.
HoopsWorld's senior NBA writer Bill Ingram tweets that the rumors Dwight Howard issued an ultimatum that Mike D'Antoni be fired and Kobe Bryant amnestied in order to re-sign with the Lakers "seem silly" since Howard chose the Rockets early on. Ingram also wonders, via Twitter, what it says about Howard (assuming the reports are accurate) for him to think he has anything on Bryant.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban answered questions on the new "Fox Sports Live" program last night, as transcribed by The Dallas Morning News. He discusses flip-flopping on wanting Dwight Howard in free agency this summer, whether the Mavs are rebuilding this coming year, and the health of 35-year-old franchise star Dirk Nowitzki.
The Mavs are also one of the eight teams wearing the new GPS tracking devices, reports The Dallas Morning News.
ESPNNewYork.com's Jared Zwerling tweets that former St. John's star Justin Burrell, who has played overseas since graduating in 2011, will play for Italy's Montepaschi Siena this coming season.

Evan Turner On His Future With The Sixers

August 17th, 2013 at 5:57pm CST by Spencer Lund

Former No. 2 overall pick Evan Turner is among those eligible for a rookie-scale extension this summer, but he understands that in GM Sam Hinkie's rebuilding project, the Sixers could trade him before he has a chance to re-up with the team. "All I can worry about is being better," Turner said to Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com.

Hinkie made a splash right after accepting the Sixers' GM position when he sent All-Star Jrue Holiday to the Pelicans on draft night in exchange for the pick that turned into Nerlens Noel and a 2014 top-3 protected first round selection. But now the Sixers are supposedly in tank mode in preparation for that exciting 2014 NBA Draft, and Hinkie may have positioned them for two lottery selections, depending on how they finish this season.

It stands to reason that Turner could be cast out before he's given a rookie-scale extension, so the former Ohio State University Buckeye has a cloudy future in Philadelphia. Despite those trade rumors, which have surrounded Turner during Philadelphia's first rebuilding steps this offseason, he's looking forward to working in new coach Brett Brown's uptempo offense.

Here's what Turner told Moore during their Q & A.

On keeping perspective with the rebuild:

"I just don’t want to let these type of situations deter the fun I have with the game. Everything that’s been going on this summer has been about chess moves and money and all that. At the end of the day, it’s about playing basketball."

On his discussions with recently hired head coach Brett Brown around tanking:

“I told him, ‘Everybody wants to be in tank mode and thinks we’re going to lose. I intend on trying to win as much as possible because losing’s too easy,’ ” Turner declared. “He said, ‘Well, they got the wrong coach if we’re going to go out and lose on purpose. We want to compete and get better.’ ”

On increased effectiveness now that former coach Doug Collins is gone:

“I think each year I’ve been taking jumps,” he proclaimed. “I don’t want to sit here and say if I’m successful it’s because of Doug [leaving]. I want to think it’s maturing and growing.”

On new coach Brett Brown's uptempo offense:

“(Brown) said he wants to get us in the best fitness shape of our life,” revealed Turner before saying he enjoys that Brown had a winning track record in San Antonio. “He feels like my skills will flourish in that situation.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Garnett, Nets, Sixers, Forbes

August 16th, 2013 at 2:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's the latest out of the Atlantic Division..

Nets head coach Jason Kidd says prized offseason acquisition Kevin Garnett probably won't play in any back-to-backs this season, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Kidd added that he's already talked that plan over with the 37-year-old superstar (link).
New 76ers head coach Brett Brown has decided to let assistants Michael Curry, Aaron McKie, and Jeff Capel go, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I'm doing that for obvious reasons," said Brown. "I want to hire my own staff and have a clean start going in that direction. … I feel like it's important that I come in with my own staff and start fresh and try to rebuild." Curry was a candidate for the head coaching job after Collins resigned on April 18th.
Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal wonders if Gary Forbes could be this summer's Ronnie Brewer for the Knicks. New York will audition the 28-year-old veteran early next week.

Eastern Notes: Wade, George, 76ers

August 15th, 2013 at 10:05pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Heat superstar Dwyane Wade, like teammate LeBron James, can potentially opt out next summer and become a free agent, but told reporters on Thursday that there really isn't much to make of it right now and made it clear about where he stood: "Everyone knows where I want to be…That's what it's all about to me, is making sure we focus on this season, winning this championship…I want to be in Miami and I have nothing else to talk about. So there won't be (any) exciting news over here" (Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel). Wade also touches upon his health and is excited about the addition of center Greg Oden. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Pacers' swingman Paul George is ready to lead Indiana as the team's "No. 1 guy" (Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star).
Despite the thought that the 76ers could trade Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner, or Spencer Hawes if the right deal presents itself, newly hired head coach Brett Brown raved about what each of them can bring to the court for him (Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).
Knicks head coach Mike Woodson specifically mentioned Raymond Felton, Tyson Chandler, and Carmelo Anthony when asked about his starting five for next season, but was non-committal when asked if third-year guard Iman Shumpert would be included in that group at shooting guard, notes ESPN New York's Ian Begley. With that being said, Begley suggests that Woodson may look to continue starting Pablo Prigioni alongside Felton while sliding Shumpert to small forward and offers more thoughts on the rest of the team's rotation.
ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg rounds up a few predictions from the Celtics blogging community on how the 2013-14 season will play out, and the majority appears to imagine a finish anywhere in or between the ninth and twelfth seeds in the Eastern Conference.
John Schuhmann of NBA.com thinks the Wizards are primed for a playoff run this year.

Sixers Notes: Brown, Hinkie, Ownership

August 14th, 2013 at 10:15pm CST by Alex Lee

After the longest head coaching search in recent memory, the Sixers finally introduced Brett Brown as their guy today at a press conference at the Wells Fargo Center. Here are some reactions to what Brown and general manager Sam Hinkie had to say, as well as some other Sixers news:

Brown and Hinkie have a huge mountain to climb to bring the Sixers back to respectability, but because of the commitment the team made to Brown, it is appears that they are in for the long haul together, writes Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer. With the Sixers roster in the shape its in, Brown prioritized the guarantee of four-year pact.
In the short term, both Brown and Hinkie, as well as Sixers fans, will have to exhibit a level of tolerance and patience, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Brown, of course, came from San Antonio where the Spurs haven't had a losing season since 1996/97, which led to them landing Tim Duncan.
While Brown's introductory press conference was a long one, Max Rappaport of Sixers.com was able to sit down with the former Spurs assistant afterwards for a one-on-one interview. The team's website also has the press conference in its entirety in three different pieces.
Team owner Joshua Harris is in negotations to buy the NHL's New Jersey Devils, which has some paranoid Sixers fans expressing concern that the New York City-based Harris could attempt to move the team north to Newark's Prudential Center, which no longer houses an NBA team with the Nets in Brooklyn. Hinkie alleviated some of those concerns today after the Brown presser, telling Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com, "Josh Harris is more committed than ever to owning the Sixers and the fans of Philadelphia and keeping the Sixers here forever."
Brown's job this year is to see what he has, Moore writes, adding that next summer will go a long way to deciding the fate of the Sixers under Brown. With significant cap space and two potential lottery picks in a loaded draft, Philly could quickly become an appealing destination for free agents.

Sixers Hire Brett Brown As Head Coach

August 14th, 2013 at 2:34pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 2:34pm: The Sixers introduced Brown at a press conference this afternoon, and have officially sent out a press release announcing that the former Spurs assistant is Philadelphia's new head coach. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer has a few details and quotes from today's presser.

MONDAY, 9:21am: The NBA's longest head coaching search of the year has finally come to an end, nearly four months after the team parted ways with Doug Collins. The Sixers have reached an agreement with Spurs assistant Brett Brown that will make him Philadelphia's new head coach, reports Ian Thomsen of SI.com. According to Thomsen (via Twitter), the two sides agreed on a four-year deal that will be fully guaranteed.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported last week that the 76ers had offered their head coaching job to Brown, but it wasn't immediately clear whether or not he'd accept. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, people close to Brown were advising him to pass on the position, since the Sixers are in full-fledged rebuilding mode and don't figure to contend for the next couple seasons. With a guaranteed four-year deal in hand though, Brown has some long-term security, and shouldn't be in danger of being replaced before he sees the rebuilding process through.

Brown was one of about 10 different candidates linked to the Sixers' coaching opening since Collins left in April. As Alex Lee of Hoops Rumors wrote last week in his primer on the team's coaching search, Brown has long been considered one of the frontrunners for the position, with a report back on draft night indicating that he was Philadelphia's choice.

The Spurs have now lost two assistant coaches to the head coaching ranks this summer. After Mike Budenholzer was hired by the Hawks, Brown was positioned to be Gregg Popovich's lead assistant if he had returned to San Antonio.

Odds & Ends: Cavs, Teague, Sixers

August 13th, 2013 at 9:03pm CST by Michael Pina

A few random notes from around the league.

The Cavaliers are showing interest in former Georgetown forward Henry Sims, and could possibly invite him to their training camp, according to a tweet from the Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer.
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Bob Ford writes that new Sixers head coach Brett Brown will bring a different tactical method to the organization, one that was successful in Brown's old position as assistant coach of the Spurs.
Bulls backup point guard Marquis Teague spent the offseason adding new dimensions to his game, and also talks about how Derrick Rose continuously helps him prepare for opponents, writes Bulls.com writer Adam Fluck.

Atlantic Rumors: Sixers, Brown, Pierce, Knicks

August 11th, 2013 at 10:28am CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers and Brett Brown are negotiating the terms of a deal that would end the team's nearly four-month search for a coach, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. That jibes with what Marc Stein tweeted Friday, when the ESPN.com scribe wondered if the Sixers would make their offer tempting enough to pry Brown away from his assistant coaching position with the Spurs. Here's more from Philly and the rest of the Atlantic Division:

Hinkie has been plain about his intentions, so no one should be shocked that the Sixers have waited so long to hire a coach, Pompey argues.
Paul Pierce tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he sensed he was headed out of Boston months prior to the trade that brought him to the Nets, so much so that he told his wife to start packing up their stuff even before this past regular season ended. Pierce still isn't certain of what lies ahead. "Who knows what’s going to happen after this year?" Pierce said to Washburn. "I don’t know what the future is going to bring. I don’t know if I’m going to be back with the Nets. I don’t know if I’m going to retire, you never know what’s going to happen. I feel like I have more in the tank but you never know with injuries, how your body feels. Sometimes those things tell you a lot quicker. Right now, I’ve been feeling good. My legs, my body feels strong."
Washburn had more from Pierce, who sympathizes with Celtics president of basketball ops Danny Ainge. "We were pretty much stuck on a treadmill as far as where we were and people don’t see the financial part of it," Pierce said. "That kind of straps a team from getting better. We were kind of in that position. How do we get better without spending money? So you have to determine if we want to stay right where we are, which is [a] four through eight seed? Or do we want to rebuild and hopefully get a player that can take us to that next level . . . This was pretty much almost inevitable."
David Lee takes a trip down memory lane with Marc Berman of the New York Post to ponder what might have been if Knicks brass had stuck with Lee and others from a fast-starting team five years ago.

No Timetable For Sixers, Brett Brown

August 10th, 2013 at 3:55pm CST by Zachary Links

3:55pm: Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears talk indicating that the Spurs are bracing for Brown to take the Sixers job sooner or later (Twitter link).

9:04am: The Sixers coaching search is now at 110 days and ticking, and even though there is a very clear frontrunner for the position, it's still impossible to say when a hire could be made. Spurs assistant Brett Brown has been offered the job, but there is no time frame for the team to expect an answer, a source tells Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Even if Brown decides to take the position today, there likely won't be an announcement until Monday, though it would make sense for them to wait until the first business day of the week to make everything public. Meanwhile, people close to Brown are urging him to say no to GM Sam Hinkie & Co. since the 76ers project to be one of the worst teams in the NBA this season. Waiting for another head coaching job could be a risky proposition, but Spurs assistants are highly coveted throughout the league and it's likely that he would be among the top available coaching candidates again next summer.

Sixers Offer Coaching Job To Brett Brown

August 9th, 2013 at 5:22pm CST by Luke Adams

5:22pm: People close to Brown are urging him not to take the Sixers job, considering how inept the team team figures to be this season, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Turning down the gig would be a risk, but as Stein points out, coaches from the Gregg Popovich tree are in vogue around the league (Twitter links). If Philly doesn't come up with enough money to woo Brown, Curry is their fallback option, Stein adds, via Twitter, indicating that Curry could be something of a lame duck if he winds up with the job.

2:45pm: The 76ers have offered their head coaching job to Spurs assistant Brett Brown, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Nothing is official yet, but the two sides are discussing a contract, according to Wojnarowski.

Brown was one of about 10 different candidates linked to the Sixers' coaching opening since the team parted ways with Doug Collins in April. As Alex Lee of Hoops Rumors indicated last night in his primer on the team's coaching search, Brown has long been considered one of the frontrunners for the position, with a rumor surfacing back on draft night that he was Philadelphia's choice.

If Brown accepts the job, he'll be taking over a Sixers team that looks headed for a top-five pick in 2014, and still needs to add more salary to reach the minimum payroll threshold. Sixers assistant Michael Curry, Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, and Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool were among the other candidates believed to still be in the running for the vacancy.