Bryan Colangelo Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Nets’ GM Search, International Players

February 13th, 2016 at 10:38pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The team could hire their next GM in the coming days, but no specific deadline is in place, according to Alex Raskin of The Wall Street Journal.

The general consensus around the league is that the job is Bryan Colangelo’s to lose. Other candidates include Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas, Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, former Cavs and Hawks GM Danny Ferry and Spurs assistant GM Sean Marks. Raskin notes that all the candidates have a background in international basketball, something that will be important for the Nets. Brooklyn doesn’t control its own draft pick until 2019, so acquiring talent through atypical means will be key to putting together a successful roster, Raskin opines.

Here’s more from around the league:

Owner Mikhail Prokhorov expects to be personally involved with the interviewing process while in Brooklyn on Wednesday when the Nets officially open their new training center, Raskin reports in the same piece.
The Spurs were able to trade Tiago Splitter to the Hawks last offseason in part because they had targeted Boban Marjanovic as his replacement, Raskin adds in the same piece. Marjanovic, who went undrafted in 2010, signed a one-year, $1.2MM deal with San Antonio in July.
The Nuggets‘ second round gamble on Nikola Jokic during the 2014 draft is paying tremendous dividends, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post contends in a piece that examines the Serbian’s journey to the NBA.

Latest On Nets GM Search, Lopez, Young

February 13th, 2016 at 12:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SATURDAY, 12:15pm: Prokhorov has a reputation of courting “secret” candidates and the owner is known to be a big fan of Spurs GM R.C. Buford, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays in a series of tweets. While it is highly unlikely the Russian would be able to pry Buford away from San Antonio, it explains the franchise’s interest in Marks, Stein adds. Prokhorov’s admiration of the Spurs organization is also a reason that San Antonio assistant Ettore Messina is a potential head coaching candidate for Brooklyn, Stein also notes.

FRIDAY, 4:17pm: An air of intrigue surrounds the Nets GM search, but the general consensus around the league is that Bryan Colangelo will land the job, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report relays in an extended series of tweets. The Nets intend to have a new GM in place by the February 18th trade deadline and are in the process of conducting interviews this week. The team is still conducting interviews and there doesn’t appear to be a sense of urgency to make a decision despite the self-imposed deadline, Beck notes. The last time Nets team owner Mikhail Prokhorov conducted a GM search, he had a private “A” list, something that league executives believe is the case once again, Beck relays.

Despite the general belief that the job is Colangelo’s to lose, Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas is still considered a strong candidate for the vacant spot, Beck notes. Karnisovas is well-regarded around the league and speaks Russian, which could be a selling point with Prokhorov, who is Russian, Beck adds. The presence of two strong candidates could lead to Brooklyn going with some combination of the two in its front office, the Bleacher Report scribe relays. Karnisovas is said to earn a six-figure salary in Denver, a number that Prokhorov would likely have no qualms about exceeding based on his past track record, Nets Daily tweets. The Nets have also reportedly targeted former Cavaliers GM Chris Grant, current Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard, Spurs assistant GM Sean Marks, former Cavs and Hawks GM Danny Ferry, Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas and Nets assistant GM Frank Zanin. Brooklyn has interviewed Zanin for the GM post, sources tell Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), even though he’s already been running the front office on an interim basis since the team removed former GM Billy King from the job last month.

With the trade deadline less than a week away, Prokhorov is not 100% committed to retaining center Brook Lopez and combo forward Thaddeus Young, Beck also relays (Twitter links). The owner had indicated previously that he wants to keep Young and Lopez, believing the team can surround them with free agents in the summer and quickly return to contention, according to an earlier report by Beck. Nets CEO Brett Yormark recently mentioned Lopez and Young as among the team’s building blocks. Lopez scored a three-year deal for the max this past summer in spite of the multiple foot injuries he suffered in his first seven NBA seasons. Young, a ninth-year veteran, re-signed with the Nets this past summer on a four-year, $50MM deal.

And-Ones: Jackson, Walton, Westbrook, Colangelo

February 9th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Chuck Myron

A “strong belief” persists that Knicks team president Phil Jackson will wind up back with the Lakers organization with fiancee Jeanie Buss, and it’s a safe bet that the Zen Master’s tenure in New York won’t outlast whomever he picks as the team’s next coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. That leads Wojnarowski to wonder why Knicks coaching candidate Luke Walton would head to New York this summer. Walton, like Tom Thibodeau, looms as a candidate for the Lakers job, Wojnarowski writes, with Byron Scott not assured of lasting past the season, so Walton could eventually reunite with Jackson, his former coach, in L.A. Regardless, Jackson’s stubborn refusal to look outside his own sphere of influence for coaches and other employees isn’t in the best interests of the Knicks, Wojnarowski contends. See more from New York amid the latest from around the league:

Kristaps Porzingis and the allure of New York have Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook‘s attention as he thinks ahead to his free agency in 2017, Wojnarowski notes in the same piece.
Former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo is the early favorite to land the Nets GM job, sources tell NetsDaily, which confirms that Colangelo is among several candidates interviewing with the team this week.
The Suns signed Jordan McRae to a second 10-day contract Monday, but it’s effectively a 12-day contract. That’s because all 10-day pacts are required to encompass at least three games, and Phoenix’s loss to the Thunder on Monday was one of only two games the team had left before the All-Star break when it re-signed McRae. The Suns open the second half of the season against the Rockets on March 19th, which will be the 12th day of McRae’s contract. He’ll make $37,065 instead of the standard $30,888 he’d see on a conventional 10-day deal.
The Hawks assigned Edy Tavares to the Spurs affiliate in the D-League on Monday, Atlanta announced. It’s the 10th time this season that the Hawks, who are without a D-League team of their own, have used San Antonio’s affiliate. Tavares will likely spend two games with the Austin Spurs on his latest stint, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Latest On Nets GM Search

February 6th, 2016 at 4:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Nets will begin formally interviewing candidates for their vacant GM position on Monday, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com reports. Nets team owner Mikhail Prokhorov will attend the sessions along with chairman of the Nets board of directors Dmitry Razumov, Prokhorov’s Russian confidant Sergey Kushchenko, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment Brett Yormark and president of ONEXIM Sports & Entertainment Irina Pavlova, Mazzeo notes. The interview process is expected to take a few days, according to the ESPN scribe.

The search committee’s interview candidates are expected to include Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas, Rockets executive vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, Nets assistant GM Frank Zanin and former Hawks GM Danny Ferry, Mazzeo writes. The inclusion of Ferry in this group runs counter to a report filed by Brian Lewis of the New York Post which relayed that Ferry was no longer a viable candidate for the vacant post. Mazzeo also implies that Bryan Colangelo, who’s reportedly been under strong consideration, will receive an interview, too, though he doesn’t say so directly.

Not among the names listed in Mazzeo’s report is Wizards senior VP of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard, whom Brooklyn reportedly asked the Wizards for permission to interview. Washington had denied a June 2014 request from the Grizzlies to interview Sheppard, as Chris Vernon of 92.9 FM ESPN in Memphis reported at the time, so there’s no guarantee that the Nets were given the green light to speak with him regarding the position. The Nets have received permission to speak with Karnisovas and Rosas from their respective organizations.

The Nets reportedly want to hire a GM before the trade deadline, which is less two weeks away. All signs point to the organization hiring someone by that target date, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post relays in a series of tweets. Bontemps also notes that Brooklyn is expected to hire someone with previous GM experience, though there are some candidates who don’t fit that prerequisite who are also being considered. Assistant GM Frank Zanin has been running the front office since the team removed Billy King from the GM job nearly a month ago.

Nets Interested In Tommy Sheppard For GM Job

February 4th, 2016 at 7:58am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets have requested permission to interview Wizards senior VP of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard for their GM vacancy, a source said to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. He joins Bryan Colangelo, Arturas Karnisovas and Gersson Rosas as contenders for the position, Lewis notes, having reported earlier this week that Danny Ferry was no longer a viable candidate. John Calipari is a long shot candidate, but remains a possibility because of his strong support from CEO Brett Yormark, according to Lewis.

Brooklyn already reportedly received permission to speak with Karnisovas and Rosas. Washington denied a June 2014 request from the Grizzlies to interview Sheppard, as Chris Vernon of 92.9 FM ESPN in Memphis reported at the time, so it’s no lock that the Nets will have the chance to pursue him. Sheppard has been with the Wizards for 12 years and assumed his current position under GM Ernie Grunfeld shortly before the 2013/14 season.

The Nets reportedly want to hire a GM before the trade deadline, which is two weeks from today. Assistant GM Frank Zanin has been running the front office since the team removed Billy King from the GM job nearly a month ago.

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Sullinger, DeRozan, Colangelo

January 19th, 2016 at 12:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets don’t have enough dissenters within the organization to offset the prevailing opinion, leading the team to make too many ill-advised decisions, as NetsDaily argues. The team hired few people in recent years without some sort of connection to former GM Billy King, and the recent consolidation of ownership that gave Mikhail Prokhorov 100% of the team doesn’t help, NetsDaily adds. Those at the top of the chain of command for the Nets were generally the ones most convinced within the organization that the team would be competitive this season, NetsDaily tweets. Brooklyn is 11-31, which is the league’s third-worst record. See more from the Atlantic Division:

Jared Sullinger triggered the starter criteria on Monday to increase the value of his qualifying offer from $3,270,004 to $4,433,683, as Bobby Marks of “The Vertical” on Yahoo Sports points out (Twitter link). Monday’s start for Sullinger was his 82nd over the past two seasons, meaning he’ll average at least 41 over that span, enough to bring the starter criteria into play. The Celtics now have to tender that higher qualifying offer to retain the right to match competing bids for him in free agency this summer.
DeMar DeRozan is a fan of former Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo, to whom the Nets are apparently giving strong consideration as they search for their next GM, notes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. DeRozan has made it clear he prefers to stay with the Raptors, though the Nets had reportedly been expected to make him one of their primary offseason targets, at least before they removed King from the GM role. “[Colangelo] gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, you know? And I credit a lot of my success to him,” DeRozan said Monday, as Lewis relays. “[He’s] one of those stand-up honest guys. [He’ll] work extremely hard, and wants the best for whatever organization and players that he’s working for.’’
Kristaps Porzingis has the potential to become the sort of player whom marquee free agents want to play with, and that changes the timeline for the Knicks to return to contention, argues Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders. Instead of going for broke this summer to find someone to pair with an aging Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks can afford to wait until 2017, when a much better free agent crop of point guards will be on the market, as Beer details.

Nets Strongly Considering Bryan Colangelo For GM

January 13th, 2016 at 10:08am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets have quickly begun to give former Suns and Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo serious consideration to fill their vacant GM job, report Marc Stein and Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. His emergence as a legitimate candidate isn’t a shock, as NetsDaily anticipated that he’d be in the mix (Twitter link). Colangelo’s name has come up often in regard to front office openings since the end of his Raptors tenure in 2013, most recently with the Sixers, who last month hired his father, Jerry, as chairman of basketball operations. Assistant GM Frank Zanin is running the Nets front office while the team conducts its search.

John Calipari is also connected to the Nets as a possibility for both the coaching and GM jobs, but owner Mikhail Prokhorov has indicated a desire to separate those positions between two people. Nets CEO Brett Yormark continues to make it clear he’s enamored with the University of Kentucky coach, but it’s uncertain whether anyone else among the Brooklyn higher-ups wants to pursue Calipari, Stein and Mazzeo write. Nets chairman Dmitry Razumov and Irina Pavlova, president of Prokhorov’s ONEXIM Sports and Entertainment holding company, are conducting the search for the team, with Nets board member Sergey Kushchenko growing increasingly influential, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reported earlier this week.

Bryan Colangelo became GM of the Suns in the mid-1990s, shepherding the roster from the end of Charles Barkley’s time with Phoenix to the recruitment of Steve Nash in free agency. He directed the Raptors to their first two playoff appearances in the post-Vince Carter era in his first two seasons as GM in Toronto, but the team failed to make it back to the playoffs before it replaced Colangelo with current GM Masai Ujiri in 2013. Still, Colangelo is a two-time NBA Executive of the Year award winner, having come away with the honor in 2005 with the Suns and 2007 with the Raptors.

Do you think Colangelo would be a wise choice for the Nets? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Atlantic Notes: Hollins, Hinkie, Johnson

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

Nets GM Billy King denied a report that he’s seeking a replacement for coach Lionel Hollins, though he appeared hesitant to make any long-term promises about the coach, observes Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

“It’s funny because I think the report said it was management — and I’m management. So there was no truth to that,’’ King said to Sarah Kustok of the YES Network, as Lewis transcribes. “I’ve talked to ownership, and — right now — Lionel is our coach and we’re working to try to turn this around.”

King also told Kustok that the Nets would explore making roster moves but that the team would give the current roster a chance “until we can find another option,” notes Andy Vasquez of The Record. See more on the Nets amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:

Brook Lopez, who re-signed with the Nets on a three-year max deal this past summer, called for stability, as Lewis relays in his piece. “We’re working on something here and we’ve had turnover year in and year out since I’ve been here. It’s tough to find continuity if you keep changing personnel,’’ Lopez said. “We have to find something that’s working for us and continue to work with the pieces we have and improve.’’
Sam Hinkie is still Sixers GM, but the addition of Jerry Colangelo to the front office depletes his power to the point that it’s as if he’s not there anymore, a source told Tom Moore of Calkins Media. “It’s clear [Hinkie] has, for all intents and purposes, been fired,” the source said, adding that he believes Colangelo’s son Bryan Colangelo, who was once GM of the Suns and Raptors, will be involved. League executives who spoke with Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer cast doubt on the idea that Hinkie will stay with the organization much longer.
Amir Johnson‘s positive personality, as well as his defensive versatility, are what make the Celtics offseason signee especially valuable, coach Brad Stevens said, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald relays.

Fallout From Sixers Hiring Of Jerry Colangelo

December 7th, 2015 at 5:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sixers owner Josh Harris said GM Sam Hinkie will remain in charge of day-to-day basketball operations and that the hiring of Jerry Colangelo to the front office isn’t a deviation from the team’s rebuilding plan, but not everyone believes that the move doesn’t represent a sea change. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports casts it as a reduction of power for Hinkie and hears that several executives around the league are wondering whether Colangelo will eventually persuade the Sixers to hire son Bryan Colangelo, the former Suns and Raptors GM. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com hears speculation that Jerry Colangelo will end up with an ownership stake in the Sixers (Twitter link). Still, owner Josh Harris insists not much will be different, as Tom Moore of Calkins Media relays (on Twitter).

“We’re still committed to the process,” Harris said. “We’re committed to Sam. Don’t expect radical changes to the process.”

See more on Philadelphia’s surprising hire:

Harris admitted to reporters that he’s frustrated amid the team’s slow start, Moore tweets, and that he hopes that Colangelo will expedite the team’s rebuilding process, notes Dan Gelston of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Sixers management lost patience amid 20 losses in 21 games so far and a series of unflattering reports about Jahlil Okafor‘s alleged off-court behavior, Wojnarowski writes in the same piece.
Coach Brett Brown said he believes the team will take free agency and the value of veteran players more seriously in the wake of the move, observes Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine (on Twitter).
The addition of Colangelo gives the Sixers an agent-friendly presence, notes Mark Perner of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter link). The team has reportedly upset agents with its tactics the past few years. “I went through four and a half decades of basketball on handshakes with agents and players,” Colangelo said, as Moore tweets. “My job is to be here to help.”
It was Harris who reached out to Colangelo about joining the organization, Colangelo said, according to Gelston (on Twitter).
Colangelo will continue to live in Phoenix, but he’s excited about the ability to collaborate with Hinkie, as Moore chronicles (Twitter links). “I think I can offer a lot of mentoring to Sam and make him even better at his job,” Colangelo said.
Colangelo, who ran basketball operations for the Suns from the team’s inception in 1968 until 1994, is anxious to help the Sixers rebuild, as Jake Fischer of SI Now relays (Twitter link). “I’m intrigued quite honestly,” Colangelo said. “During my years in Phoenix, I tore down the team four times and came back four times.”
Hinkie called it a “a really good day for the Sixers,” and said he feels positively about the hiring of Colangelo, whom the GM believes “will be a breath of fresh air in a lot of ways,” as USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Moore all relay (All four Twitter links). “I think we’re ready to go to the next phase,” Hinkie said. “Jerry knows every player, every coach. His knowledge will be invaluable.”

Bryan Colangelo, Grant Hill, Others Eye Hawks

January 8th, 2015 at 2:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:39pm: Itzler is teaming with brokerage firm founder Steven Starker and has “extreme interest,” though he cautioned that it’s just preliminary, as he told Scott Soshnick and Zeke Faux of Bloomberg.com. Vivlamore reported Wednesday (below) that Itzler was seeking only a minority share.

2:22pm: Bryan Colangelo is part of the group with Hill and Bridgeman, Aldridge clarifies (on Twitter).

THURSDAY, 2:19pm: Hill and fellow former player Junior Bridgeman are teaming up to try to purchase the Hawks, with Jerry Colangelo, Bryan’s father, acting a “senior advisor” to them, TNT’s David Aldridge reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear if Bryan is a part of the Hill-Bridgeman group. The Hawks officially put the entire team as well as Phillips Arena up for sale today, the club announced via press release.

WEDNESDAY, 10:29am: Former Suns and Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo, Grizzlies minority owner Steve Kaplan and casino mogul Sheldon Adelson are some of those who’ve expressed interest in purchasing the Hawks, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Grant Hill is also in the mix, Vivlamore hears, confirming earlier speculation. The owners of Atlanta’s WNBA team, Kelly Loeffler and Mary Brock, also hold a level of interest in bidding for the Hawks, along with their husbands, Jeffrey Sprecher and John Brock, as they recently told Maria Saporta of the Atlanta Business Chronicle for a subscription-only piece (hat tip to Vivlamore).

Colangelo appeared to be linked to a group of Chicago-based investors who came up short in a bid for the Bucks last year, and he was also reportedly a candidate for Cavs and Pistons front office jobs in the spring. Hawks GM Danny Ferry is on an indefinite leave of absence. Kaplan’s role within the Grizzlies hierarchy reportedly shrunk during the team’s reorganization this past offseason.

Jesse Itzler, whom Grantland’s Bill Simmons identified Monday as a “name to watch” in regard to the sale of the Hawks, is currently interested only in a minority share, sources tell Vivlamore. Simmons also reported that investors Chris Hansen and Thomas Tull are mounting separate bids to buy the team and move it to Seattle, but it appears unlikely they’ll be allowed to relocate the franchise. The NBA’s stance has been that it will only consider moving a team if the market has essentially given up on the club, and that’s not the case in Atlanta, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders points out via Twitter.

Former players Dominique Wilkins, Dikembe Mutombo and Chris Webber, former Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien and attorney Doug Davis are others who reportedly have interest in purchasing the Hawks, though some would probably have to find partners to have control over a majority stake. The three ownership groups who currently own the Hawks have all agreed to sell, and the team is set to officially go on the market in a matter of days, according to Vivlamore. The purchase price is likely to end up on the low end of a range between $750MM and $1 billion, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe reported last week.