Chris Webber Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Thunder, Okafor, Hollins

October 15th, 2014 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Kevin Durant expected to miss a minimum of six to eight weeks with a fractured foot, the Thunder will have to look for help from within the organization, Nick Gallo of NBA.com writes. “The process is ongoing and it will continue to be ongoing,” coach Scott Brooks said. “The first part of that process is not making an excuse. If you can all come to grips with that, then you have a better chance to have success. We’ve always done that as an organization. Whatever is thrown at us, we’re going to control what we can and not worry about the things that we can’t.”

Here’s more from around the league:

One of the players in the running to be the first overall draft choice next June is Duke’s Jahlil Okafor. Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress (video link) profiles the top ranked player in the ACC.
Newcomer Ryan Hollins‘ biggest value to the Kings may be taking the defensive weight off of DeMarcus Cousins, Nick Avila of SI.com opines. Hollins is part of a crowded frontcourt mix in Sacramento that includes Jason Thompson, Reggie Evans, Carl Landry, and Sim Bhullar.
Jamelle McMillan, son of former NBA player and head coach Nate McMillan, was named the player development coach for the Pelicans, the team announced in a press release. McMillan was on New Orleans’ staff as an intern the last two seasons.
A few head coaches enter the season already on the hot seat, while others’ perches will heat up as the season progresses. Sam Amick of USA Today looks at each coach’s job status entering the new campaign.
Chris Webber is part of a potential ownership group that has registered interest with the NBA league office about buying the Hawks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Clippers, Collins, Shaw, Karl

June 6th, 2013 at 8:05pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports that Lionel Hollins met with the Clippers today and engaged in a lengthy conversation about their head coaching job. Turner also relays that Brian Shaw is expected to interview with team brass on either Monday or Tuesday next week (Twitter links). As for George Karl, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles tweets that while the Clippers haven't spoken to him directly, they have been in contact with his representative. Both ESPN's Marc Stein and Shelburne report that Karl and Shaw have emerged as the team's top two candidates for the job.

As we gear up for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, here are a few miscellaneous notes to share from around the league tonight:

As far as his next contract goes, Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki says that it'll probably be a two- or three-year deal (Jon Machota of SportsDayDFW).
Sam Amick of USA Today hears that the Grizzlies reached out to Karl almost immediately after he was let go in Denver today. The Nuggets had to grant permission to Memphis in order to reach out to Karl because the severance agreement hasn't been finalized and the 62-year-old coach is still under contract.
Amick notes that the Grizzlies had their sights set on assistant Dave Joerger as their top candidate to replace Hollins, but made that option contingent on whether or not Karl would become available.
Sportando.net's Emiliano Carchia tweets that former NBA player Andres Nocioni is in talks regarding a contract extension with Baskonia, a Spanish ballclub that participates in the ACB and Euroleague.
Flip Saunders confirmed on KFAN radio in Minnesota that the Timberwolves currently have Victor Oladipo ahead of Ben McLemore on their draft board, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.
ESPN Insider Chad Ford says that many teams are bummed that Dario Saric is considering withdrawing his name from this year's draft, adding that several NBA executives had him ranked in their top five or top seven prospects. He also mentions that there are other teams who had no intention of drafting Saric that aren't thrilled with the news either, considering the notion that the draft gets weaker when talent leaves. Interestingly enough, Ford says he wouldn't be surprised if some NBA teams that are currently in Italy for the Eurocamp will try to travel to Croatia in order to make an attempt to persuade Saric to keep his name in consideration this year (All Twitter links).
Ricky Ledo's agent, Seth Cohen, tells SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria that his client will not work out for the Thunder (Twitter link).
For whatever it's worth, Shaquille O'Neal said that he and Chris Webber would like to own the Kings (Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram noted the comment via Twitter).

Kings To Interview David Morway For GM Job

June 5th, 2013 at 10:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:06pm: Morway and Bird wouldn't be a package deal, Amick adds via Twitter, given their falling out toward the end of their time together with the Pacers.

9:13pm: Former Pacers GM David Morway is expected to interview for the Kings GM job on Friday, USA Today's Sam Amick reports. New Kings owner Vivek Ranadive continues to try woo Larry Bird, Morway's boss in Indiana, out of retirement to take over GM duties in Sacramento, but though Ranadive has spoken with Bird, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee says the two sides didn't meet today for an interview. That contradicts an earlier report from Peter Vecsey.

Amick first mentioned Morway as a possible candidate last month, and Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported a couple of days ago that Morway and the Kings had been in contact. The team has interviewed Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace, who appears to be the frontrunner, though Ranadive and company are reaching out to many other candidates. The Kings have also interviewed Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk and Mike Dunleavy, who has front office experience with the Bucks and Clippers.

The Kings are considering former star Chris Webber for a role in the organization, but he's not a candidate to become GM, Jones writes. Incumbent GM Geoff Petrie remains with the team even as it searches for his replacement, and he's still in charge of the Kings' draft preparation.