David Vanterpool Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Receive Permission To Interview David Vanterpool

April 28th, 2018 at 2:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Trail Blazers have granted permission for the Magic to interview assistant David Vanterpool about their head coaching job, as Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel details. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

Vanterpool, who has spent the past six years with Portland, was among four candidates to interview for the position in 2016 after Scott Skiles stepped down, Robbins notes. Orlando opted for Frank Vogel, who was fired after this season ended.

Vanterpool tied for third in a poll of GMs taken before the start of this season ranking the league’s top assistant coaches. The 45-year-old had brief NBA experience as a player, but spent most of his time overseas and in the Continental Basketball Association.

The news about Vanterpool makes him the first confirmed candidate for the Magic job, though a mid-April report indicated that the team intended to meet with Jerry Stackhouse. When Vogel was dismissed more than two weeks ago, team officials indicated they planned to take their time finding his replacement.

Robbins writes that president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman, who is running the coaching search, is expected to reach into his Toronto background and contact Raptors assistant Nick Nurse in addition to Stackhouse, who coaches Toronto’s G League affiliate.

Hawks Expected To Consider Fizdale, Tibbetts, Others

April 26th, 2018 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

2:13pm: Vanterpool won’t be among the Hawks’ head coaching candidates after all, tweets Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

9:30am: The Hawks are the latest NBA team to embark on a search for a new head coach, having confirmed on Wednesday that they’ve parted ways with Mike Budenholzer, who had held the position since 2013. While there’s no presumed frontrunner to replace Budenholzer yet, a number of potential candidates have already emerged for Atlanta.

The Hawks are expected to talk to former Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale and current Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts about their head coaching position, a source tells Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Fizdale has been one of this spring’s most popular head coaching candidates, having previously been linked to the Knicks, Suns, and Hornets. It’s the first time we’ve heard Tibbetts connected to one of the ongoing searches, however.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski adds a few more names to the Hawks’ list of candidates, reporting that the club is also expected to consider Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, Spurs assistants Ime Udoka and James Borrego, and another Trail Blazers assistant, David Vanterpool.

Borrego has been another assistant whose name has frequently popped up in coaching rumors this spring — he has been linked to the Knicks and Suns. Meanwhile, Silas was identified as a possible head coaching candidate in the wake of Steve Clifford‘s ouster in Charlotte. As Amick and Zillgitt note, Silas is “widely respected” around the NBA and was with the Warriors at the same time as current Hawks GM Travis Schlenk.

It’s no surprise that the initial group of candidates for the rebuilding Hawks includes a number of NBA assistants. Wojnarowski writes that the team wants to hire an up-and-coming coach who can evolve along with Atlanta’s young roster. Vanterpool, Silas, and Tibbetts all showed up near the top of a recent list of NBA assistants who should receive head coaching consideration — that list was voted on by about three dozen executives around the league.

Nurse, Vanterpool Top List Of Rising Head Coach Candidates

April 3rd, 2018 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

No NBA head coaches were replaced during the 2017 offseason, but that’s very unlikely to be the case for 2018. Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post and Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports suggest that as many as 10 or 11 teams could be on the lookout for a new head coach this offseason.

That list of teams includes three teams with interim head coaches – the Suns, Grizzlies, and Bucks – as well as lottery teams like the Knicks, Magic, Pistons, Hornets, and Hawks. Playoff contenders like the Nuggets and Clippers could also consider a change, particularly if they miss out on the postseason.

Not all of those teams will replace their current head coaches, but there should be a good deal of turnover in the NBA’s coaching ranks this spring. That could open up the door for assistant coaches or G League head coaches who haven’t yet had the opportunity to run their own NBA squads to interview for those jobs in the coming weeks.

With that in mind, Mannix spoke to over three dozen “high-ranking team executives,” getting each of those execs to name two assistants they view as viable head coaching candidates. Mannix’s only criteria? The executives polled couldn’t name assistants from their own staffs, and the assistants named couldn’t have any NBA or major-college head coaching experience already.

Here are the top vote-getters in Mannix’s poll, all of whom were mentioned by at least three different executives:

Nick Nurse (Raptors assistant)
David Vanterpool (Trail Blazers assistant)
Igor Kokoskov (Jazz assistant)
Stephen Silas (Hornets associate head coach)
Adrian Griffin (Thunder assistant)
Nate Tibbetts (Trail Blazers assistant)
Chris Finch (Pelicans assistant)
Jerry Stackhouse (Raptors 905 head coach)
Ryan Saunders (Timberwolves assistant)
Jay Larranaga (Celtics assistant)

Of course, not every team seeking a new head coach in the offseason will be eyeing candidates in this pool. Some clubs will want a candidate with previous head coaching experience, and there should be no shortage of those — Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, David Blatt, David Fizdale, and Monty Williams are among the veteran coaches who have been linked to various teams already. Other clubs may target a coach from the NCAA pool, such as Villanova’s Jay Wright.

Still, the NBA assistants listed above are viewed around the league as future head coaching candidates, and are the names to keep an eye on if your favorite team is considering a change on its bench.

Latest On Magic Coaching Search

May 19th, 2016 at 1:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

1:37pm: Former Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff made a strong impression during an interview on Wednesday, but the team is moving toward making a contract offer to Vogel, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (on Twitter).

8:51am: The Magic’s search for a new head coach continues, with the team interviewing Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool on Wednesday, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com reports. Vanterpool had spent two years working in the Thunder’s front office alongside current Orlando GM Rob Hennigan prior to joining Portland as an assistant in 2012. The 43-year-old was under consideration last year for the Nuggets vacant post, but lost out to Michael Malone, who just completed his first season in Denver. Vanterpool also interviewed for the Sixers head coaching job in 2013 and seemingly became the frontrunner for that position at one point. Before that, he was an assistant coach for CSKA Moscow under European coaching icon and current Spurs assistant Ettore Messina.

Despite Vanterpool’s ties to Hennigan and the glowing endorsements he has received from players on the Blazers, the job appears to be Frank Vogel‘s if he wants it, Marc Stein and Chris Broussard of ESPN.com relay. The Magic believe they have emerged as Vogel’s preferred destination and are positioned to quickly complete a deal with him if their coaching search continues to progress in its current direction, the duo write. Vogel is also considered to be the Grizzlies’ top choice, which means Orlando is feeling pressure to get a deal done quickly, the scribes note.

Vogel’s main competitor in Orlando, according to Stein and Broussard, is Magic assistant coach Adrian Griffin, who interviewed for the post on Tuesday. The team is extremely fond of Griffin, but team management is intrigued by Vogel’s résumé and the fact that he is an established NBA head coach, a claim that Griffin cannot make, Stein and Broussard write. Griffin has been considered a prime head coaching candidate around the NBA for the last few years, reportedly interviewing with the Blazers in 2012, the Pistons and twice with the Sixers in 2013, and the Jazz twice as well as the Cavs in 2014.

Nuggets Interview David Vanterpool

June 9th, 2015 at 9:51am CST by Chuck Myron

Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool has interviewed for the Nuggets head coaching job, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who first identified Vanterpool as a candidate for the vacancy in April. Vanterpool is nonetheless not among the favorites for the position, Wojnarowski writes, pointing instead to the interview itself as a boon for the 42-year-old who has just three years of experience as an NBA assistant coach. Wojnarowski refers to interim coach Melvin Hunt, Michael Malone and Mike D’Antoni as strong candidates for the job, the same three names Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post identified as known candidates in a story from overnight.

Other names have nonetheless emerged as well, as the team has interviewed Wizards assistant Don Newman, according to Shams Charania of RealGM, while Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe heard that Mike Woodson might get an interview, too. The Nuggets are believed to want their next coach in place soon so that the new hire can help the team prepare for the draft, Dempsey writes, and an increasing number of coaches around the league foresee the team going with Hunt, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported. Hunt would seemingly have the advantage of incumbency, and it’s clear that the Nuggets players are behind him. Malone is so far the only candidate reported to have drawn a second interview, though the Nuggets are clearly familiar with Hunt’s credentials.

Vanterpool interviewed for the Sixers head coaching job in 2013 and seemingly became the front-runner for that position at one point. That came just one year after he joined the Blazers, a gig that Vanterpool landed after he served in the Thunder’s front office as director of player personnel, Wojnarowski notes. Before that, he was an assistant coach for CSKA Moscow under European coaching icon and current Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, as Wojnarowski also points out.

Latest On Nuggets Coaching Search

April 17th, 2015 at 2:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 2:56pm: The Nuggets are willing to spend on their next coach in spite of the $2MM they still owe to Shaw next season, Dempsey hears (Twitter link).

3:30pm: Connelly says that the team will take its time in searching for a new coach, and that Hunt will indeed be considered as a candidate, Dempsey relays in a series of tweets. “We’re going to be pretty patient,” Connelly said. “Certainly Melvin is going to be one of the finalists. I think he deserves that, he’s earned that. But we’re going to talk to anybody and everybody…candidates that could potentially help us take the next step.”

THURSDAY, 2:05pm: NBA coaching veteran Scott Skiles, Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg and Blazers assistant coach David Vanterpool are among the candidates for the Nuggets coaching job, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Denver will also indeed give serious consideration to interim coach Melvin Hunt as the Nuggets formally begin their search today, Wojnarowski hears. Billy Donovan, Michael Malone, Mike D’Antoni, Alvin Gentry and, if the Thunder let him go, Scott Brooks are also candidates, according to Wojnarowski, seconding earlier reports.

There have been conflicting reports regarding Hunt. Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote overnight that sources said this week that the Nuggets aren’t expected to keep him, but according to Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post, the Nuggets will interview Hunt for the position that he’s filled on an interim basis since the team decided to fire Brian Shaw in March. Dempsey’s story jibes with the tenor of most reports and GM Tim Connelly‘s admission that the team will at least consider keeping Hunt.

Skiles is a leading candidate for the Magic’s vacancy, and Donovan, Malone and Brooks have been mentioned in connection with the Orlando job, too. Hoiberg, whose name has surfaced frequently for NBA jobs of late, has been linked to the Bulls as a possible replacement if the team parts ways with Tom Thibodeau, and it appears as though he’ll be selective and won’t take just any NBA opening. Vanterpool interviewed for the Sixers job in 2013 and seemed at one point to be the front-runner, but the 42-year-old, who’s been on the Blazers bench since 2012/13, hasn’t been an NBA head coach.

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.

Sixers’ Head Coaching Search Primer

August 8th, 2013 at 8:03pm CST by Alex Lee

We asked you earlier today which team in the Eastern conference made the best coaching hire this offseason. Missing from that list was the 76ers, who have mulled over their list of candidates for nearly four months now. There is word that their search will come to an end at some point this week, so while we continue to wait for an announcement from the team, let's round up the latest on all of the names that have been linked to the Philly job throughout the offseason:

Kenny Atkinson, Hawks assistant: Interviewed at some point after July 17. Atkinson, who was with the Knicks last season, is rumored to be in line for a second interview, so he appears to be in the mix.
Brett Brown, Spurs assistant: Interviewed at some point after June 24. Brown is one of the favorites for the job, and is also rumored to have a second interview. Brown was apparently interested in the Celtics' post, but it is unknown if the same can be said for the Sixers' job.
Michael Curry, Sixers assistant: Interviewed at some point after July 10. Curry has long been considered a leading candidate for the job but nothing concrete has surfaced on him since around the time of his interview.
David Fizdale, Heat assistant: Interviewed after July 16, if ever. The Sixers received permission to interview Fizdale, but there's been no word since. He is a longshot at best.
Adrian Griffin, Bulls assistant: Interviewed at some point after July 16. Griffin was rumored to have landed a second interview with Philly, but we heard tonight that he is no longer being considered for the position.
Melvin Hunt, Nuggets assistant: There is no confirmation that Hunt even interviewed with Philly, but multiple reports put him on their radar. It would be a shock if he was still a candidate.
Jay Larranaga, Celtics assistant: Interviewed at some point after July 12. Larranaga did enough to earn a second interview with Philly, but seems to be one of the longshots of that select group. It is worth noting that multiple reports have indicated Larranaga made a strong impression.
Ed Pinckney, Bulls assistant: Interviewed at some point after July 16, but we haven't heard much other than that the meet did, in fact, happen. Pinckney does not appear to be a realistic candidate.
Quin Snyder, Hawks assistant: If Snyder was interviewed, it was at some point after July 17. He does not seem to be in consideration any longer.
David Vanterpool, Blazers assistant: Interviewed on July 29. While no second interview has been confirmed for Vanterpool, he is still being seriously considered according to several reports, and has even recently been tabbed as the frontrunner.

We know that Atkinson, Brown, Griffin and Larranaga either had or will have a second interview with the team, and that Curry, who coached the Sixers summer league squad, is also considered one of the frontrunners. Sam Hinkie has has kept the media in the dark throughout the offseason, so the best anyone can do, reporters included, is guess. My money is on Brown, who was rumored to be the guy on draft night and seems tailor made to work with Hinkie. But again, at this point, it's anyone's guess.

Latest On Sixers’ Coaching Search

August 7th, 2013 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

If it seems like we've been following the Sixers' coaching search for most of the year, that's probably because, technically, we have. It's been 111 days since the team officially confirmed Doug Collins wouldn't return as the head coach, but the search for his replacement may finally be coming to an end. A source tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe that things will "all play out [this] week" (Twitter link).

A Monday report indicated that at least four candidates – Kenny Atkinson, Brett Brown, Adrian Griffin, and Jay Larranaga – would receive second interviews with the 76ers. Griffin, at least, has sat down for his second meeting with the team, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, who tweets that the Bulls assistant interviewed with Philadelphia for three hours on Tuesday.

It's not clear whether any of those other candidates have been interviewed for a second time yet, or whether their meetings are scheduled for later this week. However, Stein adds in a second tweet that while Brown and Michael Curry have long been considered the frontrunners for the job, Griffin and Larranaga aren't going down without a fight.

Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool is still rumored to be in the mix for the Sixers' opening, along with those five aforementioned contenders. I'd imagine that if he receives a second interview as well, the team would delay its decision until at least next week, rather than accelerating the process and announcing a hire this week.

Four Coaches To Get Second Interviews With 76ers

August 5th, 2013 at 3:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sixers owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer will meet this week in New York with Kenny Atkinson, Brett Brown, Adrian Griffin and Jay Larranaga, giving those four their second interviews for the team's head coaching vacancy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Another candidate, David Vanterpool, may join them for what would be his second interview, as well. Sixers assistant coach Michael Curry also remains in the running for the job.

A report this weekend named Vanterpool, a Blazers assistant, the favorite to land the job, while many other recent dispatches put Brown, an assistant with the Spurs, in the lead. The Sixers have been without a coach since Harris confirmed in mid-April that Doug Collins won't be back on the sidelines. New GM Sam Hinkie put the coaching search on the backburner shortly after that, but he's been deliberate even as he's reached out to candidates.

Wojnarowski mentioned Vanterpool, Brown, Curry and Celtics assistant Larranaga among the contenders last week, while a report earlier in July suggested the team had narrowed its choices to Brown and Curry. Atkinson, an assistant with the Hawks, has largely been off the radar aside from the report last month that he would get his first interview. Griffin, a Bulls assistant, interviewed with the Pistons earlier in the offseason, a couple months before the Sixers showed interest.