Doc Rivers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Coaching Rumors: Rivers, Joerger, Clifford, Magic

April 12th, 2018 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2017/18 season now in the books for the Clippers, Doc Rivers has one year remaining on his contract with the team and sounded uncertain before Wednesday’s finale about what exactly his future holds.

“I love what I do, but that doesn’t mean that you keep doing it every year, do you know what I mean?” Rivers said, per Elliott Teaford of The Daily Breeze. “I can’t even answer the question. I love where we’re at as a franchise. I will say that. I would honestly say that a year ago I don’t know if I would have had that same feeling. So, we’ll see.”

Despite Rivers’ uncertainty, he’s expected to return to his job next season, league sources tell David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link). We’re not even 12 hours into the 2018 offseason, so it’s possible the outlook for Rivers and the Clippers could change once the two sides formally meet, but based on Aldridge’s report, it doesn’t sound like the franchise is eager to move on from the veteran head coach.

According to Aldridge, Dave Joerger is also expected to return to his position as the Kings‘ head coach next season.

Here are a few more coaching notes and rumors from around the NBA:

Hornets head coach Steve Clifford will meet with new president and GM Mitch Kupchak on Friday in Charlotte, tweets Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports. According to Mannix, Clifford figures to push for a decision on his status, since he’s highly regarded in coaching circles and could draw interest for other openings around the NBA if Charlotte lets him go.
Mannix also weighs in on the newly-opened Magic job, tweeting that Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov could be a dark horse candidate to replace Frank Vogel. Current Orlando GM John Hammond helped bring Kokoskov to the NBA, Mannix notes.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders relays what he has heard on head coaching situations around the NBA. Besides examining the five teams without a permanent coach in place, Kyler also takes a look at the Hawks, Hornets, Pistons, and Clippers.

Clippers Rumors: Rivers, CP3, Offseason, West

April 11th, 2018 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

While Doc Rivers has long been viewed as an adept manager of relationships and egos, an in-depth look at the veteran head coach by ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz suggests that Rivers may actually be overrated as a locker-room manager, but underrated as a “practitioner of X’s and O’s.” As Arnovitz writes, Rivers has done an excellent job this season with a Clippers squad hit hard by injuries and lacking the star power of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. For his part, Rivers has enjoyed himself in 2017/18 despite falling short of the playoffs.

“This group this season — it’s been a breath of fresh air,” Rivers said. “It’s been a group that has followed. They allow you to coach them. They’re competitive as f—. We’ve got a bunch of guys who just want to compete. We have a formula — our pace, our attacks and our draw-and-kicks. We’re not good enough go off-formula and win. Defensively, our switches and our traps — we’re going against the grain.”

By comparison, Rivers’ comments about his 2016/17 squad, led by Paul and Griffin, suggest that he wasn’t exactly devastated when that particular Clippers era came to an end.

“I was aloof last year. I didn’t want to be here with these guys,” Rivers said of ’16/17. “I wanted to coach, but this team was a hard team to coach. I’m aloof anyway — I’m an introvert — and it was a hard group to like because they didn’t like each other. For me, you have to want to figure it out. And we lost the ability to want to figure it out.”

Here’s more on Rivers, plus a few other Clippers-related notes:

Next season would be the final year of Rivers’ contract with the Clippers, but sources tell Arnovitz that there has been “no meaningful outreach” from the team about a possible contract extension. Meanwhile, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report says that the buzz from executives around the NBA is that the Clippers and Rivers are likely headed for a split “sooner than later.”
Rivers is still saying the right things about his position with the Clippers. Asked by Arnovitz if he wants to remain with the organization, Rivers replied, “I love it here. I love the guys. I love the organization. It’s so much better than when I got here. So, most likely, yes.”
According to Arnovitz, Chris Paul met with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer last year after CP3 decided to leave for Houston, and the veteran point guard told Ballmer that Rivers was one of the factors that contributed to his departure.
In a column for Basketball Insiders, David Yapkowitz lays out a possible plan for the Clippers’ offseason. Pincus also previews the team’s summer at Bleacher Report, exploring the odds of veterans like DeAndre Jordan, Austin Rivers, Milos Teodosic, and Wesley Johnson exercising their player options for 2018/19.
Entering free agency, Jerry West‘s abilities as a recruiter shouldn’t be overlooked, writes Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype.

Latest On Jeff Hornacek

April 11th, 2018 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek appears likely to find out within the next few days whether or not he’ll be retained for the 2018/19 season. According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Hornacek expects to have a sit-down with president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry on Friday to discuss his future.

As Berman writes, Hornacek sat in on players’ exit interviews with Mills and Phil Jackson a year ago, but remains uncertain whether he’ll do the same again this year with Mills and Perry, which sounds like a red flag. The Knicks’ brass has been mum on the subject, but until he hears otherwise, Hornacek anticipates being a part of those meetings on Thursday and Friday.

“I plan on it,” Hornacek said. “No one told me no.”

The possibility of Hornacek’s dismissal at season’s end has long been rumored, but speaking today to reporters, including Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, the head coach sounded like a man making a case to keep his job.

“Obviously we started it and we’d like to continue it,” Hornacek said of his staff. “It’s very satisfying for coaches to take a team and build it and grow it. You can look around the league at some of the teams that are now some of the better teams in the league. They went through those same type of things. … Now all of a sudden have their teams four or five years later and maybe even home-court advantage for the playoffs. So sometimes people are wanting things to happen right away. But sometimes there’s patience. That’s what we’re looking for.

“You can’t expect a rebuilding situation and go out there and win 50 games,” Hornacek added. “That’s why they call it rebuilding.”

Already tasked with presiding over a rebuild, Hornacek hasn’t been given much to work with over the last two years, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Having been saddled with Jackson’s triangle offense in his first year with the club, Hornacek has seen the front office overhauled during his time in New York and neither regime has made a series of inspiring roster moves. The club has also been plagued by major injury woes, including Kristaps Porzingis‘ season-ending ACL tear.

Nonetheless, the writing seems to be on the wall for a coaching change. Although Hornacek spoke today about wanting to finish out the final year of his contract in 2018/19, expiring deals are rare for head coaches — with one year left, a coach can usually expect to sign an extension or receive his walking papers.

If the Knicks do part ways with Hornacek, expect Mark Jackson, Doc Rivers, David Fizdale, David Blatt, Jerry Stackhouse, and Jeff Van Gundy to be among the candidates on the club’s list of targets, according to Isola, who identifies current VP of player development Craig Robinson as a “long-shot candidate.” Robinson is a former college coach, Isola notes.

Coaching Rumors: Magic, Bucks, Suns, Knicks

April 6th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

When Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports polled executives around the NBA recently on rising head coach candidates, Raptors assistant Nick Nurse and Raptors 905 head coach Jerry Stackhouse were among the top names on the list. According to Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times, both Nurse and Stackhouse will likely be among the the candidates the Magic consider if the club elects to replace Frank Vogel this offseason.

In addition to the fact that current Magic president Jeff Weltman was formerly the GM in Toronto, Stackhouse also has a connection to Orlando general manager John Hammond, who was the GM in Milwaukee when Stackhouse played for the Bucks. Woelfel adds that some NBA officials believe the Magic are “leaning toward” replacing Vogel with Stackhouse, though Orlando’s list of preferred targets figures to become clearer if and when the club formally moves on from its current head coach.

Here are a few more coaching notes and rumors from Woelfel:

Multiple sources tell Woelfel that Clippers coach Doc Rivers and Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer would have “more than a passing interest” in the Bucks‘ position if they move on from their current teams this offseason. Some NBA officials believe that Budenholzer wouldn’t want to be part of an “extensive” rebuild in Atlanta, according to Woelfel.
While the Suns are expected to conduct a wide-ranging head coaching search, multiple NBA executives and coaches think David Fizdale, Jason Kidd, and Villanova’s Jay Wright will receive strong consideration, says Woelfel.
Besides Wright, Virginia’s Tony Bennett is among the college coaches expected to draw NBA interest. “Everybody knows he’s an exceptional defensive coach, but he does some really nice things offensively, too. He can flat-out coach.” one longtime NBA executive told Woelfel. “I think almost every team that is in the market for a new coach will take long, hard looks at Wright and Bennett. They’re both great coaches and they’re both great guys.”
A league source expects Mark Jackson and David Blatt to be among the finalists for the Knicks‘ job if the team dismisses Jeff Hornacek, according to Woelfel.

Latest On Knicks’ Head Coaching Situation

March 27th, 2018 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The feeling around the NBA is that Jeff Hornacek won’t return as the Knicks’ head coach for the 2018/19 season, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. According to Berman, people around the league view Doc Rivers and Mark Jackson as a pair of potential top targets for the Knicks if they seek out a new coach.

Hornacek’s spot on the hot seat is nothing new — since the Knicks fell out of playoff contention earlier this season, rumors have swirled about the possibility of a head coaching change in New York. Rivers and Jackson have even been mentioned as possible candidates before, including by Mitch Lawrence of The Sporting News and Marc Stein of The New York Times.

Still, Hornacek’s hold on his job appears more precarious than ever over the last week, according to Berman, who points to a handful of recent incidents to illustrate that Knicks veterans probably don’t expect to be playing for the current head coach much longer. As Berman observes, Hornacek handing Tim Hardaway Jr. the clipboard during one timeout and Trey Burke waving off Hornacek’s attempts to call another timeout were both unusual moments that took place during Monday’s loss to the Hornets.

Additionally, Kyle O’Quinn screamed profanities at his head coach during Friday’s game in New York, and a confrontation between Hornacek and veteran center Joakim Noah earlier this season ultimately led to Noah’s dismissal from the team. According to Berman, big man Kristaps Porzingis also “cursed out” Hornacek during a practice late last season, not long before Porzingis skipped his exit meeting.

The Knicks are expected to wait until after the regular season to make any announcements regarding their coaching situation, but at this point, Hornacek’s days in the position appear numbered.

Pacific Notes: Thomas, Rivers, Williams, Thornwell, Evans

March 16th, 2018 at 9:56pm CST by marksuleymanov

Isaiah Thomas has made it clear that he sees himself as a starter and not a reserve player, the role he has occupied since he was traded to the Lakers. The Lakers will have ample cap space this summer with the intention of luring at least two top free agents. Unless the Lakers want to start Thomas alongside Lonzo Ball, it’s unlikely that Thomas re-signs with Los Angeles.

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report opines that while a Thomas reunion with the Lakers is unlikely, it should not be ruled out. LeBron James and Paul George will be the Lakers’ top two targets; James and Thomas were teammates for 15 games in Cleveland this season. If James decides to sign with the Lakers, Thomas re-signing likely becomes more unlikely, Pincus writes.

“Of course, if Thomas insists he’s a starter and will only re-sign on that contingency, the Lakers would presumably need to start him alongside Ball,” Pincus writes. “If George and Ingram are forwards, perhaps [Julius] Randle slides over to start at center.”

Starting two point guards — including a 29-year-old coming off an injury-riddled season — does not sound like something the Lakers would prefer.

Check out more Pacific Division notes below:

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was fined $15K for criticizing the officials in the team’s loss to the Rockets on Thursday, per ESPN. Rivers was critical of the referees’ lack of calls for his team.
Sindarius Thornwell and Jawun Evans were prepared for the G League this season and were not expecting significant minutes with the Clippers. A rash of injuries have given Thornwell and Evans key roles, in which they have excelled, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes.
Suns big man Alan Williams was assigned to the G League’s Northern Arizona Suns this week. However, he will not play for the NBA team until he gets into a game with the G League affiliate, which is expected on Wednesday, tweets Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports.

Coaching Notes: Fizdale, Stackhouse, Hornacek, Van Gundy

March 1st, 2018 at 10:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Grizzlies coach David Fizdale has become the prime candidate to take over as the Suns‘ head coach once the season ends, according to Mitch Lawrence of The Sporting News. James Jones, who became VP of basketball operations in Phoenix last summer, spent five seasons as a player with the Heat while Fizdale was the lead assistant under Erik Spoelstra. Earlier today, we passed on Lawrence’s comments that Fizdale hasn’t given up on the Lakers job if the team decides to replace Luke Walton, so the Suns could have some competition for his services. Interim Phoenix coach Jay Triano has expressed a desire to be considered for the job, but it appears the team is looking in a different direction.

Lawrence passes on a few more rumors from NBA coaching circles:

If the Magic decide to move on from Frank Vogel, longtime player Jerry Stackhouse will be their top choice. Stackhouse, named G League Coach of the Year with Raptors 905 last season, is close to Jeff Weltman, Orlando’s president of basketball operations. Weltman spent four years as GM in Toronto and got an up-close look at Stackhouse’s coaching abilities.
There’s a growing sense that the Knicks will part with Jeff Hornacek once the season ends. Lawrence admits Hornacek has been in a difficult situation in New York between the front office turmoil, the Carmelo Anthony situation and the recent injury to Kristaps Porzingis, but Hornacek was hired by former team president Phil Jackson, and Steve Mills might prefer to have his own coach in place. There is a strong sentiment to bring in former Knick Doc Rivers, but he still has supporters in the Clippers front office and might be kept for another year after turning in an impressive coaching job with a weakened roster.
Stan Van Gundy may need to get the Pistons into the playoffs to keep his job. Van Gundy has one season left on his five-year, $35MM contract and is back on thin ice after the team’s recent slump. Even if he does return next season, the feeling is Van Gundy will be replaced at team president, with former agent and current Pistons VP Arn Tellem next in line to run the team’s basketball operations.

Knicks Notes: Rivers, Porzingis, Noah

February 27th, 2018 at 9:55pm CST by marksuleymanov

If Jeff Hornacek does not return as Knicks head coach, it’s possible that current Clippers head coach Doc Rivers would consider that vacancy if he also departs from his current team, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes.

Rivers spent parts of three seasons with the Knicks as a player during his 14-year NBA career. A former associate of Rivers tells Berman that Rivers — who has coached the Clippers since 2013 — still holds the team in high regard.

“Doc enjoyed his time there,’’ the former associate said. “He respects the city, he respects the organization.’’

The season-ending injury to Kristaps Porzingis has complicated the long-term future for the Knicks. Porzingis is expected to miss the next 10 months, which would sideline him for at least the start of the 2018/19 season. While that could alter the pursuit of head coaches, Rivers’ background with the team from his playing days could help the Knicks if he’s on their wish list.

Check out other Knicks notes below:

Speaking of Porzingis, he was spotted in Manhattan on Tuesday leaving a rehab appointment, per The New York Post. Porzingis was walking without the assistance of crutches but his trainer was still carrying them. The big man went down with a torn ACL on February 8.
March 1 is the last day for the Knicks to make a determination on Joakim Noah so he can sign with another club and be eligible for the postseason. The Knicks do not have to waive him or agree to a buyout by then, though it would be in Noah’s best interest if a resolution is reached by then. Both Marc Berman of the New York Post and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (subscription required and recommended) identify $5MM as the salary Noah could potentially leave on the table to help facilitate a move — that would slightly reduce the Knicks’ cap hits without significantly compromising Noah’s earnings, since he could earn most of that money back on minimum-salary contracts.
Earlier today, we passed along more Knicks-related notes, including more details on the Noah situation, which is reportedly being monitored by the NBPA.

Pacific Notes: Rivers, Ball, Clippers, Bell, Warriors

February 4th, 2018 at 3:56pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Clippers pulled off a blockbuster trade earlier this week, sending franchise cornerstone Blake Griffin to the Pistons in a multi-player trade. Griffin was traded a mere six months after signing a massive deal to remain a Clipper in the offseason, changing the direction of his career and the franchise.

In an interview with Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers discussed the trade of Griffin. Rivers, who coached the Celtics to an NBA championship in 2007/08, also discussed his admiration of the success of the New England Patriots. Rivers compared that Celtics team to the Clippers teams he has coached in recent years; despite immense talent, the team never made it out of the first round of postseason play.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a team that’s won a title in any sport where the players haven’t bought into the system,” Rivers said.

Rivers’ comments echo the team possibly not being on the same page when the likes of Griffin, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Jordan comprised one of the most feared threesomes in the league.

Check out other news out of the Pacific Division:

As part of the Griffin deal, the Clippers acquired three players: Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, and Boban Marjanovic. Elliot Teaford of the Orange County Register writes that Rivers had his squad play pickup basketball to help integrate the new acquisitions to the team and better learn their games.
Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball still feels something in his sprained right MCL and the team is expected to be cautious with his recovery, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. Ball, 20, has missed the Lakers’ past 10 games, including Sunday’s tilt against the Thunder.
Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider (subscription required and recommended) examined the Lakers‘ options as the Thursday deadline approaches. Among the Lakers’ choices: trading young players (Larry Nance Jr., Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson) or possibly dealing a veteran on an expiring deal (Brook Lopez, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope).
Warriors rookie Jordan Bell underwent an MRI on his swollen left ankle on Friday and the results revealed the center will miss at least two more weeks, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
The Warriors have played more noticeably fatigued basketball recently despite winning their games. Head coach Steve Kerr said the players cannot wait to rest during the All-Star break, ESPN’s Chris Haynes writes. “Hell yeah,” Kerr said. “Guys are dying to get to the All-Star break. We’re limping to the finish line of the All-Star break. But we’ve got to fight through it to the break and then we need to get the hell away from each other and go sit on a beach and relax and then we’ll be in great shape.”

Coaching Shakeup May Be On The Way

January 20th, 2018 at 6:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coming off a rare season in which no coaches were fired, the NBA may be preparing for a shakeup that will affect a third of the league, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News.

Isola suggests as many as 10 teams could be looking at coaching changes at the end of the season, if not sooner. The actual number will depend on how things play out, but several more names may join David Fizdale of Memphis and Earl Watson of Phoenix as coaching casualties for 2017/18.

Both Los Angeles teams could be open to changes, with the Lakers far out of the playoff race at 16-29. The front office was slow to defend Luke Walton after recent derogatory comments by LaVar Ball, and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently suggested that hiring former Fizdale, a former assistant with the Heat, would give the organization a better shot at LeBron James. However, Walton still has an important ally in majority owner Jeanie Buss.

Across town, Doc Rivers is doing a remarkable job with a depleted roster, but he may not remain with the Clippers if they decide to rebuild by following through with rumored trades involving DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams. Rivers, who has one more year left on the extension he signed in 2014, was removed from his front office duties before the start of the season. Isola says Rivers may return to television if he leaves the Clippers, though he would become a candidate for possible openings in New York and Orlando.

There will be no shortage of prominent candidates if the Knicks decide to move on from Jeff Hornacek. Isola identifies ABC/ESPN analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy as potential replacements, along with former Pelicans coach and Knicks player Monty Williams, reigning G League Coach of the Year Jerry Stackhouse and Villanova coach Jay Wright, although there is speculation that Wright would only leave the college ranks to take the Sixers’ job.