Frank Vogel Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Spurs, Joerger, Mavs

May 16th, 2016 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets‘ coaching search continues, and the team is focused on candidates that have former head coaching experience, or have significant experience as assistants, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

Feigen hears that while TNT analyst Kenny Smith impressed the Rockets in his interview, he’s not in the running for the position. Frank Vogel and Ettore Messina are believed to still be in the mix, with a source telling Feigen they’re “part of [the] process,” but there has been no confirmation that they’ve had formal interviews. Houston could conduct second interviews with candidates by the end of the week, says Feigen.

Meanwhile, Jeff Van Gundy has received interest from the Rockets as well, a source tells Feigen. Still, Houston has not yet met with JVG as the team takes its time to familiarize itself with other candidates.

Here’s more from across the Southwest:

LaMarcus Aldridge and David West, who could have played – and potentially been paid more – elsewhere this past season, said in the wake of San Antonio’s season-ending loss that they had no regrets about joining the Spurs, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News details. Aldridge remains under contract with the Spurs for several more years, while West will have to make a decision on his player option next month.
Former Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger – who is now the coach in Sacramento – spoke to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal about the end of his tenure in Memphis, insisting that his relationship with team management was “excellent.” “I wanted to prove to them that I was the guy to go forward for many years. They didn’t feel so,” Joerger said. “But we move on with a lot of fond memories.”
The Grizzlies brought in Northern Iowa guard Wes Washpun to participate in a group workout on Monday, per Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (Twitter link). Washpun previously worked out for the Jazz and Hawks.
Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News doesn’t expect the Mavericks to start the rebuilding process until after Dirk Nowitzki decides to retire, which may still be a couple years away.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Vogel, Brooks, Olynyk

May 15th, 2016 at 8:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Several Heat players had their minds on the future after today’s Game 7 loss at Toronto. The overall feeling is that most players want to return next season and they hope free agent center Hassan Whiteside is with them, tweets Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. One exception could be Amar’e Stoudemire, who was unhappy with his playing time after signing a one-year deal with Miami as a free agent last summer (Twitter link). However, Stoudemire also felt the Heat had “great chemistry” and said, “I enjoyed the guys and I had the best time of my life with my teammates this season.” (Twitter link). Veteran Udonis Haslem, who has been with Miami for his entire 13-year career, understands he may have to find a new team to stay in the league next season. “There’s a business side to everything, so you never know,” Haslem said (Twitter link). Joe Johnson, who will be a free agent after joining the Heat in late February, said it’s too early to think about his next move (Twitter link). Chris Bosh, Goran Dragic, Justise Winslow and Josh McRoberts are the only Miami players with guaranteed deals for next season.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Knicks are hoping to hire a coach in the next week or so, writes Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal. Frank Vogel, who met with team president Phil Jackson and GM Steve Mills Wednesday in Los Angeles, is apparently a finalist for the job, along with David Blatt and interim coach Kurt Rambis. Vogel reportedly spent much of his interview making the case that the understands the triangle and would incorporate it into his offense.
The Bucks will interview Utah executive Justin Zanik and former Charlotte GM Rod Higgins for an open front office position, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Milwaukee is looking for someone to work with GM John Hammond (Twitter link).
New Wizards coach Scott Brooks traveled to Orlando this week for a meeting with Marcin Gortat, according to Keely Diven of CSNMidAtlantic. Brooks is hoping to establish a better relationship with his starting center than former coach Randy Wittman, who feuded publicly with Gortat.
Kelly Olynyk will have to undergo surgery soon on his injured right shoulder in order to be ready for the start of next season, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. Olynyk has been hoping he can help the Canadian national team qualify for the Summer Olympics, but with a five-month projected recovery time, he is already likely to miss at least some of the Celtics‘ training camp.

Knicks Meet With Frank Vogel

May 15th, 2016 at 3:21pm CST by Will Joseph

Knicks team president Phil Jackson met last week with former Pacers coach Frank Vogel, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports. Knicks GM Steve Mills was also present in the meeting, Isola adds. Mills contacted Vogel’s agent the day after Vogel was let go, according to Isola.

Vogel, who was recently dismissed by the Pacers, is reportedly the front-runner to take over for Dave Joerger with the Grizzlies and is also under consideration for the head coaching slots of the Rockets and Magic. Vogel is one of three candidates that seem to be in the running for the Knicks coaching job. Interim coach Kurt Rambis remains an option and former Cavs coach David Blatt met with Jackson and Mills last month.

Both Blatt and Rambis have ties to the Knicks’ front office. Rambis is a close ally of Jackson, who wants the Knicks to continue to use the triangle offense, as Isola writes. Blatt and Mills have a deep connection that dates to their days as teammates at Princeton. Blatt was an usher at Mills’ wedding. Vogel spent one season as a scout under Jackson, but the two did not work closely together, Isola writes. Jackson did not attend the annual college scouting combine last week in Chicago, and considering his meeting with Vogel took place in Los Angeles, per Isola, there is a strong chance that could be the reason why.

Magic To Contact Frank Vogel

May 13th, 2016 at 9:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Magic intend to contact former Pacers coach Frank Vogel regarding their head coaching vacancy, GM Rob Hennigan told Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. It’s unclear if Vogel would have any interest in joining Orlando, Robbins notes. Vogel, who was dismissed last by the Pacers last week, is reportedly the front-runner to take over for Dave Joerger with the Grizzlies and is also under consideration for the head coaching slots of the Rockets and Knicks. Orlando is scrambling to recover from former coach Scott Skiles‘ sudden resignation on Thursday.

“Sort of the fulcrum of what we’re looking for,” Hennigan said, “is someone who puts an emphasis on the defensive end of the floor, someone who puts an emphasis on player development and also someone who puts an emphasis on building lasting connections with the players on our roster.” The GM didn’t specifically say that description fit Vogel, but the coach certainly did well developing a young Indiana squad into an Eastern Conference contender during his time with the Pacers. Hennigan also added that the team will cast “a wide net” for candidates and that possible targets don’t necessarily have to have NBA assistant-coaching or head-coaching experience, which means college coaches may also be in the mix, Robbins writes.

This will be Hennigan’s third coaching search since taking over as GM in 2012, Robbins notes. When asked what he learned from his first pair of forays into the coaching market, Hennigan told the scribe, “The importance of really getting to know each candidate personally, first and foremost, and making sure that each candidate understands what we’re about as an organization and what our values are and what our vision is. And, then, of course, making sure we’re aligned philosophically as it relates to style of play and the type of character we want our team to exude on a daily basis.”

The Pacers went 250-181 in parts of six seasons under Vogel, who inherited the head coaching job, his first in the NBA, when the Pacers parted ways with Jim O’Brien in January of 2011. That record doesn’t include his postseason mark of 31-30, with Indiana making back-to-back conference finals under Vogel in 2013 and 2014.

Central Notes: Bird, Swanigan, Whitehead, Dunn

May 12th, 2016 at 6:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Larry Bird hasn’t started his search to replace fired head coach Frank Vogel, relays Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. The Pacers‘ president of basketball operations, who spent several hours watching watching five-on-five competitions today at the draft combine, said he has not talked to agents for any prospective coaches. “I got a list of guys and I’m just putting it together,” Bird said. Vogel, who was fired last week, has talked to the Rockets about their open head coaching spot, but no formal interview has been scheduled. The Pacers, who hold the No. 20 pick in next month’s draft, have conducted interviews with several players and will start workouts next week.

There’s more news from the Central Division:

One of those players the Pacers interviewed is Purdue freshman power forward Caleb Swanigan, according to a tweet from Buckner. Swanigan says he will hold a predraft workout with Indiana.
Seton Hall sophomore point guard Isaiah Whitehead has interviewed with the Bulls and Pacers, tweets Zach Braziller of The New York Post.
The Pacers also talked to Indiana junior small forward Troy Williams, according to Nathan Baird of The Lafayette Journal & Courier (Twitter link).
The Bulls interviewed Providence sophomore point guard Kris Dunn, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Unless they get really lucky in the lottery, the Bulls would have to make a deal to rise into Dunn’s expected draft range. Chicago currently sits at pick No. 14.
Kentucky sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that he talked to the Pistons among nine team interviews (Twitter link).
Notre Dame junior point guard Demetrius Jackson also met with the Pistons today, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
The Pistons interviewed Florida State freshman shooting guard Malik Beasley, Beard tweets. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy talked about toughness and what role Beasley might have in Detroit.
The Pistons also talked to Vanderbilt sophomore point guard Wade Baldwin, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link). Baldwin had an interview with the Bucks as well, tweets Matt Velazquez of The Journal Sentinel.
Michigan State freshman big man Deyonta Davis also met with the Bucks, according to Beard (Twitter link).
Virginia senior shooting guard Malcolm Brogdon interviewed with the Bucks, tweets Charles F. Garnder of The Journal-Sentinel. “I’m 23; I’m one of the oldest guys in the draft,” Brogdon said. “So I hope I come off as mature and experienced.” (Twitter link).
The Bucks also met with Washington freshman power forward Marquese Chriss, Velazquez tweets. Coach Jason Kidd was in the meeting as the team asked Chriss to write down his “personal pillars.”

And-Ones: Grizzlies, Dudley, ‘Melo, Blatt

May 12th, 2016 at 10:42am CST by Chuck Myron

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace stressed the need for the team’s next coach to focus on player development and communicate with the front office and said the team is prepared to pay whatever’s necessary to make the right hire as he spoke Wednesday in an interview with Peter Edmiston on WHBQ-AM (See all six Twitter links here). The extension and pay raise that the Jazz gave Quin Snyder on Friday helped fuel former Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger‘s frustration with the Memphis front office, which was in no rush to give him a similar deal, a source acknowledged to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Wallace, in the interview with Edmiston, also downplayed the significance of a dinner he had with former coach Lionel Hollins, which led to speculation that the Grizzlies are interested in rehiring him.

“Why can’t you have a bite to eat and catch up with an old friend?” Wallace said. “Why can’t you [do] that in today’s world?”

See more from Memphis and the rest of the NBA:

Wallace also pointed to the autonomy of the Grizzlies front office when it comes to shaping the roster. “We make the final decision on the personnel brought into the organization,” Wallace said to Edmiston. “The buck stops with me on that.”
Soon-to-be free agent Jared Dudley expressed interest in joining the Timberwolves, said he’d take a fan’s proposal of a three-year, $25MM deal from the Bucks and added that he’s enjoy playing for Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry again as the Wizards forward conducted a Q&A Wednesday on Twitter (All five Twitter links here). Dudley also addressed the Raptors, saying Toronto is a great city and that players love playing there but lamenting the high taxes, and he said he thinks Frank Vogel is the best available head coach.
It’s a “gross exaggeration” to say Carmelo Anthony likes the idea of the Knicks hiring David Blatt, league sources told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, refuting an earlier report. It’s unclear whether Anthony would support or oppose a Blatt hiring, as he hasn’t expressed any opinion thus far, Begley hears.

Western Notes: Hollins, Parsons, Booker

May 11th, 2016 at 5:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The obvious choice as to who should become the Grizzlies new head coach is Frank Vogel, whom the Pacers dismissed last week, Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal opines. Vogel has the track record of success and experience with younger players that the organization is seeking, Calkins writes. However, there should be some concerns regarding Vogel’s offensive acumen, which was one of the franchise’s issues with former coach Dave Joerger, and it isn’t clear if the former Indiana coach would be interested in joining a team that may well be on the decline, Calkins adds.

The scribe also notes that while GM Chris Wallace and Lionel Hollins met Monday night at a Memphis restaurant, it would be very surprising if the team were to rehire its former coach. After the issues the front office reportedly had with Joerger, it’s doubtful Memphis would hire another coach who butted heads with the front office during his tenure with the team, Calkins adds. The Grizzlies went 214-201 in parts of seven seasons under Hollins.

Here’s more from out West:

Despite showing that he is capable of being a building block for the Mavericks, Chandler Parsons‘ injury history should give the team pause if the forward opts out of his deal and Dallas looks to re-sign him this summer, Bobby Marks of The Vertical writes in his offseason primer for the club. The Mavs would be wise to put in injury-protection language pertaining to Parsons’ balky knee in his next contract, Marks adds, but it may be difficult to get the forward to agree to that given the amount of teams with ample cap space that are likely to compete for his services.
The Suns highly value the predraft interview process and believe that how a player performs under that type of pressure carries over to how well he responds to adversity on the court, writes Matt Petersen of NBA.com. The team was extremely impressed last year when it spoke with Devin Booker, whom it selected with the No. 13 pick, assistant GM Pat Connelly told Petersen. “He definitely stuck out in the interview,” Connelly said of Booker. “It’s not an easy thing to go into a room with a bunch of people you don’t know. We’re just one of the teams there. We had our early prep feel for Devin, but he came in and he was very confident. He answered questions really well, never got flustered in a situation. Some of the stuff you saw on the court with him now – walking into a new situation or being put in a new situation and looking like he was comfortable – it was the same thing there.”

Atlantic Notes: J.R. Smith, Vogel, Saric, Embiid

May 10th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

J.R. Smith is having a strong playoff run for the Cavaliers, but he thinks back fondly on his time with the Knicks, as he reveals in a video for VICE Sports, pointing to his close friendship with Carmelo Anthony and the lure of Madison Square Garden (YouTube link). “Every person that plays in the NBA should experience playing in New York, at least once in your career,” Smith said. “To play at the mecca of basketball, at the Garden, every night, it’s probably the greatest decision I’ve ever made, to go to New York.” Smith, who can opt out of his contract this summer, spoke about his initial anger at the trade that sent him to Cleveland last January, but he also made it clear that he loves playing with LeBron James.

See more from New York amid the latest news from the Atlantic Division:

Frank Vogel‘s representatives gave positive signals to the Knicks when the team reached out to gauge his interest last week, a league source told Marc Berman of the New York Post, who nonetheless adds that the Grizzlies are a much more likely match for the ex-Pacers coach. Vogel is widely believed to be the favorite to take the Memphis job, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal wrote.
GM Bryan Colangelo wants to be reassured when he visits Dario Saric in Turkey later this month, but the Sixers expect the draft-and-stash prospect will join them for next season, and coach Brett Brown is particularly optimistic, as remarks he made Monday on The Comcast Network’s “Breakfast on Broad” show demonstrate. Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com has the transcription. “He so much wants to be a part of the 76ers organization when we speak,” Brown said. “I ended up sending him a photo of a young kid in the stands with a Saric jersey on, and the response is like what it is, ‘I can’t wait to get [to Philadelphia].’”
Still, financial incentive remains for Saric to wait to sign with the Sixers until 2017, when he’ll no longer be subject to the rookie scale, with one source who spoke to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer of the belief that Saric would be in line for a contract that pays him about $6MM a year. He’d get less than half that on a rookie scale deal.
Colangelo said on the same “Breakfast on Broad” program that the Sixers are encouraged by what they’ve seen from Joel Embiid as he continues to recover from last summer’s second surgery on his broken foot, Seltzer notes.
Willie Reed, who was away from the Nets for unexplained personal reasons at the end of the season, clearly wasn’t pleased with interim coach Tony Brown, but he likes new coach Kenny Atkinson and made it clear that he wants to re-sign with Brooklyn as he spoke Monday on the “Brown and Scoop” show on CBS Radio, as Anthony Parisi of NetsDaily relays.

Grizzlies Considering Lionel Hollins?

May 10th, 2016 at 7:26am CST by Chuck Myron

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace and former coach Lionel Hollins met Monday night at a Memphis-area restaurant, fueling speculation that the team is considering Hollins for its coaching vacancy, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. It’s nonetheless widely believed that Frank Vogel is the front-runner, Tillery adds. Memphis reportedly reached out to Vogel this past weekend.

Wallace was in charge of the front office when Hollins took over as Grizzlies coach midway through the 2008/09 season, and the club’s decision not to re-sign Hollins in 2013 came while former CEO Jason Levien exerted control over the basketball operations department. Wallace returned to power in the 2014 offseason, around the time Hollins took the Nets head coaching job. Brooklyn fired Hollins in January, and Memphis fired coach Dave Joerger, a former Hollins assistant, this past Saturday.

The Grizzlies had their greatest success during Hollins’ tenure as coach, winning 56 games in the 2012/13 season and reaching the 2013 Western Conference finals. Memphis went 214-201 in parts of seven seasons under Hollins.

Rockets To Interview Kenny Smith, Eye Frank Vogel

May 9th, 2016 at 2:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:31pm: The Rockets have spoken to at least seven coaching candidates thus far, but they haven’t gone to James Harden for his input on any of them yet, a source told Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). Still, Alexander said the team would consult with the star shooting guard and the general belief is that the Rockets will before they make a hire (ESPN Now link).

2:01pm: Houston has spoken with the representatives for Frank Vogel, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The Rockets have wanted to interview Vogel, as Stein reported last week. Feigen also pegs the timing of Hornacek’s interview, which he hears is scheduled for Tuesday, the same day as Smith’s.

1:20pm: The Rockets will interview Kenny Smith for their head coaching job Tuesday, sources tell Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com first reported the candidacy of the TNT broadcaster last week. Smith shortly thereafter said he enjoys his television work but wouldn’t rule out taking the job. Rockets owner Leslie Alexander and GM Daryl Morey will be in the interview, according to Berman.

Smith, 51, was the starting point guard for Houston’s championship teams in 1994 and 1995. He was linked in December 2014 to the Kings head coaching vacancy, and Smith confirmed that he had conversations with Sacramento in 2013 about a front office position.

The Rockets are reportedly interviewing former Cavs coach David Blatt today in the midst of a broad search. Jeff Van Gundy appears to be the favorite, but the team is reportedly set to interview ex-Suns coach Jeff Hornacek and Hornets assistant Stephen Silas. NBA head coaching veterans Lionel Hollins and Mike D’Antoni, Clippers assistant and former Rockets point guard Sam Cassell and Rockets assistant Chris Finch are other reported candidates, according to earlier reports. College coaches Shaka Smart and Bill Self also apparently intrigue the team. Houston reportedly had mutual interest in Dave Joerger before he struck a deal with the Kings.