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Western Notes: Wolves, Mavericks, World Peace

June 13th, 2013 at 10:40pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes that the Timberwolves will likely trade either J.J. Barea or Luke Ridnour by draft night. In the same piece, Zgoda notes that GM Flip Saunders is impressed with Victor Oladipo. Minnesota – currently slated to draft ninth overall – would have to swing a deal into the top five in order to have a chance at the former Hoosier star, though Zgoda doesn't think the team has enough assets to accomplish that. Here are more news and notes from the Western Conference tonight: 

  • The Grizzlies interviewed Ed Pinckney today and are another team among those monitoring Doc Rivers' situation with Boston, says USA Today's Sam Amick (Twitter links). 
  • While recalling the Mavericks' decision to break up their championship roster, coach Rick Carlisle described it as "gut-wrenching." This summer, Dallas will have another chance to reap the rewards from that tough decision, and Carlisle seems determined to get things done: "We're going to be active in free agency…We're an aggressive franchise by nature; our owner (Mark Cuban) is. And that's good. We're going to put together a good team" (A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com) 
  • Lakers forward Metta World Peace has been working out at the IMG Academy and reportedly looks great, tweets Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld. 
  • Matt Moore of CBS Sports isn't so sure George Karl would be a good fit with the current Grizzlies roster. Going off of reports that Brian Shaw and Lionel Hollins are in the lead for the Nuggets' job, Moore thinks Shaw would be an ideal fit, whereas Hollins would have more of a challenge with Denver's youth. 
  • Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK explains why Mason Plumlee would be a solid pick for the Thunder with the 12th overall pick. 
  • Janis Carr of the OC Register (Subscribers only) takes a closer look at Mark Madsen's coaching opportunity with the Lakers' D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders.  
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George Karl On Grizzlies, Clippers, Nuggets

June 13th, 2013 at 7:27pm CST by Ryan Raroque

George Karl told reporters yesterday that he has been talking with the Grizzlies and Clippers about their head coaching jobs respectively. With that being said, the former Nuggets coach doesn't think that anything will get done by this week – and if it does, he says, it'll involve another head coaching candidate. Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post has other notable comments to share from Karl, of which you can read below: 

On his meeting with Josh Kroenke upon being let go: 

"Josh was nice and complimentary, said he'd honor my contract and the coaches. The conversation was on the decision, and I said, 'I think I should tell you, I think it's very stupid.' And since then, I don't understand it."

"I stopped myself — I could've rambled for two hours. I didn't want that argument. Basically I've had two meetings with Josh Kroenke. We met on Sunday (before the firing), and it lasted about an hour and I thought it was a positive meeting, very constructive, a lot of thoughts…I agree with them 100 percent that losing in the playoffs was disappointing and I could've done a better job. But Kenneth Faried (being hurt), he was never Faried the whole (playoff) series."

On the notion that he demanded a contract extension: 

"I didn't demand an extension — I said to Josh, 'I will coach this team next year, I'm excited about coaching this team next year, but in the last year of a contract, there are things that could happen. I didn't say they would happen, I said they could happen. I said I didn't think I deserved a three-year extension, but it's a signed contract (with an option), so let's compromise. I don't think I deserved to get my option picked up, even if we won in the first round (of the playoffs), but there's a middle ground."

On the argument that he didn't play young players: 

"…It shouldn't be that I didn't play young players, it's I didn't play young players enough, because we played a lot of young players — Kenneth Faried, Kosta Koufos, Evan Fournier at the end of the year, Ty Lawson…

"I think all of our young players are in a good place except for maybe Jordan Hamilton. He's the only guy I can say, 'OK, he might have should've been given more minutes.'

On not playing Javale McGee more and his lack of fit with Faried: 

"I'm sorry, I've never had management tell me that money's important (for playing time). Every team I've ever coached, it was, 'It's your job to distribute minutes.' I think JaVale built a foundation that next year is going to be very good with him. I don't think our relationship was in a bad place. It wasn't in a great place, but it wasn't in a bad place. … I felt pretty good that JaVale, with a good summer with us, probably would have been the starter next year. But in the same sense, I don't think JaVale and Kenneth fit. They have similar limitations. I still think having a passing point guard for JaVale, like Andre Miller, is an asset."

Thoughts on the Nuggets' season:

"We won 57 wins and are in a great place. Continuity, consistency, togetherness all are so much more valuable than they have on their priority list than playing JaVale McGee or the young players…And I never had a meeting where that disappointment (on not playing young players) was voiced to me. I never had that meeting. I heard through whispers. I'm sorry that 57 wins doesn't make you happy."

"I think it was a special season because of the connection this team has with each other and with the coaching staff and with the city. The fans like this team. The staff likes each other. And to blow up that connection is, in my opinion, extremely disrespectful to coaching."

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Grizzlies To Interview Alvin Gentry, George Karl

June 13th, 2013 at 4:07pm CST by Michael Pina

THURSDAY, 4:07pm: The Grizzlies have an interview lined up with Karl for Monday, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes that Karl is very interested in coaching the Grizz.

WEDNESDAY, 6:30pm: The Grizzlies are set to interview former Suns head coach Alvin Gentry on Friday, according to Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears. Gentry was contacted by Memphis today and is set to meet with new owner Robert Pera and CEO Jason Levien in Washington D.C.

As was reported earlier today, along with Gentry, former Nuggets coach (and reigning Coach of the Year) George Karl and Bulls assistant coach Ed Pinckney are also being considered for the position.

Gentry has experience as the head coach with several teams, including the Suns, Heat, Clippers, and Pistons. His all-time record is 335-370. According to a tweet from ESPNLA.com's Ramona Shelburne, Gentry is also in the mix with the Nuggets.

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Grizzlies Rumors: Pinckney, Lee, Rivers

June 12th, 2013 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

While Dave Joerger is viewed as the favorite for the Grizzlies' head coaching job, it appears the team will explore plenty of other options before making a decision. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports that Memphis has received permission to speak to Bulls assistant Ed Pinckney about the position, marking the first time this offseason that we've heard Pinckney's name come up in a head coaching search. Here's more on the Grizzlies:

  • In addition to Joerger and Pinckney, the Grizzlies have also spoken to George Karl and Alvin Gentry and intend to have them in for formal interviews, says Berger. The team isn't interested in Brian Shaw.
  • Memphis is also eyeing new faces for its front office, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who reports that the club has been granted permission to speak to Nets director of basketball operations Milton Lee. The Grizzlies are considering Lee for a senior executive position in the front office, and Amick adds that the decision to interview him is tied to Chris Wallace's uncertain future with the team.
  • Amick also has some updates on the coaching search, following up on Berger's report by confirming that Pinckney will meet Thursday with the Grizzlies.
  • The Grizzlies have not requested permission to speak to Doc Rivers, but the club would have "serious interest" if Rivers decided to step down as coach of the Celtics, says Amick. For now, Memphis is monitoring the situation in Boston.
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Latest On Clippers’ Coaching Search

June 12th, 2013 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

2:55pm: Because Hollins was attending an NBA competition committee meeting in San Antonio today, his interview with the Clippers will be pushed back to Thursday and Friday, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. McMillan had been scheduled to meet with the team on Thursday, but that interview was cancelled and may not be rescheduled, given the club's "lukewarm" interest in McMillan, says Turner.

Hollins, meanwhile, expects to interview with the Nuggets on Saturday after meeting with the Clippers.

10:11am: As the Nets appear to be closing in on Jason Kidd, a coaching candidate with no previous experience, the Clippers continue to interview previous head coaches for their own opening. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter), owner Donald Sterling is seeking a candidate with head coaching experience and is a fan of Lionel Hollins, who will meet with the team today.

Stein reports (via Twitter) that Hollins remains "firmly in the mix" for the Clippers' job, and that today's sitdown with the team will be the third time the former Grizzlies coach has spoken to the club. In addition to Hollins, the team has also met with Byron Scott and Brian Shaw, with Shaw still a "strong contender" for the job, says Stein.

Although we heard earlier in the week that the Clippers will also interview Nate McMillan tomorrow, it sounds as if he may not be as strong a candidate for the position as the other contenders. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported last night that George Karl is still in play for the job as well, though it's unclear if the team has scheduled a meeting with the ex-Nuggets coach.

Reports have yet to indicate whether there's a specific timeline for a Clippers hire, but I would guess that after this week's interviews, the team will at least narrow its search to a smaller list of finalists.

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Coaching Notes: Scott, Karl, Clippers, Suns

June 11th, 2013 at 9:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

An NBA-record 12 coaching jobs are changing hands this offseason, with almost half the jobs still open. Five teams are still searching for a coach, though David Joerger appears the strong front-runner for the Grizzlies. It looks like Jason Kidd has the edge for the Nets job, but Brian Shaw remains in the mix. It's more unsettled for the Nuggets, Clippers and Sixers, and as we await more clarity on those vacancies, here's the latest coaching news:

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Dave Joerger Strong Favorite To Replace Hollins

June 10th, 2013 at 7:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies announced earlier tonight that Lionel Hollins would not be offered a new contract, with CEO Jason Levien saying in a statement: "We have begun to identify our next head coach, who we feel can best move us forward." According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, there's a good chance that next head coach is current assistant Dave Joerger.

This isn't the first time we've heard Joerger mentioned as a candidate to take over Hollins' job in Memphis, but Stein puts it in the strongest terms yet, tweeting that Joerger has been considered for weeks to be the "overwhelming favorite" for the job. Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets a similar sentiment, saying it shouldn't be a surprise if Joerger is at the team's draft workout on Wednesday and is named the new head coach shortly thereafter.

If the Grizzlies don't end up promoting Joerger to replace Hollins, other candidates expected to receive consideration are ex-Nuggets coach George Karl and former Suns coach Alvin Gentry.

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Grizzlies Part Ways With Lionel Hollins

June 10th, 2013 at 7:00pm CST by Luke Adams

7:00pm: The Grizzlies have confirmed in a press release that Hollins won't receive a new contract and that the team will begin searching for a new head coach.

"After a thorough internal process, which included conversations with Lionel and his representatives, we decided as an organization to move in a different direction," said CEO Jason Levien in a statement.

5:38pm: Lionel Hollins is out as the Grizzlies' head coach, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, who reports (via Twitter) that the team won't extend Hollins' contract.

With Hollins' contract set to expire at the end of June and an oft-mentioned "difference in philosophies" between the head coach and Memphis' new management, the team was expected to make a change this offseason. However, Hollins has repeatedly expressed a desire to return to the Grizzlies, and the two sides had been discussing the possibility of a new contract.

With Hollins now officially on the market, he becomes a more viable potential candidate for other teams searching for a head coach, such as the Clippers, Nets, and Nuggets. As for the Grizzlies, they reportedly have interest in former Nuggets coach George Karl, and could also promote assistant Dave Joerger to the head coaching role.

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Sixers To Name Coach After Draft

June 8th, 2013 at 2:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The 76ers are planning to fill their head coaching vacancy after the draft, two sources familiar with the search tell John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  The draft takes place on June 27th, meaning that we're likely to see Philly make their announcement in early July.

One Houston-based source said president Sam Hinkie "will probably find a coach after the draft." The source also said that Hinkie believes that the coach "is secondary in the process because [Hinkie] will have an idea of what type of players" the Sixers will need to take in the draft.

The source added Hinkie would probably not be interested in hiring the recently fired George Karl.  Even though Karl, 62, is a great coach, the source belives that the club is seeking someone younger to fit a younger team.

Earlier this week, we learned that David Fizdale and Melvin Hunt are on the 76ers' radar.

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Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Karl, Wolves

June 7th, 2013 at 10:22pm CST by Zachary Links

What does a guy have to do to keep his job in Denver?  After being named the NBA's Coach of the Year, George Karl was dismissed from the Nuggets and left to find a place for himself on this offseason's coaching carousel.  The move did not go without criticism from fans and people inside basketball, and Nugs president Josh Kroenke addressed the media today to explain his decision.  Here's highlights from that and more out of the Northwest Division..

  • Kroneke had to decide between giving Karl the extension he was seeking or letting him go, and he told reporters, including Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post, that there was only one way to go.  "We talked about our future, we talked about our different desires for the organization," said Kroenke. "We both sat down and tried to figure out the best ways for both of us moving forward. My worst-case scenario that I kept coming back to was we're obviously going to start next season without (injured forward Danilo) Gallinari, and it would be a tough situation to put George in knowing that he might want to restructure his contract already."
  • The Nuggets president added that he doesn't have a timetable for replacing Karl or outgoing General Manager Masai Ujiri, Dempsey writes.
  • Dwight Howard might be the big name in free agency, but a number of teams would love to get their hands on Wolves standout Nikola Pekovic, writes Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.  While retaining Pekovic and having a healthy club in 2013/14 should go a long way for Minnesota, they would like to accomplish much more this summer.
  • Cody Zeller told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (via Twitter) that it was his agent's idea to work out individually for clubs.  The Indiana product auditioned for the Blazers earlier today.
  • Earlier tonight, we learned that Kevin Durant has opted to change agencies and is expected to join Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports.
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