George Karl Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Williams, Martin, Cousins

March 11th, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Assistant coach Monty Williams will not return to the team this season as he continues to grieve in the wake of the tragic passing of his wife, Ingrid, the team announced today. “The most important thing for Monty during this time is for him to be with his family, and the most important thing for us as an organization is to support him as a person, in any way that we can,” GM Sam Presti relayed in the team’s statement. “Even though Monty will not return to the team this season, his presence will be felt by all of us within the program and we will remain close with him and his family.”

Coach Billy Donovan also expressed his support for Williams, saying, “I have really enjoyed my relationship with Monty, and clearly we will miss him, but we value and embrace that it is critical he is there for his family at this time and our focus is on doing whatever we can, in any small way, to help him. He and his family will continue to be in our thoughts.”

Here’s more from out West:

Kevin Martin joined the Spurs with his eyes firmly fixed on playing in the postseason, which was his primary motivation for choosing San Antonio over other suitors after reaching a buyout arrangement with the Wolves, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News relays. “I think you look at where you’re at in your career, when you’ve kind of been on a lot of teams where you’re a No. 1 option guy, but you really don’t get to play until the end of May or early June,” Martin said. “So I think I just wanted to be with a championship pedigree. That was the ultimate No. 1 thing in my decision.” The veteran shooting guard sacrificed exactly half of his $7,377,500 player option for next season and $352,750 of this season’s salary in order to secure his departure from Minnesota.
The Kings should give DeMarcus Cousins one more chance to make things work in Sacramento by hiring a new coach for next season, J.A. Adande of ESPN.com opines (video link). The ESPN scribe notes that the situation between the volatile but talented center and coach George Karl is toxic, and Cousins was seemingly in check under former coach Michael Malone, which demonstrates that the big man can be kept in line if he respects the person in charge. Trading Cousins should be the absolute last resort, Adande adds, since it would be virtually impossible to receive equal value in return. The team suspended Cousins this week for one game without pay for his latest verbal run-in with Karl.

And-Ones: George Karl, Spurs Ownership, Draft

March 11th, 2016 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The overwhelming sense in the Kings organization is that George Karl is in his final weeks as coach, writes Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. That jibes with earlier reporting that cast doubt on the idea of Karl remaining in his position beyond this season, even though he made it through a near-dismissal last month. Players say the 63-year-old doesn’t appear to have the energy or vocal cords necessary to continue to face the challenge of coaching DeMarcus Cousins, whom the Kings suspended Thursday for his latest verbal clash with Karl, Voisin adds. Karl nonetheless downplayed the implications of Thursday’s cancer treatment, which removed squamous cell carcinoma on the left side of his neck, as Voisin relays. The columnist proposes moving Karl into the front office as a solution, and it’s an idea to which GM Vlade Divac is open, Voisin notes. See more from around the NBA:

Peter Holt’s decision to step down as owner of the Spurs was surprising, and the timing was odd, coming in the midst of another run at a title, but it’s in line with the 67-year-old’s gradual tapering of his professional responsibilities, sources tell Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio-Express News. Holt’s past history of alcoholism wasn’t a factor in his decision, said new co-CEO Rick Pych, who promised that he doesn’t plan any significant change for the organization, given his longstanding history with Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford. New primary owner Julianna Hawn Holt, Peter Holt’s wife, long ago established herself with the team, minority-share owner Stephen Lang told Orsborn, lending further credence to the idea that no major overhaul is coming.
Louisville sophomore center Chinanu Onuaku will declare for the draft, coach Rick Pitino said, as Jeff Greer of The Courier-Journal notes. That doesn’t mean he’s necessarily draft-bound, as new rules allow underclassmen to again “test the waters” and take part in the NBA combine while still maintaining their college eligibility should they decide to withdraw from the draft. Onuaku, the younger brother of Arinze Onuaku, is the 51st-best prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and comes in 58th with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
Ford gives his take on the most likely pick for each team currently slated for a lottery pick in an Insider-only piece.

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Cauley-Stein, Sanders

March 10th, 2016 at 3:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings have given DeMarcus Cousins a one-game suspension, the team announced, in the wake of his outburst toward coach George Karl during a timeout in Wednesday’s game. Cousins continued his tirade after the game, upset that Karl wasn’t defending him to refs, and Cousins jawed with GM Vlade Divac too, reports Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). It was odd timing, as Karl told Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee after the game that he would undergo a minor procedure for cancer in his throat today. It’s the latest chapter in the up-and-down relationship between Cousins and Karl, and it costs the star big man $144,109, 1/110th of his salary for the season. Cousins, who’ll miss Friday’s game against the Magic, wasn’t the only Kings player upset with Karl on Wednesday, as we detail amid news from the Pacific Division:

Kings rookie Willie Cauley-Stein found it difficult to accept Karl’s explanation for the decreased minutes he’s seen of late, as James Ham of CSN California relays. Karl told reporters not to overreact to Cauley-Stein’s minutes dip, saying he’ll see plenty of burn the rest of the season and pointing specifically to the matchups involved in Wednesday’s game, Ham notes. “That’s funny, that’s funny, kind of flimsy, [because] I can guard five positions, so that’s redundant, otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” Cauley-Stein said. “There should be no matchup problems ever. So that’s just an excuse I think. However, I’m not the coach.”
Larry Sanders is living in Los Angeles and has Lakers season tickets, as he told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The 27-year-old center who walked away from the game last year said he can envision making a comeback but remains wary of the NBA grind and said he won’t return to the situation he was in before, Kennedy relays, a subtle hint that he wouldn’t consider returning to the Bucks. Sanders praised Magic coach Scott Skiles, who was the Bucks coach when he entered the NBA, Kennedy also notes. The former 15th overall pick recently told Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports that he plans to play in the NBA again but only after he tends to other opportunities.
The Markieff Morris trade appears to have been beneficial for both the Suns and the Wizards, though much depends on where the top-nine protected pick that Washington owes Phoenix ends up in the draft order, observes Jeremy Cluff of the Arizona Republic.

George Karl Undergoes Cancer Treatment

March 10th, 2016 at 2:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:18pm: Karl plans to return in time for Friday’s game, he tells Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). “It’s a simple procedure,” Karl said. “Almost done. I will be fine.”

12:57pm: Associate head coach Chad Iske, the lead assistant to Karl, would lead the team for Friday’s game if Karl isn’t available, according to James Ham of CSN California.

7:58am: George Karl will undergo a medical procedure today to treat cancer in his throat, he told Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. The 63-year-old who’s twice survived cancer will miss today’s practice, according to Jones, and it’s unclear when he’ll return to the team, which next plays Friday against the Magic. GM Vlade Divac said to Jones that the team won’t rush him back. Karl insists his condition is not serious, Jones notes. The team hasn’t named an interim replacement, though Corliss Williamson was reportedly poised to become interim coach in February, when the team nearly fired Karl.

Some around the Kings have had concerns about the effect that Karl’s health has had on his ability to coach, USA Today’s Sam Amick reported in February, shortly after the team nearly fired him. Players have had difficulty hearing Karl’s voice during games, according to Amick. Karl missed the second half of the 2009/10 season to recover from throat and neck cancer while he was coach of the Nuggets. He suffered from prostate cancer in 2005.

DeMarcus Cousins was animated as he delivered an apparent tirade to Karl on the bench during Sacramento’s loss Wednesday to the Cavs, before Karl publicly revealed his cancer and presumably before Cousins knew about it. Cousins felt Karl wasn’t supporting the players enough, similar to complaints from other players that the coach isn’t exhibiting passion during games and doesn’t stand up for them, but by the next timeout, Cousins and Karl acted as though the blowup hadn’t taken place, according to Sean Cunningham of KXTV-TV in Sacramento (All four Twitter links).

Northwest Notes: Favors, Malone, Pleiss

February 24th, 2016 at 7:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Tuesday morning marked the five year anniversary of the trade that sent Deron Williams to the Nets and landed Derrick Favors in Utah, a place the power forward initially wasn’t thrilled to be headed to, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News writes. But despite his initial concerns, Favors is content playing for the Jazz, Genessy adds. “Welcome to the NBA, basically. That’s my memory,” Favors said. “Coming from New Jersey, being 19 coming all the way over to Utah, a place I’d never been before. It was different, but I grew up, got used to it and I like it here. I’ve matured a lot. Obviously I’m not 19 anymore. My game changed a lot. I’ve changed as a person. Five years ago seems like forever.“ The 24-year-old still has two more seasons remaining on his contract after this one, so his loyalty to the Jazz won’t be put to the test until the summer of 2018, when he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz are pleased with the development of center Tibor Pleiss and credit his four stints in the D-League this season for his improvement, Genessy notes in the same piece. “He’s getting an opportunity to play. Whatever his play looks like in my mind is what’s being accomplished is just those minutes,” coach Quin Snyder said. “Look at his line, his numbers. He’s fouling less, been more productive. Really, if you watch him, he looks more comfortable and that’s the primary thing.” The 26-year-old has appeared in 15 games for Idaho this season and has averaged 12.6 points and 9.8 rebounds for the Stampede.
The Nuggets are a much more stable team with Michael Malone as head coach, and his no-nonsense demeanor and desire to avoid discord separates him from former Denver coach George Karl, who has had numerous issues since taking over as coach of the Kings, Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post writes. Malone, whom Sacramento was fired last season, has observed Karl’s difficulties getting along with Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, a player with whom Malone had reached a common ground, Kiszla adds. “I was real with him, I was honest with him, I coached him, I disciplined him, I held him accountable. I never tried to be his buddy. I never tried to coach around him,” Malone said of his relationship with Cousins. “And, at the end of the day, I am a competitor. I hate to lose. At the end of the day, DeMarcus is a competitor. He hates to lose. We had that in common.“
One of the reasons that the Blazers are in the playoff hunt this season is the play of shooting guard C.J. McCollum, whose emergence is not a surprise to Portland’s front office, Ian Thomsen of NBA.com writes. “Damian [Lillard] and C.J. are our two best players,” GM Neil Olshey said. “They are our two best passers, our two best shooters and our two best scorers. The irony is, if C.J. doesn’t get hurt in camp as a rookie, then we were having this conversation two years ago. He was that good.“

Pacific Notes: Varejao, Teletovic, Booker, Karl

February 23rd, 2016 at 1:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Leandro Barbosa helped recruit fellow Brazilian Anderson Varejao to the Warriors, Varejao said, adding that his familiarity with former teammates Shaun Livingston, Marreese Speights and Luke Walton and respect for Golden State’s stars also helped persuade him to sign with the team, observes Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com. Varejao’s agency confirmed the Hawks, Spurs, Thunder and Mavericks were his other suitors, while Marc Stein of ESPN.com also heard the Clippers made an offer.

“I’m glad I came here [to Oakland], because I can tell they love each other,” Varejao said, according to Poole. “That’s what it’s about. When you want to win, you have to be like they are. Friends that have fun out there, have fun in the locker room. I’ve been here for a couple hours, but I can tell. I can tell this group, they love each other.”

See more from the Pacific Division:

Mirza Teletovic is on a one-year contract and was reportedly the subject of trade talk between the Suns and Bucks, but he said he’d like to stay in Phoenix as long as possible, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Rookie Devin Booker is the top scorer remaining on the Suns in the wake of injuries to others and the Markieff Morris trade, but while Booker manages the difficulty of having become the focal point for opposing defenses, the Suns want him to work on his defensive development, Coro writes in a separate piece. “His major, major growth opportunities are on defense,” Suns interim coach Earl Watson said. “We don’t care about offense and averaging 20 points a game. We care about defensively being accountable, getting stops, being in the right position, helping your team.”
The Kings have been unfair to George Karl, argues Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, who believes that the coach has much too long a track record of success to put up with the turmoil in Sacramento. Still, Dempsey can’t envision Karl quitting and walking away from the money the team owes him.

Western Notes: Griffin, McRae, Durant

February 16th, 2016 at 10:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

It’s likely the Clippers hang on to Blake Griffin through at least the rest of this season, but he isn’t “untouchable” in trade talk and the Clippers are listening to offers, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Still, while the team is liable to take a more aggressive stance about trading Griffin if it finds out before the trade deadline that it has no shot at Kevin Durant this summer, the Clips would demand a huge offer just to trade him away before draft time in June, much less Thursday’s 2pm Central trade deadline, according to Lowe. Clippers executives are adamant that they don’t intend to trade their star power forward, with one of them telling Dan Woike of The Orange County Register that the team never offered Griffin and Lance Stephenson to the Nuggets for a package of four players, as had been reported.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Kings are seeking a major upgrade at shooting guard and are not looking for younger players who couldn’t provide significant contributions immediately, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee notes (on Twitter). Sacramento is said to be desperate to deal away shooting guard Ben McLemore, with the Timberwolves and other teams reportedly interested in the young wing.
The Mavericks would be interested in Wolves shooting guard Kevin Martin if he works a buyout with Minnesota, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter). Dallas would be reluctant to trade for Martin because of the fear he would pick up his player option for next season worth $7,377,500, MacMahon notes.
Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers said the team is looking to add a guard via a 10-day deal, but that isn’t likely to occur prior to the team’s next two contests, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register tweets.
The Warriors find themselves in a difficult position at trade deadline time as the team attempts to repeat as NBA champions while trying to set itself up for a run at Durant, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group writes. Golden State has to weigh its pursuit of the all-time regular season victory mark against the chance to land Durant this offseason, Kawakami notes. In order to clear enough cap room to ink Durant outright, the Warriors would need to part ways with a significant chunk of talent, which could derail the team’s chances at bringing home a title in 2015/16, Kawakami adds.
The Suns have recalled shooting guard Jordan McRae from their D-League affiliate in Bakersfield, the team announced. McRae, who is with Phoenix on a 10-day deal, was sent to the D-League so he could participate in the league’s All-Star game, wherein he notched seven points and five assists in 14 minutes of action.
The Kings don’t appear to want to bring George Karl back next season even though they’ve committed to him through the end of this season, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. He’ll have $6.5MM in guaranteed salary remaining on his contract once this season is done.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Lue, Anderson, Burks, Luwawu

February 15th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Five NBA head coaches have been fired since the start of the season, and a sixth, George Karl, nearly was. That’s left a skittish environment in coaching circles, as Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post examines.

“I think maybe the owners are running out of patience,” said Tyronn Lue, who took over the Cavs from the fired David Blatt. “I’m not sure. Just talking to the guys, it’s good to get a long-term deal, because you never know what’s going to happen in this league. In our situation alone, we’re number one in the East and we got to the NBA finals last year, and then something like this unfortunately happens. I think you just have to continue to see improvement every year. A lot of times, I know ownership, they get anxious, and they probably think they’re better than what they really are. So that tends to play a part in it.

Lue reportedly signed a three-year deal when he took the head coaching job in Cleveland, though GM David Griffin denied it. See more from around the NBA with the trade deadline precisely 72 hours away:

Ryan Anderson is anxious to explore free agency this summer, so he’d only be a rental for any team that might acquire him at the trade deadline, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Conflicting reports paint a confusing picture of the likelihood that Anderson will end up in a trade, though more of them indicate that he’s not the likeliest trade candidate on the Pelicans than the other way around.
Alec Burks is progressing well in his recovery from a fractured left fibula and the general expectation is that the Jazz shooting guard will return to action in March, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. That’s nonetheless slightly behind the eight-week timetable reported in late December.
Draft prospect Timothe Luwawu of the Serbian club Mega Leks is an all-around swingman with a rapidly emerging 3-point game, strong passing and intriguing defensive skill who must improve his ball-handling and willingness to finish inside and overcome his occasional mental lapses on the floor, observes Jonathan Givony of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Luwawu is Givony’s 15th-rated prospect for this year.

Kings Notes: Karl, Jackson, Divac, Ranadive

February 10th, 2016 at 7:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

George Karl‘s agent, Warren LeGarie, is upset with Kings television analyst Bobby Jackson for some negative comments he made on air regarding the embattled coach, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register relays. Jackson pointedly suggested that it was time for the organization to fire Karl, something LeGarie is worried will influence the team’s volatile front office, Oram adds. “It’s my opinion that he [Jackson] should be fired or suspended,” LeGarie, told Oram. “[There’s] no place for that in a legitimate organization.”

LeGarie noted that Jackson is close to Sacramento executives Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic, Oram notes. “It’s way more transparent when you know the cast of characters involved and way more obvious then,” LeGarie said. “Except to the fans who take what they say as gospel.” The agent also noted in regards to broadcasters that,”They condition their audience, which ultimately influences the management.”

Here’s more from Sacramento:

Karl noted that his recent talk with Divac, which he initially believed would result in him being fired, was similar to their usual conversations, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. “I don’t think it’s anything different,” Karl said. “Just the situation, frustration – everybody’s frustrated when you lose. I’m not going to go into the private conversations that we had. Talked about the team, talked about the trade deadline situation. We talked about going forward in a positive way, in a committed, connected way.”
The franchise needs Divac to be a stabilizing influence amid all the current turmoil, something he has yet to effectively accomplish as an executive, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com opines.
If the Kings decide to deal swingman Rudy Gay prior to the trade deadline, the team needs to receive players signed beyond this season and not short-term rentals in return, Bobby Marks of The Vertical at Yahoo Sports writes in his deadline primer for the franchise. With Sacramento not known as a destination for free agents, it would be difficult for the team to replace Gay’s production, making it paramount that the Kings receive players they can utilize beyond the current campaign, Marks notes.
The Kings’ troubles start at the top with majority owner Vivek Ranadive and the muddled messages he sends to the team and its fans with his often flighty nature, Marcos Breton of The Sacramento Bee writes. The scribe also notes that Ranadive has been the one constant throughout all the coaching changes and failed personnel moves, which have the organization looked upon as a laughingstock around the league.

Pacific Notes: Karl, Griffin, Cousins, Watson

February 9th, 2016 at 4:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The fast pace of the Kings under George Karl has perturbed players and management, and concerns exist over the effect of the two-time cancer survivor’s health on his ability to coach, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. It’s hard for players to hear Karl, who endured neck and throat cancer while with the Nuggets, over the din of NBA arenas, Amick writes. Owner Vivek Ranadive reportedly hired Karl in part to run an up-tempo offense, so it’s odd to see pace become an issue. Still, the Kings have apparently committed to keeping Karl, in spite of reports that they planned to fire him.

“If they let George do his job and coach this team like he’s done in the past, they will get what they are both always seeking, respectability as a team and organization,” Karl’s agent, Warren Legarie, said in a statement to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

See more on the always-entertaining Kings amid the latest from the Pacific Division:

Blake Griffin has been suspended for four games without pay and fined him the equivalent of a fifth game check for reportedly hitting assistant equipment manager Mathias Testi, an incident that left Griffin with a broken right hand, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reported and the Clippers shortly thereafter confirmed (Twitter links). It’s officially a team suspension, Amick reports (Twitter link), so the Clippers won’t reap any tax savings as they would have if it were an NBA suspension. The team suspension also allows the Clippers some leeway in determining whether it’ll start before or after Griffin is fully recovered from his hand injury, as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times points out (on Twitter), though the team has no plan to do so, Woike relays (via Twitter).
The Kings still aren’t seriously considering any DeMarcus Cousins trade before the deadline, but they’re expected to decide soon whether to use the months after the deadline to “lay the groundwork” for a later trade of the star big man, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. That process could take a while, Deveney writes, pointing to Minnesota’s months-long effort to find a suitable Kevin Love deal in 2014.
Interim Suns coach Earl Watson spent only one season with the Spurs organization, as a D-League coach last year, but San Antonio’s philosophy has a clear influence on the style he’s bringing to Phoenix, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.