J.B. Bickerstaff Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Rockets Coaching Search

May 4th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

9:46pm: The Rockets are intrigued by college coaches Shaka Smart (Texas) and Bill Self (Kansas), and also may seek to interview former Rocket and current broadcaster Kenny Smith, Stein relays (Twitter links).

9:08pm: Sixers associate head coach Mike D’Antoni will interview for the vacant post this week, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Houston will also desire an interview with Frank Vogel if he is let go by the Pacers, Stein adds.

8:00pm: Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff has withdrawn from consideration for the team’s head coaching position after meeting with team ownership and front office personnel on Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Other NBA teams have now begun reaching out to Bickerstaff about available lead assistant positions, which is what he is now focusing on, the Vertical scribe adds, though Wojnarowski makes no mention of which teams have been in contact with the coach.

Houston intends to conduct a wide-ranging search for its next head coach, Wojnarowski relays. GM Daryl Morey and team owner Les Alexander met with Bickerstaff on Monday, as well as with Clippers assistant coach Sam Cassell and Rockets assistant Chris Finch, league sources informed Wojnarowski. The Rockets are trying to arrange interviews with Jeff Hornacek and Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, league sources told Wojnarowski. The franchise also reportedly plans to interview former Cavs coach David Blatt, though reports peg former Rockets and Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy as the front-runner for the vacant post.

Bickerstaff posted a mark of 37-34 after taking over for the fired Kevin McHale, who got off to a 4-7 start to the campaign. Houston indicated that Bickerstaff would receive consideration to have his interim tag removed, but apparently guiding the team to the playoffs wasn’t enough to sell ownership on him as a viable long-term option.

Rockets Get Permission To Interview Luke Walton

April 28th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets have received permission from the Warriors to interview Golden State assistant coach Luke Walton for the head coaching job in Houston, sources told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). Jeff Van Gundy appears to be the top target for the Rockets, who are out of the playoffs after Wednesday’s loss. Interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff will receive consideration for the formal head coaching job, and his players and bosses like him, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com, who nonetheless adds that the team didn’t win enough for Bickerstaff to feel comfortable about his position. The players have been aware of Bickerstaff’s temporary status and know the team intends to go after marquee names as it plays the field for a coach, The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Golden State also gave the Lakers permission to interview Walton. He already spoke with Knicks president Phil Jackson, though both sides insisted that wasn’t an interview. Walton is reportedly expected to meet with Kings GM Vlade Divac. The 36-year-old Walton has a window to interview with suitors for the next few days as Golden State awaits its second-round playoff opponent.

Whoever coaches the Rockets next season will face a challenge to turn around a team that disappointed this year after a run to the Western Conference finals in 2015. James Harden and Dwight Howard “hated each other,” Wojnarowski tweets, though Howard is expected to opt out of his contract this summer, and the two have consistently praised each other publicly.

“Ultimately it’s his decision but, you know, obviously we love big fella here,” Harden said when asked about the specter of Howard’s free agency, according to The Vertical’s Michael Lee (Twitter link).

The chemistry between Harden and Howard is “cordially bad,” as one source described it to Watkins. Rockets owner Leslie Alexander and GM Daryl Morey anticipate that Harden will give input on the choice of the next coach, but Howard is not expected to influence the team’s decision, according to Watkins.

Coaching Rumors: Bickerstaff, Messina, McHale

April 27th, 2016 at 1:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

Interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff will be among the coaches the Rockets consider as they seek to formally name a head coach after the season, and he and his staff have the respect of the team’s players, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Bickerstaff, who took over for the fired Kevin McHale once the team started 4-7, was unable to win at the rate most expected of the Rockets coming into the season, Watkins notes, suggesting that’ll be a stumbling block to the removal of his interim tag. Still, owner Leslie Alexander nonetheless praised Bickerstaff’s winning record of 37-34 during the regular season, and the playoff berth the Rockets snagged on the final night of the regular season was apparently a significant help to Bickerstaff’s chances. Alexander and GM Daryl Morey anticipate James Harden having a role in the team’s decision, though Dwight Howard, whom the Rockets expect to opt out, is unlikely to have a say, according to Watkins.

See more coaching news from around the NBA:

The Lakers will give Spurs assistant Ettore Messina strong consideration for their coaching vacancy if they can’t land Warriors assistant Luke Walton, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears (Twitter links). L.A. has asked for and received permission from San Antonio to interview Messina, a one-time Lakers assistant, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick.
Multiple people have told Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee that McHale isn’t fond of California, casting doubt on the idea that he’d take the Kings coaching job, though Jones cautions that he isn’t entirely sure whether McHale indeed holds a low opinion of the location (Twitter link). The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week that McHale was on the fence about whether to interview for the gig, though Stein wrote more recently that McHale and the Kings have had exploratory talks.
A close friendship with new GM Scott Layden, the potential of Minnesota’s roster and a belief that Glen Taylor is committed to winning are reasons Tom Thibodeau cited to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune as he spoke about his decision to become coach and president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves. Thibodeau said that having the dual coach/executive title the Wolves gave him wasn’t a make-or-break element to the deal. “It wasn’t an absolute must, but I’m glad it has worked out that way,” Thibodeau said. “I just wanted to make sure I had a voice. The person I’m with, I trust Scott. He has great integrity. He’s a great worker and he has great experience.”

Wizards Notes: Brooks, Durant, Dudley

April 22nd, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The specter of a head coaching vacancy on the Lakers intrigued Scott Brooks, but Washington’s quick work to secure him on a five-year, $35MM deal cut off both the Lakers, who’ve yet to decide on the fate of Byron Scott, and the Rockets, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets. Houston reportedly made him one of the favorites for its job but still has interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff in place. All five seasons of Brooks’ contract with the Wizards will be guaranteed, Aldridge hears (Twitter link), and his $7MM annual take ties him with Rick Carlisle for the highest salary among NBA coaches who don’t also have player personnel control, notes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post (Twitter link). See more on the impending Brooks hiring and other issues from the nation’s capital:

The Brooks deal, which will pay him more than double the roughly $3MM a year that Randy Wittman was making, signals that owner Ted Leonsis is planning to spare no expense in free agency this summer, even if Kevin Durant takes a pass on returning to his native D.C., argues Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.
Brooks would still be coaching the Thunder if Durant really had his heart set on playing for him, one league source told Bontemps for the same piece. Some of Durant’s friends who spoke with Chris Mannix of The Vertical cast serious doubt on the idea of Durant playing for the Wizards.
Jared Dudley would prefer to re-sign with the Wizards this summer, but he wants to do so with the security of a three-year contract, as he tells Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. That jibes with an earlier report from J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic, who wrote that Dudley was open to returning to Washington as long as the team fired Wittman, a move that took place last week. Dudley would also like to see the Wizards re-sign Alan Anderson and Garrett Temple, as Castillo relays.

Brooks, Jeff Van Gundy Favorites For Rockets Job

April 20th, 2016 at 4:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:04pm: Brooks is currently meeting with Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld, who is trying to reach an agreement with the coach this evening, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets.

3:11pm: The Wizards have intensified their pursuit of Brooks with the hope he can be signed prior to the Rockets post opening up, Stein relays (Twitter links). Houston is hopeful that Brooks will hold making a decision until their playoff run is complete, Stein adds.

12:43pm: Scott Brooks and Jeff Van Gundy are co-favorites for the Rockets head coaching job, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The Wizards are reportedly the front-runner for Brooks, but Houston is optimistic that he’ll wait until its playoff run is over, Stein adds. Adrian Wojnarowski and Chris Mannix of The Vertical earlier identified Van Gundy as the top candidate for the Rockets gig, but it appears Brooks is on the same level. Houston still hasn’t formally decided the fate of interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who reportedly enhanced his chances of keeping the job when the team clinched a playoff berth on the final night of the regular season, but the latest news seems to cast significant doubt on his return.

Brooks is wary of the uncertainty surrounding Dwight Howard‘s player option, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported, even though Howard has long been expected to opt out. Stein reported earlier that the Rockets were second only to the Wizards among the options Brooks was considering but pointed to Houston’s focus on the playoffs as a disadvantage. The Rockets are down 2-0 to the Warriors in their first-round series and could be eliminated as soon as Friday’s Game 4. The ex-Thunder coach knows James Harden well from their time together in Oklahoma City, and Kevin Durant remains a fan of Brooks.

The Rockets, like many teams, had interest in Tom Thibodeau, as Stein relayed last week, but Thibodeau is apparently finalizing a deal with the Timberwolves. That cuts off a route to a job for Van Gundy, who had reportedly been a co-favorite for Minnesota. Van Gundy, who still lives in Houston, last coached in the NBA with the Rockets in 2007.

Rockets Make Jeff Van Gundy Top Target

April 18th, 2016 at 2:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jeff Van Gundy tops the list of potential candidates for the Rockets head coaching job, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski and Chris Mannix of The Vertical. Still, it’s not entirely clear whether Houston will have an opening, since interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff remains in place as the Rockets compete in the first round of the playoffs against the Warriors. The team won’t begin its search until it’s finished with the playoffs, according to Wojnarowski and Mannix. Bickerstaff reportedly enhanced his chances of keeping the job significantly when he guided the Rockets into the playoffs. The team is also interested in Scott Brooks and Tom Thibodeau, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported previously.

Van Gundy lives in Houston, as Wojnarowski and Mannix point out. He coached the Rockets from 2003-2007 before he and the team parted ways at the end of the 2006/07 season. The job was his last as an NBA head coach, but he’s remained a prominent candidate for openings around the league. He’s reportedly scheduled to interview for the Timberwolves vacancy today and, along with Thibodeau, is one of two front-runners for that gig. The Nets apparently had interest as well before they hired Kenny Atkinson.

Thibodeau appears keener than Van Gundy is on the idea of the coach/executive role that Minnesota is considering, as Wojnarowski and Mannix detail, while the Wizards are reportedly the favorites to land Scott Brooks, so it makes sense that Van Gundy has taken the lead for Houston. The heavily favored Warriors blew out the Rockets in Game 1 of their series on Saturday, and Houston’s season could end as early as Sunday in the event of a sweep.

The failure to advance past the first round was perhaps Van Gundy’s chief shortcoming when he was coach of the Rockets. The team made the playoffs in three of his four seasons but never won a series. He finished 182-146 in the regular season and 7-12 in the postseason with Houston.

Would Van Gundy be the right choice for the Rockets? Leave a comment to have your say.

Southwest Notes: Alexander, Gentry, Aldridge

April 16th, 2016 at 3:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rockets owner Leslie Alexander plans to be more active in the team’s offseason moves, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Alexander gave GM Daryl Morey a vote of confidence this week but said he will take a more hands-on role in overhauling a roster that produced a disappointing 41-41 record and the eighth seed in the West. “I think I will change a little bit,” Alexander said. “More scrutiny and what they’re doing. I was thinking about doing it anyway but after this season, definitely.” Among Houston’s decisions will be whether to retain interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who posted a 37-34 record after taking over for Kevin McHale in November. Alexander didn’t commit to keeping Bickerstaff, but did toss a compliment his way. “He’s got a winning record,” Alexander said, “which is good from where he started.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry is hoping for a fresh start next season after a disastrous first year in New Orleans, writes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Gentry was hired to take the next step with the Pelicans after they claimed the final playoff spot in 2014/15, but the team was slowed by a long string of misfortune. New Orleans players ended the season with 351 games missed due to injuries and illness, the second-highest total in the past decade. Looking ahead, Gentry has a vision for the type of player he wants to acquire in the offseason. “I think we need that 6’7″ athletic guy that can also be somewhat of a facilitator,” he said. “As to names, I have no idea who that is, but I know that he’s out there. And so that would be obviously a priority for us.”
The Spurs became a better defensive team after trading Tiago Splitter and signing LaMarcus Aldridge, according to Matthew Tynan of RealGM. Splitter is considered the better defender, but Aldridge has more range and mobility, Tynan notes, which gives Tim Duncan the more natural role of rim protector.
Jae Crowder, who has emerged as a star in Boston, couldn’t wait to get out of Dallas, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Before being included in the 2014 trade that brought Rajon Rondo to the Mavericks, Crowder was frustrated by a lack of playing time, two trips to the D-League and Dallas’ signings of Al-Farouq Aminu, Chandler Parsons and Richard Jefferson.

Coaching Rumors: Scott, Thibodeau, Kidd, Brooks

April 14th, 2016 at 10:28am CST by Chuck Myron

A strong belief exists within the Lakers organization that the team will keep Byron Scott, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, nonetheless revealing that next season is a team option on Scott’s contract. Still, too much discord exists within Lakers ownership for a consensus to form on a coaching change, sources tell Wojnarowski. Primary owner Jeanie Buss is advocating for Scott behind the scenes, and Scott has a “major chance” to remain in his job, one source told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

See more coaching rumors around the NBA with the regular season having come to a close:

Carmelo Anthony would prefer the Knicks hire Tom Thibodeau as coach, a source close to Anthony insisted to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Team president Phil Jackson doesn’t seem to have any interest in Thibodeau, as Isola points out, and strong indications exist that Thibodeau is looking for player personnel power as he seeks a coaching job, sources tell Chris Mannix of The Vertical (Twitter link).
Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry publicly backed coach Jason Kidd on Wednesday in the wake of rumors that Kidd is on shaky ground with the team, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. Lasry said it’s reasonable to assume the team will give Kidd an extension on the three-year, $15MM contract that expires after next season, Gardner notes. Lasry has long been close to Kidd, and it’s the other owners to whom Kidd hasn’t endeared himself, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times wrote this week, but Gardner indicates that fellow primary owners Wesley Edens and Jamie Dinan made it clear Wednesday that they also want Kidd to stay. “At the end of the day, Jason is our coach,” Lasry said. “I know there’s been a bunch of articles. We think he’s done a great job. He’s our guy. Everybody who keeps talking about it, it’s a non-issue. I never understand why in this league you have these issues.”
Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Nets interim coach Tony Brown are unlikely to have their interim tags removed, barring unforeseen events, according to Berger. Rockets candidate Scott Brooks is wary of the uncertainty about whether Dwight Howard will opt out, Berger writes, which suggests that it’s not an open-and-shut case that Howard will opt out as he’s long been expected to do.

Western Notes: Bickerstaff, Prince, Carlisle

April 13th, 2016 at 7:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

If the Rockets are able to clinch a playoff berth this evening, it would greatly enhance the chances of interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff earning the post on a full-time basis, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays in a series of tweets. Houston does have interest in Scott Brooks and Tom Thibodeau, who are likely to be two of the more sought-after coaches this offseason, Stein adds. The Rockets are intrigued by the discipline and structure that Thibodeau could bring, but Brooks, who played for the Rockets, has an excellent familiarity with James Harden from their time spent together with the Thunder, Stein notes.

Here’s more from out West:

Wolves small forward Tayshaun Prince intends to play next season, telling reporters, “I’m not going to retire,” Kyle Ratke of NBA.com tweets. The 36-year-old, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, appeared in 77 games and averaged 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per outing for Minnesota on the season.
Rick Carlisle, who is in his eighth season as Mavericks coach, has given the organization an uncommon stability during his tenure, Colin McGowan of RealGM writes. Carlisle deserves credit for making the most out of the talent he has been afforded, and the organization also deserves praise for sticking with the coach despite a few rocky seasons, McGowan adds.
Brandan Wright was limited to just 12 games for the Grizzlies this season, which likely diminishes his value as a potential trade chip and increases the likelihood Wright will be on Memphis’ roster next season, opines Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal. The big man inked a three-year, $18MM with the Grizzlies last summer.
The Pelicans will finish the 2015/16 campaign with 351 games missed due to injury and illness, the most in the NBA in the past six years, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link).

Daryl Morey To Be Evaluated By Rockets Ownership

April 9th, 2016 at 3:08pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Rockets have gone from 56 wins and a trip to the Western Conference Finals a season ago to a 38-win squad that is in serious danger of missing the playoffs in 2015/16. As a result, GM Daryl Morey‘s job performance will be under serious review this offseason, Marc Stein and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com report. Team owner Leslie Alexander also noted that interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who replaced Kevin McHale 11 games into the campaign, would be subject to review at season’s end as well, Stein and Watkins add.

Morey certainly faces some uncertainty regarding his job security heading into the summer, the scribes note. The GM deserves credit for his bold approach to roster building, notably adding James Harden and Dwight Howard, though team chemistry is a growing concern, especially considering the previously mentioned players have struggled to coexist, opine Stein and Watkins. The pair also count the failed Ty Lawson experiment this season as another mark against Morey. Lawson proved to be a bad fit alongside Harden and signed with the Pacers after agreeing to a buyout in Houston.

For his part, Morey has accepted the blame for this season’s misfortune, telling reporters, “It has been a very tough year in terms of a lot of the things we were hoping [to] take us to the next level didn’t, and we also took a step back on top of that, so far,” Morey said. “The season is not over but to this point we underperformed from what we did from last season.” When asked recently about his job security, Morey responded, “You’re asking the wrong guy about that. That’s Mr. Alexander’s choice and all I do is my job every day. He makes that call.” The GM is under contract through 2018, having inked a four-year extension with Houston in 2013.

Bickerstaff has a record of 34-34 in his interim role, but his questionable substitution patterns, as well as the team’s defensive shortcomings and inability to hold big leads, don’t necessarily work in his favor, the ESPN scribes note. The interim coach said that no discussions have taken place between him and team management regarding his job status yet, Stein and Watkins add. “No, not at all, that’s not even a issue [or] a concern,” Bickerstaff said Thursday night.‎

Should the Rockets retain Daryl Morey, or is it time for a change in Houston? Tell us your thoughts below.