Jason Kidd Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jason Kidd Denied Promotion, Bucks Interested

June 28th, 2014 at 10:18pm CST by Cray Allred

10:18pm: The Bucks have already begun discussing potential compensation to spring Kidd from the three remaining years on his contract with the Nets, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. One source believes the outcome will be known by Monday (Twitter links).

10:00pm: Bucks officials are under the belief that Kidd is seeking the role of president, which would give him the option of installing himself as coach, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

9:30pm: A source tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that Kidd isn’t looking to coach the Bucks, but is rather pursuing a role as president of basketball operations (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is told that Kidd is indeed seeking to both coach and lead the front office in a role where he is “running everything.” (Twitter link)

9:00pm: A source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com it would be difficult to imagine Kidd remaining with the Nets, regardless of how his talks with the Bucks go (Twitter link).

8:52pm: While it remains unclear what exact role Kidd is seeking in Milwaukee, Sam Amick of USA Today reports that the Bucks front office was unaware of the talks (via Twitter). Sources confirm to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com that coach Larry Drew and the Bucks front office were unaware that Kidd would be interviewing for their positions (Twitter link). Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times tweets that Bucks owner Marc Lasry is friends with both Kidd and Kidd’s agent.

8:18pm: Jason Kidd demanded to be placed in charge of Nets basketball operations in addition to his coaching duties, and Brooklyn did not grant his request, a league source tells Tim Bontemps of The New York Post. Nets ownership has given permission for Kidd to seek other opportunities, including with the Bucks, who have interest in hiring him, per Bontemps. It is not clear from the report if Milwaukee is interested in Kidd as merely a coach or in an expanded role like he was seeking in Brooklyn.

Reportedly, Kidd did not ask for GM Billy King to be fired, but did want to be placed in authority above King. The news is surprising considering Kidd’s inexperience as both a coach and executive. There are only a handful of people in the league with the kind of consolidated power Kidd was seeking, and they all possess much longer track records of success than the first-year coach has under his belt.

This isn’t the first turbulence Kidd has experienced since going straight from playing to coaching. The expensive Nets roster performed poorly out of the gate, and Kidd’s job was reportedly at risk as he adjusted to his new profession. Assistant coach Lawrence Frank was demoted in an ugly mid-season period, although there are conflicting reports as to whether Kidd or the Nets made the call. After the embarrassing start, Kidd managed to turn around the team’s performance, ultimately finishing 44-38 and advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

Coaching Rumors: Jazz, D’Antoni, Boylen

April 24th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Executives, coaches and other league insiders struggle to come up with names of intriguing coaching candidates after last year’s record volume of new hires, but Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com was able to pry the identities of a few well-regarded potential hires. Some of them have been in rumors in recent weeks, but University of Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, Bulls assistant Ed Pinckney, and Blazers assistant David Vanterpool are the names we haven’t heard. Potential head coaches with ties to the Spurs were already popular, and they’ve grown even more so this year, Arnovitz hears. Here’s more from the coaching rumor mill:

The Jazz plan to interview more than 20 candidates fitting virtually every description, team president Randy Rigby said Wednesday on The Zone Sports Network radio, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Though a few candidates have reportedly emerged, Rigby insists the club hasn’t identified any potential targets. He also said the decision will be a group effort and won’t lie solely with GM Dennis Lindsey.
Mike D’Antoni won’t be coaching Marshall University next season, but his brother Dan D’Antoni will be, the school announced. Dan D’Antoni is leaving his job as a Lakers assistant coach to take the new gig.
The Pacers weren’t pleased when former assistant coach and current Jazz head coaching candidate Jim Boylen left last year to become a Spurs assistant, tweets Scott Agness of Pacers.com. “He did us dirty,” one Pacers player told Agness.
Knicks president Phil Jackson said Wednesday that his coaching search could extend into July, but he adds that it’s not because he’s waiting around to see which, if any, coaches working in the playoffs become available, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
Nets GM Billy King said on NBA TV that he, and not coach Jason Kidd, made the decision to reassign assistant coach Lawrence Frank earlier this season, fellow ESPNNewYork.com scribe Mike Mazzeo observes.

Poll: Experienced Coach Or First-Timer?

April 11th, 2014 at 8:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

As we approach the end of the NBA regular season, it’s the time of year when the annual coaching carousel begins to spin and a slew of faces will end up in brand new places. Heading into the 2013/14 season there were a total of 13 coaching changes, which if you’re keeping score at home, is the most ever in a single offseason.

We won’t know for sure just how many teams will be making a change on their bench until the playoffs are over. Normally you would think a playoff spot would ensure job security, but Lionel Hollins, Vinny Del Negro, and Larry Drew all weren’t retained after reaching the playoffs last year. So the exact number of vacancies are up in the air, but we know there will be some.

If your team is making a head coaching change, which would you prefer in your new hire? Do you want a veteran coach with years of experience to lead your team? One who has a proven track record, but also could be carrying baggage and bad habits picked up throughout the years. Or, would you prefer the energy and new ideas a first-time coach can provide? A new coach has more to prove, and might be more in touch with the pulse and culture of his players, but has no experience to rely on, and no track record to predict future performance.

Let’s look at how this year’s crop of new coaches fared as an example. First up, the ones with prior experience:

Doc Rivers (Clippers): The team is 55-24, first in the Pacific Division, and the third seed in the playoffs. Last year’s team went 56-26 under Vinny Del Negro, before Del Negro wasn’t retained and the team traded for Rivers.
Maurice Cheeks (Pistons): He was fired 50 games into the year with a record of 20-29. Detroit was 29-53 in 2012/13 under Lawrence Frank. After the team signed Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings in the off season, owner Tom Gores expected a much better record and for the team to make the playoffs.
Mike Brown (Cavaliers): The team sits at 32-47, which is good for tenth in the eastern conference. Last year under Byron Scott the team had a record of 24-58 and ended up with the first overall selection in the draft.
Larry Drew (Bucks): The Bucks sit at 14-64. which is good for the worst record in the league. In 2012/13 under Scott Skiles and Jim Boylan the team went 38-44.

Now for how the first-time coaches performed:

Jason Kidd (Nets): The Nets are at 43-35, which is good for the fifth overall playoff seed. Kidd replaced interim coach P.J. Carlesimo, whose team finished 2012/13 with a record of 49-33.
Brad Stevens (Celtics): Stevens, taking over for Doc Rivers, has gone 23-55, but has the re-building team heading in a positive direction. Last year’s team went 41-40.
Mike Budenholzer (Hawks): The Hawks have gone 35-43 and currently hold the final playoff spot in the east. Last year’s Larry Drew led squad went 44-38.
Steve Clifford (Bobcats): Clifford has led the Bobcats to a 40-38 record and the sixth seed in the east. Under Mike Dunlap the team went 21-61 during last year’s campaign.
Brian Shaw (Nuggets): The Nuggets have been hampered by injuries all season, and sit at 35-44. Shaw replaced coach of the year winner George Karl, who led the team to a record of 57-25.
David Joerger (Grizzlies): Joerger replaced Lionel Hollins and has guided the team to a record of 46-32, and has the team is one game out of the final playoff spot. Last year the team went 56-26.
Brett Brown (Sixers): Under Brown the Sixers have the second worst record in the league at 17-61, including a record-tying 26 game losing streak. Last season under Doug Collins, the team went 34-48.
Jeff Hornacek (Suns): The Suns are one of the most improved teams in the league with a record of 47-31, and hold the seventh seed in the western conference. Last year under Lindsey Hunter and Alvin Gentry the team went 25-57.
Mike Malone (Kings): Under Malone the Kings have gone 27-52. During the 2012/13 season under Keith Smart the team ended up 28-54.

This means that in their first seasons with their new teams, experienced coaches went 121-164 (.424), and the first-timers went 313-391 (.444). There are many different factors outside a coach’s control that contribute to the team’s final record, but the nature of the NBA is that the coach is the first one to take the heat.

Now it’s time to vote. If your team makes a coaching change this off season, do you want an experienced person hired, or would you prefer the team brings in a brand new face? Cast your vote below and feel free to give your thoughts in the comments section below.

NYC Notes: Carmelo, Bulls, Nets, Teletovic

January 26th, 2014 at 9:07am CST by Jonathan Nehring

As the Knicks and Lakers prepare to meet this afternoon much anticipation surrounds Carmelo Anthony‘s response to his 62-point performance Friday night. Having broken Kobe Bryant‘s Madison Square Garden point record, this matchup would have brought much more hype had Bryant been able to defend his recently broken record. Instead, Kobe sits at the end of the bench recovering from a knee injury. Bryant’s visit will not be all for naught as Marc Berman of the New York Post suspects he will spend this trip recruiting Anthony to sign with Los Angeles next summer. Berman can’t imagine Anthony having much interest in the Lakers while head coach Mike D’Antoni is still at the helm considering their differences lost D’Antoni his job in New York but “the Lakers have cap space and the Clippers and the Bulls — at the moment — don’t.”

Time will tell how effective a sales pitch Kobe makes today. In the meantime, some other notes around the Big Apple.

As we pointed out yesterday, the Bulls are gaining traction as a destination spot for Carmelo this summer and are “much more in play than L.A.”. However, Chicago Tribune reporter K.C. Johnson cautions against those rumors as he believes Anthony in a Bulls jersey is an “extreme long shot”. Johnson points to the fact the Bulls could amnesty Carlos Boozer and still not be anywhere near the cap space needed to give Anthony the maximum contract he will be seeking. According to Johnson, the Bulls would have to also trade away either Taj Gibson or Mike Dunleavy and still hope Anthony will take a discount in order to join a coach and point guard he admires. Johnson does point out that a sign-and-trade involving Boozer and the Knicks could be more likely.
Speaking of those Anthony-to-Bulls rumors, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times claims the Bulls aren’t letting those rumors distract them. Head coach Tom Thibodeau told Cowley “[the Bulls have] gotten used to [the media’s rumors].” Cowley adds that he doesn’t believe Anthony heading to the Bulls is impossible but “the Bulls would have to be willing to go back over the luxury-tax threshold they just escaped.” They would also have to amnesty Boozer, as Cowley reiterates.
Turning our attention five miles south, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban relayed to Dwain Price of the Star-Telgram that he “had no doubts Jason Kidd would eventually get the Brooklyn Nets turned around.” Cuban has maintained his “great relationship” with his former point guard and believes Kidd’s close relationship with Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle “is paying dividends for the Nets right now.” Cuban believes Carlisle to be “one of the two or three best (coaches) in the game at in-game adjustments and play-calling, and I’m sure (Kidd) picked up more than a few pointers when he played for Rick.”
Observing the Nets after beating Cuban’s Mavericks on Friday to improve to 9-1 of late, Beckley Mason of The New York Times believes the Nets have transformed since the beginning of this season, allowing them to exceed previous limitations. Mason attributes the Nets unique lineups, increase in defensive intensity, and ability for any player on the roster to take over each night as reasons for the sudden change in Brooklyn.
Evidence of the ability of any Net to take over on a given night, Mirza Teletovic is “making the most of his chance,” as Lenn Robbins of BrooklynNets.com reports, after Teletovic scored a career-high 34 points against the Mavericks. Teletovic credits the Nets’ abundance of shooters as the reason “the guy from Europe [was left] open,” but Deron Williams believes Teletovic is “a competitor… making the most of [the opportunity].”

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Celtics, Green

January 22nd, 2014 at 12:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

The average value of an NBA franchise is $634MM, a 25% jump over last year, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.com. The Knicks lead the way with a valuation of $1.4 billion, helped along by renovations to Madison Square Garden. Only four NBA teams lost money last year, Badenhausen writes, though Grantland’s Zach Lowe notes that the league usually disputes the numbers in the Forbes annual report (Twitter link). While the Knicks appear to be doing just fine financially, that isn’t the case on the court or in the locker room, as we detail amid our look at the Atlantic Division:

There have been some hard feelings between Mike Woodson and Tyson Chandler, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News examines, noting that Knicks GM Steve Mills isn’t thrilled with Woodson’s job performance.
The Celtics highly value a player’s zeal for the game, as their 10-day signing of Chris Johnson and dismissal of Keith Bogans indicate, but it won’t be easy for Johnson to get a deal with Boston for the rest of the season, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Presumably that applies to the newly signed Vander Blue, as well. The C’s are close to the luxury tax line, and keeping roster spots open will help the team retain flexibility for trades in advance of the February 20th deadline, Forsberg explains.
Jeff Green tells Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher that the Celtics haven’t indicated to him that he’s on the trade block, as Bucher notes at the end of his piece.
Danny Ainge didn’t say whether he envisions a long-term future in Boston for Kris Humphries, who’s expressed a desire to stay, but the Celtics GM tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he didn’t expect Humphries to perform as well as he has. Ainge was nonetheless high on the power forward even before the trade that brought Humphries to Boston this summer.
Nets GM Billy King thinks Jason Kidd is “coming into his own” as a coach, as he said on The Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco Show on ESPN New York 98.7, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. Mirza Teletovic expressed similar sentiments in a conversation last night with Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
King also confirmed on radio that it’s unlikely Edin Bavcic, a throw-in to Wednesday’s Tyshawn Taylor trade, ever plays for the Nets. King said the roster spot the team opened via that transaction enhances the possibility the Nets will use the disabled player exception for Brook Lopez to add a player. Youngmisuk has more from the Nets GM in the same piece.

Atlantic Rumors: Nets, Celtics, J.R. Smith

January 16th, 2014 at 3:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

Mikhail Prokhorov, in London for today’s Nets-Hawks game, said that he was never close to making changes when the Nets were playing their worst this season, and the owner also expressed confidence in GM Billy King and coach Jason Kidd. Prokhorov added that he has no intention of selling the team anytime soon. Newsday’s Roderick Boone and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News round up his comments via Twitter, and there’s more from Nets ownership suite among the day’s news from the Atlantic Division:

Gerald Wallace is upset with his role on the Celtics, and also feels the Nets “disrespected” him by trading him to a rebuilding club, observes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. “This season is a slap in the face, having to change my game and fine-tune it,” Wallace said. “First of all, it has to come mentally. You accept your situation, but there’s two sides to your brain. One side is fighting the other side because of the predicament you’re in. You feel you can still perform at the level you always have, but at the same time, you’re doubting yourself.”
One of Prokhorov’s advisers seems to have overtaken the role of another, with Sergei Kushchenko now exerting more influence on the Nets than Dmitry Razumov has, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post explains.
There was no chance the Celtics were going to keep soon-to-be restricted free agent Jordan Crawford beyond the season, writes Herald scribe Steve Bulpett, who sees Wednesday’s trade of Crawford and MarShon Brooks as a move made with only the future in mind.
An Eastern Conference personnel man tells Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News that if Knicks GM Steve Mills finds a taker for J.R. Smith, “he’ll be pulling a fast one” on whatever team ends up with the swingman.
Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com wonders if Mike Woodson‘s public support for Smith has to do with their mutual ties to the Creative Artists Agency. The Knicks would be better off waiving Smith this summer and using the stretch provision to spread out his remaining cap hits, O’Connor believes.

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Brooks, Nets

January 9th, 2014 at 5:37pm CST by Ryan Raroque

ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell is joined by fellow ESPN writers Scoop Jackson and Doug Padilla to weigh in on a few questions surrounding the Bulls, particularly the likelihood of using the amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer, who won the Andrew Bynum–Luol Deng swap, and what the team’s next move should be.

Here are a few more miscellaneous links to share out of the Eastern Conference this evening:

The Celtics have recalled guard MarShon Brooks from the NBDL today, the team announced via press release. Brooks had been lighting up the D-League as of late, averaging 27.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, while shooting 37.5% from long range through five games with the Maine Red Claws.
While four games appears to be a small sample size, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes about how Jason Kidd may have found the right formula to win with the Nets by opting to utilize smaller lineups. With that being said, Brooklyn is currently riding a four-game winning streak.
Jared Sullinger has been a starter for the majority of the 2013/14 season, though he began Wednesday night’s game against the Clippers as a reserve because of Kris Humphries‘ standout performance recently. Sullinger doesn’t have an issue with his role change, telling Mark Murphy of BostonHerald.com: “That’s absolutely fine with me…(head coach Brad Stevens) said there may be times when they change things with me coming off the bench.”
Knicks head coach Mike Woodson wants to move past the topic of J.R. Smith‘s disciplinary issues, telling the media before tonight’s game against the Heat: “I’m not addressing anything else with JR. Just not gonna do it” (Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv via Twitter). During a local radio interview with ESPN yesterday, Woodson was critical of Smith’s recent on-court antics, which earned the nine-year-veteran a $50K fine from the league for “recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct” (Ian Begley of ESPN New York).
Sam Amico of FOX Sports takes an in-depth look at the Cavaliers’ newest All-Star acquisition, Luol Deng.

Atlantic Rumors: Knicks, Teletovic, Blue

December 31st, 2013 at 5:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

Thaddeus Young is playing at an All-Star level this season, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. ”I think Thaddeus’ last [four] games are off the charts,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “It’s at an all-star type of level. He’s playing with versatility and a toughness and a leadership. It’s just a real strong package that he’s showing us. I really feel, the last [four games] if that’s what he is, he’s something special.” Meanwhile, the 25-year-old continues to hear his name in trade talk. Try not to get teary-eyed on us, because this is the final Atlantic Rumors post of 2013..

J.R. Smith, who took to Instagram to express his frustrations with the Knicks’ decision to waive his brother, didn’t speak to reporters today, but coach Mike Woodson doesn’t expect Smith to have hard feelings against Jeremy Tyler, who replaced the younger Smith on the roster. Marc Berman of the New York Post has the details. Chris Smith isn’t sure whether he’ll sign to play in the D-League and he may wait awhile before making his next move, Berman notes.
Tyler could play a significant role for the Knicks, as Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal examines.
Mirza Teletovic doesn’t answer a question about whether he’s asked for a trade, but he tells Emir Jesenković of the Bosnian newspaper Avaz that he’s not thinking about the possibility of a trade and that his focus remains on the Nets. Teletovic also lends his support to coach Jason Kidd (translation via NetsDaily).
Sixers camp invitee Vander Blue is once more a free agent, as Maccabi Rishon LeZion of Israel has waived the former Marquette shooting guard, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter links).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Pistons, Copeland, Hill

December 29th, 2013 at 12:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

The failure of Cleveland’s Andrew Bynum experiment has dominated headlines this weekend across the NBA, but while the Cavs have their share of problems, so do most of their rivals in the Central Division. Only the Pacers, with a 24-5 record that’s tied for the league’s best, are any better than four games beneath .500. We’ll pass along a couple of takes on Bynum here amid a larger look at the Central:

The tension between Josh Smith and Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks that led to Smith’s benching for the second half last night is an ominous sign for the team, as Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News examines.
Chris Copeland sought the counsel of his then-Knicks teammates as he contemplated his free agency last summer, and Jason Kidd was particularly helpful, Copeland tells Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. The Pacers forward is confident that Kidd, who’s struggling in his first year as coach of the Nets, has the leadership ability to do the job.
The Pacers have assigned Solomon Hill to the D-League, the team announced. Hill says via Twitter that he asked for the assignment (hat tip to Buckner). Coach Frank Vogel has said that the team didn’t have plans to send Hill down, but the rookie guard has been on the inactive list since Danny Granger returned from injury, Buckner notes (All Twitter links).
None of the moves the Cavaliers made this past offseason have worked out, including the Bynum signing, and that doesn’t bode well for the franchise after one of the most important summers in its history, opines Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding argues that Bynum’s free-spirited personality will keep him from once more overcoming his creaky knees and becoming the All-Star he once was, and Ding imparts some of the blame on coach Mike Brown.

Eastern Links: Nets, West, Deng, Shumpert

December 28th, 2013 at 2:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nets players are reportedly confused about their roles on the team amid an organizational lack of patience with Jason Kidd, but Deron Williams tells Tim Bontemps of the New York Post that he thinks the players still support their coach.

“If we were losing some close games and he was making some bad decisions, that would be one thing, but that’s not the case,” Williams said. “We got blown out [Wednesday]. He can’t make us outrebound teams, he can’t make us put the extra little bit in to get over the hump. That’s on us as players to come out and play better.”

There’s more news on the Nets amid our look at the Eastern Conference:

Pacers power forward David West considered signing with the Nets after the lockout in 2011, but the Teaneck, N.J., native tells Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that the team wasn’t interested because of fears regarding his recovery from a torn ACL.
The Bulls aren’t keen on the idea of trading Luol Deng and if they did, they’d need a piece that solidifies their future, which means they’d require someone better than Iman Shumpert of the Knicks, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
The Raptors are looking to the future and would ideally like to build with the draft, but in a strange twist of fate, they’re winning games and they may not get that choice lottery pick, writes Howard Beck of the Bleacher Report. Part of the reason for their success could be that several players — as well as coach Dwane Casey — are in their walk years.
The Heat are off to a strong start and so is their D-League affiliate, notes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.

Zach Links contributed to this post.