Jason Terry Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Notes: McHale, Thomas, Durant, Horford

July 10th, 2016 at 11:17am CST by Arthur Hill

Immediately after he was fired as coach of the Rockets in November, Kevin McHale received a job offer from the Celtics, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. He hasn’t joined the organization yet, but McHale appreciates the gesture from president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, his former teammate. “Danny and I are very good friends,” McHale said, “and once he heard about it, he basically called up and said what a bunch of BS it was, first of all. He said, ‘I feel bad for you.’ Then he said, ‘Any job you want up here, you just let me know.’” One exception, of course, was head coach Brad Stevens‘ job.

“Danny said, ‘You want to help the big guys? You just want to come in and see where it fits? You just tell me,” McHale continued. “Whatever you want to do, you let me know and we’ll make it work.’” McHale, who still had two years left on his Rockets contract, did some television work this season, but is not in a hurry to get back into coaching or front office position.

There’s more news out of Boston:

Point guard Isaiah Thomas was unhappy that Boston missed out on Kevin Durant, but he believes the Celitcs made their best effort to attract him, relays A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. Boston was among five teams that met with Durant last weekend in the Hamptons, and Thomas was part of the Celtics’ contingent. “I walked out thinking we had a chance at him,” he said. “But I didn’t think he was going to go to the Warriors; I definitely didn’t think that. But leaving that meeting, I had a sense he was leaving OKC.”
Thomas can finally reveal the name of the player who asked him during this season’s All-Star break what it was like to play in Boston, writes Mark D’Amico of Celtics.com. It was Al Horford, who signed a four-year, $113MM contract with the Celtics. “I wrapped that one up, I just didn’t want to say anything,” Thomas said. “I knew he was coming to Boston for sure.”
Thomas has offered to be a recruiter to help Ainge add some more talent, relays Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Thomas said he knows a few players who would like to join the Celtics and named one veteran who he believes would help the club. “I know there is an old guy out there named Jason Terry — he can still hit some shots,” Thomas said. “That’s my old head. I know there’s some shooters out there that can put the ball in the basket and hopefully we can get our hands on them.” Terry, 38, is a free agent after spending the past two seasons in Houston. He played for the Celtics during the 2012/13 season.

And-Ones: Terry, Zanik, Bucks, Loubaki, Draft

June 9th, 2016 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Jason Terry, who intends to play one more year before retiring, would like to join a contending team for the coming season. But even he doesn’t get an offer he likes from a contender, it sounds like Terry would prefer to sign with a lottery team rather than calling it a career, as Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes.

“Just looking for another opportunity to get back on a contender,” Terry said. “But if that opportunity doesn’t present itself, still being able to go in and have an impact in the locker room on the younger players and provide quality minutes off the bench. My body feels great. My mind is still sharp.”

Terry added that he’s also hoping to land in a situation where he can “shadow” his team’s head coach and general manager, as he prepares for his post-playing career.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from across the NBA…

We heard in May that the Bucks would hire Justin Zanik as their general-manager-in-waiting, and the team made Zanik’s hiring official today, announcing it in a press release. While Zanik’s title for now is assistant general manager, the plan is for him to eventually take over for John Hammond as Milwaukee’s GM.
French shooting guard Luc Loubaki, who entered this year’s draft class back in April, has withdrawn his name from consideration after undergoing meniscus surgery, writes Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 19-year-old had been viewed as the 37th-best player in his international draft class according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
ESPN’s Chad Ford has plenty of new draft-related content for us, providing workout updates on Ben Simmons, Dejounte Murray, Malachi Richardson, and Malik Beasley, and updating his big board, which features Marquese Chriss moving up to No. 6 overall and Murray sneaking into the top 10. Both pieces are Insider-only articles.
As LeBron James fights to get the Cavaliers back into contention against the Warriors in the NBA Finals, our sister site, Pro Football Rumors, passes along some intriguing comments from one NFL general manager, who believes LeBron would have been an all-time great tight end if he had chosen football instead of basketball.

Southwest Rumors: Grizzlies, Mavs, Terry, Parker

June 2nd, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

After a solid showing as the head coach of the D-League’s Texas Legends, Nick Van Exel appears poised to join the Grizzlies‘ coaching staff as an assistant under new coach David Fizdale, reports Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). ESPN’s Marc Stein confirms (via Twitter) that Memphis is attempting to close deals with both Van Exel and J.B. Bickerstaff, as the team looks to fill out Fizdale’s staff.

According to Stein (Twitter links), the Grizzlies are also “aggressively pursuing” former Cavs and Lakers head coach Mike Brown, who has also drawn interest from the Warriors. Stein suggests that Brown is more likely to head to Memphis than Golden State, but Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link) hears from Brown’s agent that the former head coach is no lock to join the Grizzlies.

As we wait for Memphis to officially name its assistant coaches, let’s check in some other items from around the Southwest division….

Even as he inches closer to age 40, Dirk Nowitzki remains the face of the Mavericks, but the team will attempt to infuse more youth into its roster around the longtime star, writes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Veteran guard Jason Terry suggested on SiriusXM NBA Radio (SoundCloud link) that he doesn’t expect to return to Dallas as a free agent, with the team focused on getting younger.
Despite Terry’s pessimism about signing with the Mavericks this summer, Sefko includes the veteran in a list of five free agent shooting guards who he believes would be fits for Dallas.
Spurs guard Tony Parker aspires to become an NBA general manager once his playing days are done, and as he tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, the NBA’s 2011 lockout provided him an opportunity to get a head start on his training for such a job. “The best thing was to be in the office every day during the lockout and see the everyday operations,” Parker said. “I looked at everything. How to manage a team, marketing, ticket sales, sponsors. It was a great learning experience for me. It’s getting me ready to work in an NBA front office.”

Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Anderson, Terry

May 18th, 2016 at 4:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies spoke with at least two candidates today as their search for a new coach heats up. Heat assistant David Fizdale came to Memphis for an interview, tweets Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com., as did Portland assistant Nate Tibbetts, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Both had been previously named as candidates for the job.

Spurs assistant James Borrego impressed Grizzlies officials during his interview earlier this week, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Memphis has also held interviews with Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, Hornets assistant Patrick Ewing and recently fired Pacers coach Frank Vogel (Twitter link). The Grizzlies have significant interest in Vogel, according to ESPN, but so does Orlando (Twitter link).

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

Pelicans free agent Ryan Anderson says he was nearly traded to Cleveland at the deadline, relays Brett Dawson of The Advocate. Appearing on “The Vertical Podcast,” Anderson contends the Cavaliers were trying to work out a deal for him before they picked up Channing Frye from Orlando. “There was a very last-minute phone call that I could have gone to Cleveland,” Anderson said. “I would be playing for the Cavs right now.” Anderson said he didn’t ask the Pelicans to trade him because he wants to have the option in free agency of staying in New Orleans. Anderson’s last experience as a free agent came in 2012 when he was restricted and Orlando swung a deal to send him to the Pelicans. This time, he likes the feeling of being in complete control. “I want to enjoy this process and see where New Orleans is at this summer,” Anderson said. “I want to see where, I don’t know, Houston is at or Sacramento or Washington.”
The Spurs could be interested in power forward Thomas Robinson if he opts out of his deal with the Nets, according to Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News. Robinson would give up a little more than $980K by opting out, but he stands to make much more on the open market with the expected jump in the salary cap. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has talked about the need to rebuild the bench with younger players, and the 25-year-old Robinson, a former teammate of LaMarcus Aldridge in Portland, could be a possibility.
Rockets point guard Jason Terry thinks Dwight Howard would be a “great fit” with the Mavericks, but only if he adapts to coach Rick Carlisle, according to The Dallas Morning News. “Whatever [Howard’s] role is, he would have to be the one to buy in first, and then you go from there,” Terry said on ESPN Radio’s Cowlishaw and Mosley show. “But he and Dirk [Nowitzki] together? That’s a powerful combination.” The 38-year-old Terry adds that he hopes to play one more season before retiring.

Rockets Rumors: Howard, Terry, Coaching Job

April 28th, 2016 at 1:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Houston hasn’t ruled out trying to re-sign Dwight Howard, but whom the Rockets select as coach will go a long way toward determining whether they pursue a continued partnership with the former All-Star center, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Howard would reportedly prefer to remain with the Rockets, but at least four other teams appear to be more likely options at this point. Houston’s choice of a head coach for next season and the system that coach runs will influence Howard’s choice, according to Feigen. See more on Howard in the wake of Wednesday’s season-ending loss:

Howard refused to talk about his future after Houston’s playoff elimination Wednesday night, notes Sam Amick of USA Today, who passes along noteworthy comments Howard made last month about the Magic, who’ve since emerged as an apparent co-favorite to sign him this summer. “To this day man, Orlando has always been special to me,” Howard said of his original NBA home. “Each city, the city grows on me so much because, like I said, I’m a people person and I’m always out in the community. I start to develop relationships, even with people at the smallest places. The Waffle House, stuff like that. … When you leave, it’s like anything. You’re like, ‘I miss this,’ and ‘I miss that.’ And Orlando was a place that I think about all the time. I basically grew up there, and I had so many friends there and stuff like that. I just hate how the situation [his departure from Orlando] happened, just the way that it was perceived. I totally hated that.”
Scott Brooks was a candidate for the Rockets coaching job, but he wasn’t a favorite, according to Feigen, who writes in the same piece. Marc Stein of ESPN.com heard Brooks and Jeff Van Gundy were the two front-runners for the Houston gig shortly before Brooks took the Wizards job instead.
Van Gundy is the likely “starting point” for the Rockets’ coaching search, but owner Leslie Alexander wants to be certain that Van Gundy, who hasn’t been an NBA coach since parting ways with the Rockets in 2007, would update his offense, Feigen writes.
Jason Terry on Wednesday expressed high hopes of re-signing with the Rockets when he hits free agency this summer, and he reiterated his intention to play again next season despite having interviewed a few weeks ago for the head coaching job at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, notes Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link). The Rockets would consider re-signing Terry if they can’t otherwise fill the role he played for the team this year, Feigen writes within a slideshow, so that would indicate Terry isn’t a priority for Houston.

Western Notes: Terry, Durant, Green

April 6th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite interviewing for the vacant coaching position at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Rockets guard Jason Terry would like to continue his playing career beyond this season, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News relays. When asked if he would retire at the end of the season, Terry said, “No, not at all – unless there’s just an outrageous opportunity that presents itself in the coaching world. Other than that, my goal is to play two more years. So you’ll see a lot more of me.”

Terry also noted that he would be open to a return to the Mavericks, but added that his first priority would be finding a team that has a legitimate shot at winning an NBA crown, Sefko writes. “If the opportunity presents itself, it’s something I’ll look at it,” Terry said of a potential return to Dallas. “But obviously, over the last month or two, I’ve been getting approached in all facets of the sports world and so, I’m just keeping my options open, understanding that I’m getting toward the end. I would like to win another championship and then go into coaching. That’s my passion.”

Here’s more from out West:

Kevin Durant is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Thunder will dramatically increase their chances of re-signing him if they win the NBA title this season, former teammate Kendrick Perkins tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter links). “It’s a possibility. I think it all determines on what happens in these playoffs,” Perkins said regarding Durant’s potential return to Oklahoma City. “They win it all, [Durant] can’t leave [OKC] in my opinion. But if they don’t, it might be time for a change.”
There has been some debate about what Draymond Green‘s ideal position should be, but Warriors GM Bob Myers says all that matters is winning, not labeling players, Washburn writes in a separate piece. “I don’t know what position Draymond Green should play,” Myers said. “Is he a better 5, 4, or 3? Who knows? Who cares? He helps you win. Stephen Curry is just a basketball player who has developed a weapon that’s hard to defend. That’s the question that everybody is asking. What does [Green or Curry] do? The answer is that he wins. I think sometimes in our position, we lose sight of that skill. Winning is a skill. We need to put more emphasis on players who win. It doesn’t matter how they do it.”

Jason Terry Out Of Running For UAB Job

April 3rd, 2016 at 1:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

SUNDAY, 1:52pm: Terry is no longer being considered for the job, he confirmed to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (on Twitter).

THURSDAY, 11:24 pm: Terry has confirmed that he interviewed for the job, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com.

10:24 pm: Rockets guard Jason Terry has spoken to Alabama-Birmingham about its head coaching vacancy, according to Drew Champlin of AL.com. The 38-year-old signed a one-year deal with Houston in August, so he will be free to pursue coaching once the season ends.

UAB athletics director Mark Ingram is talking with potential candidates in Houston, which is hosting the Final Four this weekend. Former NBA star and current Auburn assistant Chuck Person is another possible replacement for ex-coach Jerod Haase, who left for Stanford last week.

Terry has never coached before, but he has interest in that line of work once his playing career ends, writes Matthew Stevens of The Montgomery Advertiser. In his 17th NBA season, Terry is averaging 5.8 points per night in 65 games with the Rockets.

And-Ones: Porzingis, Smart, Terry, D-League

April 1st, 2016 at 8:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks‘ Kristaps Porzingis could be the rare young player who affects decisions in the free agent market, The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski claims. In a video response to a reader’s question, Wojnarowski said Porzingis has a clear path toward becoming an All-Star. “Elite free agents generally aren’t as interested in young talent as they are veteran, winning talent in its prime,” Wojnarowski said. “But Kristaps Porzingis of the Knicks is an exception. He’s far more and will be far more intriguing to free agents than say, the Lakers’ young core.”

There’s more from around the world of basketball:

Heat assistant coach Keith Smart is trying to overcome a rare form of skin cancer and rejoin the team on the bench, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Chris Quinn has moved from behind the bench to take Smart’s place while he undergoes treatment, and Smart said he doesn’t want to disrupt the chemistry of the coaching staff when he returns. He credits the Heat for keeping him involved during his absence. “This team has been great,” Smart said. “The organization has been great. [Coach Erik Spoelstra] is incredible, managing this team and also communicating with me almost on a daily basis or every other day, just to make sure that I’m doing OK.”
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes Rockets guard Jason Terry has the personality to succeed as a college coach, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Terry interviewed Thursday to be the next head coach at Alabama-Birmingham. “I could see Jet being a coach,” Cuban said. “He knows the game, he’s intense, he communicates well. And guys would relate to him.” Cuban added that the former Maverick can have a job with Dallas whenever he wants one.
The addition of three new teams to the D-League next season will bring a few complications, writes Adam Johnson of D-League Digest. The Windy City Bulls, Greensboro Swarm and Long Island Nets will be launched for 2016/17 as more NBA teams decide to have direct D-League affiliates. Johnson notes that the extra teams will require an expansion draft and will complicate the way the league handles its draft picks.
The Thunder have recalled Mitch McGary from their Oklahoma City Blue affiliate in the D-League, the team announced. McGary is averaging 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in 26 games with the Blue.
The Kings have recalled Eric Moreland and Duje Dukan from Reno of the D-League (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Terry, Russell, Allen, Rodriguez

April 1st, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jason Terry has confirmed that he talked to Alabama-Birmingham about its coaching vacancy, but he cautions that doesn’t mean his NBA career is over, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. The Rockets‘ veteran point guard interviewed with UAB on Thursday in Houston, where school officials are gathered for the Final Four. The 38-year-old said the interview doesn’t mean he’s decided to retire when this season is over. “No, I’m focused on the playoffs, and there has been no offer made,” he said, “but I have to keep all my options open when it comes to my post-playing career.” Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com tweets that Terry wants to play two more seasons if UAB doesn’t hire him.

There’s more news from the basketball world:

Some in the Lakers organization fear that the video controversy surrouding D’Angelo Russell will obstruct the team’s efforts in free agency this summer, writes Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding, though a prominent agent who spoke with Sean Deveney of The Sporting News scoffed at that notion.
Stanford small forward Rosco Allen will enter this year’s draft but won’t immediately hire an agent, according to Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The school and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress list him as a senior, but his Stanford bio also notes that he received a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA for the 2013/14 season, so presumably he has a year of eligibility remaining. He’d get to use that year if he pulls out of the draft by May 25th and doesn’t hire an agent. Givony lists Allen as 69th-best among seniors, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com has him outside his rankings.
Four-year NBA veteran Sergio Rodriguez is again considering a return to the league, as international journalist David Pick hears (Twitter link). The point guard was thinking along those lines last year, when he ultimately wound up staying with Real Madrid, the Spanish team he’s played for since his NBA tenure ended in 2010. Conversely, Rodriguez’s Madrid teammate, Rockets draft-and-stash player Sergio Llull, isn’t giving any thought to joining the NBA, as he said in an appearance on Radio Marca (translation via HoopsHype).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Texas Notes: Bickerstaff, Howard, Parsons

February 11th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff says his team must use the All-Star break to try to come together as a cohesive unit, which is not currently the case in Houston, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com relays. “We’re broken,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s that simple. We’re a broken team, and we all need to use this break to figure out how we’re going to impact change. If we don’t want to impact change, then we need to be made aware of that, too, and we’ll go in a different direction. We can’t continue to go out and play this way. It’s easy to see it’s a fragmented bunch. You can’t win that way.” When asked what about the team is broken, center Dwight Howard said, “I’m not going to talk about what’s broken. It’s all we do is we talk about the issues that we have. Nobody is being positive.”

Jason Terry also complained about the team’s lack of rapport, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays (Twitter links). “The chemistry is not where you like it. I’ve seen worse. It’s not functioning as a unit. Do we like to play with each other?” The shooting guard did note that the players and coaches should be able to make the necessary changes and Terry wasn’t sure if there would be any roster changes made prior to next week’s trade deadline, Feigen adds. Terry was overheard walking through the team’s media room on Wednesday night saying, “No chemistry with that group. [Expletive] horrible,” Watkins tweets.

Here’s the latest from the Lone Star state:

Howard said he did not ask the Rockets to trade him, seconding what his agent Dan Fegan said earlier today, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link) relays. “Dan’s statement is true. I have not asked the Rockets to trade me,” said Howard. “Nor have I talked about right trades. I want to win. I want this situation to work. I chose this team. And I’m not running because we have been faced with some adversity.“
Despite the Mavericks‘ lack of depth at point guard, Dallas should consider trading Raymond Felton and his expiring contract to a team looking to clear payroll for next season, Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports opines in his deadline primer for the Mavs. Felton, 31, is averaging 9.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 27.1 minutes per contest on the season.
The return to form by Chandler Parsons has the Mavericks optimistic about their chances of becoming a factor in the West after the All-Star break, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. “I’m feeling great,” Parsons told Sefko. “It’s some of the best basketball I’ve ever played in my career. My body feels great. I’m as confident as I’ve ever been. And I’m in a good place. Coach is getting me the ball in good spots. But it’s not really about me. It’s about the team and getting the highest possible seed we can and be playing as well as we can at the end.”