Jay Larranaga Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Four Coaches To Get Second Interviews With 76ers

August 5th, 2013 at 3:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sixers owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer will meet this week in New York with Kenny Atkinson, Brett Brown, Adrian Griffin and Jay Larranaga, giving those four their second interviews for the team's head coaching vacancy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Another candidate, David Vanterpool, may join them for what would be his second interview, as well. Sixers assistant coach Michael Curry also remains in the running for the job.

A report this weekend named Vanterpool, a Blazers assistant, the favorite to land the job, while many other recent dispatches put Brown, an assistant with the Spurs, in the lead. The Sixers have been without a coach since Harris confirmed in mid-April that Doug Collins won't be back on the sidelines. New GM Sam Hinkie put the coaching search on the backburner shortly after that, but he's been deliberate even as he's reached out to candidates.

Wojnarowski mentioned Vanterpool, Brown, Curry and Celtics assistant Larranaga among the contenders last week, while a report earlier in July suggested the team had narrowed its choices to Brown and Curry. Atkinson, an assistant with the Hawks, has largely been off the radar aside from the report last month that he would get his first interview. Griffin, a Bulls assistant, interviewed with the Pistons earlier in the offseason, a couple months before the Sixers showed interest.

Odds & Ends: Pekovic, Adelman, Johnson, Sixers

August 2nd, 2013 at 11:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

Timberwolves president of basketball ops Flip Saunders remains optimistic that the club will soon re-sign Nikola Pekovic, and tells Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune that he's trying to explain the thought process behind the team's offer to the big man and his camp. Saunders stopped short of confirming that coach Rick Adelman will be back for this coming season, but echoed owner Glen Taylor's comments from last month, saying that he's optimstic that Adelman will return. There's more from Minnesota and other NBA locales in tonight's roundup:

The Wolves reached out to Ivan Johnson's camp earlier this summer, but the team has since moved on, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
The Sixers received permission last month to interview Bulls assistant coach Ed Pinckney, and the interview has indeed taken place, observes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who names David Vanterpool, Michael Curry, and Jay Larranaga as the other "serious candidates" behind front-runner Brett Brown.
A multitude of conflicting recent reports left it unclear whether 53rd overall pick Colton Iverson would play overseas or join the Celtics this season, but a source tells Jay King of MassLive.com that Iverson has signed his one-year deal with Besiktas of Turkey.
DeMarre Carroll indicated on Twitter tonight that he's inked his deal with the Hawks. The team is expected to make a formal announcement Saturday, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
LeBron James has "serious reservations" about whether he can take on the presidency of the union, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who nonetheless supports the MVP's candidacy, even as sources describe James as unlikely to take the job.
The Magic didn't strike a buyout agreement before they waived Al Harrington today, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel confirms. That means the team is stuck paying the guaranteed portion of his contract, minus whatever it can recoup via set-off rights.
Pac 12 commissioner Larry Scott wants to see the end of the "one-and-done" rule for NBA draft eligibility, and Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com wonders if incoming NBA commissioner Adam Silver will make a push for change on that front.

Latest On Sixers’ Coaching Search

July 29th, 2013 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier this afternoon, Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool became the latest candidate to interview for the Sixers' head coaching opening, meeting with the team today in Philadelphia. According to Wojnarowski, Vanterpool has emerged as a "serious candidate" for the job.

The Sixers' search has lasted about three and a half months so far, with GM Sam Hinkie moving deliberately and interviewing several potential candidates. However, Vanterpool appears to be receiving legitimate consideration, alongside other contenders like Spurs assistant Brett Brown, Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, and Sixers assistant Michael Curry. Wojnarowski writes that Brown and Larranaga have made "strong impressions" on the Sixers during the process.

A report earlier in July suggested that Philadelphia will likely choose between Brown and Curry, leading to speculation that perhaps the team's extended search is simply a means of gaining intel on rival teams. However, if Vanterpool is being seriously considered for the job, it would appear Hinkie and the Sixers aren't simply going through the motions.

Sixers To Interview Kenny Atkinson, Quin Snyder

July 17th, 2013 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers finally appear to be ramping up their efforts to find a new head coach, having asked for and received permission to meet with candidates like Heat assistant David Fizdale, and Bulls assistants Ed Pinckney and Adrian Griffin. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports adds a couple more names to the Philadelphia's list of options, tweeting that the team has been granted permission to speak to Hawks assistants Kenny Atkinson and Quin Snyder.

In addition to those five candidates, the Sixers are also said to be considering Nuggets assistant Melvin Hunt, Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, and their own assistant, Michael Curry. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Larranaga met with Sixers management yesterday to discuss the team's head coaching opening.

The Sixers are the last team to name a new head coach during an offseason in which nearly half of the NBA's clubs made changes. When they officially make a decision, Philadelphia will become the 13th team to hire a new head coach since the season ended.

Sixers To Interview Jay Larranaga

July 12th, 2013 at 5:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers will interview Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga for their vacant head coaching position, sources tell Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. He joins Sixers assistant Michael Curry in the mix for the vacancy, as Curry is also reportedly scheduled to sit down with the Philadelphia brass.

Larranaga appeared to be a candidate for the top job in Boston before it went to Brad Stevens. Doc Rivers was interested in bringing Larranaga on as an assistant with the Clippers, but he instead remained in Boston as the only holdover from Rivers' staff. Larranaga coached the C's entry in the Orlando summer league this week.

The 38-year-old Larranaga has served as a head coach in the D-League and overseas, as Lynam points out. This past season on Boston's bench was his first as an NBA assistant.

The Sixers are the final team in the NBA with an open head-coaching position, after a dozen other teams changed coaches this offseason. New GM Sam Hinkie has taken a deliberate approach to the search, preferring to first fill out his front office staff.

Celtics Notes: Rondo, Stevens, Assistants

July 5th, 2013 at 10:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

The major news of the evening involves the Lakers, who've lost Dwight Howard to the Rockets. That's surely pleasing to Celtics fans, who could use the boost of seeing their archrival spurned after watching Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce depart in short order. Here's the latest on the rebuild in Boston:

Reiterating a point he's been making often lately, Celtics GM Danny Ainge tells Chris Mannix of SI.com that he's "certain" Rajon Rondo will still be on the roster to start next season (Twitter link).
Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com provides an interesting timeline on how the Celtics came to hire Brad Stevens as their new head coach.
Ainge says Jamie Young and Jay Larranaga will join Stevens' coaching staff, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com notes via Twitter.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Celtics To Target Lower-Profile Coach Candidates

June 25th, 2013 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

With Brian Shaw set to coach the Nuggets and the Grizzlies prepared to formally announce Dave Joerger as their new head coach, only two NBA teams, the 76ers and Celtics, are still without a coach. Like the Sixers, the Celtics intend to take their time making their decision, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, who tweets that Boston may not hire a new head coach until after Summer League play.

Current assistant Jay Larranaga will coach Boston's Summer League squad in Orlando, and he's expected to be one of the candidates for the team's head coaching opening, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, the Celtics will consider a handful of younger, lower-profile candidates for the position. The shift in focus doesn't come a huge surprise, since the team is expected to enter a rebuilding phase, and won't want to pay an elite coach's salary.

Besides Larranaga and Vinny Del Negro, we haven't heard many names surface as potential replacements for Doc Rivers on the Celtics' bench, though that figures to change in the coming weeks. According to Wojnarowski, Rivers has a "strong interest" in bringing Larranaga aboard as an assistant in Los Angeles, so if Larranaga doesn't earn the Celtics' head coaching job, it's unclear whether he'll remain on Boston's staff or land with the Clippers.