Kevin Ollie Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Thunder, Kevin Ollie, Billy Donovan

April 22nd, 2015 at 2:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:27pm: Either Ollie or Billy Donovan, another strong candidate for the now-vacant Thunder job, would quickly pull out if Oklahoma City contacted the other, Wojnarowski tweets.

1:58pm: Ollie has “significant interest” in the Thunder job in spite of his statement today, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com earlier expressed doubt about the idea that the statement put the kibosh on the idea that Ollie would coach the Thunder next season (Twitter link).

9:23am: A source told Zagoria on Tuesday night that Ollie was the Thunder’s top coaching target and that the Thunder were “fully committed” to their attempt to convince him to jump, regardless of the cost of his buyout from UConn. It’s unclear where the Thunder stand with Ollie in the wake of his statement this morning, but Zagoria’s source on Tuesday described Ollie as “torn.” The source also told Zagoria that the Thunder pursued Ollie last year, and that he turned them down then.

WEDNESDAY, 8:48am: Ollie will remain at UConn and has no plans to work elsewhere, the coach said in a statement today, according to The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater (on Twitter).

MONDAY, 2:27pm: The Thunder are seriously considering University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie as a successor for Scott Brooks, a source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Ollie, who’s close to Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti and also has strong ties to former teammate Kevin Durant, recommitted to the Huskies with a new deal last year that would require him to pay the school $4MM if he were to leave for the NBA.

People close to Brooks have their doubts about his job security, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last week. The Thunder are expected to “spend time evaluating the partnership” between Brooks and the franchise before deciding whether to bring him back next season, though he’s under contract for 2015/16 with a team option for 2016/17, Wojnarowski wrote.

Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka have nonetheless all expressed support for Brooks in recent days, though the three were teammates of Ollie, who spent his final season playing in the NBA with the Thunder in 2009/10. Ollie guided Connecticut to the national championship in 2014 and was a hot commodity shortly thereafter. The Cavs were reportedly the most aggressive NBA team in pursuit, while some thought that a team might hire Ollie to try to lure Durant, who’s set for free agency in 2016. Ollie was reportedly seeking a contract worth more than $25MM over five years to make the jump to the NBA. His deal with Connecticut is a five-year, $15MM pact.

Thunder Fire Scott Brooks

April 22nd, 2015 at 12:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder have parted ways with coach Scott Brooks, the team announced via press release. A league source told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports moments earlier that the team had fired the coach. GM Sam Presti gave Brooks the news today, Wojnarowski tweets. Brooks becomes a top candidate for the Magic and Nuggets coaching vacancies, the Yahoo! scribe adds (on Twitter). University of Florida coach Billy Donovan is a “natural favorite” to succeed Brooks, though the team’s top target as of Tuesday was reportedly University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, who issued a statement today that he had no interest in leaving the school. Donovan is expected to become a serious candidate, Wojnarowski hears, seconding Stein, and Donovan has done background research on Kevin Durant, notes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

“This is an extremely difficult decision on many levels. Scott helped establish the identity of the Thunder and has earned his rightful place in the history of our organization through his seven years as a valued leader and team member,” Presti said in the team’s statement. “As we all know, this past year we had unique and challenging circumstances and as I have conveyed, not many people could have accomplished what Scott and this team were able to. Therefore, it is very important to state that this decision is not a reflection of this past season, but rather an assessment of what we feel is necessary at this point in time in order to continually evolve, progress and sustain.

“We determined that, in order to stimulate progress and put ourselves in the best position next season and as we looked to the future, a transition of this kind was necessary for the program. We move forward with confidence in our foundation and embrace the persistence and responsibility that is required to construct an elite and enduring basketball organization capable of winning an NBA championship in Oklahoma City.”

Brooks was under contract with the Thunder through next season and with a team option for 2016/17. Wojnarowski reported last week that several people close to the coach had doubts about his security in the job that he’d held since early in the 2008/09 season. Presti didn’t consult with Thunder players before making the move to let go of Brooks, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka all expressed their support for Brooks in the wake of Wojnarowski’s story last week.

It’s no surprise to see Brooks linked to the Magic, given that Orlando GM Rob Hennigan was working with Brooks in the Thunder organization when the Magic hired him in 2012. There are strong links between Presti and Donovan, too, as Presti has made two hires for the Thunder from Donovan’s staff, notes Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Brooks went 338-207 in parts of seven seasons with the Thunder and helped the team to the Finals in 2012. Still, he endured frequent criticism of his lineups and in-game strategy. Injuries befell the Thunder in the last two postseasons, and prolonged absences for Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and others derailed another shot at contention this season for the Thunder, who finished 45-37 and out of the playoffs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

And-Ones: Calipari, Izzo, Miller, Wizards

June 9th, 2014 at 10:56pm CST by Zachary Links

John Calipari wasn’t the only star college coach the Cavs reached out to, reveals Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal, who hears Kevin Ollie, Fred Hoiberg, Billy Donovan and Mike Krzyzewski all were contacted by Cleveland. Lloyd’s source adds that the Cavs offered Tom Izzo a coaching position that also would have given him total control of the franchise’s basketball operations, much like the role that the team proposed to Coach Cal. Here’s more from around the league:

The Cavs have contacted around 11 candidates in an attempt to fill their coaching vacancy, writes Lloyd in the same piece.
The decision on whether or not to bring back Andre Miller will probably be an easy one for the Wizards, opines J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Washington holds a $4.6MM option on his deal for 2014/15 or could buy him out for $2MM.
Former Marquette University forward Jamil Wilson, who had to cancel workouts with the Bucks and Pistons due to a sprained ankle, is expected to audition for the Wizards on Tuesday, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Journal Sentinel.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post looked back at the performance of Nets‘ midseason acquisition Marcus Thornton. Thornton turned into a key rotation player for Brooklyn down the stretch of the season and will earn ~$8.58MM in his walk year.
The Thunder are the NBA’s smartest spenders as they have gotten more success out of less money than anyone else in the league, writes Glenn Davis of USA Today. OKC owns a 271-123 record over the last five seasons combined all while having payrolls that ranked in the bottom half of the league on average.
Sean Meagher of The Oregonian wonders if the Trail Blazers should hold on to Wesley Matthews, a free agent after the 2014/15 season. Matthews is coming off of the best season of his career as a pro and is entering the final year of his five-year, $33MM deal.
Former UNC standout Sean May will attend mini-camps with the Spurs and Warriors this month, according to HoopsHype (via Twitter).
The Clippers will bring in Jordan Clarkson, Nick Johnson, Deonte Burton, and Sean Kilpatrick for workouts, reports Dan Woike of the Orange County Register.
The Celtics could eye offense in this month’s draft, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com explains.

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

Kevin Ollie Signs New Deal With UConn

May 22nd, 2014 at 4:59pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 4:59pm: The coach has signed a deal that runs through 2018/19 and calls for average annual salaries of $3MM, the school announced. He’d have to pay the university $5MM to jump to the NBA for next season, $4MM in 2015/16, and $1MM in each subsequent season covered under the contract.

TUESDAY, 11:23am: Ollie and UConn are close to a deal but have yet to reach agreement, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News hears, tapping the brakes on Wojnarowski’s report from Monday (Twitter link).

MONDAY, 4:44pm: Coach Kevin Ollie has committed to stay with the UConn Huskies, agreeing to a contract extension that will pay him $3MM per year, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (on Twitter) first reported that the two sides appeared to be nearing agreement.

Ollie was reportedly in the mix for multiple NBA openings and UConn knew that they’d have to pay big bucks to keep the man who led them to the 2014 National Championship. The Lakers, however, never made a formal inquiry regarding Ollie, Wojnarowski writes, adding that the Cavs were the team most aggressive in pursuing Ollie.

Aside from Ollie’s success in a short time at UConn, the coach appealed to some teams based on his relationship with Kevin Durant. Durant will be the most highly sought after free agent in a couple years, and some thought that a team might preemptively hire Ollie as a draw for the MVP. Ollie, who was reportedly looking for a contract greater than Steve Kerr‘s five-year, $25MM deal from interested NBA teams, maintained that it wouldn’t be easy to lure him away from Connecticut, and that turned out to be the case.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

Coaching Notes: Ollie, Kerr

May 17th, 2014 at 9:20pm CST by Cray Allred

Within the next couple days, Kevin Ollie plans to reject the advances of the only NBA team that has reached out to him this offseason, a league source familiar with Ollie’s thinking tells Mark Medina of Los Angeles Daily News. The team’s identity is unknown, but the source tells Medina is isn’t the Lakers or Knicks. The source says Ollie, who is also renegotiating his contract with UConn, never “got to first base” with an NBA team. Here are more coaching notes on a night without any playoff action:

A league source told Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer the Cavs were not the team that had contacted Ollie, which would leave the Wolves and Jazz as the only other teams with head coaching vacancies that might have reached out.
A source close to Ollie tells Boyer that the coach is indeed “strongly leaning” toward remaining at UConn.
Steve Kerr’s agent told Diamond Leung of Bay Area News Group that two teams other than the Knicks and Warriors pursued Kerr as a head coach, but he didn’t engage in talks with either. The Jazz were one such interested team, but any other interested teams have not been revealed.

Coaching Rumors: Dunleavy, Fisher, Ollie

May 17th, 2014 at 11:44am CST by Cray Allred

Mark Jackson has a multiyear agreement to return as a lead game analyst for ESPN, according to a report from The Associated Press. Although this may be an indicator that Jackson isn’t occupied with any serious coaching opportunities at the moment, the contract would presumably allow for Jackson to return to the bench should he land another head coaching gig. Diamond Leung of Bay Area News Group tweets that Jackson is still in the head coaching mix. Here’s more of the day’s coaching rumors:

Phil Jackson‘s meeting with Mike Dunleavy Sr. is believed to have been an interview for the Knicks open coaching job, reports Marc Berman of The New York Post.
A confidant of Derek Fisher tells Berman that the Thunder guard would be open to coaching next season if the right opportunity presented itself. Fisher is considered a leading candidate for the Knicks job.
Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal hears that it would take more than the $25MM contract Steve Kerr just received to lure Kevin Ollie to an NBA coaching job (Twitter link).

Coaching Rumors: Kerr, Ollie, Thibodeau

May 15th, 2014 at 10:11pm CST by Cray Allred

Stephen Curry went on the record in his support of new Warriors coach Steve Kerr, telling Marcus Thompson of Bay Area News Group he’s on board despite the star’s frustration with the firing of Mark Jackson. “I just want to see [Kerr] build that relationship with the players. To be able to get the most out of us,” Curry said. “We’re in good hands. I’m not worried about that. He just has to develop his coaching style. I agree with the decision [to hire Kerr].” Here’s more on the coaching front:

Sources tell Marc Berman of The New York Post that Phil Jackson isn’t ready to consider himself as a candidate for Knicks coach in the wake of Kerr declining to join the Knicks.
Jerry West thinks Jackson should coach the Knicks if his health will allow, he told Marc Berman of The New York Post. West added that Jackson will have to change his demeanor as an executive to be as successful as he was as a coach.
West acknowledged to Berman that Stan Van Gundy was the Warriors‘ first head coaching choice over Kerr.
Kerr tells Berman in a separate piece that he received Jackson’s blessing to meet with the Warriors while deep in discussions with the Knicks, and that the Zen Master wasn’t bitter with his eventual decision to choose Golden State over New York.
Kevin Ollie is having his resolve to stay at UConn tested by strong interest from an unnamed NBA team, a league source tells Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. “A team has come at him hard,” the source said. “He’s always preferred UConn. But he may have a decision to make.”
Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com expects speculation around Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau to linger until the coach signs another extension with Chicago, even though Thibodeau has three years remaining on his current deal. Both Thibodeau and GM Gar Forman declined to comment on rumblings of tension between the coach and front office, increasingly fueled by other teams’ plans to pursue Thibodeau.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak continued to downplay Kobe Bryant‘s influence on L.A.’s coaching search, telling Andy Katz of ESPN.com the star’s wishes to be involved won’t be catered to. “He really won’t weigh in on something like this,” said Kupchak. “I’m not even sure that we’ll talk to him prior to interviews.”

Latest On Kevin Ollie

May 14th, 2014 at 3:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

NBA teams have been in touch with University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, who’s engaged in “firm” discussions and is nearing the interview stage with one club, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. That team isn’t the Lakers, who haven’t reached out, according to Charania, in spite of an earlier report that they plan to interview Ollie, among other candidates. Ollie acknowledged that he’ll listen to inquiries but insisted that he wants to continue to coach Connecticut and said he’s telling recruits that he’ll remain at the school, as Dom Amore of The Hartford Courant observes.

“I love this university,” Ollie said today. “I’m not looking for another job. Of course, you listen to different things — I got two ears so I’m going to listen — but I’m not going out there soliciting any other job. I want to be here at the University of Connecticut.”

The primary sticking point in talks on a new contract with UConn is the amount of his NBA escape clause, currently set at $2.55MM, Amore reports. Ollie made about $1.6MM including bonuses last season, according to Amore, but there’s reportedly a decent chance that the Huskies will double his salary on a new contract.

Ollie has no interviews with any NBA team lined up for this week’s draft combine, Charania hears. Charania makes mention of the Cavs as “highly aggressive” in their pursuit of a coach, but it’s not clear whether they’re connected to Ollie. A recent report categorized him in the first tier of Warriors candidates, and the Thunder apparently would have interest if they were to fire Scott Brooks.

Coaching Rumors: Ollie, Jackson, Scott

May 8th, 2014 at 5:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

There probably won’t be 13 coaching changes like last offseason, but with vacancies on high-profile teams like the Lakers and Knicks and plenty of disharmony surrounding Mark Jackson‘s dismissal from the Warriors, there’s no shortage of chatter. Here’s the latest:

University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie still hasn’t heard from any NBA teams about their openings, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM. Ollie is nonetheless likely to start talks with NBA teams if his negotiations about a new deal with the school don’t bear fruit, Charania adds (Twitter links).
Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group believes race played a role, if not the deciding role, in the Warriors‘ firing of Jackson, whether or not co-owner Joe Lacob and the front office intended it. The cultural and racial divide led to misunderstandings and discomfort, Thompson argues.
It’s a “safe assumption” that late Lakers owner Jerry Buss would have hired Byron Scott as head coach in 2010 had he not already been coaching the Cavs, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding writes, making the case for Scott as the most logical Lakers hire this year.

Warriors Notes: Kerr, Hoiberg, Jackson, Curry

May 8th, 2014 at 3:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors will take their time finding a new coach, as Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group hears, and he sees it as an indication that the team won’t land Steve Kerr if the TNT broadcaster is anxious to take a job soon (Twitter links). There’s more on Golden State’s coaching search as well as the future of their ex-coach amid the latest on the Warriors:

Kerr, Fred Hoiberg, Stan Van Gundy and Kevin Ollie are in the first tier of Warriors coaching candidates, Kawakami believes (Twitter link).
Ousted Warriors coach Mark Jackson says he’d like to coach again and cited the “great jobs available” at present in an interview Wednesday on ESPN New York 98.7 FM, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com notes. Jackson, who played for the Knicks, said New York hasn’t contacted him about its vacancy. The former point guard is reportedly a candidate for the Lakers job.
The deadline trade that sent Kent Bazemore to the Lakers angered Stephen Curry, who yelled “It’s a business!” as he ran past a press conference in which GM Bob Myers was announcing the deal, according to Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher.