Lawrence Frank Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Nets, Ujiri, Raptors

June 19th, 2013 at 6:48pm CST by Luke Adams

While the trade talk involving the Celtics has dominated the NBA rumor mill for the past few days, the C's are not the only team in their division with decisions to make. Here is what is happening in the rest of the Atlantic:

According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), it shouldn't come as a surprise if the Sixers don't name a head coach until after Summer League play in July, since all of their assistants remain under contract for another season.
Nets head coach Jason Kidd has interviewed Lawrence Frank and Roy Rogers for potential spots on his staff, but there's nothing firm yet in either case, tweets Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri spoke to Jay Satur of Raptors.com about his first few weeks back in Toronto, preparing for the draft despite not having a pick, and his front office and scouting staff.

Odds & Ends: Jaiteh, Celtics, Heat, Bucks

June 17th, 2013 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

With the deadline for international prospects to withdraw from the draft coming up in a matter of hours, Mouhammadou Jaiteh remains undecided on whether or not he'll keep his name in, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. As fellow HoopsWorld scribe Steve Kyler writes, Jaiteh is seeking a first-round guarantee, so if he exits the draft, he was probably unable to secure that promise. You can check out today's full list of draft decisions by international prospects right here.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

Assuming Doc Rivers parts ways with the Celtics, former Nets head coach and Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank may emerge as a candidate for the Boston job, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
Kevin McHale, on the other hand, wouldn't be a candidate for the Celtics' position, since the Rockets wouldn't let him leave, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel spoke to Ray Allen and James Jones about their player options for 2013/14, which they'll have to decide on within the next couple weeks. Allen was noncommital on his decision, but Jones told Winderman he expects to exercise his, which is no surprise. Jones played only 221 minutes for the Heat in 2012/13, so he's not about to turn down a $1.5MM salary.
The Bucks have added Nick Van Exel and Bob Bender to Larry Drew's staff as assistant coaches, according to the team (Twitter link). Drew worked with both Van Exel and Bender in Atlanta as well.
New MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke has fired longtime Raptors employee Alvin Williams, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, who thinks the decision to fire a fan favorite who wanted to spend his career with the franchise sends a bad message.
Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports has inquired with the NBA about the procedure for getting individuals certified as NBA agents, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal.

Atlantic Notes: C’s, Del Negro, Nets, Will Bynum

June 14th, 2013 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

A source that spoke to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald expects Doc Rivers to return to the Celtics, if for no other reason than the fact that no other team will offer him the $7MM annual salary he's earning in Boston. However, if Rivers does decide to part ways with the team, Vinny Del Negro would receive serious consideration as his replacement, multiple sources tell Murphy.

"As a stopgap for that situation, sure," one source said. "Vinny would be the perfect person for what they need. All of the All-Star coaches, or whatever you want to call them, are going, and knowing how Danny [Ainge] feels about him, [Del Negro] would be a good fit."

Here's more from around the Atlantic Division on a Friday morning:

Appearing on WFAN this morning, Nets GM Billy King said he expects C.J. Watson to opt out of the final year of his contract to become a free agent (link via Josh Newman of SNY.tv).
Jason Kidd confirmed on ESPN Radio this morning that he has extended an offer to former Nets head coach Lawrence Frank to join his staff in Brooklyn (link via Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com). "The invitation is out there, so it's up to him," Kidd said.
Even after hiring Kidd, the Nets are still a move or two away from becoming a legit contender, says Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Pacers president Donnie Walsh tells Fred Kerber and Mark Hale of the New York Post that he was "disappointed" the Nets didn't decide to hire Indiana assistant Brian Shaw.
Yesterday, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press named the Knicks as a team with interest in Will Bynum, and today he adds another Atlantic team to Bynum's potential list of suitors: The Sixers (Twitter link). The Pacers and Lakers may also be interested, according to Ellis.

Eastern Notes: Ujiri, Frank, Woodson, Wizards

May 30th, 2013 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Heat and Pacers prepare for a crucial Game Five tonight in Miami, let's round up a few notes from around the Eastern Conference:

As Masai Ujiri attempts to determine whether he'll join the Raptors or return to the Nuggets, all involved parties recognize that it's a big decision and aren't aggressively pushing for resolution, says Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
After having been let go by the Pistons at the end of the regular season, Lawrence Frank would like to coach in the NBA again, according to David Mayo of MLive.com. However, Mayo reports that Frank may not coach in 2013/14, opting instead to explore media opportunities that allow him to spend more time at home.
Although Mike Woodson signed a three-year contract with the Knicks a year ago, the final season of the pact is non-guaranteed, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks could guarantee that final year at any time, but for now only the 2013/14 season is fully guaranteed for the team's head coach.
Several writers at HoopsWorld explore what the Wizards should do with the No. 3 pick in the draft next month.
Rasheed Wallace appears unlikely to play in the NBA again, but it's possible he'll remain with the Knicks next year as a player adviser, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.

Lawrence Frank Out As Pistons Coach

April 18th, 2013 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have notified Lawrence Frank that he won't be retained as the team's head coach for the 2013/14 season, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com first tweeted word that Frank was out as coach of the Pistons.

The decision had been expected for some time, particularly after Pistons owner Tom Gores expressed his disappointment earlier this week about how the club's season had played out. Gores did praise the way Joe Dumars and basketball operations had set the franchise up financially, but his comments didn't include many accolades for Frank's performance.

In two seasons with the Pistons, Frank led the team to a 54-94 record, failing to qualify for the playoffs either year. He'll still receive his salary for the 2013/14 season, since it was guaranteed for an amount in the neighborhood of $3.5-4MM.

We heard yesterday that Frank had informed the Pistons he didn't want to return to the club unless the team exercised its 2014/15 option on him as well. Frank didn't want to commit to the Pistons going forward unless the team was willing to commit long-term to him, due in part to the fact that his wife has been ill, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported today.

Coaching Rumors: Suns, Pistons, Raps, Sixers

April 18th, 2013 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

Two teams have already made coaching changes today, as the Cavaliers parted ways with Byron Scott and the Sixers announced that Doug Collins won't be returning as head coach. There could be a few more spins on the coaching carousel before the day is done, so let's round up the latest….

ESPN.com's Marc Stein gets the sense that the Suns will take their time to make a decision on the future of coach Lindsey Hunter, who is not assured of returning (Twitter link). According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, Hunter didn't fare well in his end-of-season player evaluations — "players don't want him back," one source tells Berger.
It sounds as if Lawrence Frank is on the way out in Detroit, but he won't officially learn his fate until he meets with Pistons owner Tom Gores today, tweets Stein. Berger hears that one reason Frank wants his fourth-year option picked up if the team brings him back for a third year is that his wife has been ill, so he's reluctant to make a commitment to Detroit if the club isn't committed long-term to him.
The situation with Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman figures to take a couple weeks to be resolved, according to Berger.
Berger adds that Dwane Casey's job with the Raptors appears to be safe for now.
Although he acknowledges that the Sixers could replace Collins internally, John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer expects the team to interview several coaching candidates, including perhaps Mike Brown, Nate McMillan, Stan Van Gundy, Brian Shaw, and Michael Malone.
Tom Sorenson of the Charlotte Observer is at a loss in trying to determine whether or not the Bobcats should bring back head coach Mike Dunlap for next season.
According to GM Chris Grant, the Cavaliers' search for a new coach will begin immediately (Twitter link via Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio).

Frank Wants Out Unless Pistons Pick Up Option

April 17th, 2013 at 10:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

Lawrence Frank has told Pistons owner Tom Gores and team president Joe Dumars that he doesn't want to return as coach unless they exercise his option for 2014/15, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Frank is concerned about being a lame-duck coach as the team continues to rebuild, Wojnarowski writes. The team has already picked up Frank's option for next season, but he's reportedly on thin ice after leading the team to back-to-back lottery seasons in his two years as coach.

The Pistons will be on the hook for Frank's salary next season regardless of whether he's their coach. Wojnarowski pegs that guarantee at $4MM, while Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News has the figure at $3.7MM. The 2014/15 option would be for $4MM, according to Wojnarowski. Regardless, Gores wasn't enthusiastic when he spoke about the performance of Frank and Dumars earlier this week, and Frank wasn't optimistic when he spoke to reporters, including Goodwill, before the team's loss to the Nets tonight.

"Let's hope for the best, but we understand what reality could be," the coach said. "There's dialogue there so we'll see what happens."

The Pistons are expected to give Frank their decision tomorrow. A decision could be coming soon on Dumars as well, as a report this weekend suggested he could be on his way out as well.

Central Notes: Dumars, Frank, Bulls, Scott

April 16th, 2013 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

As we wait to see if the Central's top two teams, the Pacers and Bulls, will meet in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, here's the latest out of the division:

As Vince Ellis writes in a pair of pieces for the Detroit Free Press, Pistons owner Tom Gores didn't exactly give coach Lawrence Frank and GM Joe Dumars ringing endorsements, noting his disappointment that the team fell short of playoff contention this season. "I will say I expected better results," Gores said. "I met with Joe and Lawrence (on Sunday) and I let them know that. They’re great guys that know their business, but I’m here assessing everything. My job is to move this franchise forward."
In Ellis' view, Frank appears to be on the way out in Detroit, but Dumars likely "isn't going anywhere." Gores did express excitement about the way Dumars and the Pistons' basketball operations had set the franchise up financially, with plenty of cap room available this summer.
Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press argues that Dumars has earned at least one more year with the Pistons.
In his latest mailbag for CSNChicago.com, Aggrey Sam addresses the future of Luol Deng in Chicago and speculates on whether or not Nate Robinson will be back with the Bulls next season.
Kyrie Irving told reporters last night, including Rick Noland of the Chronicle-Telegram, that he "absolutely" wants to see Byron Scott return as the Cavaliers' head coach in 2013/14.

Pistons To Part Ways With Joe Dumars?

April 14th, 2013 at 10:05am CST by Chuck Myron

Sources tell Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News that Joe Dumars' run as team president will soon come to an end, though Lawrence throws a bit of cold water on his own report, noting the deep connection between Dumars and the team and writing that "we'll believe it when we see it." In any case, it appears the Pistons could be headed for a shakeup, with the Daily News scribe echoing earlier reports that the Pistons are likely to let go of coach Lawrence Frank.

The Pistons head into a critical summer, with only about $29MM in commitments for next season and another lottery pick on the way. The last time Detroit had such ample cap space, in 2009, Dumars signed Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to long-term deals that became albatrosses for the team. The Pistons traded a first-round draft pick to the Bobcats last summer in part to relieve themselves of the final year of Gordon's deal.

Dumars took over the team's front office in 2000 after a Hall-of-Fame playing career spent exclusively with the Pistons. He won Executive of the Year in 2002/03, but followed it up with his most noteworthy error, drafting Darko Milicic second overall in the 2003 draft, ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and other standouts. Still, the Pistons won the title in 2003/04, and went to the Eastern Conference Finals six seasons in a row before their recent string of playoff misses.

MLive's David Mayo examines the questions facing the franchise, pointing out the arguments both for keeping and getting rid of Dumars and Frank.

Central Notes: Scott, Frank, Rose, Pistons

April 6th, 2013 at 8:01pm CST by Michael Pina

The Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Mary Schmitt-Boyler answers e-mails from readers about the Cavaliers, specifically head coach Byron Scott and if he should be worried about losing his job.

David Mayo of MLive.com writes that Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank realizes his team's poor season could cause him to lose his job.
Hoopsworld.com's Bill Ingram gives his thoughts on Derrick Rose, and how the Bulls are handling their best player's return.
A few Pistons writers on MLive.com give their views on what the team should do with its personnel this summer.