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Latest On Suns Coaching Search

April 9th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Suns are planning on casting a wide net this offseason in the search for their next head coach, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays. Interim coach Earl Watson will be among the candidates in the running, Stein notes, with Phoenix also considering Sixers assistant and former Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni, former Sun and current coach at Grand Canyon University Dan Majerle and Warriors assistant Luke Walton.

Villanova coach Jay Wright is also reportedly in the mix, though there have been conflicting reports about the Suns’ level of interest in the 2016 NCAA National Championship winner. For his part, Wright indicated that he wished to remain with the Wildcats, but did leave himself some wiggle room should he have a change of heart, saying “I can say right now that, in my mind, I plan to stay at Villanova. But I also don’t want to be a liar. I want to stay. I know I want to stay, but I just say I hope I can stay because I’ve learned from the past how crazy things can be. I hope I can stay at Villanova because this is where I want to be.”

GM Ryan McDonough had said that Watson would be a candidate for the job shortly after he replaced former coach Jeff Hornacek, and Watson has the support of at least some of the players. Phoenix is just 7-23 since Watson took over, though injuries have limited Brandon Knight to 10 games and Eric Bledsoe to none during that stretch. While the team hasn’t climbed in the standings under Watson, he has improved the Suns’ defense as a unit, with Phoenix notching a defensive rating that is good for 12th best in the league over its past 10 contests. Before Watson arrived, the Suns were a lowly 29th in that category.

Walton is one of the hottest names around the league when potential coaching candidates are discussed. The 36-year-old guided the Warriors to a record of 39-4 in the absence of coach Steve Kerr, who was recovering from offseason surgery and was unable to meet the physical demands of the position during the first half of the campaign. But according to Stein’s sources, Walton departing the Warriors for the Suns is an extreme long shot at the moment.

Team owner Robert Sarver was reportedly interested in hiring former MVP Steve Nash to coach the team back in February, but Nash remains uninterested in going into coaching on a full-time basis, Stein notes. Nash currently wants to focus on fatherhood, his various off-court interests, the part-time consulting role with the Warriors that he took on at the start of this season and his duties as GM of Team Canada, Stein writes. Sarver has said that McDonough will definitely continue as the team’s GM next season, but there is some speculation that the franchise may look to install Nash in a front office position in the future, Stein adds.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Batum, Hoiberg

April 5th, 2016 at 9:29am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks increasingly sense that Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton won’t leave Golden State for a head coaching job this summer, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Knicks team president Phil Jackson is in contact with Bulls executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson, who used to play for the Zen Master, and Jackson isn’t impressed with Tom Thibodeau, who worked for Paxson as Bulls coach, Berman writes. The Post scribe also implies Jackson isn’t about to go out of his way to hire former Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, leaving few options other than interim coach Kurt Rambis, whom Berman hears is closer with Jackson than just about any coach is with his boss and allows Jackson the level of input he’s longed for. However, Knicks players don’t respect Rambis as much as they did former coach Derek Fisher, sources indicated to Berman.

While we wait to see just who gets the job in New York, see more from the Atlantic Division:

Assistant coach Jim Cleamons, a former NBA point guard, was allowed only limited contact with rookie point guard Jerian Grant while Fisher was coach, but those restrictions have been lifted since Rambis took over, Berman reports in the same piece.
An NBA GM told The Oregonian’s John Canzano he thinks Nicolas Batum will be able to command salaries of $15MM to $17MM in free agency this summer (Twitter link). That’s well beneath the roughly $25MM maximum salary, though Zach Lowe of ESPN.com wrote in January that the Hornets swingman was likely to draw max offers. Batum is No. 9 in the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings.
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg has drawn criticism for his inability to reach players, but, perhaps buoyed by Taj Gibson‘s support, Hoiberg insists the locker room is united, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “You have to have that continuity in the locker room, that unity,” Hoiberg said. “You have to look like you’re getting your message across. And I think we’ve done that with the guys. I can just base it on how our film sessions are going and how when they’re on the [practice] floor, they’re locked in. I feel like we have good chemistry with our staff and players.”

Western Notes: Walton, Pelicans, Gallinari, Paul

March 29th, 2016 at 2:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

Warriors assistant Luke Walton is reportedly poised to become a top candidate for the Knicks coaching vacancy, and the Lakers, Suns, Rockets and Kings are expected to target him, too, but former colleague Alvin Gentry thinks Walton still doesn’t gets the credit he deserves, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Gentry, now head coach of the Pelicans, was on Golden State’s staff last year with Walton, who inherited Gentry’s role as lead assistant and guided the Warriors to a 39-4 record while head coach Steve Kerr recovered from back surgeries. “Luke did an unbelievable job of managing egos, of rotations he played,” Gentry said. “Everything that happened there, he pushed the right buttons, so I was disappointed when people said anybody can coach that team. That’s not true at all. He has an unbelievable understanding of the game. I think [Knicks president] Phil [Jackson] knows that. [Luke] stayed in the league for a long time because of the basketball IQ he has. He gets along great with players. He’s going to be a terrific coach in the league – I really do think that.”

See more from the Western Conference:

Jrue Holiday and Alonzo Gee are out for the rest of the season, which ends two weeks from Wednesday, the Pelicans announced. That means seven New Orleans players are finished for 2015/16. Holiday, who fractured his orbital bone, and Gee, who ruptured a right quadriceps muscle, join Anthony Davis, Quincy Pondexter, Eric Gordon, Bryce Dejean-Jones and Tyreke Evans on the shelf for the year. Ryan Anderson and Norris Cole are also dealing with less severe injuries, the team said.
Danilo Gallinari doesn’t expect to play again this season for the Nuggets, as he said in an interview with Sky Sport of Italy (video link; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Coach Michael Malone told reporters early this month that the team was thinking about shutting him down even if he recovered before season’s end from the two torn ligaments he suffered in his right ankle February 26th. Denver has since signed Axel Toupane for the balance of the season and beyond.
Chris Paul won’t play for Team USA in the Olympics this year, telling Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins that he’s withdrawing his name from consideration for the squad. “I feel my body telling me that I could use the time,” the 30-year-old said. Paul can opt out of his contract with the Clippers after next season.

Knicks Notes: Walton, Porzingis, Anthony

March 27th, 2016 at 3:03pm CST by Will Joseph

Luke Walton, who will enter the summer as a popular candidate for some of the league’s head coaching vacancies, including the Knicks’, should remain with the Warriors as an assistant, his father, Bill Walton, said while appearing on ESPN’s First Take (and as Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays). Luke Walton will likely be on Knicks president Phil Jackson‘s list of candidates, Begley writes, adding that Luke Walton knows the Knicks’ triangle offense and played for Jackson while both were with the Lakers. Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis will also be considered for New York’s head coaching position, Begley notes. The Knicks are 7-12 since Rambis took over after Derek Fisher was fired in February.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis wouldn’t want to see Carmelo Anthony leave the team next season because he wants to continue to learn from Anthony, but he also is not worried about it because he believes the superstar enjoys New York, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. “Obviously I want him to stay here. We need him. I need him,” Porzingis said. “And we don’t want to lose him.” The pairing of Porzingis and Anthony has yielded positive results, as Bondy points out. The duo is a plus-66 this season through 1,471 minutes, according to Bondy.
Speaking of Anthony, he has squashed talks of waiving his no-trade clause to play with the Cavs, Fred Kerber of The New York Post relays. “I don’t want to talk about that man, I’d rather not talk about a no-trade clause after losing,” Anthony said. “I don’t want to talk about that no more this season to be honest with you.”

Atlantic Notes: Walton, Durant, Okafor

March 18th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis offered his praise for the job Luke Walton did with the Warriors while coach Steve Kerr was away from the team recovering from back surgery, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. Rambis noted that while Walton didn’t need to change much in order for Golden State to remain successful, the team did embrace Walton’s unselfish style of play, Berman adds. “He just continued to perpetuate what was going on,’’ Rambis said of Walton. “It’s not like he changed anything. He continued to allow the team to play the way they’re playing and [have] been successful with. It’s difficult to coach any team, even a good team. You got to keep them motivated and challenged. Every team that plays Golden State, you’re going to see their best. It’s tough as defending champions to meet that challenge night in and night out. When you think of unselfish play and teamwork, they epitomize it.”

While Rambis appears to be team president Phil Jackson‘s top choice to coach the Knicks next season, Walton is reportedly on the team’s short list of potential candidates. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Pending unrestricted free agent Kevin Durant downplayed the warm reception he received Wednesday from Celtics fans, who were chanting for the small forward to sign with Boston this summer, Charles Curtis of USA Today relays. “I just didn’t think about it, to be honest,” Durant said. “I was more focused on the team. I was definitely looking forward to this today. So, it’s a lot that was going through my mind that was more important.” Prior to arriving in Boston, Durant noted that he enjoyed visiting the city and praised its family atmosphere.
With Jahlil Okafor‘s rookie season officially over due to injury, questions still remain as to whether or not he and Nerlens Noel can co-exist on the court. When asked to grade the duo, Sixers coach Brett Brown noted that the pairing wasn’t entirely successful, though they did show some improvement as the season wore on, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com relays. “With sometimes the excitement of [an] A, no doubt,” Brown said. “Sometimes the disappointment of [an] F. It’s not anybody’s fault. We all have talked about it and I believe everybody here understands how difficult [it is] taking two [centers] that are 20 and letting them figure out NBA transition defense and matchups and the punishments. And the plus-minus in our defense [with Okafor and Noel playing together] reflects that opinion. It was terrible. We went from terrible to poor over the course of time. We improved in that direction. At times it was good. So it was erratic.“

Coach/Exec Rumors: Jackson, Kupchak, Walton

March 15th, 2016 at 8:43am CST by Chuck Myron

People close to Knicks president Phil Jackson raise the possibility that the Zen Master would offer to coach home games for the team next season and have Kurt Rambis coach on the road, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. It’s unclear what the chances of that coming to pass are, but it would stand as an intriguing compromise if Jackson meets resistance to the idea of hiring Rambis full-time, Shelburne posits. Jackson has often cited his health as he’s maintained in recent years that coaching is out of the question, but people around the 70-year-old say he appears to have more energy than usual, and he’s lost 20 of the 30 pounds he gained since taking the Knicks job, according to Shelburne. The ESPN scribe has several other coaching and front office revelations:

Sources close to Jackson and the Lakers tell Shelburne it’s unlikely he leaves the Knicks to work for the Lakers and owner Jeanie Buss, Jackson’s fiancee. Jackson is enamored with his life in New York, Shelburne points out, nonetheless cautioning that nothing is certain, especially with the ever-cryptic Zen Master.
Multiple vacancies may well open in the Lakers front office after next season, the last in the three-year timetable for executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss. It’s tough to see GM Mitch Kupchak continuing if Jim Buss steps down, even though Kupchak’s contract carries past next season, Shelburne writes. The Lakers must advance to at least the second round of the playoffs for Buss to keep his job, sister Jeanie Buss said to Sam Amick of USA Today last month, though she’s otherwise been vague about that benchmark, referring to the conference finals in another interview.
It’s tough to say whether Warriors assistant Luke Walton would take either the Knicks or Lakers head coaching jobs if offered, those close to the situation tell Shelburne. Both teams are reportedly poised to target him in the offseason.
Former Knicks coach Derek Fisher didn’t tell anyone from the organization that he was going to Los Angeles for a weekend in October, the trip on which he and Matt Barnes had their controversial encounter. Fisher had planned to make it back in time for practice the next Monday, but mechanical problems led to a flight delay that prevented him from returning, and his absence sparked the questions that brought the incident with Barnes to light, as Shelburne details.
Fisher replied in only one-word answers when Jackson would text observations and suggestions, and the former point guard missed a Knicks coaches’ retreat that Jackson organized at the end of summer, according to Shelburne, but Jackson downplays the lack of communication. “Trying to create autonomy for Derek kind of separated me from direct contact,” Jackson said to Shelburne. “[GM] Steve Mills was [in] closer contact with Derek than I was because of our relationship in the past. Also, you guys [in the media] want to harp in on the fact that he was a puppet perhaps. I wanted him to have the autonomy to make decisions on his own and not feel like I was an overload.”

Western Notes: Wolves Sale, Martin, Walton, Noah

March 13th, 2016 at 6:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

A dispute in the Grizzlies‘ ownership group may prevent a planned sale of the Timberwolves, as Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe of ESPN.com examine. Steve Kaplan was set to sell off his share of the Memphis franchise and purchase 30% of the Wolves, with an opportunity to become Minnesota’s controlling owner. However, Kaplan and Grizzlies owner Robert Pera have been embroiled in a months-long dispute, as Windhorst and Lowe detail, advancing earlier reports. Their disagreement was recently settled through a confidential agreement when Kaplan threatened arbitration, but the delay has imperiled Kaplan’s deal with Wolves owner Glen Taylor, Windhorst and Lowe write.

Windhorst and Lowe also cite unidentified sources who say Pera has become “distant” from the Grizzlies and has prevented minority owners in having a say in important decisions. Kaplan fears that once word spreads about these practices, it will be difficult for him to sell his 14% share of the team. Sources tell the ESPN scribes that he has been asking for $100MM, while estimating the Grizzlies’ value at about $700MM. Windhorst and Lowe also mention sources close to Taylor who claim he is reconsidering his desire to sell, given the complications in Memphis and the Wolves’ stockpile of talented young players.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

The Wolves elected to stretch Kevin Martin‘s contract over the next three seasons when he agreed to a buyout, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Martin’s cap hit for Minnesota will be $1,229,584 next year and $1,229,583 in each of the following two seasons.
Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post believes Luke Walton is the favorite to take over as head coach of the Lakers if Byron Scott gets fired this summer. Bontemps cautions that L.A. isn’t certain to dismiss Scott, whose salary is guaranteed for next season, but Walton’s history with the franchise and success as an assistant with the Warriors make him a natural successor. In assessing the Lakers’ future, Bontemps said they need to establish a new identity with the retirement of Kobe Bryant and re-emerge as a force in the free agent market.
Joakim Noah is a realistic option for the Mavericks in free agency this offseason, and although he would provide Dallas with an upgrade at the center spot, he wouldn’t give the team the personnel to compete with the top frontcourts in the league, opines Matt Mosley of the Dallas Morning News.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Dejean-Jones, D-League, Walton

February 25th, 2016 at 7:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bryce Dejean-Jones, whom the Pelicans recently inked to a three-year pact, has been diagnosed with a fractured right wrist after having an MRI today and he will undergo surgery on Friday morning to repair the damage, the team announced. No official timetable has been announced for Dejean-Jones’ recovery, but Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate relays that the guard will likely miss six to eight weeks of action as a result of the injury (Twitter link). Dejean-Jones has appeared in 14 games for the Pelicans this season and is averaging 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per contest.

Here’s more from out West:

While Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton will certainly be a hot name this offseason for any potential coaching vacancies, a number of GMs around the league have expressed trepidation at the prospect of giving Walton a head coaching position, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “I think Luke has a chance to be a good coach; he knows the game, but I would be worried that he’s not ready for that job yet,” a league executive told Deveney. “You’d have to worried about that. The thing is, if your owner has been hearing Warriors, Warriors, Warriors for the last two years, and he sees Luke Walton setting records, you’re probably going to hear something like, ‘Why can’t we get a coach like that?’ And so you wind up taking a chance even if he does not have the experience level you’re looking for.”
The Grizzlies assigned power forward Jarell Martin to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Martin’s sixth trek to Iowa this season. He is averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds in 30.6 minutes over seven D-League contests.
Power forward Duje Dukan has been assigned by the Kings to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This marks Dukan’s sixth sojourn of the season to Reno.

Pacific Notes: Varejao, Teletovic, Booker, Karl

February 23rd, 2016 at 1:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Leandro Barbosa helped recruit fellow Brazilian Anderson Varejao to the Warriors, Varejao said, adding that his familiarity with former teammates Shaun Livingston, Marreese Speights and Luke Walton and respect for Golden State’s stars also helped persuade him to sign with the team, observes Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com. Varejao’s agency confirmed the Hawks, Spurs, Thunder and Mavericks were his other suitors, while Marc Stein of ESPN.com also heard the Clippers made an offer.

“I’m glad I came here [to Oakland], because I can tell they love each other,” Varejao said, according to Poole. “That’s what it’s about. When you want to win, you have to be like they are. Friends that have fun out there, have fun in the locker room. I’ve been here for a couple hours, but I can tell. I can tell this group, they love each other.”

See more from the Pacific Division:

Mirza Teletovic is on a one-year contract and was reportedly the subject of trade talk between the Suns and Bucks, but he said he’d like to stay in Phoenix as long as possible, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Rookie Devin Booker is the top scorer remaining on the Suns in the wake of injuries to others and the Markieff Morris trade, but while Booker manages the difficulty of having become the focal point for opposing defenses, the Suns want him to work on his defensive development, Coro writes in a separate piece. “His major, major growth opportunities are on defense,” Suns interim coach Earl Watson said. “We don’t care about offense and averaging 20 points a game. We care about defensively being accountable, getting stops, being in the right position, helping your team.”
The Kings have been unfair to George Karl, argues Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, who believes that the coach has much too long a track record of success to put up with the turmoil in Sacramento. Still, Dempsey can’t envision Karl quitting and walking away from the money the team owes him.

New York Notes: Dolan, Jackson, Nets GM Search

February 12th, 2016 at 9:30am CST by Chuck Myron

An “animated” meeting that involved Knicks owner James Dolan, team president Phil Jackson and GM Steve Mills took place after New York’s home loss to the Celtics on February 2nd, six days before the team fired Derek Fisher, a source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Isola’s source was the same who earlier said Dolan was angry about comments Fisher made in a recent radio appearance on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN 98.7 FM indicating that missing the playoffs wouldn’t be a disappointment. The loss to Boston was New York’s sixth in seven games, and the Knicks have lost four straight since. Isola speculates that Lakers assistant Mark Madsen is among those up for the head coaching job in New York and further wonders if Steve Kerr‘s lingering health problems will lead to top candidate Luke Walton taking over for Kerr in Golden State on a formal basis. The Daily News scribe also finds the question in one of Carmelo Anthony‘s statements since the Knicks coaching change disconcerting.

“You have to continue to put your trust into Phil,” Anthony said. “At this point, what could you do?”

See more on New York’s teams:

No major deals are likely for the Nets before the deadline, given Brooklyn’s unsettled front office situation and the lack of time before the deadline, sources told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The team would be even less likely to make a move if it hires a GM who’s never headed a front office before, league sources said to NetsDaily. Bryan Colangelo is the only former front office chief among the three candidates ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported as front-runners for the vacancy. The Nets have reportedly reached out to the Hawks about Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap.
The Nets would like to hire a GM before Thursday’s trade deadline, but they won’t rush to do so, a league source told Broussard.
Interim Knicks coach Kurt Rambis is one of Jackson’s closest friends, and the Zen Master believes strongly in how well Rambis knows the game, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding writes. Rambis, who excels at teaching big men, has had a significant role in helping offseason signee Robin Lopez deliver this season, according to Ding. The interim boss is already showing that he’ll be more quick to criticize Knicks players than Fisher was, having pointed to Jose Calderon‘s defensive shortcomings in particular after Tuesday’s game, observes Marc Berman of the New York Post