Michael Malone Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers To Interview Michael Malone, Jeff Hornacek

May 2nd, 2013 at 8:31am CST by Luke Adams

As they search for a head coach to replace Doug Collins, the 76ers are expected to begin conducting interviews next week, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski reports that the Sixers figure to begin their interview process with two current assistant coaches, Michael Malone (Warriors) and Jeff Hornacek (Jazz).

Besides receiving permission to interview Malone and Hornacek, the Sixers are also eyeing a handful of other candidates, says Wojnarowski. According to the Yahoo! scribe, Philadelphia is "strongly considering" Pacers assistant Brian Shaw and is "closely monitoring" the contract status of Lionel Hollins in Memphis.

We had previously heard that Malone and Shaw were at or near the top of the Sixers' wish list, and that the team has contacted the Pacers about interviewing Shaw, which will likely happen when Indiana's playoff run ends. Wojnarowski adds that the Sixers have been doing extensive research on Malone, and have received "excellent feedback" so far.

Michael Malone, Brian Shaw Top Sixers’ List

April 24th, 2013 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 2:05pm: Having been hired by the Cavaliers, Brown is no longer in the mix for the Sixers' job. However, another name has joined Shaw as a top candidate for Philadelphia, according to Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. Lynam reports that Warriors assistant Michael Malone is "high on the Sixers' list" for the head coach opening.

TUESDAY, 9:46am: The Sixers are still in the early stages of their search to replace former head coach Doug Collins, but according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), two names have risen to the top of the team's list: Mike Brown and Brian Shaw.

Brown appears to be a popular target these days, as the Cavaliers have reportedly made the former Lakers coach their top priority early in the offseason. Shaw, meanwhile, has received plenty of head coaching buzz before, and it seems to be only a matter of time before the current Pacers assistant gets his shot.

Sixers assistant Michael Curry, who has the support of many Philadelphia players as well as Collins, is expected to interview for the club's head coaching position.

Pacific Links: Paul, Hunter, Nash, Assistants

April 19th, 2013 at 9:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

Three Pacific Division teams are preparing for the playoffs this weekend, while the other two have May 21st, the date of the draft lottery, circled on their calendars. By the end of that night, the Kings will know which pick they'll have in the first round, and apparently which city they'll be playing in next year, too, according to comments David Stern made today. We've been keeping close tabs on Kings developments, and there's news involving the other four teams in the division as well.

A source close to Chris Paul tells HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram that there's no way CP3 will leave the Clippers (Twitter link). That's in keeping with the signals Paul's camp has been putting out all season.
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports unveils his final power rankings of the 2012/13 season, and in so doing passes along news that the Suns are thinking about keeping interim coach Lindsey Hunter, according to a source.
Steve Nash has endured a season of injuries and dished out his fewest assists per game since 1999/00, but he's giving no thought to retirement, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Sulia link).
From conversations with general managers, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports gleans the names of four assistant coaches who appear to be top candidates to wind up as head coaches (Twitter link). Three have Pacific Division ties: Michael Malone of the Warriors, Steve Clifford of the Lakers, and former Lakers assistant Quin Snyder, who's now an assistant in Russia with CSKA Moscow. The other name on Wojnarowski's list is Kelvin Sampson, who temporarily took over head coaching duties for the Rockets this season while Kevin McHale tended to his ailing daughter.

Mutual Interest Between Mike Brown, Cavs?

April 19th, 2013 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 11:30am: The Cavs may move quickly to court Brown, in an effort to get ahead of other teams that may have interest in hiring him, a source tells Boyer.

THURSDAY, 8:33pm: Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer says that although Brown hasn't been contacted by the Cavs, he would listen if they called:

"If anybody calls, you have to listen…. I'm not rushing to get back to [coaching]. Whether it's the Cavs situation or anybody else, it has to feel right for both sides…. If they call, I wouldn't hang up the phone. I'd definitely listen to what anybody has to say. But then you have to decide if it's the right situation for myself, my family and the organization.''

3:54pm: Former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown could be a top candidate for the newly-vacated head coaching job in Cleveland, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst reports the same thing, writing that there appears to be mutual interest between Brown and the Cavs for a potential reunion.

Although he notes that there are plenty of other contenders, Amico points out that Brown is moving back to the Cleveland era, is the sort of defensive-minded coach the Cavs are seeking, and is still a favorite of GM Chris Grant. According to Windhorst, the decision may end up depending on Brown, since the ex-Lakers coach has told those close to him that he's unsure whether he's interested in returning to coaching yet. Brown still has two years and $8MM remaining on his Lakers contract, so he doesn't necessarily need to return to the NBA next season.

Windhorst reports that the Cavaliers are expected to contact several possible candidates in the coming days, with Amico listing a few specific names that may interest the club. Among them are current assistants David Fizdale (Heat), Brian Shaw (Pacers), and Michael Malone (Warriors).

Byron Scott was fired by the Cavs earlier today after three seasons with the team.

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).

Suns Rumors: Malone, Nash, Gentry, Van Gundy

January 18th, 2013 at 9:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

The news today that the Suns and coach Alvin Gentry decided to part ways didn't register nearly the reaction that coaching changes by the Lakers and Nets did earlier this season. That stands to reason, given that L.A. and Brooklyn are media hubs, but even the end of Scott Skiles' tenure in Milwaukee seemed to have more gravitas than what went down in Phoenix. Last-place teams typically don't generate much press, though, particularly when they're devoid of any notable star. Phoenix has had plenty of stars in the past, though, and one of them weighed in on today's move, as we pass along below with other notes from the Valley of the Sun.

Rival executives are bringing up Warriors assistant coach Michael Malone's name in connection with the Suns job, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, who identifies him as a strong candidate for the job this summer (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

Steve Nash thinks Gentry's departure from Phoenix could be a positive for his former coach, and Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com believes that speaks volumes about the state of the Suns (Sulia link). The move didn't catch Nash off-guard. "I think the writing's been on the wall," Nash said. "It looks like it to me … They wouldn't extend his contract. They just gave him the year to kind of play it out. It looked like they wanted to get their own guy in there."
Gentry isn't discouraged by today's events, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. "I still think I'm a good coach," Gentry said. "I'm at fault, not totally. There were other factors but I'm ultimately responsible as the coach."
Marcin Gortat seems to be lobbying via Twitter for Stan Van Gundy, who coached the Polish center with the Magic, to take the job in Phoenix, writing "SVG is out there….." shortly after the news broke about Gentry this afternoon (hat tip to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando). Van Gundy said over the summer he still has the itch to coach, but has maintained that he has no interest in the Nets opening.
The Suns front office expected that the team would compete for a playoff spot this year, but that was a drastic miscalculation from the start, contends Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (Sulia link).

Malone No Longer Candidate For Magic Job

July 15th, 2012 at 5:48pm CST by Alex Lee

Only several hours after we learned that Brian Shaw withdrew his name from the Magic head coaching search, now there is word that Warriors assistant Michael Malone is also no longer a possibility for the job. Malone's agent told the Orlando Sentinel that he is no longer under consideration, tweets Josh Robbins.

Odds & Ends: Miles, Magic, Celtics, Hawks

July 9th, 2012 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

With free agent news and rumors dominating the headlines over the last week, it's been easy to miss a number of other stories that have flown under the radar. One such story today: The Wizards have hired Don Newman as an assistant coach under Randy Wittman. A longtime NBA assistant coach, Newman has spent the last seven years on the Spurs' bench in San Antonio, and represents a solid hire for Washington.

Here are a few more Monday afternoon odds and ends from around the league….

Latest On Magic Coaching Search

July 4th, 2012 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan has spent a couple weeks on the job, the team will turn its attention to hiring a new head coach. Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports that the Magic are expected to interview Michael Malone, Brian Shaw, Quin Snyder, and Jacque Vaughn for their head coaching opening.

Blazers Rumors: Allen, Coaches, Freeland, Claver

June 13th, 2012 at 8:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

Blazers owner Paul Allen was among the team executives in attendance for the second of two pre-draft workout sessions today, and got a chance to see Perry Jones III, John Henson and Jared Sullinger, among others, according to tweets from Joe Freeman of The Oregonian and Chris B. Haynes of CSNNW.com. Allen shot down rumors that he's looking to sell the team, as Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge writes, and CSNNW.com has more of the owner's comments to the media in two videos. Blazers beat writers have delivered plenty of news in the last hour, as we round up here. …

The team hasn't contacted the Warriors about permission to interview assistant coach Michael Malone or the Pacers about assistant Brian Shaw, leading Haynes to surmise that interim coach Kaleb Canales is the frontrunner to take over the job on a permanent basis.
In the same piece, Haynes also cites an earlier report from fellow CSNNW.com writer Dwight Jaynes that the team hasn't spoken to Jerry Sloan about an interview, either.
Haynes relays general manager Neil Olshey's comments on the slow search. "Free agent wise, Yeah, I think it affects it a little bit. But, like I said, we're going to have a process here," he said. "We're going to build this thing the right way … We'll find the right coach to coach the roster."

Earlier updates: