Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles looked at some specific names that could surface on the Lakers' radar if Ramon Sessions is not on the roster next season, mentioning Aaron Brooks, Raymond Felton, and Kirk Hinrich as guards who could be available for the team's mini mid-level exception. You can read more of tonight's miscellaneous links here, including rumblings about Atlanta's offseason activity, a minor update on Derrick Rose, and an in-depth look at Charlotte's new head coach…
It's been about a month since the Bobcats announced they wouldn't be bringing back Paul Silas to coach the team next season. Since then, the Bobcats have conducted an extensive search for their new head coach that has seen them interview eight candidates, with more to come. In case you've lost track of all the names in the running for the Charlotte job, here's a round-up of what we've heard to date:
- Mike Dunlap, St. John's assistant: Interviewed on May 16th. Dunlap is probably a long shot for the Bobcats' job.
- Patrick Ewing, Magic assistant: Interviewed on May 17th. A source told Marc Berman of the New York Post shortly after Ewing's interview that it was hardly a courtesy meeting and that Ewing has a "good chance" of becoming Charlotte's next coach.
- David Joerger, Grizzlies assistant: Interviewed on May 18th. We haven't heard much about how his meeting went, so I wouldn't think he's a frontrunner.
- Michael Malone, Warriors assistant: Interviewed on May 8th. Malone is considered one of the top potential head coaches available, and also has has some interest in the Trail Blazers job.
- Nate McMillan, former Trail Blazers coach: Interviewed on May 22nd. One of the more high-profile candidates, McMillan has ties to the Charlotte area, having played college ball at NC State.
- Brian Shaw, Pacers assistant: The Bobcats are in the process of setting up an interview with Shaw, who wanted to wait until the Pacers' season ended to explore coaching opportunities. The Magic also figure to have strong interest in the Indiana assistant.
- Stephen Silas, Bobcats assistant: Interviewed on May 21st. Paul Silas was hoping his son would take over for him, but I'd be pretty shocked if the Bobcats went in this direction.
- Jerry Sloan, former Jazz coach: Interviewed on May 25th. Sloan said his interview went well but that he didn't receive an offer and he expected the Bobcats to meet with more candidates.
- Quin Snyder, Lakers assistant: The Bobcats plan to meet with Snyder sometime before the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago.
- Nate Tibbetts, Cavaliers assistant: Interviewed on May 14th. Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving had high praise for the Cavs assistant, which suggests Tibbetts is adept at working with young talent.
- Stan Van Gundy, former Magic coach: The Bobcats are expected to at least reach out to Van Gundy, if they haven't already. However, it continues to look like the ex-Magic coach will take a year off.
In McMillan and Sloan, the Bobcats have interviewed a pair of respected veteran coaches, but the team has also sought out under-the-radar options and up-and-coming assistants. I expect the search to wrap up sometime in mid-June, and considering their wide list of candidates, it'll be interesting to see which direction Michael Jordan and the Bobcats go.
Let's keep track of some Thursday night odds and ends here as Heat-Pacers gets underway. The Clippers will look to rebound from a dissapointing game one loss later tonight in San Antonio.
- Aaron Bruski of NBC Sports writes a piece providing great detail about the unfortunate business practices of the Maloofs with regard to the NBA franchise situation in Sacramento. Bruski says the Maloofs actions could lead the NBA to force them into selling.
- The agent of Nicolas Batum will have all the leverage in negotiations with the Blazers this summer, writes John Canzano of the Oregonian. Batum will become a restricted free agent in the offseason.
- Conrad Brunner from Pacers.com extols Larry Bird in an in depth look at the Pacers' President. In light of Wednesday's announcement that Bird won the 2012 NBA Executive of the Year award, Brunner says that the former Celtic great is as discreetly brilliant as a roster builder as he was as a player and coach. He credits Bird with changing the organizational culture by drafting wisely with middle of the first round picks and carefully managing the salary cap.
- As we mentioned yesterday, Patrick Ewing interviewed for the vacant Bobcats' job today. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer says that Ewing, a prototypical NBA big man as a player, would be a coaching rarity should be get the job.
- According to the New York Post, Charlotte owner and Ewing friend Michael Jordan did not plan to sit in on the interview. The Post adds that the Bobcats will also interview Memphis assistant Dave Joerger on Friday and have already interviewed Michael Malone, Nate Tibbetts, Mike Dunlap, Stephen Silas and has expressed interest in Brian Shaw.
- A group of ESPN.com writers offered their take on the greatness of the San Antonio Spurs. The three popular picks for the biggest reasons for the organization's success are Tim Duncan, Greg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford, with honorable mention going to Tony Parker and owner Peter Holt. Teams should look no further than San Antonio for a blueprint on how to build a team.
The Bobcats' coaching search continues this week with a handful of interviews, including Mike Dunlap of St. John's today, Magic assistant Patrick Ewing tomorrow, and Grizzlies assistant David Joerger on Friday, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
Warriors assistant Michael Malone and Cavs assistant Nate Tibbetts have already been interviewed by the Bobcats, and assistant Stephen Silas is expected to interview for the open position as well. The Bobcats have also been said to have interest in Pacers assistant Brian Shaw, along with former head coaches such as Nate McMillan and Jerry Sloan.
Speaking to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer yesterday, Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins said the team's coaching search was moving at a "nice, slow pace." Broussard's report backs up that statement, suggesting that Charlotte isn't expected to make a hire for "several weeks." It's possible that the club has other candidates in mind that, like Shaw, are employed by a team still alive in the playoffs, which could drag out the process.
Although a number of NBA head coaching jobs may open up at some point in the next few weeks, the Bobcats remain the only team currently interviewing coaching candidates, and are taking advantage of the opportunity. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter) identifies Mike Dunlap and Nate Tibbetts as the two newest candidates that will be interviewed by the Bobcats within the next week or so.
Dunlap is currently serving as the associate head coach at St. John's University, while Tibbetts is employed by the NBA's Cavaliers as an assistant coach. They will join Patrick Ewing, Michael Malone, Brian Shaw, and Stephen Silas as candidates for the Bobcats' coaching job that either have already received an interview or are expected to meet with the team in the near future.
The Bobcats are looking for a replacement for Paul Silas, who won't return to the Bobcats' bench after leading the team to an NBA-record-worst 7-59 mark.