Patrick Ewing Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jeff Van Gundy Unlikely To Coach Nets This Year

December 28th, 2012 at 8:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:18pm: Van Gundy wants to know more about Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and the way the Nets organization functions before determining his interest in the job, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com.

6:54pm: Jeff Van Gundy is interested in the Nets job, but he probably wouldn't take it until season's end because he doesn't want to upstage interim coach P.J. Carlesimo, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Nets haven't contacted Van Gundy, but the team's front office holds him in high esteem, and he's on the team's shortlist, Wojnarowski writes. Van Gundy's reluctance to cast his shadow on Carlesimo stems from his background as the son of a small college coach as well as the Knicks' fliration with Phil Jackson when Van Gundy was interim coach of the team.

Van Gundy hasn't coached since 2007, and in 2010 turned down entreaties from the Rockets, Raptors and Nets. According to Wojnarowski, Van Gundy believes the Nets opening is more attractive now than it was when he said no two years ago because the team has made its move to Brooklyn.

If the Nets do bring Van Gundy aboard, he'll likely hire Patrick Ewing as an assistant, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Ewing has openly campaigned for head coaching jobs since the end of his tenure as an assistant with the Magic for Jeff's brother, Stan Van Gundy.

Odds & Ends: Lazenby, O’Bryant, Hibbert

November 10th, 2012 at 11:08pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jabari Davis of Sheridan Hoops noted a few highlights from a roundtable discussion between longtime personal friend of Phil Jackson/NBA author Roland Lazenby and the hosts of a blog talk radio show called TheOpinioNationNetwork. Most notably, Lazenby feels that Jackson's return to the Lakers is a foregone conclusion and went on to briefly talk about how Jackson would be able to handle the team's schedule, Nash's fit within the triangle offense, and where he currently stands with Jerry Buss.

While the head coaching situation in Los Angeles currently appears to be the most polarizing topic of the basketball world, we'll keep track of tonight's other rumblings from around the Association here:

There is no timetable for Clippers guard/forward Grant Hill's return to action (he has been out after suffering a bone bruise in his right knee on October 14th), although an MRI on Friday revealed that his condition hadn't worsened (Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports).
Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune mentions that Timberwolves guard Alexey Shved is starting to become more comfortable playing in the NBA: "It's so different here from Europe, it takes time…I feel pretty good. Now I'm starting to know what I can do."
Eric Patten of NBA.com makes note of DeAndre Jordan's development and it has been an important cog in the Clippers' offense.
Greg Stiemsma credits Al Jefferson and Kevin Garnett as two players who have helped with his development as an NBA player, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
Although Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy was removed from the lineup tonight because of knee soreness, coach Rick Adelman says that he won't be overly concerned for now and hopes that it's just a minor setback (Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago reports).
Former Warriors lottery-pick Patrick O'Bryant is headed abroad, as Sportando.net reports that he has been officially signed by Tiburones de Vargas of the National Basketball League of Venezuela.

Eastern Notes: Sixers, Heat, Mullens, Ewing

October 12th, 2012 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

As we await an evening preseason schedule that includes a pair of contests between Eastern teams (Pistons/Raptors and Bulls/Cavaliers), let's round up the latest links out of the Eastern Conference….

Jrue Holiday, who is eligible for a contract extension this month, tells Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld that he thinks the 76ers are on the "right path" to title contention.
The Heat haven't been involved in trade deadline deals in recent years, and Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel isn't expecting that to change this season. Winderman also addresses the Heat's two open roster spots in his latest mailbag.
Byron Mullens is entering the final season of his rookie contract, and Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer believes he's exceeded expectations more than anyone else in Bobcats camp so far (Twitter link).
At a Madison Square Garden promotion, Patrick Ewing told Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post that he's still hoping to coach an NBA team, whether it's the Knicks or another club, despite not being hired this offseason. "I’m just home, hanging out," Ewing said. "I do have coaching [aspirations], but all the jobs are taken up right now. So I’m just hanging out, relaxing and taking some time off and will try to come back next year."
Sam Smith fields a number of Bulls-related questions in his newest mailbag at Bulls.com.

Trail Blazers To Interview Patrick Ewing

July 16th, 2012 at 9:02pm CST by Michael Pina

9:02pm: A tweet from The Oregonian's Jason Quick reports that Patrick Ewing's interview with the Trail Blazers is believed to be a courtesy. Also, Brian Shaw will interview with Portland.

6:41pm: The Trail Blazers are scheduled to interview Patrick Ewing, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Jared Zwerling.The former assistant coach for the Magic has long been looking to become the lead man with a team, and over the past couple of months has had his name associated with both the Knicks and Bobcats.

Odds & Ends: Noel, Spurs Prospects, Thunder

June 14th, 2012 at 6:27pm CST by Ryan Raroque

It has been extremely rare for a college basketball team to deliver a number one pick in consecutive years. However, with incoming freshman Nerlens Noel already being touted as the top selection of the 2013 NBA Draft, Kentucky could be the first program to do it since 1955 and 1956, when Duquesne’s Dick Ricketts and Sihugo Green were each selected number one overall on draft day in those respective years. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld provides some background on Noel, from his early beginnings as strictly a defensive minded player to now, a time when some marvel at the possibility of him being the NBA’s next great big man.

Here's more of what we've heard this evening, including two possible international gems whose draft rights are owned by the Spurs, an offseason dilemma for the Thunder, and some insight on two former Dream Team members looking for work in the NBA…

Bobcats Eliminate Ewing From Coaching Search

May 30th, 2012 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

Bobcats owner Michael Jordan has informed Patrick Ewing that he's no longer a candidate for the Bobcats' head coach vacancy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski speculates that Ewing's friendship with Jordan may have actually worked against him, since the Bobcats owner has faced criticism for surrounding himself with "yes" men during his time as an executive.

The Bobcats’ Head Coach Search

May 28th, 2012 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Coaching Rumors: Ewing, Magic, D’Antoni, Drew

May 18th, 2012 at 9:46am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Bobcats are still the only NBA team actively searching and conducting interviews for a new head coach, a number of other clubs could be looking to make a change in the coming weeks. Here's the latest on a few coaches and potential openings:

Marc Berman of the New York Post hears that Patrick Ewing has a "good chance" of becoming the Bobcats' next coach. According to Berman, the Magic likely wouldn't consider Ewing for their position if they were to part ways with Stan Van Gundy.
Speaking of Van Gundy and the Magic job, Berman adds that Mike D'Antoni would be on Orlando's "short list" if the team were to make a change. Word out of D'Antoni's inner circle suggests the former Knicks coach is content sitting out next season unless a "very compelling opportunity" arises, says Berman.
Hawks coach Larry Drew is still awaiting word from the team about whether they'll pick up his option for next season. Drew tells Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he considers his relationship with Atlanta's players to be strong: "That’s something I take a lot of pride in and spent a lot of time talking about and trying to work on. Player relationships are so important on this level, how you deal with your best player all the way down to the guy who might not even dress out during games. I thought I did a good job with that. I thought my staff did a good job with that."
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer examines why former NBA big men rarely become head coaches.

Odds & Ends: Kings, Batum, Bird, Ewing, Spurs

May 17th, 2012 at 10:02pm CST by Alex Lee

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.

Latest On Bobcats’ Coaching Search

May 16th, 2012 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

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.