Phil Jackson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Sloan, Phil, Nash

January 30th, 2014 at 8:55pm CST by Ryan Raroque

During Friday night’s game against Golden State, the Jazz will honor former head coach Jerry Sloan by raising a banner with the number “1223” embroidered on it, which denotes the total number of wins (regular season and playoffs) he helped deliver to Utah over his coaching career. Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune caught up with former Jazz and current Nets guard Deron Williams to get his current thoughts on Sloan:

“A big part of my success early in my career was due to him and the things he kind of instilled in me…So I’m definitely happy for him, and it’s going to be a special moment. The fans there just love him to death.” Williams also elaborated on the halftime argument with Sloan several years ago which reportedly triggered the former coach’s resignation:

“We got into a little argument — nothing more than we’ve ever done…So the way the fans perceive it is just one thing I can’t really control. Like I said, there’s no hard feelings on my end, and I enjoyed playing for him. I miss playing for him.”

Here’s more out of the Western Conference tonight:

During an appearance on NBA TV, former Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that while he agreed with the decision to give Kobe Bryant a two-year extension, he also thinks the team “paid him more than I would have gone for” (Bill Oram of the OC Register via Twitter).
Oram also wrote about Steve Nash‘s return to practice today, noting that the former MVP is eight days away from celebrating his 40th birthday. Nash hasn’t had much to celebrate about since arriving in Los Angeles, and was candid about his frustration with injuries: “This is the toughest thing I’ve been through in my career…I came to L.A. with nothing but the highest hopes and expectations, and it’s been nothing but personal disappointment.”
Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles has more from Nash: “Ever since I broke my leg, nothing’s been the same. Nothing’s been easy. But I also look for challenges in life, so this is a great opportunity for me to learn about myself and try to fight through it and hopefully on the other side, I’ll be a better person.”
Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune discussed his thoughts on the Timberwolves’ struggles: “At times they have no energy whatsoever…They need a great point guard, and (Ricky Rubio) is not a great point guard.” Rubio is averaging 8.5 PPG, 8.2 APG, 4.6 RPG, and 2.6 SPG on the season, but Hartman appeared to imply that Rubio’s struggle to score points in the fourth quarter is a glaring weakness.
Grizzlies guard Mike Conley may not have been selected to the All-Star team this year, but opposing coaches know his value, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Subscribers only).
Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders presents his list of this year’s All-Star snubs from the Western Conference.

Pacific Notes: Jackson, Warriors, Goodwin

January 23rd, 2014 at 3:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Three teams are separated by just two games in the loss column atop the Pacific Division. One of them isn’t the Lakers, of course, but the purple-and-gold are nonetheless the division’s only squad in TNT’s nationally televised doubleheader this evening. While we await tip-off, here’s the latest from the Pacific:

Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson on Wednesday made his most definitive statement to date that he won’t return to the bench, as part of an interview on Fox Sports Live (Twitter link). The Zen Master left some wiggle room in previous comments, casting it as unlikely he’d coach again but leaving the door slightly ajar. This time, he made it almost entirely certain. “I’m not going to coach again,” Jackson said, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News transcribed. “I’ve done my coaching and I think I can put that aside.”
Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob acknowledged that the team’s goal of moving into a new arena in San Francisco by 2017 will be difficult to meet, as he told Gary Radnich and Larry Krueger of KNBR radio Thursday. The hurdles to construction for the proposed bayside arena have long made the timetable seem far-fetched, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle points out.
The Suns have yet to make an official announcement, but they’ve told Archie Goodwin they’ll send him to the D-League, according to Craig Grialou of ArizonaSports.com. GM Ryan McDonough says the 29th overall pick in the 2013 draft will play a pair of games this weekend for the Bakersfield Jam before rejoining the Suns. It’ll be Phoenix’s first D-League assignment this year.

Phil Jackson On Coaching, His Next Job, Lakers

October 26th, 2013 at 10:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Phil Jackson said this week that it’s unlikely he’ll ever coach in the NBA again, and he reiterated that point and touched on many others in a conversation with Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. He has spoken with owners of teams around the league about a front office role, and he told Bresnahan he envisions serving as more of a consultant than a GM. Wherever he winds up, he made it clear that it won’t be with the Lakers, even though his comments suggest at least some of his blood runs purple-and-gold, perhaps a nod to his fiancee and Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss. The entire piece is worth reading, especially for Lakers fans, but we’ll share a few highlights here:

On returning to the Lakers in any capacity:

“At the present time I don’t see how that would work out with the way the organization is set up right now. There would have to be some seismic shift.”

On the Lakers’ flirtation with him during last year’s coaching search:

“I know it was difficult for Jeanie because I wasn’t putting my hat in the ring and they asked me to come and interview for the job, of which I think they had no intention of actually following through. I think those things stuck at the core of Laker die-hard fans.”

On his feelings toward the Lakers:

“I want people to know that I really want to support the Lakers and I’m here to support Jeanie in her effort to keep this franchise vital and vibrant. I have every intention of trying to help them move forward.”

Western Notes: Rockets, Lakers, Nash, Thunder

October 25th, 2013 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA’s opening night just four days away, let’s round up some items out of the Western Conference on the last Friday of the offseason:

Philadelphia released Royce White yesterday, but it will be the Rockets, not the 76ers, who are on the hook for his $1.7MM+ salary, tweets Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. When Houston sent White to the Sixers, it was reported that the deal included cash considerations, so perhaps the amount in the trade was equal to White’s salary.
Phil Jackson recently spoke to Seth Davis about a number of topics, including the Lakers, and while that interview won’t air until next week, Mark Medina of InsideSoCal.com passes along a few of the Zen Master’s comments. Among the notable items: Jackson says he’s unlikely to ever coach in the NBA again due to his health.
Steve Nash is currently the oldest player on an NBA roster, and there’s some concern from the Lakers about his health heading into the season. However, while he acknowledges to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he’s at a “different stage” in his career, he says he’s up to the challenge.
After waiving Diante Garrett today, the Thunder aren’t in the market for a third point guard, according to head coach Scott Brooks (Twitter link via Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman).
In the wake of early speculation about Kevin Durant‘s 2016 free agency, ESPN.com’s Larry Coon (Insider link) details Durant’s options, concluding that the Thunder star figures to take a wait-and-see approach.
Dee Bost, who was waived by the Trail Blazers, and Troy Daniels, who is expected to be released by the Rockets, will soon sign with their clubs’ respective D-League affiliates, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com.

Jeanie Buss On Jim Buss, Jackson, D’Antoni

September 22nd, 2013 at 8:39am CST by Chuck Myron

Jeanie Buss is the Lakers representative on the NBA's Board of Governors, making her as much the primary owner of the team as any member of the Buss family is following the passing of patriarch Jerry Buss in February. She hints at tension between her and brother Jim Buss, writing in the latest edition of her memoir that she wants Jim "to realize that I'm not the enemy." The Los Angeles Times published an excerpt of the updated portion of "Laker Girl" online today that centers around the team's abortive pursuit of Jeanie's fiancee, Phil Jackson, for their coaching vacancy last season. It's plenty revelatory, not just about the Jackson situation but the ongoing dynamics of the Lakers front office, so we'll recap the highlights here:

Jeanie was moved to tears when the team decided to hire Mike D'Antoni instead. "The sequence of events — Phil almost coming back and then being told someone else was better for the job — practically destroyed me," she writes. "It almost took away my passion for this job and this game. It felt like I had been stabbed in the back. It was a betrayal. I was devastated."
Jeanie, who oversees the franchise's business operations, says she and Jim had never spoken about basketball before Jim sought her input prior to asking Jackson about his interest in the job.
Jackson never demanded part-ownership, a "ridiculous" salary, or an arrangement that would have allowed him to miss some of the team's road games, according to Jeanie, but he did ask for input on personnel decisions.
The Lakers were aware of the negative publicity that choosing D'Antoni over Jackson would bring. When GM Mitch Kupchak called Jackson to tell him that they were going with D'Antoni, Kupchak told him he thought the media firestorm would "blow over in a month," Jeanie writes.

Lakers Notes: Landry, Bryant, James, Jackson

September 11th, 2013 at 8:53pm CST by Alex Lee

Let's round up the latest from the always-busy rumor mill in Los Angeles:

Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register tweets that he expects the Lakers to sign Marcus Landry, younger brother of Carl Landry, in the near future. Ding also adds that Landry, if signed, would have a good shot to make the team. This sounds very similar to several reports we heard in late July regarding Landry and the Lakers, but no official deal was reached. Landry last appeared in 18 games in the 2009/10 season with the Knicks and Celtics. He has since bounced between the D-League and Europe, and played with the Reno Bighorns of the D-League last season.
With second-rounder Ryan Kelly not expected to be ready for camp, Ding tweets that three of Landry, Xavier Henry, Shawne Williams and Elias Harris could make the Lakers' roster. A chunk of Harris' deal is guaranteed, making him a good bet for a roster spot, but there’s been no confirmation of any guarantee for Henry, Williams or Landry, assuming he is signed.
It is hard to consider Kobe Bryant's looming presence on the Lakers as anything but a negative recruiting tool when it comes to near-future premiere free agents, writes Andy Kamenetzky of Land O'Lakers, who agrees with the notion that LeBron James, or any of the league's other elite players, would be hesitant to join Bryant in Los Angeles.
Jim Buss and his father, the late Jerry Buss, knew that the Lakers couldn't keep the expensive team they showcased last year together past the 2012/13 season, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, who says this sentiment made it difficult for the team to secure Phil Jackson as coach. Ownership knew they had to rebuild soon, Shelburne says, largely due to the extreme luxury tax situation they would face this season. Because of this, the Lakers didn't feel right giving Jackson a two-year pact knowing the second year would be a transition year, she adds (Twitter links here).

Odds & Ends: D’Antoni, Durant, Jackson

August 17th, 2013 at 11:00pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Lakers aren't expected to be contending for an NBA title this season after losing Dwight Howard to the Rockets in free agency. Many Lakers fans blame coach Mike D'Antoni for playing an important role in driving him out of town. Plus, the phantasm of former coach Phil Jackson still hovers above the Staples Center court where he's won five rings during his former time on the bench.

As D'Antoni told the Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan, it probably will continue to be that way through the foreseeable future.

"I think anybody that comes in here the next 10, 15 years, it's going to be that way," D'Antoni remarked. "I don't think there is any doubt that he was so good and so large and he's still sitting out there. Had that bothered me, I shouldn't have taken the job because you know it's going to be there. I wasn't stupid enough to think that, 'Oh, they won't remember him.' Sure they will. It doesn't really affect what we do day-to-day and how we approach the game."

After getting swept in the the first round of the playoffs by the Spurs this past season, the 62-year-old D'Antoni still has two guaranteed years left on his contract with the Lakers. With Kobe Bryant's torn Achilles tendon and the aging Steve Nash and Pau Gasol representing the backbone of this year's Lakers team, things might not get much better as D'Antoni prepares for the 2013/14 season.

Here's what else is happening around the Association on a quiet Saturday evening, including an update on Jackson's coaching future.

The Zen Master told Mark Jones of the Williston Herald that he doesn't plan on coaching because "I am still recovering from multiple surgeries."
In 2005, strength trainer Alan Stein walked up to a 15-year-old Kevin Durant and told him, "Look, man, you have all the tools to be one of the best players in the world, but the only way you can do that is to get stronger," Stein recalled to the Oklahoman's Anthony Slater. “I can help you. Give me a shot.”
Four-year former Florida Gator Kenny Boynton went undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft, but he did catch on with the Lakers' Summer League squad before failing to land a contract. Sportando's Emiliano Charchia reports, via Twitter, that Boynton's deal with Barack Netanya of Israel's BSL is now official.
On that European note, via a re-tweet from Ridiculous Upside's Keith Schlosser, SecretRival.blogspot.com has compiled a list of former NBA players, picks and recent NCAA players who are in the top 10 European leagues.

Western Notes: Pekovic, Wolves, Jackson, Lakers

August 17th, 2013 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The difference between unrestricted free agency and restricted free agency can be seen in the divergent plights of the Lakers and Timberwolves this summer. The purple and gold had no say-so when Dwight Howard jumped to the Rockets, while negotiations between the Wolves and Nikola Pekovic dragged on for months, with other suitors seemingly scared off by Minnesota's ability to match offers. Still, the Wolves and Lakers both figure to be among the teams fighting for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference, and they're among the teams we focus on in today's look at the West:

Pekovic is unlikely to meet many of the $8MM worth of incentives in his deal with the Wolves, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). That means that starting next season, those incentives won't count against the cap. As Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune surmised earlier, games played is one of the incentives, and Wolfson says Pek will earn a bonus if he appears in at least 70 games a year.
Pekovic isn't the only Wolves player with durability issues, and president of basketball ops Flip Saunders plans changes to the way the team handles the treatment and prevention of injuries, as Zach Harper of CBSSports.com examines.
Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss said last week that Phil Jackson, her fiancee, still yearns to coach, but Jackson seemed to disagree Friday in comments he made to his hometown newspaper. "I have no intention of coaching," he told Mark Jones of the Williston Herald. "I am still recovering from multiple surgeries."
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside examines the Lakers' unusual promotion of Nick Mazzella from public relations coordinator to GM of the team's D-League affiliate.
The strength of someone's relationships is key to doing business in the NBA, and Chris Hansen's funding of an anti-Kings-arena effort shows he doesn't understand not to burn his bridges, SB Nation's Tom Ziller writes.
The Lakers got a D from HoopsWorld's Moke Hamilton, who graded each Western Conference team's offseason, while the Wolves and Kings both wound up with a B+.

Kupchak On D’Antoni, Kobe, Nash, Lakers’ Future

August 15th, 2013 at 7:43pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak participated in a radio interview with ESPN's Colin Cowherd earlier today to discuss a few topics surrounding the franchise. He acknowledged that the transition from Mike Brown to Mike D'Antoni last season was "clumsy" and admitted that there was some feeling that Phil Jackson would coach the team during 2012-13 before eventually handing over the job to D'Antoni. We'll relay more of Kupchak's noteworthy comments, and you can read them below (credit goes to ESPN Los Angeles' Ramona Shelburne and Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times):

On the health of Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant:

"Steve, to my understanding, is close to 100 percent, but he's not as young as he once was and Kobe's a big question mark. We're very optimistic, he's getting treatment every day, he's in the facility right now, but he hasn't been on a basketball court. Uncertainty going forward, I guess with our health status would be the biggest question mark."

Regarding any talks of a contract extension with Kobe:

"There really (have) been no discussions beyond next year for obvious reasons…You have a player who is up in age and just had a devastating injury. Obviously, we created an environment with our team where were looking to have financial flexibility a year from now, so that plays into it."

On the possibility of Pau Gasol remaining a Laker beyond this season:

"We're in a cycle…We're hopeful that within a year from now, we'll have enough flexibility. We're hopeful that Pau and Kobe can continue to play and we'll have options to rebuild the team."

Thoughts on the idea of tanking for a lottery pick in 2014:

"The ping-pong lottery thing, even if you have the very worst team in the NBA, you're not guaranteed to get the first pick…I'm not sure getting into the lottery and ending up with 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 is going to give us a top one or two pick in the draft…We still may end up drafting 12, 13 or 14, which is not a great place to draft if you just look back on drafts in this league."

More comments about the 2014 offseason:

"We'll have a lot of financial resources a year from now…I don't know if we'll get a star player to leave his home team to come here like (Dwight Howard) did to go to Houston. He took a huge financial hit just to do that…We have a pick next year, which is going to be a very good draft. We're very comfortable with the flexibility…It just doesn't mean you get free agents you can take players [via trade]. There are a lot of things you can do with cap room."

Odds & Ends: Ariza, Wiz, Udrih, Howard, Jackson

August 8th, 2013 at 10:35pm CST by Alex Lee

Here are some odds and ends from around the NBA on this Thursday night:

The Wizards had a busy offseason, which kicked off with Trevor Ariza informing them that he planned to exercise his $7.7MM player option for 2013/14. Ariza didn't foresee this offseason as a good one to test free agency, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post, who sees Ariza ahead of rookie Otto Porter Jr. on the Wizards depth chart based on the team's summer league.
Lee adds that if the Wizards plan to add a big man, they'll like only be able to offer a minimum salary. Wizards owner Ted Leonsis is willing to become a tax-paying team, per Lee, but would rather do so once he has a contender on his hands.
Keith Schlosser of the Knicks Journal examines the addition of Beno Udrih to the Knicks' backcourt, arguing that Udrih is of borderline starter caliber. The Knicks got another bargain, Schlosser says, writing that Udrih's acceptance of a minimum salary implies he is on board with the "win now" mentality of the New York locker room. Filling a clearly defined role, previously occupied by Jason Kidd, should facilitate Udrih's transition, Schlosser opines.
In an interview with ESPN Radio in Los Angeles, Lakers executive vice president Jeanie Buss said that the team would have had a much better chance to keep Dwight Howard if her father, the late Dr. Jerry Buss, had been healthy and involved, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN LA. Buss called her father "the best closer in the business" and also stated that her husband, former Lakers coach Phil Jackson, still has the itch to coach, but stopped short of implying anything about a return to the Lakers. Hear the full interview here.