Quin Snyder

Coaching Rumors: Bucks, Pistons, Bobcats, 76ers

Earlier this morning, we passed along word that the Sixers have received permission to interview Michael Malone and Jeff Hornacek for their head coaching position. Philadelphia is currently one of four teams actively seeking a new coach, but that number figures to increase in the coming weeks. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has a little more on the Sixers and other teams exploring the coaching market, so let's round up the highlights from his piece:

  • Nate McMillan, who has met with the Pistons twice, is also near the top of the Bucks' list of targets, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • After the Bucks parted ways with Jim Boylan yesterday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that Stan Van Gundy and Kelvin Sampson were expected to be among Milwaukee's top targets. According to Berger, both Van Gundy and Sampson will interview with the Bucks. Lakers assistant Steve Clifford is also expected to be considered for the position.
  • Bucks GM John Hammond is seeking a defensive-minded coach who can "control the locker room," says Berger.
  • Pistons owner Tom Gores is taking a lead role in in the club's coaching search, with one source telling Berger that Gores is "looking to put his stamp on this one." Sampson and Nate McMillan are among the Pistons' potential candidates.
  • Sampson, McMillan, Nate Tibbetts, and Quin Snyder will likely all be considered by the Bobcats, according to Berger.
  • In addition to the Philadelphia targets we've already heard about, the Sixers are eyeing Heat assistant David Fizdale, says Berger, adding that the team is also doing its homework on potential GM candidates.
  • Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni would like to add a defense-first assistant to his staff, and McMillan may be his first choice. However, with McMillan a decent bet to land a head coaching job this summer, D'Antoni may turn to former Suns coach Alvin Gentry, according to Berger.
  • Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times also provides a coaching update this morning, tweeting that he has been told Jerry Sloan is "seriously considering" returning to the sidelines.

Coaching Rumors: Hollins, Snyder, Jensen, Brown

As many as a third of the league's teams could be looking for coaches this summer, and that doesn't include the Cavaliers, who've already hired Mike Brown, Grantland's Zach Lowe writes. An agent told Lowe that the Brown/Cavs pairing could spur movement in the rest of the coaching market. Lowe has plenty more on coaches who could be coming or going, and takes a closer look at the Bobcats and Cavs in his latest column. We'll pass along the highlights here, along with news from other NBA scribes:

  • The Grizzlies are more likely than not to retain Lionel Hollins, though that could change if the Clippers sweep them in the first round.
  • Hawks GM Danny Ferry may turn to Quin Snyder if he decides to let go of Larry Drew, now that Brown, his preferred target, is no longer available.
  • Alex Jensen, this season's D-League Coach of the Year, could be on an NBA bench as soon as next season, and earns consistent mention among defensively minded coaches on the rise.
  • The final season of Brown's five-year deal with the Cavs is partially guaranteed, as Charley Rosen notes for HoopsHype. Brown can take the Cavs to "the outer fringes of respectability" at best, Rosen opines.
  • Alvin Gentry, who was let go by the Suns earlier this season, has the resume, the presence, and the local ties necessary to make him a candidate for the Bobcats' coaching opening, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. 
  • Bobcats assistant coach Stephen Silas has shown a knack for player development and, despite his team's struggles, is considered a strong candidate for head coaching jobs, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link).
  • Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio has the latest on Brown's effort to build his staff with the Cavs, reporting that former Pistons head coach John Kuester is expected to join Brown in Cleveland.
  • Brown isn't short on coaching acumen, but his success with the Cavs will ultimately come down to whether the team can give him a roster that's talented enough to win, Pat McManamon of Fox Sports Ohio believes.

Coaching Rumors: Snyder, Bobcats, Hawks, Suns

It's already been a busy day on the NBA's coaching carousel, as Mike Dunlap was let go by the Bobcats, while Mike Brown is close to officially becoming the Cavs' head coach for a second time. Even after the Cavs fill their coaching vacancy, plenty of other NBA teams are either in the market for a new coach or could be soon. Here are the latest coaching-related rumblings around the league:

  • We heard that Brown could also potentially draw offers – or at least interest – from the Suns, Hawks, and Sixers among others. However, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com tweets that a major factor in Brown's decision was his family wanting to live in Cleveland.
  • Quin Snyder, who worked for CSKA Moscow in 2012/13, drew strong interest from the Bobcats last summer, and could emerge again as a candidate in Charlotte, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein notes that Snyder could also be at or near the top of the Hawks' wish list if Danny Ferry decides to part ways with Larry Drew (Twitter link).
  • Given the team's cap situation and the presence of another top-five pick, the Bobcats' opening is more appealing now than it was a year ago, and is drawing more interest this time around, says Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • Suns president Lon Babby intends to hire a new general manager and then work with that GM to make a decision on the team's coach, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Babby isn't inclined to hire one person for both jobs, Coro adds.
  • Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes that none of the Raptors' assistant coaches are under guaranteed contracts for next season. As Smith points out, if Toronto drags its feet on finalizing decisions on Bryan Colangelo and Dwane Casey, the pool of potential assistants could be depleted by the time the team gets around to it.

Pacific Links: Paul, Hunter, Nash, Assistants

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.

Odds & Ends: Prigioni, Hawks, Kupchak, Bonner

Here's news from around the league on a busy Sunday, with one month and a day to go before the trade deadline:

Latest On Magic Coaching Search

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.

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Jerry Sloan No Longer Considering Bobcats

Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated writes that Jerry Sloan has pulled out of the running as a candidate for the Bobcats' head coaching position. With Sloan out of the picture, Brian Shaw and Quin Snyder now appear to be the frontrunners. Shaw reportedly had an "excellent" meeting with team owner Michael Jordan last Thursday, and according to a tweet by Dave McMenamin of ESPN LA, Snyder had a second meeting with Jordan yesterday. Amick cites a source with knowledge of the situation that Jordan had been considering re-opening the coaching search if he was not impressed with the finalists. 

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Odds & Ends: Raptors, Bobcats, Wroten

With the eighth, 37th, and 56th selections in this upcoming NBA Draft, the Raptors could potentially draft three rookies in addition to bringing last year's draft pick, Jonas Valanciunas, into the fold for next season. Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld spoke with GM Bryan Colangelo, who is looking to explore multiple scenarios with his second round picks. Colangelo admits that bringing in three rookies may not be the best scenario, and that he will consider packaging picks in order to move up the draft board or possibly make a second round selection with the intention of developing that prospect in Europe for a few years. Here's more of what we're hearing from around the league this evening, including an update of the Bobcats head coaching search.

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The Bobcats’ Head Coach Search

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.

Latest On Bobcats’ Coaching Search

The Bobcats may have set an NBA record for futility in 2011/12, but they also feature one of just two head coach openings in the league, so candidates continue to interview for the job. Here are today's updates on the team's search, with any new items added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • Jerry Sloan will interview with the Bobcats this week, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. It was reported yesterday that owner Michael Jordan would meet with Sloan, so it's unclear if Jordan is conducting the interview or if other members of the Bobcats' brass will be involved.
  • The Bobcats have received permission from the Lakers to speak with assistant Quin Snyder, says Broussard.
  • Charlotte has also been granted permission by the Pacers to speak with Brian Shaw, but as we heard yesterday, his interview won't happen until Indiana's season ends — which could happen as soon as tonight.
  • We also heard last night that the Bobcats plan to reach out to Stan Van Gundy.