Ryan McDonough Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Sanders, Kings, Joerger, Smith

July 10th, 2016 at 10:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Despite losing two centers this summer, the Warriors haven’t reached out to Larry Sanders, writes Monte Poole of CSNBayArea. The former Bucks big man was an elite rim protector before he walked away from the game in December of 2014, citing anxiety and depression. Sanders is considering a comeback and sparked speculation on Saturday when he sent out two messages on Twitter: an image of a cavalier and a scene from a 1979 movie titled “The Warriors.” Golden State needs to find replacements for Andrew Bogut, who was traded to Dallas to create cap room for Kevin Durant, and Festus Ezeli, who signed with the Trail Blazers as a free agent.

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

The Kings are getting plenty of calls from teams interested in Rudy Gay, Kosta Koufos and Ben McLemore, tweets James Ham of CSNCalifornia. So far, they haven’t heard an offer they like.
New Kings coach Dave Joerger doesn’t plan to coach any more summer league games, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Joerger said he started out in that role to set the tone for the rest of the staff.
The Kings and Clippers are among the teams that worked out J.R. Smith‘s brother this weekend in Las Vegas, tweets Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com. Chris Smith‘s only NBA experience came in two games with the Knicks in 2013.
Ryan McDonough’s first plan for a quick turnaround in Phoenix didn’t work, so now he’s rebuilding through the draft, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. With two picks in the top eight, the Suns grabbed highly regarded power forward prospects Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss. Their only free agent pickup so far this summer is veteran shooting guard Jared Dudley for $30MM over three years, a modest sum in this year’s market. “That’s certainly the most sustainable way to do it,” McDonough said about his draft strategy. “If you can draft those guys and have them under control for four years on the rookie scale and then have a bunch of advantages in terms of contract extensions and full Bird rights, that really helps.”

And-Ones: Murray, Bogdanovic, Miller, Zipser

June 11th, 2016 at 9:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

After being rated 16th among points guards in his high school class, Washington’s Dejounte Murray may be the third one taken in the NBA draft, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Murray had a solo workout for the Suns on Friday, shortly after a session with the Jazz. He will also work out for the Bulls, Bucks and Pelicans before draft day arrives. “He’s not afraid to mix it up,” said Phoenix GM Ryan McDonough. “He’s not afraid of contact for a thin guy. He’s got a bright future. He’s probably one of the top point guard prospects in the draft.”

Here’s more news from around the NBA:

Phoenix is waiting for Bogdan Bogdanovic’s Turkish league playoffs to end before talking about his plans for next season, Coro reveals in the same piece. The Suns‘ 2014 first-round pick, Bogdanovic is in the league finals with Fenerbahce.
With Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and James Harden announcing they won’t participate in the Olympics, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo may add another point guard to the roster, writes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. Chris Paul and John Wall have already been ruled out because of injuries, so Team USA is left with Kyrie Irving, Mike Conley and Damian Lillard.
Quincy Miller, who played with three teams during his three-year NBA career, will sign with Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops. Miller will receive $2.6MM over two seasons with an opt-out clause for the NBA next summer. He won ABA League and Serbian championships this season with Crvena Zvezda. Miller was drafted by Denver in 2012 and spent his first two seasons with the Nuggets. His last NBA experience came in brief stints with the Kings and Pistons in 2014/15.
German star Paul Zipser had a standout performance at today’s adidas Eurocamp, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. The 6’8″ small forward has several private workouts scheduled with NBA teams and has a chance to be drafted late in the first round or early in the second round.

Pacific Notes: Suns, Scott, Hibbert, Russell

April 15th, 2016 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Suns GM Ryan McDonough feels a sense of disbelief when looking back at the team’s 2015/16 season, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “I still can’t believe that happened,” McDonough said. “I don’t think any of us could’ve envisioned this, especially when we started out 7-5 and were playing pretty good basketball. Everything went wrong for us this year. The good news is one of the main reasons we have 23 wins is a lot of our best players were injured and missed significant portions or the majority of the season.”

“We weren’t properly positioned to withstand injuries,” McDonough continued. “We just didn’t have the end-of-the-bench depth you need. I think our deepest bench was actually last year’s team, 2014/15, and we didn’t do a great job of managing the players on that roster. It’s a learning experience for me. We need to find the blend between having enough depth and talent that you’ll be able to absorb foul trouble and injuries but also have a good enough blend and balance on the roster to where players are willing to accept the roles we put them in. We will have a deeper and more talented team next year. I guarantee it.”

Here’s the latest from the Pacific Division:

McDonough also noted that the Suns would prioritize finding a power forward this offseason, but added that the increase in the salary cap would make the competition much tougher, Coro relays. “We realize it may be tough for us this year to get in the mix like we have the previous two summers,” McDonough said. “Since I’ve been here, with the elite free agents, it’s easier when you win 87 combined games over two years than when you win 23. It’s a hard sell. We’ll be aggressive, creative. We value our young core. By young, I mean 26 and under with guys who have a chance to be really good players. Our last three lottery picks [Devin Booker, Alex Len and T.J. Warren], in particular, showed nice flashes this year of what they can do for guys who are still college age.”
Lakers coach Byron Scott admitted that he could have done a better job developing the team’s younger players this season, a sentiment that was echoed by point guard D’Angelo Russell, who did admit that things improved between him and Scott as the season progressed, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News tweets.
Russell noted that his Lakers teammates have been very supportive of him since the video he shot of Nick Young was made public, adding that Kobe Bryant was a source of support throughout the ordeal, Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweets. The point guard also added that he never believed he had lost the trust of the rest of the team despite the incident, Serena Winters of Lakers Nation relays (Twitter link).
Kings executive Vlade Divac indicated that the team’s coaching search wouldn’t be completed quickly and that he’s looking for a coach with experience who is on the same page with the players and front office, Sean Cunningham of KXTV-TV tweets.
Center Roy Hibbert, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, would like to return to the Lakers next season, but he understands the chances of a reunion are slim, Medina relays (via Twitter).
Draymond Green, who took less than the maximum when he re-signed with the Warriors last summer, told The Ringer’s Bill Simmons in a recent podcast that he accepted less money “so we can continue to build so we can make sure this thing stays together,” as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays (Twitter link),

And-Ones: Suns, Fisher, Satoransky, Bennett

March 10th, 2016 at 1:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

Suns owner Robert Sarver said he’s committed to keeping GM Ryan McDonough for next season and optimistic about the team’s position for the future, in an extensive interview with Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Sarver referred to rookie Devin Booker as a potential face of the franchise and also expressed belief in fellow recent first-round picks Alex Len, T.J. Warren and Archie Goodwin. The owner maintains faith in disappointing offseason signee Tyson Chandler, believing that he’ll perform better next season, when he’ll be 34. Still, Sarver insisted that he’ll leave matters of player personnel to McDonough and company, even as he feels a responsibility to set the tone.

“My biggest regret is that, as a manager of people, I feel I let the organization down in terms of the culture,” Sarver said to Coro. “I didn’t put my hand print on that culture and maybe didn’t hold people as accountable as I should and really make sure we’re putting that together. But I’m starting to see some of that.”

Sarver also stumped for public funding of a new arena and pointed to a clause in the team’s lease at Talking Stick Resort Arena, its existing home, that would allow the Suns to leave in 2021, as Coro relays. See more from around the NBA, which has seen the last of referee Joey Crawford, as Steve Aschburner of NBA.com reports:

Derek Fisher insists he didn’t lose his job as Knicks coach over character or integrity issues, as he writes in an essay for The Cauldron blog on SI.com. Fisher addressed his preseason encounter with Matt Barnes at the home of Barnes’ estranged wife, writing that he didn’t retaliate against Barnes during the incident and that he never had issues or much of a relationship with Barnes before that. Still, Fisher failed to address why he was in California and away from the Knicks when the episode took place, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
It’s still possible for the Wizards to sign draft-and-stash prospect Tomas Satoransky this summer even in the wake of the four-year extension he signed with Barcelona of Spain, which doesn’t include an NBA out until 2017, a source tells Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. The Wizards could buy out Satoransky’s contract before the extension kicks in, Castillo hears, adding that Washington would likely sign him to a two-year deal with a team option on the second season if the team brings him stateside.
Luis Scola‘s professionalism is well-known around the league, and Anthony Bennett, cognizant his NBA career was teetering on the brink, sought out his advice not long before the Raptors waived the former No. 1 overall pick last week, team sources tell Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. The release of Bennett was an eye-opener, rookie Delon Wright said, as Smith also notes in his look at the roles of nonstars in the NBA.

Pacific Notes: Rivers, McDonough, Ranadive

February 29th, 2016 at 1:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers insisted the team didn’t listen when it fielded trade calls about Blake Griffin from other clubs, as Rivers told Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports, reiterating his faith in the power forward he contends was having an MVP-caliber season before his two-month absence. Rivers also defended the job he’s done as team’s player personnel chief.

“I don’t know. I don’t evaluate. I have too many people evaluating for me,” Rivers said. “I let them do it and I keep doing my job. I don’t care about the evaluations. I care about the team. We’re a team that doesn’t have a lot of leverage. We don’t have a lot of assets. But to me, we keep ending up with the Jeff Greens of the world, Cole Aldrich is terrific, Wes Johnson. … We’re getting these guys at minimum contracts. Even Josh [Smith] was a good gamble. It didn’t work out for us. But when you are in that minimum contract deal, you’re going to have some hits and misses and we’re fine with it and you keep doing.”

See more from the Pacific Division:

Suns owner Robert Sarver issued a vote of confidence to GM Ryan McDonough in an open letter to fans posted on the team’s website, acknowledging that some of the risks the team has taken lately haven’t panned out but pointing to the Warriors as reason to continue making bold moves. “Not every decision will be the right one, but [McDonough] will continue to build our team around the young, talented players acquired through the draft and opportunistically in free agency,” Sarver wrote in part. “The best team in the NBA right now is a perfect example of that model.”
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive may have encountered trouble running the team so far, but his success in other venues shows he’s no fool, writes Andy Furillo of The Sacramento Bee. Ranadive told Furillo he’d buy out the stake of any minority-share owner who wants out, responding to reports that many of his partners are upset with him. “If somebody’s unhappy, I’ll write them a check today,” Ranadive said.
The Kings could use some more defense in the backcourt and coach George Karl has praised Seth Curry‘s performance on that end, but Curry has remained largely tied to the pine, much to his frustration, as The Bee’s Jason Jones examines. Curry has a minimum-salary player option for next season.

And-Ones: Morris Twins, Gerald Green, Hardaway

February 22nd, 2016 at 5:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris thought their close relationship with Suns owner Robert Sarver, which included invitations to Sarver’s home to work out on his basketball court, would ensure advance warning of the trade that sent Marcus to the Pistons, the twins told Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher. It’s not simply a matter of the trade having separated them, Marcus insists, saying to Bucher that he also would have pulled off the deal that sent him to the Pistons if he thought, as the Suns did, that it would give them a better shot at LaMarcus Aldridge.

“Everybody thinking that we’re upset because we don’t get to play with each other,” Marcus said. “Kieff can’t deal with adversity? We’re from north Philadelphia. This isn’t adversity. This is betrayal.”

The Magic offered Channing Frye for Markieff shortly after the deal that sent Marcus to the Pistons this summer, a league source told Bucher, and the Cavaliers and Bulls were interested in Markieff, too, Bucher hears, also confirming an earlier report that the Pistons held interest in reuniting the brothers. Bucher indicates that the twins were closer with former Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby than with Suns GM Ryan McDonough, suggesting that that the reduction in Babby’s role played a part in the end of the run for the Morrises in Phoenix. See more from around the NBA:

Gerald Green said to Bucher for the same piece that the Suns told him they would re-sign him this past summer but never called his agent back. The Kenton Edelin client instead signed with the Heat, telling Bucher that he holds the Heat organization in a much higher regard than the Suns.
Some Knicks players thought the offseason trade that sent away Tim Hardaway Jr. came about because the organization wanted to avoid an odd dynamic in the locker room between Hardaway and then-coach Derek Fisher, who are rumored to have been involved with the same woman, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
Shelvin Mack recorded season highs in minutes, points and assists Sunday in his debut for the Jazz, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Quin Snyder‘s familiarity with and endorsement of the point guard and a rave review from former Hawks GM Danny Ferry helped convince the Jazz to trade for Mack on Thursday, as Genessy details in a separate piece.

Pacific Notes: Griffin, McDonough, Cauley-Stein

February 4th, 2016 at 6:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Clippers team owner Steve Ballmer said that Blake Griffin needs to be disciplined for his role in the altercation with equipment manager Mathias Testi that left the power forward with a broken shooting hand, Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times relays. “There needs to be consequences,” Ballmer said. “It’s the right thing to do.” The owner was also quick to note that Griffin is a significant part of the organization’s plans, Hernandez adds. Ballmer said Griffin would be welcomed back once he is medically cleared to play and has served any potential suspension the league may hand out, according to Hernandez.

“You know, everyone’s going to heal, and we’re going to have an opportunity to move forward,” Ballmer said.”We’re going to finish our investigation, decide what needs to happen and move forward. Blake’s a key part of our team. There’s no question about that. He certainly has been remorseful, which is great, and we’ll find a way to move past it. That’s part of life. An important part of life is learning how to have consequences.”

Here’s the latest from out of the Pacific Division:

Suns GM Ryan McDonough accepts his share of the blame for the franchise’s current woes and vows to hold himself, along with everyone else in the organization, more accountable moving forward, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays. “I take a lot of responsibility, most of the responsibility for what has gone on and what has gone wrong with this organization over the past few months,” McDonough said. “I know I need to do a better job. My staff needs to do a better job. What’s happened recently has been a collective failure. All of us have not done well enough and that starts with ownership, goes to the front office, the coaching staff and the players. We need to do better.”
Kings rookie Willie Cauley-Stein is driven to become a star in the NBA, and despite the negative predraft rumors regarding his love for the game, he has been one of the team’s hardest workers this season, James Ham of CSNBayArea.com writes. “For me to take the step that I want to take and the step that I think I need to take, I have to become an all-around basketball player or it’s not going to be fun for me,” Cauley-Stein said. “Playing this game won’t be fun for me if I don’t become the player that I know I can become and the player they know I can become. If I settled and was just a rim protector and an under-the-basket guy, then I cheated myself in life, that’s how I look at it.”

Fallout From/Reaction To Suns Coaching Change

February 2nd, 2016 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns, as constituted, simply aren’t good enough, GM Ryan McDonough acknowledged today in a radio appearance this morning on the “Doug & Wolf Show” on Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link). McDonough also said that he accepts responsibility for the state of the team and, when asked about his own job security, said he hadn’t been given any guarantees and hadn’t asked for any (All Twitter links).

“It is our job to coach the players we have and to fill our roster to the best of our ability and we haven’t,” McDonough said.

See more from McDonough and others as the Suns dig out from under Monday’s firing of Jeff Hornacek and the appointment of assistant coach Earl Watson as interim head coach.

Watson will be a candidate for the long-term head coaching job, McDonough also said in his radio appearance (Twitter links). McDonough added in response to a question that he hasn’t reached out to Sixers assistant and former Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni, whom the team has reportedly been poised to target.
Players expressed support for Watson when the Suns shook up their assistant coaching staff in late December, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Markieff Morris and Watson get along, notes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
The Suns still have a roster built to run the two point guard attack that Hornacek orchestrated, and Hornacek’s firing is a signal of potential changes to come in the team’s approach to player personnel, Coro writes in the same piece. Turnover issues and the emergence of lottery pick Devin Booker, a traditional shooting guard, further that notion, Coro adds.
The Suns set up Hornacek for failure when they neglected to pick up his team option for next season before this season began, making him a lame duck, and when they failed anticipate the fallout from the Marcus Morris trade, contends Paula Boivin of the Arizona Republic. Hornacek deserved some of the blame, but not as much as the Suns organization assigned to him, Boivin opines.
Hornacek’s firing won’t change the problems that hang over the franchise, which sorely lacks a culture of mutual respect and trust between ownership and the rest of the organization, contends Ben Golliver of SI.com.

Suns Eye Reluctant Steve Nash For Coaching Job

February 1st, 2016 at 12:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns have strong interest in Steve Nash to fill their coaching vacancy but the two-time MVP doesn’t feel ready to become a full-time coach, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports earlier today wrote that Nash should be expected to emerge as a candidate for the position created when the team fired Jeff Hornacek overnight, citing owner Robert Sarver’s fondness for the retired point guard. Sarver and Nash recently bought controlling interest in the Spanish soccer club Real Mallorca, Mannix notes. Still, Nash never wanted to be a head coach, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Nash is serving as a part-time player development consultant for the Warriors this season and is also GM of Team Canada.

Many believe Sarver would do whatever it takes to bring Nash back to the Suns organization, Mannix writes, suggesting that the team might consider clearing a front office position for him. The feeling around the Suns is that GM Ryan McDonough is safe for the time being, but ultimately the team is expected to review its operation from top to bottom, team sources told Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.

Nash, who turns 42 on Sunday, is a year removed from having retired as a player, though the Mavericks reportedly clung to hopes as recently as June that he would return to play this season. A nerve ailment kept him from appearing in a regular season game last season.

Atlantic Notes: Ainge, Colangelo, Calipari, Jackson

January 17th, 2016 at 3:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge talks weekly with Suns GM Ryan McDonough, as McDonough tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, and it’s clear that the pair maintain a strong relationship from their days in the Celtics front office. Boston and Phoenix hooked up on three trades last season.

“We worked together for a number of years and those guys have become some of my best friends,” McDonough said to Washburn about the Celtics brass. “Sometimes the calls are trade-related, sometimes the calls are social. I have a great relationship with those guys. I appreciate everything that Danny, [owners] Steve [Pagliuca], and Wyc [Grousbeck] did for my career, and regardless where I am the Celtics will always be my second-favorite team.”

See more from the Atlantic Division:

It’s obvious that Sixers chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo is doing all the major decision-making now instead of GM Sam Hinkie, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who wonders whether Hinkie will get credit should the team become successful in the near future.
A league source suggested to Fred Kerber of the New York Post that John Calipari will become a more appealing option to the Nets the longer they search for a GM and coach. The team isn’t seriously considering Calipari at this point, as Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck said Friday. Kerber also names team chairman Dmitry Razumov, board member Sergey Kushchenko, CEO Brett Yormark and Prokhorov’s holding company president Irina Pavlova as members of the team’s search committee. That adds further confusion to an existing set of conflicting reports about who’s conducting the search.
Kristaps Porzingis unsurprisingly gets an A-plus in the midseason grades that Marc Berman of the New York Post hands out for the Knicks, but team president Phil Jackson receives only a C-minus, even though his decision to draft Porzingis has worked out. A record around .500 won’t cut it, and some of the team’s signings, including the addition of Kevin Seraphin that coach Derek Fisher lobbied for, have been duds, Berman opines, justifying the low grade for Jackson.