Scott Skiles Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Florida Notes: Winslow, Vucevic, Chalmers

September 2nd, 2015 at 6:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Justise Winslow, who was selected No. 10 overall by the Heat in this year’s draft, is excited about the creative ways that Miami’s coaching staff is planning on utilizing his diverse skillset this season, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays. “It’s going to be good,” Winslow said. “The way they’re using me I think is going to be really special, really going to help me showcase a lot of my skills.” Winslow has been working with the coaching staff to improve the mechanics on his outside shot, which was one of the areas of his game that was criticized heading into this year’s draft, Jackson adds.

“I definitely feel comfortable shooting from three-point range but it’s working on everything – pull-ups, mid-range, posting up, finishing. There has been a huge emphasis on my shooting mechanics, trying to get everything more fluid and more natural so I can become a better three-point shooter. But there hasn’t been an over-emphasis on three-point shooting,” said Winslow.

Here’s more from the Sunshine State:

Winslow isn’t sure what position he’ll play this season, but noted that the Heat‘s system is built on versatility, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “The offense, all the positions are pretty interchangeable. And so I’m working on all my skills,” Winslow said. “Just playing alongside all the great players, some of the things will be limited,” he continued. “So just trying to find spots where if I’m in the game with Dwyane Wade , Goran Dragic and Chris Bosh, how I can be most efficient?“
One of new Magic coach Scott Skiles‘ goals this season will be to get center Nikola Vucevic to be more aggressive and consistent on the defensive end, and to get to the foul line more on offense, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes in his profile of the big man. Vucevic is entering the first season of the four-year, $53MM contract extension he inked with Orlando.
Though he is reportedly on the trading block, Mario Chalmers still remains the Heat‘s best option for a solid backup point guard, opines Winderman in his daily mailbag. The Sun Sentinel scribe notes that though Chalmers can be frustrating at times, he can thrive if placed in the right situations.

Reaction To Magic’s Hiring Of Scott Skiles

June 1st, 2015 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic’s announcement of Scott Skiles as their new coach late Friday afternoon didn’t linger for long atop the headlines, as the Pelicans followed with their hiring of Alvin Gentry the next day and rumors mounted about the Bulls and their seemingly inevitable partnership with Fred Hoiberg. Orlando made a nonetheless significant move, and we’ll pass along some of the ripples still emanating from it here:

GM Rob Hennigan didn’t directly answer a question from Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel about whether Tom Thibodeau was ever a factor in Orlando’s coaching search, but Thibs wasn’t among those the team interviewed, as the Sentinel’s Josh Robbins reported earlier. The Magic didn’t land a marquee name, but they ended up with a coach who’s well-respected among his peers, including Pistons boss and former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, and who’ll lend the team a tenacious personality, Bianchi writes.
Skiles was confident that he’d get another NBA head coaching job after his third such stint ended when the Bucks fired him midway through the 2012/13 season, as he tells TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. The former Suns, Bulls and Bucks coach indicated that he spoke with NBA teams that showed interest in him during each of the two offseasons that passed between the end of his time in Milwaukee and Friday’s hiring in Orlando.
He doesn’t have a reputation as a player’s coach, but Elfrid Payton and Maurice Harkless told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders for his NBA AM piece that they’re on board with the hire, and Harkless, about to enter the final season of his rookie scale contract, was particularly effusive.

Magic Rumors: Skiles, Harris, Martins

May 30th, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Magic players will have to earn their minutes under new coach Scott Skiles, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Skiles, who was hired by the team Friday, earned a tough-guy reputation during his 10 years as a player in the NBA, and he brings that same philosophy into coaching. “Under the umbrella of developing guys comes a bunch of different things,” Skiles said. “Accountability is one of them. You’re short-changing guys if you don’t think that you can challenge them and that they’ll rise to a challenge.” One the challenges Skiles issued during his first press conference was for Orlando to finish in the top five in defensive efficiency next season. The Magic ranked 25th this year.

There’s much more from Central Florida:

Skiles is doing his best to quell rumors that there are problems between him and Tobias Harris, who will likely become a restricted free agent in July. Skiles tells Robbins (Twitter link) that he has stayed in touch with Harris, whom he coached in Milwaukee, and their relationship is strong.
GM Rob Hennigan held face-to-face interviews with three other candidates before hiring Skiles, Robbins writes in a separate story. They were former Warriors coach Mark Jackson, Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg and Clippers assistant Mike Woodson, who has served as head coach of the Hawks and Knicks. “I truly wanted this to be an objective decision about his coaching ability,” CEO Alex Martins said of the hiring process. “I didn’t want my personal past with Scott and my experience with him of having been a player here and our relationship to enter into that.”
Skiles’ record of success with young teams in Phoenix, Chicago and Milwaukee appealed to the Magic, according to John Denton of nba.com. Skiles said he expects players to be on time, play hard and play to win, and he addressed his hard-nosed reputation. “I won’t deny that there have been a handful of times when I may have butted heads with a guy,” Skiles said. “I’m never looking for confrontation, but I’m not afraid of it.”

Eastern Notes: Skiles, Wizards, Varejao

May 29th, 2015 at 7:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The big news of the day is the Magic‘s hiring of Scott Skiles as the team’s new head coach. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports previously reported that Skiles’ arrangement with the team was for four years, and Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link) adds that the fourth year (2018/19) is a team option. Robbins also tweets that Skiles said he would like to keep former interim coach James Borrego on his coaching staff.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Wizards have workouts scheduled for this Monday with Jerian Grant (Notre Dame), Darian Hooker (New York Institute of Technology), Cady Lalanne (UMass), Stefan Nastic (Stanford), Juwan Staten (West Virginia), and Delon Wright (Utah), Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports (via Twitter).
Cavs big man Anderson Varejao, who has been out of action since suffering a torn left Achilles tendon, could be activated for the NBA Finals if something were to “go bad” for Cleveland, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com said in an appearance on ESPN Cleveland radio (Twitter link).
Former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t deserve the shots he took on the way out the door from the franchise, but he did deserve to be fired because of the team’s lack of offensive creativity and production despite having a potent roster and rotation, Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports opines.
Working out for the Sixers today were T.J. McConnell (Arizona), Chasson Randle (Stanford), Jarvis Threatt (Delaware), K.T. Harrell (Auburn), and Gabe Olaseni (Iowa), Jake Fischer of LibertyBallers.com relays (Twitter link).

Magic Hire Scott Skiles As Coach

May 29th, 2015 at 3:41pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Magic have hired Scott Skiles as their new head coach, the team announced in a press release. Skiles replaces interim coach James Borrego, who took over the team after former coach Jacque Vaughn was fired. The arrangement is a four year one, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports! tweets. The 51-year-old owns a career regular season coaching record of 443-433, and has a career playoff record of 18-24. He has been a head coach for the Suns, Bulls, and most recently, the Bucks.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

“Scott clearly distinguished himself as a tremendous fit,” said Orlando GM Rob Hennigan. “Our young roster will benefit greatly from Scott’s extensive head coaching experience and commitment to teaching smart, physical, unselfish basketball. We believe in Scott’s ability to establish a culture of winning habits and accountability that will help guide our team in a positive direction.”

“As we began our search, our internal discussions centered on finding a head coach with a solid resume of NBA head coaching experience, great leadership qualities, a motivating communication style, and someone with a strong strategic acumen,” said Magic CEO Alex Martins. “We feel Scott brings a balanced approach in all those qualities and we look forward, with great confidence, to him leading our young men in helping us reach our collective goal of sustainable success.”

Skiles was named the front-runner earlier this week, and he was reportedly the preferred choice of the Magic’s ownership, which has been enamored with him since his stint as a player for the franchise back in the 1990s. The former point guard also fit the criteria that Hennigan had set for the team’s next coach, which included having a successful résumé as a coach, and having a strong background on emphasizing defense and accountability.

One subplot that bears watching regarding Skiles is his relationship with forward Tobias Harris, who will be eligible this offseason to become a restricted free agent, provided Orlando tenders him a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683. Skiles reportedly did not have a good relationship with Harris when the duo were together with the Bucks. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders did note that league sources informed him there is no lingering issue between the two sides, and that Harris would like to continue to be a part of what the team is building.

The Magic had also interviewed Clippers assistant Mike Woodson for the position. Former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau had also been rumored to be in contention for the post, though the team was leery of providing Chicago with compensation prior to Thibs being let go. Scott Brooks, formerly coach of the Thunder, had also been mentioned as a possibility, though Brooks is reportedly contemplating taking next season off. Alvin Gentry was another name reportedly in the mix as well.

Scott Skiles, Magic Negotiating Toward Deal

May 29th, 2015 at 10:01am CST by Eddie Scarito

10:01am: The Magic expect, in addition to hope, that they will soon reach a deal with Skiles, Stein writes in a full story.

FRIDAY, 9:38am: Skiles and the Magic have begun to talk contract, and Orlando hopes to reach a deal as soon as today, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

THURSDAY, 8:21am: The Magic are convinced that Skiles is the guy they want and the sides are on the verge of negotiating a contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Skiles and the Magic will continue to converse today in Orlando, Wojnarowski adds, though the Magic apparently have competition for Skiles from the Pelicans. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel suggests that Skiles will have to meet with the DeVos family, who own the Magic, before receiving an offer, as is typical with Magic head coaching searches, though the owners already like Skiles, as Wojnarowski noted earlier.

SATURDAY, 11:09am: Scott Skiles has emerged as the front-runner to become the next head coach of the Magic, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Orlando GM Rob Hennigan has discussed the opening with several possible candidates, but Skiles has clearly separated himself in the process, league sources told Wojnarowski. Although the team hasn’t been in a rush to make a coaching hire, discussions could soon advance into contract negotiations, Wojnarowski relays.

The 51-year-old Skiles is the preferred choice of the Magic’s ownership, which has been enamored with him since his stint as a player for the franchise back in the 1990s, the Yahoo! scribe notes. The former point guard also fits the criteria that Hennigan has set for the team’s next head coach, which includes having a successful résumé as a coach, and having a strong background on emphasizing defense and accountability, Wojnarowski adds.

Skiles owns a career regular season coaching record of 443-433, and has a career playoff record of 18-24. He has been a head coach for the Suns, Bulls, and most recently, the Bucks. The former player has developed a solid reputation of turning bad teams into competitive ones, and improving his team’s defensive numbers, Wojnarowski writes. But Skiles also carries with him the reputation for burning out his teams and eventually wearing out his welcome.

One other subplot that bears watching regarding Skiles is his relationship with Magic forward Tobias Harris, who will be eligible this offseason to become a restricted free agent, provided Orlando tenders him a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683. Skiles reportedly did not have a good relationship with Harris when the duo were together with the Bucks, so that could be a situation worth watching if Skiles is indeed hired by the franchise, Wojnarowski adds. The Yahoo! scribe also estimates that Harris will likely command a salary in the $12-$14MM range on his next deal.

The Magic’s coaching vacancy has also been linked to current Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, though recent reports stating that the Orlando job is Thibodeau’s for the taking are said to be off-base. The Bulls are widely expected to demand significant assets in return for letting Thibodeau walk away from his contract, which runs two more seasons, and another report indicated that Orlando would be willing to give up one or two second-round picks for the right to hire coach Thibs. But Wojnarowski’s sources have informed him that the Magic don’t want to give up any compensation in return for Chicago’s current head coach.

Former Thunder coach Scott Brooks has also been mentioned as a possibility, though Brooks is reportedly contemplating taking next season off. Alvin Gentry is another name reportedly in the mix as well.

Southeast Notes: Millsap, Skiles, Brand

May 28th, 2015 at 5:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hawks forward Paul Millsap, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, said that his shoulder won’t require surgery, just rest, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution relays (Twitter link). There have been reports that Millsap might need surgery to repair damage to his sprained right shoulder. Should the veteran ultimately require surgery, it is unclear how or if it would affect the market for the 30-year-old, who is expected to command a max salary or close to it on his next contract.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

New Mexico State guard Daniel Mullings worked out for the Heat today, his agent Matt Slan of Slan Sports Management tweeted.
With Scott Skiles reportedly the front-runner to become the Magic‘s next head coach, it had been noted that Skiles had a poor relationship with forward Tobias Harris when the two were with the Bucks. But sources have told Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links) that there is no lingering issue between the two sides, and that Harris would like to continue to be a part of what the team is building. Harris can become a restricted free agent this summer if Orlando tenders him a qualifying offer.
Hawks big man Elton Brand said that he will take several weeks to decide if he will return to the NBA for his 17th season, or call it a career and retire, Vivlamore writes. “I’ll see if I [have] another year of trying to get prepared and what it takes to be on an NBA roster,” Brand said. “There is a lot of work you have to put in. … After two or three weeks, I’ll know. See if I have that itch. This time I might not and just lay back on the couch. We’ll see.” The 36-year-old appeared in 36 games for Atlanta this past season, averaging 2.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per contest.

Pelicans Interview Scott Skiles

May 27th, 2015 at 10:47pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pelicans’ search for their next head coach continues, and the latest person to interview with the team is Scott Skiles, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. It comes as a bit of a surprise that Skiles sat down with New Orleans, since it had been previously reported that he was the front-runner to replace interim coach James Borrego in Orlando. Pelicans GM Dell Demps, who played for Skiles when he coached in Greece, is an admirer of his, Stein notes.

The 51-year-old Skiles is reportedly the preferred choice of the Magic’s ownership, which has been enamored with him since his stint as a player for the franchise back in the 1990s, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The former point guard also fits the criteria that Magic GM Rob Hennigan has set for the team’s next head coach, which includes having a successful résumé as a coach, and having a strong background on emphasizing defense and accountability. Skiles owns a career regular season coaching record of 443-433, and has a career playoff record of 18-24. He has been a head coach for the Suns, Bulls, and most recently, the Bucks.

New Orleans has also reportedly interviewed Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry, as well as former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy, in its search to replace former head coach Monty Williams. The meeting with Van Gundy had been described as very preliminary, with both sides just beginning to get a feel for the other. The Pelicans are reportedly intending to schedule a second meeting with Gentry once the Warriors’ playoff series against the Rockets has been completed. Current Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has also been mentioned as a possibility for the vacancy, though the Pelicans are reportedly reluctant to give up draft pick compensation in return for Thibs, and the Bulls have been rumored to be waiting for all the available coaching positions to be filled before parting ways with him.

Southeast Notes: Skiles, Hawks, Jefferson

April 23rd, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Scott Skiles is still “very interested” in coaching again but isn’t pushing the issue, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders notes within his NBA AM piece. Skiles isn’t actively seeking or campaigning for a job with the Magic or any other team, nor would he insist on player personnel power or control if he were to become a team’s coach, league sources told Kyler, a reversal of the narratives from earlier.

Here’s the latest out of the Southwest Division:

The second highest bid for the Hawks came in around $815MM, which includes the approximately $120MM worth of arena debt, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets. The franchise is awaiting the NBA Board of Governors to approve the sale of the team to the Ressler Group for approximately $850MM, which also includes the arena debt amount.
The Hornets are relieved that center Al Jefferson has decided not to opt out of his contract for next season and become a free agent, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. Charlotte did not want to have to commit to a deal for Jefferson beyond this season, even at a reduced cost, Deveney adds. The organization hopes that the big man can give the Hornets another solid year while the team figures out what its frontcourt is going to look like in the future, adds the Sporting News scribe.
Kemba Walker was glad to have had surgery during the season to repair a tear in his left knee, Matt Rochinski of NBA.com writes in his season recap for the Hornets‘ point guard. “[The surgery] was something that I had to do and I’m happy I got it done,” Walker said. “I’m feeling good. I won’t do anything different and will still have a pretty good summer [working out and getting stronger], so I’m looking forward to it.” Walker will be entering the second season of the four-year, $48MM extension he signed with the team last October.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Smith, Vipers, Skiles, Lottery

April 20th, 2015 at 10:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Josh Smith‘s father complimented the Rockets for welcoming his son, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 (second Twitter link). “I cannot speak too much about how well this organization has accepted us as a family and him as a player,” Pete Smith said. “It’s an awesome thing. Now I know what the NBA is all about.” Houston claimed Smith on waivers in December after he was let go by the Pistons. He will become a free agent this summer.

There’s more from around the world of basketball:

The Rockets have cut ties with D-League coach Nevada Smith of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The Vipers are coming off a 27-23 record in Smith’s second season running the team.
Scott Skiles has tried to campaign a little for the Magic head coaching job, but he wants a measure of personnel control, sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. He doesn’t want to replace GM Rob Hennigan, but rather seeks approval over player personnel moves, a job that currently rests with Magic CEO Alex Martins, Kyler explains. Meanwhile, Kyler figures that Michael Malone will interview for both the Magic and the Nuggets coaching jobs, but sources tell him that Malone isn’t as high on either team’s list as some other candidates are. Neither Vinny Del Negro nor Billy Donovan is expected to get serious consideration for either job, Kyler also writes.
NBA owners refuse to address the problem of tanking, writes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. He noted that owners passed on a chance to address the issue during a meeting in New York last week. They also nixed proposed reforms to the draft lottery process in October. He speculated that owners might be delaying action until they can study the effects of an upcoming $24 billion television deal and the escalation of the salary cap.