Stan Van Gundy Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Assistants, SVG, Brewer, Lakers

July 9th, 2013 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

As teams continue to finalize their coaching staffs for the 2013/14 season, a pair of clubs made official announcements today. The Kings have formally hired Dee Brown and Micah Nori, who spent the last four seasons as an assistant in Toronto, while the Raptors have made a hire of their own, announcing that Nick Nurse, coming off a D-League championship, will join Dwane Casey's staff.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Association:

Former Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that it's "very possible" he won't return to an NBA bench for the 2014/15 season, adding that there's no guarantee he'll ever coach again. Tomasson's piece includes plenty of interesting tidbits and quotes from Van Gundy, including word that four teams contacted him in the spring about coaching vacancies.
We passed along reports today indicating that the Timberwolves are eyeing Corey Brewer, and Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune adds another detail, writing that Minnesota is exploring its options for a potential sign-and-trade deal with the Nuggets.
Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears that Raja Bell, Kenyon Martin, and Bobby Brown are among the free agents with interest in the Lakers, though it's not clear if that interest is mutual (Twitter link).
In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel addresses whether or not it makes sense for the Heat to save their amnesty clause until next year.
Before they decide whether or not to use their amnesty provision this year, the Raptors will wait to see exactly what the luxury tax threshold is, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
Grantland's Zach Lowe takes an extended and interesting look at how the Pelicans' offseason moves will shape the team going forward.

Post Dwightmare Reactions: Shaq, Lakers, Howard

July 7th, 2013 at 10:36am CST by Spencer Lund

Dwight Howard's decision to spurn the extra $30MM the Lakers could offer in order to join the Rockets has led to some revelations around the rest of the league. With Dwight as the big free agency coup of the summer, he's turned into the first domino as other teams have made moves in the wake of his announcment.

But the fall-out from Dwight's decision is just starting to expand in scope, and there have been reactions all over. Perhaps most notably, are the words from another former Lakers and Magic star, Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal has been critical of Dwight Howard in the past, but he was a bit more condescending when he called Dwight's decision the "safe move," while speaking to assembled media Saturday. But O'Neal's reaction to Dwight's decision wasn't the only fall-out from D-12's move to Texas. Here are more Dwight Howard links now that he's finally made up his mind on where he's going next year:

A year ago, Howard's camp warned the Rockets that he wouldn't re-sign with Houston if he were traded there. This summer, other Howard suitors tried to convince the big man that James Harden is a selfish teammate. Still, the Rockets persevered, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy thinks Orlando got the better end of the deal when they dealt Howard in the blockbuster trade involving the Sixers, Nuggets and Lakers this past fall. Van Gundy spoke with Fox Sports Florida's Chris Tomasson about how the Magic ended up on top after the initial response had them losing the deal badly.
There's video of Shaq talking about Howard and the decision, via NBA.com
ESPN.com columnist J.A. Adande writes about the flummoxing decision by Dwight to leave the Lakers and the extra money, especially when considering his stated motivation to win now.
The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen sat down with the best Rockets center since Hakeem Olajuwon to get Howard's side of the story about what brought him to Houston.
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News offers a sobering insight for Lakers fans after Howard's decision: Kobe Bryant might have lost his last chance at title number six.
Finally, we have Mike Bresnahan at the Los Angeles Times on the sketchy Lakers future after Dwight's decision to leave. Their first decision appears to have been not to amnesty Pau Gasol before the last season of his contract.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Landry, Van Gundy, Raptors, Nocioni

May 23rd, 2013 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest piece, Marcus Thompson II of the Contra Costa Times lays out a few reasons why Carl Landry is a near-lock to turn down his $4MM player option in search of a bigger payday. But Landry tells Thompson that he hasn't made a decision yet, pointing out that he took a lesser deal to initially sign with the Warriors and adding that his decision won't simply be about money — he'll also consider his potential coach, teammates, and the odds of playing in the postseason.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Association:

Yesterday, our own Zach Links chatted with Todd Brommelkamp and Tyler Ryder of KGYM ESPN Radio and talked about the NBA Draft, what the Cavs might do with the No. 1 pick, and the courtship of Dwight Howard. You can listen to Zach live on KGYM Radio every other Wednesday at 4:30 central.
Speaking to Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Stan Van Gundy acknowledged that there's a chance he could never coach an NBA team again.
Eric Koreen of the National Post identifies a handful of candidates who could be considered – or are being considered – to replace Bryan Colangelo as the Raptors' head of basketball operations.
The Raptors have indicated they're willing to exceed the luxury tax threshold by "a significant margin" if it helps Colangelo's successor build a winning team, reports Zach Lowe of Grantland.
Lang Greene of HoopsWorld takes a look at the searches being conducted by the six Eastern Conference teams in the market for a new head coach.
According to a report from Gigantes.com (translation via Sportando), longtime NBA forward Andres Nocioni intends to play another season in Spain in 2013/14.

Stan Van Gundy Will Not Coach In 2013/14

May 21st, 2013 at 8:23am CST by Luke Adams

Several days after a report indicated that Stan Van Gundy was unlikely to return to head coaching for the 2013/14 season, Van Gundy himself confirmed the news to David Baumann of Sports Talk Florida. Van Gundy told Baumann that he won't coach an NBA team next year, citing family reasons.

According to Van Gundy, he has not interviewed with any teams for their head coaching openings, despite being contacted by a handful of clubs. The former Magic coach has turned down all available opportunities, he tells Baumann. We had previously heard that Van Gundy interviewed with the Hawks as well as the Bucks. Assuming those reports weren't entirely off base, perhaps both teams just spoke to SVG rather than formally interviewing him.

With Van Gundy seemingly off the market, the Hawks and Bucks will be forced to look elsewhere for their new head coaches, while teams like the Nets and Clippers, who had also been linked to Van Gundy, will also have to explore other options. Grantland's Zach Lowe wonders (via Twitter) if Van Gundy is expecting a more desirable job to become available next offseason, though for now it's probably safe to take SVG at his word and assume he's making a family decision.

Poll: Who Should Coach USA Basketball?

May 18th, 2013 at 6:32pm CST by Spencer Lund

Mike Krzyzewski isn't ruling out returning as the coach of USA Basketball through the 2016 Olympics, Pete Thamel at SI.com reports. "There's a chance," Krzyzewski says, "That's correct." USA Men's Basketball chairman, Jerry Colangelo, said "Give it another week and we should be resolved."

The Men's Basketball national team will be meeting for a mini-camp this summer from July 22-25, but they're still not decided on a coach, unless Krzyzewski comes back to coach again after winning the gold medal at this past summer's Summer Olympics. So, do you want Coach K back, or would you prefer one of these other candidates?

Stan Van Gundy Unlikely To Coach Next Season

May 17th, 2013 at 7:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

Stan Van Gundy is indicating to teams that he doesn't want to return to coaching for the 2013/14 season, and he hasn't had any formal interviews, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. That conflicts with the news we heard earlier today that Van Gundy had formally interviewed with the Hawks. He was also reportedly in Milwaukee a week ago to meet with the Bucks, though a later dispatch said that he declined to interview with that team. Robbins writes that Van Gundy has merely accepted calls from a pair of GMs.

There appears to be plenty of demand for the former Magic boss, who has also been linked to the Nets and Clippers in recent weeks. One rumor suggested that he's holding out to see whether the Clippers job will come open, but Robbins' piece doesn't make it seem as though that's the case. Van Gundy did some college basketball broadcasting work this past year, but has otherwise appeared content away from the game.

Robbins laments that Van Gundy's unwillingness to return will extinguish any chance that Van Gundy and Dwight Howard will reunite in the near future, perhaps with the Hawks. The coach and player, combatants in a war of words last season in Orlando, appear to have made amends, and Howard would benefit from the chance to work with Van Gundy again, Robbins believes.

Hawks Interview Van Gundy, Considering Messina

May 17th, 2013 at 8:22am CST by Luke Adams

Although Larry Drew hasn't been officially dismissed by the Hawks yet, it appears as if the team is exploring plenty of potential replacements for the incumbent head coach. Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the Hawks have formally interviewed former Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, as well as Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer.

In addition to Van Gundy and Budenholzer, the Hawks have interviewed Nate McMillan, but according to Vivlamore, those aren't the only three candidates that have met with GM Danny Ferry so far. Vivlamore writes that while there are other candidates who have been officially interviewed, "how many and who they are remains a secret," as Ferry is keeping details of the search very close to the vest.

One contender for the position who will likely be interviewed, if he hasn't been already, is CSKA head coach Ettore Messina, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski says the Hawks have been in touch wish the Italian-born Messina, who "is intrigued with the chance to be a global trail blazer in the NBA." There's a little history between Messina and Ferry, as the former Cavaliers GM once sent Mike Brown overseas to study Messina's offense. Messina also brought Quin Snyder over as a CSKA Moscow assistant this past season — Snyder and Ferry have a longtime friendship dating back to their playing days at Duke, says Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski classifies Van Gundy as Atlanta's top candidate, but hears from sources that the ex-Magic coach is a long shot for the position. Messina is receiving "significant consideration" from the Hawks, according to Wojnarowski, while Vivlamore notes that the possibility of Drew returning next season isn't entirely off the table either.

Pistons To Interview Brian Shaw

May 14th, 2013 at 10:23pm CST by Spencer Lund

Brian Shaw will interview to be the new head coach of the Pistons, according to a report by WXYZ-TV passed along by Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. The former player is in the midst of a playoff run as an assistant coach with the Pacers, but once their season ends, Shaw will interview for the head coach position. Pacers president Donnie Walsh has asked that his assistants not interview for other jobs until after the team's playoff run.

In a recent article for HoopsHype, longtime Phil Jackson confidant Charley Rosen said that he wouldn't be surprised if Jackson's former player was offered the Pistons job. The Zen Master, of course, is currently serving as a hiring consultant for Detroit.

Shaw is also in the running for the Nets' head coaching position, with Larry Brown and Jackson himself on Brooklyn's list of candidates, though Jackson isn't interested in the Nets' opening. Shaw is also up for the Sixers open slot as head coach, as we learned earlier this month.

Pacific Notes: Kings, Madsen, Clifford, Howard

May 13th, 2013 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we passed along the latest developments in the saga that has Sacramento and Seattle investment groups vying to buy the Kings. Here are a few more of today's links relating to Pacific Division clubs:

Brian Floyd of SBNation.com provides a helpful primer for the Kings situation, answering a number of frequently asked questions about where things stand.
The Lakers' D-League affiliate has hired former Laker Mark Madsen as the team's new head coach. The L.A. D-Fenders made the move official today (link via Twitter).
More coaching news for the Lakers: Assistant Steve Clifford is interviewing today for the Bucks' head coaching opening, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, Stan Van Gundy declined to interview for the position, but recommend Clifford to Bucks GM John Hammond.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com explains why it doesn't make much sense for the Lakers to consider a sign-and-trade of Dwight Howard.

Coaching Rumors: Hawks, Van Gundy, Pistons

May 11th, 2013 at 1:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Here's a look at the latest coaching notes from around the Association..

Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press adds Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks to the list of candidates drawing interest from the Pistons (Twitter link).
Snyder might not be a candidate in Atlanta, but the Bobcats are expected to interview him, just as they did during their coaching search last year, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Earlier updates:

Word that the Hawks are going hard after Stan Van Gundy has been overstated, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution (via Twitter), though they will talk to him. Incumbent Larry Drew remains a candidate for the position but Quin Snyder is not currently in the mix (Twitter links).
The Pistons will interview Knicks assistant coach Darrell Walker, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. That brings Detroit's list to five candidates as they have already interviewed Nate McMillan, Suns interim coach Lindsey Hunter, Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, and Rockets assistant J.B. Bickerstaff.