Tom Thibodeau Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Kobe, Lakers, Woodson

March 11th, 2014 at 10:02pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Lakers are expected to officially declare Kobe Bryant out for the rest of the 2013/14 season, as per Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. The 35-year-old guard is still dealing with discomfort after fracturing the tibial plateau in his left knee back in December. Ding adds that while the superstar guard has expressed hope in the team significantly re-tooling this summer via free agency, all signs point to the front office planning accordingly to have cap flexibility for the summer of 2015.

You can find more of tonight’s noteworthy links below:

With Kobe, Steve Nash, and Robert Sacre presently listed as the only guaranteed contracts for next season, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times looks at the rest of the current roster to determine who has the best chance of sticking around after this year.
Mike Woodson‘s reported mistrust of Steve Mills partially stems from the Knicks executive’s presence in coaches meetings, practices, and road trips for large chunks of the season, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. According to Kyler, Woodson’s camp viewed it as meddling in the process and casting doubt on the coach’s job from the start.
Marco Belinelli doesn’t hold a grudge against the Bulls for declining to make him an offer this past summer, but his first choice would have been to re-sign with the Bulls, in spite of Tom Thibodeau’s efforts to convince the team to do so. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News has the details, noting that when Gregg Popovich called Thibodeau for a recommendation, Thibs gave the shooting guard an endorsement.
Paul Millsap says he didn’t go “kicking and screaming” from the Jazz when they parted ways over the summer, adding that he respected the team’s decision not to pursue re-signing him, as Brad Rock of the Deseret News observes.
J.J. Hickson has hired Muhammad Abdur-Rahim and Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management as his new agents, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). They replace Andy Miller of ASM Sports, whom the Nuggets big man jettisoned earlier this season.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

D-League Notes: Bowles, Williams, Nedovic

March 11th, 2014 at 8:31pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The Iowa Energy – who share an NBA affiliation with the Bulls, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Pelicans, and Wizards – have acquired center Denzel Bowles (Gino Pilato of DLeagueDigest reports). The 6’10 big man was previously a member of the Pelicans’ (then-Hornets) summer league team in 2012/13, where he averaged 7.2 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 16.1 MPG. Most recently, Bowles played in China before entering the D-League player pool.

Here are a few more NBDL-related notes worth passing along tonight:

The Thunder announced via press release that forward Reggie Williams has been recalled from the Tulsa 66ers. Oklahoma City assigned Williams to the D-League earlier today before announcing his recall. Williams has yet to see action with the Thunder on the 10-day deal he signed Thursday, but he had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in today’s matinee for Tulsa.
The Warriors announced earlier today that they’ve recalled Nemanja Nedovic from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBDL.
The Cavaliers have recalled Sergey Karasev from the Canton Charge, according to the team’s official Twitter account.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Iverson, Anthony, Thibodeau

March 1st, 2014 at 10:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The big news of the night was the Sixers officially retiring Allen Iverson‘s #3 during a halftime ceremony at tonight’s contest with the Wizards. Iverson had officially announced his retirement back in October. He averaged 26.7 PPG and 6.2 APG in 914 career regular-season games, and scored 29.7 PPG in 71 career playoff games. Iverson, who also saw action with the Nuggets, Pistons, and Grizzlies, was an 11-time All-Star, a four-time scoring champion, a three-time member of the All-NBA First Team, and won the MVP award in 2001. Congrats go out to A.I..

More from around the Eastern Conference:

Gary Neal is overjoyed at the trade that sent him to the Bobcats, writes Dan McCarney of MySanAntonio.com. Neal told McCarney that he got on the first available plane out of the city, as he wasn’t fond of how he was utilized in Milwaukee, nor about the direction of the franchise. Neal stated, “I’m excited to be playing meaningful basketball again. After three years of being with the Spurs, with every possession of every game counting I’m just glad to being back to that. I’m a little too old for the tanking situation.”
Jay Yeomans of the Deseret News analyzes how Jimmer Fredette fits in with the Bulls, who he is rumored to have reached an agreement with earlier today.
With free-agency right around the corner, Carmelo Anthony must be taking notice of how much has gone wrong with the Knicks, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
If ‘Melo is really committed to winning, then he should follow the example of Miami’s “Big-Three”, writes Moke Hamilton of SNY.tv. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh all took less to fit in under the salary cap, and Anthony should consider that before signing his next contract, opines Hamilton. It will be the only way for him to bring other star players to New York.
The Knicks might attempt to acquire Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau after the season if they let go of Mike Woodson. Marc Berman of the New York Post looks at why the Knicks should try, the probability of the Bulls letting him go, and what it might cost.
Tom Moore of Calkins Media looks at what Sixers GM Sam Hinkie can do with the five second-round picks the team has in this year’s draft.
Metta World Peace has interest in joining the Pistons, according to his brother, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Bulls Rumors: Fredette, Thibodeau, Granger

February 28th, 2014 at 2:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls appear on the verge of a deal with Jimmer Fredette, and although coach Tom Thibodeau wouldn’t address the soon-to-be former King specifically with reporters, he dropped strong hints that Fredette is the sort of player the team wants to add. Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com rounds up the coach’s remarks.

“We could always use shooting so we’ll see,” Thibodeau said. “I know (Bulls executives are) looking at a number of guys right now. But any time we could add shooting, we’re interested. I think the more shooting you have the more it opens up the floor. It’s just to create the space, too. We want to open things up where we could attack off the dribble with our cuts, things of that nature. But it’s also how you complement your primary scorers, so we feel that’s an area of need.”

There’s news about Thibodeau himself amid the latest from Chicago:

Bulls vice president of basketball John Paxson operations issued another dismissal of rumors that Thibodeau will leave the team this summer over disagreements with the front office, notes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “He is not going anywhere. … I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that our team is the best prepared in the NBA with Tom as our head coach,’’ Paxson said Thursday on WGWG-FM 87.7.
Sources close to the Bulls tell Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald that they didn’t have strong interest in Danny Granger or Caron Butler, despite reports putting them in the mix for both.
Trade chatter surrounded Mike Dunleavy and Kirk Hinrich before the deadline, but the Bulls never engaged in serious talks to deal away either of them, according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com, who answers reader questions in his latest mailbag column.

Knicks Rumors: Woodson, Williams, Johnson

February 6th, 2014 at 2:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks endured another loss Wednesday, and though they put up a fight against a strong Blazers team, New York fell to 19-30, and rumors persist that Mike Woodson could soon lose his job. Here’s the latest:

The Knicks have discussed making assistant coach Herb Williams interim head coach if they fire Woodson, reports Steve Popper of The Bergen Record. The team would also get rid of most of Woodson’s assistants in that scenario, Popper writes, adding that Larry Johnson is a candidate to serve as an assistant under Williams.
Woodson’s firing would set up a summer pursuit of Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy and Stan Van Gundy, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. The Knicks would pass over assistants Darrell Walker and Jim Todd, both of whom have head coaching experience, because the team believes they’re too closely allied with Woodson, Berman adds.
J.R. Smith says he is “without a doubt” fearful that Woodson will lose his job, Newsday’s Al Iannazzone tweets. Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com has more from last year’s Sixth Man of the Year. “I love Coach Woodson,” Smith said. “I think he’s done a great job. But it’s out of my hands. So I would hope not [if management opts to make a change], but if it does then we have to live with it.”
Jeff Van Gundy would want a major payday, control over the team’s basketball operations, and a relaxation of the team’s draconian media rules if he were to agree to coach the Knicks, sources tell ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
In the same piece, Smith opines that the Knicks should realize how unattractive they are to free agents and trade Carmelo Anthony before the deadline rather than risk him leaving in the offseason.
Woodson admits the season has been a supreme disappointment, as Ian Begley notes via Twitter. “This year, for me, has been kind of a disaster from a coaching standpoint … and trying to get players to play at a high level,” Woodson said.

Odds & Ends: Embiid, Boozer, Turner

February 4th, 2014 at 11:56pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jeff Goodman of ESPN released his report about Joel Embiid “strongly considering” a return to Kansas for his sophomore season, noting that while the Cameroon native recently stated he didn’t feel ready for the NBA, those feelings could change depending on his development over the rest of the year. Earlier this evening, we noted that Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog relayed the first scoop from Goodman via Twitter.

After tonight’s game against Baylor, Embiid spoke with reporters: “I’m not even thinking about (going pro) right now…I’ll make a decision after the season, but I’m definitely considering coming back to school.”

Many NBA executives told ESPN.com that Embiid is their frontrunner to be selected first overall in June, according to Goodman. The Kansas center – who admittedly thought of redshirting prior to the start of the season – is averaging 11.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 2.7 BPG thus far during his freshman campaign, and is reportedly shocked at the impact he’s been able to make.

Here are the rest of the notable links we’ve gathered up tonight:

Carlos Boozer hasn’t been happy with being benched in favor of Taj Gibson once the fourth quarter rolls around, letting reporters know about his frustration on Monday: ‘‘I think I should be out there, but it’s [Tom Thibodeau’s] choice,…He makes the decisions out there. I play; I don’t coach. He coaches, so he decides that. But, honestly, he’s been doing that a lot since I’ve been here, not putting me [in the game] in the fourth quarter. Sometimes we win. More times than not, we don’t. But that’s his choice’ (Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times).
Boozer continued: ‘‘It’s very frustrating, especially when I’ve got a great game going or what have you. Obviously, as a competitor, you want to be out there to help your team win. Especially when the game is close, you can do things that can help your team win. And not being out there, all you can do is really cheer them on. But that’s [Thibodeau’s] choice.’’
Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweeted that nothing has changed since the beginning of the season regarding the Timberwolves’ interest in 76ers guard Evan Turner. Although Minnesota covets Turner, President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders is still not willing to include a first rounder that Philadelphia would want in return.
During his chat with readers, Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW downplayed the possibility that the Bucks would deal Larry Sanders. Additionally, Sefko doesn’t believe that the Mavericks would be interested in pursuing the Milwaukee big man, especially with frontcourt positions already occupied by Samuel Dalembert, DeJuan Blair, and Brandan Wright.
Sefko doesn’t foresee the Mavs making a huge splash on the trade market, saying that if any move is to be done, it’ll involve players at the bottom of the roster instead of the top. One deal he thinks would make sense involves trading Wayne Ellington for an expiring contract, thus allowing Dallas to free themselves of $2.5MM next season.
As for the Pau Gasol sweepstakes, Sefko gets the sense that Dallas has at least made cursory inquiries and labels their chances at landing him as a “long-shot.” As for LeBron James potentially becoming available this summer, Sefko says that not being among the top on the list of preferred destinations won’t deter the team from making their free agent pitch.
With the Thunder owning and operating their D-League affiliate Tulsa 66ers, it has allowed Oklahoma City to create an infrastructure which maximizes player development, writes Anthony Slater of NewsOK.

Odds & Ends: Stuckey, Teague, D-League

January 23rd, 2014 at 5:49pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Considering his expiring contract and recent stellar play, Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey could be a hot commodity on the trade market soon, especially for teams looking to add bench scoring or create some cap flexibility this summer, writes Brendan Savage of MLive.com. Despite the likelihood of being included in discussions as we inch closer to the February trade deadline, Stuckey insists that he’s strictly focused on playing basketball:

“Nah, I don’t think about that,..Whatever happens, happens. I’m here to play basketball. I’m a Detroit Piston right now…I have no control over that. My agent will take care of that. It’s up to the organization, what they want to do and what they’re looking at. I don’t think about it at all. I just try to come out every night and compete and try to win.”

Here’s more from around the league this evening:

Newly acquired Nets guard Marquis Teague said he wasn’t shocked about being dealt from the Bulls and admitted that he didn’t fit well with the style of former coach Tom Thibodeau: “It just wasn’t clicking with Thibs the right way… trying to figure out the system was kind of tough for me. The way they play isn’t really my style, so it’s kind of difficult for me. But I’ve got a new start now, so I’m just looking forward to the future” (Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York).
As per the team’s official website, the Suns have assigned Archie Goodwin to the Bakersfield Jam.
The Cavaliers recalled Carrick Felix and Sergey Karasev from the Canton Charge earlier today (Twitter link).
According to Gino Pilato of DLeagueDigest.com, former University of Miami forward Kenny Kadji has entered the NBDL player pool and will likely receive a claim from a D-League team.
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes that if the Raptors sign Vince Carter as a free agent this summer, it could help the team’s perception with other free agents who may question why the franchise hasn’t honored its most decorated star.
ESPN’s Marc Stein forecasts the makeup of the 12-man Team USA roster which will compete in this year’s FIBA World Cup. Of the 28 names listed in the USAB’s national team player pool, Stein believes that 10 of them appear to be realistic locks (barring injury), leaving an interesting race for the final two spots.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Bulls Notes: Thibodeau, Augustin, Teague

January 15th, 2014 at 12:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Last week’s Luol Deng trade has done nothing to worsen the relationship between Tom Thibodeau and Bulls GM Gar Forman, since the coach understands owner Jerry Reinsdorf must approve every move, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Thibodeau feels that Reinsdorf appreciates him, and the owner is usually supportive of his employees, writes Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald, so it appears as though Reinsdorf’s blessing of the trade has been key to Thibodeau’s acceptance of it. There’s more from Cowley, McGraw and other reporters on the Bulls beat here:

Thibodeau is unlikely to try to force his way out of his contract, and the fact that the Bulls gave him his first shot to be an NBA coach weighs heavily on his thinking, a source close to Thibodeau tells Cowley. On top of that, Reinsdorf wants to keep Thibodeau around, according to McGraw.
Recent signee D.J. Augustin has lived through Hurricane Katrina, so his NBA struggles don’t bother him much, and he doesn’t resent the way his tenures with the Bobcats, Pacers and Raptors ended, as he tells Sam Smith of Bulls.com. “Toronto, I really don’t know what happened there,” Augustin said. “When I signed with them I thought it would be a good opportunity. It just didn’t work out. Coming here [to Chicago], it’s been a blessing. I love being here, love the city, love coach Thibs, love my teammates.”
The Bulls recalled Marquis Teague from the D-League, the team announced. The point guard averaged 12.0 points and 4.8 assists per game in eight contests for the Iowa Energy.
Cowley writes that the Bulls “would love to nab Lance Stephenson” in free agency, but that probably represents a general observation rather than a reflection of the team’s plans for the summer.

Bulls Notes: Dunleavy, Luxury Tax, Martin

January 12th, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

When Mike Dunleavy signed with the Bulls last offseason, he assumed he was signing on for an off-the-bench role on a contending team. Quite a bit has changed with the season-ending injury to Derrick Rose and the recent trade of Luol Deng. Dunleavy is doing his best to adapt to his new role as a starter writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Here’s more on the Bulls:

The Deng trade to the Cavaliers, the possibility of further trades, and the potential use of the amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer after the season has led to speculation the team is heading into a rebuilding phase. Both executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman discounted that assertion. Instead, they countered with the notion that the team was simply retooling. This retooling will be aided by the Bulls getting themselves out of paying the luxury tax for this season, and the Bulls fully intend to put the money right back into the team, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times.
Cowley also notes that Cartier Martin, who was recently signed to a 10-day contract, had a strong debut for the team. In 26 minutes of action off the bench, Martin contributed 11 points and made four-out-of-five shots from the field. Martin said he had several options with other NBA teams but thought the Bulls were the best fit for him.
Another bit from Cowley is that with the recent speculation that the Knicks would pursue coach Tom Thibodeau, Bobcats coach Steve Clifford, a former assistant along with Thibodeau for the Knicks and Rockets, expressed that he didn’t believe Thibodeau would be fazed by participating in the rebuilding or retooling of the team. Thibodeau stated in response to the Knicks rumors: “That stuff is ridiculous. First I was being traded. … I couldn’t care less about that stuff. I love the fighting spirit of this team. That’s all I’m thinking about.“

Mutual Interest Between Tom Thibodeau, Knicks?

January 11th, 2014 at 4:55pm CST by Charlie Adams

In his latest piece for the New York Daily News, Mitch Lawrence says there are rumors around the Bulls’ camp that Tom Thibodeau might have a deal in place to become the head coach of the Knicks next season.

Thibodeau was an assistant coach in New York from 1996-2001 and is represented by CAA, Knicks owner James Dolan’s favorite agency. Lawrence is quick to note that Thibodeau is under contract through the 2016/17 season, and a regular season transition is extremely unlikely because there would be a major tampering case that might prevent Thibodeau from returning to New York at all. Doc Rivers proved last summer that coaches under contract can be shipped to another squad for the right price, and after the season ends, Thibodeau will be a viable candidate to land a job leading the Knicks.

Lawrence hears from league sources that Thibodeau was “kept in the dark” about certain details during the development of the Luol Deng trade, namely when Deng was being shipped and where he was heading. Since Deng was one of Thibodeau’s favorite players, withholding these details surely rubbed him the wrong way. Plus, we heard last week that Thibodeau wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of rebuilding, and the Deng deal certainly indicates the Bulls are interested in changing the core of their team. It’s possible that the club might want to reshape itself and form a new identity that doesn’t include Thibodeau.

Of course, Mike Woodson would need to be fired by the Knicks before any of these rumors could come to life, and right now he’s under contract through the end of the 2014/15 season. It’s worth mentioning that Dolan spoke out and gave Woodson his full support in late November. However, no one from upper management has spoken publicly on Woodson’s job status since then, leaving some to speculate that he’s on the hot seat. These are only rumors right now, but it doesn’t seem out of the question that Thibodeau might land a job with New York sometime in the not-so-distant future.