Vinny Del Negro Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Los Angeles Notes: Bynum, D12, Del Negro, Butler

April 30th, 2012 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

One Los Angeles team took a comfortable lead into the fourth quarter yesterday, while the other faced a 21-point deficit. Both clubs ended up with Game One wins though, as the Lakers cruised to a 15-point victory over the Nuggets and the Clippers came back in dramatic fashion to top the Grizzlies 99-98. As the two teams prepare for Game Two of their respective series, let's check in on a few updates out of Los Angeles….

The Lakers were willing to part with Andrew Bynum at the trade deadline in a deal for Dwight Howard, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. However, the Lakers wanted an assurance that D12 would sign a long-term extension, and he wouldn't give it, according to Wojnarowski.
In a separate piece, Wojnarowski writes about how Clippers GM Neil Olshey's decision to trade for Chris Paul continues to pay dividends. Within the column, Wojnarowski says Olshey never considered firing coach Vinny Del Negro this season.
The Clippers' miraculous comeback victory in Memphis came at a price: Caron Butler fractured his left hand and could miss four to six weeks, according to a Reuters report. There's been no official word from the team yet on how long Butler will be out, but it's possible we won't see him again this season.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Kings, Redd

April 18th, 2012 at 6:18pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Should the Suns be able to outlast the Rockets and Jazz for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, it will be the first time since 2007 that three teams from the Pacific Division had made the playoffs simultaneously. Phoenix plays host to the Thunder, while Houston travels to Dallas and Utah draws Portland tonight. On an evening that will surely have a strong impact on the standings in the West, you'll find the latest division rumblings here:

Despite some belief that coach Vinny Del Negro was treading on thin ice after the Clippers had lost 12 of 19 games after a 19-9 start, he responded with a 12-2 record over the club's next 14 contests. T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times writes about Del Negro's resiliency on a team has appeared to hit a stride with just a handful of games left until the postseason.
Mark Nugent of Hoopsworld discusses some topics surrounding the Kings moving forward: the uncertainty of the team remaining in Sacramento, how that will impact management and coaching, handling the free agency of Jason Thompson and the contract extension of Tyreke Evans, the potential to be highly active in free agency, and the draft.
Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson is calling for the city to explore constructing a downtown sports and entertainment complex regardless of whether or not the arena would have an anchor tenant, writes Ryan Lillis, Tony Bizjakand, and Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee. The Kings had previously been expected to be a tenant of the potential arena before the Maloof brothers had pulled out of a deal. In a separate article, Dale Kasler writes that the Maloofs are reaching out to the business owners that had reportedly called for them to sell the team. They have also been calling season ticketholders, attempting to reassure their ownership's commitment to Sacramento and urging them to renew their season tickets for next year.
Suns guard Michael Redd sat down for an interview with Hoopsworld, and when asked if he'd like to continue playing for Phoenix beyond this season, Redd responded with: "I've had a great time here. I love the coaches, I love the organization, I love my teammates. We'll see what happens in the summer time, but this has been a great place for me."

Pacific Notes: Del Negro, Kings, Petrie, Warriors

April 16th, 2012 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Today's updates out of the Pacific Division focus primarily on off-court situations, including potential relocations or managerial changes. Let's round them up….

During the stretch earlier this season when the Clippers lost 11 of 19, there was some internal discussion about replacing coach Vinny Del Negro, says Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. However, owner Donald Sterling continued to support Del Negro and the team wanted to let him work through the team's struggles.
Mayor Kevin Johnson said he's not sure whether the Maloofs want to keep the Kings in Sacramento but that "this is not over, we're going to figure something out." Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee has the details.
George Maloof spoke to both SI.com's Sam Amick and Ken Berger of CBS Sports, insisting that he hopes there's still a way the Kings can remain in Sacramento.
Asked about the Trail Blazers' GM opening, Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie replied, "That's something I can't really comment on. I have a job." Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com writes of speculation that the Blazers could pursue Petrie, who has strong ties to Portland, and points out that Petrie didn't deny having interest.
Warriors assistant coach Michael Malone is a good bet to land a head coaching job elsewhere this summer, according to Vittorio Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Warriors' lease in Oakland can be exited in 2017, and co-owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber are telling people they're open to all their options, reports Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose could all be possibilities.

Stein On Wilson Chandler, Coaching Rumors

March 30th, 2012 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest Weekend Dime, ESPN.com's Marc Stein says that Wilson Chandler's long-term deal with the Nuggets isn't worth quite as much as had been previously reported. According to Stein, the contract is for $31.7MM in total, starting at $5.5MM this season and topping out at $7.2MM in 2015/16. Only $2MM of that final season is guaranteed, Stein adds.

The rest of Stein's rumors this week revolve around coaching positions, so let's dive in….

The Bulls hold a team option on Tom Thibodeau for next season, but the Chicago coach is "dismayed" that he hasn't been offered a lucrative contract extension, according to Stein. Stein hears that Thibodeau's displeasure with his contract situation is an "open secret in team circles."
Mike Woodson is increasingly hopeful of keeping the Knicks coaching job, though if Phil Jackson expressed interest in the position, rival teams assume James Dolan would do whatever it takes to sign the Zen Master.
The Clippers may be in the market for a new coach this summer, ideally one who could convince Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to remain in Los Angeles long-term.
If Stan Van Gundy were to be replaced as the Magic coach, Nate McMillan appears to be the top candidate, says Stein.
Stein spoke to "[John] Calipari experts," who suggested the Wildcats coach may not be inclined to give up his power and prestige at Kentucky to coach in the NBA.

Sterling: “Everything Is Good” With Del Negro

March 27th, 2012 at 9:19am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking before his team's win over New Orleans last night, Clippers owner Donald Sterling said he hasn't given any thought to making a coaching change, according to T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times. While recent reports have suggested Vinny Del Negro could be let go any day, Sterling expects Del Negro to continue coaching the team for the remainder of the season.

"I like him," Sterling said. "I usually follow the advice of my people, and I think they care for him, like him and want him to succeed. And I think he will…. Would I like more wins? I'd like more. I'd like the players to develop more; I'd like to play better. But then I have great expectations, and to a certain extent they've been realized. To some extent they haven't, but I'm a patient guy."

ESPN.com's Chris Broussard reported last week that tensions were high in the Clippers' locker room, and that Del Negro had lost the team. Sterling insisted he didn't know where those rumors were coming from, saying "everything is good." GM Neil Olshey also downplayed the report, though he acknowledged the team's recent slide made questions about a coaching change inevitable.

"It would be crazy to say when you lose 12 out of 19 that the thought doesn't come through your mind. You'd have to be oblivious," Olshey said. "But the good always outweighs the bad with Vinny. He works his butt off, the players like him, and they're competing.

"I see absolutely no reason why there would be a coaching change based on where the guys are now," Olshey continued. "I think everybody built us up into something because we got out to such a great start and the minute we didn't live up to it for a short period of time everyone wanted to act like the Apocalypse was upon us."

While Del Negro's job status was the main focus of Simers' piece, Sterling also heaped praise on core players Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, vowing to keep them in Los Angeles long-term: "Chris Paul will be with me for a lifetime. And Blake will too. I'm not going to ever let these guys go. They are max players, and so you're going to pay that and keep them."

Management Rumors: Bird, Grunfeld, Petrie

March 23rd, 2012 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

We've got plenty of rumors and notes today involving coaches, GMs, and team presidents, so let's round them all up in one place:

Pacers president Larry Bird is set to retire at season's end, reports Peter Vecsey of the New York Post. Speaking to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, Bird denied that he'd made a decision one way or the other yet.
Vecsey also wrote that Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld turned down a three-year, $4.5MM extension offer, but Michael Lee of the Washington Post says that's not true. One source told Lee the report was "made up," while multiple sources said Grunfeld has not been offered an extension.
"Word has it" that Kings president Geoff Petrie will sign a new deal soon, according to Vecsey. So far, Petrie hasn't refuted this one.
Amidst rumors that Vinny Del Negro is on the hot seat in Los Angeles, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that Del Negro is miscast coaching the current Clippers squad. Arnovitz cites a "profound disparity" between the pre-Chris Paul and post-Chris Paul goals for the Clippers, and argues that the team may need a new coach for its new era. For his part, Del Negro refuted reports that suggested he'd lost the team.
Recently retired T.J. Ford will become a volunteer assistant coach for the Spurs' D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, says Kevin Robbins of the Austin American-Statesman.

Vinny Del Negro On Hot Seat?

March 22nd, 2012 at 4:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Grantland's Bill Simmons tweeted last night that Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro "is on super-thin, could-go-any-day ice" in Los Angeles, and a report by ESPN.com's Chris Broussard seems to corroborate that suggestion. According to Broussard, tensions are high in the Clippers' locker room, with many players believing that it's time for a change.

"Vinny has lost the team," one source told Broussard. "They don't want to play hard for him."

According to Broussard's sources, Del Negro's inconsistent rotation and his tendency to play favorites when handing out criticism are factors in the players' growing unease. After a hot start, the Clippers have gone 11-13 since Chauncey Billups' season-ending achilles injury, including 6-8 this month. Heading into tonight's action, the Clips hold just a two-game lead on ninth-place Utah.

2011/12 is the final guaranteed year on Del Negro's contract, as the Clippers hold a team option for next season.