- The Spurs had two members in their organization in New York while Kawhi Leonard rehabbed his quad injury there, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports. That shows the team and Leonard’s representatives had regular communication despite the rift between the two parties. However, the disconnect appears to go well beyond whether Leonard should have returned to action, Aldridge adds.
- The Spurs’ string of 21 straight postseason appearances could end next season if Leonard forces their hand and they trade him, Sean Deveney of Sporting News opines. The player option decisions of guard Danny Green and forward Rudy Gay will also impact where the team’s future is headed, Deveney continues. The team needs to add younger players and draft picks, especially if they put Leonard on the block, Deveney adds.
Juwan Howard, the latest name to emerge in the Knicks’ coaching search, has a powerful connection in the team’s front office, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. GM Scott Perry is a former assistant at the University of Michigan, and his first year with the Wolverines was Howard’s last season there.
Howard will be the 10th candidate to talk to Perry and team president Steve Mills, who were in Europe this week to interview former Cavaliers coach David Blatt and to scout Luka Doncic, along with other prospects. Despite the long list of interviewees, Bondy hears that the Knicks’ next coach may be someone not yet mentioned by the media.
There’s more news from New York:
- Howard has a long list of former teammates with coaching experience who could potentially fill out his staff if he gets the Knicks job, notes Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype. The list includes Adrian Griffin, Nick Van Exel, David Vanterpool, James Posey, Darvin Ham, Jamaal Magloire, God Shammgod, Rafer Alston and John Lucas III.
- If the Spurs make Kawhi Leonard available in trade the summer, the Knicks should go all in, even if it costs them Kristaps Porzingis and this year’s first-rounder, contends Tommy Beer of Forbes. Leonard’s scoring ability, defensive prowess and record of big-game performances make him a player that a franchise can be built around, Beer argues. He adds that the Knicks are hoping to construct a contender by surrounding Porzingis with top-level free agents, but their recent record in free agency casts doubt on that plan. He cautions that New York should make the deal with the Spurs only if team doctors determine that Leonard’s quad injury won’t be a long-term issue and he agrees to a four-year extension.
- One-time Knicks coach Larry Brown remains optimistic about Emmanuel Mudiay‘s prospects in New York, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Brown tried to recruit Mudiay to SMU before he opted for China, and he believes the 22-year-old can excel by getting into top physical condition. “I don’t think Emmanuel has ever been in the greatest shape of his life,” Brown said. “That position you have to be an elite athlete and in unbelievable shape. I don’t know until he got to the NBA if he has ever been coached the way he needed to be coached.” Mudiay was placed in the league’s concussion protocol after hitting his head late in the season and was just cleared for basketball activities last week.
- The focus in San Antonio will be on Kawhi Leonard this summer, but the Spurs have plenty of free agent concerns, states Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. If Danny Green opts out, Deveney expects him to get offers of $12MM to $14MM per year for three to four seasons, which may be higher than the Spurs are willing to go. It’s also doubtful that they would commit to an expensive long-term deal for Rudy Gay if he opts out.
Former Hornets coach Steve Clifford and Spurs assistant James Borrego are the latest candidates to interview for the head coaching spot in Phoenix, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Clifford, who was fired in Charlotte two weeks ago, had a meeting with Suns officials today, Wojnarowski relays. Clifford has expressed a desire to coach again next season after compiling a 196-214 record in five years with Charlotte.
Borrego, an assistant to Gregg Popovich for the past three seasons, interviewed in Phoenix on Thursday. He has brief NBA head coaching experience, compiling a 10-20 mark as an interim with Orlando at the end of the 2014/15 season.
The Suns have been among the most active teams in the search for a new coach, with David Fizdale, Igor Kokoskov, Frank Vogel, Jason Kidd, Vinny Del Negro, David Blatt and Kevin McHale all either interviewing or being linked to the position in the rumor mill.
Keep up with all the latest action on the coaching front by following our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.
- Manu Ginobili may officially retire this offseason, which will continue to shrink a Spurs core that has been a constant in the NBA for nearly two decades. Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post looks at what could the end of an era in San Antonio with Tim Duncan‘s recent retirement, the possible departures of Ginobili and Tony Parker, and the ongoing drama with Kawhi Leonard.
- Following the death of Gregg Popovich‘s wife Erin, assistant coach Ettore Messina stepped up to coach San Antonio for Games 3 through 5. He enters the offseason as a popular candidate for numerous head coaching vacancies and his three-game cameo may have helped his chances, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes.
With the Spurs’ 2017/18 season now in the books, Rudy Gay will face a decision this summer on whether to play out his contract or return to unrestricted free agency. Gay’s two-year deal with San Antonio includes an $8.8MM player option for 2018/19, and Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes that Gay sounds “genuinely torn” over whether to exercise or decline that option.
“Obviously I have to go through and assess some things,” Gay said. “But after a season like this, it’s hard not to want to come back and fight for a championship. I love these guys.”
Gay, whose 2016/17 campaign ended early due to an Achilles injury, made a speedy recovery and was ready to go for the Spurs in the fall. However, he was nagged by heel problems during the winter, limiting him to 57 regular season games, and never seemed fully like his old self.
“A lot of times, I will-powered through games, will-powered through practices,” Gay said, per McDonald. “I didn’t feel like there was anything worse I can go through (than the Achilles tendon injury).”
Although Gay averaged a career-low 21.6 minutes per contest, his per-minute numbers were solid, as he posted 11.5 PPG and 5.1 RPG with a .471/.314/.772 shooting line for the season. He’ll enter this offseason in better health as he considers his option decision.
With NBA free agent spending not expected to be as extravagant this summer as it has been in the past couple years, an $8.8MM salary is probably a fair price for Gay, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him return to San Antonio on that deal. However, that $8.8MM figure is in the ballpark of the projected mid-level exception for 2018/19, and it also wouldn’t be a surprise if another team wanted to sign Gay to a multiyear deal using its full MLE.
While the Spurs have interest in bringing back Gay, other factors will dictate how much they could offer him if he decides to test the market, McDonald notes. Tony Parker and Kyle Anderson will be free agents this offseason for San Antonio, while Danny Green also has a player option for 2018/19, so the Spurs’ cap outlook hinges on a few roster decisions.
Longtime NBA point guard Mike Bibby, who retired as a player after appearing in more than 1,000 regular season games with six total teams, has spent the last few years as the head coach at Shadow Mountain High School in Arizona. Now, as he tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, Bibby has his sets sight on a higher level of competition.
“I want to go to the college ranks or NBA ranks soon,” Bibby said. “I’d be dealing with guys who are a bit older, but I know what it takes. I feel I’m ready for that. My biggest goal right now is to move up to the next level and hopefully that happens this summer.
“I think I can turn a (college) program around by bringing in talented kids and getting my guys to play hard. I think Penny (Hardaway) getting hired in Memphis will open the door for a lot of high school coaches who want to go to that next level. I definitely want to go that route, so hopefully his hiring does create some opportunities for someone like me.”
Bibby, of course, is unlikely to receive head coaching consideration at the NBA level this offseason, but he could make an interesting hire as an assistant. Given his reference to Hardaway and Memphis though, it sounds like Bibby may be prioritizing finding a head coaching job at the college level.
As we wait to see if the former second overall pick – and current BIG3 player – has any luck finding a new coaching job, let’s round up a few more odds and ends from across the NBA…
- With a big offseason ahead for Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes that the Knicks should have interest in the star forward if he becomes available via trade, even though San Antonio would likely ask for Kristaps Porzingis. Isola mentions a few other clubs he thinks could be potential trade partners for the Spurs, including the Nets (due to Sean Marks‘ relationship with Leonard’s uncle). Using that note as a jumping-off point, NetsDaily explores whether Brooklyn would – or should – be interested in Leonard.
- In his latest piece for Basketball Insiders, Steve Kyler previews some of the top stories to watch during what should be an eventful 2018 offseason. Leonard, LeBron James, Paul George, and Hassan Whiteside are among the players to keep an eye on this summer, as Kyler outlines.
- Ty Lawson, who signed with the Wizards on the last day of the NBA regular season right after the end of his playoff run in China, is the most extreme example of a late-season addition helping a club in the first round of the postseason, but he’s not the only example. Howard Fendrich of The Associated Press identifies several second-half signings that are paying dividends for playoff teams.
2:13pm: Vanterpool won’t be among the Hawks’ head coaching candidates after all, tweets Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
9:30am: The Hawks are the latest NBA team to embark on a search for a new head coach, having confirmed on Wednesday that they’ve parted ways with Mike Budenholzer, who had held the position since 2013. While there’s no presumed frontrunner to replace Budenholzer yet, a number of potential candidates have already emerged for Atlanta.
The Hawks are expected to talk to former Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale and current Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts about their head coaching position, a source tells Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Fizdale has been one of this spring’s most popular head coaching candidates, having previously been linked to the Knicks, Suns, and Hornets. It’s the first time we’ve heard Tibbetts connected to one of the ongoing searches, however.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski adds a few more names to the Hawks’ list of candidates, reporting that the club is also expected to consider Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, Spurs assistants Ime Udoka and James Borrego, and another Trail Blazers assistant, David Vanterpool.
Borrego has been another assistant whose name has frequently popped up in coaching rumors this spring — he has been linked to the Knicks and Suns. Meanwhile, Silas was identified as a possible head coaching candidate in the wake of Steve Clifford‘s ouster in Charlotte. As Amick and Zillgitt note, Silas is “widely respected” around the NBA and was with the Warriors at the same time as current Hawks GM Travis Schlenk.
It’s no surprise that the initial group of candidates for the rebuilding Hawks includes a number of NBA assistants. Wojnarowski writes that the team wants to hire an up-and-coming coach who can evolve along with Atlanta’s young roster. Vanterpool, Silas, and Tibbetts all showed up near the top of a recent list of NBA assistants who should receive head coaching consideration — that list was voted on by about three dozen executives around the league.
The Knicks’ list of possible candidates for their head coaching job continues to grow, with a Celtics assistant joining the mix. According to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, New York received permission last week to talk to Brad Stevens’ top aide Jay Larranaga, and met with him about the club’s head coaching vacancy.
Larranaga, who had an extensive international career as a player, transitioned into coaching after he retired in 2009. He served as the head coach for the Erie BayHawks before joining the C’s as an assistant in 2012. As Iannazzone notes, Larranaga has been previously considered for head coaching jobs by the Celtics, Sixers, and Grizzlies.
While Larranaga becomes the ninth candidate on the Knicks’ list of interviewees, word of his meeting with the club may be overshadowed by the latest news out of Atlanta. As we relayed on Wednesday night, Mike Budenholzer and the Hawks have mutually agreed to part ways, opening up a path for the Knicks to potentially hire Budenholzer.
It’s not clear if Budenholzer is the Knicks’ top choice, but a source tells Iannazzone that the team views him as a “strong candidate.” Marc Berman of The New York Post, meanwhile, hears from sources that the Knicks have “strong feelings” for the former Hawks coach.
Team president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry are still in Europe, having headed overseas to meet with David Blatt and scout Luka Doncic, per Iannazzone. However, the Newsday scribe indicates the duo is scheduled to interview Spurs assistant James Borrego stateside soon — with San Antonio now out of the playoffs, that meeting could happen this weekend.
A meeting with Kawhi Leonard will be the Spurs’ top priority of the offseason, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN. Head coach Gregg Popovich is expected to lead the session as the team tries to determine whether it can work through a dispute with its top player and forge a long-term relationship.
An MVP candidate last year, Leonard was limited to nine games this season by a lingering quad injury. He was cleared to return by team doctors, but not by his personal physicians in New York, where he made two extended visits during the season. Rumors persisted of disharmony between Leonard and the organization, and they intensified when he opted not to join the team for its playoff series.
“Kawhi, everybody asks questions, but he’s still here,” Danny Green said after last night’s season-ending loss at Golden State. “He’s still locked in. He’s a part of the team until things change.”
This summer’s meeting will go a long way for the Spurs in deciding whether to offer Leonard a supermax extension valued at about $219MM over five years. Complicating matters, Wright notes, are divorce proceedings between Peter Holt, the team’s former chairman and CEO, and Juliana Hawn Holt, the current chairman and co-CEO, which could affect any major financial decisions for the organization.
Wright offers more news about possible changes coming in San Antonio:
- Manu Ginobili is signed for $2.5MM next season, but isn’t sure if he’ll return. Ginobili, who will turn 41 in July, plans to make the decision sometime this summer. “As I’ve done it the last two or three seasons, I’ll sit back, relax and, after two or three months, see if I feel retired or not,” he said. “I like to let it season a little bit, to see how I feel. Don’t expect news until July, probably. I just don’t know. I let a month, two months go by and see how I feel. I’m not the type of guy who makes decisions on the fly, and when you are upset, hurt or whatever.”
- Tony Parker, who turns 36 next month, is headed toward free agency after 17 years with the Spurs. He has expressed a desire to return to the team, but will probably have to accept a significant pay cut after making $15.4MM this season. “I said already I want to keep playing,” Parker stated. “I’m happy I don’t have those retirement parties. I want to keep playing, and we’ll see if it’s in San Antonio. Everybody knows I would love to stay here. But free agency is always crazy, so we’ll see.”
- Pau Gasol, 37, expressed a desire to play another three to four seasons. He is under contract for $16.8MM next year, with a non-guaranteed $16MM in 2019/20.
- Green [$10MM for next season], Rudy Gay [$8.8MM] and Joffrey Lauvergne [$1.7MM] all have a June 29 deadline to exercise their player options. “This organization is a big part of me,” Green said, “and I would love to play here again, would love to come back. But things get interesting in free agency.”