From Boston to Portland: NBA coaching search update on every opening

By Kurt HelinJun 17, 2021, 3:30 PM EDT

The coaching carousel is spinning fast around the NBA this offseason.

There are six openings, with most sources around the league expecting at least one more job to open up in the coming days or weeks. No new coach has yet been hired, and some of the top candidates in searches — Chauncey Billups with the Clippers, Ime Udoka and Mike D’Antoni with the Nets, Darvin Ham with the Bucks — are still busy working their day jobs. Teams are taking their time with the searches. There have been no Chris Finch-speed hirings.

Here’s an update on where every NBA coaching search stands. Not included in this list is Atlanta, where Nate McMillan is technically an interim coach for the Hawks but is widely expected to be retained after the season.

Boston

New team president Brad Stevens is casting a wide net to replace himself as coach. It looks like it will be a long, thought out, detailed process, so pretty much exactly what you’d expect from Stevens. There is no reported strong frontrunner yet.

Stevens started by interviewing his former assistants, with longtime Celtic bench coach Jay Larranaga getting a lot of attention, as did Scott Morrison. Jerome Allen and Joe Mazzulla also were interviewed.

Then Stevens turned to potential coaches from outside the organization, primarily top assistants from several teams. Here is who we know Stevens has at least spoken with: Chauncey Billups (Clippers), Ime Udoka (Nets), Darvin Ham (Bucks), Charles Lee (Bucks), Jamahl Mosley (Mavericks). Other names linked to the search via rumors and reports include Jason Kidd, Sam Cassell, Kara Lawson, Lloyd Pierce, and Mike D’Antoni.

Following the recent discussion of racist treatment of players in Boston, multiple reports say hiring a coach of color is a potential priority for Stevens. Jaylen Brown‘s recent Tweet only added to that discussion.

Analytics : 7 nba teams are remaining 4 are lead by African American head coaches

— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) June 15, 2021

Indiana

Former Portland coach Terry Stotts has been considered the frontrunner for this job since before it officially opened up, and there is no reason to doubt that has changed.

Several other former head coaches in the league have been linked on some level to this job, most prominently Mike D’Antoni but also Steve Clifford and Brian Shaw. If (maybe when) Mike Budenholzer is let go in Milwaukee, he is expected to get a look from the Pacers.

Since GM/president Kevin Pritchard interviewed around 20 people for this job a year ago, he has a lot of the research and legwork already done. While Pritchard will likely revisit that list and speak with a top assistant or two around the league, after the disaster of hiring a top assistant in Nate Bjorkgren last time around, it is expected the Pacers will go with an experienced head coach this time.

Orlando

It’s a rebuilding project in Orlando, and the Magic front office is looking at coaches they believe can help develop young players. Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld Jr. has been interviewed for the job and there is a growing buzz around the league linking him to Orlando. Spurs assistant Becky Hammon also has been interviewed.

A few other names to watch include current Clippers assistant Kenny Atkinson, the head coach during the Nets rebuild, and helped develop players such as Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert. Jason Kidd’s name has come up, and remember that Magic general manager John Hammond hired Kidd in Milwaukee in 2014. Jaron Collins, who recently left Golden State looking for the chance to be a head coach or lead assistant, reportedly has had conversations with Orlando.

Other rumored targets include assistant coaches Udoka (Nets), D’Antoni (Nets), Ham (Bucks), Dan Craig (Clippers), and former Trail Blazers coach Stotts.

Portland

Since the moment Jason Kidd took himself out of the running for this job, Chauncey Billups has been the name most strongly linked to the job in the buzz around the league. He is reportedly on the interview list for the job.

D’Antoni reportedly has interest in the job and could be a good fit if GM/president Neil Olshey realizes he’s not going to change the roster much but wants to boost the offense (at his widely-panned postseason press conference, Olshey said he wanted the next coach to have a defense-first mentality). D’Antoni is expected to be interviewed, along with Hammon (Spurs) and Allen (Celtics). Also linked to this job are Jeff Van Gundy (unlikely), Dawn Staley, and Spurs executive Brent Barry.

Who should Portland hire? Whoever Damian Lillard wants. This hire is about keeping the superstar happy and in the Pacific Northwest. Lillard may not be injecting himself into the search, but at the very least he gets a Roman Emporer thumbs up/down on the pick of management.

New Orleans

It’s early in the process, but the early reports are GM/president David Griffin is interested in promoting from within and is seriously considering long-time Pelicans’ assistant Fred Vinson — he has been there 12 years, going back to Monty Williams — or potentially Teresa Weatherspoon (although Griffin seemed to throw cold water on that rumor in his press conference).

Other names linked to the job via rumors and reports are top assistants around the league, including Kidd (Lakers), Udoka (Nets), Lee (Bucks), Will Weaver (Rockets), and former Orlando head coach and current Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn. Griffin and the Pelicans interviewed nine people a year ago for this job, he can fall back on a lot of that research.

After hiring and firing Stan Van Gundy within one year — and now about to give Zion Williamson his third coach in three years — there is pressure on Griffin to nail this choice and provide some stability for the franchise.

Washington

It’s very early in the process — a process that reportedly will be diverse and inclusive — but you can bet both Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook will have some input on how that goes. Both superstars liked Brooks and general manager Tommy Sheppard decided to move on; now they will have some say in who the new coach is.

The one name that came up quickly: Nuggets assistant Wes Unseld Jr. Expect a lot more names in the coming days, including coaches from the international ranks.

Chase Hughes at NBC Sports Washington reports that a woman head coaching candidate — Hammon, Lawson, Witherspoon, and/or Dawn Staley — will get serious consideration for the job.

LeBron scores 19 off bench in return, Bulls spoil party with 118-108 win

Associated PressMar 26, 2023, 9:28 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James scored 19 points off the bench in his return from a monthlong injury absence, but Zach LaVine scored 32 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 118-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

DeMar DeRozan added 17 points for the Bulls, who easily overcame James’ return for their seventh win in nine games. LaVine hit 11 of his first 14 shots to lead an offensive effort that snapped the Lakers’ three-game winning streak despite the return of the NBA’s career scoring leader.

James sat out 13 games with right foot soreness, missing four weeks during the Lakers’ run at a playoff berth. The team provided few updates on his recovery, and his return came with little advance warning.

“I felt confident in the workouts that I had this week,” James said. “And the day after the workouts, when I woke up, stepped out down off the bed, I could possibly play today. And after my workout early before the game today, I knew I could play.”

For only the second time in his 20-year, 1,958-game NBA career, James wasn’t a starter. He came in as a reserve midway through the first quarter, doing his standard pregame chalk toss while receiving a standing ovation from Lakers fans. James got a field goal in every quarter, and he finished with eight rebounds, three assists and five turnovers in 30 minutes.

“You could see him getting his rhythm, his timing, his finishes, all of that,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “He’s a savvy veteran, one of the greatest ever to do it, so it’s not going to take all that much.”

Chicago largely controlled play despite James’ return, streaking to a 20-point lead in the second quarter. Los Angeles briefly got the lead down to single digits down the stretch, but got no closer.

“There are going to be swings, and that was the encouraging part,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “I’m seeing a response back competitively.”

Patrick Beverley had 10 points and five assists in his first game against the Lakers since they traded him last month. Beverley has been outspoken about his desire to hurt the Lakers’ playoff hopes during this home-and-home series between the teams, but Davis and the other Lakers just smiled at his provocative talk.

When Beverley made a little hook shot with 1:12 left to boost Chicago’s lead back to double digits, Beverley slapped the floor and made the dismissive “too small” gesture sometimes used by NBA players to taunt their opponents, in this case James.

“I was just playing basketball,” Beverley said. “Obviously it’s good to see some old teammates, old coaching staff.”

Troy Brown Jr. and Malik Beasley scored 18 points apiece, but Anthony Davis managed just 15 points and nine rebounds as the Lakers (37-38) failed to get above .500 for the first time since Jan. 9, 2022.

The Lakers were without D’Angelo Russell, who missed his second straight game with a right hip injury. Los Angeles went 8-5 in James’ absence, but his return will force an adjustment of the chemistry built by his teammates in his absence.

“We came out a little flat, turned the ball over early, just weren’t aggressive enough, physical enough,” Ham said.

The Bulls largely controlled Davis even after Nikola Vucevic was ejected in the second quarter with two quick technical fouls when he argued what appeared to be a good call against him. Donovan jokingly wondered how Vucevic could be ejected when he was arguing in his native Serbian.

“Obviously it was a bad decision by me to react the way I did,” Vucevic said. “My mistake. I’m just glad my teammates came through for us. I obviously overreacted, for sure.”

Watch Dončić pick up 16th technical, will result in one-game suspension

By Kurt HelinMar 26, 2023, 5:01 PM EDT

Luka Dončić barks at the referees more than any player in the league, and with that he does not get the benefit of the doubt when he’s flirting with the edge of a technical foul.

That caught up with Dončić on Sunday, when he didn’t get a call on a leaning baseline jumper, said something to the nearby official, and racked up his 16th technical this season. That will mean an automatic one-game suspension unless it is rescinded (which is unlikely in this case).

Luka Dončić got his 16th technical foul of the season, resulting in a one-game suspension. pic.twitter.com/K3X0Np47dA

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 26, 2023

Dončić likely will have to sit out Monday when the Mavericks play the Pacers on the second game of a back-to-back.

This suspension comes on the heels of Dončić being fined $35,000 — but not being given a technical foul at the time — for making a money gesture towards a referee in frustration after another recent Mavericks loss.

Dončić went on to have 40 points Sunday but the Mavericks lost again — their second time in a row to the tanking Hornets, their fourth in a row overall and they have now dropped 7-of-9. That has dropped them out of even the play-in to 11th in the West. The Mavericks need to rack up wins over the season’s final two weeks to even make the postseason.

And they must get that next win Monday without Dončić in the lineup.

UPDATE: LeBron “active,” will make return to court Sunday vs. Bulls

By Kurt HelinMar 26, 2023, 12:54 PM EDT

Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

UPDATE: LeBron James has officially been upgraded to active and will make his return to the team on Sunday against the Chicago Bulls.

King Day 👑 pic.twitter.com/dQdYpmPzxB

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 26, 2023

—————————————————-

A couple of days ago, reports said LeBron James hoped to return and play the final few games before the season ended and he said there was no timeline for his return.

In less than 24 hours the Lakers have moved LeBron from “out” last game to “doubtful” and now — as of Sunday morning — questionable for the Lakers game against the Bulls. While nothing is confirmed, these are the steps a team takes before a player returns from injury. LeBron is going to test his foot pregame and make a decision.

LeBron James is expected to test his foot pregame to see if he can make his return today, source says. https://t.co/BK4HTPfu8N

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 26, 2023

LeBron had been pushing to return from a foot tendon injury that had sidelined him for 13 games. The Lakers have gone 8-5 in those games behind the second-best defense in the league over that stretch. What has struggled during those games has been the offense (23rd in the league) and LeBron instantly fixes that. He has averaged 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game this season and the Laker offense has been six points per 100 possessions better when he has been on the court.

The Lakers currently sit tied for the No.7/8 seeds in the West, with an outside shot at climbing into the top six (they are 1.5 games back of the Lakers and Clippers who are tied for sixth, but if those teams go 4-3 the rest of the way the Lakers need to go 6-2 over their last eight just to tie them). The Lakers are also one game ahead of the 11-seed Dallas Mavericks and missing out on the playoffs entirely.

The Lakers need wins the rest of the way to secure a playoff spot, and some time to build chemistry heading into the playoffs. Having LeBron James helps with all of that.

Nets thrash Heat, move back up to No.6 seed in East

Associated PressMar 26, 2023, 9:30 AM EDT

Megan Briggs/Getty Images

MIAMI (AP) — All the Brooklyn Nets needed, coach Jacque Vaughn insisted, was one win.

They got it, and made it look easy.

Mikal Bridges scored 27 points, and the Nets opened the third quarter on a 31-6 run on the way to rolling past Miami 129-100 on Saturday night and leapfrogging the Heat back into the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference.

Mikal Bridges dropped 27 points and 7 assists as the Nets picked up the win in Miami 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3pNaj7wAGW

— NBA (@NBA) March 26, 2023

Cam Johnson added 23 points and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 15 for the Nets (40-34), who snapped a five-game slide. They’re only a half-game up on Miami (40-35) in the race for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff berth, but swept the Heat 3-0 this season and would also own a head-to-head tiebreaker.

“We had the mindset coming in that this was a playoff game,” Johnson said.

Max Strus scored 23 for the Heat, all of them in the first half. Tyler Herro scored 23, Jimmy Butler had 18 and Bam Adebayo finished with 16 for the Heat. Miami was outscored 64-31 after halftime.

“We have not been defending at a world-class level, the way we’re capable of … and the second half just became an avalanche,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Strus came off the bench and made his first nine shots, one of them putting Miami up 51-37 midway through the second quarter. Over the next 14 minutes, the Nets outscored Miami 54-24 – completely turning the game around, eventually leading by 32 and, for now, putting Brooklyn in position to escape the play-in tournament that’ll decide the final two East playoff berths.

“You see how this March Madness is and you’re one and you’re done,” Vaughn said. “And that’s part of it. I have not discussed any of the standings with this group. Really, we have gone day to day and tried to get a win.”

The Heat could have moved 1 1/2 games up on Brooklyn for sixth with a win.

“There has been nothing easy about this season and that doesn’t necessarily mean that has to be a negative thing,” Spoelstra said. “You have to embrace the struggle. You have to figure out ways to stay together … but we just got categorically outplayed tonight.”

It was Brooklyn’s second trip to Miami this season. The first was Jan. 8 – which ended up being the last time Kevin Durant played for the Nets, and the last time Durant and Kyrie Irving played together. Durant left that game with a knee injury, then got traded to Phoenix, and Irving has since been dealt to Dallas, as well.

The Nets were 27-13 after that night, second in the East, just a game behind Boston for the best record in the NBA. They’re 13-21 since, yet still have the Heat looking up at them in the standings – which Vaughn insists he hasn’t discussed with his team.

“You need the momentum, the confidence, the reassurance that you can get it done,” Vaughn said. “So, haven’t tried to complicate it more than that.”

Boston

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Orlando

Portland

New Orleans

Washington

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