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Pressure? Mike Brown scoffed at the notion. Even if owner James Dolan said in January he felt the Knicks “absolutely” had to reach the NBA Finals and “should” win them, the first-year coach had that mindset all along after taking the job. “People have talked about a mandate — like I’m coaching to win,” Brown said Tuesday. “It doesn’t matter what others say. I’m disappointed if we’re not in the Finals and having a chance to win it.”
“He doesn’t listen to the outside noise and doesn’t let that affect him. And he’s focused every day on how he can come in and make this team better,” Josh Hart said. “He listens to his coaches and listens to us with our feedback and what we have to say and asks us questions and stuff like that. So I think it’s just a good line of communication with everyone within the organization. … And he’s doing an amazing job with that outside noise.”
Shamit Dua: There really hasn't been any updates for the Pelicans search at the moment. The team is still evaluating and to my understanding the 5 names under consideration at this moment in time are: Borrego Ham Hetzel Mosley Rondo
Anthony Slater: Chris Finch said Anthony Edwards’ left knee came through Game 1 well to this point: “So far, so good.” Edwards will get light work and treatment later today in San Antonio. No word on whether he can up Edwards’ minutes beyond that 25 range in Game 2
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Jon Krawczynski: Chris Finch rather displeased with missed goaltending calls on Victor Wembanyama. He says at least 4 should’ve been whistled. “Do you know the value of 8 points in an NBA game?” He said that was 33% of Wemby’s blocks and asked if I would be happy with 33% raise. Why yes, Chris, I would.
Nick Nurse is away from the 76ers on Tuesday to attend the funeral services for his brother, Steve, who died unexpectedly last week, the team told The Inquirer and The Athletic. Steve Nurse, 62, died last Wednesday, the day before Game 6 of the Sixers’ first-round series win over the Boston Celtics. Nick Nurse left New York City following his team’s Game 1 loss to the Knicks Monday night to travel to his hometown of Carroll, Iowa, for the services. The coach expects to rejoin the Sixers in New York later Tuesday.
So with that being said, Taylor Jenkins, your new head coach — what kind of conversations have you had with him? How have you been able to get a relationship with him going so far?” Ryan Rollins: “Yeah, I mean, I haven’t called him, but I have texted him a couple times, too, just congratulating him and his family. It’s a good situation that we’re coming into, having a new head coach. I don’t know all that’s going to be switched around by the time next season comes, but I’m just ready to come in and make an impact, continue the growth, build a culture, and build a winning foundation. You know what I mean? That’s really what I’m keyed in on and ready for next season.”
Donovan isn’t the only widely respected, veteran head coach who’s hoping for a return to the sidelines, though, as league sources say Tom Thibodeau is also very interested in a comeback. The 68-year-old was fired from his Knicks post last summer but is looking for the right fit for his coaching future again. And yes, league sources say, that includes the prospect of a Bulls reunion if the Reinsdorfs and new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham, who was hired away from the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, had interest.
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Shams Charania: “Anyone that knows anything about Orlando, they’re going to keep things very buttoned up in terms of, this is now the start of the process. They fired Jamahl Mosley. There was a point that I heard over the last few weeks that, even though a lot of people around the NBA expected this outcome if the Magic were to lose in the first round, no real names had surfaced, or there was not that back-channel conversation that took place. But now Jeff Weltman and the Magic will be going through their search. Listen, there’s going to be a ton of names that get thrown around. I particularly don’t see Dusty May. I think he has a good thing going at Michigan.”
As league sources said on Monday, the Trail Blazers have cast a net so wide that the list of candidates could be almost 20 coaches long and, in the end, will consist of names procured by both Dundon and general manager Joe Cronin. What’s more, league sources say, there is no clear messaging as of yet about a possible timeline on the hiring. And while Dundon has pushed back on the notion that he’s cutting corners as a matter of what he believes is good business, the proof will be in the paycheck.
Even if the Blazers go with a coach with no previous head-coaching experience, it shouldn’t be tough to top what is believed to be the lowest head-coaching salary in the league, that of the Sacramento Kings’ Doug Christie ($2 million annually).
At the core of Bickerstaff’s coaching philosophy is his understanding of people. Bickerstaff’s emotional intelligence allows him to approach each new relationship differently, rather than coming into his position with a one-size-fits-all method. Since being at the helm in Detroit, Bickerstaff has cultivated relationships with his players and assistant coaches that help illuminate them. “He truly cares about people,” Luke Walton, a former NBA player and head coach who is now an assistant in Detroit, told The Athletic during a January shootaround. “Players are extremely intelligent on when they’re being bullsh–ted or when people actually care. He truly does (care), and the players recognize that. … He tells us every year going into the season, ‘Our job is to make these players feel invincible, and we’ve got to put them in the best position for them to succeed.’ “Between taking the time to get to know them, talking to them, caring about them and then giving them the belief on the court to do what they’re capable of doing, it’s just a great combination. Especially for a young team that was trying to build something after a pretty rough year before we got here.”