The NBA coaching search obviously starts and ends with Phil Jackson. The Knicks and Lakers are openly courting him, and others, like the Cavs, aren’t far behind. Jackson hasn’t even given an indication that he would coach next season, though his agent, Todd Musburger, said it’s now 51-49 in favor of coaching. That’s enough to become president–and this is important.
Former Minnesota coach Flip Saunders is the hot name behind Jackson, though there could be complications. The Timberwolves didn’t officially fire Saunders; they tried to reassign him. So he left. The Timberwolves are quietly letting it be known that they want compensation, perhaps a first-round draft pick, for Saunders. That may be why owner Glen Taylor told a Minneapolis newspaper last week they were open to Saunders’ return. That’s not likely. With former NBA coaches Randy Wittman and Sidney Lowe as assistants and highly regarded Jerry Sichting on the staff, the Timberwolves probably will hire from within.
Despite what Larry Brown says in Detroit, the Knicks are among the teams that believe he will coach elsewhere next season, perhaps New York if Jackson declines. Other names are being floated, like former Portland coach P.J. Carlesimo’s. It’s not exactly a loaded field. But there’s one name rarely mentioned who has proven to be one of the best turnaround specialists of the era: Doug Collins.
The former Bulls, Pistons and Wizards coach says he’s happy to remain in broadcasting, where he is regarded as among the elite. But Collins is too good not to return to the sidelines, and the Lakers would be the perfect place. The team long has made back-channel inquiries about Collins, who has a close relationship with Kobe Bryant. Collins can’t want to end his career being regarded as a member of the supporting cast in Michael Jordan’s return.
Both in Chicago and Detroit, Collins showed he could get instant results. The Pistons averaged 50 wins his first two seasons after he took over a 28-win team. In two seasons under Collins, the Bulls went from 30 to 50 wins. The knock is his longevity, but that doesn’t narrow the field in the NBA anymore with the exception of Jerry Sloan. Brown doesn’t last long with players but remains in demand. Scott Skiles had that reputation and was sitting around with no callers until the Bulls showed up. Now he’s one of the hottest young coaches. If the Lakers cannot get Jackson, they’re in no position to be patient with an impatient Bryant and fan base. If they want instant results, there are few better than Collins.
Fun in the Heat
The Miami Heat rolled into the second round Sunday with a 4-0 sweep of the Nets and will wait at least a week for the Bulls or Wizards.
Miami’s players, a loose bunch, kidded Dwyane Wade all week about being named one of People magazine’s sexiest. And as a team advances in the playoffs–as Scott Williams, Steve Kerr and Jud Buechler fans found out in the 1990s–new figures emerge. In this series, that player was Damon Jones, a journeyman shooter working on his ninth team in seven seasons and yearning for the spotlight.
He wore sunglasses when called to the playoff postgame media room for the first time in his career and was warned by the NBA not to wear the glasses again. It’s one of those league fashion-police rules. Jones has been a comic relief in Miami all season, starting with when he followed Shaquille O’Neal around on media day to try to get into TV shots. Jones averaged 16.5 points and hit 17 of 34 threes in the Nets series after also playing in the IBL, USBL and CBA.
He calls himself: “The Most Electrifying” and “Every Woman’s Dream?” “At any point in time, I can light up a room,” Jones said, explaining the “Electrifying” nickname he gave himself. As for the “Dream” name, “There’s 60 million women that love the way I look,” Jones said. “You don’t hear that about [Wade], do you?”
Jones flashes a three-point symbol when he makes them, overdramatizes when fouled, flailing his arms and legs, and poses after baskets. He tells reporters he’ll refuse to talk to those who leave him to interview Wade. “I’m having the time of my life,” he says.
For now, so are his teammates.
Meanwhile, in New Jersey
Jason Kidd didn’t seem into it during the Nets’ series loss despite decent statistics. Even with Richard Jefferson back, Kidd gave no indication he sees his future in New Jersey. His staying is hardly good business for a lame-duck team planning to move. He is 32 with a history of knee problems and with salaries of $16.4 million next season followed by $18 million, $19.7 million and $21.3 million through 2008-09.
“To put any stock in the future, I’ve done that many times and it’s crashed,” Kidd said. “So there’s no reason to go forward with that [discussion]. None of us are guaranteed to be here.”
Look for the Nets to dangle Kidd, with one possible destination being Los Angeles, where they need another star and someone to get the ball out of Bryant’s hands. Lamar Odom, a throw-in like Devean George and a No. 1 pick to get a point guard would give the Nets a nice nucleus to build on for Brooklyn.
Don’t be surprised to hear Kevin Garnett mumbling about his future address. The rumors around the NBA now are Minnesota would take a Shaq-like deal–three starters and a draft pick–for Garnett.
From fame to blame
That Hall of Fame induction for Tracy McGrady after the Houston Rockets won two in Dallas may have been a little premature. “I’m 0-4 in the first round, but this is the first time I’ve felt that I can be a contender,” McGrady said.
Oops. It’s looking like Choke City now. The Rockets blew consecutive late fourth-quarter leads at home as Dallas evened the series 2-2. In 1994, the Rockets lost the first two games at home to the Suns in blowing a big lead and went from Choke City to Clutch City. Then they swept in Phoenix and won the series in seven games and went on to win their first NBA title. Now reeling, McGrady looked to be pointing some fingers after Saturday’s loss.
“When they double-team me, it’s like, `What do we do now?'” McGrady said.
Dikembe Mutombo raised an interesting question: What about Yao Ming? He shot more than 60 percent in three of the four games, but McGrady has missed more shots in the series than Yao has attempted. Said Mutombo: “Yao showed in Game 2 that he was unstoppable (13 of 14). You’re asking me [why Yao doesn’t get the ball more], but I’m asking the same question. Especially at the end [of Game 4] when he came back into the game (with 3:38 to play and the Rockets leading 88-82), why we just didn’t go through Yao and try to see what comes up from there.”
Maybe McGrady got distracted polishing his first-round MVP trophy.
A new King James
Here is a warning to teams looking for a free-agent center this off-season. Jerome James averaged 19.3 points and 11 rebounds for the Sonics in their first three games against the Kings. Check out this published anonymous comment from a teammate at the end of last season: “Jerome James should opt out of his contract. No one here likes him. We all wish he would leave.”
James, with the Harlem Globetrotters before being picked up by the Kings in 2000, said he was cut and given a garbage bag to take out his clothes. “When they let me go, I felt like they were letting go of their opportunity to win a championship,” said James, a career five-point scorer. “I felt like with me playing alongside Chris Webber, that four-five punch, we could have [done] some miraculous things in Sacramento.”
James, say the Kings, fabricated the garbage-bag story. Now James wants a big contract, so figure he’ll go to some unsuspecting team with too much money to spend. “If he plays like [this] again, so be it,” Kings guard Cuttino Mobley said. “I seriously doubt it. It takes seven years to get [him] fired up?”
Nuggets of information
Before George Karl collects his Coach of the Century award for his half-season of work, the Nuggets might try to find a half-court game. And some class. Well, it’s not easy to play half-court offense when you’ve got about $150 million worth of players in Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin, who can’t tell the difference between post-up and fence post. Martin has been his usual churlish self, growling profanities to reporters after the Game 2 loss in San Antonio.
“Ain’t nobody here think we could get no win but us,” he said. “Did you think we could win a game here?” When someone said yes, Martin snapped: “Lying! Next question.”
Karl, who probably lists the Springfield Y in the late 19th Century as where he first taught the game, says Manu Ginobili is poisoning the game. “I’ll put it on tape to give to my son how to play basketball,” Karl said. “Put your head down and run into people. I just think it’s very difficult to defend, referee and watch unless you’re the San Antonio Spurs.”
With Andres Nocioni getting his share of bashing from NBA coaches, perhaps there is still resentment about our Olympic gold medal that Argentina is still holding?
Required reading
Some Miami fans wore “ThankyouKobe.com” T-shirts at home games last week. . . . Paul Shirley, who played briefly for the Bulls’ minor-league team last season, has drawn national attention for his quirky entries in a journal on Suns.com and now is in talks to do a book on his basketball career in Russia, Greece and Spain, the ABA, CBA and three NBA teams. And people say there’s nothing to read anymore.
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sasmith@tribune.com
