IS GETTING ITS DRAFT BOARD READY
Let the record show that Eddie Jordan owns a home in Princeton, N.J.
All the best maps and computer links indicate a drive from there to the Wachovia Center in reasonable traffic should take about 55 minutes.
Jordan will be making that trip on a regular basis.
That is because the 76ers' coaching search, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, ended tonight. The Daily News learned that the Sixers offered the job to Jordan, the former Sacramento and Washington coach who interviewed twice for the position.
According to the source, nothing official has been signed, but Jordan quickly accepted, and a contract is expected to be finalized, with a formal announcement coming Monday. The team announced the agreement later tonight, after the Daily News first reported it.
“I saw first-hand the immense impact Eddie Jordan had in helping the Nets reach two NBA Finals and as the head coach in Washington, he consistently put his teams in a position to win on a nightly basis,” Sixers president/general manager Ed Stefanski said in a statement. “He embodies all the qualities I was looking for in the next head coach of the Sixers and we are very excited to have him in Philadelphia.”
Comcast SportsNet is reporting that the deal is for 3 years. The Wizards owe Jordan an estimated $4 million for 2009-10, which means that a setoff will be in place if the Sixers’ package starts at less than that.
It is believed that Jordan will bring longtime aide Mike O’Koren as an assistant. There is also reason to believe that current Sixers assistant Aaron McKie will have a role.
Jordan, who went through a second interview with Stefanski, Comcast-Spectacor president/chief operating officer Peter Luukko, and other members of the basketball operations staff earlier this week, was not immediately available for comment.
Dallas assistant Dwane Casey, who also went through a second interview, was made aware of the situation last night.
“I thought it was a first-class process,” Casey said. “I thank Ed Stefanski for allowing me to get to the final two, and even though I didn’t get it, it was definitely first class. I was told it was a matter of having a comfort level with Eddie Jordan, and I totally understand that. I think the world of Ed Stefanski.”
Stefanski has been in Chicago at the NBA predraft combine. He made it a policy not to comment on any details of his search for a replacement for Tony DiLeo while it was ongoing.
DiLeo took over in midstream after the firing of Maurice Cheeks in December, finishing with a record of 32-27, the second-best percentage among the eight replacement coaches in the league. DiLeo, though, removed his name from consideration to continue in the job, instead agreeing to resume his duties as senior vice president/assistant general manager. He did not have a separate contract to coach.
Cheeks, though, remains under contract for the 2009-10 season and is owed an estimated $3 million.
Jordan was fired by Washington with a 1-10 record this season. He took the Wizards to the playoffs four times in his five-plus seasons, leaving with a record of 197-224. Overall, he is 230-288, with an 8-18 record in the playoffs.
When Stefanski began his search he said it was not necessarily important for him to have a history with a candidate, but, in this case, he does. Jordan was the lead assistant with New Jersey for four seasons when Stefanski was an executive with that franchise. The Nets went to the Finals twice during that time, in 2002 and ’03.
Jordan, 54, also interviewed for the vacant Kings job. He spent more than 3 hours with Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof and president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie on May 12. After that meeting, Petrie was quoted as saying, in part: “He displayed some very interesting insights in his analysis of our current roster. We also talked about his development as a coach over the years, and he provided his thoughts on how a young Washington Wizards team improved during his tenure into a team that made the playoffs in four out of his five full seasons there.”
When the Wizards picked up an option on Jordan’s contract in September 2008, team president Ernie Grunfeld said: “Eddie has done an outstanding job and has been instrumental in making us a perennial playoff team.” The Wizards, though, were riddled by injuries, including losing star guard Gilbert Arenas for virtually the entire season.
Jordan played at Rutgers, helping lead the Scarlet Knights to the NCAA Final Four in 1976. He left school as the career leader in assists and steals, and became a second-round draft choice of Cleveland in ’77. He was later a member of the 1982 Lakers that won the NBA championship.
In his seven seasons as a player, he averaged 8.1 points, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals.
The Sixers also conducted interviews with Boston associate head coach Tom Thibodeau, longtime Los Angeles Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis, current Sixers pro personnel scout Chris Ford and Villanova coach Jay Wright. They had informed Rambis that they were going in another direction; Wright, who took the Wildcats to the NCAA Final Four, withdrew from consideration.
Rambis is being viewed as the likely front-runner for the Kings job, although he will not be interviewed until after the Western Conference final series between the Lakers and Denver. Thibodeau is scheduled to meet with the Kings today in Las Vegas. The other known candidate for that job is Paul Westphal, the former Phoenix and Seattle coach.
Mike Kern reporting ...
Former Sixers forward Charles Barkley said he thinks the team should hire Eddie Jordan as its next coach.
Speaking on a conference call to promote the American Century Championship of celebrity golf, Barkley said, "I think Eddie Jordan would be a fine choice. They’re going to have a good, solid team. They’re pretty much stuck with the team they’ve got for the next few years, because they’re paying guys so much money. I think he’s a helluva coach. He did a good job with Washington. That team probably overachieved. Him getting to the playoffs every year, people thought they deserved to go further, but they weren’t that good. And Tony DiLeo, he did a good job. This year, you’ve got to give him credit. But he wanted to go back upstairs.”
Barkley, coming off his work with noted golf instructor Hank Haney, is among the celebrities in the field for the July event in Lake Tahoe.
Read more on Barkley's golf game in Friday's Daily News.
UPDATE: As we reported in Wednesday's Daily News, former Dallas coach Avery Johnson was not interested in being part of a wide-ranging coaching search. In a statement released by ESPN tonight, Johnson confirmed that he had been contacted by the Sixers, "but I have decided to stay in my role with ESPN."
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Dwane Casey, who has just completed his first season as an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks, has had a second interview for the 76ers' vacant coaching job, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Exactly when or where the second session with Sixers president/general manager Ed Stefanski took place remains unclear. The first meting came last week in Santa Monica, Ca. while Stefanski was in the area scouting a group of college players for the upcoming NBA draft.
Casey did not immediately respond to messages left by the Daily News. The Sixers have made it a policy not to comment on developments during their search for a replacement for Tony DiLeo.
Stefanski also met last week with longtime Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis. The Sixers have since informed Rambis that they are going in another direction. Rambis is scheduled to meet with Sacramento after the conclusion of the Eastern Conference finals between the Lakers and the Denver Nuggets. That series, tied 2-2, continues tonight in Los Angeles.
The other known remaining candidates for the Sixers job include Boston associate head coach Tom Thibodeau, former Washington and Sacramento coach Eddie Jordan and former Boston, Los Angeles Clippers and Sixers coach Chris Ford, now a pro personnel scout with the Sixers.
There is also growing reason to believe Stefanski will attempt to meet with former New York and Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy, possibly this week.
Thibodeau and Jordan are also candidates for the Kings job, along with Paul Westphal. Sources have indicated that Thibodeau could meet with the Kings later this week or possibly next week..
Casey, 52, holds a record of 53-69 in roughly a season-and-a-half coaching the Minnesota Timberwolves, taking over during 2004-05 as a replacement for Kevin McHale. He coached for a decade with the Seattle SuperSonics after spending five years coaching in Japan.
Count Kurt Rambis out of the running for the vacant 76ers' coaching job.
A source in Los Angeles tonight confirmed that the Sixers have informed the longtime Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach that they are going in another direction in their search. Rambis was in the first wave of prospective candidates to meet with Sixers president/general manager Ed Stefanski, that session taking place last week in Santa Monica, Ca.
Rambis, though, remains in the running for the Sacramento job, but the same source indicated that he would not meet with the Kings until after the NBA's Western Conference finals series against the Denver Nuggets that continues tonight in Los Angeles. The Kings have also let it be known that they intend to meet with Boston Celtics' associate head coach Tom Thibodeau--anogther Sixers interviewee--later this week.
Two other sources indicated that the Sixers have been in touch with a representative for Avery Johnson, the former Dallas Mavericks coach currently working as a studio analyst for ESPN. One source said ''the timing isn't right'' for Johnson; the other source suggested that Johnson didn't seem interested in being part of a wide-ranging search. Johnson had been working with agent Tyler Glass, but is now being advised by a consultant.
There has also been speculation in recent days that the Sixers either have, or are about to, reach out to Jeff Van Gundy, the former New York and Houston coach who has been working as an ESPN game analyst during the Eastern Conference series between Orlando and Cleveland. Van Gundy did not respond to messages left by the Daily News.
The Sixers have also confirmed interviews with former Washington and Sacramento coach Eddie Jordan (on the list again with the Kings), Dallas assistant Dwane Casey, current Sixers pro personnel scout Chris Ford and Villanova coach Jay Wright.
Wright, who took the Wildcats to the NCAA Final Four, quickly withdrew from consideration.
Now we can officially add Boston Celtics assistant coach to the list of coaching candidates who have gone through the interview process.
The Sixers confirmed that they met today with Thibodeau, who has been with the Celtics for two seasons, directly in charge of their defense. He has spent the bulk of his caeer on the staffs of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets, and spent two seasons with the Sixers during the John Lucas era. He is also expected to interview with the Sacramento Kings.
It's hard to know a lot about his personality because, as a Celtics assistant, he was not permitted to speak with the media.
Thibodeau becomes the fourth candidate to be interviewed, following eddie Jordan, Dwane Casey and Kurt Rambis. Jordan, the former Washington Wizards and Kings coach; was first line. Casey, a Dallas Mavericks assistant and former coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Rambis, a longtime assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers, met earlier this week with Sixers president/general manager Ed Stefanski in Santa Monica, Ca.
Of Thibodeau, Celtics coach Doc R ivers said ''He's terrific, has unbelievable knowledge and has been so good for me and my staff. He knows the game, is a great teacher. In some ways, he's so good defensively, people overlook his overall knowledge.''
Thibodeau has been an NBA assistant for 19 years, but has never been a head coach.. He interviewed with the Kings after the 2007-08 season, but had no interviews after the Celtics won the championship in 2008-09.
Tom Thibodeau has spent 19 years as an assistant coach in the NBA, but has yet to be a head coach.
The 76ers plan to find out why, and what type of candidate he is to become their next coach. They probably already know a lot about him, but the public might not, in part because Celtics' assistants are not free to speak with the media during the NBA season.
Thibodeau appears to be next in line after president/general manager Ed Stefanski's sessions with Eddie Jordan, Dwane Casey and Kurt Rambis.
Celtics' coach Doc Rivers said of Thibodeau, ''He's terrific, has unbelivable knowledge, has been so good for me and my staff. He knows the game, is a great teacher. In some ways, he's so good defensively people overlook his overall knowledge.''
We'll tell you a little more about Thibodeau, also on the radar of the Sacramento Kings, in Thursday's Daily News.
The 76ers interviewed Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey today and spoke to Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis yesterday. Both interviews took place in Santa Monica, Calif.
Casey, a former head coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves, confirmed the meeting to the Daily News.
“It went well,” he said.
Rambis also confirmed his meeting with Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski.
"I met with Ed and I thought the meeting went well," Rambis said. "Beyond that, I have no further comment. Right now, I'm focusing on helping the Lakers defeat the Nuggets."
Casey, who just completed his first season with the Mavs, has 2 years remaining on his contract.
Casey, 52, served as the T-Wolves coach from June 17, 2005, to Jan. 25, 2007, as a replacement for Kevin McHale; he finished with a record of 43-59. He coached for five seasons in Japan before beginning his NBA coaching career in 1994-95, joining the staff of the Seattle SuperSonics, staying 11 seasons.
Rambis, 51, interviewed last year for the Chicago Bulls' vacancy and interviewed 2 years ago for openings with the Sacramento Kings and Seattle SuperSonics. Rambis was 24-13 as the Lakers' interim coach in 1998-99.
Eddie Jordan, the former coach of the Sacramento Kings and the Washington Wizards, interviewed for the Kings job Tuesday in Las Vegas and said Philadelphia could be his next stop.
In an interview that was broadcast by Comcast SportsNet, Jordan said he he has had ''minimal contact'' with the Sixers and "I'm expecting to go back tomorrow and maybe have some conversation with them before the end of the week.''
Jordan, a former Rutgers star who won a championship as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers, has a history with Ed Stefanski, the Sixers' president/general manager. Jordan was an assistant coach and Stefanski was an executive with New Jersey as the Nets made two trips to the NBA Finals.
Stefanski began his coaching search Monday after Tony DiLeo--the in-season replacement for the fired Maurice Cheeks--withdrew his name from consideration for the permanent job, resuming his duties as senior vice-president/assistant general manager.
After meeting with the Kings, Jordan said "People have to feel good about you, so I'm hoping that Joe and Gavin (owners Joe and Gavin Maloof) felt good about our conversation and my personality and my leadership qualities and the fact that I'll be going back and most likely speaking with Philadelphia unless the Kings just won't let me leave, they make me an offer I can't refuse and I would love to come back.''
The Kings were scheduled to interview former NBA coach Paul Westphal Wednesday in Las Vegas.
At the same time, TNT analyst Doug Collins, who has expressed interest in the Sixers' job through agent John Langel, denied a published report that he had spoken to the Sixers.
"I have not spoken to the Sixers, and they have not called me,'' Collins said. "It's good that we can get that clarified. If there was a little misinformation in the way it was reported or the way I said it to make it look like I had spoken to them--I have not spoken to them.''
He also said "I apologize to Ed Stefanski if they felt like I was putting something out there that was not true.''
Stefanski, in an email response to the Daily News, said he had not spoken to Collins.
Former Sixers coach Tony DiLeo addressed the media today in his first public comments since withdrawing his name from consideration for the job Monday. DiLeo, who took over for the fired Maurice Cheeks in December, will return to his front office role as assistant general manager and vice president.
“It was a tough decision,” DiLeo said. “When you are a head coach in the NBA, it’s so demanding, 24 hours a day you’re either preparing, watching film, practicing, coaching or thinking about the team and what you can do better. If I decided to be a candidate, I would have to look at it for next 3, 4 years, this is what I wanted to do. That was a situation, that right now in my professional and personal life, I did not want to make that decision. Family has a lot to do with it. When you’re a head coach, you’re looking at the short term day to day. In management, you’re looking more how to build a team, for the long term, to winning a championship. Now to I will cherish returning to that role.”
DiLeo said he would consider a return to coaching in the future, but this "was the best decision for me at this time.”
DiLeo said the team's blowout loss to Orlando in Game 6 of the playoffs that ended the Sixers' season did not impact his decision to not pursue the job.
“That one game really had no effect,” he said. “The overall body of work was there.”
After that game, center Theo Ratliff criticized DiLeo, who said "I had no problem with Theo." Forward Andre Igoudala also did not give a glowing vote of confidence to DiLeo or advocate for his return.
“I liked the players, respect the players, had a good relationship with the players," DiLeo said. "That did not weigh into my decision."
DiLeo said that he did not want to pursue the job, simply because the opportunities to be a head coach in the NBA are so rare.
“It is a great opportunity and I enjoyed it," he said. "I had to do it for the right reasons. To look at because there are only 30 jobs and look as an opportunity, that would not be the right reasons for me. The right (thing) for me is to go back up to management and try to help this team win.”
DiLeo said he thought he would have “input in that process” to select a new coach, although it would be team president Ed Stefanski’s decision.
He said the experience as a coach will help him as he returns to management and said he had “a lot of ideas to help the team.”
“It was a great experience, being able to coach these players,” he said. “For me, being in management, I have a better idea of being eye to eye with the players in game situations. That will be better for me to evaluate the team, better for me to evaluate each player. Something from a management position sitting upstairs you just don’t get.”
DiLeo said he expected the Sixers to remain an up-tempo team and continue to play at a fast pace.
“We were one of the best fastbreak teams in the league, one of the most exciting teams in the league,” he said.
“Even though the coach was not that exciting,” he added, deadpan.
UPDATED: Tony DiLeo will not return as Sixers coach and he will return to the front office as senior vice president/assistant general manager the team announced today after a meeting between DiLeo and 76ers president/general manager Ed Stefanski.
“Tony and I had a meeting scheduled for this afternoon, during which time he informed me of his decision that he would not return as head coach next season,” Stefanski said in a statement. “I want to thank Tony for the commendable job he did this season under some unique and difficult circumstances, including leading us to the playoffs.”
DiLeo was named coach on Dec. 13 and he led the Sixers to a 32-27 (.542) record and the No. 6 seed in the playoffs. The Sixers weer eliminated in six games by Orlando.
From earlier:
Stefanski and DiLeo had agreed after the Sixers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Orlando Magic to allow for a week or so of a cooling-down period before they opened discussions about the future. A source familiar with the situation indicated that Stefanski and DiLeo might not reach specific decisions today, but might rather meet again in the near future.
The source indicated that the two parties would also spend time today planning for next season, facing such issues as free agency and the draft.
DiLeo was 32-27 as the coaching replacement for the fired Maurice Cheeks, stepping in from his front office position as senior vice-president/assistant general manager. He was not, however, given a separate contract to coach; Stefanski has said that, if DiLeo were not to remain the coach, he would be welcome to resume his front office duties.
Despite various rumors, Stefanski insisted he had made no contact with any potential coaching candidates.
Phil Jasner joined the staff of the Daily News in 1972. He has covered the 76ers and the NBA on a full-time basis since 1981. He won the 2004 Curt Gowdy Media Award, presented by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for outstanding contributions to the sport during his career; he was a finalist for the award in 2001, when he also received a lifetime achievement award from the Professional Basketball Writers Association during the NBA Finals. He is a past president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association and the Philadelphia College Basketball Writers Association. Along the way, he has covered high school sports, the Big 5, the Eagles and the NFL, the World Football League, the North American Soccer League and what was then the Major Indoor Soccer League. He is a proud graduate of Temple University, and spent his early professional days at the Pottstown (Pa.) Mercury, Montgomery Newspapers (Fort Washington, Pa.), the Norristown (Pa.) Times-Herald and the Trentonian.
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for almost 20 years, working in the sports department the past 12 years. This is his first season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he has been the La Salle beat writer for the past six seasons.
