HoopsHype.com Rumors

Ken Berger: The Hawks have reached an agreement with Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer to be their head coach, league sources confirm. Twitter @KBergCBS

Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Coaching, Mike Budenholzer 

Adrian Wojnarowski: The Atlanta Hawks are engaged in serious talks with Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer to make him head coach, league sources tell Y! Sports. Twitter @WojYahooNBA

Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Coaching, Mike Budenholzer 

Budenholzer is believed to be the front-runner in Atlanta to replace current head coach Larry Drew. Though Drew is still under contract with the Hawks, Ferry has said there is a chance that the team could give Drew, whose current deal expires June 30, a new deal. But both the Hawks and Drew are proceeding as if he will not return. NBA.com

Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Coaching, Danny Ferry, Larry Drew, Mike Budenholzer 

Budenholzer, widely considered one of the league’s top assistants, has been connected with previous jobs but never so strongly. In addition to Atlanta’s interest, he has reportedly interviewed with Philadelphia and Detroit. He told Mike Monroe at ExpressNews.com before Monday’s Game 4 clincher in the Western Conference finals that this is the first time he’s seriously considered leaving the organization he’s been with for nearly two decades. “I want the focus to stay with what we’re doing,” Budenholzer said. “What I will say is I’m open to listening and considering opportunities more so than I have been in the past. But I really don’t want this to become a story or a distraction in any way.” San Antonio Express-News

Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Coaching, Mike Budenholzer 

Charles F. Gardner: Interviews on schedule Wednesday as #Bucks will have second sessions with Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson and Hawks coach Larry Drew. Twitter @cf_gardner

Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Coaching, Larry Drew, Kelvin Sampson 

Charles F. Gardner: Atlanta coach Larry Drew and Houston assistant Kelvin Sampson have 2nd interviews with #Bucks this week. Twitter @cf_gardner

Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Coaching, Larry Drew, Kelvin Sampson 

Chris Vivlamore: Larry Drew has not had contact with Hawks since just before first interview with Bucks. Proceeding as if he will not be back. #ATLHawks Twitter @ajchawks

Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, Coaching, Larry Drew 

CSKA Moscow head coach Ettore Messina told R-Sport on Friday there is no credence to reports he has been in talks with the Atlanta Hawks about taking over as head coach of the NBA team next season. “They’re rumors,” said the Italian-born Messina. “It’s meaningless to talk about rumors.” R-Sport

Atlanta Hawks, Coaching, Ettore Messina 

Despite interest from his home-town team, the Hawks, sources have repeatedly said Howard, like many players, are wary of the demands and distractions of playing where they grew up. The Warriors and Rockets also were not on Howard's list at that time. The three teams that were: Brooklyn, Dallas and the Lakers. Since then, several sources have said, Howard has softened on his position regarding the Rockets but there's been no indication anything has changed regarding the Warriors or Hawks. Sulia

Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Dwight Howard 

Source: Report that Lakers' center and pending free agent Dwight Howard has composed a list of preferred teams is "premature." The reported list: Lakers, Rockets, Mavericks, Hawks and Warriors. Sulia

Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Dwight Howard, Free Agent 

Many league insiders believe Spurs longtime assistant Mike Budenholzer will be Danny Ferry's choice in Atlanta. ESPN.com

Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Coaching, Danny Ferry, Mike Budenholzer 

Marc J. Spears: Nate McMillan has interviewed for coach openings with the Pistons & Bucks and had a phone interview with the Hawks, a source tells Y! Sports Twitter @SpearsNBAYahoo

Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Coaching, Nate McMillan 

A source familiar with Howard's thinking says he plans to test free agency and has considered the Lakers, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Golden State. Long Beach Press-Telegram

Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Dwight Howard 

The Hawks and Celtics occupied much different places in the NBA pecking order in 1988, but the tide was turning. Boston won the title in 1986 with what some consider the greatest team in NBA history, but lost in the Finals to the Lakers in 1987 and faced challenges from up-and-coming squads in Detroit, Chicago and Atlanta. The Hawks finished the 1987-88 season 50-32, and after dispatching the Milwaukee Bucks in round one, matched up with Boston in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Dominique Wilkins (Hawks small forward): We thought we were going to win it that year. We really did. We felt good about the way we were playing, particularly the second half of the season. We just grew to have so much confidence in ourselves and each other that we believed we could have won. Larry Bird (Celtics small forward): They were up and coming. They were young. They played together, and Dominique was the leader. They had the makings of a great basketball team. NBA.com

Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Larry Bird, Dominique Wilkins 

A league source says Chris Paul will check out other teams, as Howard is expected to do. If Paul leaves, it could could pose a problem for the Lakers, who had enough already, if he and Dwight Howard decide to create a new option, joining up in Atlanta. Howard and Paul are pals. The Hawks can open up two maximum slots. They mused about Atlanta (D12’s from there, CP3 from North Carolina) years ago, before fate led them in other directions. Lakers Nation

Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard 

ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy also is said to be a candidate. Atlanta Coach Larry Drew, whose job status with the Hawks remains uncertain, is interested in the Clippers’ job, several executives said. Los Angeles Times

Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Coaching, Jeff Van Gundy, Larry Drew 

Atlanta Hawks player Dahntay Jones says he feels REALLLY bad about injuring Kobe Bryant's ankle right before the NBA playoffs ... but he's adamant, he didn't do it on purpose! Jones was at LAX yesterday when he told TMZ ... even though it's only been 2 months since the controversial play, he doesn't hold a grudge against people like Ice Cube -- who called him a dirty cheater days after the play. In case you forgot, Lakers fans were calling for Dahntay's head after Kobe landed on DJ's ankle during a jump shot on March 13 -- with people saying Dahntay put his foot in Kobe's jump zone with the intention of injuring the NBA star. "I apologize once again," DJ told us ... "I wish you a speedy recovery, Kobe." TMZ.com

Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Injuries, Dahntay Jones 

Interesting footnote about the Nets' coaching search: Italian legend Ettore Messina, reported by Yahoo! Sports to be a candidate tempting Atlanta Hawks GM Danny Ferry, is not on Brooklyn's list. If the Hawks were to make him the first European head coach in NBA history, Messina would have to find a way out of Russian super club CSKA Moscow, which for years received considerable financial support from Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov. ESPN.com

Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Coaching, Danny Ferry, Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia, Ettore Messina, CSKA Moscow 

Howard is expected to entertain the free-agency process and hear competing offers from Houston, Dallas and others, multiple sources told ESPNLosAngeles.com. Cleveland and Atlanta are teams that will also be vying for Howard, among other suitors. ESPN.com

Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Dwight Howard 

The pitches he will get after the second leg of this journey, the ones that will likely come from Houston, Dallas and Atlanta, among others (after July 1), will no doubt be very different. And yes, he intends to listen to those pitches, and no, he won't give the Lakers an answer in advance of the beginning of the free-agency period so they can plan accordingly. ESPN.com

Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Dwight Howard