HoopsHype.com Rumors

World Peace spoke about how blessed players and coaches are for the lives they have. "I think it's a good life and it's a good job, at the end of the day," World Peace said. "I get the chance to go out there and have fun." As far as what happened to the Lakers this season, starting 1-4 before Friday night's victory over the Golden State Warriors, interim head coach Bernie Bickerstaff had a simple answer. "Yeah, there was something missing . . . [Steve] Nash." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Steve Nash, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff, Mike Brown 

Marc J. Spears: Kupchak told Y! Sports a new coach could be hired in "four or five days." Interim Bernie Bickerstaff will likely coach Sun vs Sac,Tues vs SA Twitter @SpearsNBAYahoo

Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff 

Despite the many calls for Brown's job around L.A., the mood at Staples Center on Friday night was more awkward than elated. Assistant coaches who just started working for the Lakers this season are finished with the team but still languishing on the bench. One of them, Bernie Bickerstaff, hired Brown for his first job as video coordinator in Denver and is now the Lakers interim coach. During a tense pre-game press conference, which was even attended by former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, it seemed Bickerstaff was biting his tongue to keep from lashing out at the club he was coaching. "It's a tough situation," Bickerstaff admitted. SI.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff 

In the short term, Lakers assistant Bernie Bickerstaff will serve as the team's interim coach, while the rest of the assistants will stay put. That includes Eddie Jordan, Darvin Ham and Chuck Person. Kupchak said he talked with Bickerstaff for 30-45 minutes, explaining the strong possibility the promotion is only temporary. "If we don't get the coach and we want and Bernie is doing a great job, crazy things happen in this league," Kupchak said. "But I think going into it and the way I explained it to him, that's not the plan. But it's certainly a possibility." Los Angeles Daily News

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff 

Adrian Wojnarowski: Bickerstaff has told league friends that he doesn't expect to be interim past a game, sources say. "He didn't go to LA for that," one says. Twitter @WojYahooNBA

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff 

Ken Berger: League sources now say assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff will coach the Lakers tonight against Golden State. Twitter @KBergCBS

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff 

KC Johnson: Bernie Bickerstaff, who assisted Vinny Del Negro on Bulls' staff among his many NBA stops, will coach Lakers vs. GS for fired Mike Brown. Twitter @KCJHoop

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff 

Mike Trudell: The Lakers just announced that they hired Eddie Jordan, Steve Clifford and Bernie Bickerstaff as assistant coaches. Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff, Eddie Jordan, Steve Clifford 

It hasn’t exactly been a secret around the NBA that Lakers head coach Mike Brown has been courting Eddie Jordan to join his staff as an assistant coach. The official hiring of Jordan, who played for the Lakers in 1980-83 and ’84, is expected to occur in the coming days — and Brown will be hiring longtime NBA sage Bernie Bickerstaff, too. Orange County Register

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff, Mike Brown, Eddie Jordan 

Jordan has taken plenty of grief for his previous drafts, which include selecting Kwame Brown with the No. 1 overall pick when with the Wizards in 2001, and injury-prone forward Adam Morrison third with the Bobcats in 2006. But several sources say former GM Bernie Bickerstaff was the one who sold Jordan on Morrison, and that Jordan’s role in the draft process in Charlotte has been minimal. FOXSportsOhio

Charlotte Bobcats, Draft, Adam Morrison, Michael Jordan, Bernie Bickerstaff 

Wasn't Adam Morrison Michael Jordan's pick though? Rod Higgins: "No. From my gathering, because I wasn't here at that particular time, I thought it was Bernie Bickerstaff. … It's a fair question and I'm sure every market and every team has to kind of go through that process because you can second guess. I'll sit here and tell you guys that we're fairly equipped to make sound decisions. You can go back and forth and always say what if, but at the end of the day, I think that Kemba Walker and Bismack are going to be pretty good at the end of the day. I think Gerald Henderson is going to be pretty good." Deadspin.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Adam Morrison, Michael Jordan, Bernie Bickerstaff, Rod Higgins 

Mike Tokito: The choice of Canales (great guy) instead of Bernie Bickerstaff, an experienced head coach, surely carries a lot of meaning. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff, Nate McMillan, Kaleb Canales 

Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com has posted video of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan discussing the possibility of Blazers assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff being hired to serve as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Here are some quotes... "I don't really hold my coaches back. If there's an opportunity like that and Bernie still has it in his heart to coach, I think that's a great opportunity, I think that would be a great situation for him. I have to just wait and see what's going to happen with that situation. He told me before he left that he's very happy in Portland, he certainly likes what we're doing here and wants to be back. He signed his contract so I anticipate he will be back." Would he take other Blazers assistant with him? "You have to always be aware of that. Bernie is keeping me up to date as far as what's going on, what he's thinking. Right now I don't anticipate anything happening." Do you think he has a shot? "It's a young team, he does a great job with working with young groups, developing those groups, so yeah I think he does." Blazers Edge

Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff, Nate McMillan 

As his basketball camp kicks off in Tualatin, Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan welcomes former assistant Monty Williams for a visit while remaining optimistic that he won't lose Bernie Bickerstaff or any of his other assistant coaches to other opportunities this offseason. Oregonian

Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff, Nate McMillan 

Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff is scheduled on Friday to become the third candidate to interview for the Timberwolves' head coaching job. President of basketball operations David Kahn and owner Glen Taylor interviewed former Timberwolves guard Terry Porter on Monday and former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson on Tuesday. They are expected to interview Don Nelson and perhaps one or two other candidates this weekend or early next week. Bickerstaff, 67, owns a .445 winning percentage (415-517) in 13 seasons as head coach with Seattle, Denver, Washington and Charlotte. He last was a head coach for the Bobcats in 2007, when his team went 33-49. Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff 

Portland Trail Blazer assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff will be interviewed Friday in Minnesota for the vacant Timberwolves' head coaching position, it has been learned. Bickerstaff was originally rumored to be a candidate as part of a scenario that indicated he would mentor his son, John-Blair Bickerstaff, who was a Minnesota assistant coach last season, for a couple of seasons before the son took over the head coaching job. But J.B. has taken an assistant coaching position with the Houston Rockets and the elder Bickerstaff is still being considered for the T-Wolves' job. CSNNW.com

Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Bernie Bickerstaff 

Fellow coaching veteran Bernie Bickerstaff, who worked as an assistant in Portland last season, is the only candidate that the Wolves have publicly acknowledged. But the Wolves' interest in Bickerstaff was largely tied to the prospect of Minnesota keeping hold of his son, J.B. Bickerstaff, to groom him for a possible promotion to coach, sources said. J.B. Bickerstaff since has committed to join Kevin McHale's new staff in Houston, along with another reported Wolves target, Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Kelvin Sampson. It remains to be seen how much the Wolves are willing to spend on a replacement after Rambis was fired with two years left on his contract. If money is not an obstacle -- as Wolves president of basketball operations David Kahn insisted earlier this week -- Minnesota also is expected to gauge the interest of former Rockets coach Rick Adelman. ESPN.com

Minnesota Timberwolves, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff, Don Nelson, JB Bickerstaff 

Two top candidates for the job include Portland assistant Bernie Bickerstaff and Milwaukee assistant Kelvin Sampson, league source told Yahoo! Sports. J.B. Bickerstaff, a T’wolves assistant, could be part of a succession plan with his father, Bernie. Yahoo! Sports

Minnesota Timberwolves, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff, Kelvin Sampson, Kurt Rambis 

The Timberwolves have asked the Trail Blazers for permission to interview assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff for their soon-to-be vacant head coaching position, and president Larry Miller gave the OK late last week. Miller and Blazers coach Nate McMillan did not know Monday afternoon when Bickerstaff was scheduled to interview for the job and Bickerstaff was not immediately available for contact. “Bernie’s been in that position before,” McMillan said of being a head coach. “So we’ll see what happens. I don’t want to speak for Bernie, but I know he’s extremely happy with Portland and being here working with me. He’s said time and time again he likes where we are and what we’re doing. It’s going to have to be something really attractive to go.” Oregonian

Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff 

Joe Freeman: The Minnesota Timberwolves have asked the Blazers for permission to interview asst coach Bernie Bickerstaff for their head coach position. Twitter

Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Coaching, Bernie Bickerstaff