HoopsHype.com Rumors

Matt Dery: For those of you asking, yes... Phil Jackson is in town today. #Pistons. Twitter @deryNBA

Detroit Pistons, Phil Jackson 

The Pistons, according to NBA coaching sources, are adding Houston Rockets assistant J.B. Bickerstaff to the list of candidates they're considering to replace the ousted Lawrence Frank. ESPN.com

Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Coaching, JB Bickerstaff 

Isiah Thomas watches the news coming out of the Pistons’ camp with great interest. A color analyst for NBATV, Thomas still would like to be a part of the Pistons’ organization. If owner Tom Gores invited him to interview for the vacant head coaching job, the Hall of Famer would gladly accept. “I love the Pistons, and I have and will always help them anyway I can,” Thomas said last week. Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Isiah Thomas, Tom Gores 

Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson is scheduled to arrive in the Detroit area today and begin consulting the Pistons on their coaching search, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press this morning. But the source reiterated that Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars is “running the show,” and Jackson will be here strictly to assist Dumars. Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Hall of Fame 

The candidates known to have received interviews are former SuperSonics and Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan, Phoenix Suns interim coach Lindsey Hunter and San San Antonio Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer. The source added that, if Dumars thinks it would be productive, Jackson would participate in some of the candidate interviews this week. Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Joe Dumars, Nate McMillan, Mike Budenholzer, Lindsey Hunter 

San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer has emerged as a candidate for the Detroit Pistons' head coaching job, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Pistons president Joe Dumars traveled to San Antonio on Wednesday and spent several hours meeting with Budenholzer, the top assistant to Gregg Popovich. Yahoo! Sports

Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Coaching, Joe Dumars, Mike Budenholzer 

Chris Mannix: Knicks assistant coach Darrell Walker is a candidate for the Pistons coaching job, sources say. Walker was a Pistons assistant from '08-'11 Twitter

Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Coaching, Darrell Walker 

One source close to the situation told ESPN.com that Jackson's willingness to counsel Gores and Pistons president Joe Dumars as they weigh candidates to replace the ousted Lawrence Frank is an unpaid consultancy stemming from Jackson's friendship with Gores and "does not foreclose any options" with regard to the 11-time championship coach's intentions to find a new full-time NBA management job. ESPN.com

Detroit Pistons, Phil Jackson, Joe Dumars 

Jackson's arrangement with the Pistons, according to sources, is an "act of friendship." Former New York Knicks and Utah Jazz executive Dave Checketts previously served as a Pistons adviser to Gores without officially joining team management. ESPN.com

Detroit Pistons, Phil Jackson, Joe Dumars 

Tom Gores’ vow to use every available resource to restore the Pistons to greatness has led him to Phil Jackson, who has agreed to serve in an advisory capacity in the franchise’s search for a head coach. “Phil Jackson is a friend and one of the best minds in the business,” Gores said. “We are thrilled to have him as an adviser as we make some very important decisions for this franchise. Joe (Dumars) and I discussed this and he and I are in full agreement that this is a great opportunity.” NBA.com

Detroit Pistons, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Owners, Tom Gores 

A spokesman for Gores indicated that this is an advisory role and not a formal position inside the Pistons organization. Joe Dumars, president of basketball operations, said he welcomes Jackson’s input. “Tom and I discussed using a consultant as part of our decision-making process in our search for a head coach and we feel that Phil Jackson is a great resource to use,” Dumars said. “I look forward to talking with Phil next week.” NBA.com

Detroit Pistons, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Owners, Tom Gores 

Gery Woelfel: Milwaukee isn't only team keenly interested in Kelvin Sampson. Charlotte, Detroit and Philadelphia also have him on their radar. Twitter @GeryWoelfel

Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Coaching, Kelvin Sampson 

Sloan said he hasn’t heard anything from Milwaukee, Charlotte, Philadelphia or Detroit, teams that officially have jobs open. “I’ve not aware of any (interest from those teams),’’ Sloan said. “I haven’t said hello to anybody.’’ Sulia

Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Coaching, Jerry Sloan 

Adrian Wojnarowski: Another coaching candidate, sources say, near top of Milwaukee Bucks list: Nate McMillan. So far, Pistons have met twice with McMillan. Twitter @WojYahooNBA

Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Coaching, Nate McMillan 

The Pistons are pursuing Sampson and McMillan, the former Trail Blazers coach, sources said. Team president Joe Dumars has long admired McMillan, and owner Tom Gores is taking a leading role in the search. "He's looking to put his stamp on this one," a person familiar with Gores' approach said. CBSSports.com

Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Coaching, Nate McMillan, Kelvin Sampson 

Woodson was asked if he ever thinks about what would have happened had he gotten the Pistons' head coaching job two years ago. He said no. "Man, listen, I'm happy to be in New York," Woodson said. "I'm just going to tell you that. I'm happy where I am, man. This couldn't have worked out any better for me as a coach: to be able to come back where I started [as a player]." Newsday

Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Mike Woodson, Coaching 

Keith Langlois: This teaser on @Andre Drummond. Plans not final, but he's reached out to Hakeem Olajuwon for a summer session with the HOFer in Houston. Twitter

Detroit Pistons, Hakeem Olajuwon, Andre Drummond 

Andre Drummond: Congrats to my boy @Damian Lillard on getting rookie of the year! Great season bro! instagram.com/p/Yyfx2oyMY8/ Twitter @DRE_DRUMMOND_

Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Andre Drummond, Damian Lillard 

Sampson is well-regarded within the Bucks organization and the Bucks will aggressively pursue him along with Van Gundy, sources said. Sampson spent two seasons as an assistant with former Bucks coach Scott Skiles, and he knows the organization well. Sampson has drawn significant interest as a head-coaching candidate this spring. Charlotte will interview him soon, and Philadelphia and Detroit also could reach out to meet with him, sources said. Yahoo! Sports

Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Coaching, Kelvin Sampson 

Adrian Wojnarowski: Detroit GM Joe Dumars met with Nate McMillan in N.C. last week, sources say. Ownership expected to be involved in formal interview today. Twitter

Detroit Pistons, Coaching, Joe Dumars, Nate McMillan