Steve Kerr, Kelly Oubre address recent Warriors Pelicans trade rumors

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Kerr, Oubre downplay recent Warriors Pelicans trade rumors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

Kelly Oubre Jr. isn’t a stranger to trades. In his six seasons in the NBA, he has played on four different teams. It’s the hardest part of the job.

So when rumors about Oubre started circling Tuesday afternoon, it was nothing knew for him. But that doesn’t make it any less challenging to deal with.

“I tell players this all the time, and I told Kelly this: this is where you really earn your money,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Wednesday’s 123-111 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “The basketball part is the easy part. But packing up your family and leaving, getting injured, getting booed, or reading your name in trade rumors, those things are not easy. I was really proud of Kelly. He handled it really well … He came in and had one of his best games. He was really the key to us finally gaining some traction in the game in the second quarter.”

Kerr sent Oubre a text message Wednesday afternoon, reminding him not to let the rumors get to his head. After the game, Kerr approached Oubre again, letting him know how proud he was.

The rumors surrounding Oubre include him being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans for Lonzo Ball and J.J. Redick. According to Kerr, a coach called the Warriors on Tuesday morning to simply ask about Oubre, but no offer was formally, or informally, presented.

These conversations and rumors are nearly impossible to ignore. Oubre was well aware of them. But he didn’t believe they affected his game. If they did, they only had a positive impact.

Oubre scored 16 points in the second quarter of the Warriors win – the most he’s ever scored in a single period. Through the 18 games Oubre has played in a Golden State uniform, and the six games he’s played more with the second unit, Oubre’s increasing comfort level with the team is showing. He has more confidence in what he is doing, which is leading him to him playing with better execution and efficiency.

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“Just to be able to lead the charge, play with the guys and continuously bring energy to the second unit, it’s an amazing slot for me,” Oubre said. “To run, take my time, find my rhythm.”

Oubre finished the night with 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block, and also brought something that won’t show up in the box score, but was crucial to their victory: energy and showmanship. He took charges, flew for a poster of Naz Reid, and pulled another celebration from his repertoire.

Oubre hit some push ups after being shoved to the floor 😂 pic.twitter.com/naDFIMRyDd — Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 28, 2021

“I like to perform,” Oubre said. “My job is to go out there and perform and put on a show. Obviously, there are no fans this year so it kind of dumbs down that element to the game, but that’s part of my job. To go out there and make people feel like they’re on the court or feel the energy from the court. It’s an unseen element to this game that I love.”

He had a different tenacity Wednesday night. Perhaps it was just that someone needed to lift the Warriors out of the lull they started the game with. Maybe it was him getting his groove back after two early fouls sent him to the bench. Or, he was trying to prove something.

Whether it was to the Warriors directly, or to those outside the organization saying he shouldn’t be here, he sent a message. It was clear on the court, but in case it wasn’t, he spelled it out postgame.

“I am a Warrior,” Oubre said. “Let’s go get this f–king ring.”

NFL rumors: Texans set to hire long-time Andy Reid Eagles assistant as head coach

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Texans hiring long-time Andy Reid Eagles assistant as HC originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

David Culley has coached under several branches of the Andy Reid coaching tree.

Now he’s part of the Andy Reid coaching tree.

Culley, the Eagles’ only wide receivers coach during Big Red’s 14 years with the Eagles, will become the new head coach of the Houston Texans, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero:

Amidst scrutiny of the NFL’s hiring practices, the #Texans had the final head-coaching vacancy and are now poised to hire the first Black head coach, and second minority, in this cycle as they work towards finalizing a deal with David Culley. — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 28, 2021

Culley has also coached under Sean McDermott with the Bills and John Harbaugh with the Ravens.

Culley replaces Bill O’Brien, fired on Oct. 5 with the Texans sitting at 0-4. At 65, he’ll become he 4th-oldest current NFL head coach, behind Pete Carroll (69), Bill Belichick (68) and Bruce Arians (68) and one of the oldest - if not the oldest - first-time NFL head coaches ever.

His hiring fills the seventh and final head coaching opening this offseason.

Just a few days ago, Culley seemed to be a long-shot candidate for the job.

The Texans interviewed several other candidates with Eagles ties, including Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who was on Reid’s staff with Culley; Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who played for Reid in 1999 before coaching with him in K.C.; and former Eagles quarterback Josh McCown.

Culley becomes the 11th Reid assistant to become a head coach, following Harbaugh, McDermott, Frazier, Ron Rivera, Pat Shurmur, Steve Spagnuolo and Brad Childress from Reid’s original Eagles staff; Matt Nagy and Doug Pederson, who coached with Reid both with the Eagles and Chiefs; and Todd Bowles, who was here in 2012.

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He’ll be the fifth member of that coaching tree who’ll be a head coach in 2021, along with Harbaugh, McDermott, Rivera and Nagy, whose teams all reached the playoffs this past year.

Culley began his coaching career as running backs coach at Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn., in 1978, and had stints at seven colleges before getting his first NFL job as wide receivers coach on Sam Wyche’s Buccaneers staff in 1994. He spent 1997 and 1998 with Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh before joining Reid’s Eagles staff in 1999.

Culley and running backs coach Ted Williams are the only assistant coaches who held the same title for all 14 years of Reid’s coaching tenure with the Eagles.

It was Culley who was the only assistant coach Terrell Owens would talk to before he was suspended in 2005.

Culley went to the Chiefs with Reid in 2013 but left after the 2016 season to become the Bills’ quarterbacks coach in an attempt to become more marketable as a potential head coach, similar to when Reid moved Harbaugh from special teams to secondary in 2007.

He spent two years with McDermott in Buffalo before joining Harbaugh in Baltimore in 2019 as passing game coordinator, wide receivers coach and assistant head coach.

Culley becomes the third black coach in the NFL, joining the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin and the Dolphins’ Brian Flores.

His hiring means Bieniemy once again has been passed over despite spending the last three years as offensive coordinator of the NFL’s top-ranked Chiefs offense. Bieniemy, who finished his nine-year playing career with the Eagles in 1999, has had at least 12 head coaching interviews over the last three offseason.

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Knicks Rumors: Rose, Gibson, Ball, Robinson

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Following up on a Shams Charania report from Tuesday, Marc Berman of The New York Post confirms that the Knicks have interest in Derrick Rose, though he hears from sources that the team hasn’t yet talked to the Pistons about a possible trade.

According to Berman, sources close to Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau believe he would like to reunite with Rose, who played for him in Chicago and Minnesota. Berman notes that Thibodeau “pushed hard” for New York to re-sign Taj Gibson, who was also a member of the Bulls and Timberwolves under Thibs.

If the Knicks do give up any sort of asset for Rose, that would be a strong indication the team believes it would be able to re-sign him when he becomes a free agent during the 2021 offseason, says Ian Begley of SNY.tv. For now, it remains to be seen whether the Pistons will move Rose — or whether New York will make the best offer.

Here’s more on the Knicks: