July 2013 – Page 3 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

Lakers hire Kurt Rambis, Johnny Davis as assistant coaches

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Kurt Rambis and Johnny Davis as assistant coaches, it was announced today by Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak. The pair will join Lakers assistant coach Dan D’Antoni, who returns from last season, in addition to Mark Madsen and Larry Lewis, who were hired earlier as player development coaches.

“Kurt and Johnny bring many years of NBA experience both as coaches and as former players to this team,” said Lakers Head Coach Mike D’Antoni. “Kurt is a great basketball mind, extremely good at working with big men and his experience as a head coach in this league is going to prove very helpful to our staff. Johnny is a two-time NBA head coach with years of experience playing as well as coaching in this league. The vast array of NBA knowledge he brings to the table will be invaluable to us.”

Rambis previously served three stints with the Lakers as an assistant coach, first from 1994-1999, before taking over as head coach 13 games into the 1998-99 season. He tied a then-NBA record with nine consecutive wins to start his head coaching career and led the team to a 24-13 mark and into the Western Conference Semifinals. Rambis then served as Advisor and Assistant General Manager from 1999-2001, and then as Vice President of Business and Basketball Integration for half of the 2004-05 season.

Rambis also served as an assistant coach with the Lakers from 2001-04 and from 2005-09, helping to guide the team to two NBA Championships (2002 and 2009) as well as NBA Finals appearances in 2004 and 2008. Rambis then went to Minnesota, where he was the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2009-11.

In addition, Rambis played during the Lakers “Showtime” era and helped the team win NBA titles in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. Rambis spent the 2012-13 season serving as a basketball analyst for ESPN and Time Warner Cable Sportsnet.

Davis joins the Lakers with over two decades of NBA coaching experience. The Detroit native most recently spent the previous two seasons (2011-13) as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors. Before joining the Raptors, Davis worked six seasons as an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies (2007-11), Indiana Pacers (2006-07) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2005-06). Davis spent two seasons (2003-05) as head coach of the Orlando Magic, where he was an assistant coach from 1999-03 before being promoted eleven games into the 2003-04 season. His stint with the Magic was the second head coaching job for Davis, who also spent one year (1996-97) at the helm of the Philadelphia 76ers. The 23-year coaching veteran has also worked as an assistant coach for the Nets (1997-99), Trail Blazers (1994-96), Clippers (1993-94) and Hawks (1990-93). Additionally, Davis served two games as the Grizzlies interim head coach in January 2009.

Before joining the coaching ranks, Davis, who holds a Master’s Degree in Sports Psychology, spent three seasons (1987-90) in the front office of the Atlanta Hawks where he served in a variety of roles including Director of Community Affairs, Assistant to the President, and President of the Atlanta Hawks Foundation. Selected by the Trail Blazers in the second round of the 1976 draft, the University of Dayton alum played with four teams (Trail Blazers, Pacers, Hawks and Cavaliers) in ten years (1976–86), winning an NBA Championship in his rookie season with Portland.

Thunder management trying to avoid luxury tax for another season

Within the NBA’s rookie pay scale, teams are given enough leeway to sign their first-rounders to between 80 percent and 120 percent of their pick’s suggested value.

Almost always, rookies are quickly offered and sign near the maximum, like Steven Adams did last week, reaching a deal with the Thunder that will pay him $2.09 million next season, nearly $400,000 more than the suggested value of the 12th pick.

So that’s why it was a bit surprising when, late last week, word also surfaced that the Thunder brass had lowballed its other first-round pick, signing Andre Roberson to only 80 percent of his first-year value.

The 2013-14 pay scale suggests the 26th pick make $925,700 next season. Its maximum value is around $1.1 million. But Roberson will only bring in $740,560.

Reported by Anthony Slater of Oklahoman

Celtics hiring Ronald Nored in a player development role

The Boston Celtics have hired former Butler guard Ronald Nored in a player development role, a source told ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman.

The 23-year-old Nored, a guard on Butler’s two Final Four teams coached by new Celtics coach Brad Stevens, is also expected to have a role with the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s D-League affiliate.

Despite his age, Nored is considered a rising star in the coaching ranks and spent his post-Butler days as an assistant at the University of South Alabama and coaching high school ball outside of Indianapolis.

Reported by Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston

Atlanta Hawks are getting Gustavo Ayon

The Atlanta Hawks have claimed center Gustavo Ayon off waivers, sources told ESPN.com.

The Milwaukee Bucks waived Ayon last week before his $1.5 million salary became guaranteed. The Hawks will pick up the 6-foot-10 Mexican’s salary, which now becomes guaranteed.

The Hawks and Bucks have been involved in a series of transactions involving each other this summer. The Bucks signed Hawks’ restricted free agent point guard Jeff Teague to an $8 million per season offer sheet, which the Hawks matched.

Reported by Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com

Andrew Goudelock signs one-year deal to play in Russia

After failing to field any NBA offers that entailed guaranteed deals, Andrew Goudelock has accepted a one-year deal to play with the Russian basketball team BC UNICS Kazan.

The offer is worth “considerably more” than Goudelock would’ve made with an NBA minimum salary worth around $1 million, according to a source familiar with the details. But exact terms weren’t immediately provided.

The Lakers declined to grant Goudelock a $1.1 million qualifying offer, which would’ve made him a restricted free agent and enabled the Lakers to match any offer sheet he fielded.

Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog)

Speculation on LeBron James 2014 free agency already in high gear

Despite James winning consecutive championships and most valuable player of the year awards, the talk remains on his next move.

You don’t hear any discussions about the Heat possibly becoming the first team to three-peat since the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002, no one is talking about James perhaps ending his career in Miami.

Instead, there is only speculation of James playing everywhere from Dallas to Los Angeles to New York to even returning to Cleveland.

“I guess it’s a byproduct of the way the league is right now,” Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.

“There’s always going to be speculation. That’s sort of the nature of the league. But he’s property of the Heat right now and no one can really talk about it.”

This should all sound familiar. James endured a similar struggle during the 2009-10 season, his first experience as a free agent.

Reported by Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Veteran center Marcus Camby returning to Houston Rockets

Even in July, in a match up against Eastern Conference contenders, homecourt advantage served the Rockets well. But it took more than that for the Rockets to bring back veteran center Marcus Camby.

In a measure of how much the Rockets have changed, becoming a potential contender themselves, a year after the Rockets let Camby head out of town in part of their transformation to the NBA’s youngest team, he will return to his adopted hometown to rejoin a team so radically transformed that he once again should fit in with a team’s win-now approach.

Camby chose to sign with the Rockets as a free agent, a person with knowledge of the decision said, to play for team far more prepared to compete than the team he left as a free agent last summer. A longtime resident of Pearland, Camby also considered the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat.

Camby will sign a veteran’s minimum, worth $1.4 million next season.

Reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Blog)

Doc Rivers says Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett still have game

Rivers said both unquestionably have something left.

“I think obviously Paul’s younger and in tune to play more minutes than Kevin,” Rivers said. “But I think they’re still at the top of their games. I think Paul is still one of those guys who can go off for big nights and still have big scoring nights. Kevin is a culture change. He won’t play but 20 to 25 minutes a night and there’ll probably be nights when he doesn’t play but his presence there alone will absolutely change the culture of Brooklyn. There’s no doubt about it. I think for some of the young guys, even some of the veteran stars, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams, will learn and understand what a winner is and looks like and professionalism and being prepared.

“That’s what I was most impressed with Kevin, how every game he prepared himself for games. That’s what I told our young guys that I just wanted them to watch him prepare for games. It was why he was so consistent. I thought it was that important.”

Reported by Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Blog)

Chris Paul may play 2016 Olympic Games

A floor general in basketball is always important. But when you take a group of stars and try to teach them to also play like smart role players, leadership is even more crucial than ever. With that said, Team USA could really use a point guard like CP3.

Chris Paul has changed his mind and is leaning toward playing in the 2016 Olympics.

The Los Angeles Clippers point guard, who was on the 2008 and 2012 gold medal teams, said he was leaning heavily toward bypassing the 2016 Games — until Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski announced he was returning to coach the team.

“If it had been another coach than Coach K, I was prepared to be done,” Paul told ESPN.com.

Paul will be 31 when the 2016 Olympics, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, take place. He will still likely be a major piece for the team, despite a strong crop of young and talented point guards that includes Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry.

Reported by Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com

So far, Kevin Durant and Kevin Love are in. It’ll be fun seeing who else joins the squad.

Sixers not expected to be competitive anytime soon

The Sixers grabbed Nerlens Noel because he is potentially a first-pick talent who slid to the No. 6 pick in the draft because the market was scared away by his knee injury. They took Michael Carter-Williams, a very athletic, tall point guard who was available at the 11th pick only because other teams thought he was less attractive than players who can shoot and take care of the basketball.

“We’ll focus on building something that will end in a place everybody will be proud of. If our young players play great, then things will move on quickly. If they don’t, then it will move along more slowly,” Hinkie said. “It’s a little early right now. [Noel and Carter-Williams] are both under contract for four years. That allows you to look around the bend a little bit, and look past a turnover or be patient with an injury.”

It will remain a little early for the Sixers to be truly competitive for some years to come. They get the benefit of upcoming draft picks as long as they are not very good, so it isn’t logical to rush the process. They can also delay giving up the two first-round picks they owe – to Miami in the Arnett Moultrie deal, and to Orlando in the Andrew Bynum deal – by continuing to finish poorly. (It is even possible that the Orlando pick will turn into a pair of second-round picks in 2018 and 2019 if they stink long enough. Not sure local patience could stretch that far, but just throwing it out there.)

Among the other undervalued players collected by Hinkie for very little risk are James Anderson, a guard whose resumé is underwhelming, and Tim Ohlbrecht, a 6-foot-11 German national with D-League experience, both of whom were claimed off waivers from Houston.

Reported by Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer