Month: August 2014

Shaun Livingston out at least 6-8 weeks after toe surgery

Shaun Livingston out at least 6-8 weeks after toe surgery

Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on the big toe of his right foot earlier this week and is expected to be out a minimum of six-to-eight weeks, the team announced today.

The procedure, a debridement (cleaning out of debris) in his right big toe, was performed on Wednesday, August 13, by Dr. Richard Ferkel at the Southern California Orthopedic Institute in Van Nuys, CA. As part of his rehabilitation from the surgery, Livingston will be in a splint for the first three weeks of his recovery.

Livingston, 28, signed with the Warriors as a free agent on July 11, 2014. At that time he was diagnosed with a sprained right big toe and his right foot was placed in a cast as part of treatment for the injury. During a re-evaluation last week, it was determined that the injury was still present.

Utah Jazz sign guard Dee Bost

Utah Jazz sign guard Dee Bost

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed free-agent guard Dee Bost.

According to the Deseret News via Twitter, “Bost’s deal with Jazz/Stampede is worth $65,000, per sources. He’ll attend Jazz camp but will likely play in D-League for Idaho.”

Bost (6-2, 176, Mississippi State) played for the Idaho Stampede last season, averaging 15.2 points, a team-high 8.4 assists, 6.1 rebounds and team-leading 2.1 steals in 40.5 minutes in 50 games (all starts). He ranked second in the D-League in assists and minutes per game, and fourth in steals during the 2013-14 campaign. Bost scored in double figures in 41 games, including 14 contests recording 20-plus points. He also registered five triple-doubles and 10 double-doubles and was selected to participate in the 2014 NBA D-League All-Star Game.

The 24-year-old guard attended training camp with the Portland Trail Blazers prior to the 2013-14 season. Bost spent the 2012-13 season with Budućnost Podgorica of Montenegro, where he appeared in 54 games (44 starts) and averaged 8.3 points, 1.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per game.

He played four seasons at Mississippi State, averaging 15.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals in 36.3 minutes during his senior campaign and was named to the 2012 All-SEC First Team. Bost also appeared on the 2009 SEC All-Freshman Team and the All-SEC Second Team for two consecutive seasons (2010, 2011). He was not selected in the 2012 NBA Draft.

A native of Charlotte, N.C., Bost played high school basketball at Concord High School in Concord, N.C. He was named the 2007 Male Athlete of the Year by the Charlotte Observer. Bost played one season at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., helping lead the team to a perfect 29-0 record and the 2008 National Prep Championship.

Bost will wear uniform #2 for the Jazz.

Kings sign center Sim Bhullar

kings

The Sacramento Kings have signed center Sim Bhullar to a contract, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.

It’s unclear how long Bhullar will remain with the Kings or if he’ll be able to stick around in the NBA, but at least he has a shot to prove himself.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Bhullar becomes the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA team. The 7-foot-5, 360-pound center was a member of the Kings squad that captured the 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League title in Las Vegas.

In his two seasons at New Mexico State, the Aggies standout averaged 10.2 points (.633 FG%, .496 FT%), 7.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.9 blocks and 25.3 minutes per game in 65 career games. Bhullar was a two-time Western Athletic Conference Tournament MVP, helping the school reach the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2014. As a freshman, he was named WAC Freshman of the Year after accruing averages of 10.1 points (.621 FG%, .465 FT%), 6.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 2.4 blocks and 24.4 minutes per game for the Aggies. He set a single-season school record for most blocked shots with 85 and his .621 field goal percentage ranked fourth on the NMSU single-season list and first in the WAC in 2012-13.

“I’ve long believed that India is the next great frontier for the NBA, and adding a talented player like Sim only underscores the exponential growth basketball has experienced in that nation,” said Kings Owner Vivek Ranadivé. “While Sim is the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA franchise, he represents one of many that will emerge from that region as the game continues to garner more attention and generate ever-increasing passion among a new generation of Indian fans.”

During the past NBA 2013-14 season, the Kings televised over 20 live games in India, launched a website in Hindi to connect with a rapidly growing Hindi-speaking fan base from around the world, sent the Sacramento Kings players and dancers to Mumbai, and signed the team’s first India-based sponsor.

Latest appeal from Donald Sterling fails

Donald Sterling’s latest effort to block the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was rejected Wednesday by a California appeals court.

The 2nd District Court of Appeal issued a brief order Wednesday saying it couldn’t halt a sale that had been completed.

“The evidence before this court indicates the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to Steven Ballmer has closed,” the court wrote. “Thus, there is nothing for this court to stay.”

— AP

No negativity toward Rockets from Omer Asik

Here’s the Houston Chronicle Blog reporting on center Omer Asik, who is gone from Houston:

No negativity toward Rockets from Omer Asik

Former Rockets’ center Omer Asik said that he was going to miss Houston and was grateful for his time with the Rockets.

Asik, the only NBA player on the Turkish national team, is preparing for the FIBA World Championships taking place later this month in Spain.

Just before coming back to Turkey this summer, he found out he would be traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. Asik said he was excited for the opportunity and that he would miss the people in the Rockets organization and his teammates.

He said there were no hard feelings toward the franchise despite the early season drama that surrounded the team’s acquisition of Dwight Howard. Asik, a former starter, had been made a backup to Howard and then suffered a series of leg injuries. Despite the tough year, he was key in the postseason, starting alongside Howard against the Blazers and giving the Rockets the “twin towers” look that they were after when the season started.

Stephen Curry may play off ball more under Coach Kerr

Here’s the Bay Area News Group blog reporting on Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry:

Stephen Curry may play off ball more under Coach Kerr

Warriors guard Stephen Curry has high hopes after becoming an All-Star for the first time last season.

“I’m trying to establish myself as the best point guard in the league, and just that that quest for a championship is something that I value highly,” Curry told CBS Sports Radio on Wednesday.

New coach Steve Kerr, who as a TNT broadcaster gave Curry a vote for the All-NBA second team last season, will look to help his star player get there by taking some pressure off the guard who carried the load for Mark Jackson’s offense.

According to associate head coach Alvin Gentry, that means taking the ball out of Curry’s hands more often with big men doing more passing so that the All-Star doesn’t have to work as hard every night to score.

Isaiah Thomas undergoes left wrist surgery

Isaiah Thomas undergoes left wrist surgery

Phoenix Suns guard Isaiah Thomas today underwent a successful arthroscopy of his left wrist, the team has announced. He is expected to participate fully in the team’s training camp. The procedure was performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgeries in New York.

The Suns acquired Thomas from the Sacramento Kings in a sign-and-trade on July 12. A product of the University of Washington, Thomas is a three-year NBA veteran who averaged career-highs of 20.3 points on 45.3 percent shooting, 6.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 72 games with the Kings last season. For his career, Thomas holds averages of 15.3 points on 44.7 percent shooting from the field, 36.0 percent from behind the arc and 85.7 percent from the stripe.

Dramatic Carmelo Anthony weight-loss

Here’s the New York Post reporting on Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony. Note that in our opinion, the angle and lighting in the photo above probably exaggerates the amount of weight Melo lost. Sure, he got thinner, but the photo makes him look like a skinny teenager. Guess we’ll find out once training camp opens in September. Here’s the Post:

Carmelo Anthony took a $5 million pay cut on his new contract, but it appears he took a bigger cut in weight. According to an Anthony confidant, Anthony has done so in order to resemble his physique as a rookie with the Nuggets and to be more viable in Phil Jackson’s triangle offense.

A photo of Anthony this week on his Instagram showed what appeared to be a dramatic weight loss since the season ended. Anthony, who turned 30 on May 29, looks younger with the weight loss.

“He wants to be as athletic as he was when he was a rookie,’’ the confidant told The Post. “Plus he wants to be a facilitator in the triangle and speed will help that.’’

D-League: Dean Cooper named head coach of Idaho Stampede

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has named Dean Cooper as head coach of the Idaho Stampede, the team’s D-League affiliate, pending league approval.

Cooper becomes the 10th head coach in Stampede history and the sixth since the organization became a member of the NBA Development League.

“We are pleased to welcome Dean to our organization,” said Utah Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey. “The D-League is a critical component in building teams and it begins with each affiliate’s head coach. Dean’s addition is another step in the continued expansion of our basketball operations, and his experience and teaching ability will be a tremendous asset to both the Idaho Stampede and Utah Jazz.”

Cooper spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets on Kevin McHale’s staff. He began his NBA career with the Rockets in 1999 as a video coordinator, eventually becoming an assistant coach to Rudy Tomjanovich. When Jeff Van Gundy succeeded Tomjanovich, Cooper transitioned to the front office as a personnel scout for one season before eventually becoming the Director of Scouting (2004-07) and Vice President of Player Personnel (2007-08).

He spent the 2008-09 season as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves when McHale was the interim coach. Following a one-year stint as a regional scout for the Timberwolves (2009-10), Cooper became Director of Player Development for the Portland Trail Blazers under then-coach Nate McMillan.

“The Utah Jazz and Idaho Stampede are both model organizations with winning traditions and passionate fans,” said Cooper. “I am looking forward to working with Coach Snyder as we develop a unified approach to player development while continuing to put a team on the floor that will compete every night and make the Boise community proud.”

Prior to the NBA, Cooper coached four years at the collegiate level. For two seasons he was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich., before taking a similar role at the University of Buffalo for two years. While at Aquinas, he also served in an advance scouting role for the Connecticut Pride of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for one season. Cooper began his coaching career at a pair of Michigan high schools, spending five years at Belding High School and three years at Caledonia High School.

A native of Belding, Mich., Cooper has been a camp director in the NBA’s Basketball without Borders program since 2005. Married to Melanie Cooper, he earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from Aquinas College.

“Having coached in the D-League for three seasons, I learned what an extension your affiliate is of your NBA program,” said Utah Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder. “Dean has a proven history of player development which is an integral aspect of my coaching philosophy. As an extension of our staff, he will work hand-in-hand with us to establish a clear, seamless connection to ensure we are stressing the same principles in Utah and Idaho.”

The Jazz and Stampede have a single affiliation partnership that begins with the 2014-15 NBA D-League season. The partnership, also referred to as a “hybrid affiliation,” is the ninth of its kind in the NBA D-League and enables the Jazz to manage all aspects of the Stampede’s basketball operations, while the existing local ownership group headed by Bill Ilett maintains primary responsibility for the team’s off-the-court business operations and community initiatives.