Month: December 2018

Chicago Bulls coaching staff is restructured

Changes to new Chicago Bulls head coach Jim Boylen’s coaching staff were made today.

Assistant coach Nate Loenser has been elevated to the bench, while director of player development Shawn Respert, has also been elevated to the bench, as he now joins Boylen’s staff as an assistant coach. Longtime NBA coaching veteran Dean Cooper comes to the Bulls after starting the season as an assistant coach with Chicago’s G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. Assistant coach Randy Brown notified the Bulls today that he has resigned from his post with the team.

In summary, Boylen’s coaching staff is now comprised of Pete Myers, Loenser, Respert, Cooper and Karen Stack Umlauf.

Loenser is in his second season as an assistant coach with the Bulls. He served as head coach of the Windy City Bulls during the team’s inaugural season in 2016-17. He spent the 2015-16 as Chicago’s video coordinator, after having coached at the University of Southern Mississippi and Iowa State. “Nate is a very bright, young coach who has earned this opportunity,” said Boylen.

Respert most recently served as the team’s director of player development since the start of 2017-18 season. Prior to coming to Chicago, he was a regional scout and assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies. While with the Grizzlies, he was a member of David Joerger’s staff for three seasons (2013-16). He also spent three seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he worked as an assistant coach with an emphasis on player development. He worked four seasons with the Houston Rockets as an assistant coach (2008-11). “Shawn is in charge of our player development and I feel it is vital that he is on our bench with our players,” said Boylen.

Cooper reunites with Boylen having worked together on Rudy Tomjanovich’s staff with the Houston Rockets. Before his term in Hoffman Estates with the Windy City Bulls, he was the head coach of the Salt Lake City Stars/Idaho Stampede for three seasons (2014-2017). Prior to his time with Salt Lake City, Cooper enjoyed a second stint with the Houston Rockets as an assistant coach for Kevin McHale (2012-14). His first tour with the Rockets spanned nine seasons (1999-2008) where he held several roles, including video coordinator, assistant coach, personnel scout, director of scouting and vice president of player personnel. He also spent time with the Minnesota Timberwolves as the director of player development for two seasons (2010-12). “Dean is a veteran coach who has a ton of experience and someone I have a great comfort level with,” said Boylen.

Brown, an assistant coach with the Bulls since 2015, was offered an opportunity to remain on the staff, but declined the post. “I’m disappointed Randy has made this decision, but I understand he has to do what is best for him,” said Boylen.

Rudy Gobert fined by NBA for public comments about officials

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has been fined $15,000 for public criticism of the officiating, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

Gobert made his comments to the media following the Jazz’s 102-100 loss to the Miami Heat on Dec. 2 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, “Gobert was called for a foul on Heat guard Dwyane Wade with 3.2 seconds left in that game, and the resulting free throws broke a tie and ultimately resulted in Miami’s victory. Gobert asserted that the referees had been making foul calls inconsistently throughout the game, pointing to the lack of a foul call on a Donovan Mitchell drive to the hoop on the prior possession.”

Hawks forward Taurean Prince out with ankle injury

Atlanta Hawks forward Taurean Prince sustained a left ankle injury during the fourth quarter of last night’s contest vs. the Warriors. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed today at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex revealed a ligament sprain, bone bruise and associated soft tissue inflammation.

He’ll be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks.

The Hawks are 5-19 this season through Monday’s games, which ties them with the Bulls for the worst record in the Eastern conference. Prince, who has started 20 of the 21 games he’s played in this season, is third on the team in scoring at 15.0 ppg.

Gone from Knicks, Joakim Noah signs with Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed center Joakim Noah for the remainder of the season.

The team is 13-9 so far this season. Noah will provide depth off the bench.

Noah (6-11, 230) was named the 2013-14 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, was selected to the 2013-14 All-NBA First Team and finished fourth in the Most Valuable Player voting after setting career highs with averages of 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.24 steals for the Bulls that season. His career highlights also include two consecutive NBA All-Star appearances (2013, 2014), three NBA All-Defensive honors (Second Team in 2011, First Team in 2013 and 2014) and the 2015 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “Noah, a 33-year-old center, will sign a one-year, minimum salary contract worth $1.73 million after undergoing a team physical, a source confirmed.”

The 33-year-old has appeared in 625 games (511 starts) since he was selected ninth overall in the 2007 NBA Draft and has averaged 8.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.35 blocks in 28.6 minutes over 11 NBA seasons with the Chicago Bulls (2007-16) and New York Knicks (2016-18). He has recorded 192 double-doubles and seven triple-doubles in his regular season career. Noah also has started all 60 of his playoff games and has averaged 9.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.77 blocks in 35.0 minutes.

More from the Commercial Appeal: “The Knicks waived Noah in October using the stretch provision to unload the remainder of a four-year, $72 million deal he signed with the team in the summer of 2016.”

Born in Manhattan, Noah played three seasons at the University of Florida (2004-07), where he was a member of two NCAA Championship teams (2006, 2007).

Noah will wear #55 for the Grizzlies.

Bulls fire head coach Fred Hoiberg, promote Jim Boylen

The Chicago Bulls fired head coach Fred Hoiberg today, and immediately promoted associate head coach Jim Boylen to head coach.

Often, when a head coach is fired, a temporary (interim) coach is named, but the Bulls decided there was no reason to wait and immediately gave Boylen the job.

Hoiberg was named Chicago’s head coach on June 2, 2015 after spending five seasons as head coach at Iowa State. During his time with the Bulls, he coached the team to a record of 115-155 (.426). In 2017, he guided the team to the First Round of the NBA Playoffs, where they were ousted by the Boston Celtics in six games.

According to the Chicago Tribune, “Paxson also put to rest any questions about general manager Gar Forman’s job security, saying, “Gar is absolutely safe.”

More from the Tribune: “Hoiberg, who compiled a 115-155 record and one playoff berth in his three-plus seasons, arrived at the team’s practice facility Monday morning prepared to run the 11 a.m. practice. Paxson and Forman were there to relieve him of his duties.”

In a statement released this morning, Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson said:

“Decisions like this one are never easy to make, however I felt this was the right choice for our organization at this time. After a thorough evaluation, I elected to make this move with the overall development of our team in mind. As a team, I believe it is imperative that we make unfaltering strides in the right direction and build the right habits to help put our players in the best position to evolve not only now, but into the future. I want to thank Fred for his dedication and efforts, as well as for his enduring commitment to our team.”

According to NBC Sports Chicago, “yes, the Bulls are 5-19, on an NBA-worst six-game losing streak and headed toward the NBA Draft Lottery for a third time in four years. They’re 29th in the NBA in offensive efficiency and 28th in net rating. But no team has suffered more injuries than the Bulls this season, especially to key contributors, and at one point last month Fred Hoiberg was forced to start a backcourt of Cameron Payne and Ryan Arcidiacono. What chance did he have of surviving this? The answer, Paxson said Monday afternoon at the Advocate Center, was a lack of “energy and competitive spirit” the front office noticed in games, practices and the locker room the last few weeks. That passion, Paxson said, had been evident even during last year’s tank-inspired 27-win season.”

Boylen joined the Bulls on June 17, 2015. With 33 years of coaching experience, that includes 20 seasons in the NBA, Boylen has been a part of three NBA Championship teams. He entered the NBA in 1992-93 with the Houston Rockets, where he broke in as the team’s video coordinator/scout. Following four seasons in that role, he was promoted to assistant coach on Rudy Tomjanovich’s staff. He has also served as an assistant coach with Golden State (2003-04), Milwaukee (2004-05), Indiana (2011-13) and San Antonio (2013-14). Additionally, he has coached collegiately at Michigan State, where he served on the staffs for both Jud Heathcote and Tom Izzo. Most recently on the collegiate level, he was head coach at the University of Utah, where he led the Utes to the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

The Chicago Tribune reports: “Jim Boylen is the new Bulls coach and never has been the Bulls coach (if you don’t count that one day on Easter; see below). Jim Boylan, however, was the Bulls interim head coach in 2007-08. The two actually worked together at Michigan State. Boylan was Scott Skiles’ longtime right-hand man and went 24-32 down the stretch of the 2007-08 season. Boylan almost fared well enough to keep the job. But as the Bulls lucked into drafting Derrick Rose that offseason, John Paxson began a coaching search that ultimately netted Vinny Del Negro.”

Hornets forward Marvin Williams injures shoulder

 

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Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exam today, and it turns out his injury is a right shoulder strain. The injury took place with 8:45 left in the second quarter of the Hornets’ loss last night to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Williams will miss Wednesday’s game at Minnesota, and will be re-evaluated next week.

This season, the 6-foot-9 forward is averaging 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game through 23 games (all starts). He scored his 10,000th career point earlier this season, becoming the fourth player in franchise history to total 500 career three-point field goals.

Pistons winning, Blake Griffin leading

The Detroit Pistons are on a 5-game winning streak, and their 13-7 record this season is 4th best in the Eastern conference through Saturday’s games. The season is still young, but there is reason for optimism in Detroit. Here’s the Detroit News with more on the team and especially Blake Griffin, who has stepped up:

Detroit sports fans have seen this movie before: The Pistons get off to a hot start and look like a playoff team for the first part of the season, only to wither and miss the postseason. It’s been the narrative for the past few years — most recently last season, when they opened with a 14-6 record and became a national storyline, only to fizzle and miss the playoffs for the second straight year.

With a five-game win streak, including Saturday’s 111-102 victory over the Golden State Warriors, the Pistons have an opportunity to change the story. There’s plenty of room for growth, as seen by the array of blue and gold jerseys rooting for the two-time defending-champion Warriors at Little Caesars Arena…

The biggest reason to believe this time is the play of Blake Griffin, who’s putting up All-Star numbers: 24.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists, while hitting 36 percent on 3-pointers. After getting acclimated to the team in the second half of last season, Griffin has assumed the mantle of lead dog on the sled — and the Pistons are ready to follow his example.

Griffin is taking the reins at the ends of games, forcing other teams to double-team him, which opens lanes and shots for others. What’s making it work is that his teammates trust Griffin’s decision-making.

Full article

Warriors center Damian Jones injury update

Warriors center Damian Jones, who exited last night’s game with 5.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter with a left shoulder injury, underwent an MRI late last night in Detroit.

It has been determined that Jones has suffered a torn left pectoral muscle. He is scheduled to see a specialist in the coming days.

Jones’ long-term status and an estimate return date will be updated once he has met with the specialist.

Cavs waive Andrew Harrison and Billy Preston, sign Jalen Jones and Jaron Blossomgame

 

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Jalen Jones and forward Jaron Blossomgame to Two-Way contracts. And in a related move, Cleveland waived Two-Way players Andrew Harrison and Billy Preston.

Jones (6-7, 220) split last season between Dallas and New Orleans, appearing in 16 games and averaging 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game. The Texas A&M product also played in 32 games (21 starts) with Texas and Greensboro in the NBA G League, averaging 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 31.4 minutes per game in 2017-18.

Blossomgame (6-7, 220) has played in 10 games (seven starts) in the NBA G League this season with the Austin Spurs and the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, averaging 20.9 points on .537 shooting, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 32.6 minutes per game. With Canton, he has appeared in four games (one start) and averaged 16.8 points on .511 shooting, 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 26.9 minutes per game. The 6-7 forward out of Clemson was originally selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 29th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have two Two-Way contract players on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. A Two-Way player can spend up to 45 days with the Cavs.