Bucks name John Hammond general manager

John Hammond has been named General Manager of the Milwaukee Bucks, the team announced tonight.  Hammond brings over 29 years of basketball coaching and administrative experience to the Bucks and spent the past seven seasons in the Detroit Pistons organization as the Vice President of Basketball Operations. 
 
“We are pleased to have John Hammond assume leadership of our basketball operations, effective immediately,” Bucks President Herb Kohl said.  “He is a proven NBA talent who has played an essential role in a winning NBA organization.  We look forward to John’s contributions to our franchise.”
 
During Hammond’s seven seasons in Detroit, the Pistons won 50-plus games for all seven seasons, won six Central Division titles, made five consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances (2002-03 through 2006-07), and amassed an overall record of 330-158 (.676), including a league-best 64 wins during the 2006-07 season.  The Pistons also made two NBA Finals appearances (2004, 2006) and won an NBA Championship (2004) during his six seasons as vice president.
 
“I want to thank Senator Kohl for the opportunity to be the general manager of the Bucks,” said Hammond.  “I had the pleasure of working under one of the best executives in the game today in Joe Dumars and I thank him for the opportunity he gave me to be a part of Detroit’s winning tradition.  The Bucks are a history-rich franchise with amazing fans and I look forward to the challenge of bringing a championship back to Milwaukee.”
 
Hammond’s recent stint with the Pistons was his second.  His association with the franchise began in 1994 when he was hired as a scouting director.  Doug Collins appointed him as an assistant coach in 1997, a position that he remained in until 1999.  When Alvin Gentry replaced Collins as Detroit’s head coach, Hammond was appointed as his top assistant.  Detroit made three playoff appearances during Hammond’s tenure as an assistant coach (1996, 1997 and 1999), winning 54 games during the 1996-97 season. 
 
The 53-year-old Hammond worked as a lead assistant coach under Gentry for the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2000-01 season, his second tour of duty with that club.  He also worked for the Clippers from 1990-93 as an assistant coach to Larry Brown.  The team made two consecutive playoff appearances (1992, 1993) during that time.  Hammond began NBA career in 1989 as an assistant coach and scout with the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves, helping assemble their roster during the team’s inaugural season.
 
Prior to entering the NBA ranks, Hammond spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Southwest Missouri State where he helped lead the school to three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths (1986, 1987 and 1988) and an NIT invitation in 1985.  He also spent two seasons at Houston Baptist (1981-83), two seasons at Nebraska (1979-81) and three seasons at the high school level in the state of Nebraska.
 
Hammond is no stranger to the west side of Lake Michigan.  He grew up in Zion, Illinois and attended Greenville College in Illinois where he earned his Bachelor’s degree while lettering twice in basketball and serving as a student assistant coach.

WNBA: Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie now teammates

The AP reports: Los Angeles Sparks coach Michael Cooper couldn’t help but get a little carried away talking about Candace Parker’s arrival and Lisa Leslie’s return. “This is ‘Showtime’ at its best,” Cooper said, referring to the Los Angeles Lakers teams that won three NBA championships in the 1980s. “This is Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), Magic (Johnson) and (James) Worthy all together.” Parker, the top choice in Wednesday’s WNBA draft and The Associated Press’ player of the year, and Leslie met reporters Friday. Parker joins the Sparks after leading Tennessee to its second consecutive NCAA championship. Leslie, the WNBA’s career scoring and rebounding leader, returns after taking maternity leave last season.

Michael Jordan wins a legal battle

The AP reports: A woman must abide by a previous restraining order to avoid contact with former NBA star Michael Jordan and stop using litigation regarding the order to claim he fathered her child. Crawford County Judge Gordon Miller issued the ruling Thursday in response to motions filed this month by Lisa Miceli, 35, of Meadville, Pa., who was acting as her own attorney. “This is not a paternity suit nor a (child) support action,” Miller said in an eight-page opinion.

Spurs add DerMarr Johnson

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed guard/forward DerMarr Johnson. Per team policy terms of the deal were not disclosed. The former University of Cincinnati Bearcat was first signed by San Antonio on 12/29. He appeared in three games for Spurs where he averaged 4.0 points on .556 (5-9) shooting. Johnson was waived by the Spurs on 1/7.

He can fast break, but isn’t a particularly good shooter from either two or three-point range.

Apr. 10: Lakers 106, Clippers 78

The AP reports: Luke Walton scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the short-handed Clippers 106-78 Thursday night for their fifth win in six games… Kobe Bryant scored 16 points, Lamar Odom had 14 points and 13 rebounds and Pau Gasol added 13 points for the Lakers, who blew the game open by outscoring the Clippers 32-11 to finish the third quarter and start the fourth for a 94-67 lead with 6 1/2 minutes left… Elton Brand, playing his fifth game after missing the season’s first 74 while recovering from surgery on his torn left Achilles’ tendon, led the Clippers (23-56) with 23 points and seven rebounds. Rookie Al Thornton added 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Apr. 10: Mavs 97, Jazz 94

The AP reports: Dirk Nowitzki scored 32 points and Jason Terry had 21, all coming in the second half. The duo scored 25 of Dallas’ 30 points in the fourth quarter. They had to step up because Josh Howard left in the third with a bruised right knee… Mehmet Okur had 19 points and 14 rebounds for Utah, while Deron Williams had 18 points and 12 assists. He was 7-of-16 after going 6-of-24 in his previous two games. Andrei Kirilenko had 15 points and Carlos Boozer only 10 points and five rebounds.

Apr. 10: Nuggets 114, Warriors 105

The AP reports: Allen Iverson squared up, hit a 3-pointer and raised his arms to the air, having thwarted Golden State’s final charge. There was no downplaying the importance of this win that put the Denver Nuggets in control of the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Iverson scored 33 points, J.R. Smith added 24 off the bench and the Nuggets overcame a 16-point deficit in the first quarter to win their playoff showdown with the Warriors 114-105 Thursday night… Golden State committed an uncharacteristically high 18 turnovers, missed nine of 24 free throws and got poor shooting nights from Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis. Davis had a triple-double with 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but shot only 9-for-25. Jackson had 18 points on 5-for-17 shooting. Monta Ellis led the way with 29 points and Al Harrington added 20.