September 17, 2013 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

Boston Celtics waive Donte Greene

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have waived forward Donte Greene.

Greene, a 6’11” forward, was acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies on August 15 in exchange for Fab Melo and cash considerations. Greene posted career averages of 6.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 253 games with Sacramento.

According to ESPN Boston, “Greene came to Boston in a swap with the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Fab Melo and cash considerations. The Grizzlies already waived Melo, which means the Celtics sent approximately $1.7 million to Memphis in order to clear a roster spot and dip below the luxury tax line. Boston now has 14 guaranteed contracts totaling approximately $71.2 million. The luxury tax line is set to be $71.7 million for the 2013-14 season.”

Will Bill Laimbeer eventually land an NBA head coaching job?

It sounds like his failure to land a top job in the NBA has more to do with his personality – and perhaps his past – than his coaching abilities.

Kate Fagan of ESPN.com wrote a lengthy feature story about Laimbeer that offers some insights as to why NBA general managers are turning their backs on the man who was perhaps the baddest of the Pistons legendary Bad Boys.

Under the headline “The Feminization of Bill Laimbeer,” Fagan discusses Laimbeer’s success in the WNBA – he won three titles with the now-defunct Detroit Shock – his brief tenure as an NBA assistant and some of the reasons he has failed to land a job as a head coach in the NBA.

Basically, it sounds like nobody wants to give Laimbeer a shot as a head coach because he’s the same guy who was despised as a player while helping the Pistons win back-to-back NBA titles in 1989-90.

Reported by Brendan Savage of Michigan Live

Celtics need a fine season from Avery Bradley

The data, and the eye test, suggest Bradley took a step back in 2012-13. As much as the Celtics’ announcers raved over his improved jump shot, Bradley’s overall field goal percentage fell to 40.2 percent from 49.8 percent the previous year, while he went from hitting one out of every two shots from 10-15 feet to hitting only one out of every three from that range, according to HoopData. His 3-point shooting accuracy fell to 31.7 percent from 40.7 percent. Most worrisome, his accuracy on corner threes dropped to 34.7 percent last season from 55.6 percent (in an extremely small sample) in 2011-12.

These numbers aside, anyone could see Bradley’s difficulties at the other end of the court in the playoffs, when his most obvious skill, his on-ball defense, virtually disappeared. Raymond Felton made a mockery of the Celtics’ boast that Bradley was “the best ball-stopper in the league” by having his way with No. 0 in the pick-and-roll. With Jeff Green and Brandon Bass stepping up defensively on Carmelo Anthony, a fair argument could be made that the Celtics would have won their series against the Knicks if somebody, anybody, had been able to slow down Felton.

Reported by Ben Watanabe of NESN

Charlotte Bobcats will return to UNC Asheville for training camp

Bobcats Sports & Entertainment announced today that the Charlotte Bobcats will return to UNC Asheville’s Kimmel Arena for their training camps in 2013 and 2014. This year’s training camp will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 1. Prior to training camp, the team will hold Media Day on Monday, Sept. 30, at Time Warner Cable Arena.

“We had great success with our training camp at UNC Asheville last year,” said Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins. “As we anticipated, it was a perfect venue for us, and we are excited to have the opportunity to go back to Kimmel Arena this season and next season.”

Kimmel Arena, which opened in November 2011, is home to the UNC Asheville Bulldogs men’s and women’s basketball teams. The arena is located in the Wilma M. Sherrill Center and has a capacity of over 3,200 for basketball. The multipurpose facility has hosted over 100,000 guests since its opening, and offers the modern amenities fans, players, and coaches expect, including wide concourses with views of the court, large video boards, intimate and comfortable seating and outstanding training facilities.

Chicago Bulls announce basketball operations staff promotions

The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has promoted Randy Brown to Assistant General Manager, Ivica Dukan to Director of International Scouting/Special Assistant to the General Manager, Nick Papendieck to Head Strength Coach, and also hired Matt Johnson as Assistant Strength Coach.

Brown is entering his fifth season with the Bulls and has spent the last three seasons serving as the Special Assistant to the General Manager. He served as the team’s Director of Player Development during the 2009-10 campaign. Originally drafted by the Kings in the second round (31st overall) of the 1991 NBA Draft, Brown played 12 seasons and was a member of three NBA Championship teams with the Bulls (1996, 1997, 1998), including the 1996 team that won an NBA-record 72 games during the regular season.

Dukan will begin his 23rd season with the Bulls after being hired as the Director of International Scouting on Aug. 20, 1992. Prior to being hired full-time, Dukan worked as a part-time scout for the Bulls during the 1991-92 season. Dukan had a successful 14-year career overseas, as he played in England, Switzerland, France and Yugoslavia. A native of Croatia, he served as captain of the team in Split, Croatia and played for the Yugoslavia National Team.

Papendieck is entering his third season with the Bulls, as he spent the last two seasons as the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach. Prior to joining the Bulls, he was a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Virginia. A native of Edgerton, Wis., Papendieck earned a B.S. degree in Biology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2009 and an M. Ed. degree in Kinesiology in 2011 from the University of Virginia.

Johnson begins his second season with the Bulls, and first in a full-time capacity, after spending the 2012-13 season as a Strength and Conditioning Intern. Prior to joining the Bulls, Johnson served as an intern with the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Strength and Conditioning department. Johnson received his B.S. degree in Exercise and Sport Science with an emphasis in Strength and Conditioning, as well as his M.S. degree in Human Performance, from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2012.