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LA Clippers promote Trent Redden to GM, Mark Hughes to Senior VP / Assistant GM

The LA Clippers announced promotions within the team’s front office, with Trent Redden being named General Manager and Mark Hughes being elevated to Senior Vice President/Assistant General Manager.

“For the past six years, Trent and Mark have been trusted evaluators, dependable leaders, and for me, close confidantes. Today, we’re thrilled to reward them,” said Lawrence Frank, Clippers President of Basketball Operations. “A lot of executives have backgrounds in strategy or evaluation. Trent brings expertise and agility in both. Since he joined us, Trent has scoured the globe in search of amateur and pro talent while serving as an integral advisor on every major decision and acquisition we’ve made. He is a respected leader with strong relationships throughout the league, and we’re excited to see him in his new role.”

During Redden’s six seasons as Assistant General Manager, the Clippers have earned four postseason berths, advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history in 2021. Redden spent the previous 11 years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning a NBA championship in 2016. After starting as an intern in Cleveland, Redden rose up the ranks, holding titles of Basketball Operations Manager, Director of College Player Personnel, Assistant General Manager and Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations.

“Mark is a pillar of our organization, with an incredible eye for talent and way with people. He is a natural leader who helps steer our departments and set our trajectory. He will work closely with Trent and take on even more managerial responsibilities.”

Hughes has spent the past six years as Assistant General Manager for the Clippers after 10 seasons with the New York Knicks, where he was a Pro Scout and Director of Player Personnel. A Michigan native, Hughes was head coach of the Grand Rapids Hoops of the CBA, as well as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings. Hughes played collegiately at the University of Michigan and was co-captain of the team that captured the 1989 NCAA championship. On the professional level, he played for the Detroit Pistons, in addition to overseas stints in France and Italy.

Celtics will reportedly hire Sam Cassell as an assistant coach

Per the Boston Herald:

This summer, the Celtics were hoping to expand their coaching team by hiring an assistant coach with NBA experience. They discovered one just a few days into the off-season.

Sam Cassell, a member of the 2008 Celtics championship squad, will work as an assistant coach for Joe Mazzulla in Boston, according to a story published on Sunday by The Athletic.

Cassell, a three-time champion and 15-year veteran point guard in the NBA, has worked as an assistant coach for the past 14 years, the last nine of which he spent working for Doc Rivers in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

FULL ARTICLE

Heat win Game 2, tie NBA Finals 1-1 with Nuggets

The Heat tied the NBA Finals and had to overcome a monster 41-point effort from Nikola Jokic to do it. Gabe Vincent scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each had 21 and Heat beat the Denver Nuggets 111-108 in Game 2 on Sunday night. “Our guys are competitors,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They love these kind of moments.” Evidently. They were down by as many as 15 points, down eight going into the fourth, and those numbers signified they were going to lose. Denver was 11-0 in these playoffs when leading by double digits at any point in a game, and 37-1 this season overall when leading by at least eight going into the fourth. – AP via ESPN.com

The Heat went up 11 early and led 26-23 at the end of the opening period. The Nuggets then went up 15 in the second period before the Heat closed within 57-51 at halftime. The Heat tied it 66-66 midway through the third quarter, but the Nuggets closed out the period on a 6-0 run to take an 83-75 lead into the fourth. – Sun Sentinel

A 3-pointer by Vincent with 10:10 to play then gave the Heat their first lead of the second half, at 86-85, as part of a 15-2 Heat run to open the fourth. “They came out in that fourth quarter with a huge sense of desperation, and we didn’t match that,” the Nuggets’ Malone said. The Heat then moved to their 107-95 lead with 3:39 to play on a Caleb Martin 3-pointer, with Denver trimming the deficit to 109-106 with 1:29 left on a basket by former University of Miami wing Bruce Brown. – Sun Sentinel

Just when you think Jimmy Butler is running on fumes, he summons enough to lift his team late. And Bam Adebayo was superb for the second game in a row. That helped offset 41 points by Nikola Jokic. After scoring a personal playoff-low 14 points in Game 1, Butler was again more of a facilitator than scorer through three quarters, missing all four of his shots in the third to go to the fourth with 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting. But after resting for the first four plus minutes of the fourth quarter, Butler delivered three big baskets — a three-pointer, a three-point play on a driving jumper and foul and a jumper. Butler — who closed with 21 points and 9 assists — has shot 41 percent and averaged 23 points in the past 10 playoff games, compared with 32 points on 55 percent in the first nine games. He shot only 7 for 19 but 5 for 5 on free throws Sunday after not getting to the line in Game 1. And Butler leads the NBA — by far — in clutch points during these playoffs, and he keeps coming through when needed. – Miami Herald

Now, while there will be a lot of discussion about Miami‘s shooting and its unsustainability, the Nuggets did not do themselves any favors in Game 2. Denver’s defensive disposition was poor to start the game. If you kept an eye on this space after Game 1, you’ll remember I complimented Miami’s offensive process despite the team only putting up 93 points. The Heat didn’t radically change their attack Sunday, but they did take advantage of all the open looks Denver gave up. For those who had fears about Nikola Jokic’s ability to hold up defensively in the playoffs, Game 2 gave that group some ammunition. Joker’s drop coverage continued to give up good looks. Bam Adebayo had his second straight 20-point game, and was routinely picking apart the Nuggets on the short roll. While Jimmy Butler could not get going with his own offense, he was able to time and time again collapse the Denver defense and find outside shooters. – SI.com

Rick Adelman wins 2023 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award from National Basketball Coaches Association

Rick Adelman, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Coach, and one of only ten coaches in NBA history to have won more than 1,000 games, is the recipient of the 2023 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced today.

“Rick Adelman’s NBA coaching career has been highlighted by innovation, integrity, and excellence,” said Indiana Pacers Head Coach and National Basketball Coaches Association President, Rick Carlisle. “His teams always played to their strengths, and Rick always found subtle ways to reinvent NBA basketball to help his players thrive. His quiet, unassuming nature belies his impact as one of the great NBA coaches of all time.”

“I am honored to receive the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Rick Adelman. “To be included with the past winners is special. Chuck was a great coach and respected by all those who coached against his teams. To receive an award like this I have to thank all those who helped me along the way, in particular my assistant coaches and front offices. I would also like to thank the players I had through the years. Their effort and cooperation made everything I did possible. Good players make coaching much easier.

“This event makes me think of Michael Goldberg who was a big help to all coaches and especially to me. He was a good friend who I miss. Thanks to the National Basketball Coaches Association, Coach Rick Carlisle, and David Fogel. I also want to thank the Selection Committee for presenting me with this honor. I am grateful to all of those who made this possible, especially my wife Mary Kay and my family. Thank you.”

Rick Adelman coached in the NBA for 29 years, 23 as a Head Coach for five different teams (Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves), amassing a 1,042-749 (.582) career record. He led his teams, known for their free-flowing, read and react motion offenses, to the playoffs sixteen times, to the Conference Finals four times and to the NBA Finals twice.

He played collegiately at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles and, as a senior in 1967-68, was voted West Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Drafted by the San Diego Rockets in 1968, Adelman played seven seasons in the NBA.

Adelman began his coaching career at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon in 1977 where he led his teams to a 141-39 record and three conference championships in six years. It was while at Chemeketa in 1983 that he was hired by the legendary Coach Jack Ramsay as an Assistant Coach for the Portland Trail Blazers, a position he held until he was named Head Coach midway through the 1988-89 season.

In his first full season as an NBA Head Coach, 1989-90, Adelman led the Blazers to a 59-23 record, the Western Conference Championship and a trip to the NBA Finals. Two years later the Blazers were once again Western Conference Champions and back in the NBA Finals. Under Adelman, Portland had four straight seasons of 50-plus wins, a record of 291-154 (.684) and were in the playoffs all six seasons.

Adelman coached the Golden State Warriors for the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons before assuming the reins in Sacramento in 1998. In eight seasons as Head Coach of the Kings, Adelman had a 395-229 (.683) record, winning 50 games or more in five consecutive seasons and taking the team to the playoffs each year.

In 2007, Adelman was named Head Coach of the Rockets where he led Houston to back-to-back 50-plus win seasons in his first two years and a winning record in all four seasons. Adelman closed out his coaching career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where his teams improved from 17 to 26 to 31 to 40 wins in his three seasons at the helm.

In 2014, upon his retirement, Adelman ranked ninth all-time in both games coached (1,791) and games won (1,042). Today, he ranks tenth in games won and thirteenth on the all-time playoff wins list with 79. His teams had a total of eleven 50-win seasons and two 60-plus win seasons. Adelman finished runner-up in Coach of the Year voting four times with three different teams (1990-91 with Portland, 2000-01 and 2001-02 with Sacramento and 2008-09 with Houston) and was a three-time All-Star Game Coach.

Adelman was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a Coach in 2021. He was inducted into the Loyola Marymount Hall of Fame in 1986 and was named Oregon Sports Person of the Year in both 1990 and 1992. In 2015, the West Coast Conference (formerly the WCAC) inducted him into its Hall of Honor.

“Rick Adelman is widely respected for his teaching, his tough-to-defend motion offenses, and his ability to get players to buy into his philosophy,” said David Fogel, National Basketball Coaches Association Executive Director and General Counsel. “His commitment to the game and his players is reflected in his career accomplishments and makes him a most worthy recipient of this award. Congratulations to Coach Adelman on this prestigious recognition.”

The National Basketball Coaches Association’s Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award honors the memory of Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Daly, who, over an outstanding NBA coaching career, set a standard for integrity, competitive excellence, and tireless promotion of NBA basketball. The award is determined annually by a Selection Committee comprised of some of the most respected coaches and basketball executives in the game, including Bernie Bickerstaff, Billy Cunningham, Joe Dumars, Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, Pat Riley, Donnie Walsh and Lenny Wilkens.

Prior recipients are Mike Fratello (2022), Larry Brown (2021), Del Harris (2020), Frank Layden (2019), Doug Moe (2018), Al Attles and Hubie Brown (2017), K.C. Jones and Jerry Sloan (2016), Dick Motta (2015), Bernie Bickerstaff (2014), Bill Fitch (2013), Pat Riley (2012), Lenny Wilkens (2011), Jack Ramsay and Tex Winter (2010), and Tommy Heinsohn (2009).

Detroit Pistons hire Monty Williams as their new head coach

The Detroit Pistons have announced Monty Williams as their new head coach.

Williams, who will be formally introduced at a news conference in Detroit next week, has already initiated the transition and begun scheduling player meetings and staff development.

“I couldn’t be more proud to have Monty joining us at this important time to lead us into the next decade of our future,” said Pistons owner Tom Gores. “He embodies all of the qualities we want in a leader for our Pistons franchise, and most importantly a teacher and mentor for our players. He will have an impact on every aspect of our franchise, on and off the court.

“After spending some time with Monty, it’s clear that he’s found a unique balance between achieving victory at the highest level while at the same time nurturing a culture of growth, development and inspiration,” Gores said. “I’m beyond excited. This is a huge win for us.”

Regarding salary and contract info, here’s the Detroit Free Press:

The Pistons did not announce the terms of Williams’ contract, but the Free Press learned from a team source that it is the richest in NBA history for a coach, worth $78.5 million guaranteed over six seasons. But there is more.

There are team options for a seventh and eighth season, and added incentives that could push the total value of the contract above $100 million. The base salary for the first six years averages out to $12 million per year ($72 million), and there’s additional guaranteed money tied to the seventh season, whether he returns or not, that brings the total guaranteed to $78.5 million. If the Pistons pick up his seventh-year option, his contract will cross $90 million.

Williams agreed to terms after a whirlwind series of discussions with Gores, Pistons General Manager Troy Weaver and other Pistons executives that began over Memorial Day Weekend and culminated on Thursday with a signed agreement.

“A week ago, I was not sure what the future would hold,” Williams said. “But, after talking with Tom and Troy, I was excited hearing their vision for the Pistons going forward. They had a thoughtful plan and I am so appreciative of the emphasis they placed on the personal side of this business. They showed tremendous consideration for me and my family throughout this process.

“They also showed a commitment to success and doing things the right way,” he said. “As we discussed the team and expressed our collective goals, I realized that this would be a great opportunity for me to help a talented young team and build a strong culture here in Detroit. This is obviously a special place with a deep basketball history, and my family and I are looking forward to the opportunity to be a part of this city and organization.”

Nuggets beat Heat 104-93 in NBA Finals Game 1

The Miami Heat set an NBA postseason record for fewest free throw attempts in a game, going to the foul line just twice during a 104-93 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. Afterward, Heat star Jimmy Butler vowed to attack the basket more heading into Game 2 on Sunday night. He didn’t hesitate when asked why the offense struggled so much to find its rhythm. – ESPN.com

“Probably because we shot a lot of jump shots, myself probably leading that pack, instead of putting pressure on the rim,” Butler said after scoring just 13 points. “Getting lay-ups, getting to the free throw line. When you look at it during the game, they all look like the right shots. “And I’m not saying that we can’t as a team make those, but got to get more layups, got to get more free throws. And whenever you miss and don’t get back, the game gets out of hand kind of quickly. We gave up too many lay-ups, which we also can’t have happen. But that’s it as a whole. We’ve got to attack the rim a lot more, myself included.” – ESPN.com

The Heat fell into an early hole against Nikola Jokic and company in large part because the open looks that Butler and his teammates made a habit of hitting earlier in the postseason just didn’t fall. Heat guard Max Strus went 0-for-10 from the field, becoming the fourth player to shoot that or worse in a Finals game, according to ESPN Stats and Information research. Caleb Martin, who carried the Heat offensively at times in the Eastern Conference finals, went 1-for-7 from the field. – ESPN.com

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro will continue to test his surgically repaired right hand, and a return to the lineup for Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets looms as a possibility, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday. Herro, who had surgery to fix the third and fourth metacarpal on his right hand on April 21, will continue ramping up his workouts and try to get a sense of how the hand responds to contact before making a decision, sources told ESPN. – ESPN.com

New Detroit Pistons head coach will reportedly be Monty Williams

Per the Detroit Free Press:

The Detroit Pistons finally found a suitable candidate for their open head coaching position after over two months of looking.

Monty Williams, a former coach of the Phoenix Suns, is anticipated to agree to a deal with the Pistons worth more than $10 million yearly in the coming days, a league source told the Free Press on Wednesday. Williams, the NBA Coach of the Year in 2022, will receive one of the league’s highest salaries thanks to the incentive-rich contract.

According to ESPN, the contract is for six years and $78.5 million, making him the highest-paid NBA coach ever. According to The Athletic, there are incentives that may push the contract’s value to $100 million as well as team options for a seventh and eighth year.

FULL ARTICLE

Warriors President and GM Bob Myers to step down

Golden State Warriors President of Basketball Operations / General Manager Bob Myers will step down from his role at the conclusion of his contract, he announced today.

Myers, who has served as general manager of the Warriors for the past 11 seasons (seven with the added title of president of basketball operations), assembled a roster that captured four NBA titles (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) in an eight-year span and made six NBA Finals appearances, including five straight from 2015-2019, along with setting an NBA record with 73 wins during the 2015-16 regular season. Myers earned the NBA Executive of the Year award in both 2014-15 and 2016-17 and is the only executive in Warriors history to earn the award multiple times and one of only five in league history to earn the honor twice in a span of three seasons. Myers’ 11-season tenure as general manager (2012-23) equals the longest stretch by a lead basketball executive in franchise history, matching Eddie Gottlieb (1952-63) and Bob Feerick (1963-74).

Per ESPN.com:

“If the team wins the championship, would you leave? I think, yes,” Myers said. He told Wojnarowski it wasn’t about money, saying he declined ownership offers on a new deal that would’ve paid him in the same range as the league’s top-earning executives. It’s not for a new position waiting for him — he said he will take a moment to sit still before making his next move.

“The bottom line is, this job, the one I’m in … requires complete engagement, a complete effort, a thousand percent, and if you can’t do it, then you shouldn’t do it,” Myers said. “So that’s the answer to the question of why. I can’t do that to our players. I can’t do that to Joe and Peter [Guber]. Really, I can’t do it to myself. And that’s the question I’ve been wrestling with.”

Scott Perry will not return as Knicks GM

Per NY Newsday:

In 2017, Scott Perry was appointed general manager of the Knicks with the responsibility of providing stability to a team that was in disarray. He succeeded in doing that, clearing the air and closing the gap as a new front office grew around him. But Newsday has discovered that Perry is not coming back because his contract is about to expire.

When Perry’s contract expires this summer, it has been confirmed by a source that he will leave. The legacy will be one of stability and success at a company that has not experienced either for 20 years.

In the wake of the Phil Jackson era, Perry teamed up with Steve Mills to provide a seasoned basketball personnel manager. Perry first helped to facilitate Carmelo Anthony’s departure, which put the franchise on a new course. As general manager, he drafted RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson and signed Julius Randle.

FULL ARTICLE

2023-24 Orlando Magic preseason schedule

The Orlando Magic will open the 2023 preseason at New Orleans on Tuesday, October 10.

After playing at Cleveland on Thursday, October 12, Orlando will host its first preseason game at Amway Center on Tuesday, October 17 vs. New Orleans. Tip-off is 7 p.m.

On Friday, October 20, Orlando will host its preseason finale against Brazilian-team Flamengo. Tip-off is 7 p.m. This will mark Flamengo’s third trip all-time to Amway Center (2014, 2018) and the fourth time that the Magic and Flamengo have faced each other during the preseason. In 2015, Orlando traveled to Brazil as part of NBA Global Games Rio.