Inside Hoops – Page 1589 – NBA Blog

Reggie Miller admits he shoved Greg Anthony in 1995

Knick nemesis Reggie Miller admitted on Friday that he committed a foul during his infamous eight-points-in-nine-seconds run in Game 1 of the 1995 playoffs which propelled the Indiana Pacers to an improbable come from behind win.

Miller finally admitted that he shoved Greg Anthony and held him on the ground before the steal that set up the second of his back-to-back 3-pointers.

“In 1995, as you saw on the video, yeah, I pushed,” Miller said Friday during his Hall of Fame induction speech. “I’m sorry. The ref didn’t call it, I went with it.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Knicks may have offered Isiah Thomas a job

According to a source close to the former Knicks president, Thomas and Garden chairman James Dolan have had numerous discussions about a position in the organization, but Thomas has been reluctant to accept the job offer.

“Isiah is very close with Jim Dolan but he’s told me that he’s not ready to jump back into the NBA just yet,” said the source, who was with Thomas on Friday at the Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Springfield, Mass. “There’s this perception out there that Isiah is desperate to get back, but that’s false. I think it will eventually happen but just not now.”

Thomas, who presented inductee Chet Walker at the ceremony, did not return phone calls on Saturday. One day earlier, he was spotted in a Manhattan hotel having breakfast with Dolan, which according to the source is not uncommon.

“They’re friends. They talk all the time,” the source added.

— Reported by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News

Raptors may want Mickael Pietrus

I do know there has been some internal discussion of Pietrus, who remains arguably the best player without a contract.

But the fact is, these guys don’t have the money to pay him, a lot of their exceptions were eaten up by the likes of Aaron Gray, Alan Anderson and John Lucas, all of whom fill roles.

Now, I do think they should call Pietrus’s agent and see if he’d be willing to work on a minimum-value deal and I presume that call will be made, it’s only prudent business to do so. However, I doubt a team like Toronto for a minimum value deal would be attractive to Pietrus, who will probably wind up with the same kind of deal on a better team, even if the Raps could offer him a chance at more playing time than some legitimate title contender whose roster is now basically filled.

— Reported by Doug Smith of the Toronto Star (Blog)

Knicks owner reportedly meets with Isiah Thomas

Knicks owner James Dolan staged a business meeting with Isiah Thomas yesterday morning at the Mandarin Hotel in Midtown, according to a person familiar with the situation.

A band of security men surrounded the two men who were both dressed in business suits in a quiet corner of the lobby. Thomas has lobbied to return to the organization

since he was fired as the Florida International basketball coach last spring. The meeting took place two days after the resignation of MSG sports president Scott O’Neil, who, according to a source, helped convince Dolan rehiring Thomas wasn’t a good move for the Knicks brand.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Don Nelson wanted Kings coaching job in 2006

While watching the Basketball Hall of Fame inductions Friday in Springfield, Mass., I couldn’t help but wonder how much better off the Kings would have been if Don Nelson had been approached about the coaching vacancy after Rick Adelman was released at the end of the 2005-06 season.

In the ensuing six seasons – none of which included a winning record – Geoff Petrie hired Eric Musselman, Reggie Theus, Kenny Natt, Paul Westphal and Keith Smart.

Nelson, who was retired and living in Maui at the time, left a private voice mail message for Petrie expressing his interest in the opening, but he never received a return call.

— Reported by Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee

Rafael Hettsheimeir not close to being a Maverick

While taking in the basketball hall of fame enshrinement, several members of the Mavericks’ front office were on hand and as president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said, the Mavericks have a roster full with 15 players possessing guaranteed contracts.

That leaves little room for Brazil’s Rafael Hettsheimeir, a 6-10, 260-pound center who has drawn the attention of several NBA teams. The 26-year-old plays in the Spanish League and some international reports have suggested that the Mavericks have offered him a deal.

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News

Phil Knight bio video

Below is a 2.5 minute bio video on Phil Knight, who helped make Nike a global powerhouse:

Lakers sign second round pick Robert Sacre

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed rookie forward/center Robert Sacre, it was announced today.

Sacre, a 7-0 forward/center out of Gonzaga, was selected by the Lakers in the second round (60th overall pick) in the 2012 NBA draft. Sacre finished his career with the Bulldogs ranked second all-time in school history in career blocks (186) while averaging 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 135 games. As a senior, Sacre was named the 2012 WCC Defensive Player of the Year as well as an All-WCC First-Team honoree while averaging 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

Most recently, Sacre started all five games for the Lakers 2012 Summer League team in Las Vegas, averaging 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 30.0 minutes.

Lakers hire Eddie Jordan, Steve Clifford and Bernie Bickerstaff as assistant coaches

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Eddie Jordan, Steve Clifford and Bernie Bickerstaff as assistant coaches, it was announced today by Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Jordan, a former NBA player (1977-84) and member of the Lakers 1982 Championship team, most recently spent one season (2009-10) as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Prior to his time in Philadelphia, Jordan, a native of Washington D.C. served as head coach of the Wizards. During his six years (2003- 2009) in Washington, Jordan posted a 197-224 record and in just his second season at the helm, guided the Wizards to their highest win total (45) in 25 years and the team’s first postseason appearance since 1996-97. Prior to joining the Wizards, Jordan served as the lead assistant coach for the New Jersey Nets. During his four-year stint with the Nets, the team made the Finals in back-to-back years (2002 and 2003). Additionally, Jordan spent seven years with the Sacramento Kings both as an assistant coach (1992-97) and head coach (1997-98).

Clifford joins the Lakers after spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach in Orlando. While with the Magic, Clifford helped guide the team to a 259-135 (.657) record, as well as five post season appearances. Prior to his stint in Orlando, Clifford spent four seasons (2003-07) as an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets, and three seasons (2000-03) with the New York Knicks.

The University of Maine at Farmington alum began his coaching career as an assistant at St. Anselm’s College in New Hampshire. After four years at St. Anselm’s, Clifford spent one season as an assistant coach at Fairfield University before joining the coaching staff at Boston University for four seasons. Clifford coached one year at Siena College before being named head coach at Adelphia University. During his four years at Adelphia, the team compiled an 86-36 record and made four NCAA Division II tournament appearances. Following his stint at Adelphia, Clifford served as an assistant coach for one season at East Carolina University before joining the NBA.

Bickerstaff, who brings over 39 years of coaching experience to the team, joins the Lakers after spending the last two seasons working as an assistant coach for the Portland Trailblazers. Prior to joining the Blazers, Bickerstaff worked with the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach for two years (2008-10). He assumed the role in Chicago after spending four years with the Charlotte Bobcats. During his four years with the Bobcats, Bickerstaff spent one season as the Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations (2007-08) and three years (2004-07) serving as Head Coach and General Manager. Prior to his stint with the Bobcats, Bickerstaff served as an NBA head coach for three different teams (Seattle, Denver, Washington). In addition, Bickerstaff was President and General Manager of the Denver Nuggets for seven seasons (1990-97). Bickerstaff began his NBA coaching career the Washington Bullets in 1973 as the league’s youngest assistant coach. Over the next twelve seasons he helped guide the Bullets to the 1978 NBA Championship, three NBA Finals appearances, 10 playoff berths and a franchise record 60 wins in 1974-75. In 1985 Bickerstaff received his first head coaching opportunity with Seattle. In five seasons (1985-90) with Seattle, he posted a 202-208 record and in 1987 was named Coach of the Year by Sporting News Magazine. As a head coach, Bickerstaff has posted a career record of 414–512 which ranks 33 rd all-time among head coaches.

The new Lakers coaches will be replacing Ettore Messina and Quin Snyder, who left the team earlier this summer to join CSKA Moscow, and John Kuester, who has been reassigned to the position of Advanced NBA Scout and will be based on the East Coast.

Miami Heat sign Jarvis Varnado and Mickell Gladness

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed forward Jarvis Varnado and free agent center Mickell Gladness.

Varnado was a second-round draft choice (41st overall) by the Heat in the 2010 NBA Draft after concluding his collegiate career at Mississippi State as the NCAA’s all-time leading shot-blocker. He has spent the past two seasons playing overseas in Italy and Israel. Last year he began the season appearing in 12 games with Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem of the Israeli Super League where he averaged 9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.00 blocks and 23.6 minutes while shooting 58.8 percent from the floor. On Jan. 31, 2012, he signed with Acea Virtus Roma of the Italian Lega A and averaged 10.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.00 blocks and 23.6 minutes while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor in 14 games.

Gladness, who went undrafted out of Alabama A&M in 2008, made his NBA debut with the Heat on Dec. 25, 2011 and split last season between Miami and Golden State. He appeared in 26 games (seven starts) during the 2011-12 season and averaged 2.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.77 blocks and 9.7 minutes while shooting 42.4 percent from the floor. Gladness appeared in eight games with Miami, averaging 0.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.5 minutes before being released on Feb. 7. He returned to the Heat on a pair of 10-day contracts (Feb. 12 and Feb. 28) and then was signed to a 10-day contract by the Golden State Warriors on Mar. 22. Gladness signed for the remainder of the season with the Warriors on Apr. 1. This will mark the third straight season Gladness has participated in training camp for the Heat. He was originally signed by Miami as a free agent on Sept. 27, 2010 and waived on Oct. 11, 2010. He was re-signed by Miami on Dec. 10, 2011 and made the team last year before his subsequent release on Feb. 7, 2012. He has also seen action with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2009-11) and Dakota Wizards (2011) of the NBA’s Development League and with Matrixx Magix Nijmegen in Holland (2008-09).

Both Varnado and Gladness played for the Heat’s 2012 Summer League team which competed in Las Vegas in July. Varnado appeared in two games (one start) and averaged 2.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 15.0 minutes. Gladness appeared in four games and averaged 5.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.50 blocks and 12.0 minutes while shooting 53.8 percent from the field.

The Heat’s roster now stands at 15.