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Donnie Nelson out as GM of Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks and general manager Donnie Nelson have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced today.

Nelson, who owns 36 years of NBA experience, came to Dallas on Jan. 2, 1998 and recently completed his 24th season with the franchise.

“I just want to thank Donnie for his 24 years of service to this organization,” said Mark Cuban. “Donnie has been instrumental to our success and helped bring a championship to Dallas. His hard work, creativity and vision made him a pioneer. Donnie will always be a part of the Mavs family and I wish him all the best.”

During his tenure, the Mavericks have made the playoffs in 17 of the last 21 seasons, been to the Western Conference Finals three times, advanced to the NBA Finals twice, captured three division titles (2007, 2010, 2021) and won their first World Championship in 2011. Since Nelson joined the franchise the Mavericks have won 58.0% (1,087 of 1,873) of their games with three 60+ win seasons, including a franchise-record 67-win season in 2007, which tied for the sixth-best record in NBA history.

Official 2020-21 All-NBA teams announced

Center Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets, the 2020-21 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, and two-time MVPs Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors lead the 2020-21 All-NBA First Team, the NBA announced today.

Antetokounmpo was the only player to receive All-NBA First Team votes on all 100 ballots, earning his third consecutive First Team selection and fifth All-NBA Team honor overall. Jokić, the first player to be named the Kia NBA MVP as a member of the Nuggets, received 99 First Team votes to make the First Team for the second time in the last three seasons. Curry, who averaged an NBA-leading 32.0 points this season, received 98 First Team votes in his fourth selection to the First Team and seventh All-NBA Team honor overall.

In addition to Antetokounmpo (500 total points), Jokić (498 points) and Curry (496 points), the All-NBA First Team features Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić (402 points; 55 First Team votes) and LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (323 points; 28 First Team votes).

Leonard has been voted to the All-NBA First Team for the third time and earned his fifth All-NBA Team selection overall. Dončić, 22, has been selected to the All-NBA First Team for the second season in a row. He is the first player to make the All-NBA First Team at least twice in his first three NBA seasons since Tim Duncan (three times from 1997-98 – 1999-2000) and becomes the fourth player to have multiple First Team selections before age 23, along with Rick Barry, Kevin Durant and Max Zaslofsky.

The 2020-21 All-NBA Second Team consists of Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (372 points), Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (352), Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (311), New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (253) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (174).

The 2020-21 All-NBA Third Team is composed of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (148 points), Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (131), Clippers forward Paul George (89), Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (71) and Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (61).

James has extended his league record for most All-NBA Team selections to 17, which includes a record 13 selections to the First Team, three to the Second Team and one to the Third Team. Paul has been voted to the All-NBA Team for the 10th time, the second most among active players behind James.

This is the sixth All-NBA Team selection for Lillard and George, the fourth for Gobert and Butler and the third for Embiid and Irving. Randle and Beal have each been selected to the All-NBA Team for the first time.

Pistons set to add new assistant coaches

The Detroit Pistons are close to filling out their coaching staff. Nothing is official yet but the moves should happen soon. Via the Detroit Free Press:

When the Detroit Pistons added former Michigan basketball coach John Beilein to Dwane Casey’s coaching staff earlier this month, it signaled that more changes were underway as the franchise continues to flesh out its player development program.

Former Boston Celtics assistant Jerome Allen, former Indiana Pacers assistant Bill Bayno and former Sacramento Kings assistant Rex Kalamian are all joining Casey’s staff as well, a league source confirmed to the Free Press on Tuesday.

The Pistons are also progressing toward re-signing current assistant coach Sean Sweeney.

A look at the Knicks and the 2021 NBA Draft

The Knicks had themselves quite a season, beating all expectations before then falling short in the first round of the playoffs. Now on to the draft, where they have a lot to think about. Via the New York Post:

As it stands in the July 29 draft, the Knicks have two first-round picks at Nos. 19 and 21 along with the No. 32 overall pick.

There’s talk inside the organization of packaging their two first-rounders to move up. The feeling around the NBA is the Knicks could possibly get to the No. 12-to-13 range by doing so.

If the Knicks stand pat at 19 or move up slightly, Seth Greenberg, ESPN’s college-basketball guru, has got a couple of guys for the Knicks.

One is in their backyard – UConn sophomore 6-5 combo guard James Bouknight, a Brooklyn native who played part of his high school career at Manhattan’s LaSalle Academy. The other is out of the Pacific Northwest – Oregon 3-point shooting machine Chris Duarte.

Former Miami Heat trainer Ron Culp has died

The original head athletic trainer of the Miami Heat has passed away. Via the Sun Sentinel:

Banners commemorating the careers of six members of the Miami Heat hang above the team’s court. Ron Culp is one of them.

Tuesday, the team noted the death of the franchise’s first athletic trainer, on June 9, at the age of 75.

Unlike the retired jersey numbers of former Heat players Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, which hang from the west rafters of the facility now known as FTX Arena, Culp’s banner stands as a tribute to his 21 seasons with the team, featuring the words “Head Athletic Trainer.”

Nets’ James Harden upgraded to Doubtful for Game 5 against Bucks

Will the Nets have James Harden available tonight? The answer could change between now and tipoff. But here’s the latest, via the New York Post:

With Brooklyn facing a desperate Eastern Conference semifinal Game 5, injured James Harden has been upgraded from out to doubtful Tuesday vs. Milwaukee.

“I don’t know if (he’s out) or not. I might have to wait,” Nets coach Steve Nash had said Monday. “He’s working out, so I have no idea if that means he has a chance for (Game 5) or not. I think there’s a plan behind the scenes that I don’t totally know what the deal is and then they’ll give us an update. But he’s working out.”

Harden went down just 43 seconds into this second-round series with what has been deemed right hamstring tightness. The Nets won the first two games without him at Barclays Center, but proceeded to drop the next two in Milwaukee to see the Bucks level the series and steal the momentum.

2020-21 NBA All-Defensive teams announced

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, the 2020-21 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons lead the 2020-21 NBA All-Defensive First Team, the NBA announced today. Both players received NBA All-Defensive First Team votes on all 100 ballots to finish with 200 points each.

Joining Gobert and Simmons on the NBA All-Defensive First Team are Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (176 points; 80 First Team votes) and Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (157 points; 65 First Team votes) and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (135 points; 43 first Team votes).

Gobert, the Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in the last four seasons, has been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the fifth season in a row. This marks the second straight First Team selection for Simmons, the runner-up for Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year this season. Simmons helped the 76ers finish with the NBA’s second-best defensive rating in the regular season, one spot ahead of the Gobert-led Jazz.

Green has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the fourth time to go with two Second Team honors. Holiday is a First Team honoree for the second time. Antetokounmpo, the 2019-20 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, has earned his third consecutive NBA All-Defensive First Team selection.

The 2020-21 NBA All-Defensive Second Team consists of Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo (111 points) and guard Jimmy Butler (111), 76ers center Joel Embiid (87) and guard Matisse Thybulle (63), and LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (43).

Leonard has been named to the NBA All-Defensive Team (First Team and Second Team) for the seventh time. This is the fifth NBA All-Defensive Team selection for Butler, the third for Embiid and the second for Adebayo. Thybulle is making his All-Defensive Team debut in his second NBA season.

The NBA All-Defensive Team was selected by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Players were awarded two points for each vote to the NBA All-Defensive First Team and one point for each vote to the Second Team. Voters selected two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, choosing players at the position they play regularly. Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position at which they received the most votes.

Jazz guard Mike Conley remains out, will miss Game 3 vs. Clippers

The Jazz remain without the services of their starting point guard. Via the Deseret News:

Mike Conley will miss a third straight game on Saturday.

The Utah Jazz’s All-Star guard was ruled out of playing Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Clippers because of the right hamstring strain he sustained in Game 5 of the Jazz’s first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Clippers lead the series 2-0. Game 3 is tonight in Los Angeles at 8:30PM ET, televised on ABC.

Clippers center Serge Ibaka undergoes back surgery

L.A. Clippers center Serge Ibaka underwent back surgery in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 10. He will miss the remainder of the NBA post-season.

Ibaka played 41 games for the Clippers this regular season, starting 39 times, for an average of 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in limited action: 23.3 minutes per game. He missed two months of action, from mid March through mid May, but played just six minutes in a first round Game 2 against the Mavericks on May 25, and hasn’t been on the court since.

The Clippers are currently down 0-2 to the Utah Jazz in their second round playoff series.

Raptors forward Pascal Siakam out five months after shoulder surgery

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam underwent surgery last week to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

The injury to Siakam’s shoulder occurred May 8 vs. Memphis. The expected recovery and rehabilitation time for this procedure is approximately five months, and his condition will be updated as appropriate.

Siakam appeared in 56 of 72 games last season, averaging 21.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He set a career high of 44 points, most recently vs. Washington, on May 6.