Category: General NBA insight

Dirk Nowitzki having a nice career and becoming a legend in Spain?

Don’t laugh. It wasn’t as farfetched as it sounds.

Back in the mid- to late-‘90s, when Nowitzki was just rising to prominence with his Wurzburg, Germany, club team, he was wined and dined by the FC Barcelona club that he will play against Tuesday.

“I was probably 17 or 18 and looking to come here maybe to develop and play here and make this a new home,’’ Nowitzki said Monday. “I decided to go toward the NBA instead.

“But I had a great time here. They showed me around the city and it was great.’’

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News

The buyout that was expected to come in July still hasn’t arrived for Raja Bell. Because of that, the veteran guard recognizes that even a possible move into free agency might not mean the opportunity to suit up for his hometown Miami Heat.

The defensive-minded swingman with 3-point range said Friday that he remains hopeful of receiving his release from the Utah Jazz in advance of next week’s start of training camp and that few teams hold the allure of the Heat.

“They would be on the top of my list, for sure,” he said on 640 Sports’ Andy Slater Show. “Again, hometown crowd, my kids are in elementary school here. It’d be great for me to get a chance to play here in Miami where I grew up and I know a lot of people, and be a part of this history that they’re going to make for the city. But that’s not always just up to me.”

Facing a diminished role amid an uneasy relationship with the Jazz staff, the native of St. Croix, who attended both Killian High and Florida International University, appeared poised for a buyout early in the free-agency period. He is due $3.48 million this coming season from Utah on the final year of his contract.

— Reported by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Big-time professional sports returned to Brooklyn for the first time in more than 50 years on Friday, when the Brooklyn Nets finally unveiled their new stadium after a decade-long fight with neighbors.

The 675,000-square-foot, 18,000-seat Barclays Center will officially open on September 28 with a concert by rapper Jay-Z, and the Nets – formerly the New Jersey Nets – will play their first game at the arena, against the New York Knicks, on November 1.

The team’s arrival marks the first time in 55 years the borough can lay claim to a major professional sports team, following the removal of the celebrated Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles, a move that outraged local baseball fans.

— Reported by Eidth Honan of Reuters

Photo from InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner taken today of the new Brooklyn Nets court in the Barclays Center

In the Brooklyn Nets Barclays Center arena for the first time

I am the founder of InsideHoops.com and a born-and-raised New Yorker, and saw the World Trade Center twin towers fall with my own eyes while standing on a lower Manhattan sidewalk. Remembering the day still gives me chills, all these years later.

Here is a photo I took five minutes ago from West Broadway and Spring street in downtown Manhattan of the WTC Freedom Tower today, September 11, 2012.

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have re-signed guard Terrel Harris.

Harris appeared in 22 games (one start) last season with the HEAT and averaged 3.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 14.5 minutes. He grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in a 116-109 triple-overtime win at Atlanta, becoming just the third rookie in HEAT history to grab at least 14 rebounds off the Miami bench and paired with Udonis Haslem (11) to become only the fifth pair of non-starting teammates to each grab double figure rebounds in the same game. Harris appeared in four postseason games last season during Miami’s championship run totaling five points and three rebounds in 10 minutes of action.

Prior to joining the HEAT last year, Harris split the season between the Rio Grand Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League and EnBW Ludwigsburg of the German Bundesliga League. He appeared in seven games (three starts) for the Vipers and averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.14 steals and 25.0 minutes while shooting 56.6 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from three-point range and 75 percent from the foul line. He also appeared in six games for EnBW Ludwigsburg and averaged 2.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 12.7 minutes while shooting 33.3 percent from the field. Additionally, he has spent time with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League and Strasbourg IG of the France ProA League.

The Oklahoma State product was originally signed by the HEAT as a free agent on December 10, 2011.

The HEAT’s roster now stands at 16.

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.

The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday they have signed free agents Sam Young, Sundiata Gaines and Blake Ahearn to contracts. Until reported otherwise, we assume these are training camp signings, and these players must still fight to earn a regular season contract. We will update this page when new info arrives.

Young is a 6-6 small forward/shooting guard who has played three NBA seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers. He has career averages of 6.6 points per game and 1.8 rebounds per game. He was a second-round pick (36 th overall) of the Grizzlies in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Gaines is a 6-1 point guard who was undrafted out of Georgia in 2008. He has played with Utah, Minnesota, Toronto and New Jersey with career averages of 5.1 ppg and 2.2 assists per game. He has played 113 games in the NBA. Ahearn was undrafted in 2007 after playing at Missouri State. A 6-2 guard, Ahearn has 19 games NBA experience with Miami, San Antonio and Utah with a career average of 2.5 ppg. He has also played in Europe and the NBA D-League where in 2011-12 he was the league’s leading scorer at 23.8 ppg. He is also the D-League’s all-time leader in points.

Scott Layden, the Utah assistant coach and former general manager who the Spurs interviewed early this week, has agreed to become the team’s new assistant general manager. Yahoo Sports! first reported the move, which has not yet been formally announced.

Layden was the Jazz general manager from 1992-99, helping to orchestrate two NBA finalist appearances in Utah. He also served as the GM in New York from 1999-2003, but enjoyed considerably less success there.

— Reported by Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News