NBA News Blog – Page 1220 – NBA Blog

Boston Celtics promote Mike Longabardi to a bench assistant coach

The Boston Celtics announced today that Mike Longabardi has been promoted to a bench assistant coach.

“I’m looking forward to adding Mike to our bench. He has been in the fold the last four years and he’s more than ready for the next step,” said Doc Rivers, Celtics Head Coach.

Longabardi joined the Celtics prior to the start of the 2007-08 season from Houston where he had worked for the previous five seasons as an assistant coach/video coordinator, video coordinator and assistant video coordinator. The native of Brooklyn, New York has also previous coaching experience in the college ranks with Pfeiffer University, Adelphi University, Lafayette College and Towson University. He was on the coaching staff that led the Lafayette Leopards to the Patriot League title.

Timberwolves to interview Sam Mitchell for head coaching job

Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

The Wolves are down to the final two names to interview for their head-coaching job.

And, yes, Sam Mitchell is one of them.

Larry Brown, of course, is the other.

Many Wolves fans have wondered why the man who won Coach of the Year with Toronto and who played two different stints with the Timberwolves, first when he was an original Wolf and then when he was brought back in 1995 to help mentor a rookie named Kevin Garnett.

Mitchell is expected to interview Friday or Saturday, Brown next week.

Wolves boss David Kahn and owner Glen Taylor already have interviewed Terry Porter, Mike Woodson, Bernie Bickerstaff, Nelson.

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Rafer Alston sued over fight in strip club

Christina Carrega of the New York Post reports:

Troubled ex-New Jersey Nets player Rafer Alston fouled out at a strip joint — bashing another man on the head with a beer bottle during a booze-fueled brawl, a new lawsuit charges.

The former NBA athlete, 35, who’s originally from Jamaica, Queens, attacked fellow Perfection Gentleman’s Club patron Erick Franceschini, 32, of Milford, Conn., during a knock-down-drag-out free-for-all in July 2010, according to papers recently filed in Queens Supreme Court.

Alston smashed Franceschini with the bottle during a dispute that began in the Woodside, Queens, club and spilled out on the street, said Franceschini’s lawyer, John Rapawy.

Alston was not involved in the fight in the bar, Rapawy said, but the lawyer claimed the hoopster attacked Franceschini in the street.

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Luol Deng cleared to play for Britain in European championship tournament

The AP reports:

Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng has been cleared to play for Britain in the European Basketball Championships after resolving a dispute over insurance.

Deng says on his website Wednesday that “significant liability issues” have been overcome to allow him to play in the tournament. The championships run from Aug. 31-Sept. 18 in Lithuania.

He says “playing for GB is always important to me so I’m really glad we could resolve this. It has been a long process but a great team effort.”

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Lamar Odom coming to terms with summer tragedies

Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times (blog) reports:

Given all the pain and suffering that’s followed Lamar Odom at nearly every turn, he’s still maintained a positive outlook and has drawn inspiration from it.

His mother, Cathy Mercer, died of colon cancer when he was 12. His grandmother Mildred Mercer, who raised him, died in 2004. His son Jayden, at only 7 months old, died of sudden infant death syndrome in his crib in 2006. Yet, Odom has persevered, honored them in pregame rituals and often thinks about them for both guidance and perspective.

The pain struck again this month. Odom attended a funeral in New York for his 24-year-old cousin, who he told The Times’ Broderick Turner was killed. Then he was a passenger in a car that collided with a motorcycle and struck a 15-year-old pedestrian who later died.

“I think the effects of seeing [my cousin] die and then watching this kid die, it beat me down. I consider myself a little weak,” Odom told Turner. “I thought I was breaking down mentally. I’m doing a lot of reflecting.”

Boniface N`Dong re-signs in Spain

Euroleague.net reports:

Spanish League champion FC Barcelona Regal has retained another big man who helped win the Euroleague title in 2010, center Boniface Ndong, for one more year, the club announced Tuesday. Ndong (2.13 meters, 33 years old) averaged 6.2 points and 12 minutes per game last season. As such, his scoring average per 40 minutes was 22.8 points, the fourth-best among all Turkish Airlines Euroleague players. Ndong joined Barcelona for its run to the title in 2009-10 after having played his first two Euroleague seasons with another Spanish team, Unicaja. Before that, he played in four other countries since having discovered basketball as a teen in his homeland, Senegal. He started playing professionally in Germany with Rattlesdorf and Breitengrussbach.

Electronic Arts could lose $1 billion if college athletes win lawsuit

Darren Rovell of CNBC reports:

A class action lawsuit filed by former college athletes against the NCAA and Electronic Arts could take a huge bite out of the video game maker’s revenues, should the athletes win the case.

A California District Court judge recently denied Electronic Arts’ motion to dismiss the combined case filed by former Nebraska and Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller and former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon.

The case centers on whether licensees like EA unlawfully used athletes’ likenesses without their consent. The case is already two years old and there’s plenty more to go, but if the judge eventually rules that EA did in fact violate the players’ intellectual property rights, there could be huge financial damages.

EA has not specifically disclosed any numbers related to the lawsuit to its shareholders, but the damages they could have to pay might be as much as $1 billion, which equals 25 percent of its annual revenue. EA spokesman David Tinson declined to comment on any details about disclosures related to the case.

New Orleans Hornets hire Dave Hanners as assistant coach

The New Orleans Hornets announced the hiring of assistant coach Dave Hanners to the coaching staff. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

“Dave is an experienced coach both on the collegiate and professional level who has won a championship on each level,” said Hornets Head Coach Monty Williams. “He brings many tools that will help strengthen our coaching staff and help grow our players. Dave has learned from two of the best coaches in the game, Larry Brown and Dean Smith, and will be a valuable resource to our organization.”

Hanners spent the last two and a half seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats as the lead assistant coach under Larry Brown. He also served as an assistant coach with Brown for six prior seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers (2000-03), Detroit Pistons (2003-05) and New York Knicks (2005-06). Hanners spent two additional seasons on the Knicks bench (2006-2008), was an assistant coach for Detroit’s 2003-04 NBA Championship team, as well as the 2000-01 76ers and 2004-05 Pistons teams that won Eastern Conference titles. He also served as video coordinator and advance scout for the 2004 U.S. Olympic team that won a Bronze Medal in Athens and was an assistant coach for the East squad at NBA All-Star 2001 in Washington.

“I am extremely happy to be a part of the Hornets organization,” Hanners said. “Monty is a gifted, young coach in this league who is a tireless worker and always strives to be better. I was fortunate enough to coach him for a season and now will be fortunate to work with him as he continues to build the Hornets into a consistent, winning organization.”

In New Orleans, Hanners reunites with lead assistant coach Randy Ayers, with whom he coached alongside as a fellow assistant for three years between 2000-03 with the Philadelphia 76ers under Brown. The 2002-03 76ers squad featured Hornets Head Coach Monty Williams playing his final professional season as well.

Prior to his NBA career, Hanners spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina. During Hanners’ tenure under Hall of Fame Coach Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge from 1989-2000, the Tar Heels won the 1993 NCAA Championship and four ACC titles, while appearing in six Final Fours.

Hanners played guard at UNC under Smith from 1972-76. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Tar Heels from 1976-78, then spent three seasons as an assistant coach at UNC-Wilmington, two seasons at Furman and four seasons at East Tennessee State before returning to UNC in 1989 as an assistant coach. Hanners also served as head coach of UNC’s junior varsity team three different times – 1976-78, 1994-96 and 1999-2000.

Detroit Pistons to introduce new head coach Lawrence Frank on Wednesday

Early Wednesday afternoon, the Detroit Pistons will introduce Lawrence Frank as their new head coach.

As Vincent Goodwell of the Detroit News reports, “Detroit native Steve Smith said Pistons coach Lawrence Frank’s first order of business is to wipe away the bad taste from the past two seasons. “The best course of action is he has to come in with a clean slate,” said Smith, an analyst for NBA TV who played 14 seasons in the NBA. “He has to give those guys a clean slate, too.” Whenever the NBA lockout ends, Smith said Frank will have to address the team, collectively and individually, to let them know what happened in the past won’t be held against them, but a repeat won’t be tolerated. “Some of the problems you’ve heard about you do address,” Smith said. “You listen and you don’t interject.”

It’ll be a difficult job for Frank, as the team is in transition and in need of a serious rebuild. They were led last season by guard Rodney Stuckey (15.5 points, 5.2 assists per game), forward Tayshaun Prince (14.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg), and guard Richard Hamilton (14.1 ppg, 3.1 apg). Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva also contributed in the scoring department.

One of the lone bright spots for the Pistons last season was the play of center Greg Monroe, who has been steadily improving. He’s still not a real building block, however. He may develop into one in the near future, but for now he’s merely a supporting player.

But the journey for Frank begins Wednesday at noon in Michigan. And when the NBA lockout ends, his real test begins.

Joakim Noah set to join French national team

The AP reports:

Injured Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah should be ready to join his France teammates later this week, the French Basketball Federation said.

Noah has been having treatment in Los Angeles on his right ankle. The French team’s osteopath and the Bulls’ physiotherapist are said to be happy that Noah’s injury has responded well to treatment.

“After seeing the conclusions from the two specialists, the franchise (Chicago Bulls) doctor should give his accord for Joakim Noah to return to the France team, without having to go to Chicago,” the FFBB said Monday on its website.

France is training in Pau this week ahead of the European Championship. France will play Latvia on Aug. 31.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Just to clarify, this has basically nothing to do with the NBA lockout. This is just the European championship and has nothing to do with next season, in the NBA or elsewhere.