NBA News Blog – Page 1249 – NBA Blog

Nets Dancers to perform at NBA 5 United Tour 2011 in Moscow

The New Jersey Nets Dancers will perform at the NBA 5 United Tour 2011 in Moscow, Russia tomorrow and Sunday, June 12. NBA players Dwight Howard and Andrei Kirilenko will also attend the event at Luzhniki Stadium.

The NBA 5 United Tour 2011 is a grassroots tour that combines competitive outdoor 5-on-5 tournaments with fun interactive basketball elements.

The visit to Moscow continues the NETS Dancers’ global tour, in which they have performed during the past year in China, England, and Mexico.

“We are thrilled for the NETS Dancers to perform in Moscow, as we strive to be Russia’s ‘home’ team,” said Petra Pope, the NETS Senior Vice President of Event Marketing, who oversees the team’s entertainment division. “This trip is a great opportunity to continue the goal of expanding our reach and globalizing the NETS’ brand.”

Spurs strength and conditioning coach Mike Brungardt is retiring

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that long-time strength and conditioning coach Mike Brungardt has elected to retire from his position. His last day with the Spurs will be June 30.

“All of us will miss Mike a great deal,” said Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich. “He has been an important part of the Spurs success over the last 17 years. He built our strength and conditioning program from the ground up and remains one of the best in the business. He has the respect and admiration of everyone in the organization, from players to coaches to front office staff. On a personal note I hate to see Brungy leave. He is a good friend and a wonderful man.”

Brungardt was hired as the Spurs strength and conditioning coach in the summer of 1994. He is the only strength and conditioning coach in the history of the franchise. A graduate of Central State University in Oklahoma, Brungardt has more than three decades of experience in the strength and conditioning field. After wresting and playing baseball in college, he spent nine years as a high school wrestling coach at Grand Island Northwest High School in Nebraska before becoming a highly-respected fitness consultant in Aspen, where he also played rugby. Brungardt, along with his brothers, Kurt and Brett, has co-authored five books in the strength and fitness field.

“This was a very tough decision,” said Brungardt, whose first involvement with the Spurs occurred in 1990 when he served as a consultant, working with David Robinson. “I’ll certainly miss working with class athletes like Tim, David, Sean, Manu and Tony that this organization has always been noted for. But after 17 seasons, this feels like the right time to take everything I’ve learned from the Spurs, especially from Pop, and move into the next chapter in my life. I would like to thank all of them, and the entire Spurs organization for the many special memories, and wish all of them continued success and happiness.”

Brungardt will still work with athletes from various sports on an individual basis, and will do consulting both in the United States and overseas.

Raptors guard Leandro Barbosa considering playing in Brazil

Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail reports:

The Toronto Raptors may get an unexpected break as they try to remake their team in the wake of a 22-60 season.

Brazilian veteran Leandro Barbosa is considering opting out of the final year of a contract scheduled to pay him $7.6-million for 2011-12.

According to his brother Arturo, the shooting guard is receiving feelers from some top club teams at home who want to bring back the top Brazilian player of his generation.

“The situation is this: it would not be responsible of me as his brother to not consider the Brazil option,” said Arturo Barbosa. “Leandro loves Toronto he loves the fans and the relationships with everybody, but business is business. An athlete’s career is short and there are a lot of sponsorship opportunities [in Brazil] especially with the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016.”

The leading candidate for Barbosa’s services, apparently, is Flamengo, Brazilian basketball champions in 2008 and 2009 who play in Rio de Janeiro. The club’s soccer side recently brought soccer star Ronaldinho back to the fold to finish his career after his run in Europe.

Mavericks overcome LeBron triple-double, take 3-2 NBA Finals lead over Heat

The AP reports:

Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks finally have the lead in these ultra-close NBA finals, and now it really is “now or never” for LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Nowitzki scored 29 points, driving for the go-ahead dunk with 2:45 remaining, and the Mavericks beat the Heat 112-103 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the NBA finals…

James, who called this game “now or never,” responded from his worst playoff performance with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and Dwyane Wade battled through a sore left hip after a first-quarter collision to finish with 23 points…

The Mavs shot 60 percent through three quarters, briefly gave up the lead in the fourth, then controlled the final few minutes, just as they had in thrilling comebacks in Games 2 and 4…

Terry scored 21 points and J.J. Barea had 17 for the Mavs, with Nowitzki briefly throwing both arms in the air as he walked off the court surrounded by a sea of blue fans who hope he’ll bring home a championship trophy if they can pull out another victory in Miami…

The Mavs tied it at 100 on Terry’s 3-pointer with 3:23 left, and after James missed, Nowitzki drove for a baseline dunk and a 102-100 lead with 2:45 to go. James was called for an offensive foul and missed a 3-pointer on Miami’s next two possessions before Kidd drilled a 3-pointer to make it 105-100, sending the crowd into a delirious chant of “Beat the Heat! Beat the Heat!” …

Wade walked gingerly to the locker room with a left hip contusion with about 3 minutes left in the period after colliding with Mavs reserve Brian Cardinal on a drive to the basket, and didn’t return to the bench until more than 3 minutes into the second. But the Heat hung in while he was gone, even taking a 31-30 lead when the Mavs turned it over on their final possession and Mario Chalmers threw in a heave from just inside midcourt to beat the buzzer, nearly a duplicate of the finish of the first quarter in Game 3 that stunned Dallas.

Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald reports:

The Heat shot 53 percent in the third quarter but was outscored 24-22. Barea provided the spark for the Mavericks in the third quarter, leading his team with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting and 2 of 3 from three-point range. Dallas was 4 of 7 from three-point range in the third quarter.

Wade remained in the locker room after halftime and didn’t emerge until less than five minutes remained in the period. He entered the game with 4:33 left in the quarter but managed to contribute a field goal. Wade entered the fourth quarter with 13 points while Bosh, James and Mario Chalmers each had 15.

The drama of the first half simply seemed like an extension of the exciting conclusion of Game 4. Mario Chalmers, of all people, kept the Heat in the game. His three-point shooting—4 of 6 from behind the arc — nearly matched the Mavericks’ effort as a team (5 of 7).

Chalmers, underappreciated among the Heat’s veteran roster, has played better than any point guard in the NBA Finals, including future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd. Chalmers finished the first and second quarters with clutch three-pointers, including a 40-footer at the first-quarter buzzer.

D-Fenders D-League team, owned by Lakers, will resume play in 2011-12

The Los Angeles D-Fenders announced today that the team will return to operation in the NBA Development League, the NBA’s official minor league, for the 2011-2012 season after a one-season hiatus. The D-Fenders, owned and operated by the Los Angeles Lakers, will resume their single affiliation with the 2009-10 NBA Champions, and will play their home games at Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, Calif.

“We are excited to continue our investment in the NBA Development League as it continues to evolve into a basketball and business asset for NBA teams,” said D-Fenders Chief Executive Joey Buss.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the Los Angeles D-Fenders back to the NBA Development League,” said NBA D-League President Dan Reed. “The Lakers have been an outstanding partner with the NBA D-League for years, and their return further reinforces our growing significance to the NBA – especially considering they are now one of seven NBA teams with a ‘one-to-one’ affiliation. We’re excited about the terrific fan experience they plan to provide at Toyota Sports Center.”

With the D-Fenders’ return, the NBA Development League now features seven teams with lone NBA affiliates. Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs also fully own and operate their affiliates, the Tulsa 66ers and Austin Toros, respectively. The Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks have ‘hybrid affiliations’ with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Springfield Armor and Erie BayHawks, respectively, controlling the basketball operations of their NBA D-League affiliates, while the Dallas Mavericks are singly affiliated with the Texas Legends.

Allen Iverson Lamborghini impounded since April in Atlanta

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports:

A 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago belonging to NBA All-Star Allen Iverson that was towed by Atlanta Police from a Buckhead restaurant parking lot in April because it didn’t have a license tag, is still sitting in an Atlanta impound lot, reports Atlanta Business Chronicle broadcast partner WXIA-TV.

A source told WXIA reporter Jeff Hullinger that since it costs about $14,000 a year to buy a Georgia tag for such a car, and since Iverson’s car has not had a tag in four years, to get it back he would need to pay about $56,000 to the state and $300 to Futo’s for each month the car sits at the company’s city-contracted impound lot off Cheshire Bridge Road in Atlanta.

Celtics center Nenad Krstic signs in Russia to play for CSKA Moscow

Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston reports:

Celtics center Nenad Krstic has agreed to a two-year, euro6 million euro ($8.8 million) deal with CSKA Moscow, according to a report by the Russian International News Agency.

Requests to confirm the potential deal, which likely cannot be completed until Krstic’s NBA deal officially expires later this month, were not immediately returned by Krstic’s European management firm, Invictus Sports Group. Krstic joined Invictus late last month to manage his overseas opportunities.

Since the Celtics were bounced from the playoffs by the Miami Heat last month, there have been numerous reports of overseas interest in Krstic, who will be an unrestricted free agent. The Serbia native is no stranger to international ball and it should come as no surprise that he’d be interested in potentially playing there during an NBA work stoppage.

Former Duke basketball player Thomas Emma dies

ESPN and the AP report:

Police say former Duke basketball player Thomas Emma plunged from the 12th floor of the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan to his death in an apparent suicide.

Police say Emma’s body was found at 11:30 a.m. ET Tuesday on a second-floor landing of the building on Central Park South.

The athletic club had no comment.

Emma, 49, was drafted in the 10th round of the 1983 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, but never played for them.

In 110 career games for the Blue Devils, including 71 starts, Emma scored 784 points (7.1 ppg) and had 245 assists.

Yao Ming still has ankle problems

China Daily reports:

China’s basketball icon, Yao Ming, says his baby daughter is a “tempting” incentive for him to continue his injury-plagued career, but his injured left ankle is only 30 percent of the way to a full recovery. ..

The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) placed Yao on the national team’s roster for summer training last month and still hopes to count on him at next year’s London Olympics.

However, the giant stressed his future as a national representative depended on his rehabilitation after undergoing surgery to repair the ankle in January.

“Walking or jogging is OK for me now, but I need to get 80 percent of my strength back to play I have got only about 30 percent at most now. I also need exhibition games to assist my recovery, not only working out alone,” said Yao, who took off his protective boot two months ago.

The uncertain status of the NBA has also made this summer a decisive one for the 30-year-old.

Yao’s five-year contract with the Rockets, which is valued at $76 million, expires on June 30, and then there’s also the chance of a league lockout.

New Warriors coach Mark Jackson predicts team will make playoffs next year

The AP reports:

First-time coach Mark Jackson has a bold prediction for his first season with the Golden State Warriors.

“I fully expect, put it in bold letters, the Golden State Warriors to be a playoff team next year,” Jackson said Tuesday, a day after being hired by the team that has been to the playoffs only once since 1994. “If I did not expect that, I would not have taken the job, and I won’t minimize it with just being a playoff team. We are looking to turn the Bay Area upside down.”

Jackson’s comments came before Game 4 of the NBA finals, which is working as a lead analyst for ESPN and ABC. He will begin his first coaching job full time after the end of the series between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.

In 17 seasons as an NBA point guard, Jackson played for New York, the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana, Denver, Toronto, Utah and Houston. He won Rookie of the Year honors in 1988 and made the playoffs 14 times. He ranks third on the NBA’s all-time assists list.