NBA News Blog – Page 1551 – NBA Blog

Tony DeLeo will not continue as 76ers head coach

Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that Tony DiLeo has withdrawn his name from consideration to return as head coach 2009-10 season and will return to his previous position as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager. Effectively immediately, the Sixers will begin an extensive search for new head coach.

“Tony and I had a meeting scheduled for this afternoon, during which time he informed me of his decision that he would not return as head coach next season,” Stefanski said. “I want to thank Tony for the commendable job he did this season under some unique and difficult circumstances, including leading us to the playoffs.”

DiLeo was named the franchise’s 22nd head coach on December 13, 2008 and he subsequently led the Sixers to a 32-27 (.542) record and the No. 6 seed in the 2009 NBA Playoffs. DiLeo completed his 20th season with the Sixers organization and was in his fifth season as the team’s Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager prior to being named head coach.

In his role as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager, DiLeo will again be responsible for assisting Stefanski with player procurement via his evaluation of amateur and professional talent while supervising the team’s draft efforts and overseeing the college and professional scouting systems.

Toronto Raptors name Jay Triano head coach

Toronto Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo announced Monday that Jay Triano has been promoted to head coach and signed to a three-year contract. Triano took over the head coaching duties on an interim basis December 3, 2008 following the dismissal of Sam Mitchell. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Despite some difficult circumstances this past season, Jay Triano never stopped coaching, teaching and leading this team which resulted in a very strong finish,” said Colangelo. “After undertaking a thorough evaluation process, it is clear that Jay is the right coach to guide this team in the future.”

Triano is the seventh head coach in franchise history. He guided the club to a 9-4 mark in its final 13 outings this past season, including wins over Eastern Conference playoff participants Chicago, Orlando and Philadelphia, and a 12-15 record after the all-star break. He finished 25-40 overall.

Triano served seven seasons (2002-2008) as an assistant on the Raptors’ coaching staff. He became the first Canadian born and Canadian trained coach in the NBA when he was hired in 2002 as an assistant coach to Lenny Wilkens.

A native of Niagara Falls, Triano was the head coach of the Canadian men’s national team from 1998-2004 posting a 52-42 (.553) record. During his stint at the helm of Canada Basketball Triano had the opportunity to coach “Captain Canada” Steve Nash, who was voted the National Basketball Association’s Most Valuable Player in 2005 and 2006. Triano led Canada to a semifinal berth in the 2003 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico and to a 5-2 record, second best to the United States, in the 2000 Olympics.

Triano has also served as an assistant coach of the USAB Select Team (2007 and 2008), the head coach of the NIKE Skills Academy in Vancouver (2006) and Toronto (2007), and for the past six years as a coach at the prestigious EURO CAMP in Treviso, Italy.

Triano served as interim head coach for one game during the 2007-08 season when Mitchell was away for a personal family matter. The Raptors defeated the New Jersey Nets, 109-91, on February 13, 2008 at Air Canada Centre.

Toronto Raptors pre-draft workouts

On Monday, the Toronto Raptors will work out the following players for the 2009 NBA Draft: Byron Eaton (guard, Oklahoma State), Tyrese Rice (guard, Boston College), Sam Young (forward, Pittsburgh), Terrence Williams (forward, Louisville), Jeff Pendergraph (center, Arizona State) and Russell Hicks (center, Florida International).

InsideHoops.com is about to step our Draft coverage up, beginning late tonight.

NBA says refs missed intentional foul in Mavs-Nuggets Game 3

Joel Litvin, NBA President, League and Basketball Operations, issued the following statement regarding the final seconds of Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Denver Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks:

“At the end of the Dallas-Denver game this evening, the officials missed an intentional foul committed by Antoine Wright on Carmelo Anthony, just prior to Anthony’s three-point basket.”

Yao Ming out injured for rest of NBA playoffs

Rockets center Yao Ming has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2009 NBA Playoffs after further diagnostic procedures conducted today revealed a small hairline fracture in his left foot. The finding is in addition to the earlier diagnosis of a left ankle sprain that he sustained during Friday night’s 108-94 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals playoff series. While no surgery is needed, the expected recovery timeline is between eight to 12 weeks.

“Yao Ming had an initial test taken in the early morning hours on Saturday following the game,” said Rockets Team Physician Dr. Tom Clanton. “The original diagnosis of the left ankle sprain was based on the results of that test. Further diagnostic procedures performed later in the day, revealed a hairline fracture on the top of his left foot. In order for the bone to heal properly, Yao will need to immobilize the foot by wearing a walking boot. No surgery is required and he should be able to resume his regular workout routine sometime between the next eight to 12 weeks.”

Fan discussion of the Yao Ming injury news is in this forum topic.

Phoenix Suns name Alvin Gentry head coach

The Phoenix Suns today announced that the club has reached an agreement with interim head coach Alvin Gentry to retain him as the 14th head coach in franchise history. Gentry and Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr will be available to the media on Tuesday, May 12.

“Alvin is the right man to lead our team into the future,” said Kerr. “Our players have great respect for him and the job he did last season, and he’ll provide the continuity we’ll need going into next year. I’m excited for Alvin and his family, and for our organization. This is a great fit.”

Originally promoted to the role of interim head coach on Feb. 16, Gentry’s 31-game tenure with the Suns in 2008-09 saw him compile the highest winning percentage of any interim coach in the NBA last season (.581). Gentry’s 18-13 record at the helm of the Suns included both the club’s longest overall win streak of the season (six games) and longest home win streak (nine games), despite playing without leading scorer and All-Star starter Amar’e Stoudemire for all but two of those games, and without Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa for a combined 10 games.

Gentry returned the Suns to the franchise’s high-scoring roots as Phoenix averaged an astounding 117.7 points following his promotion, raising its overall scoring average five full points in just 31 games to 109.4 points for the season, tops in the NBA. The Suns opened Gentry’s tenure with three-straight 140-point efforts, the first time the NBA had seen such prolific scoring since the 1990-91 campaign. Among the most impressive scoring feats achieved by Gentry’s Suns’ in his 31-game term: six scoring efforts of at least 130 points, more than any other NBA team managed in 82 games; and, a string of 10 consecutive 30-point quarters, the longest streak of its kind in 17 seasons.

Gentry helped lead the club to a 46-36 finish, the second-most victories for a non-playoff team in the 25-year history of the NBA’s 16-team playoff format. The Suns, which were 14-3 (.824) at home under Gentry, closed the season by winning nine-straight games at US Airways Center, registering wins over playoff teams Philadelphia, Denver, Utah and Houston.

A 30-year coaching veteran, Gentry originally joined the Suns’ staff as an assistant on June 1, 2004, and served in that position the last four-plus seasons before earning the midseason promotion in 2008-09. Gentry is at the helm of his fourth NBA team after stints with the Los Angeles Clippers (2000-03), Detroit Pistons (1997-2000) and Miami Heat (1995). Gentry’s 1998-99 Pistons earned a playoff berth. In 2001-02, his second season with the Clippers, he guided Los Angeles to an improbable 39-43 (.476) record, the team’s highest win total in nearly 10 seasons, a season after leading the club to a 16-win improvement in 2000-01, his rookie campaign with the club.

In 21 seasons in the NBA, Gentry has worked alongside or under some of the game’s most respected coaches, including Larry Brown, Kevin Loughery and Doug Collins. The 54-year-old Gentry received his first assistant coaching job in the NBA under Brown with the San Antonio Spurs in 1988-89 after serving under Brown with the 1988 NCAA Champion Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team.

Ron Artest foul downgraded

The AP reports: Ron Artest will play in Game 4 of Houston’s Western Conference semifinal against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. The NBA ruled Saturday that Artest’s hard foul on Pau Gasol(notes) late in the Lakers’ 108-94 win on Friday did not merit a one-game suspension… League spokesman Tim Frank said Saturday the foul was downgraded to a flagrant one.

InsideHoops.com expected this would happen.

Fan discussion of the news is in this forum topic.

Chuck Daly dies

The Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports and Entertainment mourn the passing of Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Daly. The 78-year-old, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February, passed away this morning in Jupiter, Florida on May 9 with his family by his side. Funeral arrangements are pending, but services will take place next week in Jupiter/Tequesta, Florida.

“The Daly family and the entire Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports and Entertainment family is mourning the loss of Chuck Daly,” family spokesman and Pistons Vice President of Public Relations Matt Dobek said. “Chuck left a lasting impression with everyone he met both personally and professionally and his spirit will live with all of us forever.”

Daly, who coached the Detroit Pistons to NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990, was dubbed by his Pistons’ players as “Daddy Rich,” for his dapper wardrobe. Daly also served as head coach of the Dream Team, the 1992 Gold-Medal winning USA Basketball Olympic Team, which has been acknowledged by many as the greatest basketball team ever assembled. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994 and the number 2 (for those 2 NBA Championships) was retired in his honor by the Detroit Pistons in 1997.

The Kane, Pennsylvania native coached the Pistons for nine seasons and is the winningest coach in franchise history with a record of 467-271 (.633). He also coached Detroit to a franchise record 71 playoff wins during his tenure (71-42, .628). Named head coach on May 17, 1983, Daly finished his first year with a 49-33 mark and a postseason appearance. The Pistons reached the NBA Playoffs in each of his nine seasons, advancing to the Conference Finals five times with two Eastern Conference Championships (1989, 1990).

In 1990, the Pistons set the top two winning streaks in franchise history. During the months of January, February and March, the club won 13 games and then 12 in a row with only one loss in between. The 25-1 streak was the third-best streak in the history of the NBA during that time.

In addition to his Pistons coaching career, Daly also made NBA head coaching stops with the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic.

His 30-plus years of coaching success at all levels carried over into his Pistons position. Prior to joining Detroit, Daly spent four-plus seasons as an assistant to Billy Cunningham and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers went 236-104 in the regular-season during those four-plus years, winning two division titles and finishing second twice.

In his six seasons (1971-77) as the head coach of the University of Pennsylvania, he compiled a 125-38 (.744) record and won four Ivy League titles. Daly led Penn to more NCAA berths and Big Five titles than any previous head coach in school history. He was the head coach at Boston College for two seasons (1969-71) and served as an assistant coach at Duke University for seven years (1963-69).

A graduate of Bloomsburg University, after starting his collegiate career at St. Bonaventure, Daly earned a Master’s Degree at Penn State and began his coaching career at Punxsutawney High School.

Daly is survived by his wife, Terry, his daughter, Cydney, and grandchildren Sebrina and Connor.

Hawks injury update for Game 3

The Cleveland Cavaliers lead the Atlanta Hawks two games to zero in their second round NBA playoffs series.

Game 3 is Saturday in Atlanta.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, injuries are striking at a very bad time.

The latest info, direct from the team, as of early Friday afternoon, is that both forward/center Al Horford (right ankle sprain) and forward Marvin Williams (right wrist sprain) practiced today and will be game-time decisions for Saturday.

Star shooting guard Joe Johnson, who suffered a right ankle sprain during Game 2 in Cleveland, will also be a game-time decision for Saturday.

Steve Mills leaves Madison Square Garden

The New York Post (Marc Berman) reports: Imagine how the course of Knicks’ history could have changed if Garden president Steve Mills and Magic Johnson had hooked up sooner — like in December 2003. Six years later, Mills is leaving the Garden to work with Johnson on various business ventures, MSG announced yesterday. A source said Mills will work on helping Johnson add boxing to his portfolio. Mills also will teach a course at his alma mater, Princeton, “Dilemmas in Athletics.” He found plenty of those in his nearly 10 years as a Garden executive — best known for hiring Isiah Thomas.