Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Rick Carlisle steps down as head coach of Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that Rick Carlisle has stepped down as head coach.

“Rick informed me today about his decision to step down as head coach,” said Mark Cuban. “On top of being a tremendous basketball coach, he was also a friend and a confidant. Rick helped us bring the O’Brien Trophy to Dallas and those are memories I will always cherish. I want to thank Rick for all he gave this franchise and this city. We wish him all the best.”

Carlisle, the winningest coach in franchise history, was hired on May 9, 2008 and recently completed his 13th season with Dallas. He posted a record of 555-478 (.537) with the club and led the Mavericks to the postseason nine times in his 13 seasons at the helm, including the franchise’s first World Championship in 2011.

Carlisle, who won a title as a player with Boston in 1986, is one of only 14 individuals to win an NBA championship as both a player and a head coach. He moved into 15th place on the NBA’s all-time wins list in 2020-21, passing Cotton Fitzsimmons (832) with career win No. 833 vs. Cleveland on May 7, 2021.

Hornets guard LaMelo Ball wins 2020-21 NBA Rookie of Year award

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is the recipient of the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year, the NBA announced today.

He is the third player to win the annual award with Charlotte, joining Larry Johnson (1991-92) and Emeka Okafor (2004-05).

Ball received 84 first-place votes and earned 465 total points from a global panel of 99 sportswriters and broadcasters. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards received the other 15 first-place votes and finished in second place with 309 points. Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton finished in third place with 114 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Ball averaged 15.7 points, 6.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.59 steals in 28.8 minutes in 51 games (31 starts), leading all rookies in assists and steals and ranking second in points and rebounds. He is the seventh rookie to average at least 15.0 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.50 steals in a season since steals became an official statistic in the 1973-74 season, joining Magic Johnson (1979-80), Penny Hardaway (1993-94), Steve Francis (1999-00), Chris Paul (2005-06), Michael Carter-Williams (2013-14) and Ben Simmons (2017-18). Ball was one of two NBA players to reach all four of those averages this season, along with Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler.

On Jan. 9, Ball recorded 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists against the Atlanta Hawks at 19 years, 140 days old, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to have a triple-double. In other standout performances, Ball posted a career-high 34 points, eight assists and zero turnovers against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 5 in his third career start, and he had 30 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 1. Despite missing 21 games with a wrist injury, Ball finished with the second-most assists (313) and third-most three-pointers made (92) by a rookie in Hornets history.

Ball was selected as the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in each of the first three months of the season (December/January, February and March). He was also named to the U.S. Team for the 2021 NBA Rising Stars rosters.

Charlotte selected Ball with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Ball played for the Illawara Hawks of Australia’s National Basketball League during the 2019-20 season, where he was named the NBL Rookie of the Year.

The NBA Rookie of the Year trophy is named in honor of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Eddie Gottlieb, one of the NBA’s founders. Gottlieb coached the Philadelphia Warriors to the 1946-47 championship in the league’s first season.

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard will miss Game 5 against Jazz

The Clippers, who are already without the services of center Serge Ibaka, now have a major injury problem at the forward spot. Via the LA Times:

When Kawhi Leonard was asked about his right knee Monday night following Game 4 of the Clippers’ second-round playoff series against Utah, he replied quickly, “I’m good.”

Because the answer was hard to hear through the videoconference’s feed, he was asked again.

“Yeah,” Leonard said. “Next question.”

Less than 48 hours later, with Game 5 of a deadlocked series looming Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, Leonard is not good. The forward, who has averaged more than 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists while shooting 57% in the postseason, is out for Game 5 because of a strained right knee suffered in the final five minutes of Game 4, when he was bumped by Utah’s Joe Ingles.

And from the OC Register:

Leonard – who was named to the All-NBA first team on Tuesday, his third such honor – reportedly could miss the rest of the best-of-seven series, which is tied, 2-2. He was not listed on the Clippers’ official injury report Tuesday, but according to ESPN, the 29-year-old forward told teammates Tuesday night to prepare for him to be out. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Clippers are fearful Leonard has suffered an ACL injury.

The five-time All-Star from Moreno Valley planted awkwardly on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter of the Clippers’ 118-104 victory on Monday night at Staples. He grimaced following the play but remained in the game, missing both free throws he was awarded on the drive after a foul was assessed to Bojan Bogdanovic. Leonard remained in the game briefly after that, too, drawing another foul and making both of those free throws.

The Jazz remain without the services of point guard Mike Conley. But Leonard being out is a bigger problem for L.A. than Conley being out is for Utah.

Scott Brooks out as head coach of Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards announced today that they will not extend the contract of Head Coach Scott Brooks.

Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard will begin a search for a new head coach immediately.

“We have been committed to taking the proper steps over the last two seasons to develop our young players, bring in pieces to complement Bradley Beal and build a winning environment that will ultimately lead to sustained on-court success,” said Sheppard. “Our organization will always be grateful to Scott for his dedication and work both on the court and in the community over the past five years and I personally admire and respect how he helped keep our team together during the unprecedented events of the last 15 months.”

Brooks was originally signed as the team’s head coach on April 26, 2016. He compiled an overall record of 183-207 (.469), ranking him fifth overall in total wins in franchise history.

Stan Van Gundy out as head coach of New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans and Stan Van Gundy have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced today.

“On behalf of Mrs. Gayle Benson and the Pelicans organization, I would like to thank Stan for the integrity and professionalism that he demonstrated during his time in New Orleans, as well as the commitment and work ethic he brought to our team,” said Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin. “This was a difficult decision as I have tremendous respect for Stan both personally and professionally, but we agreed it is in the best interest of our team to move forward in a different direction. We wish Stan, Kim and their family all the best in the future.”

Van Gundy, who was named the seventh head coach in franchise history on October 22, 2020, compiled a 31-41 (.431) regular season record in one season with the Pelicans. Van Gundy has a career regular season record of 554-425 (.566) with Miami (2003-06), Orlando (2007-12), Detroit (2014-18) and New Orleans.

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.

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.