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Raptors hire Nick Nurse as head coach

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have named Nick Nurse as the team’s new head coach.

Nurse becomes the ninth head coach in franchise history after spending the past five seasons as an assistant coach with the Raptors along with successful coaching tenures in the NBA G League and overseas.

“Nick is an innovative coach who has a tremendous basketball IQ, and a unique approach to the x’s and o’s. We’ve valued his creativity and dedication as he focused on making our offense one of the best in the NBA, and we believe that he will bring those qualities to his new role as head coach,” team president Masai Ujiri said. “This is an exciting and important season for the Raptors, and I believe Nick’s strong leadership and focus on winning are qualities which will help lead us to our ultimate goal, which is a championship.”

Nurse, 50, joined the Raptors in 2013 and helped construct an offensive system that ranked among in the NBA’s top 10 in three of five seasons. During the 2017-18 campaign the Raptors set franchise records for points per game (111.7) and three-pointers made (968).

“I’m proud to take on the role of head coach of the Toronto Raptors, and to continue to work with the exceptional players we have here,” Nurse said. “I’m grateful to Masai, Bobby, Larry Tanenbaum and the MLSE ownership for this opportunity. Toronto and the Raptors organization has been my home for the past five years, and I’ve watched this group grow and succeed together. I’m looking forward to more of that this season, and to working towards our shared goal, which is to earn the right to call ourselves NBA Champions.”

Prior to joining the Raptors, Nurse spent six seasons in the NBA G League as head coach for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2011-13) and the Iowa Energy (2007-11). He compiled a regular-season record of 183-117 (.610), which ranks second all-time in NBA G League history for most victories. Nurse also has the most playoff victories in the league’s history with a 15-6 (.714) record. He is the only coach to lead two different teams to an NBA G League Championship.

During his final season with Rio Grande Valley, Nurse led the Vipers to a 35-15 record and the 2012-13 NBA G League title. Before joining the Vipers, Nurse led Iowa to the 2010-11 G League Championship and was the recipient of the Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year award.

Nurse, a native of Carroll, Iowa, played collegiately at Northern Iowa and stayed on as an assistant coach during the 1989-90 season. He travelled overseas to become player-coach of the Derby Storm in the British Basketball League (BLL) for one season before being named head coach at Grand View College in Iowa.

Following two seasons as an assistant coach at South Dakota, Nurse returned to Great Britain where he coached the Birmingham Bullets (1995-96), Manchester Giants (1998-2000), London Towers (2000-01) and Brighton Bears (2000-06). He won two BLL championships in 1996 and 2000, and was named Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2003. Nurse also earned six all-star head coach selections.

Nurse also gained coaching experience in Italy, Belgium, the USBL and served as an assistant coach for the British National Team during the 2012 Olympics in London.

Sixers exercise contract options on Richaun Holmes and T.J. McConnell

The Philadelphia 76ers have exercised the fourth-year options on the contracts of guard T.J. McConnell and forward-center Richaun Holmes.

The two players will now be under contract with the 76ers for the 2018-19 season.

McConnell originally signed with the 76ers in September 2015. Since his NBA debut in 2015-16, no NBA player has recorded more steals in a reserve role than McConnell’s 203. His 697 assists off the bench over the past three seasons are second in the league, behind only Dallas’ J.J. Barea.

On Feb. 12, 2018 vs. New York, McConnell posted 10 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and six steals as he became the first 76er ever to post a triple-double off the bench (teammate Markelle Fultz accomplished the feat weeks later).

Holmes was selected by Philadelphia with the 37th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. In his three NBA seasons with the 76ers, he has played in 156 games (20 starts), averaging 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game.

Jodie Meeks will reportedly stay with Wizards

We are now in a crucially important period of the basketball offseason: Awaiting the draft, but also seeing which players enter free agency. Some will do so automatically because their contract has officially ended, but with others it’s by choice, either by the player or the team. In the case of the Wizards, here’s the Washington Post with an update on Jodie Meeks:

In an expected move, Washington Wizards guard Jodie Meeks exercised the player option of his contract for the 2018-19 season, according to league sources. Meeks’s return will signal a hit to the salary cap while also ensuring the Wizards will be shorthanded to start next season.

With Meeks, the Wizards have 10 players under contract. The sharpshooter is expected to earn $3.45 million next season and though his individual income appears meager compared to the team’s core players John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr., the cumulative amount will push the team’s 2018-19 salary past $124 million.

Full article

Steve Kerr expects contract extension talks to go smoothly

Head coach Steve Kerr is obviously having great success with his star-filled Warriors team. There’s no reason to even think that the two sides won’t continue together. Here’s the SF Chronicle with the latest on upcoming contract extension talks between the two sides:

“We’ll get that done pretty quickly,” Kerr said Monday. “I don’t think there will be much to it. It should happen relatively quickly.”

Kerr and Golden State began to discuss an extension last summer, but Kerr opted to wait a year for final discussions to be sure he was healthy enough to make a long-term commitment. Now, after coaching every game in the Warriors’ run to the 2017-18 NBA championship, Kerr is ready to sign an extension.

“Whenever he wants to start, we’ll figure it out,” general manager Bob Myers said. “I think the nice thing is we developed a camaraderie and we feel like he wants to be here. We want him here. We’ll work it out.”

Kerr, 52, rebuffed an offer from the Knicks in May 2014 and signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Warriors.

Abdel Nader undergoes wrist surgery

Last Friday, June 8, Boston Celtics guard/forward Abdel Nader underwent a right wrist arthroscopy and ulnar osteotomy. The purpose of the surgery was to correct lingering issues stemming from a fracture he suffered way back in high school.

Nader should be able to return to basketball activities in around 2-3 months. The team thinks he’ll be at full strength for the start of training camp.

In the 2017-18 regular season, Nader played in 48 games and averaged 3.0 points in 10.9 minutes per outing.

In the 2018 playoffs, he played in 11 games, and averaged 1.1 points in 3.0 minutes per outing.

The 6-6, 230-pound Nader is 24 years old and was drafted 58th overall in the 2016 draft. He played college basketball at Iowa State.

Pistons to hire Dwane Casey as head coach

The Detroit Pistons announced today an agreement with Dwane Casey to join the organization as Head Coach. Casey, who will be formally introduced at a news conference in Detroit next week, is expected to start immediately with player meetings and staff development starting this week.

“Dwane is one of the most successful and highly respected coaches in our league,” said Pistons Owner Tom Gores. “He’s a great communicator and a leader who will connect with our players and accelerate their growth. Having spent many hours with Dwane over the last few weeks, I’m confident he is the right person to get us to the next level.

“In our meetings he displayed great insight into what this roster can accomplish, and great passion about our city and the team’s role in bringing people together,” Mr. Gores said. “He’s an outstanding man with impressive character. He embodies our culture and will be a great representative for our franchise.”

Mr. Casey, who led the Toronto Raptors to 59 wins in the most recently completed season, is a finalist for the NBA’s 2018 Coach of the Year Award, which will presented on June 25 at the league’s awards dinner in Los Angeles. Last month, he was named the Coach of the Year by the National Basketball Coaches Association.

“I am excited and honored to join the Detroit Pistons, a franchise with a championship history and a roster that is ready to win now,” Mr. Casey said. “Tom really won me over with his vision for the team and the city. He clearly wants to deliver for the fans in Detroit and I believe in the strength of his leadership to do so.

“I’m confident that this team has the pieces in place to compete at a very high level,” Mr. Casey added. “There is a lot of talent, a solid core and some exciting young players eager to get better. We’re getting to work right away on the things that will make us all successful.”

Casey, 61, has served as a head coach, associate head coach or assistant coach in the NBA for 23 of the past 24 years. He has coached in two NBA Finals (1996 and 2011) and three NBA All-Star games (1996, 1998 and 2018).

Casey most recently served as head coach of the Toronto Raptors from 2011-2018 where he compiled a 320-238 (.573) regular-season record and led the Raptors to a franchise-record five consecutive playoff appearances, including a trip to the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals. The all-time winningest coach in Raptors history, Casey led Toronto to the franchise’s first 50-win season in 2015-16, recorded 50-plus wins in each of the last three seasons and posted a franchise-record 59 wins and the top seed in the Eastern Conference in 2017-18. Toronto won four Atlantic Division titles during Casey’s tenure. He was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month five times, and last February, became the first coach in Raptors history to be selected to coach in the NBA All-Star game.

Prior to his appointment with Toronto, he served as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2005-07. Casey’s 2005-06 squad finished in the NBA’s top 10 in fewest average points per game and lowest opponent field goal percentage.

Casey began his NBA career as an assistant coach with the Seattle Supersonics where he served from 1994-2005 under NBA head coaches George Karl, Paul Westphal and Nate McMillan. Promoted to associate head coach in November 2000, nine of his teams in Seattle finished above .500 with five winning 50 or more games. The 1996 squad won the Western Conference Championship after finishing the regular season with a franchise record 64 victories.

He also spent three seasons (2008-11) as an assistant with Dallas under Rick Carlisle where he directed the club’s defense and helped lead the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA Championship. Dallas posted a 162-84 (.659) mark during that span, winning 50 or more games in each of his three seasons with the team. His defensive unit held opponents to 96.0 points per game (6th in the NBA) and .450 percent shooting from the field (8th in the NBA) during the 2010-11 regular season.

In 14 seasons as an NBA assistant, Casey’s teams registered a 689-427 (.617) mark with eight campaigns of 50 or more wins. His teams qualified for the playoffs in 11 of those 14 seasons.

Prior to the NBA, Casey spent five seasons as a head coach in the Japanese Basketball League and worked with the Japanese national team. In the summer of 1998, he helped to guide Japan to its first appearance in the FIBA World Championship, which marked a first for Japan in over 30 years.

A native of Morganfield, KY, Casey played collegiately at the University of Kentucky. During his junior season, the Wildcats amassed 30-2 record and captured the 1978 NCAA Championship. As a senior, he was named team captain and won Kentucky’s all-academic award.

Atlanta Hawks name assistant coaching staff

The Atlanta Hawks today named Melvin Hunt, Chris Jent, Greg Foster, Marlon Garnett and Matt Hill as assistant coaches on head coach Lloyd Pierce’s staff.

Also, Nate Babcock has been added as Special Assistant to the Head Coach.

“When we set out to assemble a staff, we were looking for A-plus talent and A-plus people, and that speaks to the individuals we added,” said Pierce. “These coaches embody what we’re looking for in terms of character and credibility, and will help us grow our program and our organization. They will be great teachers and mentors for the players they’ll be working with and great representatives for the Hawks.”

Hunt comes to Atlanta from the Dallas Mavericks, where he spent three seasons on Rick Carlisle’s staff. Prior to Dallas, Hunt was with the Denver Nuggets for five years, including serving as interim head coach for the final 23 games of the 2014-15 campaign.

Before his arrival in Denver, he helped the Cleveland Cavaliers to one of the most successful runs in franchise history, including reaching the NBA Finals in 2007, the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009, and winning a franchise-best 66 games in 2008-09. Hunt was also part of the Eastern Conference All-Star coaching staff in 2009.

Hunt spent one season (2004-05) with the Los Angeles Lakers following five years with the Houston Rockets (1999-2004), where he gained experience as a video coordinator, scout and assistant coach.

He has also coached on the collegiate and high school levels, beginning his coaching career at Temple (TX) High School before serving as an assistant coach at Incarnate Word University in San Antonio.

Hunt played four years at Baylor (1987-91), where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s in Education. He played professionally in the Caribbean and Mexico.

In his second year with the Hawks, Jent has also spent time on the coaching staff of the Philadelphia 76ers (2003-04), Orlando Magic (2004-05, including a stint as interim head coach), Cleveland Cavaliers (2006-11) and Sacramento Kings (2013-14) as well as his alma mater, Ohio State University. He was head coach of the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA G League in 2015-16.

A 10-year pro as a player, Jent was a member of the 1994 NBA Champion Houston Rockets and also played for the New York Knicks during the 1996-97 season. He additionally spent five seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and played overseas in Australia, Italy, Spain and Greece.

Jent grew up in Sparta, NJ before playing four seasons for the Buckeyes, which included three consecutive NCAA tournament trips.

Foster spent the last four seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant coach, after serving as player development coach for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013-14.

Before entering the NBA coaching ranks, Foster worked two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Texas-El Paso, his alma mater.

Selected with the 35th overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, he played in 656 career games in 13 NBA seasons, including 33 games with the Hawks during the 1992-93 season. Foster also played for Washington, Milwaukee, Chicago, Minnesota, Utah, Seattle, the LA Lakers and Toronto.

Foster is a native of Oakland, CA, where he played in high school (Skyline) alongside Hall-of-Famer Gary Payton.

Garnett spent the last two seasons with the Phoenix Suns as Assistant Coach/Player Development Coordinator after working with the San Antonio Spurs as a player development and quality assurance assistant. He spent 2014-15 as head coach at Union Academy in Monroe, NC.

He entered coaching following a lengthy playing career, including time with the Boston Celtics (24 games in 1998-99), and internationally in Turkey, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Iran, Puerto Rico and Slovakia. He was also a member of the Belizean National Team in 2013.

A Los Angeles native, Garnett played collegiately at Santa Clara, where he teamed with Pierce and two-time NBA MVP and Hall of Fame guard Steve Nash. Garnett was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year after averaging 17.4 ppg as a senior in 1996-97.

Hill spent the last six seasons with the Orlando Magic, where he was most recently an assistant coach. He began his career with Orlando as Video Analyst/Opposition in 2012, and was later promoted to Manager of Advanced Scouting/Player Development.

He played at the University of Texas from 2006-11, where he earned his degree in corporate communications, after a decorated high school career at Southeast High School in Lincoln, NE. Following his senior season, he was named Nebraska’s Mr. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year.

Babcock spent the last two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets as Video Coordinator. Prior to that, he was with the Orlando Magic and was an assistant coach with the Erie BayHawks.

He has also been an assistant coach at Grand Valley State (MI), and a graduate assistant and special assistant at Michigan State.

A Minnesota native, Babcock earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from Wisconsin-Eau Claire and received a Master’s degree in kinesiology from Michigan State.

Babcock’s father, Rob, is a former NBA General Manager and his brother, Chris, is a player development coach with the 76ers. His uncles, Pete and Dave, are longtime NBA executives, with Pete having served as Hawks’ General Manager from 1990-2003.

Kevin Durant says he will stay with Warriors next season

The Warriors were an amazing team, then they added Kevin Durant, and now they’re a bit too amazing to handle. Though, most Warriors fans probably don’t mind. he team currently has a 3-0 NBA Finals lead against the Cavs. Kevin Durant has been fantastic. And will reportedly remain with the Warriors next season, per the Mercury News in reference to what Durant said on ESPN:

Durant’s current contract — a two-year $51-million deal he signed last summer — contains an opt-out clause after the first year. In April, ESPN reported that Durant would opt out and then sign a new deal with the Warriors as a free agent. Durant, 30, gave up almost $10 million in salary last summer so the Warriors could afford to keep Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston on the roster.

Full article

Bryan Colangelo out as Sixers president of basketball operations

The 76ers’ Bryan Colangelo era, short as it was, is over.

The team announced Thursday that its embattled president of basketball operations resigned after a scandal involving secret Twitter accounts.

Colangelo was not at the Sixers facility Thursday, a day after sources said he was spotted at pre-draft workouts.

— Philly.com

The Philadelphia 76ers organization has accepted the resignation of President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo, effective immediately. We appreciate Bryan’s many contributions during his time leading our basketball operations and thank him for the work he did in positioning the team for long-term success.

An independent investigation by New York-based law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP was conducted into certain anonymous social media accounts that posted information concerning the club, personnel, and related topics. It has become clear Bryan’s relationship with our team and his ability to lead the 76ers moving forward has been compromised.

— Sixers Press Release

As a result of our investigation, we do not believe that Mr. Colangelo established the Twitter accounts or posted content on those accounts. The evidence supports the conclusion that Ms. Barbara Bottini, Mr. Colangelo’s wife, established the Twitter accounts and posted content on those accounts. When interviewed, Ms. Bottini admitted establishing and operating the accounts. Forensic evidence corroborates her admissions.

We cannot conclude that Mr. Colangelo was aware of the Twitter accounts prior to the May 22 press inquiry. Mr. Colangelo denies any such awareness and we have not observed any forensic evidence establishing that he had knowledge of the Twitter accounts prior to that date. We note, however, that our investigation was limited and impeded by certain actions taken by Ms. Bottini, including her decision to delete the contents of her iPhone by executing a factory reset of the device prior to surrendering it for forensic review.

— The Investigation Team Hired by the Sixers

Nets announce additions to Performance Team

The Brooklyn Nets have announced three new additions to the Performance Team, joining Zach Weatherford, director of human performance, Dan Meehan, director of sport science and Sebastien Poirier, head athletic trainer.

Les Gelis has been named director of sports medicine and will begin in this role at the conclusion of his World Cup commitment with the Australian national team. With over 20 years of experience, Gelis comes to Brooklyn after most recently serving as head of physiotherapy for Football Federation Australia, a position he held since 2010. In that role, Gelis oversaw the physiotherapy departments of the Australian national football team, all FFA national teams and the national league. Previously, Gelis served as head of physiotherapy for the Manly Sea Eagles of the Australian National Rugby League and the South Melbourne Soccer Club. He worked two stints as an Olympic team physiotherapist for the Australian national football team, including at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Gelis earned a Bachelor of Science in physiotherapy and a Master of Science in sports physiotherapy from La Trobe University in Melbourne.

Stefania Rizzo has been named director of performance rehabilitation. Rizzo comes to Brooklyn from Fortius Sport & Health in Vancouver, where she most recently served as director of physiotherapy. Since 2006, Rizzo has also functioned as the lead physiotherapist for the Canadian national alpine ski team. In this role, Rizzo has worked over 40 international World Championships, World Cup Finals and the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. Among other past positions, Rizzo has served as head of rehabilitation for the Buffalo Sabres and as a physiotherapist with the Canadian national snowboard team, the Canadian national women’s soccer team and BC Provincial Rugby. Rizzo earned Bachelor of Science degrees in biology and physiotherapy from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Clinical Science from the University of Western Ontario.

Daniel Liburd has been named head strength and conditioning coach. Prior to joining the Nets, Liburd spent nine years (2009-2017) with the Buffalo Bills as the team’s assistant strength and conditioning coach. During the 2017 NFL season, Liburd worked with the Pittsburgh Steelers in a similar strength and conditioning role. Other previous experience includes strength and conditioning positions with American International College and Springfield College. Liburd earned a Bachelor of Science in exercise science from Boston University and a Master of Science in human performance from Canisius College.

Dan Meehan has been promoted to the position of director of sport science, following two seasons as the team’s head strength and conditioning coach.

Sebastien Poirier has been elevated to the position of head athletic trainer. Poirier, who joined the organization in 2016, served the past two seasons as assistant athletic trainer.