NBA News Blog – Page 549 – NBA Blog

Larry Bird steps down as Pacers President of Basketball Operations

The Indiana Pacers announced Monday that Larry Bird is stepping down as President of Basketball Operations with current Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Kevin Pritchard assuming Bird’s position. Bird will remain with the team in an advisory role.

“I felt it was time to step away in a full-time capacity,” said Bird. “This has nothing to do with my health or our team. I’m 60 years old and I want to do other things away from basketball. I will do some scouting for the Pacers, NBA, college, international, do some appearances and stay in a capacity to advise senior basketball management. I love the Pacers, I grew up with the Pacers and admired them from a very young age. I want to thank the fans for their support throughout my career. I also want to thank (owner) Herb Simon for the many years of loyalty and for allowing me to stay with the team in a different role.”

“This is not a shock to me as Larry has always been up front about someday stepping down,” said Simon. “I thank him for all that he has done and am very pleased he is remaining with the Pacers in a different capacity.”

The 49-year-old Pritchard has been with the Pacers five years, first as Director of Player Personnel before becoming General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations/General Manager. He previously had been General Manager for the Portland Trail Blazers from 2007-10 where he helped turn around a team that in 2008-09 posted the sixth-best record in franchise history (54-28) and made the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.

“I want to thank Herb, Larry and Donnie (Walsh) for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Pritchard. “As someone who grew up in Indiana (he was born in Bloomington), I’ve always felt the Pacers’ pride. The goal is always going to be the same as it has been through Donnie and Larry: to make this a world-class organization.”

“I have the utmost faith in Kevin taking over,” said Simon. “He has learned from a couple of great ones, Donnie and Larry, while with the Pacers. We all feel he will do a tremendous job.”

Added Bird, “I’m very happy Kevin is stepping in and glad another Hoosier is in line to take over this job. He has a lot of experience from the past five years as a GM and he’s ready to step into a leading role. With us, he has had his own ideas on the draft, players, and now he gets an opportunity to push his basketball abilities to the forefront. His role will be no different than mine was. He will make all final decisions on all basketball-related matters. There can only be one voice and it will be his.”

Pritchard played collegiately at Kansas and was part of the Jayhawks’ 1988 National Championship team. He played in the NBA with Golden State, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami and Washington. After playing, he was the coach/general manager of the Kansas City Knights of the ABA, winning a championship in 2002. He then scouted for San Antonio, became Portland’s Director of Player Personnel in 2004 and in the 2004-05 season was the Blazers’ interim coach for 27 games. In 2006, he became Portland’s assistant general manager before becoming GM in 2007.

Raptors introduce Wayne Embry Fellowship

The Raptors are introducing the Wayne Embry Fellowship, which will give one Canadian applicant each year the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in a professional basketball operations environment.

The team will begin accepting applications for the inaugural Wayne Embry Fellowship which will take place from July, 2017 until July, 2018 and will provide a paid position to gain exposure in every area of basketball operations with the Toronto Raptors.

“It has been incredible to see the development of so many players from Canada over the years thanks to their exposure to the NBA since the birth of the Raptors,” said Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri. “We have also seen some real stars develop off the court during that time and the Wayne Embry Fellowship is meant to give even more people the chance to learn this side of the business and build a career in the front office of a NBA team. Wayne Embry is a man who helped break barriers and create opportunities for many people during his long and successful career, including myself, and this program is another example of that.”

The Wayne Embry Fellowship with the Raptors will consist of a year-long paid position with the team involving time spent in all areas of basketball operations to provide exposure to all facets of the inner-workings of a NBA team, including coaching, scouting, team services, player development, medical, financial, equipment, travel and the NBA Gatorade League (NBA G-League).

Each rotation within the program will include a mentor and specific responsibilities as they learn the role that each department plays in the organization. The fellow will also have the opportunity to gain event operations experience at NBA Summer League, the NBA G-League Showcase and Basketball without Borders global camp held during NBA All-Star Weekend. Travel and accommodations for these events will be covered by the organization as part of the Fellowship experience.

“It has been very rewarding for everyone in the Raptors organization to see the growth of the game in Canada over the years, but a successful franchise also requires the contributions of so many people behind the scenes,” said Wayne Embry. “This program is the chance to create opportunity for people who dream about a career in basketball but not might otherwise have the chance to develop the necessary experience.”
Applicants are asked to submit a video no longer than two minutes by Friday, May 19, 2017 that answers the following questions: “How are you uniquely qualified for this fellowship through your Perseverance, Persistence, Preparation, Passion, Perception and/or Pride?” and “Why do you want this fellowship opportunity?”

As part of the application process, finalists for the position will travel to Toronto early in June for an in-person meeting with Wayne Embry and interviews with a panel of Raptors executives.

Raptors eliminate Bucks from NBA Playoffs

Thursday night in Milwaukee, the Raptors beat the Bucks 92-89 to win Game 6 and the first round playoff series. Toronto will now play the Cavs, with Game 1 scheduled for Monday in Cleveland. Here’s the Toronto Sun reporting on tonight’s series-clinching victory:

The real test came in the second half when the Raptors had built the lead up to 25 and looked home and cooled out only to watch the Bucks chip away at the lead as the Raptors offence, which had been running so efficiently bogged down like it never has before. The ball wasn’t just sticking. It was stuck and it stayed that way for the final half of the third quarter and the first eight or nine minutes of the fourth.

The run was 34-7 and if panic didn’t set in it was moments away from doing so.

“I don’t know what happened, but all of a sudden they woke up, made a great run and took over the game, had the momentum, had the crowd behind them,” Patrick Patterson said. “We were just discombobulated. A little too selfish on the offensive end, not communicating on the defensive side and they took advantage of that.”

Keeping the panic from overtaking the entire Raptors team was no easy feat and took just about every voice on the bench.

The team leaders, DeRozan and Lowry, were getting plenty of credit for that but so too was Cory Joseph, the only guy outside of Serge Ibaka who has taken an NBA playoff run all the way to its final game.

Jamal Murray undergoes surgery

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has undergone successful surgery to repair core muscle-related injuries, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

The surgery was performed by Dr. William Meyers at the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia.

Murray averaged 9.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists while being the only Nuggets player to appear in all 82 games (10 starts) this season. He was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October and November after kicking off his NBA career by averaging 10.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists through his first 18 games. Murray also took home the MVP award for the 2017 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge after posting a game-high 36 points (9-14 3FG) and a game-high 11 assists in a 150-141 Team World victory.

Murray will resume basketball related activities this summer and is expected to be at full-strength when the Nuggets open training camp this fall.

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray to have surgery

Here’s the Denver Post with an update on a young Nuggets guard:

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray will have surgery Thursday to address a “couple of injuries,” general manager Tim Connelly said during a radio appearance on Altitude 950 AM on Wednesday afternoon.

Murray, who averaged 9.9 points during his rookie season, played part of the season with a sports hernia. Connelly didn’t reveal the issues the guard’s surgery would address. Murray, the only member of the team to play all 82 games last season, routinely downplayed any injuries or pain he was experiencing late in the year.

Vander Blue wins D-League MVP award

Los Angeles D-Fenders guard Vander Blue has been named the 2016-17 NBA Development League Most Valuable Player in a vote by the league’s 22 head coaches, it was announced today.

Blue (6-4, 200) played in 47 games (46 starts) for the D-Fenders this season, averaging 24.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game while finishing as the league’s third-leading scorer. The former Marquette standout led Los Angeles to a Western Conference-best 34-16 record on the season before becoming the first player in team history to win the league’s top individual honor.

An NBA D-League All-Star in each of his three seasons with the D-Fenders, Blue scored in double figures in all but one of his contests this season, hitting the 20-point mark 39 times throughout the 2016-17 campaign. He was named the NBA D-League Player of the Week on December 26 and January 30.

Blue’s latest season adds to what has been a record-breaking career as he leads the D-Fenders in all-time points and rebounds. Blue’s 4,058 career point total ranks third in D-League history, and his 22.5 scoring average is good for the second-best career average in the league. He set league records in single-game free throws made (23) and attempted (27) this season, also finishing the year with a new league record in makes from the charity stripe (363).

Jusuf Nurkic returns from injury for Blazers

Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic, who was part of the big Trail Blazers turnaround that took place when he arrived from the team in trade from the Nuggets, has a fracture in his leg but is returning much earlier than anticipated and will be playing hurt against the Warriors. Here’s CSNNW reporting:

From doubtful to starting! The Bosnian Beast is back!

The Trail Blazers announced Nurkić will play in Game 3 vs. the Golden State Warriors at the Moda Center Saturday night.

Nurkic fractured fibula in his right leg on March 28th and was expected to miss at least two weeks before he was re-assessed.

Before the series, Nurkić told reporters, “if it was up to me I’d play right now.”

Blake Griffin injury update

The L.A. Clippers announced that forward Blake Griffin will miss the remainder of the 2017 NBA Playoffs with an injury to the plantar plate of his right big toe suffered during the Clippers’ 111-106 win over the Utah Jazz in Game 3 of their Western Conference First Round Playoff series.

Griffin will be re-evaluated upon the team’s return to Los Angeles and will see foot and ankle specialist Dr. Richard Ferkel.

Griffin averaged 21.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 61 regular season games in 2016-17, and averaged 25.0 points per game in the first two games of the Clippers’ Playoff series vs. the Jazz.

Blake Griffin out for remainder of NBA playoffs

Yet another Blake Griffin injury, at the worst possible time. The Clippers will be without their star power forward for the remainder of the playoffs. Here’s the LA Times reporting:

This season will finish similar to the last, with a sidelined Blake Griffin on the bench in street clothes.

Only this isn’t the same old story for the Clippers.

The most critical offseason in the franchise’s history has come early, courtesy of news that Griffin will miss the remainder of the playoffs because of damage to the plantar plate on his big right toe.

Chris Paul and Doc Rivers promised the Clippers will be ready to take on Utah Jazz in Game 4 of their opening-round playoff series Sunday, but this is something more far-reaching than that.

The Clippers are staring ahead into the unknown.

Kings hire Scott Perry as Executive VP of Basketball Operations

The Sacramento Kings today hired Scott Perry as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.

Perry will report directly to Divac and assist in all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the Kings front office, including roster management and development, player personnel matters, scouting strategy and free agency negotiations.

“I’m thrilled that Scott will be joining our front office team,” said Divac. “His extensive experience in the league and management talents will help build on our progress as we work to develop a winning franchise.”

Perry joins Sacramento’s front office after serving the last five seasons in a similar capacity with the Orlando Magic. Prior to his time in central Florida, Perry spent parts of 12 seasons with the Pistons as a collegiate scout (2000-02), director of player personnel (2002-2007) and later as Vice President of Basketball Operations (2008-12). Detroit reached the Eastern Conference Finals on six occasions (2003-08), made consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals (2004 and 2005) and won the NBA Title in 2004 during Perry’s tenure. He also served as the Seattle Supersonics assistant general manager in the 2007-08 season, during which the franchise drafted Kevin Durant No. 2 overall.

Before entering the NBA executive ranks, Perry spent three seasons as head basketball coach at Eastern Kentucky University (1997-2000) and nine years as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan, UC Berkeley and Detroit Mercy.

The former Wayne State University Warrior was a captain and all-conference player his senior season (1986). He also suited up for the University of Oregon as a freshman after being recruited by NBA coach Jim O’Brien and former NBA executive Stu Jackson.