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Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of the officiating, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.
Kidd made his comments during a conference call with the media on Thursday, May 1.
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Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph has been suspended one game without pay for punching Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams in the jaw, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.
The incident occurred with 6:42 remaining in the fourth quarter of Memphis’ 104-84 loss to the Thunder on Thursday, May 1, at FedEx Forum.
Randolph will serve his suspension on Saturday, May 3, when the Grizzlies visit the Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena for Game 7 of their first round NBA playoff series.
To view the play, click on this link.
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The Chicago Bulls announced today that center Joakim Noah successfully underwent minor arthroscopic surgery to clean out his left knee. The procedure was performed at Rush Oak Park Hospital by Chicago Bulls head team physician Dr. Brian Cole.
He is expected to rehab his left knee during the offseason for the next eight to 12 weeks.
The Bulls were recently eliminated by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2014 NBA playoffs.
Noah this regular season averaged 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, and made the Eastern Conference All-Star team.
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The Wizards say the NBA has investigated a person who made threats to the team on Twitter during its first-round series against the Chicago Bulls.
Center Marcin Gortat said Thursday after practice that there was “one gentleman who really threatened us, actually made some terrorist threats to us.”
Gortat, who is from Poland, said that “he was saying there was a bomb on the plane and stuff, that my country’s going to get bombed and all my family’s going to die, just stuff like that.”
— Associated Press
The Orlando Magic have exercised their fourth-year team option and extended the contracts of General Manager Rob Hennigan and Head Coach Jacque Vaughn, Chief Executive Officer Alex Martins announced today. Both contracts have been extended through the 2015-16 season.
“Rob (Hennigan) and Jacque (Vaughn) have worked extremely hard in establishing a culture which embodies teamwork, hard work, hunger for success and humility,” said Martins. “With their strategic direction and leadership, we feel we are headed in the right direction, which will allow us to achieve our goals of contending in a long-term, sustainable fashion.”
Hennigan was named general manager of the Magic on June 20, 2012. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the team’s basketball operations, including day-to-day business, roster management and development, player acquisitions, salary cap management, analytical systems, and process development throughout the department. Hennigan spent the previous four seasons (2008-12) with Oklahoma City, including his last two seasons as the Thunder’s assistant general manager/player personnel.
Vaughn became the tenth head coach in Orlando Magic history on July 27, 2012. He is the second-youngest head coach in the NBA. Prior to joining the Magic, Vaughn spent two seasons (2010-12) as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. He played 12 years in the NBA from 1997-2009, including 80 games with Orlando in 2002-03. Vaughn was a member of the San Antonio Spurs 2006-07 NBA Championship team.
Mike D’Antoni has resigned as Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, it was announced today by Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Although no timetable has been established, the search for a replacement will begin immediately.
D’Antoni, who was hired by the Lakers to replace Mike Brown on November 12, 2012, had a 67-87 record in his two seasons with the team. He previously was head coach of the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks, and has a career record of 455-426.
“Given the circumstances, I don’t know that anybody could have done a better job than Mike did the past two seasons,” said Kupchak. “On behalf of the Lakers, we thank Mike for the work ethic, professionalism and positive attitude that he brought to the team every day. We wish him the best of luck.”
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Charlotte Bobcats forward Josh McRoberts underwent successful surgery today to remove bone spurs from his left big toe. The surgery was performed by foot specialist Dr. Bob Anderson.
McRoberts will not be allowed to do any basketball activities for at least four weeks. His status will be updated as warranted.
Washington Wizards forward-center Nene has been suspended one game without pay for head-butting and grabbing guard-forward Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls around the neck with both hands and attempting to throw him down, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.
The incident, in which Nene received two technical fouls and was ejected from the game, occurred with 8:28 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Wizards’ 100-97 loss to the visiting Chicago Bulls last night at Verizon Center. Nene will serve his suspension tomorrow when the Wizards host Chicago.
To view video of the play, click on this link.
Phoenix’s Goran Dragic, who helped lead the Suns to a 23-win improvement while establishing career highs in scoring and field goal percentage, is the winner of the 2013-14 NBA Most Improved Player Award, the NBA announced today. The annual award is presented to a player who has made a significant improvement from the previous season.
Dragic received 408 of a possible 1,134 points, including 65 first-place votes, from a panel of 126 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Lance Stephenson of the Indiana Pacers (158 points, 13 first-place votes) and Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans (155 points, 16 first-place votes) finished second and third, respectively. 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 received.
Dragic, who entered the 2013-14 campaign with a career scoring average of 9.5 points, averaged a career-best 20.3 points to go with 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds, as the Suns finished with a record of 48-34, one game behind the Dallas Mavericks, who claimed the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. He shot a career-best .505 from the field, including a .408 mark from behind the three-point arc. He was the only player in the NBA to shoot at least 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. Dragic started 75 of the 76 games he appeared in, and helped keep the Suns in playoff contention, despite the extended absence of teammate Eric Bledsoe, who was limited to 43 games this season.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is the recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2013-14 NBA Coach of the Year, the NBA announced today. Popovich’s Spurs posted the league’s best record at 62-20 (.756), which provides them with homecourt advantage throughout the postseason.
Popovich, who wins his second NBA Coach of the Year award in the past three seasons and third of his career, joins Don Nelson and Pat Riley as the only coaches to receive the honor three times. He totaled 380 points, including 59 first-place votes, from a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Coaches were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote. The award voting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.
The Spurs were the only team to record 30-plus wins both at home (32-9, .780) and on the road (30-11, .732), and their 38-14 record against conference opponents tied for the best mark in the league (Indiana Pacers). San Antonio led the NBA in points per game differential at +7.8, having averaged 105.4 ppg while giving up just 97.6 ppg.
2013-14 marked the 15th consecutive season that Popovich’s Spurs posted 50 or more wins, and the fourth time in that span that the team tallied 60-plus victories. San Antonio recorded a 19-game winning streak – tied for fifth-longest in NBA history – between Feb. 26-April 2.
Popovich presided over a balanced roster which featured no player who averaged 20-plus points, nor 30-plus minutes, with Tony Parker’s 16.7 ppg and 29.4 mpg leading both categories. He ended the 2013-14 campaign with 967 regular season wins, good for ninth on the all-time list.
The Coach of the Year Award is named after legendary coach and Hall of Famer Red Auerbach who guided the Celtics to nine NBA Championships. In 1996, Auerbach was honored as one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History as the NBA celebrated its 50th anniversary.