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2012-13 NBA All-Rookie Teams

The Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard, the unanimous selection for the 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year, headlines the 2012-13 NBA All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today.

Lillard was the lone unanimous First Team selection (58 points, 29 First Team votes), while the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal and the New Orleans Hornets’ Anthony Davis totaled 57 points each, including 28 First Team votes. Rounding out the 2012-13 NBA All-Rookie First Team are Dion Waiters of the Cleveland Cavaliers (50 points, 21 First Team) and Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors (47 points, 18 First Team).

The voting panel consisted of the NBA’s 30 head coaches, who were asked to select five players for the first team and five players for the second team, regardless of position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Two points were awarded for first team votes and one for second team votes.

Lillard, the sixth overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft, made a clean sweep of the NBA Rookie of the Month Award in the Western Conference this season. Among first-year players, Lillard ranked first in scoring (19.0 ppg), assists (6.5 apg) and minutes (38.6 mpg). According to NBA.com/Stats, the Trail Blazers had an offensive rating of 105.0 points (per 100 possessions) when Lillard was on the court compared with 93.5 points when he was on the bench.

For the season, Beal averaged 13.9 points to go along with 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists. On the season, he recorded 13 games of 20-plus points and six games with a least four three-pointers made. The overall top selection in the 2012 NBA Draft, Davis excelled after the All-Star break, averaging 15.3 points on .520 shooting from the field and 9.3 rebounds. He posted 11 double-doubles. Overall, Davis averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds 1.8 blocks and, 1.2 steals in 64 games.

Sporting averages of 14.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.8 minutes per game, Waiters scored in double figures 45 times, including 14 games of 20 points or more. While his 81 regular-season starts ranked second among rookies, (Lillard, 82 games), Barnes helped the Warriors secure a playoff spot by averaging 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 25.8 mpg.

The NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of the Detroit Pistons’ Andre Drummond (35 points, 10 First Team), the Toronto Raptors’ Jonas Valanciunas (31 points, six First Team), the Charlotte Bobcats’ Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (29 points, three First Team), the Detroit Pistons’ Kyle Singler (17 points, one First Team), and the Cavaliers’ Tyler Zeller (15 points, three First Team).

Grizzlies assistant coach Barry Hecker leaves team

Grizzlies assistant coach Barry Hecker left the team during the Western Conference semifinal against the Thunder for what Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said is a “personal matter.”

Hollins said after the team’s shootaround Monday morning that Hecker’s departure is “nothing that’s public consumption.”

Hecker was with the Grizzlies for their Game 2 win in Oklahoma City but was not with the team in Memphis for their Game 3 win Saturday night. Team officials said only that Hecker is no longer with the Grizzlies.

Hecker had been on Hollins’ staff in Memphis the past five seasons.

Reported by Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman

Steve Clifford interviewing for Bucks head-coaching job

Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Steve Clifford is interviewing with the Milwaukee Bucks for their head-coaching job on Monday, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Milwaukee has interviewed Nate McMillan and Houston Rockets assistants Kelvin Sampson and J.B. Bickerstaff for its head-coaching job.

When Bucks general manager John Hammond reached out to gauge Stan Van Gundy’s interest in the job, Van Gundy declined but delivered a strong recommendation for Clifford, league sources said. Clifford spent five years on Van Gundy’s Orlando Magic staff before joining the Lakers in the summer of 2012.

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports

Taj Gibson fined $25,000 for verbal abuse of an NBA referee

Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson has been fined $25,000 for verbal abuse of a game official, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 10:13 remaining in the fourth quarter of Chicago’s 115-78 loss to the Miami Heat on May 8 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

According to the Associated Press, “The league announced the fine Friday. And Gibson was relieved the punishment wasn’t worse. “I knew I was going to get hit,” he said. “I was just hoping it wasn’t a suspension, but I deserved (the fine).” The Heat were well on their way to a 115-78 victory when Gibson went off at an official early in the fourth quarter. With 10:13 remaining, he did not leave the court in a timely fashion after he and teammate Joakim Noah were ejected by referee Scott Foster. Gibson continued to shout at Foster.”

Timberwolves waive guard Brandon Roy

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that the team has waived guard Brandon Roy.

“We wish Brandon and his family all the best in the future,” said Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders.

During the 2012-13 NBA season, Roy appeared in five games with the Timberwolves, and averaged 5.8 points, 4.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 24.4 minutes per game. Roy signed with the Timberwolves as a free agent on July 31.

Eric Gordon has arthroscopic ankle surgery

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that guard Eric Gordon underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure yesterday in his left ankle to alleviate pain caused by particles of scar tissue. The procedure was performed by Dr. Richard Ferkel of the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles, CA.

Gordon is currently recovering from the procedure and will begin rehabilitation immediately while returning to basketball activities later in the summer.

According to the Associated Press, “Gordon missed the first two months of the 2012-13 season while recovering from a right knee injury, but still had the highest scoring average on the team after his return, with 17 points per game in 42 games. Gordon played in only nine games the previous season because of his knee injury, for which he also had arthroscopic surgery in February 2012. Last summer, he signed a four-year, $58 million contract.”

Another award for the Denver Nuggets

The NBA Executive of the Year award doesn’t excite fans like the MVP or Rookie of the Year or other such honors, but it’s still an official award, and it counts. And the people voting are other NBA executives, and most of them know what they’re talking about. So, respect it.

Anyway, with George Karl recently being named Coach of the Year, Masai Ujiri, the Nuggets VP of basketball operations, won the executive award.

Complete info on this is here.

Mavericks prepare for draft lottery

The Mavericks’ next order of business is to get ready for the draft lottery and president Donnie Nelson, who will represent the team in New York for the lottery along with longtime assistant GM Keith Grant, has a plan for the lottery.

“I’m going to wear the same outfit I wore for Game 6 in Miami,” he said, referring to the night that the Mavericks won the title against the Heat in 2011. “Same boots. Same shirt. Same cologne. Everything.”

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News

Pau Gasol will undergo knee procedure

Lakers forward Pau Gasol, who has been suffering from tendonosis in both knees, will undergo a FAST Technique procedure tomorrow. The procedure uses a probe inserted into the knee which directs ultrasonic energy to eliminate scar tissue without damaging healthy tissue. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Steven Yoon of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Group.

A timeline for Gasol’s recovery will be issued at the conclusion of the procedure.

George Karl wins 2012-13 NBA Coach of Year award

Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl is the recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2012-13 NBA Coach of the Year, the NBA announced today. Under Karl’s stewardship, the Nuggets finished with a league-best 38-3 (.927) mark at home and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra finished second in the voting, followed by New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson who finished third, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich fourth, and Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel fifth.

In earning his first NBA Coach of the Year, Karl totaled 404 points, including 62 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 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 was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.

The Nuggets went 57-25 (.695) – the league’s fourth-best record – despite beginning the season as the league’s third-youngest team with an average age of 24.9 years, and not having a player score more than 16.7 points per game during the regular season. According to NBA.com/Stats, the Nuggets ranked third in assists (24.4 apg), generating an assist on 60.0 percent of their made field goals. Denver ranked fifth in player impact estimate (53.8 percent), offensive rating (107.6) and net rating (+5.6).

The Nuggets’ 38-3 record at Pepsi Center was a franchise-best and tied for the 14th best home record in league annals. Additionally, their .927 winning percentage at home was the highest since 2008-09 when the Cleveland Cavaliers went 39-2 (.951) at Quicken Loans Arena.

In his 25th season as an NBA head coach (ninth with Denver), Karl earned two Western Conference Coach of the Month awards during the 2012-13 campaign. He won for March after leading Denver to a conference-best 13-2 (.867) mark, which included wins in the first 12 games of the month, feeding a 15-game, franchise-tying-best winning streak. He earned his first monthly nod in January after the Nuggets opened the New Year with a 12-3 (.800) record. During January, Karl passed Larry Brown for sixth place on the all-time coaching wins list and notched his 1,100th career win.

The sixth-winningest coach in NBA annals and the active wins leader, Karl has amassed 1,131 career victories in the NBA, including a streak of 21-straight non-losing seasons – tied with Phil Jackson (21, 1989-90-2010-11) for the most in NBA history.

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.

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