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Phoenix Suns hire Ryan McDonough as general manger

The Phoenix Suns have named Ryan McDonough the team’s general manager, it was announced today. He will be introduced in a press conference on Thursday, May 9, at US Airways Center.

“Ryan distinguished himself among an impressive group of candidates for our GM position,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “His natural leadership and communication skills will serve the Suns well. And, his prodigious work ethic and ability to identify talent will enable us to take full advantage of the 10 draft choices, including six in the first round, that we have over the next three years. We welcome his championship pedigree to our organization.”

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Also among the finalists were Bucks assistant general manager Jeff Weltman and San Antonio Spurs assistant general manager Scott Layden. Weltman also was a finalist for the Suns position three years ago when Lance Blanks was hired as general manager.”

The 33-year-old McDonough is considered one of the game’s brightest young minds, who combines a tireless work ethic with an expertise in player evaluation honed over the past 10 years at virtually every level of an NBA franchise’s basketball operations.

McDonough joins the Suns after most recently serving the past three seasons as the assistant general manager of the Boston Celtics, where he assisted Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge on all basketball-related matters, while being principally responsible for the draft evaluation of college and international players. He combines the experience of nearly a decade of in-person scouting of prospects across the globe with an understanding of advanced metrics and statistical analysis. During his tenure with the Celtics, Boston made two appearances in the NBA Finals, and claimed the 2008 title.

McDonough joined the Celtics front office in 2003 as a 23-year-old special assistant to basketball operations, rapidly moving up the team’s ranks with increased responsibility at each stop, always with an emphasis in talent evaluation. He spent four seasons as a special assistant, a role that included a great deal of video scouting work (2003-07), one season as director of amateur scouting (2007-08), one season as director of international scouting (2008-09), and two seasons as director of player personnel (2008-10) before his promotion to assistant general manager in Sept. 2010.

McDonough played a prominent role in the front office of a club that has kept a veteran-led roster in the playoffs the last six consecutive seasons thanks to an infusion of young talent acquired through quality late first-round draft picks and trades. Included in that list are the draft-day acquisition of four-time All-Star Rajon Rondo in 2006, and the 2010 selection of Avery Bradley, who was one of the NBA’s most improved players in 2012-13.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, McDonough grew up in Hingham, Mass., the son of the late renowned Boston Globe columnist Will McDonough, and the brother of ESPN broadcaster Sean and NFL player personnel executive Terry.

LeBron James wins 2012-13 NBA MVP award

As widely expected, LeBron James of the Miami Heat has won the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2012-13 NBA Most Valuable Player, the NBA announced today. James earns the honor for the second consecutive year and the fourth time in five seasons. The only other player to win the award in four of five seasons is Bill Russell (1961, 62, 63, 65), and the only other players to win at least four regular-season MVPs are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Russell (five) and Wilt Chamberlain (four).

James totaled 1,207 points, including 120 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 voters that consisted of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada as well as an NBA.com MVP fan vote. For the fourth consecutive season, the NBA gave fans the opportunity to submit their votes by ranking their top five choices through a dedicated Web page on NBA.com. The fan vote counted as one vote and was compiled with the 120 media votes to determine the winner. Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for each third-place vote, three for each fourth-place vote and one for each fifth-place vote received.

Rounding out the top five in voting are Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (765 points), the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony, (475 points, one first-place vote), the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul (289 points), and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (184 points).

James, who led the Heat to a league-best and franchise-record 66-16 mark, was the only player in the NBA to lead his team in scoring (26.8 ppg), rebounding (8.0 rpg) and assists (7.3 apg). He shot a career-high from the field (.565) and from three-point range (.406). He produced a record streak of six straight games with at least 30 points and a .600-or-better field goal percentage (Feb. 3-12). Additionally, James led the NBA score differential (+9.5) and player impact estimate (22.1 percent), according to NBA.com/Stats.

Brooklyn Nets begin search for new head coach

The Brooklyn Nets will not offer a new contract to interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today. A search for a new head coach will commence immediately.

One obvious candidate for the Nets is Phil Jackson, who may be willing to consider a return to coaching in the league.

“The Brooklyn Nets organization would like to thank P.J. for his efforts with the team in his roles as both head coach and assistant, and for his contributions to the team’s success both on and off the court. We wish P.J. and his family only the best in the years to come.”

Carlesimo was named interim head coach of the Brooklyn Nets on December 27, 2012 and led the Nets to a 35-19 record in the final 54 games of the season. Under Carlesimo, the Nets reached the postseason for the first time since 2007, losing to Chicago (4-3) in the first round. Including his previous stops as a head coach in Portland, Golden State and Seattle/OKC, Carlesimo has a lifetime NBA coaching record of 239-315 in the regular season and 6-13 in the playoffs.

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Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor not looking to sell team

Glen Taylor has pulled the Minnesota Timberwolves off the market.

Taylor said Friday that he has stopped looking for a buyer for the team and will instead offer to buy out any limited partners who are looking to sell. Taylor put the team on the market last summer in hopes of finding a person or a group that would be willing to buy a minority stake to start with and then take control a few seasons down the road.

But Taylor says he couldn’t find a buyer who would guarantee the team will remain in Minnesota, and also says he felt some seller’s remorse when negotiating with several interested parties.

— Reported by the Associated Press

NBA Draft prospect Alex Len has ankle surgery

Maryland sophomore and likely lottery pick Alex Len will be shelved for all pre-draft workouts due to surgery on his left ankle.

Sports International Group’s Michael Lelchitski said in a release Friday the 7-foot-1 Len had surgery to “stabilize” the partial stress fracture in his left ankle. Recovery time is projected to be 4-6 months.

That means Len would not only miss team workouts in late May and in early June before the draft on June 27 but also would not be available for testing at the NBA pre-draft combine in Chicago May 16-17.

Len, who averaged 11.9 points and 7.8 rebounds for the Terps and scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in an NIT quarterfinal win over Alabama and had 16 points and nine rebounds in an NIT semifinal loss to Iowa, won’t be able to work out for any teams.

— Reported by Andy Katz of ESPN.com

Minnesota Timberwolves decline team option on David Kahn

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that the team has declined to exercise the one-year option in David Kahn’s contract for the 2013-14 NBA season, and as a result, he will not return as President of Basketball Operations. Kahn was originally hired by the Timberwolves on May 22, 2009.

“We want to thank David for all of his efforts the past four years with our basketball team,” said Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor. “These are always difficult decisions, but at this time, we believe it is in the best interest of our organization to make a change. We wish David all the best in the future.”

Dwight Howard health update: No shoulder surgery needed

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard, who was diagnosed with a torn labrum after originally injuring his right shoulder on January 4th against the Clippers, was examined today by Dr. James Tibone of the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Group.

Howard, who missed six games this season due to the injury, was advised that surgery is not necessary at this time.

In 76 games this season, Howard averaged 17.1 points, a league-high 12.4 rebounds and 2.45 blocks in 35.8 minutes, while finishing second league-wide with a .578 field goal percentage.

Damian Lillard wins 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year award

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is the recipient of the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year, the NBA announced today. Lillard was a unanimous selection, having totaled 605 points as he received all 121 first-place votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers was the last unanimous selection (2010-11).

The New Orleans Hornets’ Anthony Davis finished second with 306 points and the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal finished third with 94 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.

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 (per 100 possesions) when the first-year player was on the bench. When on the court, Lillard assisted on 36.5 percent of Portland’s field goals while scoring 23.9 percent of his team’s points.

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. He set an NBA rookie record by making 185 three-point field goals, surpassing the 166 triples made by Golden State’s Stephen Curry during his 2009-10 rookie campaign.

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Milwaukee Bucks not keeping Jim Boylan as head coach

The Milwaukee Bucks will begin a search immediately for a new head coach after informing Jim Boylan that he will not be offered a new contract, General Manager John Hammond announced. The decision was made after Hammond met with Boylan Wednesday morning at the Bucks Training Center in St. Francis, Wis.

“At this time we feel it’s in the best interest of the organization to seek a new coach to lead our team,” said Hammond. “We appreciate Jim’s efforts not only in his time as head coach, but in his entire tenure as a coach in Milwaukee. On behalf of the Bucks organization, I thank Jim for his five years here and his many contributions on and off the court. We wish Jim and his wife, Jane, the best.”

Boylan compiled a 22-28 record (.440) after replacing Scott Skiles as head coach on Jan. 8. The Bucks were swept by Miami in the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs, 4-0.

Boylan, 58, had been the lead assistant coach for the Bucks the past four seasons, joining the team after finishing the final 56 games (24-32, .429) of the 2007-08 season as the interim head coach of the Chicago Bulls. His NBA coaching career began in 1992 with Cleveland, and he has also served as an assistant with Vancouver (1997-2000), Phoenix (2000-02), Atlanta (2003-04) and Chicago (2004-08).

The starting point guard of the Marquette Warriors 1977 NCAA Championship team, Boylan led the team in assists during his junior and senior seasons before being selected by the Buffalo Braves in the 1978 NBA Draft. Boylan’s coaching career began as a player/coach in Switzerland (1982-86) where he led the Vevey Basketball club to the first championship in its 30-year history. He also coached in the CBA (Rochester Renegade), with Michigan State (1986-89) and served as the head coach at the University of New Hampshire (1989-92).

According to ESPN.com, “Houston Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson, who is already a candidate for the Charlotte Bobcats’ opening, will be among the candidates considered to replace Boylan, a source told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein. Boylan took over as interim coach in January after Scott Skiles was fired and went 22-28 for the rest of the season. Milwaukee was swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Miami Heat.”

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Rio Grande Valley Vipers win 2013 D-League championship

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers defeated the Santa Cruz Warriors 102-91 to capture the 2012-13 NBA Development League Championship for the second time in four seasons. The Vipers were led by D.J. Kennedy’s game-high 27 points to go with seven rebounds and six assists, while Glen Rice, Jr. chipped in 25 points and 13 rebounds. The Warriors’ Travis Leslie scored a team-high 16 points and added 13 rebounds in defeat.

The Vipers dominated the first half, leading by as many as 17 points as Rice, Jr. and Kennedy combined for 33 of the team’s 56 points heading into the halftime break. Santa Cruz was led by Jeremy Tyler, who was four-of-five from the floor, scoring 10 points in the second quarter.

The Warriors charged out of the halftime break, outscoring the Vipers 26-17 in the period on the back of eight Travis Leslie points, his first of the game. Santa Cruz cut the Rio Grande Valley lead to as few as five points, 69-64, with 2:00 minutes to play in the third before settling for a six point deficit at the end of three, 73-67.

Scott Machado scored six points as part of a 12-0 Warriors run in the opening five minutes of the fourth quarter, taking Santa Cruz on his back and leading the team to a one-point disadvantage, 82-81 with 7:31 to play. The next two minutes of the game were all Vipers, though, with Toure Murry, Tyler Honeycutt and Kennedy connecting on back-to-back-to-back buckets, scoring a quick six points and stretching the Rio Grande Valley’s lead to seven, 88-81, with 5:28 to play in the game. From there, the teams traded buckets before a Rice three pointer gave his team a 93-88 advantage. The Vipers never looked back en route to the Championship win.

For Rio Grande Valley, Murry finished with 13 points and Mike Singletary scored 10 in the win, while Machado finished with 15 off the bench for Santa Cruz.