NBA News Blog – Page 865 – NBA Blog

Detroit Pistons fire coach Lawrence Frank

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that Lawrence Frank will not return as the team’s head coach.

“We thank Lawrence for his hard work and dedication, but we feel it is in the best interest of the franchise to make a change at this time,” said Dumars. “Decisions like this are never easy and we wish Lawrence well in the future.”

Frank, who was named head coach on August 3, 2011, tallied a regular-season record of 54-94 (.365) in two seasons with the Pistons.

This past regular season, which ended yesterday, the Pistons compiled a 29-53 record, tied for 23rd best in the league out of 30 teams.

NBA anti-flopping rules for playoffs

The NBA has set the league’s anti-flopping disciplinary schedule to be used during the 2013 Playoffs, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations Stu Jackson announced today.

“Flopping” is defined as any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player. The primary factor in determining whether a player committed a flop is whether his physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact.

The NBA’s anti-flopping rule, adopted at the beginning of the 2012-13 season, had 24 violations during the 2012-13 regular season. Fourteen players received warnings while five players received a $5,000 fine for violating the anti-flopping rule twice.

Physical acts that constitute legitimate basketball plays (such as moving to a spot in order to draw an offensive foul) and minor physical reactions to contact are not deemed to be flops.

Any player who is determined to have committed a flop during the 2013 Playoffs will be subject to the following:

Violation 1: $5,000 fine

Violation 2: $10,000 fine

Violation 3: $15,000 fine

Violation 4: $30,000 fine

If a player violates the anti-flopping rule five times or more, he will be subject to discipline that is reasonable under the circumstances, including an increased fine and/or suspension.

Hornets officially renamed the New Orleans Pelicans

Following last night’s final game of the 2012-13 season, the New Orleans Hornets officially took on the team’s new identity as the New Orleans Pelicans. The team will participate in its first NBA event as the Pelicans on May 21 at the 2013 NBA Draft Lottery.

“We have been looking forward to this day since we announced the Pelicans as the new name,” said Owner Tom Benson. “The Pelican is a symbol for our city and region and we’re excited to start a new era in Louisiana basketball history. This off-season is going to be a special time for the Pelicans.”

Benson announced on Jan. 24 that at the conclusion of the 2012-13 season, the name of the team will become the Pelicans, adopting an identity that will represent the culture and resolve of the Gulf Coast region while also symbolizing Louisiana’s most pressing initiative of coastal restoration and wildlife conservation. Benson introduced the team’s new logos, as well as color scheme, during the announcement.

The Pelicans’ colors are blue, gold and red. The team’s primary color, blue, is taken from Louisiana’s state flag. The Pelicans and Saints share the color gold, uniting the organizations, while celebrating the spirited life of New Orleans and its many celebrations (gold is also a commonly found color on the “crown” of the pelican). Red represents fraternity and is indicative of the blood provision of the mother pelican and the vibrant color underneath the pelican’s throat. All three colors are found on the flag of the City of New Orleans.

Cleveland Cavaliers fire coach Byron Scott

The Cleveland Cavaliers have released Head Coach Byron Scott, the team announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts. The announcement was made by Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant.

“I have tremendous respect for Byron professionally and a great deal of admiration for him personally. At the same time, it is critical for where we are as a team to ensure that we capitalize on every opportunity for development and success and we have fallen short of that on the court,” said Grant. “I believe we needed to make this change in order to get to a better position to achieve our goals. I know I speak on behalf of the entire Cavs organization and the Cleveland community, in thanking Byron for his three years here and his hard work and many contributions on and off the court. We wish Bryon and his wife, Anita, the best.”

Scott, 52, was named the 18th head coach in Cleveland Cavaliers history on July 1, 2010. The Cavaliers’ record during Scott’s tenure as Head Coach was 64-166.

“I want to thank Chris Grant, Dan Gilbert and the Cavaliers organization for the opportunity I had to coach this team the last three seasons,” said Scott. “Anita and I have enjoyed our time here in Cleveland and greatly appreciate the support we received from this special community and the many friendships we developed. I am certainly proud of the progress that many of our players have made and greatly appreciate the dedication of my coaches and our team in our efforts to attain the success we all desired.”

The Cavaliers will immediately commence a search, led by General Manager Chris Grant, for the team’s next head coach.

“I wish Byron Scott and his entire family the best going forward. Byron is a class guy, both on and off the court, and I thank him for his three years of coaching the Cavaliers,” said Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert.

“I fully support the difficult move that was made today. Although we saw progress with young individual player development, we did not see the kind of progress we expected on the team level this past season. We understand it was challenging with the injuries, but when you are at our stage in the building process, you don’t only measure team progress in wins and losses.

It has been our strong and stated belief that when our team once again returns to competing at the NBA’s highest levels it will be because we have achieved our goals on the defensive side of the court.

Our fans have been incredibly loyal and supportive during these transition years. They deserve better than we have been delivering as of late and it is our full intent to deliver them the kind of competitive team that they expect to see on the court beginning next season,” Gilbert concluded.

Read NBA fan reaction and share your opinion in this basketball forum topic.

Grizzlies sign Donte Greene and Willie Reed

The Memphis Grizzlies signed free agent forward Donté Greene as well as forward/center Willie Reed of the NBA Development League’s Springfield Armor to multi-year contracts, the team announced today.

Greene (6-11, 226) comes to Memphis with NBA career averages of 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 16.8 minutes in 253 games (82 starts) over four seasons (2008-12) with the Sacramento Kings.

The 25-year-old has missed the majority of the 2012-13 regular season while recovering from a fractured ankle suffered during an offseason workout on Aug. 25. He recently played one game in Puerto Rico for Atleticos de San German of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN).

After leading Syracuse University in scoring (17.7 points) as a freshman, Greene was drafted by the Grizzlies in the first round (28th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft. Memphis then completed a three-way trade on draft night that sent Greene’s draft rights and a 2009 second round draft pick to Houston in exchange for the draft rights to current Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur (27th) from Portland. Houston also traded the draft rights to Nicolas Batum (25th) to Portland for the draft rights to Joey Dorsey (33rd) to complete the deal.

Born in Munich, Germany, Greene moved to the United States at the age of three and was named Maryland’s 2007 Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at Towson Catholic High School in Baltimore, the same high school attended by Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony.

Reed (6-10, 220) joins the Grizzlies after averaging 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.77 blocks on .557 shooting in 29.3 minutes in 48 games (30 starts) for Springfield this season. The 22-year-old ranked fifth in the D-League in total blocks (83), posted 12 double-doubles and registered 24 games with multiple rejections in his first season with the Armor.

Reed enjoyed some of his best games this season against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, scoring a D-League career-high 27 points on Feb. 23 before netting 21 points and collecting a D-League personal-best 20 rebounds against Fort Wayne on March 17.

Undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft, Reed signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings on Sept. 21, 2012 but was waived on Oct. 26, 2012. The Kansas City native played two collegiate seasons (2008-10) at Saint Louis University, where he recorded 10.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.69 blocks in 67 games.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 15.

Tony Mitchell named 2013 D-League Rookie of Year

Fort Wayne Mad Ants rookie Tony Mitchell today was named the 2013 NBA Development League Rookie of the year as voted on by the League’s 16 head coaches. The award recognizes a first-year professional who most significantly contributed to his team’s success during the course of the season.

Mitchell (6-6, 216, Alabama) played in 48 regular season games, 45 as a starter, for the Mad Ants, averaging a team-high 21.9 points to go with 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 35.3 minutes while shooting 42 percent from the floor and 32 percent from behind the three-point line. His 21.9 points per game was good for second in the NBA D-League.

He led the team in scoring 21 times and was the leading rebounder in five contests. A 2013 NBA D-League All-Star, Mitchell was the only player in the NBA D-League to record two 40-plus point games during the regular season when he scored 47 against the Austin Toros on March 22 and 49 against the Sioux Falls Skyforce on April 5.

“Tony is a talented player and he had a standout first season in Fort Wayne,” said Chris Alpert, Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Personnel for the NBA D-League. “His impressive ability to score, as well as his selection to the 2013 NBA D-League All-Star Game, solidified his position as a top young prospect in our league. I congratulate him on a terrific start to his professional career and look forward to watching him to continue to develop into an NBA-caliber player.”

A two-time NBA D-League Performer of the Week selection and March’s NBA D-League Co-Player of the Month, Mitchell helped the Mad Ants to the team’s first postseason appearance, where he played in two games, averaging 30.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 39.5 minutes before the team fell to the Santa Cruz Warriors.

Knicks bring back Quentin Richardson

The playoff-bound New York Knicks have brought a familiar face back onto the squad.

Knicks Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has signed guard/forward Quentin Richardson for the remainder of the season, including the playoffs.

Richardson, 6-6, 220-pounds, holds career averages of 10.3 points, on 39.8-percent shooting from the field and 35.5-percent shooting from three-point range, with 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists over 26.5 minutes in 782 games (486 starts) over 12 seasons with the L.A. Clippers, Phoenix, New York, Miami and Orlando. He has appeared in 31 postseason games (21 starts), averaging 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds over 28.5 minutes.

The Chicago, IL-native, last played in the NBA for Orlando during the 2011-12 season, averaging 4.5 points and 2.6 rebounds over 18 minutes in 48 games (three starts). He returns to New York after spending four seasons with the Knicks (2005-09), averaging 9.7 points and 5.0 rebounds over 28.2 minutes in 241 games (206 starts).

The Knicks, who clinched the No. 2 seed in the Eastern conference, have suffered multiple injuries recently, but expect to have some healthy big bodies back for the playoffs. Q-Rich adds depth at the wing spot.

The team recently waived Kurt Thomas, signed and then waived Solomon Jones, before signing Richardson.

Read NBA fan reaction or share your opinion in this basketball forum topic.

Kenneth Faried day-to-day with sprained ankle

Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried underwent an MRI today on his left ankle. The exam revealed a sprain of the Anterior Talofibular ligament but no fractures.

Faried, averaging 11.5 points and a team-leading 9.2 rebounds per game, will miss the final two games of the regular season and be listed as day-to-day as the Nuggets prepare for the Western Conference playoffs.

The Nuggets play tonight at Milwaukee and conclude the regular-season Wednesday at home against the Phoenix Suns.

Alex Len is entering 2013 NBA Draft

University of Maryland sophomore center Alex Len is forgoing his final two years of collegiate eligibility to enter the NBA Draft.

“I’m very grateful for the two years I’ve spent at Maryland and for everyone that has supported me during my time here,” said Len. “It’s been an honor to play here and I’ve learned so much. I want to thank Coach Turgeon and the coaching staff for believing in me and helping me grow as a player and a person. I also want to thank my teammates who were always there for me. We shared some great moments together. I’ve grown a lot, both on the court and off the court, over the past two years and I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life.”

“I’m very proud of Alex and am excited for what the future holds for him,” said Turgeon. “To see the progress he’s made on the court, in the classroom and socially has been a truly rewarding experience. Alex has worked incredibly hard since he got here and he has earned this opportunity.”

Len averaged 11.9 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game while leading the ACC with 78 blocks in 2012-13. The 7-foot-1 native of Antratsit, Ukraine, was named honorable mention All-ACC and was a member of the All-ACC Defensive team last season.

Len dramatically increased his productivity from his freshman to sophomore season, making improvements in nearly every statistical category. His scoring went from 6.0 points per game to 11.9, while his rebounding increased from 5.4 to 7.8 per game. For his career, Len holds averages of 9.7 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game and 2.1 blocks per game. He played in 60 games with 48 starts, 37 of those coming in 2012-13.

— Via Maryland Sports Info

Brittney Griner the big prize available in 2013 WNBA draft

Brittney Griner, Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins are expected to be the top three selections in this year’s highly touted WNBA draft. After that, it’s anybody’s guess.

Phoenix has the envied No. 1 pick in the draft Monday night and it’s anticipated that the Mercury will select Griner, the 6-foot-8 Baylor standout who averaged 23.8 points — third-best in the country — and 4.14 blocked shots as a senior. The two-time AP women’s college basketball Player of the Year finished her career as the No. 2 scorer in NCAA history with 3,283 points and set records with 748 blocks and 18 dunks.

“She’s no doubt going to be an impact player right away,” Tulsa Coach Gary Kloppenburg said on a national media conference call. “Defensively, great shot-blocking, just clogging the lane even with the new (defensive 3-second) rule she’s mobile enough she’s going to be able to understand the two-point line, getting in, getting out.

“Offensively, you really have to double-team her and she’s so skilled down there with all her array of shots. Her passing ability has improved so much, she’s going to really tilt that team with that low-post presence.”

— Reported by the Associated Press