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New Orleans Hornets sign coach Monty Williams to contract extension

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have signed head coach Monty Williams to a new multi-year contract extension. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, it’s a four-year deal that will keep Williams with the team through 2016.

“We are proud to announce that Monty Williams will be the head coach of the New Orleans Hornets for years to come,” said Hornets Owner Tom Benson. “We could not be any happier to have someone of Monty’s quality – both professionally and personally – involved in the resurgence of this franchise.”

“The Hornets have a promising future and an exciting young nucleus,” said Hornets Executive Vice President Mickey Loomis. “It is our opinion that Monty is the perfect coach to develop and lead this group of talent going forward.”

“I would like to thank Mr. Benson, his family, Mickey and Dell for putting their trust in me and showing me their commitment,” said Williams. “The love and support the city and its fans have shown me and my family in the time we have been here has been incredible and I look forward to continuing to work to make the city and the Benson family proud of the Hornets.”

Williams, hired by the Hornets on June 7, 2010 as the ninth coach in franchise history, is entering his third season at the helm with a career record of 67-81 (.453), including his debut season with the club in 2010-11 where he led New Orleans to a 46-36 record and earned the team a playoff appearance. Williams placed seventh in Coach of the Year voting after that season and was named the NBA’s Western Conference Coach of the Month for January 2011. Last season, Williams’ squad improved its win total each month and finished the 2011-12 campaign with a 6-1 stretch at the New Orleans Arena.

A native of Fredericksburg, Va., Williams came to the Hornets after five seasons as the assistant coach under Nate McMillan of the Portland Trail Blazers, including serving as the head coach for the Blazers summer league team in the NBA Summer League in both 2007 and 2008. Prior to his time in Portland, Williams spent one season as a coaching intern under Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs in 2004-05, helping the Spurs capture the NBA Championship. He was also the head coach for the Spurs summer league entry team in the 2005 Rocky Mountain Revue.

Williams played in the NBA for 10 seasons before chronic knee problems forced him into retirement in 2003. Selected by the New York Knicks in the first round (24th pick overall) of the 1994 NBA Draft out of Notre Dame, Williams played for the Knicks, Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers. His best season was with the Spurs in 1996-97, when he averaged 9.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 65 games. For his career, Williams averaged 6.3 points in 456 games. Williams was an honorable mention All-American at Notre Dame after averaging 22.4 points and 8.4 rebounds during his senior season.

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JaVale McGee learns from Hakeem Olajuwon

And so, the Nuggets center is spending some of his summer at the home of Hakeem, which for McGee is, pun intended, a dream.

“It’s definitely an honor to be working with him,” McGee said.

McGee has spent a couple of weeks on Olajuwon’s ranch near Houston, where Denver teammate Kenneth Faried is expected to work out as well this month.

Olajuwon has become sort of a hoops whisperer, teaching his intricate moves to some of the NBA’s best bigs, including Dwight Howard and Amar’e Stoudemire.

“No question, I see him as another star,” Olajuwon said to the Fox affiliate in Houston about McGee. “That guy should dominate the league.

— Reported by Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post

Sixers may want Mike Zarren for GM job

The Sixers may have just swung a deal for Andrew Bynum, but they’re still looking for a new general manager.

Boston Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren has emerged as a candidate for the job, a source confirms to CSNPhilly.com’s John Finger.

Zarren’s involvement was first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amick, who described Zarren as “an intriguing addition to the field of prospects; a widely-respected purveyor of advanced player statistics in the NBA who is one of the least-known yet most-influential members of the Celtics’ front office group,” and the “right-hand man of [Celtics GM] Danny Ainge.”

— Reported by CSN Philly

Suns may have shot at someday landing James Harden

News that Serge Ibaka reached agreement on a four-year contract with Oklahoma City should catch the attention of Suns fans.

The amount of the deal, $48 million, will make it trickier for the Thunder to secure James Harden, who could command a maximum contract as a restricted free agent after the 2012-13 season. That could open the door for the Suns, who have maintained $15 million in cap space for next summer’s free-agency period and who have expressed interest in Harden behind the scenes.

Much will hinge on what becomes important to Harden. No one could fault him for chasing the money if a max deal (roughly $60 million over four years) is offered. But would the appeal of sticking it out with his Thunder teammates make him willing to stay for say, $52 million?

— Reported by Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic

OKC Thunder sign Serge Ibaka to contract extension

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed forward Serge Ibaka to a multi-year extension, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. According to Yahoo Sports, the deal is for four years, $48 million.

“We are very excited that Serge will continue as a core member of the Thunder for years to come,” said Presti. “His passion for our organization, our community and for continuing to build on the foundation that he and his teammates have established was pivotal to making this possible. Serge personifies many of the traits that we value as an organization; he is a tireless and disciplined worker, an elite competitor and someone who treats his profession with the utmost focus, which in addition to his character, will all be integral to his continued improvement.”

In three seasons with Oklahoma City, Ibaka has appeared in 221 games (110 starts) and registered averages of 8.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.43 blocks in 24.1 minutes per contest. During the past two seasons, the forward has blocked 439 shots which are the most in the NBA during that period.

Last season, Ibaka was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team after pacing the league in blocks (3.65 bpg). He blocked 10-or-more shots three times and became the first player in franchise history to record a triple-double which included blocked shots after recording 14 points, 15 rebounds and 11 blocks vs. Denver (2/19).

Originally selected with the 24th overall selection of the 2008 NBA Draft, the Thunder has qualified for the postseason in each of his three seasons in Oklahoma City. The Brazzaville, Republic of Congo native has recorded averages of 9.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.86 blocks and 28.2 minutes in 43 postseason contests.

This summer, Ibaka earned a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Games in London. He helped guide the Spanish national team to a 5-3 record while averaging 8.0 points, 4.4. rebounds and 1.25 blocks in 15.1 minutes per game.

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Wade says best is yet to come for LeBron

All LeBron James has done so far this year is win the NBA’s MVP award for the third time, an NBA Finals MVP trophy to go along with that one, his elusive first championship and a second Olympic gold medal.

Dwyane Wade thinks his Miami Heat teammate is just getting started.

With the start of Heat training camp now just six weeks away, Wade said on Friday that he expects James to be even better this coming season now that the will-he-ever-win-a-championship question has been forever put to rest.

“That monkey is off his back and now he’s just playing basketball,” Wade said while taking a break from his annual fantasy camp, where fans pay up to $12,500 to get a four-day luxury taste of NBA life. “I think we’ll see a better LeBron James – scary to say, three-time MVP – than we’ve seen. And it’s because all he has to do is play basketball now. He doesn’t have to worry about what he hasn’t done. It’ll always be something, but he’s got the biggest one off his back.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Trail Blazers hire Jay Triano, David Vanterpool, Kim Hughes as assistant coaches

Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts has added Jay Triano, David Vanterpool and Kim Hughes to his coaching staff, the team announced today.

“Jay, David and Kim bring a wealth of experience as coaches, players and front office personnel,” said Stotts. “I have always had a lot of respect for their basketball knowledge and they will be very valuable additions to our staff.”

Triano, 53, joins the Trail Blazers from the Toronto Raptors, where he most recently held the position of Vice President of Pro Scouting after serving as the team’s head coach from 2008-11 (87-142, .380). The first Canadian born head coach in the NBA, Triano was previously an assistant in Toronto from 2002-08.

A native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Triano served as the head coach for the Canadian men’s national team from 1998-2004 (52-42, .553) and later as an assistant for USA Basketball. A former captain of Team Canada who played collegiately at Simon Fraser University, Triano competed in three Olympics for his home country.

Vanterpool, 39, joins the Trail Blazers bench after spending the past two seasons as a pro scout with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played for European power CSKA Moscow from 2005-07, winning a Euroleague title there before becoming an assistant coach with the club upon retirement. Vanterpool was also a member of the Trail Blazers’ 2010 NBA Summer League coaching staff.

Appearing in 22 games for the Washington Wizards in 2000-01, Vanterpool played collegiately at St. Bonaventure.

An assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers for seven seasons (2003-10), Hughes, 60, finished the final 33 games of the 2009-10 season as interim head coach. He spent the previous five seasons with the Denver Nuggets, where he served as director of scouting, director of player personnel and assistant coach. The Freeport, Ill., native and Wisconsin alum was also a scout for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Hughes is a six-year veteran of the ABA and NBA, playing for the New York/New Jersey Nets, Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers before finishing his career in Italy.

Triano, Vanterpool and Hughes join Kaleb Canales as assistants on Stotts’ staff.

Info on upcoming Andrew Bynum knee treatment

Info on knee treatment Andrew Bynum will have

While 76ers center Andrew Bynum has chosen to have the creator of the noninvasive, nonsurgical procedure administer the injections to his knees that he hopes will extend his career next month in Dusseldorf, Germany, the procedure – known as regenokine treatment – has been administered in the United States for almost a decade.

“Regenokine is the most effective treatment for joint problems caused by osteoarthritis,” said Chris Renna, a specialist in preventative medicine. “It is corroborated by independent studies published in 2003 in the Journal of Osteoarthritis and Orthopedics.”

The treatment was first cleared for widespread use in Germany in 2003. More recently, medical boards in the United States have cleared the procedure in states such as California, Texas, and New York, among others.

— Reported by John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer

Andre Iguodala open to ending career in Denver

The team held an introductory news conference Thursday for the former 76er acquired by Denver this month. The 28-year-old Iguodala is under contract for 2012-13 (around $14.7 million) and has a player option for 2013-14. But both he and Denver executive Masai Ujiri said they want to negotiate a long-term contract in the coming season, in efforts to lock down the shooting guard like he locks down helpless ball-handlers.

“We are definitely looking ahead, looking to see how we can go forward so this isn’t a quick stop for me,” said the 6-foot-6 Iguodala, who averages 15.3 points per game, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists for his career. “Knowing that this is a great organization, I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from a lot of different guys, former players, current players, even other trainers about the organization, (telling me) this would be a great place for me to have some great years — and possibly ending my career here.”

— Reported by Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post

Charles Oakley says Knicks must define their roles

Former Knick Charles Oakley says that Carmelo and Co. need to understand where they fit in on the team if they have any hopes of winning a championship this season.

“I think it’s all about how you view your team and everybody knowing what their roles are,” Oakley told The Post. “You look at Miami, the first year together, they made the Finals, but the second year they won it. They had a better understanding of their roles together. I think that’s what the Knicks need to do and players need to understand if they’re the first option, second option or third option. When a team is paying you $100 million you shouldn’t be arguing over who is first.” …

“It’s up to Coach [Woodson] to decide how he wants to coach the offense,” Oakley said while promoting Moore Training resistance bands. “I think the problem with the Knicks is that their best two guys don’t make the people around them better. You see it with the Miami’s, the Oklahoma City’s, the Bulls, their top guys make others better. If that’s the case, I’m going to make sure that my top two guys have the ball at all times.”

— Reported by Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post