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Dallas Mavericks guard Rodrigue Beaubois underwent surgery today on his left foot. The procedure was to address lingering symptoms from an injury sustained last summer while training with the French National Team.
He is expected to make a full recovery.
Beaubois (6-2, 182) played just 28 games this season after missing 54 with a fractured left foot. He averaged 8.4 points, 2.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game.
The AP reports:
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Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has received a bill for the cost of a parade honoring the NBA champions, which he has pledged to pay out of his own pocket.
City officials determined the cost of the June 16 downtown celebration came to $340,947. City spokesman Frank Librio said Thursday the bill was sent straight to Cuban, who has agreed to pay promptly.
According to the city’s summary sheet, the largest expense, at $270,715, was for the 540-strong police presence.
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The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired guard Raymond Felton from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for guard Andre Miller, while sending Rudy Fernandez and Petteri Koponen’s NBA rights to Dallas as part of a three-team trade. The Trail Blazers selected guard Nolan Smith with the 21st overall pick in the first round, and guard Jon Diebler with the 51st overall pick in the second round.
Portland also acquired the draft rights to Jordan Hamilton (taken 26th overall) and Tanguy Ngombo (taken 57th overall) from Dallas for Fernandez and Koponen. Hamilton’s rights were then sent to Denver as part of the Felton trade and Portland is currently in discussions to trade Ngombo’s rights.
“I want to acknowledge our basketball personnel staff for their hard work and thorough preparation for tonight’s NBA Draft,” said Trail Blazers Owner Paul Allen. “I thought it was a very good night for the Portland Trail Blazers and our fans.
“I also want to thank both Andre Miller and Rudy Fernandez for their contributions to the team these past few seasons and wish them all the best for the future.”
Felton, 26, has career averages of 13.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.46 steals in six seasons with Charlotte, New York and Denver.
The North Carolina product averaged career highs in points (15.5), assists (8.3) and steals (1.67) last season while ranking in the NBA’s top-10 in both assists and steals per game.
“When you get two players who have won national championships at the collegiate level, you know you’re bringing in winners,” said acting General Manager Chad Buchanan. “Both Raymond and Nolan are as competitive as it gets, and we’re excited to call them both Trail Blazers.”
Smith, 22, played four seasons at Duke, where he was a member of the 2010 NCAA Championship team and named consensus First Team All-American, ACC Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP as a senior in 2011. He posted a career-high 20.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists his senior 2010-11 season.
Diebler, 23, averaged 10.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 41.6 percent (374-for-900) from 3-point range in four seasons at Ohio State. He finished his four-year career as the Big Ten’s all-time leader for career 3-pointers.
“We really value Raymond’s leadership on the court and in the locker room,” said Head Coach Nate McMillan. “Not only can he shoot the ball with range, he has an excellent pick-and-roll game.
“Nolan proved he is a team-first player when he stepped in for Kyrie Irving at Duke this year. We really like his up-tempo style and the way he competes on the defensive end of the floor.”
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Miller, 35, averaged 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.27 steals in two seasons with the Trail Blazers. Portland signed Miller as a free agent in 2009.
Fernandez (6-6, 185) is a three-year veteran who was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the 24th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. His draft rights, along with James Jones, were traded to Portland for cash considerations.
The Palma de Mallorca, Spain native has appeared 218 career games (9 starts) with the Trailblazers and holds career averages of 9.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 24.1 minutes per game. As a rookie, Fernandez set an NBA record with 159 three-pointers and competed in the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest and the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge.
The 26-year-old (4/4/85) shooting guard has seen action in 18 postseason games averaging 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting .423 from behind-the-arc. Six of those postseason games came against the Mavericks in the opening round of the 2011 Playoffs.
Koponen (6-4, 195) is a native of Helsinki, Finland and was originally the 30th overall selection of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Portland acquired the rights Koponen from Philadelphia for the 42nd pick, Derrick Byars, and cash considerations.
Koponen spent the 2010-11 season playing for Solar Bologna in Italy. He competed in 33 games and averaged 12.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
“We could not be happier with the additions of Rudy Fernandez and Petteri Koponen,” Mavericks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Nelson said. “Rudy is an athletic, young, exciting player with significant upside. His international and postseason experience will prove to be very valuable. Petteri is a young combo guard who was a first round selection in 2007 and is developing nicely in Europe.”
Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.
The Dallas Morning News reports:
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Dirk Nowitzki is considering joining the German national team this summer to help their chances of qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Nowitzki told ESPN 103.3 FM on Tuesday that he would decide within a few weeks.
Germany must finish among the top six of the 24 teams at the EuroBasket tournament to be eligible to qualify for the next Olympics.
Does an NBA superstar need some sort of clearly-defined go-to move? A first-option offensive maneuver that the player almost always tries to execute before he allows the defense to force him to try something else?
Pat Riley says no. Not if a player’s entire game is one giant go-to entity of sheer awesomeness.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports:
As difficult as the ending was for the Miami Heat just over a week ago, coming up two victories short against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, the Heat’s president said Tuesday he does not envision the need for dramatic changes.That includes the need for LeBron James to reinvent himself, as some have suggested.
“He’s got a go-to game. He doesn’t have to have a go-to move,” Riley said during an informal season-ending media session at AmericanAirlines Arena. “I mean, I love reading all the people who’ve never coached in their life, that all of a sudden became experts about he needed a ‘go-to.’ He’s got a go-to game.
“He knows what he needs to do to get better as a player. He’s 26 years old and I think there’s another huge upside for him.”
LeBron is definitely capable of scoring at will when he actively and aggressively attacks the rim. But when he just stands outside like he did for stretches of the Finals? Not so much.
What’s your opinion? Read fan reaction and discuss it in this forum topic.
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The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday they have named Dwane Casey as the club’s new head coach. Casey becomes Toronto’s eighth head coach joining the Raptors from the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks. Per team policy, financial terms were not announced. Casey’s contract runs through the 2013-14 season.
“After a lengthy and detailed search for our new head coach, it became very clear that Dwane Casey embodies every aspect of what we defined as an ideal candidate,” said Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo. “Dwane’s 16-plus years in NBA coaching circles working with some tremendous basketball mentors coupled with his proven ability as a defensive architect will serve as a great backdrop for the future approach of this team.”
Casey, 54, has served as a head coach, associate head coach and assistant coach in the NBA 16 of the past 17 years. Twelve of his teams have finished in the top half of the league in fewest average points allowed and 10 have been in the league’s top 15 in lowest opponent field goal percentage. He has coached in two NBA Finals (1996 and 2011) and two NBA All-Star Games (1996 and 1998).
“I am grateful to Bryan Colangelo for this opportunity and excited to come to the Raptors to work with this young team,” said Casey. “My number one goal is to create a defensive identity and an atmosphere of hard play. It is very, very important in the NBA to establish that culture of hard work.”
Casey has been an assistant with the Mavericks for the past three seasons, helping lead Dallas to a 162-84 (.659) mark. The Mavericks won 50 or more games in each of his three seasons with the team. Casey was in charge of a defensive unit that held its opponents to 96.0 points per game (sixth in the NBA) and.450 per cent shooting from the field (eighth in the NBA) this past season.
In the 2011 postseason, Casey’s defense posted series victories over offensive powers the likes of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Dallas held its playoff opponents to 92.5 points per game and .447 per cent shooting from the floor.
Casey was named head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves on June 17, 2005. He posted a 53-69 mark (.434) in two seasons. He had the club in playoff contention with a 20-20 record when he was replaced January 25, 2007. His 2005-06 squad finished in the Top 10 in fewest average points per game and lowest opponent field goal percentage.
In 2008, Casey traveled throughout Europe, attending Euroleague games and practices while studying various basketball concepts.
Casey began his NBA coaching career in 1994 as an assistant with the Seattle Supersonics. He spent 11 seasons with the Sonics where he served under longtime NBA head coaches George Karl, Paul Westphal and Nate McMillan. He was promoted to associate head coach in November 2000. Nine of his teams in Seattle finished above .500 with five winning 50 or more games.
In 14 seasons as an NBA assistant, Casey’s teams have recorded a 689-427 record (.617) with eight campaigns of 50 or more wins.
Prior to joining the Sonics, Casey spent five years as a head coach in Japan. He also coached Japan’s National Team with basketball legend Pete Newell. In the summer of 1998, Casey coached the team to its first World Championship appearance in 31 years.
From 1985-90 Casey was an assistant under legendary collegiate coach Eddie Sutton at the University of Kentucky. He also served as an assistant under Clem Haskins at Western Kentucky University from 1980-85.
Casey began his coaching career at Kentucky in 1979 as a graduate assistant under Joe B. Hall. While at UK, he recruited and coached eventual NBA players Winston Bennett, Sam Bowie, Rex Chapman, LeRon Ellis, Shawn Kemp, Chris Mills, Dirk Minnifield, Irving Thomas and Melvin Turpin.
Casey played collegiately at Kentucky and helped the Wildcats register a 30-2 record in his junior season and capture the 1978 NCAA Championship. A four-year letterman, Casey was named team captain his senior year and won Kentucky’s all-academic award.
A native of Morganfield, Kentucky, Casey earned a degree in business administration from Kentucky in 1979.
Marc Stein of ESPN reports:
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Dirk Nowitzki’s weeklong run of championship celebrations was capped by a surprise birthday party thrown for him Sunday night by girlfriend Jessica Olsson and lifelong coach/adviser Holger Geschwindner at the Dallas wine club Graileys.
The private event to commemorate Nowitzki’s 33rd birthday — dubbed “Dinner For 41” — featured exactly 41 guests, including Mavericks teammate Brian Cardinal, Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson and various team staffers and close friends. Also in attendance were former Stanley Cup-winning Dallas Star Mike Modano and three award-winning scientists who are also Mavs fans.
As part of the evening’s program, Nowitzki was presented with a Larry O’Brien championship trophy cake and treated to performances from a Dallas Symphony Orchestra string quartet (Christopher Adkins, Diane Kitzman, Gary Levinson and Ellen Rose) as well as Dallas-based comedian Paul Varghese.
Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News reports:
It’s been a whirlwind the last several days for Dallas Mavericks’ lead assistant Dwane Casey.
Last week, the Mavericks claimed their first title. Casey helped celebrate with all of his team once they got back to Dallas later in the week.
And Casey also had what appears to be a successful job interview with Toronto general manager Bryan Colangelo.
Enough that the Dallas Morning News is reporting that Casey will be named the Raptors’ new head coach, perhaps as soon as later this afternoon.
Casey interviewed with the Raptors twice over the last several days. He apparently has beaten out Boston lead assistant and former New Jersey head coach Lawrence Frank.
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Two-time NBA All-Star forward Caron Butler may have been out injured during the Dallas Mavericks playoff run to the 2011 NBA championship, but he’s still proud to be a part of the team and is happily soaking it all in.
“I’m trying to take it all in stride. All your life you want to be a champion. You always carry yourself like that, and represent your family the right way. To reach this height is so rewarding,” said Butler. “So many great players always fall short of this goal. It is a very humbling experience.”
Butler, who went down halfway through the year with a season-ending torn patella injury, says he was in fact just days from being cleared for a return by the Mavericks. He had been playing 1-on-1 and 2-on-2 in practice, and was participating in shoot-around. The team even brought his uniform to Miami, just in case he was cleared.
“It took me nine years to get here. I was playing some of the best ball of my career, and life threw something at me. I kept moving forward, and that was our team’s identity. Coach said we’re going to continue to move forward because that’s what you did. I was less than a week out from being cleared. I was so close to coming back. This team inspired me, the same amount that I inspired them. It was more and more a breath of fresh air. And together we made beautiful music.”
Continued Butler, “Jason Kidd and Jason Terry saying they were going to dedicate the playoffs to me, that was really special. For Kidd, a future Hall of Famer, and Terry, whose jersey will probably hang in the rafters in Dallas one day, to say that, let me know that they respect me as basketball player, but more than that, they respect me as a person. In a sense, I felt like I was more a part of the win this way, than if I was out there myself.”
The Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 NBA championship Sunday night, and immediately on Monday, when people weren’t making LeBron James jokes, they were tossing cracks around as to how Mavs guard DeShawn Stevenson was going to celebrate winning it all.
And low and behold, one of the more crude jokes came true Tuesday night.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas reports:
Dallas Mavericks shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson was arrested for public intoxication in Irving, Texas, on Tuesday night, two days after the franchise won its first NBA championship.
Irving police were called to the Grand Venetian apartment complex at about 10:30 p.m. CT after receiving a call to report an intoxicated person walking in the area. Officers reported that Stevenson, who does not live at the complex, appeared intoxicated and did not know where he was.
He was arrested without incident on the Class C misdemeanor charge based on the results of a sobriety test, officer’s observations and his statements.
“They felt he was a danger to himself and others,” Irving public information officer John Argumaniz said. “Basically, he was intoxicated to a point where he didn’t feel comfortable letting him walk away or leave. They didn’t have any other options at that point.”
And here’s Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
According to Irving police, Stevenson was walking incoherently in the area of the Grand Venetian apartments near the 6200 block of Love Drive about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Police were called, and when the officers arrived and checked on Stevenson, he reportedly didn’t know where he was.
Following field sobriety tests and Stevenson’s statements to officers, he was arrested without incident and later released on a $475 bond at approximately 5:30 this morning.
Anyway, Stevenson isn’t off to a great start as an NBA champion!
Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.
