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ESPN reports:
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The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed in principle to a three-team trade with the Sacramento Kings and the Charlotte Bobcats, multiple sources said Thursday.
NBA.com reports:
Milwaukee gets Beno Udrih, Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston and 19th pick (which currently belongs to Charlotte).
Charlotte gets Corey Maggette and 7th pick (via the Kings).
Sacramento gets John Salmons and 10th pick (Milwaukee’s pick).
Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times reports:
For the last several days, there have been rumors the Bucks were seriously exploring the possibility of moving back from their No. 10 position in Thursday night’s NBA draft.
Bucks general manager John Hammond conceded he’s had on-going discussions with several teams but declined to go into details. There has been widespread speculation the Bucks have had in-depth talks with the Houston Rockets, who have two first-round picks — Nos. 24 and 23 — and are desperately trying to move up in an attempt to select a much-needed center.
But it appears discussions between the Bucks and Rockets involve more than just exchanging picks. The scuttlebutt is both teams are receptive to swapping players as well.
The teams have tossed around different trade scenarios with Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova being prominently mentioned.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports:
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When Red Auerbach, the late Boston legend who drafted Kevin McHale, lit victory cigars on the Celtics’ bench, he had no right-hand man to share the moment. He had no assistant coaches, no player development staff, no one staying up nights studying video.
As stunned as Auerbach might have been had he been told of the career path of McHale, the playful rookie he drafted, he likely would have been amazed at the changes in NBA coaching since he left the bench in 1967.
When McHale signed on as Rockets coach last week, his first order of business was to begin interviews with assistant coaches, with one expected to serve in the lead assistant role that has become popular in the NBA.
“You try to get the right people,” McHale said. “The head coach is a guy who has a lot of irons in the fire. Guys who are looking at things just from an offensive standpoint or defensive standpoint, they can spend a lot of time on that and really concentrate on that. That’s really important, because there are times that you’re going to need someone to just auger in on one thing and help you. I think those models do work.
“You’ve seen it done in a lot of ways, but I think the league is trending more toward that model. I do like that model.”
The AP reports:
“It’s an odd position, when the game is the best it’s ever been, when the ratings are the highest they’ve ever been, when the excitement is the greatest it’s ever (been),” Players Association attorney Jeffrey Kessler said last week. “It’s sort of odd to see the owners say we’re going to destroy this game unless you change this whole system. Players just want to play.”
Nobody can predict when they’ll get that chance again. When the Dallas Mavericks finished off the Miami Heat on Sunday night in Game 6, it sent the NBA into a most uncertain offseason.
Owners and players are nowhere close on a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expires June 30. Without a new deal, players say they have been told by the owners they will be locked out.
The NBA was reduced to a 50-game season by a work stoppage in 1998-99, and the loss of games is a threat now. Citing leaguewide losses of about $300 million this season, the league hasn’t budged on its desire for significant changes to the financial structure, ranging from reductions in the length of contracts and the amount of guarantees, to an overhaul of the salary cap system that would prevent teams from being able to exceed it, as they can now under certain exceptions.
And Stern said the record TV ratings and all the other positive attention the league has received doesn’t make him any more motivated to get this settled, since he’d want to do it anyway.
“I don’t need any external prod to want to be able to make a deal,” he said…
The sides are scheduled to meet twice this week and say they hope for frequent discussions before the end of the month. Should those fail, the NBA could follow the NFL’s labor situation right into the court system, which both sides say they want to avoid. So although a work stoppage in July wouldn’t seem to have much effect since games aren’t going on, Stern insists “we very much feel the weight of the deadline.”
China Daily reports:
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China’s basketball icon, Yao Ming, says his baby daughter is a “tempting” incentive for him to continue his injury-plagued career, but his injured left ankle is only 30 percent of the way to a full recovery. ..
The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) placed Yao on the national team’s roster for summer training last month and still hopes to count on him at next year’s London Olympics.
However, the giant stressed his future as a national representative depended on his rehabilitation after undergoing surgery to repair the ankle in January.
“Walking or jogging is OK for me now, but I need to get 80 percent of my strength back to play I have got only about 30 percent at most now. I also need exhibition games to assist my recovery, not only working out alone,” said Yao, who took off his protective boot two months ago.
The uncertain status of the NBA has also made this summer a decisive one for the 30-year-old.
Yao’s five-year contract with the Rockets, which is valued at $76 million, expires on June 30, and then there’s also the chance of a league lockout.
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Houston Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander today named NBA Hall of Famer Kevin McHale as the 12th head coach in team history. A seven-time NBA All-Star, McHale helped lead Boston to three NBA championships during a 13-year playing career with the Celtics. Following his playing career, McHale spent 16 seasons as an executive with the Minnesota Timberwolves, including two stints as the team’s head coach during the 2004-05 and 2008-09 seasons. Most recently, McHale served as an in-studio analyst for TNT and NBA TV.
“Kevin McHale is a proven NBA champion who has the leadership skills and basketball knowledge necessary to guide our team into the future,” said Alexander. “Kevin’s hard-nosed work ethic and tenacity on the court led him to a Hall of Fame career and a legacy as one of the NBA’s greatest low-post players of all time. I’m looking forward to seeing Kevin share his unique basketball knowledge and experience as he leads our talented group of players into the next era of Rockets basketball.”
Upon his retirement as an NBA player, McHale joined the Timberwolves as a television analyst and special assistant. On Aug. 18, 1994, new Timberwolves Owner Glen Taylor promoted him to Assistant General Manager. He continued to broadcast Minnesota games and work as an executive until May 11, 1995, when he succeeded Jack McCloskey as Vice President of Basketball Operations. In this role, McHale was credited with the hiring of Flip Saunders – the franchise’s most successful head coach – in 1995, the drafting of high school phenom Kevin Garnett with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NBA Draft, and assembling the core talent that resulted in seven playoff runs from 1997-2004 and highlighted by a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2004.
“I’d like to thank Mr. Alexander and the entire Rockets organization for offering me this exciting opportunity to return to coaching with a first-class organization like the Rockets,” said McHale. “As we explored the opportunity to come to Houston, it felt like the right situation for me. I enjoy the competitive nature of our game and I am looking forward to getting to work with the very talented roster of players that are already in place here in Houston.
McHale logged his first coaching stint after taking over for Saunders on Feb. 12, 2005, and leading the Timberwolves to a record of 19-12 to finish out the 2004-05 season. After hiring Randy Wittman as head coach prior to the 2005-06 season, McHale returned to his post as Vice President of Basketball Operations until he stepped down on Dec. 8, 2008 and transitioned into his second stint as head coach of the Timberwolves by taking over for Wittman. Beginning with a victory at New York (12/26/08), McHale helped the Timberwolves rebound with a 12-4 mark over their next 16 outings, which included a five-game winning streak (1/2/09-1/10/09). McHale was also named Western Conference Coach of the Month for Jan. 2009 after guiding the Timberwolves to a 10-4 mark during that month. Minnesota’s ascent under McHale was derailed that season when leading scorer Al Jefferson sustained a season-ending knee injury at New Orleans (2/8/09).
Prior to his NBA front office career, McHale distinguished himself as one of the game’s most successful players at all levels of his playing career. In 1992, he was elected to the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame. To coincide with the University of Minnesota’s 100th Anniversary, he was selected as the top player in the history of Minnesota men’s basketball on Feb. 18, 1995. During the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, he was honored as one of the NBA’s Top-50 Players for the league’s first half-century. On Oct. 1, 1999, McHale was recognized for his achievements on the court with induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. On July 8, 2000, he was inducted into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame.
InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner has praised McHale as owner of the finest low-post moves in the history of the NBA.
During his storied 13-year career with the Celtics, McHale was a seven-time NBA All-Star (1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991) and helped lead Boston to three NBA championships (1981, 1984 and 1986), five Eastern Conference titles and eight Atlantic Division crowns. He was voted the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year twice (1984 and 1985) and was selected to the All-NBA First Team in 1987. He was also named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team three times (1986, 1987 and 1988) and the Second Team on another three occasions (1983, 1989 and 1990). Overall, the 6-10 forward/center averaged 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 971 career regular season games. In 169 playoff contests, he increased his averages to 18.8 points and 7.4 rebounds. A first-round selection (third overall) by the Celtics in the 1980 NBA Draft, McHale went on to earn NBA All-Rookie First-Team accolades in 1981.
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After parting ways with head coach Rick Adelman, the Houston Rockets have needed a new man for the job. And that man may be a very tall guy with some of the greatest low-post moves the NBA has ever seen.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports:
Kevin McHale will walk through that door.
After a month-long search and long sessions debating the merits of three finalists, the Rockets offered McHale their head coaching position on Friday. McHale was chosen over Boston assistant Lawrence Frank and Dallas assistant Dwane Casey after meeting with Rockets owner Leslie Alexander on Wednesday to complete the interview process.
Though McHale is more celebrated as a Hall of Fame player who among other things inspired Rick Pitino’s rant about the inability to recapture the Boston glory days than as a coach, the Rockets were drawn to his apparent abilities as a leader and motivator.
McHale, 53, had spent most of his career in Minnesota in the front office and had been reluctant to coach throughout his career.
Tough to say that McHale is the best guy around for the job, but at the least, Rockets big-men should benefit from his teachings. Also, I liked hearing McHale’s analysis on television. So that’ll be missed.
McHale wants the job, so it’s expected that he’ll take the offer.
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Reuters reports:
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China’s NBA all-star Yao Ming has sued a Chinese sportswear maker over alleged name and image infringements, local media reported Friday.
The towering Houston Rockets center has filed a lawsuit against the company for using the label “Yao Ming Era” on its shoes without his consent, Yao’s management said.
Lu Hao claimed the sports maker also used Yao’s signature and portrait on their products while promoting them across the country.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports:
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Though in many ways Mario Elie never left Houston, he met with the Rockets’ front office on Wednesday determined to “come home.”
Elie, who has kept his home in Houston since his days with the franchise’s Clutch City-era teams, interviewed for the Rockets’ vacant head coaching position on Wednesday, saying he is ready to recapture the successes from his playing days here.
“I’m very excited,” Elie said. “I like their commitment to winning and bringing back the success of the championship years.
“We knocked it around for quite a bit, about three to four hours. Those guys are very sharp. They know what they want. I had a good time with these gentlemen.”
Elie, who played five seasons with the Rockets before finishing his career in San Antonio and Phoenix, has been an assistant with the Spurs, Warriors and Kings.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports:
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After four days of talks, some that were close to bringing Rick Adelman back as Rockets coach, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey called Adelman a “Hall of Fame coach.” He also showed Adelman the door. Adelman was happy to take it.
Adelman, who led the Rockets to their only playoff series win in the past 14 years and a franchise record 22-game winning streak, agreed to step down on Monday, a decision described as mutual.
“After numerous discussions and careful consideration with Coach Adelman, we have mutually agreed to part ways,” Morey said in a statement. “It has been a privilege and an honor to work with and learn from Rick during these past four years. He is a Hall of Fame coach who earned the respect and admiration of our entire organization during his time here.”
In four seasons with the Rockets, Adelman had a 193-135 record, the best winning percentage (.588) of any coach in franchise history. He moved to eighth in NBA history in career coaching wins with 945.
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