Los Angeles Lakers Blog – Page 117 – NBA Blog

Indiana Pacers to hire Brian Shaw

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:

Three of the pieces are in place, now all Frank Vogel has to do is find his final assistant to complete his coaching staff.

Vogel was introduced as coach of the Pacers on Wednesday during a press conference that didn’t reveal a lot since team officials are not permitted to talk about players due to the current NBA lockout.

Vogel and Larry Bird both said they hope to be able to announce the rest of the coaching staff next week. Brian Shaw will be the associate head coach and long time assistant Dan Burke will be on Vogel’s staff.

Vogel interviewed former University of Utah coach and NBA assistant Jim Boylen for the final assistant job earlier this week.

New Knicks radio announcer Spero Dedes arrested for drunk driving

Joe Kemp of the New York Daily News reports:

A newly minted sportscaster for the New York Knicks was arrested for drunken driving after he was pulled over for speeding down a Hamptons street, authorities said.

Spero Dedes, 32 – who just replaced Mike Crispino on ESPN 1050 radio – was pulled over by Southampton Town police on Sunday near Tuckahoe Road and Country Road 39 about 4:15 a.m., authorities and his lawyer said.

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports:

Dedes’ lawyer, Colin Astarita, told The Post yesterday that he believes a “complete dismissal” will take place, saying, “The early stages from the police paperwork show inconsistencies with the police allegations and what actually transpired that night.”

Dedes was stopped by Southampton police at 4:12 a.m. Sunday morning for speeding, according to the arrest report, while driving a 2006 BMW. The 32-year-old ex-Net broadcaster was then charged with DWI. He posted $500 bail Sunday and a hearing will take place today.

Joe Bryant would love an NBA job

Baxter Holmes of the Los Angeles Times reports on Kobe Bryant’s dad Joe, aka Jellybean Bryant:

He has been in the game almost 40 years. First, as a player — eight seasons in the NBA with the 76ers, Clippers and Rockets — then as a coach, with the WNBA’s Sparks and in Japan. Now, Bryant is back with the Sparks as an assistant.

For all his travels, Bryant has never escaped his son’s shadow. Is he OK with that?

“Yeah, because he’s my son,” he says.

Bryant was estranged from Kobe after his son’s marriage to Vanessa, but Joe says they are now on pretty good terms.

One day, Bryant would like an NBA job, not as a coach, but perhaps in a player development role where he could work with young players.

But to get there, he might have to deal with a double-edged sword: his lineage. That alone can give him instant credibility.

“Absolutely, hell yeah it should, because the first thing I wanted to know was, what drills did you do with Kobe?” says former Sparks center Lisa Leslie, who was the 2005-06 WNBA most valuable player when Bryant was her head coach.

But it may lead some to question his credibility.

“They’re probably thinking, ‘Just because your son is good doesn’t make you a great coach,'” Sparks General Manager Penny Toler says.

NBA says NYTimes.com blog was based on inaccurate info

The following is an official release from the NBA:

The information from Forbes that serves as the basis for this article is inaccurate and we do not know how they do their calculations. Forbes does not have the financial data for our teams and the magazine’s estimates do not reflect reality.

Precisely to avoid this issue, the NBA and its teams shared their complete league and team audited financials as well as our state and Federal tax returns with the Players Union. Those financials demonstrate the substantial and indisputable losses the league has incurred over the past several years.

The analysis that was posted this afternoon has several significant factual inaccuracies, including:

“(The NBA) is a fundamentally healthy and profitable business”

• The league lost money every year of the just expiring CBA. During these years, the league has never had positive Net Income, EBITDA or Operating Income.

“Many of the purported losses result from an unusual accounting treatment related to depreciation and amortization when a team is sold.”

• We use the conventional and generally accepted accounting (GAAP) approach and include in our financial reporting the depreciation of the capital expenditures made in the normal course of business by the teams as they are a substantial and necessary cost of doing business.

We do not include purchase price amortization from when a team is sold or under any circumstances in any of our reported losses. Put simply, none of the league losses are related to team purchase or sale accounting.

“Another trick…moving income from the team’s balance sheet to that of a related business like a cable network…”

• All revenues included in Basketball Related Income (“BRI”) and reported in our financial statements have been audited by an accounting firm jointly engaged by the players’ union and the league. They include basketball revenues reported on related entities’ books.

“Ticket revenues… are up 22% compared to 1999-2000 season”

• Ticket revenues have increased 12% over the 10 year period, not the 22% reported.

“17 teams lost money according to Forbes … Most of these losses were small…”

• Forbes’ claim is inaccurate. In 2009-10, 23 teams had net income losses. The losses were in no way “small” as 11 teams lost more than $20M each on a net income basis.

“The profits made by the Knicks, Bulls and Lakers alone would be enough to cover the losses of all 17 unprofitable teams.”

• The Knicks, Bulls and Lakers combined net income for 2009-10 does not cover the losses of the 23 unprofitable teams. Our net loss for that year, including the gains from the seven profitable teams, was -$340 million.

“Forbes’s estimates — a $183 million profit for the NBA in 2009-10, and those issued by the league, which claim a $370M loss…”

• Forbes’s data is inaccurate. Our losses for 2009-10 were -$340 million, not -$370 million as the article states.

“The leaked financial statements for one team, the New Orleans Hornets, closely matched the Forbes data…”

• This is not an accurate statement as operating income in the latest Forbes data (2009-10) is $5M greater than what is reported in the Hornets audited financials.

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Coach Jim Cleamons takes job in China

Xinhua reports:

Former Los Angeles Lakers’ assistant coach Jim Cleamons had been hired by the Zhejiang Guangsha of the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA) on Sunday, local reports said.

Guangsha’s general manager Ye Xiangyu told media that Cleamons had arrived in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on Saturday.

“There were several offers from teams of the National Basketball Association (NBA), but Mr. Cleamons finally chose the Guangsha,” Ye said.

Kobe Bryant sued by woman who claims he broke promise to marry her

Nina Mandell of the New York Daily News reports:

An Ohio woman is suing Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, accusing him of breaching a promise to marry her…

Selina Miller filed the suit last week in Orange County Superior Court, claiming that the married star gave her a “completed and signed agreement” to provide her with a ring, the OC Weekly reported…

It’s not the first time Miller has sued the hoops star. She filed a defamation and invasion-of-privacy suit against Bryant and the NBA, which was dismissed in 2009 as “frivolous.”

In an emailed statement to the Daily News, lawyers for Bryant said the hoops player was “aware of the lawsuit filed by Selina Miller and will defend, if necessary, the ridiculous, if not bizarre, allegations contained in the suit.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Kobe Bryant might take part in exhibition games in China

Baxter Holmes of the Los Angeles Times reports:

Kobe Bryant may take his talents to China during the NBA’s lockout.

There are preliminary talks about a basketball tour to China this summer — and perhaps beyond — in which the Lakers superstar, who has called China a “home away from home” and has an enormous following there, would be the headliner with several other NBA stars forming two or three barnstorming teams.

Bryant and his agent Rob Pelinka are trying to put together the tour, said Minnesota Timberwolves rookie forward Derrick Williams, who is also represented by Pelinka.

Williams said several clients of Pelinka’s agency, the Landmark Sports Agency, could be involved in the tour.

“Hopefully I would be able to do that because I’ve never been out of the country and I think that would be the best thing for me,” said Williams, the former La Mirada High and University of Arizona star who was drafted second overall in June’s NBA draft.

Lakers hire Chuck Person and Quin Snyder as assistant coaches

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Chuck Person and Quin Snyder to serve as assistant coaches, it was announced today by Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

After spending the last two years working with the Lakers organization, Person will remain with the team serving as an assistant coach under Head Coach Mike Brown. Person, who spent the 2009-2010 season assisting Phil Jackson and his staff during their championship run, was hired on as an assistant coach at the start of the 2010-11 season.

“I’m very pleased to add Chuck to my coaching staff,” said Lakers Head Coach Mike Brown. “I’ve seen firsthand his dedication and his desire to making the players he coaches better. The knowledge of the game that he has from his experience, both as a coach and as a former NBA player, is an invaluable asset that he brings to the team and I look forward to working with him once again.”

Before joining the Lakers, the Alabama native spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings (2007-09) and Indiana Pacers (2005-07). Prior to that, he served three seasons as a special assistant to the CEO/president of basketball operations for Indiana, working with Pacers and Indiana Fever (WNBA) players, both on and off the court. Additionally, he spent one season with the Cleveland Cavaliers before joining the Pacers’ coaching staff.

“Knowing Coach Brown since our time with the Pacers, not only couldn’t I be happier with the opportunity to work alongside him again, but I’m thrilled to return to a franchise that I consider to the best in professional sports. Having been on staff for the Lakers’ 2010 championship run, I know what this team is capable of. I look forward to assisting Coach Brown in helping our players regain that form and realize their potential.”

An alumnus of Auburn University who concluded his collegiate basketball career as the Tigers’ all-time leading scorer, Person was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the fourth overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft. Coming to be known as “The Rifleman,” he was named Rookie of the Year after averaging 18.8 points and a career-high 8.2 rebounds in his first season with the Pacers and ultimately concluded his 13-year NBA playing career with averages of 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 943 games.

Snyder joins the Lakers staff after spending last season serving as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers. Prior to his stint with the Sixers, Snyder spent three years as head coach of the Austin Toros in the NBA D-League. Snyder compiled a record of 94-56 (.627) with the Toros while guiding them to the playoffs in all three seasons he was at the helm, including an appearance in the championship game in 2008. He earned the D-League’s Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year award in 2008-09.

“With the addition of Quin to my coaching staff, we’ve added someone who has an extremely intelligent basketball mind,” said Lakers Head Coach Mike Brown. “Quin’s most valuable asset, however, is his passion for coaching and his ability to get the most out of the players he coaches. I’m extremely pleased to have him on my staff.”

Prior to his time with the Toros, Snyder was the head coach at the University of Missouri for seven seasons, posting a mark of 128-96 (.571). Under Snyder, the Tigers made six consecutive postseason appearances, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament and a berth in the Elite Eight.

“I am grateful to Mike Brown and the entire Lakers organization for providing me with this opportunity,” said Snyder. “I’m looking forward to fulfilling whatever role I’m asked to assume. I could not be more excited to have this unique opportunity.”

Snyder, who played for Duke from 1986-89 and served on the coaching staff from 1993-99, took part in five Final Fours – three as a player (1986, 1988, 1989) and two more as a coach (1994, 1999). In 1991, after a year at Duke Law School, Snyder simultaneously enrolled in Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. Taking time off from both programs a year later to serve as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers ( 1992-93), Snyder returned to Duke in 1993 and served as an administrative assistant coach under head coach Mike Krzyzewski for the next two seasons while completing his JD and MBA degrees. Upon graduation, he became a full-time assistant coach at Duke (1995-97) and was subsequently promoted to associate head coach for the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons.

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Los Angeles Lakers guard Shannon Brown becomes free agent

Lakers guard Shannon Brown has informed the team that he has elected not to exercise his option to extend his contract for the 2011-12 season, it was announced today. Brown, therefore, has become an unrestricted free agent.

Originally acquired by the Lakers from the Charlotte Bobcats in February of 2009, Brown has appeared in 182 games with the Lakers, averaging 7.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.7 minutes.

A two-time NBA Champion with the Lakers, Brown averaged a career-high 8.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists during the 2010-11 season.

Lakers hire John Kuester as assistant coach

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired John Kuester to serve as an assistant coach, it was announced today by Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

“I’m extremely excited to have John join the team as a member of my coaching staff,” said Lakers Head Coach Mike Brown. “Having previously worked together in Cleveland, I know what assets he will bring to the team. His ability to effectively communicate with the players while teaching them valuable skills on both ends of the court is a quality that I respect and value. I look forward to working with him again.”

Kuester joins the Lakers after a two-year stint as head coach for the Detroit Pistons. Prior to his time in Detroit, Kuester spent 14 years as an assistant coach in the NBA, working for six different franchises (Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, New Jersey, Orlando and Cleveland).

“I’m extremely excited to be working with Mike Brown, as well as to have the opportunity to work with the Lakers, one of the premier organizations in the NBA,” said Kuester.

Kuester, who worked for the Celtics organization from 1990-1997, began his NBA coaching career in 1995 when was hired as an assistant coach for Boston. Kuester spent two seasons with the Celtics before joining the Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant coach at the start of the 1997-98 season. As a member of Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown’s staff, Kuester helped lead the team to the playoffs in five of his six seasons including an NBA Finals appearance in 2001.

In 2003, Kuester joined the Detroit Pistons where he helped guide the team to an NBA Championship in 2004. The North Carolina native had stints in New Jersey, Philadelphia and Orlando before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007. During his time in Cleveland, the Cavaliers posted a 111-53 (.677) record and made an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2009.

Prior to joining the NBA, Kuester coached for ten years at the collegiate level. After serving as an assistant coach for the University of Richmond during the 1980-81 season, Kuester joined Rick Pitino’s staff at Boston University where he spent two seasons as his assistant before being named head coach of the Terriers in 1983. After a two-year stint in Boston, Kuester served five seasons (1985-90) as head coach at George Washington University.