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Mike Dunleavy awarded $13 million in court case vs Clippers

Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times reports (via blog):

An arbitrator has awarded former Clippers general manager and coach Mike Dunleavy slightly more than $13 million in compensation.

The Clippers had quit paying Dunleavy immediately after firing him last year, on March 8, and he was forced to take the organization to binding arbitration. He had been owed $6.75 million on the contract, $1.35 million for the remainder of the 2009-10 season and $5.4 million for the season just completed.

His case was finally heard almost two months ago before the Arbitration and Mediation Services in Santa Monica. Additional briefs were filed by both sides afterward.

D-Fenders D-League team, owned by Lakers, will resume play in 2011-12

The Los Angeles D-Fenders announced today that the team will return to operation in the NBA Development League, the NBA’s official minor league, for the 2011-2012 season after a one-season hiatus. The D-Fenders, owned and operated by the Los Angeles Lakers, will resume their single affiliation with the 2009-10 NBA Champions, and will play their home games at Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, Calif.

“We are excited to continue our investment in the NBA Development League as it continues to evolve into a basketball and business asset for NBA teams,” said D-Fenders Chief Executive Joey Buss.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the Los Angeles D-Fenders back to the NBA Development League,” said NBA D-League President Dan Reed. “The Lakers have been an outstanding partner with the NBA D-League for years, and their return further reinforces our growing significance to the NBA – especially considering they are now one of seven NBA teams with a ‘one-to-one’ affiliation. We’re excited about the terrific fan experience they plan to provide at Toyota Sports Center.”

With the D-Fenders’ return, the NBA Development League now features seven teams with lone NBA affiliates. Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs also fully own and operate their affiliates, the Tulsa 66ers and Austin Toros, respectively. The Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks have ‘hybrid affiliations’ with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Springfield Armor and Erie BayHawks, respectively, controlling the basketball operations of their NBA D-League affiliates, while the Dallas Mavericks are singly affiliated with the Texas Legends.

Warriors hire Mike Malone as assistant coach

The Golden State Warriors have hired Michael Malone as an assistant coach, the team announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced. Malone will serve as the lead assistant to newly hired Head Coach Mark Jackson.

Malone brings 10 years of NBA coaching experience to the Warriors, having most recently served as the lead assistant coach for the New Orleans Hornets this past season. In New Orleans, under Head Coach Monty Williams, Malone helped lead the Hornets to a 46-36 record and a trip to the 2011 NBA Playoffs. The Hornets were the most improved defensive team in the NBA last season, allowing a league-best 8.7 fewer points per game than in the previous campaign (94.0 points per contest, after giving up 102.7 in 2009-10.) Additionally, the Hornets limited their opponents to 45.7% shooting from the field in 2010-11 compared to 48.3% the previous season.

Prior to joining the Hornets, Malone served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers for the previous five seasons. During his time in Cleveland, the Cavs posted a 272-138 (.663) record, which was the third-best mark in the NBA over that span. The Cavaliers made five consecutive playoff appearances during Malone’s time on the bench, reaching the NBA Finals in 2007 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009. In 2008-09, the Cavs notched a franchise record and NBA-best 66 wins.

“We are thrilled to be in a position to add Michael Malone to our coaching staff,” said Warriors General Manager/Executive VP of Basketball Operations Larry Riley. “He is a youthful coach with great experience and knowledge of the game. This is a very positive addition to our organization.”

“I am really pleased that Michael has chosen to join our staff as we try to build something special with the Warriors,” said Jackson. “I have known Michael for a long time and think he is one of the bright young minds in the sport. He’s a tireless worker and has a tremendous understanding of the game, which is a potent combination for any coach. Obviously, he is very well-respected in this business and will be a great asset to our staff and someone whose opinion I will value greatly. I think he will be a perfect complement.”

“I am very grateful for this opportunity to join the Golden State Warriors organization,” said Malone. “It’s hard to express how excited I am about working with Mark Jackson and helping build something here with the Warriors. I’d like to thank Joe Lacob, Larry Riley and Mark for this opportunity and cannot wait to get started.”

Malone’s NBA coaching career began with a four-season stint with the New York Knicks, where he originally joined the team as a coaching associate in the summer of 2001, and was promoted to assistant coach in May 2003. Prior to joining the Knicks, Malone spent seven years coaching in the college ranks.

Maya Moore makes WNBA debut

The AP reports:

Candace Parker showed the Los Angeles Sparks just what they were missing during her long injury absence.

In her first game in nearly a year, Parker had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Sparks beat the Minnesota Lynx 82-74 on Friday night in the opener of the WNBA’s 15th season…

The nationally televised game marked the debut of highly touted WNBA rookie Maya Moore, who led the Lynx with 21 points and
added four rebounds and four assists.

Moore led Connecticut to consecutive NCAA championships (2009-10), became the seventh women’s player to score over 3,000 career points, and was the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA draft.

She had six points in the final five minutes, including three free throws that tied the game at 73, and scored her team’s first basket with a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer on the right wing.

“I was a little anxious, but I was excited to play,” Moore said. “It was just exciting when the game started and you start making the first couple of shots, get into a rhythm, and you realize this is still basketball.”

Shaq announces retirement

The AP reports:

Shaquille O’Neal, who struggled to get on the court for the Boston Celtics because of leg injuries, said on Twitter on Wednesday that he is going to retire after a 19-year career in which he won four NBA titles and the 2000 league Most Valuable Player award.

O’Neal sent a tweet shortly before 2:45 p.m. saying, “im retiring.” It included a link to a 16-second video in which he says, “We did it; 19 years, baby. Thank you very much. That’s why I’m telling you first: I’m about to retire. Love you. Talk to you soon.”

An inveterate prankster who gave himself a new nickname — or several — in each of his six NBA cities, the 15-time all-star did not notify his latest team of his plans. He played just 37 games this year, the first of a two-year deal at the veteran’s minimum salary, making just three brief appearances after Feb. 1.

“To my knowledge, he has not informed any of us that he’s retiring,” Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said.

If he goes, O’Neal retires fifth all-time with 28,596 points, 12th with 13,099 rebounds and second only to Artis Gilmore among players with more than 2,000 baskets with a .582 field goal percentage.

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

Lakers officially name Mike Brown head coach

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Mike Brown as head coach, it was announced today. The two sides have had a widely-reported agreement for a while now, but the actual hiring just became official Tuesday afternoon, about three hours before the start of 2011 NBA Finals Game 1 between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.

Brown, the 22nd head coach in franchise history and 18th in the Los Angeles era, spent last season as an NBA analyst for ESPN after previously serving as head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hired by the Cavaliers in June of 2005, the 2008-09 NBA Coach of the Year posted a 272-138 regular season record over five seasons as well as a 42-29 postseason mark, ranking fifth in NBA history (minimum 400 games) with a .663 regular season win percentage and 10th in NBA history (minimum 25 games) with a .592 playoff win percentage.

The fourth youngest coach in NBA history to win 60 games in a season, Brown led the Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals and NBA-best records in both 2008-09 (66-16) and 2009-10 (61-21). His 2008-09 team became just the 12th team in NBA history to record 66 victories in a season while he and his staff earned the honor midway through that season to coach the Eastern Conference All-Star Team at the 2009 All-Star Game in Phoenix, AZ.

“We’re very pleased to welcome Mike Brown to the Lakers,” said General Manager Mitch Kupchak. “What Mike brings to the table is unique in that he’s a proven winner in this league and yet also a rising star in his profession. After an extensive and thorough search to find the right person to help carry on our championship legacy, we feel that Mike is poised and ready to do so.”

Brown joined the Cavaliers after spending two seasons as the associate head coach of the Indiana Pacers and three seasons as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs. Posting a 341-201 (.629) record as an assistant coach, he won division titles with Indiana (2003-04) and three straight division titles with San Antonio (2000-03). While with the Spurs, Brown’s teams won at least 58 games each season as well as the 2003 NBA Championship. In his two seasons in Indiana, he helped the Pacers to consecutive playoff appearances including a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2004.

Brown, a 1992 graduate of the University of San Diego with a degree in business, played basketball two seasons at USD after spending two years at Mesa Community College. The 41-year-old (born March 5, 1970 in Columbus, Ohio) began his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets in 1992, where he spent five seasons, first as the team’s video coordinator and then as a scout. Following his time with the Nuggets, Brown spent three years with the Washington Wizards beginning in 1997, spending the first two years as an assistant under Bernie Bickerstaff and his final year as the team’s professional scout.

Fan reaction to the news has been in this forum topic.

Margo Dydek, 7-foot-2 ex-WNBA player, dies at 37

The AP reports:

Margo Dydek, a 7-foot-2 former WNBA player who led the league in blocks nine times, died Friday after being placed in a medically induced coma following a heart attack a week ago. She was 37.

Her death was confirmed to The Associated Press by Cathy Roberts, operations manager of the Northside Wizards in the Queensland Basketball League, where Dydek was the coach.

The Poland-born Dydek, pregnant with her third child, was stricken with a heart attack May 19 and collapsed at her home in Brisbane. Dydek was early in her pregnancy and the fetus died, Roberts said.

Dydek was once said to be the tallest active professional female basketball player. She was the No. 1 pick in the 1998 WNBA draft by the Utah Starzz. She also played for San Antonio, Connecticut and Los Angeles…

Dydek held the record for most blocks in a WNBA career (877 in 323 games) and led the league from 1998 to 2003 and again from 2005-07. In 2008, Dydek signed with the Los Angeles Sparks following time away from basketball to give birth to her first son.

WNBA President statement on the passing of Margo Dydek: “The WNBA is deeply saddened by the passing of Margo Dydek,” said WNBA President Laurel Richie. “She was a tremendous person, role model and athlete who touched the lives of her many fans and made an indelible mark on women’s basketball around the world. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.”

InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner says: I met Margo once while I was a working media member at a game, and once off-the-court, and she seemed like an extremely nice person both times. Wish I had more to share. Anyway, I’m sorry that she’s gone and wish the best to her friends, family and fans.

Kim Kardashian engaged to Kris Humphries

US Magazine reports:

Sorry, fellas: Kim Kardashian is officially off the market!

The reality superstar and mogul is engaged to basketball beau Kris Humphries, her rep confirms to Us Weekly.

Kim Kardashian engaged to Kris Humphries

Kardashian, 30, and New Jersey Nets forward Humprhies, 26, began dating in December, and the duo quickly became serious.

Indeed, last month, a Kardashian insider told Us that the E! star planned to move to NYC in order to be closer to her man. “This is it for her,” the source said. “I foresee an engagement this summer.”

People magazine reports:

It was a dream come true for Kim Kardashian when she walked into her Beverly Hills home May 18. Her boyfriend of six months, New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries, was waiting in her bedroom on bended knee with four words written in red rose petals: “WILL YOU MARRY ME?”

“I didn’t expect this at all,” Kardashian, 30, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview (out Friday) of the romantic, surprise proposal. “I was in such shock. I never thought it would happen at home, and I never thought now.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: As someone who dates Kim Kardashian lookalikes on a regular basis, I know how Humphries is feeling right now. Good for him!

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

NBA fines Joakim Noah $50,000 for foul language

Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah has been fined $50,000 for using a derogatory and offensive term from the bench during the first quarter of the Bulls’ 96-85 loss to the Miami Heat last night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Recently, Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for saying almost the same thing, though in Bryant’s case it was directed at an NBA referee, while Noah was engaged in heated discussion with a fan sitting near Chicago’s bench.

Fan reaction and discussion of the entire issue is in this forum topic.

Shannon Brown announces he has not slept with Pau Gasol`s girlfriend

There have been some wild rumors flowing from all sorts of interesting directions about Pau Gasol and some alleged trouble with his girlfriend.

The latest has been squashed by Lakers teammate, guard Shannon Brown on his verified Twitter account late Saturday night.

Brown announced the following: “”Ok let me put a end to this right now before it goes any further. I DID NOT SLEEP WITH @paugasol woman!!! First and last time addressing it!”

So, there you have it.

Brown coming out and admitting this has inspired me to also admit that I have not slept with Gasol’s woman, either. It’s true. In fact, I’ve never even met her.

Wild fan discussion of this latest item is in this forum topic.