Minnesota T-Wolves Blog – Page 81 – NBA Blog

Washington Wizards hire Sam Cassell, Randy Wittman as assistant coaches

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced yesterday that the team has named Randy Wittman and Sam Cassell as assistant coaches on the staff of Head Coach Flip Saunders. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not released.

“Randy and Sam will be excellent additions to our coaching staff, and both will be instrumental in helping us achieve our goals,” said Saunders. “Randy brings a wealth of experience as a former head coach of two different teams and is very familiar with my system. I always regarded Sam as a coach on the floor during his playing days, and he brings instant credibility as a three-time NBA champion and a proven winner.”

Wittman was most recently with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he served as head coach from January 23, 2007 to December 8, 2008. He previously served as head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1999-2001. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers in 1992, and later worked as an assistant for the Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic. Wittman played collegiately at Indiana University under Bobby Knight, helping the team to an NCAA championship in 1981. He was originally drafted by the Washington Bullets with the 22nd pick of the 1983 NBA Draft, and played nine seasons in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers before retiring in 1992 with a career average of 7.4 points per game (.501 FG%) in 543 games.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to work with Flip again, and I’m confident that the staff he is assembling will complement the talented roster that is already in place,” said Wittman. “I’m eager to help this team reach the next level and ready to get to work immediately on the court.”

The 2009-10 season will mark Cassell’s first foray into coaching after an outstanding 15-season playing career. In 993 career regular season games, the former All-Star and Baltimore native averaged 15.7 points and 6.0 assists per game. Cassell has won three NBA Championships (1994 and 1995 with Houston, 2008 with Boston), and appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals with Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld’s Milwaukee Bucks in 2001 and the Western Conference Finals under Flip Saunders with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2004.

“After 15 seasons playing in this league, I have accomplished all that I have dreamed of as a player,” said Cassell. “Now the time has come for to me to take my love for the game to the coaching ranks and pass on what I’ve learned. This team is loaded with talent, and it’s a great way for me to start my coaching career.”

Derrick Rose wins Rookie of Year

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls is the recipient of the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year, the NBA announced today.

Rose received 111 first-place votes (574 points) from a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Memphis’ O.J. Mayo finished second with 246 points and New Jersey’s Brook Lopez finished third with 127 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Finishing fourth was Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City), fifth was Eric Gordon (L.A. Clippers), sixth was Kevin Love (Minnesota), and seventh was Michael Beasley (Miami).

Selected with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft 2008, Rose led first-year players in assists (6.3 apg) and was second among rookies in scoring (16.8 ppg), to go along with 3.9 rebounds in 37.0 minutes. Rose shot .475 from the field and .788 from the free throw line. He started 80 of 81 games (missed one game due to injury on March 24), and finished the season in the top three in several categories all-time among Bulls rookies, including total points (3rd, 1,361), scoring (3rd, 16.8 ppg) and assists (3rd, 6.3 apg).

A three-time Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month selection (Nov., Dec., March), Rose scored in double digits 71 times including 32 games of at least 20 points. Rose represented Chicago at All-Star Saturday Night in Phoenix, becoming the first rookie to win the PlayStation® Skills Challenge with a time of 35.3 seconds. A participant in the 2009 Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, Rose finished with four points and a team-high seven assists. Rose is the third Bulls rookie to win the award and the first since Elton Brand in 1999-00 (co-winner with Houston’s Steve Francis).

The Eddie Gottlieb Trophy is named in honor of Eddie Gottlieb, one of the NBA’s founders who coached the Philadelphia Warriors to the NBA championship in 1946-47.

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

Wolves lay radio analyst off

The Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jerry Zgoda) reports (via blog): Wolves radio analyst Kevin Lynch – the former Gophers star and radio guy who left that job to join the Wolves’ broadcast last fall — was one of eight employees laid off Thursday in cost-cutting moves that are another sign of these economic times. Radio play-by-play man Alan Horton will go it alone while the TV team of Tom Hanneman and Jim Petersen presumably will remain intact.

Late Terry jumper, Mavs beat Wolves 96-94

The AP reports: Trailing the Minnesota Timberwolves by seven points with 3:13 left, Dirk Nowitzki got his teammates going, then Jason Terry finished off the rally by swishing an 18-foot jumper from the right side with 0.2 seconds left for a 96-94 victory… “This was one we had to get,” said Nowitzki, who had 34 points and nine rebounds… Craig Smith came off the bench to score a season-high 24 points and Sebastian Telfair had 14 points and tied his season high with 12 assists. Minnesota players were jumping up and down on the bench, hoping to make amends for what happened on their last visit to Dallas—when they blew a 29-point, third-quarter lead.

Hill, Suns cruise past Timberwolves 110-97

The AP reports: The Phoenix Suns’ season is all but over. Their playoff hopes were vanquished on Wednesday, rendering the final four games of the season virtually meaningless. You wouldn’t know that by watching Grant Hill play on Saturday night. The 14-year veteran gave his younger teammates a lesson in professionalism, scoring 19 points in 23 minutes to lead Phoenix to a 110-97 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves… Jared Dudley scored 16 points and Shaquille O’Neal had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who gave heavy minutes to youngsters Robin Lopez, Goran Dragic and Louis Amundson. Sebastian Telfair had 21 points and shot 8-of-12 for Minnesota, but his teammates didn’t fare nearly as well in another slow start at Target Center.

Telfair, Love help Wolves beat Warriors 105-97

The AP reports: If the Minnesota Timberwolves hurt their chances to win the draft lottery by winning a few more games, it won’t disappoint Kevin Love one bit. “You never want to accept losing and we’re not trying to lose to get more lottery chances,” said Love after posting getting 20 points and 12 rebounds while helping Minnesota to a 105-97 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday… Sebastian Telfair came off the bench to score 21 points, including a pair of key 3-pointers down the stretch in the fourth quarter when the Timberwolves went with a three-guard offense… Jamal Crawford scored 31 points and Kelenna Azubuike added 26 to pace Golden State, which had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Warriors have not won four straight since February 2008.

Gomes leads Timberwolves past Clippers 87-77

The AP reports: Ryan Gomes had 24 points and 13 rebounds, Craig Smith added 16 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Clippers 87-77 on Tuesday night in a matchup of short-handed teams. Eric Gordon scored 28 for the Clippers, who went without a basket for four-plus minutes to start the fourth quarter. Smith had seven consecutive points in the period to give the Timberwolves their biggest lead of the game, 78-62, with 10:18 remaining. Both teams were missing at least three starters because of injuries and a suspension. Kevin Love, who finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds, scored the first seven points of the third quarter to give Minnesota a 54-41 lead it never relinquished.

Melo leads Nuggets to rout of Timberwolves

The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points and Denver cruised to its seventh win in a row, beating the Timberwolves 110-87 on Sunday night. Thanks to San Antonio’s loss to Cleveland earlier in the day, Denver quietly extended its lead to two games over the Spurs for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference… The game was essentially over by halftime, and it was a laugher by the fourth quarter with Anthony Carter lobbing alley-oop attempts to Sonny Weems. Anthony, who has scored at least 20 points in nine of his last 10 games, sat out the fourth… Sebastian Telfair had 18 points to lead the depleted Wolves. Already without regulars Randy Foye (hip) and Craig Smith (calf), Minnesota also had to make do without star rookie Kevin Love and his strong inside presence thanks to a nasty flu bug.

Timberwolves end 9-game road losing streak, beat Jazz 103-102

The AP reports: Minnesota ended a nine-game road losing streak and dealt a crushing setback to Utah’s diminishing homes for home-court advantage in the playoffs. Although the Timberwolves are lottery-bound once again this summer, they showed how they can still rattle the postseason seedings by beating the Jazz 103-102 on Friday night, ending Utah’s 15-game home winning streak. “I think we put a little shock in their plans,” said Rodney Carney, who scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter. Ryan Gomes also scored 25 points, and Mike Miller had 14 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota, which outrebounded Utah 42-28… Deron Williams finished with 34 points and 11 assists, but missed a shot at the buzzer that would have won it for the Jazz… Kyle Korver scored 19 points for Utah, and Andrei Kirilenko had 13, going 6-for-7 from the floor and blocking three shots, but Mehmet Okur was the only Utah starter other than Williams to reach double figures, finishing with 11.

Howard’s return sparks Mavs over Wolves, 108-88

The AP reports: Josh Howard had 14 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes in his return from an 11-game absence, Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points and 12 boards, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves 108-88 on Tuesday night. Howard has missed a total of 28 games due to various injuries this season, and each time he has returned seemingly without missing a beat… Jason Terry scored 21 points and Jason Kidd had eight points and 13 assists for the Mavericks, who shrugged off a blowout loss at Cleveland on Sunday and moved four games ahead of the Phoenix Suns for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. Kevin Love had 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who played their second straight game without Randy Foye and Craig Smith. It was the rookie’s 25th double-double, which is one more than the former MVP Nowitzki has.