Brooklyn Nets Blog – Page 59 – NBA Blog

Jason Kidd has a statistical goal for Deron Williams

On Sunday, the rookie coach revealed a statistical goal for Williams. It concerns passing, not surprisingly.

“I’m going to push him. I want the best for him,” Kidd said after signing autographs at the Nets’ merchandise store in Coney Island. “When we sit down and talk about goals, team goals and also individual goals, I’m going to push him and I want to get him back to double-digit assists.”

Williams hasn’t averaged at least 10 assists since 2010-11, which represented the fourth straight season he eclipsed that mark. Last season’s 7.7 assists per game was Williams’ lowest output since he was a rookie. And as the assist numbers dipped in the last two seasons, so did Williams’ shooting percentage.

But there was a tangible turning point, which Kidd referenced Sunday. After undergoing multiple procedures to his inflamed ankles during the All-Star break, Williams dropped about 15 pounds by changing his diet and exercise routine.

He was again spry and without ankle pain, capable of pulling off a reverse double-pump dunk after failing to record a single jam for the first five months of last season.

Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Blog)

New York City may host two NBA All-Star weekends in a three-year period

The NBA All-Star Game could be coming to New York. Twice. In a three-year period.

Multiple league sources maintain the 2015 All-Star Game will be played at Madison Square Garden on Sunday of All-Star weekend with the Friday and Saturday night events — the skills, shooting and dunk competitions — set for Barclays Center.

The league and the Nets and Knicks still are negotiating on a proposal to have a reversal in either 2017 or 2018; Brooklyn would stage the game while the Knicks and the Garden would serve as host for the Friday and Saturday events. The Nets, sources said, are not completely sold on the host role down the road for myriad reasons.

Reported by Fred Kerber of the New York Post

Jason Kidd glad that some Nets players are already working out together

It might be more than a month until training camp begins, but that hasn’t stopped Deron Williams from getting several of his teammates together in Los Angeles this week to begin preparing for the upcoming season.

For Jason Kidd, the fact most of his team — including starters Williams, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett — already is putting in extra offseason work is music to the ears of the first-year head coach.

“Yeah, for sure,” Kidd said after playing in The Barclays Pro-Am at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City Thursday. “To be able to start gelling and getting to know each other [is good], because it is kind of a different team.

“For the young guys, Mason [Plumlee] and [Tyshawn Taylor], to be out there, [Garnett] and Paul and Joe, it just shows that these guys are going in the right direction, and being very professional. I know during the summer time they could do something else, but to come together for a couple days shows that they’re trying to get ready and they want to win.”

Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Brooklyn Nets announce their assistant coaches

The Brooklyn Nets have added John Welch, Joe Prunty and Charles Klask to Jason Kidd’s staff as assistant coaches, General Manager Billy King announced today. The three new hires round out the coaching staff which also includes Lawrence Frank, Roy Rogers and Eric Hughes.

In addition, the Nets have named Jim Sann as advance scout.

Welch joins the Nets following eight seasons as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets under George Karl. Before joining the Nuggets, Welch spent two seasons as an assistant coach/workout coach for the Memphis Grizzlies. Prior to his arrival in Memphis, he spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Fresno State, serving under head coach Jerry Tarkanian. Welch joined Fresno State in 1995 and helped the Bulldogs to two consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, six consecutive 20-win seasons and seven straight postseason appearances. Welch began his coaching career with a three-year stint as a graduate assistant at UNLV, including when they advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1986-87. When the Rebels’ season ended, Welch also served as a player and coach in the New Zealand Professional Basketball League from 1986-89. Welch then served as an assistant coach under Seth Greenberg at Long Beach State from 1993-95. As a player, Welch spent three seasons at the University of Nevada, Reno and transferred to UNLV for his senior year. Welch played under Tarkanian for one year when the Rebels compiled a 33-5 record and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

Prunty enters his 18th NBA season and 22nd overall in coaching, most recently serving as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers for three seasons after joining the club in July 2010. Prior to his stint in Cleveland, Prunty was an assistant coach during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, after serving three seasons (2005-08) with the Dallas Mavericks as an assistant. He spent the previous nine seasons with the San Antonio Spurs where he won NBA Championships in 1999, 2003 and 2005. The Sunnyvale, Ca. native played collegiately at De Anza College in Cupertino, CA and is a 1991 graduate of California Poly San Luis Obispo.

Charles Klask joins the Nets following two seasons as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons, where his responsibilities included game-plan preparation, statistical analysis and scouting. Prior to his stint in Detroit, Klask was on the staff of the Orlando Magic from 2002-2011, where he worked as a video coordinator, advance scout and the last three years as the scouting information manager. Klask began his NBA career with the Pistons in 2001, when he served as a video intern before being named the video coordinator of the Detroit Shock of the WNBA. A native of Livonia, MI, Klask is a graduate of Michigan State University.

Sann begins his second stint with the Nets organization, previously serving as assistant coach/coaching associate from 2005-06 to 2009-10, before joining the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach/video coordinator the following season. Prior to the Nets, Sann was the advanced scout for the Houston Rockets during the 2004-05 season and served as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors in 2003-04. He began his professional basketball career with the New York Knicks organization, holding various positions over 11 seasons, eventually rising to director of basketball administration. The Larchmont, NY native graduated from the University of Colorado in 1991.

D-League news: Springfield Armor name Doug Overton head coach

The Springfield Armor, presented by MGM Springfield, have named Doug Overton as the team’s new head coach, it was announced today by Brooklyn Nets General Manager of Minor League Operations Milton Lee. Overton becomes the third head coach in the franchise’s history.

“We are very pleased to welcome Doug as the new head coach of the Armor,” said Lee. “Doug brings a wealth of experience as both an NBA player and coach, and his relationship with the Nets over the past several years will make this a very smooth transition for both him and our team.”

“I’m excited for the opportunity to take over as the head coach of the Springfield Armor,” said Overton. “I’m looking forward to developing our players, both on and off the court, and continuing to build a winning culture in Springfield.”

Overton joins the Armor after spending five years (2008-13) on the Nets’ staff as an assistant coach and player development coach. Overton also served two seasons as an assistant coach on Phil Martelli’s staff at Saint Joseph’s (2006-08) and one season as the Philadelphia 76ers’ director of player development (2005-06), where he assisted the coaching and scouting staffs and worked with the team’s community outreach programs.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Overton appeared in 499 career games with eight teams, including the Washington Bullets (1992-95), Denver Nuggets (1995-96), 76ers (1996-98, 1998-99), Orlando Magic (1998-99), Nets (1998-99, 2000-01 and 2003-04), Boston Celtics (1999-2001), Charlotte Hornets (2000-01) and Los Angeles Clippers (2001-02 and 2003-04). He also had stints in the CBA, ABA and overseas during his 14-year professional career. The former point guard holds NBA averages of 4.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 14.6 minutes per game.

Overton was selected in the second round (40th pick overall) of the 1991 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons after a four-year collegiate career at LaSalle (1987-91). Overton led the Explorers to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, was named to the All-Big Five First Team three times and is the school’s all-time leader in career assists (671) and steals (277).

Overton currently resides in the Philadelphia area with his wife, Chanel, and daughter, Maya. His son, Miles, is a freshman on the men’s basketball team at Wake Forest.

Reacting to Paul Pierce, Raymond Felton denies that Nets will take over NYC

“Paul Pierce said the Nets are gonna take over the city,” the Knicks point guard said with a smirk Sunday. “It’s hard for you to take over the city when we’ve got ‘New York’ on our chest and you’ve got ‘Brooklyn’ on yours. It’s been this way since long before he started playing.”

Felton fanned a flame initially sparked by Pierce last week when the new Net told Complex magazine that he hates the Knicks “with a passion” and wanted to “start the beef.”

Pierce, a longtime Knicks nemesis with the Boston Celtics, was traded to the Nets in July along with Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry. The blockbuster deal has made Brooklyn the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Division title and, in Pierce’s estimation, the allegiance of New York fans.

“It’s already a rivalry with them, and when you add Pierce and Garnett, that makes it bigger,” said Felton, who helped conduct a basketball clinic for 50 kids Sunday at St. John’s in conjunction with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Reported by Stephen Haynes of New York Newsday

Multiple Nets players gather for summer workouts

Even with the addition of two future Hall of Famers, the Nets are still Deron Williams’ team.

The captain is doing his best to lead in the summer, as well.

Williams organized players-only workouts this week in Southern California, with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in attendance. Williams told the Daily News that 10 of Brooklyn’s 15 players will participate in the workouts that started Sunday and runs until Friday.

The entire starting lineup, including Brook Lopez, is expected in SoCal. Lopez only recently shed his walking boot after offseason surgery to replace a screw in his right foot. He also spent a large portion of the summer on a goodwill tour of the world, while Pierce has been winning over the Nets’ fan base by persistently bashing the Knicks.

Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News

Kevin Garnett may not play back-to-back games for Nets

Jason Kidd has ideas to keep Kevin Garnett healthy

The preseason is more than a month away, but Jason Kidd is already thinking about the playoffs.

The new Nets coach enters his first year on the sidelines with a championship contender whose success hinges on the health of the veteran core. Kidd already is considering minutes restrictions for his players, starting with the likelihood the 40-year-old coach will rest 37-year-old forward Kevin Garnett for one-half of back-to-back sets this season.

“When you look at KG, probably no back-to-backs for him,” Kidd said yesterday at Nassau Coliseum, where renovation plans for the aging arena were announced. “But those are just topics right now that we’re throwing around to try and keep these guys’ minutes down because we are deep.”

Since joining the Celtics in 2007, Garnett has not surpassed 33 minutes per game in a season. This past season, the former MVP played in 68 games and averaged fewer than 30 minutes per game, his lowest total since his rookie season.

Reported by Howie Kussoy of the New York Post

Indiana Pacers hire Popeye Jones as assistant coach

The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday that Popeye Jones has been hired as an assistant coach to complete the Pacers’ coaching staff.

The 43-year-old Jones comes to the Pacers after spending the last three years with the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, one season in player development, the last two as an assistant coach. Prior to that, he was with Dallas for three years in player development. Jones played collegiately at Murray State and was a 1992 second-round pick of the Houston Rockets, who traded his rights to Dallas. He played one season in Italy before joining the Mavericks in 1993 and ended up playing with Toronto, Boston, Denver, Washington and Golden State before retiring in 2004.

“Popeye brings a wealth of experience, both as a player and coach,” said Pacers head coach Frank Vogel. “He comes in as a player development coach focusing on the big men, but he has become a complete coach, great with Xs and Os and game strategy. He will be a great asset to our staff.”

Jones joins long-time assistant Dan Burke and associate head coach Nate McMillan, who was hired in July, on the Pacers’ staff.

Brook Lopez, in a walking boot, has done plenty of summer traveling

Being in a walking boot for the past couple of months did not deter Lopez from a busy travel schedule. After going on a cruise with his family around Europe, he headed to Africa this month on a trip organized by the Clinton Foundation. He visited Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania and Rwanda and spent time with former President Clinton. Lopez, an avid traveler, said he had never been to Africa, but had always hoped to go.

“I had a connection with our agency who previously worked with the White House and with the foundation, so they asked if I wanted to go and I jumped at the chance,” Lopez said. “It was a huge honor to be considered for it.”

Out of everything he experienced on the trip, Lopez said one charitable moment stood out.

“It’s tough to choose, but I think when we were in Zambia, we were outfitting kids with hearing aids, or just people in general with hearing aids,” he said. “And just seeing when the hearing aids finally worked for them, and their eyes lit up when they could hear for the first time, it was really incredible to see.”

Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post