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Jay-Z selling his Brooklyn Nets ownership stake to Jason Kidd

Jay-Z selling his Brooklyn Nets ownership stake to Jason Kidd

Jay Z is selling his minority ownership in the Brookyn Nets to coach Jason Kidd, sources exclusively tell Page Six.

We’re told Kidd will take over Jay’s .067 percent (1/15th of a percent) stake in the team for about $500,000.

The move comes as Jay was forced to sell his Nets shares over a conflict of interest after he started a sports agency, Roc Nation, signing clients including Yankee Robinson Cano and Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant.

A source told us, “Other owners want to give Jason a part ownership of the team, and urged Jay to sell his shares to him.”

Reported by Page Six of the New York Post

Photo: Michael Rapaport at Elite 24 game

Here’s an InsideHoops.com photo of Michael Rapaport at last week’s Elite 24 high school all-star game in Brooklyn, New York. The man loves basketball:

J.R. Smith says Paul Pierce will pay for his anti-Knicks comments

Paul Pierce has sparked a war of words between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks.

Earlier this month, Pierce said that he believed that the Nets would eventually own New York.

J.R. Smith is the latest Knick to take umbrage to Pierce’s comments.

“I just look at him as a bitter person just getting out of Boston. He doesn’t really know what New York is all about. He’s been playing in Boston his whole career,” Smith told ESPN New York on Saturday.

Smith, speaking without anger in his voice, added: “He just knows, just know that his words have consequences and he’s going to have to pay for them.”

Pierce, an ex-Celtic, said earlier this month that his hatred for the Knicks “has grown a little” since he joined the Nets in July following a blockbuster trade.

Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Brooklyn Nets training camp to be held at Duke University

The location of Brooklyn Nets training camp for the 2013-14 season will be the campus of Duke University, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

The Nets will travel to Duke on September 30 and conduct practices at the Michael W. Krzyzewski Center – Dedicated to Academic & Athletic Excellence from October 1-5, before returning to Brooklyn.

“With many new players and a new staff, going on the road for training camp will offer a unique opportunity for our players to bond and focus solely on basketball as they prepare for this season.” said King. “Duke University offers first class basketball facilities and will provide an optimum training environment for our team.”

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