Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Sixers want to build practice facility in Camden, New Jersey

Here’s the Philadelphia Daily News reporting on the 76ers:

The 76ers are a step closer to building a dream practice facility in Camden, according to an NBA source.

Friday, the organization filed for a tax credit in New Jersey, the first process to landing the site, which is located between the city’s Aquarium and Susquehanna Bank Center.

“This is going to be the premier practice facility in the league,” the source said. “There are still other steps to go through to get it finalized, but it appears as if there should be nothing to hold up the process now.”

LeBron James definitely expects to play NBA Finals Game 2

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting on the Heat-Spurs NBA Finals:

LeBron James definitely expects to play NBA Finals Game 2

The flair for the dramatic was back, even if it temporarily might have stopped the hearts of Miami Heat teammates still reeling from the impact of his Thursday departure.

“If I had to say today,” LeBron James told a packed press conference Friday at the San Antonio Spurs’ practice facility, “I would probably be out on Sunday. I probably won’t play.”

He paused. Some gasped. Then he smiled.

“No, I’ll be all right,” he continued. “I’ll be in uniform on Sunday. I should be 100 percent on Sunday.”

With treatment ongoing for the cramping that sidelined the All-Star forward for the decisive latter stages of the Heat’s 110-95 Thursday loss to the Spurs at the AT&T Center in Game 1 of the best-of-seven NBA Finals, James said extensive overnight hydration, round-the-clock therapy and a return to air-conditioned confines had him in a far better place than those sweltering and debilitation hours when he attempted to play through the air-conditioning malfunction at the Spurs’ arena.

Utah Jazz see Derrick Favors as a center

Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune reporting on the Jazz:

Utah Jazz may see Derrick Favors as a center

The Utah Jazz have recently made a potentially significant decision, with VP of player Personnel Walt Perrin telling The Tribune on Thursday that the organization sees Derrick Favors as more of a center than power forward.

That is perhaps the strongest indicator yet that Enes Kanter could be on the trading block. Yes, Kanter can play power forward. But he’s much more of a center, and while he and Favors can play at the same time, both aren’t going to play major minutes at the same spot.

It’s also a sign that the Jazz could be taking a hard look at Indiana big man Noah Vonleh with their No. 5 pick of the upcoming NBA Draft. Last week, Perrin flew to New York to see the 6-foot-9 Vonleh, who left the Hoosiers after a one-and-done freshman season. Perrin also said the team would get Vonleh in for a private workout, sometime in the next three weeks.

Minnesota Timberwolves name Flip Saunders new head coach

The Minnesota Timberwolves today named Flip Saunders as the franchise’s head coach. Saunders served as head coach of the Timberwolves from 1995 to 2005 leading the team to its most successful years, highlighted by a trip to the 2004 Western Conference Finals. Saunders will remain as the team’s President of Basketball Operations, a position he assumed in May of 2013.

“After an exhaustive process and several thorough discussions with Flip, we came to the conclusion that he was the stabilizing force needed to lead our team,” Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said. “Flip led us to our most successful seasons; he knows what it takes to win in the NBA as his track record speaks for itself. He is widely known as one of the most creative basketball minds and I believe he is the right coach to lead our team. Flip and Milt Newton provide our front office the synergy needed to put our franchise in the best position to succeed now and in the future.”

As head coach of the Timberwolves from 1995-96 to 2004-05, Saunders led the club to eight consecutive playoff appearances and a Western Conference-best and franchise-best 58-24 record in 2003-04 — a season that concluded with a berth in the Western Conference Finals. During his tenure in Minnesota, Saunders won NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month honors four times (April ’04, Feb. ’03, Jan. ’01, Jan. ’00) and coached the Western Conference squad during the 2004 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Saunders is the Wolves’ all-time winningest coach, posting a winning record in six of his eight full seasons as head coach and compiling an overall record of 411-326 (.558).

“In talking to Glen, we came to the decision that this outcome would be the best for our franchise,” Saunders said. “I will work tirelessly to bring back the success our franchise experienced in the late ’90s to early 2000s. To that end, I will assemble a diverse, experienced coaching staff that will bring out the best in our players. Milt and I will continue to make the necessary moves that we believe will help our franchise return to the playoffs.”

After a successful stint with the Timberwolves, Saunders took the coaching reins of Detroit where he led the Pistons to three consecutive Central Division crowns from 2005 to 2008. In three seasons at the helm, Saunders finished with a record of 176-70 (.715), including finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference twice (2005-06, 2006-07). Saunders most recently spent two-plus seasons (2009-10 – 2011-12) as the head coach of the Washington Wizards. Overall, Saunders has seven 50-win seasons to his credit as an NBA head coach, with four Conference Finals appearances in 11 trips to the postseason. Saunders is one of three NBA coaches to make at least four Conference Finals appearances over the last 10 seasons (Popovich, Spoelstra) and his 638 coaching wins rank 20th on the all-time list and third among all active NBA head coaches.

Prior to his time in the NBA, Saunders directed three different teams to seven consecutive seasons of 30 or more victories in the CBA, two CBA Championships (‘90, ‘92) and earned a pair of CBA Coach of the Year honors (‘90, ‘92). Saunders’ CBA experience includes stops with the Rapid City Thrillers (1988-89), La Crosse Catbirds (1989-94) and Sioux Falls Skyforce (1994-95). Saunders also served as the general manager of the Catbirds from 1991-93.

Saunders’ coaching career also includes stops at Golden Valley Lutheran College, the University of Minnesota and the University of Tulsa. Saunders was an All-America basketball player at Cuyahoga Heights High School in Cleveland. He continued his basketball career at Minnesota, where he started in 101 of his 103 career games.

Rashad McCants says he barely studied at UNC and took bogus classes

Here’s ESPN.com with a fun report about Rashad McCants and life as a “student-athlete” basketball star at UNC:

Rashad McCants says he barely studied at UNC and took bogus classes

Rashad McCants, the second-leading scorer on the North Carolina basketball team that won the 2004-05 national title, told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” that tutors wrote his term papers, he rarely went to class for about half his time at UNC, and he remained able to play largely because he took bogus classes designed to keep athletes academically eligible.

McCants told “Outside the Lines” that he could have been academically ineligible to play during the championship season had he not been provided the assistance. Further, he said head basketball coach Roy Williams knew about the “paper-class” system at UNC. The so-called paper classes didn’t require students to go to class; rather, students were required to submit only one term paper to receive a grade.

McCants also told “Outside the Lines” that he even made the Dean’s List in Spring 2005 despite not attending any of his four classes for which he received straight-A grades. He said advisers and tutors who worked with the basketball program steered him to take the paper classes within the African-American Studies program.

McCants’ allegations mirror and amplify many of those first made public in 2011, when the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer began to report about widespread academic fraud at UNC. The scandal has centered on the African-American Studies classes that many athletes took in order to remain eligible. The newspaper reported in December 2012 that basketball players on the national championship team accounted for 15 enrollments in the classes. A UNC internal investigation found that 54 classes in the department of African and Afro-American Studies were either “aberrant” or “irregularly” taught from summer 2007 to summer 2011. That investigation only went back to 2007, according to the school’s review, because the two senior associate deans who conducted the probe were told by Karen Gil, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, to focus on that time frame.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti says coach Scott Brooks is coming back

Here’s the Oklahoman reporting on the Thunder, who finished the regular season with a 59-23 record, second best in the league behind the San Antonio Spurs. OKC wound up losing to those Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti says coach Scott Brooks is coming back

In his first public comments since the conclusion of the Thunder’s season, Sam Presti on Thursday ended all speculation surrounding Scott Brooks.

The general manager said the coach is coming back.

“Scotty, I think, did an excellent job,” Presti said at his annual season-ending news conference. “I understand we all have a tendency to look at the last game or the last series. I respect that. That’s part of sports. I can’t do that. I’m looking at a body of work. I’m looking at an understanding of what drives our success and the way in which we’ve gotten to this point.”

Brooks, Presti believes, is a big part of the reason.

The Thunder has won at least 61 percent of its games in each of Brooks’ five full seasons at the helm, and the team improved its winning percentage in five straight seasons before this year.

Philadelphia 76ers announce 76 Sixers Draft parties

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that for the first time, 76 Sixers Draft parties will take place the day of the NBA Draft on Thursday, June 26. Fans throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware can gather at 76 locations to watch the Draft, win tickets, prizes and other giveaways, and mingle with local Sixers fans.

For the first time since 1984, the Sixers will have two top-10 draft picks at Nos. 3 and 10, along with five second-round picks (Nos. 32, 39, 47, 52 and 54 overall).

“We will have an unprecedented 76 Sixers Draft parties to match the size and scope of what this night means to our organization, and especially to our fans,” said Sixers Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer Tim McDermott. “We look forward to seeing our future unfold on June 26 as we gather together to watch and celebrate the Draft.”

Flip Saunders will become new coach of Timberwolves

Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune with some Timberwolves news:

Flip Saunders will become new coach of Timberwolves

Flip Saunders will be the next Timberwolves coach and will be introduced Friday in a news conference.

He confirmed in a text message this morning that he will coach the team but declined further comment until tomorrow.

As far as I know, there is no specified length of time that he’ll coach, although he has suggested before it would only be for a season or two if he did decide to coach.

When it’s all sorted out, Flip’s staff is expected to include former Wolves players Sam Mitchell and Sidney Lowe, although I’m not certain yet if either is a coach-in-waiting to take the job next.

Some top 2014 NBA Finals storylines

RETURN TRIP: A Finals rematch is a rare treat. This will be the first time since 1997 and 1998 two teams will square off in consecutive years. Further adding to the anticipation, it’s the first time in 25 years that two teams played a seven-game Finals and repeated as conference champions the following season.

SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE: Six Finals appearances in 16 seasons and 15 consecutive 50+ win seasons have established the Spurs as the NBA’s model for long-term success. Is this the team’s last run for a championship? When you’re the Spurs, the answer to that question can never be yes.

COACHING UP: Only four coaches in the history of the NBA (Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach, Pat Riley and John Kundla) have won five or more titles. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich hopes to join this elite club in 2014. On the other sideline, Erik Spoelstra is aiming to become only the fourth coach (Auerbach, Kundla and Jackson) in NBA history to win three straight Finals.

DOING IT WITH DEPTH: The Spurs’ depth has been one of the largest reasons for their return to The Finals. San Antonio is the first team since the NBA/ABA merger (1976) to not have a single player average 30 minutes. The Spurs had nine players average at least 8.0 points this season — the first team to hold that distinction and make The Finals since the 1965-66 Celtics. San Antonio’s reserves finished the regular season with the highest scoring average in Spurs franchise history and in this season’s playoffs, the reserves have accounted for a league-high 42.2 points per game.

DIFFERENT PATH, SIMILAR RESULTS: The Spurs and Heat were built in different ways, with different types of players. After Tim Duncan, who was the top pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, the next highest Spurs draft pick is Kawhi Leonard (15th overall pick). Their roster boasts five second-rounders and one undrafted player. The Heat, on the other hand, features six top 10 picks on its star-studded roster.

— NBA News