NBA Teams – Page 1261 – NBA Blog

Phil Jackson waiting for decision on Kings sale

Phil Jackson’s decision to return to the NBA is contingent on the resolution of the Sacramento Kings sale, ESPN.com reported Saturday.

Jackson, winner of 11 NBA titles as coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, has expressed interest in taking a front office job for a team.

Jackson reportedly wants to wait to see if the Kings get sold to the Seattle group that is looking to buy the team. ESPN.com recently reported that Jackson “hit it off” with Chris Hansen, who is leading the Seattle group.

— Reported by the Sports Xchange

Lil Wayne reportedly partied with Bulls players after beating Heat in Game 1

Lil Wayne still hates the Miami Heat so much … he hooked up the Chicago Bulls with free booze after they upset LeBron James and company — and TMZ got a pic of their celebration.

It all went down Monday night at Excess Mondays at Mansion nightclub in Miami where, we’re told, Wayne invited a few Bulls players (who were already in the club) to party with him … just hours after they beat the Heat 93-86…

Our sources say Wayne provided the boys with bottles of vodka and told ’em he was rooting for them to knock the Heat out of the playoffs.

— Reported by TMZ

J.R. Smith misses shootaround due to a fever

J.R. Smith missed the Knicks morning shootaround because of a fever and may not play Saturday night at Indiana.

Coach Mike Woodson says the guard stayed at the team hotel with a fever of about 102 degrees. With the series tied 1-1, Woodson says he’ll rely on the team doctors to decide Smith’s availability.

Smith averaged 18.1 points and 5.3 rebounds during the regular season and won the NBA’s Sixth Man Award.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Teammates tell J.R. Smith to keep shooting

J.R. Smith’s teammates have a simple message for the slumping sixth man: Just keep shooting.

Smith has struggled mightily from the floor in the past four games, hitting just 26 percent of his attempts.

Coach Mike Woodson and others have expressed confidence that Smith can turn things around. “You can’t give up hope,” Woodson said Friday. “J.R.’s a big piece to what we’ve done this season. I’ve just got to help him as a coach. His teammates have got to help him. And he’s got to help himself to snap out of it. I got confidence that he will do that.”

Smith is a combined 7-for-30 in two games against the Pacers.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Lionel Hollins hopes Grizzlies keep him after this season

Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins has no contractual obligation to the franchise beyond this season, but he is hopeful he’ll get to keep coaching what he’s helped build in Memphis.

“There’s no question,” Hollins told ESPN, when asked if he hoped to be back with the Grizzlies after the season. “When you build something, you want to see it through to the fruition of it all.

“Hopefully, we’ll win a championship at the end of the year. But that would just be a starting point. Then you want to be a perennial championship contender.”

Hollins said his contract situation hasn’t bothered him all season, and won’t be a distraction to him or his team going forward. He’s focused on the playoffs and nothing else right now as the Grizzlies prepare for Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series against Oklahoma City.

— Reported by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles

Taj Gibson fined $25,000 for verbal abuse of an NBA referee

Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson has been fined $25,000 for verbal abuse of a game official, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 10:13 remaining in the fourth quarter of Chicago’s 115-78 loss to the Miami Heat on May 8 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

According to the Associated Press, “The league announced the fine Friday. And Gibson was relieved the punishment wasn’t worse. “I knew I was going to get hit,” he said. “I was just hoping it wasn’t a suspension, but I deserved (the fine).” The Heat were well on their way to a 115-78 victory when Gibson went off at an official early in the fourth quarter. With 10:13 remaining, he did not leave the court in a timely fashion after he and teammate Joakim Noah were ejected by referee Scott Foster. Gibson continued to shout at Foster.”

Nazr Mohammed ejected for shoving LeBron to ground

Nazr Mohammed tossed for shoving LeBron to ground

Chicago Bulls center Nazr Mohammed was ejected from Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat on Friday night after shoving LeBron James to the court.

As James dribbled up the floor early in the second quarter, Mohammed reached in and tried to steal the ball near midcourt. Their arms got tangled and Mohammed fell.

He then got up and shoved James to the court.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Timberwolves waive guard Brandon Roy

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that the team has waived guard Brandon Roy.

“We wish Brandon and his family all the best in the future,” said Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders.

During the 2012-13 NBA season, Roy appeared in five games with the Timberwolves, and averaged 5.8 points, 4.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 24.4 minutes per game. Roy signed with the Timberwolves as a free agent on July 31.

Miami Heat owner praises Sacramento effort to keep Kings

Explaining why the NBA’s relocation committee recommended against moving the Kings to Seattle, one of the league’s most influential owners says Sacramento did everything necessary to keep the team.

Miami Heat owner Micky Arison, in a Twitter exchange with a Seattle fan, suggested the committee’s 7-0 vote amounted to a referendum on Sacramento, not a rejection of Seattle. The private tweets became public Thursday, less than a week before the NBA board of governors is expected to settle the Kings’ situation once and for all.

Arison, a member of the committee, said the April 29 vote boiled down to whether Sacramento has “done all it should to keep the team. The answer is yes.”

He said Seattle never would have lost the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 if city officials had responded the way Sacramento’s did to the threatened loss of the Kings.

— Reported by Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee

Shaq backs project planned for Atlantic City

Atlantic City plans to bring a $75 million development project, including a movie theater and supermarket, to a neighborhood near the Revel and Showboat casinos.

The project would be backed in part by former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal and a development company with which he has partnered, both sides said in a news release issued Thursday.

The City Council approved the plan Wednesday night involving Boraie (Bo-RAY’) Development for the south Inlet neighborhood. It will include a Shaq Cityplex movie theater, as well as homes, shops and offices.

— Reported by the Associated Press