NBA Teams – Page 1486 – NBA Blog

Lakers switching to Princeton offense

Kobe Bryant has been searching for spacing and freedom and flow on offense, for a way to counter defenses bent on sagging and suffocating him on the floor. Even before the Los Angeles Lakers delivered him point guard Steve Nash, Bryant had raised an idea with coach Mike Brown about the possibility of employing a distant cousin to the triangle – the Princeton offense.

So there was Brown and Bryant in a side room in a Las Vegas gymnasium during Team USA’s training camp in early July, listening to Eddie Jordan detail the offense’s intricacies, laying out how Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum would benefit with and without the basketball. Here was an old-school Ivy League blueprint daring to be a solution for the Showtime Lakers’ issues.

Jordan happens to be the foremost Princeton authority in the NBA, the heir to architect Pete Carril, and that’s an immense part of why the Lakers are moving toward an agreement to hire Jordan as an assistant coach. Jordan sold his vision of the offense to a most willing subject, and ultimately Bryant departed for these Olympics convinced that the Lakers have a sound plan of action for the 2012-13 season.

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports

The Princeton is similar to the Triangle in some ways. And it may seem odd that the Lakers are switching to an offense that doesn’t utilize traditional point guard play just as they’re bringing on the best traditional point guard in the league.

But Jason Kidd and Chris Paul have been MVP candidates running the Princeton, and Nash is a better shooter than either of them. Pau Gasol‘s passing skills are also a perfect fit for the Princeton, where the big men are often handling the ball in the (high or low) post.

— Reported by John Schuhmann of NBA.com

New Magic coach Jacque Vaughn discusses his coaching style

“I don’t think I’ll pigeonhole myself into a certain style,” he answered. “I’ve been kind of inclusive about the different styles I’ve played against. Coach [Jerry] Sloan had a style that he used for 20 years. Pop [Gregg Popovich] has been extremely innovative. I watch the game of basketball internationally, and I love some of the things that they do.

“For me, it’s about putting guys in a position to make plays. I will not call a play every single time down the floor. My demeanor on the sideline is more calm, not garish at all, and I think players will be receptive to that and want to play. As long as I can teach them, and they’re receptive to teaching, then I’ll let them make plays.”

— Reported by Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel

WWE apologizes for Kobe Bryant Colorado hotel room joke

The WWE has issued an full apology after an on-air personality joked that one of the wrestlers was “like Kobe Bryant at a hotel room in Colorado … he’s unstoppable.”

It all went down during a live broadcast of “Monday Night Raw” … when a manager named Abraham Washington — who was wearing a live mic — was ringside for a match involving a wrestler named Titus O’Neil … and during the action, A.W. let the Kobe crack fly.

The comment is an obvious reference to Kobe’s 2003 sexual assault case — when he was accused of raping a woman in his hotel room in Eagle, Colorado. The accuser eventually reached a settlement with Kobe and dropped her case.

— Reported by TMZ.com

Matt Barnes arrested in California

NBA forward Matt Barnes was arrested tonight for an outstanding traffic warrant, and for allegedly mouthing off — BIGTIME — to the arresting officer, TMZ has learned.

According to law enforcement sources, Barnes was busted by police in Manhattan Beach, CA for a misdemeanor traffic warrant, and we’re told he also resisted the arresting officer.

Barnes is currently being booked by Manhattan Beach PD for the traffic violation, and for resisting an executive officer … a felony.

— Reported by TMZ.com

Seattle City Council not ready to support new arena initiative

Eight of nine Seattle City Councilmembers have sent a letter to the investor seeking public help to build a new sports arena in the city, saying changes must be made to a proposal before they can support it.

The Council wants to alter a memorandum of understanding between Chris Hansen and the city to ensure that a portion of tax revenues generated by a new arena would help pay for local transportation improvements. Currently, the proposal calls for those taxes to be used to pay off the $200 million in city and county bonds that would be issued to help pay for the $490 million arena.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Guard Marcus Williams signs in Spain

Unicaja Malaga kept building its roster for the new Turkish Airlines Euroleague season by announcing Monday the addition of point guard, Marcus Williams, who signed a two-year contract with the Spanish club. Williams (1.91 meters, 26 years old) arrives to Unicaja from a season spent in China with the Jiangsu Dragons, with whom he averaged 11.1 points, 3.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds. Unicaja will become the second European club for Williams, who played the 2010-11 season with Enisey Krasnoyarsk of the Russian League. In Krasnoyarsk, he averaged 15.3 points, 6.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds over 28 games.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

Raptors sign forward Alan Anderson

The Toronto Raptors announced Monday they have signed free-agent forward Alan Anderson.

Anderson was signed to a 10-day contract by the Raptors on March 26 and then for the remainder of the season April 16. He averaged 9.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 27.1 minutes in 17 games with Toronto. He made 12 starts from April 4-26, averaging 11.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 33.0 minutes. Anderson tallied a season-best 20 points, making a career-best five three-pointers on a career-high nine attempts, April 26 versus New Jersey.

Anderson, 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, has averaged 6.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 18.3 minutes in 70 appearances (19 starts) with Charlotte and Toronto. He is shooting .381 (55-139) from three-point range and .827 (81-98) from the charity stripe in his NBA career. He signed with Charlotte as an undrafted free agent in 2005 and appeared in 53 games over two seasons with the Bobcats, averaging 5.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 15.1 minutes.

Anderson was playing with the NBA D-League’s Canton Charge before joining the Raptors. He averaged 21.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in eight appearances, and ranked 11th in the league in scoring, while shooting .550 (60-for-109) from the field and .800 (40-for-50) at the charity stripe.

In addition to his time in the NBA and three NBA D-League stints, Anderson has also played overseas with stops in Italy (Bologna), Russia (BC Triumph Lyubertsy), Croatia (KK Cibona), Israel (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Spain (Regal Barcelona) and China (Shandong Lions).

Anderson was a four-year starter at Michigan State, where he helped the Spartans reach the 2005 Final Four.

Hawks sign-and-trade Willie Green to Clippers

The Atlanta Hawks today completed a sign-and-trade transaction that sends Willie Green to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for the rights to Sofoklis Schortsanitis, it was announced by President of Basketball Operations/GM Danny Ferry. The move also creates a trade exception for the Hawks.

A nine-year NBA veteran, Green has averaged 9.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists over his career. In 53 games played for the Atlanta Hawks last season, Green tallied 7.6 points in 17.4 minutes per game.

Green was originally drafted by the Seattle Super Sonics with the 41st overall selection in the 2003 NBA Draft out of the University of Detroit Mercy. He was traded on draft night to the Philadelphia 76ers where he would play for seven seasons before being traded to the New Orleans Hornets prior to the start of the 2010 season. Green spent one season in New Orleans teaming up with Clippers’ point guard Chris Paul before signing with Atlanta as a free agent prior to the start of the 2011-12 NBA season.

Schortsanitis was drafted by the Clippers with the 34th pick of the 2003 NBA Draft but never played for the team. Schortsanitis most recently played for Panathinaikos Athens in Greece and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.

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Rapper The Game breaks hand playing at Drew League

The Game chalked up two points … and two broken bones … during a basketball game in L.A. this weekend … when a slam dunk went terribly wrong.

TMZ has learned … Game broke a bone in his thumb and his wrist during a playoff game in the famous Drew League in Los Angeles.

According to our sources, Game fell after a slam dunk … and while he was on the ground, somebody accidentally stomped on his right hand … crushing the bones.

— Reported by TMZ

Sixers expected to sign Maalik Wayns

Maalik Wayns left Villanova a year early to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA. It appears that dream will come true, in his hometown no less.

A source confirmed Saturday that Wayns has agreed to a free-agent deal with the 76ers.

The deal reportedly is similar to the one Lavoy Allen received after the Sixers took him in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft, No. 50 overall, the source said. Allen reportedly received a $60,000 signing bonus and then received the rookie minimum of $473,604 after making the team.

— Reported by Terry Toohey of the Times Herald