NBA Teams – Page 2363 – NBA Blog

Heat hire David Fizdale as assistant coach

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have hired David Fizdale as an assistant coach, returning the Los Angeles native to where he began his NBA career. Fizdale, who has served as an assistant coach for the past five seasons in Golden State and Atlanta, began his professional career assisting in the HEAT’s video room during the 1997-98 season. Among his responsibilities in his new role he will be assisting in the areas of player development, scouting, game preparation and other duties assigned by Head Coach Erik Spolestra.

“We’re excited to welcome David back to the HEAT organization,” said Spoelstra. “He has proven to be a great teacher and has helped developed a number of young players in his 10 years of coaching on the professional and collegiate level. Additionally, his belief and familiarity with our culture is an added bonus.”

The 34-year old Fizdale returns to Miami after spending the past four seasons (2004-08) as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks where he played an instrumental role in the development of their young players. He helped the Hawks increase their win total in each of the past three seasons and this year earn the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 1999, before being eliminated in seven games in the opening round by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. He began his NBA coaching career as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors for one season (2003-04).

Directly before joining the Warriors, Fizdale worked as an assistant coach for one season at Fresno State University (2002-03) where his responsibilities included player development and serving as the school’s recruiting coordinator. After concluding his collegiate playing career and spending one year as the HEAT’s video intern in 1997-98, he began his coaching career with a four-year stint (1998-2002) as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of San Diego.

Jose Calderon fires his agent

The Toronto Sun reports: The Raptors reiterated last week that though offers are constantly being made for point guard Jose Calderon, the odds of him moving are nil since the club can match any offer. Now comes word that Calderon recently fired his American agent, while maintaining his European representation. Connecting the dots, it appears Calderon, a restricted free agent, likely realized he would be returning to the Raptors, so paying considerable cash to a North American agent to promote him around the league made little sense.

June 12: Celtics 97, Lakers 91

Ticker reports: Paul Pierce scored 20 points as the Celtics used one of the most remarkable turnarounds in league history to come away with a 97-91 victory over the Lakers in Game Four of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. Kevin Garnett added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Boston, which climbed out of a 24-point, first-quarter hole to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. No team in Finals history has recovered from such a deficit, making the Celtics an odds-on favorite to hoist its NBA-best 17th championship trophy.

InsideHoops.com reports: James Posey was a huge star for the Celtics, nailing big buckets, including 4-of-8 threes, for 18 off the bench and providing tons of great hustle plays, as he’s known to do. Also, aside from Kobe not stepping up on offense, the Lakers bench was terrible: Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar combined to shoot 2-of-15.

The AP reports: The Celtics rallied from a 24-point deficit and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 97-91 on Thursday night to take a commanding 3-1 lead in this history-rich series and move within one victory of a 17th championship that seemed impossible a year ago… No team had ever overcome more than a 15-point deficit after the first quarter, and Elias Sports Bureau said it was the largest comeback in the finals since 1971. One thing’s for sure, it will forever be remembered in the annals of Celtics-Lakers lore… Kobe Bryant scored 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting but the league’s MVP couldn’t rescue the Lakers when they needed him most. Lamar Odom had 19 points— 15 in the first half—and Pau Gasol, whose addition in a midseason trade was supposed to give the Lakers their final piece to complement Bryant, had 17 points and 10 rebounds… Trailing by 18 points at halftime and seemingly done when they fell behind by 20 with 6:04 left in the third quarter, the Celtics outscored the Lakers 31-15 in the third quarter to pull within 73-71 going into the fourth.

Ticker reports: Boston took its first lead of the game at 84-83 on reserve Eddie House’s jumper with 4:05 remaining. Less than two minutes later, Garnett’s short jumper completed an 8-0 run and gave the Celtics a five-point advantage with 2:11 to go. After Pierce went 1-of-2 from the line, Bryant hit two free throws and a jumper to cut the Lakers’ deficit to two with 1:30 left, setting up the wild final sequence. Los Angeles came out flying after a sluggish Game Three for both teams, running out to a 26-7 lead with 3:15 left in the first quarter on a 20-foot jumper by the slumping Odom, who had an extraordinary opening period.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Celtics shot 45.2%, the Lakers 41.6%. The Celtics hit 8-of-22 three-pointers (James Posey hit 4), the Lakers just 6-of-21. Both teams shot just under 30 free throws, but Boston was a bit better. Rebounding was close. The Lakers had 23 assists, the Celtics 15. Turnovers and steals were close.

For the Celtics: Pierce (6-of-13) had 20 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists (4 turnovers). Ray Allen (6-of-11) had 19 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. James Posey (5-of-10, 4-of-8 threes) had 18 points and very few other stats but did far more than just score. Kevin Garnett (7-of-14) had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals. Eddie House on 9 shots scored 11. Rajon Rondo played little and did little.

For the Lakers: Lamar Odom (8-of-11) had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Kobe Bryant (just 6-of-19) had 17 points, 10 assists and 4 steals. Pau Gasol (6-of-13) had 17 points, 10 rebounds but more turnovers than assists. Derek Fisher (4-of-5) had 13 points but equal turnovers/assists. Vladimir Radmanovic (3-of-8) had 10 points and 5 rebounds. Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar combined to shoot 2-of-15 off the bench.

Byron Scott hopes CP3 makes Team USA

The New Orleans Times-Picayune (John Reid) reports: One day after it was announced that there won’t be tryouts for the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, Hornets Coach Byron Scott said he can’t see a team without his star guard, Chris Paul, on it. “I think if they are going to make a team, then he (Paul) should definitely be on it,” Scott said Wednesday. “If they are going to try out guys, that’s a different story. I don’t see how you’ll leave out a guy that was runner-up to the MVP. “I just don’t see how you do it. But I don’t know what the criteria is, but Chris is the ultimate point guard as far as making people around him better. He is very unselfish, and he is a true point guard.” … Jason Kidd appears to be a lock to make the team.

Mark Madsen cannot believe Flip Saunders was fired

Mark Madsen writing on his own blog: “I cannot believe that Flip Saunders was fired. I cannot believe it. This man can flat out coach and while I hope that the Pistons have success in the future, let’s not forget that Flips tenure as head coach of Detroit took the Pistons deep into the playoffs every year. Coaching is not an exact science and it’s not easy at the NBA level with mature and grown men all of whom have strong competitive natures. I wish Detroit well, but they lost a gem with Flip.”

No Mehmet Okur for Turkey in September

The Deseret Morning News (Tim Buckley) reports: Jazz starting center Mehmet Okur won’t play for his native Turkey when its national team plays France, Belgium and Ukraine in September qualifying games for the 2009 FIBA European championships. According to a Web report from the English-language Today’s Zaman Turkish newspaper, Okur was dropped from the team’s provisional roster due to injury. Okur played with an Achilles tendon injury late in the Jazz’s 2008 playoff run, and O’Connor on Wednesday suggested the 2007 NBA All-Star was more injured late in Utah’s second-round series with the Los Angeles Lakers than many people realize.

Celtics want to host All-Star game

The Boston Globe (Marc Spears) reports: The Celtics have the paperwork in hand to apply to host an NBA All-Star Game as early as 2010. While they are obviously busy with the NBA Finals now, they will make a decision on whether to apply after the championship series ends. The paperwork must be filed by the end of the summer. “They’ve expressed interest,” said Ski Austin, executive vice president/events and attractions for NBA Entertainment. “[Celtics president] Rich Gotham has met with us a couple of times over the last few years. We have sent them the specs for a formal bid. I think they are doing their due diligence.” The Celtics have no particular year in mind, but the NBA is currently considering sites for 2010-12.

June 10: Lakers 87, Celtics 81

The AP reports: With his team one loss from having to make an impossible climb, Kobe Bryant was close to MVP form, scoring 36 points on an assortment of spins, drives and jumpers and reserve Sasha Vujacic added 20 points as the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 87-81 in Game 3 on Tuesday night… Vujacic, the self-proclaimed “Machine,” made three 3-pointers, including a crucial one from the left corner with 1:53 left that gave the Lakers an 81-76 lead. Pau Gasol finally flexed his muscles with two inside baskets in the fourth quarter and Derek Fisher, who took an $8 million pay cut to come back and play for the Lakers, made two free throws with 1:33 remaining as the Lakers held on… Ray Allen scored 25 points—15 on 3-pointers—for the Celtics, but only one-third of Boston’s Big Three showed up. Kevin Garnett scored 13 points on just 6-of-21 shooting and Paul Pierce, playing a short drive from his childhood home, had only six points, missed 12 shots and was in foul trouble all night… The Celtics then closed the half with a short burst, capped by Allen’s 3-pointer and were within 43-37 at the break despite getting just 2 points apiece from Garnett and Pierce, who shot a combined 2-for-16. Garnett’s only basket came on an alley-oop dunk.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Lakers shot 43.5%, the Celtics 34.9%. Both teams shot well from three-point range and struggled from the free throw line, though the Lakers hit 21-of-34 from the charity stripe, the Celtics 15-of-22. Rebounds, assists and turnovers were all close. The Celtics had a few more steals and blocks.

For the Lakers: Bryant (12-of-20, 11-of-18 free throws) had 36 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, but more turnovers than assists. Sasha Vujacic (7-of-10, 3-of-5 threes) had 20 points and 4 rebounds in 28 bench minutes. No other Laker scored double-digits. Pau Gasol (just 3-of-9) had 9 points, 12 rebounds and more turnovers than assists. Derek Fisher (just 1-of-6) scored 6. Jordan Farmar had 5 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and no turnovers off the bench. Lamar Odom (just 2-of-9) had 4 points, 9 rebounds and more turnovers than assists.

For the Celtics: Ray Allen (8-of-13, 5-of-7 threes) had 25 points and 5 rebounds. Kevin Garnett (just 6-of-21 and only two free throw attempts) had 13 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. No other Celtics scored double-digits. James Posey did more than his stats show with 9 points and 7 rebounds. Rajon Rondo scored 8 with 4 assists. Kendrick Perkins had 8 with 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Paul Pierce (awful 2-of-14) had just 6 points and 6 rebounds.

Terry Porter Suns salary info

The East Valley Tribune (Jerry Brown) reports: New Suns coach Terry Porter will make about $2.3 million (with the possibility of some performance incentives) for each of the next three years – a little more than half of what former coach Mike D’Antoni ($4.5 million) was scheduled to make this season. Porter said he and Kerr would build the coaching staff together, and a defensive specialist wouldn’t be necessary since he would personally implement the philosophy. Alvin Gentry, D’Antoni’s lead assistant last season, is a candidate for the staff along with ex-Sun Jeff Hornacek and Jerome Kersey, Porter’s former teammate in Portland and an assistant when Porter was the head man in Milwaukee.

Gilbert Arenas opts out of contract

The Washington Post (Ivan Carter) reports: Gilbert Arenas said he opted out of the final year of his contract with the Washington Wizards by filing the necessary paperwork with the league office Friday. The move makes Arenas, who was scheduled to earn $12.8 million next season, an unrestricted free agent. Teams will be able to negotiate with free agents July 1. Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld has repeatedly stated that the team plans to re-sign Arenas and all-star forward Antawn Jamison, who will also be an unrestricted free agent.

InsideHoops.com says: Unless something crazy happens, expect Arenas to re-sign with the Wizards. That’s the general rule of thumb with all star players who become free agents. There are barely any teams in the league with the salary cap space to give them big contracts, aside from their own team and maybe a few others.