NBA Teams – Page 615 – NBA Blog

Lakers hire Gunnar Peterson

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Gunnar Peterson as Director of Strength and Endurance Training.

Peterson will design and implement a strength and conditioning program for the team with the goal of keeping the players performing at elite levels throughout the NBA season.

“From his time in college at Duke University until now, Gunnar has pursued excellence in training and fitness,” said General Manager Rob Pelinka. “Gunnar is a true pioneer and visionary at his craft, and will bring a new mentality to our weight room which we are all very excited about. Since Magic and I have worked with Gunnar in the past, we have a strong relationship with him, which makes working together now feel seamless.”

Prior to joining the Lakers, Peterson was a personal trainer for some of the top entertainers and athletes in the world. A 28-year veteran of the fitness industry, Peterson has worked with athletes from the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, USTA, boxing and various NCAA sports.

The Houston, TX native is a graduate of Duke University and is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).

Josh McRoberts elects to return to Heat

Here’s the Palm Beach Post with a report on forward Josh McRoberts and his Heat contract decision:

Josh McRoberts is back on the Heat’s books.

McRoberts has exercised his opt-in to return to the Heat for $6 million next season, agent Mike Conley told the Palm Beach Post on Tuesday. It’s the final season of the four-year, $22 million contract he signed with Miami in the summer of 2014 — the same summer the organization lost LeBron James to Cleveland.

Now that McRoberts is not eligible to be a free agent this summer, he is eligible to be traded by the Heat to create more cap space. Miami reportedly tried to trade the 30-year-old forward last offseason, but it was not able to find a match.

Orlando Magic hire John Hammond as general manager

The Orlando Magic have named John Hammond general manager, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today.

Hammond brings more than 35 years of coaching and administrative experience to Orlando, including the last nine seasons (2008-17) as general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks. During Hammond’s 26 years in the NBA, his teams have made 15 postseason appearances. Weltman served as assistant general manager under Hammond for five seasons (2008-13) and also worked with him in Detroit (2007-08).

“John (Hammond) brings tremendous experience and is a great talent evaluator,” said Weltman. “He has experience in everything from day-to-day operations to player development. He built a great team in Milwaukee, and won a championship while in Detroit. We are very fortunate to have him as part of the Magic family.”

“We are very excited to join Jeff (Weltman) and be a part of the team in Orlando,” said Hammond. “The Magic are a first-class organization all the way around and we look forward to this tremendous opportunity. I want to thank the ownership in Milwaukee, Wes Edens, Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan, for their support and I certainly wish them well.”

Hammond was named general manager of Milwaukee on April 11, 2008 and promptly generated an eight-win improvement in his first season and another 12 during his second, earning the 2009-10 NBA Executive of the Year Award.

Prior to joining the Bucks, Hammond spent seven seasons as vice president of basketball operations with the Detroit Pistons, where he was responsible for directing day-to-day operations of the basketball operations department, handling player personnel issues and assisting in roster development. During his time with Detroit, the Pistons were 330-158 (.676), reached the Eastern Conference Finals six consecutive times (2003-08), made two straight trips to the NBA Finals (2004-05) and captured the NBA World Championship in 2004. In addition to his time as vice president of basketball operations, Hammond also served as director of player personnel, scouting director and assistant coach in two stints with the Pistons.

Hammond began his NBA career in 1989 as an assistant coach and scout with the Minnesota Timberwolves. From there, he joined Larry Brown’s staff with the Los Angeles Clippers, where they advanced to the playoffs in 1992 and 1993. Hammond had a second stint with the Clippers in 2000-01, joining Alvin Gentry’s staff as lead assistant. That team saw a 16-game improvement and Hammond was noted as a key in developing first-year players Darius Miles, Keyon Dooling and Quentin Richardson.

Prior to his NBA career, Hammond spent six seasons at Southwest Missouri State, where he helped lead the school to three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths (1986-88) and a trip to the NIT in 1985. He also spent two seasons at Houston Baptist (1981-83), two seasons at Nebraska (1979-81) and three seasons at the high school level in Nebraska.

A native of Zion, Ill., Hammond graduated from Greenville College in Illinois, where he earned two letters in basketball and served as a student assistant coach.

STATEMENT FROM BUCKS OWNERSHIP ON JOHN HAMMOND

“John Hammond has been an incredible asset to the Bucks organization these last nine years and a true professional in every sense of the word. His keen eye for talent and relentless drive to build one of the finest teams in the league has helped the Bucks become a championship-caliber organization on and off the court. We wish John and his family nothing but the best in Orlando.

“We remain very excited about the prospects of our team and anticipate further announcements about the front office staff to be made in the near future.”

Kelly Olynyk will start Game 4

Celtics-Cavaliers Game 4 is tonight in Cleveland. Boston’s starting lineup is undergoing a change. Here’s the Akron Beacon Journal reporting:

Celtics coach Brad Stevens said center/forward Kelly Olynyk will start Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday night against the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

Center Amir Johnson is not likely to play, Stevens said, due to a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder.

It will mark Olynyk’s first start for the Celtics in their 17 playoff games. He’s averaging 8.9 points and three rebounds in 18.9 minutes off the bench.

Knicks reportedly keeping assistant coach Dave Bliss

Here’s the NY Post with the latest on the Knicks, who are reportedly saying goodbye to one assistant coach but keeping another:

The Knicks got rid of one player development coach and Kristaps Porzingis confidant in Josh Longstaff, but they’re keeping another. Dave Bliss will be retained by the team, according to a league source.

The pair had been instrumental in tutoring the 21-year-old Porzingis, but Longstaff’s contract wasn’t renewed. It was an eyebrow-raising move by the dysfunctional Knicks considering how close he’d grown to their future franchise player. When reached by The Post, Longstaff declined comment, and the Knicks gave no reason for the move.

“I’m happy for the coaches that we have, the development coaches. They’re doing an unbelievable job with us, the young guys, working really hard. Josh [Longstaff], Dave [Bliss] — those are my guys,’’ Porzingis told USA Today recently, adding, “I’m getting better. It’s great to have coaches like that.”

On the Wizards and fatigue

It’s completely logical to assume that most NBA players are a bit worn out by the end of the regular season. But if minutes are managed to keep certain guys well-rested for the playoffs? It’s a different story in the postseason, where — unless you’re the Cavs or Warriors — the luxury of rest disappears. Were key Wizards players worn out by the end of their series with the Celtics? Here’s CSN MidAtlantic reporting:

“I think we was fatigued, but that’s not an excuse,” Wall said.

“I’m not going to be naive and say we weren’t tired and that exhaustion didn’t play a little factor,” Beal added. “But at the same time you still have to be mentally tough to fight through it.”

“You can say maybe we did run out of gas a little bit,” Brooks said. “But that’s nothing to look back at and say ‘that’s the reason.’ Tip your hat off to them. They played well.”

Kawhi Leonard out for Game 3

Here’s CSN Bay Area reporting that the Spurs will continue to be without star small forward Kawhi Leonard. The league MVP candidate will miss tonight’s Game 3. The Warriors are up 2-0 and have been absolutely dominant in these Western Conference Finals and the entire 2017 NBA Playoffs so far.

Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard will not face the Warriors in Game 3 of Western Conference Finals on Saturday night at AT&T Center.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made the announcement prior San Antonio’s Saturday morning shootaround.

“In the end, I guess it’s my decision,” Popovich told reporters.

Isaiah Thomas injured, out for remainder of NBA playoffs

The road to the NBA finals has already looked incredibly easy for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it just got even easier.

The Boston Celtics today announced that Isaiah Thomas will miss the remainder of this year’s postseason following re-aggravation of a right femoral-acetabular impingement with labral tear during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Cleveland. Thomas initially injured the hip during the third quarter of the Celtics’ March 15 game against Minnesota, forcing him to miss the next two regular season contests. The injury was further aggravated during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Washington on May 12.

“Isaiah has worked tirelessly to manage this injury since it first occurred,” said Celtics Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brian McKeon. “The swelling increased during the first two games against Cleveland, and in order to avoid more significant long-term damage to his hip, we could no longer allow him to continue.”

Thomas did not travel with the team to Cleveland and is currently evaluating treatment options.

The Cavs are up 2-0 in their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Celtics. Game 3 is tomorrow in Cleveland.

Chris Murphy named D-League Executive of Year

Santa Cruz Warriors President Chris Murphy has been named the 2017 NBA Development League Team Executive of the Year. NBA D-League President Malcolm Turner made the announcement today at the league’s Sales & Marketing Meetings in Indianapolis. The NBA Development League Team Executive of the Year is determined by peer voting and teams are not allowed to vote for themselves.

Under Murphy’s leadership, the Warriors – the affiliate of the 2015 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors – sold out all 24 regular-season home games at Kaiser Permanente Arena this season. In addition, the team hosted the Oklahoma City Blue at Oakland’s Oracle Arena on Feb. 12 before 17,497 spectators – the third-largest crowd in NBA D-League history – helping spur the league to reach nearly 1.5 million fans this past season (1,469,908).

“Everyone at the Santa Cruz and Golden State Warriors are thrilled for Chris that the D-League has recognized him as one of the top young executives in our industry,” said Golden State Warriors President Rick Welts. “Chris embodies what each of us strives for in our business lives: he’s always up for a new challenge; he sets the foundation for a collaborative and supportive culture that brings out the best in every employee; and he does it with his own engaging personal style.”

Murphy, who advises team and league leaders as a member of the NBA D-League Team Leadership Council, helped Santa Cruz increase its corporate sponsorships 15 percent over the previous season. In addition, he demonstrated the team’s commitment to the Santa Cruz area by having the organization participate in 185 community events, including the Santa Cruz Warriors Get Fit program in partnership with Kaiser Permanente that attracted over 6,500 participants in its first year.

Prior to Santa Cruz, Murphy served as Senior Director of Group Sales for Golden State. He joined the organization in June 2005 and spent 10 years with the NBA team honing his expertise on the ticketing side of the business.

The Warriors wrapped up their fifth season in Santa Cruz with a 31-19 (.620) regular-season record, earning their fourth playoff appearance. Santa Cruz helped develop Golden State assignment players Damian Jones, Kevon Looney and Patrick McCaw over the course of the season, while Dennis Clifford was named an NBA D-League All-Star. For games played in March and April, Jones earned Player of the Month honors and Casey Hill was named Coach of the Month. Phil Pressey and Jabari Brown each earned NBA D-League Performer of the Week honors during the season.

Previous winners of the Team Executive of the Year award include Mike Levy (Canton Charge, 2016), Tim Salier (Austin Spurs, 2015), Jeff Potter (Fort Wayne Mad Ants, 2014), Bill Boyce (Texas Legends, 2013), David Higdon (Bakersfield Jam, 2012), Bert Garcia (Rio Grande Valley Vipers, 2011) and Jon Jennings (Maine Red Claws, 2010).

Kawhi Leonard out for Spurs Game 2 vs Warriors

Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle with a very important update on tonight’s NBA Western Conference Finals Game 2 between the Spurs and Warriors:

Jonathon Simmons will start for the Spurs in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night, replacing injured Kawhi Leonard in the lineup for San Antonio.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich made the announcement during his pregame news conference at Oracle Arena.
Popovich also said Leonard’s status for Game 3 on Saturday night probably would not be resolved until Friday at the earliest. He re-injured his sprained left ankle Sunday in Game 1, though an MRI exam showed no structural damage.