NBA Teams – Page 712 – NBA Blog

Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr fined by NBA

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr have each been fined $25,000 for separate incidents, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

Curry has been fined $25,000 for throwing his mouthpiece into the spectator stands.

Curry, occurred with 4:22 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 115-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game 6 of The Finals on June 16 at Quicken Loans Arena.

Kerr has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of the officiating during his press conference following the same game.

Pistons trade Spencer Dinwiddie to Bulls for Cameron Bairstow

Ladies and gentlemen, we have an NBA trade. The Detroit Pistons have acquired forward Cameron Bairstow from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for guard Spencer Dinwiddie.

Bairstow, 25, appeared in 18 games (two starts) with Chicago last season, averaging 1.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 5.7 minutes. The two-year NBA pro was drafted out of the University of New Mexico with the 49th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. As a senior for the Lobos, he averaged a Mountain West Conference-high 20.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 32.9 minutes in 34 games (all starts). A native of Brisbane, Australia, Bairstow holds career averages of 1.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 4.6 minutes in 36 NBA games (three starts) all with the Bulls.

Dinwiddie, 23, completed his second NBA season with averages of 4.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes in 12 games. Drafted by the Pistons with the 38th overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft out of the University of Colorado, Dinwiddie owns career averages of 4.4 points, 2.7 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes in NBA 46 games (one start).

Kristaps Porzingis pleased with hiring of Jeff Hornacek

Whenever a team hires a new head coach, it’s only natural that players on the team will say positive things about their new leader. Still, it’s always interesting to see the exact wording the players use and what they choose to emphasize about the coach. Here’s ESPN NY reporting on the Knicks:

Just like nearly everyone else following the New York Knicks’ coaching search, Kristaps Porzingis was surprised when he first heard the club decided to hire Jeff Hornacek.

“There were a lot of names, coming up — David Blatt, [Frank] Vogel. Hornacek just came out of the nowhere,” Porzingis said in an interview with ESPN this week from his youth camp in Liepaja, Latvia. “I think it’s a really good decision from [team president] Phil [Jackson] and [GM] Steve [Mills].”

Yes, Hornacek received approval from one of the most important members of the Knicks franchise this week. Porzingis told ESPN that he’s looking forward to working with his new head coach.

“I think he’s a very smart coach. He knows how to use his players and that’s exactly what we need,” Porzingis said.

New Sacramento Kings uniforms

Today, the Sacramento Kings unveiled a new uniform system for the 2016-17 season, featuring the team’s recently released logos.

“Our bold modern look represents our commitment to Sacramento and the pride of this region,” said Kings President Chris Granger. “Sacramento Proud will be on display at home, on the road and across the globe.”

Here is how the Kings describe their new uniforms:

The four new uniforms – home, away, global and city – showcase updated emblems and a refreshed color palate. The classic Baby Blues, worn from 1985-1990, as well as for select home games last year – will return as a part of the team’s ongoing salute to the origins of the team.

At the center of the home, away and city jerseys, the team’s new crown serves as a reminder of the foundation of the team. The city jersey proudly features Sacramento’s oft-referenced acronym – SAC – in bold granite lettering, representing the organization’s deep connection to its city.

The clean, tri-colored side stripes on the shorts – inspired by the Kansas City-era Kings – are tapered for a modern look. At the base of the shorts for all three uniforms, the city logo serves as a reminder that when you root for the Kings, you root for Sacramento.

A bold, black global jersey features the team’s global crest, a symbol of leadership and strength. The granite pattern – a continuous “S” inspired by an emblem on our city’s flag – runs horizontally through the jersey to reflect the inseparable link between the team and its community. The design runs through the shorts up to a single granite stripe, reminiscent of the team’s first black uniforms in 1994. The primary emblem on the shorts is inspired by the classic Kings logo, reimagined to reflect the civic and franchise pride that has grown over the last 31 years.

Each jersey is united by the team’s beginnings in Sacramento, as a baby blue band runs along the base of the collar, while three baby blue stiches that run perpendicular to the seam on the right side of the jersey stand for the three elements that form the soul of our franchise: our city, our pride and our foundation. At the base of the jersey, a baby blue “Sacramento Proud” tab is embedded to serve as a reminder that each jersey is more than a uniform – it is a symbol honoring our city every time the team takes the court.

Coach Kevin Eastman retires

Eastman has 31 years of combined pro and college basketball experience

The Clippers have announced the retirement of assistant coach Kevin Eastman, who served as a Clippers coach for two seasons and was an assistant under Clippers President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Doc Rivers in Boston for eight years.

“Kevin has one of the best basketball minds I have ever been around,” Rivers said. “After much deliberation, he has decided to move forward with his goals and aspirations to impact the game through speaking and consulting at all levels. Kevin has been an integral part of the Clippers success and culture, and his unparalleled loyalty will be greatly missed. We are thankful for his time and commitment and I am confident he will continue to excel both on and off the court.”

Eastman spent the 2014-15 season as the Clippers Vice President of Basketball Operations and has been involved in college and professional basketball for a combined 31 years.

Pistons sign GM Jeff Bower to contract extension

Bower has been Pistons general manager since June, 2014

The Detroit Pistons have signed general manager Jeff Bower to a contract extension.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the job Jeff has done for our organization,” said Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Stan Van Gundy. “He’s been at the forefront of all the moves we’ve made over the last two seasons and has implemented much of the strategy and structure throughout our basketball operations department. The confidence I have in his ability allows me to go out and coach during the season knowing that he’s always looking to make our team better.”

Pistons Owner Tom Gores praised Bower’s work shaping the roster and contributing to a cohesive leadership team.

“Jeff has been a key link for Stan and me and the whole organization to accomplish many things in a very short period of time,” said Gores. “His ingenuity, along with having a deep understanding of Stan’s basketball vision, has very quickly helped us toward our goal of long term sustained success. He deserves a lot of the credit for getting us to the playoffs and assembling a cohesive, young team that will continue to grow.”

Bower was named general manager on June 3, 2014. His tenure coincides with the team’s improved record over the last two seasons and its return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009. In Bower’s first year as the Pistons general manager, the club went 32-50 and posted a three-game improvement from the previous season. Detroit moved to 44-38 in 2015-16, marking the team’s most wins and first above-.500 record since 2007-08.

Bucks, Jason Kidd will soon sign extension

The Bucks were a disappointment this season, putting up a 33-49 record. They showed little growth from last year. But, their roster remains young, and the team still clearly loves head coach Jason Kidd. And the two sides will reportedly soon agree to an extension. Here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting:

The Milwaukee Bucks and head coach Jason Kidd have agreed on the parameters of a three-year, $15 million contract extension, multiple league sources with knowledge of the deal confirmed to the Journal Sentinel on Monday.

Kidd initially signed a three-year, $15 million contract when he came to the Bucks in the summer of 2014, after one season coaching the Brooklyn Nets. The new deal would take him through the 2019-’20 season, which would include the first two years of the team playing in its new downtown arena.

The Bucks have compiled a 74-90 record in Kidd’s two seasons as head coach.

Tiago Splitter learning broadcast skills

Hawks center Tiago Splitter is still a basketball player, and focused on that, but has recently spent time gathering a side skill: broadcasting. A pretty good idea, since that’s one of the obvious job choices out there once their playing days end. Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution reporting:

Tiago Splitter is ahead of the game.

He already has a prime broadcasting job.

Still, the Hawks center spent last week getting a crash course in the new craft at Sportscaster U., a program sponsored by the NBA Players Association at Syracuse University. He will put what he learned to use when he calls basketball games during the 2016 Summer Olympics in his native Brazil in August.

Splitter had hoped to play in the Olympics but right hip surgery in February while playing his first season with the Hawks put an abrupt end to such dreams.

“I’ve thought about in in the past,” Splitter said of a possible broadcast career after his playing days are over.

JJ Barea had surgery in April

Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporting on Mavericks guard Jose Juan Barea:

Barea said he underwent arthroscopic surgery in April to repair his right medial meniscus. The 10-year veteran added that only rest – not surgery –was needed to repair the strained right groin injury that nagged him during the latter stages of the regular season and throughout the Mavericks’ five-game first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“I just had one knee scope the day after the season, and it was awesome,’’ Barea. “It was real quick and I’m good to go.’’

Barea played in Dirk Nowitzki’s Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game this past Friday night and walked away without any complications from his surgery. He also played a few games of knockouts with some kids at the Mavs’ Hoop Camp on Monday morning at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Stephen Curry pranks media with ice pack

The Warriors lead the Cavs 3-1 in the 2016 NBA Finals. The defending champs won’t have Draymond Green’s services for Game 5, but they’re still in good shape. Now, as for guard Stephen Curry, is he fully healthy? Nobody knows. He’s looked like himself for some stretches of some games, but plenty of other times has looked like a regular, mortal, pretty good guard. He’s clearly mostly healthy, or else he wouldn’t be out there at all. But as for real injuries? Here’s CSN Bay Area with the latest:

It was with a completely different look that Steph Curry walked to the interview podium Sunday after Warriors practice.

There was a large ice pack wrapped around his right shoulder, a visual that was particularly notable in the wake of weekend reports he is coping with a shoulder injury.

The ice pack was, according to Curry, his comedic response to reports he was having problems with his shoulders.

“I can’t even keep a straight face,” Curry said. “Whoever said I was getting shoulder surgery and all that kind of stuff, we’ve got bumps and bruises, but every – we’ll be all right.”