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The Sacramento Kings announced today a change to its coaching staff, parting ways with assistant coach Vance Walberg, according to Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Vlade Divac.
“This was a tough decision made after consideration of what is best for the team moving forward,” Divac said. “We want to thank Vance for his contributions to the organization and wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”
Walberg joined the Sacramento bench on February 23, 2015.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder announced that assistant coach Maurice Cheeks underwent successful hip surgery today. Cheeks will return to the team in a week for practices and meetings, and will be back on the Thunder bench for games in approximately six weeks.
Oklahoma City Blue Head Coach Mark Daigneault will join Thunder Head Coach Billy Donovan’s staff as an assistant for the remainder of the season. Blue assistant coach Jarell Christian will assume Daigneault’s role with the Blue for the rest of their 2015-16 campaign.
Daigneault becomes the third coach to be called up to the Thunder from its D-League team. Darko Rajakovic was hired as Thunder assistant coach in July 2014 after serving two seasons as the head coach of the Thunder’s D-League team, and Royal Ivey was hired at the start of the 2015-16 campaign as a player development assistant following his stint as an assistant for the Blue during the 2014-15 season.
The Miami Heat are 29-24 this season and getting a team-high 19.1 points per game from forward Chris Bosh. But lately Bosh has a health concern — and here’s ESPN.com with the latest:
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Heat players and coaches have been in contact with Bosh in recent days. Guard Dwyane Wade suggested Wednesday that his teammate’s condition appears far less serious than when blood clots traveled to his lungs and ended his season days after the 2015 All-Star break.
“It’s not a health scare like it was last year at all,” Wade said after Wednesday’s practice. “None of us are overdoing it from that standpoint. So he’s fine. I’m not going to speculate anything. None of us are doctors. He’s in great spirits. He has a positive outlook on things. He’s showing us he’s in good spirits.”
Added former Heat teammate LeBron James: “Guy means so much to not only the Heat family but his personal family as well. Just a great guy, a professional, a great guy and for something like this to happen to him after he was cleared, it just sucks. It sucks big time. His health is the No. 1 care and obviously basketball comes secondary to what he’s going through right now. It’s just tough.”
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Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist underwent successful surgery today to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The procedure was completed by Dr. Gerald Williams at Methodist Hospital in Philadelphia. Kidd-Gilchrist will miss the remainder of the 2015-16 NBA season.
Kidd-Gilchrist is averaging 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 29.3 minutes per game in seven contests (all starts) for the Hornets this season. The fourth-year forward from Kentucky has averaged 9.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 202 games (198 starts) with Charlotte.
Here’s the New York Post with an update on the Knicks trade deadline scene. Of course, trades can develop quietly and out of nowhere, but the general expectation is that nothing major (or even minor) will go down by Thursday’s trade deadline:
The NBA trading deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. and Knicks fans await a move to reverse the recent fortunes that just before the All-Star break headed farther south than Key West.
If pervading thoughts from several executives around the league prevail, fans should simply anticipate the showdown between Kristaps Porzingis and Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota on Saturday.
“I have heard zero with the Knicks. And really, what can they do anyway? Their [tradeable] talent level isn’t that good,” one rival general manager said.
“I would think anything they do would probably be more cosmetic than anything,” said another exec. “They just don’t have the assets.”
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Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has acquired guard Courtney Lee and cash considerations from the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade. As a part of the trade, Charlotte will send forward P.J. Hairston and two second-round draft picks (Charlotte’s 2018 second-round pick and Brooklyn’s 2019 second-round pick) to Memphis and guard Brian Roberts to the Miami Heat. As part of the trade, Memphis will also receive forward/center Chris Andersen and two second-round draft picks from Miami.
“We are excited to be adding a quality veteran wing player to our roster in Courtney Lee,” Cho said. “Courtney has proven to be a team defender, a consistent outside shooter and a solid scorer in our league for the past eight years. Particularly in terms of experience, he adds depth to our roster in a position of need for us and we expect him to fit in to our system and contribute right away.”
The 22nd overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Lee is in his eighth NBA season. He has played in 572 career games (332 starts) for the Magic, Nets, Rockets, Celtics and Grizzlies. A Western Kentucky product, Lee has career averages of 9.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 27.2 minutes, while shooting .450 from the field (2106-4677), .383 from beyond the three-point line (587-1531) and .845 from the free-throw line (725-858).
Lee played in 51 games for Memphis this season, starting 37, with averages of 10.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 29.2 minutes. He shot .458 from the field (192-419), .370 from beyond the three-point line (51-138) and .826 from the free-throw line (76-92). Lee scored in double figures in 25 of 51 games and has hit multiple three-point field goals in 14 games this year.
“Chris Andersen was absolutely essential in our 2013 NBA Championship run,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “We want to thank him for his contributions and we wish him nothing but the best, he will always be considered part of the HEAT family. Brian Roberts has been on our radar and we felt it was important to solidify our point guard position due to the injury of Tyler Johnson. We feel like we did that with the addition of Roberts and we would like to welcome Brian to Miami.”
Andersen (6-10, 245) holds career averages of 5.5 points (.533 FG/.653 FT), 5.1 rebounds and 1.47 blocks in 17.8 minutes in 663 games (31 starts) over 14 seasons with the Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans) and Miami Heat. The 37-year-old owns postseason averages of 5.4 points (.644 FG/.692 FT), 4.8 rebounds and 1.26 blocks in 17.0 minutes in 69 games for Denver and Miami.
A native of Long Beach, Calif., Andersen won an NBA Championship with Miami in 2013 and was instrumental in the Heat’s championship run, averaging 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.10 blocks in 15.2 minutes in 20 games and setting an NBA postseason record by shooting .807 (46-of-57 FG) from the field.
Hairston (6-6, 230) owns career averages of 5.8 points (.341 FG/.833 FT) and 2.4 rebounds in 17.5 minutes in 93 games (45 starts) in two seasons with Charlotte. The 23-year-old has averaged 6.0 points (.359 FG/.810 FT) and 2.7 rebounds in 19.5 minutes in 48 games (45 starts) for the Hornets this season.
After leading the University of North Carolina in scoring as a sophomore, Hairston joined the NBA Development League and became the first D-League player ever to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft when Charlotte drafted him 26th overall in 2014. He averaged 21.8 points (.453 FG/.358 3P/.870 FT), 3.5 rebounds and 1.50 steals in 32.3 minutes in 26 games (15 starts) for the Texas Legends and was named to the 2013-14 D-League All-Rookie Second Team.
Roberts is in his fourth NBA season and his second with Charlotte. Roberts signed with the Hornets as a free agent on July 23, 2014, and saw action in 102 games with averages 6.1 points and 2.0 assists in 16.3 minutes per game. He holds career averages of 7.4 points, 2.6 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game in 18.5 minutes per game over the course of 252 contests (57 starts).
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The Charlotte Hornets announced today that forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The surgery will be performed tomorrow by Dr. Gerald Williams at Methodist Hospital in Philadelphia. Kidd-Gilchrist will miss the remainder of the 2015-16 NBA season. He sustained the injury with 8:39 remaining in the third quarter of Charlotte’s 117-95 win against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 10.
Kidd-Gilchrist is averaging 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 29.3 minutes per game in seven contests (all starts) for the Hornets this season. The fourth-year forward from Kentucky has averaged 9.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 202 games (198 starts) with Charlotte.
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After seeing multiple specialists to determine the best course of treatment for his right hip pain, Atlanta Hawks center Tiago Splitter has elected to have surgery to repair his right hip. Splitter will miss the remainder of the 2015-16 season, including the 2016 NBA Playoffs.
The timing of the procedure is being finalized and his status will be updated once complete
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The Orlando Magic have acquired guard Brandon Jennings and forward Ersan Ilyasova (ER-san eel-ya-SO-va) from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for forward Tobias Harris, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today.
“Brandon (Jennings) and Ersan (Ilyasova) are two veterans that will help balance our roster and provide valuable experience to our team,” said Hennigan. “Both players bring scoring, competitiveness and added depth to our roster. We want to thank Tobias (Harris) for his contributions, both on and off the court.”
Jennings (6’1”, 169, 9/23/89) has played in 23 games (one start) this season with Detroit, averaging 6.8 ppg., 3.0 apg. and 2.0 rpg. in 18.1 minpg. He has led (or tied) the team in scoring once, in rebounding once and in assists three times this season. Jennings has scored in double figures six times this season, including a season-high 22 points on Jan. 30 @ Toronto.
Originally selected in the first round (tenth overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft by Milwaukee, Jennings has played in 435 career regular season NBA games with Milwaukee and Detroit, averaging 16.0 ppg., 6.0 apg., 3.2 rpg. and 1.34 stlpg. in 33.1 minpg., while shooting .800 (1,233-1,541) from the free throw line. He has also appeared in 11 career playoff games, averaging 16.7 ppg., 3.7 apg., 2.7 rpg. and 1.55 stlpg. in 34.7 minpg. Jennings was named to the 2009-10 NBA All-Rookie First Team and earned NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month four times (October/November 2009, December 2009, January 2010 and March 2010), becoming the first Eastern Conference rookie to capture monthly honors four times during one season. He poured in a career-high 55 points on Nov. 14, 2009 vs. Golden State.
Ilyasova (6’10”, 235, 5/15/87) has played and started in 52 games this season with Detroit, averaging 11.3 ppg., 5.4 rpg. and 1.1 apg. in 27.6 minpg. He has led (or tied) the team in scoring four times and in rebounding three times this season. Ilyasova has scored in double figures 30 times this season, including a season-high 23 points on Dec. 2 vs. Phoenix. He logged a career-high 54 minutes on Dec. 18 @ Chicago.
Originally selected in the second round (36th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft by Milwaukee, Ilyasova has played in 505 career regular season NBA games with Milwaukee and Detroit, averaging 10.8 ppg., 6.0 rpg. and 1.1 apg. in 24.3 minpg., while shooting .369 (506-1,372) from three-point range. He has also appeared in 17 career playoff outings, averaging 9.8 ppg. and 6.2 rpg. in 24.5 minpg.
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Harris (6’9”, 235, 7/15/92) has appeared and started in 49 games this season with Orlando, averaging 13.7 ppg., 7.0 rpg. and 2.0 apg. in a team-high 32.9 minpg. Originally selected in the first round (19th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft by Charlotte, he was acquired by the Magic from Milwaukee, along with Doron Lamb and Beno Udrih, in exchange for J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon and Ish Smith on Feb. 21, 2013. Harris played in 205 games (168 starts) with Orlando, averaging 15.6 ppg., 7.0 rpg. and 1.8 apg. in 33.2 minpg.
Here’s the Chicago Sun-Times reporting on the coach Fred Hoiberg and the Bulls, who these days are a pretender more than a contender:
Forget the ugly 27-25 record that stares out from Hoiberg’s resume so far. The once very defensive-minded Bulls entered the All-Star Break tied for 10th in defensive efficiency, and even more unsettling, were 26th in offensive efficiency.
Considering the front office publicly – and unfairly – questioned the offensive aptitude of former coach Tom Thibodeau, all but guaranteeing improvements in that department, it’s a bad look for everyone involved right about now.
Coincidentally, in Thibodeau’s final season in the coaching chair, the Bulls finished 10th in offensive efficiency. But who’s keeping score?
One positive Hoiberg has going for him as the second half starts up is “player confidence’’ isn’t a stat, because this Bulls team would lead the league in hanging heads right about now. Losers of four-straight games, including a 5-13 record over their last 18 games, as well as allowing 100-points or more in seven-straight games, let’s all agree that there’s not a lot of momentum coming out of the Break.