NBA Teams – Page 954 – NBA Blog

Austin Toros D-League team renamed the Austin Spurs

Spurs Sports & Entertainment announced today that its Austin-based NBA Development League team has been renamed the Austin Spurs.

Formerly the Austin Toros, the NBA D-League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs will share the nickname of its parent club.

“The rebranding of the Austin franchise is a terrific opportunity to capitalize on the substantial equity of the Spurs brand,” said Rick Pych, Spurs Sports & Entertainment President of Business Operations. “The name change creates an instantly recognizable link between the two franchises and is a natural progression based on the important role the Austin team plays in the development of young players, general managers and coaches who are on their way to reaching their dream of making it to the NBA.”

The new Austin Spurs primary logo resembles a western-themed belt buckle and prominently features the iconic Spur in the center. It also combines the familiar silver, black and white color palate utilized by the entire Spurs Sports & Entertainment family of teams.

The Austin Spurs will celebrate their 10th anniversary when the 2014-15 season opens next month. In that span, the franchise has a history of developing NBA talent on the court and in the front office. Twenty Austin Spurs players have earned Gatorade Call-Ups to the NBA. Three head coaches have been promoted to NBA coaching positions (Quin Snyder, Brad Jones, Taylor Jenkins) and four previous assistant coaches are currently in other NBA coaching or staff roles (Bryan Gates, Dale Osbourne, Roy Rogers, and Alex Lloyd). Three former general managers (Dell Demps, Danny Ferry, Sean Marks) and two athletic trainers (Dice Yamaguchi, Nixon Dorvilien) have also been elevated to NBA positions. The Austin Spurs have advanced to postseason play five of nine seasons in Austin, winning three division championships and the 2012 NBA D-League title.

Pelicans basketball operations staff additions and promotions

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today the hiring and promotion of several members of the team’s basketball operations staff.

Duane Brooks, who brings over two decades of experience in his field, enters his first season as head athletic trainer with the New Orleans Pelicans after spending the previous 13 seasons as the New Orleans Saints’ assistant athletic trainer. Brooks is responsible for the health care, prevention and rehabilitation of injuries, daily training room operations and maintenance of the team’s medical records.

Jason Sumerlin joins the Pelicans as assistant strength and conditioning coach, where he will assist with the athletic development and training of players. Prior to joining New Orleans, Sumerlin spent five seasons as the assistant strength coach for the San Antonio Spurs.

Jared Lewis begins his first season with the Pelicans in the role of physical therapist, where he will oversee players’ prevention and rehabilitation of injuries. Lewis, a Northeastern University graduate, previously worked as a physical therapist with Marathon Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine of Norton, MA.

Jamelle McMillan has been elevated to player development coach after serving as a coaching intern for the Pelicans the past two seasons. McMillan came to New Orleans in 2012 from Drake University where he served as the director of basketball operations after playing four years at Arizona State University.

Terrance “Doc” Martin adds the role of player development coach to his director of player programs title, which he’s held the past two seasons. Martin served as a scout for the Pelicans from 2010-12 after spending the three previous years in Portland as a collegiate scout for the Trail Blazers. A four-year letterman from the University of Alabama, Martin also has experience as an assistant coach on the NBA Summer League teams for Portland and San Antonio.

Michael Ruffin enters his first season with the Pelicans as player development coach. Ruffin, who played nine seasons in the NBA, coached the ABA’s Colorado Kings in 2010-11 before continuing his professional basketball career in Spain.

Matt Whinrey has been promoted to head video coordinator after serving as the team’s assistant video coordinator last season. Prior to joining the Pelicans, Whinrey was an NBA regional scout and basketball operations assistant for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After graduating from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis in 2009, Whinrey worked as a student assistant for the men’s basketball team before being named an assistant coach from 2010-2012.

Jason Brown has been named assistant video coordinator after working one season as the Pelicans’ video intern. Brown previously served as the Charlotte Bobcats’ video intern in 2012-13, a collegiate scout for NetScouts Basketball in 2011-12, and a Philadelphia 76ers video intern and youth programs assistant in 2011.

Bryson Graham has been promoted to scouting coordinator after spending the last two seasons as the Pelicans video coordinator. Graham previously served as the team’s player development director/basketball operations associate in 2011-12 and was a front office intern in 2010-11.

Dallas Mavericks sign guard Yuki Togashi

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent guard Yuki Togashi.

Togashi (5-7, 143) was most recently a member of the Mavericks’ NBA Summer League team. In his four games, he averaged 5.3 points and 1.3 rebounds while shooting .467 from the field.

A native of Niigata, Japan, Togashi attended high school in the United States at Montrose Christian School which produced NBA players Kevin Durant, Terrence Ross and Greivis Vasquez. He was part of the 2011 Montrose team that captured the ESPN Rise National High School Invitational title.

Togashi graduated high school in 2012 and returned to Japan to play professionally in the Basketball Japan League. He signed with the Akita Northern Happinets and averaged 16.3 points, a league-high 7.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 58 games during the 2013-14 season.

Big responsibility on shoulders of Russell Westbrook

NBA observers have had plenty of time to watch Kevin Durant lead the Oklahoma City Thunder while Russell Westbrook was out healing. But now the situation has reversed, and although it’s still just NBA preseason all eyed in OKC and beyond are glued on Westbrook as he deals with even more responsibility than ever. Here’s the Oklahoman reporting:

In the Thunder’s 117-107 preseason victory over the Grizzlies on Tuesday night inside Chesapeake Energy Arena, that connection offered a peek into the burgeoning chemistry between Westbrook and Adams. But more importantly, it was a much-anticipated glimpse of how exactly Westbrook might captain this short-handed squad as it awaits the return of scoring phenom Kevin Durant.

Westbrook scored 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting and dished a game-high 12 assists in 26 minutes. Six of those assists went to Adams, who again strengthened his case for the starting center position after assembling his third straight stellar performance, this time a 22-point, six-rebound, one-block effort.

When the Grizzlies began taking control, building a double-digit lead in the second quarter, it was Westbrook who took over and put a stop to it, not by hoisting shots but with pinpoint passes.

Jeremy Lin may be Lakers starting PG

Who should start at point guard for the Lakers, old Steve Nash or unspectacular Jeremy Lin? Perhaps it doesn’t matter. Maybe they should split time fairly equally, assuming Nash is physically able and actually worthy of minutes.

It seems like Lin may be the better option, especially if Nash is hobbling around. Here’s ESPN Los Angeles reporting:

Entering what is probably his final NBA season, two-time MVP Steve Nash faces the very real prospect of spending it in a new role: as a backup.

Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott said Jeremy Lin could become the team’s starting point guard because of Nash’s nagging health issues.

“That is something I’m definitely thinking about it,” Scott said after the team’s practice Tuesday. “Is it in our best interest to start Jeremy or Ronnie [Price] or do we wait day by day, game by game? We’ll play these last five preseason games out. We’ll figure it out from there.”

Jared Dudley a key veteran for Bucks this season

The Milwaukee Bucks were horrible last season, and although not a lot is expected of them in 2014-15, they do have some nice young pieces, and a deeper bench than before. And with all the young kids on the squad, veteran leadership is important. Enter Jared Dudley. Here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting:

Jared Dudley knows he has a vital role to play with a young Milwaukee Bucks team this season.

The 29-year-old veteran is needed to knock down some crucial shots and stretch opposing defenses with his three-point prowess.

And Bucks coach Jason Kidd also is counting on Dudley to be a mentor for the youngsters, including 19-year-olds Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s no coincidence Dudley is stationed next to Parker, the No. 2 overall draft pick and rookie of the year candidate, in the Bucks locker room.

Dudley played his part perfectly Tuesday night, hitting all 5 three-pointers he attempted in the Bucks’ 106-100 loss to the LeBron-less Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

Doc Rivers not worried about Clippers preseason losses

Wins and losses don’t matter in NBA preseason. It’s a warmup period, designed to let stars stretch their legs, adjust to some teammates, and bench players to enjoy inflated minutes. The Los Angeles Clippers are 0-3. No big deal, we say. And head coach Doc Rivers appears to agree. Here’s the Orange County Register reporting:

The defense has struggled – allowing 111 points per game. The offense has been inconsistent. The Clippers have been beaten on the boards and have been auditioning small forwards on a nightly basis.

So obviously, Rivers would be concerned, right?

“I’m not that concerned right now. Honestly,” he said. “I just think we’re trying to try some things and do a lot of different things, and we’ll figure it all out.”

The Clippers, who didn’t practice Tuesday, have five exhibition games left, and Rivers said the team knew things could be rocky early.

“We told our guys at the beginning that we’ll see how it all works out,” he said.

Bucks center Johnny O`Bryant has knee sprain

Bucks center Johnny O’Bryant underwent an MRI over the weekend on his right knee, which revealed a grade III sprain of the medial collateral ligament (MCL). O’Bryant initially suffered the injury in the third quarter of Milwaukee’s game at Detroit on Thursday, Oct. 9. No surgery is required, and O’Bryant has already begun the rehabilitation process. No timetable has been set for his return.

O’Bryant had appeared in two preseason games for the Bucks and posted two points and three rebounds in 14 total minutes of action.

Derrick Favors trying to extend shooting range

Utah Jazz big-man Derrick Favors averaged 13.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 30.2 minutes per game last season. For 2014-15 and beyond, he hopes for a better jumpshot. Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune reporting:

“I knew I could make shots between the free-throw line area and 10-15 feet,” Favors said after shootaround on Monday. “But I’m trying to extend it to maybe 18 [feet], toward the 3-point line. I try to keep working on it, keep making shots … so hopefully in the future I can move out to the 3-point line.”

Jazz coach Quin Snyder has given big man Enes Kanter the green light to fire from distance this year, but he hasn’t quite asked Favors to do the same.

“I think it’s just taking good shots,” Snyder said. “I think it’s a process. He’s probably 15-18 [feet] right now. That’s my feeling. He and I haven’t talked about in a whole lot of detail. It’s not like he’s feeling like he wants to go out and shoot 3s. We’re comfortable with him taking open shots. I think that keeps people honest. It allows him to attack in other ways too.”

The jumpshot was Favors’ primary focus this summer.

“I took a lot of jump shots this offseason,” he said. “That was my whole plan this offseason was to work on my jumper. Around the free-throw line area, around the baseline. Try to add that to my game so guys respect me more, so it can help me out on my driving game. … During the summer I probably took maybe 500 shots a day, every day.”

With Kevin Durant out, enjoy the Russell Westbrook show

Here’s the Washington Post reporting on the Oklahoma City Thunder:

Russell Westbrook has never really had the chance to be appreciated on his own merit, away from Kevin Durant or as a part of some talented ensemble cast on Team USA or at all-star games. For that reason, his accomplishments – and there are many – are overlooked or undervalued, giving Westbrook a desperate desire to make people take notice, either with ferocious play or eccentric clothing.

Westbrook’s contributions are treasured immensely by the Oklahoma City Thunder and especially Durant, who chose to make his stubborn, snappy, pit bull of a point guard the final teammate mentioned during that memorable, tear-inducing most valuable player speech. Durant expressed his love for Westbrook because he respects the passion, endless energy and relentless spirit to give the Thunder everything else the four-time scoring champion can’t.

While Durant has typically been the rudder of the Thunder’s steady, glorious warship, navigating the team through dangerous waters, Westbrook has been the fiery cannon to push back all other threats. But now that Durant is going to be sidelined for at least six weeks with a broken right foot, Westbrook will now have the chance to assume both roles in an effort to keep the Thunder afloat in the highly competitive Western Conference. He could also possibly earn the respect – at least among casual fans – that often gets drowned out by complaints about his shot selection, sometimes erratic play and unwillingness to just get out of Durant’s way.