Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Team USA moves on without Kevin Durant

Team USA moves on without Kevin Durant

While Kevin Durant takes a step back, the U.S. national team is moving forward.

Durant stunned the Americans when he decided to withdraw after practicing with the team during its first week of training camp. Now that they’ve had time to get over the surprise, they aren’t dwelling on it.

“I’m through talking about Kevin,” U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said Tuesday after the Americans practiced for the upcoming Basketball World Cup.

“We’re done with that. We’re on to this group. What a coach does, a coach coaches who he has, not who he doesn’t have. You’re married, you’re with that woman, you’re not thinking about who you dated.”

Durant pulled out Aug. 7, shortly after the Americans finished working out in Las Vegas, where a year earlier he announced his plans to play for the team this summer.

— Associated Press

Michael Jordan takes the ice bucket challenge

Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting on yet another famous person who has dumped very cold water on their head for a good cause:

Michael Jordan takes the ice bucket challenge

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan accepted the ALS ice bucket challenge, going the extra mile and donating money as well as taking an ice bath.

David Beckham, Ray Allen and Derek Jeter challenged Jordan to take the challenge, which has taken on a viral nature and has raised more than $31.5 million for ALS research from July 29 to Aug. 20.

Warriors guard Nemanja Nedovic injures foot

Here’s the Bay Area News Group blog reporting:

Warriors guard Nemanja Nedovic fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, Serbian national team doctor Dragan Radovanovic said in a statement Wednesday.

The Warriors had previously been informed that there was a stress fracture in the foot that sidelined Nedovic, who went down Aug. 3 while playing in an exhibition game in Italy and now appears to be out for the FIBA World Cup.

Radovanovic delivered the news based on what he said was new information after previously announcing Aug. 8 that tests could not confirm the fifth metatarsal fracture.

Atlanta Hawks add Charles Lee and Ben Sullivan to coaching staff

The Atlanta Hawks have added Charles Lee and Ben Sullivan to the coaching staff, it was announced today by Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

“Charles and Ben bring unique skills and abilities to our staff. Both have strong backgrounds in player development that will complement our emphasis on internal team improvement,” Budenholzer said. “We feel very fortunate to add them and are excited to see how they positively impact our group.”

Lee, who spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Bucknell, was the 2006 Patriot League Player of the Year for the Bisons and ranks 22nd on the school’s all-time scoring list. After graduating with a degree in business management, the Gaithersburg, MD native played professionally in Israel, Belgium and Germany.

Sullivan most recently worked in basketball development and as an assistant video coordinator with the San Antonio Spurs. He played collegiately at Cal-State Northridge and University of Portland, competing professionally in China, Germany and Chile following graduation. Sullivan joined University of Portland’s coaching staff in 2009, then was an assistant coach at Lewis & Clark College in Portland before joining the Spurs.

Lee and Sullivan join Kenny Atkinson, Darvin Ham, Taylor Jenkins and Neven Spahija on Budenholzer’s staff. Additionally, Jim Thomas, a member of the coaching staff in 2013-14, has been moved into a front office role as a scout, a position he previously served in with Oklahoma City, New York and Toronto.

Fort Wayne Mad Ants holding open tryouts

Dream of playing in the NBA? Realize that dream won’t come true? How about another dream that still probably won’t come true but is at least slightly more realistic?

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants announced today that they will hold open tryouts on September 14th in Chicago, Illinois for the 2014-15 NBA Development League season. The open tryout in Chicago will be the second of several tryouts held by the Mad Ants across the country leading up to the 2014-15 season.

The Chicago tryout will take place on Sunday, September 14th from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the Quest Multisport Complex located at 2641 West Harrison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60612. Check-in begins at 1:00 p.m. and the tryout will begin at 2:00 p.m.

The Mad Ants local player tryouts offer athletes an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants’ coaching staff. Players will compete to earn an invitation to the team’s training camp, which will begin in early November.

Players who are interested in trying out for the Mad Ants in Chicago should submit the official registration and release forms, in addition to a $150 non-refundable fee to the Mad Ants office. Late registration is $200 for all forms received after Thursday, September 11th. Payments must be made by money order or cashier’s check. Application forms are available on the Mad Ants’ website at www.fortwaynehoops.com.

Jazz sign forward Jack Cooley

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed free-agent forward Jack Cooley.

Cooley (6-9, 246, Notre Dame) played for Trabzonspor in the Turkish Basketball League during the 2013-14 season, averaging 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 22.9 minutes in 28 games (19 starts).

The 23-year-old forward played four years at Notre Dame (2009-13), averaging 13.1 points and 10.1 rebounds during his senior season. He also led the team with 41 blocked shots and earned 2013 All-Big East First Team honors. Cooley totaled 32 double-doubles throughout his career with the Fighting Irish, including 19 his senior campaign. He also earned the 2012 Big East Most Improved Player award and was named to the 2012 All-Big East Second Team. Cooley became the 53rd player in Notre Dame history to reach the 1,000-point mark and finished with 1,017 career points and grabbed 792 career rebounds. He was not selected in the 2013 NBA Draft.

A native of Evanston, Ill., Cooley played high school basketball at Glenbrook South in Glenview, Ill. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance from Notre Dame.

Cavs hire Jim Boylan, Bret Brielmaier, Larry Drew, James Posey as assistant coaches

cavs

The Cavaliers have finalized their coaching staff and named Jim Boylan, Bret Brielmaier, Larry Drew and James Posey as assistant coaches on head coach David Blatt’s staff, Cavs General Manager David Griffin and Blatt announced today. They join Tyronn Lue, who was named associate head coach earlier this summer. Phil Handy will also serve as Director of Player Development and Assistant Coach, along with Vitaly Potapenko, who has been tabbed to continue as the team’s Assistant Director of Player Development.

Boylan joins Blatt’s staff after serving as an assistant for the Cavaliers during their 2013-14 campaign. Prior to joining the Cavaliers, he spent five seasons as the lead assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, with the last 50 games of the 2012-13 season as the interim head coach. Boylan began his NBA coaching career with the Cavaliers as an assistant in 1992 under Lenny Wilkins and has since worked as an assistant with Chicago, Vancouver, Phoenix and Atlanta.

Brielmaier returns for his second season in Cleveland, having joined the team last July for the 2013-14 campaign. Prior to last year, Brielmaier spent four seasons in San Antonio, most recently as the team’s video coordinator. A graduate of the University of Arizona, he played four years for the Wildcats before starting his coaching career as the undergraduate assistant in 2008. In 2009, he joined the staff of the Spurs as a player development assistant and later promoted to video coordinator.

Drew joins the staff after one season as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. Prior to his stint with the Bucks, he spent three seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, leading them to postseason appearances in each of those seasons. A first round selection by Detroit in the 1980 NBA Draft, Drew appeared in 714 career NBA games with averages of 11.4 points and 5.2 assists with the Pistons, Kansas City/Sacramento, L.A. Clipper and L.A. Lakers. The Kansas City native began his coaching career in 1992 and has served as an assistant coach with the Lakers, Pistons, Washington Wizards, New Jersey Nets and Hawks.

Posey joins the coaching staff after a successful first season as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge. Posey, a 12-year NBA veteran, appeared in 864 career games with averages of 8.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals with the Nuggets, Houston, Memphis, Miami, Boston, New Orleans and Indiana. The Twinsburg, OH native also won two NBA Championships as a player with Miami (2005-06) and Boston (2007-08).

Handy returns to the staff after holding a similar role with the team last season. He joined the Cavaliers in 2013 after a two-year stint with the Lakers (2011-13). Prior to that, Handy spent five years as an AAU coach in Northern California. Over a 13-year period, he operated his own professional basketball training business, servicing NBA, European, college and many of the top-ranked high school players in the state. A former University of Hawaii basketball standout, Handy spent time in the NBA with Golden State and Portland, along with eight-years of playing experience overseas in Israel, France, England, Germany, Italy and Australia.

Potapenko returns to the staff as the Assistant Director of Player Development. Prior to joining the Cavs in July 2013, he spent the previous year as an assistant coach with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D- League. That season, his team posted a 32-18 record en-route to their first NBADL Finals appearance. Potapenko was selected 12th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1996 NBA Draft and spent his first three seasons with the team. Potapenko went on to have an 11-year NBA career with the Cavaliers, Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics and Kings, with averages of 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.