The Deseret News (Tim Buckley) reports: If the Jazz choose to wade into NBA luxury-tax territory — something they’ve said they’re willing to do if need be next season — they won’t be getting a bailout. League Commissioner David Stern told reporters covering the NBA Finals in Los Angeles this week that there are no plans to temporarily shelve the tax, even in light of the country’s current economic plight. “No,” Stern said when asked at his annual Finals news conference, “there’s no contemplation of eliminating or reducing luxury tax.” The tax — part of the current collective-bargaining agreement between the NBA and its players union — is levied upon teams that exceed the league’s maximum team-payroll threshold, which has not yet been determined for next season. It amounts to a fine of $1 for every dollar over the threshold, plus a ban from sharing with under-the-threshold teams in distribution of the taxes that are collected.
Category: Washington Wizards Blog
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Comcast, NBA Digital enter NBA TV-related deal
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information, and communications products and services, has entered into a long-term agreement with NBA Digital to expand its distribution of NBA TV, providing live games, original programming, and exciting video on demand (VOD) and broadband content to millions of customers.
Comcast will make NBA TV, the league’s 24-hour digital television network that offers more than 100 live NBA games, available to millions of Comcast’s Digital Classic customers before the 2009-10 NBA regular season. Additionally, these customers will have access to a wide array of NBA content On Demand, including Top 10 Plays of the Night, nightly game recaps, basketball news of the day, and NBA Entertainment-produced specials. Comcast will also offer NBA content on its online properties, including Comcast.net.
“We appreciate the commitment of our longtime and valued partner Comcast to expand NBA TV’s distribution and provide more of its customers with the network’s wall-to-wall NBA coverage and innovative programming,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Adam Silver. “Through this agreement, millions of additional fans will be able to experience NBA TV’s more than 100 live NBA games, its signature studio shows and Emmy award-winning on-air talent.”
“We are excited to bring more NBA action live, on demand, and online to our Digital Classic customers,” said Matt Bond, Executive Vice President of Content Acquisition at Comcast Cable. “Whether a fan of the hometown team or one of the NBA’s incredible players, our customers will have access to all of the great NBA moments in time for next season.”
Comcast will continue to offer NBA LEAGUE PASS, the league’s subscription package that provides subscribers with up to 40 out-of-market, live NBA games each week. As part of the package, subscribers will have access to NBA games online at no additional cost through NBA LEAGUE PASS BROADBAND.
“This is a perfect marriage of two multiplatform strategies,” said NBA Digital Senior Vice President and General Manager Bryan Perez. “Through this expanded agreement, NBA Digital and Comcast will deliver millions of fans the finest in NBA content via broadcast, VOD, and broadband distribution.”
WNBA teams selling advertising on their uniforms
The New York Times reports: The Phoenix Mercury’s new uniform no longer has the words Phoenix or Mercury. Instead, the W.N.B.A.’s Mercury appears to have been renamed LifeLock, with the 10-inch-by-4-inch name of the identity-theft protection company stretching across the team’s jerseys. A small Mercury logo (the planet, with an M) appears like a badge on the upper left of the jersey. Taking a cue from international sports, where displaying corporate names on jerseys is standard, the Mercury on Monday will announce a three-year deal with Tempe, Ariz.-based LifeLock that is worth at least $1 million annually… During an off-season when one franchise, the Houston Comets, folded and the remaining 13 cut their rosters to 11 players from 13, the W.N.B.A. authorized its teams to let companies place their names on the players’ jerseys as part of broad sponsorship agreements. At least one other team is close to a similar deal.
InsideHoops.com editor says: There isn’t anything surprising or shocking about this, though it’ll still be interesting to see with my own eyes for the first time. Because, while viewing it, I’ll be pondering the obvious: Will NBA teams do this, eventually?
Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.
Eddie Jordan to be new Philadelphia 76ers coach
Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that Eddie Jordan has agreed in principle to become the next head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The rumor is that it’s a three-year deal. More info later today.
“I saw first-hand the immense impact Eddie Jordan had in helping the Nets reach two NBA Finals and as the head coach in Washington, he consistently put his teams in a position to win on a nightly basis,” Stefanski said. “He embodies all the qualities I was looking for in the next head coach of the Sixers and we are very excited to have him in Philadelphia.”
In June of 2003, Jordan was named the head coach of the Wizards. Under his leadership, Washington made the playoffs in four consecutive seasons from 2005 through 2008. During that four-year span, the Wizards posted a combined regular season winning percentage of .521. In 2005, Jordan guided Washington to a first-round upset of the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Jordan has been a head coach in the NBA for over 500 games across eight seasons with Washington and Sacramento. His first stint as a head coach came with the Kings at the tail end of the 1996-97 season. Following his time with Sacramento, Jordan served as the lead assistant coach for New Jersey, helping the Nets capture back-to-back Eastern Conference Championships in 2002 and 2003.
As a collegian, Jordan led Rutgers to the 1976 NCAA Final Four in his Junior year, and was named East Regional MVP. In his senior season, he was named honorable mention All-America, while setting Rutgers all-time career records in assists and steals. Jordan went on to play seven seasons in the NBA, averaging 8.1 points, 3.8 assists and 1.82 steals and was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers Championship team in 1982.
Washington Wizards hire Sam Cassell, Randy Wittman as assistant coaches
Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced yesterday that the team has named Randy Wittman and Sam Cassell as assistant coaches on the staff of Head Coach Flip Saunders. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not released.
“Randy and Sam will be excellent additions to our coaching staff, and both will be instrumental in helping us achieve our goals,” said Saunders. “Randy brings a wealth of experience as a former head coach of two different teams and is very familiar with my system. I always regarded Sam as a coach on the floor during his playing days, and he brings instant credibility as a three-time NBA champion and a proven winner.”
Wittman was most recently with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he served as head coach from January 23, 2007 to December 8, 2008. He previously served as head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1999-2001. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers in 1992, and later worked as an assistant for the Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic. Wittman played collegiately at Indiana University under Bobby Knight, helping the team to an NCAA championship in 1981. He was originally drafted by the Washington Bullets with the 22nd pick of the 1983 NBA Draft, and played nine seasons in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers before retiring in 1992 with a career average of 7.4 points per game (.501 FG%) in 543 games.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to work with Flip again, and I’m confident that the staff he is assembling will complement the talented roster that is already in place,” said Wittman. “I’m eager to help this team reach the next level and ready to get to work immediately on the court.”
The 2009-10 season will mark Cassell’s first foray into coaching after an outstanding 15-season playing career. In 993 career regular season games, the former All-Star and Baltimore native averaged 15.7 points and 6.0 assists per game. Cassell has won three NBA Championships (1994 and 1995 with Houston, 2008 with Boston), and appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals with Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld’s Milwaukee Bucks in 2001 and the Western Conference Finals under Flip Saunders with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2004.
“After 15 seasons playing in this league, I have accomplished all that I have dreamed of as a player,” said Cassell. “Now the time has come for to me to take my love for the game to the coaching ranks and pass on what I’ve learned. This team is loaded with talent, and it’s a great way for me to start my coaching career.”
Flip Saunders Wizards interview, plus Ernie Grunfeld quotes
The Washington Wizards recently named Flip Saunders their new head coach. Here’s what Saunders said to the media about the team and his new job:
Saunders on if he studied the Wizards throughout the season: “I studied them a lot, but it’s tough to judge this team without a premier player like Gilbert (Arenas). Then of course Brendan (Haywood) was hurt and he’s an anchor on defense, and (DeShawn) Stevenson was hurt. You had so many injuries so it’s tough to really judge the team, but what you can do is evaluate the talent of the young players.”
Saunders on the young players: “I think the young players have a lot of potential. I have a saying that potential is what you’re capable of doing, motivation determines what you do, and your character and attitude determines how well you do it. With our young players it’s important for the coaching staff and the veteran players to help those players understand what time of character and attitude they need to be professional and be successful in this league.”
Saunders on Gilbert Arenas: “The thing I love about him more than anything else is his competitiveness. I look forward to the opportunity to work with him. I’m sure that I’m going to learn from Gilbert and he’s going to learn from me. I know Gilbert wants to win more than anything. In the texts and conversations that we had, that’s the main thing that we’ve talked about. I think that he’s ready to take the step in order to do that and have people follow him.”
Saunders on what it takes to get a team to the conference finals: “I think the biggest thing is that when I say ‘team’ the word ‘sacrifice’ goes along with it. You have to be willing as individuals to sacrifice any individual role you have for the team to have success. I believe in teams with high assists and low turnovers. I believe in what I call the hockey assist; sometimes it’s the assist that leads to the assist that’s the most important play. Those are the things that as a coach you keep on driving into your team. As you work with them and see the success of it, it keeps on growing.”
Saunders on defense: “From a technical standpoint, you have to be able to defend. A lot is talked about the huge playbook that I have. It’s about 60 percent defense and 40 percent offense. People don’t talk much about what I do defensively, because offense is more creative at times, but when the players walk into that gym defense is going to be a priority. If you talk to the coaches that have coached against teams that I’ve had, no one has ever said that our teams didn’t defend.”
WIZARDS PRESIDENT ERNIE GRUNFELD
Grunfeld on hiring Flip Saunders to be the 22nd head coach in franchise history: “This is a very exciting day for us. This is a new beginning. Flip was our top priority in this coaching search. What we were looking for was someone with credibility, an NBA background, and experience in the regular season and in the playoffs. Flip coached in the conference finals four out of the last five years that he coached in the NBA. That’s what we want to get to and even higher than that. He’s a well respected person and I think he’s a great fit for our team right now with the type of players we have. He’s an X’s and O’s man. He pays attention to detail and I think he’s extremely underrated on the defensive end. We all know that we want to improve in that area. He plays a fun brand of basketball. He likes to get up and down the floor, which I think the players enjoy and the fans enjoy watching. We’re looking to get back to where we feel we belong, and that’s the playoffs. Once we get to the playoffs, we want to make some noise. I think this is the man to lead us there.”
Grunfeld on hiring a new head coach: “This was a very wanted job. A lot of people called who were interested. Doing our due diligence we were able to make contact sometime around the All-Star break (in February). There were a lot of people who called that had a lot of interest, but when we went through everything and did our due diligence, I felt like he was the top candidate.”
More on Saunders: “He brings the whole package to the table. He brings credibility and a lot of knowledge, and with knowledge you get respect. My biggest concern is to win basketball games. You hire a coach and you let him coach. Everybody has a little bit of a different system and everybody does things their own way, but the bottom line is to win games. He’s a veteran guy and I like the fact that he came up the hard way. He coached in college and he coached in the CBA. He was Coach of the Year in the CBA, and it takes a lot to coach in the CBA. He paid his dues and when he came to the NBA he had a lot of success. He’s had seven 50-win seasons. We were looking for someone who is a winner both in the regular season and in the playoffs, someone who understands X’s and O’s, and someone who has coached elite players before.”
Grunfeld on the focus during the offseason: “The next order of business is the draft. We have the lottery on May 19th and then we find out exactly where we pick, and then of course in June we have the draft. As Flip mentioned, we have six players on this team that are 23 years old or younger, so player development is crucial for us in the offseason. It’s a difficult offseason and I think Flip is very much in favor of helping the players. We have some very solid veteran players but we also have players that need that development, so we’re going to be focusing on that. The thing you can control is player development, so we’re going to be focusing on that. After the draft, we’ll have summer league and we’ll continue to work and grow. If the right opportunity comes along that we think will help us improve, then that’s something we’ll look at.”
Washington Wizards hire Flip Saunders as new head coach
Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has named Flip Saunders as head coach. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.
The Associated Press reports that the deal was for four years and $18 million.
“We’re very proud to bring a proven winner like Flip Saunders on board as our head coach,” said Wizards Chairman Abe Pollin. “After going through what was a very difficult season, I know our fans share in my anticipation of what we can accomplish with new leadership, a healthy roster and a renewed commitment to excellence.”
Saunders, who becomes the 22nd head coach in franchise history, owns a 587-396 (.597) record over 12-and-a-half seasons with Minnesota and Detroit.
“We clearly identified Flip as the top candidate for the job and were happy to find that our situation proved to be a good fit for him as well,” said Grunfeld. “We were able to move quickly as a result and we’re confident that this is a major step towards putting this team back among the Eastern Conference contenders.”
Saunders achieved seven 50-win seasons, led his teams to the playoffs 11 times and reached the Conference Finals on four occasions during his tenures with the Timberwolves and Pistons. He is one of only six coaches to be named head coach of the All-Star team in both the Eastern and Western Conferences and currently ranks seventh among active coaches in winning percentage (12th all-time) and eighth among active coaches in total wins (21st all-time).
“There were many factors that led to this being the right situation for me, but the most intriguing was the commitment of Mr. Pollin and Ernie to win a championship,” said Saunders. “I look forward to enjoying the great support and homecourt advantage from Wizards fans that I’ve always seen from the opposing sidelines and to making each game at Verizon Center an exciting event.”
Saunders comes to the Wizards after leading the Pistons to three straight 50-win seasons, three straight division titles and three straight appearances in the Conference Finals from 2005-06 to 2007-08. He finished with an overall record of 176-70 (.715), the highest winning percentage for any coach in franchise history. Saunders began his NBA coaching career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he compiled a 411-326 (.558) record from 1995-2005 and became the winningest coach in franchise history. He guided the Timberwolves to eight consecutive playoff appearances from 1997-2004, culminating in a trip to the 2004 Western Conference Finals.
Saunders began his professional coaching career in the Continental Basketball Association, where he won two CBA championships (1990 & 1992) and was twice named CBA Coach of the Year (1990 & 1992). He ranks third all-time in the CBA with 253 career victories (253-137, .649) during stops with the Rapid City Thrillers (1988-89), La Crosse Catbirds (1989-94) and Sioux Falls Skyforce (1994-95).
Antawn Jamison hated this season
The Washington Times (Mike Jones) reports: “This is the worst season I’ve ever been a part of,” said Antawn Jamison, who went through a 17-win season in his rookie year with Golden State. “Even though we had a lot of injuries, we still thought we had enough talent to play better than what we’ve shown this year. But this is the worst season. Back then [2000-01 with Golden State], we had guys on 10-day contracts – six or seven guys. You were, I don’t want to say expected to be that bad, but… here, we’ve got a foundation here and some guys who have been here for an extended period of time. … It can’t get any worse than what we went through this year.”
Late Bosh 3 leads Raptors over Wizards
The AP reports: The Wizards were handed their 62nd loss, one short of the franchise record, when Chris Bosh made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 9.9 seconds left Monday night in the Raptors’ 97-96 victory. The Wizards must win their final game on Wednesday in Boston to avoid tying the 2000-01 team with a 19-63 mark… Bosh, who had 25 points and 15 rebounds, converted his first 3-pointer since March 6… Caron Butler scored 28 points and Antawn Jamison had 23. Butler, who gave Washington a 93-80 lead when he hit two free throws with 6:30 to play, missed all four of his shots in the fourth quarter. The final was when his layup attempt was smothered with 0.1 seconds to play.
Butler, Wizards edge Raptors 100-98
The AP reports: Washington Wizards coach Ed Tapscott wanted to give Caron Butler a breather in the fourth quarter. Butler had other plans. Butler made a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to give Washington a 100-98 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. Antawn Jamison had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Butler added 21 points for the Wizards, who nearly blew a six-point lead in the final minute… Bosh had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, and Kapono added 20. Calderon had 15 points and 11 assists… Brendan Haywood had 15 points, five blocks and nine rebounds for the Wizards, with Dominic McGuire adding eight points and 11 rebounds.