NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
The Denver Nuggets have waived C Brian Butch and G Coby Karl, the team announced today.
Both players were signed by the Nuggets on April 11 but did not appear in any games during the 2009-10 regular season or the playoffs.
Karl averaged 14.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in four games with Denver’s summer league team in Las Vegas. Butch appeared in two summer-league games, averaging 7.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.
Luisa Yanez of the Miami Herald reports:
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Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem was stopped by the Florida Highway Patrol Sunday and drugs were found by a trooper, FHP has confirmed.
The incident began as a traffic stop somewhere in Miami, said FHP spokesman Lt. Mark Wysocky. Details were sketchy Sunday. It’s unclear where Haslem was stopped or what type of drugs were found.
TMZ reports:
Haslem was pulled over by Florida Highway Patrol officers for, we’re told by sources, having tinted windows. We’re told there were three other guys in the car with Haslem.
According to sources, officers searched the car three times for drugs — an initial search and then a search with drug dogs yielded nothing. We’re told when officers searched the car a third time, they discovered less than 20 grams of marijuana.
August 16 update:
Miami Heat President Pat Riley released the following statement today concerning the incident involving Udonis Haslem yesterday afternoon. “We are aware of the incident involving Udonis Haslem yesterday afternoon, and while we fully support our players, since this is a pending legal matter we will have no further comment at this time.”
Another August 16 update:
Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem released the following statement today. “First and foremost, I’d like to thank the Arison family, Coach Riley, Coach Spoelstra, the HEAT organization and fans who have shown me their support during this incident. I am confident that once the judicial process runs its course, I will be cleared.”
Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com reports:
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Ariza’s ability to contribute in multiple ways, on both ends of the floor. New Orleans has given significant minutes to several somewhat one-dimensional players at the wing positions over the past few seasons, but Ariza is regarded as an above-average defender and is an improving offensive player (career-best 14.9 scoring average in 2009-10).
As frequent jump shooters, neither Peja Stojakovic nor James Posey – the Hornets who’ve logged the bulk of the playing time at small forward – finish well at the rim on fast breaks, but that’s an area where Ariza has excelled. Monty Williams also envisions the 6-foot-8, long-armed and athletic Ariza giving New Orleans the ability to throw a few varied looks at opposing offenses.
Williams: “He brings some things to the table that we just didn’t have. He’s a guy I can use in transition, he’s become a better shooter throughout his career and he’s a guy who’s going to allow me to put in a 3-2 zone and put him at the top of the zone, and put him in a number of spots. He’s a guy that can switch on pick-and-rolls (due to his combination of size and athletic ability), and guard some of the power forwards in this league. He can rebound.”
With several of the NBA’s top stars unavailable for this year’s edition of Team USA, another group of guys have been handed the reigns. And as the team that scores the most points is the one who wins, super-scorer Kevin Durant plays a huge role on the squad.
Pete Thamel of the New York Times reports:
Durant, 21, became the youngest N.B.A. scoring champion last season, and the world championship offers him a platform to move into the elite constellation of N.B.A. stars. His supple jump shot and freakish athleticism will be on display Sunday at Madison Square Garden, where the United States plays France before heading to Europe.
And Durant, a player hallmarked by loyalty and humility, will get a forum on the world stage at a time when James’s off-season free-agency spectacle prompted eye rolls.
So with no players from the 2008 Olympic Redeem Team representing the United States this summer, the coalescence of Durant’s talent and image could not be a better one.
“He’s the whole package,” said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball’s managing director. “This is his opportunity to come forth on an international stage.”
It’ll be interesting to see how Durant gets his points. What moves he makes to generate offense and how they will differ in international spacing vs NBA play.
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Derrick Caracter, it was announced today. Per team policy terms of the agreement were not released.
Caracter, a 22 year-old early entry candidate selected by the Lakers with the 58th pick in the 2010 NBA draft, played two seasons at Louisville before transferring to the University of Texas at El Paso, where he averaged 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in 27 games as a junior with the Miners. Named Second Team All-Conference USA last season, the 6’9” forward ranked second in the conference and 16th nationally in field goal percentage (.567).
Ranked as the best player in the country by some recruiting services heading into his senior year of high school, Caracter averaged 8.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in 53 games (14 starts) over two seasons at Louisville. For his college career, Caracter averaged 10.2 points (.560 FG%) and 5.6 rebounds in 80 games (36 starts).
Most recently, Caracter started all five games for the Lakers 2010 Summer League entry in Las Vegas, averaging 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 33.3 minutes.
Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has signed its second round draft selection Terrico White to a contract. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.
White was drafted 36th overall in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft. A 6-foot-5 guard from University of Mississippi, he ranked second on the team in scoring with 15.1 points and averaged 4.6 rebounds a game last season. He scored in double figures in 26 of 35 games and scored 20-plus points six times. White scored a career-high-tying 29 points (11-18 FG) against Jacksonville State (12/29/09) and scored 27 points (11-20 FG) vs. Troy (3/17/10) in the NIT Tournament.
A native of Memphis, TN, White earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2009 when he averaged 13.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He averaged 18.4 points in SEC play and scored 20-plus points nine times, including a career-high 29 points on 9-of-16 shooting against Arkansas (3/4/09). White was a member of the gold-medal winning United States under 19 National Team in the FIBA World Championship in the summer of 2009.
The Los Angeles Clippers today named Dean Demopoulos, Marc Iavaroni and Robert Pack as assistant coaches under new head coach Vinny Del Negro. The team also named Dave Severns as Director of Player Development.
Demopoulos comes to Los Angeles after serving five seasons as lead assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers. A career coach, Demopoulos came to Portland after a previous four season stint with the Seattle Super Sonics. Demopoulos went to Seattle in 2001 after 18 seasons of college coaching, 17 of those alongside Hall of Famer John Chaney at Temple University. Before Seattle, he served as head coach for one year at University of Missouri-Kansas City. That year, UMKC was ranked in the top 10 nationally in several statistical categories, including fewest turnovers (9.5 per game) and scoring defense (60.5 points per game).
Demopoulos was an assistant under Chaney from 1983-84 through 1998-99. During that span, the Owls became a national basketball powerhouse, amassing a 393-151 (72.2%) record, making it to the NCAA Tournament 16 times and to the Elite Eight on four occasions. The run included 11 consecutive postseason appearances from 1990 to 2000. Temple won seven Atlantic 10 Conference titles and five conference tournament crowns, and in 1987-88, finished 32-2, earning the No. 1 ranking in the final Associated Press, UPI and USA Today/CNN polls. Fourteen Temple players went to the NBA during his tenure at the Philadelphia school. Born March 29, 1954, in Philadelphia, Demopoulos graduated from West Chester State in 1977 with a degree in comprehensive social sciences.
He coached at Kennett, Pa., H.S. for three years before joining John Chaney’s staff.
The veteran Iavaroni brings 13 seasons of NBA coaching experience to the Clippers. He is highly-regarded in NBA circles for his attention to detail, tireless work ethic, competitive drive and hands-on approach to teaching.
Iavaroni spent the 2009-10 campaign as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors after serving the previous two seasons as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies. Prior to his time in Memphis, Iavaroni was an assistant in Phoenix (2002-07), Miami (1999-2002) and Cleveland (1997-99). In his five seasons with the Suns they made four trips to the NBA Playoffs, including two appearances in the Western Conference Finals (2005, 2006), compiling an impressive regular season record of 250-160 (.610).
Over the course of his career, Iavaroni has worked for some of the most prominent coaches in the game. While in Miami, where he also served as Director of Player Development, Iavaroni worked under Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley and in Cleveland he served two seasons under longtime NBA coach Mike Fratello. Iavaroni owes much of his teaching expertise to his lengthy association as a student and instructor under legendary Hall of Fame coach Pete Newell. In 2006 Iavaroni assisted the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team in training camp as they prepared for the 2006 FIBA Men’s World Championships in Japan.
His coaching career began as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Virginia, helping the Cavaliers to their first Final Four appearance in 1981. Following his professional playing career, Iavaroni was an assistant coach at Bowling Green State for two seasons from 1992-94 under Jim Larranaga, who led George Mason to the 2006 Final Four.
The 55th overall selection in the 1978 NBA Draft, Iavaroni averaged 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds over his seven-year NBA career. Iavaroni played professionally overseas for five seasons in Italy and Spain, including three seasons after his college career and two seasons following his NBA career. He was a starter as a rookie on the 76ers’ 1983 World Championship team, voted one of the 10 best NBA teams of all time. Iavaroni’s teams, which also included San Antonio and Utah, qualified for the playoffs every season of his career. Iavaroni concluded his professional career alongside Knicks Head Coach Mike D’Antoni in Milan, Italy before retiring in 1991.
As a collegian, Iavaroni was a four-year starter and finished in 1978 ranked in Virginia’s top 10 in career scoring and rebounding. He gained first-team All-Tournament honors on Virginia’s 1976 ACC Tournament championship team, an accomplishment he still considers among his most satisfying playing achievements.
Born in Jamaica, N.Y., Iavaroni and his wife, Caroline, have three sons, Kenton, McCray and Jackson.
Robert Pack enters his first season as assistant coach with the Clippers after last serving as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Hornets during the 2009-10 campaign. Pack brings with him 13 years of NBA playing experience where in his career he averaged 8.9 points, 4.6 assists and 2.0 rebounds over 552 career games with the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Hornets, New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards.
Nicknamed “Pac-Man”, Pack was a member of the 1991-92 Portland team that advanced to the NBA Finals, while with Denver, he was a member of the 1993-94 squad that made NBA history as the first No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Pack was also the runner-up in the 1994 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest in Minneapolis.
He enjoyed a standout collegiate career at USC, ranking fourth on the Trojans all-time assists list (319) in just two seasons, while becoming just the fourth player in school history to record back-to-back 100 assist seasons. In two seasons, he averaged 13.4 points and 5.6 assists per game at USC. Prior to USC, he played two seasons at Tyler (Texas) Junior College, earning All-State honors, and leading the Apache to a 50-11 combined record.
Pack attended Lawless H.S. in New Orleans, where he remains the school’s all-time leading scorer.
Director of Player Development Dave Severns comes to the Clippers after having served the past two seasons on Del Negro’s staff with the Chicago Bulls as Assistant Coach for Player Development. Prior to his time with the Bulls, Severns spent 13 years in player development with Nike, working with college players at the All-American Camp, All-Asia Camp, Nike Skills Academies and Jordan Flight School. He also worked at Attack Athletics in Chicago under Tim Grover from 2005-08. Severns spent three years as video coordinator at Fresno State University under head coach Jerry Tarkanian, two years as an assistant coach at Fresno City College and one year as an assistant coach at California State University, Chico. Prior to his time at the collegiate level, Severns spent 12 years as a high school coach in California. He has a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree from California State University-Chico.
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Devin Ebanks, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.
Selected by the Lakers with the 43rd pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Ebanks, a 20 year-old early entry candidate out of West Virginia University, played two seasons for the Mountaineers, averaging 11.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 69 games. Named to the Big East All-Rookie and All-Tournament team as a freshman and selected All-Big East Third Team as a sophomore, the 6’9” forward posted 16 career double-doubles at West Virginia and led the team in rebounding during each of his two seasons.
Additionally, Ebanks started all five games for the Lakers 2010 Summer League entry in Las Vegas, averaging 15.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 33.3 minutes.
New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that the team has signed guard Andy Rautins, the 38th overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, to a player contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Rautins, 6-4, 194-pounds, played four seasons at Syracuse University and averaged 12.1 points and 4.9 assists as a senior in 2009-10. He finished his collegiate career ranked second on the school’s all-time list for three-point field goals made (282) and attempted (754). He also became the 53rd Syracuse player to score at least 1,000 career points (1,121). In 2010 NBA Summer League play in Las Vegas, Rautins averaged 5.8 points, 1.4 assists and 23.9 minutes in five games as a member of the Knicks entry.
The Portland Trail Blazers have hired Bill Branch and Steve Rosenberry to become the team’s assistant general managers, it was announced today by General Manager Rich Cho.
Branch’s responsibilities will center on NBA talent along with Director of NBA Scouting Michael Born, while Rosenberry and Director of College Scouting Chad Buchanan will focus on the college ranks.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with both Bill and Steve and have always been impressed by their tremendous basketball acumen, work ethic and character,” said Cho. “I am thrilled to have them join me, Chad and Mike as part of our front office staff.”
Branch, 44, joins the Trail Blazers from Oklahoma City, where he worked alongside Cho for the past three seasons as the team’s director of pro player personnel. A 23-year NBA veteran, Branch worked for the Denver Nuggets from 1997-2007, first as an advance scout and for the last five years of his tenure as assistant coach and director of scouting. Branch spent the previous 10 years on the Charlotte Hornets’ basketball operations staff, from 1987-97.
“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work for a team with such a rich tradition, great fan base and talented staff,” said Branch. “I look forward to doing everything I can to contribute and help the Trail Blazers move forward and build upon some great pieces.”
Also a veteran NBA talent evaluator, Rosenberry most recently served as director of pro personnel/college scouting with the Atlanta Hawks from 2008-10. Rosenberry, 55, got his NBA start with Seattle in 1985 and worked for six seasons there as a scout before joining the Charlotte Hornets in a similar capacity from 1991-94. Rosenberry returned to Seattle in 1994 and spent the next 13 seasons there until 2007, most recently serving as director of scouting. Before joining the Hawks in 2008, Rosenberry spent the 2007-08 season as a consultant with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Rosenberry played two seasons for the Lancaster Red Roses of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1978-80. He then spent two years in Europe with the McGregor Power All-Stars before pursuing a basketball management career in the NBA.
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with Rich, and while I have tremendous respect for him as a basketball person, he’s been a great friend throughout the years,” said Rosenberry. “It’s exciting to be a part of an organization with a storied history and winning tradition such as Portland’s.”
Branch and Rosenberry will start on the job next week in preparation for the 2010-11 season.
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