The Deseret Morning News (Tim Buckley) reports: When the 2008 NBA playoffs ended for the Jazz last month, coach Jerry Sloan as he typically does declined to say for certain that he would return for yet another season. This morning, however, Sloan said he indeed will work for at least another year in Utah. “I’m planning on coming back, and looking forward to it,” Sloan said by telephone during a break in chores on his farm in southern Illinois. In doing so, Sloan will be fulfilling the final season that remains on his current contract with the Jazz.
Rick Carlisle going to Germany to chill with Dirk
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Jeff Caplan) reports: Mavericks coach Rick plans to travel to Germany next week and spend five days with Dirk Nowitzki, who is training with the German National team in its quest to qualify for the Olympics for the first time. Without a first-round pick in the June 26 draft, the Mavs will likely try to buy or trade their way in, although Carlisle said it can be difficult working out a deal with teams with only one first-round pick. New Jersey (from Dallas in the Jason Kidd trade), Seattle and Memphis each have two first-round selections. The Mavs have the 51st overall pick. Carlisle said he is getting closer to naming a staff. Former NBA head coaches Dwane Casey and Terry Stotts have standing offers. Carlisle gives a slight edge to the Boston Celtics to beat the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA title. Carlisle was a member of the Celtics during the most recent NBA Finals meeting between the two franchises, in 1987.
Celtics defensive credit goes to Tom Thibodeau
The Boston Globe (Christopher L. Gasper) reports: When Kevin Garnett was recognized as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, Celtics coach Doc Rivers commented that Garnett had changed the team’s culture when it came to defense. The same can be said of Tom Thibodeau. The first-year assistant coach and former Salem State player is the Celtics’ defensive coordinator and the man charged with molding a plan that will help them slow down league MVP Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Rivers hired Thibodeau last summer as associate head coach and promptly turned over control of the defense to the longtime NBA assistant. And Thibodeau transformed the Celtics into the best defensive team in the league. During the regular season, Boston led the league in fewest points allowed per game (90.1), field goal percentage allowed (41.9), and 3-point field goal percentage allowed (31.6). Last season, Boston ranked 24th in field goal percentage allowed (46.8), 18th in points allowed (99.2), and allowed opponents to shoot 35 percent from beyond the arc.
Doc Rivers made some mistakes with Orlando
The Orlando Sentinel (Mike Bianchi) reports: But when faced with tough situations in Orlando, Doc Rivers didn’t fare nearly as well. He, perhaps more than anyone, allowed Tracy McGrady to turn into a prima donna. And, consequently, when McGrady’s play became inconsistent and his work ethic non-existent at the end of Doc’s tenure in 2003, there was nothing Doc could do to save his job. Grant Hill may have been the biggest reason Doc failed here, but not the only one. With Hill’s massive contract tying up much of the salary cap, Doc and former GM John Gabriel needed to work together and work miracles in the draft. Instead, they became engaged in a power struggle. Gabriel rightfully gets blamed for some poor draft picks, but Magic insiders will tell you Doc was just as responsible and pushed for such first-round busts as Jeryl Sasser and Steven Hunter. And although Doc refutes it, former Magic exec John Weisbrod said Doc made one of the most monumental miscalculations in Magic history. “When given the choice between [keeping] Ben Wallace or John Amaechi, Doc chose John Amaechi,” Weisbrod said. “Most every personnel decision that was made was because Doc was in favor of it.”
Woman`s boyfriend pretended to be Sonics exec
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Gary Washburn) reports: For months, a Boston-area woman thought she was dating a Sonics front-office employee and former NBA player named Jeff Turner, a handsome, 6-foot-8 40-something who was polite, compassionate and respectful. She thought she had scored a figurative slam-dunk in the Internet dating game. But when the man she was falling for suddenly left his Somerville, Mass., home and stayed away for three weeks, the woman became suspicious. A Google search helped her discover that this man was not Jeff Turner, but a habitual impostor who had been posing as a Sonics employee for the past several months. Just when it appeared matters couldn’t become any more bizarre for Seattle’s downtrodden basketball franchise, the Sonics have emerged as victims in a case of identity fraud perpetrated by a smooth-talking con man.
Fantastic interview with Bird and Magic
Some dudes you may have heard of named Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were on a conference call today, and discussed everything worth discussing about all things Celtics-Lakers, from the old days, to the 80’s, to the upcoming Finals matchup.
You have to read the interview.
Spain fires their national coach
Reuters reports: Pepu Hernandez was sacked as coach of world basketball champions Spain by the country’s federation (FEB) on Tuesday, just two months before the start of the Beijing Olympics. The 50-year-old had already said he was going to step down after the Olympics but fell out with FEB president Jose Luis Saez over the timing of this announcement just over a month ago.
The AP reports: The federation said in a statement that Hernandez had been fired for failing to comply with contractual obligations and for showing a “lack of respect for the federation and its staff.” Relations between Hernandez and the federation had deteriorated since the 50-year-old coach said last month he would quit after the Beijing Olympics in August.
Nets need size
The Bergen Record (Al Iannazzone) writes the following in his blog: Yes, they have some size with Josh Boone, Stromile Swift and Sean Williams, but they need more since it’s too early to say whether Nenad Krstic or DeSagana Diop will be back. Right now, I would say the chances are better for Krstic from a sheer dollar perspective. My hunch is someone – the Mavericks, for instance – will give Diop more than the Nets. They need to improve inside. They have said it repeatedly. The Nets’ best bet would be to do it via trade – I would go after Elton Brand, Marcus Camby, and restricted free-agent Josh Smith in a sign-and-trade to name a few – since there is no guarantee they’re going to find an impact big at 10. Plus who knows if Kevin Love or Anthony Randolph will be on the board still.
Shane Battier has a new son
Shane and Heidi Battier are proud to announce the arrival of Zeke Edward Battier at 5:33 p.m. yesterday, measuring in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 21 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great.
Sonics trial could get ugly
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Greg Johns) reports: With less than two weeks remaining until the start of the city’s trial against the Sonics, an attorney unaffiliated with either party says this could turn into the legal equivalent of a barroom brawl if the case gets to court. The looming question now is whether the struggle over the Sonics’ lease issue at KeyArena will reach Judge Marsha Pechman’s courtroom for the opening gavel on June 16 or if the sides will come to some sort of pretrial agreement. Longtime Seattle attorney Randy Aliment said he’s surprised the situation has gone this far without resolution and notes that more than 90 percent of cases are resolved out of court. From Aliment’s perspective, both parties in this particular battle have significant motivation to find a tenable solution, as does the NBA.