NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
Sacramento Kings, George Karl have head coaching job agreement
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The Sacramento Kings today have reached an agreement in principle with George Karl, the sixth-winningest coach in NBA history with 1,131 career victories, to become the team’s head coach, according to General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.
A press conference formally introducing Karl will be scheduled when the agreement is finalized.
Kings remove Tyrone Corbin as head coach, keep him as advisor
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The Sacramento Kings announced today that Tyrone Corbin has been relieved of his head coaching duties, according to General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.
Corbin will continue working with the organization and has chosen to serve as an advisor to the front office.
“I have the utmost respect for Tyrone as a coach and person,” said D’Alessandro. “He’s a man of great integrity, a consummate professional that managed a difficult situation with class and professionalism. I look forward to continuing to work with Tyrone moving forward.”
Jeff Teague reps the Hawks, but also the city of Indianapolis
Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague is putting up 17.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game for the 43-11 squad. He’s been named to the 2015 East NBA All-Star team as a reserve. So of course he reps the Hawks. But he’s also an important basketball figure for his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting:
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It’s All-Star Weekend, and while the Pacers don’t have any representatives at this year’s game, there’s one participant that should be of particular interest for Indianapolis basketball fans.
Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, a Pike grad, was selected to his first All-Star Game after leading the Hawks to the East’s best record, highlighted by a 19-game win streak.
So why should you care about Teague’s selection?
Well, because he’s the first Indianapolis-bred All-Star since George McGinnis in 1979.
Yup, that’s right, it’s been 36 long years since a player from the largest city in a state synonymous with basketball has been an All-Star.
That’s not to say there haven’t been good basketball players to come from Indy during that time. Both Mike Conley (Lawrence North) and Gordon Hayward (Brownsburg) are playing at an All-Star level this season but found cracking the Western Conference roster a task too tall.
Here’s the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reporting on the Heat, who have enjoyed the production of center Hassan Whiteside but could use more help on the glass from All-Star Chris Bosh:
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Then there is Bosh’s rebounding. He has had three or fewer in three of the past five games.
Part of that has been the vacuum-like rebounding of emerging center Hassan Whiteside. Part of it has been a lack of needed aggression.
“I’ll start doing more on the boards,” he said. “If I have to, I’ll start fighting Hassan for ’em, too, because that’s about two or three a game that I miss now on.
“It’s been a struggle. It’s been a struggle. I’m just making sure I’m keeping my head and move forward no matter what happens.”
Pistons sign John Lucas III to second 10-day contract
Detroit Pistons General Manager Jeff Bower announced today that the club has signed guard John Lucas III to a second 10-day contract.
The 5-foot-11, 166-pound guard has averaged 4.8 points, 4.0 assists and 12.8 minutes in six games with Detroit. He scored a season-high 10 points at Indiana (2/4) and has dished out a season-high six assists twice.
Originally signed on February 2, Lucas joined the Pistons following a stint with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association where he averaged 26.6 points, 7.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 43.5 minutes in 26 games.
The Washington, DC native has spent parts of six seasons in the NBA with the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz. He holds career averages of 4.8 points, 1.4 assists, 1.0 rebounds and 12.2 minutes in 216 games (eight starts) and is a career 34.7-percent shooter from three-point range.
Lucas has also spent time in the NBA’s Developmental League and played internationally in Italy, Spain and China. He played collegiately at Oklahoma State University.
Dirk Nowitzki replaces Anthony Davis (injured) on 2015 West NBA All-Star team
Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Western Conference All-Star Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Nowitzki, who has posted averages of 18.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in his 17th NBA season, will be making his 13th All-Star appearance. The highest-scoring player born outside the United States in NBA history, Nowitzki surpassed Moses Malone for seventh place on the league’s all-time scoring list last month.
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr, who earned the right to coach the West squad because the Warriors clinched the best record in the conference through games played Feb. 1, will determine Davis’ replacement in the starting lineup.
Davis was also in the field for the Degree® Shooting Stars during State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night at Barclays Center. His replacement will be named at a later time.
Anthony Davis injured, will not play in 2015 NBA All-Star game
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New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis, who is recovering from a right shoulder sprain, released the following statement:
“After careful thought and consideration, I’ve decided I will not be participating in this year’s NBA All-Star competitions. I want to thank the fans for voting me into the All-Star game and I am sorry I will not be able to play.
While I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to compete this weekend, I’m still very excited about the opportunity to be a part of the All-Star events in New York and celebrate our game with some of the NBA’s greatest figures.
More than anything, I am anxious to get healthy and back on the court with my teammates after the All-Star break.”
Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting on the Pacers, whose head coach is making sure his voice gets heard, at least when the refs are around:
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The Indiana Pacers are in a fight for one of the last playoff spots, and coach Frank Vogel is in a race that he’d rather not win.
Vogel recently moved ahead of his peers to become the No. 1 leader in technical fouls. On Monday, Vogel got ticked off then was T’d up – his ninth technical foul happening in a tightly contested fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs. All technical fouls award the opposing team a free throw, which San Antonio’s Danny Green made. The Pacers eventually lost 95-93.
By Wednesday afternoon, before his team faced the New Orleans Pelicans, Vogel hesitantly addressed his rising total of techs. The nine Ts have also come with a hefty price tag of $22,000 in fines this season.
Charles Oakley no fan of James Dolan
Beloved former New York Knick Charles Oakley, who took no prisoners on the court and is off the court is always ready to get fired up and speak his mind, doesn’t seem to be a big fan of Knicks owner James Dolan. Here’s the New York Daily News reporting:
For all the blood, sweat and tears Charles Oakley sacrificed while wearing a Knicks uniform, the former enforcer has no lost love for owner James Dolan.
“I’m tired of talking about Dolan,” Oakley said at the Knickerbocker Hotel in Times Square Wednesday, when asked about the Garden chairman’s latest gaffe, where Dolan got into an email war with a longtime fan. “He’s that type of dude.”
But when asked about his relationship with Dolan, Oakley ripped into the Knicks owner, and is incredulous as to why Dolan has given one of the franchise’s most popular players the Seventh Avenue Freeze-Out.
“Everybody in New York liked me except this one guy. Why is this?” said Oakley. “Everywhere I talk to people – ‘Why aren’t you working with the Knicks?’ I said I try to. They said, ‘What, is it Dolan?’ I talked to maybe a million people. He’s a bad guy.”
Former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian has died
Legendary basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, who took the Runnin’ Rebels to four Final Fours and brought home the national championship in 1990, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, in Las Vegas. He was 84.
A campus memorial event is being planned. Details will be announced soon.
“The UNLV community mourns the passing of Coach Jerry Tarkanian, and our condolences are with Jerry’s wife, Lois, and the Tarkanian family,” said UNLV President Len Jessup.
“Coach Tarkanian’s contribution to UNLV and Southern Nevada stretches far beyond the game of basketball. Many in Southern Nevada and around the nation were introduced to UNLV through Coach Tarkanian and the Runnin’ Rebels. He made Runnin’ Rebel basketball a brand name during his 19 years on campus, inspiring our community and creating a legacy that endures to this day. He will be deeply missed though fondly remembered as a college basketball icon and as one of the greats in our university’s history.”
Current UNLV men’s basketball head coach Dave Rice was both a player and coach under Tarkanian. He said, “The qualities that make UNLV a great university – opportunity, self-determination and equality – are the same qualities that coach Tarkanian ingrained in his teams. The impact of coach’s contributions to our university, our community, his players and all of college basketball, is immeasurable.”
Rice added, “He instilled in me a confidence and commitment to doing what I believe is right for all people I am around. He saw something in me and gave me my first opportunity in coaching and I will be forever grateful. He will always be a part of UNLV, and our university is a better institution because of that. We are all saddened by this loss, our deepest condolences to the Tarkanian family.”
— Via UNLV Basketball