Pistons fire coach Curry after 1 season
June 30, 2009
DETROIT (AP)—The Detroit Pistons fired coach Michael Curry on Tuesday as theteam started rebuilding from an unpopular trade, a sub-.500 record and anembarrassing first-round exit from the playoffs that ended its six-year streakof making it to the conference finals.
The Pistons went 39-43 and were swept in the postseason in four lopsidedlosses to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Joe Dumars, the team’s president forbasketball operations, said after that series that Curry would return, butchanged his mind about the fate of his former Pistons teammate.
“This was a difficult decision to make,” Dumars said in a statement. “Iwant to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization.However, at this time, I have decided to make a change.”
Pistons spokesman Kevin Grigg said the timetable for naming a new coach wasup in the air.
“Obviously with the free agency period starting tomorrow (Wednesday), wedon’t know quite the speed of it,” Grigg said.
Another ex-Pistons player and former Dumars teammate, Bill Laimbeer, steppeddown in June as coach of the WNBA’s Detroit Shock, saying he wanted a shot atcoaching in the NBA. Laimbeer did not immediately respond to an e-mail messageseeking comment.
The Pistons began the season with big hopes but couldn’t recover from theloss of All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups(notes) in a November trade to Denver forAllen Iverson(notes)—a move intended to feature Iverson’s creativity and create timefor emerging guard Rodney Stuckey(notes).
Instead, the Pistons fell apart. They won just three games in February andthree in April, plummeting to the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffseeding and a no-win matchup with LeBron James(notes) and the Cavs.
The playoff series loss ended a dominant run: The Pistons and the MagicJohnson-led Los Angeles Lakers are the only franchises to play in six straightconference finals since 1970-71, when teams had to win two series to advancethat far.
Immediately after the season, Dumars defended Curry.
“It was an up-and-down season for him,” Dumars said then. “And, an up-anddown-season for us. … The fact that we made so many changes for a first-yearcoach, I had to step back and be a little more patient than I have been. … Itried to put myself in his shoes.”
Curry did not return a cell phone message Tuesday. In January, he said heexpected to be held responsible for the team’s fortunes.
“It’s part of the job,” he said. “When you lose, it’s the coach’s fault.When you win, the players get the praise.”
Dumars last week started rebuilding the roster. The Pistons may very wellpart with unrestricted free agents Rasheed Wallace(notes) and Antonio McDyess(notes), and theypicked up forwards Austin Daye(notes), DaJuan Summers(notes) and Jonas Jerebko(notes) in last week’sdraft.
Last year, Dumars fired coach Flip Saunders after he led the team to theconference finals in each of his three seasons. Curry was an assistant underSaunders for one season.
The Pistons also parted ways with Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown in 2005after he helped them win a title and almost repeat during his two years with theteam. Rick Carlisle was fired after two years with the Pistons following anconference finals appearance in his second season and NBA Coach of the Yearhonors in his first.
Curry, who played for the Pistons in 1995-1997 and 1999-2003, started hisplaying career as an undrafted free agent during the 1993-94 season inPhiladelphia and ended during the 2004-05 season with the Indiana Pacers.
Near the end of his playing career, Curry headed the NBA players’association, leading it from 2001-2003. He later served as the NBDL’s vicepresident for player development and the NBA’s vice president for basketballoperations.
Curry averaged 4 1/2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 20 minutes a game over hiscareer, which also included stints in Milwaukee, Toronto and Washington. Hisdefense and leadership kept him in the league despite averaging less than sevenpoints a season.
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Korver opts to stay with Jazz for $5.2M
June 30, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—The Utah Jazz know at least one player with the option toleave is staying.
Now, for the other two.
Kyle Korver(notes) told the Jazz on Monday that he will not opt out of the finalyear of his contract, taking the guaranteed money over becoming a free agent.
“We are thrilled to have Kyle remain with the Jazz,” general manager KevinO’Connor said in a release Monday.
Korver’s decision was the first of three that are due before Tuesday’s freeagency deadline. Center Mehmet Okur(notes) and forward Carlos Boozer(notes) can also opt outof their remaining season. The Jazz had no updates other than Korver’s on theeve of the deadline.
Okur’s agent Marc Fleisher said in an e-mail Monday that his client wasleaning toward opting out, but had not decided.
O’Connor didn’t expect decisions to come until the last moment. One finallycame Monday afternoon from Jeff Schwartz, Korver’s agent.
Korver averaged nine points per game last season, giving the Jazz an outsideshooting threat off the bench. He shot 44 percent from the field and 38.6 from3-point range. He has one year remaining on the contract the Jazz took offPhiladelphia’s hands in a trade midway through the 2007-08 season.
Of the three players with options, Korver’s $5.2 million salary for nextseason is by far the smallest. Boozer and Okur will have a much bigger impact onthe Jazz’s payroll if they decide to stick around.
The choice is to gamble that the recession won’t affect their market valueor take the guaranteed money over the next year, then hope the economy looksbetter in a year.
The Jazz are leaving it up to them.
“Everybody has a number that they like and if those numbers don’t work,then it doesn’t work,” O’Connor said Friday, when all three players’ futureswere still uncertain.
O’Connor said he understood the stalemate, saying it’s a fact ofnegotiating. One side wants maximum money and the other wants maximum returnwhile keeping salaries at or under the NBA cap.
Okur is scheduled to make $9 million next season. He could test the freeagent market for more money or a long-term deal that would cover the 30-year-oldlate into his career—something he had hoped would come from the Jazz beforethe deadline.
Boozer has $12.7 million guaranteed next year if he stays in Utah. He hassaid he would definitely opt out, then that he hadn’t reached a decision andwouldn’t do so until the deadline. He also said the day after the season endedthat he would take a long-term contract from the Jazz if they offered—butdidn’t say what kind of money it would take to keep him.
“I would say it is up to us—after he makes his decision,” O’Connor saidFriday. “That’s the bottom line.”
Boozer agent Rob Pelinka didn’t return messages seeking comment Monday.Boozer has averaged a double-double for the Jazz each of the last three seasons— but played in only 35 games because of injuries. In five seasons with Utah, hehas missed 134 games.
O’Connor said all three would be welcomed back, keeping together a team thatwent 48-34 despite a rash of injuries that led to 148 missed games.
“We’d like to see what we could have done healthy,” O’Connor said. “We’dlike to still see what we could do healthy.”
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Bucks won’t make offer to F Villanueva
June 29, 2009
MILWAUKEE (AP)—The Milwaukee Bucks have made qualifying offers to restrictedfree agent guard Ramon Sessions(notes) and forward Ersan Ilyasova(notes), but will not make anoffer to forward Charlie Villanueva(notes)—allowing one of their top scorers fromlast season to become an unrestricted free agent.
Meanwhile, the team also is dealing with a potentially embarrassing YouTubemoment from first-round draft pick Brandon Jennings(notes).
Bucks general manager John Hammond said Monday that the team already hadsent offers to Sessions and Ilyasova, giving Milwaukee the right to match anycontract offers from other teams. But with Tuesday’s deadline for teams to makeoffers to their restricted free agents looming, the team decided not to make anoffer to Villanueva.
Posting on his Twitter account Monday evening, Villanueva noted that “myjourney in Milwaukee has come to (an) end,” thanking fans and Bucks owner Sen.Herb Kohl for “three great years.”
With a mid-level exception at their disposal, the Cleveland Cavaliers areexpected to have interest in signing Villanueva—and the interest soundsmutual. Perhaps anticipating his free agency, Villanueva posted Sunday that“Cleveland fans are showing me mad love on twitter, appreciate the love.”
Hammond said he did not want to elaborate on the reasons behind the freeagent decisions. But he did address another issue facing the team this week:Jennings’ involvement in a profanity-laced and provocative video clip that wasposted on the Web site YouTube.
“We are aware of the story,” Hammond said. “This is a team matter, andwe’ve been in contact with Brandon regarding it.”
The clip, which showed rapper Joe Budden having a speakerphone conversationwith someone identified as Jennings, had been removed as of Monday afternoon.
But according to a partial transcript of the clip posted onsportingnews.com, Jennings said he was confident that Sessions would not returnto the team, boasted that he would beat out Luke Ridnour(notes) for the Bucks’ startingpoint guard job and made a profane comment about the New York Knicks for notdrafting him.
“He did not know he was being taped and it’s already been addressed toBrandon by the Milwaukee Bucks as well as Bill Duffy and BDA Sports,” saidIlana Nunn, spokeswoman for Jennings’ agency. “When you’re not told your beingtaped, you don’t know what’s going on.”
Jennings previously had mentioned his friendship with Budden on his Twitteraccount, which had been taken down as of Monday afternoon.
The incident could raise questions about the maturity of Jennings, whodecided to play professionally in Italy instead of going to college.
And Jennings apparently was wrong about Sessions’ future with the team.
After showing flashes of his potential toward the end of the 2007-08 season,Sessions played in 79 games last year—including 39 starts—and averaged 12.4points and 5.7 assists per game. Ilyasova, the Bucks’ second-round pick in 2005,played for Milwaukee in the 2007-08 season but has been playing professionallyin Spain since then.
Villanueva, the seventh overall pick in the 2005 draft, played three seasonsin Milwaukee after being traded by Toronto. He averaged a career-best 16.2points last season, teaming with Richard Jefferson(notes) to make up for the scoringvoid left by significant injuries to guard Michael Redd(notes) and center Andrew Bogut(notes).
AP Sports Writer Colin Fly contributed from Milwaukee.
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Clippers welcome top pick Griffin
June 29, 2009
LOS ANGELES (AP)—Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy had no doubts who his team wouldtake when they won the draft lottery in May.
“I knew that was Blake,” said Dunleavy, who was scouting in Spain when thenews came to him of Los Angeles’ good fortunes. “No question.”
It’s too soon for Dunleavy to compare the No. 1 overall pick in the draft toany one player.
“He’s somewhere between Charles Barkley’s explosiveness and ability torebound” and “Tim Duncan’s(notes) size and ballhandling skills out on the floor”Dunleavy said of Griffin, 20, after introducing him to a crowd of severalhundred at the Clippers’ new workout facility in Playa Vista.
The 6-foot-10 Oklahoma product and consensus national player of the yearaveraged 22.7 points a game and 14.4 rebounds, recorded 30 double-doubles thispast season, the second highest all-time in NCAA history to David Robinson’s 31.
Griffin will get the chance, Dunleavy said, to show that the Clippers,exercising just the third overall No. 1 pick in franchise history, made theright choice.
“He’ll be on a long leash.,” Dunleavy said. “I’m not afraid to playrookies.”
Griffin said he’s not putting pressure on himself. But he does plan to comein and work hard.
“I don’t plan on being the savior,” he said, after arriving in townFriday.
He’s already worked out twice with his new teammates Eric Gordon(notes), DeAndreJordan(notes) and Mike Taylor(notes), and already felt like he was fitting in.
The Clippers will try and make the playoffs for just the eighth time in thefranchise’s history as the Buffalo Braves, San Diego and Los Angeles Clippers.
The last NBA No. 1 pick for the Clippers, Michael Olowokandi(notes) in 1998, didn’tpan out, averaging just 9.9 points in five seasons. The 1988 overall No. 1 pick,Danny Manning from Kansas, did, averaging 19.1 points a game in six seasonsdespite injury issues.
Griffin got an early start playing in front of big crowds., playing baseballas a three-year-old.
“I was really nervous,” Griffin said. He was the batboy/little brotherhanger-on for older brother Taylor’s T-ball team of six-year-olds when the coachsaid he could bat in a lopsided game. “That was the largest crowd I’d everplayed in front of.”
He doubled the first time up, tripled the second. “We knew he was specialright then,” his father said.
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Wolves waiting on sought-after Rubio
June 29, 2009
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—Four days after Ricky Rubio(notes) was drafted by the MinnesotaTimberwolves, it appears that the teenage Spanish sensation has become the mostwanted man in the NBA.
Executives across the league are flooding Timberwolves president DavidKahn’s office with calls offering trades to bring Rubio’s slick passing skillsand moptop hairstyle to their cities. In the Twin Cities, fans can’t wait to seethe highlight factory zipping behind-the-back feeds to Al Jefferson(notes) and KevinLove(notes).
But Rubio’s availability for the upcoming season has been cast into doubt bya $6.6 million buyout of his contract with DKV Joventut in Spain. His agent, DanFegan, is trying to negotiate that number down to ease the financial burden onhis client, and there is some question as to whether Rubio wants to play in therelatively small Minnesota market.
With all of those factors, one would think Kahn is feeling some pressure toresolve the matter.
Not exactly.
Kahn is declining comment on Rubio for the time being, preferring a lowprofile that doesn’t ruffle any feathers in the Rubio camp. But in his commentsafter drafting Rubio, Kahn made it clear that there is no hurry.
“The last thing we needed to do was be demanding and assertive. Not now,”Kahn said. “I don’t know how this is going to play out. There could be a lot oftwists and turns. But I don’t feel any self-imposed pressure that this needs tobe resolved or concluded in any short fashion.”
One of the biggest reasons many general managers believe Rubio is there tobe had is also the biggest reason why Kahn can wait. The Timberwolves choseanother point guard in Jonny Flynn(notes) one pick after Rubio fell into their lap atNo. 5 on draft night.
The sudden depth at the position gives Kahn plenty of flexibility as theteam, and Rubio, approach the murky waters ahead.
— If Rubio decides to play in Minnesota, “he will be the starting pointguard the day he walks in the door,” Kahn wrote in a letter to Timberwolvesfans after the draft. The Wolves get a “virtuoso” who will sell tickets for ateam that has struggled mightily in that area.
— If the 18-year-old decides to stay in Europe next season, the Timberwolvescan roll with Flynn at point guard and hope that both players improve with bigminutes against top competition. That would increase the trade value for both ofthem heading into the 2010 offseason.
— If Rubio requests a trade, Kahn can afford to wait for the right offerfrom the right team to bring a strong package in exchange for one of the mostmarketable players in the 2009 class.
For now, Kahn said there are no plans to trade Rubio or Flynn. He envisionsthe pair as a backcourt for the next generation, one that can capitalize on theNBA’s stricter enforcement of touch fouls on the perimeter while having theversatility to defend on the other end of the court.
“The organization needs to be very patient,” Kahn said. “While we ask forpatience, we will also tell people that we think down the road these kids will,I hope, prove to be special.”
That stance also could be posturing to drive the trade values of bothplayers higher, but as long as Kahn is willing to wait this out, the ballremains in Minnesota’s court.
The Timberwolves have not made the playoffs since 2004 and Kahn has saidthat they are at least two years away from contending for a playoff spot in theWestern Conference. So the desperation that often is the harbinger of bad dealsis nowhere near the Twin Cities these days.
“We’re starting to I hope accumulate value, not just in the form ofplayers, but draft picks and cap room, that’s valuable too,” Kahn said. “Soyeah, I like value.”
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Reports: Yao may miss season, or longer
June 29, 2009
HOUSTON (AP)—Rockets center Yao Ming’s(notes) broken left foot could be a“career-threatening” injury.
Dr. Tom Clanton, the Houston Rockets’ team physician, told the HoustonChronicle on Monday that Yao’s injury “has the potential for him missing thisnext season and could be career-threatening.”
Yahoo! Sports first reported the Rockets and Yao’s representatives wereconcerned the 7-foot-6 All-Star would never play again. Yahoo! Sports quoted“multiple league executives, officials close to Yao and two doctors withknowledge of the diagnoses.”
Yao suffered a hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone late in a May8 playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The team said last week theinjury hasn’t healed and he was out indefinitely.
Yao played in 77 regular-season games in 2008-09, his most injury-free yearsince 2004-05, when he played in 80. Before last season, Yao missed chunks ofprevious three seasons with leg and foot injuries.
He missed 21 games in 2005-06 after surgery to heal an infection to his leftbig toe, then broke a bone in his left foot with four games left in the regularseason.
In 2006-07, Yao missed 32 games after breaking his right leg and he suffereda stress fracture in his left foot in 2007-08, underwent surgery and sat out 26games.
Yao hurried back from that foot injury to represent China in the BeijingGames. He made it through the Rockets’ season and the first round of theplayoffs before breaking his left foot late in the Rockets’ 108-94 loss to theLakers in Game 3 of the second round at the Toyota Center.
Two days later, Yao said he didn’t believe the injury was as serious as anyof his previous ones. The Rockets said he would miss only 8-12 weeks.
But last week, the team said Yao would undergo additional tests and consultwith other doctors to map out a new course of treatment.
Yao is due to make over $16 million next season with a player option for2010-11 that would pay him over $17 million. He was the top overall pick by theRockets in the 2002 draft.
The Rockets already expect Tracy McGrady(notes) to miss at least the first half ofnext season after microfracture surgery on his left knee.
Houston acquired McGrady in a trade with Orlando in June 2004, hoping theAll-Star duo would carry Houston back to the NBA’s top tier. But one or theother has been injured for almost their entire time as teammates. The Rocketsare 146-74 in the 220 games McGrady and Yao have played together, a low totalacross five seasons.
General manager Daryl Morey said last week Yao’s uncertain status wouldn’taffect any of his offseason plans for trades or free-agent signings. He has saidthe Rockets are interested in re-signing free agent Ron Artest(notes).
Morey said after last week’s draft he would not comment on Yao’s healthbeyond the statement released by the team that was out indefinitely.
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Nets pick up $2.06M option on F Hayes
June 29, 2009
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—The New Jersey Nets are picking up the $2.06million contract option on forward Jarvis Hayes(notes) for next season.
“Jarvis was a key member of our rotation last season, providing instantscoring and the ability to stretch the defense,” Nets president Rod Thorn saidMonday in a statement. “We are pleased to have him continue as a member of ourroster, and look forward to a similar contribution this season.”
Hayes, signed as a free agent last July, averaged 8.7 points, 3.6 reboundsand 24.8 minutes in 74 games. He shot a career-high .445 (257-577) from thefield and a career-high .385 (94-244) from 3-point range. He was only 36-52 fromthe foul line.
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Rockets taking over D-League team
June 29, 2009
McALLEN, Texas (AP)—The Houston Rockets are taking over basketball operationsof the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in what it says is the first partnership of itskind with an NBA Developmental League team.
The move will give the Rockets control over the players assigned to theD-League team. The Rockets will also have the final say on staff hirings,coaching decisions and even the schemes used in games. The Vipers will still belocally owned by a group headed by Alonzo Cantu, and the group will continue tooversee business operations.
The Rockets will host an exhibition game against the Boston Celtics on Oct.7 in Hidalgo, marking the first time an NBA D-League team has hosted a parentclub for any part of training camp.
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Pacers let G Daniels become free agent
June 29, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—The Indiana Pacers will not exercise their team option onguard Marquis Daniels(notes).
Daniels’ agent, Glenn Schwartzman, told The Associated Press in an e-mail onMonday that the Pacers have indicated that they will not pay the final year ofthe deal. Daniels would have made $7.3 million next season, but now he’s anunrestricted free agent.
Daniels averaged a career-high 13.6 points per game last season, but BrandonRush(notes) emerged late and is the favorite to start at shooting guard next season.
Daniels has been successful during his three years as a Pacer, but he missed73 games the past three seasons with an assortment of injuries.
A Pacers spokesman says the team cannot comment on the situation until freeagency officially begins Wednesday.
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O’Neal trade proves Suns in transition
June 27, 2009
PHOENIX (AP)—By unloading 325-pound Shaquille O’Neal(notes) and his equally massivecontract, the Phoenix Suns made it clear they are no longer tweaking.
They’re overhauling—and more dramatic moves could be coming.
“We’re in transition, and I think that transition has been a little awkwardthe last year,” general manager Steve Kerr said Friday after the clubintroduced first-round draft pick Earl Clark(notes) at a U.S. Airways Center newsconference.
It may remain awkward, at least for a while, as Suns fixtures AmareStoudemire and Steve Nash(notes) are mentioned in trade speculation.
The hottest draft-day rumor had Stoudemire going to Western Conference rivalGolden State in a deal that would include former Davidson sharpshooter StephenCurry(notes), drafted seventh overall on Thursday. But that potential deal fizzled whenGolden State coach Don Nelson emphatically said Friday that Curry “ain’t goinganyplace.”
Kerr acknowledged that he had spoken to the Warriors about a possible tradeinvolving Stoudemire, who could become a free agent after next season.
“Obviously, that’s the sexy one that’s out there right now that’s flyingaround,” Kerr said. “It’s been way overblown, and I’m not going to comment onany details of it. But I will say that we’ve talked about that. We’ve talkedabout a lot of deals with a lot of teams and will continue to do so becausethat’s what we do.”
The deal that sent Shaq to Cleveland, where he’ll team with LeBron James(notes),brought little in return for Phoenix, aside from financial flexibility and achance to begin looking ahead.
Shaq’s year-and-a-half in the desert brought one playoff victory—a yearago. The Suns missed out on the postseason this year.
O’Neal made the All-Star Game last season but seemed an odd fit on anup-tempo team. If Kerr has any regrets about acquiring Shaq, he’s keeping themto himself.
“What we did was, we decided to give a team that was slightly in decline,and no longer a championship contender in our minds, one last chance,” Kerrsaid. “Whether it was the right thing to do or not, that’s open for debate, andif it was not the right thing to do, then that’s my fault. I’m the generalmanager.
“I believe when you have the chance, you go for it, and that’s what wedid,” Kerr added. “Now with that said, it didn’t pan out. We didn’t win in theplayoffs, and so now it’s time to start moving forward.”
Clark will be part of that move. The Suns selected the 6-foot-9, 225-poundforward out of Louisville 14th overall. In the second round, the Suns pickedOklahoma forward Taylor Griffin(notes), the older brother of top overall pick BlakeGriffin(notes).
“I still feel like I’m in a dream right now,” said the 21-year-old Clark,who averaged a team-high 14.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game as a junior lastseason.
Suns coach Alvin Gentry said he was impresssed with Clark’s defensiveabilities and his versatility.
“I think he’s going to be a very good player for us for a lot of years,”Gentry said.
Kerr said Clark is the sort of player he’s hoping to stockpile during theSuns’ transition.
“I want length, I want defense,” Kerr said. “Length and defense and youthis my vision. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes severaldrafts. It takes maybe a couple of trades, but we’re continuing to do that.”
The Shaq trade was a big one. Now the question is whether Kerr is planninganother blockbuster.
Last week, Kerr went to New York to meet with Nash and talk about his visionfor the team’s future.
“We want him to finish his career here, if that’s possible,” Kerr said.“We’ll continue to talk, and I think he wants to see how this all pans out withour team and see where we’re heading. But I’m confident that we’ll have himhere.”
Nash’s name hasn’t surfaced as often as Stoudemire’s in trade rumors. Withso much talk swirling about possible deals, Kerr called Stoudemire on Fridaymorning, apparently in an attempt to clarify matters for the All-Star forward.
“What’s happened is, with the Internet, with talk radio, with Twitter, withthe blogs, there’s so much stuff out there that it’s hard to sort througheverything, and it’s disconcerting as a player when you see your name all overthe place.” Kerr said. “So I just try to keep our guys informed, and let themknow, ‘Hey, if you’re seeing this rumor or that rumor, that’s BS, so don’t payany attention.
“But at the same time, I’m always mindful of the fact that everybody’sexpendable at some level,” Kerr said. “Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem, Dr. J—theywere all expendable.”
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