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Pacific Notes: Howard, Gasol, Kobe, Kings

June 3rd, 2013 at 8:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Dwight Howard is keeping mum on what his plans might be after July 1st, but if you’re one for reading between the lines, yesterday’s comments to T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times could carry some weight.  The prized free agent referred to his time with Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni in the past tense. “He’s a great person and I’m glad we had the opportunity to be together,” Howard said.  Here’s more out of the Pacific Division..

  • Pau Gasol said he hasn’t talked to Dwight Howard this offseason and won’t try to convince him to return, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.  “He has to make the decision,” Gasol said.  Gasol wants Howard back like everyone else on the Lakers but he wants to give him space out of respect for him.
  • Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie is still playing a key role with the team even as he knows he’s in his final month with the franchise, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Sulia link). Until the Kings hire a new GM, Petrie and his staff are running all the preparations and research leading up to the NBA Draft on June 27. 
  • Until Kings ownership settles on a new general manager, new coach Michael Malone is leaning on Petrie, Jones writes. “I just told (Petrie) how much I appreciate him sticking around because he knows the draft a lot better than I do,” Malone said. “He’s been studying these guys … And he also can offer great insights to the current players on our roster as to what their strengths, weaknesses are and personalities. But I’m still going to keep an open mind and form my opinion on these guys.”
  • Kobe Bryant doesn’t envision Mike Krzyzewski talking him into playing in the 2016 Olympics, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLA.com.
  • With Jason Kidd retiring, Steve Nash is now the NBA’s oldest player under contract for next season, notes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
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D’Antoni, McMillan Won’t Coach In 2016 Olympics

May 23rd, 2013 at 2:43pm CST by Michael Pina

THURSDAY, 2:43pm: Like D'Antoni, 2012 Team USA assistant Nate McMillan also won't return to Mike Krzyzewski's staff for the 2016 games in Rio, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

When we first heard word that Coach K would be returning to coach Team USA for the '16 Olympics, Pete Thamel of SI.com noted that Jim Boeheim had said he was likely to remain on the coaching staff, but that not all of Krzyzewski's assistants would be back. With D'Antoni and McMillan out of the mix, the team figures to be in need of at least a couple new coaches.

WEDNESDAY, 6:04pm: Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni will not return to his role as assistant coach of the United States men's basketball team for the 2016 Summer Olympics, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman. 

D'Antoni chose to discontinue his role due to the four-year commitment, and how much of a strain it takes on his family life. He'd been with the team since 2006.

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D’Antoni, McMillan Won’t Coach In 2016 Olympics

May 23rd, 2013 at 2:43pm CST by Michael Pina

THURSDAY, 2:43pm: Like D'Antoni, 2012 Team USA assistant Nate McMillan also won't return to Mike Krzyzewski's staff for the 2016 games in Rio, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

When we first heard word that Coach K would be returning to coach Team USA for the '16 Olympics, Pete Thamel of SI.com noted that Jim Boeheim had said he was likely to remain on the coaching staff, but that not all of Krzyzewski's assistants would be back. With D'Antoni and McMillan out of the mix, the team figures to be in need of at least a couple new coaches.

WEDNESDAY, 6:04pm: Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni will not return to his role as assistant coach of the United States men's basketball team for the 2016 Summer Olympics, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman. 

D'Antoni chose to discontinue his role due to the four-year commitment, and how much of a strain it takes on his family life. He'd been with the team since 2006.

Read more

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D’Antoni, McMillan Won’t Coach In 2016 Olympics

May 23rd, 2013 at 2:43pm CST by Michael Pina

THURSDAY, 2:43pm: Like D'Antoni, 2012 Team USA assistant Nate McMillan also won't return to Mike Krzyzewski's staff for the 2016 games in Rio, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

When we first heard word that Coach K would be returning to coach Team USA for the '16 Olympics, Pete Thamel of SI.com noted that Jim Boeheim had said he was likely to remain on the coaching staff, but that not all of Krzyzewski's assistants would be back. With D'Antoni and McMillan out of the mix, the team figures to be in need of at least a couple new coaches.

WEDNESDAY, 6:04pm: Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni will not return to his role as assistant coach of the United States men's basketball team for the 2016 Summer Olympics, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman. 

D'Antoni chose to discontinue his role due to the four-year commitment, and how much of a strain it takes on his family life. He'd been with the team since 2006.

Read more

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Mike Krzyzewski To Coach 2016 U.S. Olympic Team

May 22nd, 2013 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

After initially indicating that 2012 would be the last time he coached the USA Men's Basketball team in Olympic play, Mike Krzyzewski will return for the 2016 games in Rio, according to Pete Thamel of SI.com. Thamel reports that an official announcement is expected within the next 48 hours.

We heard over the weekend that Krzyzewski had changed course and decided not to rule out the possibility of continuing on as USA Basketball's head coach. When we asked whether Krzyzewski or another coach was the best candidate for the job, a third of you picked the longtime Duke coach, who beat out Gregg Popovich (27.68%) and Phil Jackson (22.62%).

As Thamel notes, Krzyzewski has a 62-1 record as Team USA's head coach, having earned gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2012 London Olympics. USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo had remained confident that he could convince Krzyzewski to return for the '16 games, and was steadfast about not pursuing other coaching candidates until Coach K officially told him no.

While Krzyzewski will return, Thamel says his Team USA staff may not return entirely intact. In London, Coach K's assistants included Jim Boeheim, Mike D'Antoni, and Nate McMillan.

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Western Notes: Tony Allen, Clips, Lakers, Harris

March 28th, 2013 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The race for the final playoff spot(s) in the Western Conference will continue tonight, when the Lakers play the Bucks in Milwaukee and the Mavericks host the Pacers in Dallas. As we look forward to those games, let's round up a few Thursday items out of the conference….

  • Tony Allen is headed for unrestricted free agency this summer, and at least one Eastern Conference general manager thinks Allen will receive a modest raise. "Three years at $4MM per year sounds right," the GM tells Chris Mannix of SI.com. "He adds instant toughness and a defensive mentality to your team. He's a leader on the floor and he isn't going to back down from anyone. I think everyone in the league would love to have him." The Grizzlies have no interest in approaching luxury-tax territory, so it's unclear if they'll be able to bring back Allen.
  • Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com believes that both Los Angeles head coaches, Mike D'Antoni and Vinny Del Negro, could be on the outs with the Lakers and Clippers respectively if they don't finish the season strong.
  • With Metta World Peace expected to miss six weeks after undergoing surgery on his left knee, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News wonders if the veteran forward has played his last game with the Lakers.
  • Terrel Harris' new deal with the Hornets includes an second year that will become guaranteed if Harris makes the team's 2013/14 roster, reports Sam Amick of USA Today.
  • Nuggets coach George Karl tells Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post that he thinks Gregg Popovich would be interested in the Team USA head coaching position, and that Popovich would be a great choice for the job.
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Atlantic Notes: Rivers, Williams, Martin, Raptors

February 28th, 2013 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

With Mike Krzyzewski likely having coached in his last Olympics, there's a "near-unanimous feeling in basketball circles" that Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is the logical choice to replace him for 2016, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. But a source briefed on internal discussions regarding Coach K's replacement tells Berger that Celtics coach Doc Rivers shouldn't be ruled out.

"With Doc, I think it would keep the same chemistry going," a source told Berger. "If Pop comes in, he would want his own way of doing it – kind of the Spurs' secretive way of doing things – and out of Jerry [Colangelo]'s norm."

As Rivers and the Celtics prepare for tomorrow night's game against the Warriors, let's check in on a few other items from around the Atlantic Division:

  • Former Celtics coach Rick Pitino, who coached Terrence Williams at Louisville, tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that he believes Williams could be a great fit in Boston.
  • Kenyon Martin isn't losing sleep over whether or not the Knicks will hang on to him beyond his first 10-day contract, as he tells Al Iannazzone of Newsday. "If what I do merits for me to be here the rest of the year, then I will be," Martin said. "And if not, then I won't. But I think the way my game is and the way I play, I'll let my play speak for itself."
  • Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun acknowledges that it will hurt Andrea Bargnani's offseason trade value if the Raptors bench him now. However, Wolstat thinks it must be done, since Bargnani's current performance isn't helping the team or his trade value anyway.
  • The Sixers helped create their current mess by sending a message to the team that Andrew Bynum was the only player who mattered, opines Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News.
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Odds & Ends: Bucks, Revenues, Colangelo, Rose

November 13th, 2012 at 10:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bucks sit atop the Central Division two weeks into the season, and with the Bulls missing Derrick Rose and the Pacers without Danny Granger, there's a chance they might stay in first place for a while. Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis can become free agents next summer, but they're off to a strong start in their first full season as teammates, observes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Nonetheless, Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group predicts Ellis won't be with the Bucks next year (Twitter link). While we wait to see how Milwaukee's situation plays out, there's news on Rose and others on a six-game night in the Association.

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Odds & Ends: Nuggets, Colangelo, Spurs, Celtics

August 31st, 2012 at 9:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nuggets participated in the biggest trade of the offseason, getting Andre Iguodala in the four-team swap that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers, and Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com speculates that GM Masai Ujiri might not be done dealing. Howard-Cooper, replying to a fan question on Twitter, says he thinks the team will look to move a wing player or a power forward to alleviate logjams at those positions, but cautions that Iguodala, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, each of whom is owed more than $30MM, are not likely trade candidates. Here's the rest of the news from the Association with less than a month to go before the start of training camp:

  • Jerry Colangelo wants to remain as chairman of USA Basketball at least through the 2016 Olympics, USA Today reports. He's likely to receive formal approval to stay in early 2013, and says he's spoken to Mike Krzyzewski in hopes of luring him back as coach.
  • Agent Keith Kreiter of Edge Sports says via Twitter that the Spurs will bring in Brian Butch and Warren Carter for workouts next week, while the Celtics will audition Darryl Partin (hat tip to Michael A. De Leon of Project Spurs). Butch, a former University of Wisconsin center, was in camp with the Hornets before last season, while Carter, a forward from Illinois, got a look from the Knicks in camp in 2009. Partin, a guard, went undrafted this June out of Boston University.
  • A shoulder injury forced Channing Frye to miss the Suns' de facto postseason play-in game at the end of last season with the Jazz, and while he's been cleared for contact, he might not be ready in time for opening night, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports.
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Odds & Ends: Williams, Cavs, Terry, Blazers

August 13th, 2012 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2016 Summer Olympics may be four full years away, but with London's games behind us, it's not too early to start looking ahead to Rio de Janeiro. NBA players are expected to maintain Olympic eligibility at least through 2016, so Tom Zeller of SBNation.com provides an early preview of what Team USA's roster might look like in Brazil. Zeller predicts we could see five new faces on 2016's squad, including plenty of players who missed the London games due to injuries: Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Kyrie Irving.

Here are a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NBA:

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