NBA Thread

[GM Franchise]

Thunder guard DeAndre Liggins arrested and jailed on Domestic Abuse Charges



http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/01/justice/oklahoma-city-thunder-deandre-liggins/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

(CNN) -- Oklahoma City Thunder guard DeAndre Liggins was in jail early Sunday morning on charges of domestic abuse.

Liggins, 25, was booked into the Oklahoma County jail Saturday night where he's being held on an $8,000 bond.

According to jail records, authorities charged Liggins with domestic abuse in the presence of a minor child -- a felony.

No additional details were immediately available. But police told CNN affiliate KOCO, that the victim is believed to be Liggins' girlfriend.

In a statement to NewsOK.com, the team said it was aware of the arrest.

"We are aware of the situation and take this matter seriously," the statement read. "We are in the process of gathering more information and have no further comment at this time."
Liggins was signed by the Thunder last year after playing his rookie season with the Orlando Magic. He has averaged 1.6 points and 7.2 minutes a game for his career, and has been used almost exclusively as a substitute.

From: www.cnn.com

[GM Franchise]

It's that time of year again. NBA is coming back soon and the rivalries are already starting. 

Kevin Garnett tells Lebron James to concern himself with his own team

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/9842139/kevin-garnett-brooklyn-nets-tells-lebron-james-worry-miami-heat

NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets power forward Kevin Garnett thinks Miami Heat star LeBron James should concern himself with his own team.

More on ESPN.com
LeBron James thinks Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce owe Ray Allen an apology. J.A. Adande discusses loyalty. Story

"Tell LeBron to worry about Miami. It has nothing to do with Celtic business," Garnett said in response to James, who previously expressed thoughts that KG and Nets small forward Paul Pierce should apologize for criticizing Heat sharpshooter Ray Allen for leaving the Boston Celtics before they departed for Brooklyn.

Garnett and Pierce were traded to the Nets along with reserve Jason Terry during the summer.

"I left Boston?" Pierce said when asked of James' comments, clearly noting he had been dealt by the Celtics and didn't leave as a free agent.

Garnett and Pierce were both critical of Allen after he elected to sign with the Heat last offseason. KG said he lost Allen's phone number, and Pierce said he hadn't forgiven him.!

"I think the first thing I thought was, 'Wow, Ray got killed for leaving Boston, and now these guys are leaving Boston,'" James said. "I think it's OK; I didn't mind it. But there were a couple guys who basically [expletive] on Ray for leaving, and now they're leaving.

"That's the nature of our business, man. I don't know what Boston was going through at the end of the day. I know Ray had to make the best decision for him and his family and his career. Doc [Rivers, former Celtics coach], KG and Paul did that as well. You can't criticize someone who does something that's best for their family."

James, of course, left the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign with the Heat in 2010. His "decision" remains infamous to this day.

"I can relate to that -- you think so? I'm the No. 1 relater," James said. "I've been through it all. I know all about it."

Information from ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst was used in this report.

[GM Franchise]

Doc Rivers has Laker banners covered up during Clippers games.



http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24107349/video-doc-rivers-has-lakers-banners-covered-up-for-clippers-games

Doc Rivers will talk about how it's just professional pride for his team. He'll talk about it not being meant as a sign of disrespect. But it's hard not to see the decision which was first enacted on Friday night at Staples Center as having dual purposes: furthering a Clippers rivalry now hat he's the head coach, and sticking it to a team he's feuded with over the past six years.

On Friday night before the Clippers' preseason game vs. the Blazers, Rivers had the Lakers' banners covered up with Clippers posters. From SI.com:

"Well, I didn't look at it as the banner thing," Rivers maintained. "I just look at it as putting our guys up."

Rivers had the banners of Jamal Crawford, Blake Griffin, J.J. Redick, DeAndre Jordan, Jared Dudley, Chris Paul and Matt Barnes all put up on the wall.

The Kings' championship banner was still up on the opposite side of the arena.

Rivers was asked why he didn't put up his banners on the same side as the Kings' banner.

"Listen, I think this is our arena when we play," Rivers said. "So I just thought it would be good that we show our guys. No disrespect to them. But when we play, it's the Clippers' arena as far as I know."

Jordan has been with the Clippers for five seasons and he always wondered why the Lakers had their banners at the forefront.

"You've got to give those [Lakers] guys credit. They won championships so they have the right to put them up," Jordan said. "But at the same time, it doesn't say Lakers Arena outside. It says Staples."

Personally, I think this is great. You shouldn't have to play in anyone's shadow, just because you split an arena with them. The Clippers are the hot ticket in town now, they're the team with championship aspirations they're the team with maybe the best player in Los Angeles. This is their house now, until the Lakers reload or the Clips fall apart again, as they have so often in their history.

And I think the jabs are good. The Clippers are treated as second-class basketball citizens in LA, behind the perception that the Lakers have accomplished so much that the Clippers can never catch up. Part of remedying that is standing up for yourselves. It's making it clear that when you're the home team, it's your house.

And if you can do it while downplaying the history of the other organization, why not?

Of course, the next step in this is asking Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant how they feel about it, and while the two aren't going to care all that much, their reactions will likely still be pretty funny.

[¿PapaPancho?]

Got to change the mindset. I like the move Doc.

[GM Franchise]

Lakers talk Banners being covered up by Clippers

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/9855685/los-angeles-lakers-offended-los-angeles-clippers-covering-championship-banners

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Lakers were mostly diplomatic when asked about the Los Angeles Clippers' new initiative, led by coach Doc Rivers, to cover up the Lakers' championship banners and retired uniforms during Clippers home games, but it didn't sit so well with L.A. native, and former Clipper, Nick Young.

"He can do that?" Young said after Lakers practice Sunday, the team's first since returning from China. "For real? That's disrespectful. We got to talk to Doc. He can't have that. We got to do something about that."

The Clippers revealed their Staples Center redecoration during a preseason game Friday, as they plastered giant posters of players Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick over the Lakers' 16 championship banners and 10 retired uniforms.

"That's a lot of pull y'all are giving Doc," Young said, somewhat facetiously. "I think he shouldn't come in and have so much pull like that. He's got to earn his keep."

When a reporter argued that Rivers' championship resume from his time with the Boston Celtics should give the coach the credence to do so, Young retorted, "But he didn't win no title in L.A. That's where it's at. Look at all these banners in here, you can't shadow those up."

The Lakers and Clippers have shared the Staples Center since it opened for the 1999-2000 season, making them the only teams in the league to have such an arrangement.

"I guess if you were in the Clippers' organization you probably want to do that, too," Lakers point guard Steve Nash said. "It's their arena on their night, so I would try to make it feel like home."

Meanwhile, the Lakers are trying to make L.A. feel like home again after spending nine days in China.

Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni gave the team the day off Saturday to recover from their cross-continental trip home, which left many of the players jet-lagged. Young said he could not fall asleep until 5 a.m. Saturday morning after the team landed back in L.A. around 10:30 p.m. Friday night.

Despite the fatigue, every Laker other than Chris Kaman (stomach virus) and Kobe Bryant (Achilles rehabilitation) practiced Sunday, although D'Antoni cut the session short, so as not push his players too much. Nash was also held out of the end of practice because of stomach discomfort.

"They were tired," D'Antoni said. "During film session I think a couple of them nodded off. ... Of course, that could be normal, too."

Bryant was able to do some on-court sprinting and set shooting prior to the second of the Lakers' two exhibition games in China, but has yet to ramp up that activity with the team's regular-season opener against the Clippers looming less than 10 days away.

"I have no idea," D'Antoni said when asked if he knew when Bryant would be able to return to practice.

Bryant's teammates are starting to settle into the very real possibility of going into the season without him on the court. Young, who has taken 15 more shots than the next closest Laker through the first six preseason games, is prepared to continue his Mamba impression.

"That's something I've been trying to get in my thoughts and just working on my game and talking to coaches," Young said. "I've been talking to Kobe, too, about where to be at and picking my spots out there."

What does Bryant say to him?

"More specific type things, what I should have done right here," Young said. "He's telling me to watch film more and try to study the game of basketball more."

Gasol is also readying himself to pick up the slack without Bryant.

"I think I have to be more of a vocal leader on both sides of the floor," he said. "Make sure we organize offensively and the ball tries to get through my hands quite a bit so I can make plays for others and get open shots for my teammates, attract the defense, make the defense turn and make it easier for the guys."

Like D'Antoni, Gasol simply does not know when he'll have Bryant back by his side.

"I think he has a big desire of coming back, but he understands there's got to be a few steps that he needs to take in order for him to come back, and I don't think he's taken those steps yet," Gasol said. "He's going to come back when he's going to come back, whether that's in two weeks, three weeks, a month, two months. Who knows?"

[Justin]

Good move Doc.

[GM Franchise]

NBA GMs think Miami Heat will repeat as Champions

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9862899/gm-poll-miami-heat-repeat-lebron-james-win-mvp

NBA general managers are playing it safe with predictions this season.

In a poll of all 30 GMs conducted by NBA.com, the Miami Heat were chosen to win their third consecutive title, and LeBron James was selected to capture his second straight MVP.

James would join Michael Jordan and Bill Russell with five MVPs. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six) has more.

For the first time in the 12-year history of the survey, Kobe Bryant was not voted the top shooting guard in the league. That honor went to the Houston Rockets' James Harden.

The Orlando Magic's Victor Oladipo was voted most likely to be rookie of the year.

The GMs also selected the Heat to win the title last season. This year, the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs tied for second place in voting for most likely team to win it all.

[GM Franchise]

KIA NBA Season Preview. Individual team previews, GM survey, player movement info, stats preview, and offseason review all located at this link.

http://www.nba.com/preview/

[GM Franchise]

Doc Rivers says Heat criticism of Pierce and Garnett "off base"

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9871607/doc-rivers-says-kevin-garnett-paul-pierce-situation-different-ray-allen

Doc Rivers weighed in on the side of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in the ex-Celtics vs. Heat feud.

After Ray Allen left in free agency for Miami, Garnett and Pierce were critical. After that duo was traded to the Nets, LeBron James blasted them for being hypocritical.

"Paul and Kevin were traded," Rivers said on "The Dan LeBatard Show" Wednesday. "They were traded. Paul was traded whether he wanted to be or not. Kevin was the only one who had to agree to be traded even though he had already been traded. He had to agree to the trade. That's completely different."

Rivers has also been criticized for orchestrating his departure from Boston. He thinks the Heat have a better argument there.

"You could make more of a case for me leaving than on Paul and Kevin," an animated Rivers said before reiterating that Pierce's and Garnett's situation is "completely different" from Allen's.

Rivers also admitted that he played a role in the decision to cover up the Lakers' championship banners at Staples Center during Clippers games.

"That was everyone's decision, but I definitely had a voice in it, and I was strong that I believed it should have happened years ago," he said."

[Gravedigger]

I like how they want the reaction from the Lakers about the banners being covered, and they get quotes from Nick Young and Mike D'Antoni... what has either one of those guys won?

[GM Franchise]

Wizards get Gortat in five player trade with Suns

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9879312/washington-wizards-reach-deal-marcin-gortat-shannon-brown-kendall-marshall-malcolm-lee-washington-wizards-emeka-okafor-pick

The Washington Wizards, trying to strengthen their hand for a playoff push in the Eastern Conference, have acquired center Marcin Gortat from the Phoenix Suns, sources close to the talks told ESPN.

Sources said the deal sends Gortat and guards Shannon Brown, Malcolm Lee and Kendall Marshall to the Wizards for the expiring contract of veteran big man Emeka Okafor and a protected 2014 first-round pick (to No. 12).

The 6-foot-11 Gortat, 29, averaged 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last season for the Suns.

[Justin]

Suns are looking at potentially 4 first round picks  in next year's draft.

[J-Reb]

Suns are looking at potentially 4 first round picks  in next year's draft.

Unfortunately, they'll piss them all away on the flavor of the month like Alex Len.  They have been awful in the draft over the past several seasons.

[GM Franchise]

Unfortunately, they'll piss them all away on the flavor of the month like Alex Len.  They have been awful in the draft over the past several seasons.

Agreed. And trading Gortat is not the answer. He was one of their top two or three players last season which is telling but I can see why they would do a trade like this but as you said they have been drafting horribly over the past few seasons.

[GM Franchise]

Wizards wave three players acquired in trade with Suns

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9895456/washington-wizards-waive-3-players-acquired-phoenix-suns-deal

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Wizards have waived the three players acquired with Marcin Gortat in last week's trade with the Phoenix Suns.

The Wizards announced Monday that they have cut ties with guards Shannon Brown, Malcolm Lee and Kendall Marshall.

The moves were expected. Marshall, Brown and Lee were included in the trade so that it would work financially under NBA rules.

The Wizards received center Gortat and the three players in exchange for injured center Emeka Okafor and a protected first-round draft pick.