INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Miami Heat have dramatically juggled their lineup for Game 3 against Indiana.

Forward Shane Battier and seldom-used center Dexter Pittman were added to the starting five, joining LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers.

Coach Erik Spoelstra has been forced to try new things with star power forward Chris Bosh out with an abdominal strain and likely to miss the remainder of the conference semifinal series against the Pacers.

Battier will start at small forward over struggling Udonis Haslem, and Pittman moves in for Ronny Turiaf, who started Game 2.

Before the game, Spoelstra said with Bosh out “everything is on the table.”

Haslem is just 2 of 9 in the first two games. Pittman didn’t play in the first two games of the series.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/17/heat-lineup-change.ap/index.html?rss=true

 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pacers reserve guard Lance Stephenson has apologized to his coach for making a choking gesture toward LeBron James during Indiana’s Game 3 win over Miami.

After James missed a technical foul in the second half, Stephenson wrapped his hands around his throat to mock the league MVP. Pacers coach Frank Vogel said Saturday that Stephenson told him he was sorry about his actions. Vogel said Stephenson “knows it was wrong and I agreed with him 100 percent that it was wrong.”

Vogel said Stephenson knows “he was over the line and made a mistake.” Vogel likes his players to be enthusiastic on the bench, but doesn’t what them “to go over the top.”

The Pacers have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series heading into Sunday’s Game 4.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/19/stephenson-apologizes-gesture.ap/index.html?rss=true

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Dwyane Wade says the Miami Heat have moved on from Game 3 when he had his public spat with coach Erik Spoelstra.

Following the team’s practice Saturday, Wade chalked up his heated sideline exchange in the third quarter of a 94-75 blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers with Spoelstra as “emotional and in the heat of the battle.” Wade said it wasn’t his first exchange with Spoelstra “and it won’t be the last.”

Wade said the Heat “are a family, a team” and have moved past any turmoil as they get ready for Game 4 on Sunday.

The Heat didn’t practice Friday. Wade, who scored just five points in Game 3, took advantage of the time away from the floor to visit Indiana coach Tom Crean, his college coach at Marquette.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/19/wade-heat-regroup.ap/index.html?rss=true

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A 12-year-old Texas boy who was suspended from school after shaving his head to resemble the face of Spurs forward Matt Bonner scored tickets to a playoff game and props from his favorite NBA player.

Patrick Gonzalez was suspended for a day from Woodlake Hills Middle School because the district deemed his $75 haircut a distraction. He returned to class Thursday after reluctantly shaving his head.

Gonzalez says Bonner is his favorite player, noting they’re both redheads.

Bonner, whose mother is a teacher, says the school could have just moved Gonzalez to the back of the room. Bonner sent Gonzalez a message, saying: “Keep supporting us redheads in the NBA.”

Gonzalez’s story prompted the Spurs to give him and his family tickets to Thursday’s playoff game — against the Clippers.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/17/haircut-suspension.ap/index.html?rss=true

NEW YORK (AP) — Lakers guard Steve Blake and his wife received multiple online threats after he missed a big shot late in Game 2 of Los Angeles’ second-round playoff series with Oklahoma City.

Blake has contacted the Lakers’ security team about the threats, the backup point guard said Friday during shootaround for Game 3.

Blake barely missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with about 3 seconds left in the Lakers’ 77-75 loss to the Thunder on Wednesday night. The third-seeded Lakers already had blown a seven-point lead in the final 2 minutes of regulation, and they fell into a 0-2 hole in the series.

“I let our security people know about it, and kind of kept a record of what was said just in case, but other than that, try not to make a big deal out of it,” Blake said.

Blake said he and his wife, Kristen, were besieged on Twitter by curses, threats, and “people saying things I don’t even really want to repeat. It’s an unfortunate situation, but it’s the mental side of the game. You’ve got to be better than that.”

Blake rarely tweets, but his wife is a frequent user of social media. The family has three young children.

“I hope your family gets murdered,” read one post that Kristen Blake re-tweeted with the comment, “Wow.”

Blake was a Lakers hero when he hit a huge 3-pointer during a victory over Denver in Game 4 of the first round, and he scored 19 points in Los Angeles’ Game 7 victory over the Nuggets. The veteran guard was taken aback by the online vitriol directed at him for just one shot.

“It is the unfortunate side of pro sports,” said Blake, who won an NCAA title at Maryland. “Everyone is criticizing, and sometimes people cross the line. But you’ve got to move past it, be the positive person, and I think that’s the approach me and my wife are trying to take with it.”

Kristen Blake tweeted that she blocked 500 people from viewing her account. She tweeted Friday: “I am deeply grateful humbled by the outpouring of love, support, most of all prayers for our family in light of recent events-THANK YOU!”

Steve Blake said he isn’t worried about the threats affecting his three sons. The oldest, Zachary, is only 5 years old.

“They don’t know what Twitter is,” Blake said. “There’s nothing that will stop me from protecting my kids no matter what. We’ll move past it and take the positive approach no matter what.”

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/18/los-angeles-lakers-steve-blake-twitter-threats.ap/index.html?rss=true

NEW YORK — Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers has been voted the 2011-12 winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, named after the second commissioner of the NBA and presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association and given annually to the player, coach or trainer who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community.

Gasol has been a tireless worker worldwide on behalf of various UNICEF causes. He has been a UNICEF Ambassador for seven years and traveled the globe working with programs aimed at nutrition and education for children.

“Pau’s work epitomizes all that is good about NBA players and their charitable works not only in their own communities but around the world,” said Doug Smith of the Toronto Star and the president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association. “Working to help children realize their potential and to provide them with opportunities they might not otherwise get truly characterizes outstanding service and dedication.”

The PBWA comprises approximately 150 writers for newspapers, Internet services and magazines, who cover the NBA on a regular basis. Its members nominate finalists for the award; the other finalists this year were Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks, Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks, and J.J. Redick of the Orlando Magic.

ALL-TIME NBA J. WALTER KENNEDY CITIZENSHIP AWARD WINNERS

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/18/citizenship-award-release/index.html?rss=true

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Miami Heat canceled practice and their media availability one day after a blowout loss in Game 3 to the Pacers.

The team gave no immediate reason for Friday’s decision, which was announced on the Heat’s media telephone hotline.

The Heat lost 94-75 on Thursday night and trail Indiana 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Miami’s latest defeat was magnified by a sideline confrontation between star guard Dwyane Wade and coach Erik Spoelstra. The two exchanged words during one of the worst playoff games of Wade’s career. He scored just 5 points on 2-of-13 shooting and refused to discuss what happened with Spolestra.

Wade has been slowed by injuries. The Heat are also without power forward Chris Bosh, who has an abdominal strain.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/18/heat-practice.ap/index.html?rss=true

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks have committed to Larry Drew for one more season.

The team announced Friday it is exercising its option on the coach’s contract for next season. Asked if apprehension comes with the contract not being extended beyond the 2012-13 season, Drew said: “What do you think?”

Drew would prefer a longer commitment from the team.

“You know, you can look at it one of two ways,” Drew said. “Certainly, is it the perfect situation? No. I’ve had a lot of dialogue with my representative about the situation and at this point we’re just going to move forward.”

After advancing to the second round three straight years, the Hawks were eliminated in the first round by the Celtics.

Drew earned praise from Hawks general manager Rick Sund for leading the team to a 40-26 record despite being without All-Star center Al Horford for all but 11 games of the regular season. Horford returned in Game 4 of the Celtics series.

“Larry did an outstanding job this season in guiding our team to the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, despite a condensed schedule and unfortunate injuries,” Sund said.

“The Hawks have reached the postseason in each of his years on the bench, and we feel Larry’s experience, expertise and dedication to the game were a key ingredient to our success.”

The Hawks also lost Joe Johnson, Zaza Pachulia, Kirk Hinrich and other players for stretches of six or more games. Pachulia missed the Celtics series with a chipped bone in his left foot. Third-string center Jason Collins started the first four games of the series.

Drew acknowledged the Hawks should no longer use excuses for failing to advance deep in the playoffs.

“We can’t be satisfied with every year making it to the playoffs,” said Drew, who joined the Hawks staff in 2004 as Mike Woodson’s top assistant before taking over for Woodson as head coach.

“Once upon a time, that was the feeling, having gone from a team that my first year won 13 games to every year trying to improve to eventually make the playoffs,” Drew said. “We’re beyond that now. We’ve got to ask ourselves, with what we have now can we get to the next level?”

The Hawks have an experienced nucleus of Horford, six-time All-Star Johnson and Josh Smith, who is entering the final year of his contract. Marvin Williams, point guard Jeff Teague and backup center Pachulia also are under contract.

The other nine players are free agents.

“We are going to eventually get over the hump,” Drew said.

“I do think it is time we take that next step, but to do that we do need some help in here.”

Drew said his team at full strength could compete with any team still playing in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

“The unfortunate part about this thing is the injuries we had to endure, but we should come back certainly a much more confident team,” he said. “If you look around, all the teams that are there in the playoffs, with us being healthy, certainly we can compete with any team there at a very high level.”

When asked last week to evaluate his season, Drew said he and his staff did a good job of keeping the team playing hard.

“We can only control so much, but the one thing we tried to control is that those guys when they come to that gym they come out and play hard for you every single night, and I thought we got that,” he said.

Drew is 84-64 in two regular seasons and 8-10 in the playoffs. The Hawks were 17-16 on the road this season, the team’s first winning record away from Atlanta in 13 years.

Sund’s contract expires on June 30.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/18/hawks-drew.ap/index.html?rss=true

NEW YORK (AP) — NBA appoints new Competition Committee

Coaches Doc Rivers of Boston, Rick Carlisle of Dallas and Lionel Hollins of Memphis have been named to the NBA’s Competition Committee.

Formerly made up of the league’s 30 general managers, the committee now is comprised of three coaches, two owners, four GMs and one representative from the NBA players’ association.

Cleveland’s Dan Gilbert and Golden State’s Joe Lacob are the owners, joined by GMs Bryan Colangelo (Toronto), Sam Presti (Oklahoma City), Mitch Kupchak (Lakers) and Kevin O’Connor (Utah).

The committee recommends rules changes for owners to vote on. It will meet regularly, with its first meeting set for next month’s NBA finals.

The old committee of GMs has been reconstituted as the General Managers Committee and will meet annually to discuss the state of the game.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/16/competition-committee.ap/index.html?rss=true

NEW YORK — NBA TV will celebrate the 20th anniversary of USA Basketball’s iconic team, which captured the attention of fans around the globe, when the network premieres NBA TV’s “The Dream Team” presented by Right Guard® on Wednesday, June 13, at 9 p.m. ET.

Narrated by writer/director/producer Ed Burns, the film will be the definitive documentary of the historic 1992 USA Basketball team, featuring recent interviews with all 12 members, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Charles Barkley.

The 90-minute documentary will showcase never-before-seen footage and untold stories of how the most dominant team ever assembled returned USA Basketball to glory, while turning basketball into a global phenomenon.

The world had rarely seen a frenzy as the one the Dream Team created when it arrived in Barcelona, Spain, in July 1992. The Dream Team featured 11 future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame players and three future Hall of Famers on the coaching staff, including head coach Chuck Daly.

NBA TV’s “The Dream Team” presented by Right Guard® will take viewers on a behind-the-scenes journey into the selection of the team, the dynamic personalities, the legendary team-building experiences in training camp and exhibitions, and ultimately its rock-star-type unveiling in Barcelona.

NBA TV’s “The Dream Team” presented by Right Guard® will include:

• Exclusive one-on-one interviews with the entire Dream Team: Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Christian Laettner, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, and John Stockton, as well as assistant coaches Lenny Wilkens, Mike Krzyzewski, and P.J. Carlesimo

• The Team’s only loss, as documented through rare footage from USA Basketball’s film library, and the untold story behind what has become part of basketball legend

• The Story of the greatest game never seen, featuring exclusive footage from 20 years ago in Monte Carlo when Magic and Jordan went head-to-head in practice

• How The Team was chosen: the story behind the selection process for the Dream Team’s roster

• Many other exclusive interviews with those connected to the team.

NBA Digital is the NBA’s extensive cross-platform portfolio of digital assets jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports. This robust offering includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA Mobile, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.

Right Guard® is the official deodorant and body wash of USA Basketball. RIGHT GUARD®, the high performance antiperspirant and deodorant brand since its launch in 1956, is currently depended on by millions of people worldwide for providing unbeatable odor and wetness protection. Right Guard® brand advertising in the early nineties featured Dream Team members Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen with the tagline “Anything less would be Uncivilized.”

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/17/dream-team-release/index.html?rss=true

DENVER (AP) — The Nuggets’ three-pronged plan for the summer is to redo Ty Lawson’s deal, sign restricted free agent JaVale McGee and keep veteran point guard Andre Miller in Denver.

That last item seemed a bit of a stretch after Miller indicated over the weekend that if he were going to remain a backup at this point in his career, it might as well be with a championship contender.

The Nuggets don’t fit that bill just yet, but they are a team on the rise, growing with a young core of players that includes Lawson, McGee, Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari and Arron Afflalo.

Theirs was the youngest team to reach the Western Conference playoffs, where they pushed the star-studded Lakers to seven games.

General manager Masai Ujiri said Thursday that Miller, an unrestricted free agent who will be entering his 14th season in the NBA, told him he wants to stay in Denver.

“I had a great meeting with Andre Miller a couple of days ago and he told us plain and simple, he wants to come back and he wants to play here,” Ujiri said. “I think Andre’s comments are more he wants to be respected as a veteran, which we feel he has to be respected as a veteran.”

Which means, showing him the big bucks. Miller’s $7.8 million salary in 2011-12 was tops on the team.

“I think he means that he’s played in the league 13 years and he’s been a starter,” Ujiri said. “So, I don’t want to go into details there, but I think Andre does not want to be disrespected in terms of, I don’t think it’s his teammates, I think he loved the role that he played, so I think it’s contract. And we’ll figure it out.”

Ujiri said Miller came to embrace his role coming off the bench and running a more freestyle tempo, which, it turns out, worked great with Faried and McGee, who was acquired from Washington in a deadline deal for center Nene.

Miller told him that splitting time with Lawson kept some wear and tear off his 35-year-old body, Ujiri said.

Miller averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 27.4 minutes during the regular season. All of those numbers ticked upward in the playoffs, when the Nuggets turned to Miller and Al Harrington for veteran leadership against the Lakers.

Other than redoing Lawson’s deal and working out deals with Miller and McGee, Ujiri said he expects a rather uneventful offseason.

“Yeah, there will be one or two changes here or there. We don’t know if it’s going to be little, but our goal here is to be patient now and let this team grow and have some continuity and see how it pans out,” he said. “Collectively, we feel we’re on the right track.”

McGee made less than $2.5 million last season and is in line for a big payday this summer, especially after a couple of outstanding performances in the playoffs that left L.A.’s 7-footers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol flustered and helped fuel Denver’s thrilling playoff series with the Lakers.

“We were happy, but there’s still a lot of work to do” for the big man to capitalize on his superior size and athleticism, Ujiri said. “… There’s some bad habits we’re going to have to change, but that’s coaching and that’s mentoring and we feel like we’re in a position where we can help the kid.

“So, we saw him a certain way, that’s kind of why we were intrigued by bringing him here. The style of play I think also favors him, running, the lobs, the rebounding, blocking shots and creating opportunities for our team. I think he’s showing that a little bit. The contract, that’s our job. We have to figure out a way to do it.”

Ujiri had no update on Chris “Birdman” Andersen’s situation. Andersen’s lawyer said he believes allegations that led to a search of the center’s home last week involve a spurned female fan. A Douglas County sheriff’s task force that investigates allegations of cybercrime against children is reviewing property seized from Andersen’s suburban Denver home.

“We don’t have a lot of information for now, so I think we are going to stay away from that,” Ujiri said. “We’ve been in touch with Bird and I will have an exit interview with him, but in terms of what happened, there is limited information and that’s where we are with it.”

Andersen, who has two years and about $9.3 million left on his contract, had seen his playing time dwindle as Faried and other youngsters gobbled up minutes over the last half of the season. He didn’t play at all in the playoffs.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/17/nuggets-future.ap/index.html?rss=true

LOS ANGELES (AP) — If the Los Angeles Lakers can just shake the memory of the disastrous final two minutes of Game 2, they’ll find plenty of reasons in the first 46 minutes to be encouraged about their chances this weekend against Oklahoma City.

After blowing a seven-point lead and the chance to steal homecourt advantage from the powerful Thunder on Wednesday night, the third-seeded Lakers’ fate will be decided rapidly at Staples Center, with back-to-back games Friday and Saturday.

The Lakers have now lost four of their last five playoff games since taking a 3-1 lead in the first round against Denver, but they imposed their favored style on Game 2 until their late collapse.

Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks emerged from the thriller excited about his young team’s resilience.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/17/lakers-thunder.ap/index.html?rss=true

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kevin Garnett turns 36 on Saturday, a youthful age for any man, except for the rare ones with nearly 55,000 punishing minutes absorbed on an NBA floor.

Garnett knows all the ageist labels attached to the Boston Celtics. How they’re called The Over The Hill Gang, and the wisecracks about flashing AARP cards before they check into a game, and how each crucial postseason game raises questions about The Big Three’s last hurrah.

The Celtics have known since training camp a championship run centered around Garnett, 36-year-old Ray Allen, and 34-year-old Paul Pierce was on its last legs.

Aging legs, yes.

But far from finished.

Garnett displayed dominant proof in Boston’s Game 3 rout against the Philadelphia 76ers. He scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Celtics snare a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Sixers under-25 crew had no way to slow down Garnett.

He made 12 of 17 shots in Game 3 and is shooting 63 percent overall in the series.

Let others get nostalgic for the stretch run of Boston’s terrific trio. Garnett only cares about winning the next game, the next series, and another championship to pair with the one The Big Three clinched in 2008.

“I’m focused on the playoffs,” Garnett said Thursday. “I haven’t given much thought to it. I’m definitely aware of it. We know what the possibilities are. But at this point, right now, it’s the playoffs.”

Garnett heard a few screams of “We love you, Kevin!” from passing fans as he answered questions alongside Pierce outside the Four Seasons Hotel.

The chants should be more antagonistic in Game 4 Friday in Philadelphia.

Garnett will tune them out the way he’s zoned out the light attempts at defense the Sixers have thrown at him. Even at 35 (or 36), Garnett is still more mobile than Philadelphia’s frontcourt combo of Spencer Hawes and Elton Brand. Lavoy Allen’s foul troubles have limited his guarding Garnett.

“You have to do a better job early,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said. “You can’t let him get such deep position. You can’t let him run underneath the rim, turn and face the basket. You have to meet him at the free throw line.”

Pierce was slowed by an MCL injury in his left knee, until a gutsy 24-point, 12-rebound outing in Game 3. Allen scored only three points and has been secure enough in letting Garnett, Pierce and Rajon Rondo handle the scoring load that he turned down KG’s offer to get him more touches.

Garnett told Allen: “We’ve got to do whatever we can to get you open.”

“I looked at him and said, `Kevin, you’re the guy getting shots. You’re the guy that’s scoring. We just won by 20. I don’t need to, for the sake of my ego, do anything like that. We just keep doing what we’re doing. If they keep guarding us this way, then you’ve got to keep doing what you’re doing.”‘

Garnett and Allen are free agents at the end of the season. A championship run that seemed blocked by young-gun All-Stars eased up with Chicago out of the picture. The Miami Heat are without Chris Bosh indefinitely. And the Sixers showed in Game 3 how vulnerable they are when a top team is clicking.

Pierce realizes the sense of urgency to win a championship with the trio playing their final games together. They want to make it last.

“We’ve realized that from Day 1. I think pretty much the last couple of years we’ve been feeling like that,” Pierce said. “But the influence is to try and win another championship, regardless of if this is going to be our last time together. Who knows what the future is going to hold for all of us?”

The Sixers, meanwhile, are trying to find a way to slow down the old guys.

They looked totally lost after the first quarter. The Sixers weren’t hitting shots and the defense couldn’t bail them out with key stops. Starters Brand, Hawes and Evan Turner combined for only 11 points.

“It was a little embarrassing because you don’t want to put on a showing like that, and definitely at home,” guard Jrue Holiday said. “At the same time, it’s motivation to not do it again.”

Collins showed the Sixers game film from the first half on Thursday and the reviews weren’t pretty. What they saw was a team that never had a grip on their defensive assignments. The Sixers offered little resistance once Garnett got hot in the second quarter (13 points) with a flurry of 10- to 16-foot fadeaways and open jumpers.

“I never considered them old,” Collins said. “They sure looked pretty young to me. Garnett’s playing great.”

Just how the Celtics like it.

“I don’t know if I’m surprised. It’s in him,” coach Doc Rivers said. “He’s feeling pretty good. he’s at a great place mentally. That’s always nice. I think our guys understand how important he is to our team. He understands that as well. It’s just great. I’m happy for him.”

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/17/celtics-76ers.ap/index.html?rss=true

NEW YORK — The NBA today announced the members of the league’s new Competition Committee. Last month, the league’s Board of Governors voted to change the composition of the Committee to include two owners, four general managers, three head coaches and one representative from the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).

Previously, the Committee included the general manager from each of the 30 teams. That Committee has been reconstituted as the new General Managers Committee.

“The Board decided that the inclusion of owners and head coaches on the Competition Committee would add valuable perspectives to discussions about our game and how it might be improved,” said Joel Litvin, NBA President, League Operations. “At the same time, we will continue to receive input on competition and rules matters from all 30 teams through the General Managers Committee.”

The members of the new Competition Committee are owners Dan Gilbert (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Joe Lacob (Golden State); general managers Bryan Colangelo (Toronto Raptors), Mitch Kupchak (L.A. Lakers), Kevin O’Connor (Utah Jazz), and Sam Presti (Oklahoma City); and coaches Rick Carlisle (Dallas Mavericks), Lionel Hollins (Memphis Grizzlies), and Doc Rivers (Boston Celtics). The NBPA will designate one of its members to serve on the Committee.

As is the case currently, if the Competition Committee votes in favor of changing a playing rule or any other competition-related matter, the recommendation will be brought to the Board of Governors for its consideration and vote. The Committee will meet on a regular basis and its first meeting will take place during the Finals.

The new General Managers Committee will meet annually to discuss the state of the game and various competition matters.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/16/competition-committee/index.html?rss=true

NEW YORK — Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird is the recipient of the 2011-12 NBA Executive of the Year award, the NBA announced today.

As President of Basketball Operations, Bird oversaw a Pacers team that went 42-24 (.636), earning the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and finishing with the league’s fifth-best record.

Bird set the tone for the 2011-12 season by naming Frank Vogel, who had served in an interim capacity for 46 games during the 2010-11 season, head coach on July 6, 2011. He added to an already strong nucleus by signing David West in December, and beefed up the Pacers’ bench by trading for Lou Amundson and Leandro Barbosa. Indiana’s draft picks under Bird’s watch have included three key contributors on this year’s team: Paul George (2010), Tyler Hansbrough (2009), and Roy Hibbert (2008).

A three-time MVP as a player (1984, 85, 86) with the Boston Celtics, the Indiana basketball legend won NBA Coach of the Year honors in 1997-98, his first season on the sidelines, after guiding the Pacers to a 58-24 mark. In three seasons as head coach, Bird led Indiana to a 147-67 record and its only Finals appearance in 2000. Bird is the only person to win all three awards — MVP, Coach and Executive of the Year. Red Auerbach, Frank Layden and Pat Riley are the only people to earn both Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year honors.

Bird totaled 88 points and received 12 first-place votes from a panel of his fellow team executives throughout the NBA. The San Antonio Spurs’ R.C. Buford finished second with 56 points (eight first-place votes) votes and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Neil Olshey finished third with 55 points (six first-place votes). Executives were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Below are the results of the voting for the 2011-12 NBA Executive of the Year. The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst Young LLP.

Following is the all-time list of winners:

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/16/executive-of-the-year/index.html?rss=true

NEW YORK — Los Angeles Lakers forward Devin Ebanks and center Andrew Bynum have each been fined for separate violations, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

Ebanks has been fined $25,000 for  actions prior to and following his ejection from the Lakers’ 119-90 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals on May 14.

Bynum has been fined $15,000 for failing to make himself available to the media following the Lakers’ practice on May 15.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/16/lakers-fines/index.html?rss=true

SEATTLE (AP) — Attempts to build an arena that could bring the NBA back to Seattle took another step forward on Wednesday when the city, King County and investor Chris Hansen announced a memorandum of understanding laying out the financial responsibilities for the proposed venue.

Unlike an original rough proposal unveiled in February, the agreement announced Wednesday indicates that construction on the facility could begin with only an NBA franchise having been acquired. Previously, officials had indicated that for the financing plan to work, both NBA and NHL franchises would be needed.

The goal is still to bring both professional sports to the Puget Sound region. But the project can move forward with only the NBA in hand, which is the focus of Hansen, a San Francisco hedge-fund manager and main investor in the project.

“We’ve been very honest with everybody that actually having an NBA and NHL team to sign agreements with ownership groups to move on the exact same day is pretty unlikely,” Hansen said.

The agreement announced Wednesday now goes before the Seattle City Council and King County Council for approval.

The project calls for about $290 million in private investment from Hansen’s group, along with $200 million from the city and county through 30-year bonds. Any franchise that comes to Seattle and uses the arena would be required to sign a non-relocation agreement that would span the life of those bonds. The bonds would be paid off through taxes and revenues generated by the arena, which would be owned by the municipalities.

All construction costs, including overruns, would be paid for by Hansen’s private group — ArenaCo — along with all environmental studies and permitting. Once that process is completed, most of the public investment is placed on the city.

The MOU calls for an initial investment of $100 million by the city for acquisition of the project site. During a second investment window, the city would contribute another $20 million if both an NBA and NHL team are acquired, with the remaining $80 million in public investment being bonded by the county.

If only an NBA team is acquired, the public bonding would be capped at $120 million with $115 million coming from the city and only $5 million coming from the county.

“We have to keep taking steps along the way,” Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said. “I guess what I’m trying to say is it would be a real shot in the arm to our community to bring back the Sonics and that has value.”

Specifications for the arena were also released. It would hold up to 19,000 for concerts, 18,500 for basketball and 17,500 for hockey and be constructed on a 700,000 square-foot location just south of downtown Seattle in the neighborhood where Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field were built.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/16/seattle-arena.ap/index.html?rss=true

DENVER (AP) — Denver Nuggets forward Al Harrington underwent surgery to fix a torn meniscus in his right knee on Wednesday.

Harrington is expected to be back on the court in time for summer workouts.

A key reserve, Harrington hurt his knee in a win over the Orlando Magic on April 1, but played through the persistent pain down the stretch. He averaged 14 points and six rebounds during the regular season.

He averaged nearly 10 points during a first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, including 24 in a Game 7 loss that ended Denver’s season.

Harrington also broke his nose in the series after catching an inadvertent elbow from Andrew Bynum as they battled for a rebound.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/16/harrington-surgery.ap/index.html?rss=true

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Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/15/timberwolves-nikola-pekovic-ankle-surgery.ap/index.html?rss=true

DALLAS (AP) — The coach who led the Dallas Mavericks to their only NBA championship is staying put.

Rick Carlisle has agreed to a new contract with the Mavericks, a year after winning the title. While terms weren’t released, owner Mark Cuban indicated in a statement Tuesday that the new contract is for at least as long as that initial four-year deal.

“We are excited that Rick will be back with the Mavericks for at least the next four years,” Cuban said. “He is a proven winner, a great teacher and a coach that will help the Mavericks improve as a team and as an organization.”

Carlisle just completed the final season of the four-year contract he got when he replaced Avery Johnson in 2008. Dallas made it to the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season, but was swept in the first round by Oklahoma City.

Carlisle has a 198-114 regular season record in Dallas, and is 479-325 overall (.596 winning percentage) as a head coach. Before joining the Mavericks, Carlisle led Detroit and Indiana to the Eastern Conference finals.

Cuban and Carlisle both repeatedly refused over the last several weeks of the season to discuss the coach’s future.

On the day after the Game 4 loss to the Thunder earlier this month, Carlisle would only say that Dallas “has been a great opportunity for me and my family and we love it here.” When he attended a Texas Rangers game Sunday, he smiled without saying anything when asked about a new contract.

Now that Carlisle is set to return, the Mavericks have plenty of decisions to make about players to surround 11-time All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki, who will be 34 next season.

Jason Kidd, their 39-year-old point guard whose 1,315 career regular-season games are more than any other active player, and guards Jason Terry and Delonte West are among six Mavericks players who can become free agents. The Mavericks have team options on four other players, including Vince Carter and Brandan Wright.

The roster could be drastically changed for the second offseason in a row.

There was the NBA lockout last summer that led to a new collective bargaining agreement with different rules that affected how Cuban put together the team. In the process, some big pieces were let go and Dallas became the league’s oldest team for a condensed and shortened season.

After its championship, Dallas didn’t keep center Tyson Chandler, DeShawn Stevenson, J.J. Barea or Caron Butler. Chandler went to the New York Knicks and was the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/05/15/mavs-carlisle-contract.ap/index.html?rss=true