NBA – North Platte Post Archive

Hawks’ Kyle Korver Wins NBA Sportsmanship Award

Posted on April 29, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Atlanta’s Kyle Korver has won the NBA Sportsmanship Award and will receive the Joe Dumars Trophy before the Hawks host Brooklyn in Game 5 of their playoff series.

Korver earned 87 of 317 first-place votes and 2,351 total points in voting by NBA players. New Orleans All-Star Anthony Davis was second with 2,171 points.

Korver beat out five other finalists — one from each division. Chicago’s Pau Gasol was third, followed by Oklahoma City’s Nick Collison, Toronto’s Amir Johnson and the Lakers’ Jeremy Lin.

The NBA said Wednesday it will make a $10,000 donation on behalf of Korver to his charity of choice, Helping Hand Rescue Mission. The trophy is named for former Detroit Pistons guard and Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, the award’s first recipient in 1995-96.

Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard Named NBA Defensive Player of Year

Posted on April 23, 2015April 24, 2015

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard has been named the NBA defensive player of the year.

The league announced the award on Thursday. Injuries limited Leonard to just 64 games this season. But he still managed to make an enormous impact, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

Leonard is just the sixth forward to lead the league in steals per game since the NBA started tracking the statistic 42 years ago. He averaged 2.3 steals per game and helped the Spurs finish third in defensive rating with 99.6 points allowed per 100 possessions.

Leonard garnered 333 total points in the voting, including 37 first-place votes. Golden State forward Draymond Green finished a close second with 317 points, including 45 first-place votes.

NBA: Union Won’t Agree to Salary Cap Smoothing in 2016-17

Posted on March 11, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA says the Players Association has informed the league that it won’t agree to smoothing in the increased revenues from the national TV deals, which will create a significant spike in the salary cap.

The league’s new contracts with ESPN and TNT begin in 2016-17 and will be worth more than $2.6 billion. Because the salary cap is tied to revenues, that will cause it to soar in the first season, giving many teams spending money they otherwise wouldn’t have.

To prevent that, the league has sought to set a cap figure that would lead to gradual increases, but executive vice president of communications Mike Bass says Wednesday the union rejected that approach.

NBPA executive director Michele Roberts said last month the union had turned down the league’s first smoothing proposal.

Silver Seeking ‘Dramatic’ Improvements in NBA Scheduling

Posted on February 14, 2015February 14, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Commissioner Adam Silver is determined to make a schedule that keeps NBA players fresh, and he is willing to discuss starting the season earlier or ending later.

Change could come as early as next season, with fewer stretches of games on back-to-back nights, or four in five nights. He says Saturday during his All-Star press conference that he is concerned with the wear and tear on players.

Silver says he believes the league can make “dramatic” improvements in those areas.

Just beginning his second year in charge, Silver says his priority is improving the game, where much of his early successes were on off-the-court areas.

But business couldn’t completely be ignored, with Silver acknowledging the league and players association are early in discussions about how to handle to the influx of revenue coming when the new TV deals kick in in 2016.

Wiggins leads World Team past US in Rising Stars Challenge

Posted on February 14, 2015February 14, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Andrew Wiggins scored 22 points, Rudy Gobert added 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots, and the World team beat the U.S. 121-112 on Friday night in the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend.

Wiggins, the No. 1 pick from Canada who plays for Minnesota, was chosen as the game’s MVP.

Brooklyn’s Bojan Bogdanovic of Croatia, playing on his home court, and Chicago’s Nikola Mirotic from Montenegro each added 16 points for the World.

Orlando’s Victor Oladipo and Zach LaVine of Minnesota each scored 22 points for the U.S. team in the game between rookies and second-year players.

All-Star Players to Compete in NBA’s First Fashion Show

Posted on February 10, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — All-Stars James Harden, Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins are among the players to compete in the NBA’s first fashion show.

Produced by LeBron James’ Springhill Production Company, the one-hour “NBA All-Star All-Style” will be taped Friday night inside New York’s Hammerstein Theater and air Saturday at 6:30 p.m. EST on TNT.

It will have three rounds: dressing for the boardroom, a night out and attire worn to the game. The competition will start with eight players, with four advancing to the second round and the top two competing in the finals.

Presented by Samsung Galaxy, the show will feature models and entertainers joining the players. TNT studio analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith and WNBA star Elena Delle Donne are on the judging panel.

NBA Commissioner: All-Star Rosters Could Expand in Future

Posted on February 3, 2015

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the league will look at expanding All-Star rosters and the way players are selected.

Speaking before the Kings-Warriors game in Sacramento on Tuesday night, Silver said the NBA will discuss increasing the number of spots for the All-Star game with the players’ union in the future. He says he’s mostly happy with the voting process but could see players getting a vote, too.

Currently, 12 players are selected for the Eastern and Western Conference teams. Fans vote for the starters and coaches choose the reserves. Silver selects any replacements, as he did last week when he chose Kings center DeMarcus Cousins to take Kobe Bryant’s spot in the West.

Silver said it was a difficult decision to select Cousins over Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard. He says he felt for Lillard, and the two exchanged text messages about the decision.

3 Hawks, Durant and Westbrook are NBA All-Star Reserves

Posted on January 29, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague have been picked as reserves for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, giving the sizzling Atlanta Hawks three selections.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were selected in the West, despite early season injuries for the Oklahoma City stars. The Miami Heat also had two reserves selected in Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

But Portland surprisingly only had one in LaMarcus Aldridge. Point guard Damian Lillard was not among the seven reserves selected.

Atlanta has won 17 in a row and has a 38-8 record, second-best in the NBA. The Hawks were hoping for four selections, but Kyle Korver was not chosen by East coaches.

Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving and first-timer Jimmy Butler of Chicago were the other players announced to the East roster on Thursday night.

The rest of the West reserves for the Feb. 15 game in New York: James Harden (Houston), Klay Thompson (Golden State), Tim Duncan (Spurs) and Chris Paul (Clippers).

Gasol Brothers to Start NBA All-Star Game; Lowry gets Spot

Posted on January 22, 2015

Pau and Marc Gasol have been voted the first brothers to start in the NBA All-Star game, while Toronto’s Kyle Lowry made a late surge in fan balloting and will start for the Eastern Conference.

Lowry passed Dwyane Wade and will start alongside Washington’s John Wall, the first time the East has had two first-time starters at guard since 2000.

Golden State’s Stephen Curry made his own late surge to pass LeBron James as the overall leading vote-getter, the league announced Thursday. Kobe Bryant was also voted to start at West guard, though that’s in jeopardy because of a torn right rotator cuff.

Pau Gasol of Chicago will start up front for the East along with James and Carmelo Anthony for the Feb. 15 game in New York. Memphis’ Marc Gasol joins New Orleans’ Anthony Davis and the Clippers’ Blake Griffin in the frontcourt.

Silver: Having Jersey Sponsors in NBA ‘Inevitable’

Posted on January 14, 2015

LONDON (AP) — Commissioner Adam Silver thinks it’s “inevitable” that the NBA will one day take after European sports and have sponsor names on jerseys.

With the NBA back in London for its annual regular-season game, Silver said that’s one area where the league can copy international sports. Most major European clubs in soccer and other sports sell advertising space on their shirts.

Silver said “I do think it’s inevitable” for jersey sponsors to be adopted by the NBA, but that “exactly when it’s going to come, I’m not sure.”

Silver was speaking to reporters at the NBA’s London offices ahead of Thursday’s game between the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks at the O2 Arena.

He also said the league’s “vision” remains to have several full-fledged franchises in Europe one day, but that such plans are still years down the road.