Tag: coach

Rick Barnes says Spurs have a keeper in Cory Joseph

University of Texas coach Rick Barnes believes that the Spurs might have a strong contributor in point guard Cory Joseph.

Joseph was ranked by most talent analysts before the draft as a second-round selection. But Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said that Joseph can help the team defensively at point guard as he explained why he was picked 29th in the first round with the Spurs’ second first-round draft selection.  

Buford should know. He saw Joseph play often during his freshman season as a teammate of his adopted son, Texas forward Alexis Wangmene.

Joseph played in all 36 Texas games as a freshman, leading the team in assists, steals, 3-point percentage and minutes played. He averaged 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, reaching double figures in scoring in 21 of the Longhorns’ 36 games last season.

“Cory is a player who, as a coach, you really enjoy being around because of his approach to the game and his work ethic,” Barnes said. “He simply loves to be in the gym and compete.”

That competitive streak should help him prosper in the NBA, Barnes said.

“Cory has a quiet confidence about him and he does all the little things that help a team,” Barnes said. ”We would have loved the chance to work with him at Texas for a longer period of time, as we understand that he is just beginning to develop into the type of player we know he can become.”

Joseph was the third Texas player selected in the first round Thursday night, joining forward Tristan Thompson (No. 4 pick by Cleveland) and Jordan Hamilton (No. 26 pick by Dallas, eventually traded to Denver).

Mavs guard DeShawn Stevenson arrested for public intoxication Tuesday night

The Dallas Morning News reports that Irving police officers responded around 10:30 p.m. to at 6201 Love Drive.

Police said they found Stevenson alone and unable to determine where he was. He does not live at the apartment complex.

After field sobriety tests, officers took Stevenson into .

“Due to being intoxicated, he was a danger to himself and others, and therefore he was placed under arrest,” Irving police spokesman John Argumaniz told the News.

Stevenson was released from the Irving Jail on Wednesday morning , ESPN.com Dallas reported.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle turned around the NBA Finals before Game 4 when he removed Stevenson from the starting lineup and replaced him with guard J.J. Barea. But Stevenson did not pout and earned much notice for after the series ended.

Earlier, Stevenson took a shot at the Heat only moments after the Mavericks claimed their first NBA title.

“It makes me feel good, man, to beat him, to beat that Miami team,” Stevenson told reporters . “The way they act, the way they treated Dirk [Nowitzki], all the things that they said were very classless. To win on their court the way we did it, it was wonderful.”

And it was at Stevenson’s party before the season in Orlando where teammate Jason Terry on his right bicep.

For someone on the fringes of the Mavericks’ victory, Stevenson appears to have been involved in a lot of the memorable moments of their championship season. 

Lacob explains why he picked Jackson over Budenholzer for Warriors job

Golden State majority owner Joe Lacob personally interviewed three candidates before hiring ABC-TV analyst Mark Jackson as his new coach.

Others who were interviewed include Spurs lead assistant Mike Budenholzer and New Orleans assistant Michael  Malone.

Tim Kawakami in the San Jose Mercury-News mentions that Lacob to hire Jackson. Malone was close to joining Mike Brown’s new staff with the Lakers. But Lacob apparently sped up the process to hire Jackson and also add Malone to his staff as his lead assistant.

Dallas lead assistant Dwane Casey was left out because of Lacob’s determination to get the hiring done quickly.

Lacob had some interesting comments about his interview with Budenholzer. Here’s what he told Kawakami about it.

-Q: You flew out to talk to a Spur assistant coach…

-LACOB: That was one of them.

-Q: What was the tenor of the conversation like with Budenholzer when you met him?

-LACOB: It was a long, long conversation, because he was late in the process. I think he is technically a very good coach. Excellent.

I didn’t think he was the right fit for our organization at this time. I think he fits very well in the San Antonio organization. He’s been there for 15 years. I think he’s a very, very good coach. He was strongly in consideration, but he’s not the guy we chose.

Sometimes, it turns out that the best moves are the ones that aren’t made.

Budenholzer received a valuable lesson in job interviewing with his dalliance with the Warriors. He comes back to San Antonio as the favorite and most popular choice among most in Spurs Nation to replace Gregg Popovich with the Spurs when he hangs up his whistle.

It’s a lot cheaper to live in San Antonio than San Francisco. Budenholzer’s kids get to remain in their schools.  

That’s not a bad consolation prize.