Popovichs crosshairs. "Im sure Pop will be yelling at me soon en

MY 2013-14 NBA PREDICTIONS MVP: (LeBron James, Heat): Simply put, hes the best. Nick Young Jersey . He gets better every year and hes a wonderful team player. Hes the most impactful guy night in and night out; he does it all. I love his development with his low post game. Hes a gym rat and loves to play. His leadership skills are growing with his maturity. Most Improved: (Anthony Davis, Pelicans): Injuries were an issue last year for Davis but this guy is the real deal and I think well see significant growth in all aspects of his game this season. Hes a top-notch rebounder and shot blocker and his overall offensive skills will take a big step as he gets stronger. The year under his belt around the league will benefit his perspective. Rookie: (Cody Zeller, Bobcats): Hes likely not the most talented rookie but hell get significant playing time in Charlotte and teaming with Al Jefferson in the front court with him will give him a top-notch back-to-the-bucket post player to settle into a nice role. He runs and jumps and has the skill set. He plays hard and will get lots with his effort. Hes ready for the next level and his polish will help him. Theyre committed to him and hell get loads of chances to shine. Coach: (Rick Adelman, Timberwolves): A healthy Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio and the addition of Kevin Martin is huge for this team. Hes a creative offensive coach with the right temperament to help players take the next step in their development. Hes one of the most underrated coaches in the NBA that weve seen over the years. His experience and calm demeanor will bring out the best in this squad. Eastern Conference Playoff Teams 1-8: Heat, Bulls, Pacers, Nets, Knicks, Hawks, Wizards and Raptors. Western Conference Playoff Teams 1-8: Clippers, Thunder, Spurs, Rockets, Warriors, Timberwolves, Grizzlies and Mavericks. Eastern Conference Finals: Heat over Bulls in 7 - Too much of the King. Western Conference Finals: Clippers over Spurs in 6 - Chris Paul gets to the promised land; Doc Rivers leadership shows the other LA team how its done. NBA Finals: Heat over Clippers in 6 - Experience, savvy, three-point shooting, defence, role definition, and that guy that wears No. 6 make it all happen. Toronto Raptors (8th Place in East/39-43): They must get through the month of November in respectable shape and the Top 8 guys have to stay healthy. Bottom line, this is a good to very good starting unit and theyll have to play major minutes and limit the exposure of the bench to have a chance. I see lots of close games on the horizon but I feel confident that they have the role definition and increased talent level and maturity to pull out some of the ones that got away last year. I really liked how Dwane Casey coached his team in the last three weeks of the season last spring and more of the same is needed. Ride those starters every minute you can, keep the rotation tight and develop a sixth sense amongst the prime guys with complete understanding in crunch time what each guys job is. That minimizes late game issues. Decisive and sharp. Less is more. Nick Young Warriors Jersey .Y. -- In a span of three days, Shabazz Napier and Connecticut knocked out both Philadelphia schools in the NCAA tournament. Stephen Curry Jersey . LeBron James believes hes a major reason for their early failures. https://www.warriorsrookiesshop.com/Alfonzo-Mckinnie-City-Edition-Jersey/ . The Union looked to have grabbed a big win in the 88th minute when Amobi Okugo finally put the hosts in front. But a terrible giveaway by Union goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi handed Earnshaw the equalizer in the second minute of stoppage time, keeping the Union two points back of fifth-place Red Bull New York for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.As a 5-foot-6 point guard, decorated WNBA veteran Becky Hammon has never had the experience of shattering a backboard with a dunk. Shes busting through the glass ceiling instead. The San Antonio Spurs hired Hammon as an assistant coach on Tuesday, making her the first full-time, paid female assistant on an NBA coaching staff. When Hammon retires from her 16-year WNBA career at the end of the San Antonio Stars season, she will immediately move to the staff of the defending NBA champions, working with the revered Gregg Popovich on scouting, game-planning and the day-to-day grind of practice like no woman has ever done before. "Nothing in my life has really ever been easy. Ive always been someone who did it uphill," Hammon said. "Im up for challenges. Im up for being outside the box, making tough decisions and challenges. ... And Im a little bit of an adrenaline junkie. Throw those all in there and this was the perfect challenge and opportunity." That makes her fit right in with the Spurs, an organization with a reputation for bold decisions. Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford have long been at the forefront of the leagues international influx and earlier this summer hired European coaching legend Ettore Messina as an assistant. During the 2001-02 season, Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Lucas brought Lisa Boyer into the teams practices and some games. Boyer, now an assistant at South Carolina, was not paid by the Cavaliers and did not travel with the team, but did work with the players and coaches that season. "I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff," Popovich said in a statement released by the team. "Having observed her working with our team this past season, Im confident her basketball IQ, work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs." But Popovich and Buford were not available in person and Hammon had the spotlight entirely to herself. "Congratulations to Becky on todays announcement," Boyer said in a statement. "Its a great thing for her and for the NBA. I am still so thankful to John Lucas for giving me the opportunity to work with his NBA team during my time with the Cleveland Rockers. His staff and players welcomed me as a coach, and it was an incredible experience for me to spend that season with them." Last season, Hammon attended Spurs practices, film sessions and sat behind the bench at home game after suffering a torn ACL that kept her from playing. Shes been friends with Tony Parker and Tim Duncan since competing in an NBA All-Star shooting competition in 2008, a familiarity that will help as she makes her transition to coaching the two stars. "As far as women coaching men, its really silly. People ask me all the time, will there ever be a woman player in the NBA?" Hammon said. "To be honest, no. There are differences. The guys are too big, too strong and thats just the way it is. &quoot;But when it comes to things of the mind, things like coaching, game-planning, coming up with offensive and defensive schemes, theres no reason why a woman couldnt be in the mix and shouldnt be in the mix. Tim Hardaway Jersey. " Its been a long time coming for female basketball players and coaches who have long dreamed of getting a chance in the NBA. "I was so excited and pleased and the one thing that people have to remember is that the San Antonio Spurs dont do anything for effect," said Nancy Lieberman, a former star player who was a head coach in the NBA Development League in 2009 and now serves as the GM of the Texas Legends. "Thats not who they are. They dont do this for the record-breaking barrier. They do things out of respect. "And the fact that coach Popovich has this much respect for Beckys basketball IQ, for how she handles herself with the guys in practice, her ability to relate to them, Im sure he saw so much when she was working with them last fall. Im sure he didnt hire her because she was a woman. Im sure he hired her because she was the best person for the job." "This will open the door for other women, even like myself," Lieberman added. "My goal is to coach in the NBA and youve got to start somewhere. So this is a great day." Charlotte Hornets sideline reporter Stephanie Ready, who served as an assistant on the Coppin State mens team as well as in the D-League, called Popovich the perfect person to hire Hammon "because hes proven he has a tremendous track record and he does not make bad decisions." "Thats the first step, having the precedent set is very important," Ready said. "A lot of it also is now women will know these jobs are available. In the past, a lot of women probably didnt try because they didnt think it was possible. I think you may very well see an increase in seeing some females hired." Hammon has a reputation of being a smart, hard-nosed, tough-minded player. She made six All-Star teams and averaged 13.1 points in her 16 seasons with the Stars and New York Liberty. Hammon was receiving congratulatory messages from all over, including from Lieberman, Boyer and Lakers star Kobe Bryant. "I love seeing people Ive been involved with have an opportunity in life to have these types of experiences," said Stars coach Dan Hughes, who has coached Hammon for eight years. "This one is unique. Shes ready for it, shell do a great job." Even tennis great Billie Jean King weighed in on the hire, congratulating the Spurs for acquiring "a key person based on their qualifications and not allowing gender to play a role in their decision." But like it was only a matter of time before a woman got a chance to coach in the NBA, its also only a matter of time before said coach finds herself in Popovichs crosshairs. "Im sure Pop will be yelling at me soon enough," Hammon said, "with the rest of them." ' ' '