Tag: Byron Spruell

As for Tucker’s headbutt and the …

As for Tucker’s headbutt and the ensuing decision, that was an obvious and necessary call. Sources say the league is investigating that situation, and there could be further discipline coming Tucker’s way. The NBA’s longtime disciplinarian, executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe, was sitting front row when this all happened and was glued to his phone after the game was over (Byron Spruell, the president of league operations who oversees this department, is also here).

The NBA has hired two-time NBA champion …

The NBA has hired two-time NBA champion Malik Rose and veteran NBA front-office member David Booth as vice presidents of basketball operations, the NBA confirmed to The Undefeated. Rose and Booth begin the New York City-based jobs Monday and will report to NBA president Byron Spruell. Among their job responsibilities will be discussing league programs, rules, competitive elements and new initiatives with NBA teams and players. Other job duties include broadening and growing a working relationship with NBA teams under the “respect for the game” rules announced in 2010 that offer players guidelines for permissible reactions to the referees. Moreover, the two African American men will work on all game-focused topics with teams.

“We are excited to be adding two key …

“We are excited to be adding two key people with multifaceted skill sets for two key roles at the NBA,” Spruell told The Undefeated. “We believe the NBA and our teams in turn will derive great benefits in drawing on the collective playing, coaching, scouting and front-office experience of Malik and David.” Rose joins the league office following a recent two-year stint as the Detroit Pistons’ assistant general manager. The 13-year NBA veteran was also the general manager of the NBA G League Erie Bayhawks from 2015 to 2018. The Philadelphia native averaged 6.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 813 games while playing for the Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder from 1996 to 2009, and won NBA championships with the Spurs in 1999 and 2003. The former Drexel University star also earned a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and a master’s degree in sports management.

Target score back for next All-Star Game?

It is a “good assumption” the NBA will use a target score to end next season’s All-Star Game after experimenting with the concept for the first time Sunday, Byron Spruell, the NBA’s president of league operations, told ESPN on Wednesday in New York. That is not set in stone yet, as league higher-ups have not fully debriefed since Sunday, Spruell said. But there is real momentum behind using the concept going forward at the All-Star Game.

The NBA will “discuss” using the target …

The NBA will “discuss” using the target score system in the G League, but any full-scale adaptation there seems unlikely. The league has some concern about making G League play too different from play in the parent league, since one of the G League’s main functions is to prepare players, coaches, and referees for the NBA, Spruell said. “We want to have as much consistency of play as possible,” between the G League and the NBA, Spruell said.

The most recent version of the …

The most recent version of the in-season tournament included pool play, with designated tournament games built into each team’s regular schedule. The top-eight teams based on the results of pool play would then meet in a single-elimination tournament. Under the most recent proposal, all games — including pool play — would fall between Christmas and the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Spruell said. The league has considered using a 40-minute format for games in the elimination portion of the tournament, Spruell said. Given the outcome of the All-Star Game on Sunday, the league will also discuss the possibility of using an Elam Ending-style target score in those elimination games, Spruell said.

The NBA said there will be multiple …

The NBA said there will be multiple tributes to Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and the seven others who lost their lives in Sunday’s helicopter crash throughout All-Star weekend, including the showcase game on Feb. 16. The target score is just one of them. “We spent a lot of time considering the right target number to use for the fourth quarter,” said Byron Spruell, the NBA’s president for league operations. “Through the events of this week it became clear to us that the only appropriate number for this season’s All-Star game is 24.”