NBA career
While coaching high school basketball, Ociepka served as a part-time volunteer scout for the Detroit Pistons in the 1980s.
He was first hired as an assistant coach in January 1989 for the Indiana Pacers. [5] Ociepka has also served as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers from 1993 to 1996, the Philadelphia 76ers from 1996 to 1997, the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1999 to 2001, the Detroit Pistons from 1998 to 1999 and again from 2001 to 2003, the Milwaukee Bucks from 2003 to 2006, and the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2007 to 2008. [8]
Ociepka also served as an advance scout during the 1998 season for the Orlando Magic. [9]
From 2008 to 2010, Ociepka was an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls and rookie head coach Vinny Del Negro. [7] In 2010, following Del Negro's firing from the Bulls, Ociepka was hired as an assistant for the Portland Trail Blazers. [10]
During his time in the NBA, Ociepka has also written two books on basketball strategies. Basketball Playbook: Plays From the Pros was published in 1995 and Basketball Playbook 2: More Plays from the Pros was published in 2001. [9]
After serving as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time in his career, in the 2012–13 season, Ociepka retired from coaching. [11]
Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing college basketball with the Colorado Buffaloes, he was selected third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. Billups spent the majority of his 17-year basketball career playing for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 after helping the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. He was given the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" for making late-game shots with Detroit. A five-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection and two-time NBA All-Defensive selection, Billups also played for the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers during his NBA career.
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The 1970–71 NBA season was the 25th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Milwaukee Bucks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Baltimore Bullets 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Three new teams made their debut: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Buffalo Braves.
Lionel Eugene Hollins is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Hollins played for the Portland Trail Blazers, winning an NBA championship in 1977 and named an NBA All-Star in 1978. The Trail Blazers retired his No. 14.
Roy Lee Rogers Jr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Alabama and was a first-round selection of the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 1996 NBA draft. Rogers played four seasons in the NBA with the Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets. He also played in Russia, Italy and Poland.
Elston Howard Turner Sr. is an American former professional basketball player who is an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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The 1992–93 NBA season was the Spurs' 17th season in the National Basketball Association, and 26th season as a franchise. During the off-season, the Spurs acquired Dale Ellis from the Milwaukee Bucks, signed free agents Vinny Del Negro and undrafted rookie guard Lloyd Daniels, and re-signed Avery Johnson after a brief stint with the Houston Rockets. However, prior to the start of the season, Terry Cummings suffered a serious knee injury during a pick-up game, and only played in the final eight games of the season. Under new head coach, former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian, the Spurs struggled with a 9–11 start to the season. Tarkanian was fired, then after playing one game under assistant Rex Hughes, the team hired John Lucas II as their new coach. At midseason, the team traded Sidney Green to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for J.R. Reid. Under Lucas, the Spurs would play solid basketball posting a 10-game winning streak in January, then winning eight straight games in February, as they held a 34–15 record at the All-Star break. However, they would play below .500 for the remainder of the season, finishing second in the Midwest Division with a 49–33 record.
