NEW ORLEANS—The only thing Jerry Stackhouse wanted in his D-League all-star coaching debut was a modicum of seriousness because the kids in his charge are not quite where they need to be yet.
He had watched the half-hearted effort in Friday’s game between first- and second-year NBA players and used it to deliver a message to his Eastern Conference team, which eked out a 105-100 win over the West.
“(I told them) you’re still trying to get there, those guys are already there,” the head coach of the Raptors 905 said. “They get to maybe play with the game a little bit more than you do, you haven’t arrived yet so let’s prove . . . why we’re here.
“(I asked them to) play with some effort and I thought they did that for the most part. It wasn’t 905 defence but it was okay, it got us the win.”
Stackhouse played in two NBA all-star games during his 13-year career and earned the right to coach here by guiding the 905s to a 25-9 record.
The relaxed atmosphere around the game made it a worthwhile trip.
“I really love all-star weekend because you get to see the best the leagues have to offer, what the NBA has to offer, and now you see what the best of the D-League has to offer and the camaraderie of the guys,” he said.
“The guys battle and go at each other all the time, now it’s a more relaxed atmosphere and they get to hang out and laugh and joke for a weekend. Then it’s back to business in a week.”
T-MAC UP FOR HALL: One career that began in Toronto may end at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
Tracy McGrady, who cut his teeth in the NBA during three years with the Raptors, was named Saturday as one of the finalists for 2017 induction into the Hall.
McGrady joins former NBA players Chris Webber, Tim Hardaway and Sidney Moncrief, along with former coach Rudy Tomjanovich, on the list of finalists.
Others on the North American list of finalists are college coaches Rollie Massimino, Bo Ryan and Bill Self, former NBA referee Hugh Evans and Texas high school coach Robert Hughes.
In three seasons with the Raptors, McGrady averaged 11.1 points over 192 games but became one of the league’s top scorers during four seasons in Orlando and six in Houston.
Finalists named by the women’s selection committee were standout player Rebecca Lobo, coaches Kim Mulkey and Muffet McGraw, and the Wayland Baptist University team.
The induction class will be announced in April at the NCAA Final Four.
THE GIANTS RETURN: The NBA is headed back to Africa. Former Raptor and Democratic Republic of Congo native Bismack Biyombo will be one of the headliners for an Aug. 5 game between teams representing Africa and the world.
The game will be played in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Biyombo was part of the first exhibition game in Africa in August, 2015, while he was still with the Raptors. Serge Ibaka, the newest Raptor, also played in that game.
NO KING AND HIS COURT: LeBron James has been around long enough to know how to avoid controversy.
In his media debut at the all-star weekend — he missed Friday’s session — James was asked to name his all-time all-star starting five. He wasn’t playing along.
“I can’t just name five because I know if I name five, then somebody that I don’t name is going to take it personal,” he said. “Then it’s going to be a story.
“I’m here for fun. Every all-star that’s been in the all-star game has been an all-star for a reason. I’ll let you guys decide who’s the all time all-star starting five.”
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