Chris Kaman scored 20 points and the Hornets rallied for a 97-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night, spoiling Chris Paul's return to New Orleans.
You know me; I'm too professional, polite and reverential of the coaching profession to speculate about interim Mike Woodson's successor while he still retains the Knicks' (favorite) title . . . at least as long as he's undefeated.
Sendai 89ers 2010-11 record: 24-12 Head coach: Bob Pierce (first year)
1 Kenichi Takahashi G
4 Takehiko Shimura PG
5 O’Neal Mims F (Angelo State)
7 Takuya Komoda F
9 Johnny Dukes F (San Francisco)
11 Yoshihiro Tachibana SF
12 Daisuke Takaoka F
17 Hikaru Kusaka PG
21 Rashaad Singleton C (Florida Southern)
22 Dan Fitzgerald F (Marquette)
23 Soshi Yasuda SG
Niigata Albirex BB 2010-11 record: 20-20 Head coach: Matt Garrison (first year)
1 Dwight Gordon G (UC Riverside)
2 Ryo Narumi G
3 Erron Maxey SF/PF (Providence)
13 Shuhei Komatsu G
15 Hirotaka Kondo G
20 Nile Murry G (TCU)
23 Kimitake Sato SG
29 Kento Fukuya G
31 James Keefe PF/C (UCLA)
32 Yuichi Ikeda F
35 Yuki Sato F
54 Chris Holm C (Vermont)
Toyama Grouses 2010-11 record: 13-31 Head coach: Kazuaki Shimoji (first season; took over as head coach last spring)
00 Haakim Johnson SG/SF (Pikeville College)
7 Ryuichi Horikawa SF
8 Takumi Yamashiro PG
9 Takeshi Mito SG
14 Makoto Kato SG
21 Brian Harper F (Paine College)
30 Larry Turner PF/C (Tennessee State)
31 Masashi Joho SG
33 Keiji Takano F
34 Devin Searcy F/C (Dayton)
50 Ira Brown F (Gonzaga)
Saitama Broncos 2010-11 record: 14-24 Head coach: Dean Murray (first year)
2 Kenny Satterfield PG (Cincinnati)
7 Yuki Kitamuki G
10 Darin Satoshi Maki PG (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
11 Jayme Miller F (Cal State Northridge)
15 Daiki Terashita F
21 Yasuaki Arai G
35 John "Helicopter" Humphrey SG/SF (Middle Tennessee State)
41 John Flowers F (West Virginia)
45 Gabriel Hughes C (California)
Akita Northern Happinets 2010-11 record: 18-32 Head coach: Kazuo Nakamura (first year)
2 Ryosuke Mizumachi G
4 Makoto Hasegawa PG
6 Kenny Bernard Taylor SG (Texas)
7 Yoshimune Sano F/C
10 Kazuhiro Shoji F
12 Yuki Kikuchi F
20 Stanley Ocitti PF/C (Binghamton)
23 Yuki Nobuhira F
33 Brandon Wallace F (South Carolina)
34 Casey Crawford F (Colorado)
55 Michael Gardener G (Southeastern Louisiana)
Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix 2010-11 record: 40-6 Head coach: Ryuji Kawai (first season)
2 Shina Yoshitomo G
3 Masahiro Oguchi G
4 James Peters F/C (UNLV)
5 Kenya Tomori G
7 Yuki Yamaguchi G
8 Atsuya Ota C
11 Shingo Okada G
21 Jeffrey Parmer F (Florida Atlantic)
25 Shoji Nakanishi F
34 Wayne Arnold G (Tennessee State)
Jermaine Dixon G (Pittsburgh)*
*number not assigned yet
Iwate Big Bulls Expansion team Head coach:
Vlasios Vlaikidis (first year)
0 Keita Takada G
1 Makoto Sawaguchi G
3 Tasuku Namizato G
5 Shinya Chiba F
7 Shin Jae Rok G/F (South Korea)
9 Atsushi Nogami G
13 Yoshiaki Yamamoto G
15 Thomas Kennedy F (Detroit Mercy)
21 Hayato Kantake F
22 Shawn Malloy PF/C (New Orleans)
25 Sean Coleman F (Houston)
32 Matthew Smith PF/C (Warner)
Chiba Jets Expansion team Head coach:
Eric Gardow (first year)
0 Hiroki Sato SG
1 Shota Isshiki G
3 George Leach C (Indiana)
7 Reina Itakura SF
9 Kensuke Tanaka G
10 Chris Sasaki PG
11 Maurice Hargrow G (Minnesota)
15 Gaston Moliva F (Richmond)
17 Kosuke Yahata G
19 Tomoya Nakamura F
25 Mitsuhiro Kamezaki F
31 Takaki Ishida SG
44 Jamel Staten F (Minnesota State-Mankato)
55 Hayato Shirata G
Shinshu Brave Warriors Expansion team Head coach: Motofumi Aoki (first year)
1 Takanori Goya G
5 Derek Raivio G (Gonzaga)
6 Takato Saito PG
11 Yosuke Saito SG
12 Tadashi Utsunomiya SG
21 Yutaka Suzuki SG
24 Lee Roberts PF (Findlay)
32 Edward Morris PF (Pittsburgh)
34 Tyler Hughes C (Kansas State)
Yokohama B-Corsairs Expansion team Head coach: Reggie Geary
1 Chas McFarland C (Wake Forest)
3 Masayuki Kabaya SG
6 Faye Pape Mour C
7 Minoru Kimura G
10 Marcus Simmons G (USC)
13 Kenji Yamada G
15 Takeshi Hotta SF
19 Giyoh Shey G (Cal State Los Angeles)
24 Justin Burrell F (St. John's)
33 Taketo Aoki F
73 Satoshi Hisayama SG
Western Conference
Rizing Fukuoka 2010-11 record: 30-20 Head coach: Tadaharu Ogawa (third season)
1 Jun Nakanishi G
2 Gary Hamilton PF/C (Miami, Florida)
7 J.R. Inman F (Rutgers)
8 Akitomo Takeno G
15 Kevin Palmer G/F (Texas A&M;)
21 Masahiro Kano G
24 Satoshi Ishitani G
25 Emil Kim G (UC Irvine)
32 Carlos Dixon F (Virginia Tech)
Shiga Lakestars 2010-11 record: 30-20 Head coach: Alan Westover (first season)
0 Ray Nixon F (Wisconsin)
1 Yu Okada G
4 Julius Ashby C (Colorado)
5 Shinya Ogawa G
10 Kazuya "J." Hatano F
11 Takamichi Fujiwara G
13 Shigeki Ido PG
15 Shingo Miyagi F
18 Jumpei Honda F
19 Dionisio Gomez F (Arkansas)
30 Josh Peppers F (Central Florida)
Takamatsu Five Arrows 2010-11 record: 10-38 Head coach: Kenzo Maeda (first season)
1 Michael Nunnally F (Pacific)
2 Yuta Kurihara PG
7 Paul Butorac C (Eastern Washington)
10 Keishiro Tsutsumi PG
11 Hiroyuki Kikuchi SG
12 Kevin Smith F (Richmond)
20 Makoto Kita G
22 Masaaki Suzuki PG
32 Nyika Williams C (Pacific)
41 Shuichi Takada F
Osaka Evessa 2010-11 record: 32-18 Head coach: Ryan Blackwell (second season)
0 Masashi Obuchi G
1 Lawrence Blackledge F (Marquette)
2 Goki Kitamura G
3 Lavell Payne F (Central Florida)
6 Satoshi Takeda SG
7 Shota Konno G
10 Kevin Tyner G (Western Oregon)
11 Cohey Aoki PG
14 Hideki Katsumata F
18 Yoshitaka Amano G
22 Daisuke Tamura G
33 Hirohisa Takada F
44 Lynn Washington PF (Indiana)
50 Wayne Marshall C (Temple)
Ryukyu Golden Kings 2010-11 record: 34-16 Head coach: Dai Oketani (fourth season)
2 Yasufumi Takushi G
5 Anthony McHenry F (Georgia Tech)
6 Shigeyuki Kinjo G
8 Tsubasa Yonamine G
9 Naoto Kosuge G
11 Yoshiki Yamashiro F
21 Reggie Okosa F/C (La Salle)
32 Morihisa Yamauchi G
33 Dzaflo Larkai F/C (Bellarmine)
37 Narito Namizato G
50 Jeff Newton F (Indiana)
Oita HeatDevils 2010-11 record: 16-32 Head coach: Yukinori Suzuki (first season)
1 Kohei Mitomo G
2 Naoto Takushi PG
4 Zach Atkinson C (UC Irvine)
7 Manabu Umemiya G
17 Daishi Hayakawa C
28 Masahiro Ohara PG
33 Matt Lottich G (Stanford)
34 T.J. Cummings PF/SF (UCLA)
Wendell White F (UNLV)*
*jersey number not assigned yet
Kyoto Hannaryz 2010-11 record: 28-20 Head coach: Honoo Hamaguchi (first season)
0 Kyosuke Setoyama G/F
2 Jermaine Boyette F (Weber State)
3 Haruyuki Ishibashi PG
5 Yusuke Inoue F
7 Rick Rickert F (Minnesota)
9 Naoto Nakamura G
11 Taizo Kawabe F
30 Lee Cummard G (BYU)
41 Lance Allred C (Weber State)
50 Sunao Murakami PG
Miyazaki Shining Suns 2010-11 record: 13-37 Head coach: Koto Toyama (second season)
1 Taishiro Shimizu G
2 Shinnosuke Oishi G
3 Yuta Kojima F
6 Darryl Dora F/C (Texas Tech)
8 Takuro Ito G
9 Dexter Lyons G/F (Central Florida)
25 Tsubasa Yonezawa G
34 Ivan Harris F (Ohio State)
39 Masato Tsukino G
44 Lewis Witcher PF/C (Virginia Tech)
Shimane Susanoo Magic 2010-11 record: 24-26 Head coach: Zeljko Pavlicevic (second season)
1 Edward Yamamoto PG
3 Michael Parker F (Evergreen State)
4 Jeral Davis C (Talladega State)
8 Reggie Golson F (Southeast Missouri State)
9 Koki Yabuuchi PG
10 B.J. Puckett C/F (Clayton State)
21 Yasuhisa Hikino SG
24 Jumpei Nakama SG
36 Shohei Nakama SG
41 Takashi Toyota G/F
55 Tatsuhiro Yokoo SG
