The former Indiana University coach was one of four assistants hired Wednesday by Milwaukee Bucks head coach Scott Skiles.

Skiles also hired former Chicago Bulls coach Jim Boylan and former NBA players Lionel Hollins and Joe Wolf, who played at the University of North Carolina in the 1980s.

Sampson resigned as Hoosiers coach on Feb. 22 and accepted a $750,000 buyout after an NCAA report charged him with five major NCAA rules violations.

AINGE HONORED: Danny Ainge, who engineered the trades for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen that helped the Boston Celtics post the biggest turnaround in league history, was given the Sporting News NBA Executive of the Year award before Wednesday night's playoff game.

In the voting by general managers and other executives from all 30 teams, Ainge received 18 of the 47 votes. Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak had 14 votes and New Orleans Hornets general manager Jeff Bower who had 12.

The Celtics went 24-58 in 2006-07. Garnett, Allen and Paul Pierce formed a new Big Three, and Boston won 66 games in the regular season to earn home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

CARLISLE TAKES OVER MAVS: Rick Carlisle is ready to let Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks run. And run.

And run some more.

"When you play with Jason Kidd, you have to open it up," Carlisle said Wednesday. "Our wing guys are going to have to get conditioned to really run. The thing Jason Kidd does better than probably any point guard in the league is push the ball ahead."

Carlisle was hired over the weekend to replace Avery Johnson.