Month: August 2008

Heat sign Yakhouba Diawara

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed free agent guard/forward Yakhouba Diawara. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Diawara spent the previous two seasons playing for the Denver Nuggets. During the 2007-08 season, he played in 54 games (14 starts), averaging 2.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game, while shooting 41.0 percent from the field. In his first season in the NBA, he played in 64 games (19 starts) and averaged 4.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game.

During the 2005-06 season, Diawara played in 20 games for JDA Dijon Bourgogne of the French League where he averaged 16.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He also played 25 games for Climamio Bologna of the Italian League, where he averaged 10.6 points and 3.8 rebounds.

He was a member of the HEAT’s 2005 Summer League squad, playing in two games and averaging 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 57.1 percent from the field.

He played for two seasons at Pepperdine (2003-05), averaging 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds over his two years. He was also named First Team All-West Coast Conference as a junior. He spent his first two collegiate seasons at Southern Idaho Junior College.

‘Thunder’ clear favorite for OKC team name

The Oklahoman (Mike Baldwin) reports: The NBA’s Web site all but confirmed Thunder would be the nickname of Oklahoma City’s NBA team on Wednesday morning — but by Wednesday afternoon, the evidence was gone. By Wednesday afternoon, the word Thunder was nowhere to be found on the Oklahoma City schedule page, and all of the links pointed to www.nba.com/oklahomacity. Oklahoma City NBA team spokesman Dan Mahoney’s comment Wednesday was similar to previous comments. “We’re not going to comment on the name until we’re ready to announce something,” Mahoney said.

Yao Ming to be flag bearer for second straight Olympics

The Houston Chronicle (Fran Blinebury) reports: As China prepares to stand tall by hosting its first Olympic Games, it is only fitting that 7-6 Yao Ming will carry his nation’s flag into the Bird’s Nest stadium at Friday’s Opening Ceremonies. A person with knowledge of the decision, who is not permitted to speak officially, confirmed the Rockets’ center, after carrying the Olympic torch through the main gate of the Forbidden City on Wednesday, will be the Chinese flag bearer for his second straight Olympics. Yao would not say that he has been chosen for the honor. The Chinese delegation is expected to make its announcement on Thursday morning, Houston time. “Of course, I want to be the flag bearer again,” Yao said. “I have experience. It feels good.”

Legendary Israeli coach Ralph Klein dies

The Jerusalem Post reports: Legendary basketball coach Ralph Klein died Thursday morning at Tel Hashomer’s Sheba Medical Center. The 77-year-old, widely regarded as Israel’s greatest basketball coach, had been battling with cancer in recent years. Klein was born to a Hungarian family in Berlin. Before the outbreak of the Second World War, he fled with his family to Budapest. Klein’s father was killed in Auschwitz, but the rest of the family was saved from the Nazis by Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish humanitarian sent to Budapest under diplomatic cover to rescue Jews from the Holocaust.

Four teams are without any Saturday home games

The Oklahoman (Darnell Mayberry) reports: Oklahoma City will be one of only four NBA teams without any Saturday home games. The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics, the runner-up Los Angeles Lakers and the Toronto Raptors are the only other NBA teams without any Saturday home games. “I don’t like it at all,” Hill said. “It’s hard to make it down to Oklahoma City to go to a game during the week.” The NBA compiled Oklahoma City’s schedule from a list of available Ford Center dates submitted to the league by arena management as agreed to by the team. Teams play 41 regular-season home games, but out of the 75 possible home dates submitted to the NBA, only one was a Saturday, according to schedule maker Matt Winick, NBA vice president of operations.

Deadline extended in Sonics accord

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Greg Johns) reports: Attorneys for the city of Seattle and Clay Bennett’s Professional Basketball Club agreed Wednesday to extend the deadline for completing the settlement agreement that allowed the Sonics to end their KeyArena lease and move to Oklahoma City. The PBC and city initially set an Aug. 1 date to wrap up their July 3 settlement, but now have asked Judge Marsha Pechman to extend that to Aug. 18. Additionally, Pechman’s original Order of Dismissal listed Aug. 6 as the deadline to reopen the case. That date now would be Aug. 25. The additional time is needed in part because of the possibility of a voters’ referendum on the City Council’s approval of the settlement.

Jerry Sloan 20th anniversary game to be on road

The Salt Lake Tribune (Ross Siler) reports: Twenty years after he took over for Frank Layden, Jerry Sloan will mark his anniversary as Jazz coach not with a celebration at EnergySolutions Arena, but with a road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The location of the Dec. 9 anniversary game for the longest-tenured coach in American pro sports was the biggest surprise Wednesday as the NBA released its schedule for the 2008-09 season… NBA spokesman Mark Broussard didn’t know whether the Jazz had requested to play at home that date. “It really wasn’t anything that was on our radar screen as an anniversary date or anything,” Broussard said.

Sixers to play one last Spectrum game

The Philadelphia Daily News reports: To commemorate 28 seasons that included an NBA championship, the Sixers will bid a fond farewell to the Wachovia Spectrum with one last game. Yesterday, the team released its schedule for the upcoming 2008-09 campaign with plans to face the Chicago Bulls in the hallowed arena on March 13. “In this, the last year of the Spectrum, we’re thrilled to bring the Sixers back home to play one more time in the Spectrum,” said Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider. “This night is designed for our fans to relive the great Sixers memories there and for those fans who were never able to see them play at the Spectrum.”

Pistons sign Walter Sharpe

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the team has signed second round draft choice Walter Sharpe.

“We are pleased to add Walter Sharpe to our roster,” said Dumars.  “Walter is a young athletic small forward with good size and intriguing skills.  We look forward to seeing him grow and mature as a player in our system.”

Sharpe was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the No. 32 pick in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft.  The 6-9, 245-pound forward from the University of Alabama Birmingham, played 12 games last season averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.  He shot 52% from the field and had a career game against University of Rhode Island when he recorded career-highs in points (26) and rebounds (17). Sharpe averaged 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds during the 2005-06 season for Mississippi State and sat out the 2006-07 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

Knicks hire Kenny Atkinson as assistant coach

I look forward to seeing how the Knicks, who are the same team as last year plus an Italian forward I haven’t seen enough of to have a firm grasp of how well he’ll do, under new coach Mike D’Antoni. Can he take the same roster Isiah Thomas had, twist around what the players do, and make these guys a winner? We’ll see. Anyway, today they added some coaching staff help. Here’s the news:

The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that Kenny Atkinson has been hired as an assistant coach. As per club policy, terms of the contract will not be disclosed.

Atkinson joins the Knicks after spending the 2007-08 season as the Director of Player Development with the Houston Rockets where he was responsible for improving player performance through on-court, one-on-one skill development and the use of video analysis.

Atkinson joined the Rockets after three years serving as the Director of Player Development/Assistant Coach with the Paris Basket Racing Club in France from 2004-06. While in Europe, Atkinson also was a Reebok EuroCamp Coach in Treviso, Italy during the summers of 2005 and 2007. He spent the 2006 summer as the Director of Player Development for the national team of the Republic of Georgia.

Following a standout collegiate career at the University of Richmond where he led the Spiders to a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Northport, NY-native and St. Anthony’s HS (South Huntington) graduate played professionally in Italy, France, Holland, Germany and Spain from 1991-2004.