Day: September 8, 2009

Trail Blazers sign rookie Jeff Pendergraph

The Portland Trail Blazers signed rookie forward Jeff Pendergraph, General Manager Kevin Pritchard announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Also announced today, Pendergraph will undergo surgery on Wednesday, Sept. 9, to correct a left hip impingement.

“It feels great to officially be a part of the Trail Blazers organization,” said Pendergraph. “I’m here to help this team and contribute in any way that I can. While this is a challenging week with my surgery, it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve accomplished a dream and can proudly wear the Blazers logo. I will do all that I can to recover and get back on the floor.”

“We’re really excited to add Jeff to our team,” said Pritchard. “It’s a bittersweet day, but Jeff has worked his tail off this summer and we know he’s going to put every bit as much into his rehab as he has preparing for the NBA.”

Dr. Marc Philippon of Vail, Colo., will perform the surgery. A timetable for Pendergraph’s return will be determined upon completion of the procedure.

The Trail Blazers acquired the draft rights to Pendergraph from Sacramento in a draft day trade on June 25 in exchange for Sergio Rodriguez, the draft rights to Jon Brockman and cash considerations.

Pendergraph, 22, played four seasons at Arizona State, where he finished with career averages of 12.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.04 blocked shots and a 58.0 percent shooting percentage. As a senior, Pendergraph averaged 14.5 points and was named to the Pac-10’s First Team. His 66.0 percent field goal mark led the nation.

He started all five games for the Trail Blazers in the 2009 NBA Summer League, averaging 10.8 points (55.3% FG), 7.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.2 blocked shots.

Pendergraph becomes the 13th player on the Trail Blazers’ current roster. He will wear jersey number 31.

Hornets monitoring Peja Stojakovic`s health

John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune reports: When New Orleans Hornets small forward Peja Stojakovic reports for training camp later this month, General Manager Jeff Bower and Coach Byron Scott will already know if his previous back problems will be a factor. Two weeks ago, the franchise sent Mark Cranston, Director of Athlete Performance and Rehabilitation, to evaluate Stojakovic at his offseason home in Greece. Last season, the Hornets was unable to get a precise update on Stojakovic’s back condition until he reported for camp.

InsideHoops.com editor says: There’s not a lot of reason to have faith in Stojakovic anymore. At 32 years of age he doesn’t qualify as old just yet, but limited athletic ability combined with health issues could mean he’s best suited as a prime scoring option off the bench rather than as a core starter. Stojakovic averaged just 13.3  points on 39.9% shooting last season and did next to nothing in the playoffs. Hopefully he regains health, stays young and bounces back.

Nets are first NBA team to sell practice jersey sponsorship

New Jersey Nets Basketball player practice jerseys during the 2009-10 season will be adorned with a logo of PNY Technologies, Inc., a leading manufacturer and supplier of high-quality computing and digital imaging products.

The Nets are the first NBA team to grant sponsor logo placement rights on its practice jerseys

As part of the two-year agreement, PNY will own the naming rights for the Nets practice facility in East Rutherford, to be called the PNY Center.

Launched in Brooklyn in 1985, PNY is now headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, and operates in 13 locations, with products sold in over 50 countries.  It is considered a leading manufacturer and supplier of flash memory cards, USB flash drives, solid state drives, computer memory upgrade modules, as well as consumer and professional graphics cards. Whether it’s an SD™ card for a digital camera, a MicroSD™ card for a cell phone or a Graphics Card for a home computer, PNY offers complete solutions for digital lifestyle needs.

“This is an ideal fit between our two companies,” said Nets CEO Brett Yormark. “Our brand attributes line-up perfectly with PNY’s; we’re both about speed, precision, and durability. PNY will be synonymous with the pulse of the Nets, including through brand exposure during post-practice interviews. This unprecedented spotlight provides PNY the compelling opportunity to activate its brand, not just in the nation’s No. 1 media market, but also internationally. Due to the popularity of our players Yi Jianlian and Eduardo Najera, Nets Basketball regularly receives extensive exposure in China and Mexico, respectively.”

“With an array of lifestyle oriented products to engage fans and enhance the overall game experience, PNY is pleased to expand our support of Nets Basketball,” said Tony Gomez, vice president of sales and marketing at PNY.  “Our comprehensive alliance allows PNY to further extend our reach to the broad and ever-growing global NBA fan base.  On the dawn of our 25th Anniversary, the PNY brand is stronger than ever and our alignment with the Nets and its global media reach will prove to be a key asset in targeting this important international audience.”

In addition to practice jersey branding, the PNY logo will be seen on the media backdrop used for interviews at all practices. PNY logo placement will also be on Nets coaching staff apparel worn at team practices.

As a special feature on the Nets home page of njnets.com, including on the Nets’ two Chinese language Web sites, PNY will sponsor the ‘Live from Practice’ feature. Each day an image of a home practice will be posted on the site, which will also include updated team news.

PNY will also garner brand presence at Nets home games, as well as sponsor many fan-focused activities in the IZOD CENTER, such as the sponsorship of the ‘High 5 Line,’ along with PNY branded prizes and cheer sticks.