Month: September 2009

Delonte West arrested for weapons charges

Delonte West arrested for weapons charges

Apparently the Cleveland Cavaliers failed to inform guard Delonte West that they do not want him to make like a road warrior and strap up tons of guns to himself while speeding on some crazy three-wheeled motorcycle, cutting off police cruisers in the process.

Silly them. Because now he’s reportedly done just that.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

Cavaliers guard Delonte West is facing weapons charges after being pulled over on his motorcycle while carrying a small arsenal near his Maryland home late Thursday night.

Prince George’s County police said West was carrying two concealed handguns and a shotgun when he was pulled over on Interstate 495 near his offseason home in Brandywine, Md. around 10 p.m. Corporal Clinton Copeland said West was speeding and cut off a police cruiser while riding on his three-wheeled 2009 Can-Am Spyder motorcycle.

After being stopped West informed police he was carrying a gun in his waistband, which was a 9mm Beretta. Police also found a Ruger .357 strapped to his leg and a shotgun inside a guitar case that was slung over his back. West was traveling alone.

Maybe West was just riding to the store to buy some juice.

Read NBA fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Clippers hire John Lucas as assistant coach

The Los Angeles Clippers today added coaching veteran John Lucas as an assistant coach to Head Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy’s staff.

Lucas joins the Clippers after last serving as the Head Coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2001-03. While in Cleveland, Lucas coached current Clippers Ricky Davis and Brian Skinner. Lucas came to the Cavs after working as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets for three seasons.

Overall, Lucas brings six years of NBA head coaching experience as he led the Philadelphia 76ers from 1994-96 and the San Antonio Spurs from 1992-94 with an overall NBA head coaching record of 173-258 (.401). While in Philadelphia, Lucas also served as general manager and vice president of basketball operations. As head coach of the Spurs, he led the team to a 94-49 (.657) record and two consecutive playoff appearances. In addition to his NBA coaching experience, Lucas was the owner and head coach of the Miami Tropics of the United States Basketball League (USBL) from 1992-93 and led the Tropics to a 38-9 record and two USBL championships.

Lucas began his 14-year NBA playing career during the 1976-77 season after he was made the first overall selection in the 1976 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. Lucas played for six different teams during his career, including Houston, Golden State, Washington, San Antonio, Milwaukee and Seattle and was named to the NBA All-Rookie team in 1977 after averaging 11.1 points on .477 (388-814) FG% with 5.6 assists per game for the Rockets. In 928 career NBA games, Lucas averaged 10.7 points with 7.0 assists and is currently in 21st place among the NBA all-time assist leaders (6,454 assists). He also played in 45 playoff contests and averaged 11.2 points on .451 (198-439) FG%, including a career-high 15.6 points in 12 postseason games for the Bucks in 1987.

In 1990, Lucas founded and became President of John Lucas Resources, Houston, Texas, a network of drug treatment programs aimed specifically at helping athletes.

A 1976 graduate of the University of Maryland, Lucas earned All-America honors in 1975 and 1976 as well as a bachelor’s degree in Education. He later continued his studies at the University of San Francisco where he earned his master’s degree, also in Education.

The addition of Lucas completes Dunleavy’s coaching staff of Tony Brown, Kim Hughes and Fred Vinson.

Knicks sign Sun Yue

Knicks sign Sun Yue

New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that guard Sun Yue has been signed as a free agent. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. InsideHoops.com assume it’s not a guaranteed contract and is for low money.

Sun, 6-9, 205-pounds, averaged 0.6 points, 0.2 assists and 2.8 minutes in 10 games as a rookie last season with the L.A. Lakers. The Hebei, China-native was selected by the Lakers of the second round (40th overall) in the 2008 NBA Draft and also averaged 9.8 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds in six games on assignment last season with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League. The 23-year old is a member of the Chinese National Team and started all six games for China in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Kings sign Desmond Mason

The Sacramento Kings today signed free agent guard-forward Desmond Mason to a contract, according to Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Mason, a nine-year NBA veteran, has amassed career averages of 12.2 points (.449 FGs, .260 3FGs, .740 FTs), 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game through 638 outings with the Seattle Sonics (2000-03), Milwaukee Bucks (2002-05 and 2007-08), New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2005-07) and Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-09).

Rockets promote Gersson Rosas

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey today announced the promotion of Gersson Rosas to Vice President of Player Personnel.  Rosas, who is entering his sixth season with the organization, had served as the team’s Director of Player Personnel last season.

“Gersson has played a key role in our team’s success over the past few seasons and this expanded role is more representative of the impact he has had on our basketball operations,” said Morey.  “His superior decision making and leadership qualities are critical to our basketball operations department.  The rapid expansion of Gersson’s role and responsibilities over the past two seasons serves as a clear indication of his value to our basketball operations.”

In his new role, Rosas will be responsible for assisting Morey in all phases of the team’s basketball operations.  He will oversee the team’s player personnel matters including the evaluation of draft prospects, free agents and potential trade targets. In addition, he will supervise the Rockets’ domestic and international scouting departments, while also assisting in the coordination of the team’s Player Development program.

Prior to his present stint with the Rockets, Rosas was the head coach of the Global Games Prep USA Team during the summer of 2004. Rosas’ experience also includes work as a graduate assistant for the men’s basketball team at the University of Houston (2003-04), as an assistant coach on Westbury Christian’s High School state championship team (2002-03) and as a basketball coordinator for the Venezuelan Basketball Federation during the 2002 World Basketball Championships, which was the Venezuelan National Team that featured former Rockets guard Oscar Torres.

In addition, he has been an active participant in the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program, the NBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program (2006-2009), including serving this past summer as the Americas Camp Director in Mexico City. Rosas also served as the director of college counselors at RBKU All American Camp (2007, 2008) and as a camp coach at the Reebok ABCD Camp (2006, 2007).

Blazers sign Juwan Howard

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed free agent forward Juwan Howard to a one-year contract, it was announced today by General Manager Kevin Pritchard. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Juwan Howard will add a wealth of experience and veteran savvy to our young, talented roster,” said Pritchard. “We look forward to Juwan’s contributions on the court and in the locker room.”

Howard (6-9, 250, Michigan) holds career averages of 14.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 1,043 games (871 starts) over a 15-year NBA career with Washington, Dallas, Denver, Orlando, Houston and Charlotte.

Originally selected by Washington with the fifth overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, Howard garnered All-Rookie Second Team honors in 1994-95 and earned a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team in 1995-96.

Howard averaged 17 points or more and seven-plus rebounds in each of his first five seasons in the league. He has tallied 188 career double-doubles.

Howard, 36, played three games last season for Denver and appeared in 39 contests for Charlotte. In 42 total games, Howard averaged 4.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 11.2 minutes in 2008-09. He reached double figures in scoring five times.

The Chicago, Ill., native has appeared in the NBA Playoffs four times, averaging 9.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 23 games.

A member of the “Fab Five” at the University of Michigan, Howard was named Third Team All-American in 1994 after averaging 20.8 points and 9.0 rebounds in his junior season. Howard then entered the NBA Draft, becoming the first NBA player to leave school early and graduate on time.

Howard becomes the 14th player on Portland’s roster. He will wear jersey No. 6.

Heat to retire Tim Hardaway`s jersey

The Miami HEAT announced today that it will retire Tim Hardaway’s number 10 jersey in a pre-game ceremony prior to the team’s Oct. 28 season-opener against the New York Knicks. Hardaway will become just the second HEAT player to have his jersey retired, joining former teammate Alonzo Mourning whose number 33 jersey was retired on Mar. 30, 2009. The HEAT will honor Hardaway with a special pre-game video presentation and jersey retirement ceremony, where his jersey will be placed in the rafters alongside banners for Mourning and former team trainer Ron Culp and the HEAT’s division, conference, and NBA championship banners at the AmericanAirlines Arena.

“When you think about the Miami HEAT organization and the 20-plus years that the franchise has been in existence, there are always going to be those names that have helped develop the taproot and foundation for what we hope to be a long tradition of success here in Miami,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “Alonzo Mourning was one. His jersey now is hanging from the rafters in the AmericanAirlines Arena. Tim Hardaway is another, who today we are proud to announce will have his jersey retired on opening night against the New York Knicks. We feel that Tim has been one of those building blocks and one of those players who has done us proud and we feel he is most deserving of having this special honor on this particular night.”

During a sparkling 13-year NBA career, Hardaway was a five-time NBA All-Star and earned All-NBA honors on five occasions (First Team once, Second Team three times and Third Team once). He became the first player in HEAT history to earn All-NBA honors when he was chosen First Team All-NBA after leading Miami to a franchise-record 61 wins and its first-ever conference finals appearance during the 1996-97 season. Hardaway, who was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1989-90, also captured a gold medal with the United States Senior National Team at the 2000 Olympics, where he teamed with Mourning, and also as a member of the 1994 U.S. World Championship team.

He appeared in 867 regular season games with the HEAT (1996-01), Golden State Warriors (1989-96), Dallas Mavericks (2001-02), Denver Nuggets (2002) and Indiana Pacers (2002-03) and averaged 17.7 points, 8.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.65 steals and 35.3 minutes while shooting 43.1 percent from the floor, 35.5 percent from three-point range and 78.2 percent from the foul line during his career. He finished his career with 15,373 points, 7,095 assists, 1,542 three-point field goals made and 1,428 steals. The Chicago native ranks among the NBA’s all-time leaders in three-point field goals attempted (4th), three-point field goals made (7th), assists (13th) and steals (39th). Additionally, in 56 postseason contests he averaged 16.8 points, 6.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.57 steals and 36.6 minutes while shooting 39.3 percent from the floor, 32 percent from three-point range and 75.1 percent from the foul line.

Originally selected with the 14th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft by Golden State, Hardaway was acquired by the HEAT from the Warriors along with Chris Gatling on Feb. 22, 1996 in exchange for Bimbo Coles and Kevin Willis in one of the greatest trades in franchise history. He currently ranks as Miami’s all-time leader in assists (2,867), three-point field goals made (806) and three-point field goals attempted (2,263). The University of Texas-El Paso graduate also ranks among Miami’s all-time leaders in field goals attempted (4th-5,498), double-doubles (4th-95), points (5th-6,335), field goals made (5th-2,252), free throw percentage (5th-80.1%), steals (5th-541), double-figure scoring efforts (tied 5th-315), free throws made (7th-1,025), free throws attempted (8th-1,279), games started (8th-367), minutes played (8th-13,271), games played (10th-367), defensive rebounds (11th-1,004), total rebounds (13th-1,180), field goal percentage (16th-41.0%) and three-point field goal percentage (16th-35.6%). He also owns the HEAT single-season assist record, recording 695 during the 1996-97 campaign. Additionally, Hardaway ranks as the HEAT’s all-time postseason leader in three-point field goals made (80) and three-point field goals attempted (220).

Pacers sign Luther Head

The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday they have signed free agent Luther Head to a contract. Per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Head, a 6-3, 185-pound guard from Illinois, has played four seasons in the NBA with Houston and Miami. He has a career scoring average of 8.6 points with a career-high of 10.9 in 2006-07 with the Rockets. That same season, Head shot .441 from 3-point range, which was fourth in the NBA that season and third best in Rockets’ history. He is a career 39 percent shooter from beyond the arc.

“Luther is a guy we have had our eye on,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “He can shoot, he has speed and quickness and he will fit in well in our up-tempo game. I think he’s going to be a good addition to our basketball team.”

Clippers re-sign Brian Skinner

Clippers re-sign Brian Skinner

The Los Angeles Clippers today re-signed unrestricted free agent forward Brian Skinner. Per team policy terms of the contract were not released. InsideHoops.com assumes (but has not confirmed) that it’s a very short contract for the league minimium.

In 51 games played with the Clippers last season, Skinner averaged 4.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 16.5 minutes per game. Over his 11 year NBA career, Skinner has tallied 4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 18.3 minutes per game.

On June 30th, the Clippers announced that Skinner had decided not to exercise his player contract option for the 2009-10 NBA season, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Skinner was originally drafted by the Clippers in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft.