July 2010 – Page 6 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

2010-11 Thunder preseason schedule

The Oklahoma City Thunder will play a pair of home games at the Ford Center and host a neutral-site game in Tulsa as part of a seven-game preseason schedule leading up to the 2010-11 NBA regular season, the team announced today.

As part of the Thunder’s 2010 Training Camp, Oklahoma City will open the preseason with two road contests: Wednesday, October 6 vs. Charlotte at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC and Friday, October 8 vs. Miami at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. The Thunder will then make its third annual trip to Tulsa for an exhibition contest against Memphis on Tuesday, October 12 at the BOK Center.

Oklahoma City welcomes CSKA Moscow, the 2006 and 2008 Euroleague champion to the Ford Center, for an NBA sanctioned preseason contest on Thursday, October 14. The Thunder will then embark on back-to-back road games beginning with a contest vs. San Antonio on Monday, October 18 followed by a game in Denver vs. the Nuggets on Tuesday, October 19. Following the back-to-back, Oklahoma City concludes its preseason schedule at the Ford Center on Thursday, October 21 in a match-up vs. New Orleans.

Cavaliers sign Christian Eyenga

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard/forward Christian Eyenga to a contract, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today. Per league and team policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

Mar. 14, 2010 - Badalona, Spain - BADALONA (SPAIN), 14/03/2010.- Ayuda en Accion Fuenlabrada winger Matias Sandes (R) fights for the ball with Congolese winger Christian Eyenga (L) of DKV Joventut during their ACB Basketball League match played at Local Sports Palace in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain on 14 March 2010.

Eyenga, 21, was the Cavaliers’ first round selection (30th overall) in the 2009 NBA Draft. He averaged 3.9 points on .561 shooting and 2.0 rebounds in 12.0 minutes in 29 regular season games during the 2009-10 season with DKV Joventut Badalona of the Spanish League. The Spanish League is widely regarded as the second-best domestic league in the world behind the NBA. In 11 EuroCup games, the 6-foot-5 guard/forward posted averages of 3.4 points on .444 shooting and 1.2 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game.

“We’re looking forward to having Christian continue his development on the court here with Coach Scott and our team,” said Cavs General Manager Chris Grant. “He has worked hard and we were very encouraged by his recent performance in summer league.”

A native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eyenga most recently played in all five games of the 2010 NBA Summer League with the Cavaliers, reaching double figures in each of the games. In five games (all starts), he averaged 11.4 points on .435 shooting, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 block in 29.2 minutes per game.

“I am happy to be here in Cleveland and excited to play with the Cavaliers this season,” Eyenga said. “This is a great opportunity for me and I look forward to playing for Coach Scott and learning from him, our coaches and my teammates.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: Statistically, Eyenga has not done much yet, both overseas and in recent summer play. But he’s only 21 and presumably still improving.

Armed men break into home of Stephen Jackson

The Charlotte Observer reports:

Three armed men broke into the south Charlotte home of Bobcats’ Stephen Jackson and held his wife at gunpoint before locking her in a bathroom and stealing valuables, police say.

The home invasion robbery happened just after 7 a.m. Wednesday at the home on Leamington Lane – a gated community off Carmel Road.

The robbery report doesn’t list the victims’ names or say what the robbers got away with, but a police source told the Observer that the victim was Jackson’s wife and that he wasn’t home at the time of the crime.

Phoenix Mercury set WNBA scoring record

The AP reports:

Diana Taurasi scored 26 points, Candice Dupree had 23 and the defending champion Phoenix Mercury set a WNBA scoring record with a 123-91 victory over the Tulsa Shock on Thursday night.

Ketia Swanier added 17 points, Tangela Smith 13, DeWanna Bonner 11 and Penny Taylor 10 for the Mercury (9-12), who also set records with 67 points in the first half, most points in the second quarter (36) and most field goals in a half (25).

Kara Braxton scored 18 points to lead the Shock (4-18). Shanna Crossley had 12 points, Jennifer Lacy added 11, and Ivory Latta and Amber Holt 10 each.

Spurs began liking Gary Neal in June

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

The team’s infatuation with Neal, a 25-year-old shooting guard who has spent the duration of his three-year career overseas, began at a free-agent minicamp in June.

“Coming into the offseason, we knew we needed to improve our shooting,” general manager R.C. Buford said. “He came into our gym and was one of the best shooters there. He shot the ball beautifully.”

That shooting beauty carried over to last week’s Las Vegas Summer League, where the 6-foot-4 Neal led an undermanned Spurs squad in scoring at 16 points per game, made 50 percent of his 3-pointers (17 of 34) and walked away with an NBA contract.

Neal sealed his deal with a 25-point game in Sunday’s finale against Memphis, in which he buried 6 of 10 from 3-point range.

Buford wouldn’t go so far as to say the addition of Neal signals an end to the Spurs’ summerlong search for a shooter, but it might.

Father of Shawn Bradley dies after falling from roof

The Philadelphia Daily News reports:

The father of former Sixer Shawn Bradley has died after falling off his roof in central Utah.

The Emery County sheriff’s office says 61-year-old Reiner Bradley fell about 15 feet while caulking a rain gutter Wednesday at his home north of Castle Dale.

Shawn Bradley says doctors told the family his father lost consciousness because of a heart attack, then fell off the roof.

Lakers sign Matt Barnes

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent forward Matt Barnes, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Per team policy terms of the contract were not released.

Barnes, a seven-year NBA veteran, appeared in 81 games (58 starts) last season with Orlando, averaging 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.9 minutes while posting five double-doubles and leading the Magic in scoring six times, in rebounds on four occasions and in assists twice.

Originally selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round (46th overall pick) of the 2002 NBA Draft, Barnes has averaged 7.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 444 career games (162 starts).

A 6’7” forward, Barnes played four seasons collegiately at UCLA where he became the 43rd player in school history to reach 1,000 career points and helped the Bruins reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in each of his last three seasons.

Lakers sign Theo Ratliff

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent center Theo Ratliff, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Per team policy terms of the contract were not released.

“I’ve had a long and very rewarding career, and joining a storied and legendary franchise such as the Lakers adds an even more special element,” Ratliff said. “I look forward to playing for Coach Jackson and with great players such as Kobe, Derek, Pau, Lamar, Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum and all my other new teammates, and hopefully to helping the Lakers win a third straight championship.”

Ratliff, a 15-year NBA veteran, appeared in 49 games (29 starts) last season with the San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Bobcats, averaging 3.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.24 blocks in 16.4 minutes. Acquired from the Spurs on February 18, Ratliff started 26-of-28 games with Charlotte, averaging 5.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.54 blocks while finishing the season ranked 12th league-wide in blocks per 48 minutes (3.63).

“Theo has long been considered to be one of the best defensive big men in the league,” said Kupchak. “He is a consummate professional and a welcome addition to our team. Together with Bynum, Gasol, Odom and Artest, he gives us a formidable and deep front line.”

Originally selected by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft (18th overall), Ratliff has twice been named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1999 and 2004), has led the league in blocked shots three times (2000-01, 2002-03 and 2003-04) and is one of seven players in NBA history to capture the blocked shots title three or more times. Voted the starting center in the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, Ratliff ranks 18th in NBA history in career blocked shots (1,963) and owns career averages of 7.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.45 blocks and 25.5 minutes in 800 games.

Spurs sign Gary Neal

The San Antonio Spurs announced today they have signed guard Gary Neal. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Neal, 6-4, 210 lbs., played on the Spurs 2010 summer league team in Las Vegas where he led the team in scoring. He averaged 16.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 25.8 minutes while shooting .500 (30-60) from the field and .500 (17-34) from beyond the arc in five games.

Last season Neal split time playing for Benetton Treviso in Italy and Unicaja Malaga in Spain. In Italian League play he appeared in 22 games, averaging 19.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals in 32.9 minutes while shooting .628 (108-172) from two-point range, .371 (49-132) from three-point range and .800 (64-80) from the foul line. Neal saw action in 11 Eurocup games, averaging 19.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.1 steals in 32.2 minutes. He also played in four Euroleague games for Treviso, averaging 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29.3 minutes. Neal completed the season playing in 10 games for Unicaja Malaga in the ACB League where he averaged 12.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 19.9 minutes while shooting .571 (28-49) from two-point range, .408 (20-49) from three-point range and .588 (10-17) from the foul line.

After going undrafted in the 2007 NBA Draft, Neal has spent the past three years playing in Europe. He’s spent the past two seasons in Italy playing for Benetton Treviso. Prior to that Neal spent the 2007-08 in Spain playing for Barcelona in the ACB League.

Neal started his college career at La Salle before transferring to Towson for his final two years. As a senior he averaged 25.3 points (fourth in the nation), 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 32 games earning All-CAA First Team honors.

Heat re-sign Carlos Arroyo

The Miami Heat announced today that they have re-signed guard Carlos Arroyo. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“By re-signing Carlos, we feel we have accomplished another big step in adding to this team,” said Heat President Pat Riley. “Carlos showed last season that he was one of the most competitive and efficient point guards in the NBA, and we are happy to have him back.”

Arroyo has appeared in 505 career games (148 starts) over eight seasons. During his career, with six NBA teams, he has averaged 6.9 points, 3.2 assists, 1.7 rebounds, and 18.7 minutes, while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 80.5 percent from the foul line. He has scored in double-figures on 160 occasions, and has registered 60 multi-steal games.

During the 2009-10 season, Arroyo appeared in 72 games (35 starts) for the Heat, averaging 6.1 points, 3.1 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 22.0 minutes, while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 84.4 percent from the foul line. He set the Heat single-season franchise record for assist-to-turnover ratio (4.17), which ranked second in the NBA last season, and registered a career-high in field goal percentage.

Arroyo originally signed with the Heat as a free agent on October 12, 2009.