August 2010 – Page 9 – NBA Blog

NBA to play first-ever regular season games in Europe

The National Basketball Association (NBA) will make basketball history when the league holds its first-ever regular season games in Europe, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced today. The New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors will square off for back-to-back games at The O2 arena in London, England, on March 4 and 5 as part of NBA Games – London 2011.

“The staging of our first regular-season games in Europe is a milestone for the NBA and the ongoing development of basketball in the region,” said Stern. “By bringing these two young and exciting teams to London, we are fulfilling our commitment to schedule a regular-season game in the UK prior to the 2012 Olympics — a natural progression given the overwhelming response to the many friendlies we have played to sold-out crowds over the years.”

The Atlantic Division rivals will battle it out at a crucial time, as the NBA season heads toward the playoffs. This game will be the Toronto Raptors’ first visit to the United Kingdom, while the New Jersey Nets are already well-known in London after a 2008 visit to the city to play the Miami Heat as part of NBA Europe Live.

The Nets roster currently features NBA All-Star Devin Harris; No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft Derrick Favors; and center Brook Lopez, who earned a place on the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2009. The team recently came under the ownership of Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov and has since named Avery Johnson – the 2005-06 NBA Coach of the Year and an NBA champion as a player with the San Antonio Spurs – as its new head coach.The Raptors expect to feature a roster with a distinctive global flair, including four European players: Italian native Andrea Bargnani – the first-ever European No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, in 2006 – and fellow countryman Marco Belinelli; guard Jose Calderon of Spain; and Linas Kleiza of Lithuania. Head Coach Jay Triano – who became the first NBA coach born and trained in Canada when he served as an assistant coach for the Raptors during the 2002-03 season – will lead Toronto.

This announcement follows the success of four sold-out NBA Europe Live games in London from 2007 through 2010, with this year’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves selling out in record time. The NBA’s increasing presence in the UK has helped basketball participation double over the past four years with the sport reaching new levels of popularity.

The NBA became the first American professional sports league to stage regular-season games outside of North America when the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz opened the 1990-91 season with two games in Tokyo as part of the NBA Japan Games. The NBA has staged a total of 13 regular-season games in Japan and Mexico since 1990.

The NBA has a 20-year tradition of bringing NBA teams to Europe. The New York Knicks join the Lakers and Timberwolves for games in Barcelona, London, Milan, and Paris in October 2010 as part of NBA Europe Live. Following NBA Games – London 2011, 24 NBA teams will have played 56 games in 18 cities in Europe since 1988.

Following NBA Europe Live 2010, The O2 – which was developed and is operated by AEG – will have hosted eight NBA teams since 2007 as part of the tour: the Boston Celtics vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (2007); Miami Heat vs. New Jersey Nets (2008); Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz (2009); and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Oct. 2010).

InsideHoops.com editor says: This is good news when it comes to promoting the NBA globally. Though, I’m not sure why these two teams were selected. The Nets and Raptors both struggled last season, and while New Jersey should certainly improve this year, the Raptors will likely be worse after losing Chris Bosh. It isn’t the best matchup to showcase the greatness of the NBA. But hopefully the two teams play well and put on a good show.

Bulls, Joakim Noah talking extension

ESPNChicago reports:

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah wants to sign a long-term deal with the team and hopes to have one done before the season begins in October.

Noah said his agent, Donald Dell, has already started discussing the parameters of a deal with Bulls general manager Gar Forman and the 25-year-old is confident the parties can work something out in the near future…

Noah, who will make $3.1 million this season in the fourth year of his rookie deal, would become a restricted free agent next season unless the Bulls extend his contract.

The ongoing negotiations are a major reason why Noah decided not to play for the French National Team this summer during the World Championships in Turkey.

Stephon Marbury done playing in NBA

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports:

Stephon Marbury told The Post yesterday that he is done with the NBA. He will never get a second chance with the Knicks like Isiah Thomas, whose NBA life was resuscitated by James Dolan on Friday.

“Good luck, New York,” Marbury said wryly in reacting to Thomas’ return to the Knicks as a part-time consultant. “Good luck, New York.”

Marbury, who began training Friday in Los Angeles to get ready for the Chinese Basketball Association season that starts in December, and Thomas still are next-door neighbors in Purchase, N.Y. The two are intertwined in Knicks history with their falling-out symbolizing the franchise’s plummet to rock bottom.

Tina Thompson becomes WNBA points leader

The AP reports:

Tina Thompson scored 23 points to become the WNBA’s all-time scoring leader Sunday night in a 92-83 loss to the San Antonio Silver Stars.

She surpassed Lisa Leslie’s career total of 6,263 points. Leslie, who played for Los Angeles for her entire career, retired last year.

Ben Gordon chooses rehab over playing for Great Britain

Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press reports:

Pistons guard Ben Gordon had a tough decision.

Ben Gordon chooses rehab over playing for Great Britain

After having surgery to remove bone spurs in his left ankle in late April, Gordon wore a cast for three weeks and thought he would be ready to play for Great Britain’s national team this summer in preparation for October’s training camp with the Pistons.

However, when his ankle wasn’t healing as quickly as Gordon would have liked, he decided to focus on getting ready for the season instead of playing for Britain.

He already had been through a season with the Pistons in which he battled ankle, hamstring and groin issues. He’s intent on fans seeing a healthy shooting guard this season.

Roddy Beaubois breaks foot

Bill Nichols of the Dallas Morning News reports:

Dallas Mavericks point guard Roddy Beaubois suffered a broken bone in his left foot while training with the French national team. Mavs president Donnie Nelson on Friday confirmed the initial report by the French newspaper L’Equipe.

Beaubois reportedly could miss up to three months if surgery is required to repair the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot.

The NBA season begins in late October, which would put Beaubois in danger of missing the first part of the season.

Mavs officials hope it’s a hairline fracture. A timetable for his return will be determined when Beaubois is evaluated by team doctors. He was to fly back to Dallas late Friday.

Woman guilty of extortion in Rick Pitino case

The AP reports:

A Kentucky woman was convicted of extortion Thursday after she demanded millions of dollars from Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino to keep their tryst at a restaurant secret.

Karen Cunagin Sypher, 50, of Louisville, was found guilty of three counts of extortion, two counts of lying to the FBI and one count of retaliating against a witness. As the jury’s verdict was read, Sypher closed her eyes, then opened them and stared at the ceiling. One of her sons sitting in the front row with other family members wept openly.

The case involved a 2003 sexual encounter between Pitino and Sypher at a table inside an Italian restaurant closed for the night. Pitino testified she came on to him and the sex was consensual. After she was charged, Sypher told police it was rape but Pitino was never charged.

2010-11 Nets preseason schedule

The New Jersey Nets will open their 2010-11 campaign with an eight-game preseason schedule that includes three home contests, all of which will be played at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

“We are pleased to offer the three preseason games in our new venue,” said King. “There is a growing anticipation regarding Newark, and these preseason games will give our fans a chance to sample the arena prior to the start of the regular season.”

The Nets will host Maccabi Haifa at ‘The Rock’ on Sunday, October 3 at 7:00 p.m. and then return to Newark on Thursday October 7 when they play host to the Boston Celtics at 7:00 p.m. and then Saturday, October 9, when the Nets entertain the Philadelphia 76ers in a 1:00 p.m. matinee contest.

The Nets begin their road preseason schedule on Tuesday, October 5 when they travel to the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia to play the Sixers. The Nets will venture to China the week of October 11 for games against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, October 13 in Beijing and Saturday October 16 in Guangzhou.

The Nets conclude their preseason schedule on the road when they travel to New York on Tuesday, October 19 and Boston on Wednesday, October 20. Both games will tip at 7:30 p.m.

2010-11 Utah Jazz preseason schedule

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team will play an eight-game preseason schedule which, for the first time ever, will feature three home games at EnergySolutions Arena.

Jazz fans will get their first chance to see new additions Al Jefferson, Raja Bell and first-round pick Gordon Hayward when the team opens the preseason schedule at home, hosting the Northwest-Division-rival Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, October 7 at 7 p.m. MT. Utah will then play back-to-back road games, facing the Blazers at Memorial Coliseum (10/11), Portland’s home arena from 1970-1995, and at the Phoenix Suns (10/12).

The Jazz return home vs. Phoenix (10/14) before heading to Los Angeles to compete for the second straight year in the four-team L.A. Shoot-Out at STAPLES Center, where the Jazz will play the L.A. Clippers (10/16) and either the L.A. Lakers or Denver Nuggets (10/17) in a winners vs. winners, losers vs. losers bracket format. The Jazz will then face the Lakers at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. (10/19), before wrapping up the preseason schedule by hosting the Sacramento Kings (10/22).

This year’s schedule marks the first time ever the Jazz has hosted three preseason games in Salt Lake City, and will be the first time since 2001 that the team plays three preseason games in the state of Utah.

All eight 2010 Jazz preseason games will be broadcast live by radio voice David Locke on 1320AM KFAN and the Jazz Radio Network.

Bobcats sign Sherron Collins

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed guard Sherron Collins. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 5-11 Collins averaged 12.5 points and 2.8 assists in four games for the Bobcats at the 2010 AirTran Airways Pro Summer League in Orlando, while shooting .556 from the field (20-36) and .615 from beyond the three-point line (8-13), the best percentage of any player with more than six attempts.

As a senior at the University of Kansas last season, Collins was named Consensus First Team All-America, while also receiving the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation’s top player 6 feet or under and the inaugural Lute Olson Player of the Year Award, which is presented to the nation’s top Division I player who has played at least two seasons with his respective team.

During his four years at Kansas, Collins was named First Team All-Big 12 as a junior and senior, Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player as a senior and Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore. A member of Kansas’ 2008 national championship team, Collins is the winningest player in school history with 130 victories, having helped the Jayhawks to four straight Big 12 regular-season championships and three Big 12 Tournament titles. One of only two players in school history to record at least 1,800 points and at least 500 assists, Collins finished his career fifth on Kansas’ all-time scoring list (1,888 points) and seventh on the all-time assists list (552).