Month: June 2011

Eddy Curry working out with Miami Heat

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports:

Eddy Curry

A source familiar with the situation confirmed Sunday to the Sun Sentinel that veteran center Eddy Curry has been working with the Miami Heat in recent days, as the Heat look at free-agent options.

By league rules, teams cannot currently work out free agents who finished the season on an NBA roster. Workouts of those types of free agents cannot begin until July 1, when a lockout is expected to be imposed, shutting down all league activity.

Curry was waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 1. In ensuing weeks he worked out for several NBA teams, including the Heat, in a bid to secure a place on a playoff roster.

Omar Cook signs in Italy

Euroleague.net reports:

Omar Cook

Armani Jeans Milano has turned to a veteran floor general to lead the team on the court next season by signing Omar Cook. The playmaker has spent the past three seasons in the Euroleague and is the competition’s career leader in assists per game (5.53 apg.). Cook (1.86 meters, 29 years old) arrives from Power Electronics Valencia, which he led within one game of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four last season. Cook averaged 8 points, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals in 21 Euroleague games last season. Those numbers ranked him second in the league in assists and third in steals per game.

Adrian Dantley gone from Nuggets

The Denver Post reports:

Adrian Dantley won’t be a Nuggets assistant coach next season, a source confirmed.

Dantley, a Hall of Fame player, was on the Denver staff for eight seasons. He was an interim head coach late in the 2009-10 season when George Karl left the Nuggets because of throat and neck cancer. The Nuggets went 13-12 while directed by Dantley and lost a first-round playoff series to the Utah Jazz.

Dantley’s departure follows that of Stacey Augmon. Augmon left Karl’s staff to become an assistant coach at UNLV, where he starred as a player.

Dantley’s contract wasn’t renewed.

Big Baby Glen Davis hires sports psychologist

Ricky Doyle of NESN reports:

Glen Davis

Glen Davis struggled throughout the playoffs as the Celtics were bounced in the second round by the Miami Heat. In an effort to help himself mentally, Davis has hired a sports psychologist.

The 6-foot-9 forward appeared on KFXX in Portland to discuss a number of topics, including his playoff struggles, which included him averaging only 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per game.

He said he wasn’t there mentally and that he is doing a lot of mental preparation for the upcoming season.

“I hired a sports psychologist to help you tap into the zone…as far as you miss a shot, you don’t worry about that,” he said. “You go to the other end and use that energy to do something else on defense…Let it pass like a cloud. Clouds pass by you all the time and you don’t worry about it. You’ve just got to keep going. That’s what I’ve been concentrating on, just how to handle things like a professional.”

Josh Harrellson hopes to be terrific garbageman for Knicks

Lenn Robbins of the New York Post reports:

Josh Harrellson, the No. 45 overall pick whom the Knicks acquired from the Hornets in a draft-night deal for about $750,000, said he thinks he can have a long NBA career as — his words — a garbage man.

It’s a role he said he always felt comfortable with but certainly perfected at Kentucky, where he had one of the most volatile careers in Wildcats history.

Harrellson was recruited by Billy Gillispie, who quickly found the perfect scapegoat in the 6-foot-10, 270-pound center. Gillispie once locked Harrellson in a bathroom during halftime of a game and made him take the equipment truck home from a road game.

Harrellson was hoping for a second life at Kentucky when Gillispie was fired and replaced by John Calipari. But after grabbing 26 boards in the Blue-White game, he drew Calipari’s ire by tweeting that he got no love from his coach. Calipari then banned players from using Twitter.

Ricky Rubio works out with team, helps family in need

The AP reports:

When Ricky Rubio held his introductory news conference this week, he jokingly promised that he would keep his credit card in his pocket on his first trip to the Mall of America so his family didn’t buy everything in sight.

That didn’t keep him from busting it out for a good cause Saturday. As a hectic first week in his new hometown drew to a close, Rubio participated in his first charitable endeavor for the Minnesota Timberwolves, going shopping at a Build-A-Bear store with a 3-year-old boy whose family lost almost everything when a tornado ripped through North Minneapolis.

“For these guys, whatever (they need),” Rubio said.

When the Spanish point guard showed up to meet the McPherson family, little Taj was, of course, wearing a Dwyane Wade jersey. Hand-in-hand, Rubio and the little boy stuffed a brand new bear, then went to various stations in the store to pick out clothes and get him all stitched up.

Raptors guard Leandro Barbosa exercises 2011-12 option

Leandro Barbosa

The Toronto Raptors announced Saturday guard Leandro Barbosa has exercised his contract option year for the 2011-12 NBA season.

Barbosa, 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, averaged 13.3 points, 2.1 assists and 24.1 minutes in 58 games in the 2010-11 season, his first with the Raptors. He led the team in bench points on 36 occasions. He also ranked second on the team in 3FGM (72) and third in scoring.

The 28-year-old native of Sao Paulo, Brazil has averaged 12.7 points, 2.3 assists and 25.0 minutes in 524 regular season games in his eight-year NBA career. He was voted 2006-07 NBA Sixth Man of the Year.

Isaiah Thomas interview after being drafted

Guard Isaiah Thomas, pride of the University of Washington, was drafted #60 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. He was the last pick of the entire event. The kid has a bright future in life and basketball.

Here are Isaiah Thomas quotes from draft night:

On being drafted: “I’m very excited. You know me. That’s all I wanted. All I needed was a chance…and I got it. I’m going to take full advantage of it.”

How nerve-wracking was it to have to wait so long to hear your name called: “It was real nerve-wracking because I didn’t expect to go that late. Even my agent was a little surprised because we heard different things coming up into the draft. Other than that, it was just a blessing to get picked. I’m just glad. God has a plan for me and He chose for me to get picked by Sacramento. It’s a great organization and it’s a young team. I’m just ready to get after it.”

How did the draft process go with Sacramento and what do you know about them: “I know a little bit. I had two of my good friends Jon Brockman and Spencer Hawes play there in previous years, so I know a little bit. I had a great workout there. It was one of my first workouts and I shot the ball well and just competed at a high level. They liked that. I talked to Coach Paul Westphal today and one of the Maloof brothers after they selected me and they were surprised that I dropped that late, but they were also excited. They told me they can’t wait to meet me and can’t wait to get things going because they the type of player I am. I’m just happy because everybody doesn’t get this opportunity.”

Will being selected as the last pick add to the chip that is already on your shoulder?: “Yes. You know it will. I will be in the gym tomorrow. While I’m disappointed that some of the player got chosen ahead of me, at the same time, everything happens for a reason. I’m just ready to get after it and show the other 29 teams that they made a mistake.”

How did you spend the draft?: “I was on my own. I was just waiting for my agent to call. I didn’t watch the draft. I was looking at (the TV) every few minutes, but I was just on my own playing the waiting game until my time came.”

When did you know you were going to be selected?: “During the 58th pick I found out that Sacramento was going to take me. My agent called me and I was just excited. I shed a little tear with my family members. I got back home (to his Seattle apartment) right as my agent called. He called me right as I was walking up to my family members. It was just a blessing. It is a moment I will cherish for my life, but at the same time I got my foot in the door and now I’m going to knock it down.”

What were you doing prior to the draft?: “I was up at the UW all day. I was just chilling with my teammates…Scott Suggs, Darnell (Gant), Dez (Desmond Simmons). We were in the gym for like four hours. We were just chilling and talking. It was good. I had my UW shirt on when I was drafted…I’m in purple now…so you know I’m going to always stay true to my school.”

What’s your message to Husky and Kings fans?: “Husky fans, I hope you stay rooting for me and Kings’ fans, I’m going to bring a winner’s mentality and give 110 percent every chance I get.”

New Jersey Nets owner Prokhorov elected Russian party chief

The AP reports:

Russian tycoon and New Jersey Nets basketball team owner Mikhail Prokhorov was confirmed Saturday as the new head of a Kremlin-friendly political party.

The 46-year-old billionaire was all but unanimously elected head of the Right Cause party by its members.

Right Cause is seen as a Kremlin creation designed to lure opposition-minded, pro-business voters, while building an illusion of competition with the ruling United Russia party ahead December’s parliamentary elections.

Prokhorov said last month he was targeting second place in that vote.

President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that Russia needs more political competition, but the Justice Ministry made a mockery of that only days later when it denied registration to a real opposition party.