July 2011 – Page 17 – NBA Blog

Raptors rookie Jonas Valanciunas is rocking the FIBA U19 tournament

TheScore (blog) reports:

Four games into the 2011 FIBA Men’s Under-19 World Championship, there should be little question who the tournament MVP has been so far. That would be the Raptors’ draft pick, Jonas Valanciunas, who is ranked fourth in scoring with 19.3 points per game, second in rebounds with 13 per game, and first in blocks with 3.5 per game. Earlier today, he led Lithuania to a 71-54 win over Serbia with an impressive performance of 18 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and just two fouls in 34 minutes.

I feel it’s important to mention the fouls because he fouled out of two of his four tournament games, including Saturday’s match against Canada when he picked up five fouls in just 14 minutes. Like many young big men who are aggressive defensively and on the boards, foul trouble is something that could be a significant barrier to Valanciunas’ ability to contribute consistently early in his NBA career.

DaJuan Summers signs in Siena, Italy

Eurobasket.net reports:

Italian champion Montepaschi Siena has put some young energy into its lineup by signing forward DaJuan Summers to help try to get back to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four next season. Summers (2.03 meters, 23 years old) arrives from Detroit of the NBA, where he played in 66 games over two seasons, averaging 3.2 points in 9 minutes per game.

Serge Ibaka would consider playing in Europe during lockout

Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman reports:

Thunder forward Serge Ibaka is considering playing in Europe if the NBA’s lockout drags on.

While vacationing in Spain, Ibaka recently told a radio station that he would be open to returning to Spain, where he played for two seasons prior to officially joining the Thunder.

“If there is a lockout, and there are not many complications to play in the CBA, I would like to return here to play,” Ibaka is quoted as saying.

Ibaka is the latest in a long line of NBA players who have expressed an interest in playing overseas in the event of a prolonged lockout. Former Thunder center Nenad Krstic, who was traded to Boston at the deadline, recently signed a deal with CSKA Moscow in Russia. But Krstic’s contract had expired.

InsideHoops.com editor says: It’s safe to say that almost every player in the league “would consider” playing somewhere overseas if the lockout was to go on for an extended period of time. I expect lots of articles like this to emerge over the next week or two. Pretty logical for players to consider all their options. But of course, almost all of them would prefer for the NBA to be in its usual active state.

Entertainment: Vinny Guadagnino leaves Jersey Shore

The New York Daily News reports:

The “Jersey Shore’s” “MVP” clique — Mike (The Situation) Sorrentino, Vinny Guadagnino and Paul (Pauly D) DelVecchio — is now without its “V.”

Guadagnino left the MTV show for good after getting into a fight with a castmate inside their Seaside Heights, N.J., shore house, reports TMZ.

Just days after they moved in to start shooting the fifth season of the MTV show, Guadagnino was seen moving out late Wednesday night.

Though he returned the next day after spending the night in a local hotel, the 23-year-old left once and for all on Friday and went home to Staten Island.

Will Celtics try to land Grant Hill?

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reports:

Grant Hill is concentrating on staying in shape, and he takes nothing for granted after ankle problems and a hernia cost him significant parts of four seasons. In his six seasons in Orlando (2000-07), Hill played just 200 games. He blamed the Magic for misdiagnosing an ankle injury and botching the initial surgery, and spent years trying to regain the form that made him one of the game’s best scorers. He never quite got back to that level, but Hill was able to reinvent himself.

“I think going through all that helped me really learn and understand how to take care of myself, just really being in tune with my body,’’ he said. “I feel like I wear down more mentally than I do physically. I went out to Phoenix thinking I’d play two years, and now it’s four going on five. I don’t want to put a number on it. I want to take it year by year, but I definitely have a lot left in the tank.’’

Depending on his price and desire to come off the bench, Hill could be a target of the Celtics. He has a strong relationship with Doc Rivers, who wanted Hill to sign with Boston before he opted for Phoenix. Perhaps if Hill had remained healthy, Rivers’s coaching stint in Orlando would have been more successful.

“He was great, still is, he’s a friend,’’ Hill said of Rivers. “He was so supportive. It’s woulda, coulda, shoulda, we might have done some pretty good things together but it didn’t happen. I think I’m a better person going through all of that. And he’s a better coach. I think he will tell you that. It’s prepared him probably even more so what he’s doing now in Boston. It hasn’t hurt the friendship or relationship, at least I don’t think so, but it was an unfortunate set of circumstances.’’

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

Coach Jim Cleamons takes job in China

Xinhua reports:

Former Los Angeles Lakers’ assistant coach Jim Cleamons had been hired by the Zhejiang Guangsha of the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA) on Sunday, local reports said.

Guangsha’s general manager Ye Xiangyu told media that Cleamons had arrived in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on Saturday.

“There were several offers from teams of the National Basketball Association (NBA), but Mr. Cleamons finally chose the Guangsha,” Ye said.

NBA lockout impacts Chris Bosh wedding list

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports:

While Chris Bosh’s recent “Hangover” style bachelor party has been well chronicled across the web, his South Florida wedding later this month became a bit more complicated by the lockout.

Under lockout rules, the NBA has banned contact between players and team officials or coaches. Bosh, however, already has several such Miami Heat members on his invitation list.

While the Heat declined comment Friday, citing league guidelines, the team apparently has already cleared the appearances of management and the coaching staff at the power forward’s nuptials through the NBA.

InsideHoops.com editor says: I never understood why players who are signed to contracts can’t talk to team officials during a lockout. They are already signed. They can’t do anything. Free agents are another story.

Report: Deron Williams chooses new agent

Marc Stein of ESPN reports:

New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams has chosen to sign with Jeff Schwartz as his new agent, according to sources with knowledge of the decision.

Williams recently parted ways with longtime agent Bob McLaren, who primarily works with Major League Baseball clients.

The decision to sign with Schwartz’s Excel Sports Management means that the top three free agents in the summer of 2012 will all be represented by different agents. Orlando’s Dwight Howard is represented by Dan Fegan, New Orleans’ Chris Paul signed with Leon Rose last summer and now Williams is aligning with Schwartz, whose client roster includes top veterans Paul Pierce, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler and Lamar Odom, as well as young stars Blake Griffin and Kevin Love.

That variety contrasts sharply with the NBA’s last free-agent bonanza in the summer of 2010, when the agents representing LeBron James (Rose), Dwayne Wade (Henry Thomas) and Chris Bosh (Thomas) both worked under the same Creative Artists Agency banner. James, Wade and Bosh, of course, eventually joined forces in Miami in July 2010.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Whether D-Will stays with the Nets or not depends almost entirely on the roster makeup at the time. If one year from now the Nets have landed a real baller or two alongside D-Will and there’s a legitimate reason for him to believe that if he sticks around, the Nets will someday be a real contender in the playoffs, then I think he re-signs. But if a year from now, D-Will’s teammates are Brook Lopez and a lot of bench players or lower-tier starters who have limited upside, I think he opts out and possibly leaves.

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

Antonis Fotsis signs in Milan, Italy

The Hoop (a fan blog) reports:

It seems that Olimpia Milano made the steal of the season(so far) by signing Greek power forward Antonis Fotsis(2.09-PF) who was rumored to sign for Barcelona. Fotsis had a call from Sergio Scariolo who explained to him why he wants him in the team and in general Olimpia showed far more interest than Barcelona while at the same time offering the same amount money. They capitalised on their Euroleague wild card in the best way.

Sofoklis Schortsanitis to keep playing in Israel

Euroleague.net reports:

All-Euroleague center Sofoklis Schortsanitis will get at least one more chance to lead Maccabi Electra to glory after his option for next season was activated Thursday and another added that could keep him in Tel Aviv for 2012-13, too. Maccabi announced that it had picked up its option on Big Sofo for next season and agreed with him on a second option for the following one. Schortsanitis (2.06 meters, 26 years old) made his first season with Maccabi a breakout one by leading the Turkish Airlines Euroleague in scoring per-minute. Schortsanitis and Maccabi reached the title game together, but lost it to Panathinaikos, thus finishing second this season. Schortsanitis finished with averages of 12 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1 assist in 19 minutes on average over 22 games.