August 2012 – Page 12 – NBA Blog

Lakers will keep Devin Ebanks

After taking his physical Monday at the Lakers’ training facility, forward Devin Ebanks will sign the Lakers’ qualifying offer that entails a one-year deal worth a little more than $1 million, according to his agent, David Bauman.

The deal doesn’t exactly elicit the same headlines as the Lakers’ acquiring Steve Nash or Dwight Howard this off-season. But it is yet another move the Lakers have made to shore up a bench that finished near the last in the league in scoring.

Ebanks, 23, averaged 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in his second season with the Lakers last year, and earned a few unexpected promotions. He started the season’s first four games at small forward. Ebanks started five games at shooting guard while Kobe Bryant nursed a left shin injury in the season. And Ebanks started in place of Metta World Peace during his seven-game suspension for elbowing Oklahoma City guard James Harden two games before the playoffs.

— Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times (Blog)

Guard Dontaye Draper signs in Spain

The Turkish Airlines Euroleague’s most potent offense last season has put extra speed in the backcourt as Real Madrid on Monday announced the signing of playmaker Dontaye Draper to a two-year contract. Draper (1.80 meters, 27 years old) arrives from Cedevita Zagreb, where he averaged 13.8 points, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 5 Eurocup games last season. Draper helped Cedevita reach both the Croatian League finals and the Adriatic League title game. Draper was chosen as the 2010-11 Eurocup MVP – also earning All-Eurocup first team honors – by leading Cedevita from the Qualifying Round to the Finals.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

Quick look at the Wizards

Even though the Wizards added veteran forwards Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza, and drafted shooting guard Bradley Beal in the first round of the draft, the Wizards’ success will rely heavily on former #1 pick John Wall. The speedy and electric point guard had a solid second season but he will have to elevate his game even further this season if the Wizards want to stay out of being in the lottery for the fifth straight season.

Wall had a very good rookie season, averaging 16 points and 8 assists but he had almost identical numbers his sophomore campaign. It was not the improvement that was envisioned when he was taken with the top selection in the 2010 NBA draft. By comparison, Chicago’s point guard Derrick Rose — taken #1 in 2008 — took huge leaps each season, especially in his second and third seasons in the league when his average went up from 16 points his rookie season to 25 by the end of year three.

Wall is going to have to score more this upcoming season and he has the potential to do so with his offensive explosiveness, but his jump shot must improve. Wall has been working on his jumper this summer and even hired a shooting specialist to help him find his touch.

— Reported by Frank Hanrahan of CSN Washington

Andre Iguodala should fit in nicely with Nuggets

The Nuggets, you may have heard, like to run. They push the basketball in transition at every opportunity. Iguodala should fit right in with his rebounding, speed and hustle. Sebastian Pruiti is a D-League assistant coach and blogs about intricate basketball stats. He wrote that 18.1 percent of Denver’s possessions last season were in transition, tops in the league and that Denver had the third-highest offensive efficiency in transition. Iguodala gets out on the break and gets the ball in the basket. In situations in which he wasn’t handling the ball in transition, he shot 79.2 percent last season.

JaVale McGee knows the guy’s game. The Nuggets center, acquired from the Washington Wizards last season, had often battled Iguodala in the Eastern Conference.

“He’s just a real good addition to the team — and he’s definitely a defensive threat,” McGee said. “And he’s very athletic. It’s good to have more defensive-minded people on the team, because you can score a lot of points but you have to also be able to defend.”

— Reported by Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post

Russia beats Argentina to win Olympic bronze

Alexei Shved scored 25 points — 13 in the fourth quarter — and Russia won its first medal in Olympic men’s basketball with an 81-77 win on Sunday over Argentina, whose players angrily confronted the referees after the final horn following a wild scramble in the closing seconds.

Andrei Kirilenko added 20 points and Vitaliy Fridzon 19 for Russia, which finished ninth at the Beijing Games four years ago.

Manu Ginobili scored 21 and Andres Nocioni 16 for Argentina, which was looking to add another bronze to its Olympic collection after winning one in China and gold eight years ago in Athens.

Fridzon’s layup with 5.2 seconds left sealed it for Russia, which came away with the ball after it changed hands several times near midcourt. When the game ended, several Argentine players surrounded referees Bill Kennedy, Jose Carrion and Juan Arteaga in protest and guard Pablo Prigioni kicked an electronic clock off the scorer’s table…

Down by six points early in the second quarter, Russia reeled off 12 straight points to open a 33-27 lead. Shved made a 3-pointer to start the run and Kirilenko, who will also being playing with the Timberwolves next season, capped the spurt with a jumper.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Full coverage of Olympic basketball is here.

Age limit unlikely for 2016 Olympic basketball games

NBA commissioner David Stern’s push to see an age limit of 23 for the men’s Olympic basketball tournament is losing steam.

At least when it comes to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

FIBA chief Patrick Baumann, secretary general of the sport’s international governing body, said Saturday: “My feeling is that we will not be proposing a 23 age limit for the 2016 Olympic Games.”

“The NBA has come up with the idea to go with under 23 and at the same time to promote younger athletes,” Baumann said. “And also to make a (distinction) between the (new) World Cup and the Olympic Games (by making only the World Cup open to NBA players of all ages).

“From FIBA’s perspective, we understand the perspective from USA Basketball and the NBA,” Baumann continued. “I’m not sure (we) necessarily have the same idea, but we understand the owners’ concerns.”

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Lakers will have massive payroll in 2012-13

The Lakers will again have the NBA’s highest payroll in the coming season, paying $27.8 million to Bryant, $19.5 million to Howard and $19 million to Gasol alone. They will endure the luxury-tax penalties until the summer of 2014, when Bryant and Gasol come off the books and the club plans to get under the luxury-tax plateau just when the NBA’s new repeater penalties would kick in.

Howard, 26, is aware of the hopes for championships until then.

“Everybody’s going to expect a lot out of us,” he said. “I know for myself, I’m going to give you 100 percent. I’m going to have fun. I’m going to smile. I’m going to dunk.”

Howard, who had missed just seven games in his first seven NBA seasons, professed renewed love for the game after April 20 surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.

“I’ve grown a lot in these four months,” he said.

— Reported by Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register

Phoenix Suns agree to terms with Jermaine O’Neal

In the shadow cast by Superman’s arrival in Los Angeles, the timing of Jermaine O’Neal’s choice to commit to the Suns on Friday was unfortunate as an unrelated move.

Given the caliber of remaining NBA free-agent centers, O’Neal’s commitment to sign a one-year, $1.35 million contract with Phoenix could be fortuitous if — and it’s a huge if — O’Neal can be healthier than he has been for the later half of his 16-year career.

The Suns had only a backup center role and a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract to offer with a franchise that is in transition. The Suns came away with a six-time All-Star who is still only 33 years old because he entered the NBA out of high school.

— Reported by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic

Celtics rookie Kris Joseph preparing for camp

“Getting to meet the veterans, bond with the guys, learning from everybody, not just Paul Pierce who plays my position, but learning from a guy like [Kevin Garnett] and learning from Rondo,” Joseph said when asked what he’s looking forward to most about training camp. “They’ve been around for so long that I can learn from each and every one of those guys and just be like a sponge and take everything that they’re telling me, while still using my own skill set. But listening to those guys can only do positive things for me in the future.”

If Joseph doesn’t make the final roster, he could latch on with the Maine Red Claws, as part of Boston’s recently announced single-team affiliation with the D-League club. But should things work out in his favor, he stressed the importance of accepting a bench role and delivering consistent energy.

“Definitely just coming off the bench and being some type of a spark,” Joseph said of where he could carve out a niche. “Rebounding the ball, just being a high-motor guy for the team off the bench, whether it be 5 minutes, whether it be 10, just coming off and doing what I do best — rebounding the ball, try to excel in transition, and things like that.”

— Reported by Greg Payne of ESPN Boston

Deron Williams happy the Dwight Howard saga is over

How Deron Williams reacted to Magic trading Dwight Howard to Lakers

Deron Williams happy that the Dwight Howard saga is over

Deron Williams had checked out of the Dwight Howard rumors after Team USA’s Las Vegas training camp. Honestly. Too many twists and turns.

So when he woke up Friday and found out Howard was headed to the Lakers, his disappointment was only marginal.

“We went down that road,’’ the Nets’ franchise player said after Team USA made it to the gold-medal game by trouncing Argentina Friday night.

“Mentally I wasn’t in the Dwight sweepstakes anymore. It just got kind of old. I’m happy for him. I know he wanted to get out of Orlando. He did that and he’s going to a great franchise and I wish him the best of luck.’’

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post