September 2012 – Page 8 – NBA Blog

Stephon Marbury thinks Melo and Stoudemire do not fit

Count ex-New York Knick Stephon Marbury among those who don’t think current Knicks stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are a good fit together.

“Amare needs a point guard like Steve Nash (to thrive). He’s a pick-and-roll guy, a pick-and-pop guy. He can’t play in the half court where everything’s slowed down,” Marbury told ESPN New York during a brief interview in Manhattan on Wednesday.

When asked if he thought Anthony and Stoudemire could flourish together, Marbury said flatly, “Nope.”

Many have expressed the same concerns with the Knicks’ star duo. In their season and a half together, the Knicks have a sub-.500 record when both are in the starting lineup.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Kevin Love sees playoffs this year for Timberwolves

Entering his fifth season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Love hasn’t had a sniff of the postseason. Minnesota, in fact, has finished fifth and last in the Northwest Division in each of his four seasons. That could change in 2012-13 as the Timberwolves have beefed up a roster that has their Western Conference competition on notice.

“It will be a big surprise to me if we didn’t make a huge leap this year and make it to the playoffs,” the Lake Oswego native told me Wednesday.

With Hall of Fame-to-be coach Rick Adelman and rookie phenom Ricky Rubio at point guard, the Timberwolves nearly made it there a year ago. They were 21-19, but a game later, Rubio was lost for the season with an ACL knee injury.

Thus began a progression of injuries that saw the Wolves without their top five scorers — including Love — at one point. They went into free-fall, losing 13 of their last 14 games to finish 26-40.

— Reported by Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune

Celtics to sign Darko Milicic

The Boston Celtics plan to enter training camp next week with a slew of new faces, with Darko Milicic being among them.

A league source confirmed to CSNNE.com that Milicic, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft, will sign a one-year deal with the Celtics next week for the veteran’s minimum.

The signing of Milicic will give the C’s 14 guaranteed contracts heading into training camp which begins Sept. 29.

When the Celtics signed Jason Collins, it was believed that Collins would be the final big man added to the mix.

— Reported by A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE

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Jazz to invite Trey Gilder to preseason camp

Veteran forward Trey Gilder is expected to compete for a roster spot during the Jazz’s upcoming training camp, The Salt Lake Tribune learned on Wednesday.

Utah’s regular-season roster is currently set at 15 players entering camp, which is the maximum allowed by the NBA once the regular season begins.

Veteran guard Raja Bell isn’t expected play for the team or participate during camp, though, and his long-delayed buyout with the Jazz has yet to be resolved.

— Reported by Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune

Brooklyn Nets to be spotlighted on The Association on NBA TV

NBA TV’s The Association will spotlight the inaugural season of the Brooklyn Nets with the integrated and multiplatform behind-the-scenes series featuring new episodes on both NBA TV and NBA.com.

The first-ever series to go behind the scenes with a major American professional sports team throughout the regular season will tip off its fourth season on NBA TV on Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 10:00 p.m. ET. The cross-platform series will include multiple shows on NBA TV and original webisodes on NBA.com throughout the upcoming NBA season. Previously, The Association spotlighted the Los Angeles Lakers (2009-10), Boston Celtics (2010-11), and Denver Nuggets (2011-12).

“I think it’s great that the NBA will be documenting our inaugural season in Brooklyn as part of The Association,” said Nets’ three-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Deron Williams. “As we make history bringing a professional sports team to Brooklyn, fans will get to have an inside look. Our new home, the borough of Brooklyn, will provide a great backdrop for the series, and I think people are going to be pretty excited with their exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the new arena.”

Featuring the dynamic ownership of Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-Z, veteran basketball leadership from General Manager Billy King and Head Coach Avery Johnson, and established NBA stars such as Williams and the newly acquired Joe Johnson, the Nets have been one of the most talked-about teams heading into their first season in Brooklyn.

“The Association is part of NBA TV’s commitment to deliver original programming, which provides fans with authentic access to all aspects of the game,” said Christina Miller, Senior Vice President and General Manager, NBA Digital. “We’re thrilled to have the Nets involved this year, during an historic period for the franchise, and look forward to covering them through the journey of their inaugural season in Brooklyn.”

NBA TV’s The Association: Brooklyn Nets will deliver the riveting, behind-the-scenes coverage that has become a trademark of the series, providing access to the players and coaches in the locker room, on road trips, and off the court. The series continues its signature style, incorporating Brooklyn as a central character with special features about the city and its history and fans, featuring interviews with legendary Brooklyn Dodgers, as well as various celebrities from the borough.

“The Brooklyn Nets are honored to be selected by the NBA as the featured team in this year’s installment of The Association,” said Nets General Manager Billy King. “We are very excited about our first season playing in Brooklyn at Barclays Center, and this series will document superbly this historic move for the Nets’ franchise.”

NBA TV, launched in 1999 as the first full-time TV network created by a professional sports league, had its most viewed and highest rated regular season in 2011-12. The 24 hour network – available in 60 million U.S. households – airs more than 250 games a year as well as critically acclaimed, original programs such as The Association, Open Court and The Dream Team.

Shawne Williams wants to return to Knicks

Unrestricted free agent Shawne Williams, who had his best season in New York in 2010-11, wants to return to the Knicks but the team isn’t interested, according to a source close to the versatile forward.

The source told ESPNNewYork.com that the Knicks are “a good fit,” and that he’s open to taking the veteran’s minimum, which is all they can offer. The Hawks and Bobcats are also looking at Williams, who is represented by Happy Walters, the same agent as Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert.

— Reported by Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York

Boston Celtics hire Jay Larranaga as assistant coach

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have added Jay Larranaga to their coaching staff as an Assistant Coach.

Larranaga comes to the Celtics from the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League where he was their head coach for the past two seasons. As coach with the BayHawks, Larranaga led the team to playoff appearances in both seasons and accumulated a record of 60-40. He also had eight players receive promotions to the NBA during his tenure. Larranaga has also served as an assistant coach at Cornell University and as head coach of the Irish National Team for two seasons. Larranaga played collegiately at Bowling Green University and played professionally in Italy, Spain, France and Greece for 12 years.

Brian Cook joins Wizards training camp

Brian Cook wasn’t excited about the prospect of joining the Wizards when the Los Angeles Clippers traded him last March. He sought a buyout before deciding to stick around for the rest of the season.

The experience in Washington must not have been too bad, because now, Cook is headed back. Cook, a 6-foot-9 veteran big man, signed a non-guaranteed, training camp deal on Tuesday with the Wizards, his agent, Mark Bartelstein said.

Cook received interest from “three or four other teams,” Bartlestein said, “but he really felt good about the way things finished up with the Wizards. He really enjoyed playing for [Coach Randy Wittman] and with the guys on the team and they kind of expressed the same thing to him. And as we were looking at different things, he wanted to go back. He had a comfort level. He’s back and hopefully, it will work out great.”

The Wizards will enter training camp with 18 players and one roster spot up for grabs – if the team elects to enter the season with the maximum 15 players.

— Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post (Blog)

AEG, owner of Staples Center, for sale

Anschutz Entertainment Group, the owner of the Staples Center arena and the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, and the top contender to build a stadium and bring the NFL back to Los Angeles, is up for sale, its parent company said Tuesday.

The Denver-based Anschutz Co. said in a statement that it is “commencing a process” to sell the subsidiary known as AEG and had hired Blackstone Advisory Partners as an adviser.

It wasn’t immediately clear how far along the company is in the sale process, or whether it has entertained any offers, but the price for AEG could be well into the billions.

The sale would mean a major ground shift in sports and entertainment in Los Angeles and around the world.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Memphis Grizzlies waive D.J. Kennedy

The Memphis Grizzlies waived guard/forward D.J. Kennedy, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

Kennedy (6-6, 215) averaged 6.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 29.5 minutes in two games last season as a rookie for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 22-year-old Pittsburgh native also posted 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 37.3 minutes in 44 appearances with the Erie Bayhawks of the NBA Development League.

Memphis originally acquired the St. John’s product from Cleveland for Jeremy Pargo, a 2013 second round draft pick and cash considerations on July 25, 2012.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 13 players.