Month: October 2013

D-League: Open tryouts for Delaware 87ers

So you think you’re good enough to play pro ball? Got $200 to chase the dream?

The Delaware 87ers, the 76ers-owned squad in the NBA Development League, will be holding open tryouts the next two Saturday mornings.

If you think you’re better than Leo Lyons, Tyler Wilkerson, Jerome Randle or Hamady N’Diaye – all on the 87ers’ current roster – here’s your chance to prove it.

This Saturday, tryouts will be held at the Community College of Philadelphia at 8 a.m. If you are planning to walk up to walk on, get there by 7. To get on the court, it will cost you $200. The team will be accepting cashier’s checks and money orders. But if you register on line, at www.nba.com/dleague/delaware, you’ll save $50. The deadline for online registration is noon tomorrow.

Reported by Mark Perner of the Philadelphia Daily News

Kobe Bryant return date: still weeks away

Kobe Bryant still weeks away from playing

Although Kobe Bryant is making steady progress in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, he’s still a few weeks away from playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bryant is back with the Lakers after a short trip to Germany to get treatment on his right knee, another trouble area for the 35-year-old guard. He sat on Los Angeles’ bench for an exhibition game Tuesday night, and he’ll travel with the team to China later this week.

But the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history isn’t committing to any return date until he gets in shape and figures out how his legs will hold up when he’s back in uniform.

“I haven’t said anything (about a return date),” Bryant said. “I just keep it all open right now. I don’t know why you guys are so hell-bent on deadlines. It’s like the most ridiculous thing to me. It’s entertaining. When I’m ready, I’m ready.”

Reported by the Associated Press

Rookie Ray McCallum fighting hard for Kings in preseason

The competition for minutes at point guard is in all likelihood still a two-man race between Isaiah Thomas and Greivis Vasquez.

But Kings coaches and management have remained pleased with the progress of the point guard Sacramento picked in the second round of June’s NBA draft, Ray McCallum.

Coach Michael Malone maintains McCallum is having one of the better showings in training camp, and his teammates have noticed, too.

McCallum had seven points, five assists, two steals and just one turnover in 18 minutes in the Kings’ loss Monday at Golden State in the preseason opener.

Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee

Mo Williams looking to do big things for Trail Blazers

Mo Williams looking to do big things for Trail Blazers

On the eve of the Trail Blazers’ training camp, Mo Williams issued an unusual and confident pledge to the rest of the NBA:

“My slogan for the year is, I’m going to be a problem,” he said.

And for the first time in a Blazers uniform, he offered a glimpse of what that looks like.

On a night in which the defense continued to look like a work in progress, when the offense sputtered to another sluggish start, when the Blazers lost for the second time this exhibition season — 104-98 to the Phoenix Suns — there was one encouraging development Wednesday night at the Moda Center.

Williams finally played. And, after shaking off a little rust, he looked dynamic, electric and every bit capable of being a difference-maker.

Reported by Joe Freeman of the Oregonian

Sixers are young, but hopefully also fun

Sixers are young, but hopefully also fun

The overwhelming belief is the 76ers are going to be the NBA’s worst team. But based on two preseason games in Europe, it still might be fun to keep tabs on their maturation process.

The Sixers push the ball, attack the rim, and keep defensive heat on opponents.

“I’m very proud of my teammates for playing hard and playing tough,” veteran guard Evan Turner said Tuesday after a 103-99 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Phones 4U Arena in Manchester, England. “Any time you do that, you give yourself a chance to win night in and night out.”

But the Sixers roster wasn’t built to win night in and night out.

The team has only six players with more than two years of NBA experience. Veteran holdovers Thad Young, Spencer Hawes, and Turner are the squad’s core players. For the most part, they are surrounded by former first-round picks who were cast away and undrafted rookies.

Reported by Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer

Will Bynum likely out of playing rotation for Pistons

Will Bynum likely out of playing rotation for Pistons

As the Oct. 30 opener against the Washington Wizards inches closer, Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks is revealing more of his thoughts about the playing rotation.

After Wednesday’s practice, he was asked if he could play five guards as part of the rotation, and he was pretty definitive.

“You can’t,” Cheeks said. “How can you do it? I don’t think you can do it. It wouldn’t be fair to the guys that are playing.

“You’ve got to say somebody’s going to play and somebody’s not going to play.”

So that means someone among the group of Brandon Jennings, Chauncey Billups, Rodney Stuckey, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Will Bynum will be on the outside looking in when it comes to playing time.

Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Tim Hardaway Jr enjoys big preseason game

Tim Hardaway Jr. didn’t take long to acclimate to life in the pros.

The rookie scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead basket with 8.2 seconds to play, to lead the New York Knicks to a 103-102 preseason victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

‘‘It was great, everything you’ve asked for, you’ve dreamed of, and it’s coming to reality,’’ the son of the former NBA guard said following the Knicks’ preseason opener. ‘‘Just got to live in the moment and take advantage of your opportunities.’’

Iman Shumpert scored 18 points, Metta World Peace added 13 and Andrea Bargnani had 12 for the Knicks, who led by as many as 23 points with 8:13 to play in their preseason opener.

Reported by the Associated Press

Los Angeles Lakers waive Eric Boateng and Dan Gadzuric

Los Angeles Lakers waive Eric Boateng and Dan Gadzuric

The Los Angeles Lakers have waived Eric Boateng and Dan Gadzuric, it was announced today.

Boateng, a free agent center out of Arizona State University, has split time over the last three seasons playing for the Idaho Stampede and the Austin Toros of the NBA’s Development League in addition to playing internationally for the Greek Basket League team Peristeri and the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig in Germany. The 6-10 center, who played one year (2005-06) at Duke before transferring to Arizona State University (2007-10), finished his collegiate career averaging 4.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 13.8 minutes over 116 games. Born in London, Boateng is also a member of the Great Britain national basketball team.

A ten-year NBA veteran, Gadzuric spent the 2012-13 season playing with Marinos de Anzoátegui in Venezuela. In 30 games with the team he averaged 10.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 19.4 minutes. Selected in the second round (34th overall) by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2002 NBA Draft, the 6-11 center out of UCLA has played in 527 career NBA games with Milwaukee, Golden State, New Jersey (now Brooklyn), Toronto and New York, averaging 4.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 14.8 minutes.

The Lakers training camp roster now stands at 17 players.

Dwight Howard says Stan Van Gundy helped his decision to sign with Rockets

Dwight Howard

Former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was one of the key advisors who helped Dwight Howard decide to sign with the Houston Rockets.

That’s what Dwight Howard told reporters in Houston what Stan confirmed to Open Mike.

From Dwight, courtesy of the Houston Chronicle: “I talked to Stan a lot during last season. During the offseason, we talked and he felt like the system that would fit me best and the coaching staff would be Houston. He said he liked (Kevin McHale). He likes (Hakeem Olajuwon). He likes (James Harden) and the fact that this is a young team. It reminds him of the team we had in Orlando so he felt like this would be a good fit for me.”

Howard went on to say that he now has a great relationship with the coach he tried to get fired in Orlando: “One side is business and one side is personal,” he told the Chronicle.

Reported by Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel