The Miami Heat announced today that they have waived center Mickell Gladness and forward Anthony Mason Jr.

Gladness appeared in one preseason game totaling one rebound and one block in four minutes of action.

Mason Jr. appeared in three preseason games averaging 4.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 23.7 minutes.

The Heat roster now stands at 18.

Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, the leader in local sports coverage, today announced that former 76er Eric Snow has joined the Emmy-Award winning Sixers broadcast team as color analyst.  Snow will work alongside Marc Zumoff for all broadcasts on Comcast SportsNet and The Comcast Network. Snow’s first game will be Tuesday, October 12 when the Sixers take on the Boston Celtics on Comcast SportsNet at 7 p.m.  Snow replaces Ed Pinckney, who left the broadcast team to join the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach.

“I’m very happy and excited to be re-joining the Sixers family as a part of their broadcast team,” said Snow.  “I spent my best and most enthusiastic years of my NBA career with this organization and its fans and I truly feel honored and blessed to have been given this opportunity to return.”

“We are thrilled to have someone with Eric’s NBA and broadcasting experience join Marc Zumoff to form one of the top broadcast teams in the NBA,” said Comcast SportsNet Executive Producer of Live Events Shawn Oleksiak. “Eric was a standout player with the Sixers and the passion he had for the game will be evident during our broadcasts.”

“We are excited to have Eric Snow bring his experience, passion and understanding of the game back to Philadelphia as the new analyst for Sixers broadcasts,” said Sixers Senior Vice President of Business Operations Lara Price.  “ As the point guard and captain, he was an integral part of our memorable run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001 and has always had a special connection to this team, city and our fans, which we feel will translate to the broadcasts.”

Snow played for the Sixers from 1998-2004, and was team captain for six of those years. During his NBA career, he reached the NBA Finals three times with the SuperSonics in 1996, the 76ers in 2001, and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007. Additionally he won numerous awards for his work in the community including the J. Walker Kennedy Citizenship Award, the NBA Players Association Community Contribution Award and the NBA Sportsmanship Award. Since retiring from the NBA, Snow has worked for NBATV and is a motivational speaker.

Snow will join Zumoff for all Sixers broadcasts. Zumoff enters his 17th season as the Sixers television play-by-play announcer and his 29th as a part of the 76ers broadcast team.

Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trail Blazers has been fined $50,000 for public statements detrimental to the NBA, the league announced today.

The statements, which concerned a desire to be released by the Trail Blazers, were made by Fernandez’s agent, Gerard Darnes, on October 6. Fernandez was previously fined $25,000 on August 19 for statements concerning his desire to be traded or released by Portland.

Cavaliers radio announcer Joe Tait experienced discomfort and chest pains during and following the Cavaliers game vs. the Rockets in Houston last night. Following the game, he was transported to The Methodist Hospital in Houston and accompanied by Cavaliers head athletic trainer Max Benton. Joe was admitted, treated and kept overnight for observation and testing. A diagnosis of pneumonia has been made. His condition is stable and he is receiving additional treatment and now resting more comfortably.

Joe is expected to remain at The Methodist Hospital for an additional day or so before returning to Ohio. Further updates on Joe’s condition will be provided as appropriate. With no FS Ohio TV broadcast of tonight’s Cavaliers game in Dallas vs. the Mavericks, Cavs TV play by play announcer Fred McLeod will fill in for Joe and handle the radio call of the game on WTAM 1100 AM.

The Phoenix Suns have waived guard Chucky Atkins, the club announced today.

The 5-11, 185-pound guard appeared in three preseason games for Phoenix and averaged 1.0 points and 1.7 assists in 11.3 minutes.  Atkins is an 11-year NBA veteran who spent last season with the Detroit Pistons.  He was originally signed by the Suns on Sept. 27, 2010.

The Suns’ roster now stands at 16.

Surprise, surprise, the Orlando Magic is off to a strong start in the preseason.

The Magic christened its new arena, Amway Center, with a 135-81 rout of the New Orleans Hornets Sunday, improving to 3-0 in preseason play.

The Magic has won 17 consecutive preseason games, with its last preseason loss coming on Oct. 6, 2008 (vs. Atlanta, 118-101).

Last preseason, the Magic went 8-0, marking the first time in the organization’s history that the team went undefeated in preseason action. Under Stan Van Gundy , the Magic is 23-2 (.920) in preseason outings.

Several other teams are off to fast starts, including the Boston Celtics (3-0), Memphis Grizzlies (3-0) and New Jersey Nets (3-1).

On the other end of the spectrum, the Indiana Pacers (0-3), Philadelphia 76ers (0-3), Los Angeles Lakers (0-2), and New Orleans Hornets (0-2) are each still searching for their first win.

The question of whether preseason success predicts a long run in June, however, likely is best left to the basketball oracles.

– From NBA News

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed center Steven Hill, it was announced today by General Manager Rich Cho. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hill, 24, appeared in one NBA game for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008 before being assigned to the NBA Development League’s Tulsa 66ers, where he averaged 3.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.33 blocked shots in 18 games over parts of two seasons from 2008-10.

Undrafted out of the University of Arkansas, the Trail Blazers signed the former SEC Defensive Player of the Year in August 2008 before waiving him prior to the 2008-09 season. Hill (7-0, 245) averaged 1.0 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.67 blocked shots and 9.0 minutes in three preseason games for Portland that year. He was previously a member of the Trail Blazers’ 2008 NBA Summer League team.

With Hill’s signing, the Trail Blazers’ roster stands at 19.

The Denver Nuggets reduced their training-camp roster to 15 players Monday by waiving forwards Shane Edwards and Courtney Sims.

Edwards played in one preseason game, going 0-for-2 from the field and blocking one shot in two minutes. Sims did not appear in a game.

The Nuggets continue their preseason schedule Tuesday at Minnesota.

The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have waived guard Kirk Penney.  He was originally signed on September 28.  Penney appeared in one preseason game, scoring nine points in 17 minutes at Houston on October 7.

The Spurs roster now stands at 17.

The Memphis Grizzlies waived Luke Jackson, Tre Kelley and Kenny Thomas, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.  All three players appeared in one preseason game each after originally signing with the team on Sept. 28.

Jackson, a 6-7, 215-pound guard/forward, recorded three rebounds in four minutes on Oct. 9 at New Orleans.  The 29-year old holds career averages of 3.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 73 games (three starts) over four NBA seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat.

Kelley, a 6-0, 188-pound guard, posted six points and three rebounds in six minutes on Oct. 9 at New Orleans.  The 25-year-old NBA rookie helped guide the South Carolina Gamecocks to consecutive National Invitation Tournament (NIT) titles in 2005 and 2006 before playing professionally in China, Israel, Greece and, most recently, Lebanon.

Thomas, a 6-7, 235-pound forward, scored two points in 13 minutes on Oct. 7 at Atlanta.  The 33-year-old holds career averages of 9.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 632 games (406 starts) over 11 NBA seasons with the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings.

Tom Enlund of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

After sitting out the Milwaukee Bucks’ first three exhibition games with soreness and swelling in his surgically repaired right hand, center Andrew Bogut is dealing with his physical situation.

“I might not be 100% the whole year,” said Bogut.

Bogut, a third-team all-NBA selection last season, suffered injuries to his right hand, wrist and elbow in a gruesome fall on April 3. He sat out the three exhibition contests after getting hit on the hand in practice on Oct. 1.

With the start of the regular season a little over two weeks away, a general sense of urgency is starting to build as far as getting the entire team healthy. But Bogut is the biggest concern, since so much revolves around him.

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The AP reports:

Rashard Lewis, J.J. Redick and Ryan Anderson scored 23 points apiece, and the Magic opened their new arena in style with a 135-81 rout of the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday night.

Orlando built a big lead from the start to kick off an early celebration that was more than a decade in the making. Van Gundy dressed to impress, played his starters big minutes and did everything possible to treat a capacity crowd to a blowout victory.

“If it takes a new arena to get Stan to wear a suit,” Orlando’s Dwight Howard said, “we’re going to have to get one every year.”

Peja Stojakovic had 20 points and Emeka Okafor added 13 points for the Hornets, who lost their second straight preseason game in as many nights. Even though it was a preseason game, they took little comfort such a loss…

The emotion of having their long-sought dream realized was overwhelming for some Magic executives, bringing tears to the eyes of team president Alex Martins — who, along with senior vice president Charlie Freeman—was instrumental in getting the funding for the $480 million arena and making sure every detail was built to sparkle. The Magic contributed almost $100 million.