Day: September 21, 2011

Springfield Armor holding open tryouts in October

The Springfield Armor, the official NBA Development League affiliate of the New Jersey Nets, today announced that the team will hold open tryouts for the 2011-12 season on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 22-23 at Springfield College located at 263 Alden St. in Springfield, MA. The local tryouts will be limited to the first 125 registrants.

Open tryouts present an opportunity for players to showcase their talents and be evaluated by the Armor coaching staff while they compete to earn a spot in the Armor’s training camp in November. The Armor have a strong track record of discovering players who have made the team through open tryouts. Tre Whitted, who made the team through the 2009 open tryout, is the second leading scorer in franchise history. Five players have made the Armor’s opening night roster through open tryouts in the team’s two seasons.

“I am really looking forward to our open tryouts on October 22 and 23 in Springfield,” said Armor Head Coach Bob MacKinnon, Jr. “Each player will have two days of drills and scrimmaging to show us their abilities. We utilized this format previously and have been able to find players out of our camps that gained roster spots and furthered their careers in the league.”

Registration and check-in on Saturday begin at 8:00 a.m. with the first session set to begin at 9:00 a.m. Check-in for the second session on Sunday begins at 9:00 a.m. with the second session set to begin at 9:30 a.m.

Applicants must be eligible to play in the NBA D-League and must submit the official registration, release, disclosure and background check forms. A pre-registration fee of $150 is due prior to 5:00 p.m. on Wed. Oct. 19. After Oct. 19 or on the day of the tryouts, the registration fee is $200. Tryout forms are available online (armorhoops.com) or at the Armor office (One Monarch Place, Suite 220 Springfield, MA).

Kenyon Martin to sign largest contract in Chinese league history

Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports:

kenyon martin

Longtime Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin will sign a contract to play with Xingiang Guanghui in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Martin’s contract will be the the biggest in CBA history.

“It’s a great opportunity for him to stay in shape and stay fresh,” said Andy Miller, Martin’s agent. “And it also gives him an opportunity to expand his name globally.”

Allen Iverson a no-go for Philly Battle of 1-95

CSN Philly reports:

After hearing there was a possibility that Allen Iverson might be a participant in Sunday’s “Battle of I-95” at the Palestra, I had two thoughts: logically he could play for either team given his Newport News upbringing and Georgetown attendance for college (Team Melo candidate) or because of his accolades as a Philadelphia favorite son over his 10-plus seasons as a Sixer (Team Philly candidate).

The second thought is he really going to play? The answer to that thought is no. Gary Moore, Iverson’s longtime friend and manager, confirmed that the now 36-year-old Answer will not participate.

Iverson last played in an NBA game Feb. 20, 2010. He was playing for the Sixers in his second stint that lasted a total of 25 games and it had an unceremonious ending with Eddie Jordan’s team falling by 32 points to the Bulls. Iverson scored 13 points and had three assists in that one. No one knew that night would be his swan song in the National Basketball Association.

Grizzlies lay off 7 amid NBA lockout

Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports:

Seven people were laid off by the franchise although some workers will have an opportunity to return to work whenever the league’s labor dispute is resolved.

Video coordinator Trish McGhee, assistant equipment manager Vince Ford and scouting coordinator Wendy Smith were among the workers relieved of their duties. The Griz also released a receptionist, mail clerk and members of the claim services staff.