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Dallas Mavericks bench looks solid

Vince Carter led the Mavericks’ reserves last season, averaging better than 13 points per game while playing less than 26 minutes per game.

His per-minute scoring was his best since 2009-10 when he was in Orlando and was just slightly behind Dirk Nowitzki’s average points per minute.

And Carter likely will have more help on the bench this season. The addition of Wayne Ellington, Devin Harris and DeJuan Blair, all figuring to be backups, should again make the Mavericks’ reserves formidable.

The question, of course, is how they all come together. What the Mavericks have working for them is that most of their bench players have put in a lot of years in the league. Even the still relatively young Ellington and Blair are entering their fifth seasons.

“Yeah, it’s easier now than the first time,” Ellington said about getting adjusted to new players on a new team. “Just being able to make that adjustment and fit in where you need to be on that new team, it doesn’t take forever. We’re all professionals and we have experience. They’ll be some growing pains, but we’ll get there.”

Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News

Dwyane Wade tells Jay Leno about celebrity relationships

Dwyane Wade’s appearance on NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno early Friday morning offered more insight into his personal life than his professional one.

“I’m going to tell you something personal,” Wade said when Leno asked him about his relationship with actress Gabrielle Union.

“Celebrity relationships is very hard. This was a big year for us in our relationship from the standpoint of she was shooting her show Being Mary Jane. … I was dealing with my injuries, trying to win a championship. We kind of took a step back. We supported each other, but we took a step back for a little while. At the end of the day, we came back together and said, ‘Listen, we want to continue this. We want to try to continue to get better each day.’ She’s been with me and I’ve been with her all summer long. We’re going strong now.”

Reported by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald

Al Jefferson now the prime offensive weapon for Bobcats

Steve Clifford, never before an NBA head coach, is on the clock to fix the Charlotte Bobcats.

He’ll run his first-ever training camp at UNC Asheville starting Oct. 1. There’s some uncertainty, with the players new to him and some of them new to each other. But the roster has been improved, particularly with the additions of center Al Jefferson and rookie forward Cody Zeller.

Al Jefferson now the prime offensive weapon for Bobcats

Clifford says Jefferson instantly becomes the Bobcats’ best offensive weapon, a scoring big man teams will have no choice but to double-team in the post. The Bobcats haven’t had that type and quality of scorer before, and it’s Clifford’s job to find efficient ways to get him the ball. It’s also the coach’s charge to teach the other Bobcats how best to play off Jefferson, to punish defenses for helping on Jefferson.

Clifford is excited both by Jefferson’s track record and Zeller’s potential. And he sees a breakthrough season for second-year pro Jeff Taylor.

Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer

Lakers sign rookie forward Ryan Kelly

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed rookie forward Ryan Kelly, it was announced today.

Kelly, a 6-11 forward out of Duke, was selected by the Lakers in the second round (48th overall pick) in the 2013 NBA draft. The former McDonald’s All-American, who earned a 2010 NCAA Championship as well as two ACC Championships with Duke, played all four seasons for the Blue Devils where he averaged 7.5 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 46 % from the field. As a senior, Kelly was named ACC Player of the Week twice and earned honorable mention All-ACC honors despite missing 13 games due to injury. Kelly finished his final season with the Blue Devils averaging 12.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocked shots in 28.9 minutes.

According to the Los Angeles Daily News blog, “The Lakers selected Kelly, however, because the 6’11′ Duke forward could space the floor with his trusty shooting. That skill enabled Kelly his senior season with the Blue Devils to average 12.9 points with a 42 percent mark from three-point range. Should Kelly fully heal, he would compete for a roster spot during training camp against Marcus Landry, Elias Harris, Xavier Henry and Shawne Williams, all whom signed one-year deals this summer with the Lakers. The Lakers have a league-maximum 15 players under contract, though they’re expected to field 18-20 players during training camp.”

Video: Highlights of 2013 EuroBasket semifinals game Lithuania vs Croatia

See below for video highlights of today’s Lithuania vs Croatia game, in the semifinals of the 2013 EuroBasket tournament. Lithuania won, 77-72, and will face the winner of Spain vs. France in the championship game.

DeAndre Liggins still facing charges

NBA star DeAndre Liggins just surrendered after being charged with beating his girlfriend and throwing an Xbox at her.

Liggins allegedly ran into the bedroom he shared with his GF in Oklahoma City … then grabbed her by the hair, pulling her out of the bed. Then, for bad measure, he allegedly punched her 11 to 12 times and then hurled an Xbox and a box fan at her head — striking her. He then allegedly held her at bay.

Reported by TMZ.com

Note from InsideHoops.com: Just a reminder that this is all ALLEGED. Liggins may be completely innocent.

Celtics rookie Kelly Olynyk rides the train in Boston

On Thursday afternoon the Boston Celtics rookie continued to immerse himself in all that is New England with a trip on the T train that not surprisingly, was running on the Green Line.

Olynyk rode the MBTA Green Line from Kenmore Station to the North Station which is just a few steps away from the home of the Boston Celtics, the TD Garden.

“Time flies when you’re on the T,” Olynyk said.

While the ride by Olynyk was done in part to encourage the use of public transportation in general as well as for attending Celtics games, it also served as yet another opportunity for the 7-footer to connect with the people.

As passengers boarded the T train, Olynyk didn’t hesitate to sign t-shirts or pose for pictures when asked.

Reported by A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE

Four free agents coming to Orlando Magic training camp

The Magic will bring second-round pick Romero Osby to training camp along with free agents Solomon Jones, Michael Eric, Manny Harris and Kris Joseph, according to a source close to the team.

The Magic are working on coming to terms with Osby, the former Oklahoma forward whom the club selected 51st in the second round.

Jones, a 6-foot-10 center-forward, who grew up in Eustis and attended South Florida, is a seven-year NBA veteran.

He played just two games with the New York Knicks last season, and only 23 over the last couple seasons with the Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans.

Reported by Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (Blog)

Metta World Peace enjoys saying fun things. The latest is his Lakers prediction

Metta World Peace

Enjoys fun and having fun and saying fun things

Knicks forward Metta World Peace expects his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, to play for the right to hoist the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy this season.

“I think the Lakers are going to go to the NBA Finals,” World Peace said during a signing for his children’s book “Metta’s Bedtime Stories” in downtown Manhattan on Wednesday.

“I think Kobe [Bryant’s] gonna be healthy, they’re gonna get Pau [Gasol]. The Lakers are gonna make a big trade like they always do. They’re gonna get another good player, boom, boom, and they’re gonna go to the Finals. I believe it. Kobe’s gonna come back, he’s gonna play team ball, and Pau’s gonna play well.”

According to ESPN.com’s conference projections, the Lakers will finish 12th in the West, which prompted Bryant to tweet earlier this offseason, “12th I see..”

Reported by Mike Mazzeo, special to ESPN New York

Sean Marks is now a San Antonio Spurs assistant coach

The San Antonio Spurs today announced several front office promotions and additions entering the 2013-14 NBA season. Sean Marks assumes the role of assistant coach for the Spurs after serving the past season as director of basketball operations/Toros GM. Brian Pauga, currently director of scouting, adds Austin Toros general manager to his duties. Additionally, Will Hardy has been promoted to video coordinator, Anthony Falsone joins the Spurs as the athletic performance coordinator and Matt J. Herring assumes the role of athletic performance associate.

Marks, a native of New Zealand, began in the Spurs front office in 2011 as a basketball operations assistant before being promoted to director of basketball operations/Toros GM prior to last season. An 11-year NBA veteran, Marks played for San Antonio from 2003-06 and was a part of the Spurs 2005 NBA Championship team. He joins new assistant coach Jim Boylen and Ime Udoka on Gregg Popovich’s staff.

Pauga adds Toros general manager duties to his title after spending the past year as the director of scouting. The Michigan State graduate began his career in the Spurs front office as a basketball operations intern during the 2007-08 season before being elevated to scouting team coordinator.

Hardy takes over the role of video coordinator after spending the past two years as the assistant video coordinator for San Antonio. Hardy, who attended Williams College in Massachusetts, began with the Spurs as a video intern in 2011.

Falsone spent 10 seasons as the strength and conditioning coach for the Houston Rockets from 1995-2005. He also served as the personal strength coach for Hakeem Olajuwon from 1993-95 and for Yao Ming from 2005-06. While assisting Ming, Falsone worked with the Chinese men’s basketball team in preparation for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece and for the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Sapparo, Japan.

Herring comes to the Spurs after spending the past year in Bermuda as the principal, strength and conditioning coach and fascial stretch therapist for Rhino Training. In the past year he has also worked for the Peak Performance Project in Santa Barbara, Calif., where he assisted with strength and conditioning preparation for athletes prior to the 2013 NBA Draft.