Inside Hoops – Page 1611 – NBA Blog

Timberwolves sign center Greg Stiemsma

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed unrestricted free-agent center Greg Stiemsma to a contract.

“Greg had a fine rookie season for the Boston Celtics and is just beginning to mature as a player,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “The physical nature of his game and his ability to rebound and block shots will be a welcome addition to our front court.”

Stiemsma, 26, spent the 2011-12 season with Boston, averaging 2.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.55 blocks in 55 games, and appeared in 19 playoff games. He ranked 14th in blocked shots per game and second in blocked shots per minute (5.32).

The 6-11 center was previously signed by the Wolves on April 13, 2010 and waived on Sept. 10, 2010. Stiemsma played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the NBA D-League in 2009-10, averaging 8.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in 45 games and was named the NBA D-League Defensive Player of the Year. He appeared in four games for Sioux Falls in 2011 before signing with the Celtics. Stiemsma also played in South Korea in 2009-10 and Turkey in 2008-09 and 2010-11. He was a member of the 2011 USA National Team that won a bronze medal at the Pan-American Games in Guadalajara. The Randolph, Wis., native played collegiately for four years at the University of Wisconsin.

Video: Palms Hardwood Suite in Vegas

InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner spent most of July in Las Vegas, and last week spent time at the famous Palms Hardwood Suite. You’ve seen this pad on MTV and in countless luxury and reality shows. The Palms Hardwood Suite had hosted a Hoops for St. Jude party earlier. Here’s a video tour of a really, really nice place to stay:

Chinese basketball star Yi Jianlian out with knee injury

China’s already slim chances in men’s basketball just took a serious blow when star forward Yi Jianlian went down with a knee injury.

Yi appeared to twist his right knee late in a loss to Australia on Thursday.

Yi had to be helped off the floor by teammates and he was still limping badly when the game was over.

— Reported by Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press

Roger Mason Jr signing with Hornets

After attracting attention from the Wizards, New Orleans, Chicago, Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers, among others, Mason eventually settled on the Hornets. He agreed to a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum on Wednesday, effectively going from one former No. 1 pick from Kentucky (John Wall) to another (Anthony Davis).

“I’m excited. They told me from the start that they wanted me. They stayed in touch. They have a clear role for me, as far as me not just being a veteran leader, but a guy that can contribute on the court,” Mason said in a telephone interview. “I just love the direction the franchise is going. So I’m looking forward to heading down there.”

Mason, 31, will be surrounded by some familiar faces in New Orleans, having already worked with Hornets General Manager Dell Demps while the two were in San Antonio and with assistant general manager Tim Connelly, the former director of player personnel for the Wizards. He has also spoken with Hornets Coach Monty Williams, a District native, several times during the recruiting process.

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

Mavs say Dirk Nowitzki is not married yet

If you’ve poked around on the internet, you’ve probably seen the pictures of Dirk Nowitzki in traditional Kenyan clothing and partying at some sort of ceremony in Africa with his fiance, Jessica Olsson.

His lady’s mother is from Kenya and her father from Sweden. The pictures that made it to cyberspace were accompanied with various stories and quotes attributed to Nowitzki. The stories suggested that it was a marriage ceremony. Nowitzki didn’t specify that, however.

So we went to the Mavericks to figure out what’s what. And spokesfolks from the team are adamant that Nowitzki remains single, for the moment. There are wedding plans, but they haven’t taken place yet.

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News (Blog)

Knicks sign guard Chris Smith

New York Knickerbockers Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Chris Smith to a contract.

Smith, 6-2, 195 pounds, played two years at Louisville University to average 9.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists over 27.5 minutes in 40 games (38 starts), helping lead the Cardinals to reach the NCAA Final Four during his senior season in 2011-12.

The Millstone, N.J native represented the Knicks entry at the 2012 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and is the younger brother of Knicks guard J.R. Smith.

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, “J.R. is close with his brother, paid for Chris’s college at Louisville after he agreed to have the program take away his scholarship in order to recruit more players. Chris Smith has J.R.’s knack for offbeat tweets as yesterday he posted a photo of him signing a document by GM Glen Grunwald’s side. The Knicks have three point guards on the roster in Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni.”

Eight female badminton players disqualified from Olympics for tanking matches

Eight female badminton doubles players were disqualified from the London Olympics after trying to lose matches to receive a more favorable place in the tournament, Indonesia’s team leader said Wednesday.

The Badminton World Federation investigated two teams from South Korea and one each from China and Indonesia. It accused them of “not using one’s best efforts to win a match” and “conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport” in matches Tuesday night.

Erick Thohir, the head of Indonesia’s Olympic team, told The Associated Press that the Indonesian team will appeal. He also accused China of losing on purpose in the past.

“China has been doing this so many times and they never get sanctioned by the BWF,” Thohir said. “On the first game yesterday when China did it, the BWF didn’t do anything. If the BWF do something on the first game and they say you are disqualified, it is a warning for everyone.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Bostjan Nachbar signs in Germany

Brose Baskets Bamberg added size and experience to its roster by inking versatile forward Bostjan Nachbar to a one-year deal, the club announced Tuesday. Nachbar (2.06 meters, 31 years old) arrives from Unics, where he averaged 4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 7 Turkish Airlines Euroleague games last season. He helped Unics to reach the Euroleague Quarterfinals and the VTB League title game. Nachbar had previously played for Efes Pilsen, where he averaged 8.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague games in 2010-11. Before that, Nachbar had a terrific 2008-09 Eurocup season with Dynamo Moscow. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 13 games, finishing fourth in the competition in scoring and third in free-throw shooting at on 91.2%.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

Jay-Z named executive producer of NBA 2K13

2K Sports today announced an unprecedented partnership with entertainment mogul Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter to serve as Executive Producer of NBA 2K13, the next installment of the top-selling and top-rated NBA video game simulation franchise.

“This has been a unique opportunity to collaborate with 2K Sports and be a part of one of the best sports video games in history,” commented JAY-Z. “NBA 2K13 will be the next evolution in sports and basketball culture, and I’m ready to usher in the new era of the franchise.”

JAY Z’s interests and influences extend well beyond his illustrious music career as a 14-time Grammy award winner, as evidenced by his part-ownership of the 40/40 sports clubs and of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, having recently helped craft that team’s iconic black-and-white logo and visual identity. As Executive Producer of NBA 2K13, JAY Z’s artistic vision and style will permeate the experience, from the overall look and feel of the game, to the hand-picked soundtrack, interactive in-game menus and more.

“We aren’t content with just being the best, and we will continue to grow the NBA 2K franchise into one of today’s premier entertainment experiences,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “JAY Z’s role in NBA 2K13 represents a unique fusion of basketball, music, art, and entertainment, and illustrates the evolution of NBA 2K into something much bigger than simply the best basketball video game series ever made.”

The audio and visual aesthetics of NBA 2K13 will reflect a balance of basketball and musical influences, with JAY Z himself hand-picking the game’s soundtrack. The 24-song collection features some of his top hits, along with an eclectic mix of music’s biggest acts.

Chicago Bulls sign guard Nate Robinson

The Chicago Bulls announced Tuesday that the team has signed free agent guard Nate Robinson.

Robinson (5-9, 180), a seven-year NBA veteran, comes to the Bulls after spending last season with the Golden State Warriors. Drafted out of Washington in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft (21st overall) by the Phoenix Suns (his draft rights were traded by the Suns along with Quentin Richardson and future considerations to the New York Knicks in exchange for Kurt Thomas and Dijon Thompson), Robinson has held stints with the Knicks (2005-10), Boston Celtics (2009-11), Oklahoma City Thunder (2010-11) and the Warriors (2011-12).

Last season with the Warriors, Robinson appeared in 51 games (nine starts) and averaged 11.2 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.0 rpg, and 1.16 spg in 23.4 mpg. He shot .424 from the field, .365 from downtown and .832 from the line.

A native of Seattle, Wash., the 28-year old Robinson has played in a career 448 regular season games (81 starts) and posted averages of 11.2 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.5 rpg, 0.90 spg, 23.0 mpg, .425 field goal shooting, .354 three-point shooting and .798 from the line. During the 2008-09 campaign with the Knicks, he posted career highs in points per game (17.2), rebounds per game (3.9), steals per game (1.28) and free throw percentage (.841). In 20 playoff appearances, he has averaged 4.0 ppg, 0.9 apg, 7.0 mpg, shot .366 from the field and .824 from the line.