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Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen has filed a lawsuit against multiple media outlets, claiming they falsely reported that he went bankrupt.
The 46-year-old Pippen, who retired in 2004 with six NBA championships, said he has not been worth less than $40 million in the past 10 years.
A lawsuit filed in Illinois and obtained by TMZ on Tuesday states, “It is a most foul libel indeed to be falsely accused of being bankrupt.
— Reported by NewsCore
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Russell Westbrook transformed from the most turnover-prone player in the NBA into an All-Star who helped lead his team to the conference finals.
Heading into his fourth season, he has positioned himself for a big payday. It’s just not the center of his focus right now.
Westbrook would be a restricted free agent at the end of the season if he doesn’t reach a new deal, meaning the Thunder would still have the right to match any offer he gets from another team.
“It’s not a distraction at all,” Westbrook said Tuesday at the team’s media day. “I’m looking forward to this year and looking forward to big things out of my team and my teammates.”
Westbrook was a second-team all-NBA selection last season when averaged 21.9 points and 8.2 assists—both good enough to place him in the top 15 in the league. He still was worst in the NBA with 3.9 turnovers per game, but all his positive plays overshadowed the negative.
“We love what Russell brings us. He’s a tough point guard. He’s one of the best in the league,” coach Scott Brooks said.
— Reported by the Associated Press
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The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have requested waivers on forward Patrick Ewing Jr. Ewing Jr. appeared in seven games for the Hornets last season, averaging 0.4 points and 0.3 rebounds in 2.7 minutes of play.
The 6-8, 235-pound Georgetown University product was originally signed as a free agent by the team on March 26, 2011.
InsideHoops.com editor says: I want this guy in the NBA! Hope he quickly lands another shot.
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The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have traded guard Rudy Fernandez and forward Corey Brewer to the Denver Nuggets for a 2016 second round pick that originally belonged to Memphis.
Fernandez (6-6, 185) was acquired by the Mavericks from Portland in a three-way trade on draft night (June 23, 2011).
Brewer (6-9, 188) was signed as a free agent mid-season last year on March 3, 2011 and was a member of the 2011 NBA Championship team averaging 5.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 13 regular season games (2 starts).
Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has acquired forward Lazar Hayward from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for guard Robert Vaden and two conditional second-round picks.
“We are excited to be able to add Lazar to our organization,” Presti said. “Lazar is someone who we followed closely through the draft process and identified as a potential fit for the culture and identity that we are continuing to build in Oklahoma City. His toughness, length and shooting are attributes that will add depth to our roster, while his professionalism and competitiveness embody the intangibles that we value as an organization.”
Hayward (6-6, 225), originally drafted by the Washington in the 2010 NBA Draft (30th overall) was acquired by Minnesota in a draft night trade. The Marquette University product saw action in 42 games during his rookie campaign, averaging 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per contest.
The Oklahoma City Thunder roster now stands at 19.
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The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have signed free agent guard Delonte West. The deal is reportedly for one year and the league veteran’s minimum.
West (6-3, 180) is a seven-year veteran who owns career averages of 9.7 points, 3.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 388 games (225 starts) for Boston, Seattle and Cleveland. In 2008-09, West played alongside LeBron James in Cleveland and started each of his 64 games and averaged 11.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the foul line.
Originally the first round draft pick (24th overall) of the Boston Celtics in the 2004 NBA Draft, West played in just 39 games his rookie season before becoming the starting shooting guard in his second year. That season, West started each of his 71 contests for the Celtics and averaged 11.8 points, 4.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 34.1 minutes per game.
The Washington D.C., native attended St. Joseph’s University where, as a junior, he teamed with Jameer Nelson to lead his school to an undefeated 27-0 regular season and an Elite Eight appearance. He was named Honorable Mention All-America by Associated Press and All-Atlantic 10 First Team.
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The New Orleans Hornets announced today that restricted free agent guard Marco Belinelli has accepted the team’s qualifying offer. Belinelli will be at Hornets’ practice and available at media day tomorrow. The one-year deal is reportedly worth $3.377 million.
“We are excited to have Marco back on the roster,” General Manager Dell Demps said. “He had the best year of his career with us last season and we expect him to continue to grow in our system and be a valuable asset of our team this season.”
Belinelli averaged career-highs of 10.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 24.5 minutes in 80 games (69 starts). He shot 43.7% from the field and a career-best 41.1% from beyond the arc. Belinelli registered four 20-point performances for the Hornets last season.
Belinelli, a Bologna, Italy native, has appeared in 221 career games (93 starts) averaging 8.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists with the Hornets, Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors. He was acquired by the Hornets from the Raptors in exchange for Julian Wright on August 11, 2010. The shooting guard was the 18th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Warriors.
The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have waived Da’Sean Butler.
Butler was signed by the Spurs on March 25, 2011, but did not appear in any games.
He is a 6-7, 230-pound forward.
The Golden State Warriors have signed first round draft pick Klay Thompson and draft-night acquisition Jeremy Tyler to contracts, the team announced today. Per team policy, terms were not announced. Additionally, the Warriors have signed free agent forward/center Julian Khazzouh, free agent guards Tommy Mitchell and Tim Pickett, as well as free agent forward Tommy Smith to contracts. All six players will participate in Warriors practice today.
Thompson, 21, was selected by the Warriors with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft after playing three collegiate seasons at Washington State. A two-time All-Pac-10 First Team selection following his sophomore and junior campaigns, Thompson appeared in 98 games during his three-year career, averaging 17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 34.4 minutes per contest. Last season, the 6’7” guard averaged 21.6 points per game, which led the Pac-10 and ranked 11th in the nation.
Tyler, 20, was originally selected with the 39th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats and acquired by the Warriors for cash considerations. A 6’10” forward/center, Tyler played the 2010-11 season with the Tokyo Apache of the Basketball Japan League, averaging 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds in 33 games. In 2009-10 he appeared in 10 games with Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli League after leaving high school following his junior year to play professionally overseas.
Khazzouh, 25, began this season with the Sydney Kings of the NBL in Australia, where he was averaging 18.6 points and 11.0 rebounds through 13 games. A 6’10’’ forward/center, Khazzouh was named All-NBL First Team in 2010-11 while playing for the Sydney Kings and finished second in the league’s MVP voting. In addition to his Australian career, which began in 2004, Khazzouh spent one season (2009-10) in Israel.
Mitchell, 29, played last season for the Quebec Kebs of the NBL in Canada, averaging 11.8 points in 12 games. A 6’3’’ guard, Mitchell played four seasons at Siena from 2001-05.
Pickett, 31, has played professionally since 2005, appearing in France, Italy, China, Bulgaria, Puerto Rico, China and Israel. The 6’4” guard was originally selected by the New Orleans Hornets with the 44th overall pick out of Florida State, but never played in the NBA.
Smith, 31, has played overseas since 2003-04, making stops in Croatia, Germany, Syria and, most recently, China. The 6’10” forward was originally drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 53rd overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft out of Arizona State, but never played in the NBA.
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The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Gerald Green, it was announced today. InsideHoops.com has not confirmed this but it is likely just a training camp signing and Green will have to prove himself to the Lakers in order to earn an actual regular season contract.
Green, a four-year NBA veteran originally selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round (18th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft, has appeared in 181 NBA games (41 starts) for the Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, posting career averages of 7.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 16.0 minutes.
The 2007 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Champion and former McDonald’s High School All-American out of Gulf Shores Academy in Houston, TX, started the 2011-12 season in China where he was averaging 26.5 points on .545 shooting from the field through four games.