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The Boston Celtics announced today that they have waived forward Tony Gaffney from their training camp roster.
The training camp roster now stands at 17.
Gaffney probably has to improve his outside shooting ability if he wants to stick on an NBA roster.
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The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has agreed to terms with center Joakim Noah on a multi-year extension. Per team policy, terms of the contract will not be disclosed.
“Joakim is such an integral member of our team and we are very pleased to have reached an agreement with him,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “His presence, both on and off of the court, is immeasurable and we look forward to him to continue to improve and develop his game.”
In his three seasons with the Bulls, Noah (6-11, 232) has played in 218 games (140 starts), and averaged 7.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.26 bpg, 24.8 mpg and shot .513 from the field and .706 from the line. Last season, he established career highs in scoring (10.7 ppg), rebounds (11.0 rpg), assists (2.1 apg), blocks (1.56 bpg) and minutes played (30.1 mpg). He also posted a career-best 28 double-doubles, and he was one of nine players in the NBA who averaged a double-double in 2009-10.
Noah has also played in 12 playoff games with the Bulls and owns postseason averages of 12.1 ppg, 13.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.83 bpg, 1.25 spg, 38.3 mpg, .513 from the floor and .841 from the free throw line.
The Bulls drafted Noah in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft, following a highly successful collegiate career at the University of Florida.
The Press Enterprise reports:
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Lakers coach Phil Jackson received surprising news Sunday, finding out that star center Andrew Bynum might not be ready to play until December.
Bynum said a week ago he would be back in late November, yet now said the timetable might be pushed into December, the Los Angeles Times’ Mike Bresnahan reported.
“Yeah, it’s a possibility,” Bynum told the Times. “I’ve got a little bit of pain still. It just depends on when I’m cleared.”
Bynum, who had knee surgery in July, said he would see his doctor in three weeks. Jackson seemed surprised at Bynum’s timeline.
“He’s been saying that,” Jackson told the Times. “I don’t know why he’s talking about December. He can get weight-bearing activities started at the end of this month. Can you play in two weeks (after that)? Can you play in three weeks? Four weeks puts you at the end of November. So let’s just let it happen and not talk about what the timing is.”
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Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun reports:
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DeMar DeRozan appears ready to assume the popularity mantle, an athletic player who will be given a chance to emerge as the face of the franchise.
In time, the kid has to learn how to handle the ball better, make better decisions when the ball is in his hands and step out to make jumpers.
But at this moment in the Raptors’ changing of the guard, DeRozan is the team’s most popular player, a guy the club uses on most of its promotional material.
In the team’s first public appearance, under a backdrop of an open scrimmage here at the University of British Columbia, DeRozan received the loudest ovation.
When the flushed home an alley-oop feed into a dunk, the crowd reacted in a fashion that evoked images of Carter.
When the Raptors made DeRozan a lottery selection last spring, comparisons were made to Carter from an athletic perspective.
DeRozan isn’t quite able to put the ball on the floor and flat-out attack a defence and the rim, but he’s getting better.
Have an opinion? Share it on the Toronto Raptors forum.
Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reports:
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“The problem is that I’ve never been a player who complained or let people know how bad things were,” O’Neal said. “You get guys who are hurt and they try to play and it’s, ‘Oh, I didn’t play well because I was hurt.’ I wasn’t that player.
“I played almost two years with a torn meniscus. I tore my meniscus twice, and I never said anything because my team was going through so much and I felt like the city of Indianapolis needed any positive notion that they could get. I played through it. Nobody knows about me having to wear the big compression (clothes) just to walk around and me not being able to practice before I played in the games. People don’t know about that. Nobody knows about me taking 10 Advil a day and then having to get my liver and kidney checked. People don’t know about that.
“People always judge and they don’t know about anything that was going on on the inside. One thing I can say – and anybody can say from any team I’ve ever played on – is that when I get out there I’m going to play as hard as I possibly can, whether it’s on one leg or two legs or whatever. In the last three years of my deal, people were saying, ‘Oh, he’s not worth it.’ But I was still hurt.”
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The AP reports:
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Center Joakim Noah and the Chicago Bulls agreed Sunday on a five-year contract extension, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized.
The news about Noah comes on a day when the Bulls learned that Carlos Boozer, their top acquisition this summer, broke a bone in his right hand in a fall at home and could be out about two months.
The Chicago Tribune reported the deal is worth about $11 million annually with incentives that could take it higher.
Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.
Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:
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After three seasons of increasingly productive play from center Al Horford, the Hawks have decided they want him for the long term.
The feeling is mutual for Horford, who said team officials and his agent, Arn Tellem, have started negotiations on a contract extension.
The Hawks have until Nov. 1 to make a deal with Horford on an extension that begins in 2011-12 and can be lengthened for up to five years and about $82 million under the NBA’s current labor agreement. Horford will make $5.4 million in 2010-11, the final year of his rookie-scale contract…
If the sides don’t reach an agreement by the deadline, Horford would become a restricted free agent next summer if the Hawks extend a one-year, $7.1 million qualifying offer by June 30. The Hawks consequently would retain the right to match any offer sheets signed by Horford.
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Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer sustained a fracture of his right hand (5th metacarpal) on October 2, 2010. He was evaluated by team physician Dr. Brian Cole and hand specialist Dr. Marc Cohen of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. The fracture will require surgery and Carlos will likely be out 8 weeks.
ESPN reports: Boozer suffered the injury on Saturday during the Bulls’ day off. According to team sources, Boozer tripped over a bag in his house and fell. The team says Boozer broke the fifth metacarpal bone in his hand. He was evaluated by team physician Dr. Brian Cole and hand specialist Dr. Marc Cohen of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush.
Earlier, the AP reported:
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Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer, one of Chicago’s top offseason acquisitions, broke his right hand Saturday and could be out for two months.
Boozer fractured the fifth metacarpal bone in his hand and will need surgery, the team said Sunday. He was evaluated by team physician Dr. Brian Cole and hand specialist Dr. Marc Cohen of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush.
It was unclear how Boozer was injured. The Bulls did not practice Saturday, and a team spokeswoman called the injury “non-basketball related.”
Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports:
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It figured that Childress would need time to find his niche on a team loaded with wing players, but he already fits.
In an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday at University of California-San Diego, Childress’ 28 points and fellow newcomer Hedo Turkoglu’s 22 points led a team with Steve Nash and Jason Richardson to a 101-80 rout of a team with Grant Hill, Robin Lopez, Goran Dragic and Channing Frye.
Turkoglu stuck to perimeter scoring on 7-of-11 shooting, but Childress was all over the floor, like he had been all training camp.
“Don’t let it fool you,” Childress said. “I’m dragging.”
It was hard to tell with how often Childress beat teammates upcourt on fast breaks, cut in half-court offense, got steals and deflections and crashed the boards.
He had five rebounds Saturday, when he scored almost exclusively by moving without the ball.
“He has an unbelievable feel for the ball,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “He’s athletic enough that he’s going to get out and run. He’s going to be able to get out in front of the pack enough that he can come up with easy plays.”
InsideHoops.com editor says: Childress’ European basketball experience probably gives him a court IQ advantage over a lot of other NBA players. Keep an eye on the away-from-ball things he does this season, like cutting, creating passing lanes, setting effective screens, etc.
What’s your take on Childress? Discuss it on the Phoenix Suns forum.
Anderson Varejao should start at center for the Cavs this season. But overall, the team is pretty weak at the spot.
Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:
After having a wealth of depth at the position last season with Shaquille O’Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Varejao as options, right now the team looks a little thin there.
The Cavs have taken a look at some experienced big men who are currently free agents such as Earl Barron, Josh Boone and D.J. Mbenga but went into camp without a proven third center.
There are some other options, including sneaking power forwards over; both J.J. Hickson and Leon Powe played center at times last season. But at the moment, Hickson is playing more on the wing than inside, and Powe is not even taking part in all of practice as he continues his recovery from knee surgery.
InsideHoops.com editor says: I look forward to seeing Hickson break out offensively this season. If he becomes a bit of a force, Varejao’s lack of scoring ability won’t be as much of an issue.
Have an opinion? Discuss it on the Cleveland Cavs forum.