Author: Inside Hoops

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Nuggets sign Sonny Weems

The Denver Nuggets have signed G/F Sonny Weems to a contract, Nuggets Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Weems was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round (39th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft before being traded to Denver for a 2009 second-round draft pick.

In five games for the Nuggets entry in the 2008 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this summer, Weems averaged 9.2 ppg and 3.0 rpg in 22.2 mpg.

Raef LaFrentz to have shoulder surgery

The Portland Trail Blazers announced today that center/forward Raef LaFrentz will undergo arthroscopic surgery on Friday, September 26 to repair a tear in the labrum of his right shoulder.

Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform the surgery at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles, Calif.

“I was really hoping to avoid surgery,” said LaFrentz, who sustained the injury during Portland’s game at Seattle on February 22, 2008. “I was hopeful that an off-season regiment of physical therapy and treatment would heal the injury, but unfortunately it’s become clear now that I need to move forward with surgery.”

A timetable for LaFrentz’s return will be set following the arthroscopic surgery.

Warriors waive Kosta Perovic

The Golden State Warriors have waived center Kosta Perović, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today.

Perović, 23, was selected by the Warriors in the second round (#38 overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft.  In seven games with Golden State this season, he averaged 1.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 5.4 minutes per contest.  Additionally, the 7-2 center appeared in 21 games with the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League, averaging 9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.55 blocks in 23.3 minutes.

Golden State now has 17 players under contract.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Perovic wanted to be waived so he could sign overseas and get real minutes. He and the Warriors still like each other.

Lakers sign CJ Giles

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent forward CJ Giles, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Giles, a 6-11 forward who finished his collegiate career at Oregon State after playing two seasons at Kansas, averaged 6.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in ten games last season for the Beavers.

InsideHoops.com editor says: The Lakers continue to sign players who were pretty unimpressive in college, or played overseas yet didn’t do particularly well and weren’t even the best player on their team, etc. It’s unusual. But this is an end-of-the-bench signing that will likely end during or right at the end of training camp so it doesn’t matter too much. At least Giles gets a chance to prove himself, even if it doesn’t lead to being signed just yet.

2009 Eurobasket locations set

FIBA Europe has approved the venues and the format for basketball’s top national team competitions next year, EuroBasket Women 2009 in Latvia and EuroBasket 2009 in Poland.

The Competitions Commission of European basketball’s governing body met in Munich, September 12, to endorse the details of next summer’s major tournaments.

The EuroBasket Women 2009 will be played in three cities in Latvia while the EuroBasket 2009 will be played in seven of Poland’s main cities.

EuroBasket Women, Latvia, 7-20 June

Preliminary Round: Liepaja and Valmiera
Qualifying and Final Round: Riga

EuroBasket 2009, Poland, 7-20 September

Preliminary round: Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw and Wroclaw
Qualifying Round: Bydgoszcz and Lodz
Final Round: Katowice

Cavs re-sign Delonte West

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West has signed a multi-year contract with the team, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. Per team and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Akron Beacon Journal (Brian Windhorst) reports that “West has agreed to a two-year contract with a team option for the 2011-12 season. According to league sources, the deal is worth between $4 million and $5 million per season.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: The Cavs now have about 48 point guard-sized players, though Eric Snow, technically still on the roster, is going to not play or retire or something, or so I remember reading in the Akron Beacon Journal. And I wonder if they’ll part ways with new addition Tarence Kinsey. West is a tweener guard; a scorer more than a pure playmaking PG. But he’s talented and worth having on a roster. He’s also a bit nutty (in a good, harmless, likeable way) and tells cool stories. Anyway, here’s more on Delonte West:

Acquired from the Seattle SuperSonics on Feb. 21 as part of a three-team, 11-player trade, West played in 61 games (31 starts) for Seattle and Cleveland and averaged 8.3 points on .413 shooting, 3.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 25.1 minutes per game during the 2007-08 season. In 26 games (all starts) with the Cavaliers, the 6-foot-3 guard averaged 10.3 points on .440 shooting, 3.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 31.0 minutes per game.

“This is the first time since I was offered a scholarship at St. Joes that I feel like I am valued as a person and a player. Dan Gilbert and the Cavaliers have shown me that they value me as a person and a player and that was the most important thing to me,” said West. “In that sense, this was not about a specific dollar amount. You can’t really put a dollar value on a person, their skills you can, but not their heart and what kind of person they are. My family is blessed and I feel a great relief to be able to concentrate on basketball now.”

“We have consistently communicated our desire to keep Delonte as a member of this basketball team. His tenacity helps us on both ends of the floor and his defensive play certainly reflects how we want to play the game,” said Ferry. “Contending teams need areas of strength and need depth. Having Delonte, Mo (Williams) and Daniel (Gibson) certainly creates an advantageous situation for us.”

West, 25, started all 13 games during the 2008 postseason and averaged 10.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 34.8 minutes per game. He set career playoff highs with 21 points and five three-point field goals made, including the game-winning three-pointer, in 37 minutes in Game 4 at Washington. He tied his career playoff high in scoring on two occasions in the conference semifinals against Boston, tallying 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes in Game 3 and totaling 21 points, four assists and four steals in 43 minutes in Game 5.

In 240 games (156 starts), West has career averages of 9.8 points on .444 shooting, 3.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 27.8 minutes per game.

Oklahoma City Thunder dance team

The Oklahoma City Thunder hosted final auditions for its 2008-09 dance team, Thursday night at Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar and Grill” in Bricktown. With a process that started with over 180 women last Sunday, 41 competed for a place on the team, and judges narrowed the selection down to 20 talented dancers.

Dance team hopefuls performed in pairs on Thursday night in front of over 500 Thunder fans. Of the 41 dancers to make the squad, six come from Oklahoma City, three from Texas, and one from as far away as Springdale, AR.

Auditions were open to females over the age of 18, who were energetic, had dance experience and were interested in performing at Thunder home games.

Below is the 2008-09 Thunder dance team roster:

1. Katie, hometown Oklahoma City, OK
2. Jada, hometown Oklahoma City, OK
3. Shereka, hometown Muskogee, OK
4. Erica, hometown Midwest City, OK
5. Crystal, hometown Dallas, TX
6. Sheri, hometown Dallas, TX
7. Kimberly, hometown Norman, OK
8. Ashley, hometown Shawnee, OK
9. Hayley, hometown Springdale, AR
10. Riane, hometown Oklahoma City, OK
11. Lauren, hometown Oklahoma City, OK
12. Christhian, hometown Oklahoma City, OK
13. Lindsay, hometown Edmond, OK
14. Nicole, hometown Mustang, OK
15. Brittany, hometown Oklahoma City, OK
16. Amy, hometown Long View, TX
17. Brittany, hometown Edmond, OK
18. LaTeshia, hometown Moore, OK
19. Natalie, hometown Altus, OK
20. Megan, hometown McCloud, OK

Thunder re-sign Robert Swift

The Oklahoma City Thunder re-signed restricted free agent center Robert Swift it was announced today by the team’s General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We are pleased to have Robert back with our organization,” Presti said. “We look forward to his contributions this season.”

Swift, the 12th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, has career averages of 1.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 71 games with the club.

The 7-1, 270 lbs center averaged 18.8 points, 15.9 rebounds and 6.2 blocks per game as a senior at Bakersfield High School on his way to being named a McDonald’s All-American.

Pat Garrity retires

The Orlando Sentinel (Brian Schmitz) reports: Forward Pat Garrity, the Magic’s longest-tenured player, announced his retirement Thursday. Garrity, 32, had been with the club since 1999 after being acquired by Orlando from the Phoenix Suns as part of the Penny Hardaway trade… “After 10 wonderful years of playing in the NBA, I have decided to retire,” said Garrity. “I am so grateful for being able to play for as long as I have and to have established long lasting roots in Orlando. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Orlando Magic and the great fans of Central Florida and for all of their years of support. Playing with and against the greatest basketball players in the world has been an experience which has given me some of the fondest memories of my life.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: He was tall and could make open outside shots. And so it goes. All the best, Pat.