Euroleague.net reports: Tau Ceramica has completed its roster for the upcoming season by inking playmaker Mustafa Shakur to a one-year deal. Shakur (190, 24) arrives from Prokom Trefl Sopot, where he averaged 7.6 points and 2.1 assists in seven Euroleague games last season. He scored 4 points against Tau in Vitoria last season.
Author: Inside Hoops
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Gilbert Arenas out until December
The Washington Post (Ivan Carter) reports: Gilbert Arenas confirmed that he underwent a surgical procedure this morning that “cleaned out some debris” in his left knee. Arenas, who has undergone two surgeries to repair the left knee in the last two seasons, has been limited during the rehab process all summer and said he has planned all along on not participating in training camp or the preseason. Arenas, who signed a six-year, $111 million contract this summer, said he plans on returning to game action sometime in early December which would mean that he’d miss at least the season’s first month… “I just had some floating debris in there that was slowing me down,” said Arenas, who seemed to be in good spirits. “It was irritating the knee so we decided to go in there and clean it out. This should actually allow me to come back faster.”
Fan reactions are here.
Gerry McNamara to be in Jazz training camp
Former Syracuse shooting star Gerry McNamara, who won an NCAA championship with Carmelo Anthony, will be in training camp with the Utah Jazz, agent Bill Neff told InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner. McNamara’s experience since college includes playing in Greece and Latvia, as well as the D-League.
With Deron Williams, Brevin Knight and Ronnie Price already on board in Utah, there isn’t really room for Gerry, but training camp experience is always helpful.
Chinese great Mu passes away
Fiba.com reports: China have lost one of the great players in their basketball history following the death of giant center Mu Tiezhu. Mu has died of a heart attack at the age of 59. The 2.28m center, who joined Bayi in 1973 and started his international career in 1977, was named the “No.1 center in Asia.”
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.