Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Luis Scola named MVP of 2011 FIBA Americas tournament

Argentina beat Brazil 80-75 to win the 2011 FIBA Americas championship.

FIBA.com reports:

Luis Scola

Luis Scola was FIBA Americas MVP and top scorer.

“I wasn’t expecting this tournament to be that special. But it was so big and so great I can compare it to biggest tournaments like the Olympic Games we won,” said Luis Scola.

The Houston Rockets centre recovered from a knee surgery in April.

“It was incredible because I didn’t know if I could make it to the games due to my injury and I finished as the MVP,” added Scola, who averaged 21,4 points and 6,3 rebounds per game.

Manu Ginóbili became emotional after celebrating, jumping and singing with the crowd for 30 long minutes.

“We had 9,000 desperate people shouting for us and we were there, celebrating after 45 days of tough work,” said Manu.

Mike Krzyzewski enters Duke Hall of Fame

The AP reports:

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is entering yet another hall of fame.

He was being inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday night along with Bobby Hurley, the point guard of his first two national championship teams with the Blue Devils. Krzyzewski was selected after the school changed its rules to make active personnel eligible for induction.

“When I heard that I was in, I was wondering if (athletic director) Kevin White was trying to get me out of here,” Krzyzewski quipped. “It’s kind of neat to do it while you’re still coaching because you get to bring all the guys in, and it’s a little bit of a renewal or revival.”

Krzyzewski, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, enters his 32nd season at Duke with 900 career wins, two shy of matching Bob Knight for the Division I men’s coaching record.

Argentina beats Brazil in 2011 FIBA Americas championship game

The AP reports:

Luis Scola

Argentina defeated Brazil 80-75 on Sunday to win the championship game of the Olympic basketball qualifying tournament for the Americas.

Luis Scola led Argentina with 32 points and Carlos Delfino added 16. Marcus Vinicuis had 17 for Brazil.

The game was mostly for pride since both teams had already won their semifinal matches on Saturday, which gave them two automatic berths in next year’s London Olympics.

The Dominican Republic defeated Puerto Rico 103-89 in Sunday’s third-place game. The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela—by claiming spots three, four and five in the tournament—earn places in a qualifying tournament just before the games, which will award several more berths for London.

Dirk Nowitzki, Germany bounced from EuroBasket

The AP reports:

After an off night by Dirk Nowitzki, Germany is out of the European Championship. And that means the NBA finals MVP will not be at next year’s Olympics.

Nowitzki’s poor shooting doomed his country to an 84-75 loss against Lithuania on Sunday. Germany missed out on a spot in the quarterfinals of the continental tournament and a chance to qualify for the London Games.

Germany needed to win by 11 points to advance, but never came close. Nowitzki was limited to 16 points on 4-for-17 shooting, and Lithuania made it to the knockout round.

“It’s my fault. I was not in condition to play a good tournament,” said Nowitzki, who led the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA title last season.

Chris Douglas-Roberts to play in Italy

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports:

Chris Douglas-Roberts

Douglas-Roberts averaged 7.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 44 games with the Bucks last season, after arriving from New Jersey in a trade for a 2012 second-round draft pick.

The former Memphis star missed 15 games at the start of the season after undergoing right eye surgery.

Kenyon Martin weighing China offers

Kenyon Martin

Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports:

A third free agent who played for the Nuggets last year is in serious talks to play in China.

Kenyon Martin has received significant interest from two professional teams in the Chinese Basketball Association, which would make him the highest-paid player in the history of that league, a source said today.

The CBA will not allow players contract opt-outs should the NBA season begins before the CBA’s season ends. The NBA is currently in a labor lockout.

The longtime Nuggets power forward is currently weighing his options. If he signed with a team he would make more than the reported $3 million that Nuggets teammate J.R. Smith would make for a Chinese team, the source said.

Lionsgate sued over music used in LeBron James documentary

HollywoodReporter reports:

lebron james

Lionsgate has been hit with a quirky copyright infringement lawsuit over a piece of music used in documentary More Than A Game, which chronicles basketball superstar LeBron James’ rise during his high school days in Ohio.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Georgia federal court comes from Mason Hall, a songwriter who says he authored a copyrighted composition entitled, “We Ready.”

Hall is suing Lionsgate as well as what may or may not be a LeBron James label at Interscope Records (“Interscope Lebron LLC”) for using his composition in the film without license.

Before this lawsuit even touches upon the question of fair use, the plaintiff’s first task may be convincing a judge that the song in question is really his.

Man gets 97 years for Antonio Burks shooting in Memphis

The AP reports:

A man has been sentenced to 97 years in prison for shooting Memphis Grizzlies guard Antonio Burks.

Criminal Court Judge Mark Ward on Thursday sentenced 20-year-old Darquan Lynneral Swift for the July 2009 shooting and attempted robbery during a dice game behind a vacant duplex. Burks, who played at the University of Memphis, and another man were critically injured and several others were robbed.

President and CEO Rick Welts is leaving the Phoenix Suns

Rick Welts will leave his position as President & CEO of the Phoenix Suns effective September 15, announced today by Welts and Suns Managing Partner, Robert Sarver. Sarver also announced that the Suns business organization will report to General Counsel, Jason Rowley, as the team launches a national search for the position of President. Lon Babby remains the President of Basketball Operations.

Welts joined the Suns in 2002 as President and had the additional title of CEO the past two seasons. Rowley came to the Suns in 2008 as General Counsel.

“I’m at a point in my life where my focus is to align my personal and professional life in a way I’ve never been able to achieve before,” said Welts. “The most important people in my personal life are not in Phoenix, and the Suns have been completely understanding and supportive of my request to leave in advance of the end of my contract.”

“My nine-plus years at the Suns have been incredibly rewarding thanks to a group of employees second to none in professional sports and the support of great ownership,” Welts continued. “The Suns organization has always been a special place to work, and I leave knowing that will continue to be true in the future.”

Sarver said, “The entire Suns organization thanks Rick for his tireless work on behalf of the Suns. While he will be missed, we understand his desire to relocate outside of Arizona for personal reasons. We have a very talented executive team including Jason Rowley, whose familiarity with the Suns organization will allow him to manage the business operations seamlessly as we conduct our search for a new team president. Our search will include both internal and external candidates.”

Welts has worked in the NBA virtually his entire life, starting as a ball kid with the Seattle Supersonics in 1967 and including a 17-year stint at the NBA League Office in New York City, where he left in 1999 as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.

In a front-page New York Times story on May 16 of this year, Welts revealed he was gay, the most senior professional sports executive ever to take that step.

“The response from fans, co-workers, players and ownership of the Suns to my announcement has been the most gratifying experience of my life, one for which I will forever be grateful,” added Welts.