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Prudential Center in Newark will host 2011 NBA Draft

The Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., has been selected to host the 2011 NBA Draft, scheduled for June 23, 2011, NBA Commissioner David Stern, Chairman and Managing Partner, Devils Arena Entertainment, Jeff Vanderbeek, and the Honorable Cory A. Booker, Mayor for the City of Newark, announced today at the Prudential Center before the New Jersey Nets’ home opener against the Detroit Pistons.

This marks the second time the NBA Draft is being held in New Jersey.

“We are delighted to bring one of the NBA’s premier events to Newark,” said Stern. “The Prudential Center is a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose arena that will be a great host for another exciting NBA Draft.”

“Hosting the draft is further affirmation of Prudential Center as a home for the NBA,” said Vanderbeek. “In fact, this season the Rock will host more basketball games at the NBA, WNBA and college levels than all but two other arenas, Madison Square Garden and STAPLES Center.”

“Newark, New Jersey, is a basketball City,” said Mayor Booker. “We are proud and honored to host one of basketball’s most significant annual events here in the Prudential Center. It will be a fantastic event, in our great City, helping to wrap up what is expected to be a tremendous year of basketball in Newark.”

The NBA Draft became a public event in 1979, and was held in various venues in New York City through 1991. It was held in Portland in 1992, followed by Detroit (1993), Indianapolis (1994), Toronto (1995), East Rutherford, N.J. (1996), Charlotte (1997), Vancouver (1998), and Washington D.C. (1999).

The Prudential Center, which opened Oct. 25, 2007, is located in downtown Newark and is the temporary home of New Jersey Nets. It also is the home arena of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and Seton Hall University’s Men’s Basketball.

The Theater at Madison Square Garden, which has hosted the NBA Draft for the last several years, is unavailable to hold this year’s Draft due to the ongoing transformation of Madison Square Garden.

Tracy McGrady will be limited to 15 minutes per game

Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports:

After being shut down for the preseason after playing only eight minutes, McGrady finally returned to practice Sunday. He confirmed that he will be limited to around 15 minutes per game for the time being. McGrady, 31, has hardly played the last two seasons because of a left knee that was surgically repaired in February 2009.

“They put minutes on me. I think it’s around 15,” McGrady said. “I’m only playing 15 minutes, so when I’m out there, I’m going as hard as I can go.”

Gilbert Arenas will miss first two regular season games

Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports (via blog):

Gilbert Arenas will miss at least the first two games of the regular season because of a strained tendon in his right ankle. Arenas missed his fourth straight practice on Wednesday and walked around the RDV Sports Complex in Orlando while wearing a protective boot.

Coach Flip Saunders said that Arenas will be re-evaluated, but ruled him out for the season opener on Thursday against the Magic and on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks. After practice, Arenas huddled with Saunders and President Ernie Grunfeld for a few minutes.

“He’s going to have a doctor look at it again,” Saunders said. “So he wont be here for these two. We’ll evaluate him and hopefully these days in the boot will let that [heal]. Right now the tendon’s inflamed, we’ve got to get that thing to settle down. Once it settles down and some of that fluid gets out, he’s probably going to have a better chance of playing. That’s at least what the medical staff tells me.”

Hornets exercise option on Jerryd Bayless for 2011-12

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have picked up the option for the 2011-12 season for guard Jerryd Bayless.

Bayless (6-3, 204) is in his third NBA season after being drafted in the first round (11th overall pick) of the 2008 NBA Draft. The University of Arizona product averaged 8.5 points, 2.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 17.6 minutes of play over 74 games (11 starts) last season for the Portland Trail Blazers. In those 11 games as a starter, Bayless averaged 12.6 points, 3.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 24.4 minutes of action. During his rookie seasonin Portland, Bayless appeared in 53 games,averaging 4.3 points, 1.6 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 12.4 minutes of play. The Phoenix native was named the 2008 NBA Summer League MVP after leading the league in scoring at 29.8 points per game.

Hornets name Jon Ishop head trainer

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have named Jon Ishop Head Trainer. Ishop will oversee the health care, prevention and rehabilitation of injuries, and daily training room operations, as well as travel logistics for the team.

Ishop joins the Hornets after eight seasons with the Houston Texans as an assistant athletic trainer. A certified athletic trainer, Ishop is also an NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist, Graston Technique Certified, and is a Licensed Massage Therapist.

Ishop received his bachelor of science degree in kinesiology at the University of Texas at Austin in 1998 and his master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Houston in 2001.

NBA investigating Knicks draft workout-related conduct

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports:

The stain of the Isiah Thomas reign continues.

On the eve of the Knicks’ season opener, the NBA said it is investigating reported allegations team brass staged illegal workouts with draft prospects, including Wilson Chandler, across the past four years — a probe centering on East Coast scout Rodney Heard and senior VP Glen Grunwald. Both are Isiah hires who still work for the club.

If found guilty, the Knicks could face fines, suspensions — and at its harshest — loss of a future draft pick. It also could put the status of Heard and — more importantly — Grunwald into question. Team president Donnie Walsh admits he has looked to hire Chris Mullin as general manager but says he does not have a opening because of Grunwald’s spot.

If the NBA finds allegations true, it also could mean Thomas’ chances of rejoining the Knicks in a prominent role will be compromised. Some of the alleged violations also occurred during Walsh’s watch.

Bucks exercise option on GM John Hammond, extend contract of coach Scott Skiles

The Milwaukee Bucks have exercised the option on the contract of General Manager John Hammond, and extended the contract of Head Coach Scott Skiles, the team announced today. The agreements keep both Hammond and Skiles in their respective positions with the Bucks through the 2012-13 season.

“John and Scott do an outstanding job for our basketball team,” said Herb Kohl, team president. “They work very well together and are each highly respected by the players and among their peers. In a short time together, they have brought our team to a very high level of performance.”

The Bucks clinched a playoff berth last season by winning 46 games, the most by the franchise since the 2000-01 campaign, and took their first round playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks to seven games.

Hammond was hired by the Bucks on April 11, 2008, and has seen the team improve their win total by eight and 12 wins, over his first two seasons. For his accomplishments, Hammond was awarded the 2009-10 NBA Executive of the Year Award, voted by his peers in the NBA. He has more than 30-years of coaching and administrative experience, including seven seasons with the Detroit Pistons that included an NBA Championship (2004), another NBA Finals appearance and three other Eastern Conference Finals appearances.

Skiles became the 11th head coach in Bucks history on April 21, 2008, and led the team last season to a 46-36 record – a 12-game improvement that was the biggest in the Eastern Conference and third largest in the NBA. The team qualified for the post season for the first time since 2005-06, and he made his sixth playoff appearance as a head coach. Skiles has amassed an overall record of 361-335 (.519) as an NBA head coach, which includes previous stints with the Chicago Bulls (2003-2007) and Phoenix Suns (1999-2002).

Kings exercise options on Tyreke Evans, Jason Thompson, Donte Greene, and Omri Casspi

The Sacramento Kings today exercised the options on guard Tyreke Evans and forwards Jason Thompson, Donté Greene, and Omri Casspi, it was announced by Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie.

Evans, entering his second NBA season, was named the 2009-10 NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging a team-leading 20.1 ppg (.458 FG%, .255 3pt%, .748 FT%), 5.3 rpg, and a team-best 5.8 apg—joining LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists in their rookie campaigns.

Thompson was selected by the Kings as a senior out of Rider (12th overall) in the 2008 NBA Draft. He has averaged 11.8 ppg (.484 FG%, .703 FT%), 7.4 rpg, and 1.1 apg per game in 157 games through two seasons with Sacramento.

Originally selected by Memphis in the first round (28th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft as an undergraduate out of Syracuse, Greene joined the Kings after being acquired in a trade with Houston. He has accrued averages of 6.5 ppg (.407 FG%, .336 3pt%, .684 FT%) and 1.6 rpg in 131 career contests.

The first Israeli-born player in NBA history, Casspi was selected by Sacramento with the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He averaged 10.3 ppg (.446 FG%, .369 3pt%, .672 FT%), 4.5 rpg, and 1.2 apg as a rookie.

Chris Paul may wear knee brace all season

John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports:

New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul worked in practice Sunday with a brace off over his surgically repaired left knee.

During the portion of the practice open to the media, Paul took free throws and jump shots on an alternate court from his teammates as strength and core trainer Carlos Daniel and assistant trainer John Ishop observed.

Hornets Coach Monty Williams said Paul was getting used to the brace he’ll probably use throughout the regular season.

“We’re just trying to stay on top of anything that could be nagging,” Williams said. “It’s such a long season. When a guy is coming off a surgery, you want to be as cautious as you can to keep him from having any setbacks.”

Dwyane Wade sheds the Flash nickname

Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald reports:

Wade announced via Twitter on Sunday night that he is shedding his nickname Flash.

On Monday, Wade explained this season signifies a new era in his life and his career. For Wade, dropping the nickname is about growing up. Wade is 28 years old.

“That’s not me no more,” Wade said. “I’m in a different time; in a different place than I was when I was 22 years old. I’m just going in a different direction. I am who I am and just been thinking about it a lot, and I just want people to respect me for who I am and not a character.”