NBA News Blog – Page 1379 – NBA Blog

Roddy Beaubois breaks foot

Bill Nichols of the Dallas Morning News reports:

Dallas Mavericks point guard Roddy Beaubois suffered a broken bone in his left foot while training with the French national team. Mavs president Donnie Nelson on Friday confirmed the initial report by the French newspaper L’Equipe.

Beaubois reportedly could miss up to three months if surgery is required to repair the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot.

The NBA season begins in late October, which would put Beaubois in danger of missing the first part of the season.

Mavs officials hope it’s a hairline fracture. A timetable for his return will be determined when Beaubois is evaluated by team doctors. He was to fly back to Dallas late Friday.

Woman guilty of extortion in Rick Pitino case

The AP reports:

A Kentucky woman was convicted of extortion Thursday after she demanded millions of dollars from Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino to keep their tryst at a restaurant secret.

Karen Cunagin Sypher, 50, of Louisville, was found guilty of three counts of extortion, two counts of lying to the FBI and one count of retaliating against a witness. As the jury’s verdict was read, Sypher closed her eyes, then opened them and stared at the ceiling. One of her sons sitting in the front row with other family members wept openly.

The case involved a 2003 sexual encounter between Pitino and Sypher at a table inside an Italian restaurant closed for the night. Pitino testified she came on to him and the sex was consensual. After she was charged, Sypher told police it was rape but Pitino was never charged.

Bobcats sign Sherron Collins

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed guard Sherron Collins. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 5-11 Collins averaged 12.5 points and 2.8 assists in four games for the Bobcats at the 2010 AirTran Airways Pro Summer League in Orlando, while shooting .556 from the field (20-36) and .615 from beyond the three-point line (8-13), the best percentage of any player with more than six attempts.

As a senior at the University of Kansas last season, Collins was named Consensus First Team All-America, while also receiving the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation’s top player 6 feet or under and the inaugural Lute Olson Player of the Year Award, which is presented to the nation’s top Division I player who has played at least two seasons with his respective team.

During his four years at Kansas, Collins was named First Team All-Big 12 as a junior and senior, Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player as a senior and Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore. A member of Kansas’ 2008 national championship team, Collins is the winningest player in school history with 130 victories, having helped the Jayhawks to four straight Big 12 regular-season championships and three Big 12 Tournament titles. One of only two players in school history to record at least 1,800 points and at least 500 assists, Collins finished his career fifth on Kansas’ all-time scoring list (1,888 points) and seventh on the all-time assists list (552).

Isiah Thomas to serve as Knicks consultant

Isiah Thomas has been named a consultant to the New York Knicks, it was announced today in a joint statement by Knicks President Donnie Walsh and MSG Chairman James L. Dolan. In this role, Mr. Thomas will assist the team’s senior management in various capacities, including player recruitment.

“Isiah Thomas brings unique experience as a Hall of Fame player, coach, executive and owner, and we believe having him as part of our organization will be extremely beneficial to the team’s success. Isiah was helpful to the team’s senior management during our most recent recruitment efforts, including assisting with the acquisition of Amar’e Stoudemire. He will provide valuable insight and analysis of young prospects from around the world. Isiah will remain head coach of FIU, and that will continue to be his primary responsibility.”

“I’m excited to once again be a part of the New York Knicks organization. I was honored to have been asked to help during the recent free agent recruiting process, and believe that this new role takes full advantage of my skill set as an evaluator of basketball talent. While I will of course continue in my role as FIU’s coach, I look forward to working with Donnie, Coach D’Antoni and all of the Knicks staff to help bring a championship back to New York,” said Mr. Thomas.

InsideHoops.com says: Why do this? Everything went badly under Isiah. Why bring back something negative from the past? This makes no sense at all.

Thunder sign Cole Aldrich

Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has signed rookie Cole Aldrich. All first round draft picks are guaranteed to receive a contract should they want to enter the NBA right away.

Aldrich averaged 11.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game during his junior campaign at the University of Kansas. The 6-11 center was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and First–Team All-Big 12 for the second consecutive season along with AP Third Team All-American as a junior.

The Bloomington, Minnesota native left KU as the school’s all-time leader in blocks in a season (125) and second on the schools all-time block list (253). Aldrich was a perfect 55-0 at Allen Fieldhouse as a Jayhawk and was a member of the 2008 National Championship team.

Suns name Lance Blanks GM

The Phoenix Suns have named former player and veteran NBA executive Lance Blanks the club’s general manager, the team announced today.

“After a thorough search, we believe we have found the perfect choice to serve as our general manager,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “Lance Blanks is a first-rate talent evaluator, basketball executive and person. We are thrilled that he will be joining the Phoenix Suns.”

An experienced and successful talent evaluator, Blanks combines the high basketball IQ of a former player with a 10-year track record in the front offices of two of the league’s most successful franchises over the last decade. The 43-year-old Blanks joins the Suns after spending the last five seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers as vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager, a tenure during which the Cavs owned an overall record of 272-138 (.663).

Prior to joining the Cavaliers in 2005, Blanks spent the previous five seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, originally joining the club in 2000 as a scout. Blanks was then promoted to the role of director of scouting in September 2002. During his time in the Alamo City, the Spurs won two NBA Championships and drafted Tony Parker and Luis Scola.

Grizzlies sign Acie Law

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed guard Acie Law, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Acie is a former lottery pick whose offensive skills, ability to drive the basketball, set up his teammates, work hard on the defensive end and excellent work ethic will all help to fortify our backcourt,” Wallace said.

Law, a three-year NBA veteran, was originally selected with the 11th pick overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. The 6-3, 202-pound guard has averaged 3.7 points, 1.6 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 12.1 minutes in 137 career games (eight starts) with the Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Bobcats and most recently with the Chicago Bulls.

The 25-year-old appeared in 26 total games (one start) last season, averaging 4.3 points and 1.0 assists for the Bobcats, Warriors and Bulls, where he recorded a career-high 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting with the Bulls at Dallas on March 17, 2010.

Law earned several accolades during his four-year career at Texas A&M, winning the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top guard as a senior in 2006-07. The Dallas, Tex. native was also a consensus All-American in 2006-07 and was named First Team All-Big 12 as a junior and senior.

Memphis’ roster now stands at 14.

Shannon Brown will stay with Lakers

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Lakers free agent guard Shannon Brown has agreed to a two-year contract worth about $4.6 million to stay with the team, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Thursday.

“Obviously, the process took a while, but Shannon wanted to be here and they wanted him,” Bartelstein said. “Shannon had a number of other opportunities out there, but he had been in L.A. for two years and they won two championships. The chance to go for a three-peat is very special to him.”

Bartelstein said Brown was in “serious talks” with about half a dozen teams throughout the summer, and that he could have made more money elsewhere, but that the allure of a third straight title was too much.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Shannon Brown fact — While the rest of the Lakers fly somewhere, Brown exercises by leaping alongside the plane. This also saves fuel costs.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Hornets hire Randy Ayers and Fred Vinson as assistant coaches

The New Orleans Hornets announced the hiring of assistant coaches Randy Ayers and Fred Vinson today, completing first-year head coach Monty Williams’ staff. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not released.

Williams’ coaching staff stands at Mike Malone, who will serve as the lead assistant, Bryan Gates, James Borrego, Ayers and Vinson.

“Randy and Fred will bring a wealth of experience to our staff,” said Hornets Head Coach Monty Williams. “Randy is an experienced coach both on the collegiate and professional level. He brings many tools that will help strengthen our coaching staff and will be able to assist our players on a variety of levels. Fred’s experience, particularly with the Clippers, will be instrumental in helping the younger players as they adjust to the NBA.”

Ayers holds a strong track record as an assistant and head coach in college and the NBA. He served as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2003-04 season posting a 21-31 record. Prior to his head coaching job in Philadelphia, Ayers served as an assistant coach for the 76ers for five seasons (1998-2003). As the top assistant under Head Coach Larry Brown, Ayers helped guide Philadelphia to five consecutive playoff appearances, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2001.

The Springfield, Ohio native has also served as an assistant coach in the NBA for the Orlando Magic (2004-2006), the Washington Wizards (2007-09) and again for the 76ers during the 2009-10 season.

Ayers began his coaching career by serving as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Miami University (Ohio) for two seasons. He then served as an assistant for two seasons at West Point before moving on to Ohio State. At Columbus, Ayers spent six seasons as an assistant coach before landing his first head coaching job at the Ohio State University. In his eight seasons with the Buckeyes, Ayers spearheaded teams that earned two consecutive No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, while also winning the National Coach of the Year honor by the Associated Press in 1991 and the Big Ten Coach of the Year award in 1991 and 1992.

Ayers was drafted by the Chicago Bulls, but was cut from the team without ever playing professionally. He has been married for the last 27 years to his wife, Carol. Randy and Carol have two sons, Ryan and Cameron. Ryan played basketball at Notre Dame and graduated in 2009. Cameron, who will begin his freshman year at Bucknell this fall and will play basketball for the Bison.

Vinson, a Georgia Tech graduate, had been an assistant for the L.A. Clippers since 2007. During his time with L.A., he also served as the Director of Player Programs in those years, mentoring younger players to ease their transition in life in the NBA.

Born on Jan. 28, 1971, Vinson played parts of the 1994-95 and 1999-2000 seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and Seattle SuperSonics, tallying career averages of 1.3 points and 5.2 minutes per game. Vinson also averaged 3.3 points per game for the Clippers during the 2005-06 NBA preseason. He was also a member of the 2002-03 CBA champions Yakima Sun Kings, coached by former Portland Trail Blazer coach Bill Bayno. Vinson also played for SLUC Nancy, in Nancy, France during the 2003-04 season.

WNBA signs Jamba Juice as new sponsor

The AP reports:

The smoothie retailer Jamba Juice has made its first investment in a national sports league by signing a multi-year deal to sponsor the W.N.B.A.

The deal will be part of a national marketing campaign promoting health and wellness as well as promotional materials for Jamba Juice stores in W.N.B.A. markets, officials said. The league will also work with the retailer to promote a program known as Jamba Jump, a fitness routine that uses jump ropes. The goal is to reach 1 million children through the partnership, they said. The program will debut at Los Angeles Sparks games and then expand to other teams.