NBA News Blog – Page 1389 – NBA Blog

Magic match Bulls offer, retain J.J. Redick

The Orlando Magic have exercised its right of first refusal and retained restricted free agent guard J.J. Redick, General Manager Otis Smith announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal are not disclosed. Orlando had seven days to match an offer sheet made to Redick by Chicago on July 9.

“J.J. (Redick) is a valuable part of our organization, both on the court and in our community,” said Smith. “He has worked extremely hard during his four seasons with us and improved every year. We’re happy that J.J. will be back to help us reach our ultimate goal.”

Redick (#7, 6’4”, 190, 6/24/84) played in all 82 games last season with Orlando, averaging a career-high 9.6 ppg., 1.9 rpg. and 1.9 apg. in 22.0 minpg. He made nine starts, averaging 13.0 ppg., 2.9 apg. and 2.7 rpg. in 35.1 minpg. during that span. Redick led the Magic in both three-point shooting (.405, 111-274) and free throw shooting (.860, 191-222), ranking 17th in the NBA in both categories. He also appeared in all 14 playoff games, averaging 7.5 ppg., 1.7 rpg. and 1.4 apg. in 19.2 minpg.

Originally selected in the first round (11th overall) by Orlando in the 2006 NBA Draft, Redick has appeared in 222 career NBA regular season games, all with the Magic, averaging 7.0 ppg., 1.5 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 17.2 minpg. He has shot .392 (233-594) from three-point range and .863 (353-409) from the free throw line. Redick has also played in 33 career playoff outings, averaging 6.2 ppg., 1.6 apg. and 1.3 rpg. in 18.7 minpg.

Suns invite Scottie Reynolds to training camp

Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic reports:

Scottie Reynolds’ entire career at Villanova – 139 games – was not enough to get him drafted in June.

But a three-game, injury-shortened stint on the Suns summer-league squad was enough to secure him an invite to training camp. Reynolds has already been asked to camp, a source said, although he is considering offers from a few other teams.

Reynolds averaged 10.3 points and 4.7 assists in the Suns’ final three games of summer-league play after missing the first two with an Achilles injury. His worst game came Thursday in Phoenix’s 86-76 wrap-up loss to the Golden State Warriors, contributing only seven points and two assists in 26 minutes.

Denver Nuggets sign Al Harrington

The Denver Nuggets have signed free-agent F Al Harrington, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.

Harrington, 6-9, 250, is a 12-year NBA veteran who averaged 17.7 points and 5.8 rebounds for the New York Knicks last season. For his career, he has averaged 14.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in 800 games with Indiana, Atlanta, Golden State and New York.

The 25th overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft, Harrington scored in double figures 60 times in 72 games with the Knicks in 2009-10, including 16 games of at least 25 points, four games of 30+ points and two 40-point games.

The 30-year-old Harrington exploded for 41 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the Nuggets in Denver on Nov. 27, 2009. That came four weeks after he scored a career-high 42 points against Philadelphia. He also had 23 points and nine rebounds in a victory over the Nuggets on March 23.

Drafted by Indiana out of high school, Harrington has averaged at least 12.2 points in nine of his 12 seasons. He averaged a career-high 20.1 points and ranked seventh in the NBA with 171 three-pointers during the 2008-09 season. He has made at least 140 three-pointers in each of the past three seasons.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Harrington can be a bench star for the Nuggets, backing up at both forward spots. This is a good addition.

Delonte West pleads guilty to weapons charges

The AP reports:

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West pleaded guilty Thursday to weapons charges and received a home detention sentence that includes flexibility to travel to NBA games if the league allows it.

In Prince George’s County Circuit Court, Judge Graydon S. McKee III sentenced West to eight months of home detention with electronic monitoring, two years of unsupervised probation, 40 hours of community service and psychological counseling.

Prosecutors said that the sentence would allow West to attend practices and travel to NBA games as his team’s schedule requires, but NBA officials would not say whether any he’ll face any additional discipline that could keep him off the court…

Authorities said the basketball player was carrying two loaded handguns, a loaded shotgun and an 8 1/2-inch Bowie knife while speeding on a three-wheel motorcycle on the Capital Beltway last September. Police said West, who owns two homes in Prince George’s County, Md., was pulled over after cutting off an officer. Video released by the prosecution after the hearing showed West stepping off the motorcycle with his hands in the air, and then standing on the side of the highway with his arms still raised.

Pistons deny they will move to Las Vegas

Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports:

It’s a safe bet that the Detroit Pistons aren’t headed to Las Vegas — and that was even before the NBA denied a newspaper report that an investment group has an agreement in place to purchase an NBA franchise and move it to Nevada if public money is used to build an arena.

“We categorically deny that there is an NBA team under contract,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank told the Free Press today.

The Las Vegas Sun reported in its Wednesday editions that Chris Milam, CEO of International Development LLC, said he has an NBA team under contract and that all that stands in the way of pro sports coming to Vegas is Clark County’s funding for a new arena.

Lawrence Frank to be Celtics assistant

Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports:

How’s this for being upwardly mobile:

Lawrence Frank, who was last seen heading for the unemployment line last December after the Nets started 0-16, has agreed to be the assistant coach on a team that came within one victory of the NBA title.

The former Nets coach has agreed to assist Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics for just one season, essentially filling the role occupied by Tom Thibodeau, who left Rivers’ staff to to take the Chicago Bulls job.

“I think it’s a good situation for me – I wanted to get back and coach, and I didn’t want to sit and wait, and you can’t ask for a better situation or a better organization,” Frank said.

Hornets re-sign Aaron Gray

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have re-signed center Aaron Gray. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

The 7-0, 270-pound Gray is a three-year NBA veteran with career averages of 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.0 minutes over 149 career games (19 starts) with the Chicago Bulls and Hornets. The Pittsburgh product was selected by the Bulls in the second round (49th overall) of the 2007 NBA draft. Gray was acquired last season by the Hornets on January 25 from the Bulls in exchange for guard Devin Brown. In 24 games with the Hornets last season, Gray averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10.9 minutes.

InsideHoops.com editor says: He’s big.

Warriors sold for record $450 million

The AP reports:

Golden State Warriors owner Chris Cohan reached an agreement Thursday to sell the franchise for a record $450 million to Boston Celtics minority partner Joe Lacob and Mandalay Entertainment CEO Peter Guber.

“I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to be the next steward of this storied NBA franchise. This is my dream come true,” said Lacob, who is also the managing partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. “Peter and I intend to do what we do best _ innovating and building. It is our passion to return the Warriors to greatness and build nothing short of a championship organization that will make all of us in the Bay Area proud.”

Lacob and Guber beat out Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who had been considered the favorite to buy the team from Cohan. Ellison has a personal fortune of $28 billion, according to an annual survey by Forbes magazine, and is the sixth-richest man in the world.

Nuggets sign Anthony Carter, Shelden Williams

The Denver Nuggets have re-signed G Anthony Carter and signed free-agent F/C Shelden Williams, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.

Carter, 35, spent the past four seasons with the Nuggets, averaging 5.6 points and 4.5 assists in 204 regular-season games. In his 11-year NBA career with Miami, San Antonio, Minnesota and Denver, he has averaged 5.0 points, 4.0 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 566 games.

This past season, Carter helped Denver to its second consecutive Northwest Division title, registering 3.3 points, 3.0 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per contest. He started seven games for the Nuggets in 2009-10 and recorded one double-figure scoring game and one double-figure assist game.

Carter signed with Denver as a free agent each of the past three summers, returning to the Nuggets on Aug. 31, 2007, Jul. 9, 2008 and then again on Aug. 14, 2009.

Williams, 6-9, 250, averaged 3.7 points and 2.7 points in 54 games with the Boston Celtics in 2009-10 and appeared in eight playoff games as the Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals. He recorded one double-double during the regular season and scored at least 10 points six times, including a season-high 14 against Phoenix on Dec. 30, 2009.

Selected fifth overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2006 NBA Draft, the 26-year-old Williams has averaged 4.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 244 games with Atlanta, Sacramento, Minnesota and Boston.

“We’re excited to add two veteran players with playoff experience,” Warkentien said. “They are two more pieces to the puzzle as we work to improve our team this summer.”

Celtics re-sign Paul Pierce

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have re-signed team captain and forward Paul Pierce. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Paul has been a cornerstone of our franchise for the last decade and we could not be more pleased that he is returning to the team,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge.

Pierce, a 6’7” forward, is the Celtics third leading scorer in franchise history with 19,899 points trailing only Larry Bird and John Havlicek. The 2008 NBA Finals MVP averaged 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in making his eighth All-Star team. The four-time All-NBA selection is the team’s all-time leader in free throws attempted and made; three-pointers attempted and made steals and is second all-time in points per game (22.5 ppg).

“I am very excited to be back in Boston,” said Pierce. “I have always said that I would love to retire as a Celtic and re-signing here will allow me to do that. I would like to thank Danny, Doc, the ownership group and the rest of the organization. I’m thrilled that they kept the core intact and look forward to getting back on the parquet with my teammates so we can bring Banner 18 home to Boston.”

The former Kansas Jayhawk was originally drafted by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 Draft shot a career-high 41.4% from beyond the arc this season. Pierce has posted career averages of 22.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

“Since day one I have seen Paul as a lifetime Celtic and this deal is another big step towards that goal. He’s a champion and a Finals MVP but also a true champion in the community,” said Celtics Co-Owner and CEO, Wyc Grousbeck.