NBA News Blog – Page 1399 – NBA Blog

Cavs meet with free agent LeBron

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

LeBron James’ free agent meetings are in the homestretch, the Cavaliers hoping the focus is on the “home” part.

The Cavs met with James for around 90 minutes Saturday, making perhaps their final pitch to re-sign him in a meeting that focused on the team’s familiarity with the star and his comfort level with the franchise.

New coach Byron Scott, general manager Chris Grant, assistant general manager Lance Blanks and owner Dan Gilbert were the principals in the meeting. In addition to presentations from Scott and Grant about their plans, sources said the Cavs also planned to show James a cartoon featuring him and his friends as characters.

It was made in a Family Guy style, which is one of James’ favorite shows, and featured some inside jokes related to the team. Those who know James personally know that he loves cartoons, inside jokes and cheap laughs. The central part of the Cavs’ pitch is that they know him the best.

Clippers statement on LeBron James meeting

“We can only surmise how the meeting went from our standpoint, and from our standpoint, it went very well. We approached it in a very honest and direct way, and we felt that their reaction was considerate and receptive.”

“We’re not going to go into any details about the meeting’s specifics. But it was our goal to present tangible and very obvious reasons as to why we think LeBron choosing our organization is his best option: we clearly have the best team already in place for him to join, we have the best city, the best arena, the best practice facility – overall the best situation.”

“By communicating all of that in a sincere way, we accomplished our preliminary goal.”

“Now what we can do is wait and see how it all resonates, plus continue to be comprehensive in our efforts to improve our team for the upcoming season.”

“No matter what, we’re getting at least one great new player this summer: his name is Blake Griffin.”

Gilbert Arenas new jersey number is 9

CSN Washington reports:

Washington Wizards Gilbert Arenas has chosen a new number for the 2010-2011 season. Arenas is listed as No.9 on the Wizard’s website.

Agent Zero wanted to change his jersey from No. 0, a number he has worn since college, in hopes for a fresh start and a new image after a tumultuous season of a 50-game suspension and a felony conviction for bringing guns into the locker room.

InsideHoops.com editor says:

There are only a small number of gun names/references that pretty much everyone knows. Bigger guns like an Ak-47, M-16. A medium-sized one like an Uzi. And smaller ones like a 45 or a 9. That’s all I can think of. So, really, is 9 the best choice for a guy who was just suspended for gun-related issues?

Anyway, I don’t care much about jersey numbers. I’m about basketball. So, here’s hoping that Gilbert has a great return to the NBA. The combo of John Wall at point and Arenas as a scoring guard should be terrific to watch and that’s what I’ll be anticipating next season.

Celtics sign rookie Avery Bradley

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed guard Avery Bradley. All rookies selected in the first round of the NBA Draft are guaranteed to receive a contract, so this is a standard, expected signing that must adhere to the rookie salary structure.

Bradley, a 6’2” guard, was the team’s First Round pick (19th overall) in the 2010 NBA Draft. The former Texas Longhorn averaged 11.6 points, 1.29 steals and shot 37.5 percent from beyond the three point arc during his only season in college. The Tacoma, Washington native was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team and also was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. As a senior at Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada, Bradley led the team to a 33-0 record was named ESPNRISE.com High School National Player of the Year and was ranked the number one prospect nationally by ESPNU.

Raptors will keep Amir Johnson

Doug Smith of the Toronto Star reports:

The Raptors aren’t waiting around for Chris Bosh.

While their highest-profile free agent meets with prospective suitors, the Raptors have locked up Amir Johnson on the first day of NBA free agency.

Teams are precluded from announcing any signings until July 8 but Johnson’s agent, the well-respected Bill Duffy, confirmed the signing.

Johnson, who broke out in an excellent 2009-10 season, has agreed to a five-year, $34 million contract.

“It was very important to him to get something done,” said Duffy. “He really wanted to be there, he loves the team, the city, the fans. It was a good fit.”

The 23-year-old Johnson, a 6-foot-9 power forward, averaged 6.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game with the Raptors last season. But it was his nightly effort and athleticism that endeared him to his coaches and teammates and led Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo to make signing him an off-season priority.

Channing Frye will stay with Suns

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports:

The price of keeping Suns big men in Phoenix is rising.

Channing Frye agreed to re-sign with the Suns for five years and $30 million, $8 million more than the Suns figured to pay.

Amar’e Stoudemire has yet to get the five-year offer from the Suns he wants, making a league source call a return to Phoenix “highly unlikely.” He met two hours late Wednesday with Miami, and his agent said he received a better offer from another team Thursday and plans to go to New York for a meeting Monday with the Knicks…

Frye can’t sign a new deal until Thursday.

Frye averaged 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds last season, making an argument to be the NBA’s top long-range shooting big man with 43.9 percent 3-point shooting (sixth in the NBA) and 172 made 3s (fourth in the NBA).

Cavaliers hire Byron Scott as head coach

The Cleveland Cavaliers have named 26-year NBA veteran Byron Scott as the team’s new head coach, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Quicken Loans Arena, in downtown Cleveland.

Coach Scott, 49, played in the NBA for 14-years, primarily with the Los Angeles Lakers where he participated in winning three championships in 11 seasons with the team. After retiring from the NBA, Coach Scott played one season overseas (1997-98), winning a championship for Pananthinaikos in Greece.

He then went on to coach 12 seasons in the NBA, 10 of them as a head coach. After two seasons (1998-2000) in Sacramento as an assistant to Kings’ Head Coach Rick Adelman, Byron was named head coach of the New Jersey Nets where he led the franchise to back-to-back Eastern Conference Championships and back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in his 2nd and 3rd seasons as the Nets’ head coach.

Coach Scott has the 8th highest career playoff game appearances as a player and head coach combined in NBA history and is within 15 more playoff game appearances from moving to ranking 4th in NBA history. In addition, Coach Scott’s .579% winning career playoff percentage is the 4th highest among all current NBA head coaches. trailing only Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich and Stan Van Gundy.

“Byron’s combination of high-level success and depth of experience, both as a head coach and as a player, is a tremendous asset for our organization. He is a strong leader with a proven track record of winning in both the regular season and the playoffs. We’re confident Coach Scott will positively impact the strong culture we have put in place here in Cleveland over the past five years.” said Cavs General Manager Chris Grant. “We’re very excited for Coach Scott to get started. His experience and leadership will be a critical element in our drive to achieve the franchise’s ultimate goal.”

After four seasons with New Jersey, Coach Scott was hired by the New Orleans Hornets where he improved the Hornets by 38 wins, from a lowly 18 victories in 2004-05 to a 56-win campaign just three years later in 2007-08. This win total is the New Orleans’ franchise record and earned Coach Scott the Red Auerbach trophy as the 2007-08 NBA Coach of the Year. Coach Scott also led the Hornets to an appearance in the Western Conference Semifinals that same season, as well as leading the Western Conference All-Star Team as its head coach in the NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans where, ironically, the west lost to the eastern conference, and its All-Star Game MVP, LeBron James.

In his second year with the Hornets during the 2005-06 season, Coach Scott guided the Hornets to a 38-44 record, an NBA best 20-game win improvement from his first season in New Orleans, despite Hurricane Katrina displacing the team from its hometown and forcing the Hornets to play in four different home arenas throughout the 2005-06 campaign. Coach Scott followed the 2007-08 effort by leading the Hornets to 49 regular season wins and back to the playoffs in 2008-09.

Prior to his stint in New Orleans, Coach Scott led the New Jersey Nets to the most successful run in franchise history. In his first season in 2000-01, he spearheaded rebuilding a New Jersey team with a 26-56 record before guiding them to a franchise-high and Eastern Conference best 52-30 record followed by the Nets’ first-ever trip to the NBA Finals in 2001-02. The 26-win improvement marked the sixth-largest year-to-year improvement in NBA history and the team also won its first Atlantic Division title in franchise history. Scott also earned head coaching honors for the 2002 Eastern Conference All-Stars. (Coach Scott is one of just six coaches to earn the honor for both conferences)

The following season (2002-03) he guided the Nets back to the NBA Finals after winning a second consecutive Atlantic Division title.

“I want to thank Chris Grant and Dan Gilbert and the entire ownership group for this great opportunity. In meeting with Dan and Chris I could tell they have a solid team and family approach to everything and that really impressed me,” said the Cavaliers’ new skipper, Byron Scott. “The deeper we got into these discussions, the better I felt about the situation. This is a great job and an impressive organization and I am very happy to be a part of it. Everything about it just felt like a really good fit for both me and the team. I am anxious to get going and to build on the success the Cavaliers have experienced in recent years.”

Prior to his successful coaching career, the Inglewood, California native enjoyed an outstanding NBA playing career. Selected 4th overall in the first round of the 1983 NBA Draft, by the San Diego Clippers, Scott played 14 seasons with three different teams (the Lakers, Indiana Pacers and Vancouver Grizzlies), winning three NBA titles with the Lakers in 1985, 1987 and 1988 as a key starter on the Lakers famed ‘Showtime’ era teams.

In 1,073 games (717 starts), the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 14.1 points on .482 shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 28.1 minutes per game. In 183 postseason games (122 starts), he posted career playoff averages of 13.4 points on .482 shooting, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 29.3 minutes per game. Coach Scott has been a consistent winner as both a player and a coach. In his 14-year playing career, Scott experienced 12 winning seasons and his team reached the playoffs in 13 of those 14 seasons.

The Cavaliers new head coach attended Arizona State, where he finished his career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,752 points. As a senior, he was named First Team All-Pac 10 after averaging 21.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

Off the court, Coach Scott’s non-profit organization, The Byron Scott Children’s Fund, has raised more than $6 million dollars over the past decade, with the proceeds going to various children’s charities.

Jazz sign rookies Gordon Hayward, Jeremy Evans

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has signed forwards Gordon Hayward, the ninth overall selection, and Jeremy Evans, the 55th overall selection, in the 2010 NBA Draft. Per team policy, financial terms were not released. They are rookies and therefore are signed to NBA rookie scale contracts. NBA first round picks are guaranteed a contract, but second rounders (which Evans is) are not.

Hayward and Evans are expected to participate in the Jazz’s mini-camp in preparation for the 2010 Orlando Pro Summer League. Camp is being held at RDV SportsPlex in Maitland, Fla., and will run through Sunday, July 4. Hayward and Evans will then make their professional debuts when the Jazz opens its Orlando Pro Summer League schedule vs. Charlotte at 11 a.m. MT on July 5.

In the 2009-10 season, Hayward, a 6-8, 207-pound forward, was named the Horizon League Player of the Year after leading Butler to its first ever NCAA Final Four and the 2010 National Championship Game. The 20-year-old sophomore posted 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds in that game, a 61-59 loss to Duke. Prior to the Final Four, Hayward posted game-highs of 22 points and nine rebounds in a win over Kansas State in the championship game of the West Regional, hosted at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City.

Hayward was chosen to the 2010 Final Four All-Tournament Team, selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the West Regional and was named a finalist for the Naismith Trophy. He ranked in the top five in the Horizon League in scoring (15.5 points) and rebounding (8.2 rebounds) and led the league in double-doubles with 12. As a freshman, he was named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year and named to the Foxsports.com National All-Freshman Team after averaging 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds a game.

In the 2009-10 season, Evans, a 6-9, 196-pound forward, appeared in 34 games (all starts) for the Hilltoppers, averaging 10.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He led the Sun Belt Conference in field goal percentage (64.9) his senior season and leaves Western Kentucky as the school’s all-time field goal percentage leader at .693. He also finished his four-year WKU career as the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots (224).

The 22-year-old became just the second player in WKU history with 1,000 points, 750 rebounds and 200 blocks and was honored with the Danny Rumph Outstanding Teammate Award. As a sophomore, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, following his averages of 13.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the floor.

Grizzlies waive Lester Hudson

The Memphis Grizzlies have waived guard Lester Hudson, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

“We wanted to give Lester an opportunity to hook up with another team at the start of free agency,” Wallace said. “Unfortunately, with the draft day additions of guards Xavier Henry and Greivis Vasquez, it would have been difficult for Lester to get minutes in our backcourt. We wish him the best.”

The 6-3, 190-pound guard averaged 2.3 points and 0.7 rebounds in 5.2 minutes in 25 games as a rookie last season with the Boston Celtics and the Grizzlies. The 25-year-old Memphis native posted 4.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 6.8 minutes in nine games for the Grizzlies, who claimed Hudson off waivers on Jan. 8, 2010 after he was released by the Celtics on Jan. 6.

Hudson, who was assigned to the NBA Development League’s Dakota Wizards and Maine Red Claws last season, was selected by Boston with the 58th overall pick in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft.

Phil Jackson will return to coach Lakers in 2010-11

Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson has decided to return to coach the team for the 2010-11 season, it was announced today.

“Count me in,” said Jackson. “After a couple weeks of deliberation, it is time to get back to the challenge of putting together a team that can defend its title in the 2010-11 season. It’ll be the last stand for me, and I hope a grand one.”

Jackson, who most recently guided the Lakers to the 2010 NBA Championship, their second in a row, has won five titles as head coach of the Lakers. Overall, Jackson has guided his teams to eleven NBA Championships, the most of any coach in NBA history.

A member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Jackson established a new Lakers franchise record for regular season victories earlier this year, earning his 534th career victory with a win over the Charlotte Hornets on February 3. The fastest coach to 1,000 career victories, his total of 1,098 regular season wins ranks him fifth all-time while his .705 winning percentage is the best in league history. Additionally, Jackson ranks first all-time in NBA postseason history with a .697 winning percentage (225-98). His 225 playoff victories are also the highest postseason win total for any head coach in league history.

“We’re extremely pleased that Phil has decided to return,” said Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak. “With this most recent championship, we’ve now won five titles in the ten years he’s been our head coach and have been to the Finals in seven of those ten years, which is amazing. He’s not only the best coach for this team, but quite simply the best coach in the history of the NBA.”