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Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy has been fined $35,000 for publicly criticizing game officials, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
Van Gundy was fined for comments he made that appeared on Thursday, October 15.
The Orlando Magic have also been fined $35,000 for Van Gundy’s actions.
Raptors forward Reggie Evans sustained a left mid-foot sprain during the second quarter of Wednesday’s game against Boston in Hartford, Connecticut. No timetable has been set for his return to game action, although it is likely that he misses the remainder of the preseason.
Evans has averaged 7.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 16.8 minutes in five preseason games. He had a high of 11 points October 9 at Minnesota and nine rebounds October 7 versus Philadelphia.
The AP reports: LeBron James didn’t get any sympathy from his teammates when he came back to work after spending two days sick in bed. They ran the other way. “You come back around and everyone is like, ‘Ugh, you got the cooties,'” James said Thursday. “They don’t want to be around you.” James and two Cleveland teammates have tested positive for Influenza A, and are being treated as if they have the H1N1 virus by the Cavaliers, who are being proactive in dealing with a flu bug that already has sickened six players.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Maybe LeBron is faking it because he was afraid of having to see DeShawn Stevenson’s crazy tattoos.
The Charlotte Bobcats announced today that guard Ronald “Flip” Murray will miss the remainder of the team’s preseason games due to a left shin injury. Murray missed Monday’s preseason game at Atlanta with inflammation in that area. He was evaluated on Tuesday by team physician Dr. Glenn Perry, who concluded that Murray shows early signs of a stress reaction.
No timetable has been set for his return and the team will continue to monitor and limit his activity until the injury improves. During his senior season at Shaw University (2000), Murray suffered a stress fracture and had a steel rod placed in the tibia bone.
The Bobcats will travel to Los Angeles this weekend to take on the Lakers on Saturday, Oct. 17, and either the Clippers or Utah Jazz on Sunday, Oct. 18, at Staples Center.
Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins and Charlotte Bobcats head coach Larry Brown have each been fined for improper conduct towards game officials, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
Hollins has been fined $25,000 for publicly criticizing game officials following the Grizzlies loss to the Orlando Magic on October 12 at FedEx Forum.
Brown has been fined $35,000 for verbally abusing game officials and failing to leave the court in a timely manner following his ejection with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter of Charlotte’s game vs. Atlanta game on October 12 at Philips Arena. Brown has been fined an additional $25,000 for publicly criticizing the referees following the game.
The Charlotte Bobcats have also been fined $60,000 for Brown’s actions.
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The Golden State Warriors announced today that the team has exercised the fourth-year contract option on forward Brandan Wright and the third-year contract option on forward Anthony Randolph, which are both for the 2010-11 NBA season.
Wright, 22, underwent successful surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder on October 9 and will have his shoulder immobilized for up to six (6) weeks, at which point he will be re-evaluated prior to the next phase of rehabilitation. A 6-10 forward, Wright appeared in 39 games last season, averaging 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per contest. Overall in two NBA seasons, the University of North Carolina product has appeared in 77 games, averaging 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 13.8 minutes per contest.
Randolph, 20, appeared in 63 games last season, averaging 7.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.17 blocks in 17.9 minutes during a rookie campaign in which he was the youngest player in the NBA. The 6-11 forward started 22 games last season, averaging 10.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 25.7 minutes in those assignments.
Under the terms of the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, the first two years of a first round draft pick’s contract are guaranteed, while the third and fourth year of the contract are the team’s option. Wright was selected with the eighth overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats and later acquired by Golden State, while Randolph was selected by the Warriors with the 14th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards has been fined $25,000 for failing to make himself available to the media for interviews, the NBA announced today.
In addition, the Wizards organization has been fined $25,000 for failing to ensure that its players comply with NBA media interview rules.
The Los Angeles Clippers today exercised the club’s third-year contract option on guard Eric Gordon and the fourth-year contract option on forward Al Thornton.
Gordon, who was selected by the Clippers as the seventh overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, begins his second NBA season and is now signed through the 2010-11 campaign. Under the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Clippers had the right to exercise this contract option.
Gordon turned in a stellar rookie campaign, averaging 16.1 points in 78 games played last season, earning him a spot on the All-Rookie Second Team as well as seeing him finish fifth in Rookie of the Year voting.
Thornton, the 14th overall selection by the Clippers in the 2007 NBA Draft is now also signed through the 2010-11 season, with the Clippers holding the right of first refusal. In two seasons with the Clippers, Thornton has tallied 15.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
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The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed free agent guard Carlos Arroyo. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the deal is for one year and is not a guaranteed contract.
Arroyo, 6’2”, 200 pounds, has appeared in 433 regular season NBA games (113 starts) and averaged 7.0 points, 3.3 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 18.2 minutes while shooting 43.2 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from three-point range and 80.1 percent from the foul line. The seven-year NBA veteran spent last season with Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel), appearing in 28 games averaging 15.3 points, 5.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.29 steals in 31.1 minutes of action. Prior to his stint in Israel, Arroyo spent his NBA career with Toronto, Denver, Utah, Detroit and most recently appeared in 161 games (25 starts) with the Orlando Magic over the course of three seasons from 2005-08. Additionally, he has appeared in 29 postseason NBA games and averaged 2.3 points and 1.9 assists in 8.5 minutes of action.
According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “Coach Erik Spoelstra said Arroyo was one of several candidates considered. Heat President Pat Riley stressed last week that because of concerns about the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax on excessive payroll, the Heat only would offer non-guaranteed, one-year contracts to such candidates. For a player of Arroyo’s experience, that is $1.1 million. Arroyo’s contract would not become fully guaranteed until Jan. 10.”
Arroyo, a Puerto Rican native, helped lead the Puerto Rican Men’s National Team to a Bronze medal in the Olympic qualifying tournament in 2003 and also led the national team to a sixth place finish in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. In 2001, he became just the fifth player from Puerto Rico to play in the NBA.
During his colligate career in Miami at Florida International University, Arroyo became just the second player in school history to score at least 1,600 career points. He finished his FIU career setting school records with 459 assists and 177 steals. He also ranked second in school history in three-point field goals made (174), third in field goals made (562) and third in free throws made (302).
Arroyo will wear number 8.
Utah Jazz guard/forward C.J. Miles has undergone successful surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today. Following the surgery, which was performed by Dr. Keith Raskins in New York, Miles will be placed in a rigid cast for four weeks. He will then be reevaluated prior to beginning rehabilitation in Salt Lake City.
Miles originally suffered the injury on Monday, October 5 during practice at London’s O2 Arena. Selected by the Jazz in the second round (34th overall) of the 2005 NBA draft, Miles (6-6, 220, Skyline H.S.) has appeared in 192 games (98 starts) with Utah, owning career averages of 5.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 15.0 minutes per game. Starting in all 72 games played last season, the Dallas native enjoyed a career year in 2008-09, averaging 9.1 points, 1.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game.