NBA News Blog – Page 1547 – NBA Blog

Utah Jazz exercise option on Kyrylo Fesenko

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has exercised its option on center Kyrylo Fesenko for the 2009-10 season. Per team policy, financial terms were not released.

The 7-1, 22-year old native of the Ukraine has appeared in 30 games over two seasons with the Jazz, holding career averages of 2.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.60 blocks while shooting .519 in 7.5 minutes per game. He appeared in 21 games (one start) in 2008-09, averaging 2.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.71 blocks, hitting .583 (21-36) shots from the field in 7.4 minutes per game. Fesenko’s best game came against Yao Ming at Houston on December 27, 2008, where he posted career highs of 12 points (6-8 FG) and 11 rebounds along with three blocks in 34 minutes.

Fisher clutch, Lakers beat Magic, take 3-1 lead

The AP reports: Derek Fisher hit two key 3-pointers—one with 4.6 seconds left in regulation, the other with 31.3 seconds to go in overtime—as the Los Angeles Lakers moved within one win of their 15th championship by beating the Orlando Magic 99-91 on Thursday night to open a 3-1 series lead. The 34-year-old Fisher, in his second stint with the Lakers after stops in Golden State and Utah, was best known for his turnaround fling with 0.4 seconds left in the 2004 playoffs against San Antonio. He’s got two more shots that rank right with it… Dwight Howard was magnificent everywhere but at the free-throw line. He scored 16 points with 21 rebounds and a finals-record nine blocks. But he made just 6 of 14 foul shots, and it was his two crucial misses with 11.1 seconds to go in regulation that doomed the Magic… Trevor Ariza and Pau Gasol each had 16 for Los Angeles. Ariza, traded by Orlando to L.A. in 2007, had 13 of the Lakers’ 30 points in the third quarter.

Derrick Rose statement on flashing gang-sign

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose has issued a statement in response to this photo that has been circulating:

Recently, a photo has been circulating on the Internet which appears to depict me flashing a gang sign. This photo of me was taken at a party I attended in Memphis while I was in school there, and was meant as a joke…a bad one, I now admit. I want to emphatically state, now and forever, that Derrick Rose is anti-gang, anti-drug, and anti-violence. I am not, nor have I ever been, affiliated with any gang and I can’t speak loudly enough against gang violence, and the things that gangs represent.

In posing for this picture, I am guilty of being young, naive and of using extremely poor judgment. I sincerely apologize to all my fans for my mistake. I pride myself on being a good citizen, and role model, that young people can look up to and I want to urge all my young fans to stay away from gangs and gang-related activities.

Read fan discussion and post your own opinion in this forum topic.

Magic shoot 63 percent in 108-104 win over Lakers

The AP reports: Making easy shots and tough ones from everywhere, the Magic won their first game in two visits to the NBA finals as Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis scored 21 points apiece in a 108-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 on Tuesday night to pull within 2-1. Orlando shot a finals record 63 percent—including another record 75 percent in the first half—to snap a six-game finals losing streak and avoid falling into an 0-3 hole that 88 previous teams in postseason history have been unable to escape… Kobe Bryant, seeking a fourth title and his first since 2002, scored 31 points for the Lakers but the superstar had just 10 points in the second half and went only 4 of 15 from the field after the first quarter. He also missed five free throws, points that could have given the Lakers that 3-0 lead… Rafer Alston, who was just 3 of 17 from the field in the first two games, had 20 and Hedo Turkoglu and Mickael Pietrus 18 each… Pau Gasol scored 23 points but had just three rebounds and the Lakers were only 16 of 26 from the line.

Sacramento Kings to hire Paul Westphal

The Sacramento Kings are rebuilding their player roster as well as the coaching staff.

And, according to Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee, Paul Westphal is going to be hired as the team’s new head coach: “Westphal, the former Phoenix and Seattle coach, was the second of four candidates to be interviewed by the job.”

In 2008-09 the Kings were the worst team in the league, winning 17 games and losing 65. Their star scorer, Kevin Martin, who averaged 24.6 points per game and not a lot else on 42.0% shooting, only played 51 games. They have a few promising young big-men in Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson, and a very mediocre point guard in Beno Udrih, plus Francisco Garcia, Rashad McCants and Andres Nocioni. And that’s about it.

Westphal will have to help develop the young talent, though there is still a lot more rebuilding to do before he has anything great to work with.

InsideHoops.com will update this blog entry shortly.

Dahntay Jones has right shoulder surgery

Denver Nuggets guard Dahntay Jones underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder to remove a bone spur on Monday. The surgery was performed by Dr. Steve Traina of Western Orthopedic Group.

Jones is expected to make a full recovery in 4-6 weeks.

Toronto Raptors trade Jason Kapono to Philadelphia 76ers for Reggie Evans

From Philadelphia to Toronto, a bruiser has been traded for a shooter.

The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday they have acquired forward Reggie Evans from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for guard-forward Jason Kapono.

“Reggie Evans will certainly add an element of toughness to our team,” said Bryan Colangelo, Raptors President and General Manager. “He has very good rebounding and defensive instincts, addressing two areas where we have underperformed.”

The seven-year veteran has averaged better than 6.5 rebounds in five of his NBA campaigns, with a career best of 9.3 per game (12th in the NBA) in 2004-05 with Seattle. He also averaged 7.9 rebounds during a four-year span from 2004-08.

Evans has ranked in the top-10 in the NBA in Rebounds Per 48 Minutes in each of the past six seasons, leading the league in 2006-07 at 19.7. He finished seventh in the NBA last season with an average of 15.3.

Evans has grabbed 20+ rebounds on three occasions, with a career-best 21 versus Charlotte on February 5, 2005. He collected a career-high 19 defensive rebounds against the Raptors on March 10, 2006.

The 6-foot-8, 245-pounder has appeared in 514 career regular season games with 270 starts. He owns career averages of 4.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 19.6 minutes. He has seen action in the postseason four times, averaging 4.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 17.1 minutes in 27 games.

Evans signed as a free agent with Seattle in 2002. He has played with Seattle (2002-06), Denver (2006-07) and Philadelphia (2007-09).

The native of Pensacola, Florida played two seasons at the University of Iowa where he averaged 15.3 points and 11.5 rebounds in 69 games. He was named Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American in both his junior and senior seasons.

Kapono signed with Toronto as a free agent July 11, 2007. He averaged 7.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in two seasons with the Raptors.

Evans is a short but rugged forward who adds rebounding to the Raptors frontcourt. Toronto up front has Chris Bosh, but Andrea Bargnani is not particularly strong, and Shawn Marion is undersized and not a lock to return to the team.

Kapono gives the 76ers a very badly-needed three-point shooter. With Andre Miller’s limited range, Kapono will help. He’ll be their best threat from deep range since Kyle Korver. He’d be a good first guard off the bench for them.

This trade helps both teams a bit.

Read fan discussion of the news and post your own opinion in this forum topic.

Scottie Reynolds withdraws from 2009 NBA Draft

Scottie Reynolds has removed his name from the 2009 NBA draft pool and will return to Villanova for his senior season in 2009-10, it was announced today.

“The best decision for me is to return to Villanova for my senior year,” stated Reynolds, who averaged 15.2 points per game in helping lead Villanova to a school-record 30 victories last season. “I’d like to thank everyone who put their time into helping me get better during these NBA workouts. I especially want to thank my teammates and coaches here for all of their support. I felt like I learned a great deal from this process.

“I’m blessed to be in the situation I am in. I’m happy to be back at Villanova.”

Fabricio Oberto has heart-related surgery

San Antonio Spurs forward/center Fabricio Oberto underwent a successful Ablation procedure on 6/4. The procedure was done to correct the electrical system of the heart that was sending Oberto into Atrial Fibrillation. Oberto’s procedure was performed in Austin by Dr. Andrea Natale.

One week following his procedure Oberto will start a gradual, conservative cardiovascular exercise program. After four weeks and with his doctor’s approval, he may begin strenuous exercise.

Lakers win Game 2, beat Magic 101-96 in overtime

The AP reports: Orlando rookie Courtney Lee missed a potential winning layup as regulation ended, giving Los Angeles another shot it didn’t waste. Pau Gasol scored seven points in overtime as the Lakers, so dominant in the series opener, survived with a 101-96 win over the Magic in Game 2 on Sunday night… Kobe Bryant scored 29 points, Gasol added 24 and 10 rebounds and Lamar Odom 19 points for the Lakers, who won Game 1 by 25 but needed 53 minutes to put away the Magic. Rashard Lewis scored 34—18 in the second quarter alone—and Dwight Howard had 17 points and 16 rebounds for Orlando… Bryant, who scored 40 in the opener, finished with eight assists and seven turnovers. Lewis transformed into Orlando’s version of Bryant in the second quarter, scoring 18 of the Magic’s 20 points to keep them close. The 6-foot-10 forward’s size and exceptional range make him an impossible cover, and the Lakers had no answer to stop him. With Howard unable to get open and Orlando’s other shooters still searching for their touch, Lewis carried the scoring load. He made four consecutive 3-pointers to end the half and the Magic, despite shooting just 32 percent, were within 38-35 at the break.