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The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have assigned center Ian Mahinmi to the Austin Toros, the NBA Development League team owned and operated by the Spurs.
Mahinmi is currently recovering from right ankle surgery performed on 1/31. He has yet to see action for the Spurs this season. Mahinmi appeared in one game for the Toros this season where he scored 4 points and grabbed 1 rebound in 20:46 minutes.
The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that center Courtney Sims has been signed to a second consecutive 10-day contract. Sims was signed to his first 10-day contract on Mar. 23 and has yet to appear in a game for New York.
In his NBA career, Sims has played in a total of four games (three for the Pacers, one for the Suns). He has not yet scored in the league.
The National Basketball Association (NBA), Mengniu and Shandong TV today announced the launch of the NBA’s first-ever reality show, Mengniu NBA Basketball Disciple. A preview of the show was screened today at a press conference attended by Vice President of NBA China, Mr. David Yang, Managing Director Television & Digital Media NBA China, Ms. Kathy Sun, Vice President of Mengniu Group, Mr. Bai Ying, Chief Editor of Shandong TV, Ms. Zhu Lihua and NBA Legend Darryl Dawkins.
The reality show will follow a three-month basketball competition that begins filming tomorrow with public tryouts in 64 cities throughout mainland China. The players will compete in a variety of skills competitions and be awarded points based on performance over the course of four rounds. Following a final All-Star Game in the last round, the player with the most cumulative points will be crowned the Most Valuable Player of the competition and win an all-expenses-paid trip to the United States for a tryout with a team from the NBA Development League, the NBA’s official minor league.
NBA Legends and scouts, along with an NBA coach, will appear throughout the series to run competitions, evaluate players, award points and determine which competitors advance to the next round. An NBA mascot and dance team will be onsite to provide entertainment for NBA fans.
Shandong TV Satellite Channel will air a 50-minute episode every Friday from May 22 to August 21 at 9:30 PM local time. A final 90-minute awards ceremony show will air live on August 28 and feature Chinese celebrities as presenters and performers.
The basketball competition will consist of four rounds:
* Round 1: Public “Open” Tryouts: Aspiring basketball players 18 years and older who are not currently under professional contract in each of the 64 cities are invited to come participate in a basketball skills challenge. The participants will be awarded points for their performance during dribbling, shooting, layups and defensive drills. The top 50 to 60 participants, based on points, in each city will advance to the second round.
* Round 2: Preliminary Round: A series of one-day elimination events will take place in ten cities attended by an NBA scout in each market. The scouts will help select two to three players in each city and 24 total participants will advance to the third round.
* Round 3: Training Camp: An NBA assistant coach and NBA legend will host a vigorous three-day NBA-style training camp for the remaining 24 participants. The coach and legend will assign points for different drills including passing and rebounding, offensive concepts and transition, strength and conditioning, shooting, ball handling and defensive concepts. The top 16 participants will advance to the final round – an All-Star Game.
* Round 4: All-Star Game: The eight finalists from southern China compete against the eight finalists from northern China in an All-Star Game. The player who has accumulated the most points throughout the entire competition, following the All-Star Game, will be named the competition’s Most Valuable Player and win a D-League tryout.
“We hope our fans in China are as excited as we are because the NBA’s first-ever reality show in China will give talented Chinese amateur players the opportunity to play for a D-League tryout,” said Mr. Tim Chen, CEO of NBA China. “Fans can follow the competition up close through coverage on Shandong TV and with the help of our partner, Mengniu, we’ve created a grassroots event and reality series that we hope will appeal to basketball fans and Chinese pop culture on a variety of levels.”
Mengniu, an NBA marketing partner since 2007, will be prominently featured throughout the series via onsite branding, product integration, media and promotion.
“Since our partnership began in 2007, Mengniu has been a strong advocate that sports and nutrition are essential to healthy living,” said Vice President of Mengniu Group Mr. Bai Ying. “Collaborating with the NBA in the creation of this new reality show is a continuation of this mission and we pledge to present a wonderful basketball show to fans in China.”
Shandong TV will promote the reality series with nearly 2,500 promos and Public Service Announcements from April 2 to Aug. 28.
“We are very happy to be the official TV broadcaster of Mengniu NBA Basketball Disciple and we believe the show will create a basketball frenzy all over the nation,” said Chief Editor of Shandong TV, Ms. Zhu Lihua “The reality show will give real fans a chance to spread the positive message that healthy living, fitness, hard work and dedication can make your dreams come true.”
Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young had an MRI taken this morning of his right ankle, the results of which were examined by team Orthopedist and Medical Director Dr. Jack McPhilemy of Main Line Health. Dr. McPhilemy reports that Young has a right ankle sprain and bone bruise.
Young is currently walking with the assistance of crutches and also wearing a removable air cast.
It is anticipated that Young will miss two to three weeks.
Additional updates on Young’s injury will be provided as they become available.
Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced that the team has assigned forward D.J. White and guard Kyle Weaver to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.
This is the third time this season that White has been assigned to Tulsa. In four games D-League contests this season White is averaging 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 30.8 minutes.
Weaver is being assigned to Tulsa for the first time this season. The Washington State product has appeared in 49 games for the Thunder this season including 17 starts. Weaver has averaged 5.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 20 minutes per contests.
Both players are expected to be in uniform tonight when the 66ers face the Austin Toros.
The NBA champion Boston Celtics aren’t a championship team without star power forward Kevin Garnett. And with KG’s right knee still giving him some issues, they’re playing it safe. The AP reports:
Coach Doc Rivers announced after practice Tuesday that the team would be ‘shutting down’ their star forward after Garnett experienced continued soreness in the knee, first injured on Feb. 19 at Utah.
The Celtics are currently just behind the Orlando Magic in the Eastern conference standings. There is no danger of them falling any lower than their current #3 seed. The Atlanta Hawks are a distant #4 seed and are 12.5 games behind Boston for #3. So, the Celtics could lose every remaining game, and it wouldn’t affect their home court situation in the East playoffs. The Finals homecourt situation is another story. But getting back to the championship round would be infinitely harder without Garnett, so they are correctly making sure he gets healthy for the post-season.
NBA Development League President Dan Reed announced today at a press conference at the Basketball Hall of Fame that HWS Basketball, LLC will be bringing an NBA D-League team to Springfield, Massachusetts for the 2009-10 season. The team will play at Springfield’s MassMutual Center.
The new team will be owned and operated by Michael Savit who is the managing partner of HWS Basketball, LLC, a group of local investors. Savit brings with him to Springfield and the NBA D-League a wealth of minor league operational and sports business experience, including time as Senior Vice President at the Cleveland-based International Management Group (IMG) and as the managing partner of minor league baseball teams in the South Atlantic League, Midwest League, Southern League, California League, Coastal Plain League and New York-Penn League.
Savit and his group have been awarded the right to relocate the NBA D-League team currently playing in Anaheim, California to Springfield. While the local ownership group will have the option to retain rights to current Anaheim Arsenal players, they will announce a new name, colors, and a mascot for the Springfield team later on this spring.
“As the NBA D-League continues to move east, we’re very excited to bring a team to a place that not only has rich basketball history, but also boasts an impressive ownership group, strong civic leadership and community support,” said Reed. “We’re thrilled to welcome such a well-respected and experienced operator in Mike Savit to our ownership ranks, and look forward to not only bringing our unique brand of affordable, family-friendly, and NBA-caliber basketball to Springfield, but becoming a vital part of the greater Springfield community.”
Today’s announcement featured Reed, Savit, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, James E. Rooney, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, University of Massachusetts men’s basketball head coach and Springfield native Derek Kellogg and George Ramirez, the deputy director and general counsel of the Department of Business Development, Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. Rooney served as a master of ceremonies for the event.
“Today is an exciting day for Springfield!” said Savit. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the group that brought professional basketball back to the game’s birthplace and I can’t wait to contribute to this city’s great basketball history and become part of the fabric of the community.”
“The National Basketball Association, Springfield and the MassMutual Center are a powerful combination,” said Rooney of the MCCA, which owns the venue. “The entire Pioneer Valley will undoubtedly embrace our new pro team, and we plan to be worthy partners with our top-tier service and state-of-the-art amenities.”
The team in Springfield will be affiliated with two NBA team parent-clubs, which will be able to assign their first and second year players to the club up to three times during a season. Thus far, the 2008-09 NBA D-League season has had 30 NBA players assigned on 39 occasions to NBA D-League affiliates to continue to develop their games. An announcement regarding Springfield’s NBA team affiliations will occur during the offseason.
The Denver Nuggets have recalled G/F Sonny Weems from the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Development League, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.
Weems, who was re-assigned to the 14ers on March 6, has averaged 20.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.9 apg and 1.05 spg in 19 outings during two separate stints for Colorado this season. His second stint with the 14ers was highlighted by several big games, including a 36 point (15-22 FG), nine rebound outburst at Erie on March 27.
Weems was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round (39th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft before being traded to Denver for a 2009 second-round draft pick. In 10 games for the Nuggets this season, Weems has averaged 1.3 ppg in 4.1 mpg.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Shaun Livingston to a multi-year deal, Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.
Livingston, 23, is being called-up from the NBA Developmental League’s Tulsa 66ers, where he averaged 9.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 29.4 minutes in 11 games (10 starts). At the time of his call-up, the 6’7’’ guard ranked seventh in the D-League in assists (6.0). He scored a season-high 22 points on March 27 at Rio Grande Valley Vipers and dished out a season-best 11 assists against Iowa Energy on March 12.
Originally selected by the L.A. Clippers in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft (#4 overall), he has appeared in 149 NBA games with L.A. Clippers and Miami. The Peoria, Illinois native owns career averages of 7.3 points, 4.7 assists, 3.1 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per contest.
Livingston, who will wear jersey #14 with the Thunder, becomes the 19th Call-Up of the 2008-09 season and the 137th player since the league began play in 2001.
Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has recalled forward D.J. White from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.
White was assigned to Tulsa for the second time this season on March 29. During his most recent stint, White appeared in one game and recorded six points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and a block in 11 minutes. Overall, he’s seen action in four games D-League contests averaging 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 30.8 minutes.