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The Toronto Raptors announced Saturday that centre Jermaine O’Neal sustained a strained left knee at the 11:37 mark of the fourth quarter during Friday’s game versus New Jersey. O’Neal had medical images taken of the knee Friday night that revealed no structural damage. His status is listed as day-to-day.
O’Neal had averaged 17 points and 13.5 rebounds over a five game stretch coming into Friday’s contest. He has posted averages of 12.9 points and 9.3 rebounds in 12 games this season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder announced today that PJ Carlesimo has been relieved of his duties as the team’s head coach.
“This was a very difficult decision to make,” said Executive Vice President/General Manager Sam Presti. “It is one that I felt was necessary at this time. I am very appreciative of the hard work and effort that PJ gave to this team and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Assistant coach Scott Brooks will take over as interim head coach of the Thunder.
Carlesimo was named head coach on July 5 2007, becoming the 15th head coach in franchise history. During his one-plus season Carlesimo guided the franchise to a 21-74 (.221) record.
Over the span of eight seasons Carlesimo holds a career coaching record of 204-296 (.408).
The team also announced that Paul Westhead was relieved of his duties as assistant coach.
The Los Angeles Clippers acquired forward Zach Randolph and guard Mardy Collins from the New York Knicks today in exchange for forward Tim Thomas and guard Cuttino Mobley Clippers General Manager and head coach Mike Dunleavy announced today.
“In an attempt to make our team more competitive, we are excited about the acquisition of Zach Randolph,” Dunleavy said. “He is a 27-year old highly-skilled scorer and rebounder. Getting a player like Zach cost us two highly skilled veterans in Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas, but we feel that the move will help us both now and in the future. We wish nothing but the best of success for Cuttino and Tim with their new team.”
The six-foot-nine Randolph is known as one of the NBA’s most effective young post players, bringing a career 16.4 points per game scoring average and 8.2 rebounds in 467 career games to the Clippers. Randolph is a career 46 percent shooter from the field and averaged 17.6 points, a team-leading 10.3 rebounds in 69 games for the Knicks in 2007-08 while finishing 10th in the NBA with 40 double-doubles. Randolph is averaging 20.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in the first 11 games of the 2008-09 season.
The Michigan State product was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in the first round (19th overall pick) of the 2001 NBA Draft. Randolph, 27, played six seasons in Portland, enjoying a break-out year in 2003-04 when he averaged 20.1 points and 10.5 rebounds for the Trailblazer en route to being named the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year. Randolph joined the Knicks prior to the 2007-08 season in a trade.
In his third pro season, the six-foot-six Collins is averaging 2.2 points and 1.7 assists in nine games this season. A former standout at Temple University, Collins was drafted by New York with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft. Collins has appeared in 107 career NBA games, with career averages of 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
Cuttino Mobley joined the Clippers as a free agent on August 4, 2005 and was a key member of the club’s run to the 2005-06 Western Conference Semifinals, averaging 14.9 points that season and 13.3 points in 12 playoff games. A 10-year NBA veteran, Mobley is the Clippers third-leading scorer this season, averaging 13.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 2008-09.
“Cuttino and Tim are two veteran players that will help us work towards our joint goal of remaining competitive this season while also improving our long-term cap flexibility,” said New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh. “Zach is an extremely talented player who produces numbers that few players can and we thank him, and Mardy, for their efforts as Knickerbockers.”
Thomas, 6-10, 240-pounds, was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the seventh overall selection in the 1997 NBA Draft and enters his second tour with the Knicks. The Paterson, NJ-native has career averages of 11.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 752 career games over 12 NBA seasons with Philadelphia, Milwaukee, New York, Chicago, Phoenix and L.A. Clippers. The Villanova product was acquired by New York during the 2003-04 season and averaged 12.9 points and 3.7 rebound in 95 games with the Knickerbockers before being traded to Chicago prior to the 2005-06 season. Last season with the L.A. Clippers, Thomas averaged 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 63 games. In 10 games this season, Thomas is averaging 9.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
“Tim enjoyed a lot of success in our system a few years ago in Phoenix when he was a key part of a run to the Western Conference Finals,” Knicks Head Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “I am also very familiar with Cuttino and his knowledge of the game, and his ability to spread the floor and defend.”
With this transaction, the Clippers roster now stands at a total of 14 players, with three players (Chris Kaman, Al Thornton, Paul Davis) remaining from the team that finished the 2007-08 season.
The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that forward Al Harrington has been acquired from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for guard Jamal Crawford.
“I drafted Al back in 1998 and I think his talents are a great fit for our style of play,” Walsh said. “This trade also gives us more long-term flexibility while enabling us to remain competitive this season. To acquire a player of Al’s caliber, we had to give up someone we all really liked in Jamal. We thank him for his contributions both on and off the court, and we wish him all the best in Golden State.”
Harrington, 6-9, 250-pounds, was selected by the Indiana Pacers with 25th overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft out of St. Patrick’s High School in Elizabeth, NJ. The Orange, NJ-native has career averages of 13.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in 660 career games over 11 NBA seasons with Indiana, Atlanta and Golden State. Harrington averaged 13.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 81 games during the 2007-08 season with Golden State and is averaging 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in five games during 2008-09 campaign.
“Al is a true NBA veteran who possesses multi-positional skills,” Head Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “He will fit perfectly into our system and will help us win some games immediately.”
Crawford, 28, has appeared in 11 games (all as a starter) with the Knicks this season, averaging 19.6 points and 4.4 assists in 35.6 minutes. He has scored 25-plus points in five of his 11 outings this season, highlighted by a season-high 32 vs. Utah on November 9. He currently ranks 25th in the NBA in scoring (19.6), first in three-point field goals made (35) and 18th in three-point field goal percentage (.455).
“We are elated to add a player of Jamal’s ability to our team,” said Warriors Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin. “We think he is an excellent fit for our style and the fact that he can play multiple positions as a combo guard is a big plus. Additionally, he is a player who can help us immediately due to some of our injuries and, looking down the road, would have the ability to play with any combination of players in the backcourt.”
Last season, the 6-5 guard averaged a career-high 20.6 points and a team-leading 5.0 assists per game in 80 games with New York (all starts). He ranked 23rd in the NBA in scoring and 24th in assists, making him one of only nine NBA players to rank among the top 25 in both categories, joining Chris Paul, Baron Davis, LeBron James, Allen Iverson, Andre Miller, Joe Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter.
“I am really excited and energized about this opportunity,” said Crawford. “The Warriors have been one of the most entertaining and fun teams in the league the last few years and I think my abilities are very conducive with their style and their needs. It will be a tremendous honor to play for one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game, Don Nelson, and to be a part of a young team with a lot of emerging talent.”
Currently in his ninth NBA season, Crawford was originally selected in the first round (8th overall) of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was subsequently traded to the Chicago Bulls on draft night (June 28, 2000) in exchange for the draft rights to Chris Mihm. The University of Michigan product played four years in Chicago (2000-2001 through 2003-04) and the last four-plus seasons in New York. He scored a career-high 52 points for the Knicks against Miami on January 6, 2007 and has dished out a career-best 12 assists on three occasions. Additionally, he is one of only 11 active NBA players to tally 50-or-more points in multiple games (also scored 50 for Chicago at Toronto on April 11, 2004).
Overall, Crawford has appeared in 543 NBA games during his career, averaging 14.7 points and 4.1 assists.
Crawford will wear uniform #11 for the Warriors.
Pistons forward Walter Herrmann suffered a mild concussion in last night’s game at Boston. Herrmann spent the night in a Boston hospital but was released this morning and has returned home. He is listed as day to day.
Oklahoma City Thunder General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has assigned center Steven Hill to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.
Hill (7-0, 245) saw action in one regular season game with the Thunder. The Branson, Missouri native scored two points and grabbed three rebounds in two minutes of action versus the Orlando Magic.
Hill is the first player to be assigned to the 66ers by the Oklahoma City Thunder since the Professional Basketball Club, LLC assumed control of the NBA Development League franchise on July 31, 2008.
San Antonio Spurs small forward Bruce Bowen has made a living out of playing amazing defense, angering opponents, and occasionally cheap-shotting them. But, he’s old, and the team’s roster is diluted right now with both Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili out with injuries. So, a change has been made. The San Antonio Express-News (Jeff McDonald) reports:
The Spurs seem to have followed the lead of Bruce Bowen, who started the first four games of the season — and the first 555 of his Spurs’ career — before being transformed into a reserve. He comes off the bench now, without complaint. “It’s a matter of priorities,” Bowen said. “So what if you’re only playing eight minutes? There are a lot of people out there who would love to play in the NBA, for just those eight minutes.” For Bonner, any amount of NBA minutes is a blessing. In the span of three games earlier this month, he played a grand total of 42 seconds. In the past four, he’s gotten an early call from Popovich, and made the most of it, averaging a shade more than nine points and making 7 of 14 3-pointers.
With 5 wins and 6 losses the Spurs currently sit in 9th place in the Western conference, one spot out of the playoffs. Until their backcourt is healthy, the team’s goal should probably be just to hover around making the playoffs, and focus on a second half of the season run for playoff positioning. But even with full health, this team lacks the good role players they had in the past, so going far in the post-season could be a serious challenge.
The Sacramento Bee (Sam Amick) reports: The Kings will add a piece to their front office next month, when attorney and agent Jason Levien is expected to join the team as assistant general manager. The move, which sources within the organization and close to the team say should be official in the coming weeks, marks a rare addition to the Kings’ management team that Geoff Petrie has headed for 15 years. And with an on-court rebuilding and youth movement already in effect, the franchise also is taking the same approach upstairs.
The Charlotte Bobcats today requested waivers on forwards Andre Brown and Linton Johnson III. The Bobcats roster now stands at 13 players.
Brown appeared in four games with averages of 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 point in 10.3 minutes. Brown was signed prior to training camp this season.
Johnson was signed prior to the start of the regular season and appeared in just two games. He was inactive for eight of the Bobcats 10 games this season.
Houston Rockets C Yao Ming will not play tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. Yao is being held out for precautionary reasons after leaving Monday night’s game at Oklahoma City in the fourth quarter due to soreness in his left foot. Diagnostic tests conducted yesterday at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center revealed no structural issues in his foot. He is listed as day-to-day.