Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Warriors sign Dan Dickau

The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent guard Dan Dickau to a contract, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.

Dickau, 30, has appeared in 300 regular-season games during his six-year NBA career, owning career averages of 5.8 points, 2.5 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 15.4 minutes per game with Atlanta, Portland, Dallas, New Orleans, Boston and the Los Angeles Clippers. The 6-0 guard spent last season with the Clippers, appearing in 67 games (eight starts) and averaging 5.3 points and 2.6 assists in 15.5 minutes, while shooting 41.9% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range and 82.9% from the free throw line.

A native of Portland, OR, Dickau had his finest NBA season in 2004-05, averaging 12.5 points, 4.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.07 steals in 71 games combined with Dallas and New Orleans. Following his trade from the Mavericks to the Hornets on December 3, 2004, the Gonzaga University product received the most extended playing time of his career and appeared in 67 games (46 starts) for New Orleans, averaging 13.2 points, 5.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 31.0 minutes per game.

Dickau will wear uniform #10. With the signing, Golden State currently has 19 players under contract.

Ben Gordon signs one-year Bulls qualifying offer

The Chicago Bulls today announced that guard Ben Gordon agreed to accept the one-year qualifying offer ($6.4 million) that had been tendered to him by the team. Gordon will thus be under contract with the Bulls for the 2008-09 season, at which time he will become an unrestricted free agent.

The 6-3, 200-pound Gordon has appeared in 316 games, including 128 starting assignments, in four seasons with the Bulls. During that time, he has averaged 18.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 2.9 apg, while shooting .432 from the field and .416 from three-point range. Last season in 72 games, he led the team in scoring for the third consecutive season, posting 18.6 ppg and shot a career-high .908 percent (third in NBA) from the free throw line. Gordon was selected by the Bulls in the first round (third overall) in the 2004 NBA Draft.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Gordon should have taken the more-than-generous Bulls offer that was widely reported to be a multi-year deal for around $10 million per season. Assuming he plays as well as he usually does, the Bulls may wind up making the same offer next summer. Each year only a few teams are under the salary cap, and it’s doubtful any are going to offer Ben a better deal than what Chicago is.

Kings add Abdur-Rahim to coaching staff

The Sacramento Kings today added Shareef Abdur-Rahim to their coaching staff as an assistant coach, it was announced by Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Abdur-Rahim, a 12-year NBA veteran, recently retired his playing career due a reoccurring knee injury.

Abdur-Rahim enjoyed 12 seasons in the NBA with four different teams (Vancouver 1996-97 to 2000-01, Atlanta 2001-02 to 2003-04, Portland 2003-04 to 2004-05 and Sacramento 2005-06 to 2007-08), amassing career averages of 18.1 points (.452 FGs, .297 3FGs, .810 FTs), 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game through 830 outings. His most productive season, statistically, occurred during the 1998-99 campaign in Vancouver when he averaged 23.0 points (.432 FGs, .306 3FGs, .841 FTs), 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game through 50 contests (NBA Lockout season). The following season (1999-00), Abdur-Rahim averaged double figures in both points (20.3) and rebounds (10.1) per game, in which he played in all 82 contests for the Grizzlies.

Abdur-Rahim was a member of the gold-medal winning United States Olympic team in 2000 while still with the Vancouver Grizzlies. He was selected to the Eastern Conference NBA All-Star Team where he scored nine points in 21 minutes as a member of the Atlanta Hawks in 2002.

On December 28, 2002, Abdur-Rahim became the sixth-youngest player in NBA history to reach the 10,000-point plateau when he scored 18 points at Washington at age 26, trailing only Kobe Bryant, Bob McAdoo, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with that distinction. He scored a career-high 50 points (including a career-high 21 field goals made) versus Detroit on November 23, 2001, becoming the first Hawks player to hit that mark since Dominique Wilkins poured in 52 points in 1991.

Selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies (now Memphis) as an undergraduate out of California with the third pick of the 1996 NBA Draft, Abdur-Rahim has a long-standing history of community service involvement. He was named by The Sporting News as the NBA’s Number 1 Good Guy for 2004 after funding the Reef House in Atlanta through his Atlanta-based Future Foundation with the purpose of assisting at-risk and underprivileged youth.

Pat Burke signs in Poland

The East Valley Tribune (Jerry Brown) reports: Suns fan favorite Pat Burke will be continuing his basketball career. The 34-year-old signed with Polish champion Asseco Prokam this week, continuing his tour of European basketball to yet another outpost. Burke hooked on with Khimky in the Russian League last season, where he played in 11 games, after some bad luck in October.

InsideHoops.com editor says: He came. He saw. He hit some jumpers or something.

Ginobili out 20-25 games

The San Antonio Express-News (Jeff McDonald) reports: Manu Ginobili, the Spurs’ leading scorer last season, will miss at least all of November while recuperating, coach Gregg Popovich said. “Manu will be out 20 to 25 games – until mid-December at the latest,” Popovich said on the eve of Spurs training camp. Doctors initially gave Ginobili a timetable of 8-12 weeks for recovery. The most optimistic end of that spectrum would put him back in uniform for the start of the regular-season. For now, it appears the Spurs will approach Ginobili’s return more cautiously. When training camp begins today, Ginobili, 31, will be a non-participant. He has been able to walk without crutches and without pain for some time but has not been cleared to participate in any activities other than swimming and weightlifting.

InsideHoops.com editor says: For the good of the Spurs and his NBA career, Manu needs to stop playing international basketball. Or else he should just start paying money back to the Spurs for all the times he’s not 100 percent because he keeps playing for Argentina in the summer.

Rumors Talk: Little expected from Iran player

From what little I’ve seen of Hamed Haddadi, the giant Iranian dude who yesterday signed with the Grizzlies, he’s just size. He’ll take up space. The dude is big. He’s a large guy. Also, he adds bulk. And height. He’s got size. Large big-man. In other words, he’s like Allen Iverson.

I don’t expect much from Haddadi. But it’s always fun when a player from a new country enters the league. So, congrats to him and I hope it’s a good experience for him. We’ll see if he gets to stick around. Odds are against it.

Sean Marks, now with the Hornets, can come off the bench and stretch the floor a bit with his face-up jumper for a few minutes per half.

We’ve heard 29 times now that the Oklahoma City team name is probably going to be Thunder. But what if it’s a fake-out? Maybe someone said “Let’s call them ‘Thunder’ for now” when telling Ticketmaster what to list, and when telling some NBA.com person what page to link to (before removing it).

Yeah, unlikely. They’re probably the Thunder. And I’m actually cool with the name, though it still reminds me more of Arena football than basketball. But that’s because it’s new. In a year or two, it’ll make you think of basketball. Names grow on you that way.

If I was DJ Mbenga, I’d learn how to DJ. Just because chicks who meet him and find out that his abbreviated first name is “DJ” probably ask him if he knows how to rock the turntables. And it would be cool to be able to say yes, I’d think.

What if Warriors coach Don Nelson goes wild and decides Stephen Jackson is the team’s point guard until Monta Ellis, a scoring guard who isn’t really a point guard, comes back. Jackson would probably average 5+ turnovers per game and get angry a lot but I bet the game flow would be fun.

The above is InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner’s totally unedited, off the top of the head responses to some recent NBA rumors stories.

Talking Rumors: Free agent talks begin

July 1: Free agent negotiations began today (Tuesday) and even more than usual, always assume that any good or great free agent is going to re-sign with their own team, because almost no one else has the money (under salary cap rules) to make it happen. So, Jose Calderon will go back to the Raptors, totally expected since the team is still going to trade T.J. Ford away for Jermaine O’Neal.

I think the Wizards are making a mistake giving Gilbert Arenas the max. He’s a terrific player, certainly a star, but I always felt a max contract should only go to players who instantly make a team with good role players a contender. Select top superstars deserve the max, and that’s it.

Baron Davis to the Clippers? That would be fun if it happens. I don’t know how good the combo of Baron Davis, Al Thornton, Elton Brand and Chris Kaman will be — this assuming that Corey Maggette is gone if Baron comes on board (a money thing). On paper it sounds good.

I predict the Celtics successfully wind up keeping James Posey.

If the Rockets can land Brent Barry, it’ll help a little if he’s healthy, but aside from some three-pointers and nifty passes in very limited minutes he won’t do too much. He’s 94 years old (in other words, double the age of Greg Oden).

P.J. Brown shouldn’t retire. He may, but he shouldn’t. He clearly helped the Celtics and can do it again.

Wow, Shaun Livingston and Sebastian Telfair are both now unrestricted free agents, and possibly now considering the world famous InsideHoops.com rec team as an option. Livingston showed more flashes of talent than Telfair did, but that awful injury to Livingston unfortunately changed all that. I won’t pretend to know how Livingston is playing right now, but I assume he has a long way to go in his road to recovery. And a few guys I talked to don’t think he’ll ever recover. Telfair will probably get signed by someone, but probably a short term deal for very low money.

This NBA Rumors commentary accompanies the InsideHoops NBA Rumors page. Read Inside Hoops every day, several times a day, all summer long. And talk basketball with other fans on the InsideHoops basketball message board.

Wizards notes

The Washington Wizards will visit the New Orleans Hornets tomorrow night (Monday, February 25th) in Louisiana on Comcast SportsNet and WTEM 980 at 8:00 pm.

This game marks the first of two meetings between Washington and New Orleans this season.  The Wizards and Hornets will conclude their season-series on March 2 in Washington.

Last season vs. New Orleans…The Wizards and Hornets split a pair of meetings, with each team winning at home…The Wizards’ loss in Oklahoma City on January 12, 2007 marked Washington’s tenth consecutive road defeat to the Hornets franchise; including games played in Charlotte, New Orleans and Oklahoma City…The Wizards’ 125-103 win at Verizon Center on March 17, 2007 was their third straight home win vs. New Orleans.

Washington last defeated the Hornets on the road on November 1, 2000 in Charlotte when the franchise was still the Charlotte Hornets.  That win came in the Wizards’ opening game of the 2000-01 NBA season.  None of the current Wizards played for Washington at that time.

This game marks the beginning of Washington’s 15th back-to-back set this season.  The Wizards are 6-8 to date in the first game when playing on consecutive nights.  Washington will conclude the back-to-back on Tuesday night in Houston.  The Wizards are also 6-8 in the second game of a back-to-back set.

Washington’s starting line-up of Antonio Daniels, DeShawn Stevenson, Antawn Jamison, Andray Blatche and Brendan Haywood started their ninth game together as a unit in Washington’s last game, becoming Washington’s second-most frequently used starting line-up this season.  The Wizards’ most popular starting unit — Daniels, Stevenson, Caron Butler, Jamison, Haywood — has started 27 games as a unit, and holds a 16-11 record in those games.  In all, Washington has used eight different starting line-ups this season, as the opening night line-up that featured Gilbert Arenas, Stevenson, Butler, Jamison and Haywood started just eight games together.  Antawn Jamison and DeShawn Stevenson are the only two Wizards to have started every game this season.

Despite Washington’s sub-.500 record this season (26-29, .473), the Wizards have outscored the opposition by three points this season, 5,421 – 5,418.  The Wizards are the only sub-.500 team in the NBA that has outscored their opponent this season.  Two teams with a +.500 record this season — Cleveland and Portland — have been cumulatively outscored by their opponents in 2007-08.

In Washington’s last game…The Wizards defeated the Charlotte Bobcats, 110-95, at Verizon Center on Saturday, Feb. 23…Antawn Jamison led five Wizards in double figures in scoring with 22 points…The Wizards improved to 7-2 this season when all five starters score at least 10 points…DeShawn Stevenson’s 20-point game marked his fourth game this season with 20+ points…Brendan Haywood finished with 15 points (6-12 FG, 3-3 FT), seven rebounds, a career-high five assists, and three blocked shots…Andray Blatche started his 12th game of the season, and finished with 13 points and eight rebounds…Antonio Daniels tallied 10 points, and improved to 20-17 as a starter this season…Oleksiy Pecherov finished one point shy of being the sixth Wizard in double figures in scoring, but finished with a career-high tying nine points and a career-high six rebounds…Rookie guard Nick Young grabbed a career-high five rebounds…Washington committed a team season-low seven turnovers…Caron Butler missed his eighth straight game with a left hip flexor strain.

Washington-New Orleans connections…Wizards forward Antawn Jamison was born in Shreveport, LA…Washington’s Antonio Daniels and New Orleans’ Bonzi Wells were teammates in Portland in 2002-03…Washington’s Caron Butler and New Orleans’ Rasual Butler were teammates in Miami from 2002-04…Washington’s Darius Songaila and New Orleans’ Peja Stojakovic and Bobby Jackson were teammates in Sacramento from 2003-05…Wizards Head Coach Eddie Jordan and Hornets Head Coach Byron Scott coached together on the New Jersey Nets teams that went to back-to-back NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003…Hornets Assistant Coach Darrell Walker played for Washington from 1987-1991; was Washington’s Head Coach for a 38-game stint in 1999-00; and served in the team’s scouting department from 2000-04.

Kings trade Mike Bibby to Hawks

The Sacramento Kings today acquired forwards Shelden Williams and Lorenzen Wright, guards Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue and a 2008 second round draft pick from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for veteran guard Mike Bibby, it was announced by Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. In a related move, the Kings requested waivers on forward Justin Williams and guard Dahntay Jones.

“Today we acquired Shelden Wiliams, Lorenzen Wright, Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue,” explained Petrie. “We’re excited about adding another young frontcourt player who was the fifth pick of the 2006 draft in Williams, along with some experienced veterans to the team. We’re looking forward to seeing how they integrate in with the rest of our roster.

“I want to thank Mike for his terrific all around play. He’s had a great run here as a King and has participated in and contributed to some great moments on the court and I wish him all the best.”

Full release on the trade is here.

Dirk replaces Kobe in 3-Point Shootout

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki will replace Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (dislocated pinkie finger, right hand) in the 2008 NBA Three-Point Shootout, to be held on NBA All-Star Saturday Night, Feb. 16, at New Orleans Arena.

Nowitzki, who won the Three-Point Shootout in 2006 at All-Star in Houston, will compete in the event for the fifth time. He also competed in 2000, 2001, and 2007.

Although he is unable to participate in the Three-Point Shootout with the injury, Bryant will play in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game.

The Three-Point Shootout will be televised live nationally as part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night, which will also feature the Shooting Stars, Slam Dunk and Skills Challenge. TNT and ESPN Radio’s national coverage will begin at 8 p.m. ET from New Orleans Arena. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 17, will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.