Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Magic Johnson joins ESPN

Earvin “Magic” Johnson has joined ESPN as an NBA studio analyst and will mainly work with Stuart Scott, Mike Wilbon and Jon Barry on ABC’s GMC NBA Countdown. He will provide analysis on Christmas Day – when ABC and ESPN combine to showcase an NBA tripleheader (beginning at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN) – and contribute to the networks’ post-season studio coverage. The announcement was made by Norby Williamson, executive vice president, production.

“Magic has always been one of the most accomplished people in every field he has endeavored. He was an incomparable player and has become one of the best NBA analysts in the business. His unique insights, perspective and personality will be the perfect complement to Stuart (Scott), Mike (Wilbon) and Jon (Barry),” said Williamson.

“I am thrilled to be a part of the ESPN family. I look forward to working with a great team and covering all the big NBA events,” said Johnson. “Christmas Day can’t come soon enough for me.”

Johnson comes to ESPN from Turner Sports, where he was an NBA analyst for seven years, primarily on TNT’s Thursday night NBA coverage. Johnson appeared on ESPN and ABC as a guest studio analyst during Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals.

He is one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players in history and won five NBA championships with the L.A. Lakers, an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and a NCAA championship. He is one of only seven players in the history of the sport to capture the latter three accolades. He was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player three times (1987, 1989, 1990). He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

ESPN and Jeff Van Gundy sign extension

Former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who joined ESPN during the 2007 NBA Playoffs and provided game analysis for the entire 2007-08 season, has agreed to an exclusive multi-year agreement with the network.  Van Gundy will continue to provide analysis alongside play-by-play commentator Mike Breen and analyst Mark Jackson as the lead commentary team for games on ESPN and ABC – the home of the NBA Finals.

“It was a very difficult decision to forego coaching for the next five years, but I enjoyed myself so much last year working with Mike (Breen) and Mark (Jackson), that I decided to make this long-term commitment to broadcasting with ESPN,” said Jeff Van Gundy.

Norby Williamson, executive vice president, production, said, “We’re thrilled Jeff has decided to focus on broadcasting.  Our team of Mike, Mark and Jeff has great chemistry and offers diverse perspectives, which makes every broadcast unique.”

Van Gundy last coached in the NBA during the 2006-07 season, guiding the Houston Rockets to a 52-30 record – the team’s best mark since 1997 – despite a lengthy injury sustained by perennial All-Star Yao Ming.  Van Gundy’s Rockets lost in the final game of a best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

Van Gundy was the head coach of the Houston Rockets for four seasons from 2004-07, leading the team to a 182-146 record.  He previously was head coach of the New York Knicks from 1995-2001, when his team won 248 games and made the playoffs six times (including an NBA Finals appearance in 1999).  Van Gundy was an NBA analyst with Turner Sports during the 2002-03 season.

Prior to his NBA coaching experience, Van Gundy was an assistant coach at Rutgers and Providence.  He graduated from Nazareth College in 1985.

Wolves waive Rafael Araujo

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has released center Rafael Araujo. The Timberwolves’ roster now stands at 18 players.

Araujo, a 6-11 center from BYU, played five minutes (one point, two rebounds) in two preseason games for the Wolves. A former first-round pick of the Toronto Raptors, he signed with the Timberwolves on Sept. 29.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Araujo will probably head overseas.

Grizzlies waive Malick Badiane

The Memphis Grizzlies waived forward/center Malick Badiane (pronounced Muh-LEEK BAHD-ee-EN), Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

Badiane, who signed on Sept. 30, appeared in one preseason game vs. Washington on Oct. 8, logging one minute.

The current roster stands at 15 players.

The Grizzlies host the Indiana Pacers at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 13 at the FedExForum.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Badiana is from Senegal and played professionally in Germany.

Warriors suspend Monta Ellis 30 games

The Golden State Warriors have suspended guard Monta Ellis for 30 games for violating Paragraph 12 of the Uniform Player Contract, it was announced today by President Robert Rowell. The suspension will take effect immediately and will extend through the team’s December 17th contest against the Indiana Pacers.

“The cooperation that we received from Jeff Fried (Monta’s representative) enabled us to be very diligent in collecting all of the facts surrounding the incident,” Rowell said. “This 30-game suspension is a result of that. From this point forward, it is the complete focus of everyone involved to provide Monta with all the support he needs to have a successful rehabilitation, and to get him back on the court as an integral part of this team.”

The Warriors will host the Oklahoma City Thunder at ORACLE Arena tonight at 7:30 p.m. Robert Rowell will be available to the media at 6:15 p.m. prior to the game in the Interview Room.

SportsTicker reports: The Golden State Warriors suspended guard Monta Ellis for 30 games without pay Saturday for violating terms of his new contract. Ellis, who signed a six-year, $66 million extension this offseason, suffered a torn ligament in his left ankle as a result of a moped accident this past August. The 22-year-old Ellis initially told the Warriors that he had suffered the injury during a pickup basketball game in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. But the Warriors ultimately learned that Ellis was injured from the moped, a direct violation of his new contract.

InsideHoops.com editor says: It’s understandable that the Warriors have no interest in paying Monta Ellis to sit out injured while he hurt himself doing something his contract prohibited. They must have decided that he’ll miss at least 30 games, and settled on the 30 number as covering themselves without being excessive. This makes sense.

TV network fires Bob Cousy

The Boston Globe (Frank Dell’Apa) reports: Bob Cousy will be at TD Banknorth Garden for the Celtics’ banner raising Oct. 28, but he will not be involved in the television broadcasts this season for the first time in 34 years after Comcast SportsNet fired him. “I would have liked to have continued,” Cousy said yesterday. “I’m only involved in 10 games a season, so it’s not that big a deal. But I would have liked to have been allowed to keep my hand in, especially after 22 years of [Celtics] mediocrity – last year was kind of fun, frankly, and I was looking forward to doing it again. Comcast can choose to do the hiring and firing, but if it’s a financial situation, I’m not being overpaid. What they pay me is what they spend monthly for office supplies.” Cousy said he was dissatisfied with how he was informed of the decision. “I got a call from somebody I hardly knew, not even the head honcho, saying they decided to go to a two-man booth,” Cousy said. “I said, ‘Thank you, very much,’ and hung up. When you’re 80 years old, you run out of leverage.”

Pacers, Mavs trade Shawne Williams, Eddie Jones, picks, cash

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they acquired forward Shawne Williams from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for guard Eddie Jones and two future second-round draft picks.

Williams (6-9, 225) was selected by Indiana with the 17th overall pick in the 2006 draft. The third-year forward averaged 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 65 games (3 starts) last season with the Pacers improving on his rookie numbers of 3.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in 2006-07.

A native of Memphis, Tenn., Williams played one year of college basketball at the University of Memphis before declaring himself eligible for the 2006 NBA Draft. As a Tiger, Williams helped lead Memphis to a 33-4 record while averaging 13.2 points and 6.2 rebounds and being named Conference USA Freshman of the Year. In his lone collegiate postseason, Williams was named Most Valuable Player of the Conference USA Tournament after averaging 18.0 points and 6.7 rebounds.

“On behalf of the Mavericks organization, we would like to thank Eddie Jones for the valuable contributions he has brought to our team,” President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Donnie Nelson said. “We appreciated his professionalism both on and off the court as a Maverick. Shawne Williams is an exciting young prospect with a bright future. We look forward to developing him into the player he aspires to be.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: The Mavs must see some talent in Williams. The Pacers just see that he occasionally gets in legal trouble, and they aren’t particularly in love with his basketball ability or brains. Eddie Jones is all washed up at this point and doesn’t really count. Second rounders don’t have much value these days. And then there’s the cash. It’s basically Williams for second rounders and cash. Which sounds like a somewhat even deal, assuming Williams avoids getting arrested and turns out to be good enough to help the Dallas bench sometime in the near future.

Bucks waive TJ Cummings

The Milwaukee Bucks have requested waivers on forward T.J. Cummings, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

In one preseason game with the Bucks, Cummings scored four points while adding one rebound, one assist and one steal.  Cummings, 27, signed a free agent contract with Milwaukee on October 2.

The Bucks preseason roster currently stands at 18.

Shawne Williams to Mavs

The Indianapolis Star (Mike Wells) reports via blog: The Indiana Pacers have traded swingman Shawne Williams to Dallas, two people with knowledge of the situation said today. The Pacers will receive guard Eddie Jones, two second-round picks and approximately $1.8 million in cash. Williams averaged 6.7 points in two seasons with the Pacers, but several off-court incidents put the franchise in a bad light and made him expendable.

UPDATE: The trade has happened and is official. Read this.