NBA News Blog – Page 1647 – NBA Blog

Magic trade Trevor Ariza to Lakers for Maurice Evans and Brian Cook

The Orlando Magic have acquired forward Brian Cook and guard Maurice Evans from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for forward Trevor Ariza, General Manager Otis Smith announced today. In addition, the Magic have waived forward Bo Outlaw.

“Brian (Cook) helps bolster our frontcourt,” said Smith. “He is a power forward who shoots the ball extremely well, while also bringing added toughness to our roster. Maurice (Evans) is a tremendous athlete, a solid defender and capable of playing multiple positions. Both Brian and Maurice fit in very well with what we are trying to accomplish.”

Smith also added: “Trevor (Ariza) is a great talent and we certainly wish him well. We also thank Bo (Outlaw) for everything he has done for our organization as a player.”

Cook (6’9”, 250, 12/4/80, Illinois, 4 years) has played in six games (two starts) this season with the L.A. Lakers, averaging 2.3 ppg. and 1.7 rpg. in 11.7 minpg. Evans (6’5”, 220, 11/8/78, Texas, 4 years) has appeared in seven games this season with the Lakers, averaging 4.4 ppg., 1.7 apg. and 1.3 rpg. in 13.7 minpg.

Cook has played in 259 career NBA regular season games, all with the Lakers, averaging 6.6 ppg. and 3.2 rpg. in 16.0 minpg. He has shot .392 (162-413) from three-point range. Cook has also appeared in 25 postseason contests, averaging 3.0 ppg. and 1.6 rpg. in 7.0 minpg. Originally selected in the first round (24th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Lakers, Cook netted a career-high 28 points on Feb. 7, 2006 @ Dallas and pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds on Mar. 4, 2007 @ Phoenix.

Evans has appeared in 238 career NBA regular season games with Minnesota, Sacramento, Detroit and the Lakers, averaging 6.3 ppg. and 2.5 rpg. in 17.8 minpg. He has also played in 24 playoff outings, averaging 4.0 ppg. and 1.2 rpg. in 10.0 minpg. Evans originally signed as a free agent with Minnesota on July 23, 2001, after he was not selected during the 2001 NBA Draft. He poured in a career-high 26 points on Feb. 25, 2007 @ Golden State and recorded a career-best 14 rebounds on Mar. 8, 2005 vs. Memphis.

Ariza has played in 11 games this season with the Magic, averaging 3.3 ppg. and 2.2 rpg. in 10.5 minpg. Outlaw has played in two games with Orlando this season, averaging 2.0 ppg. in 3.5 minpg.

Mike Conley out indefinitely with right shoulder tear

The Memphis Grizzlies announced today that rookie guard Mike Conley will be out indefinitely due to a posterior labral tear in his right shoulder.

Conley, the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, originally suffered the injury on Nov. 17 against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The 6-1, 180-pound playmaker will undergo rehabilitation and will miss a minimum of two-to-three weeks. He was placed on the inactive list prior to last night’s 125-108 victory over Seattle at FedExForum.

The 20-year-old is averaging 5.6 points and leads all rookies with 4.2 assists in 14.4 minutes in five games played.

Magic assign Marcin Gortat to D-League

The Orlando Magic have assigned forward Marcin Gortat (MAR-chin GOR-tat) to the Anaheim Arsenal of the NBA Development League, General Manager Otis Smith announced today. Gortat will continue to be included on the Magic’s roster and will remain on the team’s Inactive List.

Gortat has not appeared in a game this season. He has been on the Inactive List a total of 11 times and has registered one DNP-CD. Gortat was selected in the second round (57th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft. His rights were acquired by Orlando on draft night (June 28, 2005) in exchange for cash considerations.

Gortat played in all five games with the Magic during the 2007 Pepsi Pro Summer League, averaging 10.0 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 2.6 apg. and 3.20 blkpg. in 30.8 minpg. He has participated with Orlando’s summer league team the last three years.

Gortat (6’11”, 240, 2/17/84) has spent the last three seasons (2004-07) with RheinEnergie Koln in Germany’s Bundesliga I league. Last season, he averaged 10.4 ppg., 5.6 rpg. and 1.1 blkpg., while shooting .596 from the floor in 14 games of Euroleague action. He also played in 44 games in the German League, averaging 8.9 ppg., 6.2 rpg. and 1.4 blkpg., while shooting .575 from the field. Gortat was selected to the Polish National Under-22 team after having played basketball for only six months. During the summer of 2004, he was invited to play for the Polish National Team.

Mavericks assign Nick Fazekas to D-League

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have assigned forward Nick Fazekas to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Developmental League.

The Mavericks selected Fazekas in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft with the 34th overall pick. The former Nevada standout has seen action in two games this season and scored his first points as a professional on Nov. 10 at Portland when he finished the game with 2 points and 2 rebounds.

The 66ers will be in action on Nov. 23 when they face off against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in their regular season opener.

Magic off to their best start ever

The Magic has started the 2007-08 season with an 9-2 record through its first 11 games. It ties for the best start through 11 games in team history. The last time the Magic started 9-2 was back in 1998-99. Orlando has started the season 9-2 after 11 games three other times (1994-95, 1995-96, 1998-99). – NBA News

For the season, Dwight Howard is averaging 22.0 points, 14.2 rebounds and 2.45 blocks per game. Rashard Lewis is putting up 21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Hedo Turkoglu has stepped up to average 17.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists, though he needs to improve his 43.1% shooting. Jameer Nelson is producing 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists, though his three-point shooting percentage is just 31.0%.

Orlando is playing smart, total team basketball. Stan Van Gundy is doing a terrific coaching job.

Dwight Howard and Allen Iverson win Players of Week

The Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard and the Denver Nuggets’ Allen Iverson today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Nov. 12 through Sunday, Nov. 18. Howard’s 23.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks helped lead Orlando to a 4-0 week. His 35 points and 16 rebounds paced Orlando to a 117-116 overtime victory over defending Eastern Conference champ Cleveland. He rounded out the week with 24 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the Magic’s 104-102 over previously undefeated Boston. Iverson paced the Nuggets with 26.7 ppg on 56 percent shooting, to go with 6.3 assists as the Nuggets went 3-0. He hit for a season-high 37 points on 14-for-20 shooting, to go with eight assists in a 122-100 win over Cleveland. He also shot 19-for-21 (.905) from the free throw line for the week.