NBA News Blog – Page 973 – NBA Blog

Allan Houston sold Marcus Camby on return to Knicks

The Knicks’ reunion with Marcus Camby almost never happened.

The veteran center, who signed a three-year contract in July, admitted his return to Madison Square Garden after an 11-year hiatus should be credited to a last-minute phone call from one of his former Knicks teammates.

“I was on my way to Miami, about to go to the airport to go to Miami when I got the call from Allan [Houston],” Camby said. “I played with Allan for four years in New York, and he was like, ‘Just come, sit down and have a meeting with us.’ So I took the meeting with him and Coach [Mike Woodson] and they pretty much talked me out of going down to Miami to take that visit.”

Camby played with Houston on the Knicks from 1998-2001 and was part of the 1999 team that made it to the NBA Finals. When it boiled down to picking New York or Miami, Camby just had to look back to the playoff wars the teams had over a decade ago.

— Reported by Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post

Reggie Miller admits he shoved Greg Anthony in 1995

Knick nemesis Reggie Miller admitted on Friday that he committed a foul during his infamous eight-points-in-nine-seconds run in Game 1 of the 1995 playoffs which propelled the Indiana Pacers to an improbable come from behind win.

Miller finally admitted that he shoved Greg Anthony and held him on the ground before the steal that set up the second of his back-to-back 3-pointers.

“In 1995, as you saw on the video, yeah, I pushed,” Miller said Friday during his Hall of Fame induction speech. “I’m sorry. The ref didn’t call it, I went with it.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

Knicks may have offered Isiah Thomas a job

According to a source close to the former Knicks president, Thomas and Garden chairman James Dolan have had numerous discussions about a position in the organization, but Thomas has been reluctant to accept the job offer.

“Isiah is very close with Jim Dolan but he’s told me that he’s not ready to jump back into the NBA just yet,” said the source, who was with Thomas on Friday at the Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Springfield, Mass. “There’s this perception out there that Isiah is desperate to get back, but that’s false. I think it will eventually happen but just not now.”

Thomas, who presented inductee Chet Walker at the ceremony, did not return phone calls on Saturday. One day earlier, he was spotted in a Manhattan hotel having breakfast with Dolan, which according to the source is not uncommon.

“They’re friends. They talk all the time,” the source added.

— Reported by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News

Raptors may want Mickael Pietrus

I do know there has been some internal discussion of Pietrus, who remains arguably the best player without a contract.

But the fact is, these guys don’t have the money to pay him, a lot of their exceptions were eaten up by the likes of Aaron Gray, Alan Anderson and John Lucas, all of whom fill roles.

Now, I do think they should call Pietrus’s agent and see if he’d be willing to work on a minimum-value deal and I presume that call will be made, it’s only prudent business to do so. However, I doubt a team like Toronto for a minimum value deal would be attractive to Pietrus, who will probably wind up with the same kind of deal on a better team, even if the Raps could offer him a chance at more playing time than some legitimate title contender whose roster is now basically filled.

— Reported by Doug Smith of the Toronto Star (Blog)

Knicks owner reportedly meets with Isiah Thomas

Knicks owner James Dolan staged a business meeting with Isiah Thomas yesterday morning at the Mandarin Hotel in Midtown, according to a person familiar with the situation.

A band of security men surrounded the two men who were both dressed in business suits in a quiet corner of the lobby. Thomas has lobbied to return to the organization

since he was fired as the Florida International basketball coach last spring. The meeting took place two days after the resignation of MSG sports president Scott O’Neil, who, according to a source, helped convince Dolan rehiring Thomas wasn’t a good move for the Knicks brand.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Don Nelson wanted Kings coaching job in 2006

While watching the Basketball Hall of Fame inductions Friday in Springfield, Mass., I couldn’t help but wonder how much better off the Kings would have been if Don Nelson had been approached about the coaching vacancy after Rick Adelman was released at the end of the 2005-06 season.

In the ensuing six seasons – none of which included a winning record – Geoff Petrie hired Eric Musselman, Reggie Theus, Kenny Natt, Paul Westphal and Keith Smart.

Nelson, who was retired and living in Maui at the time, left a private voice mail message for Petrie expressing his interest in the opening, but he never received a return call.

— Reported by Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee

Rafael Hettsheimeir not close to being a Maverick

While taking in the basketball hall of fame enshrinement, several members of the Mavericks’ front office were on hand and as president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said, the Mavericks have a roster full with 15 players possessing guaranteed contracts.

That leaves little room for Brazil’s Rafael Hettsheimeir, a 6-10, 260-pound center who has drawn the attention of several NBA teams. The 26-year-old plays in the Spanish League and some international reports have suggested that the Mavericks have offered him a deal.

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News

Lakers sign second round pick Robert Sacre

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed rookie forward/center Robert Sacre, it was announced today.

Sacre, a 7-0 forward/center out of Gonzaga, was selected by the Lakers in the second round (60th overall pick) in the 2012 NBA draft. Sacre finished his career with the Bulldogs ranked second all-time in school history in career blocks (186) while averaging 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 135 games. As a senior, Sacre was named the 2012 WCC Defensive Player of the Year as well as an All-WCC First-Team honoree while averaging 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

Most recently, Sacre started all five games for the Lakers 2012 Summer League team in Las Vegas, averaging 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 30.0 minutes.

Miami Heat sign Jarvis Varnado and Mickell Gladness

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed forward Jarvis Varnado and free agent center Mickell Gladness.

Varnado was a second-round draft choice (41st overall) by the Heat in the 2010 NBA Draft after concluding his collegiate career at Mississippi State as the NCAA’s all-time leading shot-blocker. He has spent the past two seasons playing overseas in Italy and Israel. Last year he began the season appearing in 12 games with Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem of the Israeli Super League where he averaged 9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.00 blocks and 23.6 minutes while shooting 58.8 percent from the floor. On Jan. 31, 2012, he signed with Acea Virtus Roma of the Italian Lega A and averaged 10.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.00 blocks and 23.6 minutes while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor in 14 games.

Gladness, who went undrafted out of Alabama A&M in 2008, made his NBA debut with the Heat on Dec. 25, 2011 and split last season between Miami and Golden State. He appeared in 26 games (seven starts) during the 2011-12 season and averaged 2.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.77 blocks and 9.7 minutes while shooting 42.4 percent from the floor. Gladness appeared in eight games with Miami, averaging 0.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.5 minutes before being released on Feb. 7. He returned to the Heat on a pair of 10-day contracts (Feb. 12 and Feb. 28) and then was signed to a 10-day contract by the Golden State Warriors on Mar. 22. Gladness signed for the remainder of the season with the Warriors on Apr. 1. This will mark the third straight season Gladness has participated in training camp for the Heat. He was originally signed by Miami as a free agent on Sept. 27, 2010 and waived on Oct. 11, 2010. He was re-signed by Miami on Dec. 10, 2011 and made the team last year before his subsequent release on Feb. 7, 2012. He has also seen action with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2009-11) and Dakota Wizards (2011) of the NBA’s Development League and with Matrixx Magix Nijmegen in Holland (2008-09).

Both Varnado and Gladness played for the Heat’s 2012 Summer League team which competed in Las Vegas in July. Varnado appeared in two games (one start) and averaged 2.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 15.0 minutes. Gladness appeared in four games and averaged 5.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.50 blocks and 12.0 minutes while shooting 53.8 percent from the field.

The Heat’s roster now stands at 15.

Ronnie Brewer out six weeks after knee surgery

Knicks veteran guard Ronnie Brewer began rehab Friday after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscal injury to his knee, according to his Twitter account.

“If y’all haven’t already heard I had successful meniscus surgery,” he wrote on his verified Twitter account @RonnieBrewerJr. “Started rehab this morning. Minor setback for a major comeback.”

The Knicks said Brewer tore the meniscus in his left knee in the last two weeks and is expected to miss six weeks.

— Reported by Bobby Bonett of New York Newsday