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A person with knowledge of the deal says the Houston Rockets have agreed to a one-year deal with Argentine forward Carlos Delfino.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been officially announced.
The 6-foot-6 Delfino played in the Olympics, where he helped Argentina finish fourth. Delfino averaged 15.3 points in London, where he was a teammate with former Rocket Luis Scola.
— Reported by the Associated Press
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Six-time NBA All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire “can’t wait” to explore the moves he has learned from former Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon when he returns to play with the N.Y. Knicks.
Stoudemire has been in Houston for about a week working with the Hall of Fame center.
“It’s always room to improve as a player,” Stoudemire said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. “To want to be the best is always a common denominator for most players.
“So working with Hakeem, one of the best players to ever play the game, is a great opportunity for me. We are both very quick and athletic for our positions. So to learn from him will be a great advantage for me.”
Stoudemire said it is fantastic to work with a guy who has accomplished so much in the NBA.
— Reported by Mark Berman of My Fox Houston
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“I’d be discouraged if I just quit,” said Scalabrine, who remains without an NBA team after being told by the Bulls he will not be invited to return. “Everyone keeps telling me it’s not quitting (taking an already offered TV job). But I want someone to tell me, ‘We don’t want you.’ I’ve always been a tough cut to make. I want someone to tell me I’m not good enough. I just want to see what happens.”
And so Scal—the White Mamba of the Bulls, Veal Scalabrine with the New Jersey Nets in two NBA Finals, the fan favorite of the Boston Celtics’ 2008 championship team—contemplates one of the most remarkable runs in pro sports history, 11 years in the NBA despite every guy in the park thinking they could take him.
They couldn’t, really, because Scal was there because he deserved to be there. He just never looked like he should or would or could. And maybe that’s why they chanted for him, “Scal-uh-Bree-Nee, Scal-uh-Bree-Nee.” Maybe because he was there it was like they could be also. They knew they couldn’t be Michael or Magic or LeBron. But, Scal, yeah, maybe. Sort of like the NBA version of Sandra Bullock. Yeah, I could date her…
— Reported by Sam Smith of Bulls.com
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After taking his physical Monday at the Lakers’ training facility, forward Devin Ebanks will sign the Lakers’ qualifying offer that entails a one-year deal worth a little more than $1 million, according to his agent, David Bauman.
The deal doesn’t exactly elicit the same headlines as the Lakers’ acquiring Steve Nash or Dwight Howard this off-season. But it is yet another move the Lakers have made to shore up a bench that finished near the last in the league in scoring.
Ebanks, 23, averaged 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in his second season with the Lakers last year, and earned a few unexpected promotions. He started the season’s first four games at small forward. Ebanks started five games at shooting guard while Kobe Bryant nursed a left shin injury in the season. And Ebanks started in place of Metta World Peace during his seven-game suspension for elbowing Oklahoma City guard James Harden two games before the playoffs.
— Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times (Blog)
The Turkish Airlines Euroleague’s most potent offense last season has put extra speed in the backcourt as Real Madrid on Monday announced the signing of playmaker Dontaye Draper to a two-year contract. Draper (1.80 meters, 27 years old) arrives from Cedevita Zagreb, where he averaged 13.8 points, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 5 Eurocup games last season. Draper helped Cedevita reach both the Croatian League finals and the Adriatic League title game. Draper was chosen as the 2010-11 Eurocup MVP – also earning All-Eurocup first team honors – by leading Cedevita from the Qualifying Round to the Finals.
— Reported by Euroleague.net
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The Nuggets, you may have heard, like to run. They push the basketball in transition at every opportunity. Iguodala should fit right in with his rebounding, speed and hustle. Sebastian Pruiti is a D-League assistant coach and blogs about intricate basketball stats. He wrote that 18.1 percent of Denver’s possessions last season were in transition, tops in the league and that Denver had the third-highest offensive efficiency in transition. Iguodala gets out on the break and gets the ball in the basket. In situations in which he wasn’t handling the ball in transition, he shot 79.2 percent last season.
JaVale McGee knows the guy’s game. The Nuggets center, acquired from the Washington Wizards last season, had often battled Iguodala in the Eastern Conference.
“He’s just a real good addition to the team — and he’s definitely a defensive threat,” McGee said. “And he’s very athletic. It’s good to have more defensive-minded people on the team, because you can score a lot of points but you have to also be able to defend.”
— Reported by Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post
Alexei Shved scored 25 points — 13 in the fourth quarter — and Russia won its first medal in Olympic men’s basketball with an 81-77 win on Sunday over Argentina, whose players angrily confronted the referees after the final horn following a wild scramble in the closing seconds.
Andrei Kirilenko added 20 points and Vitaliy Fridzon 19 for Russia, which finished ninth at the Beijing Games four years ago.
Manu Ginobili scored 21 and Andres Nocioni 16 for Argentina, which was looking to add another bronze to its Olympic collection after winning one in China and gold eight years ago in Athens.
Fridzon’s layup with 5.2 seconds left sealed it for Russia, which came away with the ball after it changed hands several times near midcourt. When the game ended, several Argentine players surrounded referees Bill Kennedy, Jose Carrion and Juan Arteaga in protest and guard Pablo Prigioni kicked an electronic clock off the scorer’s table…
Down by six points early in the second quarter, Russia reeled off 12 straight points to open a 33-27 lead. Shved made a 3-pointer to start the run and Kirilenko, who will also being playing with the Timberwolves next season, capped the spurt with a jumper.
— Reported by the Associated Press
Full coverage of Olympic basketball is here.
NBA commissioner David Stern’s push to see an age limit of 23 for the men’s Olympic basketball tournament is losing steam.
At least when it comes to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
FIBA chief Patrick Baumann, secretary general of the sport’s international governing body, said Saturday: “My feeling is that we will not be proposing a 23 age limit for the 2016 Olympic Games.”
“The NBA has come up with the idea to go with under 23 and at the same time to promote younger athletes,” Baumann said. “And also to make a (distinction) between the (new) World Cup and the Olympic Games (by making only the World Cup open to NBA players of all ages).
“From FIBA’s perspective, we understand the perspective from USA Basketball and the NBA,” Baumann continued. “I’m not sure (we) necessarily have the same idea, but we understand the owners’ concerns.”
— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com
The Lakers will again have the NBA’s highest payroll in the coming season, paying $27.8 million to Bryant, $19.5 million to Howard and $19 million to Gasol alone. They will endure the luxury-tax penalties until the summer of 2014, when Bryant and Gasol come off the books and the club plans to get under the luxury-tax plateau just when the NBA’s new repeater penalties would kick in.
Howard, 26, is aware of the hopes for championships until then.
“Everybody’s going to expect a lot out of us,” he said. “I know for myself, I’m going to give you 100 percent. I’m going to have fun. I’m going to smile. I’m going to dunk.”
Howard, who had missed just seven games in his first seven NBA seasons, professed renewed love for the game after April 20 surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.
“I’ve grown a lot in these four months,” he said.
— Reported by Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register
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In the shadow cast by Superman’s arrival in Los Angeles, the timing of Jermaine O’Neal’s choice to commit to the Suns on Friday was unfortunate as an unrelated move.
Given the caliber of remaining NBA free-agent centers, O’Neal’s commitment to sign a one-year, $1.35 million contract with Phoenix could be fortuitous if — and it’s a huge if — O’Neal can be healthier than he has been for the later half of his 16-year career.
The Suns had only a backup center role and a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract to offer with a franchise that is in transition. The Suns came away with a six-time All-Star who is still only 33 years old because he entered the NBA out of high school.
— Reported by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic