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Dallas Mavericks sign first round draft pick Rodrigue Beaubois

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed rookie Rodrigue Beaubois. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Beaubois (6-2, 182) was selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He was acquired, along with a second round pick, from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the Mavericks’ 24th overall selection B.J. Mullens.

The Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe native appeared in 29 French Pro A games in 2008-09 and averaged 10.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 22.3 minutes per game. Beaubois showed marked improvement from his 2007-08 campaign when he averaged 5.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 15.1 minutes per contest.

Beaubois is a member of the Mavericks Summer League Team. Dallas will play in the 2009 NBA Summer League presented by EA Sports. The squad will see its first action on Friday, July 10 when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks at COX Pavilion in Las Vegas.

Jason Kidd to re-sign with Dallas Mavericks

Free agent point guard Jason Kidd will re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks, according to several ESPN reporters.

The deal will reportedly be for three years and in the neighborhood of $25 million.

The NBA’s free agent negotiation period began Wednesday, July 1. Players can sign contracts beginning Wednesday, July 8.

Kidd, who turned 36 in March, averaged just 9.0 points per game last season, the lowest of his entire NBA career. He shot 41.6%, slightly above his career average. Kidd has been shooting very well from three-point range in the two seasons he’s been on the Mavericks.

Last season he also averaged 6.2 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game.

Kidd has shown his age in the past year or two, especially on the defensive end, and should continue to slow down next season. It’s surprising to me that the Mavericks will keep him for three years. I thought if they were going to re-sign him it would be for perhaps one year, two at the most.

Former Maverick Devin Harris, traded to the Nets for Kidd, has done very well in New Jersey, though the Nets offense really centered almost entirely around the young, scoring point guard, so his stats were slightly inflated. But still, while Harris looks like he will flirt with making the NBA All-Star team for years to come, Kidd’s career is wrapping up.

NBA team, D-League team affiliations announced

The National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League, the official minor league of the NBA, today announced the affiliation system for the 2009-10 season, including the announcement of a direct single-affiliation partnership between the Houston Rockets and Rio Grande Valley Vipers. For the fifth consecutive year, each NBA team has one NBA D-League affiliate to which it may assign players in their first or second NBA season.

The Rockets became the first NBA team to enter into a direct single-affiliation partnership with an NBA D-League team, granting the Rockets full control over the basketball operations of the Vipers. With the move, the Rockets will be the only parent-club of the team.

In a structure similar to other minor leagues, this new partnership model, previously referred to as the “hybrid affiliation,” allows for NBA teams to secure control over and cover the expenses related to the basketball operations of an NBA D-League team, while partnering with existing local ownership, who maintain responsibility for the off-the-court business operations of the team.

The list of affiliations is on our NBA D-League page.

Timberwolves trade Nick Calathes to Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have selected forward Ahmad Nivins with the 56th overall selection of the 2009 NBA Draft and have acquired 45th pick Nick Calathes from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for the future second round pick of the Portland Trailblazers that the Mavericks obtained in a trade on June 24, 2009.

Nivins (6-9, 242) finished his career as the third-leading scorer in the history of Saint Josheph’s University with 1,789 points. He was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year following his senior season after averaging 19.2 points and 11.8 rebounds while shooting .612 from the field and starting all 32 games. Nivins was All-America honorable mention and became just the second player in A-10 history to lead the league in field goal percentage for three consecutive seasons.

Thunder trade Rodrigue Beaubois, future 2nd rounder to Mavericks for BJ Mullens

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have acquired guard Rodrigue Beaubois and a future second round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the Mavericks’ 24th overall selection B.J. Mullens. Beaubois (6-2, 182) was selected with the 25th overall pick.

The 21-year-old (2/24/88) point guard has participated as a member of France’s junior national team and was discovered at a basketball camp by current Orlando Magic guard Mickael Pietrus.

“We could not be happier with the addition of Rodrigue,” President of Basketball Operations Donnie Nelson said. “His dynamic athleticism will add versatility and energy to our backcourt. He was one of the highest-rated athletes this draft.”

Mavericks trade no.22 to Blazers for no.24, no.56, 2010 second rounder

The Portland Trail Blazers moved up two spots in the 2009 NBA Draft, acquiring the 22nd overall selection from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the 24th pick, 56th pick, and a second-round pick in 2010, it was announced today by General Manager Kevin Pritchard.

With Wednesday’s transaction, the Trail Blazers now hold the 22nd, 33rd, 38th and 55th overall selections in Thursday’s NBA Draft.

The 2010 second-round pick sent to Dallas will be the worse of the two picks Portland currently owns in next year’s NBA Draft, which are the team’s own selection and Chicago’s. The Trail Blazers acquired the Chicago pick in a three-way draft day trade in 2008.

“The depth of the second tier in this year’s draft has given us the opportunity to trade down, pick up two second round picks and not lose ground in terms of talent,” said Mavericks President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Donnie Nelson. “This will give us added flexibility for the future.”

Dirk Nowitzki is heartbroken

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Eddie Sefko) reports: Dirk Nowitzki said in a German publication that he still wants to have a family, but that “it will not be easy to win my heart” after his relationship with former fiancée Cristal Taylor ended with a rocky, emotional split. Nowitzki spoke openly about his romance with Taylor for the first time to Bild Magazine. He covered numerous aspects of their time together, including how they met and their wedding plans, in question-and-answer format… “In the beginning, I was very down and disappointed, sad and furious,” Nowitzki said. “But I made a few steps forward and I think someday I will be over it totally.”

2009 Mavericks free agent camp

The Dallas Mavericks free agent mini-camp will take place June 11 and 12, 2009.

Click that link to see more info and a list of the players involved.

There are 20 free agents playing at it. I would guess that the best player, or couple of players, will have a good shot at being invited onto the Mavericks summer league team. And if one guy really stands out, perhaps the team will offer him a contract; probably something short, like one year, maybe two at the most, probably nonguaranteed.

Most of the players on the list are known guys.

2011 NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles

Los Angeles, a city with a reputation for producing highly successful sequels, and STAPLES Center, considered one of the world’s best arenas for sports and entertainment, have been selected to host NBA All-Star 2011, marking the fifth time The City of Angels and the second time STAPLES Center will be the site of the annual celebration, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced at a press conference today in Los Angeles. AEG President and CEO Timothy J. Leiweke and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined Stern at the announcement.

The 60th NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, February 20 at STAPLES Center which will also host the Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam and NBA All-Star Saturday Night. NBA All-Star Jam Session, the hugely successful interactive basketball celebration, will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center. Additionally, the NBA has the ability to activate the great hospitality and event spaces across the street from STAPLES Center within L.A. LIVE including the new Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott hotels. Los Angeles becomes the first city to host five NBA All-Star Games.

“Its state-of-the-art facilities, passionate fans, and first-class hospitality and entertainment options make Los Angeles an ideal host for NBA All-Star,” said Commissioner Stern. “We thank the city and STAPLES Center for welcoming us once again.”

The 2010-11 season will mark the 27th year that Turner Sports will provide NBA All-Star coverage, and the ninth consecutive year the All-Star Game will be televised in primetime on TNT. The All-Star Game will be seen by a worldwide television audience in more than 200 countries and will be broadcast in more than 40 languages.

“L.A. LIVE was truly designed to be a home for great events like the NBA All-Star game,” said Leiweke, President & CEO AEG, owners of STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE. “We are fortunate that this will be the second All-Star weekend STAPLES Center will host in the last ten years and our ability to incorporate one of the best weekends in all of sports into our 100-acre campus is exactly what L.A. LIVE was created for. We are privileged to be partners with the NBA and welcome them back to Los Angeles and L.A. LIVE.”

“There is no better place to host the action and drama of the NBA All-Star Game than the stage of so many award winning performances,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “On behalf of the City of Los Angeles, we look forward to welcoming NBA fans and players from across the country and around the globe to the entertainment capital of the world.”

STAPLES Center last played host to NBA All-Star in 2004, when the Los Angeles Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant combined for 44 points as the West edged the East 136-132. O’Neal earned MVP honors with 24 points and 11 rebounds. L.A. also hosted the All-Star Game in 1963, 1972 and 1983. The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena hosted All-Star in 1963, while the Forum hosted the other ’72 and ’83 games. The 1972 classic saw the Lakers’ Jerry West thrill the hometown fans with a last-second jumper that gave the West a 112-110 victory and netted him MVP honors.

NBA All-Star competitions will get underway on Friday, Feb. 18, as the league’s top rookies and second-year players square off in the Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam. The following day’s festivities will feature an

all-inclusive skills showcase known as NBA All-Star Saturday Night, which is comprised of Haier Shooting Stars, a competition featuring NBA and WNBA players and NBA Legends; PlayStation® Skills Challenge, a contest of

top guards working against the clock to complete a series of passes, free throws, lay-ups and agility drills; the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, a long-standing staple of the evening; and the ever-entertaining Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

During NBA All-Star 2011, the NBA will continue to celebrate its tradition and commitment to social responsibility with a schedule of NBA Cares events. NBA Cares will partner with schools, government, and local non-profit organizations in Los Angeles and surrounding areas to highlight the league’s grassroots and community initiatives that reach millions of young people and their parents while providing critical resources to community-based programs.

One of the event’s most popular attractions is NBA All-Star Jam Session, which will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. At Jam Session, fans can have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of participating in the NBA All-Star excitement, with the chance to meet and collect free autographs from NBA Players and Legends. Jam Session is nonstop basketball action, as fans can shoot, slam, dribble, and drive all day; compete against their friends in skills challenges; or get basketball tips from NBA Players and Legends. Young fans can hang out at Kids Zone – with hoops and interactive activities that are the perfect size for kids’ slam dunks, three-pointers, and jump shots. For fans who want NBA entertainment, Jam Session features the NBA’s favorite players, celebrities, mascots, and dance teams as they hit Center Court in a variety of basketball competitions, including the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and the NBA All-Star Practice.

NBA luxury tax to continue

The Deseret News (Tim Buckley) reports: If the Jazz choose to wade into NBA luxury-tax territory — something they’ve said they’re willing to do if need be next season — they won’t be getting a bailout. League Commissioner David Stern told reporters covering the NBA Finals in Los Angeles this week that there are no plans to temporarily shelve the tax, even in light of the country’s current economic plight. “No,” Stern said when asked at his annual Finals news conference, “there’s no contemplation of eliminating or reducing luxury tax.” The tax — part of the current collective-bargaining agreement between the NBA and its players union — is levied upon teams that exceed the league’s maximum team-payroll threshold, which has not yet been determined for next season. It amounts to a fine of $1 for every dollar over the threshold, plus a ban from sharing with under-the-threshold teams in distribution of the taxes that are collected.