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SportsDayDFW reports:
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is joining ABC’s “Shark Tank” for the show’s second season, the Hollywood Reporter reported on its Web site.
The owner will be a guest venture capitalist for three episodes, in which regular folks pitch ideas with hopes of getting an investment.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports:
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Seeking additional center depth with Yao Ming on a strict playing time limit, the Rockets have offered free agent center Erick Dampier a two-year, $4 million contract, a person with knowledge of the offer said on Wednesday.
Dampier, who was waived by the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday, is also expected to consider a minimum contract offer from the Miami Heat and an offer from the Memphis Grizzlies.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports (via blog):
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Tim Thomas has decided not to return to the Mavericks because of the situation with his ailing wife.
Her condition, which Thomas and his family prefers to keep private, forced the 6-10 forward to stay with her much of last season.
He played with the Mavericks for the first half of the season, averaging 7.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 18 games. But he left the team in January – with the Mavericks’ blessing – to care for his wife.
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Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has waived center Erick Dampier.
“We explored several trade possibilities involving Erick, but ultimately we have been unable to find a viable option that we felt made our team better,” Higgins said. “Out of respect to Erick, we have decided to release him at this time so he may pursue opportunities with other teams prior to training camp.”
The Bobcats acquired Dampier, along with guard Matt Carroll and forward Eduardo Najera, on July 13, 2010, in exchange for centers Tyson Chandler and Alexis Ajinca.
In 14 NBA seasons, Dampier has played in 921 games for Indiana, Golden State and Dallas, with career averages of 7.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. In 55 games with Dallas last season, Dampier averaged 6.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.
The Charlotte Bobcats, who became the NBA’s 30th team when they joined the league in 2004-05, finished the 2009-10 season with a franchise-best 44-38 overall record (31-10 at home) and first-ever playoff appearance.
The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have re-signed free agent forward Tim Thomas. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Thomas (6-10, 230), a 13-year veteran, was the seventh overall selection in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and has played with seven teams during his career (Philadelphia, Milwaukee, New York, Chicago, Phoenix, L.A. Clippers and Dallas), including two stints with both New York and Chicago. In 824 career games, he holds averages of 11.5 points and 4.1 rebounds, while shooting .437 from the field, .369 from behind-the-arc and .758 from the foul line.
In 2009-10, Thomas played in 18 games with Dallas (starting once) and averaged 7.5 points and 2.3 rebounds. He missed the first 11 games of the season due to right knee surgery and 41 games due to personal reasons.
The Patterson, N.J., native has seen action in seven different Playoff runs (55 games). Thomas’ postseason averages show an increase in every major category over his career regular season numbers with averages of 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting .468 from the field, .436 from three-point range and .772 from the foul line.
Thomas was a standout at Villanova University where he played for one season before making himself eligible for the NBA Draft. In his only season as a Wildcat, Thomas averaged 16.9 points and 6.0 rebounds. He was named The Sporting News Freshman of the Year and Big East Rookie of the Year.
Forward Al Harrington has been around the block and now finds himself in a good situation with the Denver Nuggets.
Assuming that Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin are around to start at the two forward spots, Harrington can back either guy up and be a big part of the team.
InsideHoops.com met with Harrington and talked about his situation. Harrington names the team that also really wanted him, and his goal of a longer-than-usual NBA career.
Read: Al Harrington interview.
The NBA today released its 2010 preseason schedule, which is highlighted by a comprehensive international slate of games that includes seven contests in China, Europe and Mexico. The preseason slate tips off on Oct. 3, when the New York Knicks visit Armani Jeans Milano – the former team of Knicks forward Danillo Gallinari and head coach Mike D’Antoni – in Milan, Italy, and the New Jersey Nets host Maccabi Haifa.
As is the case these days, the action starts overseas, with a few NBA squads heading to Europe.
I’ve always had mixed feelings about teams playing preseason ball overseas. Because generally it’s just a warmup. I think if NBA fans overseas are going to get a rare taste of live NBA action, it should be the best basketball possible, and we usually don’t see that before the regular season begins.
See the complete 2010-11 NBA preseason schedule.
Bill Nichols of the Dallas Morning News reports:
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Dallas Mavericks point guard Roddy Beaubois suffered a broken bone in his left foot while training with the French national team. Mavs president Donnie Nelson on Friday confirmed the initial report by the French newspaper L’Equipe.
Beaubois reportedly could miss up to three months if surgery is required to repair the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot.
The NBA season begins in late October, which would put Beaubois in danger of missing the first part of the season.
Mavs officials hope it’s a hairline fracture. A timetable for his return will be determined when Beaubois is evaluated by team doctors. He was to fly back to Dallas late Friday.
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Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has re-signed free agent swingman Josh Howard. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced. It had been reported that the deal would be for one year.
“We were impressed with Josh’s versatility, how well he fit in with our team and his attitude and work ethic both before and after his unfortunate knee injury,” said Grunfeld. “His experience playing in a winning situation makes him an ideal veteran presence for us as we develop our roster of young talent.”
A former All-Star (2007), Howard holds career averages of 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in 435 games (371 starts) over seven professional seasons in Dallas and Washington, including career highs of 19.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists during the 2007-08 season. He was originally acquired by the Mavericks in the first round (29th pick) of the 2003 Draft, and later appeared in 62 career playoff games (57 starts) for Dallas, with averages of 15.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in postseason play. Howard averaged 16.7 points and 7.4 rebounds in 23 playoff games (all starts) for the Mavericks during their run to the 2006 NBA Finals.
Howard initially joined the Wizards via trade from Dallas on February 13, 2010, and appeared in four games (three starts) for Washington last season. In his first three contests as a Wizard, he averaged 17.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game before a knee injury on February 22nd vs. Chicago caused him to miss the final 28 games of the season.
An InsideHoops.com poll started on July 17 asking readers to select the five best teams in the NBA gave some expected results.
The league champion Los Angeles Lakers, receiving 3,540 votes, got more support than any team, followed by the Miami Heat (3,151 votes), Orlando Magic (2,931) and Boston Celtics (2,900).
The other two teams to receive over 1,000 votes were the Chicago Bulls (1,426), who added Carlos Boozer this summer, and Oklahoma City Thunder (1,149), a talented young team featuring star Kevin Durant.
The Dallas Mavericks (873) also received support.
