Denver Nuggets Blog – Page 43 – NBA Blog

Carmelo Anthony wants the Knicks to sign Kenyon Martin

The Knicks have one roster spot still open entering tomorrow’s season opener, and Carmelo Anthony hopes it eventually goes to his former Nuggets teammate Kenyon Martin, according to an NBA source.

According to the source, Anthony wants Martin in New York, though he is not permitted to sign a contract until March, when his Chinese team is through with the playoffs. The rugged forward was bought out earlier this week and was expected home for the holidays.

The source said Martin considers the Knicks his top choice, partly because of his friendship with Anthony. They became tight during their nearly seven seasons together in Denver. Martin could fill the role of another gritty big man off the bench with athleticism.

— Via Marc Berman of the New York Post

Kenyon Martin lands buyout from China

Saying he needs to “take care of family affairs”, the former Denver Nugget secured a buyout of his one-year $2.7 million contract and the club released him on Thursday, team manager Guo Jian confirmed.

“We have reached an agreement to let him go, but are still discussing some detail issues,” Guo said on Friday before the squad’s road game against the defending champion Guangdong Southern Tigers.

Those details apparently refer to CBA regulations on foreign players, and how much money Martin will pack home.

League rules state Martin must play the entire season before being able to opt out and join another league. Otherwise, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) won’t approve a clearance letter for any league under its supervision.

Although the NBA is not under FIBA jurisdiction, it will respect the CBA-FIBA agreement and won’t allow Martin to ink a deal before his Chinese team ends its season in March, said Bai Xilin, director of the CBA’s competition department.

— Via Sun Xiaochen of China Daily

Denver Nuggets waive Cory Higgins and Michael Ruffin

The Denver Nuggets have waived G Cory Higgins and F Michael Ruffin, team executive vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri announced today.

The move brings Denver’s roster to the NBA-maximum 15 players.

Higgins, 6-5, 185, signed with Denver on Dec. 9. He scored seven points in 13 minutes in two preseason games.

Ruffin, 6-10, 248, joined the Nuggets on Dec. 15. He did not appear in a preseason game.

Denver Nuggets re-sign guard Arron Afflalo

The Denver Nuggets have re-signed guard Arron Afflalo to a multiyear contract, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri announced today. Per team policy, financial terms were not disclosed. We’ll post contract details here later today.

Afflalo, 6-5, 215, set career-highs in several statistical categories in 2010-11, including points (12.6), rebounds (3.6) and assists (2.4). The 26-year-old also finished fifth among NBA guards with a .498 shooting percentage, and he shot .423 from three-point range, which tied for eighth among the overall league leaders.

“Arron is a tremendous young player who is only going to get better,” Ujiri said. “Not only has he become one of our best offensive players, but he is an excellent defender and a great leader in the locker room. He is a big part of our future, and we are glad to have him back on our roster.”

Drafted by the Detroit Pistons 27th overall out of UCLA in 2007, Afflalo played limited minutes in his first two NBA seasons before the Nuggets acquired him in exchange for a future second-round pick on July 13, 2009.

After earning a spot in Denver’s starting lineup less than two weeks into the 2009-10 season, Afflalo never relinquished the job. He averaged 8.8 points and 3.1 assists in his first year with the Nuggets and finished eighth in the NBA in three-point percentage (.434).

Afflalo enjoyed another banner season in 2010-11, highlighted by a career-high 31 points against the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 11 and a 24-point game against the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 10. In the Dallas game, he scored 19 points in the fourth-quarter and hit the winning jumper as time expired.

Denver Nuggets sign forward Michael Ruffin

The Denver Nuggets have signed NBA veteran forward Michael Ruffin, bringing their training-camp roster to 16.

Ruffin, 6-8, 248, has averaged 1.7 points and 3.9 rebounds with six teams in nine NBA seasons. He most recently played for the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2008-09 season.

Ruffin, a graduate of Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colo., spent part of last season coaching the Colorado Kings of the American Basketball Association before playing for Obradoiro CAB in Spain.

Denver Nuggets re-sign center Nene

The Denver Nuggets have re-signed free-agent C Nene, Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri announced today. The deal is reportedly for five years and $67 million.

Nene, 6-11, 250, has been a model of consistency in the paint over the past three seasons, averaging at least 13.8 points and 7.6 rebounds each year. Most recently, he averaged 14.5 points and 7.6 rebounds while leading the NBA in field-goal percentage in 2010-11.

“We’ve always said that Nene is a Nugget, and we are happy to welcome him back to Denver,” Ujiri said. “Quality big men are hard to find, but we feel we have one of the best. Not only is he a great player, but he is a great person who will be part of our roster for years to come.”

The Nuggets scheduled a 4 p.m. press conference to discuss the signing. The conference will be televised live by Altitude Sports & Entertainment.

Nene, 29, has overcome major obstacles in his career to become a dominant big man in the NBA. He missed 81 games after tearing the ACL in his right knee in the first game of the 2005-06 season, and he was diagnosed with testicular cancer midway through the 2007-08 season.

In the three seasons since beating cancer, Nene has played in 234 of 246 games, and he soon will join Byron Beck, Alex English and Dan Issel as the only players in franchise history to wear a Nuggets uniform for 10-plus seasons.

Originally selected seventh overall by the New York Knicks in 2002, Nene was acquired by the Nuggets in a draft-night trade, and he offered a preview of things to come when he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

He has averaged at least 10 points in all six of the seasons in which he has played at least 60 games, while his .563 career field-goal percentage ranks second in franchise history. In addition to his scoring and rebounding, Nene consistently ranks among the top centers in steals and assists.

A native of Brazil, Nene has represented his country at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Australia and the 2007 FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament.

Raptors sign Gary Forbes. Nuggets declined to match offer sheet

The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday they have signed forward Gary Forbes after the Denver Nuggets chose to not match Toronto’s offer sheet for the restricted free agent. It is reportedly a three-year deal, with a team option on the third year.

The Raptors signed Forbes to an offer sheet Saturday. Under the terms of the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, beginning Sunday the Nuggets had three days to match the Raptors’ offer.

Forbes, 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, averaged 5.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 12.6 minutes in 63 games during his rookie campaign last season with the Nuggets. He started 11 contests, where he averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 22.8 minutes.

Forbes scored in double figures on 12 occasions, with a career-best 19 points at Phoenix on November 15, 2010. He also grabbed a season-best nine boards in the contest against the Suns. He had 15 points, six rebounds and two steals in a career high-tying 24 minutes December 10 in Toronto.

Forbes played his junior and senior seasons at the University of Massachusetts. He averaged 16.3 points per game in his two campaigns with the Minutemen, joining Julius Erving as the only players in school history to score more than 1,000 points over two seasons.

A native of Panama, Forbes scored 39 points to lead his country to a victory over Canada in this summer’s FIBA Americas Championship tournament.

Mavs trade Rudy Fernandez, Corey Brewer to Nuggets

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have traded guard Rudy Fernandez and forward Corey Brewer to the Denver Nuggets for a 2016 second round pick that originally belonged to Memphis.

Fernandez (6-6, 185) was acquired by the Mavericks from Portland in a three-way trade on draft night (June 23, 2011).

Brewer (6-9, 188) was signed as a free agent mid-season last year on March 3, 2011 and was a member of the 2011 NBA Championship team averaging 5.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 13 regular season games (2 starts).

Denver Nuggets sign forward DeMarre Carroll

The Denver Nuggets have signed free-agent forward DeMarre Carroll, bringing their training-camp roster to 12 players.

Carroll, 6-8, 212, began the 2010-11 season with the Memphis Grizzlies but was traded to the Houston Rockets on Feb. 24, 2011. In two NBA seasons, he has averaged 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 83 games.

After playing at Vanderbilt and Missouri, Carroll was selected by Memphis with the 27th overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft. As a junior at Missouri, he averaged 13 points and 6.7 rebounds and was named Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Year.

Bucks match Nuggets offer to forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

The Milwaukee Bucks have matched the Denver Nuggets offer sheet to restricted free agent Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (6-8, 230) and re-signed the fourth-year forward to a multi-year contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today. We’ll post details of the contract later today on this page.

Under NBA rules, the Bucks had three days to match Denver’s offer sheet to Mbah a Moute or he would have become a member of the Nuggets.

Mbah a Moute, 25, appeared in 79 games (52 starts) for the Bucks last season and averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. He was second on the team in rebounds (420 total) and recorded a career-high eight point/rebound double-doubles and 25 games with double figure scoring.

Entering his fourth NBA season, Mbah a Moute has appeared in 234 games (166 starts) and averaged 6.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. He was the 37th overall pick by Milwaukee in the 2008 NBA Draft out of UCLA, where he earned Honorable Mention All-Pac 10 and Honorable Mention All-Defensive Team honors as a junior.