The Los Angeles Times (Mark Heisler) reports: Kobe Bryant, who lives for one-on-one challenges, went at it with former Trojan and soon-to-be Memphis Grizzlies rookie O.J. Mayo, a member of the U.S. Select team, last week in Las Vegas. “Kobe completely shut him down in the beginning,” said U.S. managing director Jerry Colangelo. “But the longer they went, the better Mayo got.” Bryant already knew Mayo, who attended his camp last summer, and already thought highly of him. “I think the world of him,” Bryant said. “I think he’s extremely talented. I think he has a great overall game that a lot of young players don’t have in terms of skills. He can handle, he can shoot, he can pass, he’s fast, he’s quick, so that’s the whole package.”
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Hawks sign Maurice Evans
The Atlanta Hawks today signed guard/forward Maurice Evans to a contract, according to General Manager Rick Sund. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.
“We are pleased to add a veteran player with Mo’s talents and experience to our squad,” said Sund. “He is a quality defender who gives us a physical and athletic presence, whether it’s serving as a starter or coming off the bench. We are getting a solid player who is coming off his best statistical season, and who also has the talents to spread things on offense with his three-point shooting ability.”
In 75 games with the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic last season, Evans finished with averages of 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 23 minutes of action. He began the year with Los Angeles, and was traded after seven games (along with Brian Cook) for Trevor Ariza on November 20 (Evans finished with 4.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg and 1.7 apg in 13.7 mpg). With the Magic, Evans scored 9.3 points, grabbed 3.1 boards and dished out one assist per game in 68 contests (23.9 mpg), while shooting .489 FGs and .396 from three-point range. In addition, he established career-bests in virtually every statistical category – points, FG%, 3FG%, rebounds and minutes played, as well as games started (47). Evans also scored a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 FGs in an April 15 game at Atlanta.
A player with past playoff experience, most recently with the Orlando Magic, Evans recorded 9.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 0.7 apg in 10 games this past postseason, while shooting 50.7% from the field and .417 from three-point range.
“Evans’ addition is a great pickup for us,” Woodson said. “He brings a lot of experience to the Hawks, and he is an excellent shooter and tough defensive player who we’re happy to add to our team.”
The undrafted 6-5, 220-pounder, who is considered a strong, athletic defender, brings career averages of 7.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists (.453 FG%, .366 3FG%, .766 FT%) after five NBA seasons. Evans signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2001-02), where he played on 10 games. In 2002, he moved to Greece to play for Olympiakos, and in the following season (2003-04), he played for Italian powerhouse Benetton Basket Treviso (which won the Italian Cup).
Following that season Evans made the Sacramento Kings roster (2004-05) and became a rotation player. He started 11 of 65 games, and played 19 minutes per game, contributing 6.4 ppg (.442 FG%). In 2005-06, he was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Pistons and scored 5.2 points in 14.2 mpg (.452 FG%, .371 3FG%, .800 FT%) and a career-high 80 games.
In June 2006, the Pistons traded Evans to the Los Angeles Lakers for the draft rights to Cheick Samb. A backup to Kobe Bryant, he saw action in 76 contests (with 10 starts) and scored a then-career-best 8.4 ppg to go along with 2.9 rpg and 1.0 apg. Upon his move to Orlando, Evans was inserted into the starting lineup at shooting guard, contributing to the team’s Southeast Division title this year and landing the third-seed in 2008 Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Sixers sign Kareem Rush
Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Kareem Rush. Per team policy, terms of the agreement are not disclosed.
“As we continue to build our team, we’re fortunate that we were able to sign a player as talented as Kareem Rush,” Stefanski said. “We feel his abilities on both ends of the floor and his range as a three-point shooter will be assets to us this season.”
In five NBA seasons, Rush (6-6/215) has appeared in 314 games with 77 starts, averaging 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18.1 minutes per game while shooting 40.2% from the floor, 36.0% from 3-point range and 69.8% from the line. Rush has also played a total of 31 playoff games, averaging 3.6 points while shooting 39.3% from 3-point range.
Last season, Rush saw action in 71 games with 15 starts for Indiana, averaging 8.3 points, a career-high 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.2 minutes per game. After not hitting more than 57 3-pointers in any of his first four NBA seasons, Rush drilled 102 3-pointers in 2007-08 on a career-high 38.9% shooting. He recorded at least two made three-pointers in 33 games, including three or more 13 times. Andre Iguodala led the Sixers in games with multiple three-pointers made last season with 30.
Rush was originally selected by Toronto with the 20th overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft before his rights were traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. In his second season, the Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals with Rush averaging 14.3 minutes per game playing alongside Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, Shaquille O’Neal and Gary Payton. In the deciding Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals vs. Minnesota, Rush hit six three-pointers en route to scoring a playoff career-high 18 points.
In December of 2004, the Lakers traded Rush to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, where he would average 10.7 points over the next season and a half. Rush signed as a free agent with Seattle in October of 2006, but was hindered by a groin injury and was waived before appearing in a game. In January, he joined Lietuvos Rytas of Vilnius, Lithuania was later named the ULEB Cup’s Import Player of the Year and All-ULEB Cup First Team by Eurobasket.com.
Rush played all three of his collegiate seasons at the University of Missouri, earning All-American Honorable Mention his sophomore and junior seasons. His older brother, JaRon, played basketball at UCLA and his younger brother, Brandon, won the NCAA Championship with Kansas back in April and was the 13th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Lakers re-sign Sasha Vujacic
The Los Angeles Lakers have re-signed free agent guard Sasha Vujacic to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.
The 6-7 guard played in 72 games last season, averaging a career-high 8.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 17.8 minutes, while shooting .454 from the field and a Lakers single season franchise record .437 from three-point range. In four NBA seasons, Vujacic has posted career averages of 5.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 262 games.
The four-year NBA veteran was originally selected by the Lakers in the first round (27th overall) of the 2004 NBA draft after playing three seasons for Snaidero Udine of Italy’s top professional league.
How to determine schedule for any team
The Oklahoman (Mike Baldwin) reports on a team’s 82-game regular season schedule: “Four games against division opponents. Four games against six out-of-division conference opponents. Three games against the remaining four conference teams. Two games against teams in the opposing conference. A five-year rotation determines which out-of-division conference teams are played only three times.”
Sasha Vujacic changes agents again
The Orange County Register (Janis Carr) reports: Sasha Vujacic used to be with Rob Pelinka (Kobe Bryant’s agent) before switching to Bill Duffy. Now, he is back with Pelinka, maybe with the hope that he will be able to attract a few offers some time before training camp opens. Vujacic, a restricted free agent, was offered a one-year qualifying deal for $2.6 million by the Lakers, but seems to waiting on other teams to call.
Luke Walton to have right ankle surgery
Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton will undergo surgery Friday to remove bone spurs from his right ankle, it was announced today.
The surgery will be performed in Los Angeles by Dr. David Thordarson.
An update, with an estimate for Walton’s recovery time, will be issued following the surgery.
Warriors sign Ronny Turiaf to offer sheet
The Golden State Warriors have signed restricted free agent forward Ronny Turiaf to an offer sheet, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today. Per team policy, terms of the offer sheet were not announced. Under the rules of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, the Los Angeles Lakers have seven days (through Thursday, July 17) to match the Warriors’ offer.
Turiaf, 25, appeared in 78 games (21 starts) last season with the Lakers, averaging 6.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.38 blocks in 18.7 minutes per contest. In the 35 contests in which he played 20-or-more minutes last season, he averaged 10.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.14 blocks.
A native of the French Caribbean island of Martinique, Turiaf ranked fifth in the NBA in blocked shots per 48 minutes played (3.56) and ranked 22nd in the league in blocked shots overall despite limited playing time.
A three-year NBA veteran, Turiaf owns career averages of 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.13 blocks and 15.6 minutes in 173 regular-season games with the Lakers. The 6’10’’ 250-pound graduate of Gonzaga University has shot 50.4% (350-695 FG) from the field and 70.3% (244-347 FT) from the free throw line during his career.
Lakers raise ticket prices
The Los Angeles Times (Mike Bresnahan) reports: Courtside seats were raised from $2,300 to $2,500 a game, an 8.7% hike that moved beyond the typical annual increase of 4.5%. Seats in six lower-level sections between the baskets — 101, 102, 110, 111, 112 and 119 — were raised from $230 to $245, a 6.5% increase that also topped the team’s normal action on such seats. The league average for ticket-price increases is usually 3% to 4%. Other tickets in the lower bowl at Staples Center will be $210, $147, $110, and $85, increases of 4.8% to 6.3%.
2008-09 Salary Cap set to $58.680 million
The National Basketball Association today announced that the Salary Cap for the 2008-09 season will be $58.680 million. The new Cap goes into effect immediately as the league’s “moratorium period” has ended and teams can begin signing free agents and making trades.
The tax level for the 2008-09 season has been set at $71.150 million. Any team whose team salary exceeds that figure will pay a $1 tax for each $1 by which it exceeds $71.150 million.
The mid-level exception is $5.585 million for the 2008-09 season and the minimum team salary, which is set at 75% of the Salary Cap, is $44.010 million.
For the 2007-08 season, the Salary Cap was set at $55.630 million, the tax level was $67.865 million and the mid-level exception was $5.356 million.