The Miami Herald (Joan Fleischman) reports: It’s official: Shaq and Shaunie will remain a team. NBA star Shaquille O’Neal’s attorney Ira Elegant wrote to Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Roberto Pineiro: “The parties have reconciled.” Pineiro signed the dismissal order on Friday. ”A happy ending,” says Shaunie’s lawyer, Marsha Elser. Elegant agrees. “An excellent result.” Shaq filed last September, when he played for the Miami Heat.
Category: Miami Heat Blog
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Web viewing of NBA games may soon exist
The Oklahoman (Mel Bracht) reports: Say you’re working late and can’t make it to the Ford Center to watch Oklahoma City’s new NBA team play its game that night. Instead, you log on to your computer and watch streaming video of the team’s game broadcast. Sound far-fetched? Not if the NBA has its way. The league is aggresively promoting three new Internet elements — video streaming in home markets, interactive TV and video-on-demand — for the upcoming season. Ed Desser, a media consultant for Oklahoma City’s team, said many details have yet to be worked out, and didn’t expect the team to offer the Internet elements anytime soon.
Heat sign Dorell Wright
The Miami Heat announced Thursday that they have re-signed guard/forward Dorell Wright. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Wright, who originally signed with the HEAT on July 27, 2004 after being drafted in the first round (19th overall) in the 2004 NBA Draft, has appeared in 133 games (55 starts). During his four-year NBA career in Miami, he has averaged 6.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 19.2 minutes while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 79.2 percent from the foul line. Additionally, Wright has increased his points per game, rebounds per game and blocks per game averages while also increasing his offensive rebounds and games started in each of his four seasons with the HEAT. Over that same span, he has scored in double-figures on 34 occasions and has tallied eight double-doubles.
During the 2007-08 season, Wright appeared in 44 games (34 starts) and set career-highs with 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.93 blocks in 25.1 minutes while shooting a career-best 48.8 percent from the field. Wright also dished out 1.4 assists while leading the HEAT in blocks on 16 occasions, rebounds seven times, steals on five occasions, minutes four times and points once. Wright became the first player in HEAT franchise history to be perfect shooting from both the field and the free throw line with at least five attempts in each category after he shot 5-for-5 from the field and 7-for-7 from the foul line versus Toronto on February 4, 2008.
Heat waive Bobby Jones
The Heat have now cut Bobby Jones for what feels like the 194th time. This marks the 2,294th time (give or take) Jones has been waived in his short NBA career. InsideHoops.com still believes he deserves to someday make a roster and stay on it for a season or two. Here’s the news:
The Miami HEAT announced today that they have requested waivers on forward Bobby Jones. Jones was claimed off waivers by the HEAT on Aug. 5 after being waived by the New York Knicks on July 29.
Jones, whose first stint with the HEAT began on Mar. 12, 2008 after signing a 10-day contract, appeared in six games with Miami during the 2007-08 season and averaged 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 23.8 minutes. Overall he appeared in 47 games last season, with five teams including the HEAT, and averaged 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 11.3 minutes per game.
Clippers sign Jason Williams
The Clippers have had an interesting summer. Elton Brand and Corey Maggette are gone. They signed Baron Davis, got Marcus Camby basically for free in a trade, and added Eric Gordon in the Draft. But with Davis, Jason Hart and Mike Taylor, it seemed the point guard spot was filled, but apparently not, as Davis now has a terrific backup in former Heat PG Jason Williams. The Los Angeles Times reports that the deal is just for one year. Though J-Will has looked pretty washed up recently, maybe he has something left. He certainly should be decent in limited minutes, like 3 per quarter or so. So Taylor may be gone.
Here’s the news:
The Los Angeles Clippers today signed free agent guard Jason Williams, according to Vice President of Basketball Operations Elgin Baylor. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.
A veteran of 10 NBA seasons, Williams joins the Clippers after playing the last three years for Miami, where he helped the Heat to the 2006 NBA Championship. Williams, 32, has played in 679 career regular season games and averaged 11.4 points, 6.3 assists and 2.4 rebounds for a total of three teams. The six-foot-one, 180 pound point guard has also started and played in 53 career playoff contests, averaging 9.8 points, 3.7 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 0.9 steals.
“Jason is an experienced and proven player,” Baylor said. “He is a terrific ball handler with great passing ability and court vision.”
Playing alongside new Clippers teammate Ricky Davis with the Heat last season, Williams averaged 8.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 28.1 minutes while appearing in 67 games. The West Virginia native finished eighth in the league with a 3.37 assists per turnover ratio and 12th with a 0.91 steals per turnover ratio.
“We are excited to add Jason to our squad,” Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy said. “He brings added veteran leadership and playoff experience to our backcourt.”
Drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 1998 following his junior year at the University of Florida, Williams was named to the 1999 NBA All-Rookie Team following an electrifying first season that saw him average 12.8 points and 6.0 assists. Over the next nine seasons, Williams has emerged as one of the most dependable point guards in the NBA, averaging double-figures in scoring and at least five assists per game in eight of his ten years in the league.
Williams moved to Memphis for the 2001-02 season and over the next four seasons became the Grizzlies all-time assists leader and all-time leader in three-point field goals attempted. Williams joined Miami prior to the 2005-06 season that ended with an NBA Championship.
The Clippers new-look roster now stands at 14 players as Los Angeles has revamped its roster by adding a total of 10 new faces for the 2008-09 season.
Heat sign Yakhouba Diawara
The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed free agent guard/forward Yakhouba Diawara. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Diawara spent the previous two seasons playing for the Denver Nuggets. During the 2007-08 season, he played in 54 games (14 starts), averaging 2.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game, while shooting 41.0 percent from the field. In his first season in the NBA, he played in 64 games (19 starts) and averaged 4.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game.
During the 2005-06 season, Diawara played in 20 games for JDA Dijon Bourgogne of the French League where he averaged 16.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He also played 25 games for Climamio Bologna of the Italian League, where he averaged 10.6 points and 3.8 rebounds.
He was a member of the HEAT’s 2005 Summer League squad, playing in two games and averaging 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 57.1 percent from the field.
He played for two seasons at Pepperdine (2003-05), averaging 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds over his two years. He was also named First Team All-West Coast Conference as a junior. He spent his first two collegiate seasons at Southern Idaho Junior College.
Heat sign Bobby Jones
The Miami HEAT announced Tuesday that they have claimed forward Bobby Jones off waivers.
Jones, a 6’7”, 215-pound forward, appeared in 47 NBA games (two starts) last season with five different teams, including Miami. He averaged 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 11.3 minutes per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the field. He played in 25 games for the Denver Nuggets, nine for the Memphis Grizzlies, six for the HEAT, four for the Houston Rockets and three for the San Antonio Spurs.
Jones signed with the HEAT as a free agent on March 12, 2008 and appeared in six games. In that span, he averaged 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 23.8 minutes per game, while shooting 53.1 percent from the field. He led the HEAT in scoring on March 21 vs. Washington with 15 points.
During the 2006-07 season, Jones appeared in 44 games (five starts) with the Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 2.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 7.7 minutes per game.
Jones was originally drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 37th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. His rights were then traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and cash considerations. Jones played four seasons at the University of Washington appearing in 125 career games (106 starts) and averaged 9.8 points and 4.9 rebounds. He earned Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 honors as a senior and finished as the 20th all-time leading scorer in Washington history with 1,226 points while also ranking fourth all-time with 134 career steals.
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.”
Heat promote Chad Kammerer to assistant coach
The Miami HEAT announced today that they have promoted Chad Kammerer to the role of assistant coach. Among his responsibilities in his new role he will be assisting in the areas of game planning, scouting, player development and other duties assigned by Head Coach Erik Spolestra.
“Chad is a valuable addition to our coaching staff,” said Spoelstra. “He has a great basketball mind and comes from a family that has been around the game for years. He has worked hard for this organization the last seven years in our scouting department and has a great knowledge of the NBA.”
Kammerer, who originally joined the organization on a part-time basis during the 2001-02 season, has spent the past six years as the HEAT’s full-time advance scout. In addition to providing scouting reports and player evaluations to assist the HEAT coaching staff in their game preparations, Kammerer has also served as an assistant coach for the HEAT’s summer league team the past four years.
Prior to joining the HEAT, Kammerer served as an assistant coach at Valparasio University, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Concordia University (CA) and the University of Mississippi.
Kammerer graduated from Westmont College in 1990 with a degree in physical education and later went on to earn his masters degree at the University of Mississippi in 1993. He was born in Indiana and raised in California and is the son of HEAT Vice President, Player Personnel Chet Kammerer.
Heat sign Mario Chalmers
The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed guard Mario Chalmers, the 34th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Chalmers, an early entry candidate after spending three seasons at the University of Kansas, was acquired by the HEAT in a draft day trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for two 2009 second round picks and cash considerations.
Chalmers was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2008 NCAA Tournament Final Four, and is a three-time Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection. He earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors in his junior season, and as a sophomore, was named Co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and earned Third Team All-Conference honors.
During his three seasons as a Jayhawk, he averaged 12.2 points, 3.8 assists and 2.57 steals, while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from three-point range. He led the Big 12 in steals in all three of his seasons and currently ranks as the second all-time leader in Kansas history with 283 steals. He holds the single-season mark for steals in a season with 97, set during both his sophomore and junior seasons and also ranks sixth all-time in three-point field goals made (180), 12th in assists (420) and 24th in scoring (1,341).
Chalmers was born in Anchorage, Alaska and attended Bartlett High School. His cousin, Lionel Chalmers, played in the NBA with the L.A. Clippers. His other cousin, Chris Smith, played with the Minnesota Timberwolves.