Milwaukee Bucks Blog – Page 63 – NBA Blog

Milwaukee Bucks sign second round draft pick Jodie Meeks

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed Jodie Meeks to a multi-year contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today. Meeks (6-4, 208) was the 41st overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft and will participate in the 2009 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas with the Bucks (July 10-16).

A junior selected out of the University of Kentucky, Meeks averaged 15.4 points in 81 games over three college seasons. He holds the school’s single-season record for three-pointers made (117) and is 33rd on the school’s all-time scoring list (1,246). In his junior season he averaged 23.7 points (sixth in the nation) on 46.3 percent shooting from the field and 40.6 percent from three-point range. Following the season, Meeks was an All-SEC First Team selection as well as an All-America Second Team selection by the Associated Press, Sporting News and USBWA. He was also USBWA District Player of the Year and First Team All-District by USBWA and NABC. Meeks was the first player in league history to earn four SEC Player of the Week honors in one season.

Meeks will be joined on Milwaukee’s Summer League team by 2009 first round pick Brandon Jennings, along with 2008 draft picks Joe Alexander and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. The five-game schedule tips-off Friday (July 10) with a game against Dallas. The other four games are against Cleveland (July 12), Sacramento (July 13), Chicago (July 15) and Toronto (July 16). Bucks.com will cover all of Milwaukee’s summer league action.

San Antonio Spurs sign Marcus Haislip

The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they signed forward Marcus Haislip. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Haislip, 6-10, 230 lbs., has spent the past two seasons playing in Spain with the Unicaja Malaga in the Spanish ACB League and in Euroleague competition. Last year he appeared in 35 games in Spanish League play, averaging a team-high 15.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in 28.0 minutes. He shot .555 (117-211) from the field and .394 (65-165) from three-point range. In 14 Euroleague games, he averaged 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in 27.5 minutes. In 2007 Haislip helped lead Efes Pilsen Istanbul to the Turkish National Championship.

Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 13th overall pick in 2002 NBA Draft, Haislip spent three seasons in the NBA before making the move overseas. He played two seasons with the Bucks before singing with the Indiana Pacers for the 2004-05 season. For his NBA career Haislip has appeared in 79 games, averaging 3.6 points and 1.5 assists in 10.3 minutes.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Haislip disappeared as fast as any lottery pick selected in the 2000’s. What was interesting was how he fell out of the league and simply didn’t return, until now, assuming this signing happens.

Detroit Pistons to sign Charlie Villanueva

The AP reports: A person with the knowledge of the negotiations says the Detroit Pistons have agreed in principle to contracts with free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva… Villanueva, the seventh overall pick by Toronto in 2005 who has played the last three of his NBA season with the Milwaukee Bucks, also agreed to a five-year deal. His contract is worth at least $35 million. Villanueva averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds last season for the Bucks.

InsideHoops.com editor says: The Pistons have a hole at the power forward position, and Villanueva should fill it as a starter, probably immediately.

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.

Bucks trade Richard Jefferson to Spurs for Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas; Spurs trade Oberto to Pistons

The Milwaukee Bucks have acquired guard/forward Bruce Bowen, forward/center Kurt Thomas and forward Amir Johnson in a three-team trade with San Antonio and Detroit, General Manager John Hammond announced today. As part of the deal, the Bucks send forward Richard Jefferson to San Antonio, while the Spurs trade Fabricio Oberto to Detroit.

“The trade we made today provides us with much needed options in both the short and long-term planning for our franchise,” said Hammond. “We acquired a young, long, athletic forward in Amir Johnson, along with two proven, tough-minded veterans in Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas. The trade also provides us with additional opportunities, both now and in the future, to consider adding more pieces to our roster.”

Bowen (6-7, 200) spent the past eight seasons with the Spurs. He appeared in 80 games for San Antonio last season, averaging 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per game. It was his seventh consecutive season of playing in at least 80 games and the eighth of his career. The 38-year-old has been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Team eight times. He went undrafted out of Cal State Fullerton and spent time in France and the CBA before signing with the Miami Heat during the 1996-97 season. He has also spent time with Boston and Philadelphia and owns NBA career averages of 6.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists over 873 total games.

Thomas (6-9, 240) comes to Milwaukee having played for six teams over 14 NBA seasons. Last season, he appeared in 79 games (10 starts) for San Antonio and averaged 4.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.8 minutes. Thomas, 36, was originally drafted by the Miami Heat with the 10th overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. He has played in 896 career NBA games with Miami, Dallas, New York, Phoenix, Seattle and San Antonio, and owns career averages of 9.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He has appeared in 77 playoff games, including 20 during New York’s run to the NBA Finals in 1999.

Johnson (6-9, 210) was selected by Detroit in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft (56th overall) out of Westchester High School (CA). Last season, the 22-year old, four-year pro appeared in 62 games with a career-best 24 starts. He averaged 3.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in a career-high 14.7 minutes per game, while leading the Pistons in field goal percentage (.595). In 135 career games, Johnson has averaged 3.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots in 13.6 minutes per game.

“Richard was a true professional during his time in Milwaukee,” Hammond remarked. “He came ready to practice and play every day and always gave it his best effort. We wish him well in San Antonio.”

Jefferson (6-7, 225) started in all 82 games during his lone season in Milwaukee. He averaged 19.6 points (T-22nd in the NBA), 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting .439 from the field and .397 from three-point range. He led the Bucks in scoring a team-best 35 times, including seven games of 30 or more. He also scored the 10,000th point of his NBA career on April 4 against Memphis. The 29-year-old Jefferson came to Milwaukee following seven seasons with the New Jersey Nets. The Arizona product was originally drafted after his junior season by the Houston Rockets (13th overall) in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft.

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Report: Pistons to trade Amir Johnson to Bucks for Fabricio Oberto

Yahoo (Adrian Wojnarowski) reports: In an effort to clear more salary cap space, the Detroit Pistons have sent forward Amir Johnson to the Milwaukee Bucks for newly acquired Fabricio Oberto, a league executive told Yahoo! Sports. The Pistons plan to buy out Oberto’s deal and make him a free agent.

UPDATE: This was correct but actually part of the earlier deal involving Richard Jefferson. See the info.

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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.

Comcast, NBA Digital enter NBA TV-related deal

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information, and communications products and services, has entered into a long-term agreement with NBA Digital to expand its distribution of NBA TV, providing live games, original programming, and exciting video on demand (VOD) and broadband content to millions of customers.

Comcast will make NBA TV, the league’s 24-hour digital television network that offers more than 100 live NBA games, available to millions of Comcast’s Digital Classic customers before the 2009-10 NBA regular season. Additionally, these customers will have access to a wide array of NBA content On Demand, including Top 10 Plays of the Night, nightly game recaps, basketball news of the day, and NBA Entertainment-produced specials. Comcast will also offer NBA content on its online properties, including Comcast.net.

“We appreciate the commitment of our longtime and valued partner Comcast to expand NBA TV’s distribution and provide more of its customers with the network’s wall-to-wall NBA coverage and innovative programming,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Adam Silver. “Through this agreement, millions of additional fans will be able to experience NBA TV’s more than 100 live NBA games, its signature studio shows and Emmy award-winning on-air talent.”

“We are excited to bring more NBA action live, on demand, and online to our Digital Classic customers,” said Matt Bond, Executive Vice President of Content Acquisition at Comcast Cable. “Whether a fan of the hometown team or one of the NBA’s incredible players, our customers will have access to all of the great NBA moments in time for next season.”

Comcast will continue to offer NBA LEAGUE PASS, the league’s subscription package that provides subscribers with up to 40 out-of-market, live NBA games each week. As part of the package, subscribers will have access to NBA games online at no additional cost through NBA LEAGUE PASS BROADBAND.

“This is a perfect marriage of two multiplatform strategies,” said NBA Digital Senior Vice President and General Manager Bryan Perez. “Through this expanded agreement, NBA Digital and Comcast will deliver millions of fans the finest in NBA content via broadcast, VOD, and broadband distribution.”

Coach Del Harris retires

The Chicago Bulls announced today, that after 50 years of coaching, assistant coach Del Harris has elected to retire from basketball.

“I would like to thank Del Harris for all of his hard work and dedication this past season,” said Gar Forman, Chicago Bulls General Manager. “He has had a terrific career and we wish him the best in his retirement.”

Harris, 71, just completed his first season with the Bulls as an assistant on head coach Vinny Del Negro’s staff. He enjoyed success at every level in 50 years of coaching, including the NBA, collegiate, international and high school ranks.

Harris began his NBA coaching career as an assistant with the Houston Rockets in 1976, and was a coach or scout/consultant in the NBA for 29 seasons – including 27 trips to the NBA Playoffs. His stints include: Houston (1976-83), Milwaukee (1983-91), L.A. Lakers (1994-98), Dallas (2000-08) and Chicago (2008-09). In 12 full seasons as a head coach, Harris compiled a 556-457 (.549) overall record with three different teams (L.A. Lakers – 1994-98, Milwaukee – 1987-91, Houston – 1979-83).

Overall, he coached in 202 career playoff games (88 as a head coach), including an NBA Finals appearance in 1981 with the Rockets.

Harris was the recipient of the 1995 NBA Coach of the Year Award with the Lakers, and joins Pat Riley and Phil Jackson as the only coaches in Los Angeles franchise history to register three consecutive 50-plus win seasons.

“I was very fortunate to have Del by my side this past season. His knowledge and understanding of the game were an incredible benefit and help,” said Vinny Del Negro, Chicago Bulls Head Coach. “He has had a tremendous and successful coaching career that is quite remarkable. In his 50 years of coaching, he has had such a positive impact on so many people’s lives on and off the court. I was truly thankful for his support and encouragement throughout last season. I can only wish Del and his family all the best.”

Prior to coaching in the NBA, Harris spent seven seasons in Puerto Rico (1969-75), posting a 176-61 record. He guided Puerto Rico to a gold medal at the 1974 Central American Games, and a silver and bronze medal at the 1973 and 1974 World Club Championships with Club Bayamon (Puerto Rico). Collegiately, Harris spent nine years at Earlham College (Indiana) where he led the team to a school-record 176 victories, and the first three conference championships in school history. The Plainfield, Ind. native is a member of both the state of Indiana Hall of Fame and the NAIA Hall of Fame.