NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog
NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
NBA teams blog
|
The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that forward Chase Budinger sustained a cartilage injury to his left knee.
Budinger will visit Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama early next week. An update to Budinger’s status will be provided after that examination.
The Timberwolves finished last season with a 31-51 record, and did not qualify for the playoffs. They suffered some major injuries, including one to Budinger, who played just 23 games in 2012-13.
|
The Kings have reached an agreement on a contract extension with center DeMarcus Cousins for four years worth approximately $62 million, league sources confirmed Thursday night.
The most Cousins was eligible for under the collective bargaining agreement was five years and $80 million. The contract takes effect for the 2014-15 season.
The deadline for first-round draft picks from 2010 to agree to contract extensions is Oct. 31. If the Kings had not reached an agreement, they could not have signed Cousins until after this season.
Reported by Jason Jones and Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee
|
The Chicago Bulls announced today the signing of free agents Patrick Christopher, Mike James, Dahntay Jones, Kalin Lucas, Dexter Pittman and D.J. White to round out their 2013-14 training camp roster.
Christopher (6-5, 220) spent last season with Besiktas of the Turkish Basketball League. In 26 games, he averaged 11.0 ppg and 2.8 rpg. During the 2011-12 season, he posted 12.8 ppg and 2.4 rpg in 26 games with Cholet Basket of the French Basketball League.
James (6-2, 188), an 11-year NBA veteran, appeared in 45 games (23 starts) for the Dallas Mavericks during the 2012-13 season. With the Mavericks, he posted averages of 6.1 ppg, 3.1 apg and 1.6 rpg in 19.2 mpg. In 584 career games, he has averaged 10.0 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.3 rpg, 0.80 spg and 24.5 mpg.
Jones (6-6, 225), a 10-year veteran of the NBA, has previously played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks. In 589 career games, he has averaged 5.6 ppg and 1.8 rpg in 16.3 mpg. Jones split last year with Dallas and Atlanta. In 78 games, he recorded 3.4 ppg and 1.3 rpg in 13.0 mpg.
Lucas (6-1, 195) spent last season with Banvit of the Turkish Basketball League. In 39 games, he averaged 9.0 ppg, 2.5 apg and 1.5 spg. During the 2011-12 campaign, he appeared in 11 games with Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League and averaged 8.0 ppg and 2.5 apg.
Pittman (6-11, 285) split last year with the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies. In four games with the Heat last season, he averaged 1.5 ppg and 1.8 rpg in 3.0 mpg. While with the Grizzlies, he averaged 0.7 rpg and 2.9 mpg in seven games.
White (6-9, 250) split the 2012-13 season with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association and the Boston Celtics. He appeared in 29 games for the Sharks and averaged 21.6 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 1.30 bpg in 33.0 mpg. While with the Celtics, he averaged 2.4 ppg and 1.1 rpg in 7.2 mpg in 12 games.
Chicago’s roster now stands at 18.
|
In the wake of Danny Ainge’s comments that Rajon Rondo may not be back until December, new Celtics coach Brad Stevens thinks he has an in-house candidate to fill the star point guard’s shoes.
Stevens said Avery Bradley may indeed see the bulk of the point guard duties until Rondo finds his way back from offseason knee surgery.
“I don’t think there is any doubt that Avery has elite ability in a lot of ways as a point guard,” Stevens said at TD Garden yesterday morning, where he was a guest at the breakfast to promote November’s Coaches vs. Cancer college basketball tripleheader. “He’s an elite defender at the position. He’s an elite athlete at the point guard position. I think he’s a guy that’s gotten better. I think he’s a guy with more confidence, and I think he’s excited about the challenge if Rajon is out.”
Reported by Tom Layman of the Boston Herald
|
The Boston Celtics and CBS RADIO Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub today announced a multi-year partnership in which the Boston Celtics games will be broadcast on the market’s leading sports station. Beginning this season, 98.5 The Sports Hub will feature select pre-season games, and all regular and post-season matchups, as well as produce extended pre and postgame shows focused entirely on the Celtics.
“We are excited to launch a new era of Celtics basketball with CBS RADIO Boston, extending our audience reach with Celtics fans throughout New England and providing an enhanced promotional platform for the Celtics, our team sponsors, and advertisers,” Celtics Team President Rich Gotham said. “In addition to enjoying the NBA’s best play by play with Grande and Max, Celtics fans will also have the opportunity to hear directly from Celtics executives, players, and coaches through interviews and features throughout the season.”
“98.5 The Sports Hub is thrilled to add Boston Celtics radio broadcasts to our line-up,” said Mark Hannon, Senior Vice President & Market Manager for CBS RADIO Boston. “The Celtics are a winning, world class organization and the perfect fit for 98.5 The Sports Hub. I look forward to growing the success of both organizations through this partnership.”
The Boston Celtics begin their new season on the road at Toronto on October 30. The Celtics will play their home opener on November 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks. The 2013 Champion Miami Heat visit the TD Garden just once this season on March 19 and the Celtics will host Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and the Brooklyn Nets on January 26 and March 7. Other highlights of the season include Doc Rivers’ return to Boston with the Los Angeles Clippers on December 11 and the Los Angeles Lakers’ arrival at the TD Garden on January 17.
|
Philadelphia 76ers forward Arnett Moultrie suffered an injury to the medial malleolus of his left ankle last week and underwent surgery on Thursday, September 26. Moultrie is not expected to return until some time in the new year.
The Sixers are rebuilding, and while their rotation for upcoming new season wasn’t quite clear yet, it was expected that Moultrie was going to play a solid role.
Sixers center Kwame Brown suffered a right hamstring strain during off-season workouts and will receive a second opinion.
|
The Kings have reached an agreement on a contract extension with center DeMarcus Cousins for four years worth approximately $62 million.
The most Cousins was eligible for under the collective bargaining agreement was five years and $80 million.
The contract takes effect for the 2014-15 season.
The deadline for first-round draft picks from 2010 to agree to contract extensions is Oct. 31. If the Kings had not reached an agreement, they could not sign Cousins until an agreement until after this season.
Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee
Cousins deal will include no early termination option, which could’ve been possible after the third year of the deal, a source said.
After resisting the idea of giving Cousins a max deal without conditions in the contract, the Kings finally relented and gave the talented, but tempermental young center the offer he and his agent, Dan Fegan, had sought in negotiations.
Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports
|
Memphis Grizzlies Chairman and Controlling Owner Robert Pera will play Grizzlies guard Tony Allen in an exhibition game of one-on-one in the Coventry Health Care Practice Facility at FedExForum on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 4 p.m. Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph will officiate.
Pera and Allen agreed to the exhibition contest and to donate $100,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® to tip-off the 2013-14 season. The event will be streamed live at grizzlies.com and broadcast live on ESPN Radio 92.9 FM.
This event is closed to the public.
 |
The entire Atlanta Hawks roster and coaching staff will be tipping-off the 2013-14 season with an open practice on October 5, 2013 at Philips Arena. The event is free to the general public with doors at the CNN entrance opening at 4:00pm for a 5:00pm tip-off.
Open practice will consist of two teams of current Hawks players scrimmaging during three, 12-minute quarters. In-game elements for the day include a Q&A with Coach Budenholzer, play-by-play from the voice of the Hawks, Steve Holman, appearances by Atlanta Hawks cheerleaders and Harry the Hawk, and a 50/50 jackpot raffle benefitting the Atlanta Hawks Foundation.
The Hawks’ open Practice will also be streamed live on Hawks.com.
The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has waived guard Jerel McNeal. Following the move, Utah’s roster now stands at 13 players.
McNeal (6-3, 200, Marquette), whose first name is pronounced Jah-rell, was originally signed by the Jazz to a 10-day contract on March 27 from the NBA Development League’s Bakersfield Jam, then signed for the remainder of the 2012-13 season on April 6.
McNeal did not appear in a game for the Jazz.