NBA Teams – Page 1478 – NBA Blog

Knicks cannot sign Josh Harrellson anytime soon

Because the Knicks traded Harrellson away, however, he can’t come back to them. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams that trade away players cannot re-sign them for a year after the trade – ending the previous common practice of a team trading away a player, only to see that player get bought out of his contract or waived and re-sign with the team that traded him 30 days after the deal was done.

The Rockets cut Harrellson after signing veteran swingman Carlos Delfino this week. Now, among the four players the Knicks sent to Houston in the Camby deal, only Toney Douglas remains on their roster, after the Rockets had cut Jordan last month.

— Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Blog)

EMU basketball coach Rob Murphy hopes to work for Orlando Magic

As the Eastern Michigan men’s basketball program sits in limbo, coach Rob Murphy’s contract is an issue.

Murphy, who reportedly wants to leave the Eagles for a job with the Orlando Magic, would be required to pay the university $210,000 to break his contract.

That is equivalent to one year’s salary and would need to be paid in a lump sum or in monthly payments over the remaining term of the five-year contract, which is four more years.

— Reported by Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press

Arron Afflalo excited to join Magic

Afflalo will be competing for the starting shooting guard with veteran J.J. Redick. He has become one of the league’s steadier defenders, a role he embraced in Denver.

He said last season, “I developed more confidence (offensively), hit some big shots. It’s an opportunity for me to continue to grow.”

Afflalo, originally drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 2007, averaged 15.2 points and 2.4 assists last season.

— Reported by Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel

Dallas Mavericks still look good

The Mavericks will go into next season with a pretty good team. No, not a championship-contending team, but at least a club that will compete for the playoffs and should make the playoffs because Rick Carlisle is a good coach.

Plus, the quick overhaul is not just about now. There are possibilities for the future with a rebuilt backcourt of guards O.J Mayo and Darren Collison. Granted, they are both here because they were out of favor elsewhere, but if there is talent involved, there’s hope for a career jump start.

The new center is Chris Kaman. He can score. He’s OK if he stays healthy.

Kaman may not be long range, but he’s a good pickup for now.

And then veteran Elton Brand is the new front-line swingman, and is a do-it-all welcome for any club, plus has the “great guy” reputation.

Add that to Dirk and Marion, then add the re-signing of Delonte West (a personal favorite) for the backcourt, and I’ve got to admit the quick remake of the roster went far beyond where I thought it would go.

— Reported by Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Suns center Jermaine O`Neal feels young again

For a man who has missed 39 percent of his teams’ games over the past eight seasons, any presumption of improved health is taken with great caution, but O’Neal said he feels five years younger.

He credits Boston doctors for a surgery that healed his left wrist. After getting a testimonial last year from Kobe Bryant, O’Neal went to Germany after the season to undergo Regenokine treatment on both knees, with the left being his primary concern.

The Suns have that visit and former captain Grant Hill to thank for landing O’Neal. Hill, now with the Los Angeles Clippers, was getting the treatment simultaneously and told O’Neal how he should consider the Suns because of the athletic trainers. They have performed wonders on 30-something players with health issues such as Hill, Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal and Antonio McDyess.

“I always knew the training staff was phenomenal,” O’Neal said. “That’s the word around the league among players. They really take the body and put three, four years on it by the things they do to the body.”

— Reported by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic

Funeral Friday for ex-Hawks star Dan Roundfield

A funeral is planned Friday in Norcross for NBA veteran Dan Roundfield.

The former Atlanta Hawk spent 11 seasons in the NBA and had three consecutive All-Star seasons. He drowned Aug. 6 off the Caribbean island of Aruba while helping his wife as she struggled in rough water. He was 59.

The Hawks announced that his funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Norcross. The service is open to the public.

— Reported by the AP via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A look at the Dallas Mavericks rotation

So let’s begin this exercise with the known, or at least what we suspect to be the known: The five starters will be Darren Collison, O.J. Mayo, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman. There was some early politically correct whispering within the organization that Beaubois would compete with Collison for the starting job, but that is more likely wishful thinking. President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson has said Collison is “penciled” in as the starter.

Those figuring to have clearly defined backup roles include: Delonte West, Elton Brand and Vince Carter.

Those figuring to have less defined backup roles include: Dahntay Jones, Rodrigue Beaubois and Brandan Wright.

— Reported by Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas

Kroenke Sports donates $100,000 to Aurora theater, wildfire victims

The teams owned by the Kroenke family, including the Nuggets, are donating $100,000 to benefit the victims of the two tragedies that have struck Colorado this summer – the July 20 theater shootings and the rampant wildfires.

“On behalf of the Kroenke family and KSE, we would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to all of those affected by these tragedies,” said KSE President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Martin in a statement. “We feel privileged to be part of this wonderful community and it is our responsibility to help in this time of need.”

In the Pepsi Center regular-season openers of the Nuggets and Avalanche, KSE will honor the victims, the victims’ families and first responders.

— Reported by Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post

Cleveland Cavaliers name Koby Altman Pro Personnel Manager

The Cleveland Cavaliers have named Koby Altman Pro Personnel Manager, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

In his role as Pro Personnel Manager, Altman will coordinate the team’s domestic professional scouting efforts and will assist General Manager Chris Grant and Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin with other player personnel related matters.

Altman, 29, joins the Cavaliers from Columbia University, where he served as an assistant coach for the past two seasons, while also leading Columbia’s developmental basketball program.

In addition to his duties at Columbia over the past two seasons, Altman has extensive experience with the USA Basketball program. In the summer of 2010, he served as the Operations Manager for USA Basketball’s Under-17 team at the inaugural FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Hamburg, Germany. That 17-and-under squad won the first gold medal to ever be awarded for that age group and featured three players selected among the top 10 in the 2012 NBA Draft. In 2009, he assisted Team USA’s 19-and-under team in the FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand. That squad also won the gold, its first in that age group since 1991.

Prior to joining Columbia, Altman spent the 2009-10 season at Southern Illinois as a graduate assistant after earning his master’s degree in sport management at UMASS-Amherst, where he also coached for two seasons and helped guide the team to a 48-11 record. He played collegiately at Middlebury College, where he was a three-year starter at point guard.

76ers attendance increased last season

The season prior, the Sixers finished 25th out of the NBA’s 30 teams in average home attendance, drawing 14,751 a night. That figure was good enough for dead last in percentage of arena capacity filled. Believe it or not, those numbers were an improvement from the season before that, when the team drew just 14,224 per game and finished not last, but second to last in percentage of capacity.

After the league settled a frustrating lockout and began a condensed season last December, the Sixers jumped out to a most unexpected and welcome 16-6 start to lead the Atlantic Division. Granted, the team lulled badly shortly thereafter, coming back to the pack — and Earth, for that matter — as the season wore on, but its performance was good enough to make a difference in ticket sales. The Sixers jumped from 25th to 14th in the warm body count last season, accounting for 17,502 a night.

— Reported by Nick Menta of CSN Philly