Rockets Assistant Coach Jack Sikma joined Houston after spending four seasons on the coaching staff in Seattle … Sikma, who was selected by the Sonics with the eighth overall pick of the 1977 NBA Draft, had his jersey #43 retired by Seattle-Oklahoma City franchise on Nov. 21, 1992 … Houston Assistant Coach R.J. Adelman worked as an NBA advance scout for the former Sonics before coming to Houston … Gerald Madkins, Houston’s as Director of Scouting, joined the Rockets after serving as the Director of West Coast College Scouting for Seattle in 2007-08 … Brent Barry still ranks fifth all-time in Seattle-Oklahoma City franchise history with 669 3-pointers made … originally chosen by Seattle in the second round (31st overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft, Houston obtained the draft rights to forward Carl Landry on June 28, 2007 … Scott Brooks, an assistant coach with the Thunder, played three seasons with the Rockets (1992-95) … Oklahoma City Assistant Coach Mark Bryant also played one season with Houston (1995-96) … Thunder guard John Lucas III played two season with the Rockets (2005-07).
Category: NBA Teams
NBA teams blog
Oct 31: Nuggets 113, Clippers 103 OT
The AP reports: Allen Iverson scored nine of his 25 points in the final 3:35 of overtime and the Denver Nuggets overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 113-103 on Friday night. Nene added 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets before fouling out for the second time in two games. Kenyon Martin missed nine of his first 10 shots and finished with 13 points. But he also grabbed 13 rebounds, made a key defensive stop to send the game into OT and made a 3-pointer in the final minute of the game to secure the victory. Al Thornton had 30 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers. Tim Thomas added 20 points and Chris Kaman had 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Oct 31: Blazers 100, Spurs 99
The AP reports: Michael Finley’s shot at the buzzer for San Antonio rimmed out and the Blazers edged the Spurs 100-99 Friday night… Brandon Roy had 26 points and seven assists for the Blazers, who were without 7-foot center Greg Oden, who sprained his right foot in the season opener against the Lakers. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Parker had 24 points and 11 assists… Channing Frye hit a jumper to give the Blazers their biggest lead at 82-72, then followed with a dunk. But Ime Udoka and Mason each answered with a 3-pointer, and Duncan made a layup to narrow it to 84-80 for the Spurs.
Oct 31: Celtics 96, Bulls 80
The AP reports: Kevin Garnett played much better in the 1,000th game of his career than in his first of this season. Boston’s intense leader had 18 points and 10 rebounds three days after a mediocre season opener and became the youngest player in NBA history to play in 1,000 regular-season games when the Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 96-80 Friday night… Rookie point guard Derrick Rose, the top pick in the NBA draft, led the Bulls with 18 points and made six of their 25 field goals. He also learned a lesson from the champs… Tyrus Thomas, on 2-for-17 shooting, and Ben Gordon, who went 3-for-10, scored 11 each. Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo scored 14 each for Boston.
Oct 31: Grizzlies 86, Magic 84
The AP reports: Rudy Gay, the third-year pro, hit an 18-foot jumper right of the basket as time expired to give the Memphis Grizzlies an 86-84 win over the Orlando Magic… It gave Gay 29 points to lead the Grizzlies to their first win in a home opener since moving to Memphis in the 2001-02 season. Gay scored 14 of Memphis’ 25 points in the fourth-quarter rally. Rookie O.J. Mayo scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds for Memphis, while Gasol scored 10 points and guarded the Magic’s Dwight Howard… Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 23 points, while Hedo Turkoglu finished with 18, nine rebounds and seven assists. Howard had 14 points and 14 rebounds, but managed only nine shots. Jameer Nelson had 11 points.
Oct 31: Heat 103, Kings 77
The AP reports: Dwyane Wade had 20 points and eight assists, Michael Beasley finished with 17 and the Heat scored a whopping 41 points off turnovers to easily beat the Sacramento Kings 103-77 in their home opener Friday night… Udonis Haslem scored 14 points for the Heat. Marion finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and like Wade, they both sat out the entire fourth quarter. Daequan Cook scored 13 points and Mark Blount added 10. John Salmons and Quincy Douby each scored 14 for the Kings (0-2)… Heat PG Chris Quinn was inactive. Quinn, who was believed to be the preseason favorite to start, dressed but didn’t play in Wednesday’s loss at New York.
Oct 31: Sixers 116, Knicks 87
The AP reports: Elton Brand had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Andre Miller added 20 points and eight assists and Willie Green had 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting for Philadelphia (1-1), which shot 59.1 percent (52-for-88) from the field and led all the way. The Sixers held the Knicks to 32.7 percent shooting (32-for-98) and just 15 fourth-quarter points… Jamal Crawford led five Knicks in double figures with 14 points. David Lee added 13 points and 11 rebounds for New York (1-1), which trailed by 30 points in the fourth quarter and never got closer than seven in the second half when it was 64-57 with 8:41 left in the third quarter.
Oct 31: Raptors 112, Warriors 108 OT
The AP reports: After coming up short for the second time in as many games, Al Harrington said the Golden State Warriors should have been working harder during the preseason. Chris Bosh scored 31 points, Anthony Parker had 23 and the Toronto Raptors beat Golden State 112-108 in overtime on Friday night. Andrea Bargnani had 19 points off the bench for Toronto (2-0), while Jose Calderon had 16 points and 13 assists. Jamario Moon added 11 for the Raptors. Harrington led Golden State (0-2) with 26 points, adding 11 rebounds, while Stephen Jackson finished with 19 points. Andris Biedrins had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Warriors… Jermaine O’Neal shot 2-for-10 and finished with five points and six rebounds, but made three blocks.
Pacers sign Danny Granger to contract extension
The Indiana Pacers announced Friday that Danny Granger has signed a contract extension with the team. The Indianapolis Star reported that the extension is for five years and between $60 and $64 million, and that it will start next season.
“I’m very happy we were able to get an extension done,” said Granger. “I’d like to thank the Simons, Larry Bird, David Morway, Jim O’Brien, the assistant coaches, my teammates and the entire Pacers’ organization. I’m very excited about the direction our team is going and I’m glad that I can have a part in the future of this franchise. I think we can have something very special here.”
The 6-9 Granger, the Pacers’ first-round draft pick (17th overall) in the 2005 NBA Draft, has averaged 13.7 points per game in his three seasons. Last year, he registered career-best averages in points (19.6), rebounds (6.1), steals (1.1) and 3-point field goal percentage (.404).”
“Danny is a very good player and a great young man on and off the court,” said Bird, the Pacers’ President of Basketball. “He is a very important part of our future. Danny always keeps himself in top condition during the season and the off-season while always working to improve his game. He’s a player we feel very confident with going forward.”
No extension for Linas Kleiza
The Rocky Mountain News (Chris Tomasson) reports: The Nuggets’ deal to sign Linas Kleiza to a contract extension has fallen apart and he will become a restricted free agent next summer, his agent said Friday.
Bill Duffy told the Rocky Mountain News that the Nuggets decided Friday not to offer Kleiza, a Nuggets forward, a deal in the range the two parties had been talking about that would start next season. The sides had been talking about a possible extension in the range of $25 million over four years which would have had to have been signed by the Friday deadline… Duffy said that while Kleiza likes Denver, other NBA teams will be looked at next summer. He’s also a candidate to go overseas.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Kleiza is a good bench player but not an essential part of the Nuggets future. He does make a team better.