Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Nuggets sign Dahntay Jones

The Denver Nuggets have signed G/F Dahntay Jones, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Jones, 6-6, 210, averaged a team-leading 18.4 ppg to go along with 2.4 rpg and 1.0 apg in five games for the Nuggets entry in the 2008 NBA Summer League that finished with a 4-1 record in Las Vegas this summer.

Jones spent time with both the Sacramento Kings and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League during the 2007-08 campaign.

The five-year NBA veteran has posted career averages of 4.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg and in 246 games with Memphis and Sacramento.

Jones was originally drafted by the Boston Celtics in the first round (20th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft. His draft rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he spent four seasons from 2003-07.

Nets name Roy Rogers assistant coach

The New Jersey Nets have named Roy Rogers as an assistant coach, Nets President Rod Thorn announced today.  Rogers joins Brian Hill, Tom Barrise and Doug Overton as a member of Head Coach Lawrence Frank’s staff.

“We are pleased to add Roy to Coach Frank’s staff,” said Thorn.  “He has gained valuable knowledge and experience coaching in the D-League over the past several seasons, and we feel he will be an excellent mentor to our players.”

Rogers most recently served as an assistant coach for the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League during the 2007-08 season.  Prior to his stint in Austin, Rogers spent two seasons (2005-06 and 2006-07) with the Tulsa 66ers.  He started his coaching career in 2004 as an assistant with the Huntsville Flight, now the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.

Selected 22nd overall in the 1996 NBA Draft out of the University of Alabama, Rogers played three years in the NBA.  In 137 career games with four teams (Vancouver, Boston, Toronto and Denver), Rogers averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds.  Rogers also played four seasons (2000-04) of professional basketball internationally, in Russia, Italy, Greece and Poland.

Pistons sign Will Bynum

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Will Bynum to a contract.  Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“We are pleased to add Will Bynum to our roster,” said Dumars.  “Will played well for us during summer league and we think he possesses skills that can help our team and provide depth at the guard position.”

Bynum averaged 11.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists with Detroit at the 2008 NBA Las Vegas Summer League. The Chicago native played last season for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli League where he averaged 10.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

The 6-foot, 185-pound guard played 15 games with the Golden State Warriors during the 2005-06 season, averaging 3.6 points and 1.3 assists per game.  He was named 2005-06 NBA Development League Rookie of the Year after leading the league in scoring at 24.0 points per game with the Roanoke Dazzle.

Bynum began his collegiate career at the University of Arizona before transferring to Georgia Tech during his sophomore year.  As a junior, he led the Yellow Jackets to the 2004 NCAA Championship game after making a game-winning layup against Oklahoma State in the Final Four and scored 17 points in a loss to Connecticut.

Three Euroleague teams to play NBA preseason games

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Euroleague Basketball have announced that three Euroleague teams will compete in five NBA preseason games from October 10-21, 2008. The five games, which are part of the Euroleague American Tour, will be played by 2008 Euroleague champion CSKA Moscow (Russia), FC Barcelona (Spain) and Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania). The teams may face up to five NBA opponents including the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Orlando Magic, the Toronto Raptors and possibly the Los Angeles Clippers.

“These games continue our collaboration with Euroleague Basketball, as we work together to grow the game of basketball on a global basis,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern.

The Euroleague American Tour continues a tradition of friendly competition between the NBA and Euroleague Basketball, dating back to 1978 when Maccabi Tel Aviv played the Washington Bullets in Tel Aviv, Israel. Following the 2008 preseason schedule, 33 games will have been played between the two leagues since Euroleague Basketball was created in 2000, including 13 games during NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS™ in 2006 and 2007.

“We value the chance to partner with NBA teams in their own arenas,” Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu said. “There are basketball fans of all types in North America whom we plan to entertain with our own distinct playing style. We are sure they will appreciate again that the international game has a lot to offer our sport.”

The Euroleague American Tour tips off on Oct. 10 in Orlando, Florida, when six-time Euroleague champion CSKA Moscow makes its North American debut against the Orlando Magic. CSKA’s second preseason game will take place in Toronto, Canada, when CSKA plays the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 14.

FC Barcelona play two games as part of the Preseason Shootout at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif. The 2008 NBA Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers will be Barcelona’s first opponent on Oct. 18, followed by the either Los Angeles Clippers or Toronto Raptors on Oct. 19. For Barcelona, founded in 1926, the games in Los Angeles will be their first played in the United States.

ORACLE Arena in Oakland, Calif. will be the final site of the Euroleague’s American Tour when the Golden State Warriors hosts Lietuvos Rytas on Oct. 21. Rytas is the 2005 ULEB Cup champion and hold five Lithuanian League crowns.

For the third consecutive year, NBA teams will participate in preseason games abroad. The Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets and Washington Wizards will play four games in Barcelona, Berlin, London and Paris as part of NBA Europe Live 2008.

OJ Mayo impresses Kobe Bryant

The Los Angeles Times (Mark Heisler) reports: Kobe Bryant, who lives for one-on-one challenges, went at it with former Trojan and soon-to-be Memphis Grizzlies rookie O.J. Mayo, a member of the U.S. Select team, last week in Las Vegas. “Kobe completely shut him down in the beginning,” said U.S. managing director Jerry Colangelo. “But the longer they went, the better Mayo got.” Bryant already knew Mayo, who attended his camp last summer, and already thought highly of him. “I think the world of him,” Bryant said. “I think he’s extremely talented. I think he has a great overall game that a lot of young players don’t have in terms of skills. He can handle, he can shoot, he can pass, he’s fast, he’s quick, so that’s the whole package.”

Nets will keep rights to Krstic

The New York Post reports: While Nenad Krstic plays for Triumph of Moscow in Russia after accepting a 2-year deal worth $5.7 million (closer to $10 mil because of the lack of taxes), the Nets will give him a qualifying offer each year in order to retain his NBA right, team president Rod Thorn said. “We’ll see what happens but eventually I think he’ll go wherever he can get the best deal,” Thorn said. “For now, this was the best deal for him.” The Nets tried to beat the Tuesday midnight deadline and work a deal. They had concrete offers but losing Krstic left them at 15 contracts and they did not want to take anything back in terms of players. Chicago and Memphis were definitely in the mix.

Raptors keep their TV analysts

The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday that Jack Armstrong and Leo Rautins will return as the colour analysts on the team’s television broadcasts for the 2008-09 season. They will join Matt Devlin, who was named July 9 as the team’s new television play-by-play announcer.

“These two broadcasters will bring Raptors fans the in-depth analysis that they have come to expect on all of our game broadcasts,” said Chris Hebb, senior vice-president of broadcast and content for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. “They have the experience and knowledge to deliver a compelling story every night and we are thrilled to have them returning to the fold.”

The upcoming season marks Armstrong’s 11th with the organization and the 14th for Rautins. Armstrong will serve as the analyst on all TSN games and appear regularly on SportsCentre as the network’s NBA Insider. Rautins will handle the duties for contests on CBC and The Score, while working alongside Rod Black as studio analyst on TSN’s NBA Studio shows. Both Armstrong and Rautins will continue to add their expertise to various programs on Raptors NBA TV, including pre- and post-game analysis.

Armstrong and Devlin have worked together in the past calling NCAA and WNBA games. Armstrong began his broadcasting career as a radio analyst for the Raptors following a successful 14-year coaching career at the collegiate level.

In addition to his duties with the Raptors, Armstrong is a regular NBA commentator in Canada and a television analyst for NCAA basketball on CSTV, Comcast, Empire Sports Network, Fox Sports, MASN TV, New York/MSG, ESPN’s regional coverage and the Atlantic 10 Conference TV Network. His commentating also extended to the WNBA where he worked for MSG on New York Liberty telecasts for two seasons.

Rautins has been on the Canadian basketball scene for almost 30 years as a player, broadcaster and ambassador of the game. In addition to his broadcasting portfolio, Rautins is the head coach of the Canadian Senior Men’s National Basketball Team.

A 23-year veteran of television, radio and newspaper journalism, Rautins has worked Syracuse University basketball games on both radio and TV and has also broadcast NCAA, NBA, and NBDL basketball for ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPN Regional. Rautins covered the 1994 World Championships for CTV.

Rautins graduated with honours from the prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse in 1983. His broadcasting career tipped off as radio analyst for Syracuse basketball and as a CBC radio broadcaster announcing games from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Timberwolves re-sign Ryan Gomes

Minnesota Timberwolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale today announced the team has re-signed restricted free-agent forward Ryan Gomes. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We’re really happy to have re-signed Ryan. He was one of our most consistent performers last year, and one of our top priorities this offseason was keeping him in a Wolves uniform,” McHale said. “Ryan is the consummate professional and a great asset to our organization both on the court and in the community.”

The Timberwolves acquired Gomes on July 31, 2007 in a trade with Boston. In his lone season with Minnesota, the 6-7, 250-pound forward averaged career highs with 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, including a career-high 35-point effort against Golden State on Jan. 21. For the first time in his career, Gomes appeared in all 82 games for the Wolves, starting 74 (including the final 58 contests). Originally selected by Boston with the 50th overall pick (second round) in the 2005 NBA Draft, Gomes has appeared in 216 NBA games, posting career averages of 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

InsideHoops.com says: Gomes is a good fill-in-the-blanks forward to bring off a bench. The man works hard and is a smart player.

Hawks sign Maurice Evans

The Atlanta Hawks today signed guard/forward Maurice Evans to a contract, according to General Manager Rick Sund.  Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

“We are pleased to add a veteran player with Mo’s talents and experience to our squad,” said Sund.  “He is a quality defender who gives us a physical and athletic presence, whether it’s serving as a starter or coming off the bench.  We are getting a solid player who is coming off his best statistical season, and who also has the talents to spread things on offense with his three-point shooting ability.”

In 75 games with the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic last season, Evans finished with averages of 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 23 minutes of action.  He began the year with Los Angeles, and was traded after seven games (along with Brian Cook) for Trevor Ariza on November 20 (Evans finished with 4.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg and 1.7 apg in 13.7 mpg).  With the Magic, Evans scored 9.3 points, grabbed 3.1 boards and dished out one assist per game in 68 contests (23.9 mpg), while shooting .489 FGs and .396 from three-point range.  In addition, he established career-bests in virtually every statistical category – points, FG%, 3FG%, rebounds and minutes played, as well as games started (47).  Evans also scored a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 FGs in an April 15 game at Atlanta.

A player with past playoff experience, most recently with the Orlando Magic, Evans recorded 9.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 0.7 apg in 10 games this past postseason, while shooting 50.7% from the field and .417 from three-point range.

“Evans’ addition is a great pickup for us,” Woodson said.  “He brings a lot of experience to the Hawks, and he is an excellent shooter and tough defensive player who we’re happy to add to our team.”

The undrafted 6-5, 220-pounder, who is considered a strong, athletic defender, brings career averages of 7.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists (.453 FG%, .366 3FG%, .766 FT%) after five NBA seasons.  Evans signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2001-02), where he played on 10 games.  In 2002, he moved to Greece to play for Olympiakos, and in the following season (2003-04), he played for Italian powerhouse Benetton Basket Treviso (which won the Italian Cup).

Following that season Evans made the Sacramento Kings roster (2004-05) and became a rotation player.  He started 11 of 65 games, and played 19 minutes per game, contributing 6.4 ppg (.442 FG%).  In 2005-06, he was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Pistons and scored 5.2 points in 14.2 mpg (.452 FG%, .371 3FG%, .800 FT%) and a career-high 80 games.

In June 2006, the Pistons traded Evans to the Los Angeles Lakers for the draft rights to Cheick Samb.  A backup to Kobe Bryant, he saw action in 76 contests (with 10 starts) and scored a then-career-best 8.4 ppg to go along with 2.9 rpg and 1.0 apg.  Upon his move to Orlando, Evans was inserted into the starting lineup at shooting guard, contributing to the team’s Southeast Division title this year and landing the third-seed in 2008 Eastern Conference Playoffs.