NBA Teams – Page 895 – NBA Blog

Some bids to buy Atlanta Hawks are reportedly for around $900 million

Some bids to buy Atlanta Hawks are reportedly for around $900 million

Here’s Bloomberg reporting on the Atlanta Hawks, who are for sale:

Tampa Bay Rays part-owner Randy Frankel and ComPsych Corp. founder Richard Chaifetz are among the bidders for the National Basketball Association’s Atlanta Hawks, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Some of the bids were for about $900 million, the people said, declining to be specific.

The people requested anonymity because the bidding isn’t public. The team, which is on the market after lead owner Bruce Levenson disclosed a racially insensitive e-mail, retained Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Inner Circle Sports to run the sale.

Jared Sullinger vows to get into better shape this summer

Jared Sullinger vows to get into better shape this summer

Here’s ESPN Boston reporting on Celtics big man Jared Sullinger, who needs to be a bit less of a big man and trim down a bit. And he knows it:

Boston Celtics big man Jared Sullinger said he’s unhappy with the way he looks on film and pledged to use his rehab from a left foot fracture and the offseason to transform his body.

Sullinger’s season ended Sunday when tests determined he has a stress fracture of the fourth metatarsal.

“Freak accidents happen. I just have to come back better,” Sullinger said.

Pressed on what he hoped to get out of recovery, Sullinger added: “A little bit of everything — change the physique, change the way I look. That’s the biggest thing, I think. I’m tired of looking on camera and just seeing how I look, seeing how I play during extended minutes. Conditioning is going to be a big factor. Conditioning is going to be hard because all I can do is ride the bike. We’re going to find ways, we’re going to find ways to get me in the best shape possible.”

Paul Pierce out tonight with bruised knee

Paul Pierce out tonight with bruised knee

Washington Wizards forward Paul Pierce was a late scratch Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves because of a bruised knee.

Pierce knocked knees with a Golden State defender in the closing seconds of a loss on Tuesday night, but coach Randy Wittman said before the game against the Wolves that he expected his veteran to be available.

— AP

Carlisle addresses Rondo communication issue

Rick Carlisle addresses Rajon Rondo communication issue

Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram blog with an update on the disagreement between Carlisle and Rondo:

Carlisle addresses communication issue with Rondo

Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle addressed the media prior to Wednesday’s game in Atlanta to try and explain how him and point guard Rajon Rondo got in a heated profanity-laced exchange during Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors.

The incident led to the Mavs suspended Rondo for one game without pay. But Carlisle said Rondo, who will sit out tonight’s game in Atlanta, will practice with the team Friday and be in the starting lineup when the Mavs entertain Brooklyn on Saturday.

“The incident last night was born in large part from poor communication between him and I, and that’s on both of us,’’ Carlisle said. “We had a long talk about the situation today and we both agreed that we need to communicate more frequently and we need to work on the solution for making his stint as a Dallas Mavericks the most successful one possible.”

Knicks still hope to get something from Andrea Bargnani

Here’s ESPN New York reporting on the Knicks and Andrea Bargnani, who has played in just six games this season, averaging 7.7 points on 39% shooting in 17.5 minutes per outing:

With Carmelo Anthony’s scoring punch on the shelf for the season, Phil Jackson sees one player on the Knicks roster who might be able to shoulder some of the scoring load.

Jackson thinks Andrea Bargnani can help offset some of the 24.2 points per game lost with Anthony. At the very least, Bargnani should be able to replace Amar’e Stoudemire’s 12 points per game — provided he can remain on the court.

Of course, Bargnani has been a 7-foot walking injury as a Knick.

“Now that we have a gap in scoring, this is a guy that is a natural scorer,” Jackson said last week when asked before the trading deadline what could happen with Bargnani if he isn’t dealt. “I think the coaching staff would like to have him on the court and be competitive with his scoring capabilities.”

Pistons sign John Lucas III for remainder of season

Pistons sign John Lucas III for remainder of season

Detroit Pistons General Manager Jeff Bower announced today that the club has signed guard John Lucas III for the remainder of the season following two consecutive 10-day contracts.

The 5-foot-11, 166-pound guard has averaged 5.0 points, 3.3 assists and 12.2 minutes in eight games with Detroit. He scored a season-high 10 points at Indiana (2/4) and has dished out a season-high six assists twice.

Originally signed on February 2, he was signed to a second 10-day contract on February 12. Lucas joined the Pistons following a stint with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association where he averaged 26.6 points, 7.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 43.5 minutes in 26 games.

The Washington, DC native has spent parts of six seasons in the NBA with the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz. He holds career averages of 4.8 points, 1.4 assists, 1.0 rebounds and 12.2 minutes in 216 games (eight starts) and is a career 34.7-percent shooter from three-point range.

Lucas has also spent time in the NBA’s Developmental League and played internationally in Italy, Spain and China. He played collegiately at Oklahoma State University.

Ronnie Price out 6-8 weeks after elbow surgery

Ronnie Price out 6-8 weeks after elbow surgery

Lakers guard Ronnie Price underwent successful surgery this morning to remove bone spurs and bone chips from his right elbow. The surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. Price is expected to be out approximately six to eight weeks.

Price, who signed with the Lakers as a free agent on September 24, has appeared in 43 games (20 starts) this season, averaging 5.1 points, 1.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.56 steals in 22.8 minutes per game.

New Phoenix Suns alternate home uniform, called PHXRising

Today the Phoenix Suns revealed a new look with a historic twist, one that celebrates an iconic Suns uniform of the past. The new uniform, deemed PHXRising, was revealed this morning.

The PHXRising uniform will serve as the Suns’ second alternate and be worn by the team for the first time tomorrow night (February 26) when it faces the Oklahoma City Thunder at US Airways Center. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m.

The PHXRising collection with its gray, black and orange palette symbolizes the ash, smoke and embers of the mythological bird for which Phoenix is named.

Rick Carlisle, Rajon Rondo express some disagreements

Let’s get this right out of the way. Players sometimes disagree with each other. Players and coaches often do the same. Sometimes it’s a lingering problem but quite often it’s nothing to be alarmed about. That said, here’s ESPN Dallas reporting on Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle and relatively new Mavs point guard Rajon Rondo:

Carlisle predictably wasn’t in much of a mood to chat about Rondo after Tuesday night’s 99-92 win over the Toronto Raptors. Nor was Rondo, at least to the media.

But Carlisle and Rondo had plenty to say to each other during a tense timeout with 8:10 remaining in the third quarter. The stubborn coach and headstrong point guard exchanged a lot of expletives as they shouted at each other in a dispute stemming from Rondo’s desire to have more play-calling responsibilities.

“Well, it’s an emotional game and we had a difference of opinion,” Carlisle said. “There was an exchange, and then, in my mind, it was over.”

Well, it apparently lasted at least the rest of the game. The evidence: Rondo rode the pine for the final 20:10, a span in which reserve guards Devin Harris and J.J. Barea played key roles in the Mavs’ rally from a nine-point deficit.

Report: Los Angeles mansion owned by Earl Watson robbed

Here’s TMZ reporting some bad news from Los Angeles:

An L.A. mansion owned by former NBA player Earl Watson was robbed Monday night by at least 4 men in ski masks — who handcuffed the occupants and ransacked the place.

While 35-year-old Watson owns the $4 million Encino home, he currently rents it out to a local elderly couple.

Officials say the men — at least one of whom had a gun — broke in through a back door and once inside, they handcuffed the couple and stole various items … including cash.