Phoenix Suns Blog – Page 66 – NBA Blog

Welcome party for Shaq in Cleveland

Shaquille O’Neal is old but still good (and big) enough to contribute positively to a team. I worry that he’ll throw Cleveland Cavaliers chemistry off a bit this season, though. Even if he’s more effective than Zydrunas Ilgauskas for stretches, Big Z can hit open mid-range jumpers that Shaq can’t make.

Anyway, Cleveland welcomed Shaq to town in style. The AP reports:

Shaq got in one last party before training camp.

Shaquille O’Neal, the big man Cleveland is counting on to deliver this championship-starved city a title, was welcomed to town Sunday with a star-studded party that included sports celebrities and Average Joes looking to rub elbows with them.

Fashionably late, O’Neal arrived in an SUV at 11:15 p.m. as fans, one of them holding a life-size cardboard cutout of O’Neal in an Orlando Magic uniform, cheered on the sidewalks and took pictures of the town’s newest superstar, who will be teammates with reigning league MVP LeBron James.

O’Neal has had a good first impression of Cleveland.

”It’s a nice town,” he said. ”The entertainment is already here. Everything is here. The Browns are here, LeBron is here and now I’m here.”

NBA preseason begins this Thursday.

Suns practice jerseys and court have sponsor

On the heels of the NBA’s approval to allow sponsorship of team practice jerseys for the first time, the Phoenix Suns and The Annexus Group, a Phoenix-based annuity design firm, announced today a new multi-year marketing partnership agreement. Suns President and CEO Rick Welts, Suns General Manager Steve Kerr, Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry, and Ron Shurts and Don Dady, Partners in The Annexus Group made the announcement at US Airways Center.

The multi-year, mid-six figure deal (annually) includes exclusive logo placement on the team’s official practice jerseys for a two-year period, the length currently authorized by the NBA. The logo will be affixed on the upper right side of the jersey. The jerseys will be worn during official team practice and shootaround as well as during press interviews immediately following. The team’s coaching staff will also wear The Annexus Group branded gear during these times. The Suns are the second NBA team to announce a practice jersey sponsor.

“We’re proud to partner with The Annexus Group, an innovative locally-based company that continues to build a growing national business,” said Welts.

As part of the partnership, the Suns practice court will be named the Annexus Practice Court. The facility will feature The Annexus Group logos on each end of the practice court and various other spaces. The Annexus Group will utilize the facility for seminars, meetings and business building opportunities.

“On a daily basis, we have the privilege of working with the ‘best of the best’ in our business. One of the keys to our growing this powerful network has been our opportunity to work with the top advisors and distributors in the industry. This practice facility sponsorship represents one more link in that value chain,” said Dady.

Timberwolves sign Sasha Pavlovic

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed free-agent guard/forward Sasha Pavlovic. Per team policy, terms of the contract offer were not disclosed. It was reported by multiple outlets to be a one-year deal for around $1.3 million.

“We are excited to add Sasha to our team,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “His size and athleticism will help round out our wing position and provide us added experience.”

Pavlovic, a 6-8 wing from Serbia, has appeared in 381 games (127 starts) over his six-year career, averaging 5.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. His best statistical season came in 2006-07, when he averaged 9.0 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from behind the arc. Pavlovic has helped the Cavaliers reach the postseason in each of the last four years, including a playoff run to the NBA Finals in 2007 in which he averaged 9.2 points per game during the postseason.

Originally selected by the Utah Jazz with the 19th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Pavlovic appeared in 79 games as a rookie before being selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2004 Expansion Draft. Pavlovic was subsequently traded to Cleveland, where he’s played each of the past five seasons.

Suns buy out Sasha Pavlovic

The Phoenix Suns didn’t feel they had a need or use for Sasha Pavlovic, so the team and player have parted ways. Stefan Swiat of Suns.com reports:

As expected, Sasha Pavlovic’s basketball career in Phoenix was finished before it ever even began. The Suns have agreed to buy out Pavlovic’s contract in a move that will allow the team greater salary cap flexibility moving forward.

Marc Cornstein, Pavlovic’s agent, approached the Suns recently to talk to the team about a prospective buyout. If Pavlovic would have remained with the Suns, there was a reasonable chance that he would have been waived in December, allowing the organization to pay much less of a luxury tax to the league.

The 6-7 guard/forward averaged just 4.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 16.0 minutes per game last season.

InsideHoops talks to Earl Clark

Phoenix Suns rookie Earl Clark is confident. And ready for the league.

Like many kids, he knew he was going to make the NBA. Only unlike those other kids, he really did it.

Now he’s looking to prove doubters wrong.

Read this exclusive InsideHoops.com Earl Clark interview.

Amar`e Stoudemire returns to playing basketball

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports: Amaré Stoudemire’s competitive basketball play was back Tuesday and so was his eyewear. Going against a defender for the first time since a 42-point game on Feb. 18, Stoudemire played four-on-four, half-court games at US Airways Center with teammates also participating in voluntary workouts. “Sometimes, I felt like it was going faster than I expected, as far as competition,” Stoudemire said. “Other than that, I felt great. To finally be back out there with the guys and running sprints with them, I got my family back. It’s almost like you ran away from home for a while. Now, you’re back home and you feel how great it is to be around your family.”

Discuss Suns basketball in the InsideHoops Phoenix Suns forum.

Jason Richardson suspended 2 games

Jason Richardson of the Phoenix Suns has been suspended without pay for two games for pleading guilty to driving under the influence, in violation of the law of the State of Arizona, the NBA announced today.

Richardson will be suspended for the first two games of the 2009-10 NBA regular season for which he is eligible and physically able to play.

Suns name John Shumate assistant coach

The Phoenix Suns today named John Shumate an assistant coach. Shumate, a one-time Suns draft pick and 30-year veteran of basketball on the professional and collegiate levels, joins Bill Cartwright, Dan Majerle and Igor Kokoskov on head coach Alvin Gentry’s staff.

Having just completed his 12th season as a member of the Suns’ front office, Shumate makes the move to Gentry’s staff after serving in the club’s scouting department for all but one of the last eight seasons. Shumate served as the head coach of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury in 2003.

Shumate’s wealth of basketball experience was formed over the last 30 years as a player, coach and college scout. Originally the fourth overall pick of the 1974 NBA Draft by the Suns, Shumate was named All-NBA Rookie First Team in 1975-76 after sitting out his rookie campaign with a blood clot injury. The Notre Dame product played seven NBA seasons and averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in 318 games with the Suns, Buffalo, Detroit, Houston, San Antonio and Seattle.

Following his playing career, Shumate coached 17 consecutive years at the college and pro level at Notre Dame (assistant coach, 1981-83, 1986-88), Grand Canyon College (now Grand Canyon State, head coach, 1983-86), Southern Methodist University (head coach, 1988-94) and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors (assistant coach, 1995-98). The 57-year-old rejoined the Suns organization as a community relations representative in 1998 before moving to the scouting department in 2000.

The team also announced today the addition of Bruce Fraser to the scouting staff. Elvis Valcarcel has been promoted to video coordinator after one season as assistant video coordinator.

Talk Suns basketball in the InsideHoops Phoenix Suns forum.

Phoenix Suns sign Taylor Griffin

The Phoenix Suns today announced the signing of forward Taylor Griffin, the club’s second-round selection (48th overall) in the 2009 NBA Draft. We will try to post contract info tonight.

“Taylor is an excellent athlete, a hard worker and very much team-oriented,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr. “He fits right in with the kind of people we want in our organization, and he has a chance to develop into a very good player.”

The 6-7, 238-pound Griffin most recently appeared as a member of the Suns’ entry in the 2009 Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 6.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal in five games (all starts).

A four-year performer at the University of Oklahoma, Griffin enjoyed his best statistical season as a senior in 2008-09, averaging 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds while starting all 36 games. Known for his hustle, the 23-year-old led the team in steals during his senior campaign and ranked second in blocks.

Griffin is a two-time Second-Team Academic All-Big 12 selection (2007, 2008) who became the fifth Oklahoma product drafted by Phoenix in franchise history, joining Ted Evans (1974), Tom Holland (1974), Ring of Honor member Alvan Adams (1975) and Bo Overton (1983).

The son of a high school basketball coach, Griffin was named the 2005 Gatorade Oklahoma Player of the Year as a senior in high school after leading his school to state titles in both his junior and senior seasons. He is the older brother of former Oklahoma teammate Blake Griffin, who was taken by the L.A. Clippers with the first overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Shaq guest host on WWE wrestling show Monday Night Raw

NBA star Shaquille O’Neal is a guest host tonight on the famous WWE wrestling show “Monday Night Raw,” which is nationally televised. This week’s edition takes place in Washington D.C.

It began with wrestling legend Jerry Lawler introducing Shaq to fans, mistakenly calling him “a 15-time NBA MVP.”

Then, current wrestling star Chris Jericho came out, insulting Shaq, saying that he heard a top NBA superstar was coming out and naturally assumed it was Kobe Bryant, not Shaq.

Jericho’s friend (and tag team partner) “The Big Show” was introduced and stood face to face with Shaq. Big Show is about 7 feet tall and listed at 485 pounds. In all my years I’ve never seen Shaq as the smaller dude. (Yao Ming is taller than Shaq, but Shaq’s still the bigger dude.)

Big Show called Shaq a toothpick. Shaq called him “Fat Boy” in return.

Naturally, Shaq didn’t exchange blows with anyone. He’s just there to guest-host and stay healthy for the 2009-10 NBA season as a new member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

About 40 minutes into the show, Hornswoggle, a “little person” Irish wrestling character dressed like a tiny leprechaun came into a room Shaq was in backstage. Shaq joked that they went to high school together, then invited Hornswoggle to dunk on a lowered basket. “Come on, Nate Robinson” said Shaq, encouraging the little fellow.

The show began at 9 p.m. ET on USA network.