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Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee reports:
The Sacramento Kings’ groundbreaking agreement with ARCO oil company for local arena naming rights is over after 24 years.
The contract expires next year, team officials say, and the search already is on for a new company willing to pay to have its name in lights on the Natomas sports and entertainment arena.
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports:
The Kings will announce today they will introduce variable pricing when individual game tickets go on sale Oct. 2.
That means ticket prices will be market-driven. So games likely to be in high demand – the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat – will be priced higher than games not so high in demand – the Los Angeles Clippers or New Jersey Nets.
The Kings sought out consumers’ opinions on how to bring them back to Arco, and variable pricing is the latest response to fans’ concerns.
“We’ve talked to our season-ticket holders at length, both in person and through a lot of surveys, and the NBA,” said Kings vice president of marketing and communications Mitch Germann. “A lot of NBA teams are going to do (variable pricing), too. I know in Major League Baseball some teams have been doing it for a while.”
Brandon Rush of the Indiana Pacers, Kenny Hasbrouck of the Miami Heat and Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings have each been suspended for their actions in separate incidents, the NBA announced today.
Rush has been suspended without pay for five games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.
Hasbrouck has been suspended without pay for two games for pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated, in violation of the law of the State of New York.
Evans has been suspended without pay for one game for pleading no contest to reckless driving, in violation of the law of the State of California.
Each players’ suspension will begin with the first game of the NBA regular season for which he is eligible and physically able to play.
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The Philadelphia 76ers announced that due to forward Andres Nocioni’s injured left ankle, the team has advised him to withdraw from the upcoming FIBA World Championships, effective immediately.
The MRI of Nocioni’s left ankle was reviewed by Dr. Jack McPhilemy of Main Line Health Services, who recommended that Nocioni stop all basketball and impact activity until the team opens Training Camp at the end of September, at which time he will be re-evaluated.
Upon Nocioni’s return to Philadelphia, another MRI will be taken of his left ankle.
The NBA today released its 2010 preseason schedule, which is highlighted by a comprehensive international slate of games that includes seven contests in China, Europe and Mexico. The preseason slate tips off on Oct. 3, when the New York Knicks visit Armani Jeans Milano – the former team of Knicks forward Danillo Gallinari and head coach Mike D’Antoni – in Milan, Italy, and the New Jersey Nets host Maccabi Haifa.
As is the case these days, the action starts overseas, with a few NBA squads heading to Europe.
I’ve always had mixed feelings about teams playing preseason ball overseas. Because generally it’s just a warmup. I think if NBA fans overseas are going to get a rare taste of live NBA action, it should be the best basketball possible, and we usually don’t see that before the regular season begins.
See the complete 2010-11 NBA preseason schedule.
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The New Jersey Nets have signed free agent forward Sean May, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released. Multiple reports have said the contract is not guaranteed.
May, 6’9”/266, is a four-year NBA veteran with career averages of 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.7 minutes over 119 career games with Charlotte and Sacramento.
As the Most Outstanding Player in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, May helped North Carolina capture the 2005 National Championship.
He was selected by the Bobcats in the first round (13th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft. In three seasons with Charlotte, May appeared in 82 games with his best season coming during the 2006-07 campaign, where he averaged 11.9 points and 6.7 rebounds in 23.9 minutes.
He signed with Sacramento as a free agent on August 3, 2009 and played in a career-high 37 games during the 2009-10 season, averaging 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.9 minutes.
Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News reports:
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The 76ers’ Andres Nocioni sprained his left ankle Friday while training with Argentina’s national team and is out indefinitely pending results of X-rays and an MRI exam.
A report in Argentina suggested Nocioni could be out for roughly 20 days.
Ed Stefanski, the Sixers’ president/general manager, said he was awaiting the test results, which will be forwarded to the Sixers’ medical staff.
The Sacramento Kings’ Head Coach Paul Westphal today announced an addition to his coaching staff, reaching an agreement with Otis Hughley to join the team as an assistant coach.
“Otis has a wealth of experience working with young players and is ready to jump to the NBA,” said Westphal. “We’re very excited to add him to our staff to replace Bryan Gates.”
“It’s an exciting time,” Hughley said. “I’m looking forward to being with an organization that’s proven and that’s exhibited class. I’m really looking forward to working with Coach Westphal and his staff.”
Hughley had coached at LeFlore High School in Mobile, Ala. for seven years (2004-2010), guiding the Rattlers to six straight regional appearances and a 6A state title in 2007. While at LeFlore, he coached current Kings center Demarcus Cousins. Before coaching at LeFlore, Hughley was an assistant coach at several universities, including Wright State, Liberty, and Southern. Hughley’s experience also includes coaching for the league’s NBA China program and working over 10 years at Pete Newell’s “Big Man Camp.”
Cathy Locke of the Sacramento Bee reports:
Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans pleaded no contest Friday to reckless driving.
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Evans, 20, was ordered to serve three years’ informal probation and 80 hours of alternative sentencing, Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully said in a written announcement. His driver’s license also was suspended for 30 days, and he was ordered to participate in two California Highway Patrol Start Smart Driving programs, educational programs targeting teenage drivers.
Evans was driving his black Mercedes S550 shortly before 7 p.m. May 31, when a Highway Patrol flight officer in a CHP Cessna airplane spotted the vehicle traveling more than 100 mph while crossing lanes on westbound Interstate 80. The vehicle at times reached speeds of up to 130 mph and continued at high speeds for several miles while passing vehicles in Memorial Day weekend traffic, Scully said.
The Sacramento Kings today signed free agents Antoine Wright and Pooh Jeter to contracts, according to Kings’ Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Wayne Cooper. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
“Antoine Wright and Pooh Jeter are two solid players at their respective positions who will add to our roster’s depth,” said Cooper. “Wright has five years of NBA experience under his belt and Jeter is coming off of a great summer league showing as he played for Cleveland’s team in Las Vegas.”
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Wright, a 6-7, 215-pound forward-guard, who is currently entering his sixth NBA season, has recorded career averages of 5.6 points (.413 FGs, .306 3FGs, .674 FTs), 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game through 290 outings with New Jersey (2005-07), Dallas (2007-09) and Toronto (2009-10). He averaged 6.5 points (.406 FGs, .335 3FGs, .688 FTs), 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game over 67 contests last year with the Raptors. Wright has played in 28 career playoff games, averaging 3.9 points and 1.3 rebounds for the Nets (2005-07) and Mavericks (2007-09). He posted career averages of 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game through 87 outings over his three-year career at Texas A&M before being drafted in the first round (15th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets following his junior year.
Jeter, a 5-11, 175-pound guard, has played overseas for the last four seasons for BC Kiev (2007-08, Ukraine), ViveMenorca (2008-09, Spain), Unicaja Malaga (2009, Spain) and Hapoel Jerusalem (2009-10, Israel). His professional career began with the Colorado 14ers of the NBA D-League (2006-07) where he averaged 14.4 points (.486 FGs, .263 3FGs, .885 FTs), 7.1 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game through 50 contests. Jeter played for the Kings in the 2007 Summer League in Las Vegas, and most recently played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2010 Summer League where he averaged 14.8 points (.482 FGs, .250 3FGs, .800 FTs), a team-leading 5.4 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game over five outings. He enjoyed a four-year career at the University of Portland, averaging 14.9 points (.550 FGs, .420 FTs), 3.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game through 115 career contests.