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Spurs trade Theo Ratliff to Bobcats

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has acquired center Theo Ratliff from the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for a protected second-round draft pick in 2016.

The 6-10 Ratliff is in his 15th NBA season, with career averages of 7.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocked shots, 0.6 assists and 0.5 steals in 25.7 minutes in 772 games played for Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Portland, Boston, Minnesota and San Antonio. The 18th overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, Ratliff was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 1999 and 2004 and was voted the starting center for the Eastern Conference in the 2001 NBA All-Star Game but was unable to play due to a stress fracture in his right wrist suffered four days before the game.

In 21 games played with San Antonio this season, Ratliff is averaging 1.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.9 blocked shots and 0.4 assists in 8.7 minutes.

Ratliff, who previously played for Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown in Philadelphia from 1997-2001, led the NBA in blocked shots per game in 2000-01, 2002-03 and 2003-04. One of only seven players in NBA history to lead the league in blocked shots at least three times, his 1,920 career blocked shots ranks 18th all-time and fifth among active players. He is the last NBA player to record at least 300 blocked shots in a season, finishing with 307 in 2003-04, and is the only player to do so since Dikembe Mutumbo in 1995-96.

Ratliff has also played in 39 career playoff games, averaging 5.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots in 21.2 minutes for Detroit and Philadelphia.

Spurs will trade Theo Ratliff to Bobcats

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

Spurs will Theo Ratliff to Bobcats

The NBA’s trade deadline nearly came and passed Thursday with the Spurs staying on the sidelines, but a last-minute deal that will send Theo Ratliff to the Charlotte Bobcats was awaiting official NBA approval late Thursday afternoon, according to league sources.

The Spurs are expected to receive a future draft pick from the Bobcats, giving them some relief from the luxury tax they will have to play this summer. Under NBA collective bargaining rules, only $825,497 of Ratliff’s veteran minimum salary of $1.3 million counted against their salary cap. Combined with the recent buyout of Marcus Haislip’s two-year deal, the Spurs will have saved about $1.7 million in luxury tax payments.

Dennis Rodman making coaching debut

Although the article mentions that he has no interest in really becoming a coach, Dennis Rodman is about to give it a shot in the very-minor leagues.

The Dallas Morning News reports:

Former Dallas Mavericks star Dennis Rodman will make his professional coaching debut tonight.

Rodman will coach the Elmira Bulldogs, a minor league team from Eastern Basketball Alliance for games on Friday and Saturday night.

“I want to show people that I am different than the character they see on TV. Everyone always sees me on TV, they see me doing crazy stuff,” Rodman told thedailyreview.com. “They see me on shows like rehab. I’m the sanest guy on that show.”

According to the-leader.com, Rodman is being paid to coach two games as a publicity stunt.

First Arena general manager Robbie Nichols thought it was a home run idea, but pre-order ticket sales have been a disappointment because he told the-leader.com that people weren’t sure Rodman would show up, given his freestyle nature.

Manu Ginobili regaining form

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

Nearly 24 hours after the fact, the Spurs still were buzzing about the way Manu Ginobili turned Tuesday’s game against the Timberwolves into a personal time machine that transported him back to his days as one of the NBA’s most electrifying players.

Ginobili came to training camp after a summer of enforced inactivity designed to assure complete recovery from a stress fracture of the right ankle. He lately has been reintroducing bits and pieces of the unique game that made him one of the league’s best players.

Tuesday night’s near-triple double was the latest evidence he is getting closer to being the real Manu Ginobili.

Up next: The confidence that will allow him to attack the basket when he believes his legs have regained the explosiveness that once made him a human highlight reel.

Matt Bonner breaks hand

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

Matt Bonner breaks hand

At some point late in the first quarter of Saturday’s Spurs-Pacers game at the AT&T Center, Matt Bonner broke the fourth metacarpal — the bone in the meaty part of the hand that leads to the ring finger — on his right hand.

X-rays taken at the arena showed a partial fracture, and the initial diagnosis does not appear to indicate a need for surgery to repair the bone. Bonner will be re-examined on Monday before a final timetable for his return is announced, but he is certain to miss a significant number of games. He is optimistic his hiatus will last no more than a month.

“It’s not broken all the way through, so it should heal itself in about four weeks,” he said. “That’s about it.”

Spurs need to show improvement

With a 9-8 record, the San Antonio Spurs sit in the middle of the Western conference pack. If the regular season ended today, they’d qualify for the playoffs, but just barely — via a tie-breaker with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Will the Spurs soon raise the level of their game?

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express News reports:

After back-to-back homecourt losses to the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets, the Spurs head to the scene of one of their worst losses of the season with a sense their season has reached an early turning point.

The Jazz’s motivation is much simpler. They need a victory over any team to erase the embarrassment of Saturday night’s loss to Minnesota. The Timberwolves had won only two games before coming from 14 points down to beat a Jazz team that coach Jerry Sloan says didn’t defend in the second half.

The Spurs, 9-8 after back-to-back losses, approach tonight’s game with a fair amount of optimism. But they also understand that this revamped roster — one which many hoped would position them for a title run — needs to begin showing results, and soon.

“This stretch of games right here is really good for us,” Spurs captain and leading scorer Tim Duncan said. “We need to turn a corner and learn things about ourselves and become a better team.”

Right now, it’s hard to take the Spurs seriously as a championship contender. Perhaps that’ll change in the near future.

Spurs assign Malik Hairston to Austin Toros of D-League

The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have assigned guard Malik Hairston to the Austin Toros, the NBA Development League team owned and operated by the Spurs.

Hairston has appeared in eight games with San Antonio this season where he averaged 0.8 points in 4.1 minutes.

Last season Hairston split the year between San Antonio and Austin.  In 15 games with the Spurs he averaged 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds.  In Austin, he earned All-D-League Honorable Mention after averaging 22.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 30 games.

Hairston was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 48th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and was acquired by San Antonio in exchange for the draft rights to Goran Dragic. He spent the 2008 training camp with San Antonio where he averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in six preseason games before being waived on 10/26.

Raja Bell out at least three months after wrist surgery

Golden State Warriors guard Raja Bell underwent successful surgery today to repair ligament damage in his left wrist, the team announced.

Following the surgery, which was performed by Dr. Paul Perlik at Presbyterian Orthopedic Hospital in Charlotte, NC, Bell will have his wrist immobilized for six (6) weeks, at which point he will begin rehabilitation.

He is expected to be sidelined a minimum of three (3) months.

Manu Ginobili out 7-10 days

Manu Ginobili out 7-10 days

Manu Ginobili underwent an MRI examination this afternoon in San Antonio. The exam confirmed that he has a mild left groin strain and showed that he has no structural damage in the area. Ginobili will begin his rehabilitation process tomorrow. He is expected to miss seven-to-ten days.

Ginobili suffered the injury in the first quarter of last night’s Spurs-Mavericks game.

This season in nine games the 6-6, 205-pound shooting guard is averaging 14.1 points and 4.2 assists in 23.4 minutes per game. He’s shooting just 37.8 percent from the field.

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