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Raptors sign center Jamaal Magloire

The Toronto Raptors announced Friday they have signed veteran centre Jamaal Magloire. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

Magloire was born in Toronto and attended high school at Eastern School of Commerce. He is the first Canadian-born player to join the Raptors in the club’s 16-year history.

Magloire is a veteran of 11 NBA seasons and owns career averages of 7.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 22.1 minutes in 646 regular season outings. He has appeared in 46 postseason contests, averaging 7.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 19.8 minutes.

Magloire, 6-foot-11, 265 pounds comes to the Raptors after spending the past three seasons with the Miami Heat. His best statistical campaign came in 2003-04 when he averaged 13.6 points, 10.3 rebounds and 33.9 minutes in 82 games with the New Orleans Hornets. He was one of only 11 players that season to average a double-double. Magloire set single-season career highs in minutes, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, free throw percentage, offensive, defensive and total rebounds, rebound average, points and scoring average. He set his career highs with 15 free throws made in 20 attempts in Toronto on March 21, 2004.

Magloire captured Eastern Conference Player of the Month honours in April 2004, averaging 21.7 points and 12.1 rebounds. He was named to the Eastern Conference squad for the 2004 NBA All-Star Game held in Los Angeles. He totaled 19 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes for the East All-Stars.

Nicknamed “Big Cat,” Magloire scored a career-best 27 points on two occasions (last: at Golden State, 11/23/04) and grabbed a personal-best 22 rebounds versus Charlotte on January 21, 2006. He’s totaled double figures in scoring on 221 occasions, including 27 games with at least 20 points. He has posted double-figure rebound totals 155 times, with three games of at least 20 rebounds. His lone 20-point/20-rebound effort came against the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre on March 7, 2004.

Magloire was selected in the first round (19th overall) by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2000 NBA Draft. He has seen action with the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.

Magloire appeared in 145 games during his four-year collegiate career at Kentucky, averaging 7.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.85 blocks and 19.3 minutes. He finished his career as the school’s all-time shot blocker (268). As a senior, he averaged 13.2 points, second on the team, and a team-best 9.1 rebounds in 33 games. He also earned first-team All-SEC honours and became the first Wildcat and only the third SEC player to be named SEC Player of the Week three times in a season.

Raptors likely signing Jamaal Magloire

It is a move that the Heat will likely feel more in the locker room than on the court.

Jamaal Magloire, the bruising backup center who has been quite popular with Heat teammates, has agreed to terms with the Raptors, according to a source.

It makes plenty of sense for Magloire, who is from Toronto and would become the Raptors’ first Canadian player, and for the Raptors, who are looking to change their culture.

— Reported by Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post (Blog)

Phoenix Suns likely to waive Vince Carter

Vince Carter isn’t a free agent yet, but sources close to the situation say the eight-time All-Star will be thrust onto the open market shortly after the end of the lockout.

Based on an amendment in his contract obtained by ESPN.com, Carter must be waived by the Phoenix Suns within 72 hours of the official start of free agency or his $18 million salary for the 2011-12 season becomes fully guaranteed.

The Suns, sources said, have already decided to waive Carter within that window.

The Suns and Carter amended the contract in June to delay the guaranteed-salary date in Carter’s final contract year until after the lockout ended.

— Reported by Marc Stein and Chris Broussard of ESPN.com

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Toronto Raptors hire Ed Stefanski as VP of basketball operations

The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday they have hired Ed Stefanski as the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations. Stefanski joins the Raptors from upper management positions with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, where his teams qualified for the NBA playoffs in eight of the past nine seasons. In his position, Stefanski will report to Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo.

“Ed Stefanski embodies everything I was hoping to attain when the search began for a top level basketball executive to join our staff,” said Colangelo. “Ed brings to the table experience, smarts and a great feel for the game and of people.”

“I am very excited to join Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors organization,” Stefanski said. “Toronto is a world class city and the Raptors fans are strong supporters.

“The team has a young nucleus of players that have a big upside. And with the addition of Head Coach Dwane Casey I am looking forward to witnessing their growth and improvement.”

Stefanski, who has earned a reputation throughout the NBA as an excellent evaluator of talent, spent the past four seasons in a president and general manager role with Philadelphia. With the 76ers, Stefanski returned the franchise to playoff status via trades, the re-signing of key performers and the acquisition of athletic, younger players in the NBA Draft. Despite having only mid-first round picks in three of his four drafts, Stefanski was able to add lottery-level talent to the team.

Prior to joining Philadelphia, Stefanski spent nine seasons with the Nets. He was promoted to general manager of the club in the summer of 2004 following a one-year stint as the team’s senior vice president of basketball operations and four seasons as the team’s director of scouting.

While with the Nets, Stefanski oversaw the team’s basketball operations and was heavily involved in the club’s roster development and player personnel matters. He helped to build New Jersey’s back-to-back Eastern Conference Championship teams in 2002 and 2003.

A 1976 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School of Business), Stefanski played three seasons for Penn, where he was coached by Hall-of-Famer Chuck Daley. Stefanski was a member of two Ivy League Champions (1974 and 1975), helping the Quakers reach the NCAA Tournament in both of those seasons.

In 1979, Stefanski also began a 20-year run as a colour analyst for Big Five basketball and ESPN’s Atlantic 10 basketball coverage.

Raptors close to hiring Ed Stefanski

The Toronto Raptors are finalizing an agreement with former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Ed Stefanski to take over as the franchise’s executive vice president of basketball operations, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Stefanski, who was fired as the 76ers’ GM a week ago, will report to Raptors president-GM Bryan Colangelo, who will still have final say on basketball matters. Stefanski will ultimately replace Masai Ujiri, who left Toronto to become the Denver Nuggets GM last year.

Colangelo conducted a lengthy search and ultimately targeted Stefanski in recent weeks for the job. Former New Orleans Hornets GM Jeff Bower was the runner-up. San Antonio Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey had been a strong candidate, too.

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports

Raptors guard Jose Calderon to train with Barcelona

Barcelona says Toronto Raptors point guard Jose Calderon has followed the Gasol brothers and decided to train with the Spanish club during the NBA lockout.

Calderon is the latest Spanish international to practice with Barcelona after Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol and his brother Marc of the Memphis Grizzlies linked up with the club earlier this week.

While the Gasol brothers are practicing with the first team, Calderon will train with the Barcelona B team from Sunday.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Ed Stefanski in talks to become Raptors GM

Philadelphia 76ers executive Ed Stefanski is engaged in advanced talks with the Toronto Raptors to take over as general manager, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Stefanski would move into the franchise’s No. 2 basketball executive job under president Bryan Colangelo. Stefanski, who is in the final year of his deal in Philadelphia and has the GM title, knows he probably won’t be retained after his contract expires, sources said. Stefanski lost his spot as the Sixers’ top decision maker a year ago to Rod Thorn, and now the franchise is waiting for the NBA to approve the team’s sale to a New York investment group.

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports

Jamario Moon Signs With NBL Canada Quebec Kebs

Former Toronto Raptors Forward Jamario Moon is taking full advantage of the NBA Lockout.

Moon a four-year NBA veteran with stints with the Raptors, Cavs, Heat and Clippers has agreed to join the Quebec Kebs of the National Basketball League of Canada.

“Just his presence will benefit our team,” said Kebs coach Robert Spon. “I think that a player like Jamario join the Kebs is good not only for ourselves but for our league.”

Moon considered a high flyer and a solid defender has averaged 6.4 points per game and 4.3 rebounds in 278 career games.

— Reported by BasketballBuzz.ca

Joey Dorsey signs in Spain

Euroleague.net reports:

Caja Laboral continued to build its frontline ahead of the new season and its latest signing is big man Joey Dorsey, who penned a one-year deal. Dorsey (2.03 meters, 25 years old) spent the past three seasons in the NBA, where he played in a total of 61 games for Houston, Sacramento and Toronto. Last year he appeared in 43 games for Toronto, for whom he averaged 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 12 minutes. Dorsey is considered an undersized center with tremendous rebounding skills and a solid low-post game.

NBA postpones training camps, cancels October 9-15 preseason games

The NBA announced today that player training camps for the 2011-12 season have been postponed indefinitely because a new collective bargaining agreement has not been reached with the National Basketball Players Association. Training camps were scheduled to open on October 3.

In addition, the league canceled all preseason games scheduled from October 9 through October 15.

“We have regretfully reached the point on the calendar where we are not able to open training camps on time and need to cancel the first week of preseason games,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. “We will make further decisions as warranted.”

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