Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio played all 82 games last regular season, averaging 9.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Enjoy these video highlights of some of Rubio’s best plays:
Clippers trade Jared Dudley to Bucks
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The Milwaukee Bucks have acquired forward Jared Dudley and a 2017 conditional first round draft pick from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for forward Carlos Delfino, center Miroslav Raduljica and a 2015 second round draft pick (previously received from the L.A. Clippers), General Manager John Hammond announced today.
“Jared is a great teammate, I thank him for all his hard work on and off the floor on our behalf,” Clippers President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Doc Rivers said. “Jared is a true professional and we wish him all the best in Milwaukee.”
A seven-year NBA veteran from Boston College, Dudley, 29, holds career averages of 8.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Originally selected by Charlotte with the 22nd overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Dudley has shot 46.9 percent from the field, 39.7 percent from the 3-point arc and 73.7 percent from the free throw line in 523 career games (190 starts) with the Bobcats, Suns and Clippers. His best statistical season came in 2011-12 when he averaged 12.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor.
Delfino, 31, missed the entire 2013-14 season while recovering from a foot injury suffered during the 2013 NBA playoffs. The nine-year NBA veteran from Santa Fe, Argentina, has averaged 8.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 507 career NBA games (170 starts) for Milwaukee, Houston, Toronto and Detroit. He was originally selected by the Pistons with the 25th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
Raduljica, 26, signed with the Bucks as a free agent prior to the 2013-14 campaign. In 48 games for Milwaukee, he averaged 3.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists in his rookie campaign. A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Raduljica first represented his country in international competition at the European U16 Championships in 2004.
Westchester Knicks tryouts on Sept. 20, 2014
The Westchester Knicks, the official NBA Development League affiliate of the New York Knicks, announced today that the team will hold a local open tryout in preparation for the 2014-15 NBA Development League season. Aspiring professional basketball players will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of Westchester Knicks coaches and staff on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at the House of Sports in the Village of Ardsley in southern Westchester County.
“It’s an exciting time for the Westchester Knicks as we begin to assemble a team for our inaugural season,” said Westchester Knicks General Manager & New York Knicks Legend Allan Houston. “This event gives us a chance to look for new talent to help us compete in the NBA D-League, and, for the players, makes an impact on their professional careers moving forward.”
“The House of Sports is very excited to host the Westchester Knicks open tryout,” said House of Sports Vice President of Programing Frank Lombardy. “It is a great event where local basketball standouts can have a shot at making a professional roster, and we are happy to be a part of it.”
The Westchester tryout will be limited to 75 participants, who must all meet NBA Development League eligibility requirements. The players will be competing for an invitation to the Westchester Knicks’ training camp in November. Tryouts are scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. and conclude by 5:00 p.m.; with doors opening at 10:00 a.m. Registration packets are available online at www.westchesterknicks.com or at the House of Sports. The fee to secure a tryout spot is $150. All participants must register in advance.
The House of Sports is an Olympic-style athletic training facility located in the southern Westchester village of Ardsley. The 120,000 square-foot indoor sports complex is the largest in the New York metropolitan area and is home to the region’s leading basketball, lacrosse, and baseball academies where over 2,000 athletes train on a weekly basis.
Orlando Magic name Bill Peterson head coach of Erie BayHawks
The Orlando Magic have named Bill Peterson as head coach of its D-League team, the Erie BayHawks, Magic General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today.
“We are excited to welcome Bill (Peterson) and his family,” said Hennigan. “Bill’s passion for teaching and development fit seamlessly into our vision of creating a culture of collaboration and synergy between the Orlando Magic and Erie Bayhawks. His wealth of knowledge and experience will help our players fulfill their ultimate basketball potential.”
“When speaking with Bill, it’s clear that he’s committed to developing our players and has a strong desire to win,” said BayHawks majority owner Steve Demetriou. “We’re looking forward to him becoming a part of the Erie community and leading our team as we begin our new affiliation with the Orlando Magic.”
Peterson spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks from 2007-13. Before joining the Bucks, he served as associate head coach at Colorado State University for seven seasons (2000-07).
Prior to his stint with CSU, Peterson served as a player development coach and scout for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks (1998-2000), where he worked to develop younger players like Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Michael Finley and Greg Buckner. He also served as a special assistant with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors to work with Sarunas Marciulionis, one of the first international players to compete in the NBA.
Peterson’s collegiate experience also includes head coaching positions at the University of Alabama-Huntsville (1994-97) and Union (KY) College (1983-87), where the Bulldogs averaged 18 wins per year and made three consecutive postseason tournament appearances. He worked as the assistant head coach at McNeese State from 1987-94 and at Bossier Parish Community College (LA) from 1997-99. Peterson began coaching in 1978-79 as a student assistant at St. Petersburg (FL) Junior College and went on to serve as a graduate assistant at Louisiana Tech, where he coached Hall-of-Famer Karl Malone from 1980-83.
Peterson is a graduate of Eckerd College (FL) and holds a master’s degree in physical education and human relations from Louisiana Tech University. He and his wife, Diane, are the parents of three daughters: Kati (26), Ginny (21) and Hailey, who was called to be with the Lord in the summer of 2000.
The Orlando Magic and the Erie BayHawks have a three-year single affiliation partnership beginning with the 2014-15 NBA D-League season. Orlando became the 16th NBA team to have a one-to-one affiliation with an NBA D-League team. The partnership, also referred to as a “hybrid affiliation,” is the eighth of its kind in the NBA D-League and allows an NBA team to control the NBA D-League team’s basketball operations, while the existing local ownership maintains primary responsibility for the team’s off-the-court business operations and community initiatives.
Utah Jazz sign forward Brock Motum
The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed free-agent forward Brock Motum.
Motum (6-10, 245, Washington State) spent the 2013-14 season with Granarolo Bologna of the Italian SerieA League, averaging 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 50.6 percent from the field. He also participated in the 2014 NBA Summer League with the Jazz in Las Vegas, where he appeared in five games and averaged 8.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest.
The 23-year-old forward played collegiately at Washington State (2009-13), where he ranks fifth on the Cougars all-time list in both career points (1,530) and field goal percentage (.567). As a senior he led the Pac 12 in scoring average with 18.7 points per game, scoring at least 10 points in all 31 contests, and was selected All-Pac 12 Second Team. Following his junior season, Motum was named to the 2012 All-Pac 12 First Team and earned the league’s Most Improved Player award.
A native of Melbourne, Australia, Motum competed for the Australian Institute of Sport in both 2008 and 2009, and is currently playing for the Australian National Team at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Video: Top Nuggets plays from 2013-14 season
The Denver Nuggets finished the 2013-14 NBA season with a 36-46 record. Some major injuries to key players definitely hurt. Still, there was fun. Enjoy this video showcasing some of their best plays of the year:
Atlanta Hawks re-sign forward Mike Scott
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The Atlanta Hawks have re-signed forward Mike Scott, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry.
“Mike has worked hard and continues to adapt, improve and expand his all around game,” Ferry said. “We are very happy to have him with us going forward and we look forward to his continued growth with our group.”
Atlanta’s second-round pick (43rd overall) in the 2012 NBA Draft, Scott played in 80 games (six starts) for the Hawks last season, averaging 9.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 18.5 minutes (.479 FG%, .780 FT%). He knocked down 62 three-pointers after going 0-1 from downtown in his rookie season. Scott scored in double figures 40 times (five 20-point games including one 30-point night), leading the team in scoring nine times. In his six starts, he put up 14.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 32.5 minutes. He hit double digits in 13 straight games from 1/8-2/5, the longest stretch of his career.
In Atlanta’s 2014 first-round playoff series against Indiana, Scott compiled 9.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 20.9 minutes, including a 17-point second quarter (6-6 FGs, 5-5 3FGs – the second-most three’s in a quarter in NBA playoff history) in Game 5 (4/28/14).
Lakers sign rookie Jordan Clarkson
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The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Jordan Clarkson, the 46th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, whose rights were acquired from the Washington Wizards on draft night, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.
In the 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Clarkson led the Lakers’ entry in scoring, (15.8 points per game) and rebounding (5.0) while shooting 42.1% (8-19) from beyond-the-arc in five games (all starts). In his debut vs. Toronto, he led the team with 21 points on 7-15 shooting (2-4 from three-point range) with four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The 6’5’’ guard from Missouri was named Second Team All-SEC by the coaches in his lone season with the Tigers. An early entry candidate after his junior season, Clarkson spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Tulsa, where he was selected First Team All-Conference USA in 2011-12, following his C-USA All-Freshman team honors in 2010-11.
Mark Cuban says new Clippers owner is great for the league
Here’s ESPN Dallas reporting Mavs owner Mark Cuban’s opinion on the Clippers, who with Donald Sterling gone have a new owner:
New Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer drew comparisons to Mark Cuban with his high-fiving, chest-bumping, shouting introduction to the franchise’s fan base last week.
The scene came as no surprise to the Dallas Mavericks owner, whose enthusiastic exhibitions had been unique among the NBA’s owners.
“I’ve known Steve for a long time, going back into my twenties, and he’s always been this way,” Cuban said during an appearance on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM’s “The Afternoon Show with Cowlishaw and Mosley” last week. “So this isn’t Steve Ballmer getting hyped just for the Clippers. This is just the way he is. He’s going to be great for the league.
“You know, in reality, I already know, knowing him, he’s going to be a lot calmer than I am. He’s great hyping people up in a sales environment, but it’ll be interesting to see him during a game. I hope he’s crazy, but I’m not expecting it.”
Interesting PG options for Team USA
Here’s ESPN.com with an update on Team USA, who play an exhibition game Tuesday:
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Kyrie Irving will start opposite Goran Dragic at point guard Tuesday night when Team USA plays Slovenia in its final tuneup game leading into the FIBA World Cup.
But Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski, in tabbing Irving as his starter against the Dragic-led Slovenians, told ESPN.com that one option under consideration is letting Irving and Derrick Rose trade off as the starter throughout the tournament, which opens Saturday in Bilbao with the Yanks facing Finland.
“We’ll see as thing goes on,” Krzyzewski said after Monday’s two-hour practice. “We might alternate ’em. Both of them are going to play significant minutes.”
Krzyzewski says he can also envision Irving and Rose playing together once the tournament starts as Rose continues to acclimate himself to full-speed basketball after two major knee injuries limited him to just 10 games over the past two seasons with the Chicago Bulls.