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Report: Sixers offer Iguodala for Melo

Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

The 76ers have contacted the Denver Nuggets about a potential trade for star forward Carmelo Anthony, multiple NBA sources confirmed on Sunday.

The centerpiece of the Sixers’ offer is swingman Andre Iguodala, although other players, including expiring contracts and young talent, would be needed to convince the Nuggets to part with their franchise player.

Anthony has only one season left on his contract and has made it clear he does not intend to re-sign with Denver, the team he joined as a rookie in 2003.

The Nuggets have offered Anthony a three-year, $65 million extension; the offer is still on the table. Iguodala agreed to a six-year, $80 million deal before the 2008-09 season; he has four years and approximately $55 million remaining on his deal.

April 12, 2010: Philadelphia 76ers guard Andre Iguodala (9) looking to pass the ball during the NBA game between the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Heat beat the 76ers, 107-105.

Utah Jazz sign Earl Watson

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has signed free-agent guard Earl Watson. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Watson (6-1, 185, UCLA) owns career averages of 7.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists over nine NBA seasons with Memphis, Denver, Seattle/Oklahoma City and Indiana. Watson has also appeared in eight postseason contests, all with Memphis in 2004 and 2005.

UCLA’s all-time leader in steals and minutes played, Watson’s best statistical NBA season came in 2007-08 with Seattle, when he appeared in 78 games (73 starts) for the SuperSonics, averaging 10.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 29.1 minutes. Last season with Indiana, Watson saw action in 79 games (52 starts), averaging 7.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists in in 29.4 minutes.

March 14, 2010 Milwaukee, WI. Bradley Center..Indiana Pacers Earl Watson brings the ball up the court, Watson had 15 points and 5 rebounds against the Bucks today..Milwaukee Buck won over the Indiana Pacers 98-94. Mike McGinnis/CSM.

Which Hedo Turkoglu will show up for Suns?

Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic writes:

The NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2007-08 who helped Orlando to the 2009 Finals? Or the one who was considered a bust in Toronto last season because of sub-par production and a dispassionate air?

It’s up to him, really. At 31, he still has game-changing skills. The spot-up shooting. The slashing through the lane. The ability to create mismatches thanks to a 6-foot-10 frame.

But he has to buy into the Suns’ system, which is really the only way the machine works in Phoenix. It’s an insiders team. You’re in or you’re out. You have to accept the reality that you might not come off the floor one night and barely get on it the next.

Coach Alvin Gentry is not afraid to buck convention. He is less about formulas and more about feel. If the bench has the hot hand, they’re staying in.

“I understand that,” Turkoglu said. “The reason (it works) here is that there’s really good chemistry and those guys accept those roles. For me, I just have to be one of them, just be the guy whenever they need me. I’m going be out there and every single night I’m trying to do my best.”

Andrew Bynum expects to be out until late November

Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports:

Andrew Bynum said Saturday he does not expect to make his season debut until late November.

“I see it more towards the end of November,” Bynum said of his return.

Bynum had surgery on his right knee on July 28, and the procedure involved his doctor reattaching the damaged cartilage instead of just cutting it off, as is customary in these surgeries. The goal is to give Bynum’s knee more long-term support — perhaps wise considering he is predisposed to knee injuries and has already had so many in his short career — but requires more recovery time.

Bynum said he can’t do any impact activities for four weeks. He said he got an update from his doctor, David Altchek, on Thursday.

Bobcats center Kwame Brown out at least 4-6 weeks

The Charlotte Bobcats announced today that center Kwame Brown will miss a minimum of 4-6 weeks due to a third degree left ankle sprain.

Brown suffered the injury during offseason workouts on Thursday. He received an MRI later that afternoon, performed by team physician Dr. Glenn Perry, who confirmed the severity of the sprain. On Friday, Brown had a precautionary exam performed by foot and ankle specialist Dr. Bob Anderson to ensure no further damage was present in the ankle, on which Brown previously had surgery in May 2007.

Brown will wear a protective boot for the next two weeks prior to beginning the rehabilitation process.

The Charlotte Bobcats, who became the NBA’s 30th team when they joined the league in 2004-05, finished the 2009-10 season with a franchise-best 44-38 overall record (31-10 at home) and first-ever playoff appearance.

Yao Ming hopes to be ready for preseason

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports:

Rockets center Yao Ming said Friday he does not know if he will be ready for the first preseason game against Orlando on Oct. 5, but thinks his chances are good.

“When I was playing some scrimmage with some of the teammates in the last two weeks, I can’t say it (his surgically repaired left foot) is as good as the original one, the one on the right, but it feels as good as can be running on the court,” Yao said. “The foot limits me a little bit. I still have time to get it better before the regular season starts.

“I have not played a real game, even an exhibition game. I don’t know how it will react. Hopefully, we can learn as soon as possible.”

Heat will not sign Erick Dampier

Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald reports:

With four centers already on the roster under guaranteed contracts, the Heat decided Friday to pass on the Erick Dampier experiment.

Dampier, a 14-year veteran free agent, had workouts this week with the Heat and the Houston Rockets after he was released by Charlotte.

Heat president Pat Riley spoke highly Thursday of the type of presence Dampier could add, specifically as a low-post defender and rebounder. But by passing on Dampier, the Heat essentially sent a message that it is comfortable with the front-court players on the roster.

Apr. 25, 2010 - San Antonio, TEXAS, UNITED STATES - epa02131923 Dallas Mavericks player Erick Dampier (R) knocks San Antonio Spurs player Manu Ginobili (L) down in the first half of their Western Conference first round playoff game at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, USA, 25 April 2010.

Charlotte Bobcats name Chris Whitney Director of Player Development

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has named 11-year NBA veteran Chris Whitney Director of Player Development.

“Chris Whitney was the consummate professional as a player, both on and off the court, during his NBA career. He always carried himself in a first-class manner and set a great example as a team leader,” said Higgins. “His experience and the great respect that players around the league have for him makes Chris the ideal person to help our players continue to be positive contributors in our community.”

In his new role with the organization, Whitney will cultivate one-on-one relationships with Bobcats players, provide guidance to help them develop life skills, both professionally and socially, and assist in planning for life after basketball.

The NBA’s Player Development Program was designed to aide players with life skills training and development, player counseling and assistance, and education and career transition. The program’s overall mission is to help NBA players realize their potential both on and off the court through comprehensive educational programming and critical support services and mentoring.

Whitney, who was initially selected by San Antonio with the 47th overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft, played in 579 career NBA games for San Antonio, Washington, Denver and Orlando, averaging 6.5 points, 2.8 assists and 1.4 rebounds. Eight of his 11 seasons came with the Bullets/Wizards, where he remains the team’s all-time career leader in free-throw percentage (.885) and ranks third all-time in three-point field goals (481).

No stranger the Carolinas region, Whitney played collegiately at Clemson University from 1991-93, following two seasons at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Illinois, where he was named First Team NJCAA All-American in 1991. He remains the Tigers’ career leader in three-point field goals per game (2.88), while ranking second in steals per game (1.97), second in assists per game (6.10) and fifth in three-point percentage (.413). Despite playing only two seasons, Whitney ranks seventh among the school’s career leaders in three-point field goals (167) and ninth in career assists (354). He holds two of Clemson’s top nine single-season three-point field goal totals and is one of just four players in school history with consecutive seasons of 80 or more three-point field goals.

While playing with the Wizards, Whitney created the C-WHIT (Children with Hope in Tomorrow) Foundation to assist programs dedicated to helping children in Washington, DC, and his hometown of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He was the runner-up for the NBA’s Sportsmanship Award in 2000-01.

Wizards sign Andray Blatche to extension, exercise JaVale McGee option

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed forward/center Andray Blatche to a contract extension and has exercised its fourth-year option on center JaVale McGee. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not released.

“Andray and JaVale are two pieces that we feel can solidify our frontcourt for years to come and extending their contracts certainly fits in with our long-term plan of rebuilding this team with a core of young, talented players,” said Grunfeld. “Both players performed very well over the second half of last season and we’re confident that they will continue to develop and build on the potential and promise that they have shown throughout the beginning stages of their careers.”

Blatche averaged career-highs of 14.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 81 games for the Wizards last season. The sixth-year big man increased his productivity in the 32 games following the All-Star break, averaging 22.1 points and 8.3 rebounds while posting five games of 30+ points and 10+ rebounds during that stretch. Blatche finished with 24 games of scoring 20+ points and 16 double-doubles on the year while leading the team in games played, minutes, field goals made & attempted, steals and free throw attempts. He has increased his scoring and rebounding averages in each of his five seasons since being acquired by the Wizards in the second round (49th overall pick) of the 2005 NBA Draft.

McGee averaged 6.4 points and 4.0 rebounds last season while ranking ninth in the NBA with 1.7 blocks and first in the NBA in blocks per 48 minutes (5.01). Like Blatche, he increased his numbers after the All-Star break, averaging 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks (including 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game during the month of April). McGee, who was selected by the Wizards with the 18th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, has participated in the USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camp for the past two summers and was tabbed as one of 15 finalists for the team’s 12-man roster for the 2010 World Championships.

Cavaliers name David Griffin VP of basketball operations

The Cleveland Cavaliers have named David Griffin as Vice President of Basketball Operations, Michael Blackstone as Executive Director of Basketball Operations, Derek Millender as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach and Physical Training Coordinator for Player Development, Stephen Spiro as Assistant Athletic Trainer and Kwame Graves-Fulgham as Video Coordinator, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Additionally, Grant announced the promotions of David Henderson to Director of East Coast Scouting, Wes Wilcox to Director of Player Personnel, Trent Redden to Basketball Operations Manager/Scout, Dan Vincent to Assistant Video Coordinator/Advance Scout Manager and Larisha Whatley to Player Programs and Team Services Manager.

“We are extremely proud to promote and advance the careers of the high-quality people already within our organization. These individuals have helped us develop our strong foundation,” said Cavs General Manager Chris Grant. “At the same time, we are pleased to have built an organization and a culture that attracts talented, successful, hard-working individuals.”

Griffin joins the Cavaliers following a 17-season stint with the Phoenix Suns, where he most recently served as the Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations. With the Cavs, Griffin will work closely with General Manager Chris Grant on all basketball and front office matters and oversee the team’s scouting and player personnel areas as well as the team’s draft process. Prior to his final position with Phoenix, Griffin also held the roles of assistant general manager of player personnel, director of player personnel, assistant director of player personnel, basketball operations assistant and media relations coordinator with the Suns following his start as an intern in the media relations department in 1993.

Blackstone comes to Cleveland from the Shapiro Negotiations Institute (SNI), in Baltimore, MD. As the Vice President of Marketing/Master Facilitator at SNI, Blackstone consulted and advised partner companies, including Sunoco, Wachovia, Bank of America, TV Guide and the Cleveland Indians of MLB, on high-level negotiations.

Millender will remain in Cleveland, joining the Cavaliers from local Cleveland State University (CSU). As the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for four seasons at CSU, he was responsible for the strength and conditioning programs for nearly 300 student-athletes in 17 intercollegiate sports. Prior to that, he served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Cleveland Indians and their Class A and Double-A teams.

Spiro spent six years with Temple University as the men’s basketball head athletic trainer. In addition to his basketball experience, he also served as the Boston Red Sox Triple-A team’s assistant athletic trainer for a season prior to joining Temple.

Graves-Fulgham joins the team from the Boston Celtics. He played an instrumental role the past two seasons in Boston as the assistant video coordinator assisting the head video coordinator in performing video breakdowns of upcoming opponents and assembling personnel reports to coaches and players among other duties.

Henderson joined the Cavs prior to the 2007-08 season as a scout. He starred as a player at Duke, reaching the Final Four as a senior in 1986 before playing one season in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers and eight seasons overseas in Israel and Turkey. Following his playing career, Henderson spent four seasons at Duke as an assistant coach before being named head coach at the University of Delaware in 2000.

Wilcox started with the Cavaliers prior to the 2003-04 season and for the past three seasons has served as the team’s Pro/College Scout. He has played a key role in the Cavaliers personnel scouting process focusing on the minor leagues, NCAA, NBA and numerous international leagues. He has also held the role of advance scout with the team.

Redden began his NBA career with the Cavaliers as the basketball operations intern in July of 2006. He was hired immediately following the 2006-07 season as the basketball operations assistant and over the past three seasons has aided in all areas of the Cavaliers basketball operations team.

Vincent also began his career in Cleveland as an intern, joining the Cavs as a team seasonal assistant prior to the 2007-08 season. Following the completion of the season, he was brought on as the coaching staff coordinator, working closely with the head coach and assistant coaches in all areas of game preparation.

Whatley started in Cleveland in 2004 as public relations coordinator before joining the basketball operations as the team services coordinator. Prior to joining the Cavs, she spent four years in Detroit as a media relations coordinator for the Detroit Pistons and assistant director of media relations for the Detroit Shock.