Nets may change names once they reach Brooklyn

The New Jersey Nets are scheduled to play in Newark for the next two seasons, and if their eventual Brooklyn home is ready, they’ll make the move. And once they do relocate to Brooklyn, the Nets may or may not still be called the Nets.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports (via blog):

Prokhorov’s camp confirmed this morning that they’ve sent a request to the league to change the team’s name.

What does this mean? Maybe nothing.

Changing a team’s nickname, uniform or city name is a long process requiring that the owner gives the NBA notice 25 months in advance. This is to allow time for the creative process and the time it requires to make and market new uniforms. There doesn’t have to be a plan with the proposal, just a desire.

I actually like the sound of the name “Brooklyn Nets” and was hoping they’d keep it. It’ll be fun to see what happens.

Celtics sign second round rookie Luke Harangody

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed 2010 second round draft pick Luke Harangody.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Harangody, a 6’8” forward, was recently named to the 2010 AirTran Airways All-Summer League First Team after averaging 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in five contests.  He also shot 50.0% from beyond the arc in the five games.  Harangody, who was drafted with the 52nd pick in the Second Round of the 2010 NBA Draft, had a storied career at Notre Dame. He was named First Team All-Big East his final three seasons and finished as the third all-time leading scorer in Big East history with 1,329 and second leading rebounder with 662 rebounds. His senior year he led the Irish with 21.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and recorded 21 games with 20-or-more points.


NEW YORK - MARCH 10: Luke Harangody #44 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish handles the ball against the Seton Hall Pirates during the second round of 2010 NCAA Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 10, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Michael Jordan to present Scottie Pippen for Hall of Fame induction

Lacy J. Banks of the Chicago Sun-Times reports:

When Scottie Pippen is inducted Friday into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he will be presented by Michael Jordan, his teammate for nine of the 12 seasons Pippen played for the Bulls.

Pippen will be inducted with former Utah Jazz star Karl Malone, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss and former WNBA great Cynthia Cooper.

It’s only fitting that Jordan will present Pippen because they were the only players on all six of the Bulls’ championship teams during the 1990s.

Nets sign Sean May

Nets sign Sean May

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.


March 10, 2010: Sean May of the Sacramento Kings during the game between the Sacramento Kings and the Toronto Raptors at Arco Arena in Sacramento, CA. Ben Munn/CSM.

Timberwolves sign Anthony Tolliver

Timberwolves sign Anthony Tolliver

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed free-agent forward Anthony Tolliver. Per team policy, terms of the contract offer were not disclosed.

“Anthony is a talented and versatile player who will fit nicely with the young team we’re assembling,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “He made significant strides during his time in Golden State last season and we’re excited to see the continued growth of his game here in Minnesota.”

Tolliver, 25, appeared in 44 games for the Golden State Warriors last year after a midseason call-up from the NBA D-League. The 6-8 forward averaged 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Warriors, including career bests of 34 points (April 7 at Minnesota) and 21 rebounds (March 27 vs. Dallas). Tolliver scored in double figures in 29 of his 44 games with the Warriors and grabbed 10+ rebounds 13 times, including 12 double-doubles.

Despite going undrafted out of Creighton University during the 2007 NBA Draft, Tolliver has appeared in 65 career NBA games during stints with San Antonio, Portland and Golden State, and owns career averages of 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Tolliver has also appeared in 56 games in the D-League over the last three seasons, averaging 14.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He averaged 21.4 points and 11.4 rebounds in 14 games for the Idaho Stampede last season before earning the call-up to the Warriors.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

2010-11 76ers preseason schedule

The Philadelphia 76ers announced their 2010 preseason schedule today, highlighted by two home games at the newly renamed Wells Fargo Center (formerly Wachovia Center) in Philadelphia on Oct. 12 vs. Boston and Oct. 20 vs. New York.

The Sixers will open the preseason against the New Jersey Nets at the Roanoke Civic Center on Oct. 5.  The Roanoke Civic Center is operated and managed by Global Spectrum, the public assembly facility management subsidiary of the Sixers parent company, Comcast-Spectacor.  It is the first game for the Sixers in the state of Virginia since playing in Norfolk back in 2003 and is the first professional basketball game at the Roanoke Civic Center since 1997, when the Charlotte Hornets faced off against the Detroit Pistons in the preseason.

“We are excited to bring the Philadelphia 76ers to Roanoke,” said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. “Through Global Spectrum’s affiliation in the Comcast-Spectacor Family of Companies, we are able to utilize all of our company’s resources to bring events like preseason 76ers basketball to our Global Spectrum facilities.”

New Head Coach Doug Collins and Evan Turner, the second overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, will make their Philly debuts against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics on Oct. 12.  The Sixers close out the 2010 preseason at home on Oct. 20 against the retooled New York Knicks, featuring free agent addition Amar’e Stoudemire.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 2010 PRESEASON SCHEDULE

DATE                OPPONENT         LOCATION                VENUE                            TIME

Tues., Oct. 5     New Jersey          Roanoke, VA              Roanoke Civic Center        7:00 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 6     Boston                 Boston, MA                TD Garden                        7:30 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 9       New Jersey          Newark, NJ                 Prudential Center              1:00 p.m.
Tues., Oct. 12   Boston                 Philadelphia, PA         Wells Fargo Center           7:00 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 13    Toronto                Toronto, ON                Air Canada Centre             7:00 p.m.
Tues., Oct. 19   Cleveland             Cincinnati, OH            U.S. Bank Arena               7:00 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 20    New York             Philadelphia, PA         Wells Fargo Center           7:00 p.m.

(All times are Eastern and are subject to change)

NBA to play first-ever regular season games in Europe

The National Basketball Association (NBA) will make basketball history when the league holds its first-ever regular season games in Europe, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced today. The New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors will square off for back-to-back games at The O2 arena in London, England, on March 4 and 5 as part of NBA Games – London 2011.

“The staging of our first regular-season games in Europe is a milestone for the NBA and the ongoing development of basketball in the region,” said Stern. “By bringing these two young and exciting teams to London, we are fulfilling our commitment to schedule a regular-season game in the UK prior to the 2012 Olympics — a natural progression given the overwhelming response to the many friendlies we have played to sold-out crowds over the years.”

The Atlantic Division rivals will battle it out at a crucial time, as the NBA season heads toward the playoffs. This game will be the Toronto Raptors’ first visit to the United Kingdom, while the New Jersey Nets are already well-known in London after a 2008 visit to the city to play the Miami Heat as part of NBA Europe Live.

The Nets roster currently features NBA All-Star Devin Harris; No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft Derrick Favors; and center Brook Lopez, who earned a place on the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2009. The team recently came under the ownership of Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov and has since named Avery Johnson – the 2005-06 NBA Coach of the Year and an NBA champion as a player with the San Antonio Spurs – as its new head coach.The Raptors expect to feature a roster with a distinctive global flair, including four European players: Italian native Andrea Bargnani – the first-ever European No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, in 2006 – and fellow countryman Marco Belinelli; guard Jose Calderon of Spain; and Linas Kleiza of Lithuania. Head Coach Jay Triano – who became the first NBA coach born and trained in Canada when he served as an assistant coach for the Raptors during the 2002-03 season – will lead Toronto.

This announcement follows the success of four sold-out NBA Europe Live games in London from 2007 through 2010, with this year’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves selling out in record time. The NBA’s increasing presence in the UK has helped basketball participation double over the past four years with the sport reaching new levels of popularity.

The NBA became the first American professional sports league to stage regular-season games outside of North America when the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz opened the 1990-91 season with two games in Tokyo as part of the NBA Japan Games. The NBA has staged a total of 13 regular-season games in Japan and Mexico since 1990.

The NBA has a 20-year tradition of bringing NBA teams to Europe. The New York Knicks join the Lakers and Timberwolves for games in Barcelona, London, Milan, and Paris in October 2010 as part of NBA Europe Live. Following NBA Games – London 2011, 24 NBA teams will have played 56 games in 18 cities in Europe since 1988.

Following NBA Europe Live 2010, The O2 – which was developed and is operated by AEG – will have hosted eight NBA teams since 2007 as part of the tour: the Boston Celtics vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (2007); Miami Heat vs. New Jersey Nets (2008); Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz (2009); and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Oct. 2010).

InsideHoops.com editor says: This is good news when it comes to promoting the NBA globally. Though, I’m not sure why these two teams were selected. The Nets and Raptors both struggled last season, and while New Jersey should certainly improve this year, the Raptors will likely be worse after losing Chris Bosh.  It isn’t the best matchup to showcase the greatness of the NBA. But hopefully the two teams play well and put on a good show.

Bulls, Joakim Noah talking extension

ESPNChicago reports:

Bulls, Joakim Noah talking extension

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah wants to sign a long-term deal with the team and hopes to have one done before the season begins in October.

Noah said his agent, Donald Dell, has already started discussing the parameters of a deal with Bulls general manager Gar Forman and the 25-year-old is confident the parties can work something out in the near future…

Noah, who will make $3.1 million this season in the fourth year of his rookie deal, would become a restricted free agent next season unless the Bulls extend his contract.

The ongoing negotiations are a major reason why Noah decided not to play for the French National Team this summer during the World Championships in Turkey.

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah reacts after the Cleveland Cavaliers were called for a foul during the fourth quarter of game 3 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the United Center in Chicago on April 22, 2010. The Bulls won 108-106 and trail the Cavliers 2-1 in the best of seven series. UPI/Brian Kersey Photo via Newscom

Stephon Marbury done playing in NBA

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports:

Stephon Marbury done playing in NBA

Stephon Marbury told The Post yesterday that he is done with the NBA. He will never get a second chance with the Knicks like Isiah Thomas, whose NBA life was resuscitated by James Dolan on Friday.

“Good luck, New York,” Marbury said wryly in reacting to Thomas’ return to the Knicks as a part-time consultant. “Good luck, New York.”

Marbury, who began training Friday in Los Angeles to get ready for the Chinese Basketball Association season that starts in December, and Thomas still are next-door neighbors in Purchase, N.Y. The two are intertwined in Knicks history with their falling-out symbolizing the franchise’s plummet to rock bottom.

Jan 31, 2010 - Taiyuan, Shanxi, China - STEPHON MARBURY of Shanxi Zhongyu holds the ball at a match against Dongguan Marco Polo during the CBA 09/10 Season, in Taiyuan, north Chinas Shanxi province, January 31, 2010. Cedric Simmons made a winning free-throw in Dongguan Marco Polos 102-101 win over Shanxi Zhongyu on Sunday, spoiling Stephon Marburys debut in the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA). Marbury had 15 points, 7-out-of-11 in the field and 0-out-of-6 on three-pointers, eight assists, four steals and four rebounds in 28 minutes.