Heat sign second round rookie Dexter Pittman

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed second round draft selection Dexter Pittman. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“One of our priorities in the draft was to make sure that we could augment the depleted center position with the loss of Jermaine O’Neal,” said Heat President Pat Riley. “Dexter has the size and agility to be a very productive player for us in the long run, and there is no better place for him to improve than in the Miami Heat system.”

Pittman, a 6’10”, 290-pound center, played all four seasons at the University of Texas appearing in 134 games (59 starts) and averaged 6.6 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 62.3 percent from the field and 60.1 percent from the foul line. He finished his senior season leading the team in both field goal percentage (.654) and blocks (63) while earning the team’s Most Improved Player honor as both a freshman and junior.

Pittman was selected by the Heat with the 32nd pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Heat sign Mike Miller

Heat sign Mike Miller

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed free agent guard Mike Miller. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“From the first moment that we met Mike on July 1, it seemed like it would be a match made in heaven,” said Heat President Pat Riley. “We consider him to be the finest perimeter shooter in the NBA. But also he is a multi-faceted player who can rebound, handle the ball and make plays. We expect big things from him.”

Miller has appeared in 692 career games (528 starts) with four teams over 10 seasons. During his career, he has averaged 13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 32.4 minutes while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from three-point range. He was selected as the NBA’s Rookie of the Year following the 2000-01 season, and was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year following the 2005-06 season.

During the 2009-10 season, Miller averaged 10.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists, while shooting 50.1 percent from the field in 54 games (50 starts) for the Washington Wizards. He led the Wizards in three-pointers made with 82, and his 48.0 percent shooting from three-point range ranked second in the NBA.

Miller, who will wear #13 for the Heat, was originally drafted with the fifth pick in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. He was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2002-03 season, and then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to the 2008-09 season. He was then acquired by the Washington Wizards prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, and spent one season playing for the Wizards before signing as a free agent with the Heat.

Magic match Bulls offer, retain J.J. Redick

Magic match Bulls offer, retain J.J. Redick

The Orlando Magic have exercised its right of first refusal and retained restricted free agent guard J.J. Redick, General Manager Otis Smith announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal are not disclosed. Orlando had seven days to match an offer sheet made to Redick by Chicago on July 9.

“J.J. (Redick) is a valuable part of our organization, both on the court and in our community,” said Smith. “He has worked extremely hard during his four seasons with us and improved every year. We’re happy that J.J. will be back to help us reach our ultimate goal.”

Redick (#7, 6’4”, 190, 6/24/84) played in all 82 games last season with Orlando, averaging a career-high 9.6 ppg., 1.9 rpg. and 1.9 apg. in 22.0 minpg. He made nine starts, averaging 13.0 ppg., 2.9 apg. and 2.7 rpg. in 35.1 minpg. during that span. Redick led the Magic in both three-point shooting (.405, 111-274) and free throw shooting (.860, 191-222), ranking 17th in the NBA in both categories. He also appeared in all 14 playoff games, averaging 7.5 ppg., 1.7 rpg. and 1.4 apg. in 19.2 minpg.

Originally selected in the first round (11th overall) by Orlando in the 2006 NBA Draft, Redick has appeared in 222 career NBA regular season games, all with the Magic, averaging 7.0 ppg., 1.5 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 17.2 minpg. He has shot .392 (233-594) from three-point range and .863 (353-409) from the free throw line. Redick has also played in 33 career playoff outings, averaging 6.2 ppg., 1.6 apg. and 1.3 rpg. in 18.7 minpg.

Wade still shocked Heat landed LeBron

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports:

“I hit up LeBron [on Tuesday] night and I told him I’m looking at ESPN and I see his name scroll on the bottom and it says ‘Miami Heat forward LeBron James.’

“I just said, ‘Man, it’s crazy.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I just saw the same thing.’ ”

Behind his cool countenance, Wade feels every bit as exhilarated as the most fanatical of Heat fans. And he’s intoxicated by the possibilities of what this threesome can achieve.

“It’s beyond exciting,” he said. “I don’t think we even really know how excited we’re going to be.”

Suns invite Scottie Reynolds to training camp

Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic reports:

Scottie Reynolds’ entire career at Villanova – 139 games – was not enough to get him drafted in June.

But a three-game, injury-shortened stint on the Suns summer-league squad was enough to secure him an invite to training camp. Reynolds has already been asked to camp, a source said, although he is considering offers from a few other teams.

Reynolds averaged 10.3 points and 4.7 assists in the Suns’ final three games of summer-league play after missing the first two with an Achilles injury. His worst game came Thursday in Phoenix’s 86-76 wrap-up loss to the Golden State Warriors, contributing only seven points and two assists in 26 minutes.

Denver Nuggets sign Al Harrington

Nuggets sign Al Harrington

The Denver Nuggets have signed free-agent F Al Harrington, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.

Harrington, 6-9, 250, is a 12-year NBA veteran who averaged 17.7 points and 5.8 rebounds for the New York Knicks last season. For his career, he has averaged 14.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in 800 games with Indiana, Atlanta, Golden State and New York.

The 25th overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft, Harrington scored in double figures 60 times in 72 games with the Knicks in 2009-10, including 16 games of at least 25 points, four games of 30+ points and two 40-point games.

The 30-year-old Harrington exploded for 41 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the Nuggets in Denver on Nov. 27, 2009. That came four weeks after he scored a career-high 42 points against Philadelphia. He also had 23 points and nine rebounds in a victory over the Nuggets on March 23.

Drafted by Indiana out of high school, Harrington has averaged at least 12.2 points in nine of his 12 seasons. He averaged a career-high 20.1 points and ranked seventh in the NBA with 171 three-pointers during the 2008-09 season. He has made at least 140 three-pointers in each of the past three seasons.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Harrington can be a bench star for the Nuggets, backing up at both forward spots. This is a good addition.

Delonte West pleads guilty to weapons charges

The AP reports:

Delonte West pleads guilty to weapons charges

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West pleaded guilty Thursday to weapons charges and received a home detention sentence that includes flexibility to travel to NBA games if the league allows it.

In Prince George’s County Circuit Court, Judge Graydon S. McKee III sentenced West to eight months of home detention with electronic monitoring, two years of unsupervised probation, 40 hours of community service and psychological counseling.

Prosecutors said that the sentence would allow West to attend practices and travel to NBA games as his team’s schedule requires, but NBA officials would not say whether any he’ll face any additional discipline that could keep him off the court…

Authorities said the basketball player was carrying two loaded handguns, a loaded shotgun and an 8 1/2-inch Bowie knife while speeding on a three-wheel motorcycle on the Capital Beltway last September. Police said West, who owns two homes in Prince George’s County, Md., was pulled over after cutting off an officer. Video released by the prosecution after the hearing showed West stepping off the motorcycle with his hands in the air, and then standing on the side of the highway with his arms still raised.

Pistons deny they will move to Las Vegas

Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports:

It’s a safe bet that the Detroit Pistons aren’t headed to Las Vegas — and that was even before the NBA denied a newspaper report that an investment group has an agreement in place to purchase an NBA franchise and move it to Nevada if public money is used to build an arena.

“We categorically deny that there is an NBA team under contract,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank told the Free Press today.

The Las Vegas Sun reported in its Wednesday editions that Chris Milam, CEO of International Development LLC, said he has an NBA team under contract and that all that stands in the way of pro sports coming to Vegas is Clark County’s funding for a new arena.

Lawrence Frank to be Celtics assistant

Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports:

How’s this for being upwardly mobile:

Lawrence Frank, who was last seen heading for the unemployment line last December after the Nets started 0-16, has agreed to be the assistant coach on a team that came within one victory of the NBA title.

The former Nets coach has agreed to assist Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics for just one season, essentially filling the role occupied by Tom Thibodeau, who left Rivers’ staff to to take the Chicago Bulls job.

“I think it’s a good situation for me – I wanted to get back and coach, and I didn’t want to sit and wait, and you can’t ask for a better situation or a better organization,” Frank said.

Hornets re-sign Aaron Gray

Hornets re-sign Aaron Gray

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have re-signed center Aaron Gray. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

The 7-0, 270-pound Gray is a three-year NBA veteran with career averages of 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.0 minutes over 149 career games (19 starts) with the Chicago Bulls and Hornets.  The Pittsburgh product was selected by the Bulls in the second round (49th overall) of the 2007 NBA draft.  Gray was acquired last season by the Hornets on January 25 from the Bulls in exchange for guard Devin Brown. In 24 games with the Hornets last season, Gray averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10.9 minutes.

InsideHoops.com editor says: He’s big.