NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
New York Knicks forward Al Harrington has been fined $25,000 for publicly criticizing game officials, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
Harrington was fined for comments he made on Friday, October 30.
We’ll add more info to this post later Sunday night.
The Indiana Pacers announced Sunday they have picked up the options on second-year players Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush.
Rush, a 6-6, 210-pound guard, entered the league in the 2008-09 season and averaged 8.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game.
Hibbert, a 7-2, 278-pound center, also began his NBA career last season and averaged 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 14.4 minutes per game.
The Denver Nuggets have signed forward Renaldo Balkman to a contract extension, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today. Per league policy, terms of the deal were not released. We’ll post details Sunday or Monday.
Last season, Balkman averaged a career-high 5.0 ppg and 3.8 rpg while shooting a career-high .558 from the field in 53 games with the Nuggets.
Balkman was acquired by trade from the New York Knicks on July 28, 2008 in exchange for guard Taurean Green, forward Bobby Jones and a 2010 second round draft pick.
Balkman was originally selected by New York in the first round (20th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft out of the University of South Carolina and has averaged 4.4 ppg and 3.8 rpg and has shot .517 from the floor in 186 career games.
The Denver Nuggets have exercised the fourth-year option on guard Arron Afflalo’s contract, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.
In his first two games with Denver, he has averaged 1.5 ppg and 1.0 apg in 18.5 minutes.
Afflalo was acquired by trade from the Detroit Pistons on July 13 in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
The UCLA product was selected by the Pistons in the first round (27th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft and averaged 4.3 ppg and 1.8 rpg in 14.8 minutes per contest in two seasons in Detroit.
Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman reports:
If you had one guess, what would you say is driving Kevin Durant this season?
The scoring title? An All-Star appearance? A playoff berth?
How about video games?
“People might not believe me, but when I go home (after practice) I play video games and I lose all the time,” Durant said. “And I get so mad that I come back and I want to win everything. Something that small puts that winning mentality into my head.”
The NBA’s sixth leading scorer last season is off to a good start after Wednesday’s season-opening 102-89 victory over Sacramento. A stiffer test is in store tonight as the Thunder rolls into Detroit to take on a more talented Pistons team. But the goal of winning remains the same.
“That’s what this year is all about,” Durant said. “We have the right group of guys here and we all want to win, so that makes it easier as well.”
The Thunder are a fun, young team off to a nice little 2-0 start, and in the two wins Durant averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has exercised its third-year option on center Kosta Koufos for the 2010-11 season. Per team policy, financial terms were not released.
Koufos (7-0, 265, Ohio State) appeared in 48 games (seven starts) as a rookie in 2008-09, averaging 4.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game. In 10 games (all starts) for the Utah Flash of the NBA D-League, Koufos posted 16.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.0 assists in 29.8 minutes per game. A dual citizen of both Greece and the United States, he competed for Greece in the 2009 EuroCup.
Originally drafted by the Jazz in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft, Koufos played one season for Ohio State, where he averaged 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in 37 games, earning NIT MVP honors after leading the Buckeyes to the 2008 NIT title.
The Phoenix Suns today announced that the club has exercised the team options on the contracts of third-year forward Jared Dudley and second-year center Robin Lopez for the 2010-11 season. The Suns have declined the 2010-11 team option on the contract of third-year swingman Alando Tucker.
Dudley, 24, enters his first full season with the Suns and third career campaign after being acquired along with Jason Richardson and a 2010 second-round pick for Raja Bell, Boris Diaw and Sean Singletary on Dec. 10, 2008. The Boston College product appeared in 48 games for Phoenix in 2008-09, including 30 of 31 games following the All-Star break when he became one of the Suns’ most consistent reserves. Dudley, who averaged 7.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.03 steals after the break, shot a career-high 39.4 percent from three-point range after joining the Suns. The 6-7 forward made 26 three-pointers in 48 games with Phoenix after making a total of 12 in his first 93 career games with Charlotte.
The 7-0, 255-pound Lopez was the Suns’ first-round selection in the 2008 NBA Draft (15th overall). A two-year collegiate standout at Stanford, Lopez averaged 3.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.68 blocks and 10.2 minutes in 60 appearances (seven starts) for the Suns last season. His 51.8-percent field goal accuracy as a rookie would have been third-best among rookies and 17th-highest in the league overall if he’d tallied enough attempts to qualify (min. 300 field goals made). Lopez, who averaged 11.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks for the Suns’ 2009 Las Vegas Summer League entry, is currently recovering from a broken fifth metatarsal in his left foot, suffered during this season’s training camp.
Originally selected by the Suns with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft, Tucker is a two-year pro who has appeared in 36 career games with Phoenix. The 6-6, 205-pound forward, who saw action in 30 games last season, owns career averages of 4.4 points and 1.1 rebounds.
Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has picked up the option on the contract of guard Aaron Brooks.
Brooks (6-0, 161, Oregon), who was selected by Houston in the first round (26th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft, is averaging 18.5 points and 8.5 assists in two games this season. In 2008-09, Brooks averaged career highs of 11.2 points (.366, 113-309 3FG), 2.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 80 games (35 starts). Brooks scored 18 points (6-16 FG, 3-6 3FG) and dished out a career-best 12 assists at Golden State (10/28/09). His previous high was 10 assists last season at Minnesota (3/1/09).
Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has exercised their options on both guard Nick Young and center/forward JaVale McGee. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not released.
According to Mike Jones of the Washington Times, “Young, a third-year guard, will remain under contract a fourth year and will earn roughly $2.6 million. McGee, a second-year center/forward, had his contract extended a third season, and is due to earn about $1.6 million next season.”
Under the terms of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, the first two years of a first round draft pick’s contract are guaranteed while the third and fourth year of the contract are the team’s option. Young was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, while McGee was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Young averaged 9.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 157 games during his first two seasons in Washington, while McGee averaged 6.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 block per game as a rookie with the Wizards last season.
Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has exercised its option on Alexis Ajinca for the 2010-11 season.
The 20th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Ajinca appeared in 31 games as a rookie last season with averages of 2.3 points and 1.0 rebounds in 5.9 minutes. He was assigned to the D-League Sioux Falls Skyforce from March 9 – April 12 and averaged 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 22.7 minutes. An early-entry candidate in the 2008 draft, Ajinca spent the previous two seasons playing professionally in his native France.
