Jamaal Magloire, Jonas Jerebko suspsended for fight

Detroit Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko and Miami Heat center Jamaal Magloire have been suspended without pay for their roles in an altercation that took place during Monday night’s preseason game, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

Magloire has been suspended two games for instigating the altercation and striking Jerebko in the face, and Jerebko has been suspended one game for retaliating and striking Magloire in the face. The incident occurred with 5:04 remaining in the fourth quarter of Detroit’s 87-83 win over Miami at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Jerebko and Magloire will serve their suspensions commencing with the first game of the 2009-10 NBA regular season in which they are eligible and physically able to play.

Allen Iverson out 3 weeks with hamstring injury

Memphis Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson will miss approximately three weeks after an MRI today revealed a partial tear in his left hamstring, the team announced today.

Iverson suffered the injury during the Grizzlies’ training camp, held in Birmingham, Ala. last week.  The 6-0, 165-pound guard did not play in the team’s preseason opener on Oct. 6 against the Washington Wizards.

A four-time NBA scoring champion and a 10-time NBA All-Star (2000-09), Iverson signed with the Grizzlies as a free agent on Sept. 10, 2009.  The 2000-01 NBA Most Valuable Player ranks second among active players in career scoring behind the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Shaquille O’Neal and 16th in NBA history with 23,983 career points in his 13 NBA seasons.

The Grizzlies host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7 p.m. tonight in the team’s home preseason opener at FedExForum.

Oct 6: Blazers 98, Kings 86

The AP reports: Greg Oden had 18 points and nine rebounds in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 98-86 victory over the Sacramento Kings in the preseason opener for both teams on Tuesday night… LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points for Portland and Andre Miller, signed as a free agent in the offseason, came off the bench to score 16 and heat up the competition with Steve Blake for Portland’s starting point guard spot… Rookie Tyreke Evans started for the Kings after bruising his left knee at the start of training camp. The fourth overall pick from Memphis had 12 points and five rebounds in 24 minutes.

Oct 6: Rockets 99, Spurs 85

The AP reports: Trevor Ariza scored nine points in his Rockets debut, helping Houston beat the San Antonio Spurs 99-85 on Tuesday night in the preseason opener for both teams. Carl Landry had 19 points to lead the Rockets, who are beginning the season without the cornerstones of their team. Yao Ming is out for the season after his broken left foot was slow healing, and Tracy McGrady is recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee, and is not expect back until midseason… Rookie Chase Budinger had 15 points, Luis Scola 13 and Aaron Brooks 12 as the Rockets looked to the young players to step up.

Oct 6: Sixers 107, Raptors 98

The AP reports: Louis Williams scored 17 points, Andre Iguodala added 15 points and eight assists, and the Philadelphia 76ers held on for a 107-98 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. Montreal’s Samuel Dalembert added 10 points and six rebounds for the 76ers, whose 23-point lead was cut to five in the fourth quarter. Andrea Bargnani scored 22 points for the Raptors, who played without All-Star Chris Bosh and offseason addition Hedo Turkoglu. Sonny Weems had 10 points, while rookie DeMar DeRozan, Marco Belinelli and Marcus Banks had nine apiece.

Oct 6: Cavs 92, Bobcats 87

The AP reports: NBA icons, All-Stars and A-plus-list celebrities LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal made their debut as Cleveland teammates on Tuesday night and had immediate chemistry in the Cavaliers’ 92-87 preseason-opening victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. James and O’Neal worked several pick-and-rolls, showing off a two-man game that with a little polish could be unstoppable… James, wearing a pink pair of his signature Nikes for breast cancer awareness month, scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 14 minutes. O’Neal, who said his goal is to “win a ring for the King” in Cleveland, scored six points and added three rebounds and a block in 15 minutes. Neither played in the second half.

Oct 6: Wizards 101, Grizzlies 92

The AP reports: Gilbert Arenas had 10 assists in 24 minutes, and the Washington Wizards beat the Memphis Grizzlies 101-92 on Tuesday night in the preseason opener for both teams. The anticipated matchup of Arenas and Allen Iverson didn’t happen. Iverson, the Hampton, Va., native whose presence helped sell out Virginia Commonwealth University’s Verizon Wireless Arena, sat out with a strained left hamstring… After the game, Arenas declined comment. “I don’t talk anymore—next training camp,” Arenas said. Antawn Jamison led Washington with 20 points. Caron Butler added 15. Mike Conley scored 12 for Memphis.

Oct 6: Jazz 101, Bulls 102

The AP reports: Rookie James Johnson sank a fade-away jump shot from the baseline at the buzzer Tuesday to give the Chicago Bulls a 102-101 win over the Utah Jazz in an NBA preseason game. Johnson, who finished with 18 points, got the rebound after teammate Derrick Byars missed a 3-point attempt from the top of the key… Luol Deng, who was raised in London after his family fled war-torn Sudan, impressed early and finished with 18 points at sold-out O2 Arena. He left the game in the third quarter and didn’t return. Jannero Pargo scored 16 points for the Bulls. Paul Milsap led the Jazz with 18 points, and Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews had 16 each.

Bobcats exercise option on D.J. Augustin

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has exercised its option on D.J. Augustin for the 2010-11 season.

The ninth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Augustin appeared in 72 games (12 starts) as a rookie last season with averages of 11.8 points, 3.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 26.5 minutes.  He was named to the T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie Second Team after leading all NBA rookies in free-throw percentage (.890) and ranking second in three-point percentage (.439), fourth in assists, eighth in scoring and ninth in minutes played.

The Charlotte Bobcats, who became the NBA’s 30th franchise when they joined the league in 2004-05, begin preseason play tonight at 7:00pm when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers.  The Bobcats open the 2009-10 regular season on Oct. 28 at the Boston Celtics.

NBA tells bench players stay seated so fans can see

Good NBA seats are expensive. Fans shelling out big money to sit near the court should expect a good view of the action.

But what about when players get off the bench and remain standing for a while? On the one hand, it’s nice to see guys cheer their teammates. On the other, these giants prevent fans from seeing what they paid to see.

The Cavs are one team with players who remained standing a lot, and now the league office has reportedly taken action.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

The NBA has issued a memo to its teams directing players on the bench to remain seated during games. Game officials will be keeping a closer eye and will issue faster warnings and possible technical fouls if not followed. Players are permitted to cheer, but standing during regular-game action and blocking the fans’ views apparently isn’t going to be allowed.

That goes for Tuesday night’s first preseason game at The Q, where the Cavs will host the Charlotte Bobcats in the first of eight practice games before the season opener.

The Cavs weren’t exactly thrilled that their custom has been legislated.

“It is hard to take that out of the game,” LeBron James said. “Part of the game is emotions, your teammates are all you have. That was part of the reason we played great basketball, because we cheered each other.”

I support the league protecting the paying fan’s view.