NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
The title really says it all. I don’t care what the stats or scoreboard says. The majority of Kobe’s shot attempts were tough, forced, stupid shots that shouldn’t be taken.
Why does he feel a need to shoot when there’s a defender right on him? Why not drive, and if defenders approach, dish off? And only shoot when open?
He’s been doing this throughout the tournament so far. Stop it, Kobe.
Euroleague.net reports: DKV Joventut has announced an agreement with shooting guard Bracey Wright, who inked a one-year deal with the Spanish powerhouse. Wright (191, 24) arrives from Aris TT Bank, where he averaged 14.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 18 Euroleague games last season.
The Portland Trail Blazers announced today that guard Brandon Roy will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery on Thursday to repair a tear in the meniscus of his left knee. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) taken Tuesday revealed the tear in the meniscus.
Trail Blazers team physician Dr. Don Roberts will perform the surgery at Southwest Washington Regional Surgery Center in Vancouver, Wash.
A timetable for Roy’s return will be set following the arthroscopic surgery.
Euroleague.net reports: FC Barcelona has signed playmaker Andre Barrett for the next two seasons, the club announced Wednesday. Barrett (178, 26) makes his European debut with the Spanish giants after spending the past four seasons with six different clubs in the NBA.
Seeking to add additional depth to its backcourt, the Atlanta Hawks General Manager Rick Sund announced today that the club has signed free agent guard Ronald “Flip” Murray to a contract. Per team policy, no other details were released.
“By signing Flip, it provides us with another experienced player who has the ability to play multiple positions for us,” said Sund. “Because of his versatility, he will be a valuable asset for us as a reserve, and we look forward to the contributions he’ll bring this season.”
A 6-3, 197-pound combo (point/shooting) guard, Murray is a six-year veteran who last played for the Indiana Pacers. He saw action in 23 games after he was signed a mid-season free agent (March 1) following his release from the Detroit Pistons, and he averaged 11.0 points and 3.5 assists (.425 FG%, .389 3FG%, .754 FT%) in those contests.
He started the final 15 games at point guard for the Pacers last season during their playoff push (Indiana went 10-5 during that stretch), and he averaged 11.0 ppg (.439 FG%, .450 3FG%, .703 FT%) in his 17 overall starts with Indiana.
In a season-and-a-half with the Pistons (88 games, 2006-07 and ’07-08), Murray tallied 6.9 ppg and 2.9 apg (.406 FG%, .694 FT%).
He brings career marks of 9.3 points, 2.4 assists and 2.0 rebounds to the Hawks, having played for five teams (Milwaukee, Seattle, Cleveland, Detroit and Indiana) over his six seasons. In addition, Murray has played in 29 postseason games with totals of 5.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg and 1.4 apg.
The NCAA Division II Player of the Year during his senior season at Shaw University, Murray was selected in the second round of the 2002 Draft by the Bucks. He saw limited action as a rookie and was traded during that year (along with Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie and a conditional 2003 first-round pick) to the Sonics (for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason), where he developed into a scoring threat one year later (2003-04) while subbing for Allen who missed 26 games due to injury. Murray turned in 12.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 2.5 apg in 82 contests (18 starts) and connected on .425 FG% and .715 FT%.
He spent two more seasons with the Sonics before being traded to the Cavaliers during the 2005-06 campaign, and he scored 13.5 points in 28 games in helping Cleveland reach the playoffs. He recorded his career-best playoff numbers that year, with 8.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 1.6 apg.
The San Antonio Express-News (Mike Monroe) reports: James Gist, the power forward from Maryland the Spurs made the 57th selection in the 2008 draft, signed a contract Monday to play for Angelico Biella, according to the Italian League team’s Web site. Gist, 6-foot-9 and 235 pounds, played well for the Spurs’ summer league team in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. However, he likely would have spent most of the season with the Spurs’ D-League team in Austin had he signed an NBA contract. By playing in Italy, Gist can get significant playing time without costing the Spurs a roster spot.
The Salt Lake Tribune (Sunnie Redhouse) reports: After a month of the NBA summer league, Jaycee Carroll has decided to play professional basketball in Italy. The Utah State graduate signed a one-year contract to play with Siviglia Wear Teramo, an A1 Italian professional basketball team. He will report to the team on Aug. 25. Carroll said the decision came after many conversations with his agent and basketball organizations. “We were looking at every option that we had,” Carroll said. “We were thinking that an NBA team was going to make an offer.” But none did. Nothing solid anyway.
“It will be a great experience, both living-wise and basketball-wise,” Dickau told The Columbian newspaper.
“The free agency was kind of slow,” said Dickau to The Columbian. “We kept looking at the NBA, and nothing was coming forward. So I said, ‘Let’s look at all our options and decide what’s best.’ ” … “This doesn’t close my NBA career by any stretch,” Dickau said. “I just felt that right now, this was the best thing for me.”
Euroleague.net reports: Avellino signed veteran point guard Dan Dickau to be its starting playmaker, the club announced Tuesday. Dickau (183, 29) will make his Euroleague debut with Avellino, which is also playing in Europe’s top club competition for the first time. He arrives from the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA, where he averaged 5.3 points and 2.6 assists in 67 games last season.
The AP reports: Houston Rockets point guard Rafer Alston is due in court Thursday for an arraignment on a misdemeanor drunken driving charge. Alston, 32, was arrested about 2:30 a.m. last Thursday and released on a $500 bond, police records show… Last August, Alston was charged with misdemeanor assault and public intoxication in Houston after a confrontation with a parking-lot attendant. About three weeks later, he was arrested in New York City after an alleged altercation in a nightclub, although charges in that case were later dropped.
InsideHoops.com says: Damn, Rafer, don’t mess up! NYC-area people, not to mention Rockets fans, streetball, fans, etc., are watching. Don’t let them, or yourself, down!
Atlanta has added some fringe bench talent. Both of the following players will have to fight very hard to stay in the league. Here’s the news:
The Atlanta Hawks have signed free agents Thomas Gardner and Othello Hunter to contracts, it was announced today by General Manager Rick Sund. Per team policy, terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
“Both players played well in our mini-camp and summer league,” said Sund. “Thomas is a solid shooter with range, who has the ability to score in bunches. Othello is an athletic power forward who runs the floor really well.”
A 6-5 guard, Gardner averaged a team-high 16.3 ppg (sixth in the tourney), along with 2.5 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.5 spg during the Rocky Mountain Revue, hitting .480 FGs (.467 3FGs) and .750 FTs. The Missouri product played in four games last season with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 5.3 ppg and 1.0 rpg.
During the 2006-07 campaign, Gardner saw action in Belgium with Verviers-Pepinster, and helped lead the club to the Belgian Cup semifinals. He played three seasons at Mizzou, tallying 19.7 ppg as a junior for the Tigers. Thomas Earl Gardner was born February 8, 1985 in Portland, Oregon.
Hunter, an undrafted rookie big man from Ohio State, put up 13.2 ppg, a team-best 6.2 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.2 spg in five Hawks summer league contests. He played in 76 career games for the Buckeyes, averaging 7.8 ppg and 5.5 rpg (.583 FG%). Nearly half of his 415 career rebounds were on the offensive glass (178).
He finished second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage as a senior (.596), and equaled the seventh-best single-season mark in OSU history. Tegba Othello Hunter was born May 28, 1986 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“We saw Thomas play last year, and monitored him with the Bulls and overseas,” said Hawks’ Assistant GM/Director of Player Personnel David Pendergraft. “He was one of the first guys we invited to our summer program, and he really performed well. He’s a shot maker who can add a spark off our bench.”
“We really liked the progression Othello has made, from Ohio State to Portsmouth to Orlando, and continuing in our mini-camp and summer league,” Pendergraft said. “His competitiveness, athleticism and professionalism have impressed us, and if he continues to advance, he has a chance to be an asset to our organization.”
Atlanta Hawks 2008-09 season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.hawks.com or calling 1-866-715-1500. The Hawks, a member of the National Basketball Association since 1949, play in the Southeast Division, along with the Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards.