The New York Post (Marc Berman) reports: Stephon Marbury bounded off the Knicks’ team bus at Vegas’ Valley High last night – a new tattoo inscribed on his left temple. The “3” logo found on his Starbury sneaker and apparel line is now a permanent part of his bald head. Good thing the permanent tattoo ink wasn’t used on his Knick jersey. Even the cocky Marbury knows he may be giving up his Knick jersey in a couple of months, with team president Donnie Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni contemplating waiving him before the season opener.
Gortat and Lee rise for Magic
The Orlando Sentinel (Brian Schmitz) reports: Center Marcin Gortat represented significant progress, hardly resembling the player that the Magic sent home after just three summer-league games for more seasoning in 2005. Friday at RDV Sportsplex, Gortat finished as the leading rebounder and shot-blocker in the six-team developmental league. Gortat, 6-feet-11, 240 pounds, has continued to impress since he surprisingly took veteran Adonal Foyle’s job during the playoffs last season as Dwight Howard’s backup. He averaged 12.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, sharing the starring role this summer with Courtney Lee. Lee scored 101 points in five games for a 20.2 average, justifying his reputation as a marquee shooter. He hit 31 of 71 3-pointers for 44 percent and made 31 of 34 free-throw attempts.
DJ Augustin makes great early impression on Larry Brown
The AP reports: The superlatives kept streaming out of Larry Brown’s mouth: Terrific. Attentive. Real good. Great kid. Despite his well-earned reputation of being brutally tough on rookies and point guards, the new Charlotte Bobcats coach couldn’t stop saying nice things about D.J. Augustin — his rookie point guard. “He just does what you ask him to do, without exception,” Brown said after a minicamp practice this week. “I knew he was a good player but he’s far exceeded my expectations.” … Augustin will start in Charlotte’s summer league opener Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers, leading a team of rookies and free agents looking for training camp invitations.
Spreading basketball in India
The AP reports: India, a relatively untapped territory, looms as the NBA’s next great challenge. But it could be a tough sell. The few public basketball courts attract little attention, and words like “slam-dunk” and “alley-oop” are met with blank stares. To help counter that, the NBA held its first-ever event in India last week, a “Basketball Without Borders” camp that featured charity events and basketball clinics in which NBA players instructed young Asians. League executives say they’re considering a wide range of plans to spread the game, including building courts in remote villages, seeking endorsements from Bollywood stars, and bringing NBA players to India for exhibitions. “We see tremendous growth potential for basketball in India,” said Heidi Ueberroth, the NBA’s chief of global marketing. “The interest in sports is by no means saturated.”
Baron Davis messed up
The Oakland Tribune (Carl Steward) reports: Maybe Baron Davis wasn’t as smart as so many of us thought. He threw away a great situation in a place where he was mostly revered and pampered for a little more money, only slightly more security and the foolish allure of playing in his hometown. That plan works if you’re going with the Lakers. But with the Clippers, particularly with Elton Brand and Corey Maggette now gone, B.D. probably just signed the death warrant on the rest of his career. He might as well be back in New Orleans. By next midseason, with the Clippers slogging through a 57-loss season, Davis will be miserable, bored, sullen out, of shape and probably injured.
Nets add Hayes and Najera
The New York Daily News (Julian Garcia) reports: In reaching agreements with forwards Jarvis Hayes and Eduardo Najera Friday, the Nets added players who fit that description perfectly. It doesn’t hurt that both can do other things that should help keep the Nets competitive until they are able to go on a major shopping spree two summers from now. Hayes, a five-year veteran, played for the Pistons last season, averaging 6.7 points and 2.2 rebounds for the Eastern Conference finalists. He can help the Nets in two areas where they need it most – on defense and perimeter shooting. Najera, an eight-year veteran who turned 32 Friday, averaged 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds with the Nuggets last season. He’s regarded as a tough player who is also great in the locker room.
Etan Thomas recovering
The Washington Post (Ivan Carter) reports: Etan Thomas won’t test himself in an NBA game until October, but yesterday the veteran center took an important step in that direction by going full speed in a practice session with the Wizards’ summer league squad. Even better, Thomas said he felt great afterward. That’s excellent news considering that Thomas missed all of last season after undergoing surgery to repair a leak in his aortic valve. His heart is fine, but Thomas had to allow his sternum to fully heal after it was separated during the surgery.
Raptors sign Nathan Jawai
The Toronto Raptors announced Friday they have signed forward-center Nathan Jawai to a two-year contract. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed. The club acquired the draft rights to Jawai from the Indiana Pacers. He was the 41st overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Jawai (pronounced JA-why) was the unanimous 2008 Rookie of the Year in Australia’s National Basketball League. He averaged 17.7 points and 9.6 rebounds in 30 games for the Cairns Taipans. He ranked third in the NBL in rebounding, fifth in field goal percentage (.575) and ninth in blocked shots (1.0). He also captured MVP honors of the 2008 NBL All-Star Game after registering 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Jawai, 6-foot-10, 280 pounds, scored 20 or more points 12 times and posted 13 double-doubles for Cairns. He had a career-best 28 points on 13-for-16 shooting and pulled down 15 rebounds at Townsville. He grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and added 22 points at Sydney. Jawai also recorded a 25-point/16-rebound effort against Singapore.
Jawai attended Midland Junior College in Midland, Texas in 2006-07. He appeared in 13 games, averaging 11.4 points, 5.8 rebound and 1.0 blocks, before returning home to Australia.
He is the first indigenous (Aboriginal) player from Australia to be drafted by an NBA team.
Jawai will participate for the Raptors’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League (July 11-19).
Warriors sign Ronny Turiaf to offer sheet
The Golden State Warriors have signed restricted free agent forward Ronny Turiaf to an offer sheet, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today. Per team policy, terms of the offer sheet were not announced. Under the rules of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, the Los Angeles Lakers have seven days (through Thursday, July 17) to match the Warriors’ offer.
Turiaf, 25, appeared in 78 games (21 starts) last season with the Lakers, averaging 6.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.38 blocks in 18.7 minutes per contest. In the 35 contests in which he played 20-or-more minutes last season, he averaged 10.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.14 blocks.
A native of the French Caribbean island of Martinique, Turiaf ranked fifth in the NBA in blocked shots per 48 minutes played (3.56) and ranked 22nd in the league in blocked shots overall despite limited playing time.
A three-year NBA veteran, Turiaf owns career averages of 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.13 blocks and 15.6 minutes in 173 regular-season games with the Lakers. The 6’10’’ 250-pound graduate of Gonzaga University has shot 50.4% (350-695 FG) from the field and 70.3% (244-347 FT) from the free throw line during his career.
NBA suspends JamesOn Curry one game
JamesOn Curry of the Chicago Bulls has been suspended without pay for one game for pleading guilty to resisting or obstructing an officer and public urination, in violation of the laws of State of Idaho and City of Boise, respectively, the NBA announced today.
Curry will be suspended for the first game of the 2008-09 NBA regular season for which he is eligible and physically able to play.