Basketball Blog

The Denver Nuggets have acquired C/F Steven Hunter and F Bobby Jones from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for F Reggie Evans and the draft rights to F Ricky Sanchez, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.

“We’re very pleased with this deal,” said Warkentien.  “Steven is an athletic, 7-foot big man; a Mile High runner that can block shots.  We think his presence will provide us with a more balanced roster. Bobby is an intriguing young player, who really played well at the end of the season.  This move greatly helps us add depth at our center position while reducing our inventory of power forwards.  Reggie played a valuable role for us during his time in Denver and we appreciate his professionalism.”

Hunter, 7-0, 240, played in 70 games for the 76ers last season, averaging career highs of 6.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg in 22.9 mpg.  He also averaged 1.09 bpg, which ranked 27th in the NBA.  Hunter has appeared in 360 regular season games over his six-year career with Orlando, Phoenix and Philadelphia, posting averages of 4.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 1.13 bpg.  He has played in 22 career playoff games, averaging 3.0 ppg and 1.9 rpg.  Hunter was originally drafted by the Magic in the first round (15th overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft after his sophomore season at DePaul.

Jones, 6-7, 215, appeared in 44 games as a rookie for the 76ers last year, averaging 2.5 ppg and 1.3 rpg in 7.6 mpg.  He flourished at the end of the season when he received extended minutes, averaging 13.5 ppg (.575 FG) and 3.8 rpg in 31.0 mpg over Philadelphia’s final four games.  He scored in double figures in each contest.  He was originally drafted by Minnesota in the second round (37th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft and subsequently traded to Philadephia.

Philadelphia 76ers President Billy King: “We are excited to add Reggie Evans our roster. He is an accomplished rebounder that we feel will make an immediate impact and will exemplify our commitment to hard work, rebounding and defense,” said King. “At 6-11, Ricky Sanchez is a young prospect that has potential and we will continue to monitor his development as he plays overseas.”

Entering in his sixth NBA season, Evans has appeared in 354 games with 202 starts, while averaging 4.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.  Last season, the 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward averaged 4.9 points and 7.2 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game, while shooting a career-high 54.4 percent from the floor (117-215 FG).  In 2006-07, Evans led the NBA in rebounds per 48 minutes played (19.6) and has ranked in the top ten in that category in each of the past four seasons. Against the San Antonio Spurs on April 18, 2007, Evans posted season-highs of 19 points and 20-boards, marking the third 20-plus rebound game of his career.  He has also appeared in 16 playoff games, with 11 starts, averaging 3.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game.

Evans, who was not selected in the 2002 NBA Draft, originally signed with the Seattle Supersonics on September 30, 2002.  He finished his career at the University of Iowa as only the fourth player in school history to score 1,000 points in two or fewer seasons.  In 69 career games with the Hawkeyes, Evans averaged 15.3 points and 11.5 rebounds and was named Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and second-team All-Big Ten as both a junior and a senior.

A 6-foot-11, 215-pound forward, Sanchez was the 35th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, who traded his rights (along with those of 27th pick Linas Kleinza) to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for the draft rights to Jarrett Jack.  Sanchez appeared in 50 games last year for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, averaging 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. A member of the Puerto Rican National team, Sanchez most recently competed in the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, averaging 5.6 points and 3.2 rebounds.

The Nets and Sports Radio 66 WFAN have signed a multi-year contract extension in which the popular all-sports station will continue as the team’s radio home for Nets Basketball games.  The agreement runs for the next two seasons while the Nets finish play in New Jersey and extends into the team’s move to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“We are extremely excited about continuing to have our games broadcast on the No. 1 all-sports radio station in the marketplace,” said Nets CEO Brett Yormark. “This is an important agreement for us and is in line with our overall goal to be best-in-class in everything we do. WFAN is a wonderful partner and we look forward to continuing our long-term relationship that will carry on into our move to the world-class Barclays Center in Brooklyn.”

In addition to airing Nets games, WFAN will carry the Nets Weekly Report segment that includes interviews with players and team executives, and will also work closely with the team on a variety of promotional projects.

WFAN, which has aired Nets games for the past three seasons, will continue to broadcast Nets post-game shows in the Nissan Courtside Club before a live audience.

“We are thrilled to continue our relationship with the Nets, which has been nothing short of first rate,” said Chuck Bortnick, Vice President and General Manager, WFAN.  “This is a partnership that we highly value and are looking forward to building upon it even further.”

“As we transition from New Jersey to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, WFAN will be a crucial partner to the franchise’s success and an integral asset for future sponsorships,” said Neil Davis, Chief Revenue Officer of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, an affiliate of Nets Basketball. “We look forward to having a winning future together.”

“With superstars such as Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson, plus the continuing development of younger players like Nenad Krstic, we anticipate many more years of highly competitive basketball from the team,” said Mark Chernoff, WFAN Vice President of Programming.  “Listeners have come to expect nothing but the best from WFAN and the Nets clearly have met our audiences’ expectations, as well as ours.”

WFAN is owned and operated by CBS RADIO, one of the largest major-market operators in the United States. A division of CBS Corporation, CBS RADIO also operates WCBS-AM, WCBS-FM, WINS, WWFS and WXRK in New York.

The New Jersey Nets have signed free agent forward Malik Allen, Nets President Rod Thorn announced today.  Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

“We are pleased to add Malik to our roster,” said Thorn.  “He is a proven NBA veteran who can potentially add depth to our frontcourt.”

Allen, a 6’10” product out of Villanova, appeared in 60 games for the Chicago Bulls last season, averaging 4.0 points and 2.0 rebounds on .415 (107-of-258) from the field and .824 (28-of-34) from the line in 10.6 minutes per contest.  He appeared in five postseason contests for the Bulls during the 2007 NBA Playoffs.

The six-year NBA veteran holds career averages of 6.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 287 games, including 103 starts.  Allen has also appeared in 21 postseason contests, where he holds career postseason marks of 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.  After going unselected in the 2000 NBA Draft, Allen played for the Miami Heat for three and a half seasons before being traded to Charlotte during the 2004-05 season and spending the last two seasons with Chicago.

InsideHoops.com Newswire: Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert has suffered a stress fracture in his left foot. The injury was revealed during an MRI taken at Main Line Diagnostic Imaging in Bryn Mawr, Pa. Dalembert was initially placed in a protective boot before being fitted for a hard cast that he will wear for the next three weeks. He is expected to be ready for the start of Sixers training camp, located at Duke University beginning October 2, 2007.

“We will closely monitor Sam’s status over the next three weeks, but we anticipate that he will be ready to return to the court in time for the start of training camp,” said Sixers President Billy King.

Coach Leo Rautins indicated to the Philadelphia Daily News that Sammy “reported some discomfort” after his 18-rebound performance on August 30 vs. Puerto Rico.

Upon Sammy’s return to Philadelphia, he asked to be examined by the Sixers training staff and the subsequent MRI revealed the stress fracture.

The Los Angeles Clippers today announced that Brian Sieman has been named the team’s new radio play-by-play announcer for the 2007-08 season on the team’s flagship station, 710 ESPN.

On the six Clippers’ non-televised games, the “Voice of the Clippers” Ralph Lawler and former Clipper Michael Smith will team up with Sieman to call the action on radio.

Sieman joins the Clippers after one season as the radio voice of the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2006-07. Sieman took over the Timberwolves play-by-play duties after calling games for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx from 2002-2007.

Prior to his time with the Timberwolves, Sieman spent the WNBA off-season working for 950 AM in Denver, Col., the flagship station of the Denver Nuggets. Sieman has experience working in all levels of professional basketball, as he has announced games in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and International Basketball Association (IBA). A 1998 graduate from the University of Kansas, Sieman also worked as the play-by-play announcer for Drake University in 2001.

All Clippers’ radio broadcasts, home and away, are available on 710 ESPN.  As one of the five Owned and Operated ESPN radio stations run by the Walt Disney Company, 710 ESPN broadcasts a combination of local and ESPN Radio Network programming.

Sieman replaces Matt Pinto, who served as the team’s radio play-by-play voice for the past two seasons.

A trio of Phoenix Suns players, including two-time NBA MVP guard Steve Nash, 2006-07 NBA Sixth Man of the Year guard Leandro Barbosa and 2007 first-round draft pick forward Alando Tucker, will compete against Yao Ming and the Chinese National Team in the Yao/Nash Charity Gala event, a charity basketball game on Sept. 14 in Beijing, China.

Funds raised will go to several causes hand selected by Yao and Nash, including China Youth Development Foundation to build schools and pay the tuition of mentally challenged and poor students in China’s poverty-stricken western regions.

“I’m very happy this is going to happen,” said Nash, who helped launch the charity game with the help of Yao.  “I believe we will do a lot of good during our short visit. We have an excellent group of players, so the game should be exciting as well”.

Nash, Barbosa and Tucker will join a team composed of NBA stars, including Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, Portland Trail Blazers rookie Greg Oden, Golden State Warriors guard Baron Davis, Detroit Pistons forward Amir Johnson and Houston Rockets forward Chuck Hayes.

Suns Head Athletic Trainer Aaron Nelson will serve as the athletic trainer for the collection of NBA players.

InsideHoops.com NewsWire: The Chicago Bulls announced today the promotion of Matt Lloyd to Director of College Scouting.

“This promotion is a natural progression for Matt, who has been instrumental in formulating our extensive college scouting database,” said Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson. “In his new role as Director of College Scouting, Matt will continue to assist our Director of Player Personnel Gar Forman in our evaluation of college talent for the NBA Draft as well as maintain the statistical analysis of both professional and amateur players.”

Lloyd, 34, is entering his ninth season with the Bulls and has spent the last four seasons serving as Senior Manager of Basketball Operations/Scout.

The Spurs officially announced their 2007-08 regular season broadcast schedule.  Spurs fans will be able to see all 82 Spurs games on either the Spurs local broadcast network or one of the NBA’s national broadcast partners.

The Spurs local broadcast partners will split the schedule three ways, Fox Sports Net will televise 31 Spurs games this season highlighted by the Spurs – Cavaliers matchup on February 13.  KMYS (MY35TV) will have 31 Spurs games starting with the November 31 contest against the Memphis Grizzlies.  KENS 5, the flagship TV station of the Spurs, will televise 10 Spurs regular season contests beginning with the Spurs and the Sacramento Kings on November 2.  All 10 games on KENS 5 will be broadcast in high definition courtesy of AT&T.

The Spurs primary broadcast team will consist of play-by-play announcer Bill Land along with the color analyst Sean Elliott.  Andrew Monaco and Dan Hughes will serve as fill-ins throughout the season.

“Spurs fans have a lot to be excited about,” said Mike Kickirillo, director of broadcasting.  “We have a great team and an excellent broadcast crew.  I contend that our product is as good as you’ll see on network TV on any given game night.”

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today the promotion of Keith Jones to Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations/Athletic Trainer. Jones, who signed a multi-year contract with the team, will oversee player relations and basketball operations, including all team travel arrangements, the equipment staff, strength and conditioning, as well as treatment and rehabilitation of the players.

“Keith has been a valued member of our organization for the past 11 years and we are pleased to announce his promotion to senior vice president,” said Morey.  “As the most senior member of our team operations staff, he will continue to be a key player in the running of all aspects of our basketball operations.”

Jones will be entering his 19th season in professional basketball and his 12th as athletic trainer of the Rockets. Jones became the fourth trainer in franchise history when he joined the Rockets on July 23, 1996. His peers voted him the NBA Trainer of the Year in 2001. During the summer of 2002, Jones was promoted to Vice President of Basketball Operations/Athletic Trainer after three seasons of holding player liaison responsibilities.

This summer, Jones served as a team trainer for the USA Men’s Senior National Team, which captured the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship 2007 behind a perfect 10-0 mark in the Olympic qualifier. This marked the fifth time Jones has performed these duties for the United States National Team. He has also served in the same capacity for USA Basketball at the 1998 World Championship of Basketball in Greece, during the 1999 Tournament of the Americas in Puerto Rico, with the gold-medal-winning Senior National Team during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and at the 2006 World Championship in Japan.

Prior to joining the Rockets, Jones spent six seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. When hired by the Clippers in June of 1990, he became the first African-American, as well as the youngest trainer in the NBA at age 28. Jones got his start in the NBA in 1988 as the assistant trainer for the Orlando Magic, joining the Clippers the following season when their head trainer position opened.

Jones began his career in athletic training at the University of Arkansas, working as a student trainer for Lou Holtz’s football and Eddie Sutton’s basketball teams for four years. He interned with the Philadelphia Eagles as an athletic trainer during his college summers and worked as their full-time assistant trainer during the 1983 season. Upon leaving Philadelphia, Jones spent two seasons with the Oklahoma Outlaws and Arizona Wranglers of the USFL. He eventually rejoined Holtz at the University of Minnesota as the football trainer in 1987 before moving to the NBA.

The NBA Board of Governors last week voted to approve the use by officials of instant replay to review all Flagrant Foul Penalty Two calls and player altercations, beginning with the 2007-08 season. Both actions were taken at the recommendation of the league’s Competition Committee.

With respect to Flagrant Foul Penalty Two calls, the Competition Committee decided that viewing instant replay was appropriate in light of the serious consequence to a player of committing such a foul, which is ejection from the game.

With respect to player altercations, the Committee thought that the game officials’ first priority should be ending the altercation and that, in the course of doing so, they might not see a punch or other unsportsmanlike act committed by a player that might call for ejection. The use of instant replay will assist the officials in sorting out penalties after they have ended the altercation.

The NBA’s Competition Committee comprises one representative of each of the thirty NBA teams and one representative of the National Basketball Players Association.