Basketball Blog

With Shaun Livingston injured and Sam Cassell old, the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday took steps to add depth to the team’s backcourt with the signing of free agent guard Brevin Knight. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

A ten-year NBA veteran, Knight averaged 9.1 points, 6.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 45 games played for the Charlotte Bobcats last season. Knight started his NBA career with Cleveland in 1997-98 and has also played for Atlanta, Memphis, Phoenix, Washington and Miami. In 581 career NBA games, Knight has averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals.

In making the announcement Clippers’ Vice President of Basketball Operations Elgin Baylor said:  “Brevin is one of the better defensive point guards in the league.  He’s also a gifted floor leader with a great assist-to-turnover ratio.  We like that he is good at running the offense and that he always looks to get his teammates involved.”

A 5-10, 170 pound point guard, Knight was ranked eighth in the NBA last season with a 3.12 assists per turnover ratio. Knight averaged a career high 12.6 points and 34.1 minutes in 2005-06, the same year he ranked second in the NBA in steals (157). A member of the 1997-98 All-Rookie First Team while he was with the Cavaliers, Knight tied the NBA’s single-game high with eight steals against Orlando on March 24, 2005 while with the Bobcats.

The 16th overall selection in the 1997 NBA Draft by Cleveland, Knight enjoyed a successful career at Stanford University that saw him finish his collegiate career with averages of 14.9 points, 6.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 11 games. Knight was named to the Sporting News All-America First Team in 1997 and was the Naismith Award winner the same year.

Knight has reached the playoffs twice in his career, averaging 4.2 points, 3.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds in his postseason appearances with Cleveland (1998) and Milwaukee (2004).

Pat Riley statement on future plans: “I have decided that I’m going to coach another three years; the term of my contract. And that’s why it’s taken so long for me to make this decision. I don’t want to be a ‘one and done’ guy every year. In conversations that I’ve had with Micky Arison, I have three years left on my contract and I will coach those out. I will try to coach those out unless someone else makes a decision on me. That’s a commitment that I want to make to the organization.”

The Golden State Warriors have requested waivers on center Adonal Foyle after reaching a contractual buyout agreement, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced Monday.

Foyle will probably help the Warriors just as much now that he isn’t even on the team as he did when he was on the floor getting minutes.

“We will certainly miss Adonal’s presence, both on and off the court,” said Mullin, being kind. “However, we think this move is in the best interest of both parties as we move forward.  Adonal was a true professional in every sense of the word during his decade-long tenure with the Warriors. We wish him the best as he begins the next phase of his career.”

Foyle, 32, was originally drafted by the Warriors with the eighth overall selection in the 1997 NBA Draft and has spent his entire 10-year NBA career with Golden State. This past season, he appeared in 48 games, averaging 2.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.04 blocks in 10.0 minutes per contest.  In 641 career games overall, he has averaged 4.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.78 blocks per contest. Among the Warriors’ all-time career leaders, Foyle currently ranks first in blocked shots (1,140), fifth in offensive rebounds (1,221), sixth in defensive rebounds (2,006) and seventh in games played (641).

The Professional Basketball Club is issuing the following statements Monday in response to comments made in an interview with a local business journal by Sonics & Storm owner Aubrey McClendon.

Clay Bennett:

“As the controlling owner, I admire my fellow owners and appreciate their support. While they are excited about the basketball operations and the future of the team on the court, they, like me, have been disheartened by the lack of progress we have made to secure a new arena for the Sonics and Storm. Aubrey expressed his personal thoughts and, in context of the story, was not speaking on behalf of the ownership group. It is my hope we will see a breakthrough in the next 60 days that will result in securing a new arena for the Sonics and Storm in the Greater Seattle area.”

Aubrey McClendon:

“I support our efforts to secure a new arena for the Sonics and Storm in the Greater Seattle area. Clay is the one who speaks for the ownership group. Today’s interview in the Oklahoma City-based business newspaper, Journal Record, simply reflects what has been my personal desire concerning NBA basketball in Oklahoma City. It has always been my hope that Oklahoma City would have an NBA team someday. That said, I was always aware and understood our number one goal was to work with officials to build a new arena in the Seattle area. I have supported Clay and the ownership group to use our good faith best efforts to secure a new arena and keep the teams in Seattle. I admire Clay’s tireless efforts and his persistence to get an arena and keep the teams in Seattle. I support him completely. The comment about my personal hopes cannot in any way be interpreted to mean the organization has not exhaustively pursued every reasonable avenue to get an arena deal done and keep the Sonics and Storm in Seattle. However, as Clay has consistently stated, a solution to the arena issue must be found by October 31.”

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed forward Dominic McGuire. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

McGuire, 6-8, was drafted 47th overall in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft, out of Fresno State.

“We were very pleased with what we saw from Dominic during Summer League,” said Grunfeld. “He is extremely athletic, very competitive and is a good rebounder. Dominic is a solid overall defensive player who plays with great energy.”

“I am very excited and feel very fortunate to be joining the Wizards organization,” said McGuire. “I am looking forward to doing my best to help this team accomplish their goals of getting further in the playoffs and winning a championship.”

In five games played with the Wizards during the 2007 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, McGuire averaged 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30.2 minutes per game. Last season, in his final collegiate campaign, he averaged 13.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game (fifth in the nation). McGuire, 21, was an early entry candidate in the 2007 NBA Draft.

At the point guard position, Atlanta has Speedy Claxton, Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue and rookie Acie Law. It’s possible Claxton gets the nod originally, with Lue as the primary backup, and Law competing with Johnson for the leftovers. But the team hopes that Law quickly rises above the pack, grabs hold of the starting position and becomes a quality point guard for years to come.

As for other starters, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith are locks. Marvin Williams and rookie Al Horford are the next most talented guys, and it’s possible Williams starts at power forward with Horford playing undersized center. Zaza Pachulia and Lorenzen Wright are certainly potential starters at center. Shelden Williams seems destined to come off the bench.

What’s the sense of all that hatred if I didn’t have a solution?

See, I generally agree, there SHOULD be international basketball competition and America should participate. The games should be played under a mutually agreed upon set of rules. I am in favor of ALL of these things. In fact, I think it should be played year round.

“But” you ask “what about NBA players?”.

“Well” I respond “who needs them?”

Here’s the thing, there are a multitude of great basketball players in the world who don’t make the NBA. Either they are too small, didn’t have enough of a shot, too big, too redundant to the team that drafted them — any number of reasons.

One thing we’ve learned from international competition, sometimes players with marginal NBA skills are quite good in international competition (see Carlos Arroyo).

So these marginal players that just couldn’t make the cut should be used to create a national team. A team of players who would love to play pro-ball at a high level, but have been denied the opportunity. This team may even include some ex-NBA players who retired and want to make a come-back (Pippen), or are sick of the NBA and want to play their game elsewhere (Marbury), or couldn’t make it in the NBA (Toby Bailey) and may actually be playing international ball.

The players will be paid – not NBA levels, but the FIBA/Team USA money we discussed in my last entry. They will play together and practice together, year round. There will be “friendlies” where different national teams play each other.

Under my system, when international competition comes around, the team will already be assembeld. They will already know the rules and be used to them. They will know their roles and their teammates and be used to them. They will know their advesaries and be used to them. They will be in mid-season form, because their season will be based around these competitons.

As an added bonus, because its a team of NBA cast-offs and rejects, they can just play — without the pressure. They’ll win or lose…but they won’t win or lose as a statement on the status of the NBA, they’ll win or lose because another team was just better…

…and that’s “ok”. That’s sports.

I’d watch the games. I’d root for the teams. I’d follow the league…and if an NBA superstar wants to go join the team for a summer, he’d be more than welcome — as long as he’s not under contract.

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed free agent guard Devin Green. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Green spent the 2006-07 with three different teams. He played in eight preseason games (two starts) for the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 4.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.10 steals in 12.8 minutes per game. He was waived by the Lakers on October 30, 2006, and played in 14 games (14 starts) for the L.A. D-Fenders of the NBA Development League. There, he averaged 19.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.50 steals in 38.4 minutes per game.

Halfway through the 2006-07 season, he left for the German team RheinEnergie Köln, where he helped the team win the German National Cup and guided them to the German national championship semi-finals.

During the 2005-06 season, Green played in 27 games for the L.A. Lakers, totaling 25 points, 24 rebounds and 135 minutes.

The 6’7”, 210-pound guard out of Hampton University also played for the Lakers 2006 Summer-Pro League team, where he averaged 14.4 points per game while also handing out 2.0 assists.

Luke Walton and other Los Angeles Lakers will celebrate the opening of Joey’s Smokin’ BBQ at The Market Place in Tustin next Tuesday at 1 p.m. The first 200 people in line will receive a free T-shirt, and special offers will be given out while Luke Walton and his teammates sign autographs.

Joey’s Smokin’ BBQ is a Memphis-style barbeque restaurant specializing in authentic southern recipes with a Southern California taste.  Based in Carlsbad, Joey’s is known for its award-winning baby back ribs, slowly smoked brisket and pulled-pork and free-range hand-pulled barbeque chicken.

Luke and brother Chris Walton, Director of Development, are partners in Joey’s Smokin’ BBQ along with namesake owner Joey Maggiore.

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed center Scot Pollard and guard Eddie House. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Pollard, a 6’11”, 273lb center, appeared in 24 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season averaging 1.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 4.5 minutes per game.  The former Kansas Jayhawk has career averages of 4.5 points and 4.8 rebounds. Pollard was originally drafted into the NBA by the Detroit Pistons with the 19th overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft.  Pollard posted a career-high in rebounds during the 2001-02 season with Sacramento when he recorded 7.1 rebounds per contest.  The Murray, Utah native has made nine consecutive playoff appearances dating back to the 1998-99 season.

House, a 6’1”, 175lb guard, played for the New Jersey Nets last season and averaged 8.4 points in 16.9 minutes per game.  House shot .429 percent from three-point range last season which ranked 10th overall in the NBA.  The former Arizona State Sun Devil scored a season high 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, including 5-of-10 shooting from three while adding a season-high tying five rebounds and four assists at Milwaukee on December 23, 2006.  The seven-year pro led the Nets in scoring once last season, steals 10 times and in blocks twice.  House scored in double-digits ten times last season and scored 20 or more points twice.

Pollard will wear #66 for the Celtics while House will wear #50.