The Denver Nuggets have exercised the fourth-year option on guard Arron Afflalo’s contract, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.
In his first two games with Denver, he has averaged 1.5 ppg and 1.0 apg in 18.5 minutes.
Stephon Marbury attended the Knicks' home opener on Saturday night and was asked to leave a courtside seat when ushers examined his ticket and determined he was sitting in the wrong spot.
Marbury left the arena just as the first quarter was ending.
Marbury pulled out a video camera shortly after arriving and began shooting the live action.
Hawks forward Josh Smith became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 900 blocks late in the Hawks' game against Washington on Friday, surpassing Shaquille O'Neal, at 23 and 329 days.
Smith, however, insisted that being a shot blocker was never a part of his NBA master plan.
"It started out with me being young and just playing with energy, and now it has become something I just have a knack for," he said. "And I've worked hard to perfect it. I depend on it; my teammates definitely depend on me to do it. And reaching 900 at the age I am now is a testament to that. I don't think this is something you set out to do. It just becomes a part of what you do to try and help your team win games."
Hawks coach Mike Woodson said the sheer numbers speak for what kind of feat it is for a 6-foot-9 forward to become one of the league's elite shot blockers.
"It's incredible," he said. "Sure, he's not a 7-footer, a classic shot blocker, but I can't say it shouldn’t be a part of his game because the guy is a superior athlete. He's got the ability to block shots. It's something he should feel good about, and he should try and go out and get three or four a game because it changes the game."
The Boston Celtics and Rajon Rondo have reached an agreement in principle on a contract extension, Rondo’s agent, Bill Duffy, said early Monday.
League sources said the extension is for five years and guarantees Rondo at least $55 million. With the two sides facing a Monday deadline to get a deal done, Duffy said he called Celtics president Danny Ainge on Sunday to inform him Rondo was prepared to play out his contract and become a restricted free agent next summer because they weren’t satisfied with the team’s previous offers. Ainge, however, surprised Duffy by responding that Rondo’s contract hopes would be met.
“As much as we were willing to wait his contract out, the Celtics stepped up to the plate to meet the original request,” Duffy said by phone. “This is a really fair contract. We wanted him to be paid like one of the top five point guards around. It also allows the Celtics to maintain continuity to continue to be one of the best teams at this time.”
With the Celtics’ four other marquee players all in their 30s – Paul Pierce (32), Kevin Garnett (33), Ray Allen (34) and Rasheed Wallace (35) – Rondo’s extension makes him an important piece of the franchise’s future.
Rondo’s new deal averages $11 million a season, the same amount San Antonio Spurs All-Star point guard Tony Parker earned when he signed a six-year, $66 million extension to his rookie contract in 2004.
The Celtics expressed disappointment in Rondo’s maturity over the summer, and even raised his name in trade talks. Since training camp, however, team officials have said nothing but positive things about Rondo’s progress.
“The relationship between Rajon and the Celtics is on the highest level on and off the court,” Duffy said. “It’s a strong bond right now. Any concerns they had relative to this approach are no longer.”
DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets have signed backup Renaldo Balkman to a contract extension and also exercised the fourth-year option on guard Arron Afflalo, who was acquired from Detroit last summer.
Known for his hustle and ability to slip through defenses for easy baskets, Balkman averaged a career-best five points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting a career-high 55.8 percent in 53 games with Denver last season.
Terms of Balkman's deal were not disclosed.
Afflalo has averaged just over a point and an assist in 18.5 minutes in his two games with the Nuggets.
The Balkman extension is funny. Denver has played 3 games this year, and he has 3 DNP-CD.
Charles Barkley believes that the NBA's age limit needs to be raised even higher.
His proposed limit would mandate players be two years removed from high school or have two years of college prior to entering the league.
"I have always thought the longer they stay in college, their level of play will improve," Barkley told the Boston Globe. "You go to college to learn how to play.
"When you are in high school, you're just good because you are bigger, stronger, and faster than everybody else. You should go to college to learn how to play. They are bypassing that, and it hurt the NBA for a long time.
"The NBA is back on the upswing but there was a few years where we had a bunch of talented players who didn’t have a clue how to play."
The Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard and the Denver Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony Monday were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Tuesday, Oct. 27, through Sunday, Nov. 1.
Howard led the Magic to a 3-0 week, including two road wins, averaging 21.7 points, 16.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. The 6-11 center posted point-rebound double-doubles in all three of Orlando's games, including a 20-point, 22-rebound performance on Oct. 30 at New Jersey. Behind the league’s leading rebounder, the Magic is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 1993-94.
Anthony led the Nuggets to a 3-0 week, averaging a league-best 37.7 points on .536 shooting from the field and .429 shooting from distance, to go along with 7.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Anthony opened the season with a 30-point effort in a home win over Utah, and followed it up with back-to-back 40-point efforts in wins over the Trail Blazers and Grizzlies.
One of the most recognizable voices in NBA broadcasting is stepping away from the mic.
ESPN NBA analyst Bill Walton, plagued by back issues over the past two years, is retiring from broadcasting. Walton, who joined ESPN/ABC in '02 after a long tenure with NBC, had not appeared on ESPN since early last season.
Prior to the 2007-08 season, Walton was named the lead studio analyst for the NBA on ESPN and ABC. However, back problems in early 2008 kept him off the air until late in the NBA Finals -- when he appeared only as a guest analyst.
Walton returned for the early part of the 2008-09 season, making sporadic appearances.
Walton joined ESPN/ABC as the lead analyst for NBA coverage on both networks, working the 2003 NBA Finals alongside Brad Nessler and Tom Tolbert. After being demoted in '04, Walton returned as a studio analyst for the '05 NBA Finals on ABC.
With NBC, Walton primarily served as the #2 analyst alongside Steve 'Snapper' Jones and an assortment of play-by-play voices. Walton worked the 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2002 NBA Finals as a game analyst, and other NBA Finals as a studio analyst.
Walton, in a statement: "As I return after a grueling multi-year, life-threatening, life-changing ordeal with back problems, it is time to dedicate the rest of my life to service. ... Thanks everybody -- for everything."
Walton's contract with ESPN expires after this season.
Gettin ready for this big game in NY... n jus to clear this up I never came close to approaching the Celts locker room last nite not sure # where thats coming from...also me n coach Thibodeau never got in a shouting match, we talked...2 much respect for him, crazy how its twistedabout 10 hours ago from UberTwitter
Yao Ming. He's not playing this year, he can't even run yet and he's making a phat $16 million this season. But he's still out on the Rockets' practice court almost every day, with his foot in a chair, taking 300 shots a day so he doesn't lose his shooting touch.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Allen Iverson made his debut for the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night in Sacramento, and for someone who hasn't played in a month or so, it wasn't too bad of one. Iverson, returning from a partial left hamstring tear, had 11 points in 18 minutes in the Memphis' 127-116 overtime loss.
He said the hamstring felt fine. But it was another part of his body that Iverson wasn't feeling so good.
"I had no problems (with the hamstring)," Iverson said afterward. "I had a problem with my butt from sitting on that bench so long. That's the only thing I got a problem with."
Iverson checked into Monday's game with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first quarter and finished up the period. But he didn't return until the third quarter, and that's when he strung some buckets together.
But Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins took out Iverson down the stretch of the fourth quarter, allowing Mike Conley to finish up regulation. Iverson's postgame comments seem to make it clear that he wants to be a starter for the Grizzlies -- and maybe someday he will be.
But Hollins seemed incredulous before the game when he was asked if Iverson would be in the starting lineup against the Kings.
"He hasn't even been with the team until just a couple of days ago," Hollins said. "He's going to come off the bench. He hasn't played all preseason, hasn't played the three regular-season games (leading up to Sacramento). He only practiced three days in training camp before he got hurt so there's no way I would trot him out there in a starting role."
Apparently, Hollins might want to think about doing it for Wednesday's game against the Warriors. Iverson made it clear he doesn't fashion himself a sixth man; never has.
"Yeah, I'll be disappointed (if he's a sub this season)," Iverson said. "I'm not a reserve basketball player. I've never been a reserve all my life and I'm not going to start looking at myself as a reserve. ... To answer the question, 'No, I'm not a bench player. I'm not a sixth man. Go look at my resume and that will show you I'm not a sixth man."
Hollins said afterward he doesn't think a three-guard lineup with Mike Conley, O.J. Mayo and Iverson will work. It's got too many defensive deficiencies, according to the coach. Maybe so. But Iverson already seems to be putting the pressure on.
When asked how he felt out there, Iverson responded: "It felt like me. I've been playing basketball 26 years. That's what I do. I'm a professional at it. It felt like me."
And there's no doubt, Iverson feels like he's a starter.
On Saturday, a bat found his or her way into the San Antonio Spurs game. (Some speculate that the animal didn't just fly in by accident.) The bat, of course, did what anybody would do in such a terrifying, unfamiliar situation—try to get the heck out of there—which, naturally, delayed the game. Until, that is, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili smacked the bat out of the air and slammed the animal into the hardwood court. Sports blogs across the 'net have been replaying the video of Manu in action as they celebrate his quick reflexes.
Here's our take on it:
To bludgeon a 4-ounce animal to death, it takes either a small man or a totally unthinking one—with no respect or consideration for lives humbler than his own. This is a time when athletes in particular need to be on their best behavior around any animal and show that they have brains and a heart, not just reactionary brawn.
Bats always try to avoid contact with humans, and there are plenty of easy ways to keep bats out of a basketball arena (or your home). We hope that the next time someone's life is on the line, Manu Ginobili will take just a few seconds to think before he acts.
Rookie Report: Brandon Jennings Is This Draft’s Paul Pierce
The NBA season is only a week old, but there are already a couple of rookies that are making an impact. From a flashy point guard in Milwaukee to a sharp shooting second rounder - the contributions are coming from unlikely sources. On the flip side, there are a bunch of high profile draft picks like Jordan Hill and Hasheem Thabeet that are struggling to get burn. There are also few rooks (one in particular) who has been slowed down by the injury bug. Here are some of this rookie class’ standouts.
The Standouts Brandon Jennings (Bucks): Just like Paul Pierce and Caron Butler, Jennings was picked 10th overall and probably should have gone a little sooner. Young Money is killing it so far averaging 20.5 ppg, 6 apg and 5.5 rpg while shooting 55.6 percent from the three. But then again, with Milwaukee’s roster, it isn’t that tough to put up stats.
Chase Budinger (Rockets): Most of us in the Dime office are big fans of Budinger. Tall and athletic with a jump shot, Budinger is already showing why he should have gotten guaranteed cash in the first round. Last night against Utah, he had 17 points, including a couple of key baskets in the second half, to help give the Rockets the road victory. For the year, he is averaging 9.3 points and shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Ty Lawson (Nuggets): Just Like Chase, Ty really put it on the Jazz. On opening night, the 18th pick of the draft went for 17 points and 6 dimes. He will never steal Chauncey Billups’ starting spot, but his 10.7 ppg and 3.3 apg, will force George Karl to give him consistent minutes.
Stephen Curry (Warriors): It is unfortunate that Curry was thrown into a franchise as dysfunctional as Jon and Kate’s family. But so far, Curry has made the most of his situation averaging 13 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals. He’s already proved that he can run the point and get guys open shots on top of being a scorer.
DeJuan Blair (Spurs): Blair is another second rounder who has been killing it since the preseason. In three games, DeJuan is averaging 8.3 points and 8.3 boards in 20.7 mpg. He is also doing on a team that will contend for a title. Stay tuned.
Jonny Flynn (Timberwolves): From a statistical standpoint, Flynn has been near the top of the class. He is second out of all rookies with a 14.8 ppg average in just 24 minutes. He has displayed his quickness and ability to score but has also been turnover prone. Right now, he is in jeopardy of losing his starting spot to the more experienced Ramon Sessions. Regardless if he does, Flynn will still be a huge part of Coach Rambis’ rotation.
Two guys on that list the Pistons passed on. Another they drafted and traded.
The incoming NBA Development League franchise in suburban Dallas, co-owned by Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson and scheduled to begin play in the 2010-11 season, has made a bold choice for its first head coach: Nancy Lieberman, according to an ESPN.com report on Wednesday.
Lieberman, currently an ESPN television analyst, would become the first woman in charge of a team in the D-League, which sent 20 players to the NBA last season and is widely regarded as the most scouted league in the world outside of the NBA.
A formal announcement of her hiring could come as early as this week.
Glen Davis is interested in becoming a professional football player.
"I will try it," said Davis, who's on the injured list for six weeks with a broken right thumb sustained in a fight. "When I become an All-Star in the NBA, when I become a great player in the NBA, then I'll try football. One of my dreams has always been to play football."
Davis was an excellent high school football player.
"I definitely could have made it to the NFL," Davis said.
He doesn't have a specific position in mind in the NFL.
"It don't matter," he said. "I just want to play."
Kevin Martin leaned against the wall in the Kings' practice facility Thursday afternoon, still very much in shock, his damaged left wrist dangling at his side.
Hours earlier, an MRI revealed that the league's third-leading scorer – and the Kings' best player – sustained a hairline fracture Monday night in a collision with the Memphis Grizzlies' Allen Iverson.
Martin was presented with three options, all of them terrible:
He can wear a soft cast and attempt to play, risking further injury and possibly a complete break. He can undergo surgery and have a screw inserted to stabilize the bone, with recovery projected at six to eight weeks. Or he can have the arm casted and hope that the wrist heals itself during a comparable six- to eight-week rehabilitation period.
"I'm going to turn my phone off early tonight, and get some good sleep, and probably make a decision tomorrow," Martin said after watching practice in street clothes. "I played through it last night, but we'll just have to see."
Thursday's announcement dampened an already somber mood at the practice facility. Hours after the Kings dropped a tightly contested game with the Atlanta Hawks, team officials learned that veteran forward Andres Nocioni had been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Coach Paul Westphal tried to remain upbeat, but he offered few of his usual humorous asides. Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof watched practice but slipped out before reporters were allowed on the court. Team president Geoff Petrie addressed the media, then slumped into a chair, alone in his thoughts, and appearing miserable.
"I don't know what you can do about acts of God," Petrie said.
Westphal already was preparing for a possible life without Martin, who will consult with hand specialists today, but he won't reveal his likely starters until the longest-tenured King makes his decision official. Westphal's options aren't so terrific, either.
The most obvious move is to start Beno Udrih at point guard and move rookie Tyreke Evans to shooting guard. The unorthodox Westphal could also tinker with a variety of combinations involving Evans, Nocioni and rookie Omri Casspi at shooting guard, and continuing to bring Udrih off the bench.
In an unrelated personnel move, the Kings waived Desmond Mason and signed journeyman Ime Udoka (pronounced EE-may U-doke-uh), a 6-foot-5 small forward who is an excellent defender, capable three-point shooter and positive influence in the locker room.
Should Martin be unavailable for the better part of two months, it figures to be a long, cold winter. The lanky 6-7 veteran was enjoying the best two weeks of his career, both in terms of stats (30.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists. 2.0 steals) and presence. Perhaps emboldened by his productivity, and admittedly weary of the losing, he had emerged as a vocal, forceful leader, intent on silencing those who characterize him as one-dimensional and injury prone.
"It had been hurting the last couple days," said Martin, who arrived for treatment four hours before the game against the Hawks, "but yesterday it swelled up. I was hoping it was just a bad sprain."
Martin, 26, suffered the injury when he stole the ball from Zach Randolph. As he turned to sprint downcourt, he was accidentally undercut by Iverson.
"It was like what happened to me with the (left) ankle," he said, referring to the bone bruise that bothered him throughout last season. "Unfortunately, it's a break.
"I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of opinionated text messages tonight from family and friends. But at the end of the day, it's going to be my decision, and whatever decision I make, I'm going to have to go with it."
Early in the current 2009-2010 season, NBA attendance figures show less than a 1% drop from last season.
Comparing the percentages of total arena capacity sold in all 30 NBA cities, this season's attendance so far registers at 90.137% of total capacity while last season's final attendance was 90.913% of total capacity, for a drop of 0.776%.
In July, the NBA league office projected that this season's basketball-related income would decline between 2.5% and 5%, resulting in the salary cap falling to between $53.6 million and $50.4 million, respectively.
The attendance report gives some early indication of league ticket sales but far from a complete picture. Besides being a small sample size with the season less than 10% complete, other variables will determine the effect that this season's attendance has on basketball-related income.
Some NBA teams, for instance, have reduced ticket prices as a result of the economic recession. In addition, early-season attendance may lag behind mid- and late-season attendance as playoff competition intensifies and fan interest peaks.
Rockets star Tracy McGrady is planning to make his season debut on Nov. 18 against the Timberwolves.
He has undergone eight months of rehabilitation on his surgically repaired knee.
"Excited to get back and compete at a high level again," McGrady said in an email to Yahoo! Sports. "For a full year I had to play on one leg against the best and I couldn't compete with anybody the way I was feeling.
"It's gonna be a relief to get out there and play knowing what I went [through] last season and this summer."
He is still awaiting final clearance from doctors, but the Rockets don't expect there to be any roadblocks.
Next mornings headline: McGrady suffers injury against Timberwolves
Rookie center Hasheem Thabeet suffered a ridgeline fracture in his mandible -- a bone in his lower jaw -- when he appeared to collide with Zach Randolph's head going for a rebound late in the first quarter.
Play was stopped with 57.4 seconds remaining as Thabeet rolled around near the basket in obvious pain.
He will not make the trip to Houston for the team's game against the Rockets tonight, but his status will be day-to-day after that.
According to multiple sources, Delonte West missed the Cavaliers' charter flight Tuesday afternoon to Orlando.
Cavs coach Mike Brown said West had been excused for missing the flight. This was at least the second team flight West has missed this season, according to a source, and the others were not excused.
Team officials declined to say whether this was the reason West did not play in Wednesday's game against Orlando.
Over the last two years, at times West has grown nervous before flying and at times, said multiple sources, has even delayed team flights until he can be calmed down and convinced to get on the plane.
Byron Scott has been fired as head coach of the New Orleans Hornets. The team has underperformed starting the season with a 3-6 record.
A league source told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher that the Hornets will name general manager Jeff Bower as Scott's replacement and hire veteran coach Tim Floyd as his top assistant.
__________________ 2010 AAT Jordan Cruz 2009 AAT Rick Porcello, 14-9 ROY.
A. Bacon can be added to any food to make that food better.
B. No food can be added to bacon to make bacon better.
C. Therefore, bacon is better than any other food.
Hawks forward Josh Smith has decided to shoot fewer three-pointers this season.
In fact, Smith has yet to attempt one through Atlanta's first eight games.
"Yeah, I wanted to focus on driving to the lane and making mid-range shots," Smith told DIME Magazine. "We got a lot of guys on this team who can hit it from behind the arc so it allows me to focus on other things."
Smith attempted 87 three-pointers last season and took a career-high 152 during the 2006-07 campaign.
Out of respect for the legacy of Michael Jordan, LeBron James will likely relinquish his jersey number 23.
"I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon," James said. "There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade if there wasn't Michael Jordan first."
James challenged other players to do the same.
"He can't get the logo, and if he can't, something has to be done. I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I'm starting a petition, and I've got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I'm not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it," James said.
James said he plans on switching to number 6.
"My second-favorite player was Julius Erving, and he wore number 6," James said. "I wore 32 in high school because Dr. J wore it at first. My first child was born on Oct. 6, it's my Olympic number, my second child was born in June," James said.
Just be honest and say what this really is. Another way to sell more jerseys. And if it is a way to honor Jordan, **** you.
Deron Williams Temporarily Leaves Jazz For Personal Reasons
Last night, Deron Williams left the Jazz and returned home to Salt Lake City because of an undisclosed personal reason according to the Deseret News. Details of the matter were not released. Williams will miss tonight’s game in Philadelphia and it’s uncertain if he will play Saturday night at Cleveland. In the past week, several NBA players like Allen Iverson and Al Jefferson have been forced to leave their teams due to personal matters.
NBA Info - November 2009
Linear Mode
