Daily Basketball
NBA and NCAA blogging on an occasionally daily basis
Archive for March, 2006
March 9, 2006 at 6:02 pm · Filed under NBA
Marcus Fizer is returning to an NBA team after playing in the NBDL. Fizer, the fourth overall pick in what was a disappointing draft in 2000, has signed a contract with the Sonics. Fizer played for the Milwaukee Bucks last year, after four years with the Chicago Bulls.
Flip Saunders may be welcoming back Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg, who may not re-sign with the Timberwolves this season, may rejoin his old coach now with the Pistons. Detroit does not have an empty spot on their roster, but it looks like they are willing to find room. Joe Dumars says he will be having talks with Hoiberg over the next 24 hours.
Raptors’ coach Sam Mitchell was honored by a poll in Sports Illustrated as the worst coach in the league. Mitchell said that there was no way he could have coached that many players in a year and a half, and that his players certainly would have taken a different stand. There were 248 players who took part, and the players were not allowed to vote for their own coaches…Meanwhile, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was voted the best.
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March 6, 2006 at 10:39 pm · Filed under NBA
The players invited to represent USA basketball have been announced. Only two NCAA players were invited (Adam Morrison and J.J. Redick, no surprises there) while the remainder of the players are from the NBA, of course. Eighteen of the twenty-three players have represented USA basketball in the past. The complete roster contains: Lebron James, Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Paul, along with several other young players. They will be lead by veterans Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant, Elton Brand and MVP hopeful Chauncey Billups. There are plenty more players on the list, so check out the complete list here.
Jim Jackson has signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, replacing power forward Slava Medvedenko on the roster. The Lakers will be looking to have Jackson provide an outside threat as the Lakers are trying to hold on to a playoff spot.
Even after the trade deadline, Carlos Boozer’s name is still coming up. Peter Vecsey, the New York Post writer who always seems to be learning (or making up) all of the rumors around the league, said that Boozer’s agent pushed hard to get his client moved to Los Angeles, and will continue to do so this offseason. There were talks of Boozer going to the Lakers, with the Jazz acquiring Chris Mihm and Devean George, or a three-way trade that may have brought Derek Fisher and Troy Murphy from the Warriors.
According to the Deseret News, the Jazz tried to acquire Vladimir Radmanovic from the Sonics before he was sent to the Clippers. Still, the Jazz may be one of the teams who continue to chase after the sharp-shooting big man when he becomes a free agent this summer. The deal doesn’t seem to make since on its own, though, since the Jazz need a tough interior player more than another shooter, like Mehmet Okur.
March 3, 2006 at 1:49 am · Filed under NBA
There has continued to teams around the NBA releasing players and signing others to fill the voids left by the trade deadline…
Tim Thomas has been released from the Bulls, and it is looking almost like a guarantee that he will be headed down to Phoenix. Around the league, everybody was thinking he might end up in a Nets jersey, but apparently the Bulls told Thomas that they would only release him if he signed with a Western Conference team. Andre Barrett from the D-League will be also be signing with the Suns after veteran Jim Johnson was released yesterday.
Tony Delk officially made his anticipated move to the Pistons.
Jon Barry was waived from the Rockets, on the same day that his face was on the cover of thousands of team programs. Already there are rumors about him returning to the Nuggets.
We’ve heard some more names you’ll hear trying out to play USA basketball. Shane Battier has said that he received a letter, though he isn’t sure ifi it is going to be official or not. Another Blue Devil being mentioned is Elton Brand, another player who played for Coach K at Duke. Other players are: J.J. Redick (a current Duke star), Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, and Luke Ridnour.
There’s been some criticism that Allen Iverson was left off the list after his performance in the 2005 Olympics, especially since he seems like a more logical choice than Ridnour. Also, Chauncey Billups is the lone Piston to be invited, even though the 2005 NBA Champion starters are often described as players who play ”the right way”, which should be what the Olympic committee is looking for.
March 1, 2006 at 4:38 am · Filed under NBA
Amare Stoudemire is getting closer to a return to the Suns. The team has decided that he is okay to take part in five-on-five drills with the team. Stoudemire claims that his status wasn’t affected by the injury of Kurt Thomas, who will be out for the next six to eight weeks. Amare will likely make his return around the end of March. “That sounds close if everything keeps progressing,” Stoudemire said.
Also, Corey Maggette will be returning to full contact practice with the Clippers. Both Stoudemire and Maggette will both be able to help their teams a lot when they make their returns. The Clippers, who are finally looking at a trip to the playoffs, have struggled of late. The Suns, who are without any true big men because of the injuries to Stoudemire, Thomas, and Brian Grant, will benefit from the return of their former Rookie of the Year.
Other news around the league: Rick Brunson has been waived from the Seattle Sonics. Also, Bryan Colangelo has officially taken over for the Raptors, and its looking pretty sure that Tony Delk will be going to Detroit in the next day or two. The Jazz are looking to sign a two-guard. One option might be Voshon Lenard…
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