http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4589 Recent articles about Jamaal Magloire en-us A Daily Babble Production With the drafting of Michael Beasley and the improved health of Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion, the Miami Heat are planning to take a big jump back toward respectability from last seaon's embarrassing NBA-worst 15-win campaign. This means that the other two starting slots in their lineup have been and will be subject to more than a bit of scrutiny. Prior to the Jamaal Magloire signing, we made sure to get the occasional poke in at the pivot, which was previously inhabited by former Celtic Mark Blount, a charter member of the Kill It For the Second Half of a Contract Year and Mail It In From There On Out All-Stars. We've also done plenty of babbling about the point guard spot, giving plenty of love to the pre-ejection-from-rookie-camp Mario Chalmers (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3796 Itemid=260) and wondering about the potential for Damon Jones to return (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3791 Itemid=260) or even Stephon Marbury to hop aboard (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3738 Itemid=260). Yet somehow through of all the Heat msuing, it seems we've glossed right over one more man who is already in the midst of the mix at the point in Miami, a man who has green connections to... Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:39:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/338680 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/338680 It took me 45 days instead of 30, but I just finished writing NBA Fantasy Team Previews for all 30 teams. Last but not least is the Miami Heat. Just click on the link. There's a poll asking where you'll draft Shawn Marion, some trivia questions, and of course, my top sleeper pick. I hope some people enjoyed these! Stay tuned for RotoEvil's NBA Fantasy Draft Guide, which is going to be far superior than anything else you'll find. Don't believe me? Just wait... Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:20:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/332809 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/332809 25 ESPN writers were polled to find out who they think will win the East and the West as well as their thoughts on the MVP. Donyell Marshall has been signed by the Philadelphia 76ers. Hardwood Paroxysm thinks his presence will be important for the 76ers; just not on the court. The Miami Heat are desperate for a true center and have now signed Jamaal Magloire to help fill that need. TrueHoop and HoopsAddict take an in-depth look at the future of Team USA's competition and roster. BrewHoop also takes a look at the future roster of the team. All seem to be in agreeance that any future success will be very difficult especially if LeBron James decides to take a few summers off. For specific links, check out the NBA DraftNation page. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:40:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/318299 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/318299 The Ben Gordon saga may have just taken an unexpected turn. According to multiple sources, Gordon has been talking to CSKA Moscow about signing a one-year contract. Gordon has a 6.4 million qualifying offer with the Bulls to play this next season. If he takes that, he isn't exactly making chump change and then will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. There have been reports that the Bulls have offered $59 million over 6 years but Gordon wants $12 million a year. This may just be a ploy to try to force the Bulls' hand. Personally I don't think Gordon is worth $12 million a year and he may be shooting himself in the foot by refusing the 6 year offer that is on the table. I am happy to report that the Hornet's practice facility as well as their arena suffered no damage from Hurricane Gustav. The levees held and New Orleans was spared the flooding that forced the Hornets to be relocated to OKC 3 years ago. It would have been ironic if they did have to be relocated as Seattle has a great NBA base and an arena they would love to share. The Hornets' players are expected to come in this month for voluntary workouts before they are required to report for camp. It seems that a lot of teams are trying to get a jump on the season. LeBron James is featured in a new documentary called More Than a Game that chronicles his rise to stardom and how he and four of his childhood friends overcame long odds to win a national championship in high school. More Than A Game focuses on how LeBron and his friends have their lives shaped by basketball. Carmelo Anthony is back from his gold medal run with the Olympic team and is planning to get some rest before the season starts. It has to take its toll on these guys playing as hard as they have for the majority of the summer. I have a feeling that we will see the effects toward the end of the season when they begin to wear down. The team Melo came back to was much different than the team that he left before heading out to play for Team USA. Beginning with the trade of their center Marcus Camby, they have had a very busy summer. They let forward Eduardo Najera go via free agency and didn't resign Yakhouba Diawara. The Nuggets also signed forwards Chris Andersen, who had originally showed interest in the Celtics, along with Renaldo Balkman and guard Dahntay Jones. Jamaal Magloire is excited to have another chance with the Heat and is ready to prove himself to them in training camp. He has to be an upgrade over Stone Hands Blount and should be able to beat him out for the starting center spot if he even gives half an effort. The only year Blount really tried was his contract year. The Heat are also close to re-signing restricted free agent point guard Chris Quinn, who was extended a $1 million qualifying offer this summer. One of the centers Magloire beat out to land the Miami spot is DJ Mbenga. The Lakers are still interested in him and would likely give him a non guaranteed league minumum contract to bring him back. The Cavs are still in the market for a big man but are looking at Lorenzen Wright and are likely to sign a veteran rather than an unproven center. That leaves Mbenga with limited opportunities and will likely end up taking the minimum from the Lakers. Today is the day that the Oklahoma City franchise unveils their colors, logo and team name. A big day for Oklahoma City as they take the next step toward moving the franchise from Seattle to their new haunts. It isn't much of a secret that the team will more than likely be called the Thunder as there have been leaks to that effect for weeks. This may not sit well with the Golden State Warriors whose official NBA mascot is named Thunder and their logo features Thunder holding a lightning bolt. It will be interesting to see if the Warriors file a complaint since the OKC team has in effect, stolen their Thunder. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:19:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/317640 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/317640 There are still questions about how Monta Ellis really injured his ankle, and one of the biggest is whether the Warriors are investigating it or not. First there was the report that the Warriors had sent their athletic trainer to investigate his injury. Then it was reported that said athletic trainer was actually with Basketball Without Borders and not even in the country. The Contra Costa Times quoted team sources that they were skeptical about Ellis' explanation about his injury but the Warriors aren't commenting beyond the fact that the athletic trainer was not sent to Mississippi to investigate. I am sure there is more on this to come. In conjunction with the Monta Ellis discussion, Hoopsworld has a portion of the Collective Bargaining agreement that is pretty interesting. It tells what players can and can't do. Players can't gosky-diving, hang gliding, snow skiing, rock or mountain climbing, rappelling, and bungee jumping. They can't participate in any fighting, boxing, or wrestling, operating an aircraft, driving or riding on a motorcycle or moped or riding in or on any motorized vehicle in any kind of race. They also can't participate in any game or exhibition of basketball, football, baseball, hockey, lacrosse, or other team sport or competition without permission of their team. They can, however participate in golf, tennis, handball, swimming, hiking, softball, and volleyball as an amateur. I love the last paragraph, though: The Player agrees: (i) to give his best services, as well as his loyalty, to the Team, and to play basketball only for the Team and its assignees; (ii) to be neatly and fully attired in public; (iii) to conduct himself on and off the court according to the highest standards of honesty, citizenship, and sportsmanship; and (iv) not to do anything that is materially detrimental or materially prejudicial to the best interests of the Team or the League. Remember Yuta Tabuse? I didn't think so. Tabuse is the only Japanese player to play in the NBA. He played in 4 games for the Suns in the 2004-05 season. Tabuse started out playing for the Dallas Mavericks in the Los Angeles Summer League and but ended up in camp with the Denver Nuggets. He also spent time with several teams in the D-League and this summer he played with the New Jersey Nets in the Orlando Summer League. He hasn't gotten any offers from NBA teams and he announced on Sunday that he signed a 2 year contract with Japan Basketball League's expansion Link Tochigi Brex. His dream is still to one day play in the NBA, however. The "experts" at ESPN are at it again as they decide the season's awards. It seems that they have a 4 way race for MVP between LeBron, Chris Paul, Kobe and Dwyane Wade with LeBron coming out on top. Doesn't leading your team to a championship count for anything? Not even one vote for KG or Paul Pierce. The top 3 for Rookie of the Year are Michael Beasley, Greg Oden, OJ Mayo. If Dwyane Wade gets his way, Beasley will get plenty of playing time so he may have a chance. Best Newcomer is Elton Brand with Ron Artest coming in second. I agree with the Elton Brand choice. He is going to make the Sixers tough to beat this season. I can't helpobut feel that Ron will somehow self destruct and take his team with him as he has with every other team he has been with. The funny thing is that if you look at their choices for the worst newcomer, Artest comes in third on that list with Baron Davis coming out first and Jermaine O'Neal coming in second. Sources are reporting that the Sixers are close to signing Donyell Marshall to a veteran's minimun contract. Marshall, a 15 year NBA veteran, approached the Sixers as he wanted to go back to his home town to finish his career. He starred at Reading high before going on to the NBA. The Sixers have had interest in Marshall for weeks, but waited for Oklahoma City to waive him in order to sign him as a free agent. This brings the Sixers to 14 contracts with Jason Smith expected to miss the season due to injury. There is still no movement in Ben Gordon's situation. Reports are that the Bulls have offered Gordon a six-year deal worth around $59 million but Gordon is asking for more like $12 million a year. He feels that being the team's leading scorer for the past 3 seasons should entitle him to that much. If in fact the Bulls are offering close to $10 million a year, Gordon should grab that. There is no guaranteeing he will get more next season as a free agent. It is possible that teams will find out that Gordon was their leading scorer not because he is so good, but because the other players around him were worse. There has been no indication that any teams are interested in a sign and trade for Gordon and if he isn't careful, he will have bypassed his chance at a very good contract. 6 years offers him security and $10 million a year isn't something to sneeze at. We have seen several players turn down decent money thinking they were worth more and then have to settle for way less. I think Gordon may be headed in that direction. The Heat are expected to officially sign Jamaal Magloire today. They had considered Lorenzen Wright and DJ Mbenga before settling on Magloire. This gives the Heat 4 centers under contract with Alonzo Mourning not expected back until at least December. Of course with Mark Blount as your starting center, you need all the help you can get. Mbenga has an offer from the Lakers but he was looking for a more lucrative deal elsewhere and hoped the Heat would give him one. Instead, they settled on Magloire. The Cavaliers are now considering Wright to shore up their bench. Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:37:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/317022 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/317022 Just because basketball isn't in season, doesn't mean things aren't going on behind the scenes. Screaming Sports' Zach Powell breaks down the top five NBA stories, including three rumors, and examines their fantasy impact. Tue, 02 Sep 2008 06:37:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/316925 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/316925 The Miami Heat have just signed Jamaal Magloire. With Dwyane Wade's return to Finals MVP in full affect with his showing at the Olympics, proving once again that he is one of the NBA's elite, I look for Pat Riley to pull of some sort of crazy trade to sure up the PG situation and put his star player back in the playoffs where he belongs. It also doesn't hurt that Wade's contract expires afte 2011-2012 and the Heat will likely look to secure him for the long run, something which could be accomplished by dumping salary. Is it possible a trade for a defensive minded PG like Kirk Heinrich could be in the works? Or maybe some instant offense off the bench in the role of Ben Gordon. I wouldn't count such scenarios out of the question as the Bulls will look to purge their roster of the underachieving guards. Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:58:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/316847 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/316847 Having shored up the team's depth at center by adding veteran Jamaal Magloire, Miami Heat president Pat Riley now shifts his focus back to Miami's other pressing roster need: point guard. Magloire emerged in Miami's search for a potential starting center late Friday and has agreed to a minimum-level contract in hopes of reviving a once-promising career. The Heat did not release terms of the deal Saturday but confirmed Magloire is expected to arrive in Miami on Tuesday. Magloire, a 2004-All-Star turned journeyman, was one of several veteran free-agent big men to work out for Miami in recent weeks. The Heat might also take the reclamation approach at point guard. Miami was among teams recently in Chicago to view a workout by free agent Shaun Livingston, a former lottery pick attempting to come back from a devastating knee injury he sustained two seasons ago. Riley said this week the Heat remains in negotiations with restricted free agent Chris Quinn, who had been extended a one-year, $1 million qualifying offer this summer. But the Heat, which has its $1.9 million lower-level exception available, continues to explore other options to supplement career backup Marcus Banks and rookie Mario Chalmers at the position. Livingston, 22, averaged 7.4 points, 4.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds in three-plus seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers but missed last season to recover from the knee injury. He became an unrestricted free agent this summer when the Clippers did not extend him a qualifying offer. Magloire's addition brings the Heat's roster to 14 players under contract, one shy of the maximum that can be carried during the regular season. The Heat had also considered D.J. Mbenga, Lorenzen Wright and other stop-gap options at center. But Magloire, 30, meets Riley's preference for a proven veteran to provide a rebounding and shot-blocking presence. Magloire, 6-11, has averaged 8.6 points and 7.2 rebounds over eight seasons that have included stints with the Hornets, Bucks, Trail Blazers, Mavericks and Nets. But his production has dipped drastically since the 2003-04 season, when he averaged a career-high 13.6 points and 10.3 rebounds for the Hornets. The Heat was desperate for an upgrade at center, where Mark Blount was the lone veteran ahead of second-year prospect Joel Anthony and undrafted rookie David Padgett. Alonzo Mourning, who is rehabbing from knee surgery, could rejoin the team later in the season. Sun, 31 Aug 2008 10:25:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/316128 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/316128 Manu Ginobili limped through the playoffs and then proclaimed himself healthy enough to play in the Olympics for Argentina. He went down again in their game against Team USA and on Friday it was announced that he would undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair a ligament injury to his left ankle. An MRI conducted earlier this week confirmed that he had re-aggravated the injury that plagued him throughout the playoffs but that there was no additional damage to the ankle or the ligament as a result of his playing in the Olympics. There was some friction in San Antonio as Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had urged Ginobili not to compete in the Olympics unless the injury improved but Ginobili went to Beijing and played for Argentina against the wishes of his team and his coach. Now he is scheduled for surgery at a time when it will affect the start of the season. He is expected to be out 2 to 3 months and will miss the first part of the Spurs' season. This could cause some friction between Manu and the team. Patrick Ewing will be once again playing for the Knicks next season. No, the old #33 won't be coming out of retirement, but his son, Patrick Ewing Jr, was traded to the Knicks by the Houston Rockets on Friday. New York sent the draft rights for center Frederic Weis to Houston in exchange for the son of the former Knicks superstar. Like his father before hirom, Patrick Jr played for Georgetown and was taken by the Kings with the 43rd pick in the draft. He was traded by the Kings to Houston in the Ron Artest deal and now on to the Knicks. His father played for the Knicks from 1985 until 2000. On Thursday the Heat unveiled a banner to honor Dwyane Wade for his part in securing the U.S. team's gold-medal in Beijing. Wade's banner is affixed with his name at the top, with mention of the 2008 men's basketball team and has a design of the Beijing Olympic logo. The banner will be positioned along side the Heat's 2006 NBA championship banner. Wade also was given a ceremonial key to Miami-Dade County. City officials also proclaimed Aug. 28 as Wade Day. After watching Wade play in the Olympics, there is no doubt he is back 100% and is going to help make the Heat a contender once again this season. This will be the first Nets' training camp since 2000 that will include neither Richard Jefferson or Jason Kidd. There are plenty of questions swirling around this Net's team and although they are outwardly saying things are going to be great, there are some doubts that they actually will be. They have gotten very young and Celtics fans know all about that. A good sign for the Nets though is that Vince Carter and Devin Harris put together a team workout last week in an effort to build chemistry just as the Celtics did last season. 14 of the 15 players on the Nets' roster were there with Yi being the only one not showing up because of his commitment to the Chinese National team. They have the desire and the right attitude, but as Celtics fans can tell you, no matter how much they want it or how hard they play, sometimes you just can't win with youth. The "experts" at ESPN seem to be playing it safe with their predictions this season. Before the Finals last season, 9 out of 10 ESPN "experts" picked the Lakers to win in anywhere from 5-7 games. Only Tim Legler stood up to the purple wave and predicted the Celtics in 7. They have their predictions out for the 2008-09 season and predict both the Celtics and the Lakers to win exactly the same number of games. However, the number they picked is 55, which means that the Celtics win 11 fewer games this season than they won last season. The Lakers only fall back 2. Obviously, they think the loss of James Posey and the Celtics' stars being a year older is going have a toll on the team. They also don't feel Bynum's presence or the addition of Sun Yue or having Pau Gasol for a full year or Kobe's finger not bothering him is going to have much of an effect on the Lakers other than to help them win 2 fewer games. Needless to say, I think the ESPN "experts" are just as accurate as they were in predicting the Finals. The defection of the day comes from Taureen Green. The former University of Florida has agreed to play for the Spanish club CAI Zaragoza. Green is in the process of negotiating what is believed to be a one-year deal with the team. One of the biggest moves the Lakers make this season may not involve a trade or signing. They are considering bringing Lamar Odom off the bench in a role similar to Manu Ginobili who comes off the bench but plays a starter's minutes. This may be a very beneficial role for both Odom and the Lakers. I'd like to see the Celtics do something like that with Ray Allen, possibly starting Tony Allen. Tony always played better as a starter and it may help Ray to come off the bench with instant scoring. There seems to be some controversy swirling around Monta Ellis' injury. Ellis said that he had injured his left ankle working out in Jackson. He had surgery on Wednesday in Alabama to repair a torn deltoid ligament in his left ankle. He also sustained a severe high ankle sprain and disruption of ligaments above the ankle joint and is expected to miss 3 months or more. Because of the severity of the injury, the team is a bit skeptical of Ellis' explanation as to how it occurred. Because NBA contracts include clauses that exclude certain activities such as motorcycle riding or sky diving etc, if the Warriors find that the injury occurred in some way other than working out, they could fine him, suspend him or terminate his contract. They have launched an investigation and have sent their trainer to Mississippi to check out the situation. Reminds me of all the questions surrounding Tony's first knee injury. There was a lot of speculation that it may have occurred in conjunction with that shooting incident but no one ever knew. The Heat have finally found their man. After working out several centers, they settled on Jamaal Magloire. The Heat already had Mark Blount and Joel Anthony at the center position. Alonzo Mourning is also expected to return when his rehab is complete on his injured knee. But with the prospect of Mark Blount as their primary center to start the season, they went looking for help and who can blame them? Mark "I'll get the rebound if I don't have to work for it" Blount can be pretty ineffectual when he wants to be. Sat, 30 Aug 2008 09:25:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/315649 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/315649 We start todays update with some very sad news. Former Portland Trailblazer Kevin Duckworth,44, has passed away. Duckworth was in Lincoln City to host a free basketball clinic for kids and was found unresponsive in his room. Duckworth was a two-time All-Star who starred on Western Conference Championship teams in Portland in 1990 and 1992 and was one of the most popular and most recognizable players to ever wear a Blazers uniform. There will be an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Our prayers and condolences go out to the Duckworth family and to the Blazers' organization and fans. Former NBA player, Wayman Tisdale. also 44, had part of his right leg amputated Monday because of bone cancer. Tisdale played 12 seasons in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. Tisdale is now an award-winning jazz musician and has been battling the cancer for over a year now. He is hoping that by removing the part of his leg with the cancer that he will be able to beat it and be able to resume touring soon. Thoughts and prayers also go out to Wayman Tisdale. Word is that PJ Brown might not be ready to retire just yet. He is leaving the door open for a late season return just as he did last year. As of right now, the Celtics have 15 players but by midseason it may be clear that one or more aren't going to live up to expectations and PJ could find himself recruited once again for the stretch run. Of course it is all conjecture right now but something to think about during the slow times. The Grizzlies gave Josh Smith an offer sheet that the Hawks quickly matched and they have been linked in talks to the Iranian center, Hamed Ehadadi, who is now available to talk to teams. Now there is word that they are in talks with the Knicks concerning Zach Randolph. The Grizzlies are willing to part with Darko Milicic who was their big free agent signing last year, in a package that wouldn't involve any of their core players. The Grizzlies seem to be debating whether Randolph would fit the team's style on and off the court but they definitely could use an inside player like Randolph. The Grizzlies have also been in talks with Portland. The Blazers need a point guard and the Grizzlies are loaded with them. The Blazers are willing to part with Travis Outlaw in return for a point guard. The Blazers would probably want Conley because he is the purest point guard that the Grizzlies have and Portland would love to reunite Conley with former teammate and best friend, Greg Oden. The Celtics made it official by signing JR Giddens to a contract. Giddens, whose defense and athleticsm are considered NBA-caliber right now, will be expected to fill in the void left by James Posey's departure to New Orleans. Hopefully he will live up to expectations and contribute this season. Dwyane Wade would like to see Mario Chalmers as Miami's starting point guard this season. The Heat will give him a chance to compete against Marcus Banks for the position. Miami also expects Chris Quinn back and may add a veteran. My money is on Chalmers beating out Banks, who hasn't come anywhere near reaching the expectations that Boston had when they drafted him. The Heat are also still considering big men with Jamaal Magloire, Lorenzen Wright, and DJ Mbenga all waiting for word from them. Mbenga has a minimum level contract to consider from the Lakers, but was hoping to get a little more from the Heat. Kobe Bryant is expected to decide when he will have surgery to repair the ligament damage in his right pinky finger by the end of this week. Bryant had hoped to be recovered from his surgery for the start of training camp but with camp starting on September 30 and his recovery will probably take longer than 4 weeks, he might not be 100% in time to start camp. Phil Jackson has coached Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal, Derek Fisher, Karl Malone, Rick Fox, Steve Kerr, Bill Cartwright, and other stars. But after receiving an honorary doctor of letters degree from his alma mater, University of North Dakota, Phil talked about the greatest athlete he ever coached and it wasn't any of the above. The player Jackson called the greatest that he has coached is that none other than Detroit Bad Boy, Dennis Rodman. That one leaves you scratching your head. That kind of analysis proves that all those championships he won wasn't because of his intelligence and coaching. After all, he did get way out coached by Doc Rivers this season and his best strategy was whining about the officiating. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:04:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313663 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313663 After weeks of trying to make up their mind on whether to sign Petteri Koponen, the decision has been made. Koponen signed a four-year-contract with Italian team Virtus Bologna. This means that Koponen will not play with the Blazers next summer. He has played on their summer league team for the last two summers and they were considering signing him for this upcoming season, but as with so many others, Koponen will be going to Europe. His contract does have a good buyout clause so that if he wants to go to the NBA, it won't be prohibitive. In Bologna, Koponen will fight for playing time with former NBA point guard Earl Boykins. The Milwaukee Bucks can breathe again. In Australia's game against the US, Bogut heard a pop in his ankle and after the game, some Australian team officials were quite concerned about the injury. The Australian coach had said that the injury didn't look good. But Bogut underwent an MRI in China yesterday and the results showed that the injury was only minor. I am sure visions of Pau Gasol's broken foot were gong through the minds of the Bucks' powers that be. Glad to hear that he is ok. It took some red tape from the US government, but Iranian center Hamed Ehadadi has been cleared to sign with NBA teams. The NBA sent out an email on Wednesday to all 30 teams that they were free to enter into negotiations with the 7-foot-2 Iranian Olympian, as well as one of his teammates on Iran's national team: guard Mohammadsamad Nik Khahbahrami. Signing Khadadi would be ok for the Celtics, but they better stay away from the guard if they don't want to give Tommy a heart attack trying to pronounce it. Even with the clearance, the NBA ordered its teams Wednesday to contact the league office before signing either player to a contract. Rumor is that the Grizzlies are the most likely to sign Khadadi. Former Maverick and Clipper power forward, Nick Fazekas, is working out for the Spurs and has several teams interested in him. The Clippers originally gave him a qualifying offer, but later renounced his rights, making him an unrestricted free agent. If he doesn't get any offers from the NBA, he would consider playing in Europe next season. It seems as though someone would take a chance on a young 6'11" power forward who averaged 4.1 points (on 57.1 shooting) and 3.9 rebounds in 12 minutes per game last season. The Bulls recently re-signed Demetris Nichols,a 6'8" SG who played 11 games for the team last season, to a one-year, partially-guaranteed contract. Nichols was the team's second-leading scorer at the Orlando summer league, averaging 13.6 points. The Nichols signing brings the Bulls to 12 players under contract for next season. Ben Gordon's status with the team is still in question. He said last week that he felt he had played his last game as a Bull. But, there is nothing out there in the rumor mill to suggest that there are any sign and trade deals imminent or that he has any intent to go to Europe. The most likely scenario is still that he will take the Bulls' qualifying offer and try again next year. Free agent center Jamaal Magloire visited the Heat on Thursday and Center D.J. Mbenga has a workout scheduled for Monday. Mbenga averaged 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 26 games with the Lakers last season and has said that he will likely choose between the Lakers and the Heat for this season. With Mark Blount as their main option at center, the Heat need all the help they can get. In discussing the opportunity in Miami, Mbenga's agents said that he is the perfect fit in size and the opposite style of Mark Blount. I guess that means he can hold onto the ball and actually tries to rebound. Veteran center Lorenzen Wright met with the Heat earlier this week and so they will choose between Wright, Mbenga and Magloire for their back up center spot. With the signing of Dorrell Wright, the Heat have 13 players under contract. They are planning to sign one of the centers they are working out and that will put them at 14. Chris Quinn has a qualifying offer that he can sign at any time and that makes 15. Alonzo Mourning is working out and plans to resign with the team and return by December. That puts them at 16. They also have a qualifying offer out to Kasib Powell and that will give them 17 players with guaranteed contracts. They will have to make some cuts or find a 3 for 1 trade somewhere. They may opt not to re-sign Mourning as well. He would make a nice late season pick up for the Celtics just as PJ Brown was last season, assuming he comes back healthy. As I write this, Spain and Lithuania are playing for a chance to advance to the gold medal game. When this game is over, the USA will face Argentina to try to exact a measure of revenge and face either Spain or Lithuania for gold. With the scare that the Bucks got from the injury to Bogut and memories of Gasol's broken foot a couple of years ago, teams are anxiously watching their players as they compete in the Olympics. Many players were discouraged by their teams from participating in the Olympics because even without an injury playing for much of the summer has to take a lot out of a player for the following season. Dwyane Wade has said that the grueling training schedule, exhibition tour and every-other-day schedule of games in Beijing has been energizing and that it won't affect his energy in the regular NBA season, even though it will be just over a month from the time the Olympics end until he has to report to training camp. I can't help but feel that he may feel differently about 70 games into the season. The Review Journal reports: Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce, hiding behind sunglasses and a big hat while playing blackjack at $500 a hand in the high roller salon at Wynn Las Vegas on Tuesday and Wednesday.Also in the house: Antoine Walker of the Memphis Grizzlies, with friends. So, Pierce is still out and about celebrating. Last year at this time he was in Boston with KG and Ray Allen along with most of the young players working on their games with a common goal of winning a championship. There have been reports of the Timberwolves and Nets all working out together to get a jump on the season. Yes, the Celtics won a championship, but they can't rest on their laurels if they expect to win again. Too many teams have improved considerably and they will all be aiming for the Celtics. They have only 2 months till the season starts and it is about time they get back to work and start thinking about next season instead of celebrating last season. I will be very surprised if the Celtics are as dominant this season because they don't have the hunger they had last season and it seems that the other teams they will face are the hungry ones. I wonder if Antoine is celebrating his trade to the Grizzlies? Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:43:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/310993 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/310993 The Timberwolves aren't the only team who will have new uniforms this season, the Hornets unveiled their new look uniforms on Wednesday. They will not only have new uniforms this coming season, but also new colors, a new logo, and a new floor, which will be unveiled Friday. And, let's not forget that they have a new player with a new championship ring in James Posey. Oklahoma City has waived 14 year veteran Donyell Marshall. Marshall is in the final year of a contract that would have paid him $5.9 million. Oklahoma City must pay Marshall the remainder of his guaranteed salary and it will count against the team's salary this season, but it opens up a roster spot for him. Including restricted free agent center Robert Swift, who they haven't signed yet, Oklahoma City will have 14 players under contract when they sign their two rookies. Devean George and the Dallas Mavericks have reached an agreement on a new two-year contract worth approximately $4 million. George's refusal to be included in the trade for Jason Kidd almost prevented Kidd from becoming a Maverick. George's refusal cost Mavs owner Mark Cuban more than $11 million last season in additional payroll and luxury-tax payments. It seemed as though his days in Dallas were numbered but new coach Rick Carlisle was eager to keep him with the team and now he will remain with the team for another 2 years/ The Miami Heat and forward Dorell Wright have agreed to terms on a two-year deal. It is expected to be finalized this week. A restricted free agent, Wright had been given a qualifying offer of $2.9 million for 2008-09. His new contract will start at roughly the $2.9 qualifying offer. This gives the Heat 13 players under contract for next season. The Heat are also in talks with Jamaal Magloire who postponed his visit to Miami because of Tropical Storm Fay. Magloire would definitely be an upgrade over Mark (I'll get the rebound if I don't have to work for it) Blount. Heat free agent center Earl Barron agreed to a one-year deal with Fortitudo Bologna of the Italian League. The Heat had not attempted to re-sign Barron, who will make close to $2 million in Europe. Shaun Livingston's rehab is progressing. Reports are that he has been playing five-on-five, for at least the past week and a half, at fitness trainer Tim Grover's facility in Chicago. It was also confirmed Wednesday that Livingston has progressed to playing full-scale, full-court pickup games with the contingent of 20 or so NBA players that work out regularly at Grover's site. He is an unrestricted free agent and if healthy, could become one of the league's top point guards and a top defender. Some team is going to take a chance on him and be rewarded big time if he gets back to pre-injury playing form. Team USA will play Argentina for the gold I guess it is fitting that the two teams with the most NBA players should be still playing at the end. Argentina has Luis Scola, Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto, Carlos Delfino and Andres Nocioni and may give the US more of a challenge than any of the others they might have faced in the gold medal round. NBA teams always hold their breath when they have key players on the Olympics teams because there is always the chance of an injury. Pau Gasol comes to mind as he broke his foot playing on the Spanish National Team a couple of years back. In their last game against the United States, Andrew Bogut injured his ankle and that has to have the Bucks wringing their hands. He said that it popped and that can't be a good thing. The Raptors' Jose Calderon was also injured in Spain's win over Croatia. It was described as a strained adductor. I can see why an NBA team would try to discourage players from participating in the Olympics. I know it is an honor to play for their country, but it has to take a lot out of them even if there isn't an injury. Brandon Roy is anxious to play basketball again. Six days after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, Brandon Roy arrived at the Blazers' practice facility without crutches or any noticeable limp. He says that he will definitely be ready for training camp. Bill Walker had a similar surgery and has been working out in Boston since his surgery. The Celtics haven't signed him yet, but I think they will because Danny went out of his way to get him from Washington. I think he will be able to contribute this season if given the opportunity. The Sixers have officially signed Theo Ratliff to a veteran's minimum contract. They needed another big man when their second year center Jason Smith went down with an ACL injury. Ratliff's agent said that the former Celtic passed on 2 more lucrative offers to sign for the veteran's minimum as a backup center. He said that he chose Philly because he wants to help win the Eastern Conference. I wonder if that means that he harbors some kind of ill will toward the Celtics. He played only 2 games for the Celtics before he and his expiring contract were shipped to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett. He said that he also liked Philly because he knows coach Mo Cheeks and knows the city and he believes that the team is going to be good. I think they are going to be good too. Philly should give the Celtics a run for the division title. With new point guard TJ Ford in Indiana, Larry Bird is still hoping to trade Jamaal Tinsley but so far hasn't has much luck. Bird said earlier this week that he thinks things will pick back up after Labor Day because a lot of league officials are either on vacation or at the Olympics in Beijing. Ford is expected to workout with teammates Mikebu Dunleavy and Troy Murphy this week. The Suns finally have their point guard in their second round pick, Goran Dragic whose contract will be worth close to $8 million over four years. His deal will start at about $1.8 million with at least $1 million of that going to his Tau Ceramica buyout. If he is as good as they are saying he is, they may have a steal. Although, I expect the bigger steal in the draft will be Bill Walker who was grabbed by the Celtics at #49. Guard D.J. Strawberry's status is still in flux for the coming season. The Suns have until Oct. 31 to exercise his option for a $711,517 salary, $200,000 of which is guaranteed once he makes the opening night roster. Without him, the Suns would need to sign a 13th player. The US Women's team advanced to the finals by beating Becky Hammon and the Russian team in a hard fought contest. They fell behind early but pulled ahead in the second half. There were several hard fouls that resulted in technical free throws and the game was much closer than any they have played so far but the Americans pulled it out 67-52 in the end. They will play on Saturday for the Gold Medal. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:56:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/310372 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/310372 At the beginning of the off season, Sam Cassell was planning to return to the Celtics this season as a player/ assistant coach in training and then join Doc's staff next season. With the resigning of House and Allen and Danny's expectations that Pruitt will contribute more this season, it seems that Sam will need to find employment elsewhere. After signing Giddens, the team has 2 spots left. Hopefully one goes to Bill Walker and the other would go to either a veteran back up small forward or center and not to a back up point guard. Rumor is that Sam will sign with Denver and fullfil his plans to play one more year as a player at the veteran's minimum and get some coaching training under his former Milwaukee coach George Karl. In spite of being mentioned in rumors tied to several teams, Shaun Livingston still hasn't been picked up by a team. He is still working hard on rehab, but in spite of 18 months of hard work, he is still unable to play five-on-five despite extensive rehabilitation. Teams are going to wait until they know for sure that he will be able to play. Livingston has a ton of potential as a 6'7" point guard, but injuries have derailed his career and teams are going to wait to see if he can play again before offering a contract. Delonte West has proved that he can play in the league but he has also been plagued with assorted injuries in his career. I mean, how many players get sidelined with a toe infection? Much of what fuels his injuries is his way of playing all out all the time as he throws his body into bigger players. He is a tough player and deserves better than what teams have done with him. He was key to getting Ray Allen in Boston, but the Sonics didn't give Delonte a chance. Then he finally got a chance to play in Cleveland and did so admirably, but they have pretty much thrown him by the wayside, giving their back up point guard a bigger contract than they offered him. Delonte should take the qualifying offer and see what he can get next season on the open market. I would love to see the Celtics bring him back. Another former Celtic (although very briefly), Luke Jackson has been working out for the Blazers and reports are that he will sign with them and become the 15th player on their roster going into training camp. Jackson can score and is good from beyond the arc, but he is a defensive liability. Still he would be good for a team that needs instant offense off the bench. With Alonzo Mourning still rehabbing and his situation uncertain and Mark Blount as their main option at center (better them than us), the Heat are looking for some help at the center position. Jamaal Magloire is scheduled for a Wednesday visit in Miami. Magloire has averaged 8.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in his career but played in just 31 games last season, joining Dallas after New Jersey cut him in February. But if you're Miami, anyone has to look better than Skippy (I'll get the rebound if I don't have to work for it) Blount. The Knicks' first round draft pick, Danilo Gallinari, is still hurting. Gallinari played in just one summer-league game, injuring his back in his only outing. He has now withdrawn from the Italian National Team, which begins its Eurobasket Qualifier tournament vs. Serbia today. The Knicks are hopeful that Gallinari will be healthy and ready to play by their training camp, but questions still remain as to whether he will be sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of playing in the NBA. Yesterday, the Nets had 14 players in their practice facility working out and preparing for the upcoming season. They are getting an early start at building chemistry with so many new faces on the roster. As reported previously, the Wolves have 9 players working out on a regular basis. Last season it was the Celtics all in Boston early and working out together. But this season, Paul Pierce is still celebrating. KG hasn't been heard from but is probably workout out somewhere and Ray Allen is getting married. Only a few of the young players have been in Boston working on their game. Other teams are working hard to try to jump past Boston and if the Celtics think in the least that they can rest on their laurels, they are going to be very much surprised by these other teams who have the hunger that we saw in the Celtics last season. Team USA was back in action this morning in a rather chippy game against Australia that got pretty rough at times. Although the Australians stayed with the Americans early, Team USA pulled ahead for an easy 116-85 win to pull within 2 wins of their goal of winning the gold. Kobe lead 6 players in double figures with 25 points. They will face the winner of the game between Argentina and Greece in the semi-finals. Beating either team would give the American team some degree of satisfaction and revenge. Croatian guard Gordan Giricek, who has averaged nearly 10 points per game since joining the NBA in 2002, has become the latest player to leave the league for a bigger payday. Giricek finished last season as a member of the Phoenix Suns. On Tuesday, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard signed a two-year contract -- with an option to return to the NBA next summer -- with Turkey's premier club, Fenerbahce. He passed on an offer from the Spurs that was much less than he will earn with the Turkish club. Goran Dragic is another step closer to signing a contract with the Suns as he passed his physical Tuesday, but has to go back home without signing a contract because he still needs to work out the formal details of his buyout and obtains a work visa to return to the USA. The Suns offered Dragic a contract that is usually reserved for lottery picks instead of second-rounders but most of the money he'll make this year (about $1.4 million) is going toward securing his release from his Spanish club. His goal this season is not to become rich, but to prove that he can play in the NBA. The Suns certainly are keeping their fingers crossed that he can. Their last attempt at finding Steve Nash's back up and eventual successor didn't work out so well as Marcus Banks ended up a bust. But then again, the Celtics could have told them that and saved them the trouble. And they must still be kicking themselves for passing Rondo on to the Celtics. Dragic will get plenty of opportunity to prove he belongs as he will be Nash's main backup and will get plenty of minutes as they try to keep Nash fresh for the playoffs. With the sudden departure of Dragic, Tau Ceramica is looking at former Knicks guard Fred Jones as a replacement. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:50:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309554 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309554 Much controversy has risen over the past few months starting with Nelson's benching of now former Warrior, Baron Davis in the fourth quarter of a game the Warriors needed to win. Since then, the Baron watch was in full swing and just when every Warrior fan began to feel confident that he'd return, B-Diddy pulled one of his quick fakes and bolted to L.A. to be around his Hollywood friends and work on his burgeoning movie career. Despite all of the calls for his head, Chris Mullin may have pulled off one of the best off seasons in Warriors history.... Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:27:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300704 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300704 It would be an enormous upset if the Sonics defeat the Hornets here. With a lineup of Jamaal Magloire, David West, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Baron Davis, plus Ricky Davis coming off the bench, it would be an absolute shocker if the Hornets don't go real deep in the Keep Your Picks Playoff. Expert Picks Pickard: New Orleans Hornets Estimated Game Time: Thursday July 10 (8 PM EST) Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:38:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288704 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288704