WALTHAM, Mass. --Just don't call them the Big Three.
At least not yet.
"I don't like that," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Friday, sitting under banners bearing the retired numbers of the original Big Three: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. "McHale, Parish and Bird are the Big Three. So find another name."
The Celtics unveiled their overhauled roster at media day, with 11 of the 17 players slipping on a Boston uniform for the first time. Leading the group are Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, who are expected to join mainstay Paul Pierce in a trio that could fill the empty space next to the 16 NBA championship banners already hanging on the wall.
"It's the first thing you notice when you walk in there," said Garnett, acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves for a combination of seven picks and players. "This organization has so much history. But the best part of us coming in here is the three of us having a chance of creating our own history."
The NBA's most-decorated franchise, Boston finished with the second-worst record in the league last season and set its hopes on winning the draft lottery. When that didn't work out, basketball boss Danny Ainge remade the roster in the trade market, acquiring Allen and Garnett to join Pierce in a push for another championship.
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source : boston.com
Friday, September 28, 2007
Celtics Hope New Star Trio Will Return Team To Glory Days
Legends Annual Reunion – Puerto Rico
I have to start out by apologizing to my fellow Legends for not making it out to the Legends Reunion in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is the first meeting I have missed since I’ve been an active member. At this point in time, I’m going through some personal matters that require immediate attention.
By the grace of God, I’m getting everything finalized and will be putting closure to this matter. The feedback from the members, their significant others and guests have all been positive about the Ritz Carlton in Puerto Rico. It sounds like it was paradise for those that attended, but I promise I’ll be there for the next one. I was called out by a few guys for not showing up, but I will not give out any names.
Well knowing me, here’s a hint: one guy played for North Carolina with the initials S.P. and the other was a teammate of mine in New York that played alongside Frazier in the back court.
Hmmm…Maybe my clues are a little too easy, but ah well. Beware of what you say to me because you might just find yourself in my blog. Note to the members: I have been working on my golf game, but still learning. Bill Russell shared with me: ‘If you keep at it, you’ll be better than Maurice Lucas.’
Now Luke, don’t come looking for me, Russell said this, and I can’t make this stuff up. All in fun, please don’t take anything personally, we are just blogging here. Kudos to the staff, our president Len Elmore, the board and members in attendance.
See you next year, possibly in Puerto Rico, but that’s all to be determined. On a scale of 1-10, from what I hear the event was an 11.
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source : nbrpa.com
MARCUS WILLIAMS MEDICAL UPDATE
As a rookie in 2006-07, Williams played in 79 games for the Nets, averaging 6.8 ppg and 3.3 apg. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team and participated in the T-Mobile Rookie Sophomore Challenge at All Star Weekend.
Grizzlies Sign Two Free Agents
Memphis, Sept. 28, 2007 — The Memphis Grizzlies today finalized their 2007 Training Camp roster by signing rookie free agents guard Dontell Jefferson and forward Kasib Powell.
Jefferson, a 6-4, 195-pound guard played his first professional season with the NBA Development League champion Dakota Wizards, where he averaged 9.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists and 1.37 steals per game in 49 contests. He was coached by David Joerger, now a Grizzlies assistant.
The 23-year-old spent his first two collegiate seasons at Atlanta Metropolitan College before transferring to Arkansas, where he averaged 3.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in 62 contests from 2004-06.
Powell, a 6-7, 215-pound forward has played professionally in the United States, Serbia, Greece, Bosnia and most recently in Russia. In 2006-07, Powell averaged 9.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 15 games for Spartak (St. Petersburg, Russia) in the Russian Superleague.
A veteran of three NBA training camps with the Orlando Magic (2006), Chicago Bulls (2005) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2004), the 26-year-old averaged 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists in 67 games with Texas Tech from 2001-03. Powell averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in seven preseason games with the Magic last year.
source : NBA.com
Bulls Big Overseas, Just Like Old Days
An unexpected development happened to Ben Gordon as he walked a street in Beijing last month.
"I got stopped three or four times in a row for my autograph," Gordon said. "I was surprised, but it just shows how much the game has become global. People who aren't even stars in the NBA are household names all over the world and may not even know it. I didn't. It's amazing how much the game has grown."
That's not by accident.
A decade removed from the Michael Jordan-era Bulls storming Paris for training camp, the NBA continues to try to grow the game internationally in ways beyond idolatry.
Whether through teams holding training camps or playing exhibition games overseas, grass-roots programs like Basketball Without Borders or coaching clinics on different continents, the mandate from Commissioner David Stern is clear.
In fact, the league hosted a record 262 international events in 162 cities on five continents this off-season and recently hired Tim Chen, the former chief executive officer for Microsoft China, to fill the same position for NBA China.
The Bulls, befitting their international makeup, are one of the league's most active teams in these efforts.
Gordon ran camps in Asia, although his efforts were for a shoe company. Luol Deng traveled to Africa and China the last two summers and Chris Duhon to China and Paris, both with Basketball Without Borders.
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source : chicagosports.chicagotribune.com
NBA Legend Tips Greatness For China's Hoops
National Basketball Association legend George Gervin has urged Chinese fans to remain patient ahead of the Beijing Olympics to allow the team to live up to its potential.
The former player known as "Iceman" is in Beijing this week to promote the NBA China Games scheduled next month and the Moto 2 v 2 Challenge, a nation-wide grassroots event staged by NBA China.
"I know fans are crazy for the Olympics but you have to be patient," the former Spurs scoring machine said.
"I am sure the Chinese team has already surprised a lot of people, Yao Ming has grown into one of the best centers in the world and the other kid (Yi Jianlian) is coming up.
"But it doesn't happen over night, it takes a long time if you really want to be a threat at international competitions like the Olympics.
"As for the United States, we had a very long time developing basketball - we played ABA (American Basketball Association) and NBA games for years."
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source : chinadaily.com
Okafor's Assist Is Educational
Okafor, who turns 25 today, continued on about making the right choices and being able to depend on a supporting cast in pursuit of any goal. Then local dignitaries and those involved with Husky Sport took the stage, applauded Okafor's achievements and expressed thanks for his willingness to give back to a community that has embraced him.
source : courant.com
Another Title No Slam Dunk for Raptors
Heading into the start of the Knicks' training camp, NYKnicks.com is previewing each of the four other Atlantic Division teams as well as each of the five other NBA divisions. We continue our series with a look at the Toronto Raptors, the defending Atlantic Division champs, who will look to send a message that last season was no fluke.
The Toronto Raptors shocked the basketball world last season by capturing their first Atlantic Division crown with a 47-35 record, and they enter the 2007-08 season with essentially their entire roster intact.
Chris Bosh, a star at both forward positions, is the clear leader of the Raptors. He averaged 22.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game last season. The face of the franchise since the departure of Vince Carter in late 2004, Bosh is a 6-10, 230-pound monster who is a force in the paint and on the boards. A two-time NBA All-Star, Bosh is also a member of Team USA, and has improved year after year.
The 2006-07 season was Bosh's best yet, as he finished fifth in the league in defensive rebounds per game, eighth in free throws and free-throw attempts, 10th in total rebounds and 13th in points per game. He also ranked eighth in the NBA with an efficiency rating of 25.35.
T.J. Ford mans the point for Toronto, and the 6-0, 165-pounder had the best season of his young career just two years after suffering a spinal cord injury that caused him to miss an entire season. Obtained from Milwaukee in exchange for Charlie Villanueva, the true point guard averaged 14.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 7.9 assists in his first season in Toronto. More impressively, he ranked second in the league with 12.7 assists per 48 minutes, fifth in total assists with 595 and sixth in assists per game.
After a successful, yet injury plagued, rookie year, former No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani figures to play a large role in Toronto's future. In his first year, the 7-0, 250-pound Italian power forward averaged 11 points per game off the bench along with four rebounds and one assist.
Bargnani was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and was named the league's Rookie of the Month in bothJanuary and February. Look for Bargnani, who shot 37.3 percent from three-point range, to be slotted into the starting lineup, pushing Bosh into a more permanent role at the small forward position.
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source : NBA.com
Suns Teammates Want Marion To Stay
Steve Nash last talked to Shawn Marion in July, after trade rumors had “The Matrix” heading to Boston in a Kevin Garnett deal.
Coach Mike D’Antoni spoke to Marion in early September, about the time the Suns and Utah Jazz are known to have had at least cursory discussions involving a possible Marion for Andrei Kirilenko deal.
Bell called Marion Tuesday; the same day Marion went public with a request that he be traded from the Suns — preferably to the rival Lakers, where he can join forces with Kobe Bryant.All three report speaking with a frustrated star player — who is tired of being offered around the NBA and upset that the Suns won’t bend on his demand for a three-year contract extension that would cost Phoenix in the neighborhood of $60 million and extend to the year 2012 — when Marion will be 35 years old.
But Nash, D’Antoni and Bell all held out hope that ruffled feathers can be smoothed over the next few days — and that Marion will show up at US Airways Center for Monday’s media day ready to resume the team’s quest for an elusive NBA title.
“It’s sad to hear he wants to go,” Nash said after Wednesday’s workout with his teammates on the Suns’ practice court. “We have a great team; we’re very close to winning a championship and we want everyone on board.
“All his teammates love him. Apparently he wants to be traded, but if he wants to come back, he’s got a bunch of guys who want him to be part of this. We have one goal, and when we get together (Monday) that will be the focus — not what’s happened or what’s been said in the papers.”
D’Antoni said Marion’s public request to leave the Suns didn’t come as a surprise, since he had already made his wishes clear to management long before he shared them with SportingNews.com on Tuesday.
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source : eastvalleytribune.com
Oden Speaks About Injury
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 27 (AP) — Top NBA draft pick Greg Oden doesn't remember much from immediately after knee surgery. He was with his mother at home when he found out how serious it was.
"I kinda looked at my mom and said, 'I'm out for the season? You kidding me?' " he said.
Oden will be on crutches for six more weeks. Full recovery likely will take six to 12 months. He has started swimming, and a machine gently bends his knee for six hours a day.
Oden was at the Trail Blazers' practice facility on Thursday on crutches and with his surgically repaired left knee wrapped in ice.
Except for a videotaped blog entry, it was the 7-footer's first public appearance since undergoing microfracture surgery on Sept. 13. He will miss the season rehabbing.
He had spoken to Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin, who have had microfracture surgery and they warned him not to rush back.
Oden averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds last season as a freshman at Ohio State, despite being hampered by a wrist injury. He led the Buckeyes to the national championship game, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the loss to Florida.
There was much fanfare when the Blazers got the first pick in the draft, and even more when the team chose Oden over Texas forward Kevin Durant, who went with the second overall pick to Seattle.
Oden was ushered into the city with a rally downtown, and a stories-high jersey with his name was hung on the Rose Garden Arena.
While losing their rookie center was a blow to the organization, general manager Kevin Pritchard said the team "couldn't be happier the way things are moving and progressing already.''
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source : NBA.com
Celtics Add Two to Training Camp Roster
BOSTON, Sept. 27 (AP) — The Boston Celtics have signed center Esteban Batista and swingman Dahntay Jones to round out their training camp roster.
The 6-foot-10 Batista, who is from Uruguay, averaged 1.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in limited playing time with Atlanta last season. The 24-year-old led last month's FIBA Americas Championship in rebounding with 12.4 per game.
Jones, 26, was drafted by the Celtics with the 20th pick in 2003 and immediately sent to Memphis as part of a deal for Marcus Banks.
The 6-foot-6 Jones played four years for the Grizzlies, averaging 7.5 points and 2 rebounds per game last season.
Terms of the deals were not disclosed. The Celtics have 17 players on their roster, two over the maximum the league allows once the season starts.
source : NBA.comAinge’s Plan Takes Flight
Larry Bird hasn’t played golf this summer.
The Pacers general manager has been too busy attempting to halt his team’s free fall.
“If I had Kevin Garnett, then I could play golf,” Bird quipped Monday, with former teammate Danny Ainge in the crosshairs of his laconic wit.
“He’s a kid in a candy store,” Davis said of the C’s captain last week during a visit to Reebok’s Canton headquarters. “They’ve got a lot of weapons now, and the good thing is that this organization has always believed in him. He was waiting to see what they were going to do, and to their credit, they made it happen.”
The Celtics director of basketball operations was the envy of no one. His team somehow was getting younger and more injury-prone, all at once. The Antoine Walker lobby still hadn’t forgiven him. The Ricky Davis experiment was a failure. If medical bills counted against the salary cap, the MRI charges for Raef LaFrentz and Wally Szczerbiak alone would have created a luxury-tax problem.
But when the Celtics begin training camp tomorrow with media day, the embattled Ainge still will be on his feet.
Two years ago, nobody took his seriously when he said he was acquiring pieces with the hope of making a major, team-changing trade. When he came close to landing Allen Iverson [stats] during draft week in 2006, the attempt drew only mild curiosity. Most viewed his bid as a pipe dream.
But now that he has added Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Pierce, and grouted in around his starry trio with a proven supporting cast that includes James Posey, Eddie House and Scot Pollard, even the Red Sox [team stats] seem to have more non-believers.
Celtics ownership, which has stood behind Ainge through every dilemma - often to public derision - also has an opportunity to crow right now.
“We’ve been looking at Banner 17 all these years, and suddenly the future seems at hand,” managing partner Robert Epstein said during yesterday’s media luncheon, a comment that should put everyone on notice if it hasn’t happened already.
Now that the plan finally has taken shape, they better make it work.
Balkman Suffers Right Ankle Stress Reaction
NEW YORK, September 27, 2007 – New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Isiah Thomas announced today that forward Renaldo Balkman has a stress reaction and a small cartilage injury in his right ankle confirmed by an MRI. The second-year Staten Island-native will be fitted for a walking boot and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
In 68 games as a rookie last season, Balkman, 6-8, 208-pounds, averaged 4.9 points, 4.3 rebounds over 15.6 minutes. Among NBA rookies last season, he ranked eighth in rebounding and sixth in steals per game (0.84).
“We performed an MRI that located a stress reaction and injured cartilage,” Director of Player Care, Dr. Lisa Callahan said. “We will re-evaluate the healing process after four weeks of rest to decide how much longer it will take for Renaldo to be back on the court.”
source : NBA.com
