Quarter Final Round 2 Results

Game Date
Tuesday, Aug. 28

Venezuela 88, Uruguay 79
Argentina 85, Canada 70
Brazil 104, Mexico 90
USA 117, Puerto Rico 78

Bucks Sign Yi Jianlian To Multi-Year Contract

August 29, 2007 - The Milwaukee Bucks announced today that 2007 first round draft pick Yi Jianlian (EE jee-AHN-lee-AHN) has signed a multi-year contract. The Bucks 6th overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, Yi Jianlian signed his contract in Hong Kong following a negotiating session with Mr. Chen Haitao, owner of the Guangdong Tigers. Bucks owner and team president Senator Herb Kohl, General Manager Larry Harris and Bucks Vice President Ron Walter were able to meet with Mr. Chen, as well as Yi and his family, as part of the process.

Yi Jianlian is expected to join the team for training camp that begins on Monday, October 1 at the Bucks Training Center in St. Francis, WI.

“There has been a genuine excitement throughout our city and state, as well as internationally, following our selection of Yi in the NBA Draft,” said Senator Herb Kohl. “We all anticipate Yi’s arrival and welcome him and his family to Milwaukee. We look forward to a successful relationship for many years to come.”

“We would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge and thank Mr. Chen for his assistance and support in the negotiating process,” Kohl added.

“We were thrilled to be able to draft Yi Jianlian in June and are equally excited to sign him to a NBA contract as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks,” said Harris. “We drafted Yi with the expectation that he would be a part of our franchise for a very long time and this is the first step in that process. Yi is a skilled and versatile young man who we have seen play numerous times over the last few years including this summer in the NBA Summer League. Our players and coaches look forward to working with Yi and I know our fans will enjoy watching him compete with the many talented, young players on our roster.”

NBA Commissioner David J. Stern commented, “We are happy that Yi will be playing with the Bucks to further develop his skill and his contribution to both the Chinese National Team and the NBA. This is another great example of cooperation between the CBA and the NBA and I want to congratulate the CBA, Mr. Chen, the Guangdong Tigers and the Milwaukee Bucks.”

A 6-11, 238-lbs. forward, Yi Jianlian has played professionally for the Guangdong Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) since 2002-03, when he was awarded Rookie of the Year honors. He has competed in the last five CBA Finals and won titles in 2004, 2005 and 2006, earning the Finals Most Valuable Player honors in 2006. In 2003-04, he averaged 9.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in 28 games, including his first CBA title. The following season in 53 contests, Yi improved his numbers to 16.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots on his way to a second consecutive CBA title. Yi led Guangdong to a third straight CBA title in 2005-06, averaging 20.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 52 games. Last season, Yi posted career-high averages with 24.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 30.7 minutes. He led Guangdong to a fifth straight appearance in the CBA Finals, but bowed to Bayi in five games (4-1).

This summer, Yi Jianlian and Team China Basketball played five games in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Yi averaged 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots in 28.0 minutes per game. He tallied a team-high 23 points vs. Memphis, and 20 points, including the game-winner, in Team China Basketball’s win over Cleveland.

Most recently in the Efes Pilsen World Cup in Izmir, Turkey, Yi averaged 23 points and 8 rebounds over three games against Poland (28 points, 10 rebounds), Serbia (17 points, 9 rebounds) and Latvia (24 points, 5 rebounds).

Yi competed for the Chinese National Team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.

click for more details

source : NBA.com

U.S. Team Tops Puerto Rico, Clinches Spot in Semifinals

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 28, 2007 -- The Americans made Athens look like ancient history.

Three years after its stunning loss in the Olympics, the United States smothered Puerto Rico in a 117-78 victory Tuesday night in the FIBA Americas tournament.

LeBron James scored 21 points and Carmelo Anthony added 17 for the Americans, who clinched a spot in Saturday's semifinals -- where a win would earn them a berth in the Beijing Olympics.
Michael Redd had 15 points and Kobe Bryant 14. He also set up James for a pair of powerful dunks, thrusting his arms in the air like a quarterback who had just thrown a touchdown pass after both.

Puerto Rico handed the United States a 92-73 loss, its worst ever, in the 2004 games. Current U.S. stars Anthony, James and Amare Stoudemire were all in Greece and watched Carlos Arroyo and the rest of the Puerto Ricans torch the Americans for 56 percent shooting.

The Americans ended any hopes of a repeat with their latest sensational second quarter and remained unbeaten in this event. They came in just about at the 117.6 points they were averaging coming into the game.

The United States plays Uruguay on Wednesday before closing second-round play Thursday night against follow unbeaten Argentina. But even with losses in those two games, the Americans would still be guaranteed a spot Saturday.

click for more details

source : NBA.com

Garnett, Lucas Among Mourners at Eddie Griffin’s Funeral

SHARON HILL, Penn. (AP)-- One final, sorrowful time, an Eddie Griffin highlight reel played for family and friends.

Snapshots of Griffin as a child, as a Philadelphia prep star, smiling with his family and shaking hands on draft night with NBA commissioner David Stern seemed more appropriate for a big screen All-Star tribute than flashed on a plain white wall at a memorial service.

The photos were indicative of the way mourners at Griffin's funeral Tuesday wanted to remember him: a family loving kid with a tender heart and congenial nature.

"His heart was bigger than his wingspan,'' said friend and former Seton Hall teammate Marcus Toney-El.

Sadly, for those who knew the 25-year-old former NBA player, they were powerless to stop the self-destructive demons that plagued him from high school all the way to his mysterious death two weeks ago.

Griffin died when his sport utility vehicle collided with a moving freight train near his Houston home. Griffin's body was badly burned and there was no initial identification. Dental records later revealed the man was Griffin.

click for more details

source : NBA.com

Strawberry Signs 2-Years Deal

D.J. Strawberry has gone from a Suns roster hopeful to a Suns roster lock.

The Suns signed Strawberry to a two-year contract that includes a guaranteed first season and a second-year team option, his agent, Bill Duffy, said.

Strawberry, Phoenix's second-round pick (No.59 overall) in June's draft, will receive the rookie minimum salary of $427,163 this season, giving Phoenix 12 signed players for the coming season.

The Suns must carry at least 13 players but are pursuing 6-foot-11 big man P.J. Brown, whose agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Brown still is deciding whether he wants to retire.

Bartelstein said Brown had not narrowed his options to Phoenix and Dallas despite such speculation.

Strawberry, a 6-foot-5 combo guard who played at Maryland, graded out as one of the top athletes and defenders in the draft. He handled the point guard spot well at NBA Summer League, averaging a league-best 6.4 assists.

source : azcentral.com

Bryant Shows His Zeal For Defense At FIBA Tournament

LAS VEGAS — Kobe Bryant is showing that he really enjoys playing defense.

The most prolific scorer in the NBA the last two seasons, Bryant has thrived at the defensive end in the Olympic qualifying Tournament of the Americas, leading the USA to a 4-0 record through the preliminary round.

They began the four game second round Monday night with a 127-100 victory over Mexico.
"For him, it's about playing defense, and he enjoys that challenge," said Bryant's starting backcourt mate Jason Kidd. "He understands he doesn't need to score 60 points to help us win, so he can use a little more energy on the defensive end than he's done in the past."

click for mroe details

source : usatoday.com

Kings' Martin Agrees To Deal

K-Mart is no longer a blue-light special.

According to two league sources, fourth-year shooting guard Kevin Martin late Monday night agreed to a five-year contract extension with the Kings worth about $55 million.

Martin, whose breakout 2006-07 season will vault him into the upper pay ranks of NBA shooting guards, unexpectedly flew in from his training hub at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., and arrived in Sacramento on Monday in anticipation of signing his new contract. A news conference is expected this week to announce the deal.

The Kings had until Oct. 31 to finalize an extension or allow him to become a free agent next offseason, but discussions between Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie and Martin's agent, Jason Levien, began in early August.

The team's initial offer was about $43 million, with the rising price tag a clear sign of the organization's interest in making Martin a major piece of its rebuilding.

Martin, who is scheduled to leave Friday for Africa as part of the league's "Basketball without Borders" program, could not be reached for comment. Levien declined comment when reached.
Martin's deal, which starts in the 2008-09 season, is among the largest signed this offseason. Though it's nowhere near the six-year, $112.8 million contract of Orlando small forward Rashard Lewis, it is in the neighborhood of deals for two-time All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups (five years, $60.5 million) of Detroit and former Kings small forward Gerald Wallace (five years, $47.5 million) of Charlotte.

click for more details

source : sacbee.com