Aug

31

Reports State Rubio Has Been Traded To FC Barcelona

Filed Under NBA Rookies | Leave a Comment

NBA Draft Basketball

Both “ESPN.Com” and “Yahoo Sports“  are reporting that DKV Joventut have traded point guard Ricky Rubio to Euro-League powerhouse FC Barcelona. The reports also state that Rubio will sign a six year deal with his new team and will not be available to play in the NBA until 2011 at the earliest. That is not good news for the Minnesota Timberwolves who selected Rubio with the fifth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Timberwolves General Manager David Kahn spent this past weekend in Spain in an attempt to sign Rubio but was not able to get a deal done. In order for Rubio to get out of his present deal he would have to pay his team DKV Joventut $5.7 million. Under NBA rules a team can only use $500,000 on a player buyout unlike the Euro-League teams that have no such restrictions. Rubio is said to be signing a six year deal with FC Barcelona and he will have a buyout option in 2011 according to reports. 

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack.net

Aug

29

Reports State Beasley In Houston Rehab For Not Complying With NBA Policies

Filed Under NBA Off The Court Issues | Leave a Comment

The “South Florida Sun-Sentinel” has reported that the reason that Miami Heat forward is in a Houston drug rehab center is due to his non-compliance with rules set by the NBA substance-abuse program. In order for Beasley to be able to play in the Association in the upcoming season he had to spend time in the rehab center. It is not known what the violation was but it was not drug related; it has been speculated he may have missed a meeting with Association or medical personnel.

Beasley is believed to be in substance-abuse program due to his his role last year in the incident that sent fellow rookies, Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers home from a rookie orientation program. Arthur was a rookie with the Memphis Grizzlies, and Chalmers, a rookie with Miami were sent home after they were found  to be in violation of the rules at the NBA Rookie Transition Program.

Arthur and Chalmers reportedly set off a smoke alarm at 2:00 am in their hotel room. The rookies refused to open the door, so hotel security opened the door with a pass key. It was reported that the pair were found in the room with two women, and allegedly the room smelled from marijuana. There were no drugs or drug paraphernalia found in the room according to the report.

All rookies were told that they were not allowed visitors or guests during their stay. NBA Commissioner David Stern was none to happy with the incident according to reports. He is said to have told the remaining rookies about the incident, and that the pair would be forced to attend the same session this year. Both rookies apologized for their actions, they said they had been wrong in allowing the women to visit. However both players denied any use of marijuana. Arthur and Chalmers were each fined $20,000.

The Association stated that Beasley would not cooperate with NBA officials at first. Beasley later changed his mind and admitted to officials he was involved.  He was then fined $50,000. There has been no verification of exactly what Beasley has admitted to, or why the fine was more than twice the amount of the other two players. Due to NBA policy neither the Association or an individual team can comment on whether a player is in the substance-abuse program, or what violations were committed.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack.net

Aug

26

Grizzlies Make Offer To Iverson

Filed Under NBA Rumors | 1 Comment

Allen Iverson was back on his Twitter account on Wednesday with a new little nugget for his followers. Iverson texted “Well I am about to begin another workout session. Agent informed me that Memphis made us an offer on yesterday. Stay tuned.”

Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace was contacted by “ESPN.com” and he verified Iverson’s Tweet. Wallace said “We’re heading into the home stretch before the season, and we have had interest in Allen all summer. We’ve been in touch on a fairly consistent basis and had dialogue with his agent, Leon Rose, since the beginning of free agency.”

Iverson last Friday had reportedly been offered a contract offer by the Charlotte Bobcats and there were reports of his being introduced to the fans and media this week. Nothing seems to be taking place on that front at the present time.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack.net

Aug

26

Hawks Add Veteran Smith To Bolster Roster

Filed Under NBA Free Agents | Leave a Comment

The “Associated Press” has reported that the Atlanta Hawks have added veteran big man Joe Smith to their roster for the 2009-2010 NBA campaign. The 1995 NBA draft number one pick selected by the Golden State Warriors was a key member going down the stretch for the Cleveland Cavaliers the last two seasons. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Hawks have lacked depth on the bench the last couple of years as they have made the leap into a Playoff team after a very long fallow period. Smith can be a valuable asset to a young franchise such as Atlanta especially with his Post Season experience.

Hawks General Manager Rick Sund thinks that the acquisition of Smith will pay big dividends for his club. Sund said after the signing was announced  “Joe’s acquisition provides us with a solid complement to our front-court. Not only does he bring years of experience to our team, but his versatility gives our coaching staff a player who can play multiple positions and an individual who will provide tremendous leadership in the locker room.”

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack.net

Aug

24

NBA Talk: Buzz: Cleveland Cavaliers Considering Trading Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Filed Under NBA Rumors, NBA Talk: | Leave a Comment

There is some big news going on inside the NBA blogosphere.

According to a source at ESPN.com Insider, the Cleveland Cavaliers may trade their center Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Ilgauskas is scheduled to be a free agent next year which may make it easier for the Cavaliers to trade their tall veteran center. Reports have also surfaced on Cleveland.com about the team possibly looking to trade the player with the longest tenure on the roster.

The Cleveland based website said this in their article about Z:

“You have just hit on what I think will be the biggest off-court story between now and February. Ilgauskas’ contract is a massive trade chip because of how many teams will be looking to dump salary for next summer. The Cavs will not have a great deal of cap room, so using that expiring contract could be the last swing at making a major addition for a while. For that reason, Danny Ferry would be compelled to consider it despite his personal relationship with Ilgauskas.”

Another reason the Cavs may trade Ilgauskas is because of cap room. Ilgauskas currently has a salary of over $11M. Cleveland may feel that is too much to spend at the center spot with the addition of Shaquille O’Neal this off-season.

The Cavs may not have enough money to support the two big men, with LeBron James in the mix as well. There are reports that the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and the Los Angeles Clippers may bid on him, according to a source.

The addition of Leon Powe earlier this month adds another big man to the squad and the Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown is going to have to do some juggling to divide up the minutes so everybody is satisfied.

The NBA off-season isn’t over yet, and there are certainly no guarantees that any NBA Roster will look as it does now at the start of Training Camp. If the Cleveland Cavaliers do make a move involving their center it would radically change the look of the roster.

Aug

23

Published Reports State Iverson Will Sign Deal This Week With Charlotte!

Filed Under NBA Free Agents, NBA Rumors | 1 Comment

The questions then become are the two willing to sign on for another tour of duty together? Has either or both of them matured enough so they do not have to go through the “Drama” that they went through during their time with the Sixers? And the biggest question of all; does Iverson still have enough in the tank to make the Bobcats a legit contender? Not a contender for an NBA Title or even an Eastern Conference Championship. However can they escape being a perennial “Lottery Team” as the Atlanta Hawks have over the last two seasons?

Could Charlotte Be The Scene For The Reunion of A.I. And Larry?  6/9/09

So if this is actually finalized will you then believe me that LBJ will re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers? “Dime Magazine” is reporting that the Charlotte Bobcats and Free Agent guard Allen Iverson will sign a contract at some point this week. The signing of Iverson would reunite him with his former head coach with the Philadelphia 76ers Larry Brown.

Last week Iverson posted on his Twitter account that he was on the verge of signing with one of three teams. Iverson texted that the Miami Heat, the New York Knicks and the Charlotte Bobcats were the three teams left in the running. According the latest reports  a source close to the situation confirmed that the two sides worked out the details of a deal and it would be announced officially this week.

Iverson was traded in November to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups. The trade did wonders for the Nuggets taking them from being just another Western Conference team all the way to the Western Conference Finals before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers. However the deal had just the opposite effect in Motown as the team imploded and squeaked into the NBA Post Season.

There is no doubt it would be a gamble for both sides. Allen could find himself on a team that does not live up to expectations. If Iverson becomes too much of a distraction Brown could lose a young team like the Bobcats forever. However there has never been a coach that could get more out of Iverson than Larry Brown did during their stint together with the Sixers. If Iverson can stay focused and motivated the addition of him to the Charlotte roster could propel them into the NBA Playoffs for the first time in team history.

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack.net

Aug

22

Blazers Ink Dante Cunningham To Mult-Year Deal

Filed Under NBA Rookies | Leave a Comment

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed second round NBA Draft pick forward Dante Cunningham to a multi-year pact according to “NBA.com.” Terms of the contract were not released. The former Villanova Wildcat was taken with the 33rd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Cunningham had a very productive season last season as a Wildcat as he was named the Big East’s Most Improved Player. Cunningham averaged 16.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Trail Blazers General Manager Kevin Pritchard believes the rookie will be a strong addition to his roster. He said “We are really excited about the versatility and determination Dante brings to our team. Dante had a great summer league and we believe he has the potential to become a very good player in this league.”

© Copyright 2009 thesackattack.net

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