BallHype - Latest NBA/Pro Basketball News Articles

Deveney: Spurs' Finley spurns European offer

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:53:36 +1900

What, did you think foreign interest was limited to young, emerging NBA players shackled by restrict...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, San Antonio Spurs

Lakers Re-Sign Vujacic

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:27:05 +1900

Lakers restricted free agent guard Sasha Vujacic has agreed to a three-year, $15 million contract after emerging last season as a key member of the Western Conference champions.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Los Angeles Lakers, Sasha Vujacic, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Bobcats, Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics

Wade sharp in return; Americans rout Canada

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:15:36 +1900

With LeBron James out, Dwyane Wade proved he is definitely back. Wade stepped into the starting lineup and scored 20 points in his first action in more than four months, and the United States beat Canada 120-65 on Friday night in the opener of its exhibition schedule. James, the NBA's leading scorer, missed the game because of a mildly sprained right ankle, but the Americans have plenty of offense without him.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James

Wade sharp in return, helps Americans rout Canada

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:11:00 +1900

With LeBron James out, Dwyane Wade proved he is definitely back.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Canada

Wade sharp in return, helps Americans rout Canada

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:10:06 +1900

With LeBron James out, Dwyane Wade proved he is definitely back.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Canada

James sits as US rips Canada behind Wade (AP)

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:09:05 +1900

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James

Report: Lakers Re-Sign Vujacic to Three-Year Deal

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:19:38 +1900

In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Steve Springer reports that the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers reached a verbal agreement Friday with guard Sasha Vujacic on a three-year contract worth about $15 million. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said, "We are happy to have Sasha back." Vujacic averaged 8.8 points per game last season.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Sasha Vujacic, Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak

Report: Timberwolves Reach Agreement with Ryan Gomes

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:19:38 +1900

On ESPN.COM, Marc Stein reports that the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday reached agreement with restricted free agent forward Ryan Gomes on a multi-year deal. Gomes' agent, Bob Myers, told ESPN.com that the deal is expected to be formally signed next week.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Minnesota Timberwolves, Ryan Gomes, Marc Stein

Lakers, Vujacic agree on three-year deal worth $15 million

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:11:03 +1900

The player and GM Mitch Kupchak both say they're happy the reserve guard will remain in Los Angeles. > One day after threatening to bolt for Europe, Lakers reserve guard Sasha Vujacic reached a verbal agreement today on a three-year contract, worth about $15 million, to stay with the team.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Sasha Vujacic, Mitch Kupchak, Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers agree to terms with guard Sasha Vujacic

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:57:16 +1900

Lakers restricted free agent guard Sasha Vujacic has agreed to a three-year, $15 million contract after emerging last season ...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Los Angeles Lakers, Sasha Vujacic

NBA files for rights to six names for OKC team

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:44:20 +1900

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The NBA has filed for trademark rights to six nicknames for the league's new O...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder

Lakers cut deal to retain G Sasha Vujacic

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:44:20 +1900

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Restricted free agent guard Sasha Vujacic has agreed to a three-year, $15 millio...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Sasha Vujacic, Los Angeles Lakers

Deng negotiation still wide open for Bulls

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:44:00 +1900

Bulls forward nixed European overtures > The Bulls and Luol Deng's representative continue to negotiate and occasionally make progress toward a long-term extension, which is noteworthy considering this:

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Chicago Bulls, Luol Deng

Lakers agree to terms with G Vujacic

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:25:16 +1900

Lakers restricted free agent guard Sasha Vujacic has agreed to a three-year, $15 million contract after emerging last season as a key member of the Western Conference champions. "We felt Sasha made great progress in this past year, and our coach showed great confidence in playing him the second half of the season," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said Friday in confirming the agreement, first reported by the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Sasha Vujacic, Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak

Lakers, Vujacic agree to 3-year, $15 million deal

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:08:21 +1900

Lakers restricted free agent guard Sasha Vujacic has agreed to a three-year, $15 million contract after emerging last season as a key member of the Western Conference champions.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Los Angeles Lakers, Sasha Vujacic

Lakers re-sign Vujacic with 3-year, $15M deal

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:01:10 +1900

Read full story for latest details.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Sasha Vujacic, Los Angeles Lakers

Hollins Returns to Bobcats

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:41:04 +1900

Charlotte Bobcats center-forward Ryan Hollins signed a one-year qualifying offer that will bring him back to the team next season.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Charlotte Bobcats, Ryan Hollins

USA Basketball: Casey at the Zone

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:41:04 +1900

Former NBA head coach Don Casey once started a blog entry off in 2006 (he was ahead of his time) with the headline "RILEY PLAYS ZONE! I Repeat: RILEY PLAYS ZONE!"Yes, seeing guys in the NBA play an area rather than a man on defense, really gets him going. Like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the sky hook, MJ had the fadeaway and Dikembe Mutombo has the finger wag, Casey has the coaching of zone defense.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Dikembe Mutombo

James to miss exhibition with sprained ankle

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:26:21 +1900

LeBron James will not play for the United States in its exhibition game against Canada on Friday night because of a mildly sprained right ankle. James was hurt during a scrimmage on Tuesday. Though his ankle is feeling better, the U.S. staff preferred to rest him to avoid further swelling before the long plane flight to China this weekend. There was no immediate word who would start in James' place.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, LeBron James

James to miss exhibition with sprained ankle

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:20:06 +1900

LeBron James will not play for the United States in its exhibition game against Canada on Friday night because of a mildly sprained right ankle.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, LeBron James, USA, Canada

NBA files for rights to six possible OKC names

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:18:28 +1900

Read full story for latest details.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA

LeBron misses US game vs. Canada (AP)

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:18:24 +1900

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, LeBron James

Okafor not close to new deal with Bobcats

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:16:35 +1900

Nearly a month since becoming a restricted free agent, Emeka Okafor is not close to a new deal with the Charlotte Bobcats. Yet general manager Rod Higgins remains confident Okafor will remain a Bobcat. Higgins insisted Friday that talks have not reached a stalemate. He said he's spoken to Okafor's agent, Jeff Schwartz, as recently as Thursday and said the team is not entertaining sign-and-trade offers for their starting big man.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Emeka Okafor, Charlotte Bobcats

NBA files for rights to six nicknames

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:13:46 +1900

The NBA has filed for trademark rights to six nicknames for the league's new Oklahoma City franchise: Barons, Bison, Energy, Marshalls, Thunder and Wind. An attorney for the league made the filing Monday with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Marshal is usually spelled with one l. It's not clear why the league used a variant spelling. The filing is listed on the patent office's Web site.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder

Josh Childress Heads for Europe: What's Greek for 'Tweener'?

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:12:17 +1900

Let’s get one thing straight. Josh Childress didn’t sign with Olympiacos of Greece because he wants to get away from the Hawks, because he wants more playing time, or because he thinks his game might be a better fit with a European league. A ll of those aspects might be valid—the Hawks are dysfunctional, Childress is a sixth man who wants to start, and he’s just the kind of finesse player with a good outside shot who thrives in Europe. But in this case, it’s all about the dollars—or should I say, the Euros. Childress is a classic tweener. He’s 6’8”, but he only weighs 210 pounds. He isn’t strong enough to take advantage of his height on the inside, nor is he fast enough to play with the guards. He’s just the kind of player who, back in the 90s, washed out of the NBA in a few years—remember Ed O’Bannon , anyone? But in today’s game, with limits on the handchecking rules, increasing numbers of finesse players ...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Josh Childress, Atlanta Hawks

Sasha Vujacic Could Soon Head to Europe, Along with Lakers' Championship Hopes

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:08:26 +1900

Sasha Vujacic, along with Delonte West and Andris Biedrins, may be heading to europe next season. For the Lakers, the departure of Sasha "the Machine" Vujacic, would be a big blow to their title hopes next season. Vujacic had his best season in the NBA last year, averaging 8.8 points in 17.8 minutes in the regular season, shooting 45.4 percent from the field, including 43.7 percent from three-point range. In the postseason, Vujacic averaged 21.7 minutes, 8.1 points and shot 39.9 percent from the floor, including 39.2 percent on three-pointers. After loosing forward Ronny Turiaf to the Warriors, the Lakers can't afford to lose Vujacic, who was one of the main reasons the Lakers' bench was so good this season. Vujacic and Jordan Farmar are a more-than-capable backup option for Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant. They showed that numerous times during the season, when they didn't only keep the score line the same when the bench was on, but often decreased a deficit or increased a lead. Vujacic ...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Sasha Vujacic, Los Angeles Lakers, Manu Ginobili

Sonics' rebirth: NBA files for six OKC trademarks

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:03:17 +1900

The NBA has filed for trademark rights to six nicknames for the league's new Oklahoma City franchise: Barons, Bison, Energy, Marshalls, Thunder and Wind.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, Seattle Sonics

Greeks, Afros, Olympics—and What the Heck is a FIBA?

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:52:52 +1900

The Dream Team is often hailed as saving USA Basketball, as if it was in some sort of funk, but nothing could be further from the truth—before 1988, USA Basketball had finished as low as second once in all of its history. Back in the summer of 1988, the American team flew into Seoul with a staggering 86-1 record in the Olympiad—its lone loss being the controversial 1972 Munich Gold Medal Game (using controversial here may be the understatement of the century). A team of plucky collegiate superstars, led by David Robinson, not only failed to bring home the Gold, but failed to make it to the Gold Medal game, 'only' earning Bronze. (Speaking of which, how the heck did 1988 Yugoslavia—with Toni Kukoc, Vlade Divac, Drazen Petrovic, and Dino Radja— not win the Gold Medal game?) Back in America, it was time for change, and not of the political variety. With FIBA—the International Basketball Federation, but the acronym is French, because the French love running ...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Josh Childress

Hawks Sign Maurice Evans

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:52:34 +1900

Journeyman Maurice Evans has agreed to terms with the Hawks on a three-year deal believed to be worth about $7.5 million, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Maurice Evans, Atlanta Hawks

NBA has 6 nicknames in mind for OK City (AP)

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:43:08 +1900

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder

Kings Sign Bobby Brown

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:27:37 +1900

The Sacramento Kings today signed point guard Bobby Brown to a contract, it was announced by Kings' President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Sacramento Kings, Bobby Brown, Geoff Petrie

Utah Jazz Exercises First Right of Refusal on C.J. Miles

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:27:37 +1900

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has exercised its first right of refusal on guard C.J. Miles's contract. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Utah Jazz, C.J. Miles

D'Antoni adds Atkinson

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:57:47 +1900

Mike D’Antoni completed his coaching staff when the Knicks hired development coach Kenny Atkinson, the Daily News has learned. Atkinson, a Long Island native, worked for the Houston Rockets last season following an extensive playing and coaching career in Europe. Last month, D’Antoni hired his brother Dan and Phil Weber, both of whom worked for the Phoenix Suns last season. D’Antoni also retained Herb Williams from Isiah Thomas’ staff. From 2004-06, Atkinson was an assistant coach/director of player development with Paris Basket Racing in France. In the summer of 2006, he served in the same capacity for the National Team of Georgia. Atkinson played professionally in France, Holland, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Mike D'Antoni, New York Knicks, Long Island, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns

Fly: Fly: Hammer coming down on Tim Donaghy

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:07:37 +1900

Hey, didn't you used to be a Bears holdout? After gamblin' man Tim Donaghy's co-def...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Tim Donaghy

Kobe Or Jordan: Who Is The Greatest of All Time?

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:46:16 +1900

Pity the poor purist with the gall to get his hopes up. The Tour de France is all but finished, and the plot feels sinkingly familiar. Scandal rolls. Suspicion reigns. As usual, you can’t spell peloton without EPO, which is exceptionally bad news for any cycling fan who made the mistake of wishing it were otherwise. Sometimes our heroes let us down. Sometimes, though, we do the dirty work all by ourselves. I don’t mean to condone performance-enhancement here. There’s an argument to be made in that direction, but frankly it’s beside the point, given the thrust of the facts of ground. A fool wastes his breath trying to justify the inevitable. A wise man knows well enough to simply learn how to live with it. Those who can, do. Those who can’t, dope. Those who don’t, well—what is Floyd Landis doing these days? In a perfect world, every athlete would be as natural as Robert ...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Chicago Bulls

GM remains hopeful Bobcats will re-sign Okafor

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:07:22 +1900

Nearly a month since becoming a restricted free agent, Emeka Okafor is not close to a new deal with ...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Emeka Okafor, Charlotte Bobcats

LeBron James’ Guarantee Restores Swagger to USA Basketball

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:04:20 +1900

He’s gone and done it. LeBron James has tipped his hand. With a simple guarantee of gold, the King has made his opinion unequivocally clear—the U.S.A basketball team will win the gold medal in Beijing next month. Now, that’s just one man’s opinion. There are 11 other guys on the USA national team who may think differently. Some do, in fact. Carmelo Anthony wouldn’t even go so far as to guarantee a win in tonight’s exhibition game against Canada. Is LeBron being overly cocky then? Does his claim resonate as arrogance—the type of over-confidence perhaps that shackled the 2004 team? The answer is no. When LeBron preordained the U.S.A basketball team as gold medalist earlier this week, I wasn’t surprised one bit. In fact, I was a little relieved. You see, I’ve been following the progress of the national team for some time now. When the U.S. finished with a bronze medal in ...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, LeBron James

Nash joins bid to bring MLS team to Vancouver

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:45:38 +1900

Read full story for latest details.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Steve Nash

Steve Nash joins push to bring Vancouver Whitecaps into MLS

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:37:09 +1900

NBA superstar Steve Nash said Friday he will invest in the Vancouver Whitecaps' bid to buy a Major League Soccer franchise.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Steve Nash, Major League Soccer, Vancouver Canucks

Bobcats still confident in ability to keep Okafor

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:56:20 +1900

Read full story for latest details.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Charlotte Bobcats, Emeka Okafor

Okafor, Bobcats still far apart on new contract

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:54:41 +1900

Nearly a month since becoming a restricted free agent, Emeka Okafor is not close to a new deal with the Charlotte Bobcats.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Emeka Okafor, Charlotte Bobcats

Following Josh Childress' Lead, Is LeBron James Heading Overseas? (Humor)

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:43:48 +1900

The Guangdong Southern Tigers, of the 中国男子篮球职业联赛 (Chinese Basketball Association), seemingly are clearing their unlimited cap space to make a run at LeBron James in 2010. “Guangdong happens to be my fifth favorite province in China,” James says. “And some of my best Cantonese cuisine restaurants reside in Guangdong!” he exclamates. All of this is now surfacing, after former NBA player Josh Childress and top high school prospect Brandon Jennings both signed with European clubs. Guangdong, the fourth-most populous province in China, has been atop the CBA for the last five years, winning four of the last five championships. It appears they would like to stay on top. An anonymous spokesman from Nike told this reporter that the sports apparel company was prepared to offer James a new contract including “China escalators” that would significantly increase James' endorsement bonuses. ...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, LeBron James, Josh Childress, Brandon Jennings, Nike, James Augustine

NBA files for rights to six OKC nicknames

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:35:38 +1900

The NBA has filed for trademark rights to six nicknames for the league's new Oklahoma City franchise: Barons, Bison, Energy, ...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder

Sheridan: Melo staying away from G-word

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:10:24 +1900

Carmelo Anthony isn't guaranteeing anything, even victory against overmatched Canada, writes Chris Sheridan.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Sheridan

Elder Kidd has game, rep to make Team USA go

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:47:51 +1900

He's 35 and a step slow, so why is Jason Kidd starting for Team USA? Mark Kriegel says he has the chops to bring home gold.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Jason Kidd

LeBron James Will Know When to Retire: An Open Mic Exclusive with Wise LeBron

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:25:41 +1900

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from my interview with Wise LeBron, probably best known these days for his role in LeBron James’ Nike ads of the past three years. However, I needed to do a serious editorial on someone who had retired from an actual sport, and my giving up badminton due to having torn my rotator cuff (while absolutely destroying my 85-year-old grandmother on July 4, by the way) didn’t seem terribly interesting—even to me. While most NBA fans will remember that Wise posted a quadruple-double in a high school state championship game—he tallied 35 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists… and 12 blocks —many don’t realize that Wise also dazzled ABA fans as a 50-something two-guard for the Kentucky Colonels from 1968-1976. To this day, Wise is the only AARP member to compete at such a high level of basketball, for such a long period of time. We met at the home of LeBron James, who was gracious ...

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

Ian Thomsen: Early peek at the 2008-09 season

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:46:14 +1900

In his Weekly Countdown, Ian Thomsen peeks ahead to '08-09 and reveals that Olympiakos pursued another NBA player before signing Josh Childress.

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Josh Childress

Lakers' Bynum Healthy, Agent Says

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:40:41 +1900

In the LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS, Ramona Shelburne reports "Lakers center Andrew Bynum was in Los Angeles earlier this week, working for the Lakers team doctors and was cleared for everything, according to his agent David Lee. Bynum is now down in Atlanta working out with his personal trainer. The Lakers, Lee said, have a standing invitation to drop in on Bynum down in Atlanta and see his progress. He's absolutely fine, he's going to come in as a beast,' Lee said. He's got no atrophy anywhere. The kid's in great shape. Maybe it comes with being 20 years of age.'"

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, Andrew Bynum, David Lee

James Isn't Likely to Play Today vs. Canada

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:40:41 +1900

In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Greg Johnson reports "injured forward LeBron James is a 95% no-go' for Friday's exhibition game in Las Vegas against Canada, U.S. men's basketball team coach Mike Krzyzewski said earlier today. James, who sustained a mild right ankle sprain during a Tuesday practice, was held out of a scrimmage for the second straight day, although the Associated Press reports that he did participate in some drills. He hasn't had contact,' Krzyzewski said. We're better off giving him a few days.'

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, LeBron James, Mike Krzyzewski

The Stars Are Aligned for Olympics

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:40:41 +1900

In the WASHINGTON POST, Michael Lee writes "for Jerry Colangelo to assemble a dozen players willing to buy into his concept of a national program, it required confidence, organization and what Colangelo considers one of his greatest strengths -- salesmanship. Two months after taking on the responsibility of restoring the United States' reputation as the best in the world in April 2005, Colangelo sought out the advice of 20 former Olympic players and coaches at a gathering in Chicago. He began his recruitment efforts in the fall, offering the same sales pitch to almost all of the 33 the players who chose to participate, including Washington Wizards Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas. No one has really done it the way I did it,' said Colangelo, But after all these years, I have a passion for this game. I love this game.'

Find more top sports news, videos, and blogs on BallHype: NBA, Jerry Colangelo, Washington Wizards, Antawn Jamison, Gilbert Arenas