Update On Seattle Arena
The King County Council and the Seattle City Council have given a final approval on an agreement to build a $490 million basketball and hockey arena in the city, despite the threat of a lawsuit from longshore workers, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The County Council approved the agreement unanimously, and the City Council voted 7-2. Both groups had previously approved the deal, but it was a different version. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said the votes were an important step toward bringing professional men's basketball back to Seattle. He and King County Executive Dow Constantine were scheduled to sign the deal Tuesday.
Suns Waive Othyus Jeffers
The Suns waived Othyus Jeffers today, reports AZCentral.com's Paul Coro. The 27-year-old Jeffers had been out of the league for a season after knee surgery and was trying to make a Suns team that needs to replace place Channing Frye this season.
Jeffers' one preseason appearance came in a loss to the Kings on Wednesday night. He scored two points and grabbed two rebounds. He did not play in Friday night's game.
Injury Notes: Lowry, Clark, Deng, Stoudemire
Earlier we discussed Andrew Bynum's knee, which has lingered as a legitimate news item longer than Sixers fans would like. Now, here's a look towards other injury situations throughout the league as we head into the regular season, just a short two weeks away.
- New Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry looks to make his debut with the team on Wednesday night, reports Jay Satur from Raptors.com. Lowry has been battling a groin injury this offseason.
- Lakers forward Earl Clark is out indefintely with a groin injury, reports ESPNLA.com's Andy Kamenetzky. Clark came over from Orlando in the Dwight Howard trade earlier this summer.
- Recovering from a bone bruise in his left knee, Amare Stoudemire plans to make his preseason debut on Friday, reports Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
- After sitting out last Friday night's preseason game with a sore groin, Bulls forward Luol Deng will play Tuesday night against the Bucks, reports ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell.
- Still recovering from a platelet-rich plasma injection he received in September, Pacers forward Danny Granger is aiming to make a return for the last two games of the preseason, reports Pacers.com writer Mark Montieth.
Reggie Theus To Coach D-League’s D-Fenders
OCTOBER 15th, 6:50pm: The D-Fenders officially named Reggie Theus as their head coach today, reports ESPNLA.com's Brian Kamenetzky.
SEPTEMBER 28th, 8:16am: Theus and the D-Fenders have agreed to terms on a deal that will make the longtime NBA guard the team's coach, reports Andy Katz of ESPN.com.
SEPTEMBER 24th, 6:33pm: Former NBA player and head coach Reggie Theus has emerged as the leading candidate to become head coach of the Los Angeles D-Fenders, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski. After serving as head coach of the Kings for the 2007 season, Theus was fired after a 6-18 start in 2008. He then sat on Kurt Rambis' bench as an assistant with the Timberwolves from 2009 to 2011.
Andrew Bynum Update
According to a press release from the Sixers, on Monday, October 22, Andrew Bynum will receive a Synvisc injection in his right knee from Dr. David Altchek of the Hospital of Special Surgery.
Mentioned in the report is news that following the injection, Bynum will be examined by Dr. Jack McPhilemy of Main Line Health and the team will provide additional updates as they are available and appropriate. The shot has been a routine procedure for Bynum during the previous two seasons and is unrelated to previous reports of his bone bruise.
Tracy McGrady Signs In China
OCTOBER 15TH, 8:22am: The Qingdao Double Star Eagles held a press conference over the weekend to formally announce McGrady's signing and present a copy of the contract, complete with T-Mac's signature, says Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com.
According to Pastuszek, McGrady is expected to arrive in China on October 24th, and Qingdao is hoping to keep the two-time NBA scoring champ on its roster for multiple years.
OCTOBER 9TH, 6:17pm: Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports that McGrady has officially signed his contract with Qingdao.
8:54am: Qingdao manager Sheng Xishun confirmed the signing and said that it should be made official by tomorrow, writes Yan Weijue of China Daily. Sheng went on to say that the deal was inspired by what Stephon Marbury and his Beijing Ducks accomplished last season, as he led the team to their first league title in two decades.
OCTOBER 8TH, 6:36pm: Two-time NBA scoring champion Tracy McGrady is currently finalizing a one-year contract with Qingdao of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski. McGrady is expected to complete the deal in the next few days, and will head to China at some point in the next few weeks.
After spending the last few seasons in miniscule roles—relative to where he's been throughout his illustrious career—with the Pistons and Hawks, McGrady tried out for several teams (including the Spurs and Knicks) in the past month, but no franchise could guarantee him a contract. McGrady hasn't averaged double digits in scoring since 2008/09, and was last an All-Star in 2006/07. He is 33 years old.
Odds & Ends: Drummond, Smith, Mohammed, Ariza
A bit of news and notes from around the league on this Sunday afternoon.
- Lang Greene from Hoopsworld.com asks if the Hawks are ready to face a possibly similar situation with Josh Smith as the Magic did with Dwight Howard.
- Pistons.com writer Keith Langlois writes about the community set up around Andre Drummond to make sure he's in the best environment possible.
- Nazr Mohammed is looking to be a stable veteran presence for the Bulls this season, writes CSNChicago.com's Sam Aggrey.
- The Washington Post's Michael Lee writes about the incoming Trevor Ariza, and how he's still trying to fit in with the Wizards roster.
Atlantic Notes: Johnson, Downs, Knicks, Hawes
Here are some notes from around the Atlantic Division.
- Howard Beck from the New York Times writes that Joe Johnson is looking to shed his "iso-Joe" nickname now that he's with the Nets.
- Micah Downs was one of the last players brought into the Celtics training camp not only for his size, but his athletic potential, writes CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely.
- The Sixers are expecting re-signed center Spencer Hawes to be a consistent force at the power forward position for them this year, writes CSNPhilly.com's John Finger.
- Coming off an overtime preseason victory against the Celtics, the Knicks aging backcourt duo of Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni could be an intriguing one this season, writes Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
Bucks Notes: D-League, Gooden
Here are a couple notes on the Bucks, a team that begins the 2012/13 season with playoff expectations.
- Ridiculous Upside's Keith Schlosser takes a look at three players in the D-League who could make Milwaukee's roster. They are Alando Tucker, Orien Greene, and Eddie Gill. A major reason for why these guards have a chance is their collective experience in the NBA, which could be useful as they go through preseason.
- Not all veterans are willing to accept the "mentor" role once their career begins to wind down. However, the Bucks are fortunate in that they have more than one veteran looking to make life easier for the younger guys, writes JSOnline.com's Charles F. Gardner. Players such as Drew Gooden, Mike Dunleavy, and Samuel Dalembert should be great for the Bucks' chemistry as they try to make the postseason.
Odds & Ends: Sullinger, Magic, Maynor, Sixers
Here are a few bits of news and notes from around the league.
- Celtics rookie Jared Sullinger may have a body type that mirrors former Celtic forward Glen Davis, but the two players boast very different games, writes WEEI.com's Paul Flannery.
- AJC.com's Chris Vivlamore writes about how Hawks point guard Jeff Teague needs to become a vocal leader this season.
- NBA.com writer Josh Cohen dives into whether or not the Magic will be active at February's trade deadline.
- Glen Davis says the Magic starters have great chemistry so far, writes the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins.
- CSNPhilly.com's John Finger asks how the Sixers are going to replace Andre Iguodala's elite perimeter defense.
- CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes introduces fans to Trail Blazers big man guru Kim Hughes, a coach who should be integral to lottery pick Meyers Leonard's development.
- If James Harden re-signs with the Thunder, it will signal the end of Eric Maynor's tenure with the team, according to The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry.