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Heat officially re-sign Wayne Ellington
The Miami HEAT announced today that they have re-signed guard Wayne Ellington. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. “It’s great to have Wayne back,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “He is one of our leaders. We are very pleased that he made the choice to stay. It means a lot to us.” Ellington, who was originally signed by the HEAT on July 10, 2016, appeared in 77 games (two starts) with Miami last season and averaged 11.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 26.5 minutes while shooting 40.7 percent from the field, 39.2 percent from three-point range and 85.9 percent from the foul line. He connected on 227 three-point field goals, the most for a single-season in HEAT history while tying the sixth-most in the NBA last season. His 218 treys off the bench were the most by a reserve in NBA history and were 63 more than the next highest player off the bench in the league. He recorded his 259th triple in his 100th game as a member of the HEAT on December 5 vs. New York, the most in franchise history for a player’s first 100 games with Miami, surpassing the previous record of 233 treys by Tim Hardaway. He tallied 52 made three-point field goals in December, the most by any player during a single-month in team history. He then matched that by hitting 52 in the following month in January to tie his own record. Ellington hit at least six three-point field goals 12 times last season, the most for a single-season in team history, including a franchise-record eight off the bench twice, first on December 22 vs. Dallas and then again on April 11 vs. Toronto where he hit six of those in the fourth quarter, the most for a fourth quarter in team history. Additionally, he paired with Josh Richardson (127), Tyler Johnson (119), Goran Dragić (111) and Kelly Olynyk (106) to each connect on at least 100 three’s last season to become the first group of at least five HEAT players to accomplish the feat in a single-season.
Warriors officially add Jonas Jerebko
The back-to-back NBA Champion Golden State Warriors have signed free agent forward Jonas Jerebko (pronounced Joe-nass Jeh-reb-ko) to a contract, the team announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released. Jerebko, 31, averaged 5.8 points on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 41.4 percent shooting from three-point range, to go along with 3.3 rebounds and 15.3 minutes in 74 games (19 starts) with the Utah Jazz last season. A nine-year NBA veteran, Jerebko owns career averages of 6.2 points on 45.7 percent shooting from the field and 36.3 percent from beyond the arc, 4.0 rebounds and 18.0 minutes in 562 games (113 starts) with the Jazz (2017-18), Boston Celtics (2015-17) and Detroit Pistons (2009-15). A native of Sweden, Jerebko has appeared in 32 postseason contests (four starts) with Utah and Boston, averaging 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game. He competed with Sweden at EuroBasket 2013, averaging 16.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in five games. The forward was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 39th overall pick in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft. He earned All-NBA Rookie Second Team honors in 2009-10 and was recognized as the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in February. Jerebko will wear #21 for the Warriors.
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers will not meet in person when free agency period opens
When the free agency period begins on Sunday, LeBron James or any of his representatives will not have an in-person meeting with Cleveland Cavaliers officials, according to a report by ESPN's Dave McMenamin. James' camp and the Cavs front office has been in regular dialogue since the season ended, sources said, and James' agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, informed the Cavs on Friday morning that the four-time MVP would not be opting in to the final year of his contract with Cleveland worth $35.6 million. According to the report, it is unclear that the two sides have set up a meeting. It was reported earlier in the week that James does not want any extravagant pitches made for his services. The decision to decline the option for 2018-19 was expected by James because it gives him more options, which includes him re-signing with the Cavs, who can offer him a five-year, $209 million contract. James can also sign a short-term deal with Cleveland, something he has done each year since returning in 2014. Had James opted in on Friday, the Cavaliers' brass would have considered that a bad sign, as they believed that his biggest motivation to do so would be in order to accommodate a trade to another team that didn't have the cap space to sign him outright, such as the Houston Rockets. By declining his option, James positioned himself to be able to choose where he'll play next and Cleveland, his basketball home for 11 of the past 15 seasons, remains a strong possibility. But there are at least three other teams - and maybe an outsider or two - with legitimate shots at landing the three-time MVP, who made it clear following this year's NBA Finals that he's still driven to win championships.
Japan advances to knockout stage on yellow cards despite loss to Poland
Amid a crescendo of boos and whistles as neither side tried to score, Japan advanced to the knockout round at the World Cup because of a newly implemented tiebreaker — fewer yellow cards. The Japanese, barely playing for the final 15 minutes of the match, lost to Poland 1-0 Thursday. But they still reached the round of 16 because Colombia beat Senegal 1-0 in the other Group H match. Both Japan and Senegal finished the group phase with four points, had the same goal difference and the same amount of goals scored. Starting at this year’s tournament, disciplinary records — known as fair play — were added by FIFA as a tiebreaker. Japan had four yellow cards in its three group matches while Senegal had six. It’s the first time since 1982 that no African team has advanced from the first round at the World Cup. Poland, which had already been eliminated, got its goal from defender Jan Bednarek in the 59th minute. He beat his marker at the far post and volleyed in a swerving free kick from Rafal Kurzawa. When Bednarek scored, Japan was facing elimination. However, Colombia’s goal in the 74th minute of the other group match in Samara meant Japan was in second place and would advance. As the game continued, it barely got above walking pace, prompting many inside the Volgograd Arena to show their displeasure by whistling and booing. During injury time, Japan’s players softly passed the ball among themselves, while their Polish opponents barely made an effort, content to finish the tournament with a victory following two losses. Japan coach Akira Nishino made six changes to the starting lineup ahead of the match — all four of Japan’s scorers in the previous two games were left on the bench. But the Japanese still had more of the chances in the first half. Poland had an early chance to take the lead in the 32nd minute when Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima stopped a header from Kamil Grosicki. Scampering across his goal before diving, Kawashima clawed the ball to safety just before it had crossed the line. Robert Lewandowski then had a chance to put Poland ahead 2-0 — a result that would have allowed Senegal to advance — in the 74th minute after a swift counterattack but his effort flew over the bar. GROUP DYNAMICS Japan will next face the winner of Group G, either Belgium or England, on Monday in Rostov-on-Don. Colombia, which won the group with six points, will play the second place team in that group on Tuesday in Moscow. Senegal, however, has become the first victim of the new tiebreaker. “I don’t know if the regulation is cruel or not, but I can’t ask my players to go on the pitch in order to avoid yellow cards,” Senegal coach Aliou Cisse said. “You have to be in contact with other players when you play football. This is how you play football. It worked against us.” KNOCKOUT ROUND Japan has reached the knockout round at the World Cup three times in the last five tournaments.
Kickoff: Spain, Portugal can’t coast to World Cup 2nd round
Portugal and Spain opened up their World Cup campaigns with an entertaining draw. Now each team wants a routine victory to secure its place in the round of 16. The first day of simultaneous matches at the tournament includes Portugal playing Iran at the same time its neighbor and rival faces Morocco. The games are scheduled that way to avoid giving any team the advantage of knowing its competitors’ results as group play wraps up. Portugal and Spain followed up their 3-3 draw with 1-0 victories. That means they’re level atop Group B with four points and the same goal difference. Iran is one point behind thanks to its win over Morocco. That means Iran could eliminate Portugal from the World Cup with a win. But if Spain loses to Morocco, Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal could advance even in defeat. Ever the showman, the 33-year-old Ronaldo has scored all four of Portugal’s goals so far while hinting that he considers himself the “GOAT,” or greatest of all time. Now he faces his former national team coach, Carlos Queiroz, who’s led Iran for the past seven years. Iran is playing in its fifth World Cup, but has never advanced out of the group stage. Queiroz’s stint coaching Portugal ended after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa amid reports of a difficult relationship between him and Ronaldo, who implied the coach was to blame for the team’s failure. Queiroz called Monday’s game “the most interesting and important match in my seven years with Iran” and said the drama of facing Ronaldo was worthy of a Martin Scorsese movie. Spain’s sudden dismissal of coach Julen Lopetegui was the talk of the tournament before play began. But that seems like ages ago. Players have moved on under new coach Fernando Hierro. “We are happy with him and we are learning a lot,” left back Jordi Alba said of Hierro. “The idea remains the same as before with Lopetegui. The team’s essence remains the same.” Morocco outplayed both Portugal and Iran in stretches, but has yet to score a goal, losing both matches 1-0. Spain is powered by Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa, who has three goals in two matches but could be frustrated by Morocco’s defense, which is anchored by Medhi Benatia of Juventus. Spain and Morocco play in Kaliningrad, the westernmost city in the World Cup, which is sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea. The Portugal-Iran match is roughly 1,180 miles (1,900 kilometers) to the east in Saransk, the smallest host city in the tournament. Both games are at 9 p.m. (2 p.m. EDT, 1800 GMT). Here’s a look at Monday’s other matches: URUGUAY VS. RUSSIA 5 p.m. (10 a.m. EDT, 1400 GMT) The host nation would top its group with a victory or a draw in Samara, thanks to its superior goal difference. Russia beat up on overmatched Saudi Arabia and undermanned Egypt for eight goals in its two victories. Uruguay, the favorite to win the group, got past each opponent 1-0 and is also assured a spot in the next round. The Group A winner will face the se
Celtics coach feels fortunate to get projected lottery pick Robert�Williams at No. 27
Power forward Robert Williams was projected to be a lottery pick — and that was last year, after his freshman year at Texas A&M. But there he was, sliding down to the Boston Celtics at the 27th pick in the NBA draft Thursday night (Friday, Manila time). "It's not my job to know what the other 26 teams are thinking," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after adding the two-time Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year. "We thought that he was the right pick for us, and we felt very fortunate to be able to get him." A 6-foot-10, 237-pound Oil City, Louisiana, native, Williams was considered a certain first-round pick as a freshman — maybe in the top 10. But he decided he wasn't ready. He returned and averaged 10.4 points and an SEC-leading 9.2 rebounds while leading the Aggies to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. "He's a rim-protector and a rebounder, and he can play above the rim on both ends of the court," Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said. "We don't have much of that." Williams, 20, still has some work to do— especially on offense, Ainge conceded. "He's still young," Ainge said. "He brings an upside. There's still parts of his game that are untapped. But rim-protection and rebounding, we know that." Stevens said current Celtics big men Al Horford and Gordon Hayward will be a big help in getting Williams ready. "He won't have any better role models than the guys in front of him," the coach said. The Celtics followed an appearance in the 2017 Eastern Conference finals with an offseason overhaul that brought in Hayward and Kyrie Irving. Despite losing both of them to injuries during the season, they returned to the league's final four thanks in part to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, back-to-back No. 3 picks in the previous two years. But after stockpiling eight first-round picks in the previous four drafts, including three lottery picks, the Celtics were left with just their own first-rounder this year and no picks in the second. They could have up to four first-rounders next year. Ainge said he looked into moving up to the top of the draft. "We spent the last couple of weeks figuring out what the cost was. We knew that was very, very unlikely," he said. Acquiring a second-round pick didn't interest him all that much. "We don't need more young players really," he said. "We feel good about adding one that does something that we don't have." Speaking at the team's brand new practice facility, the Auerbach Center, Stevens said Williams was a good athlete with good feet and an arm-span of 7-feet, 5-inches. Williams blocked 155 shots in college — third in Texas A&M history, with 78 as a sophomore that were the second-most in a single season for an Aggie. "Right now he is an elite athlete, with incredible length," Stevens said. "And he plays well above the rim. Obviously, if you can have four shooters in the game and a guy like that rolling to the rim, you can just throw it into the air and he can go get it." Because William
NBA London Game 2019 to pit Wizards vs Knicks in regular season bout
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) announced today that the NBA London Game 2019 will feature a regular-season game between the Washington Wizards and the New York Knicks at The O2 on Thursday, Jan. 17. Tickets for the game will go on sale in the autumn. Fans can register their interest in tickets and gain access to presale information and more by visiting www.NBA.com/London. The Wizards' roster currently features All-Star guards Bradley Beal and John Wall, who last season led the Wizards in points and assists, respectively, as well as Polish center Marcin Gortat. The Knicks’ roster currently features Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis, French point guard Frank Ntilikina, guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and newly appointed head coach David Fizdale. The game will be broadcast by the NBA’s broadcast partners across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and on NBA League Pass International. The NBA London Game 2019 will mark the league’s ninth regular-season game in London and the Knicks’ third game in the capital, having played regular-season games against the Detroit Pistons in 2013 and the Milwaukee Bucks in 2015. The Wizards will be playing their first game in the UK. All eight previous regular-season NBA games in London sold-out. In addition to the oncourt action, the NBA London Game 2019 will feature a variety of interactive fan activities, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and Jr. NBA basketball programming that will bring the NBA experience to fans in London. The NBA London Game 2019 will be supported by a full roster of marketing partners, including Foot Locker, Gatorade, Nike, SAP and Tissot with additional partners to be announced in the coming months.
Jayson Tatum's rookie season ranks alongside best in Celtics' history
Jayson Tatum surpassed all expectations during his first season with the Boston Celtics, putting forth one of the best all-around rookie performances of the 2017-18 NBA campaign. So, that got us thinking – where does his inaugural success rank among the achievements of all the great Celtics rooks that came before him? Looking back over last 70-plus seasons, Boston has seen an abundance of strong rookie campaigns, many of which helped set the table for Hall-of-Fame careers. After digging through numbers and evaluating overall impact, here’s how Tatum’s opening act stacks up among them. 5. Jayson Tatum – 2017-18 Entering the 2017-18 season, it was unclear how big of a role Jayson Tatum would have with the Celtics. Yes, he was the No. 3 pick of the 2017 Draft, but he was also joining a stacked roster. So, earning significant minutes as an inexperienced 19-year-old would be one heck of a challenge. However, a season-ending injury to star forward Gordon Hayward on Opening Night would open up the door for Tatum. And he walked right through and seized the opportunity. Tatum would wind up starting a team-high 80 games during the regular season, while tallying 13.9 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game and 1.6 assists per game. He also connected on a franchise record 105 3-pointers on a team-leading 43.4 percent clip – the fifth-highest mark of all time by an NBA rookie. As nice as those statistics were, there may be a few eyebrows raised at the fact that Tatum made this list over the likes of Paul Pierce (16.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.4 APG in 1998-99) and Antoine Walker (17.5 PPG, 9.0RPG, 3.2 APG in 1996-97). But Tatum earned his ranking in the postseason – a stage that neither Pierce nor Walker had the opportunity to venture to following their respective rookie campaigns. Tatum took his game to a completely different level during the 2018 Playoffs, leading a Celtics team that was lacking Hayward and star point guard Kyrie Irving all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He averaged a team-high 18.5 PPG and came just one point shy of Kareem Abdul-Jabaar’s rookie postseason scoring record of 352 points, while also tying Abdul-Jabaar’s rookie playoff mark of 10 20-point games. Tatum's arc of development covered incredible altitude over the duration of his rookie season, as his status went from being a question mark on Day 1 to becoming a star by the end of the postseason. 4. Dave Cowens – 1970-71 There are players, like Tatum, who experience a rising arc of progression throughout the course of their rookie seasons, and then there are others who start off with an instant bang. Dave Cowens’ first-year experience fell into the latter category. Boston drafted the 6-foot-9 center fourth overall in the 1970 Draft, and he made an immediate impact during his debut performance, tallying 16 points and 17 rebounds on Opening Night against the New York Knicks. That effort offered a perfect glimpse of what Celtics fans would see out of Cowens all sea
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