Player Movement 2006

June 30
Milwaukee Bucks have acquired forward Charlie Villanueva from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for guard T.J. Ford and cash considerations.

July 12
New Jersey Nets have signed their two First Round draft picks from the 2006 NBA Draft, guard Marcus Williams and forward Josh Boone, to multi-year contracts.

Philadelphia 76ers re-signed restricted free agents - forward Shavlik Randolph, and guard Willie Green.

Indiana Pacers announced they have acquired forward/guard Marquis Daniels from Dallas Mavericks , in exchange for forward Austin Croshere.

Memphis Grizzlies acquired Stromile Swift and the draft rights to Rudy Gay, the eighth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, from Houston Rockets in exchange for Grizzlies forward Shane Battier.

San Antonio Spurs announced that they have signed guard Jacque Vaughn.

Atlanta Hawks announced the team has addressed one of its biggest needs with the signing of free agent guard Craig “Speedy” Claxton to a contract.

LeBron James signed his extension with the Cavs that will keep him in Cleveland – with his eyes on the NBA Championship – for more four years .

New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets announced that they have acquired forward Peja Stojakovic and cash considerations from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for the draft rights to Andrew Betts.

Los Angeles Clippers re-signed free agent point guard Sam Cassell.

Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony signed a multi-year contract extension.

Golden State Warriors have acquired guards Devin Brown, Keith Mcleod and Andre Owens from the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Derek Fisher.

The Toronto Raptors announced they have signed free agent guard-forward Anthony Parker to a multi-year contract.

Miami HEAT re-signed guard Dwyane Wade.

Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent guard Shammond Williams.

Dallas Mavericks have re-signed center DJ Mbenga.

July 13
Dallas Mavericks signed free agent guard Greg Buckner.

Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent forward Vladimir Radmanovic.

Utah Jazz re-signed forward Matt Harpring.

Orlando Magic have signed free agent guard-forward Keith Bogans.

Los Angeles Clippers signed free agent forward Tim Thomas.

Phoenix Suns signed unrestricted free agent guard/forward Eric Piatkowski to a two-year contract.

Chicago Bulls has signed free agent forward Ben Wallace.

Joel Przybilla returns to Portland Blazers.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets announced that they have traded guard Kirk Snyder to the Houston Rockets in exchange for cash considerations and a conditional 2008 second round pick (the Hornets will receive the higher second round draft slot between the two teams in the 2008 NBA Draft.

July 14

The Toronto Raptors resigned Chris Bosh to multiyear contract.

The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets announced that they have acquired center Tyson Chandler from Chicago Bulls in exchange for forward PJ Brown and guard J.R. Smith .

The Boston Celtics have agreed with team Captain Paul Pierce to extend his contract through the 2010-11 season.

The Detroit Pistons signed guard Ronald “Flip” Murray to a multi-year contract.

July 18

The Detroit Pistons signed center Nazr Mohammed to a multi-year contract.

July 19

The Washington Wizards signed forward Darius Songaila .

The Detroit Pistons re-signed guard Lindsey Hunter to a multi-year contract.

The Houston Rockets signed Greek combo-guard Vassilis Spanoulis to a three-year agreement.

The Charlotte Bobcats signed free agent forward Othella Harrington.

July 20

The Denver Nuggets have re-signed F/C Nenê to a multi-year contract

The Denver Nuggets have acquired J.R. Smith from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Howard Eisley and two second-round draft choices .

The Phoenix Suns signed Marcus Banks.

July 21

The San Antonio Spurs signed Jackie Butler.

July 24

The Indiana Pacers traded Darrell Armstrong and young forwards Rawle Marshall and Josh Powell , to Dallas Mavericks, in exchange for point guard Anthony Johnson.

The Sacramento Kings signed free agent guard John Salmons to a multi-year contract.

July 25

The Dallas Mavericks re-signed veteran guard Jason Terry.

The Toronto Raptors signed free agent guard Fred Jones.

The Denver Nuggets have signed rookie Yakhouba Diawara to a contract.

The Boston Celtics announced today they have signed rookie free agent center Kevin Pittsnogle.

July 26

The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets announced today that they have signed free agent guard Bobby Jackson and re-signed forward Rasual Bulter.

The Toronto Raptors signed Uros Slokar.

The Phoenix Suns signed unrestricted free-agent forward/center Sean Marks to a one-year contract.

July 27

The Orlando Magic re-signed restricted free agent forward Trevor Ariza.

The New Jersey Nets acquired center Mikki Moore from the Seattle SuperSonics for a second round draft pick in 2009.

July 28

The Denver Nuggets have signed F/C Jamal Sampson to a contract.

The Charlotte Bobcats re-signed Bernard Robinson.

The Indiana Pacers signed Maceo Baston.

The Portland Trail Blazers traded guard Steve Blake, forward Brian Skinner and center Ha Seung-Jin , for All Star center Jamaal Magloire from Milwaukee Bucks.

August 1.

Memphis Grizzlies signed a one-year contract with free agent guard Lorinza ‘Junior’ Harrington.

August 2

The San Antonio Spurs signed Francisco Elson.

The Dallas Mavericks signed free-agent forward Devean George.

The Houston Rockets signed free agent guard Kelenna Azubuike.

August 5

The Washington Wizards signed guard DeShawn Stevenson.

The Phoenix Suns signed guard Leandro Barbosa to a five-year contract extension.

August 8

The New York Knicks signed free agent forward Jared Jeffries.

August 10

The Milwaukee Bucks traded forward Joe Smith for forward Ruben Patterson, from Denver Nuggets.

August 15

The Seattle SuperSonics re-signed Chris Wilcox.

August 17

The New Jersey Nets have signed free agent guard Eddie House.

August 18

The Miami HEAT re-signed center Alonzo Mourning.

August 22

The Indiana Pacers bring back Al Harrington from Atlanta Hawks, in trade for 2007 first-round pick.

September 5

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard David Wesley.

The Houston Rockets signed Casey Jacobsen.

September 22

The Minnesota Timberwolves signed free-agent guard Mike James.

The Minnesota Timberwolves re-signed restricted free agent forward Justin Reed.

Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs always begin in late April, with eight teams in each conference qualifying for the playoffs. The top three seeds for each conference are determined by taking the winners of the conference's three divisions and ranking them by regular season record. The remaining five seeds are determined by taking the five teams with the next-best records from among the non-division winning teams in the conference. However, the seeding system has one feature that is unusual in North American sports; division champions do not necessarily have home-court advantage in the playoffs. Although the playoff brackets are not reseeded, home-court advantage is based strictly on regular-season record, without regard to whether a team won its division.

Having a higher seed offers several advantages. Since the first seed plays the eighth seed, the second seed plays the seventh seed, the third seed plays the sixth seed, and the fourth seed plays the fifth seed in the playoffs, having a higher seed generally means you will be facing a weaker team. The team in each series with the better record has home court advantage, including the First Round. This means that, for example, if the team who receives the 6 (six) seed has a better record than the team with the 3 (three) seed (seeded thus by virtue of a divisional championship), the 6 seed would have home court advantage, even though the other team has a higher seed. Therefore, the team with the best regular season record in the league is guaranteed home court advantage in every series it plays.

The playoffs follow a tournament format. Each team plays a rival in a best-of-seven series, with the first team to win four games advancing into the second round, while the other team is eliminated from the playoffs. In the next round, the successful team plays against another advancing team of the same conference. Thus, all but one team in each conference are eliminated from the playoffs. Since the NBA does not re-seed teams, the playoff bracket in each conference uses a traditional design, with the winner of the series matching the 1st and 8th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 4th and 5th seeded teams, and the winner of the series matching the 2nd and 7th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 3rd and 6th seeded teams. In every round except the NBA Finals, the best of seven series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the other plays at home in games 3, 4, and 6. For the final round (NBA Finals), the series follows a 2-3-2 pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 6, and 7, while the other plays at home in games 3-5.

The final playoff round, a best-of-seven series between the victors of both conferences, is known as the NBA Finals, and it is held annually in June. The victor in the NBA Finals wins the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Each player and major contributor, including coaches and the general manager, on the winning team receive a championship ring. In addition, the league awards an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, which nearly always goes to a member of the winning team, though not by rule. There has been only one exception to date: Jerry West won the award in 1969 (the award's first season) even though his Los Angeles Lakers did not win the championship.

On August 2, 2006, the NBA announced the new playoff format. The new format takes the three division winners and the second-place team with the best record and rank them 1-4 by record. The other 4 slots are filled by best record other than those other 4 teams. This might be in relation to the 2006 playoffs when Dallas and San Antonio, the two best Western Conference Teams, faced each other in the semifinals. This new format ensures that the two best teams will not meet until the Conference finals.

Regular season

Following the summer break, teams hold training camps in October. Training camps allow the coaching staff to evaluate players (especially rookies), scout the team's strengths and weaknesses, prepare the players for the rigorous regular season, and determine the 12-man active roster (and a 3-man inactive list, if needed) with which they will begin the regular season. Teams have the ability to assign players with less than two years of experience to the NBA development league. After training camp, a series of preseason exhibition games are held. The NBA regular season begins in the first week of November.

In the regular season, each team plays 82 games, which are divided evenly between home and away games. Schedules are not identical for all teams. A team faces opponents in its own division four times a year, teams from the other two divisions in its conference either three or four times, and teams in the other conference twice apiece. A team can therefore have a relatively easy or difficult schedule, depending on the division and conference it is located in. Following the recent changes to the National Hockey League's scheduling format, the NBA is now the only major league in North America in which all the teams play each other during the regular season, and where a season ticket holder can see every team in the league come to town in any one season.

In February, the NBA regular season is interrupted to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star Game. Fans are balloted throughout the United States, Canada and through the internet, and the top vote-getters at each position in each conference are given a starting spot on their conference's All-Star team. Coaches vote to choose the remaining 14 All-Stars. Then, East faces West in the All-Star game. The player with the best performance during the game is rewarded with a Game MVP award. Other attractions of the All-Star break include the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge game, which pits the best rookies and the best second-year players against each other; the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, a competition between players to see who is the best three-point shooter; and the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk contest, to see which player dunks the ball in the most entertaining way.

Shortly after the All-Star break is the league's trade deadline. After this date, teams are not allowed to exchange players with each other for the remainder of the season, although they may still sign and release players. Major trades are often completed right before the trading deadline, making that day a hectic time for general managers.

Around the end of April, the regular season ends. It is during this time that voting begins for individual awards, as well as the selection of the honorary league-wide postseason teams. The Sixth Man of the Year Award is given to the best player coming off the bench (not starting for his team). The Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the most outstanding first-year player. The Most Improved Player Award is awarded to the most improved player. The Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender. The Coach of the Year Award is awarded to either the best coach in the league or the coach that has made the most positive difference to a team. The Most Valuable Player Award is given to player deemed the most valuable for that season. Additionally, The Sporting News awards an unofficial (but widely recognized) Executive of the Year Award to the general manager who is adjudged to have performed the best job for the benefit of his franchise.

The postseason teams are the All-NBA Teams, the All-Defensive Teams, and the All-Rookie Teams; each consists of five players. There are three All-NBA teams, consisting of the top players at each position, with first-team status being most desirable. There are two All-Defensive teams, consisting of the top defenders at each position. There are also two All-Rookie teams, consisting of the top first-year players regardless of position.

Current NBA Teams

NBA is divided in two conferences, and each of them has 2 divisions.

Here is the list of all current NBA teams :

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division :

Boston Celtics ( Boston, Massachusetts , TD Banknorth Garden , Founded 1946 )
New Jersey Nets ( East Rutherford, New Jersey , Continental Airlines Arena 1967 )
New York Knicks ( New York, New York , Madison Square Garden , 1946 )
Philadelphia 76ers ( Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wachovia Center , 1939 )
Toronto Raptors ( Toronto, Ontario - Canada, Air Canada Centre, 1995 )


Central Division :

Chicago Bulls ( Chicago, Illinois , United Centar , 1966 )
Cleveland Cavaliers ( Cleveland, Ohio, Quicken Loans Arena , 1970 )
Detroit Pistons ( Auburn Hills, Michigan, The Palace of Auburn Hills, 1941 )
Indiana Pacers ( Indianapolis, Indiana, Conseco Fieldhouse, 1967 )
Milwaukee Bucks ( Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Bradley Center, 1968 )

SouthEast Division :

Atlanta Hawks ( Atlanta , Georgia , Philips Arena , 1946 )
Charlotte Blobcats ( Charlotte, North Caroline, Charlotte Blobcast Arena , 2004 )
Miami Heat ( Miami, Florida , AmericanAirlines Arena , 1988 )
Orlando Magic ( Orlando, Florida , TD Waterhouse centre , 1989 )
Washington Wizards ( Washington , D.C , Verizon Centre , 1961 )

Western Conference

SouthWest Division :

Dallas Mavericks ( Dallas , Texas , American Airlines Center, 1980 )
Houston Rockets ( Houston, Texas, Toyota Center , 1967 )
New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets ( Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Ford Center, 1988 )
San Antonio Spurs ( San Antonio , Texas , AT & T Center, 1968 )


NorthWest Division :

Denver Nuggets ( Denver, Colorado , Pepsi Center, 1967 )
Minnesota Timberwolves ( Minneapolis , Minnesota, Target Center, 1989 )
Portland Trail Blazers ( Portland, Oregon , Rose Garden Arena , 1970 )
Seattle SuperSonics ( Seattle , Washington , KeyArena , 1967 )
Utah Jazz ( Salt lake City, Utah , Delta Center , 1974 )


Pacific Division :

Golden State Warriors ( Oakland , California, The Arena in Oakland, 1946 )
Los Angeles Clippers ( Los Angeles California , Staples Center, 1970 )
Los Angeles Lakers ( Los Angeles California , Staples Center, 1946 )
Phoenix Suns ( Phoenix, Arizona, US Airways Center, 1968 )
Sacramento Kings ( Sacramento , California , ARCO Arena , 1945 )

NBA 2006/2007 Season

NBA / National Basketball Association

Welcome to NBA 2006 / 2007 Season Blog !

As millions out there, I am a big fun of Basketball, and especially thw World's best part of it - NBA, National Basketball Association.

I am sure everyone who step by here already knows what NBA is, and how important it is to average, not only US and Canada, but Worldwide Basketball fun.

But let me say few words about National Basketball Association and its history, as noted on Wikipedia.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the world's premier men's professional basketball league and one of the major professional sports leagues of North America.

The Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by the owners of major sports arenas in the Northeast and Midwest, most notably Madison Square Garden in New York City. Although there had been earlier attempts at professional basketball leagues, including the American Basketball League and the National Basketball League, the BAA was the first league to attempt to play primarily in large arenas in major cities. During its early years, though, the quality of play in the BAA was not obviously better than in competing leagues or among leading independent clubs such as the Harlem Globetrotters. For instance the 1947 ABL finalist Baltimore Bullets moved to the BAA and won its 1948 title, followed by the 1948 NBL champion Minneapolis Lakers who won the 1949 BAA title.

Following the 1949 season, the BAA agreed to merge with the NBL, expanding the National Basketball Association to seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and small cities, as well as large arenas and smaller gymnasiums and armories. In 1950, the NBA consolidated to eleven franchises, a process that continued until 1954, when the league reached its smallest size of eight franchises, all of which are still in the league (the Knickerbockers, Celtics, Warriors, Lakers, Royals/Kings, Pistons, Hawks, and Nationals/76ers).

While contracting, the league also saw its smaller city franchises move to larger cities. The Hawks shifted from "Tri-Cities" (the area now known as the Quad Cities) to Milwaukee and then to St. Louis; the Royals from Rochester to Cincinnati, the Pistons from Fort Wayne to Detroit.

Although Japanese-American Wataru Misaka technically broke the NBA color barrier in the 1947-48 season when he played for the New York Knicks, 1950 is recognized as the year the NBA integrated with the addition of African American players by several teams including Chuck Cooper with the Boston Celtics, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton with the New York Knicks, and Earl Lloyd with the Washington Capitols. Today, more than fifty years later, the NBA is made up of players of many different races, with diverse backgrounds and cultures. The majority (80%) of NBA players today are African American.

During this period, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five NBA Championships and established themselves as its first dynasty.

To liven up play, the league introduced the 24-second shot clock in 1954.

In 1956, rookie center Bill Russell joined the Boston Celtics, who already featured guard Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, and went on to lead the club to eleven NBA titles in thirteen seasons. Center Wilt Chamberlain entered the league in 1959 and became the dominant individual star of the 1960s, setting new records in scoring and rebounding. Russell's rivalry with Chamberlain became one of the great individual rivalries in the history of team sports.

Through this period, the NBA continued to strengthen with the shift of the Minneapolis Lakers to Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco, and the Syracuse Nationals to Philadelphia, as well as the addition of its first expansion franchises.

In 1967, the league faced a new external threat with the formation of the American Basketball Association. The leagues engaged in a bidding war for talent. The NBA landed the most important college star of the era, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor), who together with Oscar Robertson led the Milwaukee Bucks to a title in his second season, and who later played on five Laker championship teams.

However, the NBA's leading scorer, Rick Barry jumped to the ABA, as did four veteran referees—Norm Drucker, Earl Strom, John Vanak and Joe Gushue.

The ABA also succeeded in signing a number of major stars, including Julius Erving, in part because it allowed teams to sign college undergraduates. The NBA expanded rapidly during this period, one purpose being to tie up most viable cities. Following the 1976 season, the leagues reached a settlement that provided for the addition of four ABA franchises to the NBA, raising the number of franchises in the league at that time to 22.

The league added the ABA's innovative three-point field goal beginning in 1979 to open up the game. That same year, rookies Larry Bird and Magic Johnson joined the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively, initiating a period of significant growth in fan interest in the NBA throughout the country and the world. Bird went on to lead the Celtics to three titles, and Johnson went on to lead the Lakers to five.

Michael Jordan entered the league in 1984 with the Chicago Bulls, providing an even more popular star to support growing interest in the league. By 1989, further expansion had raised the number of teams in the league to 27. During the 1990s, Jordan went on to lead the Bulls to six titles. (1991-1993,1996-1998)

The 1990s also saw greater globalization. The 1992 Olympic basketball Dream Team, the first to use current NBA stars, featured Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. A growing number of NBA star players also began coming from other countries. Initially, many of these players, such as 1994 NBA MVP Hakeem Olajuwon of Nigeria, first played NCAA basketball to enhance their skills. An increasing number, though, have moved directly from playing elsewhere in the world to starring in the NBA, such as 2002 NBA Rookie of the Year and 2006 World Championships MVP Pau Gasol of Spain, first pick in the 2002 NBA Draft Yao Ming of China, 2002 World Championships and Eurobasket 2005 MVP Dirk Nowitzki of Germany, and 2004 Olympic Tournament MVP Manu Ginobili of Argentina. Today, young players from the English-speaking world tend to attend U.S. colleges before playing in the NBA (notable examples are 2005 and 2006 MVP Steve Nash, a Canadian, and 2005 top draft pick Andrew Bogut of Australia), while other international players generally come to the NBA from professional club teams. The NBA is now televised in 212 nations in 42 languages. In 1996 the NBA created a women's league, the Women's National Basketball Association ( WNBA ), and in 2001 created an affiliated minor league, the National Basketball Development League.

In 1998 the NBA owners began a lockout which lasted 191-days and was settled on January 18, 1999. As a result of this lockout the 1998-99 NBA season was reduced from 82 to 50 games, which were all played in early 1999.

Today, the NBA has reached 30 franchises and continues to evolve as one of the premier sports leagues in the world.

On June 28th 2006, a new official game ball was introduced for the 2006-07 season. Manufactured by Spalding, the new ball features a new design and new material that together offer better grip, feel, and consistency than the original ball. This marks the first change to the ball in over 35 years and only the second in 60 seasons. Also, the NBA has jerseys made by Adidas after Adidas purchased Reebok.