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Inside the NBA
GOLDEN STATE, DALLAS, BOSTON, UTAH DEAL TAKE PART IN MASSIVE TRADE
Howard Eisley and Donyell Marshall were among the nine players traded Wednesday in a four-team deal involving the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz.
After the smoke cleared, the Mavericks acquired Eisley (from Utah) and Dana Barros (Boston) along with forward Bill Curley (Golden State). Boston received John "Hot Rod" Williams, Robert Pack and cash from Dallas and a conditional first round pick from Utah. The Jazz acquired Marshall from Golden State and Bruno Sundov from Dallas, while Golden State got Danny Fortson from Boston and Adam Keefe from Utah.
The deal is contingent upon all players passing physical examinations.
Eisley spent the last five years in Utah backing up John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek and had his most productive year last season, averaging 8.6 points and 4.2 assists per game. Eisley has also played in 79 career playoff games and has averaged 5.2 points and 2.7 assists per game in 15.5 minutes in those contests. He re-signed with the Jazz before the trade.
"(Eisley) is the type of player we want here in Dallas and he has the experience this franchise needs," Mavs owner Mark Cuban said. "Howard is a great point guard and he is ready to compete. He will get every opportunity to be in the starting lineup."
Barros, the veteran marksman, gives the Mavericks another perimeter threat as he led the Celtics in three-point shooting at .410 (59-144), which was 13th in the NBA last season.
With Curley, the Mavs also get a rugged six-year veteran who appeared in 28 games last year — 24 with Golden State and four with Houston. He averaged 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game last season.
The Jazz get a boost of energy with Marshall, a six-year veteran who has played for the Timberwolves and Warriors. Marshall came on strong during the end of 1999-2000, averaging 14.2 points and 10 rebounds per game for the season. He posted a career-high 37 points and 21 rebounds Feb. 23 against the Bucks.
"We were committed early on to get a little bit younger and to get a little bit more athletic, I think that Donyell Marshall fits both of those bills," said Kevin O'Connor, Utah's Vice President of Basketball Operations. "I think he brings to us the ability to adopt different ways of playing."
Sundov, a 7-2 center from Croatia, gives the Jazz more inside strength. He spent a good part of the last NBA season, his second, on the injured list because of a lower back strain and appeared in just 14 games.
Pack spent the last 3½ seasons in Dallas, where injuries limited his playing time. The 6-2 guard has proven to be a scoring threat when healthy, as seen in a 27-point, 14-assist outburst against Charlotte on Nov. 17. He will give the Celts more guard strength in a backcourt which already consists of Kenny Anderson, Adrian Griffin and Calbert Cheaney.
With "Hot Rod" Williams, the Celtics get a 13-year veteran who has seen action in 57 career playoff games, averaging 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.
Golden State, which already acquired Larry Hughes in a three-way trade in February, received an inside presence with Fortson, who averaged 7.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game despite limited minutes in Boston last season. He averaged a double-double in 13 games when he logged 20-plus minutes, 13.7 points and 11.8 rebounds, despite not playing more than 27 minutes in any game.
Keefe is a nine-year veteran who gives the Warriors size and experience. He returns to the Bay Area, where he averaged 18.6 points and 9.0 rebounds during his four years at Stanford.
Sixers, Kukoc Agree to Terms
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 16 — Philadelphia 76ers General Manager Billy King announced today that the Sixers have agreed to terms with free agent Toni Kukoc. He is expected to sign a contract this weekend. Per team policy, contract terms are not released.
Kukoc arrived in Philadelphia on Feb. 16, 2000, as part of a three-team deal that sent Larry Hughes and Billy Owens to Golden State, and John Starks, Bruce Bowen, and a first-round draft selection to Chicago. The 6-11, 235-pound Kukoc immediately made his presence felt with the Sixers, averaging 12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.0 steals per game and guiding his new squad to a mark of 22-10 over the last 32 games of the season. During the Sixers' run in the 2000 NBA Playoffs, Kukoc averaged 13.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals.
The 1995-96 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Kukoc won three NBA championships with the Bulls during his 6½-year career with Chicago. He boasts career averages of 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.1 steals in 468 games, while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three-point range.
Kukoc has scored in double figures in 345 career games, including 81 with 20 or more points and eight with 30 or more points. The native of Croatia also has two career triple-doubles to his credit, one of which came last season versus the Indiana Pacers when he posted 19 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds on March 26.
Prior to joining the Bulls, Kukoc was a standout in Europe, playing on three European Championship teams and winning Player of the Year honors for the region three times. He was also a member of the Croatian Olympic Team in 1996.
TIMEOUT RULE MODIFICATIONS AIM TO QUICKEN PLAY LATE IN GAMES
NEW YORK, Aug. 15 — The NBA today announced timeout rule modifications that are designed to quicken the pace of play late in games. Changes were also made to the rules regarding the resetting of the shot clock after jump balls and clear-path-to-the-basket fouls.
The modifications, which were recommended by the NBA Competition Committee, were approved by the NBA Board of Governors and will be implemented for the 2000-01 season.
"We have been concerned about the length of time it can take to play the last few minutes of a close game," said Stu Jackson, NBA senior vice president of basketball operations, "and we think the changes that were adopted will improve the pace of play at the end of our games. We were very pleased with the results achieved with the substantial changes made last season, and we believe the fine-tuning this year will help the overall flow of the game, making it more enjoyable for the fans."
Here is a summary of the rule modifications:
Maximum number of timeouts per team per game
New rule: six. (Old rule: seven)
Maximum number of fourth-period timeouts per team
New rule: three. (Old rule: four)
Maximum number of timeouts per team during the last two minutes of the fourth period or last two minutes of an overtime period: New rule: two. (Old rule: three)
Length of timeouts
New rule: Full timeouts in regulation and overtime will be reduced from 100 to 60 seconds with the following exceptions: (1) The first two timeouts in each period, regardless of which team calls them; and (2) The two mandatory timeouts in the second and fourth periods. In those two instances, timeouts will continue to be 100 seconds. (Old rule: All full timeouts were 100 seconds.)
Substitutions during 20-second timeouts
New rule: Unlimited substitutions. (Old rule: The team calling the timeout could substitute one player. The other team could substitute only if the team calling timeout substituted.)
Advancing the ball to midcourt
New rule: After a change of possession in the last two minutes of regulation or any overtime period, the offensive team can call a regular or 20-second timeout and advance the ball to midcourt. The team has the option of inbounding the ball in the frontcourt or backcourt. If it passes into the backcourt, the 10-second rule applies. (Old rule: Teams could advance the ball only by calling a regular timeout and had to inbound the ball into the frontcourt.)
Mandatory timeouts
New rule: If neither team has taken a timeout in the second and fourth quarter when there is 8:59 remaining, there will be a mandatory timeout after the first dead ball. If neither team has taken a timeout in all four periods when there is 5:59 remaining, there will be a mandatory timeout after the first dead ball. (Old rule: timeouts were taken after dead balls after 9:59 in the second and fourth periods and after 6:59 in every period.)
Resetting the shot clock after a jump ball
New Rule: If the offense retains possession after a jump ball, the clock is reset to 14 seconds or remains the same if there are more than 14 seconds on the clock. If the defense gains possession, the clock is reset to 24 seconds. (Old rule: If the offense retained possession, the clock was reset to 24 seconds.)
Clear-path-to-the-basket fouls
New rule: If a player is fouled when he has a clear-path-to-the-basket, he gets one free throw and his team gets possession of the ball at midcourt. (Old rule: The player received two free throws.)
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Raptors Sign Mark Jackson
TORONTO, Aug. 11 — The Toronto Raptors announced that they have signed Mark Jackson to a four-year contract. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Jackson ranks fifth on the NBA's all-time assist chart with 8,574 over his 13-year career, trailing only John Stockton, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas. Jackson averaged 8.1 points, 8 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 27 minutes in 81 games with Indiana last season, leading the Pacers to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history. Jackson ranked ninth in the league in assists and 17th in three-point percentage (.403).
"We're very pleased to bring a player of Mark's calibre and experience to the Raptors," said Glen Grunwald, senior vice president and general manger of the Raptors. "He's an exceptional leader with great court sense who truly understands the game and how it should be played.
"Mark was the point guard on the team that won the Eastern Conference this past season and he has been a winner wherever he has played. We believe that he will continue his winning ways here in Toronto."
The consummate point guard, Jackson has ranked in the league's top 10 in assists in 10 of his 13 years in the league, including each of the last five. He led the NBA with a career-best 11.4 assists average in 1996-97, ending Stockton's nine-year reign as the league assist king.
In 1,007 career games with Indiana, Denver, the Los Angeles Clippers and New York, Jackson has averaged 10.6 points, 8.5 assists, 4.1 assists, 1.38 steals and 31.9 minutes. He sports a shooting percentage of .452 from the field, .329 from the arc and .769 from the free-throw line.
Jackson has been extremely durable throughout his career, playing in 1,007 of a possible 1,034 games (97.4 percent), while missing no more than 10 games in any one season. He's appeared in every game, or every game but one, in 10 of his 13 seasons. His club has made the playoffs 11 times and he has averaged 9.5 points and 7.4 assists in 116 career postseason appearances.
The 6-foot-3 native of New York began his career with the Knicks in 1987-88 when he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, following a stellar four-year career at St. John's.
Jackson, an ordained minister, and his wife Desiree have three children, Mark II, Heavyn and Christian. Jackson is very active in community and youth organizations and has established the Mark Jackson Foundation to help in those efforts.
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