Golden State Warriors rookie forward Kevon Looney will miss at least four to six months after undergoing surgery on his right hip.
Looney had the operation to repair a torn labrum on Thursday. He will begin rehabilitation immediately and will not be able to resume basketball activity for four to six months.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers says it was best to address the issue now and the team is confident Looney will have a full recovery.
Looney was drafted with the 30th pick in the June draft. In one season at UCLA he averaged 11.6 points and 9.2 rebounds.
AP Source: J.R. Smith agrees to new contract with Cavs
J.R. Smith looked around and realized there was no place like Cleveland.
The free-wheeling and enigmatic shooter has agreed to re-sign with the Cavaliers, a person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press on Thursday night. Smith, who declined his $6.8 million player option shortly after the season, considered other options before returning to Cleveland, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not yet been signed.
Smith came to the Cavs along with Iman Shumpert in a trade with the New York Knicks last season. Smith averaged 12.7 points in 46 regular-season games with Cleveland, and seemed to fit in nicely as well as bond with star LeBron James.
During the playoffs, Smith was forced into a more prominent role following injuries to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving and averaged 12.8 points in 18 games, starting four. He was also suspended for two games for hitting Celtics forward Jae Crowder in the face.
Smith announced his return on his Instagram account.
"It's been a long ride this summer but I can say for sure, well worth the wait," Smith said. "When I opted out of my contract, I wanted to understand the landscape of the NBA and where I fit best. The Cavaliers had things they needed to do in order to piece together a championship caliber roster. I ended up deciding that instead of potentially securing a larger deal elsewhere, I wanted to rejoin an incredible organization in pursuit of the ultimate goal, an NBA championship."
The Cavs are still hoping to sign forward Tristan Thompson, a restricted free agent.
Raptors sign 7-foot Jonas Valanciunas to $64M extension
Jonas Valanciunas has been the big man in the middle of the Toronto Raptors' rise for the last three seasons.
Now he has the big contract to match.
The Raptors and Valanciunas announced his four-year contract extension Thursday. The deal is worth $64 million, a person with knowledge of the contract told The Associated Press. The person requested anonymity because the team is not publicly announcing the terms, which were first reported by Yahoo Sports.
"Jonas' contributions continue to improve with each season and we view him as a significant part of what we are building in Toronto," Raptors President and General Manager Masai Ujiri said in a statement issued by the team.
The 23-year-old Lithuanian was the fifth overall pick in 2011. He has averaged 10.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 223 career games, almost all of them as a starter.
With nimble footwork and a massive 7-foot, 270-pound frame, Valanciunas entered the league with big expectations. He hasn't become a dominant force on a consistent basis yet, but the Raptors are banking on his continued improvement as the team looks to graduate from just a feisty out in the playoffs to one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference.
Coach Dwane Casey retooled his assistant coaching staff in the offseason, bringing in Jerry Stackhouse, Andy Greer and Rex Kalamian in part to try to bolster Valanciunas's development on both ends of the floor.
He averaged a career-high 12.0 points per game last season to go with 8.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. His .572 field goal percentage was second in the NBA.
In an era of exploding salaries, Valanciunas's $16 million average annual salary in the new contract falls right in line, and even a little below, what the most sought after big men on the market are getting. Enes Kanter signed a $70 million maximum contract with Oklahoma City, Omer Asik got a five-year, $60 million deal from New Orleans and the Knicks gave Robin Lopez a four-year, $54 million deal.
The Raptors signed DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph, Bismack Biyombo and Luis Scola this summer to try to bolster a roster that has been competitive in the regular season, but flamed out in the playoffs. The Raptors have won consecutive Atlantic Division titles, but were bounced in the first round both years and have not advanced to the conference semifinals since 2001.
If they are to get over that hump, Valanciunas will likely be a big reason why.
Bucks spent most lobbying Wisconsin lawmakers through June
The Milwaukee Bucks spent more money lobbying the Wisconsin Legislature than any other organization during the first half of the year, as the NBA team was pushing for approval of a new basketball arena.
A report released Friday by the state elections board, which oversees lobbying, showed the Bucks spent just over $482,000 on lobbying through June. The next highest was the Wisconsin Hospital Association at nearly $379,000.
The Bucks' lobbying paid off. The Legislature, on bipartisan votes, ultimately approved spending $250 million in taxpayer money on a new stadium for the team. Gov. Scott Walker signed the measure into law this month.
The amount spent by the Bucks doesn't include lobbying on the arena bill in July, when it passed both houses. Those figures will be reported in January.
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