February 25, 2011 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

Warriors sign Jeff Adrien

The Golden State Warriors have signed forward Jeff Adrien to a contract, the team announced today. Adrien is being called up from the NBA Development League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Adrien, 25, began the season with Golden State and appeared in 15 games for the Warriors, averaging 2.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per contest. He was waived on December 9, 2010, and joined the D-League’s Erie BayHawks for five games before being traded to Rio Grande Valley. Overall in the D-League this season, Adrien has appeared in 26 games, averaging 18.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.04 steals and 1.47 blocks in 32.5 minutes per contest. He currently leads the D-League in rebounding and ranks eighth in scoring, having posted a league-leading 20 double-doubles in 26 games.

Adrien will once again wear uniform #4.

Rockets waive Jared Jeffries

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has waived forward Jared Jeffries.

Jeffries was acquired via trade on 2/18/10 and played in a total of 36 games (no starts) for the Rockets. He finishes his Rockets career with averages of 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

The Rockets roster now stands at 14.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy reacts to Celtics trading Kendrick Perkins

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports:

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was surprised — and he said so.

“That was interesting,” Van Gundy said after the Magic completed their shootaround to prepare to play the Thunder tonight.

“I have always said to you guys that nothing really shocks me in this league. I don’t know if it shocked me, but Perkins being traded surprised me. I was taken aback by that a little bit because I know how much they liked him in Boston. I know for a fact that their coaches liked him and thought he was a big part of it. He was a big, big part of their whole identity and the way they played. He was a big part of their toughness. He gave ’em a physical presence. He was a defensive-first guy. He didn’t need the ball on a team of stars.

“I think they decided they’ve still got Shaq, so they’ve got size, and that they’re good enough defensively with the other people that their defense wouldn’t be compromised too much. And then I think they thought they could make some offensive improvements — my guess is to try to get more space on the floor for [Rajon] Rondo and for [Paul] Pierce. Jeff Green is a guy who can give ’em depth at the three but he can play the four and spread out the floor. If you go back to their championship year, they went small a lot.”

Report: Half of Pistons boycott practice

Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports:

In what team sources termed some type of player protest, Tracy McGrady, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Chris Wilcox were missing from this morning’s shootaround before tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Team spokesman Cletus Lewis said Rodney Stuckey and Austin Daye missed the team bus as well, but they did arrive toward the end of the media session.

Lewis said McGrady had a headache, Prince had an upset stomach and Hamilton and Wilcox missed the bus from the team hotel.

Ben Wallace also missed the shootaround. Lewis said Wallace was dealing with a family matter. Wallace has missed games and practices over the past month because of the issue.

Only Greg Monroe, Will Bynum, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Jason Maxiell and DaJuan Summers were full participants in the morning shootaround.

Sources indicated that the discontent is directed at Pistons coach John Kuester, who has clashed with players repeatedly this season. The organization downplayed the absences, insisting Prince and McGrady were ill.

Coach Byron Scott phone call welcomes Baron Davis to Cavaliers

Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

Scott said as he filled in Davis about the city and the organization, and the leadership role he expects the veteran point guard to take, he got the impression that all would be well once Davis reports.

“At the end of the converation, we were laughing about the fact that people say we can’t stand each other, and we were laughing about the fact that he was so disappointed,” Scott said. “He said, ‘Coach, really, I’m looking forward to it. L.A.’s home, and when the season’s over I’ll be back home. But right now I’m looking forward to a change.”

Thunder recall Byron Mullens from D-League

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has recalled center Byron Mullens from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.

During his two assignments this season with Tulsa, Mullens has appeared in six games (six starts) and averaged 16.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots in 31.7 minutes per game.

Mullens will join the Thunder for tonight’s 7:00 PM contest against the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.

Grizzlies almost traded O.J. Mayo to Pacers

Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports:

O.J. Mayo’s career with the Grizzlies figuratively ended and resumed in the amount of time it took to complete one phone call and make another.

The Grizzlies agreed to trade Mayo to the Indiana Pacers for forward/center Josh McRoberts and a 2011 first-round draft pick Thursday just before the NBA’s trade deadline.

The transaction was supposed to involve a third team but never got finalized because it was submitted to the league shortly after the 2 p.m. deadline. The deal was widely reported — and Griz owner Michael Heisley spoke to The Commercial Appeal of his sadness over parting with Mayo, a favorite of the owner. But then Griz general manager Chris Wallace, in a text to the newspaper, said, “Despite published reports, O.J. was not traded.”

Bobcats trade Nazr Mohammed to Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired center Nazr Mohammed from the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for forward D.J. White and guard Morris Peterson it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

“We would like to thank both D.J. and Morris for their many contributions here in Oklahoma City on and off the court,” said Presti. “For the past three seasons, D.J. has been the ultimate teammate and one of our hardest workers. Morris has been a consummate professional and I wish them both success. Nazr will bring veteran leadership and playoff experience to our roster and we are excited for him to join our team in Oklahoma City.”

A member of the 2004-05 San Antonio Spurs NBA championship team, Mohammed has made six trips to the postseason since being drafted out of the University of Kentucky in 1998. In 44 playoff games, Mohammed has posted averages of 6.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 17.6 minutes.

In 747 career regular season games the 6’10’’, 250-pound center owns career averages of 6.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game. This season he is averaging, 7.3 points and 4.9 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game.

Celtics sign Chris Johnson to 10-day contract

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed center Chris Johnson to a 10-day contract. He is the eighth NBA call-up of the 2010-11 season and is the first player to earn two separate call-ups. Johnson previously was with the Celtics during their training camp in October.

Johnson, a 6’11” center, has averaged 16.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game for the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League. He has previously played for the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this season making two appearances averaging 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.0 minutes per game. He has recorded 15 double-doubles this season and recorded a high of 34 points against Rio Grande Valley on 1/22/11.

Celtics and Thunder trade Kendrick Perkins, Jeff Green, more

The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired center Kendrick Perkins and guard Nate Robinson from the Boston Celtics in exchange for forward Jeff Green, center Nenad Krstic and the Los Angeles Clippers 2012 first round pick it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

“It is never easy to make decisions such as these and I thank Jeff and Nenad for their contributions to the Thunder organization and to this community. They define professionalism and I wish them the very best in the future,” Presti said. “We had a unique opportunity to add a proven presence in our front court in acquiring Kendrick. He will help anchor our defense while Nate will add depth and athleticism to our backcourt. We are excited to welcome them both to the Thunder organization.”

Perkins (6-10, 280), an NBA champion currently in his 8th NBA season, owns career averages of 6.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.0 assist and 22.3 minutes in 454 NBA games. He has appeared in 12 games (7 starts) this season with the Celtics, averaging 7.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in 26.1 minutes. The center has appeared in 68 postseason games, averaging 6.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 25.7 minutes.

Robinson (5-9, 180), the only three-time Slam Dunk winner in NBA history currently in his 6th NBA season, owns career averages of 11.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists in 393 games. He has seen action in 55 games (11 starts) this season with the Celtics, averaging 7.1 points, 1.9 assists, 1.6 rebounds in 17.9 minutes. The guard has played in 17 postseason contests, averaging 4.2 points, 1.1 assists and 7.5 minutes.