January 2012 – Page 11 – NBA Blog

Thunder assign Ryan Reid to D-League

The Oklahoma City Thunder today assigned forward Ryan Reid to the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder’s NBA D-League affiliate. The assignment marks the 22nd time and NBA player has been assigned to an NBA D-League affiliate during the 2011-12 season. It is the first assignment for Reid this season.

Reid (6-8, 235) has appeared in two games with the Thunder since earning a GATORADE Call-Up from the 66ers on Dec. 13, 2011, scoring three points in five minutes of action.

In eight games, all starts, with the 66ers before joining the Thunder, Jones averaged 11.8 points and 8.9 rebounds in 34.3 minutes.

A rookie from Florida State, Reid is expected to be available tonight when the 66ers host the Canton Charge in Tulsa.

Clippers sign guard Courtney Fortson

The Los Angeles Clippers today signed point guard Courtney Fortson. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not announced. Fortson has appeared in 17 games with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League this season and is the 15th GATORADE Call-Up of the 2011-12 season.

Fortson, 23, was with the Clippers throughout training camp earlier this season and appeared in one preseason game for Los Angeles on Dec. 19.

The 5-foot-11 inch Fortson is averaging 15.9 points, 5.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals while shooting 49.4 percent from the field in 17 games with the D-Fenders this season.

After a two-year career at the University of Arkansas that saw him earn All-SEC Second Team honors in 2010 and average 17.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists as a sophomore, Fortson played in six games with the Reno Big Horns of the NBA Development League and in Romania in 2010-11.

Fortson will be available for the Clippers today against the New Jersey Nets.

Yao Ming becomes political adviser in Shanghai

Retired NBA star Yao Ming has added another line to his post-basketball resume — politician — becoming a member of an advisory body to Shanghai’s legislature.

Since the 31-year-old Yao announced last July that injuries had ended his career with the Houston Rockets, he has become a university student and set up a wine business to go with owning a professional basketball team in China.

Photos in official media on Monday showed Yao at the weekend closing ceremony for the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Shanghai Committee.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Chris Paul day-to-day with strained left hamstring

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul, who suffered a strained left hamstring during the fourth quarter of last night’s Clippers victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, underwent an MRI today which was labeled negative for any significant findings.

Paul, who has averaged 18.0 points, 8.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 2.78 steals and 37.3 minutes in nine games played this season, will be listed as day to day and is questionable for tomorrow’s game vs. New Jersey.

Mavs assign Dominique Jones to D-League

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have assigned Dominique Jones to the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League.

Jones (6-5, 215) has played in nine games with the Mavericks and is averaging 1.8 points, 0.9 rebounds and 4.0 minutes while shooting .400 (6-15 FGs) from the field and 1.000 (4-4 FTs) from the free throw line.

This is Jones’ second stint with the Texas Legends as he played 10 games for the team last season. In those contests, he averaged 18.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 37.5 minutes.

The Legends host the Tulsa 66ers on HP Court at Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco this Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7 pm.

Denver Nuggets recall Jordan Hamilton from D-League

The Nuggets have recalled rookie G/F Jordan Hamilton from the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, team executive vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri announced today.

Hamilton, 6-7, 220, played in six games (two starts) for Idaho, averaging 9.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 24.0 minutes per game.

Hamilton, the 26th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, has not appeared for the Nuggets during the regular season. In two preseason games with Denver, he grabbed four rebounds in 16 minutes.

The Nuggets now have 15 players on their active roster.

Blazers recall Armon Johnson from D-League

The Portland Trail Blazers have recalled point guard Armon Johnson from the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Acting General Manager Chad Buchanan.

In five games with the Stampede, Johnson averaged 11.8 points, 7.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds. He put up a season-high 19 points to go along with two assists and five rebounds Jan. 9 against the Erie Bayhawks.

Johnson and teammate Luke Babbitt were assigned to the Stampede by the Trail Blazers on Jan. 4.

Johnson will be available for Monday afternoon’s game against the New Orleans Hornets.

Derrick Rose says sprained toe isn’t an issue

For Derrick Rose, his sprained left toe is yesterday’s news.

“I’m not even trying to think about it,” Rose said. “I’m playing. To me, that was a thing of the past, and I’m just trying to get over it.”

Rose reported no additional soreness after he had 25 points, seven assists and four rebounds in Friday night’s victory in Boston. He’s still wearing a walking boot because it’s more comfortable than a shoe, and he’s still wearing an insole. Other than that, he said he’s not even thinking about his toe.

“If anything, [the training staff is] just worried about me re-injuring it because I came back kind of soon,” Rose said. “I was fine and I wanted to play [Friday], so it was up to me.”

He scored 18 points in 41 minutes on Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors.

— Reported by Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times

Baron Davis may be ready by late January

What’s on Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni’s mind? Not only the return from injury of Carmelo Anthony, but also the looming Knicks debut of Baron Davis.

Davis is getting closer and closer to returning from a herniated disk and a person familiar with the situation said the guard will take a big leap in his rehab this week by starting full running drills and some contact basketball drills.

It’s not out of the question for him to be cleared for practice by next weekend and a late-January debut has become more likely than not.

Last night after the Knicks lost, 104-92, to the Thunder, D’Antoni said optimistically, “Melo will be back pretty soon and hopefully Baron’s around the corner and we’ll see what we got.’’

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Lamar Odom considered taking time away from NBA

As his Martin Luther King Day reunion with the Los Angeles Lakers approaches, Lamar Odom has revealed that he was “real close” to walking away from the game for a season — or perhaps longer — well before his December trade to the Dallas Mavericks.

Left reeling by the July murder of his 24-year-old cousin and a fatal car accident days later that killed a teen pedestrian after the car he was riding in as a passenger collided with a motorcycle, Odom told ESPN.com that he had to be convinced by wife Khloe Kardashian to scrap his plans for a hiatus.

“Real close,” Odom said when asked Saturday how close he came to asking the Lakers for a season-long sabbatical.

“My wife talked me out of it.

“Cause I was asking myself: ‘Was I mentally prepared to play? If I didn’t play well, was I mentally prepared to help the team?’ I had thought, ‘Maybe I need a year.’ Because of the lockout, I thought, ‘Maybe somebody’s sending me a sign that I needed this time off.’

“(But) when I told some of my friends and my family that I was thinking about steppin’ back for a minute, I think the reaction from the closest people to me kind of gave me the energy to get back at it.”

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com