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Sacramento Kings’ forward J.J. Hickson suffered a hip pointer in last night’s game versus the Los Angeles Clippers at Power Balance Pavilion. Tests (X-ray and MRI) taken today revealed that there were no fractures.
He will miss the next three games and be re-evaluated when the team returns from their current road trip on Tuesday.
The Phoenix Suns have added former NBA player and two-time NBA Champion Lindsey Hunter as a team scout, the club announced today.
In his new role, Hunter will assist Suns’ head scout, Bubba Burrage, with assessing talent in the NBA, D-League and college ranks. Serving in this capacity, Hunter will provide crucial information needed to make many team personnel decisions, including but not limited to free agent signing, D League call-ups, and NBA Draft selections.
“We are very fortunate to have a proven champion like Lindsey on our scouting staff,” said Suns General Manager, Lance Blanks. “With ownership’s support we are continually making investments in our future and having someone of Lindsey’s caliber to help us evaluate players and make informed personnel choices will be invaluable.”
A 6-foot-2 guard, Hunter joins the Suns as a scout after playing 17 NBA seasons with the Detroit Pistons (1993-2000, 2003-08), Milwaukee Bucks (2000-01), Los Angeles Lakers (2001-02), Toronto Raptors (2002-03) and Chicago Bulls (2008-10). During his career, he played in 937 games (438 starts) and averaged 8.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals. Hunter also appeared in 129 NBA playoff games, averaging 3.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists en route to two NBA Championships (Los Angeles Lakers in 2002 and Detroit Pistons in 2004).
“I am thrilled to join an organization that has a proven tradition of winning like that of the Phoenix Suns,” said Hunter. “I look forward to using my experiences in the NBA, as well as my knowledge of the game, to assist with bringing in the talent necessary for building a team that can consistently compete for a championship.”
After his playing career concluded in 2010, the Bulls hired Hunter as a player development assistant where he focused on the development of younger players such as league-MVP Derrick Rose.
Originally selected by the Pistons with 10th overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft, Hunter entered the NBA after his playing career at Jackson State. He holds the Division I single-game record for most three-point field goals attempted with 26 against Kansas on Dec. 27, 1992.
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New York Knickerbockers Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations and Interim General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has reassigned center Jerome Jordan to the Erie Bayhawks of the NBA Development League.
Jordan, 7-0, 240-pounds, has scored 20 total points and grabbed 15 rebounds over 61 minutes in 13 games with New York this season. He had appeared in two games for Erie earlier this season, averaging 18.0 points on .500 shooting, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.00 blocks over 32.5 minutes.
The Los Angeles Clippers today announced that they have assigned rookie guard Travis Leslie to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.
The 47th overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft, Leslie has averaged 1.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in eight games played this season.
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The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have assigned forward Lamar Odom to the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League.
Odom (6-10, 230) has played in 32 games with the Mavericks and is averaging 7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 21.4 minutes. He is shooting .357 (89-249 FGs) from the field, .259 (22-85 3FGs) from 3-point range and .577 (45-78 FTs) from the free throw line. The 12-year pro has missed the last three games due to a family matter.
The Mavericks acquired Odom on Dec. 11, 2011 along with a 2012 second round pick and other second round considerations in 2013 from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a protected first round draft pick.
Odom is scheduled to be in uniform on Saturday, March 3 when Texas battles the Austin Toros on HP Court at Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco at 7 pm.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Manny Harris to a second 10-day contract, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today.
Prior to being signed by the Cavs, Harris played in 17 games (12 starts) this season with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers exclusively owned and operated NBA Development League team. Harris averaged 21.4 points on .470 shooting with 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 32.9 minutes per game with Canton.
The Oklahoma City Thunder has assigned forward Lazar Hayward to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.
During the 2011-12 season, Hayward has appeared in 12 games with the Thunder and posted averages of 1.5 points and 0.9 rebounds in 5.9 minutes. Most recently, Hayward has missed the past six games recovering from an orbital floor fracture.
Hayward will be in uniform tonight as the Tulsa 66ers host the Rio Grande Valley Vipers at the Tulsa Convention Center.
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Shooting 3-pointers is what Novak does. He did it with the Houston Rockets as a rookie in the 2006-7 season, and then with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs. And now, to far more acclaim, he is doing it with the Knicks.
The Elias Sports Bureau says that since Novak has entered the N.B.A., a little more than 72 percent of his shots have been from 3-point range, the highest percentage of any player in the league over that period, based on a minimum of 500 total field-goal attempts.
Most players who are as tall as Novak prefer to take shots closer to the basket. But not Novak. And certainly not this season, when the number of 3-pointers compared with his other field-goal attempts — 113 to 27 — means almost 81 percent of his shots come from behind the arc.
Only the Mavericks’ Jason Kidd is devoting a higher percentage (85) of his shots to 3-pointers this season.
But Kidd has converted just 29 percent of his 120 3-point attempts, nowhere near the 46.9 percent success rate that Novak has had (53 of 113).
— Reported by Jake Appleman of the New York Times
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If Sessions ever wants to be a starting point guard, however, it probably won’t be in Cleveland. Irving, 19, could be a fixture for years to come.
Sessions has the ability to opt out of his contract at the end of the season. The Lakers, for instance, could trade for him and encourage him to opt out to reduce their luxury tax bill.
Either way, he’ll likely opt out. His contract is worth $4.6 million for 2012-13. He might sacrifice some money next season for the security of a multiyear contract.
Sessions is a luxury the Cavs might not be able to afford right now. They have so many other holes to fill.
— Reported by Bob Finnan of the News Herald
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Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge would not comment publicly on the report that the Celtics are actively shopping Rajon Rondo, who turned in his 16th career triple-double last night in the Celtics’ 102-96 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I do not make comments on trade rumors because it never ends,” he told the Globe this afternoon. “Rondo’s been our best player.”
— Reported by Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe