Month: January 2013

Timberwolves sign Chris Johnson to second 10-day contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed center Chris Johnson to a second 10-day contract. Johnson was originally signed to a 10-day contract on Jan. 19.

Johnson has appeared in five games for the Wolves, averaging 9.2 points, on .720 (18-for-25) shooting, and 3.8 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game.

Johnson playing in 14 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA D-League this season where he was averaging 10.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 25.6 minutes in 14 games.

Johnson, 27, was a free agent invitee at the Wolves training camp this past fall. He appeared in three preseason games for Minnesota, and averaged 2.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in 5.0 minutes per game. Johnson was waived on Oct. 27, 2012.

The 6-11 center has played parts of two NBA seasons with Boston, Portland and New Orleans. He started the 2011-12 season with Portland, averaging 1.6 points and 0.9 rebounds in 20 contests. Johnson finished the 2011-12 season in New Orleans where he averaged 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in seven contests. In 41 career games, he holds averages of 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds.

Johnson averaged 16.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks during the 2010-11 season for the Dakota Wizards and was named the 2011 NBA D-League Defensive Player of the Year. Spent his collegiate years at Louisiana State University and went undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Rockets beat Jazz in Utah by 45 points

james harden

The Houston Rockets had plenty of trouble getting to Salt Lake City as a blizzard left them grounded for a while in western Colorado.

Once they arrived, they made the Jazz pay, rolling to a 125-80 victory on Monday night and handing Utah the most-lopsided home loss in franchise history.

”We could have had Michael Jordan in his prime with us tonight . and it wouldn’t have mattered (the way we played),” Jazz center Al Jefferson lamented…

James Harden continued to do most of the damage, scoring 25 points despite sitting the entire fourth quarter with the rest of the Rockets starters…

When he wasn’t driving the lane, the Rockets were pouring in 3-pointers.

They hit 16 of 34 on the night to tie their season high for shots made beyond the arc.

But it was their pace that floored the Jazz, outscoring Utah 26-2 on the break…

The Rockets held Utah to 39.5 percent shooting, and the Jazz made just 5 of 18 3-pointers.

Carlos Delfino and Marcus Morris each hit four 3-pointers alone for Houston and Omer Asik tied a career high with 19 rebounds.

Every Rockets player scored, including six in double figures, with Morris adding 16 and Delfino 14…

Randy Foye led Utah with 12 points.

— Reported by Lynn DeBruin of the Associated Press

Lazar Hayward returns to Los Angeles D-Fenders

Lazar Hayward has returned to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, it was announced today.  Hayward, signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 31st, became the D-Fenders first NBA Call-Up of the season and 12th in team history.

Selected by Washington in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft (30th overall) and later traded to Minnesota on draft day, Hayward has been a member of Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Houston since joining the NBA.  In 72 career NBA games with the Thunder and Timberwolves, Hayward has averaged 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 8.2 minutes.  The 6-6, 225 pound forward also played three games with Tulsa of the NBA Development League in 2012, averaging 24.0 points 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 34.3 minutes.

A standout at Marquette University, Hayward finished his career with the Golden Eagles as the program’s second all-time leading scorer (1,859 points) and fifth all-time leading rebounder (910 rebounds) after averaging 13.5 points (45.2 FG%; 35.7 3FG%) along with 6.6 rebounds in 138 career games.  Additionally, the Buffalo, New York native was named to the All-Big East Second Team (2008, 2010) as well as the Big East All-Tournament Team (2010), and earned an All-America Honorable Mention selection by the Associated Press (2010) during his time at Marquette.

Celtics must continue to battle without Rondo

rajon rondo

Rajon Rondo was having his best season for the struggling Boston Celtics.

He’s averaging career highs in points and rebounds. He leads the NBA in assists and triple-doubles by big margins. He was voted the starting point guard for the Eastern Conference in next month’s All-Star game.

”He’s our guy that’s orchestrating everything for us,” guard Courtney Lee said. ”He’s our leader.”

Not anymore.

Rondo is out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that requires surgery. So coach Doc Rivers must find a replacement from a group short on point-guard experience amid a widespread feeling that the Celtics’ already shaky playoff prospects are over.

He doesn’t believe it.

”You can write the obituary,” Rivers told reporters after Sunday’s 100-98, double-overtime win over the Miami Heat. ”I’m not. You can go ahead, but I’m not. We won (Sunday) and so the way I look at it is we’re going to stay in there.”

Lee could fill in at Rondo’s position. Or Jason Terry. Or Leandro Barbosa. Or, less likely, the Celtics could sign a free agent or trade for a point guard. Their first practice without Rondo is Tuesday.

— Reported by Howard Ulman of the Associated Press

Rick Adelman back to coaching Timberwolves after 3 weeks away

Rick Adelman

Rick Adelman is back on the court and coaching basketball after three weeks away to help his wife through a health scare.

His Minnesota Timberwolves lost nine of 11 games without him to fall behind in the powerful Western Conference playoff race.

Adelman helped restore hope in this downtrodden franchise when he came aboard before last season. So the Timberwolves have missed him. In some ways, though, Adelman may need the Wolves as much as they need him.

Adelman ran practice Monday and said he planned to coach against the Clippers on Wednesday night if all is satisfactory with Mary Kay Adelman, who is being treated for an undisclosed condition. Adelman said he delayed his return until he felt it would be for good. He said his wife is improving and he hopes the worst is over.

”It’s hard,” Adelman said, referring to his absence. ”I’ve never done this. It’s never happened. But there’s some things that are more important than basketball or anything else. I think the team understands that. Hopefully things will settle down here now.”

— Reported by Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press

Rockets recall Donatas Motiejunas from D-League again

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has recalled forward/center Donatas Motiejunas from Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley.

Motiejunas (7-0, 222, Lithuania), who was re-assigned to the Vipers on Jan. 22, has averaged 20.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in seven starts with Rio Grande Valley this season. With the Rockets, Motiejunas is currently averaging 1.6 points and 0.3 boards in 14 games.

Phoenix Suns recall Diante Garrett from D-League

The Phoenix Suns have recalled guard Diante Garrett from the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League, the club announced today.

Originally assigned on Jan. 10, the 6-4, 175-pound guard averaged 15.1 points, 7.4 assists and 1.7 steals while appearing in seven games for the Jam (five starts).  During his seven-game assignment, the Jam compiled a 6-1 (.857) record, including a season-best six-game win streak.

Garrett shot 46.1 percent from the field (49-of-93), including a 62.5-percent clip from three-point range (10-of-16).  Both a scorer and a distributor, Garrett reached double figures in scoring in six of seven games, including four games of 15 or more points and one 20-point effort; he dished six or more assists in six of seven games, including two double-digit assist efforts.

Tornike Shengelia named D-League Performer of Week

Tornike Shengelia, playing for the Springfield Armor on assignment from the Brooklyn Nets, was today named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played Jan. 21-27. 

A 6-8, 207-pound forward from the Republic of Georgia, Shengelia played in two of the Armor’s four games last week, helping the team to a 2-2 record.  He began his assignment, the second of his career, by tying an Armor franchise record with 39 points on 17-of-21 shooting to go with a game-high 18 rebounds and six assists in a 123-115 home win of the Maine Red Claws.  He finished the week with a 24-point, 13-rebound performance in a 111-100 victory over the visiting Santa Cruz Warriors.

For the week, Shengelia averaged 31.5 points, 15.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 41.0 minutes.  He shot 76 percent from the floor (25-of-33) while going 4-of-7 (57 percent) from behind the three-point line.

Other top performers considered include Austin’s Rick Jackson, Bakersfield’s Damion James, Canton’s Kevin Jones, Erie’s D.J. Kennedy, Fort Wayne’s Luke Harangody, Idaho’s Coby Karl, Iowa’s Paul Harris, Los Angeles’ Elijah Millsap, Maine’s DaJuan Summers, Reno’s Walker Russell, Jr., Rio Grande Valley’s Terrel Harris, Santa Cruz’s Stefhon Hannah, Sioux Falls’ Donald Sloan, Texas’ Sean Singletary and Tulsa’s Jeremy Lamb, on assignment from the Oklahoma City Thunder.