July 2013 – Page 17 – NBA Blog

Lakers sign forward Wesley Johnson

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent forward Wesley Johnson, it was announced today.

Johnson has had a disappointing to start to his NBA career, but he’ll have another chance to prove himself now with the Lakers.

“Wesley is a young, athletic player who runs the floor well and is an excellent defender,” said Kupchak. “He’s a developing player who we think could become a good NBA player for years to come. He’s also a great kid and we’re happy to add him to our team.”

Originally selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Johnson has appeared in 194 career games (148 starts), averaging 7.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 23.1 minutes as a member of the Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns.

A three-year NBA veteran, Johnson averaged a career-high 9.0 points during his rookie season with Minnesota, ranking sixth among rookies in scoring and third in three-point accuracy (35.6 percent). In two seasons with the Timberwolves, Johnson averaged 7.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 24.6 minutes. Most recently, Johnson appeared in 50 games (21 starts) with the Phoenix Suns, averaging 8.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 19.1 minutes.

Johnson spent his first two collegiate seasons at Iowa State (2006-08) before transferring to Syracuse, where he helped the Orange to a 30-5 record in 2009-10 and was named a First Team All-American. The 6-7 forward averaged 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in his one season at Syracuse, being named Big East Player of the Year and a finalist for the Naismith, John Wooden and Oscar Robertson national player of the year awards.

Houston Rockets waive James Anderson and Tim Ohlbrecht, and announce signings

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed second-round draft pick guard Isaiah Canaan (pronounced Cannon). In addition, the Rockets have come to terms with rookie free agents forward Robert Covington and guard B.J. Young.

In addition, the Rockets announced that the team has waived guard/forward James Anderson and center Tim Ohlbrecht.

Canaan (6-0, 188, Murray State) was selected by the Rockets with the 34th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He played in 132 career games over four seasons at Murray State, averaging 15.5 points, 2.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds. Overall, Canaan scored over 2,000 points in his collegiate career (2,050) while shooting 304-of-725 (.419) from beyond the arc. He was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year as a junior and OVC Co-Player of the Year as a senior. The Biloxi, Mississippi native also earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from the Associated Press as a senior after ranking first on team in scoring (21.8 ppg), assists (4.3 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). Canaan, who scored in double figures in all 31 games in 2012-13, netted a season-high 35 points against Morehead. He added 22 points, a career-high 10 assists and nine rebounds against Belmont State. As a junior, Canaan also ranked first on team in scoring (19.0 ppg) and assists (3.6 apg).

Covington (6-9, 215, Tennessee State) was a member of the Rockets 2013 Orlando Pro Summer League, where he averaged 12.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.40 steals in five games (two starts). Undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft, Covington averaged 14.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 118 career games over four seasons at Tennessee State. He finished his career seventh all-time in school history with 1,750 points and seventh in rebounds with 876. Covington was named Second Team All-OVC as a senior and sophomore, while earning First Team All-OVC honors as a junior. He was also named to the Ohio Valley Conference All Newcomer Team as a freshman. As a senior in 2012-13, he ranked first on team in scoring (17.0 ppg), steals (2.2 spg) and blocks (1.7 bpg), while ranking second in rebounds (8.0 rpg). Covington was also first on the team in scoring (17.9 ppg), rebounds (7.9 rpg), steals (1.6 spg) and blocks (1.4 bpg) as a junior in 2011-12.

Young (6-3, 180, Arkansas), who also played with the Rockets at the 2013 Orlando Pro Summer League, averaged 11.8 points on 16-of-31 (.516) shooting from the field over four games with Houston. Young was an early entry candidate for the 2013 NBA Draft, but did not hear his name called on draft night. He played in 63 career games over his two-year career at Arkansas, posting a career average of 15.2 points. Young earned Second-Team All-SEC honors as a sophomore and freshman. He was also named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. He ranked first on the team in scoring (15.2 ppg), assists (3.4 apg) and minutes played (27.9 mpg), while finishing third in rebounding (3.5 rpg) as a sophomore in 2012-13. As a freshman in 2011-12, he ranked second on team in scoring (15.2 ppg) and third in assists (2.3 apg). Young was the leading scorer among freshmen in the SEC and was given the team Offensive Player of the Year award by the Razorback coaches in 2011-12.

Kings to meet with Greg Oden tonight

The Kings will meet with center Greg Oden tonight, The Bee has confirmed.

Oden was the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, but has played in just 82 games in his career to due various injuries.

Oden did not play in the NBA last season.

The Kings would already have 14 players under contract for the 2013-14 season after signing Carl Landry this morning and adding rookies Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum.

Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Blog)

Detroit Pistons sign forward Luigi Datome

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has signed free agent forward Luigi Datome to a multi-year contract.

Datome, 25, has played professionally in Italy since 2003 with Montepaschi Siena, Givova Scafati Basket, Basket Olbia and Acea Virtus Roma. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward was named Italian League Most Valuable Player with Roma in 2013, posting averages of 16.7 points (.478 FG%, .415 3FG%, .928 FT%), 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 33.1 minutes in 45 games. He’s played with Roma for the past five seasons (2008-2013).

The 25-year-old Italy native has been a member of the Italian National Team since 2007. His basketball achievements internationally include being a member of Italy’s U16 National Team (2003), U18 National Team (2003-05) and the U20 National Team (2004-07). He was a member of the Italian U20 National Championship team in 2004. In the qualifier for the European Championships in 2012-13, Datome averaged 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 51.5% from the field and 48.4% from 3-point range in eight games. He was named Eurobasket.com All-Italian SerieA Player of the Year, All-Italian SerieA Domestic Player of the Year and All-Italian SerieA First Team last season.

Detroit Pistons re-sign guard Will Bynum

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has re-signed guard Will Bynum to a multi-year contract.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Will Bynum,” said Dumars. “Will provides depth at the point guard position while possessing the unique ability to change a game with his aggressiveness both offensively and defensively.”

Bynum appeared in a career-high 65 games (no starts) last season averaging 9.8 points (career-high .469 FG, .316 3FG, .809 FT), 1.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.7 steals in 18.8 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 31 points (career-high 13 FG and 26 FGA) at Atlanta (12/26), made a single-season career-high 24 3-pointers and scored his 2,000th career point vs. New York (1/17).

In 297 career NBA games, Bynum has averages of 8.1 points on .446 (923-2,068 FG) shooting with 1.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 18.5 minutes per game. He set a Pistons franchise record for points in a quarter with 26 fourth quarter points vs. Charlotte (4/5/09) during the 2008-09 season. The 6-0, 185-pound guard also dished out career-high 20 assists vs. Washington (3/12) during the 2011-12 season – the most by a Piston since Isiah Thomas recorded 21 on April 12, 1985.

The Chicago, IL native was undrafted out of Georgia Tech and originally signed with the Pistons as a free agent on July 30, 2008. Bynum signed a second multi-year contract to remain with the club on July 30, 2010.

Knicks expected to sign Metta World Peace

It was mean to happen. At some point, Ron Artest, currently known as Metta World Peace, was supposed to play for his home-town New York Knicks.

Better late than never.

Metta World Peace has reached agreement on a two-year, $3.2 million contract with the New York Knicks, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The second year of the deal is a player option, a source told Y! Sports.

World Peace and his agents met with Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald and coach Mike Woodson on Monday in Las Vegas and agreed to the deal in the meeting, league sources said.

Publicly, World Peace is still insisting he’s considering other options, including China, but league sources told Y! Sports he’ll be joining the Knicks next season.

Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports

World Peace, or Artest, or whomever, should definitely help the Knicks, adding depth, defense, toughness, and the ability to give fun, wacky post-game interviews.

Memphis Grizzlies re-sign Jon Leuer

The Memphis Grizzlies re-signed forward Jon Leuer to a multi-year contract, the team announced today. Leuer is considered bench support, and isn’t expected to receive many minutes.

Leuer (6-10, 230) averaged 2.0 and 1.3 rebounds on .481 shooting in 6.7 minutes in 28 games for the Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers last season. He totaled two points and three rebounds in 11 minutes over five appearances during the 2013 NBA Playoffs.

Memphis acquired the 24-year-old from Cleveland in a midseason trade on Jan. 22, 2013.

The Long Lake, Minn. native holds career averages of 3.8 points and 2.1 rebounds on .504 shooting in 10.1 minutes in 73 games (12 starts) over two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, Cavaliers and Grizzlies. Following a four-year career at the University of Wisconsin, Leuer was drafted by Milwaukee in the second round (40th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft before being traded to Houston on June 27, 2012 and later claimed by Cleveland off waivers.

Memphis Grizzlies re-sign Tony Allen

The Memphis Grizzlies re-signed guard Tony Allen to a multi-year contract, the team announced today.

“Tony’s energy, effort and passion have connected with the City of Memphis, both on and off the court,” Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien said. “We are absolutely thrilled to bring back Tony and his intensity to the Grizzlies.”

Allen (6-4, 225) posted 10.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.00 steals on .432 shooting in 28.1 minutes in 15 games during the 2013 NBA Playoffs, helping Memphis advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. The 31-year-old averaged 8.9 points, a career-high 4.6 rebounds and 1.51 steals on .445 shooting in 26.7 minutes in 79 games (all starts) during the 2012-13 regular season, in which the Grizzlies won a franchise-record 56 contests.

Nicknamed “The Grindfather,” Allen has earned numerous defensive honors while helping transform the Grizzlies into one of the most tenacious defensive teams in the NBA. Allen has been named to the NBA All-Defensive Team in all of his three seasons in Memphis, including First Team selections in each of the past two seasons. He headlined the 2012-13 NBA All-Defensive First Team by receiving more points from the voting panel than any other player.

Additionally, the Chicago native has finished in the top 6 in the voting for NBA Defensive Player of the Year in all three seasons in Memphis, placing fourth in the balloting in 2010-11, sixth in 2011-12 and fifth in 2012-13.

Memphis has qualified for the NBA Playoffs in all three seasons after signing Allen as a free agent on July 13, 2010, making trips to the 2013 Western Conference Finals and 2011 Western Conference Semifinals and earning the first three playoff series victories in team history. The Grizzlies led the NBA in forced turnovers and steals in Allen’s first two seasons in Memphis (2010-11 and 2011-12) after finishing 17th and 24th in the league in those categories, respectively, the season before his arrival.

The nine-year NBA veteran owns career averages of 8.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.29 steals on .475 shooting in 20.8 minutes in 545 games (249 starts) with the Memphis Grizzlies and Boston Celtics. Allen has helped guide his teams to the postseason in seven of his nine seasons and captured the 2008 NBA Championship as a member of the Celtics. He was drafted by Boston in the first round (25th overall) of the 2004 NBA Draft after leading the Oklahoma State University to the 2004 NCAA Final Four.

Atlanta Hawks sign Elton Brand

The Atlanta Hawks have signed forward/center Elton Brand, President of Basketball Operations/GM Danny Ferry announced today. According to USA Today, it is a one-year deal for $4 million.

“Elton brings a veteran presence both on and off the court and is a welcomed addition to our locker room,” Ferry said. “His ability to play center or power forward will give our frontcourt a great deal of versatility and we think he will be an outstanding fit to our program.”

Brand, 34, tallied 7.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 assists in 21.2 minutes per game (.473 FG%, .710 FT%) in 72 games (18 starting assignments) last season with the Dallas Mavericks.

The 6-foot-9, 254-pound big man has played in 932 career games (848 starts) over his 14-year career with Chicago, L.A. Clippers, Philadelphia and Dallas, putting up 17.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 blocks in 35.2 minutes (.500 FG%, .738 FT%). He ranks second among active NBA players in offensive rebounds (3,170), fifth in blocks (1,707), seventh in total rebounds (8,516), 14th in field goals made (6,347) and 17th in points (16,242).

A two-time NBA All-Star (2002 and 2006), Brand owns 404 career double-doubles and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2005-06. Additionally, he won the NBA Sportsmanship Award in 2006 and is a two-time divisional winner (2004 and 2007).

Brand has also seen action in 30 career playoff games, averaging 16.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.9 blocks in 35.3 minutes (.528 FG%, .719 FT%).

The No. 1 overall pick by Chicago in the 1999 NBA Draft as an early entry candidate following a decorated two-year career at Duke, Brand shared the Rookie of the Year Award with Steve Francis while being named to the league’s All-Rookie First Team. He declared for the draft after being the consensus National Player of the Year and leading the Blue Devils to the NCAA Championship Game.

Metta World Peace could join Knicks, Clippers, or play in China

Metta World Peace wants to play for the New York Knicks, according to a person close to the veteran small forward.

World Peace cleared waivers late Sunday afternoon, making him an unrestricted free agent. A source told ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst that the Knicks, who can offer him part of their taxpayer mid-level exception [roughly $1.7 million], already have reached out to the former Los Angeles Laker.

While the Knicks are World Peace’s first choice, he is also holding onto the Los Angeles Clippers and China’s Shanghai Sharks as possible teams to join next season.

World Peace spoke Sunday with Yao Ming about playing in Shanghai, a source said.

Reported by Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine