January 2014 – Page 11 – NBA Blog

Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday injured, suffers stress fracture in leg

$Jrue Holiday injured, suffers stress fracture in leg$

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that Jrue Holiday has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right tibia. He is out indefinitely. This is a big blow to the Pelicans, who have a 15-19 record going into Friday’s games.

In 34 games this season, Holiday is averaging 14.3 points, 7.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game. The 6’4” guard holds career averages of 13.5 points, 6.0 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 332 games.

According to the new Orleans Times-Picayune, “it is unclear exactly when Holiday was injured. But he didn’t play in the fourth quarter of the team’s 102-96 loss to the Washington Wizards. In that game, Holiday turned in one of his worst performances of the season, shooting 3-for-11 from the field for eight points. He also had three assists, three rebounds and three steals. Holiday wasn’t available for comment following the Pelicans’ shootaround Friday morning, leading up to their game against the Dallas Mavericks at the New Orleans Arena. But forward/center Jason Smith said the team will have to continue to battle while it is shorthanded.”

According to the Associated Press, “In 34 games this season, the 6-foot-4 Holiday is averaging 14.3 points, 7.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds. His injury comes while New Orleans struggles to overcome the absence of leading scorer Ryan Anderson, who has been out indefinitely with a herniated disk since last weekend.”

J.R. Smith uncertain of his future with Knicks

Here’s ESPN New York on Knick shooting guard J.R. Smith, who has always been a bit of a loose canon but recently is catching more heat than usual:

In the last two days, J.R. Smith has been benched by the New York Knicks and fined by the NBA.

Suddenly, he is unsure of his future in New York.

“Honestly, I don’t even know at this point. At one point I was for sure, and now it’s rocking the boat,” Smith said after he was benched for the Knicks’ 102-92 win against the Miami Heat on Thursday night. “But it is what it is. It’s the nature of the business.”

The benching came one day after Smith was fined $50,000 by the NBA for “recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct” stemming from his recent shoelace antics.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson wouldn’t comment on why he decided to bench Smith against the Heat. Smith said he showed up to Madison Square Garden expecting to play and never was told by Woodson that he wouldn’t.

Sixers re-assign guard Lorenzo Brown to D-League

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that they have assigned guard Lorenzo Brown to the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League.

Brown (6-5, 186) was first assigned to the Sevens on December 26, 2013 and was recalled on January 6, 2014. He appeared in five D-League games, averaging 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Brown has appeared in 15 games for the Sixers this season.

Celtics recall MarShon Brooks from D-League

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have recalled guard/forward MarShon Brooks from the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League.

Brooks, a 6’5” guard/forward, appeared in five games for the Red Claws while on assignment including two games in the D-League Showcase in Reno where he averaged 27.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks in 35.0 minutes per game. Brooks recorded a high of 36 points to go along with six rebounds, five assists, five steals and three blocks against Tulsa on January 5. He also recorded a double-double against Springfield on January 4 with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

Rumor: New York Knicks exploring possible deals for J.R. Smith

Here’s ESPN.com with an update on Knicks guard J.R. Smith:

Knicks may look to trade J.R. Smith later this month

While they acknowledge that a trade may be difficult to pull off, the New York Knicks in recent days began exploring the potential market for guard J.R. Smith, ESPN.com has learned.

Sources close to the situation said Wednesday that the organization has become increasingly frustrated with Smith’s on- and off-the-court transgressions and may feel that a fresh start would be best for all parties.

Smith was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for “recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct” following his shoelace stunts in the Knicks’ past two games.

Wednesday’s fine didn’t necessarily push the Knicks over the top, but one source with knowledge of the team’s thinking said the organization has become “fed up” with Smith’s erratic behavior.

Phoenix Suns sign Leandro Barbosa to 10-day contract

The Suns have signed guard Leandro Barbosa (lee-AN-dro BAR-bow-sa) to a 10-day contract, the team has announced.

The 6-3, 194-pound Barbosa is a 10-year NBA veteran who played the first seven seasons of his NBA career with the Suns, averaging 12.6 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 466 games with Phoenix from 2003-10. Barbosa won the 2006-07 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award with the Suns after posting career-highs of 18.1 points and 4.0 assists per game. The Suns advanced to the playoffs in five of Barbosa’s first seven seasons with the club as he ranks seventh in team history with 64 career playoff games, in which he averaged 10.2 points.

The 31-year-old guard has played for three NBA teams since being traded by Phoenix to Toronto in the summer of 2010, spending time with the Raptors (2010-12), Indiana Pacers (2011-12) and Boston Celtics (2012-13). Last season, Barbosa appeared in 41 games with the Celtics before suffering a torn ACL in his left knee on Feb. 11. He was traded to Washington on Feb. 21, but did not appear in a game with the Wizards as he recovered from injury.

A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, this season Barbosa averaged 15.9 points and 3.1 assists in eight games for Sao Paulo-based Pinheiros/Sky of the Brazilian League.

The Suns continue a season-long five-game road trip tonight as they prepare to face the Minnesota Timberwolves with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (Phoenix time). The game will be televised on FOX Sports Arizona and ESPN, and carried on Arizona Sports 620 (KTAR-AM).

Clippers sign guard Maalik Wayns to 10-day contract

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have signed guard Maalik Wayns to a 10-day contract.

Wayns, 22, was previously on the Clippers roster this season and was waived by the team on Jan. 6. Wayns did not appear in a game this season, missing the first 33 games of the season due to a torn left meniscus.

The former Villanova stand-out appeared in six games with the Clippers last season and averaged 3.3 points and 1.2 assists. Overall, Wayns has played in 27 career NBA games with the Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers.

J.R. Smith fined $50,000 by NBA for trying to untie the shoelaces of opposing players

New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith has been fined $50,000 for recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

During the Knicks’ 92-80 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 5, at American Airlines Center, Smith untied the shoelace of Mavericks’ forward Shawn Marion during a free throw attempt. After Smith was warned by the league office to refrain from further conduct of this nature, he attempted to repeat the action last night during New York’s 89-85 win over the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden.

Metta World Peace has procedure on knees

Here’s the New York Post with an update on New York Knicks forward Metta World Peace:

Metta World Peace said he’s already feeling the good effects from the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) blood-spinning procedure he underwent on his knees Monday.

World Peace, who has played just two games since Dec. 21 because of an arthritic left knee, said he plans to return to the Knicks lineup in two weeks.

Each injection took 30 seconds, and World Peace said he decided to have both knees done.

“It felt pretty good,’’ he said before the Knicks’ 89-85 win over the Pistons Tuesday night at the Garden. “It was weird. It was weird. I was like ‘Wow.’ When I was walking home I said, ‘Wow, it’s kind of cool.’ But I don’t want to test it yet.”

Memphis Grizzlies recall Jamaal Franklin from D-League

The Memphis Grizzlies have recalled guard Jamaal Franklin from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team announced today.

Franklin (6-5, 191) was assigned to Fort Wayne on Jan. 5 and recorded 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and four steals in 23 minutes in his D-League debut on Jan. 6 against the Santa Cruz Warriors. The game was played in Reno, Nev. as part of the 2014 NBA D-League Showcase.

Drafted by Memphis in the second round (41st overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft, the 22-year-old has averaged 1.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.2 minutes in 14 appearances as a rookie for the Grizzlies.