Month: January 2014

Thunder re-assign Andre Roberson to D-League

The Oklahoma City Thunder has assigned forward Andre Roberson to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Roberson has appeared in 16 games (four starts) for the Thunder this season, averaging 1.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game.

This will mark Roberson’s third assignment to the 66ers this season. In five previous games (all starts) with Tulsa, he has averaged 15.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.8 steals in 35.8 minutes per game.

He is expected to be in uniform tonight when the Tulsa 66ers take on the Bakersfield Jam at Dignity Health Event Center in Bakersfield, Calif.

Mavs guard Gal Mekel out after knee surgery

Gal Mekel out after knee surgery

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that guard Gal Mekel underwent arthroscopic surgery to address a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. The surgery was performed by TO Souryal at Texas Sports Medicine in Dallas.

No timetable has been set for his return.

According to the Dallas Morning News blog, “This means Shane Larkin will continue to log meaningful minutes, even when Devin Harris returns, possibly as soon as Saturday. Harris will not play in tonight’s game at Phoenix, but nobody would rule out the possibility that he could make his season debut Saturday in Dallas against Portland.”

Warriors assign Ognjen Kuzmic to D-League

The Golden State Warriors have assigned center Ognjen Kuzmic to the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League, the team announced today. Santa Cruz plays the Idaho Stampede in Boise tomorrow night.

Kuzmic made his D-League debut on December 28 against the Bakersfield Jam, registering two points, nine rebounds and one block in 16 minutes.

For the Warriors this season Kuzmic has played just 3.9 minutes per game, in a total of 13 games. Golden State is 25-15 so far this season.

Celtics sign Chris Johnson to 10-day contract

celtics

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed guard/forward Chris Johnson to a 10-day contract.

Johnson, a 6’6” guard/forward, appeared in 20 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League this season and has averaged 19.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 block in 37.2 minutes per game. The 14th Call-Up from the D-League this season, Johnson was shooting 47.0 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from three-point territory and 84.1 percent from the free throw line.

Johnson also has recorded the sixth highest offensive rating in the D-League this season amongst all players that have played 10 games or more with a rating of 114.6.

The former University of Dayton Flyer appeared in eight games for the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2012-13 season and averaged 3.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.

NBA hands Nick Young a swag-lacking suspension

Nick Young is nicknamed “Swaggy P.” Swag flies through the air anytime Young does anything. You can never have enough swag, as Young is well aware.

Unfortunately, yesterday during a Lakers vs Suns game, Young’s swag emerged in the form of a punch, and that’s no bueno. The NBA suspended him one game as a result, and fined a pair of Suns players as well.

Full details here: Nick Young suspended for punch

OKC signs Royal Ivey for 10 days

The Oklahoma City Thunder have, as expected, been one of the league’s best teams this season. Even with star point guard Russell Westbrook injured, the team is a force.

But the team can still use a bit of help in their backcourt. And so enters Royal Ivey, who is a solid backup to have at the end of a bench for use in limited minutes.

Full news item: Thunder sign Royal Ivey to 10-day contract

Hedo Turkoglu joins Clippers

You remember Hedo Turkoglu. He did fun things on the Orlando Magic years ago, but has largely been forgotten about for a couple seasons now.

Well, he’s back, and actually in a pretty good situation, jumping on board with the Los Angeles Clippers, who can use him in very limited minutes to keep their flow going. It’s a low-risk addition.

Full news: Clippers sign Hedo Turkoglu, keep Darius Morris, release Maalik Wayns

Bulls recall Marquis Teague from D-League

Bulls recall Marquis Teague from D-League

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has recalled guard Marquis Teague (6-2, 190 pounds) from the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League (D-League).

In eight games with the Energy, Teague posted 12.0 ppg on .462 shooting, 4.8 apg and 2.5 rpg in 24.0 mpg.

This season with the Bulls, the second-year guard has played in 19 games (two starts) and averaged 2.4 ppg, 1.5 apg and 1.0 rpg in 12.7 mpg.

Celtics, Warriors, Heat trade Joel Anthony, Jordan Crawford, Toney Douglas, MarShon Brooks

Joel Anthony

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have completed a three-team deal with Golden State and Miami. The Celtics have acquired center Joel Anthony, a conditional future Philadelphia first round draft pick, Miami’s 2016 second round draft pick and cash considerations; Miami acquires guard Toney Douglas and Golden State acquires guard Jordan Crawford and guard/forward MarShon Brooks.

“It’s always difficult trading a player like Joel who was a big part of the past two championship teams and will always be a part of the Miami HEAT family,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “This trade gives us great flexibility moving forward in our journey to win an NBA Championship. Joel was a true professional who worked hard every day and we wish him the best in the future.”

Anthony, a 6’9” center, has appeared in 12 games for the Heat this season and has recorded six points, seven rebounds and four blocks in 37 minutes of action. He has posted career averages of 2.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 16.5 minutes per game. A member of Miami’s two past NBA Championship teams; he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Heat on July 3, 2007 after playing two seasons collegiately at UNLV and a season at Pensacola Junior College in Florida.

Jordan Crawford

Crawford, 25, appeared in 39 games with Boston this season (35 starts), averaging 13.7 points, a career-high 5.7 assists and 3.1 rebounds per contest, leading the Celtics in assists. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week ending December 8, averaging 23.3 points on 61.0 percent shooting to go along with 6.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds over three games, including a 23-point effort against the New York Knicks on December 8 in which he connected on a career-high six three pointers. On November 29 versus Cleveland, the 6’4” guard posted his third career triple-double, registering 11 points, a career-high-tying 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He has scored 20-or-more points eight times this season, including a season-high 25-point effort on December 3 versus Milwaukee.

Originally selected by the New Jersey Nets with the 27th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Crawford owns career NBA averages of 12.9 points, 3.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 26.4 minutes over 215 games (99 starts) in four seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics. He had his finest NBA season to date in 2011-12 with Washington, averaging a career-high 14.7 points, 3.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 64 games, including 16.4 points per contest in 32 starting assignments.

Brooks, a 6’5” guard/forward, has appeared in 10 games for the Celtics this season and has posted averages of 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 7.3 minutes per game. He was originally drafted by the Celtics with the 25th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft and was traded on draft night. He was reacquired by the Celtics in a trade with Brooklyn on July 12, 2013.