Month: October 2014

Wizards 2014-15 alternate jerseys

The Washington Wizards today unveiled images of their new 2014-15 alternate uniform which is primarily navy blue with red color-blocking at the top and “Washington” listed on the front while the navy shorts feature the secondary “Monument” logo.

The Wizards will wear these navy alternate 2014-15 jerseys for every road game played on a Wednesday as well as at home on Dec. 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers and on Mar. 25 when they face the Indiana Pacers.

Fans will also have a chance to see the team wear their red road jerseys at home on Nov. 21 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Apr. 3 against the New York Knicks.

Jimmy Butler thumb injury is a sprain

Jimmy Butler

Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler injured his left thumb in Monday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets.

Subsequent examinations and an MRI confirmed that Butler has a sprain of thumb ligaments.

Butler will not practice this week and will not play in the Bulls’ final preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He will be re-evaluated after that.

Mavericks waive Eric Griffin and Yuki Togashi

mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have requested waivers on forward Eric Griffin and guard Yuki Togashi.

Griffin (6-8, 194) was originally signed on July 18 after representing the Mavericks at the Las Vegas Summer League where he averaged 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.3 steals and 19.3 minutes. He saw action in two preseason games for Dallas.

Togashi (5-7, 143) was signed by the Mavericks on Oct. 15 and did not play in a game for Dallas.

The Mavericks roster now stands at 18 players.

Wizards sign guard John Lucas

Wizards sign guard John Lucas

The Washington Wizards have signed guard John Lucas, President Ernie Grunfeld announced today.

In six seasons with Houston, Chicago, Toronto and Utah, Lucas has appeared in 216 career regular season games (eight starts) while averaging 4.8 points and 1.4 assists in 12.2 minutes. Last season, Lucas appeared in 42 games with Utah and averaged 3.8 points and 1.0 assists in 14.1 minutes.

Lucas was undrafted out of Oklahoma State in 2005. He originally signed as a free agent with Houston on December 9, 2005.

Warriors sign guard Sean Kilpatrick

warriors

The Golden State Warriors signed free agent guard Sean Kilpatrick to a contract today. It is likely a non-guaranteed deal just for preseason.

Kilpatrick, 24 years old, earned First Team All-America honors as a senior at the University of Cincinnati in 2013-14, posting an American Athletic Conference-best 20.6 points per contest to go with 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.41 steals in 34 games, while leading the conference in three-point field goals (93). In four years with the Bearcats, the 6’4” guard tallied averages of 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.19 steals in 30.8 minutes over 140 career games, finishing as the school’s second all-time leading scorer behind only Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson. He was a Second Team All-Big East selection in 2011-12 and 2012-13 before earning First Team All-AAC honors as a senior.

Kilpatrick will wear uniform #25.

The Warriors roster currently stands at 20 players. The regular season begins October 28, and the maximum number of players allowed on a regular season roster is 15.

Lakers waive Keith Appling, Jeremy Tyler

The Los Angeles Lakers have waived guard Keith Appling and center Jeremy Tyler, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Appling, a rookie from Michigan State, saw action in two games this preseason, scoring two points with three rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes.

Tyler, a three-year NBA veteran with Golden State, Atlanta, and New York, appeared in three preseason games for the Lakers, averaging 2.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game.

Both players were originally signed to the Lakers training camp roster on September 23.

Kyrylo Fesenko waived by Timberwolves

Kyrylo Fesenko waived by Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived center Kyrylo Fesenko.

Fesenko, 27, appeared in one preseason game for the Wolves, tallying one rebound and one steal in three minutes of play. The 7-1 center saw action in five games (three starts) for the Wolves entry in 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game. Fesenko, originally drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round (38th overall pick) of the 2007 NBA Draft, has averaged 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game over his five-year NBA career.

The Wolves preseason roster now stands at 17 players, so two more need to be cut before the start of the regular season.

Miami Heat sign Larry Drew II

The Miami HEAT signed Larry Drew II today.

Drew, a guard, played in 11 games (two starts) with the HEAT during the 2014 summer leagues, where he averaged 4.4 points, 3.6 assists, 1.55 steals and 1.5 rebounds on 43.9 percent shooting from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 77.8 percent on free throws.

Drew spent the 2013-14 season playing for Miami’s NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, and helped them reach the playoffs after appearing in 41 regular season games (36 starts) and averaging 11.4 points, 7.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.66 steals and 35.5 minutes while shooting 47.4 percent from the field, 41.1 percent from three-point range and 70.9 percent from the foul line. He scored 20-or-more points six times, including a season-high 23-point game vs. Erie on February 9, and dished out double-figure assists on seven occasions. Additionally, he appeared in five postseason games (all starts) with the Skyforce and averaged 8.2 points, 4.2 assists, 2.2 rebounds, 1.20 steals and 34.2 minutes.

Drew was originally signed by the HEAT as a free agent on September 23, 2013. He appeared in one preseason game with Miami totaling 5:52 minutes of action vs. Atlanta on October 7 before being waived on October 21, 2013.

The HEAT’s roster now stands at 19.

Cavaliers waive Chris Crawford, Stephen Holt

cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers today waived guards Chris Crawford and Stephen Holt, according to Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin.

Crawford received limited court time in five preseason games for the Cavs, averaging 2.4 points and 1.6 assists in 7.6 minutes per game.

Holt played (just barely) in two preseason games, averaging 3.0 points in 2.3 minutes per game.

The Cavs roster now stands at 16. The regular season NBA roster maximum is 15 players, so at least one more player will be thanked for his time and sent on his way.