Month: December 2014

Ronny Turiaf to undergo hip surgery

Ronny Turiaf to undergo hip surgery

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that center/forward Ronny Turiaf will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his right hip. The operation will be performed this Tuesday by Dr. Bryan Kelly at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. A further update on Turiaf’s status will be provided following Tuesday’s procedure.

Turiaf has played in two games this season, totaling one rebound and two assists in just over 18 minutes of action. Turiaf spent the first five games of the season and the last 14 contests on the inactive list due to right hip soreness.

Heat assign Shabazz Napier and Hassan Whiteside to D-League

Heat assign Shabazz Napier and Hassan Whiteside to D-League

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have assigned both guard Shabazz Napier and center Hassan Whiteside to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Napier has appeared in 23 games with the HEAT this season averaging 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 21.4 minutes while shooting 42.9 percent from the field. He previously scored in double-figures in six-straight games from November 16 through November 25, the longest such streak by a HEAT rookie since Michael Beasley did so in eight consecutive games from April 1, 2009 through April 15, 2009,

Whiteside, who was signed by Miami on November 24, has appeared in three games with the HEAT this season totaling six points, four rebounds and a block in nine minutes of action while shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from the field. Earlier this season, he appeared in three games in the NBA Development League with the Iowa Energy and averaged 22.0 points, 15.7 rebounds, 5.33 blocks and 28.7 minutes while shooting 85.7 percent from the field, helping them to a perfect 3-0 record.

Thunder recall Grant Jerrett and Mitch McGary from D-League

OKC Thunder recall Grant Jerrett and Mitch McGary from D-League

The Oklahoma City Thunder has recalled forwards Grant Jerrett and Mitch McGary from the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Jerrett has appeared in four games (four starts) for the Blue this season, averaging 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 21.0 minutes per game.

McGary has played in six games (six starts) with the Blue this year, averaging 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.50 steals, and 1.33 blocks in 25.5 minutes per contest.

Sixers sign Ronald Roberts, waive Jorge Gutierrez

Sixers sign Ronald Roberts, waive Jorge Gutierrez

Sixers sign Ronald Roberts, waive Jorge Gutierrez

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have signed free agent forward Ronald Roberts from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers. He is the 11th D-League to NBA “Call-Up” of the 2014-15 NBA Development League season.

In a related move, the Sixers waived Jorge Gutierrez.

Roberts started all eight games for the Sevens so far this season, averaging team-highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 67% from the floor. He was also on the Sixers roster during the preseason and the Orlando Pro Summer League.

Los Angeles D-Fenders add Ater Majok

The Los Angeles D-Fenders have acquired forward/center Ater Majok, it was announced today by General Manger Nick Mazzella.

Drafted out of UCONN in the second round (58th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, Majok appeared in three Summer League games with the Lakers before signing with BK SPU Nitra of Slovakia. The 6’10” forward/center averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.4 assists in 41 games for Nitra in 2011-12. In 113 games internationally between 2011 and 2014, Majok tallied 9.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.

Bucks rookie Johnny O`Bryant returns to practice

Here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting on the Bucks:

Bucks rookie forward Johnny O’Bryant returned to practice Thursday, his first on-court work since suffering a sprained right medial collateral ligament during the preseason.

That qualified as good news for a Bucks frontcourt that has been depleted due to injuries. Power forward Ersan Ilyasova remains out with a nasal fracture and forward-center John Henson is still out although getting closer in his recovery from a sprained left foot.

O’Bryant, a second-round pick from LSU, suffered his injury during the Oct. 9 preseason game against Detroit.

“First time,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said of O’Bryant’s return. “He looked good. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. Hopefully he can get more work done, but I thought he did a great job today.”

Celtics rookie James Young dealing with shoulder issue

Here’s ESPN Boston with a Celtics report:

Celtics rookie James Young dealing with shoulder issue

Boston Celtics rookie James Young was undergoing testing Thursday to determine the severity of a right shoulder subluxation sustained in an NBA Development League appearance Wednesday night with the Maine Red Claws.

Young injured the shoulder after absorbing contact from Drew Gordon while trying to corral a pass near midcourt late in the third quarter of a game against the Delaware 87ers. Young was attended to by a trainer on the court before walking off the floor while still clutching the right (non-shooting) shoulder.

Rajon Rondo brushes off criticism

Here’s ESPN Boston reporting on the Celtics:

Rajon Rondo brushes off criticism

Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo offered a local pigskin comparison when asked about individual criticism that he’s heard as part of his team’s fourth-quarter struggles this season.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” said Rondo. “I’ve been here longest, I’m the team captain, and I’m the point guard, so, just like in football, in the beginning they blamed [quarterback Tom] Brady a lot [when the New England Patriots struggled]. It’s part of it. It’s not weighing on me at all.”

With Wednesday’s loss in Charlotte, the Boston Celtics fell to 4-9 this season in games in which the team was within five points in the final five minutes of play. The Celtics’ team defensive rating in those “clutch” situation balloons to 116.4 points per 100 possessions, the second worst mark in the league. What’s more, Boston, which actually ranks near the top 10 in turnover percentage for the season, plummets to 23rd overall in frequency of giveaways during crunch time situations.

Nets coach discusses team need for improvement

Here’s ESPN New York reporting on the Brooklyn Nets, who are 8-12, just traded unused bench player Andrei Kirilenko to the 76ers today, and lately have been playing without the services of injured center Brook Lopez:

Nets coach discusses team need for improvement

The Brooklyn Nets have gotten off to a terrible start — and their coach wants more.

“We’re not a team that can play poorly and beat somebody,” Lionel Hollins said Thursday. “We’re not a very good team at this stage of our development.”

Asked if he expected an [8-12] start when he took the job, Hollins responded, “I didn’t know what to expect. I thought we would be better. I didn’t know when. We have some deficiencies. The rebounding one is huge, and defensively, the quickness against most teams is huge and just being able to execute and play at a tempo that keeps us in games versus letting the other team having their way of playing. That’s important, too.

“But with this group it’s a learning process of how to play that way, and I think most of the guys would like to play quicker, but it gives the other team too many opportunities.”