March 2015 – Page 9 – NBA Blog

Raptors assign Lucas Nogueira to D-League

Raptors assign Lucas Nogueira to D-League

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have assigned center Lucas Nogueira (No-GARE-uh) to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League. Nogueira will continue to be included on the Raptors’ roster and will remain on the team’s inactive list. He is expected to be in uniform for the Mad Ants on Saturday when they play host to the Delaware 87ers at 7:30 p.m.

Nogueira made his NBA debut November 21 versus Milwaukee and grabbed a season-high five rebounds in nine minutes of action. He has played a total of 23 minutes in six games with Toronto this season, recording six points and 11 rebounds.

A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nogueira was selected 16th overall by Boston in the 2013 NBA Draft. The Raptors acquired his rights June 30, 2014 from Atlanta. He spent the 2013-14 season with Estudiantes Madrid in the Spanish Liga Endesa and averaged 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 16.0 minutes in 18 games.

Wizards sign Toure` Murry

Wizards sign Toure’ Murry

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed guard Toure’ Murry. He is the 47th D-League “Call-Up.”

In 23 games in the D-League this season with Idaho and Rio Grande Valley, Murry has averaged 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 29.1 minutes per game. In 16 games with Rio Grande Valley this season, he tallied three triple-doubles, including two in his last four games with the Vipers.

In parts of two seasons with New York and Utah, Murry (6-5, 195) has appeared in 52 career regular season games while averaging 2.7 points in 7.2 minutes per game. Last season with New York, he appeared in 51 games while averaging 2.7 points in 7.3 minutes. Murry appeared in one game with Utah this season after signing with the Jazz in August of 2014.

Murry was undrafted out of Wichita State in 2012. While at Wichita State, Murry averaged 12.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists during his four-year career and helped the Shockers to the 2011 NIT title.

Sergey Karasev suffers season-ending injury

Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Sergey Karasev has been diagnosed with a dislocated patella and a torn MCL of the right knee, along with multiple loose bodies in the knee joint, General Manager Billy King announced. The injury occurred during the fourth quarter of last night’s game versus New Orleans. Karasev will undergo surgery tomorrow, March 12th, at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan and will be out for the remainder of the season.

Karasev played in 33 games (16 starts) for Brooklyn this season, posting averages of 4.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game.

Suns sign Seth Curry to 10-day contract

Suns sign Seth Curry to 10-day contract

The Phoenix Suns have signed guard Seth Curry to a 10-day contract.

Curry, a 6-1, 180-pound point guard, has averaged 23.5 points on shooting splits of 48.0 percent from the field, 48.2 percent from three-point range and 91.9 percent from the free throw line, in addition to 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 37.0 minutes in 36 games with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League this season. Among D-League leaders, Curry ranks second in scoring average, first in three-point percentage and second in free throw percentage.

Curry played in all five games with the Suns at 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 10.2 points in 21.0 minutes, including a 26-point performance against Milwaukee on July 13. Curry played with the Orlando Magic during the 2014-15 preseason before joining Erie.

The younger brother of Golden State Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry and son of former Charlotte Hornets great Dell Curry, Seth Curry has played in two career NBA games with both coming during the 2013-14 season. Curry played in one game each with the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers, making his debut with the Grizzlies at Detroit on Jan. 5, 2014, and scoring his first NBA points on a three-pointer against Houston with the Cavaliers on March 22, 2014.

An All-ACC selection at Duke University in 2012-13, Curry is the 46th GATORADE Call-Up from the D-League to the NBA this season.

The Suns host the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (Phoenix time). The game will be televised on FOX Sports Arizona and carried on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.

The Suns’ roster now stands at 15.

Byron Scott does not think Kobe Bryant will eventually become a coach

Byron Scott does not think Kobe Bryant will eventually become a coach

Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News reporting Lakers head coach Byron Scott’s views on Kobe Bryant’s eventual post-playing days:

Scott then quickly reiterated his doubts Bryant would ever coach.

“He would be like Earvin (Johnson),” said Scott, referring to Johnson’s brief Lakers coaching stint that entailed a 5-11 record in the 1993-94 season. “Kobe would be in the locker room like Earvin throwing stuff and going crazy. It’s a tough job. Those two guys, as competitive as they are and as much as they won back on their day, both of them would be beating up players.”

Scott conceded he threw “a tantrum or two” early in his coaching career that included stops with the former New Jersey Nets (2000-04), former New Orleans Hornets (2004-09) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2010-13).

Scott said he has since mellowed. How did that happen?

“Just the experience of knowing these guys don’t do it the way we did it,” said Scott.

Lakers officially eliminated from playoff contention

Lakers officially eliminated from playoff contention

Here’s ESPN Los Angeles reporting what was inevitable:

The Lakers were eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday, marking their earliest elimination since the franchise moved to L.A. before the 1960-61 season.

The Lakers were officially knocked out when the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Brooklyn Nets.

They later beat the Detroit Pistons 93-85 to improve to 17-46.

Their elimination marks only the seventh time in franchise history that the Lakers will miss the postseason and only the second time that they’ve missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons (1974-75 and 1975-76).

Hassan Whiteside racking up lots of NBA fines

Hassan Whiteside racking up lots of NBA fines

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting on talented Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside, who is having a breakout season but must tone a couple things down on the floor:

This time the financial penalty for Hassan Whiteside was not as severe, but the impact to the Miami Heat is more extreme.

With Whiteside suspended for Wednesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets at AmericanAirlines Arena for his Monday blow to the back of the neck of Boston Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk, the Heat will be reduced to Chris Andersen as their lone available center in the key matchup for playoff seeding.

The loss of salary for the suspension equates to $7,000 for Whiteside, less than half of the $15,000 he was fined for last week’s skirmish with Phoenix Suns center Alex Len, with no suspension accompanying that NBA sanction.

Joel Embiid is wearing a walking boot again

Joel Embiid is wearing a walking boot again

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on injured 76ers rookie Joel Embiid:

Brett Brown wants folks to relax.

The 76ers coach confirmed Tuesday that Joel Embiid is once again in a walking boot. Brown added that the rookie center is just experiencing “soreness” in his right foot, and that Embiid’s doctor’s visit Tuesday in Los Angeles was long scheduled.

“People shouldn’t overreact,” Brown said after practice at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “I get why we all can. But it’s not a situation all the people need to overact to.”

A report Monday stated that Embiid had a “minor setback” and apparently was wearing a walking boot. The rookie, who has yet to play, was in California on Tuesday for the doctor’s appointment.

Lakers sign Jabari Brown to 10-day contract

Lakers sign Jabari Brown to 10-day contract

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Jabari Brown to a 10-day contract, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Brown, who was most recently a member of the Lakers NBA Development League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, joins the team after leading the D-League in scoring at 24.4 points per game to go along with 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 39 games (25 starts). A 2015 NBA D-League All-Star, Brown tallied two of the highest single-game scoring outputs in the D-League this season, finishing with 50 points on January 10th at Sioux Falls and 48 points on February 28th versus Bakersfield.

Brown, a 6’4” rookie out of Missouri and a teammate of Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson last season in college, averaged 19.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 2013-14 before declaring himself eligible for the 2014 NBA Draft. An Oakland, Calif. native, Brown later signed with the Lakers for NBA training camp in 2014.

The Lakers roster now stands at 16 players after being granted a hardship waiver exception from the NBA.

Hassan Whiteside suspended for elbow to Kelly Olynyk

Hassan Whiteside suspended for elbow to Kelly Olynyk

Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside has been suspended one game without pay for elbowing Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk in the back of the neck, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 2:45 remaining in the third quarter of Boston’s 100-90 win over Miami on Monday, March 9, at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Whiteside will serve his suspension tomorrow when the Heat hosts the Brooklyn Nets.

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