September 2015 – Page 5 – NBA Blog

Lakers sign Metta World Peace

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Metta World Peace, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

According to the Orange County Register, “the contract essentially confirms the endorsement Coach Byron Scott gave World Peace last week, when he trumpeted the former champion’s virtues in an interview with the Register. “We know what type of defender he is,” Scott said. “He’s a guy who’s going to get on you. “He’s strong, he’s physical, he’s tough. He’s made Julius work, which I think is great. Then when the game is over he’s always talking to Julius about certain things that he feels Julius can do better.”

A 15-year NBA veteran who spent four seasons in Los Angeles between 2009-13, World Peace holds career averages of 13.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.8 steals in 33.0 minutes per game over 931 contests (833 starts) with the Bulls, Pacers, Kings, Rockets, Knicks, and Lakers. Born Ron Artest before changing his name during the 2011 offseason, World Peace was an integral member of the Lakers’ 2010 NBA Championship team, starting all 23 playoff games and averaging 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 steals in 36.5 minutes per game during the postseason.

Selected with the 16th pick of the 1999 NBA Draft by Chicago, the 35-year-old was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2003-04 in addition to being chosen as an All-Star and member of the All-NBA Third Team that same year. He has also garnered four NBA All-Defensive Team selections and made the postseason nine times (including all four of his seasons in L.A.) with four different franchises.

His most recent NBA action came during the 2013-14 season when he appeared in 29 games for the New York Knicks, and has since played in the Chinese Basketball Association and Lega Basket Serie A, Italy’s top division.

World Peace was honored with the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2011, and is actively involved in mental health awareness initiatives.

Jusuf Nurkic will not be ready for start of training camp

Here’s the Denver Post with an update on Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic, who averaged 6.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks — impressive considering he played just 17.8 minutes per game last season:

Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic will not be ready for the start of training camp as he continues to rehab his left knee, general manager Tim Connelly said Wednesday.

“We’re going to take our time with him,” Connelly said.

Nurkic underwent surgery in May to repair a partially torn left patella tendon. The original timetable was three to four months. Connelly, however, did say that Nurkic was “ahead of schedule,” but he wouldn’t “put a firm timetable on when he’ll be back.”

Jason Richardson retires from NBA

Jason Richardson, aka J-Rich, was a dunk phenom and a mighty fine basketball player. Between 2001 and 2015 he averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. A fantastic NBA career is in the books. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer blog reporting:

The thought was that Jason Richardson would extend his career as a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

But the shooting guard, who was with 76ers the past three seasons, announced his retirement Wednesday on his personal Instagram page.

“Today is a bitter sweet moment for me,” he wrote. “ I’m officially announcing my retirement from pro basketball. I like to thank the organizations and fans in Charlotte, Phoenix, Orlando, Philly and especially The Bay Area for their loyal support the past 14 years. Walking away was the hardest decision I had to make but choosing my health and spending time with my family is more important to me! God bless!”

This announcement comes after Richardson had signed a non-guaranteed, one-year deal with the Hawks for the league minimum back in August.

Kevin Durant cleared to play without limitations

You forgot — at least a little — about Kevin Durant. Not totally. You remember he existed, of course. But the domination he regularly unleashes on the court hasn’t been on your mind in a while. Well, if all goes well, he’ll soon serve up some helpful reminders. Here’s the Oklahoman reporting:

In 2011, Nike leveraged Durant’s obsession into an ad campaign labeled Basketball Never Stops. At the time, for KD, it so rarely did. His most serious NBA injury was a minor ankle sprain.

Then the foot fracture happened last October. Then the setbacks followed. Then the bone graft ended his season. Then a summer of rehab and reflection and careful progression bled into this upcoming, all-important nine months for both Durant and his franchise.

Sam Presti unofficially opened it on Wednesday afternoon with his preseason state of the Thunder address. In it, he said Durant has received full medical clearance for training camp. He’s been doing non-contact court drills since late July. But that recently progressed to full-speed 5-on-5 scrimmages, the last step in his long road back.

“In terms of limitations, he doesn’t have any,” Presti said.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be precaution.

Danny Ainge says Stephen Curry is the best shooter he has ever seen

Now this is a fun discussion. There’s no one right answer to who the greatest shooter in NBA history is, because it’s just an opinion. But even though Stephen Curry’s NBA career still has a very long way to go, many people are answering the question by pointing in his direction. Here’s WEEI.com reporting:

Danny Ainge spent nearly eight seasons alongside Larry Bird, the man many consider the greatest shooter in NBA history, so he doesn’t say the following lightly: Stephen Curry is the best shooter he’s ever seen.

Ainge made the observation on Twitter during the playoffs, which ended with Curry’s Warriors claiming the title, and he explained himself earlier this week in an interview with WEEI.com from his Waltham office.

“I think Larry was as good a shooter as I’ve ever seen before Steph. And Ray Allen is up there, too,” Ainge said. “If anybody were to come in and tell me, ‘Larry Bird‘s the best shooter of all time,’ I wouldn’t have much argument. Same with Ray. I probably wouldn’t argue. It’s really close.”

Timberwolves waive Anthony Bennett

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived forward Anthony Bennett.

With the move, Minnesota’s roster stands at 18 players.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, it was a mutually agreed-upon contract buyout “will save the team a little more than $2 million on the $5.8 million they owed him for this coming season.

“In speaking with Anthony and his representatives over the past few days, we came to the conclusion that this was the best outcome for both parties,” said Timberwolves general manager Milt Newton. ‘When you look at our team, our deepest position is probably power forward. This move balances out our roster while also allowing Anthony another opportunity in the NBA. He has a lot of talent and his play this summer internationally made this a difficult decision for us.

“During his short time here Anthony has carried himself with class and represented the franchise in a very professional manner. We thank him for his positive attitude and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Acquired by the Wolves on August 23, 2014 as part of a three-team trade with Cleveland and Philadelphia, Bennett appeared in 57 games with Minnesota last season averaging 5.2 points in 15.7 minutes per game.

Pelicans sign Jeff Adrien, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Corey Webster

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today the team has signed free agents Jeff Adrien, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Corey Webster.

Jeff Adrien, 6-7, 245, appeared in 17 games last season for the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he averaged 3.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game before signing with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. In China, Adrien appeared in 11 games, averaging 13.6 points on .551 shooting from the field, 11.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Prior to his stint in Minnesota, Adrien was a member of the Houston Rockets’ preseason roster.

Undrafted in 2009 out of the University of Connecticut, Adrien has appeared in 153 career games for Golden State, Houston, Charlotte, Milwaukee and Minnesota, holding averages of 4.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game. Adrien has also appeared in the NBA Development League, suiting up for Erie and Rio Grande Valley, and his international experience also includes stints in Spain, Italy and Russia in addition to China.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, 6-7, 210, appeared in 12 games for the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2014-15 season, averaging 1.6 points and 1.0 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game.

Drafted 40th overall by New Jersey in the 2008 NBA Draft out of the University of Memphis, Douglas-Roberts has appeared in 222 career games (61 starts) with New Jersey, Milwaukee, Dallas, Charlotte and the Los Angeles Clippers, holding averages of 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

Corey Webster, 6-2, 190, is a native of Aukland, New Zealand, who most recently played for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League. In 32 games for the Breakers last season, Webster averaged 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

Webster is a member of the New Zealand Men’s National team, and led his team in scoring in the 2015 FIBA Oceania Championships.

New Orleans’ roster now stands at 18.

Nets sign Chris Daniels

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward/center Chris Daniels, General Manager Billy King announced today.

We assume this is a non-guaranteed contract that merely brings Daniels to training camp.

Daniels (6’9”, 265) spent the 2014-15 season with the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China’s CBA. In his seven-year pro career, Daniels has competed in South Korea, Puerto Rico, China, Jordan and Lebanon, as well as the NBA D-League. Daniels played collegiately at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2004-08), where he is still the program’s all-time leading scorer. He also helped lead the Islanders to their first and only NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007.

Will Roy Hibbert and Lakers mesh?

Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News discussing Lakers center Roy Hibbert, who is in an interesting situation because he’s joining a roster of players that aren’t a team quite yet. Chemistry must be developed. Kobe Bryant is returning from injury, but to what? The Lakers have some interesting pieces. Still, little is expected. But that gives Hibbert a chance to shine more than he recently has. Anyway:

It may have seemed head-scratching from afar that the Pacers had no interest in retaining a player who once attracted a four-year, $58 million max contract offer so he could not sign with the Portland Trail Blazers. Yet, Hibbert averaged only 25.3 minutes per game, his lowest since his second year in the NBA, because the Pacers had the personnel and intent to play at a faster style. No one will mistake the current Lakers with the Showtime Era. But can Hibbert adjust his accelerator?

On one hand, the Lakers want Hibbert to play at a methodical pace because of factors involving Kobe Bryant’s durability and the team’s aforementioned defensive issues. But the Lakers also have a young core, including point guard D’Angelo Russell, combo guard Jordan Clarkson and power forward Julius Randle. It would be in the Lakers’ interest to tap into that speed to generate easy baskets.

Numerous reports say Hibbert has lost a significant chunk of weight this offseason, which should help the conditioning required from a Scott training camp. But that might just mark one of many steps Hibbert will have to take to keep up with everyone else.

Deadline looms for Dion Waiters extension

Here’s the Oklahoman reporting on OKC Thunder shooting guard Dion Waiters, who presents the deal with a difficult decision:

The NBA season is rapidly approaching, much to the delight of NBA fans everywhere. As if NBA front offices didn’t have enough on their plates going into the season, they face another deadline. Teams have until Nov. 2 (normally Oct. 31, but that date falls on a Saturday this season) to extend the rookie scale contracts of players selected in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft.

The Thunder is on the clock to lock up Dion Waiters, the fourth overall pick in that draft, to a long-term deal by that date.

Waiters’ play was erratic and uneven after his Jan. 5 arrival via a trade with Cleveland and New York. He averaged 11.0 points per game in his first 29 appearances for the Thunder, shooting 37.8 percent from the field and 28.3-percent from 3-point range. This wasn’t terribly unusual given that Waiters was still considered a raw talent and was trying to fit into a new team with revolving lineups.