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The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has waived forward Grant Jerrett. Following the move, Utah’s roster now stands at 17 players.
Jerrett (6-10, 233, Arizona) appeared in three games as a reserve for the Jazz last season, averaging 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game. He has not seen action in the preseason.
The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has waived guard Corey Webster.
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 was signed by New Orleans on Sept. 23 and appeared in three preseason games, averaging 1.3 points and 2.0 assists per game.
New Orleans’ roster now stands at 19.
The San Antonio Spurs unveiled today their Black Signature Spur jerseys that will be worn during the 2015-16 NBA season. The new black alternate uniform’s efficient jersey design simply features the iconic Spurs logo prominently over the heart, while the player numbers rest on the right breast. The uniforms feature silver panels with silver, black and white trim and the accompanying shorts also include the Spur logo on each side.
The Spurs will debut the new uniforms at the home opener vs. the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 30 and will be worn multiple times this season. The Black Signature Spur uniforms will join the lineup of traditional home white and away black uniforms, along with the camouflage military and silver alternate versions. The Spurs debuted the silver version of the Signature Spur uniforms in 2012 and they were the first-ever NBA jersey logo without any writing or peripheral design.
Photo here.
Thabo Sefolosha, now healed after the NYPD LITERALLY BROKE HIS LEG (and DAMAGED A LIGAMENT — while it remains unclear what Thabo actually did wrong), is finally back in action as NBA preseason continues. Here’s the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting:
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Thabo Sefolosha was back – even if it was just for eight minutes.
Sefolosha played his first game since April 7 following a broken right leg and ligament damage suffered in an arrest outside a New York nightclub later that night. He missed the Hawks first two exhibition games during the trial where he was fully acquitted last week.
“It felt good,” Sefolosha said following the Hawks’ 100-86 exhibition win over the Spurs at Philips Arena. “I didn’t play heavy minutes but at the same time it was good just to have a feel for it and be out there. …
“It’s great to be back. That’s what I love doing. This group is special and it’s like being around family.”
Here’s CSN Philly reporting on the future of the 76ers franchise, the big rookie, the hopes and dreams of Philadelphia, Jahlil Okafor:
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When the Sixers open the season in Boston on Oct. 28, don’t expect Jahlil Okafor to be 100 percent, says coach Brett Brown.
The rookie is going to need some time to get into top NBA playing shape, according to the coach.
“He has been tremendously set back now,” Brown said after Wednesday’s practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Okafor has been dealing with a sore knee that kept him out of practice on Tuesday and Wednesday and forced him to sit out of Monday’s game at Madison Square Garden. However, Okafor said he isn’t injured and is simply “doing what I’m told.”
Here’s ESPN Chicago reporting on a key member of the Bulls; a talented, well-bearded player who loves to pump-fake perhaps a tad too much:
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As he made his way through an up-and-down rookie season a year ago, one piece of advice seemed to stick with Nikola Mirotic more than most. Tired of seeing the talented big man pump-fake his way out of shots, his teammates continued to pepper him with the same message.
“Niko, don’t think,” Mirotic said in April, recounting the advice. “Just shoot the ball because you’re wide open. Don’t pump fake.”
Six months later, Mirotic is trying to keep that same mentality in mind as he finds his way in coach Fred Hoiberg’s new system. When the topic of playing the 3 or playing the 4 came up recently, Mirotic responded with the most straightforward answer he could.
“The most important [thing] for me is to play,” he said.
Here’s the Orange County Register reporting on Lamar Odom, who is fighting for his life in a hospital right now:
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Lamar Odom used cocaine and took up to 10 doses of an herbal sexual enhancement over the course of three days at a Nevada brothel before employees found him unconscious, according to the man who called 911.
The alleged drug use by the former NBA star was revealed in dramatic 911 recordings, played by the Nye County Sheriff’s Office during a news conference Wednesday.
Odom remained at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. The hospital has not released any information on his condition.
Dispatchers received three calls from Dennis Hof’s Love Ranch in Crystal, Nev., on Tuesday afternoon. The first came from an employee identified by authorities as Mitsie John, and the subsequent two were from Richard Hunter, the media director for the ranch.
A panicked John told the dispatcher, “All I know is that he’s close to not breathing.”
Here’s the New York Post reporting on Nets point guard Jarrett Jack, who needs to remember that it’s just preseason right now and in preseason everyone can just stretch and relax and just loosen up for the regular season and there’s no need to hard-foul anybody:
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Not only did the Nets lose a game Wednesday night, but they may have lost their starting point guard for the regular-season opener, as well.
Jarrett Jack picked up a flagrant foul penalty 2 when he clobbered Boston forward Jonas Jerebko on a fast break with 9:56 to go in the second quarter of the 109-105 loss to the Celtics at Barclays Center, earning an automatic ejection and possible further discipline from the league office.
“I hope not,” Jack said, when asked if he was worried about getting hit with a suspension. “But I didn’t mean to do that, actually.”
NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki Vandeweghe will review the play and has the authority to hand down additional penalties — including a fine and/or a suspension.
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The Golden State Warriors have waived guard Ben Gordon, the team announced today. The Warriors’ training camp roster currently stands at 18 players.
Gordon appeared in two preseason games with the Warriors, averaging 1.0 points and 1.0 assists in 8.3 minutes. He was originally signed by Golden State on September 28.
Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram blog reporting on Dallas Mavericks rookie Justin Anderson and his preseason play, which hadn’t been good yet, until:
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But during Tuesday’s 100-88 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder at Bank Of Oklahoma Center, Anderson made some significant strides. The 6-6 swingman finished with 11 points, three rebounds, two steals and one assist in 24 minutes, and drew high praise form coach Rick Carlisle.
“For me he’s getting better each game,’’ Carlisle said, after his team dropped to 0-3 in preseason. “He’s learned a lot playing against an improved Denver team (in the preseason opener), and then going to Houston, and then playing these guys.
“These guys had all their guys.’’
Anderson has been going through what most rookies encounter. In essence, he’s discovering that the transition from the college to the pro game is no easy task.