November 2015 – Page 10 – NBA Blog

Mavs, Chandler Parsons still adjusting

Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporting on the Mavericks, who are still in recovery mode as several key players Wes Matthews, Chandler Parsons, among others) are coming off injury and not quite themselves just yet:

Rick Carlisle received a five-year, $35 million contract extension Thursday, but the Dallas Mavericks’ coach probably had a difficult time celebrating the occasion.

The Charlotte Hornets feasted on Dallas’ porous defense all night en route to upending the Mavericks 108-94 in front of a sellout crowd of 19,635 at American Airlines Center.

With the loss, the Mavericks are 2-3 and have dropped both of their home games this season. They also are 0-2 on this homestand, which ends Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans before they hit the road to play the Pelicans again Tuesday in New Orleans.

Carlisle decided to rest small forward Chandler Parsons in the first half and make the unorthodox move of only playing him in the second half. It was a decision the Mavericks probably regretted.

Dallas was only down 54-53 at intermission, but with Parsons on the floor for 14 minutes in the second half, the Mavericks were outscored by 16 points and looked disjointed.

Clippers assign C.J. Wilcox and Branden Dawson to D-League

The L.A. Clippers announced today they have assigned guard C.J. Wilcox and forward Branden Dawson to the NBA Development League’s Bakersfield Jam pursuant to the Flexible Assignment System.

Wilcox appeared in 21 games last season for the Clippers, averaging 2.0 points and 0.4 assists in 4.8 minutes of play. During the 2015 Orlando Pro Summer League, he posted averages of 14.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 32.0 minutes of play.

This is the third Development League assignment for Wilcox who appeared in five games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists during the 2014-15 season.

Dawson, a Second-Team All-Big Ten performer in his final season at Michigan State University finished his four-year career for the Spartans as the all-time leader in blocks (142), fifth in starts (121), sixth in steals (163) and seventh in rebounds (902).

He is one of three players in MSU history with 1,000 career points and 100 career blocks, joining Draymond Green and Adreian Payne.

Both Wilcox and Dawson have yet to participate for the Clippers during the 2015-16 season.

Nuggets sign Kostas Papanikolaou and waive Erick Green

The Denver Nuggets have signed forward Kostas Papanikolaou and waived guard Erick Green, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Papanikolaou, 6-8, 225, appeared in 43 games (one start) in his rookie season with Houston, averaging 4.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 18.5 minutes per game. He was originally drafted by the New York Knicks with the 48th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft and was traded to Portland in 2012 and then to Houston on July 10, 2013. From 2011 to 2013, the Greek forward played for Olympiacos and in 2013-14 he played for FC Barcelona in the Spanish ACB league.

Green, 6-4, 185, has appeared in 46 games for Denver over the past two seasons, averaging 3.2 points in 9.1 minutes per game. Green was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 46th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft and was traded to Denver on draft night in exchange for Rudy Gobert.

Papanikolaou will be available for tonight’s game vs. the Utah Jazz.

Sixers sign Phil Pressey

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed point guard Phil Pressey after being granted an additional roster spot in accordance with NBA hardship relief.

Pressey has appeared in 125 NBA games with the Boston Celtics, averaging three points, three assists and one steal in 14 minutes per game. While at the University of Missouri, Pressey was named All-SEC First Team after leading the conference in assists. During the 2011-12 season, he led the Big 12 Conference in assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team. Pressey is on the active list tonight against Milwaukee and will wear number 26.

The Sixers are on a rebuilding plan that seems to be taking quite a long time. Right now the team’s only clear building blocks are rookie Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, and not much else.

Raptors 905 jerseys revealed

Raptors 905, the NBA Development League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors, unveiled Wednesday the club’s home and away uniforms for its inaugural season. Both uniforms, revealed in partnership with BMO Bank of Montreal, feature the ‘905’ moniker prominently across the chest of the jerseys in tribute to the Greater Toronto Area.

“With our uniform unveiling, it’s a sign that we’re getting closer to making history as the first Canadian team in the NBA D-League,” said Raptors 905 General Manager Dan Tolzman. “Our team is excited to bring a high level of basketball to Hershey Centre and the 905, and we’re looking forward to seeing our fans come out to support this team, starting with the preseason games later this week.”

For its first season, Raptors 905 will don white home uniforms and red away uniforms, consistent with the regular home and away uniforms of its NBA parent club. The home white uniforms will have red trim and black numbering, while the red away uniforms will have black trim and white numbering. The shorts on both Raptors 905 uniforms will feature the Raptors primary logo on the left leg and a Raptors 905 emblem on the right leg.

Raptors 905 begins its 2015 preseason schedule Thursday, November 5 when the team visits the Windsor Express (National Basketball League of Canada) at WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario at 7:30 p.m. The first home preseason contest is scheduled for Sunday, November 8 as Raptors 905 plays host to the Erie BayHawks at Hershey Centre in Mississauga at 2 p.m. Raptors 905 wraps up its preseason Monday, November 9 with a special season seat holder and mini-pack/flex-plan customer only game at its Mississauga Sports Complex Practice Court against the London Lightning (NBLC) at 7:30 p.m.

Nets add Randy Ayers and Bob Bender to scouting staff

Brooklyn Nets General Manager Billy King announced today the additions of Randy Ayers and Bob Bender to the player personnel scouting staff. Ayers was named to the position of college scout, while Bender was named pro scout. Randy Ayers joins the Nets following a five-year stint as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans, including serving the last four years as the team’s lead assistant coach. Ayers began his NBA coaching career as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1997 under head coach Larry Brown, helping to guide the Sixers to five consecutive playoff appearances, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2001. Bob Bender joins the Nets after most recently spending the 2013-14 season as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks. Before joining the Bucks, Bender spent nine seasons on the bench in Atlanta, serving his final three seasons as an assistant under Larry Drew.

Celtics assign Jordan Mickey and James Young to D-League

The Boston Celtics have assigned forward Jordan Mickey and guard/forward James Young to the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League.

Mickey, a 6’8” forward, played in seven preseason contests with the Celtics this year and averaged 5.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 9.8 minutes per game. He was selected with the 33rd overall pick by the Celtics in the 2015 NBA Draft and in one regular season appearance with the team has recorded two points, two rebounds and one assist in two minutes of action in his NBA debut against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 28, 2015.

Young, who is in his second NBA season, appeared in seven preseason matchups for the Celtics this year and averaged 4.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game over that span. He played in 17 contests for the Red Claws last season and averaged 21.5 points, including shooting 44.2 percent from beyond the arc, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 32.9 minutes per game.

No deals for Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli

Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle reporting some key Warriors news:

Warriors general manager Bob Myers insisted he’s not disappointed the club did not reach contract agreements with Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli, both of whom will become restricted free agents next summer.

Barnes chose to end talks last week, before the season started. Myers talked to Ezeli’s agent, Bill Duffy, through the weekend, but the two sides did not strike a deal before Monday’s deadline.

“This is not an indicator that we don’t value them or want them,” Myers said of the two players. “It’s just a question of reaching a deal, which we’ll pick up happily come July.”

Raptors sign Terrence Ross to contract extension

The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday they have signed forward-guard Terrence Ross to a multi-year contract extension.

According to Yahoo Sports, it is a “three-year, nearly $33 million contract” extension.

“Terrence has shown growth with each season,” said Raptors President and General Manager Masai Ujiri. “We are excited that he will be part of what we are building in Toronto. He is a great teammate and has worked hard to become one of our best shooters.”

Currently in his fourth season with the Raptors, the 24-year-old Ross has averaged 9.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and made 377 three-pointers in 239 career games. Ross tied the franchise record with a 51-point outing January 25, 2014 against the Los Angeles Clippers at Air Canada Centre. He also set career highs for field goals made (16), three-pointers made (10), free throws made (9) and minutes played (44) in that game.

Ross was selected eighth overall by Toronto in the 2012 NBA Draft and averaged 6.4 points and 2.0 rebounds, making 65 three-pointers, in 73 games his rookie season. He followed that with career highs of 10.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 81 games. He also posted career bests in three-point field goal percentage (.395) and three-point field goals made (161) in 2013-14.

Last season, Ross appeared in all 82 games averaging 9.8 points and 2.8 rebounds with 145 three-pointers as the Raptors won a franchise-best 49 games. In 11 career playoff appearances, he has averaged 5.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 24.1 minutes.

The Portland, Oregon native has represented Toronto twice in the Sprite Slam Dunk during All-Star Weekend. He won the 2013 event in Houston and was a member of the winning team along with Washington’s John Wall and Indiana’s Paul George at the 2014 contest in New Orleans.

Jabari Parker and Tyler Ennis medically cleared for Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker and guard Tyler Ennis have been medically cleared to return to game action on Wednesday, Nov. 4 when the team hosts the Philadelphia 76ers, General Manager John Hammond announced today. Game time for Wednesday’s contest at the BMO Harris Bradley Center is 7 p.m.

“We’re very excited to have both Jabari and Tyler medically cleared to play for us,” said Bucks Head Coach Jason Kidd. “Both players have put in a tremendous amount of hard work during the rehabilitation process. It’s a real credit to their work ethic and the talents of our world-class medical team and terrific coaching staff to have them ready to go. I know our fans are thrilled to have them back and will welcome them both on Wednesday night.”

In 25 games last season, Parker averaged 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 29.5 minutes per game. He earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for October/November and was the first teenager in over 30 years to record multiple double-doubles in his first three career games. Parker, 20, underwent season-ending knee surgery on Jan. 5 after suffering a left knee ACL injury at Phoenix on Dec. 15.

After a standout season at Duke where he was named consensus First Team All-America, ACC Freshman of the Year and a finalist for the Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy and John R. Wooden Awards, Parker was the 2nd overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft by Milwaukee.

Ennis, 21, averaged 3.7 points, 2.2 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 33 games last season with the Bucks and Suns. He was acquired from Phoenix on Feb. 19 in a three-team trade that also brought Miles Plumlee and Michael Carter-Williams to the Bucks. In his first career start on Mar. 14 vs. Boston, Ennis became the third player in franchise history under 21 years old (B. Jennings, T.J. Ford) to record 10+ assists in a game. On May 19, he underwent labral repair surgery on his right shoulder.

In one season at Syracuse, Ennis was named to the All-ACC Second Team, ACC All-Freshman and ACC All-Defensive Teams.

“Having Jabari and Tyler back on Wednesday is great news for our team,” said Head Coach Jason Kidd.