Month: February 2016

Suns sign Jordan McRae to second 10-day contract

Suns sign Jordan McRae to second 10-day contract

The Phoenix Suns announced today they have signed guard Jordan McRae to a second 10-day contract.

McRae signed his first 10-day contract with the Suns on Jan. 29. The 24-year-old guard has appeared in five games with Phoenix, averaging 5.8 points and 1.4 assists in 13.0 minutes. McRae made his NBA debut at New York on Jan. 29, scoring 12 points and handing out four assists.

Prior to signing with the Suns, McRae earned 2016 NBA Development League All-Star honors as he ranked third in the D-League with an average of 23.1 points in 28 games with the Delaware 87ers. In his last game with the 87ers against Canton on Jan. 26, he scored a D-League record 61 points on 21-of-34 shooting from the field and 16-of-18 from the free throw line. In addition to 23.1 points, McRae had been averaging 5.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 35.5 minutes in his second D-League season, both with the 87ers.

McRae was the 14th GATORADE Call-Up of 2015-16 at the time he signed with the Suns on Jan. 29, his first regular season signing with an NBA team. Originally selected by San Antonio with the 58th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft then traded to Philadelphia on draft night, McRae played professionally in Australia in 2014-15 before joining Delaware for the season’s final 13 games and averaging 18.4 points. A 6-5, 179-pound guard, McRae played for Philadelphia at NBA Summer League in 2014 and 2015, also playing with the 76ers this past preseason before being waived on Oct. 26.

Pistons will soon retire jersey of Chauncey Billups

Here’s Michigan Live reporting on the Detroit Pistons and retired guard Chauncey Billups, who currently does TV broadcasting:

Pistons will soon retire jersey of Chauncey Billups

Wednesday marks the jersey retirement for former Detroit Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups, the second this season for a player who flourished in Detroit after previous stops in the NBA.

Billups averaged 16.5 points and 6.2 assists during his eight-season tenure with the Pistons, numbers he continued to produce in the four or five seasons after.

Which begs the question: Why didn’t his previous stops in Boston, Toronto, Denver give him more time to develop?

“People always criticize the Celtics on that one, for giving up on him,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. “But it was also, I look, and it was two different systems. It’s very possible that Chauncey, as good as he was, would not have been as good staying in that system. It’s not just patience, sometimes it’s fit.”

Knicks fire Derek Fisher

Knicks fire Derek Fisher

New York Knicks President Phil Jackson announced today that Derek Fisher has been relieved of his coaching duties. Associate Head Coach Kurt Rambis has been named the interim head coach.

Fisher, who was originally hired on Jun. 10, 2014, finishes his Knicks coaching career with an overall record of 40-96 (.294).

According to ESPN.com, “The Knicks are 23-31 this season after going 17-65 in Fisher’s first season. New York’s current losing skid contributed to the timing of the move, but the team was already convinced Fisher was not transitioning from the role of player to coach effectively, sources told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.”

Rambis becomes the 27th head coach in franchise history. Originally hired as the team’s associate head coach on Jul. 7, 2014, the 18-year NBA coaching veteran starts his second-stint as a head coach, after leading the Minnesota Timberwolves for two seasons from 2009-10 through 2010-11 (56-145). The Terre Haute, IN native was a member of eight NBA Championship teams, all as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers (four as a player and four as a coach or executive). Rambis becomes the fifth former Knicks draft pick to coach the team (third round, 58th overall in the 1980 NBA Draft).

Austin Rivers suffers hand fracture

Austin Rivers suffers hand fracture

The L.A. Clippers announced today that guard Austin Rivers suffered a left hand fracture in the second quarter of the Clippers loss to Minnesota on Feb. 3. Rivers did not play in the Clippers game Feb. 5 in Orlando and underwent an MRI Feb. 6 in Miami that revealed the fracture.

Rivers will be re-evaluated in Los Angeles on Monday and a timetable for his return will be established at that time.

This season, Rivers has appeared in 46 games (5 starts) and is averaging a career-high 8.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.6 minutes per game.

Report: Austin Rivers has broken hand

Report: Austin Rivers has broken hand

The Clippers are 33-17 this season and have played very well despite star power forward Blake Griffin missing serious time due to injury. But they have reportedly suffered another injury, this time to their backcourt.

According to several ESPN reporters (Chris Broussard and Brian Windhorst), backup guard Austin Rivers has a broken hand and will miss 4-6 weeks of action.

Austin is the Clippers’ sixth leading scorer this season. Coming off the bench for 41 of the 46 games he’s played, Rivers is averaging 8.1 points in 21.6 minutes per outing.

FEB. 7 UPDATE FROM THE CLIPPERS: Austin Rivers suffers hand fracture

Report: Nets will begin general manager interviews soon

The Nets (13-38) are having a tough season. But beyond 2015-16, with a lot of losses and no first round draft picks for years due to trades, their future is cloudy. A new front office leader is needed. Here’s ESPN.com with the latest:

The Brooklyn Nets will begin formally interviewing candidates for their general manager vacancy on Monday, sources told ESPN.com.

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov will be in attendance, as will the other members of the team’s GM search committee: Nets chairman of the board of directors Dmitry Razumov, trusted Russian basketball confidant Sergey Kushchenko, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment Brett Yormark and president of ONEXIM Sports & Entertainment Irina Pavlova.

The interview process is expected to last for a few days, sources said.

Jimmy Butler injury is a strained left knee

Jimmy Butler injury is a strained left knee

The Chicago Bulls are just 27-22 this season. A bright spot has been the great play of shooting guard Jimmy Butler, who in 37.9 minutes per game is averaging 22.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals. Here’s the latest from the team on his recent injury:

An MRI performed today on Butler’s left knee confirmed that he sustained a knee strain in the second quarter of last night’s game against the Denver Nuggets. The timeline for his return to play will be determined by further evaluation in Chicago and his response to treatment.

Suns sign Orlando Johnson to 10-day contract

Suns sign Orlando Johnson to 10-day contract

The Phoenix Suns have signed guard Orlando Johnson to a 10-day contract. A two-year NBA veteran, Johnson was named a 2016 NBA D-League All-Star for his play with the Austin Spurs this season.

A 6-5, 220-pound guard, Johnson has previous NBA experience with Indiana in 2012-13, also playing with Indiana as well as Sacramento in 2013-14. Originally selected by the Kings with the 36th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, he has appeared in 96 total games averaging 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.5 minutes. The 26-year-old has four career double-digit scoring games, including a career-high 15 points against Atlanta on March 25, 2013, while with the Pacers.

Johnson has averaged 15.2 points while shooting 44.1 percent from the field, 48.6 percent from beyond the arc and 80.6 percent from the free throw line in 28 games with Austin in 2015-16. For his efforts, which include 22 double-digit scoring games and a season-high 29 points at Los Angeles on Jan. 16, Johnson was named a 2016 NBA D-League All-Star on Jan. 29.

Johnson also played with Austin in 2014-15, averaging 17.4 points in 43 games; one of the team’s assistant coaches was current Suns Interim Head Coach Earl Watson.

A native of Monterey, Calif., Johnson played collegiately at UC Santa Barbara where he led the Gauchos to two NCAA tournament appearances.

Johnson will wear number 0. The Suns’ roster now stands at 15.