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NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
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An MRI performed yesterday on Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson confirmed a right shoulder sprain. Johnson will begin rehabilitation immediately and will be re-evaluated in a week.
Johnson suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of Detroit’s win at Cleveland on 2/22.
Sorry, Kyrie Irving.
The Cleveland Cavaliers star point guard received a formal apology Tuesday from Hilton Hotels for a bed bugs attack at their downtown Oklahoma City establishment last weekend.
“The comfort of our guests is a top priority and we are very sorry to hear about Mr. Irving’s stay,” Hilton said in a statement that was reported by the Associated Press. “Since bed bugs can be easily transmitted anywhere and are often lodged in luggage or on clothing, our hotel maintains high levels of vigilance and we perform regular inspections.”
— NJ.com
Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on what the 76ers had hoped to accomplish as last Thursday’s NBA trade deadline passed:
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The 76ers were prepared to make major changes to their roster to get a coveted point guard at Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
The team offered packages that included some combination of shooting guard Nik Stauskas, point guard Ish Smith, a player with an expiring guaranteed contract and a 2016 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for point guard Dennis Schroder, according to multiple league sources.
Former Sixer JaKarr Sampson was said to be player with the expiring contract in the deal. According to NBA rules, Smith could not have been part of a multi-player deal since he had been acquired by the Sixers fewer than 60 days before. But he could have been traded alone in a second deal.
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Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol underwent successful surgery on Saturday, Feb. 20 to repair a non-displaced Type II fracture of the navicular bone in his right foot.
Although Marc will not return to the court this season, he is expected to make a full recovery.
The surgery was performed by foot and ankle specialists Dr. Robert Anderson of OrthoCarolina and Dr. Drew Murphy of Campbell Clinic.
“Marc remains a cornerstone of our franchise and we are pleased to hear that the surgery went according to plan,” Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace said. “Marc’s determination and competitive spirit will serve him, his family and the team well as he begins the healing and rehab process from which we expect him to make a full recovery. We are confident we will have Marc back anchoring our team next season and beyond.”
Gasol left in the first quarter of the game on Feb. 8 vs. Portland with the injury.
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The Phoenix Suns today waived center/forward DeJuan Blair. The Suns acquired Blair in a trade with Washington last Thursday, Feb. 18.
Blair, in his seventh NBA season, had averaged 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 29 games with the Wizards prior to being traded.
The Suns’ roster now stands at 14 players.
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Roster-wise in the NBA, the rich just got richer.
The 2015 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors have signed free agent center Anderson Varejao to a contract.
Varejao, 33, has spent all 12 of his NBA seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, posting career averages of 7.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 25.0 minutes over 591 games (208 starts). The 6’10” center appeared in 31 games for the Cavaliers this season, averaging 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10.0 minutes before being sent to Portland as part of a three-team trade on Feb. 18, where he was subsequently waived by the Trail Blazers.
Originally selected by the Orlando Magic with the 30th overall selection of the 2004 NBA Draft (first pick of the second round), Varejao has appeared in 71 career postseason games and was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2009-10, finishing third in Sixth Man of the Year voting that season. Prior to making his NBA debut in the 2004-05 campaign, he played professionally for three seasons with FC Barcelona in Spain’s top league, Liga ACB. A native of Santa Teresa, Brazil, Varejao joins fellow Brazilian Leandro Barbosa on the Warriors roster, making the pair one of two sets of Brazilian teammates on an NBA roster (Toronto’s Bruno Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira are the other).
Varejao will wear uniform #18 for the Warriors.
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The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has rescinded a trade that acquired forward/center Donatas Motiejunas and guard Marcus Thornton from the Houston Rockets in exchange for center Joel Anthony and a protected 2016 first-round draft pick.
“Standard with all trades, medical clearance on all players involved is required for completion. Medical clearance was not given on all players and the trade is being rescinded,” said Jeff Bower, General Manager of the Detroit Pistons. “In view of privacy considerations relating to medical information, we will have no further comment.”
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Vander Blue of the Los Angeles D-Fenders was today named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played Monday, Feb. 15 through Sunday, Feb. 21. The honor is the first of Blue’s career.
Blue (6-4, 200, Marquette) helped Los Angeles to a 3-0 week, averaging 29.7 points (second in the league) on 46.7 percent shooting (28-for-60) to go with 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals. He connected on 28-of-31free throw attempts, good for 90.3 percent.
Other top performers considered include Austin’s Keifer Sykes, Erie’s Tyler Harvey, Idaho’s J.J. O’Brien, Iowa’s Andrew Harrison, Maine’s Coty Clarke and Malcolm Miller, Reno’s Ricky Ledo, Rio Grande Valley’s Will Cummings, Texas’ Brandon Ashley and Westchester’s Gani Lawal.
Usually, NBA trades that are agreed upon and then approved by the league tend to go through. An exception to this is when one of the players involved fails his physical. In that situation, the teams still have the option to stick with the deal. But if it’s a player of value who isn’t about to be cut/waived, the entire deal may fall through. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting:
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The three-team trade the 76ers struck last week to acquire center Joel Anthony is going to be voided, a league source said Monday.
The trade originally was supposed to be finalized Sunday..But the Sixers, Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets agreed to a 24-hour extension that pushes the deadline back to 6 p.m. Monday. However, the Pistons are in the process of voiding the deal with the help of the NBA.
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The Denver Nuggets have signed forward JaKarr Sampson to a multi-year contract, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.
Sampson, 6-9, 214, has appeared in 47 games (18 starts) for the Philadelphia 76ers this season, averaging 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game. The second-year forward has appeared in 121 career games (50 starts), all with Philadelphia, averaging 5.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 15.1 minutes.
Sampson, 22, went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft after spending two years at St. John’s University. In 66 total games (65 starts) in two seasons at St. John’s, Sampson averaged 13.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 30.3 minutes per game. He was named All-AAC Rookie of the Year and All-AAC Honorable Mention as a freshman in 2013.
The Nuggets roster now stands at 14 players.