March 2016 – Page 13 – NBA Blog

Nuggets sign Axel Toupane to 10-day contract

The Denver Nuggets have signed forward Axel Toupane to a 10-day contract, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Toupane (tu-PON), 6-7, 210, has appeared in 32 games (14 starts) for the Toronto 905 of the NBA D-League this season, averaging 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.00 steals in 29.7 minutes per game. He is the 25th GATORADE Call-Up of the season so far.

The 23-year-old native of France has played professionally for Strasbourg of the French Pro National Basketball League A since 2011. He went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Toupane will wear uniform #6 and the Nuggets roster now stands at 15 players.

Grizzlies re-sign Ryan Hollins

The Memphis Grizzlies today announced the team has re-signed center Ryan Hollins.

Hollins (7-0, 240) has averaged 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.8 minutes in 19 games (three starts) with the Grizzlies and Washington Wizards this season. A member of the Grizzlies’ training camp roster, Hollins made five regular season appearances (three starts) for the Wizards and before being rejoining Memphis on Dec. 29 (waived on Jan. 7) and subsequently re-signing again to consecutive 10-day contracts on Jan. 21 and Feb. 1.

The 31-year-old has averaged 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 500 career games (67 starts) over 10 NBA seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies. A native of Pasadena, Calif., Hollins was selected by Charlotte in the second round (50th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft following his senior season at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Timberwolves sign Greg Smith to 10-day contract

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed forward/center Greg Smith to a 10-day contract. With the signing, Minnesota’s roster now stands at 14 players.

Smith, 25, has appeared in 16 games with the Raptors 905 in the NBA D-League this season, averaging 12.4 points, on 51.0% shooting, and 8.3 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game. In 47 career games in the D-League, he has averaged 14.8 points on 60.6% shooting and 8.1 rebounds.

A four-year NBA veteran, Smith spent three seasons with the Houston Rockets (2011-14) before joining the Dallas Mavericks in 2014-15. He holds career averages of 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.5 minutes over 131 career games (12 starts).

Smith will wear No. 4.

Grizzlies waive James Ennis

The Memphis Grizzlies have waived forward James Ennis.

Ennis (6-7, 210) has come off the bench in all 13 appearances with the Grizzlies and Miami Heat this season to average 1.2 points in 3.6 minutes. Memphis acquired Ennis with Mario Chalmers from Miami on Nov. 10 for Beno Udrih and Jarnell Stokes.

The 25-year-old California, Long Beach product has averaged 4.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 75 games (three starts) over two seasons with the Heat and Grizzlies.

Clippers sign Alex Stepheson to second 10-day contract

The Los Angeles Clippers have signed forward/center Alex Stepheson to a second 10-day contract.

Stepheson, 28, has appeared in two games with the Clippers scoring two points, grabbing two rebounds and recording one block in nine minutes.

The 6-foot-10 inch forward/center appeared in 31 games (all starts) for the Iowa Energy in the NBA Developmental League this season and was a 2016 D-League All-Star, averaging 15.9 points, a league-high 13.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks

The Los Angeles native and former Harvard-Westlake star has played professionally in Greece, Slovenia and Turkey since finishing his collegiate career at the University of Southern California.

Stepheson averaged 12.3 points and a league-leading 9.2 rebounds in 26.8 minutes over 29 games (21 starts) during the 2014-15 season for Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyesi.

Undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft, Stepheson also made three appearances for the Dallas Mavericks during the 2015 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Vander Blue named D-League Player of Month for February, 2016

Vander Blue of the Los Angeles D-Fenders has been named NBA Development League Player of the Month for games played in February.

Blue (6-4, 200, Marquette) sparked Los Angeles to a 7-2 month, averaging 30.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals. He shot 47.3 percent from the field (86-for-182) and connected on 36.2 percent of his three-point attempts (17-of-47).

Blue scored at least 20 points in every game and was named Performer of the Week for games played from Feb. 15-21. On Feb. 6, he registered 39 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals in a 126-112 win over the Santa Cruz Warriors. On Feb. 27, he tallied 35 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in a 117-107 victory over the Idaho Stampede. His 16 made free throws tied a season high for most in a game this season.

Blue is in his third NBA D-League season and has played for the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers over the past three seasons. He’s averaging 26.0 points (fourth in the league), 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals (tied for sixth in the league).

Other players receiving consideration for the monthly award were Bakersfield’s Terrico White, Canton’s Nick Minnerath, Idaho’s, J.J. O’Brien, Iowa’s Andrew Harrison and Maine’s Coty Clarke, Raptors’ Sim Bhullar Reno’s Ricky Ledo, Rio Grande Valley’s Will Cummings, Sioux Falls’ Rodney McGruder, Texas’ Tu Holloway, and Westchester’s Travis Trice II.

Rockets waive Ty Lawson (buyout)

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has waived guard Ty Lawson.

Lawson (5-11,195) is in his seventh NBA season. He appeared In 53 games with 12 starts for the Rockets this season.

According to ESPN.com, “Lawson ranks last, 83rd, among point guards in real plus-minus at -5.95. After finishing third in the NBA in assists last season at 9.6, Lawson averaged just 3.4 this season, the lowest total since his rookie season in 2009-10. Lawson has set career lows in field goal percentage (38.7), points per game (5.8) and offensive rating per 100 possessions (98). In the last three games, Lawson participated in just 5.5 minutes per game, and in the last 10 games, he shot 32.4 percent.”

Great shooting from Heat in win vs Bulls

All the Miami Heat did was put together the best shooting night in franchise history, an effort that matched the NBA’s top performance from the floor in the last 18 years.

This Joe Johnson move already looks like a winner.

The Heat shot 67.5 percent, set a season high for points and beat the Chicago Bulls 129-111 on Tuesday night. Hassan Whiteside scored a career-high 26 points and had 14 rebounds, and Johnson had 24 points in his Miami home debut.

Miami’s 52-for-77 shooting was the best since Utah shot exactly that on Feb. 27, 2010, and no team has done better from the field since the Los Angeles Clippers connected on 69.3 percent of their shots on March 13, 1998.

— Associated Press

Hawks sign Kris Humphries

The Atlanta Hawks have signed forward Kris Humphries, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

“As we explored opportunities to add to our team after the trade deadline, we felt it was important to prioritize experience and versatility,” Budenholzer said. “Kris is a versatile veteran with playoff experience who fits well with our group and within our system. We are fortunate to have Kris join our team and would like to welcome him to the Hawks family.”

Humphries, in his 12th NBA season, has recorded career regular season averages of 6.9 points and 5.6 rebounds in 18.3 minutes (.466 FG%, .696 FT%) in 723 games (199 starts) with Utah, Toronto, Dallas, Brooklyn, Boston, Washington and Phoenix.

He was originally selected in the first round (14th overall) of the 2004 NBA Draft by the Jazz following his freshman season at the University of Minnesota.

He will wear uniform no. 43.

Timberwolves arena renovation update

Part of the live NBA experience is the arena: how it looks, feels to be there, the views of the court, the sound system, everything. The venue matters. While of course the main point of attending a game is to actually watch the court, an awesome arena makes the experience better. Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune blog reporting the latest Timberwolves arena renovation news:

A Minneapolis City Council committee is expected to vote Tuesday on the final design, contractor costs and budget for the $129 million Target Center renovation project.

The city, which owns the building, will pay $74.5 million for the overhaul. The Minnesota Timberwolves and operator AEG will pay the balance.

Contractors M.A. Mortenson and Thor Construction have agreed to a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) of $102.8 million.