July 2016 – Page 8 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

Clippers trade for, then waive Devyn Marble

The L.A. Clippers today acquired forward Devyn Marble and a 2020 second round pick from the Orlando Magic in exchange for guard CJ Wilcox and cash considerations. The trade also creates a $1.2 million trade exception for the Clippers.

And then, the Clippers waived Marble. Today.

And with that, the Devyn Marble Clippers era has ended.

Wilcox, 25, was selected by the Clippers with the 28th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft out of the University of Washington and appeared in 44 games with the Clippers over two seasons, averaging 2.5 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 6.1 minutes. The 6-foot-5-inch guard averaged 17.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in five D-League stints with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Bakersfield Jam and Canton Charge.

Marble, selected with the 56th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, averaged 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists last season with Orlando. In 44 career games (seven starts) over two years, Marble holds career averages of 2.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists. He was acquired by the Magic, along with Evan Fournier, from Denver in exchange for Arron Afflalo on June 26, 2014.

Bulls sign rookie Paul Zipser

The Bulls have signed second round draft pick Paul Zipser.

Zipser, a 6-8, 215-pound forward, was selected by the Bulls in the second round (No. 48 overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft, and he comes to Chicago after spending the better part of the last four seasons with FC Bayern Munich in Germany’s top league. In 2015-16, the 22-year-old Zipser appeared in 20 contests (EuroLeague and EuroCup combined) and posted 6.7 points, 3.6 boards and 1.3 assists in 17.9 minutes. He also shot .495 from the field, .378 from behind the arc and .958 from the line.

A native of Heidelberg, Germany, Zipser has also represented his country at the 2010 U16 European Championship, 2011 U18 European Championship and 2012 U18 European Championship. He owns career FIBA averages of 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds.

Spurs re-sign Manu Ginobili

The Spurs have re-signed guard Manu Ginobili. It is reportedly a one-year deal for $14 million.

With Tim Duncan having recently retired, the old Spurs core is down to point guard Tony Parker and limited minutes from Ginobili. The team is now primarily led by small forward Kawhi Leonard and power forward LaMarcus Aldridge. New addition Pau Gasol, a power forward who may wind up playing center, also should have a leading role on the squad.

The upcoming season will mark Ginobili’s 15th campaign with the Silver and Black. Over the course of his NBA career, he has appeared in 923 games, averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.37 steals in 26.3 minutes. He has shot .450 (4,212-9,360) from the field, .369 (1,342-3,636) from three-point range and .827 (3,184-3,851) from the charity stripe.

Ginobili, who was drafted by San Antonio with the 57th overall pick in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft, is the Spurs all-time NBA leader in three-pointers made (1,342), ranks second in steals (1,267), fourth in games played (923) and free-throws made (3,184), as well as fifth in total points (12,950) and assists (3,655). He has twice been named to the All-NBA Third Team (2008, 2011). The 2008 NBA Sixth Man of the Year and two-time All-Star (2008, 2011), Ginobili currently owns the best winning percentage of any active player in the NBA (.728, 672-251). Last season, Ginobili, along with teammates Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, became the all-time winningest trio when they recorded their 541st victory together at Boston on Nov. 1, 2015. They finished the season with 575 regular season wins together.

The four-time NBA champion has appeared in 197 career playoff games, averaging 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.37 steals in 28.9 minutes. Last postseason, he passed Michael Jordan for 11th all-time in postseason wins (120). The Argentina native is one of only nine players in NBA postseason history (Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, LeBron James, Clyde Drexler and Dwyane Wade) with at least 2,500 points (2,903), 800 rebounds (820), 700 assists (772) and 250 steals (269) in the playoffs. Of the 197 postseason games he’s appeared in, Ginobili has come off the bench 145 times and scored 1,878 points in those appearances, the most of any reserve in NBA history.

Ginobili has been a member of the Argentinian National Team since 1998. He led his home country to the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, becoming one of only two players to have won a Euroleague title, an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal (Bill Bradley). In 2010 he was awarded the Diamond Konex Award, given to the most important sportsman of the decade in Argentina.

Grizzlies re-sign Mike Conley

The Grizzlies have re-signed point guard Mike Conley to a multi-year contract.

The agreement came together early in free agency but the signing just became official today.

The deal is reportedly a $153 million dollar contract, over five years.

The Grizz are paying a ton of money in this. Even by new cap standards. Conley is a very good point guard, sometimes a star, but not a dominant player. But they obviously felt it was better to pay big than to lose him and get nothing in return.

Selected by the Grizzlies with the fourth overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft, Conley (6-1, 175) has spent all of his nine NBA seasons with Memphis. The 28-year-old has appeared in 637 regular season games (608 starts) and holds career averages of 13.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.51 steals in 32.5 minutes while shooting 44.0 percent from the field, 37.3 percent from three-point range and 80.6 percent from the free throw line. Last season, Conley posted averages of 15.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.20 steals in 31.4 minutes while shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from three-point range and 83.4 percent from the free throw line.

In the Grizzlies’ career record books, Conley ranks first in games played (637), minutes played (20,693), assists (3,578) and steals (963); and second in points (8,635) and three-point field goals made (736) and attempted (1,972).

Conley has led Memphis to six of the franchise’s nine trips to the NBA Playoffs, including its first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance in 2012-13, and the Grizzlies’ current run of six consecutive postseason berths is the third-longest active streak in the league. He has competed in 50 career playoff games (all starts) and has averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.42 steals in 37.4 minutes. Among his most memorable postseason moments, he led all scorers with 22 points in a road win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals in his return from a serious facial injury sustained in the first round, which required surgery and forced him to play with a protective mask through the remainder of the playoffs.

Conley has accumulated several accolades for his work both on and off the court during his career. Conley earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2012-13 after leading all NBA players and setting a Grizzlies single-season franchise record with 174 steals. Most recently, he was the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy as the winner of the 2015-16 NBA Sportsmanship Award, his second career honor (2013-14), and joined Grant Hill (three times) and Jason Kidd (twice) as the only multiple winners since the award’s inception in 1995-96. He also was a finalist for the 2015-16 Season-long NBA Cares Community Assist Award after winning the monthly award in January 2016 for his Jr. NBA work in the Memphis community, ongoing fundraising efforts for Methodist Healthcare Foundation, namely the Methodist Sickle Cell Center, and the advent of his signature Shoe Up! with Mike Conley program for youth.

Conley was drafted by Memphis following his freshman season at The Ohio State University, where he was named First Team All-Big Ten by the media and led the Buckeyes to the 2007 NCAA National Championship Game. Conley remains a supporter of Ohio State, donating $500,000 to the university’s men’s and women’s basketball programs in 2013. The school since has renamed its basketball weight room the Mike Conley Jr. Strength and Conditioning Room.

Growing up in Indianapolis, Ind., Conley was named a 2006 McDonald’s All-American as a senior at Lawrence North High School, where he teamed with 2007 No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Greg Oden to lead the team to three straight state championships and an overall record of 103-7 in his four years as the starting point guard.

Nets sign Anthony Bennett

The Nets have signed free agent forward Anthony Bennett.

Bennett has done little so far in the NBA. The Toronto native was originally selected with the first overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by Cleveland, becoming the first Canadian ever selected with the top pick in the draft. He wasn’t expected to be selected that high, and has not lived up to being a No. 1 overall draft pick. Which isn’t really his fault.

“We have been excited to watch Anthony’s progress this summer with his national team, and look forward to the opportunity of having Kenny and his staff work with him to continue his development,” said Nets’ General Manager Sean Marks.

Bennett joins the Nets after spending the 2015-16 season with the Toronto Raptors. In 19 games, Bennett recorded averages of 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.4 minutes per game. In 128 games in three NBA seasons split between Toronto, Minnesota (2014-15) and Cleveland (2013-14), the 23-year-old holds career averages of 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.

Prior to the NBA, Bennett spent one season at UNLV, registering averages of 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in 27.1 minutes per game in 35 games (32 starts) en route to Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year honors, as well as Associated Press honorable mention All-American recognition. Bennett is a member of the Canadian national team.

Spurs sign guard Bryn Forbes

The Spurs today have signed guard Bryn Forbes.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume this is a non-guaranteed signing that merely brings Forbes to Spurs training camp.

Forbes, 6-3/190, was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team during his senior season at Michigan State, averaging 14.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 28.0 minutes in 35 appearances. He led all NCAA Division I players in three-point percentage last year (min. 80 3FG), shooting .481 (112-233) from beyond the arc. Forbes finished eighth in the country in three-point field goals made, hitting 112 treys, and set an all-time Big Ten Conference record for most three-pointers in a game when he hit 11 threes en route to a career-high 33 points (11-16 3FG) in 27 minutes at Rutgers on March 2, 2016.

The Lansing native played two seasons at Michigan State, averaging 11.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 27.1 minutes while shooting .458 (182-397) from the three-point line in 74 games, helping the Spartans reach the 2015 Final Four and win the 2016 Big Ten Tournament. Prior to joining Michigan State, he played two seasons at Cleveland State, where he averaged 14.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 31.4 minutes over 64 games. Forbes was selected to the All-Horizon Second Team in 2014 after being named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year in 2013.

Forbes is currently playing on the Spurs 2016 NBA Summer League team, where he’s averaging 11.1 points and 3.3 rebounds in 25.3 minutes in seven total games between Las Vegas and Utah.

Clippers sign rookie Diamond Stone

The Clippers have signed center Diamond Stone.

And yes, that is an excellent name.

Stone, selected with the 40th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, averaged 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in his lone season at Maryland. Named AP Big Ten Newcomer of the Year, the 6-foot-11 inch center established the Maryland freshman record and all-time XFinity Center mark with 39 points vs. Penn State on 12/30/15. Stone was a member of the gold-medal winning 2014 USA U-17 World Championship Team and was chosen to the FIBA U-17 World Championship All-Tournament Team after averaging 13.4 points and 9.7 rebounds over seven games. He earned a gold medal at the 2014 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and led the USA U-16 Team to a 5-0 record.

In five games with the Clippers Summer League team, Stone averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds.

Pistons sign rookie Michael Gbinije

The Pistons have signed rookie guard Michael Gbinije to a multi-year contract.

Gbinije, a 6-7, 200-pound guard out of Syracuse, was selected by the Pistons with the 49th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He appeared in one game in the recently completed Orlando Pro Summer League, recording 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in 33 minutes.

A native of Hartford, Conn., Gbinije averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 29.2 minutes in 101 career games at Syracuse. Last season, he averaged a career-high 17.5 points, a career-high 4.3 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 37.9 minutes in 37 games, including the NCAA tournament. As a senior, Gbinije was named to the All-ACC First Team and ACC All-Defensive Team. He scored in double-digits in all 34 regular-season games, including a career-high 34 points against North Carolina State on Senior Day.

Spurs sign center Dewayne Dedmon

The Spurs have signed center Dewayne Dedmon.

The 7-0, 245-pound center spent last season with the Magic, where he averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting .559 (99-177) from the field in 12.2 minutes over 58 games, including 20 starts.

After going undrafted in 2013, the 26-year-old began his professional career in 2013-14 with the Santa Cruz Warriors. Dedmon signed with the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 18, 2013 and completed a pair of D-League assignments with Santa Cruz before being waived by Golden State on Dec. 5, 2013 after appearing in a total of four games. Continuing with Santa Cruz, Dedmon played in 15 D-League contests over the course of the season and posted averages of 15.2 points, 13.6 rebounds and 2.33 blocks while being named a 2014 NBA D-League All-Star.

In January 2014, Dedmon signed the first of two 10-day contracts with the Philadelphia 76ers. Appearing in 11 games with Philadelphia, the former University of Southern California Trojan signed a multi-year contract with the Orlando Magic on March 17, 2014 following a pair of successful 10-day contract stints with the Magic. Seeing action in 16 games with Orlando that season, Dedmon remained with the franchise the next two years (2014-16). He exited Orlando with averages of 4.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 13.4 minutes over 133 games.

In 148 career games in the NBA, Dedmon holds averages of 3.8 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting .540 (228-422) from the floor in 13.1 minutes.

Knicks re-sign Sasha Vujacic

The Knicks have re-signed veteran guard Sasha Vujacic.

Vujacic, 6-7, 195-pounds, averaged 4.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists over 14.9 minutes in 61 games this past season. In 25 starts, he averaged 7.8 points over 22.7 minutes.

He was mostly a backup last season, and now with the additions of Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings he should have an even smaller role in 2016-17.

A member of the 2009 and 2010 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers, the Slovenia native has averaged 5.5 points and 15.8 minutes in 539 career games over nine seasons and has also appeared in 65 playoff games. He was originally signed as a free agent by the Knicks on Aug. 7, 2015.