October 2016 – Page 11 – NBA Blog

Mavericks waive Jameel Warney

The Mavericks waived forward Jameel Warney today.

Warney (6-8, 260) was originally signed as a free agent on July 27 and played in three preseason games for the Mavericks averaging 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per contest.

The native of New Brunswick, N.J., played in all six games for the Mavericks at the Samsung NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. He averaged 6.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 block in 16.5 minutes per contest. He led Dallas in field goal percentage, shooting .593 from the floor while making .875 from the foul line.

Warney went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft after four successful seasons at Stony Brook University where he averaged 15.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.0 blocks and 30.7 minutes in 135 career collegiate games. In his senior season with the Seawolves, Warney averaged 19.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 3.0 blocks in 33 games on his way to earning America East Player and Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his career at Stony Brook as the school’s all-time leader in points (2,132), rebounds (1,275), blocks (275) and games (135).

Preseason: Celtics beat Knicks 119-107

Saturday night in Madison Square Garden, the Celtics beat the Knicks 119-107.

In the win, R.J. Hunter led the Celtics with 17 points (6-of-8 shooting), plus two steals in just 12 minutes. Avery Bradley had 17 points (6-of-8), and two steals in 17 minutes. And new addition Al Horford shot 5-of-5, including 2-of-2 three-pointers, for 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and two blocks in just 16 minutes.

In the loss, The Knicks were led by 6-foot-8, 216-pound forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who had 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in just 19 minutes of play. Backup center Willy Hernangomez was also solid with 12 points and 12 rebounds in 24 minutes.

It’s preseason, and teams around the league, including Boston and New York, are essentially just warming up, and playing their starters very limited minutes.

Still, observations can be made:

We saw little from Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas today. No big deal.

Adding Horford sounded like a good move by Boston this offseason, and it sure looks that way on the court. Through the four preseason games he’s played, the former Atlanta Hawk is averaging 11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in just 18 minutes per game. And he’s shooting 61.3% FG.

It’ll be interesting to watch Boston’s power forward rotation. The minutes breakdown there will be a compelling coaching decision.

For the Knicks, not having Derrick Rose (currently on trial in California) hurts. Rose has played just one preseason game for his new squad, and looked good. But chemistry development that should have taken place in preseason is now postponed.

But while Rose remains out, Joakim Noah was healthy enough to make his preseason debut. He had five points, five rebounds, an assist and two steals in 19 minutes. He looked rusty, which is to be expected. It’s hard to have a firm opinion on where he’s at just yet.

Kristaps Porzingis is fascinating to watch. As was the case most of last season. Within the first half-quarter of tonight’s game he hit a pair of threes and ran a fast break, which he finished with a bucket. That wound up being most of his production last night — minutes were limited. But he can do amazing things for a young player who stands 7-foot-3.

The Celtics are now 4-1 in preseason. The Knicks are 2-2.

Trail Blazers waive Luis Montero

The Trail Blazers waived guard Luis Montero today.

Signed as an undrafted free agent on July 9, 2015, Montero played in 12 games for the Trail Blazers as a rookie in 2015-16, averaging 1.2 points (26.3% FG, 11.1% 3-PT, 75.0% FT), 0.3 rebounds and 0.1 assists.

During the 2016 NBA preseason, Montero recorded three points (1-1 3-PT), one assist and one block in his lone contest against Utah on Oct. 3.

Portland’s roster now stands at 17 players.

Nuggets waive JaKarr Sampson, D.J. Kennedy and Axel Toupane

The Nuggets waived guard D.J. Kennedy and forwards JaKarr Sampson and Axel Toupane on Saturday, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced.

Kennedy, was signed by Denver on Aug. 16, 2016 and has appeared in one preseason game for the Nuggets, posting four points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals in 12 minutes of play.

Sampson was signed by Denver on Feb. 22, 2016 and played the final 26 games (22 starts) of the 2015-16 season, averaging 5.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 18.0 minutes. He has appeared in one game this preseason, tallying 10 points, three rebounds, one steal and one block in 20 minutes.

Toupane signed with the Nuggets on Mar. 24, 2016 and averaged 3.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 14.5 minutes over the final 21 games of the 2015-16 season. He has appeared in one game this preseason, posting 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes.

The Nuggets roster now stands at 17 players.

Cavaliers re-sign J.R. Smith, waive Toney Douglas

The Cavaliers have re-signed guard J.R. Smith.

In a related move, the Cavaliers have waived guard Toney Douglas.

“Bringing J.R. back as part of our core group was a priority for us,” said Cavs General Manager David Griffin. “He’s a special part of this family and we are very pleased to have reached an agreement that we all can feel good about. We know he can’t wait to get back on the court with his brothers and we are certain that everyone in this organization and city feels the same way.”

Smith played in 77 games (all starts) with Cleveland in the 2015-16 regular season, averaging 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 30.7 minutes. The 6-6 guard ranked seventh in three-pointers made with a franchise single season record 204 triples. He also shot .400 from beyond the arc, which was tied for 18th-best in the NBA. Smith led Cleveland in steal-to-turnover ratio (1.37) and scored 10 or more points 50 times and 20 or more points 11 times last season.

During Cleveland’s championship run in the 2016 Playoffs, Smith started in all 21 games, averaging 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 34.8 minutes per game. He made a franchise playoff-record 65 three-pointers, which were also the fourth-most threes made by any NBA player in a single postseason. Smith scored in double figures in each of the last five games of the NBA Finals, as Cleveland went 4-1 over that stretch against Golden State and took home the franchise’s first ever NBA title.

Over his 12-year NBA career, Smith owns averages of 13.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.02 steals in 26.9 minutes over 839 regular season games (295 starts) with New Orleans, Denver, New York and Cleveland. He currently ranks 17th in league history in three-pointers made with 1,679. His 28 career regular season games with at least seven three-pointers and 14 contests with eight or more three-pointers both rank second in NBA history. Smith has made the most three-pointers in the Eastern Conference since the Cavs acquired him in a three-team trade on Jan. 5, 2015 (335 three-pointers).

The Akron Beacon Journal reports: “It feels great,” Smith said of being back with a reported four-year contract worth $57 million. “I didn’t take my physical yet, so I can’t practice, but it feels good to be in the gym, be around the guys and to be a part of it.”

Ian Mahinmi out 4-6 weeks due to knee injury

Wizards center Ian Mahinmi has suffered a partially torn medial meniscus in his left knee. The injury occurred in Thursday’s game against the Sixers. An MRI performed on Friday revealed the partial tear. On Friday evening, Mahinmi underwent successful surgery.

The procedure was performed by team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Wiemi Douoguih of MedStar at Washington Hospital Center.

Mahinmi is expected to miss approximately four to six weeks.

Playing for the Pacers last season, Mahinmi averaged 9.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 25.6 minutes per game.

Cavs and J.R. Smith finally have deal

J.R. Smith was a key member of the Cavs last season. And it took a while, but he and the team have finally come to an agreement. Here’s the Akron Beacon Journal reporting:

The Cavs and J.R. Smith agreed to a four-year deal Friday that could be worth $57 million, according to a league source, returning the shooting guard to where he always wanted to be.

Smith, 31, was an unrestricted free agent who earned about $5 million with the Cavs last season. He made a career-high 204 3-pointers last season and emerged as a top two-way player. The agreement came as the Cavs were in Chicago to face the Bulls in a preseason game.

Smith’s first game with the Cavs could come Tuesday in the preseason finale against the Washington Wizards at Ohio State. Coach Tyronn Lue already said he was going to treat Tuesday’s game as a dress rehearsal for the regular season.

Joel Embiid preseason update

So far through five preseason games, Sixers center Joel Embiid is averaging 9.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in just 13.0 minutes per game. His field goal percentage is only 38.2% but we’re talking about so few shots that it’s too small a sample size to care about. So, forget I even mentioned it. He’s also showing some excellent defensive ability. Anyway, Embiid will soon spend a bit more time on the floor. Here’s CSN Philly reporting:

Joel Embiid playing time will increase slightly

Brett Brown plans to extend Joel Embiid’s playing time another three minutes Saturday against the Pistons, upping his restriction to 18.

The Sixers have two preseasons game remaining before opening night, when Brown would like to play him even longer.

“We expect to extend some minutes tomorrow night,” Brown said after practice Friday. “I think you might see him get up to as many as 18 tomorrow night, with the end game trying to deliver him to the [season-opening] OKC game at 20, 24.”

Replacing Chris Bosh will be tough for Heat

Chris Bosh is still technically a member of the Heat, but unless there’s some sort of drastic change, he’s probably played his last game for the club. Filling in the power forward spot may be a job for multiple people. Here’s the Miami Herald reporting:

It might feel like an audition on the outside — with three healthy players competing to replace Chris Bosh in the Heat’s starting lineup at power forward this preseason. But to those involved, and the coach making the decision, it isn’t building up to be a one-man job.

Luke Babbitt, James Johnson and Derrick Williams all bring something different to the table, and ultimately whoever ends up earning the starting nod when the Heat opens the season Oct. 26 at Orlando isn’t necessarily going to have the job moving forward.

The Heat, in the midst of a roster rebuild with Dwyane Wade in Chicago and with Bosh’s career in limbo, is more focused on the diversity of its lineups than it is finding a permanent replacement for Bosh.

“It’s more of a developmental phase right now,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday when asked if the starting power forward position is in an audition phase.

Magic shooting badly in preseason

Preseason is just a warmup, and it’s never smart to pay too much attention to stats. Unless something particularly important — like shooting — stands out one way or another. Then, you still don’t sound any alarms. But you take notice. Here’s the Orlando Sentinel reporting:

Setting aside Evan Fournier’s and Jeff Green’s numbers, the rest of the Magic have made only 40.0 percent of their shots.

Wednesday’s 95-89 loss to the San Antonio Spurs provided a case in point. Fournier went seven for 14 from the field, while Green converted seven of his 12 attempts.

The rest of the Magic combined to shoot 32.7 percent…

Center Nikola Vucevic struggled with his shooting stroke against San Antonio, scoring six points on 1-of-7 shooting. But Vucevic said he concentrated on moving the ball and acclimating to playing alongside Serge Ibaka as Ibaka made his preseason debut.