July 2017 – Page 12 – NBA Blog

Rockets sign James Harden to contract extension

Houston Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander announced today that the team has signed guard James Harden to a four-year contract extension which will run through the 2022-23 season.

According to the Houston Chronicle, “As expected for weeks, the Rockets signed Harden, 27, the full designated player veteran extension, an agreement that tacks four seasons on to the two remaining from his extension last summer in a contract worth roughly $228 million over six seasons.”

“It’s my pleasure to announce we’ve reached agreement with James Harden on a long term contract extension. Since he arrived in Houston, James has exhibited the incredible work ethic, desire to win, and passion to be the best that has made him one of the most unique and talented superstars in the history of the game,” said Alexander. “Additionally, the commitment he has shown to our organization, the City of Houston, and Rockets fans all over the world makes him a perfect leader in our pursuit of another championship. I’m very happy for James, his mother Monja, and their family on this exciting day.”

“Houston is home for me,” said Harden. “Mr. Alexander has shown he is fully committed to winning and my teammates and I are going to keep putting in the work to get better and compete for the title.”

More from the Chronicle: “Depending on future salary-cap figures, Harden, a 6-5 guard, could be paid close to $47 million in the final season of his contract, 2022-23. The $42.5 million per season he will earn when the extension kicks in will surpass the five-year, $201 million extension Golden State’s Stephen Curry signed last week.”

The Rockets have made the playoffs in all five of Harden’s seasons with the team, while posting a winning percentage of .612. He has been named First Team All NBA in three of the past four seasons and finished second in voting for the Most Valuable Player award in both 2014-15 and 2016-17.

This past season, Harden set career-highs in scoring (29.1 ppg, 2nd in NBA), rebounding (8.1 rpg), and assists (11.2 apg, 1st in NBA) while helping Houston to the league’s third-best record at 55-27. He joined Oscar Robertson (3 times) as the only players to have averaged at least 29.0 points, 11.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds in a single season.

Harden totaled 2,356 points, 907 assists, and 659 rebounds in 2016-17. He became the first player in NBA history to record at least 2,000 points, 900 assists, and 600 rebounds in a single season.

In addition to his 29.1 points per game, Harden also accounted for 27.1 points per game by way of assists. That combined average of 56.2 ppg ranked as the second-highest single season total in NBA history, trailing only Nate Archibald’s 56.8 in 1972-73.

Since joining the Rockets prior to the 2012-13 season, Harden ranks first in the league in scoring (10,823 points; 890 more than any other player), fourth in assists (2,985), fourth in steals (671), third in 3-pointers made (1,062), as well as first in both free throws made (3,431) and attempted (3,999).

Kings sign rookies De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles

The Sacramento Kings have signed 2017 first round draft selections De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles to contracts, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.

Tabbed with the fifth overall pick, Fox was just one of four freshman in the nation to average at least 16.7 points (.479 FG%, .246 3pt%, .736 FT%), 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest. A Bob Cousy Award finalist, he paced the SEC in assist average and earned Third Team All-American honors by CBS Sports, USA Today and ESPN, as well as AP Honorable Mention accolades. The 6-3, 170-pound guard posted 22.0 points (.618 FG%, 3-5 3pt, .700 FT%), 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists en route to MVP honors during the Wildcats 2017 SEC Championship run, including a Kentucky freshman tournament-record 28 points versus Alabama in the semifinals. He later encored the performance in the Sweet 16 with 39 points (13-20 FG) against UCLA, the most ever by a freshman in a tournament game.

A junior out of North Carolina, Jackson was taken 15th overall after averaging 18.3 points, a career-high 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists as a consensus First Team All-American and ACC Player of the Year while helping lead UNC to the 2017 NCAA Championship. His 239 points scored in the tournament were the second-most in school history. In North Carolina’s six NCAA Tournament wins, Jackson paced the Tar Heels in scoring (19.5 ppg), field goals (41), three-pointers (15), assists (22) and steals (9). He also set a new single-season UNC mark with 105 three pointers made. He joins Rick Fox as the only Heels with 1,600 career points, 150 three-pointers, 400 rebounds and 300 assists.

An early entry candidate selected 20th overall, Giles accrued averages of 3.9 points (.577 FG%, 12-24 FT), 3.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 11.5 minutes, ranking fourth among ACC players with at least 150 minutes on the season in rebounds per 40 minutes (13.3). The 6-10 forward recorded a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double effort against Georgia Tech and a season-high 12 points versus Boston College before playing an integral role in the ACC Tournament semifinals, posting six points, seven rebounds and four blocks in just 15 minutes in a win over eventual national champion North Carolina. As a prep talent out of Oak Hill and Wesleyan Christian Academies, Giles was honored as a First Team All-USA selection by USA Today, a Third Team Naismith Trophy All-American and Fourth Team Max Preps All American as a junior in 2015 after averaging 23.9 points and 12.5 rebounds to lead Wesleyan Christian to a NCISAA 3A runner-up finish.

Knicks sign Tim Hardaway Jr

New York Knicks General Manager Steve Mills announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Tim Hardaway Jr.

The Knicks paid full price for the signing. Per multiple reports, the contract is worth $71 million over four years.

Hardaway, 6-5, 205-pounds, returns to the Knicks after two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. During the 2016-17 season, the former 2013 first-round draft choice of New York recorded career-highs in scoring (14.5 ppg), assists (2.3 apg), rebounds (2.8 rpg), minutes played (27.3), field goal percentage (.455), three-point makes (149) and attempts (417) and free throw makes (164) and attempts (214). Overall, the four-year NBA professional has appeared in 281 games – with 62 starts – to average 11.0 points and 23.4 minutes.

“Bringing back Tim to his original NBA home is an exciting time for him and this franchise,” Mills said. “As a versatile wing whose game continues to improve, he will fit right into the core of players that make up a roster emphasizing youth, athleticism, accountability and unselfishness.”

The 25-year-old Orinda, CA-native was originally selected by New York with the 24th overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft and had appeared in 151 total games for the Knicks over two seasons to average 10.8 points over 23.5 minutes, before being traded to the Hawks in exchange for the draft rights to Jerian Grant on Jun. 25, 2015. Hardaway holds the Knicks’ franchise rookie records for three-pointers made in a season (130) and three-point field goals attempted in a single game (12) and in a season (358), earning 2014 NBA All-Rookie First Team honors. His father, five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, is currently an assistant coach for Detroit.

Lonzo Ball struggles in NBA Summer League debut

No need to panic. No need for alarm. There is no reason to go too wild in reaction to a rookie’s first game in Las Vegas at Summer League. Anyway, here’s ESPN.com reporting on the No. 2 pick in the 2017 Draft, Lakers rookie guard Lonzo Ball:

The Clippers defeated the Lakers 96-93. Ball scored five points on 2-for-15 shooting, dished out five assists and grabbed four rebounds…

The Lonzo Ball era began with a bang as it took less than 30 seconds for the second overall pick to deliver a highlight play with his first assist coming on an alley-oop pass to Brandon Ingram.

Despite the fact that Lonzo struggled with his shot — going just 1-for-11 from 3-point range — LaVar said the Rookie of the Year contest won’t be much of a contest.

“Rookie of the Year man, sewn up,” LaVar said.

Heat re-sign James Johnson

The Miami HEAT have re-signed forward James Johnson.

“James Johnson epitomizes everything that the Miami HEAT is about,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “He came in, made a promise to us and then fulfilled that promise by becoming a world class athlete thus leading to the best season he has had in the NBA. Today, he is being rewarded for the fulfillment of that promise. We will continue to push him to get him to an even higher level. His signing today, for me personally and the coaching staff, is one of our happiest signings. We are happy for James and his family as we look for him to have an even greater year next season.”

Johnson appeared in 76 games (five starts) with the HEAT last season and averaged 12.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.13 blocks, 1.00 steals and 27.4 minutes while shooting 47.9 percent from the field. The eight-year NBA veteran set single-season career highs last season in every major category including points (975), rebounds (376), assists (276), steals (76), blocks (86), field goals made (368), three-point field goals made (87) and free throws made (152). He led the team in plus/minus (+138) and his improvement from 2015-16 to last season in Miami was the largest in the NBA when factoring points, rebounds and assists per game averages, nobody in the league improved in each of those three categories more. Johnson was Miami’s leading scorer off the bench 27 times and topped the HEAT reserves in assists a team-high 43 times, in blocks on 38 occasions, in rebounds a team-high 31 times and in steals 28 times. He posted nine 20-point games as a reserve, tying for the fourth-most during a single-season in HEAT history, as Miami totaled 22 such games off the bench, the most in team history. He tallied 884 points, 341 rebounds and 248 assists as a reserve, and along with Tyler Johnson, they became the only set of teammates in the entire NBA to each record at least 600 points, 250 rebounds and 200 assists off the bench. On the defensive end, Johnson was in isolation situations 53 times last season, giving up just 22 percent (9-of-41) shooting to the player he was guarding, marking the second-lowest percentage in the entire NBA by player with at least that many isolation situations. Additionally, he gave up just 0.49 points per isolation possession (26 total), also the second-lowest in the league with at least 53 isolation situations.

Johnson has appeared in 474 regular season career games (145 starts) and averaged 7.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 19.7 minutes while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor.

Heat re-sign Dion Waiters

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have re-signed guard Dion Waiters.

“Dion Waiters proved to us last season that we have found one of the best two guards in the NBA and we are happy today to be able to sign Dion to a long-term contract,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “We love his game and competiveness. He is an attacker and an excellent three-point shooter as well as a defender. He is a player that has no fear in taking the last shot regardless of the outcome. We believe that continuity has shown to be one of the important things that we do by keeping a team together. Having Dion back in the fold is a big factor in keeping that team chemistry together.”

Last season, Waiters appeared in 46 games (43 starts), helping Miami to a 27-19 (.587) record in those games. He averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 30.1 minutes while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and a career-high 39.5 percent from three-point range. He tied his career-high of 33 points vs. Golden State on January 23 while also tying his career-high of 13 made field goals in a game in which he hit the game-winning three-point basket to help defeat the Warriors, 105-102. He scored at least 17 points in eight consecutive games from January 21 through February 4, marking the second-longest such streak of his career. Waiters, who was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week on January 30, led the HEAT in scoring 12 times, in assists 14 times, in steals on 13 occasions, in minutes 12 times and in plus/minus on eight occasions while recording 16 20-point games, including two 30-point performances, on the year.

Waiters has appeared in 335 regular season games (153 starts) during his five-year career averaging 13.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.00 steals and 28.6 minutes while shooting 41.3 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from three-point range.

Hawks waive Jamal Crawford

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has requested waivers on Jamal Crawford, it was announced today by General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk.

The team and Crawford reportedly agreed to a contract buyout.

This enables the Hawks to save some money, while Crawford gets to try and sign with a team that desires his services.

Way past his prime, Crawford can still provide some instant offense off a team’s bench.

Hornets sign Michael Carter-Williams

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed guard Michael Carter-Williams.

The 2013-14 NBA Rookie of the Year, Carter-Williams was selected 11th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2013 NBA Draft and also earned All-Rookie First Team honors following his first season. In his first two seasons with Philadelphia and Milwaukee, he averaged 15.7 points, 6.5 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game, joining Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Grant Hill, Steve Francis and LeBron James as the only players to average at least 15.0 points, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds through their first two NBA seasons.

The 6-6 guard appeared in 45 games (19 starts) with Chicago during the 2016-17 season, averaging 6.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 18.8 minutes per contest. He currently owns career averages of 13.0 points, 5.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds in 235 games (189 starts) over four seasons with Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Chicago.

The Syracuse product has totaled five career triple-doubles, 38 career double-doubles (20 point-assist, 18 point-rebound), 48 games with 20-plus points and four games with 30-plus points in his four-year NBA career.

Carter-Williams will wear No. 10 for the Hornets.

Markelle Fultz a player to watch at Summer League

One of the best uses of summer league is getting to know the top rookies. Plenty of eyes will be on Markelle Fultz, who the Sixers, after trading with the Celtics to move up in the draft, selected No. 1 overall this year.

Here’s what Fultz had to say about the summer league experience — of which the Vegas edition just began on Friday — according to CSN Philly: “Here everybody is skilled” … “Any given day people get blown by, everybody can pass you and everybody can score the ball. So, it just has to do with being more mental until you lock it in and just trusting my bigs when screens come, not looking back. It’s going to be a challenge every night coming out to guard whoever is in front of me, so that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Warriors sign Nick Young

The 2017 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors signed free agent guard Nick Young today.

Per multiple reports, the contract is for one year, $5.2 million.

Young, 32, posted averages of 13.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 25.9 minutes in 60 games (career-high 60 starts) for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016-17, hitting a career-high 170 threes on 40.4 percent from three-point range. The 6’7” guard owns career averages of 12.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 636 games (193 starts) over 10 seasons with the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and the Lakers.

Originally selected by the Wizards with the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft, Young averaged a career-high 17.9 points per game in his first season with the Lakers in 2013-14 and has posted a double-digit scoring average in seven of his 10 NBA seasons. Young has appeared in 15 career playoff games, averaging 6.4 points in 14.5 minutes while hitting 48.6 percent (17-of-35) from three-point range.

A native of Los Angeles, Young spent three seasons at the University of Southern California, where he earned First Team All-Pac-10 honors in both his sophomore and junior campaigns.