Month: October 2017

Cavaliers hire new Public Address announcer

There will be a new voice ringing through Quicken Loans Arena when the Cavaliers tip off the 2017-18 season on Tuesday, October 17th as Sean Peebles (pronounced pebbles) takes the center-court seat behind the microphone to become the Cavs new public-address announcer. As part of the Cavaliers game presentation team, he will call the game action and be the voice of other in-arena announcements at all Cavs home games.

Sean Peebles Peebles joins the Cavaliers after serving as the PA announcer for the NBA G-League Erie BayHawks since 2010 and the AA Minor League Baseball Erie Sea Wolves since 2016.

He has been a life-long Cavs fan and a member of Wine & Gold United (the Cavaliers season ticket program) for four years, traveling from his home in Erie, PA to Cleveland to see the Cavs in action. “I attended my first Cavs game at the Richfield Coliseum with my stepfather when I was 11 years old and I have been hooked ever since,” said Peebles. “Being selected for this job is a position that I could have only dreamed about, and I can only say it’s surreal to be such a fan and now have this opportunity. I am so excited to be a part of the Cavaliers organization and I can’t wait to get this season underway.”

Peebles is a 1996 graduate of Edinboro University of PA with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. He and his wife Susan have four children, Kayla 19, Alexa 17, Connor 16, and Delaney 13.

He replaces Olivier Sedra who was with the Cavaliers from 2006 to 2017 before leaving to join the NBA Brooklyn Nets.

Grizzlies waive Wade Baldwin IV and Rade Zagorac

The Grizzlies have waived guard Wade Baldwin IV and forward Rade Zagorac to finalize its 2017-18 regular season roster.

Baldwin (6-4, 202) appeared in all five preseason games (two starts) and averaged 5.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18.3 minutes. The 21-year-old Belle Mead, New Jersey native competed in 33 games (one start) for the Grizzlies as a rookie last season and averaged 3.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 12.3 minutes after he was selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Zagorac came off the bench in all five preseason contests and averaged 3.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 10.1 minutes. Selected in the second round (35th overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft and traded to the Grizzlies on draft night, the 22-year-old played last season for KK Mega Leks in his native Serbia.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 17 players, including two-way players Kobi Simmons and Vince Hunter who will be eligible to play for both the Grizzlies and the team’s NBA G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.

Raptors exercise contract options on Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam and Delon Wright

Raptors exercise contract options on Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam and Delon Wright

The Toronto Raptors announced Monday they have exercised the third-year team options on the Rookie Scale Contracts of centre Jakob Poeltl and forward Pascal Siakam and the fourth-year team option on the Rookie Scale Contract of guard Delon Wright.

The contracts for Poeltl, Siakam and Wright are now guaranteed through the 2018-19 season.

In accordance with the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Raptors had until October 31 to exercise their option on all three players.

Poeltl, 7-foot, 248 pounds, was selected by the Raptors with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He averaged 3.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.4 blocks and 11.6 minutes in 54 games last season. Poeltl scored in double figures three times and led the team in rebounds twice.

Siakam, 6-foot-9, 230 pounds, was the 27th overall pick by the Raptors in the 2016 NBA Draft. He posted averages of 4.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 blocks and 15.6 minutes in 55 games (38 starts) last season. Siakam was also named NBA G League Finals MVP after helping Raptors 905 defeat Rio Grande Valley in The Finals, averaging 23.0 points and 9.0 rebounds over the three-game series.

Wright, 6-foot-5, 183 pounds was chosen by Toronto with the 20th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He averaged 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 16.5 minutes in 27 games last season. Wright scored in double digits seven times and paced the club in assists on five occasions. He missed the first 41 games (October 26 – January 17) following right shoulder surgery. Wright is averaging 4.7 points, 1.6 rebound, 1.6 assists and 12.5 minutes in 54 career games.

Jazz waive Joel Bolomboy

Jazz waive Joel Bolomboy

The Utah Jazz have waived forward Joel Bolomboy. Following the move, the roster now stands at 17 players.

Bolomboy (6-9, 235, Weber State) was originally drafted by the Jazz in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft and appeared in 12 games during the 2016-17 season, owning averages of 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 4.4 minutes per game. He also appeared in two games for Utah during the 2017 NBA Playoffs, averaging 2.0 points and 1.0 boards in 4.5 minutes.

During last season, Bolomboy played in 24 games (22 starts) while on assignment with the Jazz’s exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, the Salt Lake City Stars, where he averaged 16.4 points, 13.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks in 34.5 minutes per contest.

A native of Ukraine, Bolomboy played four seasons at Weber State (2012-16) where he averaged 17.1 points on 57.3 percent shooting and grabbed 12.6 rebounds (third in the nation) during his senior year, setting a school single-season record by tallying 415 total rebounds.

Kevin Durant declares swag level to be high

We all know that NBA players have boundless energy when they first enter the league. But in their prime, while their basketball ability may be at its best, what about their endurance, recovery time, etc? Fun stuff to dive into. Here’s the San Jose Mercury News on Kevin Durant:

Unlike his superstar Warriors teammate in Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant does not feel he is currently playing at his absolute peak. Reserve those years for when the Oklahoma City Thunder once cheered for Durant instead of booing him.

“Physically at 21, 22, 23, I could get out the bed and windmill or catch a lob,” Durant said after practice on Sunday. “But I got to activate my glutes and hamstrings a little bit more now.”

Still, Durant enters the Warriors’ season opener against Houston on Tuesday at the Oracle saying his “swag level is through the roof” for reasons besides winning the 2017 NBA championship.

“Mentally when you feel like you’ve mastered the game from an individual standpoint, knowing what you want to do, that’s a great feeling,” Durant said. “I’ve hit the point where you know what’s important there on the basketball court. I’m at that point, especially playing with such a talented group of guys, they make you focus on other things besides yourself. That’s an underrated part of this team.”

Full article

Nets lineup still being decided

One would think that new highly-paid Net Allen Crabbe would be in the starting lineup come regular season, right? We’ll see. Here’s the New York Post reporting:

The Nets used the exact same starting lineup throughout the preseason, but coach Kenny Atkinson insists that’s no guarantee it will remain the same when they open the regular season Wednesday in Indiana.

Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell are the first-choice backcourt, and Timofey Mozgov is the presumptive starter at center. But who will get the nod at the forward spots?

And will pricey small forward Allen Crabbe — whose $19.3 million salary this season is tops on the roster and fifth highest in team history — really be on the bench?

“It’s still to be determined,” Atkinson said. “Still have to look at everything, and he’s a part of that. [We’ll] look at his progression. That being said, I do like how that group played together, that starting five. But nothing is set in stone yet.”

Full article

Timberwolves exercise options on Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyus Jones

timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have exercised the fourth-year options on Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyus Jones.

Towns, 21, averaged 25.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season, starting all 82 games for the second consecutive year. The 7-0 forward/center set a franchise single-season scoring record with 2061 points while recording 1007 rebounds, becoming the youngest player in NBA history (15th overall and first since Tim Duncan in 2001-02) to collect 2000+ points and 1000+ rebounds in a season. In 2016-17 he ranked 12th in the NBA in scoring, 6th in rebounding, 12th in field goal accuracy (54.2%) and 19th in blocked shots (1.26 bpg). The Wolves selected Towns with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Jones, 21, posted averages of 3.5 points and 2.6 assists in 12.9 minutes per contest in 60 games last season, his second in the NBA. The Wolves originally acquired the draft rights to the 6-2 guard from the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 25, 2015.

Pistons exercise contract options on Stanley Johnson and Henry Ellenson

Pistons exercise contract options on Stanley Johnson and Henry Ellenson

The Detroit Pistons have exercised team options on Stanley Johnson and Henry Ellenson for the 2018-19 season.

Johnson, a third-year forward, was drafted eighth overall by the Pistons in the 2015 NBA Draft. He has averaged 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 20.4 minutes in 150 career games (seven starts).

Ellenson, a second-year forward, was drafted 18th overall by the Pistons in the 2016 NBA Draft and averaged 3.2 points, 2.2 rebounds 0.4 assists and 7.7 minutes in 19 games (two starts) during his rookie campaign.

Kings waive David Stockton, Matt Jones and Reggie Hearn

The Sacramento Kings announced today that the team has requested waivers on guards David Stockton, Matt Jones and Reggie Hearn.

Stockton appeared in two contests for Sacramento during the preseason, averaging 11.5 points (9-13 FG, 3-4 3pt, 2-4 FT) and 5.0 assists in 16.3 minutes per game, including a game-high 23 points to accompany three rebounds, eight assists and two steals off the bench at Golden State (10/13).

Jones played in five exhibition games, posting 2.0 points, 1.0 rebounds and 11.7 minutes per contest.

Hearn appeared in one preseason game.