Month: December 2017

Mavericks sign Kyle Collinsworth, waive Antonius Cleveland and Jeff Withey

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard Kyle Collinsworth to a two-way contract.

In a related move, the team today waived guard-forward Antonius Cleveland and center Jeff Withey.

Collinsworth (6-6, 210) has been with the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, for the past two seasons. He has averaged 8.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 30.1 minutes per game in 54 career G League games (34 starts). In 18 games (all starts) for the Legends in 2017-18, he averaged 11.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.7 steals in 35.8 minutes per game.

Not selected in the 2016 NBS draft out of BYU, Collinsworth played for Dallas at the 2016 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. He spent the 2016 preseason with the Mavericks before being waived by the team on Oct. 22, 2016.

A native of Provo, Utah, Collinsworth played four years at BYU and averaged 12.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 30.9 minutes per game in 140 games. He was a three-time First Team All-WCC selection (2014-16) and set the NCAA career triple-double record with 12.

As a senior for the Cougars (2015-16), Collinsworth averaged 15.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.0 steals and 33.8 minutes per game en route to being named the WCC Player of the Year. The 6-6 point guard also tied the NCAA single-season triple-double record (set by himself in 2014-15) with six.

Collinsworth will wear No. 8 for the Mavericks.

Cleveland (6-6, 195) played in 13 games for Dallas in 2017-18, averaging 0.8 points and 0.8 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game.

Withey (7-0, 230) appeared in 10 games for the Mavericks this season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.0 rebound in 3.9 minutes per game.

The 2017-18 season marks the first year NBA two-way contracts will be implemented. NBA teams are allowed to have up to two players under two-way contracts who will spend the bulk of the season in the NBA G League and not more than 45 days with their NBA team.

Two-way players are paid a corresponding daily amount based on the number of days they play in each league. Only players with four-or-fewer years of NBA experience are able to sign two-way contracts, which can be for either one or two seasons.

Bulls waive Kay Felder

The Chicago Bulls waived guard Kay Felder today.

Standing just 5-foot-6, the 176-pound underdog played in 14 games for the Bulls, averaging 3.9 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 9.6 minutes. Felder also played in three games in the G League for the Windy City Bulls, averaging 17.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists, shooting 45.2 percent from the field (19-of-42).

The Bulls roster is now at 16 players, including two signed to two-way contracts.

Gregg Popovich praises Kobe Bryant

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is a legend. Retired former Lakers star Kobe Bryant is a legend. When a legend discusses another legend, everybody should listen. Because the quotes have a good shot at being… legendary.

Here’s the LA Times reporting what Popovich said as the Lakers were set to retire Kobe’s jerseys Monday:

“His mind was on a par with Michael [Jordan] and Larry [Bird] and Magic [Johnson], guys like that. They thought the game. They knew what was going on. And then on top of that, he had a really phenomenal competitiveness. So it’s not just the talent. It’s the mind and the grit, the guts, the who he is and the way he wanted to compete night after night, which is what made him Kobe Bryant.”

Full article

Wizards set to face Pelicans

 

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The Wizards are set to face the Pelicans tonight. An intriguing matchup for anybody in the league, the Pelicans have two of the biggest names in the NBA frontcourt world: DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis. But the team as a whole is 15-15, tied for the 7th best record in the Western conference. Very solid, but unspectacular.

Here’s NBC Sports Washington discussing the Pels:

Few teams in the NBA offer a matchup problem as unique as the New Orleans Pelicans, who feature two All-Star big men in Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. One is lanky with arms that reach to the sky. The other is wider and known for his brute strength. Both can move and shoot unusually well for their size.

On Tuesday night, the Wizards will see the Pelicans’ twin towers for the first time since Cousins landed in New Orleans. He was acquired from the Kings in a Feb. 20 trade, just 16 days after the second and final meeting between the teams in the 2016-17 season.

Cousins is a player the Wizards know well. He and Wizards guard John Wall teamed up at the University of Kentucky back in the 2009-10 season before the two were drafted into the NBA. Veteran players on the Wizards have played against both Cousins and Davis over the years. But now they have to deal with them at the same time.

Full article

Nets sign Milton Doyle to two-way contract

Nets sign Milton Doyle to two-way contract

The Brooklyn Nets yesterday (Monday) signed guard Milton Doyle to a two-way contract.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Doyle becomes a member of the Nets from the team’s NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. In the G League this season, he played in 17 games, averaging a team-high 21.3 points plus 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 34.7 minutes per outing.

Doyle becomes the third G League to NBA “call-up” in Long Island Nets history, and he’s the first for the team this season.

He played four college basketball seasons (2013-17) at Loyola University Chicago. In 121 career games (98 starts), he recorded averages of 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 30.4 minutes per contest.

NBA TWO-WAY CONTRACTS EXPLANATION

NBA teams are allowed to sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man regular season roster. A two-way player for the Nets will provide services primarily to the team’s NBA G League affiliate – the Long Island Nets – but can spend up to 45 days with Brooklyn, not including any time prior to the start of Long Island’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season.

Milwaukee Bucks sign Sean Kilpatrick, waive Gary Payton II

The Milwaukee Bucks yesterday (Monday) waived guard Gary Payton II, signed guard Sean Kilpatrick to a Two-Way contract.

The 6-foot-4 Kilpatrick participated in 16 games with the Nets this season before he was waived on December 7. In 16 games with Brooklyn, he averaged 4.9 points and 2.2 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per outing.

Last season with the Nets, Kilpatrick achieved career highs in games played (70) and starts (24), as well as in points (13.1), rebounds (4.0) and assists (2.2) per game.

Kilpatrick, 27-years-old, has played in 121 career games (24 starts) in four seasons with the Nuggets, Timberwolves and Nets. His NBA career averages are 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

Payton II was signed to a two-way contract on Oct. 17, played in 12 games (six starts) with the Bucks this season and averaged 2.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game.

Kilpatrick will wear No. 9. The Bucks roster now stands at 17.

Mike Conley injury update

Mike Conley injury update

The Memphis Grizzlies at 9-21 have the third worst record in the NBA through Monday’s games, and they’ll continue to be without their floor leader for the near future.

The team said Monday that point guard Mike Conley is still participating in therapy and treatment to alleviate soreness in his left heel, as he makes progress towards returning to on-court activities.

The team says the next Conley injury status update will be in around two weeks.

Memphis is led in scoring this season by center Marc Gasol (19.1 ppg) and shooting guard Tyreke Evans (18.6 ppg). Conley is third at 17.1 ppg. No one else on the team averages double-digit points per game.

Kobe Bryant Lakers jersey retirement quotes

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Monday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Lakers retired two Kobe Bryant jerseys, No. 8 and nN. 24, in front of a packed, adoring crowd. Below are some LA media Bryant quotes from the amazing evening:

“It’s not about the jerseys hanging up there for me, it’s about jerseys hanging up there before, without them I couldn’t be here today,” said a gracious Bryant into the microphone, adding, “It’s about embodying the spirit that exist in those jerseys up there … so that the next 20 years are better than the past 20 years.” — Los Angeles Times

“It was during Monday’s pregame session that I asked Bryant, if he had a choice, would he retire No. 8 or No. 24. I was hoping he would say 24. Wearing No. 8, he was a child. Wearing No. 24, he was a man. Wearing No. 8, he won three championships as a freewheeling sidekick to O’Neal. Wearing No. 24, he led the Lakers to two titles without O’Neal, the child star becoming a mature leader. So what is it, 8 or 24? “I kind of go back and forth,” Bryant said, smiling. “Eight has something that 24 will never, ever, ever, ever, ever have, that’s the ability to grow hair. Honestly, it’s tough.” – Los Angeles Times

“It’s not about my jerseys that are hanging up there for me,” Bryant said. “It’s about the jerseys that were hanging up there before. Without them, I couldn’t be here today. … It’s about embodying the spirit that exists in those jerseys up there and carrying this organization forward, so the next 20 years are better than the past 20 years.” – OC Register

“Among the Lakers legends on hand for the ceremony were West and O’Neal, as well as Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes and James Worthy. “To now be a part of that wall,” Bryant said before the game, “it means everything to me. I think legacy is really important in the sense of what we’ve done is awesome. But I think what’s more important for a legacy is how that affects the next generation.” – OC Register

“It is hard to put into words,” Bryant said of the moment. “Growing up and watching all these great players play and learning so much from them, to now be a part of that wall means everything to me. Legacy is really important in the sense of what we have done is awesome, but what is more important for a legacy is how that affects the next generation. For the jerseys up there now, the impact it had on me, which led us to this moment now is the true [indication of a legacy].” — ESPN Los Angeles

“Who can remember when he scored 81 points in a game?” Magic Johnson continued. “And last but not least, there will never be an athlete in his last performance to top this man’s performance, 60 points! Man! … Kobe, Jerry West called me the day you worked out and he said, ‘Earvin, I just witnessed the greatest workout I have ever seen in my entire life,’ and Jerry, you were absolutely right.” — ESPN Los Angeles

Kristaps Porzingis exits game with knee issue

The Knicks beat the Nets Thursday night in Brooklyn. This despite Kristaps Porzingis exiting early with a knee issue. Here’s what the 7-foot 3-star had to say after the game:

On what’s going on with his knee: “It was one play, when I actually made the pass to the corner to Courtney (Lee), the three. I felt my knee, it just kind of buckled maybe a little bit and I felt a little pain there. So yeah, it’s more just being cautious, a little sharp pain there and that’s it. I honestly don’t have any more information about what is going on
there, but it shouldn’t be – hopefully, it’s not too serious.”

On if the doctors took a look at his knee and where he stands: “I don’t know. I don’t know honestly, we’ll see tonight how I feel and then tomorrow if there’s any
swelling. I think tomorrow it will be much clearer what is going on.”

On what he saw from his team down the stretch to get the win on the road: “It was a fun game. It was a physical game – very physical guys. Ron Baker had two blocks and it was fun to
watch. Our guys just played really hard. We tried to match their intensity. We know they play really hard.
They play with a lot of energy and we try to match them and Courtney was able to make some big plays in
the end and we were able to get the win.”

Luc Mbah a Moute out with dislocated shoulder

The Houston Rockets forward Luc Mbah a Moute suffered a dislocated left shoulder in the second quarter of yesterday’s game against the Hornets.

He will be re-evaluated in around one week.

The Rockets are having a fantastic season. They have the best record in the NBA, and have played fantastic basketball, especially with Chris Paul healthy and in the lineup.