The Cleveland Cavaliers have received guard A.J. Price by waiver claim (waived by Indiana) and have also waived guard Will Cherry, Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Price, a six-year NBA veteran, played in 10 games for the Indiana Pacers this season with averages of 10.5 points on .438 shooting, including .385 from the three-point line, 1.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 19.3 minutes per game. Price, who was part of the 2014 Cavs training camp and preseason roster, appeared in six preseason games with Cleveland in October, averaging 7.2 points and 1.5 assists in 13.3 minutes per game. He was inactive for the Cavs first two regular season games before being waived on November 1st.

Cherry, an undrafted rookie out of Montana, played in eight games for the Cavs this season, averaging 1.9 points in 8.6 minutes per game.

The Cavs roster now stands at 15.

The New Orleans Pelicans have waived Darius Miller and Patric Young.

Miller appeared in five games (one start) this season for the Pelicans, averaging 0.4 points and 0.2 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game. Selected by New Orleans in the second round (46th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft, Miller has appeared in 102 career games (10 starts) over the last three seasons and averaged 3.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game.

Young, who signed with the Pelicans as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2014-15 season, played in seven preseason games for New Orleans and averaged 1.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game.

The Pelicans roster now stands at 13 players.

The Denver Nuggets are 8-8 this season, and after a very tough start have won six of their last seven games. Things are looking up lately. But the team still hopes for more from power forward Kenneth Faried, who shined for Team USA this summer and inked a huge new contract, but has been off to a relatively slow start.  Here’s the Denver Post reporting

Faried knows the start of his season hasn’t been up to standard — by his standard or anyone else’s who knows he has so much more to give. So he doesn’t mince words. He has been a shell of himself, a half-Manimal through the first 16 games, desperately seeking his whole self again.

“I just haven’t been playing my game,” Faried said. “I know it. My teammates know it. My coaches know it. Hopefully, this month of December, I turn everything around. But for me, it’s awful. You’ve got to be able to look at yourself, look at the man in the mirror and say that to yourself. And be able to correct yourself.”

Faried’s averages — 11.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 50 percent shooting — all are down from last season. And this was to be the season of his true ascension, when he built upon his strong finish of 2013-14. It still can be.

Here’s the Washington Post blog with an update on the 10-5 Wizards, who have been without the services of starting power forward Nene (10.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg in 27.1 mpg this season) in recent action:

Nene missed his third straight game with right plantar fasciitis Saturday — an 83-80 win over the New Orleans — but took part in practice for the first time in over a week Sunday and is officially listed as questionable for Washington’s meeting with the Miami Heat Monday. Garrett Temple, nursing a sore right heel, is also officially questionable.

Temple was the Wizards’ starting shooting guard in their first 13 games until Bradley Beal was inserted in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Temple played just 26 seconds in Cleveland and didn’t play at all Saturday.

Here’s ESPN Chicago reporting on the Bulls, who are currently in Brooklyn, New York playing the Nets. Chi-town remains without the services of forward Taj Gibson.

Chicago Bulls power forward Taj Gibson remains unsure when he will return to the floor as he continues to recover from a sprained left ankle suffered against the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 21.

“He felt pretty good [Saturday],” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said before Sunday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. “There’s no timetable, but we’ll see where he is [Monday], but he’s feeling a lot better.”

Gibson has had trouble with the same ankle several times over the past year and has been open about how he needs to be cautious this time with his rehab.

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting a bit of positive news from the loss-heavy world of the 76ers:

If Michael Carter-Williams ever needed a confidence boost, he received one Saturday night.

The 76ers point guard recorded his third career triple-double in a closer than expected 110-103 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at Wells Fargo Center.

Carter-Williams finished with 18 points, a career-high 16 assists and a season-best 10 rebounds. The second-year player struggled from the field, making just 4 of 13 shot attempts. But he made up for that by going 10-for-12 from the foul line. Last season’s rookie of the year was also the Sixers’ unquestioned floor general on this night.

Carter-Williams credited his teammates for his best game of the season.

Minnesota Timberwolves sign Jeff Adrien

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed forward Jeff Adrien. The Timberwolves were granted an NBA hardship exception for a 16th roster spot due to having four players out due to injury.

Adrien, 28, averaged 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season in 53 games (12 starts) between Milwaukee and Charlotte. Adrien averaged 10.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in 28 games (12 starts) after being acquired by the Bucks on Feb. 20 in a midseason trade with the Bobcats.

A 6-7 forward, Adrien has averaged 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 136 career games over four seasons between Charlotte, Golden State, Houston and Milwaukee.

DeMar DeRozan injured with torn left adductor longus tendon (groin)

Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan left Friday’s game versus Dallas at the 8:23 mark of the third quarter and did not return. Test results revealed a torn left adductor longus tendon (the Raptors tell InsideHoops.com it’s a groin injury). There is no timetable for his return to basketball activity. His status will be updated as appropriate.

DeRozan has averaged a team-high 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and a team-best 33.6 minutes in 16 contests this season. He has paced the club in scoring on eight occasions.
The Raptors return to action Sunday at the Los Angeles Lakers (9:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet/Sportsnet 590 The FAN).

Sacramento Kings game protest results: Denied

The National Basketball Association announced today that Commissioner Adam Silver has denied the Sacramento Kings’ protest of their 111-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on November 13, 2014.

The basis for the Kings’ protest was that Courtney Lee’s game-winning shot should have been disqualified as having been made after time expired. Under league procedures, each team has an opportunity to make submissions in support of its position, and the protesting team is required to establish a misapplication of the official playing rules that had a clear impact on the game’s outcome.

The Commissioner determined that the game officials’ call that Lee’s shot was timely was within their judgment and not a misapplication of the playing rules. Sacramento’s protest therefore did not justify the extraordinary remedy of overturning the game’s result.

The Detroit Pistons are off to a very disappointing 3-12 start this season, and have lost six games in a row. Their leading scorer is their point guard, Brandon Jennings, at 16.0 ppg. He’s followed by Greg Monroe at 14.5 ppg, Josh Smith at 12.9 ppg (on 38% shooting), and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at 11.3 ppg (on 36% shooting). Here’s Michigan Live reporting:

The positives were everywhere for the Detroit Pistons to see, except where it counts on the scoreboard, and that’s where Stan Van Gundy’s frustration was piqued.

The last several days have been a visible downward skid for the Pistons coach’s outward demeanor.

Brief answers, eyes cast downward, struggling to resolve his teachings with the lack of on-court production, have become Van Gundy’s personal public default mode.

The Pistons lost 104-98 Wednesday to the Los Angeles Clippers and Van Gundy, who was accustomed to high-level success in his previous coaching stops, was at a loss in trying to come to grips with a sixth consecutive loss and ninth in 10 games.

“I’ve not been at this point before,” Van Gundy said. “So yeah, it’s hard.”

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have reassigned guard Ricky Ledo to the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League.

Ledo (6-7, 200) has appeared in two games (both starts) for the Legends this year, averaging 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 33.0 minutes.

Ledo was originally assigned to the D-League on Nov. 20, before being recalled on Nov. 24.

Here’s the Oregonian reporting on the Portland Trail Blazers, who have won nine games in a row, and for the 2014-15 regular season have a 12-3 record, which ties them with the Houston Rockets for the fourth best winning percentage in the league through Wednesday’s games:

Go ahead and celebrate the Trail Blazers’ nine-game winning streak.

Feel free to savor a nice little three-game sweep of an East Coast trip and yet another second-half comeback.

But, as you do, take your largest dose of satisfaction in this:

“I don’t think we’ve played our best yet,” LaMarcus Aldridge said.

The Blazers continued their sizzling early-season run Wednesday night, defeating the Charlotte Hornets 105-97 before 16,972 at Time Warner Cable Arena. But afterward, the sentiment in the visiting locker room was that this team, despite everything it has done, has a whole lot of room to grow.

“We’ve had games where we’ve looked really good,” Damian Lillard said. “But I still don’t think we’ve played our best.”

Here’s the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting on Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, who is scoring a team-best 18.3 ppg and leading the team in assists with 7.0 apg:

Jeff Teague doesn’t like to talk about his individual accomplishments.

However, his body of work is speaking volumes for the Hawks point guard.

Teague had 24 points and 12 assists in a loss to the Raptors Wednesday. The 20-point, 10-assist effort tied him with Joe Johnson with 18 for sixth on the Hawks’ all-time list. He trails only franchise luminaries Mookie Blaylock (24), Pete Maravich (22), Jason Terry (22), Eddie Johnson (21) and Lenny Wilkens (21).

That’s not bad company.

Oklahoma City Thunder waive Sebastian Telfair

The Oklahoma City Thunder waived guard Sebastian Telfair, announced Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Telfair appeared in 16 games (one start) with the Thunder this season, and averaged 8.4 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game.

The OKC Thunder roster now stands at 15 players, the league maximum.

Philadelphia 76ers point guard Michael Carter-Williams is putting up nice stats, but only if you ignore his shooting percentage and turnovers. But more importantly than a bunch of numbers, he still doesn’t feel quite like his usual explosive self just yet. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting:

Michael Carter-Williams is in a funk.

The 76ers point guard is not the player he was a season ago, when he won NBA rookie of the year.

“When I’m out there, I don’t feel as explosive,” Carter-Williams said. “I don’t feel like I’m in the passing lanes [defensively]. My steals are down. The little things I did last year are not what I’m doing this year. I need to get back to those things.”

Carter-Williams was sidelined six months after right-shoulder surgery on May 6. He made this season’s debut in a 123-70 loss at Dallas on Nov. 13.

Stephen Curry scores 40 points vs Heat

The Golden State Warriors, playing on the road, beat the Miami Heat 114-97 Tuesday. They enjoyed an amazing performance from Stephen Curry, who so far in the 2014-15 NBA season is playing as well as anyone in the league. Golden State is now 11-2. Here’s CSN Bay Area reporting:

As good as he had been through 12 games, we knew Stephen Curry was capable of more. The Warriors point guard was going to demoralize some poor team, and soon. The only questions were when and which team.

It was Tuesday night against the Heat in Miami.

Curry went off for 40 points in a 114-97 win at American Airlines Arena. Of his 19 shots, 12 splashed through the net. He was even better on 3-pointers, drilling 8-of-11. Because he could, Curry added seven assists, six rebounds and three steals.

“I thought he played the perfect game,” coach Steve Kerr said, “so I’m pretty happy with everything he did.”

Kevin Martin has been one of the only Minnesota Timberwolves this season who produces points in a big way, and he’s now out 6-8 weeks after surgery.

On the bright side of things, this puts even more pressure on young Wolves players to step up. While the results aren’t always positive in such scenarios, it could give team management a better sense as to which young players have a bigger upside than the rest.

More info on this injury here: http://www.insidehoops.com/kevin-martin-wrist-surgery-112514.shtml

The Sacramento Kings have recalled rookie forward Eric Moreland from the team’s NBA D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, it was announced today by General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.

Moreland was assigned to the Bighorns on November 21 for the second time this season and scored 10 points (5-10 FG, 0-2 FT) and grabbed six rebounds in a 154-143 loss to the Bakersfield Jam on Friday, Nov. 21.

The 6-10, 218-pound forward from Oregon State is averaging 13.3 points (.581 FG%), 10.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in three games for the Reno Bighorns.

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed center Hassan Whiteside and waived guard Shannon Brown.

Whiteside has appeared in three games for the Iowa Energy in the NBA Development League this season averaging 22.0 points, 15.7 rebounds, 5.33 blocks and 28.7 minutes while shooting 85.7 percent from the field, helping them to a perfect 3-0 record. He has appeared in 19 career NBA games averaging 1.5 points and 2.1 rebounds in 5.8 minutes of action while shooting 44.4 percent from the field. Additionally, he has appeared in 64 career NBA Development League games (14 starts) and averaged 7.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.30 blocks and 13.5 minutes while shooting 57.9 percent from the field.

Since being drafted in the second round (33rd overall) by Sacramento in the 2010 NBA Draft, Whiteside spent two seasons with the Kings before playing overseas in Lebanon and then in China where his team won the 2013 National Basketball League Championship as he was named the NBL Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Center of the Year and selected to the NBL First Team. The former Marshall product then signed with the Memphis Grizzlies for training camp prior to joining the Iowa Energy.

Whiteside will wear number 21.

Brown, who was originally signed by the HEAT as a free agent on August 27, appeared in five games with Miami this season and averaged 4.0 points and 17.8 minutes.

Lakers guard Xavier Henry underwent an MRI exam today which revealed a ruptured left Achilles tendon. Henry suffered the injury at this morning’s practice. He is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow morning with Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Steve Lombardo of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. Henry is expected to be out the reminder of the season.

Henry, who re-signed with the Lakers as a free agent on July 25, has appeared in nine games this season, averaging 2.2 points, 0.4 rebounds, 0.3 assists, and 0.33 steals in 9.5 minutes per game. The five-year pro averaged career-highs in points (10.0), rebounds (2.7), and assists (1.2) per game last season.