Alec Burks has surgery on knee, ankle

Alec Burks has surgery on knee, ankle

Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks underwent successful arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to clean out debris from his left knee and ankle.

The outpatient procedure was performed in Salt Lake City by Jazz head orthopaedic team physician Dr. Travis Maak, and ankle and foot specialist Dr. Charles L. Saltzman, the chair of the department of orthopaedics at University of Utah Health Care.

Burks is expected to be ready prior to the start of 2016-17 Jazz training camp.

The fifth-year guard averaged 13.3 points on a career-best 40.5 percent three-point shooting, with 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 25.7 minutes per game during the 2015-16 season. He was originally selected by the Jazz in the first round (12th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft.

Pelicans hire Danny Ferry as a Special Advisor

Pelicans hire Danny Ferry as a Special Advisor

The New Orleans Pelicans have hired Danny Ferry as a Special Advisor, team General Manager Dell Demps announced.

Ferry comes to New Orleans with 25 years of NBA experience as both a player and front office executive. He served as the President of Basketball Operations and General Manager for the Atlanta Hawks from 2012-15, where he oversaw the team’s basketball operations, including coaching, player personnel, contract negotiations and salary cap management.

“I am excited to announce Danny Ferry has accepted our offer to join the New Orleans Pelicans basketball operations staff as a special advisor,” said Demps. “Danny’s experience, insight and achievements will be a welcomed addition to the Pelicans as we continue our quest to improve the team.”

Prior to the Hawks, Ferry was a member of the San Antonio Spurs organization from 2010-12, where he held the role of Vice President of Basketball Operations. From 2005-10, Ferry served as the General Manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Under his guidance, the Cavaliers posted a 272-138 (.663) record, experienced the NBA’s best regular season record in both 2008-09 and 2009-10 and advanced to the 2007 NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Giving Dwane Casey an extension was easy decision for Raptors

Here’s the Toronto Sun reporting on the Raptors, who have decided that coach Dwane Casey is worth keeping around for the foreseeable future:

Giving Dwane Casey an extension was easy decision for Raptors

Masai Ujiri and Dwane Casey aren’t always in agreement, but if they were, it’s a good bet they wouldn’t have lasted so long together.

Ujiri, the Raptors’ president and general manager doesn’t want a yes-man as his head coach. Fortunately Casey is no yes-man.

The two paired up three years ago, Ujiri inheriting Casey from Bryan Colangelo of the previous regime.

He’s had a few chances to walk away from Casey but each and every time he has stayed with him.

The latest is a (finally) confirmed three-year deal that will pay Casey a well-earned $18 million over the length of the contract.

Ujiri made this decision before the playoffs started telling the media Casey was his coach going forward, so the extended playoff run had nothing to do with this.