Day: October 12, 2018

Nets sign Shannon Scott and Tahjere McCall

Nets sign Shannon Scott and Tahjere McCall

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guards Tahjere McCall and Shannon Scott.

Preseason ends tonight, and the regular season begins Tuesday, so McCall and Scott probably won’t be Nets for long.

McCall (6’5”, 190) joins Brooklyn after playing last season for the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate. In 37 games (31 starts) for Long Island, McCall recorded averages of 9.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals in 28.2 minutes per contest. On the collegiate level, McCall played two seasons at Tennessee State (2015-17) after spending his first two years at Niagara University (2012-14). While at Tennessee State, McCall earned All-Ohio Valley Conference first team honors twice and was the conference’s defensive player of the year in both seasons. The Philadelphia native saw action in 117 career collegiate games (93 starts), recording averages of 10.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals in 26.0 minutes per game.

Scott (6’1”, 185) joins the Nets after most recently appearing in seven games with Panteras de Miranda in Venezuela. He also played in 49 games (41 starts) for the Long Island Nets last season, averaging 7.9 points, 4.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per contest and finishing the year ranked second in the NBA G League in steals per game (2.3). Prior to joining the LI Nets, Scott spent the 2016-17 season with Doxa Lefkadas B.C. of the Greek Basket League and the 2015-16 season with the NBA G League’s Raptors 905, averaging 9.2 points, 5.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 29.0 minutes per game in 48 games (37 starts). The Alpharetta, Ga., native played four collegiate seasons (2011-15) at Ohio State, where he earned All-Big Ten honorable mention honors as a senior and Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors as a junior. Scott finished his collegiate career ranked second all-time in Ohio State history in steals (211).

John Collins out with ankle injury

John Collins out with ankle injury

Atlanta Hawks forward-center John Collins underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex on October 2, and it was revealed that the young big man has mild inflammation and soreness in his left ankle.

Collins underwent a non-surgical procedure on Monday, October 8. The team says he will be re-evaluated on October 22.

For now, Collins is listed as out.

The 6-foot-10, 235-pound Collins played 24.1 minutes per game as a rookie last season, and averaged 10.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per outing, shooting a very impressive 57.6% FG.

Pelicans finish NBA preseason 0-5

Preseason is just a warmup, but it’s still not exactly a positive sign when a team fails to register a single win. Here’s The Advocate reporting on the Pelicans, who lost all five of their 2018-19 preseason games:

Nothing matters until next Wednesday’s regular-season opener at Houston, but the New Orleans Pelicans joined a very small list by losing their preseason finale against the Toronto Raptors.

Despite facing what amounted to a junior varsity lineup while playing their regular starters in a dress rehearsal for the games that count, the Pelicans could not muster up enough defense to win, falling 134-119 on Thursday night at the Smoothie King Center.

Toronto never trailed in the second half, shooting 53 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from the 3-point line.

“It’s concerning,” coach Alvin Gentry said. “More so than anything, we’ve got to do a much better job of just guarding the ball and keeping it in front of us.”

Warriors sign Deyonta Davis, waive Will Cherry

Warriors sign Deyonta Davis, waive Will Cherry

The Warriors have signed free agent forward Deyonta Davis, and have waived guard Will Cherry, who was signed to a contract on October 8.

Davis, 21, was selected in the second round (31st overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics after one season at Michigan State. He owns career averages of 4.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 12.1 minutes in 98 games (six starts) over two seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies. The forward has appeared in 13 games (11 starts) with the Grizzlies G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle averaging 11.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.23 steals, 2.38 blocks and 27.5 minutes per game.

Nets convert Theo Pinson deal into two-way contract

Nets convert Theo Pinson deal into two-way contract

The Brooklyn Nets have exercised the two-way player conversion option on guard/forward Theo Pinson.

Pinson originally signed with Brooklyn on Aug. 6 and appeared in the Nets’ preseason game versus the New York Knicks on Oct. 3, recording four points, one rebound and one block in 15 minutes.

The Greensboro, N.C., native joined Brooklyn after a four-year collegiate career at the University of North Carolina. In 122 games (58 starts) for the Tar Heels, Pinson recorded averages of 6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 21.7 minutes per contest. Pinson helped lead UNC to the 2017 national championship as a junior and earned honorable mention All-ACC and first-team All-ACC Tournament honors as a senior. Pinson registered career-high averages of 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 29.7 minutes per game in his senior season, becoming the first Tar Heel to average at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in a single season and the eighth player to do so in ACC history. He appeared in 14 NCAA Tournament wins throughout his career, tied for second in UNC history.

Pinson appeared in all five of Brooklyn’s games at the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League, posting averages of 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted 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.

Mavs waive Rashad Vaughn and Donte Ingram

Mavs waive Rashad Vaughn and Donte Ingram

The Dallas Mavericks have waived guard Rashad Vaughn and guard-forward Donte Ingram.

Both players were signed by Dallas on Oct. 8.

Ingram (6-6, 215) went undrafted in 2018 after a four-year college career at Loyola University Chicago. He started all 38 games for Loyola as a senior in 2017-18, and averaged 11.0 points, a team-best 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 30.6 minutes en route to earning Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors.

The 6-6 guard/forward played a key role in helping the 11th-seeded Ramblers earn their first Final Four appearance since 1963.

Vaughn (6-6, 210) was selected 17th overall by Milwaukee in the 2015 NBA Draft. He owns career averages of 3.0 points, 1.1 rebounds and 12.0 minutes in 139 games (eight starts) with Milwaukee, Brooklyn and Orlando.

In 28 games for the Bucks, Nets and Magic in 2017-18, Vaughn averaged 2.3 points in 7.6 minutes per contest.

Pacers waive Elijah Stewart and Omari Johnson

Pacers waive Elijah Stewart and Omari Johnson

The Indiana Pacers on Thursday waived guard Elijah Stewart and forward Omari Johnson.

NBA preseason wraps up tonight (Friday), and teams around the league need to trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 regular season contracts plus two “two-way” players who will spend most of the season playing in the G League.

The Pacers finished preseason with a 2-2 record.

Hornets waive Isaiah Wilkins and Jaylen Barford

Hornets waive Isaiah Wilkins and Jaylen Barford

The Charlotte Hornets have waived Isaiah Wilkins and Jaylen Barford.

Barford, a 6-3 guard, spent two seasons at the University of Arkansas where he was a First Team All-SEC selection for the 2017-18 season. The Jackson, TN native did not appear in any preseason games with Charlotte.

Wilkins, a 6-8 forward from Virginia, played in 132 career games with the Cavaliers and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2017-18. The Lilburn, GA native appeared in one preseason game with Charlotte, playing three minutes vs. the Miami Heat.

The Hornets roster now stands at 17 players.