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Martell Webster still healing from surgery

Martell Webster still healing from surgery

Martell Webster has an uphill battle in front of him. Historically, back injuries have marred professional athletes’ careers and the swingman is rehabbing from his third back surgery in four years before his 28th birthday.

Webster’s experience is so noteworthy that he was invited to Capitol Hill earlier this month to participate in a panel discussion with the Arthritis Foundation to discuss back pain and proper care.

As for his work on the court, the Wizards remain unsure when Webster will be cleared to return. Webster had the surgery on June 27 and was given a diagnosis of three to five months recovery.

— Washington Post Blog

Free Milwaukee Bucks open practice on October 4

milwaukee bucks

After a successful debut last fall, the second annual Bucks Fan Fest will return to the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The Fan Fest will once again be highlighted by the team’s annual open practice, which will take place at 11 a.m. The event is open to the public and FREE!

The Bucks’ annual open practice will tip off Fan Fest at 11 a.m. and provide a rare peek into the inner-workings of an NBA team, including a first look at the new faces on the Bucks squad. The practice will take place on the BMO Harris Bradley Center court and last for approximately one hour. General admission seating in the lower bowl will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Phoenix Suns, Eric Bledsoe agree to 5-year contract

It took almost the entire NBA offseason to hammer out, but the Phoenix Suns and talented young guard Eric Bledsoe will stay together.

The Suns and Bledsoe have agreed to a five-year contract, the team announced today.

“I learned long ago that it doesn’t matter how stormy the sea is as long as the ship comes in and today we are thrilled that the ship has come in and Eric will remain a Sun for a long time,” said President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. “He will be an integral part not only of our basketball team, but our Phoenix community.”

“We are thrilled Eric Bledsoe will be in a Phoenix Suns uniform for years to come,” said General Manager Ryan McDonough. “Eric is one the most exciting and dynamic two-way players in the league. He played very well for us on both ends of the floor last season and we feel he is well on his way to establishing himself as one of the elite players in the NBA.”

“Lon, Ryan and the Suns have shown confidence in me, and I am looking to take that responsibility and help our team get better from last year and position ourselves to win an NBA championship,” said Bledsoe. “It’s why I came back to Phoenix. All summer, I knew that I really would be most comfortable coming back to Phoenix because of the great fans, my Suns teammates and our coaches. I am very happy it was able to work out this way.”

Bledsoe appeared in 43 games (40 starts) for the Suns in 2013-14, averaging career-highs of 17.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 32.9 minutes while also shooting a career-best 47.7 percent from the field. In his first season with the Suns, and fourth in the NBA, Bledsoe became just the sixth player in Suns history to average at least 17.0 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals, and the first since Charles Barkley in his NBA MVP season of 1992-93.

Bledsoe registered his first two games with at least 30 points this past season, twice setting his career-high in the final month of the season, scoring 30 points at Portland on April 4, and again at San Antonio on April 11. In that contest against the Spurs, Bledsoe also had 11 rebounds and nine assists to become the first Sun since 1999 to have a game with at least 30 points, ten rebounds and nine assists. Bledsoe recorded a career-high 14 assists in addition to scoring 26 points at Oklahoma City on Nov. 3, in just his third game with the Suns.

Acquired by the Suns from the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team trade on July 10, 2013, Bledsoe excelled in his first season as a full-time starter, helping the Suns to a 28-15 (.651) record in the 43 games in which he played. Bledsoe notched 17 games with 20-plus points in 2013-14 after entering the season with four such games in his first three seasons combined.

Prior to joining the Suns, Bledsoe played the first three seasons of his professional career with the Clippers. Bledsoe, a native of Birmingham, Ala., played one season at the University of Kentucky before entering the 2010 NBA Draft where he was selected in the first round with the 18th overall pick.

The Suns’ roster stands at 14.

Pistons sign Hasheem Thabeet, Brian Cook, Lorenzo Brown, Josh Bostic to training camp roster

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has signed Hasheem Thabeet, Brian Cook, Lorenzo Brown and Josh Bostic to their training camp roster.

Thabeet, 7-3, 263, was drafted second overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. In 224 games with Memphis, Oklahoma City, Portland and Houston, he’s averaged 2.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 10.5 minutes per game. The University of Connecticut product was named National Defensive Player of the Year following his junior season.

Cook, a nine-year NBA veteran, has averaged 5.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 421 games (74 starts) with the Lakers, Magic, Clippers, Rockets and Wizards. He was drafted 24th overall by the Lakers in the 2003 NBA Draft after starring at the University of Illinois.

Brown, 6-5, 189, was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2013 NBA Draft out of North Carolina State University. He played in 26 games with the Philadelphia 76ers last season and averaged 2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Bostic, 6-5, 230, played last season for the Elan Chalon of the French League and averaged 7.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 10 games. He was named the 2008-09 NCAA Division II Player of the Year after leading Findlay University to a 36-0 record and a national championship.

Trail Blazers sign Diante Garrett, Darius Morris, James Southerland to training camp roster

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed guard Diante Garrett, guard Darius Morris and forward James Southerland to their training camp roster, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey. The training camp roster now stands at 18 players.

Garrett, 25, played in 71 games off the bench for the Utah Jazz in 2013-14, averaging 3.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 14.7 minutes per contest.

Morris, 23, averaged 3.9 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 27 games between Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis last season. He opened his career in 2011 with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he spent his first two NBA seasons.

As a rookie in 2013-14, Southerland, 24, appeared in four games between Charlotte and New Orleans, averaging 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game.

Garrett will wear uniform number 10 for Portland, while Morris will wear number 4. Southerland will suit up in number 31 for the Trail Blazers.

Brooklyn Nets sign Willie Reed

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent forward/center Willie Reed, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

Reed averaged 14.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in the NBA Development League last season in 49 games with the Springfield Armor and Reno Bighorns. The Sacramento Kings signed Reed for the remainder of the 2013-14 season on March 28, before assigning the 6’10” forward/center to the D-League’s Bighorns and then recalling him on two separate occasions.

Undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft out of St. Louis University, Reed was selected in the second round (30th overall) of the 2012 NBA Development League Draft by the Springfield Armor. He earned All-NBA D-League Honorable Mention recognition after averaging 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 48 games (30 starts) with Springfield during the 2012-13 season before signing with the Memphis Grizzlies.

In stints with Memphis and Sacramento, Reed has yet to appear in a regular season NBA game.

Wolves hire Mike Penberthy as shooting coach

Wolves hire Mike Penberthy as shooting coach

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the hiring of Mike Penberthy as the team’s shooting coach and Jason Hervey as scout. In addition, Derek Pierce is being promoted from general scout to advance scout.

Penberthy will work on player development, specializing in shooting. Penberthy played collegiate basketball for The Master’s College in Santa Clarita, Calif., from 1993-97 where he was a two-time NAIA All-American and set the school record for most career points. Penberthy held the NAIA record for consecutive games with at least one three-pointer made, with 111, until it was broken in December of 2005. Penberthy played in 53 games with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000-01, averaging 5.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and shooting 39.6 percent (55-for-139) from three-point range as the Lakers won the NBA Championship. He also played in three games for the Lakers in 2001-02 before being waived. Penberthy’ professional playing career spanned from 1997–2008, including numerous stints overseas and in the NBA and ABA.

Hervey will serve as a college and NBA personnel scout for the Wolves. He comes to Minnesota from the Detroit Pistons where he held the title of director of basketball operations for the past two seasons. Prior to that, Hervey held positions of advance scout and video coordinator for the Washington Wizards from 2009-2012. He began his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons where he was the team’s assistant video coordinator from 2005-09.

Pierce will scout Wolves upcoming opponents to assist the coaching staff with game preparation. He served as both a college and NBA personnel scout for the Wolves over the previous five seasons. Before joining Minnesota, Pierce spent three seasons as advance scout with the Washington Wizards and two seasons as advance scout with the Golden State Warriors. Pierce also spent five seasons with the Indiana Pacers as video coordinator.