Inside Hoops – Page 1151 – NBA Blog

Despite rumors, Knicks keep Iman Shumpert

Here’s the New York Post with an update on pretty much every aspect of Iman Shumpert’s basketball existence:

Iman Shumpert avoided a trade and a serious knee injury at Thursday’s trade deadline.

The 21-33 Knicks stood pat at the deadline and announced just after it passed Shumpert’s MRI exam showed he had a sprain of his left MCL and would miss “approximately two weeks.’’

Shumpert sprained his MCL early in his 2011-12 rookie season and returned in two weeks. Still, the uncertainty surrounding the most recent injury may have been a factor in the Clippers passing on Shumpert Thursday despite serious talks with the Knicks, who were hot after point guard Darren Collison.

Now they are stuck with each other. And the Knicks also are stuck with point guards Raymond Felton and out of-the-rotation Beno Udrih, and Metta World Peace. The Knicks failed to deal Udrih despite coming close with Denver.

Sixers waive Earl Clark

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have waived forward Earl Clark.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the move happened “hours after acquiring the forward along with center Henry Sims and a 2014 second-round pick in a trade for Spencer Hawes on Thursday morning. The move trimmed the Sixers’ roster to 15 players, the maximum number allowed on NBA rosters.”

Clark was originally the 14th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by Phoenix and appeared in 45 games for Cleveland this season.

Although still finding his way in the league, Clark does have NBA talent, and should be able to latch on with another team in the near future.

Clippers trade Byron Mullens to 76ers

The Los Angeles Clippers today announced that they have traded center Byron Mullens and a conditional second round draft selection to the Philadelphia 76ers for a future second round choice.

Mullens, 25, appeared in 27 games for the Clippers this season, averaging 2.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game. For his career, Mullens has appeared in 171 games (66 starts) with averages of 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.7 minutes.

Pacers trade Danny Granger to Sixers for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen

The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday they have acquired guard/forward Evan Turner and forward Lavoy Allen from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forward Danny Granger and a future second round draft pick.

Turner, a 6-7, 220 lb. guard out of Ohio State, was the second overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, drafted by Philadelphia. He has career averages of 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. For the 2013-14 season, he has played in 54 games, with averages of 17.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Allen is in his third season, having played college basketball at Temple. He was also drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, as the 50th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He has career averages of 5.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game; with averages of 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds this season.

“We thank Danny for his eight-and-a-half seasons with us and we appreciate everything he did for us in his time here,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “We felt we needed to make this trade to strengthen the core unit and our bench. In Evan and Lavoy, we think we got two really good players that can help us and we look forward to what they can bring.”

Granger was drafted by the Pacers with the 17th pick of the 2005 draft and has spent his career with the Pacers. In his time with the Pacers, Granger averaged 17.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game; and was named an NBA All-Star in 2009.

Also, the Pacers have waived guard Orlando Johnson. Johnson, a second-year player out of California-Santa Barbara, was a draft-night acquisition in 2012. He was originally drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 36th overall pick in that draft.

“Orlando is a great kid,” said Bird. “We appreciate everything he’s done for us and hope he has a long and successful career.”

Raptors trade Austin Daye to Spurs for Nando De Colo

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have acquired guard Nando De Colo (NON-doe day CO-low) from San Antonio in exchange for forward Austin Daye.

De Colo, 6-foot-5, 195 pounds, has appeared in 26 games (three starts) for San Antonio this season, averaging 4.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists. He holds career averages of 4.0 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 98 appearances with the Spurs. De Colo matched his career high with 15 points February 8, 2014 at Charlotte.

De Colo was selected with the 53rd overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by San Antonio. Prior to joining the Spurs, De Colo played three seasons (2009-12) with Valencia in the Spanish ACB League. He helped lead Valencia to the 2010 Eurocup Championship and the ACB playoffs in each of his three seasons with the club.

A native of Sainte-Catherine-lès-Arras, France, De Colo began his pro career in 2006 with Cholet Basket in the French ProA League. He played three seasons with Cholet, averaging 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 83 games.

De Colo has been a member of the French National Team since 2008. Last summer he helped France capture its first European Championship, averaging 7.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists. De Colo was also part of France’s team at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Daye appeared in eight games for Toronto, totaling eight points, seven rebounds and two assists after signing as a free-agent in July.

Clippers trade Antawn Jamison to Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have acquired Antawn Jamison from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Cenk Akyol, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry.

This season, Jamison has appeared in 22 games, averaging 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.3 minutes. He has averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game over 16 seasons with Golden State, Washington, Cleveland, the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers. He was drafted fourth overall in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors.

Akyol was selected by the Hawks in the second round (59th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft. He currently plays for Galatasaray Liv Hospital in Turkey.

Nuggets trade Jordan Hamilton to Rockets for Aaron Brooks

The Denver Nuggets have acquired guard Aaron Brooks from the Houston Rockets in exchange for swingman Jordan Hamilton, Nuggets General Manager/Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Brooks, 6-0, 161, has averaged 11.1 points and 3.2 assists in six seasons with the Rockets, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings. He also is a career .844 free-throw shooter and owns a .414 mark from 3-point range.

In 43 games with Houston this season, Brooks averaged 7.0 points and 1.9 assists in 16.7 minutes.

Selected 26th overall by Houston in the 2007 NBA Draft, Brooks was outstanding for the Rockets during the 2009 Western Conference playoffs. He averaged 16.8 points in 13 games, highlighted by a 34-point performance in Game 4 of Houston’s second-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

He followed his strong postseason play by averaging 19.6 points and 5.3 assists – both career-bests – in 2009-10 and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player.

Brooks, 29, also spent the 2011-12 season playing for Guangdong in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Chauncey Billups out after knee surgery

The Detroit Pistons announced today that guard Chauncey Billups underwent a successful arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee. The procedure, performed by team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Stephen Lemos at DMC Surgical Hospital in Madison Heights, was completed to smooth irregularities in the meniscus and alleviate pain and inflammation.

Billups will begin rehabilitation immediately and will be re-evaluated again following a two-to-three week period.

Three-team trade sends Andre Miller to Wizards, Jan Vesely to Nuggets, Eric Maynor to Sixers

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has acquired guard Andre Miller from Denver in exchange for forward Jan Vesely. As part of the three-team deal, the Wizards also sent guard Eric Maynor and a 2015 second round pick to Philadelphia and received a protected 2014 second round pick from the 76ers. The 76ers will also receive a future second round pick from Denver.

“Andre is a proven veteran who brings 14 years of experience as a point guard, leader and distributor to solidify our second unit,” said Grunfeld. “He will be a valuable addition as we make our push over these last 28 games of the season to put ourselves in the best possible position.”

Miller (6-2, 200) holds career averages of 13.6 points, 7.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 1,156 career games (935 starts) in 14-and-a-half NBA seasons with five teams. He has shot .459 from the field and .808 from the line. The eighth overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft has averaged 5.9 points and 3.3 assists in 30 games with Denver this season. A product of the University of Utah, Miller enjoyed his best season during the 2001-02 campaign when he averaged 16.5 points and a career-best and NBA-leading 10.9 assists in 81 games. He ranks second among active players and ninth in NBA history in career assists with 8,056 and is one of only eight players in NBA history to record at least 15,000 points and 7,500 assists. In 52 playoff games with Denver, Philadelphia and Portland, he holds averages of 15.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.05 steals.

Vesely was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by Washington. In 141 career games with the Wizards, he averaged 3.5 points and 3.4 rebounds. In 33 games this season, Vesely posted 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14 minutes.

Maynor signed with Washington as a free agent on July 10, 2013. In 23 games with the Wizards this season, he averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 assists in nine minutes.

“We appreciate the contributions and professionalism of both Jan and Eric during their time with the Wizards and we wish them both well,” said Grunfeld.

The 2015 second round pick that Washington sent to Philadelphia was acquired from the Clippers in 2012. In the three-team deal, the Wizards sent JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to the Denver Nuggets and Nick Young to the Los Angeles Clippers. In return, the Wizards received Nene from Denver and Brian Cook and a second-round pick from the Clippers. The Clippers acquired the pick from New Orleans as part of their trade for Chris Paul trade the previous December.

Bobcats trade Ramon Sessions, Jeff Adrien to Bucks for Gary Neal, Luke Ridnour

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has acquired guards Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for guard Ramon Sessions and forward Jeff Adrien. Neal will wear No. 12 for the Bobcats, while Ridnour will wear No. 13.

“We are excited to add a pair of quality players to our backcourt,” Higgins said. “Gary is an exceptional shooter and Luke is a veteran point guard who can help us off the bench. They both have significant postseason experience so they know how to get where we’re trying to go. We look forward to adding them to our rotation. We also want to thank Ramon and Jeff for their contributions and professionalism and wish them the best of luck.”

The 6-4 Neal is in his fourth NBA season and holds career averages of 9.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 234 games played for the Spurs and Bucks, with career shooting percentages of .427 from the field (851-1992), .393 from beyond the three-point line (341-868) and .821 from the free-throw line (243-296). His three-point percentage currently ranks 20th among active players and 50th all-time. Neal, who was not selected in the 2007 NBA Draft and spent three seasons playing overseas in Italy, Spain and Turkey before signing with the Spurs in 2010, was named to the All-Rookie First Team in 2010-11, becoming just the second undrafted player ever to earn All-Rookie First Team honors.

In 30 games played for the Bucks this season, Neal averaged 10.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.2 minutes. He shot .390 from the field (108-277), .360 from beyond the three-point line (40-111) and .833 from the free-throw line (45-54).

The 6-2 Ridnour is in his 11th NBA season after being selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. He has played in 758 career games for the SuperSonics, Bucks and Timberwolves, with career averages of 9.8 points, 4.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 steal. Ridnour has career shooting percentages of .432 from the field (2816-6519), .351 from beyond the three-point line (552-1571) and .864 from the free-throw line (1268-1468). He has finished in the NBA’s top 10 in free throw percentage in four of his 10 seasons, and his career percentage of .864 currently ranks eighth among active players and 27th all-time.

Ridnour played in 36 games for the Bucks this season, starting 12, and averaged 5.7 points, 3.4 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 21.2 minutes, while shooting .384 from the field (84-219) and .368 from beyond the three-point line (25-68).

A six-year NBA veteran from the University of Nevada, Sessions, 27, returns for his second stint with Milwaukee. Originally selected by the Bucks with the 56th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Sessions played his first two seasons in Milwaukee and averaged 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 96 games. Sessions tallied 10+ assists on 16 occasions in a Bucks uniform, including 12 point/assist double-doubles. On April 14, 2008, Sessions handed out a Bucks franchise-record 24 assists vs. Chicago. He also tallied a career-best 44 points in a Bucks uniform on Feb. 7, 2009, vs. Detroit. Sessions owns career averages of 11.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 439 career games with Milwaukee, Minnesota, Cleveland, the L.A. Lakers and Charlotte.

Adrien, 28, is averaging 2.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in his fourth NBA season. After going undrafted out of the University of Connecticut in 2009, Adrien signed as a free agent with Golden State and appeared in 23 games as a rookie for the Warriors during the 2010-11 season. He played his second NBA season with Houston before signing with Charlotte prior to the 2012-13 campaign. In his four NBA seasons, Adrien owns career averages of 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 108 games.