Inside Hoops – Page 205 – NBA Blog

Longtime Nets official scorer Herb Turetzky has passed away

The Brooklyn Nets mourn the loss of longtime official scorer Herb Turetzky, who passed away on Monday, April 4, at the age of 76.

For 54 years, Turetzky was synonymous with Nets Basketball. He was the one constant since the inception of the franchise, and his passing leaves a void that can never be filled. A fixture at center court, he touched the lives of generations of Nets players, staff and fans, leaving an indelible mark on those who knew him. His warm smile and kind-hearted nature will be forever missed by all at Barclays Center, and his legacy will endure for years to come.

Turetzky is survived by his wife of 51 years, Jane, their daughter, Jennifer, son, David, daughter-in-law, Heather, and grandchildren, Jack and Harper.

A native of Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, Turetzky scored the first game in franchise history, a matchup between the New Jersey Americans and Pittsburgh Pipers of the American Basketball Association (ABA) on Oct. 23, 1967, at the Teaneck Armory while he was a senior at Long Island University. That game began a career that spanned more than 2,200 games and was eventually certified as a record for professional basketball games scored in the Guinness Book of World Records. Turetzky also worked 1,465 consecutive regular season and playoff games, beginning in the 1984-85 season and concluding in Oct. 2018. Turetzky’s tenure saw him score games in eight home arenas with more than 500 players donning a Nets uniform in that span. He was on hand to score the greatest moments in franchise history, including ABA championships in 1974 and 1976 and consecutive trips to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.

Turetzky earned a number of honors throughout his career with the Nets, including his induction into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and the Basketball Old Timers of America Hall of Fame.

The Nets honored Turetzky at their game versus the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 16, 2021, bestowing him the title of official scorer emeritus and dedicating the scorer’s table at Barclays Center as the ‘Herb Turetzky Scorer’s Table’ in a ceremony attended by his family, former players and a group of close friends.

Thunder sign Georgios Kalaitzakis and Zavier Simpson to 10-day contracts

The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed forward Georgios Kalaitzakis and guard Zavier Simpson to 10-day contracts, via the NBA’s Hardship Allowance, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Kalaitzakis (6-7, 192) made 31 appearances (two starts) with the Oklahoma City Blue this season and averaged 10.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.6 minutes per game.

Simpson (6-0, 190) played in 47 games (32 starts) in his second season with the Blue this year and averaged 12.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 30.3 minutes per game.

Former NBA All-Star player and Coach of Year Gene Shue passes away

Gene Shue has passed away. Via the Washington Times:

Gene Shue, the former Maryland Terrapins basketball star who went on to coach the [Washington] Bullets for 13 seasons, died on Sunday. He was 90.

The NBA announced Shue’s death with a statement on Monday.

“The NBA family mourns the passing of Gene Shue, a 5x NBA All-Star, 2x All-NBA selection and 2x NBA Coach of the Year,” posted the league’s official Twitter account. “Gene dedicated his life to the game and left an indelible mark as a player, head coach and executive. We extend our deepest condolences to the Shue family.”

Shue is the franchise’s leader in wins with 522 and is the only bench boss in team history to win the NBA Coach of the Year Award, doing so in 1969 and 1982.

Per the AP, “a five-time All-Star as a player for the Pistons, Shue went on to coach for more than two decades. He took the Baltimore Bullets to the NBA Finals in 1971, then did the same with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1977. He is still the record holder for the Washington-Baltimore franchise with 522 victories.”

Pistons sign forward Braxton Key to two-way contract, waive forward Chris Smith

The Detroit Pistons have signed forward Braxton Key to a two-way contract.

And in a related move, the team waived forward Chris Smith.

Key, 6-8, 225, signed a 10-day contract with Detroit on March 24. In five games with the Pistons this season, he’s averaging 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game.

Prior to Detroit, Key averaged 18.9 points (48% FG, 39% 3FG), 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.5 blocks in 28.2 minutes per game with the Delaware Blue Coats, the NBA G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers, this season. In 43 career NBA G League games, he averaged 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in 23.7 minutes, all with the Blue Coats. Key also appeared in two games with the 76ers this season.

A native of Charlotte, N.C., Key began his collegiate career at the University of Alabama where he played two seasons and was named to the 2016-17 SEC All-Freshman team. He played his final two seasons at the University of Virginia where he was a member of the 2019 NCAA Championship team. In 125 career games, he averaged 8.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 26.6 minutes per game.

Smith signed a two-way contract with Detroit on August 16, 2021. In 18 games with the Motor City Cruise, the G League affiliate of the Pistons, he averaged 8.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

Trail Blazers sign Kris Dunn and Drew Eubanks for remainder of season

The Trail Blazers have signed guard Kris Dunn and center Drew Eubanks for the remainder of the 2021-22 season, the team announced today. Both contracts are via the NBA’s hardship exception.

Dunn previously signed 10-day contracts with the Trail Blazers on March 14 and March 24. In 11 games (one start) for Portland, he has averaged 8.6 points (49.4% FG, 100% FT), 3.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.82 steals.

Eubanks has played in 18 games (all starts) for Portland since signing the first of four 10-day contracts on February 22. He is averaging 14.1 points (64.9% FG, 78.0% FT), 8.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the Trail Blazers. His season averages of 7.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 67 games (27 starts) with Portland and San Antonio are all career highs.

Detroit Pistons sign guard Carsen Edwards

The Detroit Pistons have signed guard Carsen Edwards to a contract.

Edwards, 5-11, 200, was the 33rd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and traded to the Boston Celtics as part of a draft-day deal. In 68 career NBA games, he’s averaged 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists, all with the Celtics.

In 31 games this season with the Salt Lake City Stars, the NBA G League affiliate of the Utah Jazz, Edwards averaged 26.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals in 35.9 minutes per game.

A two-time All-American at Purdue University, Edwards was named to the First Team All-Big Ten team after leading the Boilermakers to a school-record 30 wins as a sophomore. He also won the Jerry West Award as the top shooting guard in the nation, that season.

Edwards will wear jersey #20 for the Pistons.

Hornets forward Gordon Hayward returning to action

The Charlotte Hornets are about to get deeper. Via the Charlotte Observer:

As the Charlotte Hornets hit the final week of the regular season and prepare for the play-in tournament, they are set to welcome Gordon Hayward back. Hayward is officially listed as probable for Saturday’s matinee against Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center and will be available after missing the last 22 games with a sprained left ankle.

Hayward practiced with the team over the past two weeks, ramping up his activity over the last few days. He was on the floor again Friday during their session at Temple University and he’s ready to go just in time to help the Hornets (40-37) during the stretch run. They are in a three-way tie with Brooklyn and Atlanta for ninth place.

Three of the Hornets’ final five games are on the road and there’s at least one day in between each except for one, which should assist in easing Hayward in and gradually increasing his minutes. The veteran swingman hasn’t played since getting injured Feb. 7 against Toronto when his leg got rolled up on by Gary Trent Jr. while chasing a rebound.

Thunder sign forward Jaylen Hoard to 10-day contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed forward Jaylen Hoard to a 10-day contract, via the NBA’s Hardship Allowance.

Hoard (6-8, 215) has played in 20 games with the Thunder over the 2020-22 seasons and averaged 5.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 16.1 minutes per game. He previously spent the 2019-20 season with the Portland Trail Blazers where he averaged 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13 appearances.

A native of France, Hoard played in 39 games (25 starts) with the Oklahoma City Blue this year, averaging 10.1 points on 52.9 percent shooting from the field, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 23.9 minutes per game.

Health update on Warriors guard Stephen Curry

Per the Golden State Warriors, guard Stephen Curry, who has missed the team’s last seven games after suffering a sprained ligament in his left foot on March 16 against the Boston Celtics, is making good progress in his recovery process.

He has spent the last two weeks performing various rehabilitation exercises in the training and weight rooms under the guidance of the team’s performance staff.

He will gradually begin individual on-court activities next week, and his eventual return to practice will be based on his continued progress.

The next update on his status will be provided on April 11.

Per the Bay Area News Group, “Curry could still be cleared to start as early as Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, which begin on April 16. The 34-year-old is “progressing” in his rehab and could start individual on-court workouts next week. “We’ve known that was going to be the case,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We were hoping maybe he could play one, two games at the end of the regular season but that was a long shot. This is how it’s turned out. His rehab is going fine.””

Magic sign guard Devin Cannady to 10-day contract

The Orlando Magic have signed free agent guard Devin Cannady to a 10-day contract, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today.

Cannady (6’1”, 190, 5/21/96) has appeared in 16 games (11 starts) this season with Lakeland of the NBA G League, averaging 15.8 ppg., 2.8 rpg. and 1.9 apg. in 26.5 minpg., while shooting .468 (59-126) from three-point range and .957 (22-23) from the free throw line.

Last season, Cannady played in three games with Orlando, averaging 4.7 ppg. in 4.5 minpg. He originally was signed to a 10-day contract by Orlando on Apr. 6, then released on Apr. 13, before signing a two-way contract on Apr. 16. Cannady suffered an open fracture of his right ankle during the first quarter on Apr. 25 vs. Indiana. He was later waived on May 4.

Prior to his time in Orlando last season, Cannady played in 13 games (nine starts) with Lakeland of the NBA G League, averaging 11.7 ppg., 2.8 rpg. and 2.7 apg. in 25.8 minpg., while shooting .400 (28-70) from three-point range. He played and started in all three playoff outings, averaging 15.7 ppg., 4.7 rpg. and 3.3 apg. in 29.7 minpg., while shooting .450 (9-20) from three-point range. During the 2021 NBA G League Final on Mar. 11 vs. Delaware, Cannady tallied 22 points, six rebounds and four assists and was named G League Final MVP, helping Lakeland capture the 2020-21 NBA G League championship.

Cannady has played in 69 career NBA G League games (50 starts) with Long Island and Lakeland, averaging 14.2 ppg., 3.4 rpg. and 2.6 apg. in 29.0 minpg., while shooting .390 (203-520) from three-point range and .933 (84-90) from the free throw line.

Cannady played in 104 career games (67 starts) during four seasons at Princeton University (2015-19), averaging 14.6 ppg., 4.1 rpg., 1.6 apg. and 1.09 stlpg. in 31.1 minpg., while shooting .403 (268-665) from three-point range and a school-record .896 (285-318) from the free throw line. He was named Second Team All-Ivy League as a junior in 2017-18 and Honorable Mention All-Ivy League as a sophomore in 2016-17.

Cannady will wear #30 with the Orlando Magic.