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The Utah Jazz yesterday waived guard Shaquille Harrison.
Harrison (6-4, 189, Tulsa) appeared in 17 games with the Jazz in 2020-21, averaging 1.0 points in 3.3 minutes per contest.
The Jazz are 26-6 this season, which is the best record in the NBA. They’ve been the surprise of the league. Coming into the season they were expected to be a very good team, and certainly a playoff team, but they have exceeded all expectations.
The Cleveland Cavaliers last night waived Two-Way center Marques Bolden and signed guard Brodric Thomas to a Two-Way contract.
Bolden (6-10, 249) played in six games with the Cavaliers this season and was a member of Cleveland’s 2020 training camp roster. He has played in three games (all starts) this season with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League affiliate, averaging 6.3 points on .583 shooting from the field, 6.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 17.0 minutes.
Thomas (6-5, 185) played in four games this season with the Houston Rockets after joining the team’s 2020 training camp roster and being converted to a Two-Way player for Houston on Dec. 19. He was waived by the Rockets on Feb. 12 and returned to their NBA G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, on Feb. 14. Thomas has played in eight games (all starts) this season with the Vipers, averaging 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks in 33.3 minutes. He played 80 games (78 starts) collegiately at Truman State, averaging 18.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks in 31.8 minutes over three seasons, and went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Booker has earned his second straight NBA All-Star selection. He is averaging a team-high 24.7 points (16th in the NBA), 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds while shooting a career-high 50.1 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from three-point range and 84.8 percent from the free throw line in 26 games this season.
Behind Booker and fellow NBA All-Star Chris Paul, Phoenix has posted the league’s fourth-best record (20-10) and produced its best start through 30 games of a season since 2007-08. With the selection of Booker and Paul, the Suns have multiple NBA All-Stars in a season for the first time since 2009-10 (Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire).
Davis will miss the NBA All-Star Game after sustaining a right calf strain against the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 14. He was voted by NBA head coaches as an All-Star reserve, his eighth consecutive All-Star selection. Davis is averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.78 blocks in 23 games this season.
According to NBA rules, when a player selected to the All-Star Game is unable to participate, the Commissioner shall choose a replacement from the same conference as the player who is being replaced. Davis and Booker both play for Western Conference teams.
The NBA All-Star Game rosters will be determined through the NBA All-Star Draft, where team captains Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets and LeBron James of the Lakers will select from the pool of players named starters and reserves in each conference. TNT will air the NBA All-Star Draft on Thursday, March 4 at 8 p.m. ET.
In the two-round NBA All-Star Draft, Booker will be selected with the All-Star Game reserves in the second round. The starters will be selected in the first round. Davis will be assigned to the same All-Star team that drafts Booker.
Of the 455 players tested for COVID-19 since Feb 17, 2 new players have returned confirmed positive tests.
Anyone who has returned a confirmed positive test, or has been identified as having been in close contact to an infected person, is isolated or quarantined until they are cleared under the rules established by the NBA and the Players Association in accordance with CDC guidance.
The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Sindarius Thornwell to a 10-day contract.
Thornwell, 6-4, 215, has previously appeared in 11 games (one start) this season with New Orleans, averaging 1.4 points in 4.8 minutes per contest.
New Orleans’ roster now stands at 16 players.
The Los Angeles Lakers waived guard Quinn Cook today.
Cook appeared in 16 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 2.1 points in 3.9 minutes per game.
A two-time NBA champion, he has played in 181 regular season games (29 starts) for the Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors and Lakers, holding career averages of 6.4 points (.463 FG%), 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14.1 minutes.
The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on guard/forward Andre Roberson, guard Iman Shumpert and forward Noah Vonleh.
Roberson was originally signed by Brooklyn on Feb. 16, logging 22 minutes across two games. Shumpert signed with the Nets on Jan. 30, playing six minutes in one game. Vonleh was signed by Brooklyn on Feb. 8, seeing action in 11 minutes over four games.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday and Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Richardson are co-winners of the January NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente in recognition of their efforts to immediately provide support for those impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in their new team markets, the NBA announced today. The award recognizes players each month who best reflect the passion that the league and NBA players share for giving back to their communities.
After joining the Bucks in November, Jrue and his wife, Lauren, partnered with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation to identify small, women- and Black-owned businesses most in need of assistance. After reviewing grant requests, the Holiday family announced funding for seven local businesses in January – Amri Counseling Services, Carter’s Quality Care, Hands at Home, Jamaican Season Island Restaurant, Kid’s Kingdom, Legacy Home Health Services and The SW Retreat – that provide a variety of services in southeastern Wisconsin, including assisted living, home health, childcare, mental health and substance abuse services, hospitality and more.
Similarly, Richardson, who joined the Mavericks shortly before the start of the 2020-21 season, quickly sought to make an impact in the greater Dallas area, surprising dozens of frontline health care workers from UT Southwestern Medical Center with Reebok sneakers, team merchandise and a surprise video message thanking them for their ongoing efforts to keep the community safe. He also visited a Dallas Independent School District first grade class as a guest reader, surprising the students and encouraging them to embrace reading and education during the particular challenges of this school year.
The New Orleans Pelicans waived guard Sindarius Thornwell.
Thornwell, 6-4, 215, has appeared in 11 games (one start) this season, with New Orleans, averaging 1.4 points in 4.8 minutes per contest.
The Pelicans roster now stands at 15 players.
Currently 11th in the Western conference with a 13-17 record, the Pelicans are being led in scoring this season by Zion Williamson at 25.1 points per game, Brandon Ingram at 23.9 ppg, Lonzo Ball at 14.3 ppg and Eric Bledsoe at 12.5 ppg.
The Raptors are hot lately. Via the Toronto Star:
Toronto has been on a torrid stretch as of late, winning nine of their last 12 games and turning their season around after a miserable start…
The Raptors started the season 2-8. The Boston Celtics, labelled by many as a contender in the East before the season, started the year 8-3.
And now? The Raptors currently have a better record than the Celtics.
For the season, the Raptors are 16-15, good for 4th in the East, while the Celtics are right behind at 15-15 for 5th. Their leading scorers are Pascal Siakam at 20.5 points per game, Fred VanVleet at 20.1 ppg, Kyle Lowry at 17.7 ppg, Norman Powell at 17.0 ppg, OG Anunoby at 14.1 ppg, and Chris Boucher at 13.4 ppg.