Inside Hoops – Page 657 – NBA Blog

Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer suspended

Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer has been suspended one game without pay for making contact with a game official, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations. Coach Budenholzer also made contact with a game official last season on November 21, 2015 during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The most recent incident occurred with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter of the Hawks’ 135-130 loss to the Cavaliers on March 3 at Philips Arena.

Budenholzer will serve his suspension on Sunday, March 5 when the Hawks host the Indiana Pacers.

Festus Ezeli will undergo season-ending knee surgery

Trail Blazers center Festus Ezeli is expected to undergo surgery next week on his left knee, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.

While the exact surgery date is pending, it will be performed by Dr. Robert LaPrade at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado.

Ezeli will be out for the remainder of the 2016-17 season.

Bucks sign Terrence Jones

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed forward Terrence Jones to a contract for the remainder of the season, General Manager John Hammond announced today. In a related move, Axel Toupane has been released from his 10-day contract.

Jones, 25, appeared in 51 games (12 starts) with the New Orleans Pelicans this season and posted averages of 11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks in 24.8 minutes per game. He was waived by the Pelicans on Feb. 23.

Currently in his fifth NBA season, Jones has played in 229 games and averaged 10.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 24.8 minutes per contest. He spent his first four NBA seasons with the Houston Rockets and also played with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League.

Toupane was signed to a 10-day contract on Feb. 25 and saw action in two games with the Bucks.

Jones will wear uniform number 6. Milwaukee’s roster now stands at 15 players.

Cavs sign Derrick Williams for remainder of season

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Derrick Williams to a contract for the remainder of the season, Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Williams (6-8, 245) has appeared in nine games with the Cavaliers this season, averaging 10.3 points on .561 shooting from the field and 3.1 rebounds in 24.2 minutes. He originally signed with the Cavs on Feb. 9, the first of two consecutive 10-day contracts. Prior to joining Cleveland, he played in 25 games (11 starts) with Miami this season and averaged 5.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.1 minutes.

Playing in his sixth NBA season, Williams has appeared in 410 games (112 starts) with Minnesota, Sacramento, New York, Miami and Cleveland and holds career averages of 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 21.1 minutes. He was drafted out of Arizona as the No. 2 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves and earned All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2012.

Hawks add Jose Calderon via waiver wire

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club has claimed guard Jose Calderon off of waivers, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

“We feel fortunate to be able to add a player of Jose’s caliber at this point in the season,” Budenholzer said. “His unselfish nature and ability to shoot with range fits our style of play and his experience will add to our locker room.”

In his 12th season, Calderon has appeared in 772 career regular season games (557 starts), averaging 9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists (.473 FG%, .411 3FG%, .875 FT%). He’s also played in 18 postseason contests.

As a member of the Spanish national team, he’s won the FIBA World Cup (2006), two Olympic silver medals (2008, 2012) and a bronze medal (2016).

Calderon will wear uniform No. 13.

Darius Morris named D-League Player of Month

Rio Grande Valley Vipers guard Darius Morris today was named the NBA Development League Player of the Month for games played in February.

Morris (6-4, Michigan) led Rio Grande Valley to a 6-2 record behind averages of 21.9 points, 7.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals. He shot 46.6 percent from the field and scored over 25 points in four games in February. On Feb. 10, he recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in a 116-112 victory over the Sioux Falls Skyforce. On Feb. 14, he hit a season-high six three pointers on his way to 26 points and added 14 assists and six rebounds in a 141-133 win over the Texas Legends.

Morris is averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals this season. He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 41st overall pick in NBA Draft 2011 presented by State Farm. He last appeared in the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2014-15 season.

Other players who received consideration for the monthly award were Delaware’s James Webb III, Grand Rapids’ Kevin Murphy, Los Angeles’ David Nwaba (called up by the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 28), Northern Arizona’s Elijah Millsap, Raptors 905’s Brady Heslip and Texas’ Jameel Warney.

Mike Dunleavy out with ankle injury

Atlanta Hawks guard/forward Mike Dunleavy has been diagnosed with right ankle synovitis.

An MRI taken at the Emory Orthopaedics and Spine Center on Feb. 28th revealed the injury and a second opinion by Dr. Richard Ferkel of the Southern California Orthopedic Institute also confirmed the diagnosis.

Dunleavy will now undergo a period of rest, treatment and rehabilitation and his status will be updated as appropriate.

Jarrett Jack injured, out 4-6 weeks

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jarrett Jack is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a right lateral meniscus tear.

Jack, 6-3, 200, was signed to a 10-day contract by New Orleans on February 24, and has appeared in two games, averaging 3.0 points and 2.5 assists in 16.5 minutes per game.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Jack has appeared in 805 career regular season games with Portland, Indiana, Toronto, New Orleans, Golden State, Cleveland and Brooklyn, averaging 11.0 points, 4.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 28.1 minutes per game.

Yogi Ferrell given amazing opportunity with Mavs

Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporting on a fun Mavericks-related underdog story:

The recognition just keeps coming for Yogi Ferrell.

A week after being named the Dallas Mavericks’ starting point guard, Ferrell was selected Thursday as the Western Conference rookie of the month for February.

This is the first time a Mavericks’ player was chosen rookie of the month since Devin Harris in November of 2004.

In 11 games last month, Ferrell averaged 12 points, 4.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, shot 41.1 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from 3-point range…

After Ferrell sparked the Mavericks to victories over San Antonio, Cleveland and Philadelphia, owner Mark Cuban skipped a second 10-day contract and instead signed Ferrell to a deal worth $208,000 the rest of this season and $1.3 million next season.

Raptors face challenge without Kyle Lowry

Here’s the Toronto Star reporting on the Raptors, who will be without star point guard Kyle Lowry for the near future as they try to maintain their status as one of the best teams in the Eastern conference:

There are times when you are burbling along, minding your own business, and get a chilling glimpse of a possible future. It happened Wednesday night in Toronto against the Washington Wizards, second quarter. It was a 26-1 run when the wreckage was all accounted for, with the backups getting blitzed when Kyle Lowry usually plays. There wasn’t enough time to recover. Life without Lowry had been pretty good, until it wasn’t.

“No question,” said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. “The margin of error’s slim with him out.”

Lowry’s surgically repaired wrist won’t be ready for four more weeks at the earliest, they reckon, and after three straight comeback wins the Raptors were weathering the storm with grace. Then Washington came to town, and . . . ugh. Everything went wrong. This is a deep team filled with useful players, and DeMar DeRozan is an all-star playing his best basketball. And in that game you could see how much Lowry — a free agent at the end of this season — is the force that makes this team go.

“Him being the vocal person that he is, that dominant demeanour, you can just feel that vibe when he’s out there,” says DeRozan, who averaged 37.7 points in those three wins, then had 24 points on 20 shots Wednesday night. “Especially when we have our moments like last night, when we get out of sync, Kyle, certain things he can do just reverse it.”