Inside Hoops – Page 687 – NBA Blog

Nets waive Greivis Vasquez

The Brooklyn Nets have waived guard Greivis Vasquez.

“Greivis did everything we asked of him and more to try to get back on the court at full strength,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “The passion, grit and perseverance he has shown since he joined the team have been remarkable. We are thankful to Greivis for all of his efforts and wish him well in the future.”

Vasquez appeared in three games this season with the Nets, averaging 2.3 points and 1.7 assists in 12.9 minutes per game. He was originally signed as a free agent by Brooklyn on July 13, 2016.

Al Horford still recovering from concussion

New Celtics addition Al Horford’s concussion was the real thing. And it’s taking a little while for him to fully recover from it. Here’s ESPN Boston with the latest:

One week after Boston Celtics big man Al Horford suffered a concussion during an off-day practice, coach Brad Stevens said the 10th-year veteran has not progressed in the NBA’s concussion protocol and he is uncertain when Horford will return to basketball activities.

Horford, who signed a four-year, $113 million contract with the Celtics over the summer, has missed Boston’s past three games. The concussion was diagnosed Tuesday, after he experienced nausea while attempting to practice a day after absorbing an inadvertent blow to the head from a teammate.

Kings waive Jordan Farmar

The Sacramento Kings waived guard Jordan Farmar today.

According to CSN Bay Area, Farmar was waived “to make room for the returning Darren Collison. Sacramento was granted a short reprieve with their roster when Collison was shifted to the league’s suspension list after his fifth missed game, allowing the team to ink Farmar to a deal for depth.”

In two games played with the Kings this season, Farmar averaged 6.0 points (.333 FG%, 4-9 3pt), 1.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists, including 9 points (3-8 3pt), two rebounds and a team-high seven assists against the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 5. A 10-year NBA veteran, Farmar has tallied career averages of 7.7 points (.423 FG%, .374 3pt%, .739 FT%), 1.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 19.5 minutes per game in 504 contests.

Pelicans waive Lance Stephenson, sign Archie Goodwin

The New Orleans Pelicans waived guard Lance Stephenson today, and then signed guard Archie Goodwin.

Goodwin, 6-5, 205, has appeared in 150 career games (15 starts) with the Phoenix Suns, averaging 6.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.5 minutes per contest. The University of Kentucky product was selected 29th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by Oklahoma City.

Goodwin will wear #4 and be available for the Pelicans’ game tonight at Golden State.

Stephenson, 6-5, 230, was originally signed by New Orleans on Sept. 14. In six games this season, Stephenson has averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 27.0 minutes per game.

Drafted 40th overall by Indiana in 2010 out of the University of Cincinnati, Stephenson has appeared in 340 career regular season games with Indiana, Charlotte, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis and New Orleans, holding career averages of 8.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 25.1 minutes per game.

Stephenson is at a key point in his career. His stock has fallen, and at this point he needs to make sure that he signs with a team that he really fits in with, even if it means doing so in a limited bench role.

New Orleans’ roster currently stands at 15.

LeBron James, George Hill named Players of Week

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and the Utah Jazz’s George Hill today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Oct. 31 through Sunday, Nov. 6.

James led the unbeaten Cavaliers to a 3-0 week, averaging 24.7 points (fourth in the East), 11.3 assists (first in the East) and 9.3 rebounds. On Nov. 3, he scored a season-high 30 points and added 12 assists and seven rebounds in a 128-122 win over the Boston Celtics. He followed that performance with 25 points, 14 assists, eight rebounds and two steals in a 102-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 5. During the game, James passed Hakeem Olajuwon for 10th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Hill helped the Jazz to a 3-1 week behind averages of 20.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds. He connected on 31-of-53 (58.5 percent) shots from the field, including 11-of-20 (55.0 percent) from three-point range. On Nov. 2, he scored a season-high 25 points to go with six rebounds and four assists in a 97-81 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Hill capped his week by recording 23 points and a season-high nine assists in a 114-109 win over the New York Knicks on Nov. 6. Utah improved to 4-0 when Hill scores at least 20 points.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Atlanta’s Dwight Howard, Charlotte’s Kemba Walker, Houston’s James Harden, the LA Clippers’ Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Orlando’s Evan Fournier, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Phoenix’s Devin Booker and Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan.

Knicks defense needs big improvement

The latest example came on Sunday afternoon, when the club allowed 65 points to Utah in the second half of a 114-109 loss. They walked off the court with the worst defense, statistically, in the NBA.

The Knicks struggled, in particular, to defend the pick-and-roll. Utah’s George Hill created several open looks for his teammates with the play, which is part of the reason the Jazz made 24 of their 38 shots after halftime.

“We gave this game away,” Anthony said after New York fell to 2-4.

— ESPN NY

Pistons assign Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije to D-League

The Pistons today assigned forward Henry Ellenson and guard Michael Gbinije to the team’s NBA Development League (D-League) affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive.

Ellenson has appeared in two games this season averaging 1.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 2.5 minutes per game. He was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Gbinije has appeared in one game, the season opener at Toronto, and recorded one assist in five minutes of action. He was selected with the 49th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Thunder assign Josh Huestis to D-League

The Thunder today assigned forward Josh Huestis to the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League.

During the 2015-16 season, Huestis appeared in five games for the Thunder, averaging 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game. Huestis has not yet appeared in a game with the Thunder during the 2016-17 season.

In two seasons with the Blue, Huestis has appeared in 69 games (68 starts) and posted averages of 11.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.52 blocks in 32.7 minutes.

Huestis is being assigned in order to participate in today’s Oklahoma City Blue practice.

Derrick Rose happy for Chicago Cubs World Series win

Derrick Rose isn’t a Bull anymore, but Chicago will always be a part of him. Here’s the Bulls.com blog reporting:

No, the parade Friday wasn’t for Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah returning to Chicago.

But as much as Rose and Noah hoped, wished and envisioned it would be them someday making Chicago feel proud, Rose, nevertheless, said he was thrilled for Chicago.

“Just coming back here, it felt good, to tell you the truth,” Rose told reporters after Knicks practice in the United Center. “Especially the Cubs winning. I felt the energy of the city. The city is on some type of high right now. It’s great for the city with everything that we’ve been going through, the killings, everything. We need some positive light shined here.”

Rose, the Englewood native and Simeon High School star, has been part of the Chicago fabric for almost 20 years, as a prep basketball phenomenon and then as the No. 1 draft pick of the Bulls and the NBA’s youngest ever Most Valuable Player. Though Rose did so unobtrusively, he was one of the more community oriented Chicago athletes. He often joined Father Michael Phleger in the youth social activism in the troubled South Side and made the largest ever charitable gift of a Chicago athlete, a $1 million donation to the non profit After School Matters for teenage out of school programs.

Jazz recall Joel Bolomboy from D-League

The Utah Jazz have recalled forward Joel Bolomboy from the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s exclusively owned and operated NBA D-League team. He will re-join the team prior to tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.

This marked the first assignment this season for Bolomboy (6-9, 235, Weber State). He has appeared in two games for the Jazz this season, averaging 1.5 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocked shots in 2.6 minutes per game. He registered three points, one rebound and one blocked shot at Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 30.

Bolomboy is the fifth player to be assigned to the D-League under the Jazz-Stars single affiliation. Other players on the current Jazz roster with D-League experience include Rudy Gobert and Shelvin Mack.