Inside Hoops – Page 688 – NBA Blog

Brandan Wright undergoes ankle surgery

Grizzlies forward/center Brandan Wright underwent a successful arthroscopic debridement of his left ankle Tuesday afternoon after non-surgical interventions failed to eliminate his posterior tibialis tendinopathy.

Translation: His ankle was messed up, and surgery wound up being the best option.

The procedure was performed at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis and Wright will begin rehabilitation in Memphis immediately.

The 6-10, 230-pound forward/center has been sidelined for all 10 of the team’s regular season games this season and last appeared in the Oct. 6 preseason contest against the Atlanta Hawks.

Al Horford taking a while to recover from concussion

We often hear that about NBA players suffering “concussion-like symptoms,” and perhaps being diagnosed with an actual concussion, and missing a game or two, and then returning to action. But new Celtics big-man Al Horford took a serious hit, and he’s still recovering. Here’s WEEI reporting:

The waiting game continues for Al Horford and the Celtics.

The big man is still dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion and said after practice Tuesday that he’s not sure when he might play again.

Horford suffered the concussion when he was accidentally struck by a teammate at practice on Oct. 31. There was a glimmer of hope when he traveled with the team on the two-game trip through Indiana and New Orleans. But on Tuesday, following a light workout, he told reporters that he’s just not ready.

“I’m just not where I want to be right now, but trying to work through it,” Horford said. “This is something very new to me, so it’s just trying to get used to this.”

Nuggets waive Jarnell Stokes

The Denver Nuggets have waived F/C Jarnell Stokes, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Stokes, 6-9, 263, signed with Denver on Sept. 15, 2016, appearing in two games and averaging 1.5 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 3.5 minutes. The third-year big man has appeared in a total of 28 career games (two starts) for Memphis, Miami and Denver, averaging 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.4 minutes per game. He joined Denver after being named MVP of the D-League and leading the Sioux Falls Skyforce to a championship during the 2015-16 season.

Cory Jefferson now on Austin Spurs in D-League

The Austin Spurs (D-League) have acquired Cory Jefferson. Austin acquired the returning player rights of Jefferson from Northern Arizona in exchange for Austin’s own 2017 NBA D-League first round draft pick. Additional roster moves prior to tomorrow’s home opener include activating Jeff Ledbetter, and moving Danny Stewart and Alexis Wangmene to inactive status.

Jefferson (6-9, 218) was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, and later traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He played in 50 games for the Nets averaging 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10.9 minutes of play. Jefferson’s professional career includes stops in the NBA D-League with the Maine Red Claws (2015) and the Bakersfield Jam (2016), and six games with the Phoenix Suns during the 2015-16 season where he averaged 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds. Collegiately, he played four years for the Baylor Bears averaging 8.9 points and 5.6 assists.

Jefferson will wear jersey no. 40 when Austin opens the season tomorrow afternoon against the Oklahoma City Blue at 3 p.m. at Cedar Park Center.

As a kid, Nick Young wanted to be a Hollywood stunt man

Before a superstar girlfriend made him tabloid royalty and before a video leak made him a pariah; before one coach sent him to the bench and a new one rescued him from it; before he was Swaggy P or could even dunk, Nicholas Young wanted to be in the movies.

Specifically, he yearned for a life as a Hollywood stunt man.

His mother, Mae, took Nick and his brothers to Universal Studios and the future Lakers guard became enamored with the anonymous role players who ran through fire and fought with swords and scaled walls without suffering a scratch.

At home, Nick jumped off the roof of the garage and the family’s Culver City apartment. He built ramps in the street to perform bicycle tricks.

“He was a very difficult child,” Mae Young, Nick’s mother, said, “because he was constantly bruised and cut and scraped up.”

— Orange County Register

Mavericks assign A.J. Hammons to D-League

The Dallas Mavericks have assigned rookie center A.J. Hammons to the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League.

Hammons (7-0, 250) has appeared in three games for Dallas this season. In the Mavericks’ most recent game at Golden State on Nov. 9, Hammons produced nine points (3-5 FGs, 1-1 3FGs, 2-2 FTs) and three rebounds in 6 minutes of action.

A native of Gary, Ind., Hammons played four seasons with the Purdue Boilermakers and earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten and honorable mention All-America as a senior. In his final season, he averaged 15.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.1 assists while shooting .592 from the floor.

The Mavericks selected Hammons with the 46th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Edy Tavares joins Raptors 905 in D-League

Raptors 905, the NBA Development League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors, announced Saturday they have acquired center Edy Tavares. A second-round pick of the Atlanta Hawks in 2014 (43rd overall), Tavares was waived by the Hawks on October 31.

Tavares, 7-foot-3, 260 pounds, spent the last two seasons in the Hawks organization, dressing in 12 games for the club over two seasons. The native of Maio, Sotavento (Cape Verde) played in one NBA game this season recording two points and one rebound in 3.6 minutes of action.

Tavares owns career NBA D-league averages of 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in 29 games. Last season he split time between three clubs, playing 25 games with Austin, two games with Canton and two games with Bakersfield.

Internationally, Tavares played 60 games with Herbalife Gran Canaria during the 2014-15 season, averaging 8.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks a game. He spent the 2013-14 season with Gran Canaria, as well, averaging 6.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.

Kings assign Skal Labissiere, Malachi Richardson and Georgios Papagiannis to D-League

The Sacramento Kings have assigned center Georgios Papagiannis, forward Skal Labissiere and guard Malachi Richardson to the Reno Bighorns of the D-League.

Papagiannis was selected in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft after four seasons with Panathinaikos and Peristeri of the Greek League (2011-12 – 2012-13 and 2014-15 – 2015-16). He has appeared in one game for Sacramento during his rookie campaign, totaling two points and one rebound. The 7-1 center averaged 6.4 points (.678 FG%, .667 FT%) and 2.6 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game in 21 contests last season in Greece.

The 28th overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft, Labissiere has appeared in one game this season, logging eight points (3-5 FG) and three rebounds in 15 minutes of action at Milwaukee (11/5). He averaged 6.6 points (.516 FG%, .661 FT%), 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 36 games for Kentucky in 2015-16.

On July 7, Sacramento acquired Richardson’s draft rights from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for forward Marco Belinelli. The 6-6 guard has logged eight minutes in two contests this season. He averaged 13.4 points (.369 FG%, .353 3pt%, .720 FT%), 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 34.4 minutes per game in starting all 37 games in which he played in as a freshman at Syracuse in 2015-16.

2017 D-League Showcase event info

Raptors 905, the NBA Development League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors, will host the 2017 NBA D-League Showcase in Mississauga, Ontario, it was announced today. The 22-game, five-day event will run Jan. 18-22, 2017, and feature the league’s 22 teams playing two regular-season games each at Hershey Centre.

“We’re thrilled to bring the NBA D-League’s tentpole event to Mississauga and the Hershey Centre,” said NBA D-League President Malcolm Turner. “It’s always inspiring to watch our players put their skills on display in front of scouts from all 30 NBA teams and I’m looking forward to being part of the action as the basketball community’s focus shifts to Canada in January.”

“We are honored and excited to be the host team for the 2017 D-League Showcase,” said Raptors President Masai Ujiri. “Following last year’s successful NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto, we are eager to assist the League with the premier event for the D-League, its teams and players.”

A record 14 games from the 2017 NBA D-League Showcase will be nationally televised live on ESPNU and NBA TV. For the first time, every NBA D-League team will play at least one live nationally televised game at the Showcase, a platform for players and coaches to be scouted by representatives from all 30 NBA teams.

The 2017 NBA D-League Showcase tips off at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 18 when the Windy City Bulls play their first-ever Showcase game, taking on the Delaware 87ers. Action continues at 12:30 p.m. ET when the Grand Rapids Drive faces the 905 on NBA TV. The Greensboro Swarm makes its Showcase debut against the Erie BayHawks at 3 p.m. ET on NBA TV, while the Northern Arizona Suns take to the Showcase court for the first time against the Oklahoma City Blue at 6 p.m. ET. The first day of action concludes with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers meeting the Austin Spurs at 8:30 p.m. ET.

ESPNU begins its Showcase coverage on Thursday, Jan. 19 with Windy City facing the Fort Wayne Mad Ants at 12:30 p.m. ET and the reigning NBA D-League Champion Sioux Falls Skyforce playing the Reno Bighorns at 3 p.m. ET. The Long Island Nets and Salt Lake City Stars play their first-ever Showcase games on Friday, Jan. 20 against the Austin Spurs and Raptors 905, respectively. Both games will be broadcast on ESPNU.

The league’s premier in-season scouting event, the Showcase has seen more than 50 NBA D-Leaguers earn GATORADE Call-Ups to the NBA during or in the days immediately following the last 12 events.
As part of this year’s Showcase, a series of youth-focused programming will be planned throughout the week. The afternoon games will feature youth from local schools as part of the NBA D-League’s School Day initiative. In addition, two Jr. NBA Clinics presented by Shock Doctor, the Official Mouthguard of the NBA D-League, will take place on Thursday and Saturday. More than 100 children from the Ontario community will be taught the fundamentals of the game by current NBA D-League players and provided tickets to that evening’s game.

Tickets to the 2017 NBA D-League Showcase will be sold individually, for groups and in packages for fans to take in all of the action. Information on Showcase tickets is available by e-mail at tickets@raptors905.com. Log on to www.raptors905.com/showcase for seating maps and a breakdown of ticket tiers and packages.

2017 D-League Showcase Game Schedule (All Times ET)

Wednesday, Jan. 18
10:00 a.m. Windy City Bulls at Delaware 87ers
12:30 p.m. Grand Rapids Drive at Raptors 905 (NBA TV)
3:00 p.m. Greensboro Swarm at Erie BayHawks (NBA TV)
6:00 p.m. Northern Arizona Suns at Oklahoma City Blue
8:30 p.m. Rio Grande Valley Vipers at Austin Spurs

Thursday, Jan. 19
12:30 p.m. Fort Wayne Mad Ants at Windy City Bulls (ESPNU)
3:00 p.m. Sioux Falls Skyforce at Reno Bighorns (ESPNU)
6:00 p.m. Canton Charge at Maine Red Claws
8:30 p.m. Oklahoma City Blue at Santa Cruz Warriors (NBA TV)

Friday, Jan. 20
10:00 a.m. Erie BayHawks at Westchester Knicks
12:30 p.m. Salt Lake City Stars at Iowa Energy (ESPNU)
3:00 p.m. Delaware 87ers at Greensboro Swarm (ESPNU)
6:00 p.m. Austin Spurs at Northern Arizona Suns (ESPNU)
8:30 p.m. Raptors 905 at Long Island Nets (ESPNU)

Saturday, Jan. 21
10:00 a.m. Santa Cruz Warriors at Texas Legends
12:30 p.m. Maine Red Claws at Fort Wayne Mad Ants (NBA TV)
3:00 p.m. Iowa Energy at Rio Grande Valley Vipers (NBA TV)
6:00 p.m. Los Angeles D-Fenders at Sioux Falls Skyforce
8:30 p.m. Long Island Nets at Grand Rapids Drive

Sunday, Jan. 22
10:00 a.m. Westchester Knicks at Canton Charge (NBA TV)
12:30 p.m. Reno Bighorns at Salt Lake City Stars (NBA TV)
3:00 p.m. Texas Legends at Los Angeles D-Fenders (NBA TV)

Atlanta Hawks buying a D-League team

The NBA Development League and the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club today announced that the Hawks have acquired the right to own and operate an NBA D-League team that will play in College Park, Ga., beginning with the 2019-20 season.

Additionally, the City of College Park has agreed to construct a 3500-seat arena in which the new franchise will serve as the primary tenant.

With the purchase, the Hawks become the 16th NBA team to own and operate an NBA D-League affiliate, while the NBA D-League grows to 23 teams.

“Today’s an exciting day in the NBA D-League as we welcome the Hawks and the City of College Park to our growing family,” said NBA D-League President Malcolm Turner. “With the addition of the Hawks to our ownership ranks, more than half of NBA teams now own and operate their NBA D-League affiliate – an important step toward our goal of having a 30-team minor league.”

“Securing a D-League team for the Atlanta Hawks was among our top priorities when our ownership group took over the team,” said Tony Ressler, Atlanta Hawks Principal Owner and Chairman. “Coach Bud and Wes Wilcox would agree that having a local D-League franchise will play a significant role in building a championship-caliber team by helping us develop players, like the six now on our roster who have D-League experience. We would like to thank the City of College Park for becoming the host city of what will be another exciting part of our community and the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club.”

The new arena will be built at the Gateway Center, a conglomeration of upscale Marriott hotels and office space surrounding the Georgia International Convention Center, connected to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport via light rail.

The arena is scheduled to be completed by summer 2019.

“We are extremely excited about the Hawks’ D-League team calling the City of College Park its home,” stated Mayor Jack P. Longino. “Our Georgia International Convention Center is a world-class facility and now has a world-class professional sports team. It’s a win for everyone!”

“I would like to thank Mayor Longino for his leadership as we worked toward bringing professional basketball to College Park. We are excited to deliver the Hawks brand of sports and entertainment while building bridges to this thriving community,” Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said.

Six current Hawks have NBA D-League experience, including starters Kent Bazemore and Dennis Schröder, while assistant coaches Darvin Ham and Taylor Jenkins both began their coaching careers on NBA D-League benches. Additionally, Hawks General Manager Wes Wilcox was the inaugural general manager of the NBA D-League’s Canton Charge. Last season, the Hawks assigned three players to the NBA D-League.