Inside Hoops – Page 958 – NBA Blog

Clippers sign Dahntay Jones for remainder of season

The Los Angeles Clippers have signed guard Dahntay Jones for the remainder of the season.

Jones, 34, has appeared in nine games for Los Angeles and is averaging 0.4 points, 0.1 rebounds and 0.2 steals in 3.2 minutes. He originally signed with the Clippers on Jan. 14, the first of two consecutive 10-day contracts.

Jones, who was the 16th GATORADE call-up of the 2014-15 season, appeared in 19 games (15 starts) for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League and averaged 14.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 29.2 minutes.

A 10-year NBA veteran who has appeared in 597 career games (157 starts), has averaged 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 16.2 minutes with Memphis, Sacramento, Denver, Indiana, Dallas, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Originally drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft, Jones was traded to Memphis on Draft Day and spent four seasons with the Grizzlies.

A New Jersey native, the 6-foot-6 inch guard/forward played two seasons at Rutgers before transferring to Duke for his junior and senior season, where he and Clippers guard J.J. Redick were teammates during the 2002-03 season.

adidas Futurestar Boost basketball shoe

Today, adidas unveiled the Futurestar Boost basketball shoe, a new model that the company says pays homage to the iconic adidas Pro Model.

Designed in tandem with the 2015 NBA All-Star uniforms, adidas says that the Futurestar Boost design is inspired by the attitude and culture of New York City basketball, music and fashion.

The InsideHoops.com take is, these look cool. A simple, clean color scheme.

Deron Williams back in action for Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have been in need of a serious boost, and they got one in the form of Deron Williams Monday. Here’s the New York Post reporting:

Deron Williams made his return for the Nets on Monday night, coming off the bench after missing almost the entire month of January with fractured rib cartilage.

Williams played for the first time since playing just a few minutes against the Celtics. Jan. 7, before missing the next 11 games as the Nets went a dismal 3-12 in January.

But despite the lengthy layoff, it looked as if Williams had never left the court, as he finished with 15 points, three rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes off the bench, giving the Nets another creator on the perimeter and, more importantly, another 3-point threat for a team lacking them.

“It was good to be out there, but it was better to get a win,” Williams said after the 102-100 victory over the Clippers. “We didn’t get a win in all of January at home, so this one felt really good.”

Thunder sign Nick Collison to contract extension

Thunder sign Nick Collison to contract extension

The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed forward Nick Collison to a multi-year contract extension, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

According to Yahoo Sports, it’s “a two-year extension paying close to $8 million.”

“We are excited that Nick Collison will continue his tenure with the Thunder. Since our arrival in 2008, Nick has helped us establish the standards on and off the floor that we work by on a day-to-day basis,” said Presti. “He has accepted various roles, demonstrated professionalism in all aspects of his craft, and shown a commitment to an organizational philosophy that is rare in sports today. Nick is the type of player that will always be valued in Oklahoma City, and we are thrilled he will continue to be a foundational member of the Thunder moving forward.”

Collison, the longest tenured member of the Thunder organization holds career averages of 6.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in 791 career NBA games. Collison ranks among the franchise’s all-time career leaders in rebounds (3rd, 4,370 career rebounds), blocks (6th, 439 career blocks), field goal percentage (2nd, .537) and games played (2nd, 791 career games). The 6-10 University of Kansas product is currently averaging 3.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 15.9 minutes per game this season.

“I’m excited to continue my career with the Thunder, playing here in Oklahoma City. I feel fortunate to be a part of a great organization and to play with a great group of teammates,” said Collison. “Playing in Oklahoma City is unique, it’s a rare combination of a lot of things; great people in the organization starting with ownership, the most loyal fans, the opportunity to win at a high level and a true community impact. It’s been a great professional experience for me since the day I arrived. I’m proud of what we have built together and am grateful to be able to stay with the club and continue our work together.”

Drafted 12th overall in 2003 by the Oklahoma City franchise, Collison was an Associated Press First Team All-America selection and Big 12 Player of the Year as a senior at Kansas. He was also named to the 2003 NCAA All-Final Four Team after leading Kansas to the Championship Game. The Iowa Falls, IA native left KU as the second leading scorer (2,097 points) and third leading rebounder (1,143 rebounds) in school history.

Bradley Beal says Wizards are playing soft

Bradley Beal says Wizards are playing soft lately

The 31-18 Wizards have the 9th best winning percentage in the NBA, but a lot of those wins came earlier in the season. Currently, they’re on a three-game losing streak, and in general have looked very average lately. Here’s the Washington Post Blog reporting:

“I think we definitely took several steps back in these last five games, especially defensively,” Wizards guard Bradley Beal said. “We haven’t been the same team that got up and was physical and tough on them. We are pretty soft right now.”

Wizards Coach Randy Wittman offered a litany of reasons for the recent struggles.

“We point fingers and until we all get back on the same page and come out and play hard for 48 minutes, and look at ourselves in the mirror and say, ‘What can I do more?’ rather than point our finger and say ‘It’s not me,’ that’s where we are at,” Wittman explained. “Like I said, I’ll take the blame for that, of allowing us to get there.

“There are some good teams in this league that can maybe get away with coasting for a half, but we are not one of them. When we’ve played to get to where we were, it’s because we played hard every night and accepted coaching. We’ve had some success when we’ve taken it a little easy, but we are paying for it. That’s what the bottom line is. Until we play hard, all out, and have each other’s back rather than pointing fingers and saying, ‘It’s not my fault, it’s his fault,’ we are not beating anybody. That’s kind of it in a nutshell.”

Al-Farouq Aminu playing well for Mavs

Al-Farouq Aminu playing well for Mavs

The 33-17 Dallas Mavericks are enjoying some solid production from Al-Farouq Aminu these days. Here’s ESPN Dallas reporting:

Al-Farouq Aminu is doing everything he can to earn an exemption from the fickle nature of Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle’s bench rotation.

As Aminu stuffs the box score and provides highlight reel material, it’s almost hard to believe he picked up six DNP-CDs and had a couple other one-minute outings in a recent span of a month and a half. At this point, Aminu is arguably the Mavs’ most indispensable reserve.

His seven-point, five-rebound, two-steal, two-block, two-assist performance in Monday’s 100-94 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves epitomized the Aminu experience of late. He packed all kinds of energy and a few of the night’s most spectacular moments — a fast-break finish of an alley-oop from Raymond Felton, a chasedown swat of Andrew Wiggins and a two-handed slam over Gorgui Dieng — into his 21 minutes.

Clippers dropped by Nets in Brooklyn

Clippers dropped by Nets in Brooklyn

Do the Los Angeles Clippers play like a championship contender? For stretches, yes. Other times, certainly not. In general, serious title favorites show consistency, and that’s something the Clips have struggled with this season. They dropped a shocker to the Nets in Brooklyn Monday. Here’s ESPN Los Angeles reporting:

When the regular season wraps up, the Los Angeles Clippers can look back at games like Monday’s meltdown in Brooklyn and won’t have to wonder for long why they don’t have home court advantage or can’t advance past the first round.

It may just be one game, but the Clippers’ inability to close out a Nets team that was 17-28 and out the East playoff picture is a larger problem than a one-game aberration. It is the perfect example of the Clippers’ consistent lack of consistency.

This same Clippers team that gets pushed around by the New Orleans Pelicans one night can blowout the Spurs by 20 points in San Antonio the next night. Then for an encore two nights later squander an eight-point lead in the final minute and lose to the Nets.

If it’s hard to figure out what kind of team the Clippers are from one night to the next, you’re not alone. They’re not entirely sure, either.

“I think that’s plagued us the whole season,” Clippers forward Matt Barnes said when asked about the inconsistent play. “I think that’s something we have to continue work on and continue to focus on and execute.”

Warriors sign James Michael McAdoo to second 10-day contract

Warriors sign James Michael McAdoo to second 10-day contract

The Golden State Warriors signed free agent forward James Michael McAdoo to a second 10-day contract as a Call-Up from the Warriors’ NBA Development League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced Monday.

McAdoo, 22, appeared in three games with Golden State during his first 10-day contract from January 19 – January 27, averaging 4.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 6.5 minutes. The 6-9 forward tallied 11 points, five rebounds and one block in 13 minutes in his NBA debut in Golden State’s 122-79 victory over the Denver Nuggets on January 19. The North Carolina product has appeared in 24 games (22 starts) with the Santa Cruz Warriors this season, averaging 19.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.04 steals (tied for sixth-best in the D-League) and 2.38 blocks (sixth-best) in 33.0 minutes while hitting 58.8 percent from the field.

McAdoo, who was not selected in the 2014 NBA Draft, originally signed with the Warriors on September 2, 2014. He appeared in five preseason games before being waived on October 24, 2014.

McAdoo will wear uniform #20.

Grizzlies sign JaMychal Green to 10-day contract

Memphis Grizzlies sign JaMychal Green to 10-day contract

The Memphis Grizzlies signed free agent forward JaMychal Green to a 10-day contract as a Call-Up from the NBA Development League’s Austin Spurs, Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace announced today.

Green (6-9, 220) has averaged 23.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.55 blocks in 31.8 minutes in 20 games (all starts) with Austin this season, shooting .577 from the field, .364 from three-point range and .843 from the free throw line. The NBA D-League Player of the Month for games in December, Green ranks sixth in the D-League in scoring and rebounding per game among players with at least 10 games played and is tied for seventh in double-doubles (15).

Green owns career D-League averages of 15.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.07 blocks in 26.8 minutes in 60 games (45 starts) in two seasons (2012-13, 2014-15) with Austin, shooting .532 from the field and .812 from the free throw line.

A 24-year-old NBA rookie, Green was signed by the San Antonio Spurs to a 10-day contract as a Call-Up on Jan. 18 and totaled eight points, six rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes over four appearances for the Spurs, making four of his seven shot attempts.

Undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Montgomery, Ala. native averaged 13.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.72 blocks in 123 games over four seasons at the University of Alabama. He played 25 games for Chorale Roanne of the LNB Pro A League in France during the 2013-14 season.

Celtics sign Andre Dawkins to second 10-day contract

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed guard Andre Dawkins to a second 10-day contract.

Dawkins, a 6’4” guard was signed to his first 10-day with the Celtics on January 23. He has appeared in four games for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League since he was signed and has averaged 20.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 39.4 minutes per game while shooting 37.7 percent from three-point territory.