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Sixers sign Ronald Roberts, waive Jorge Gutierrez

Sixers sign Ronald Roberts, waive Jorge Gutierrez

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced they have signed free agent forward Ronald Roberts from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers. He is the 11th D-League to NBA “Call-Up” of the 2014-15 NBA Development League season.

In a related move, the Sixers waived Jorge Gutierrez.

Roberts started all eight games for the Sevens so far this season, averaging team-highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 67% from the floor. He was also on the Sixers roster during the preseason and the Orlando Pro Summer League.

Los Angeles D-Fenders add Ater Majok

The Los Angeles D-Fenders have acquired forward/center Ater Majok, it was announced today by General Manger Nick Mazzella.

Drafted out of UCONN in the second round (58th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, Majok appeared in three Summer League games with the Lakers before signing with BK SPU Nitra of Slovakia. The 6’10” forward/center averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.4 assists in 41 games for Nitra in 2011-12. In 113 games internationally between 2011 and 2014, Majok tallied 9.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.

Bucks rookie Johnny O`Bryant returns to practice

Here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting on the Bucks:

Bucks rookie forward Johnny O’Bryant returned to practice Thursday, his first on-court work since suffering a sprained right medial collateral ligament during the preseason.

That qualified as good news for a Bucks frontcourt that has been depleted due to injuries. Power forward Ersan Ilyasova remains out with a nasal fracture and forward-center John Henson is still out although getting closer in his recovery from a sprained left foot.

O’Bryant, a second-round pick from LSU, suffered his injury during the Oct. 9 preseason game against Detroit.

“First time,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said of O’Bryant’s return. “He looked good. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. Hopefully he can get more work done, but I thought he did a great job today.”

Celtics rookie James Young dealing with shoulder issue

Here’s ESPN Boston with a Celtics report:

Boston Celtics rookie James Young was undergoing testing Thursday to determine the severity of a right shoulder subluxation sustained in an NBA Development League appearance Wednesday night with the Maine Red Claws.

Young injured the shoulder after absorbing contact from Drew Gordon while trying to corral a pass near midcourt late in the third quarter of a game against the Delaware 87ers. Young was attended to by a trainer on the court before walking off the floor while still clutching the right (non-shooting) shoulder.

Rajon Rondo brushes off criticism

Here’s ESPN Boston reporting on the Celtics:

Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo offered a local pigskin comparison when asked about individual criticism that he’s heard as part of his team’s fourth-quarter struggles this season.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” said Rondo. “I’ve been here longest, I’m the team captain, and I’m the point guard, so, just like in football, in the beginning they blamed [quarterback Tom] Brady a lot [when the New England Patriots struggled]. It’s part of it. It’s not weighing on me at all.”

With Wednesday’s loss in Charlotte, the Boston Celtics fell to 4-9 this season in games in which the team was within five points in the final five minutes of play. The Celtics’ team defensive rating in those “clutch” situation balloons to 116.4 points per 100 possessions, the second worst mark in the league. What’s more, Boston, which actually ranks near the top 10 in turnover percentage for the season, plummets to 23rd overall in frequency of giveaways during crunch time situations.

Nets coach discusses team need for improvement

Here’s ESPN New York reporting on the Brooklyn Nets, who are 8-12, just traded unused bench player Andrei Kirilenko to the 76ers today, and lately have been playing without the services of injured center Brook Lopez:

The Brooklyn Nets have gotten off to a terrible start — and their coach wants more.

“We’re not a team that can play poorly and beat somebody,” Lionel Hollins said Thursday. “We’re not a very good team at this stage of our development.”

Asked if he expected an [8-12] start when he took the job, Hollins responded, “I didn’t know what to expect. I thought we would be better. I didn’t know when. We have some deficiencies. The rebounding one is huge, and defensively, the quickness against most teams is huge and just being able to execute and play at a tempo that keeps us in games versus letting the other team having their way of playing. That’s important, too.

“But with this group it’s a learning process of how to play that way, and I think most of the guys would like to play quicker, but it gives the other team too many opportunities.”

Nets sign Darius Morris

Brooklyn Nets sign Darius Morris

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent guard Darius Morris, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

Morris (6’4”, 195) was selected with the 41st pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers and appeared in 19 games during his rookie season, averaging 2.4 points and 1.1 assists in 8.9 minutes per game. He also saw action in four playoff games, scoring 10 points in eight minutes. In his second season, Morris, 23, appeared in 48 games (17 starts), averaging 4.0 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14.2 minutes per game. He boosted his averages to 10.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 26.3 minutes per game through four Lakers’ playoff games (two starts).

Morris joined the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2013-14 season where he appeared in 12 games with Philadelphia, averaging 6.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 16.3 minutes per game before being waived. Morris then signed two 10-day contracts with the Los Angeles Clippers, appearing in 10 games, and one 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, seeing action in five games. Prior to the start of the 2014-15 season, Morris signed with the Portland Trail Blazers and was among the team’s final cuts. In 94 career NBA games, Morris has recorded averages of 3.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 12.4 minutes per game. He has also appeared in a total of 12 D-League games in his career, including three games on assignment with the Lakers’ affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, and nine games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Morris spent two years at the University of Michigan before declaring as an early entrant in the 2011 NBA Draft. He was named to the All-Big 10 Third Team following a sophomore season in which he averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game and set the school’s then single season assists record.

Nets trade Andrei Kirilenko to 76ers

Nets trade Andrei Kirilenko to 76ers

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired forward Brandon Davies from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forward Andrei Kirilenko, guard Jorge Gutierrez, the Nets’ second round draft pick in 2020 and the right to swap second round picks in 2018, General Manager Billy King announced today. In addition, the Nets created a $3.4 million trade exception and a $916,000 trade exception with the transaction.

According to multiple reports, the Sixers are expected to waive Kirilenko, whose return to the NBA is uncertain.

Davies (6’10”, 240) joins the Nets after spending the last two seasons with the 76ers. He signed as a free agent with Philadelphia after going undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft and appeared in 51 games during his rookie season, averaging 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game. This season, Davies, 23, has seen action in 20 games (six starts), and posted averages of 6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 19.0 minutes per game. A native of Provo, UT, Davies spent four years at Brigham Young University, earning All-Mountain West Conference Third Team honors following his sophomore season and All-West Coast Conference Team recognition following his junior and senior seasons.

Kirilenko was signed as a free agent by the Nets on July 12, 2013. He appeared in 45 games (four starts) during the 2013-14 season, averaging 5.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 19.0 minutes per game. He also saw action in 10 playoff games, averaging 2.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game. This season, Kirilenko has seen action in seven games, totaling three points and eight rebounds in 36 minutes. In 13 NBA seasons, Kirilenko has appeared in 797 games (546 starts) and averaged 11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.8 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game. He earned his lone All-Star appearance in 2004 as a member of the Utah Jazz and was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team following the 2005-06 season.

Gutierrez was signed to a 10-day contract by the Nets from the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League on March 6, 2014 and made his NBA debut three days later against the Sacramento Kings. He signed a second 10-day contract on March 17 before signing for the remainder of the season on March 28. Gutierrez appeared in 15 games (two starts) with the Nets during the 2013-14 season, averaging 4.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 16.3 minutes per game. He also saw three minutes of action in two playoff games. This season, Gutierrez has appeared in nine games, averaging 1.8 points in 4.3 minutes per game.

Kobe Bryant, point guard? Maybe.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Here’s the Orange County Register reporting on the Lakers, who are 6-16 this season:

It is no surprise to see Kobe Bryant with the ball in his hands at the end of games.

But late in Tuesday’s 98-95 win over the Sacramento Kings, it was by design.

Coach Byron Scott opted to eschew a traditional backcourt, playing Bryant at point guard for all but the final 34 seconds of the fourth quarter.

It worked, as the Lakers star scored or assisted on each of the Lakers’ final five field goals.

Shifting Bryant to point guard at critical junctures is something Scott said he had been thinking about, and he said he has gone so far as to contemplate starting the 36-year-old at the position.

“I even talked to him about it,” Scott said. “I said, ‘I’m thinking about it, but I’m not there yet.’ So yeah I have thought about it.”

Pelicans assign Russ Smith to D-League

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has assigned rookie point guard Russ Smith to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League.

Smith, 6-0, 185, has appeared in two games for Fort Wayne, averaging 14.5 points and 3.0 steals in 25.5 minutes per game.

Smith has appeared in three games for New Orleans, averaging 0.3 rebounds per game. Smith appeared in six preseason contests for the Pelicans, averaging 5.0 points, 1.2 assists and 0.8 rebounds.

Drafted out of the University of Louisville by Philadelphia with the 47th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, Smith was acquired by New Orleans in a draft night trade.